Susan Wanderer

Maternity Leave Comes To An End...

2011-07-31T17:12:00.002-04:00

Here I am... on the Eve of going back to work after about 6 weeks of Maternity Leave.

While I write this my 3 year old is lining up her stuffed animals and giving them a come-to-Jesus meeting in Amharic, my 6 year old just woke up from a Sunday afternoon nap (we train them early around here) and my 14 year old is busy making Wii characters for the entire family. I'd say this is a lovely little Sunday afternoon.

I have absolutely adored my time with our kids... the attachment period has been incredibly valuable for our clan of 5. Each day we have seen huge strides in our kids trusting us, believing us and knowing we are a forever family.

The unusual part of going back to work tomorrow, I will not actually be going back in the office this week... I will be taking a group of 3rd-5th Graders to Camp... including my own son.

This is a first... in 15 years of Children's Ministry, I am packing 2 suitcases tonight and preparing my son to go with us to a week of fun and Jesus!

Tomorrow really begins our "new normal"... I am eager, thankful and excited about this next phase of our journey. I too am very thankful to get back to work!

Right around the corner our clan will soon discover school books, school open houses, apple festivals, thanksgiving meals and Christmas celebrations!

So... on this Eve of going back to work... I am excited for what is ahead and grateful to have had the opportunity to bond with our children during these last 6 weeks.

Blogging will be lean next week while my son and I are at Children's Camp!

Friendships were Formed...

2011-07-28T08:28:00.000-04:00

One of the sweetest blessings of this adoption journey has been the incredible friends we have made along the way. Here is a taste in photos of some of the relationships God has formed. These three families represented were able to take care packages to each others children while we were in Ethiopia, pray for each other, cry with each other and experience the joys of bringing our kids home!

So thankful for adoption friends who "get" the turbulence and beauty of the entire journey!

Pancakes Anyone?

2011-07-27T08:08:00.000-04:00

Last night before Ed and I went to sleep he said... "I think I would like to take Ruth out for breakfast in the morning. I go out with Joshua just the two of us, so I think I need to begin taking Ruth and Dibora out for Date's as well. I will take Ruth out for breakfast after I drop Joshua off for school."

For the last several weeks Ruth has been spying a pink lacy dress in her closet. We received it as a gift and Ruth has admired it from the moment she opened her closet doors for the first time in June. There has never been an occasion to wear it... other than dress up. For some reason, she refuses to wear it for dress-up... as if to save it for a very special occasion.

On days we are heading to the pool or sprayground she gets out her princess-like dress and asks, "Today, Mommy?" I always respond with... "Can you swim in that?" She giggles and says, "Maybe tomorrow"

I woke up this morning and could barely contain my excitement in presenting her with her dress! I walked into her room...

"Good morning! This morning you are going on a Daddy/Daughter Breakfast Date! And I think today is just the occasion to wear this incredibly lovely dress!"

Her smile could not be contained in that tiny little bedroom! I'm certain she did not understand any of my English words. However, she fully understood the pink frolicy dress which hung on the hanger snug in my fingers.

"Mommy! It is so be-au-ti-ful! Thank you so so so so much!" (In her incredibly sweet Amharic accent, of course)

We put on her dress, she picked out her shoes (jeweled flip flops) and we fixed her hair.... "Mommy, hair down... no pony, please"

And... as we came down the stairs... she was all aglow as she saw her date for the morning...

Amhaglish

2011-07-26T09:27:00.002-04:00

The truth is, on an average day I understand:

94% of what Joshua says to me (his English is superb... we just get stuck on some words because of accent issues (his and mine) or there are some English words he just hasn't discovered yet.
50% of what Ruth and Dibora say to me - they came with no English skills and are slowly but surely learning. I am so incredibly proud of their efforts! I would never do as well learning Amharic as they are doing with English.

So... you can see our days are filled with a mixture of English and Amharic... I like to refer to it as Amhaglish. (And lots of sign language!)

Since the majority of what I listen to all day long is Amharic... when I hear American kids speak English it amazes me. I look at them like they have 10 heads and stare at them as if they are in a foreign country. My mind is then jogged and I am reminded: that is the language this country uses!
This morning, when Dibora came to crawl in bed with me (Ed was in the Shower)... she looked at me and asked in a complete sentence, "Mom, where is Daddy?" (in her incredibly sweet Amharic accent)
I had to actually pause... Wait a minute! I understood that! I didn't have to translate that in my head!
This is all bittersweet for me. While I am over-the-moon happy they are learning English and will be able to communicate with folks outside of our home... I am also sad to see their Amharic become less and less.
I am going to keep taking videos of them because I don't want to forget these Amahaglish days! They are too sweet.

Take a Gander

2011-07-25T17:55:00.001-04:00

Thankful to be sharing a bit of our Adoption Journey today over at....

Afterbelly

Take a gander and check it out! :)

Thank you God for Pizza!

2011-07-25T08:35:00.000-04:00

Last night was an eventful night during family devotionals... imagine if you will:

1. One child running around full speed with interludes of bed jumping.

2. One child having a complete meltdown complete with crocodile tears.

3. One child ready for us to wrap it up so he can have some movie time with Dad.

Then prayer time happened... hands held and our family circle was formed.

Joshua began praying... he prayed for each person individually in the circle. Then our Crocodile Tears gal dried up her tears and prayed with a mixture of Amharic and English... we understood some mutterings of "thank you for Mommy, Daddy and I love Mommy and Daddy". Finally our bed jumper finished up our time talking to God. We could just discern some of her Amhaglish mutterings. The final statement (after about 6 minutes of her prayer time) was completely understandable, "Than tu Dod for PIZZZZZAAAA!"

I love in the middle of chaotic moments in our home that prayer does 2 things:

Shows them Who we thank, Who we love and Who we worship.
Calms their little hearts.

By the time Daddy was done praying... our bed jumper was calmly sitting with her hand in mine and the Crocodile Tears were all dried up!

No matter the age of children... prayer time and Bible time are always possible. The age of child depends on the active adventure that might happen!

One Thing I am Learning as a New Parent:

2011-07-23T10:12:00.000-04:00

When other adults invest in the lives of our kids and love them like their own... it moves us to our core. It makes our hearts leap with gratefulness.

It makes me think... when we love others well... does it move God as well?

I think the answer is Yes.

Makes me want to love others deeply and care for them well.

A Few of my Favorite Things

2011-07-22T21:42:00.000-04:00

Dibora in the mornings snuggling close to my ear with her arm wrapped tightly around my neck, saying in her husky voice that sounds like an 80 year old who has smoked a few too many in her little lifetime: "Mommy, I lubba yous so much!"
Hearing Ruthie squeal: "SWIMMING!" in her sweet Amharic accent every time we pass the neighborhood pool!
Packing Joshua's lunch each day for Soccer Camp... I loved putting together some lunchbox love for him to discover each day.
Experiencing Ed do our nightly devotions each night. He is an incredible Dad.
Listening to my kids sing... and watching them dance... they are beautiful worshippers of Jesus!

Lessons I'm Learning...

2011-06-23T10:00:00.000-04:00

A few things I am learning about being a family of five... and a very non-traditional family at that:

1. I am so very grateful for friends and family who have rallied around us to help us in the last 2 weeks. (Thank you Grammy, Papa, Mimi, Grandad, Auntie Amy, our ET Families in NOVA and those who have called to check on us... we love you guys!)

2. The adjustment and attachment time can NOT be rushed... each child responds differently to their new surroundings and new family. Each day is a new learning opportunity for us, as parents. We are slowly learning how each child needs us to invest in them and love them.

3. My house looks like a tornado has gone through it -- not the end of the world. Spending a few minutes each night picking up will help with the issue. While it's not the end of the world... for my one child who truly loves order... it brings them peace when they experience a straight room. So for this sweet child... we take the car to get it vacuumed once a week too! :) It brings them full blown smiles! (and squeals since they have never seen a car-vac before!)

4. Date Nights are important! Ed and I get our first one on Friday night! Can't wait for a dinner for two in a restaurant with my sweet husband all to myself!

5. Everything takes time... most families get one child at a time... or if they are bio multiples... they get the same age at a time... we have a preschooler, elementary-schooler and a middle-schooler... all who speak Amharic and have come from a hard place. We are learning to slow down and take time to learn their sweet personalities and interests - what makes them unique!

6. Our days and evenings flow much better when we take time to focus our kids on Jesus. Each evening, Ed leads our little clan in a devotional and prayer time. Of course, the girls don't really understand everything... but they do understand we are talking about Jesus, reading from His Word and praying. It's becoming a good part of our family rhythm at night time.

7. These kids have stolen our hearts! I can't describe how incredibly blessed we feel each day (even on the challenging days) to be able to parent these three children. We are trusting God to give us wisdom to mother and father their hearts each day. In the short time we have been together as a family we see huge strides in attachment. God is so gracious and we are so thankful.

8. Another important lesson I've learned - when all else fails... a good bath time brings joy to their heart and a smile to their face!

A Day of Celebration!

2011-06-23T09:01:00.000-04:00

This day was a great day of celebration! After an incredible homecoming at Dulles Airport, we went home with our parents (Mimi, Grammy, Grandad and Papa) and Auntie Amy and we had a celebration feast! We walked into our home and it was full of "Welcome Home" signs, Balloons, presents and lots of food! Each child squealed as they experienced their new bedroom and their new home.

The evening finished out with a bit of music and dancing! Our kids can move it move it!

(Now, enjoy that song in your head for the rest of the day)

Have a great Thursday!

Firsts!

2011-06-22T21:20:00.000-04:00

Our children are experiencing many firsts...

Escalators at the airport... "Daddy, how you do this?"
The airplane... big excitement... yet... "Mommy... I like car... Airplane too long" (not fans of the long trip)
Non-Ethiopian Food - that's a post all in itself.
At the pool... the lifeguard blew the whistle and yelled, "Break!" - so all the kids got out of the pool and the adults continued to enjoy the water. Our son looked at us, "Mommy... what broke? We have to go home?"
Car Seats - they don't wear seat belts in Ethiopia... let alone strapped with a five point harness in a car seat... you can imagine, our youngest was not a fan. Ruth is perfectly content in her booster seat after seeing the contraption her sister has to sit in.
In the TH, they received 2 Showers a week - Sundays and Wednesdays. And not a Shower like we know in America. My son described it more like a hose with a spray handle. So, needless to say... bath time is a HUGE hit around our home... .sometimes multiple times a day. Our water bill is going to be an interesting one this month. No worries... after reading some adoption blogs, I'm seeing this is normal in the first few weeks of arrival.
Chuck E. Cheese - you know the show they have in the back where people eat? Our kids were trying to figure out if they were giant adults dressed up. Ed had to take them up and explain they were mechanical. My thought - I would NOT want to run into that sized person inside that Chuck E. Cheese Costume!
We took the kids into the District one day for a picnic on the lawn and to look around the Air and Space Museum. As we were driving around... we saw all of the monuments... the kids wanted to know if they were Palaces and who lived inside each one.

There are many others... this is just a taste... I'll share more later.

Hope you are having a good evening!

Ethiopia Memories, Take 2

2011-06-22T09:25:00.000-04:00

Our 2nd trip to Ethiopia had many ups... MANY ups... and many many tears. I was not at all expecting the amount of tears I would cry while I was there.
Part of me wanted to blame it on the beauty of female hormones...

Then... the Holy Spirit would remind me to sit in the experiences and let them marinate in my memory... one day our children would want to know every moment of our Gotcha Day and our final days in their beautiful homeland.

So... here are a few of my most prevalent memories... knowing, the ones that are nearest to my heart right now will not be shared... still processing a bit.

Our Gotcha Day on June 5th will be a day we will forever celebrate! Each June 5th will be a celebration of God uniting us as a forever family! As we pulled up to the TH... I could hear the squeals of our daughter, Ruth. The Nannies were quickly rushing her to the back of the TH so to surprise us and have our official "Gotcha Day" Moment. Since our last name begins with "W"... we were the final family to see our kids. As the 2 families ahead of us (Jenny and then The Henderson's) united with their children, I burst into tears. Such beauty is watching a family being formed! As it was our turn... I think we ran to the kids and squeezed them so tight... their eyes left their sockets for a moment! So many hugs and kisses were given out... I lost count!

Goodbye's took place almost immediately after we arrived to the TH. Joshua asked if he could go tell his friend, Hosanna goodbye. I brought photos of Joshua and Hosanna to give to Joshua so he could give them to his friend as a goodbye gift. Before I could turn to give them to him... I looked up and the two teenage boys were embraced and crying. I ran over to give Hosanna the pictures. Joshua said... "His family is coming soon, right Mom?" "Yes, sweet boy... they will be here in about a month". I was not prepared for the incredible bond my son has with his friends from the TH. He absolutely adores them. The reunion he had at the airport with Adonias is proof of that. The life-experience they all had together while in the TH is nothing I can ever understand. It's a bond that will unite them for a long time. Joshua has asked to skype with several of his friends once they arrive home to their families. I see Sunday night Skype dates in our future!

Living in the GH for a week with our children was a gift... and an incubator. The memories that will forever be ingrained in my mind: our first morning waking up together as a family, having meals together in the GH and around town, taking the kids to The Gorge and other day-outing trips, spending good time with The Henderson's and other AW families. There were also incubator moments... the ones where it felt like we were living in a pressure cooker. We were eager to get home in our surroundings and begin life... our new normal chaotic beautiful life.

Leaving ET for the final time was a crazy emotional day and evening. I cried most of the day. I did not expect this flood of emotions over me. I cried at the thought of the plane leaving, of packing up, of our kids saying goodbye. On our final night... all of our bags were downstairs and we were waiting in the lobby on Dawitt to arrive to take us to the airport. I sat down on the couch and one of the sweet AW Dad's asked me, "Are you excited?" I burst into tears and had to excuse myself to the bathroom. I gathered my emotions and came back and apologized. I explained... I just couldn't believe that 2 years were over and we were actually bringing them home. I was watching my three kids play around with each other, dressed in the clothes we brought them, calling us Mommy and Daddy and it was all just too much for my heart to take. I realized God's graciousness for us in that moment. He was allowing us to parent these three beautiful kids. Even typing this, my emotions are overwhelmed.

The real journey began once the plane left Ethiopia... the last 10 days have been thrilling, exciting, overwhelming, scary, joyful... oh the list could go on and on...

I will share these experiences in another post.

We. Are. Home.

2011-06-21T23:34:00.000-04:00

We are back... and in full swing of being a clan of 5!

I posted oodles of pictures on facebook of our Homecoming Day... every time I look at them I get a bit misty-eyed.

We. Are. Home.

A 2 year journey in the making... unbelievable.

Sometimes, when I hear the girls giggle... or our son asks, "Mom, I ride bike now?"... I still can't believe they are home.

No more sending Care Packages thousands of miles away...

No more waiting for 703 to dial our phone with good news, bad news or no news from Ethiopia...

No more wondering the when's and if's of our three beauties coming home...

We now have:
hours upon hours of syrup filled kisses, belly-laughing giggles, Amharic stories...

My next blog post will hold:
1. Highlights of our final trip to Ethiopia
2. Highlights of our Homecoming
3. What's been happening in our lives... the good, the hard, the challenging and the lovely...

One thing I'm reminded on a daily basis.... God uses each moment on this journey as a refining moment to use to shape us more into His image.

One thing I know for certain - I am happily exhausted... a beautiful kind of exhausted because three amazingly lovely children with the last name of Wanderer are asleep in their beds in our home in Virginia... and we are a forever family.

Thankful.

Diving In!

2011-05-30T08:35:00.000-04:00

Yesterday in Worship I realized... that was our last day to Worship as a family of 2...

Butterflies... Excitement... and a bit of fear all wrapped into one.

How lovely it all will be... the good, the bad, the ugly and the lovely of adoption... all a part of God's gigantic gracious plan.

I so appreciated the couple of Moms yesterday who told me it was okay to mess up... we all mess up... then, tomorrow is a new day.

Thankful Jesus will give me wisdom to Mother their hearts and forgiveness and guidance when I fail.

So... if you think about it... pray for us this week as we dive deep in the depths of parenting our preschooler, our elementary child and our teenager without experience under our belts.

So thankful they are our children! Can't wait to hug them again and begin learning their personalities even more.

To God be the Glory... great things He has done.

One-Emotional-Mama!

2011-05-26T23:54:00.000-04:00

I might be a bit vulnerable in this post... if it's too much for you... sorry :)

Follow me back to Wednesday morning... I did not sleep well at all that night. I woke up at 2AM to pray for Stacey and Evan Snyder as they were at that exact moment standing before the Ethiopian judge. I continued to ask God for sweet favor for their MOWCYA letter and court approval.

When the alarm went off later that morning, I began to cry. I rolled over to Ed. He asked me what was wrong and I told him I was having a hard time remembering what our children's voices sounded like and their personalities.

My sweet husband laid there with his hand in my hair telling me the beauty of each distinct personality. I cried and laughed as he described each child. It's a moment I will play often in my mind. I loved hearing his words describe the beauty and complexity of our three children. While we laid there thinking on our brown-eyed-beauties, Ed prayed for them, His prayer that day: "God continue to give them hope and remind them we are coming for them. Knit our hearts with theirs."

We then read Proverbs 25 (it was the 25th of the Month)... we bounced upon Proverbs 25:25 "Like water to a weary soul is good news from a distant land"

I burst into tears again... such sweet Word's from God! Oh please Father, God.. allow this nugget of wisdom be what we can hope for today!

Two hours later, on my drive into work... my phone rang from our Adoption Agency with the call we had been waiting on - we were cleared for travel to go pick our kids up! I burst into tears... again.

It is unbelievable to know in 9 short days we will go from a Family of 2 to a Family of 5.

I absolutely adore Ed Wanderer! I can't ever imagine a better partner in life to walk this journey. He is strong where I am incredibly weak and He loves me despite myself. AND - the way he cares for our children is the most beautiful scene I've ever witnessed.

So... this random little post is from a soon-to-be Mama (with full blow Mama-Emotions) proclaiming her thankfulness for her children and her husband and for the five becoming ONE Family Unit.

Love you all dearly who follow our story! Would greatly appreciate your prayers as we are in the final countdown to pick our children up and bring them home!

Love to you!

Showers, Embassy and Waiting...

2011-05-17T16:22:00.000-04:00

Where have we been for the last few weeks? We have experienced the incredible love and generosity of family and friends in a Spotswood Shower, a Family Shower and a Mount Ararat Shower! I will certainly post pictures soon of these fun events!

Also - we are now in week 6 of waiting on good Embassy News... and 10 weeks from when we last saw our children in person... that is many weeks past what I expected to wait.

Our kids are more than ready for us to come and get them. We are incredibly ready to see them again and bring them home.

Some days are full of joy as we enjoy the "nesting" mode of getting the rooms ready for their arrival. Then.... Wednesday arrives...

Wednesday is the only day of the week we find out if we are able to go pick our kids up. It's the only day of the week in which our Agency is allowed to submit us for Embassy. Each Wednesday since April 11th has come and gone with "not this week" news.

We will see what tomorrow brings.

Trusting and Waiting...

Chicken Noodle Soup

2011-04-27T17:43:00.000-04:00

One thing is a little strange in not knowing how to respond:

We get weekly health updates for our children. So far in the last several weeks, we have learned our son had a bad cold, our youngest daughter had double ear infections and a urinary tract infection... and today, our oldest daughter has bronchitis.

Our agency is amazing... simply amazing. We really do love them dearly and are so thankful our children have caring Nannies, loving Nurses and a wonderful Pediatrician we were able to meet with while in Ethiopia.

I love the updates and my head completely knows our children are being cared for in an amazing way.

However, when I get these updates.. I'm just not sure how I am supposed to respond. I KNOW they are being cared for in a beautiful way. Yet, my heart just wants to be there with them, snuggle them close, give them some crackers, ginger ale, chicken noodle soup (or some other kind of food that is magically supposed to get rid of their ailments) and tell them they will feel better so soon.

I'm realizing, it's hard to be away from your children when they are sick... even when you trust the beautiful folks who are caring for them.

So, in the meantime... I will parent from afar and pray to our Heavenly Father and ask him to allow our sweet little Ruth to feel better so soon.

May is Coming... and so is Embassy!

2011-04-27T11:12:00.000-04:00

Sorry for the delay in a blog post... Easter Weekend was very busy... and so fabulous!

An incredible 2 days of Worship at Mount Ararat on Saturday and Sunday as we worshipped our Risen Savior... and a delightful Easter Meal with the Harvey/Wanderer Clan on Sunday afternoon! A great weekend had by all.

We did not get submitted to Embassy today as we thought. They are still working on our paperwork. They only submit to Embassy on Wednesdays... so, possibly next week.

This means... possibly having our kids home in the next few weeks!

In the meantime... we continue to get their rooms ready for their arrival... and finish up the I600 form to prepare us for our Embassy appointment.

However, before the Embassy appointment happens... one very special day will occur... our Gotcha Day!

They. Are. Coming!

2011-04-21T06:37:00.001-04:00

Are you excited, nervous, scared, elated?

Yes, yes, yes and yes!

With our children's homecoming quickly approaching, my stomach is housing a swarm of butterflies! I have been thinking/praying/dreaming of them being home... but as the day approaches, I am a bit scared.

Of what, you ask?

Being a Mom...
Learning their three little personalities...
Their hearts that need healing...
Pointing these three hearts to Jesus...
My youngest two and their primary (and only current) language being Amharic...
Having a teenager...
Having a preschooler...
Having an elementary child..

What am I most excited about, you ask?

Being a Mom...
Learning their three little personalities...
Loving their hearts and watching them heal...
Pointing them to Jesus...
Watching my youngest two learn English while still embracing Amharic...
Having a Teenager...
Having a preschooler...
Having an elementary child...
Being a parent-team with Ed...
Watching our parents be the best Grandparents any three children have ever seen...

So... I am beginning to wonder what the chaos of our "new normal" will be...

One thing is for certain... it will not be boring as God continues to draw us closer to His side and to each other! I can't think of anything more beautiful (and hard), (and exciting), (and fearful), (and thrilling) (etc....)!

Passport Photos!

2011-04-20T12:59:00.001-04:00

I woke up this morning to this message on facebook from Tara Mowen, who is in Ethiopia with her little boy!

"There were 5 kids(Wanderers and Cassidys) missing from the TH home today, so I asked where they were and between the nanny, the guard, and another man they told me they were at the Embassy getting photos taken. I know it takes 4 business days to get passports back, so hoping this means you both will be submitted next Wednesday!!!"

Yep - the three Wanderer children were off getting their passport photos made.... one step closer to home!

If all goes smoothly, we are thinking perhaps a mid-May Homecoming is possible!

Then, let the chaos of the "new normal" begin!

Phrases I'm Shelving

2011-04-20T10:30:00.000-04:00

WARNING: This post is longer than usual... so, you might want to grab a cup of coffee... or better yet... a Cake Pop!

Through this journey of adoption there are several statements harder to listen to than others. Ones that I will be putting on a shelf to not be used. I even found myself saying one of them in the last few days and had to stop myself.

Here is a sampling:

God's timing is perfect!
You need to see God is just trying to teach you patience.
Because you are taking in these children... I am praying God will bless you with one of your own children one day.

I know the sentiment behind these statements is so lovely... people honestly want to use them as sweet encouragement and kind-hearted words. I know in the past, I too have probably said one (or more) of these statements to someone going through a difficult journey.

Now I am on this side of those statements... I am experiencing a different kind of reaction.

I know God's timing is perfect. I so love, trust and believe our amazing God. I don't think the statement itself is burdensome. It's the ease in which it rolls off the tongue. We have been on this journey for almost 2 years... let that sink in... Two. Years. Some days are so thrilling it feels as if I am at the best resort in the world taking in the most breath-taking view possible. Then other days... the bad news arrives and tears fall... and the cloud decides it will take up residence in my emotions.
The patience statement just takes my breath a bit... only because it is not only me that is being asked to be patient. We have three children... on the other side of the world... they are being asked to portray patience well beyond their years. My confusion does not come at a person saying I need patience.. it's the thought of my 2 year old, 6 year old and 14 year old needing to discover patience as well. Makes tears well in my eyes... simply because we would never ask other children to have this kind of patience... "enjoy the orphanage for a little longer... you don't need a family right now". Pardon the sarcasm.
Since laying eyes on our 3 children... I am reminded on a daily basis... biology doesn't make a family... love, commitment and Jesus make a family. So thankful for our clan of 5. For the well-wishers/hopers wanting a biological Wanderer... please know... I genuinely appreciate the sentiment behind your hopes. However, please understand... three Ethiopian children have gloriously ruined us for life! They have stolen our hearts! They are our "own" children and we are so grateful for the gift of our three brown-eyed beauties!

God is so gracious to allow us to travel this journey! We would not change any part of it... each part... the long, the short, the good, the bad, the ugly and the lovely have been used to draw us closer to Him... and to the three children we now call our own.

One small lesson I have learned in this process: People experiencing a difficult journey need to be loved well, shown compassion on their heart-ache and for folks to pray like mad women for them.

Side Note: I am so grateful for the folks who have walked this adoption road with us... their arms are long and their compassion is intense... and they pray like mad women (and men) to see our kids home. We dearly love the folks God has placed on this journey with us... a true gift!

Take Me There

2011-04-19T16:55:00.001-04:00

When Ed and I were dating, we would drive the I-95 Corridor on a weekly basis while blaring one of our favorite Worship CD's - A Grateful People by Watermark. We would put on repeat "Take Me There" over and over again. To this day when we are needing a little extra worship focus, we pull out this old faithful CD and blare our favorite song.

Fast Forward a few years...

While we were with our children in Ethiopia, Ed let Joshua listen to his iPod. Each day as we arrived, Joshua would quickly ask, "Dad, can I listen to the songs about Jesus?" Ed would grab his iPod and earphones and hand them off to our son.

One afternoon, Joshua came running to me... "Mom, I can't find the song... please help."

Me: "Which song, Joshua?"

Joshua: "You know... Take Me There!"

I shuffled the iPod around and found the song... he nodded his head quickly and proclaimed loudly, not aware of his volume, "Yes, Mom, this one!" ... and ran off to play soccer with his friend.

That night as Ed and I were getting into bed:

Ed: "I can't believe Joshua loves 'Take Me There' so much!"

Me: "I know... just like his parents"

Ed: "Can you think of a greater song for him to be playing in his head while we are away from him?"

Nope... I sure can't...

Here are the lyrics to our much-beloved song -

Take Me There

Take me there to the place where You are
Take me there, take me there
I just wanna be where You are
Hide me in Your shelter
Hide me here, hide me here
I just wanna be where You are

You have buried my sin in the depths, my Lord
And You've covered me from the furious storm
And You've kept me in the cleft of Your rock
And You've loved me there right from the start!

Take me there to the place where You are
Take me there, take me there
I just wanna be where You are
Hide me in Your shelter
Hide me here, hide me here
I just wanna be where You are

You are here and I can feel You
I just love to be where You are
Hide me in this shelter
I just love to be where You are

Skype Date With Our Kids!

2011-04-15T09:25:00.000-04:00

This morning we had the greatest blessing anyone could have ever given us during this wait time to go pick up our children! Tara Mowen, who is currently in Ethiopia with her little one sent a message yesterday asking if we would like to Skype with our children. She said Joshua had been asking everyday about when he will see us again. The internet is awful slow at the Transition Home, but she had an Internet Stick and that would make it work for us to be able to see each other.

I burst into tears at just the thought of being able to see the kids! I called Ed and he too was over-the-moon ecstatic!

We have never done Skype before... so Ed came home to set up an account last night. We got up this morning eager to see our children!

At 8:34AM (3:34PM in ET) we got the Skype call and there were our two oldest children smiling from cheek to cheek! It was way toooooo sweet!

"Hello Mommy and Daddy!!" (and blowing kisses into the computer)

We chatted for a while... we celebrated passing court with them, we talked about coming to get them soon... then, Joshua wanted to see the color of his room.

Ed took the computer to his bedroom and showed him the wall-color. Joshua was elated!

It was so exciting to see them! Joshua's best friend even Skyped in from Springfield! That was a treat to see them beam when they saw each other! Oh what a reunion that will be when they are together again!

Well... enough excitement for one day! Thank you, Tara Mowen for blessing this Mama's heart today...

I am gloriously ruined for the rest of the afternoon!

New Last Names!

2011-04-14T21:42:00.000-04:00

I have been meaning to post for the last few days... but time has gotten away from me!

So... walk with me back a couple of days to Monday morning...

I woke up at 7AM to Ed kissing me goodbye. He was up bright and early to head to work. I was eager to wake up and begin packing... I was about to spend the next day or so in my beautiful hometown of Charlottesville to visit Jessica (with her adorable new baby, Ronin) and Joy (with her sweet daughter, Ava Grace).

On my way out the door, I grabbed my phone, my bags and my camera... and headed to Chick-Fil-A for a diet coke (breakfast of champions)! As I was traveling down the road, I called Ed to let him know I was heading out and I would call him when I got to the ville. He said he hadn't heard anything from the agency, so he was thinking it was a "not today" day. He assured me we would pass court one day, told me he loved me and we hung up.

I was leaving the Chick-Fil-A drive thru as he called back:

Me: Hey honey... you okay?

Ed: Yes, where are you?

Me: Chick -Fil-A... getting a Diet Coke. Why?

Ed: I need you to pull over... I have news.

Me: Why? What's going on?

Ed: Well, babe... it's done! We are officially the parents of our kids.

Me: What? (and then the laughing and crying began) Are you serious? What?

Ed: Yep! Wow, unbelievable! God is good.

And then we sat there in amazement... our kids were declared ours... and given new last names! Two years of paper-work, deadlines, court dates, etc... and they are finally declared ours. Every moment was worth it!

Next up... the Ethiopian courts will take 2 weeks to finish our paperwork... and our paperwork will then be submitted to the US Embassy in Ethiopia. Once all of that is finished, we will then wait for our Embassy date to be set... and then go back over to get our kids and bring them... HOME!

Then the REAL adventure will begin... parenting!

No Math Skills

2011-04-08T09:11:00.000-04:00

In the midst of my tossing and turning from small portions of sleep last night I would find myself looking at the clock and trying to count ahead 7 hours (which is hard enough in itself if you know my math skills... but add a somewhat zombie-like sleep state and it was almost humorous).

I wanted to determine what hour it was... as if I actually knew the hour the judge would hear our case... I had no idea. It still brought comfort to think, "oh, it's 2PM there, she could be listening to our case right now. Please show off today, Father"... then I would roll over and finish my night watch prayer... only to have another one whispered a few moments later.

I woke up this morning... and here is where my Bible opened:
"Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will gather your children from the east and gather you from the west. I will say to the north, 'Give them up!' and to the south, 'Do not hold them back.' Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth" Isaiah 43:5-6

There are at least 6 families hoping for good news today that our children will receive a new last name, new family and will be welcomed with loving arms to a new home!

Amen and Amen!

The Ethiopia Mommies

2011-04-06T22:17:00.000-04:00

Last Saturday, Ed and I woke up unusually early (I suppose we were getting into practice for our three children)... He went to a Deacon's Meeting and I went to Tyson's Corner to see these beautiful ladies... The Ethiopia Mommies! We had a yummy breakfast full of chatter, tears and laughter!

Love these gals... we try to get together about every 6 weeks or so. All of us are at different stages of the adoption process... one has had her kiddos for a long while, one has had her kiddos home for a couple of months, one is about to head off on her first trip to Ethiopia to see her beautiful baby boy, and the other 2 sweet women are waiting for a referral to see their fantastic baby girls!

When we are together it is HOURS of laughing, talking, crying and just "getting" each other. It is good to be with women who get the crazy road of adoption. It is definitely a refining process... it is wonderfully encouraging to have these ladies to spur each other along... during the good, the bad, the ugly and the lovely of this incredibly journey.

Warm Smiles and Forever Memories

2011-04-02T18:41:00.000-04:00

One vivid memory of our trip to Ethiopia is when we met with our children's Doctor. We were all busy playing out in the yard when our amazing guide, Yonas came to find me and Ed. He told us the Doctor would like to meet with us. We took the children and followed Yonas to this tiny office where three women and a child were interacting.

Two women (I assumed they were nurses) were tending to a child laying on a cot and the Doctor was sitting behind her desk reviewing our children's files. The child on the cot was a bit sad as they were dealing with what looked like an IV in his arm. Even during his pain, he peaked through his tears to wave to us and offer up a weak smile.

We walked in the office and the Doctor stood with an incredibly warm smile adorning her face. "Welcome, welcome... please come in and sit..." she said in her beautiful Amharic accent.

Ed and I sat down on the 2 chairs that were squeezed into the tight office. The two girls sat with me while drawing on their magna-doodles we had brought for them. Our son hung to Ed's side... never removing his hand from Ed's shoulder.

The Doctor asked the children a few questions in Amharic... their responses were friendly smiles while pointing to me and Ed.

We spent the next few moments listening to the Doctor explain our children's health and history. In the end she asked the children if they would remember Ethiopia... our middle daughter blurted out a response, almost not allowing the Doctor to finish her question!

"We will NEVER forget!" came bursting from her lips in her sweet little Amharic accent... with a large smile on her face.

No, sweet child... we will never forget either. Ethiopia will forever be knitted with our hearts... with 3 daily reminders of all this amazing country has given to us and entrusted to our care.

A Friday Surprise!

2011-04-01T10:48:00.000-04:00

Our amazing DTE (Dossier to Ethiopia) Buddies (Josh and Candace Jones) sent us a package today! The doorbell rang and there it sat... on the welcome mat... the package that would bring squeals and smiles to our day!

Here are the items found inside:

Drawings from our son - and they are superb! He is such an artist!
Letters from our son to me and Ed - and 2 letters to his best friend who now lives in Springfield. How do I know it's for him? .... it's in Amharic! I can't wait for those 2 to be reunited at Dulles Airport... what a reunion that will be!
A Shoe Chart with each child's shoe size - this gives me a reason to go shopping!
A CD FULLLLLL of pictures of our children.... a reminder they are, without a doubt... the Cutest. Kids. Ever.

My favorite photo... our littlest one showing off a little plumber action in her Sassy Shorts... hahahahhaha! It made me howl with laughter!

Thank you Jones Clan... such a beautiful blessing on this Friday morning!

Just a Reminder

2011-04-01T08:11:00.000-04:00

I am reminded... in a few months... this waiting time to pass court will all be a complete blur as we experience the new daily chaos of our "new normal" with 3 kiddos bouncing around!

love. that. reminder.

Things on my mind these days...

2011-03-31T21:29:00.000-04:00

As we left our children each day in Ethiopia at the Transition Home... they would walk down the road to the Transition Home 2... Ed and I would wave like crazy people out the back window of the van... our children would stare at us and wave, blowing kisses and yell "I love you, Mommy and Daddy". I play this image in my head every afternoon on the way home from work. I usually play it in slow motion so it will last longer.
I miss them... I really miss them... and some days are harder than others... today was one of the hard days.
This week I was so nervous our kids would not remember us or know we miss them like crazy... then, like a gift wrapped in words... a message came to me on facebook saying one of our adoption friends is in Ethiopia visiting her child... and our son was so chatty with her about me, Ed, his grandparents and his new home. He asked her to tell us hello on the computer. I cried when I read this message that morning. I asked her to squeeze all three of them so tight and let them know we miss them to pieces and can't wait to hug them again... and bring them home.
I play the court date over and over in my head... several times a day. That day will not leave my mind for a very long time. I can honestly say it has impacted my life more than I thought possible. One day I will share it... with my son's permission.
There are so many older (amazing) orphans in the Orphanages we visited... praying for God to bring them forever families. They have the ability to change this world... they just need a Mom and a Dad to point them to the Way.

Kisses from Katie

2011-03-25T09:57:00.000-04:00

Sometimes I hear the chatter of folks opinions rather than the clarity of my Father's voice... then in the midst of that... I am sometimes directed through an email to read Katie's Blog. Today was a day just like that.

So... take a gander at this gal's relentless pursuit of loving others well in the name of Jesus.

http://kissesfromkatie.blogspot.com/

Grace and Temper Tantrums...

2011-03-19T16:13:00.000-04:00

I've been pondering something the last month or so. It has been even fresher in my thoughts over the last two weeks.

While we were in Ethiopia we experienced the beauty of a temper tantrum from our two year old... it was lovely and full blown... and in Amharic.

A Glimpse Of Our Day:
We would go to visit the Transition Home each afternoon, which happened to be during nap time for all the two year olds. However, since all of the Mommies and Daddies came at this designated time... no naps would be taken that day for our youngest. So, you can imagine the lovely mood our sweet two year old was in :)

It didn't matter... we are so in love with this child we would take her anyway we could get her... 'tude and all!

One afternoon she was particularly cranky... physically mad and all of her mumblings were in Amharic. Ed was the only one who could calm her down... I think it's because he is such an incredibly calm person.

All of our days were not like this at all... just a couple of afternoons. The rest of the time she was smiles and giggles! We love that chubby little girl :)

A Lesson I'm Learning:
Over the last month when I would talk about our two year old to people (how incredibly beautiful she is, how we wonder what her terrible 2's might look like, what her personality might be, etc...) I would get the eye-wink or sarcastic head nod... or funny comments on facebook.

You know the ones, "ohhhhh, welcome to the real world of parenting... all kids are the same... enjoy those temper tantrums" OR.... "hahahahaha, this is going to be fun to watch you deal with this!"

I know all of these comments are light-hearted and meant for no harm whatsoever. I didn't take it in any other way than light conversation. I completely agree with what they are saying... to a point.

However... in talking to other adoptive parents and experiencing other orphans who are longing for a forever family... some other ideas have been brought to my mind.

Here's the difference between an adoptive child's temper tantrum and a biological child's temper tantrum:

Adoptive Children who have been orphaned come from a place of Poverty/Abuse/Abandonment (one, two or all three)
Adoptive Children are sometimes referred to as "Children from the Hard Places"
Adoptive Children are dealing with incredibly real fears of "What in the world is going on? Who are these people?, etc...."
A Temper Tantrum from an Adoptive Child is sometimes driven by more than, "I am not getting my way"
A Temper Tantrum from an Internationally Adoptive Child is rarely in English! Ha!
An Adoptive Child is sometimes wondering "Am I going to be accepted after this outburst?" (I can attest to this first-hand)

Here are some similarities of adoptive children and biological children:

They both are going to test boundaries
They both need rules and boundaries to give guidance
They both need a home and forever family
They both need a Church family to do life with

All this to say... the next time you see an Adoptive Mom and/or Dad experiencing the beauty of a 2 year old Temper Tantrum... instead of saying, "Oh... now it's your turn... enjoy!"

Offer a bit of grace and know...

This child comes from a place we will never understand
This child has experienced things in their short life we never desire to ever experience as an adult (let alone as a child)
This child needs to understand no matter how they act, this Mommy and Daddy will not abandon them

Grace, Grace, God's Grace... Grace that will pardon and cleanse within...
Grace, Grace, marvelous Grace... Grace that is greater than all our sin...
(even Temper Tantrums and Adoptive parents who will make mistakes while trying their best)

Love to you!

An Unexpected Dinner!

2011-03-19T11:33:00.000-04:00

While we were in Ethiopia... we had another family member (Regina MacKenzie) who happened to be in Addis Ababa on a 14 hour lay-over. She had been on a 2 week trek through Africa on business and had one last stop in Addis before heading back to the States. We were astounded we would be in the exact same spot on the other side of the world at the exact same time. Such a blessing!

We were so incredibly glad to see Regina! We were able to show her pictures of our kiddos... and the three new cousins for her two sweet boys! We spent the evening eating yummy food and enjoying delightful conversation. Regina is a gift to our growing Wanderer Clan!

My Mommy Mug

2011-03-18T11:17:00.002-04:00

My sweet friend, Traci Collier (and fellow adoptive mom to 2 lovely girls born in China) gave me this coffee mug when we received our referral for our 3 children. I of course cried when she gave it to me. I could never bring myself to drink out of it... I would just look at it. It says, "Being a Mother is a Holy Privilege..."

Well, this morning... after looking at ooodles of millions of pictures of our children... pictures of us kissing them, hugging them, playing with them... I was missing them. So, I dusted off this incredibly special mug and put it under our Keurig Machine to brew a tasty warm cup of Java inside.

As I sit here, holding my mug and looking at our pictures... I am beginning to feel a little bit more like a Mommy to three beautiful children.

Thanks, Traci - you and Doug are a gift to me and to Ed!

And life goes back to "normal"...

2011-03-18T10:34:00.000-04:00

I'm beginning to feel a bit more human today... Cipro is a good friend (or attacker) to an Ethiopian bug!

This morning was pretty productive....

Pictures were sent to waiting families of their children (I could hear the Mama squeals as they saw photos of their beauties)
Emails were attacked in my inbox at work... still WAY more to go... but slowly, but surely, I'm getting them answered from when we were gone
Our kitchen, living room and dining room were atacked as well... it no longer looks like a suitcase explosion has occurred... the door bell can ring and I won't freak out! you know what i mean... "What? let's pretend we're not here... our house looks like a bomb went off!"
Now... the laundry is calling...

Our normal life goes on while.... our kiddos are preparing for dinner on another continent... love them.

oh and one more thing I did this morning... went through the 4 million photos we took of our 3 Ethiopian beauties.... yep, I'm a full blown picture-toting Mama now...

During the activity this morning I kept thinking... hmmmmmm, in a couple of months, this day will look different... as I have three kiddos also needing me to focus on them... as well as laundry, cleaning, etc...

Can't imagine anything more lovely (and incredibly challenging). love them!

Thoughts at 4AM...

2011-03-17T07:23:00.000-04:00

I woke up this morning at O dark thirty... also known as 4:30AM... I am thinking my body is still on African time... I woke up just in time for lunch over there... Injera anyone? :)

So... in the weeeee hours of the morning... here are some thoughts:

As we were in Ethiopia last week and had an opportunity to visit the Orphanages. I met so many Older Orphans. They were amazing... smart, beautiful and so much potential. As a Mom now of older orphans (orphans no more once that MOWCYA letter comes in!)... I can attest... these older orphans will bless your lives in intense ways... God has great plans for their lives... they need a forever family.
Adopting Older Orphans is incredibly Non-Traditional... however, pray about what God could be calling you to do. Believers... how can you change a child's life... their future?
Adopting older children is not an easy road... however, God does not call us to a life of ease... He calls us to a life of obedience. I know I fail very often in living out obedience. However, in living a life obeying God, His presence and blessings are rich.
Last week with our 3 children was not easy... but it was rich. We had to learn what it meant to divide our attention three ways... what to do with Amharic Temper Tantrums... how to answer our 13 year olds tough questions about what was happening.
It was rich because... we got to love 3 kiddos in the name of Jesus... we experienced something much bigger than ourselves... we get to be called Mommy and Daddy and point them to the One who adores them and has written Jeremiah 29:11 for them.

Is this a blog post asking folks to consider:

Adopting Older Children
Ignoring Birth Order?

Yep!

So... what's the harm in praying for God to show you what your response could be? Pray for God to show you the orphan crisis... especially the crisis with Older Orphans (and those with Special Needs). How can you respond? There are 147 Million Orphans who need a forever family. Can you provide one?

Processing Ethiopia

2011-03-16T10:52:00.000-04:00

As we process all we experienced over the last week or so... I am reminded of God's incredible and beautiful Sovereignty in everything... He is before all things and in Him all things are held together. So thankful for this journey of Adoption.

Some moments of our trip to meet our kids:

Our first meeting was filled with hugs, kisses, tears and joy!
Hearing squeals each afternoon as our van drove up to see them... our middle child would literally JUMP into the van to hug our necks tight :)
Afternoons filled with bubbles, magna-doodles, soccer, football, swing sets, side walk chalk, giggles, crazy 8's, stickers, jump ropes, etc...
Our youngest had her first Temper Tantrum with us... I loved that Ed was the only one that could calm her down.
Her tantrum was in Amharic... I loved that Ed could calm her down without needing to understand her words.
Watching my parents get hugs and kisses from their 3 Grand kids!
Watching my parents love their Grand kids!
Taking photos and giving out care packages for the other AWAA families... especially for the Snyder's! Can't wait to watch their little one grow up!
Learning that through the good, the bad, the ugly and the lovely... adoption is worth every moment.
Each moment is necessary to conform us into His image.
Court was such an experience... one day we will share this. The Ethiopian Judge is an amazing woman.... with such a big job.
Visiting the orphanages... there are so many amazing older children who need homes. Will you consider loving one of these beautiful children who needs a forever family?
We experienced emotions we never knew existed... still trying to process through all of that.
After they shut the gate on our final day and we gave our final hugs and kisses... we were walking away (crying) and our son re-opened the gate one last time and said, "Bye Mom and Dad... I love you. See you soon, right?" Yes, our sweet son... we will see you soon.

There is so much more we want to share... so much more. We are really processing everything we experienced. We learned more than we ever thought or imagined we would. We have been entrusted to care for 3 amazing children.... praying we are able to love them well and point them to their Creator each day. God loved them far before we even knew them.

Adoption is complex... however, so is our Adoption in Christ... complex and beautiful.

Countdown Has Begun...

2011-02-27T19:49:00.000-05:00

This week is the final countdown as we prepare to board a plane that will take us to our children. Sounds strange even typing it. We have been on this journey for a year and a half. I honestly am stunned it is here. We have an array of emotions as our journey continues to a different continent.

I have imagined this day for over a year.

Our "Meetcha Day" - as we call it in the adoption world - is the day we will meet our children for the very first time. It will be the moment I will be able to hug our daughters and son and whisper in their ears "You are no longer orphans. We have come for you!"

Our prayer over the last many weeks has been that God will knit our hearts together with the hearts of our children. We pray they will know our love for them the moment we see their sweet faces. We pray daily for God to protect them physically, emotionally and spiritually. We pray for God to be ever-present with them while they are in the Transition Home.

So many people have said to us "Those are some blessed kiddos". Well... we believe WE are truly the ones who are blessed by them. So grateful they will be our children. God is incredibly gracious to have chosen our children for our family since the beginning of time.

So... as this week will be a hurricane of activity... we greatly appreciate your prayers! We pray God will bring to our minds every item that needs to be placed in our luggage as we finalize our packing over the new few days.

So much to be done... next stop... our children!

Running Shoes On Our Feet!

2011-02-21T09:25:00.001-05:00

Since our Court Date Assignment has come in... we have hit the ground running! Here are the highlights of the last 10 days:

Mailed another set of Care Packages through Kathy Garrison to our kiddos... they arrived on Valentine's Day to our children... complete with enclosed Valentine's!
We scheduled and secured our plane tickets for traveling. Thank you Uncle Rob for your incredible generosity in sending us over to see our children! We are forever grateful!
Began packing.... so many suitcases, so little space!
Went to get our Home Study Authenticated... didn't work... so, going back to get it Authenticated again this week. Hoping for success! It will then go to the Ethiopian Embassy in DC for approval. We are hoping it can all be done prior to our plane leaving.
We looked at incredibly beautiful photos of our children this morning... thanks Garrison Clan for loving on our kiddos! One picture is three smiling faced kiddos holding a picture of Me and Ed... yep, made me cry! Can't wait to hug them tight!
We celebrated Valentine's Day with a Harvey/Wanderer/Newberger family gathering at Bravo's at Spotsy Towne Center... so yummy and so fun. Love our family. They are a gift to us.
Ed and I celebrated Valentine's Day on Wednesday - with a great Ethiopian Meal at Merkamo Ethiopian Restaurant in Springfield. We spent the evening pondering our kiddos... then we went shopping for travel items. It was a perfect evening. Love my husband.
Tonight - I get to see some of my Ethiopia Mommy friends... I love those gals so much. They "get" this adoption roller coaster... and they get that every moment of craziness in the last 2 years is completely worth it. Simply because, God chose our children for us before the beginning of time.

Have some photos of the last 10 days to post... no time right now... more to come!

Also - Many folks keep asking when we can post pictures of our kids on facebook... when we pass Court and they are declared forever ours! :)

Donations List

2011-02-10T21:36:00.002-05:00

When we travel, we will take donations to the Transition Home and Orphanages we visit. Many of you have been so gracious to ask what you could donate. Below is the current list of what is needed. If you want to help with the list below, please email me (or leave a message in the comment section of this post). I can tell you if we are still in need of that particular item. Our space is very limited, but we do desire to take as many of these items as we are able to fit in our suitcases.

Current Priority Transition Home Needs

Iron drops
Diaper rash ointment (A+D preferred)

Orphanage and Transitional Home Donation Needs

Paper Towels
Children’s clothing (new or slightly used); Boys and Girls; sizes 0-8 years. Clothing needs include day clothes (especially pants), pajamas, underwear, and shoes.
Diapers for up to 30 pounds
Toys to stimulate babies such as colorful objects, rattles, etc. that are appropriate for babies up to 2 years
Unscented baby wipes
Powder formula with DHA/RHA
A + D Original Ointment, Diaper Rash and All-Purpose Skincare Formula
Hand Sanitizer
Candles
Children’s Notebooks
Enfamil or Similar Lactose free formula

Thank you for giving to the orphans in Ethiopia! We appreciate your generosity.

Love to you,

A Whirlwind Of A Week!

2011-02-09T20:46:00.002-05:00

It has been a week of activity with our adoption!

On Sunday.... right before the Super Bowl... we were able to go see our friends who just arrived home from Ethiopia! They brought with them... pictures of our kids, videos of our kids AND a letter from our oldest child! (which is now framed and on the mantle!) We looked at the pictures, videos and letter for hours. So thankful for our ET friends in bringing us these valuable treasures! We love you guys!

On Monday I was sitting in my office and Ed called me... it was about 12:30pm.

Me: "Hey Love, how are you?"
Ed: "Good... Where are you?"
Me: "In my office. Why?"
Ed: "I have some news... it's big news"
Me: "What? What's wrong?"
Ed: "Are you sitting down?"
Me: "Yes... what's going on?"
Ed: "We have a court date!"
Me: "WHA?! Seriously?..."
Ed: "Um... there's more... it's not for April..."
Me: "When?!"
Ed: "We will see our kids in ONE MONTH!"
It's kind of a blur after that... I screamed, squealed and that's about all I remember. Such incredible excitement to know we will be hugging our kids tight in one month!

Tuesday was fantastic as well:

We were able to meet our oldest child's best friend! He is now with his forever family not too far from our house. Can't wait til those two are reunited here in the States!
We sent off another care package to our three kiddos! It should arrive in Illinois on Thursday. The Garrison Clan leaves this weekend to go pick up their new additions and bring them home! Thanks Garrisons for taking our packages and loving on our kiddos!

So... as you can see... it's been an eventful week. Next up: Plane Tickets, Gathering Donations for the Orphanages, Buying Gifts for the Nannies and Agency Staff, Packing, etc...

En Route to Ethiopia!

2011-01-28T09:33:00.001-05:00

Today I drop off Care Packages for our kiddos! Our incredibly fantastic friends leave tomorrow to bring their 2 children home from Ethiopia. They are going to deliver our packages for us!
The packages may not look like much - since they need to be put in Gallon Zip Loc Bags.... however, there are OOODLEESSS of goodies crammed into that small package... including an outfit a piece, photo books with pictures introducing them to their new family, toys, stickers, stuffed animals (for the two youngest), balls, play-dough, cars, books, etc...!

I hope they love them!

Referral Acceptance!

2011-01-27T11:02:00.000-05:00

Yesterday we braved the elements and headed up to McLean to drop off our Referral Acceptance Papers for our children! We went to breakfast at a nearby restaurant and signed all the necessary documents. We then went to the America World Offices to drop off the paperwork.

We also had the incredibly wonderful blessing of meeting in person the wonderful gal we have talked to on the phone and emailed for MONTHS... Caitlin, our Africa Family Coordinator. She is fantastic!

After Ed and I dropped off the paperwork, we got into the elevator to head back down to the parking lot and I burst into tears! Ed grabbed me and hugged me as tight as possible and we stood in the elevator in amazement of what God has done so far. Three Children?! We know it will be the hardest thing we have ever done... but we know God has chosen them for us... and we want to love them well. Praise Jesus He is strong where we are weak! :)

An Only Child?!

2011-01-26T09:00:00.001-05:00

As most of you know... I am an only child. The thought of having THREE children makes me chuckle. I had no interactions at all with siblings... lots of friends... but no sibs. This will be a new ball game for me.

Most people have asked me, "Are you doing this because you were an only child and missed out in childhood?"

My quick (and sometimes unintentionally rude) response is "No way!" I loved being an only child. We were a wonderfully tight clan of three! Wouldn't change my childhood for anything.

We are adopting three kiddos because God moved mountains and has made it evident that He chose our children for us before the beginning of time... just like He chose me for my parents before the beginning of time.

God uniting families... if through Biology or Adoption is complete beauty! :)

Name Call!

2011-01-25T23:48:00.002-05:00

There are many name options being considered for the soon-to-be parents and the soon-to-be grandparents...

I've heard these names from different family members and friends throughout my life:

Mom, Mommy, Mama, Mamma, Mother, Ma
Dad, Daddy, Father, Diddy (don't ask... it's country Virginia)
Grandma, Grandmother, Granny, Grammy, Nana, Meme, MawMaw
Grandpa, Grandfather, Papa, PawPaw, Gramps, Grampy, Grandaddy

What's your pick? Or - feel free to share your own!

Butterflies, Swimming and Parenting

2011-01-24T22:54:00.001-05:00

When I was in Elementary and Middle Schools I was a swimmer on the Fairview Swim Team during the summer months in Charlottesville, VA. I LOVED it. Surprisingly, this fat girl could swim! I usually came in 1st or 2nd place for the 50 and 100 Free and the 50 and 100 Back... who knew? I told my parents it was because I found the one sport I didn't sweat while participating!

Whenever I would have a Swim Meet... I would have THE worst butterflies ever. So much so that I would beg my Dad to get me out of the race. He would always say the same thing, "Susan... you have butterflies because you care about this and it's important. So, say a prayer and push past the fear and see what happens on the other side for you and your team. You will never know until you try." And sure enough... I would breathe deep and dive fingertips first into the lovely liquid... a few moments later I was experiencing thrilling moments as I raced to the finish line. Sometimes I would win, and then others I would not... but I always knew the Butterflies were worth it.

Since last Wednesday... my tummy has been full of Butterflies... not about swimming... rather, about parenting... parenting three lovely Ethiopian kiddos...

So... it's time for me to take my Dad's advice again.

January 19, 2011!

2011-01-22T08:34:00.003-05:00

My Wednesday afternoon of this week was going by like a typical day for me... I had an incredibly lovely afternoon meeting with Virginia Clement at Starbucks. I do love her heart so much... she is such a gift in ministry! After we were done with our meeting and tasty lattes and macchiatos I headed home. I cranked my worship music up and began singing to the top of my lungs! My singing was stopped when my phone rang with what read "Private Number" on my screen. I pushed it to voicemail because I thought it might be a solicitor. When I looked down again, I saw they had left a message. As I checked the message I realized it was the Director of Programming at our Adoption Agency asking me to give her a call.

Thinking... "Oh they are probably calling to set the date to do the Adoption Seminar at church with prospective families".

I called back and the receptionist said, "Anna is working from home, let me have her call you right back". For a very brief moment i thought, hmmmmmmm, could she be calling with THE call? I dismissed that notion immediately out of my head.

She called back immediately.

Anna: "Susan, Hi, this is Anna... are you in a place where you can chat?"
Me: "Yes, I'm pulling into my driveway."
Anna: "Okay, great... this is your Referral Call"

After that all I remember is feverishly parking the car, running full force into the house and running from floor to floor trying to find Ed. I discovered him running on the treadmill.

Me: "Ed!"
Ed: "Yes, down here... I'm on the treadmill"
Me: "Ed, I'm on the phone... it's our REFERRAL CALLLL!"
Ed: "Oh my gosh! Wow! Oh my gosh!"

And then for the next 30 minutes we proceeded to listen to Anna give us details of our three children... our hearts were incredibly full and our minds were trying to grasp all the information she was giving to us.

After we got off the phone... they sent us the official email referral. We got the camera, put it on self-timer and took a photo of us as we opened the pictures and saw their faces for the first time. (Kinda like the first ultra-sound!)

They are without a doubt the most beautiful children we have ever seen in our lives! (I know all Moms say that... but it is really true!).

Sleep did not come to me that night... my thoughts and heart were in Ethiopia with our three children.

Every Kid Needs...

2011-01-18T10:50:00.000-05:00

Two weeks ago I had the opportunity to go to my home church in Charlottesville, VA for a funeral of a dear woman of faith. It was a sad occasion, but certainly blessed. As I sat in the rows of a church where my family had attended for 30+ years I gazed around at the many men and women who had been my Sunday School Teachers, Small Group Leaders, VBS teachers, Worship Leaders, Youth Leaders, etc... I was reminded in a powerful way as I hugged theses dear people so tight that a child needs two things: 1. A Family and 2. A Church Home.

Make 2011 a powerful year for your family... Your kiddos already have a wonderful family (that's YOU!)... allow them to be invested in by their Small Group Leaders and Church Home! It will have an eternal impact when you allow other godly adults to speak truth into their life!

One Stop Christmas Shop!

2010-12-03T09:44:00.000-05:00

Welcome to your ONE STOP CHRISTMAS SHOP! Avoid the crowds and fuss this fabulous holiday season while supporting our adoption at the same time!

We have 5 Fantastic Shopping Options for you this Christmas Season:

1. Just Love Coffee

This Fair Trade Coffee is incredibly tasty… do good while drinking coffee. It also makes a wonderful stocking stuffer!
Here’s how to order: www.justlovecoffee.com/wanderers

2. Mary Kay

My sweet friend, Becca Griffitts is having a Mary Kay Party and all of the proceeds go to help make 2 orphans Wanderers! You know the loveliness of Mary Kay Beauty… they make terrific gifts! Stuff those Stockings!
If you aren’t able to make it to the party, that’s okay… you can order online, www.marykay.com/beccagriffits
Please place your orders by DECEMBER 4th!
(Please note in the Comments Section of your online order that you are ordering on behalf of the Wanderers)

3. Tastefully Simple

My sweet friend, Becci Hicks has offered to host an online show and all the proceeds go to support bringing our 2 girls home. You don’t want to miss out on filling your home with Yumminess during the holiday season (bread mixes, dips, desserts, etc…) - great Christmas presents too!
Order online - www.tastefullysimple.com/web/bhammond1 by December 10th to have for Christmas.
(Please note in the comments section of your online order that you are ordering on behalf of the Wanderers)

4. Magazine Necklaces

These beautiful necklaces not only will help to bring home our girls… they will also help bring women in Uganda out of poverty.
In order to receive these for Christmas, they need to be ordered by DECEMBER 1st! (you can order after this date... they just may not be in by Christmas)
You may order a necklace for $20 through our paypal account: edwardwanderer@yahoo.com
The necklaces will arrive to us mid-December… once we get them… we will get them shipped to you for Christmas gift-giving!

5. I Helped An Orphan Become a Wanderer T-Shirt

These ever-fashionable Tee’s are a must have for the season!
You can get one with a $20 donation through our paypal account: edwardwanderer@yahoo.com or mailing us a check (I can message you our snail mail)

Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and are enjoying the beauty of Christmas!

Thanks for helping us bring our kiddos home. :)

Love to you!

Together for Adoption Thoughts

2010-11-16T13:45:00.000-05:00

We went to the Together for Adoption Conference a month ago... it's taken me that long to try and work through parts of what I've learned. It was a powerful weekend for me and my sweet husband. God really spoke to us about God's heart for the fatherless... the 147 million orphans worldwide.

Here are 10 highlights of things I am still pondering... more to come in the future... I won't overload you today :)

Keep the gospel at the center of the global orphan crisis.
What are the results of the kids that age out of the Foster Care System & have no family to love and support them?
What if we could say in the next few years, "Look what the church did to impact Foster Care and Orphan Needs worldwide?"
The Ukraine - enormous orphan crisis - they began a movement through local Churches there to care for orphans... the orphan crisis went from 300,000 to 30,000. (wow)
When we are Christ-followers... our lives have been rescued and redeemed... we know our lives are not our own... we have to rescue others.
How the apostles cared for those in need was the most convincing act of Christianity. Are we convincing a skeptical world by caring for orphans? (Or is Hollywood doing a better job of caring for orphans?)
Many won't adopt because:

Wallet (Can i afford this?)
Heart (Can i love them like biological kids?)

What are we really saying when we say, "We can't afford to adopt?" We are saying, "the Father to the fatherless is a dead beat Dad and can't provide for His family." (ouch!)
You can't separate evangelism and the plight of the orphans
Rescuing orphans IS the Great Commission - "Does my Heavenly Father really love me?... because I don't have an earthly Father that does."

Yes, We Are Alive!

2010-10-29T10:04:00.000-04:00

Where in the world have you been? Well.... for starters we have been without Internet services for a couple of weeks. So, that put a kink in blogging.

Here's a rundown of the highlights:

Ed and I went to Together for Adoption Conference in Austin, Texas at the beginning of October. It was unbelievable! Almost once a week we talk about all of the things we learned. (Together for Adoption Thoughts will be another post)
I went to Knoxville for my 15 year College Reunion at Carson-Newman. It was a wonderful few days of being with Paula, Melody and her sweet triplets! Love friendships that are age-less... 15 years later and we pick up where we leave off. (photos to follow)
Ed and I discovered on October 21st (while I was at a One Day Catalyst Conference in Lynchburg) that we are ON DECK! It means we are closer than ever to THE CALL for our kiddos.
Last Night... right before dinner with a dear friend from Charlottesville (Becci Hicks Hammond), we discovered we are now #2 on the DTE list! Which means... any day now we could be gazing upon photos of our children.

We are now in what seems to be the 13th trimester of this adoption journey... emotions and anxiety are high... but expectancy of what God is up to is GREATER! :)

Huge Adoption Yard Sale

2010-09-29T20:24:00.000-04:00

Sorry I've been MIA for a while... we've been a bit busy... as you can see! Thanks to all who donated and helped make this Yard Sale a success! It was a great day... our two girls are already so loved.

Such a blessing to these two "soon-to-be" parents!

HUGE ADOPTION YARD SALE

2010-09-21T17:14:00.000-04:00

We are having a Yard Sale on Saturday, September 25th to help support our adoption journey. We are incredibly thankful for the HUNDREDS (if not THOUSANDS) of items that our family and friends have donated for our Yard Sale. We have even gotten boxes in the mail from our friends not in our state but wanted to contribute. Simply Amazing. We are humbled by the outpouring of love and kindness from those who are joining us in this adoption journey. Thank you, Thank you!

So... help us get the word out... Yard Sale on Saturday!

We hope to see you there!

Back to School Sunday - 4 days away!

2010-09-08T16:33:00.000-04:00

Labor Day w/ Grandma W!

2010-09-06T20:37:00.001-04:00

We just walked back in the door from a fabulous weekend with Grandma Wanderer! It was a joy to be with her, laugh and listen to her fantastic stories. Happy Labor Day!

Coupon Queen!

2010-09-03T11:48:00.000-04:00

About three weeks ago, I started clipping coupons. Yep... it's my new pastime on Sunday nights. Ed and I pile in the car, head to the gas station and I eagerly find a Washington Post full of little coupons waiting to be clipped! I also have found many lovely websites that offer additional coupons and savings. It's all way too much fun.

Two weeks ago I saved $34 with my coupons for our groceries! Today... I had to buy a LOAD of toiletries. I saved $10 with my little coupon-wonders!

Yay for coupons!

Try it... you will be hooked!

3 Ways and a Prayer!

2010-09-02T20:24:00.000-04:00

Many folks have been asking us... how can we help you with your adoption?

You can sport a lovely "I helped an orphan become a Wanderer" T-shirt. A $20 donation is requested. If you would like to obtain one of these must-have fashion forward articles of clothing... let me know! We will get one in the mail to you.
You can purchase some incredibly tasty coffee from www.justlovecoffee.com/wanderers Many folks have already experienced the tastiness of this coffee and have gone back and purchased more! It will be a treat to your taste buds!
We are having a Big Adoption Yard Sale on September 25th. So... instead of taking your gently used items to Goodwill... bring them to us! We are also going to be selling baked goods as well... so, bring on Top Chef NOVA - show us what you got and bake us up something tasty!

We also ask that you pray for our girls, for our process and for the journey of being united with them! We are excited, nervous, scared and eager! We are grateful for the incredible folks that are in this journey with us. Such a gift!

Adoption Update!

2010-08-31T22:23:00.003-04:00

Here is an update on our adoption journey!

We were DTE (Dossier to Ethiopia) on 5.21.10! This is a big deal (and a magical date) for all adoptive parents. It means our paperchasing is complete and our Dossier is off to Ethiopia! And the real wait begins...
July 17th - we decided to increase our request... we are now adopting 2 girls... exciting times... will not be a dull moment in the Wanderer home!
July 19th - our Social Worker approved us for 2 girls... and we adjusted our Home Study.
We were able to meet four other Ethiopia Adoptive couples at Meskerem Ethiopian Restaurant! Such a treat... kindred spirits. There was not a quiet moment that evening as we all dreamed of the day we would all be united with our children. The ET Mama's (as I like to call us) will meet again soon at Mike's American Restaurant! Can't wait!
On August 24th we moved to #10 on the DTE list... moving on up! Can't wait for referral day!

So... now you know where we are in the process... waiting, waiting waiting... but learning great things along the way!

My Blog Is Back Up!

2010-08-31T20:24:00.002-04:00

A sweet adoption buddy created this amazing new face lift for my blog! So... I will begin blogging again soon. I will have an update on our adoption progress tomorrow afternoon! Check back often!

love to yall!

Where Is Your Daughter?!

2010-03-01T15:03:00.003-05:00

I received a lot of questions yesterday of "When is your daughter arriving home?!".

The short answer: we have no idea! :)

We are waiting on Immigration to finish up our forms. When those come in, then we can move towards finally sending our Dossier off!

We have two more things to do (once the Immigration process is done) and then our Dossier will be complete!

My sweet friend, Staci is going to come to my home next week and take the final family photos. We have to have a photo of us, my parents and Ed's parents in our living room (very specific guidelines for these photos). We are so thankful for Staci to come over to our home next week to click some pics of our family! We already have the two photos of me and Ed (Deb Schmitz took these photos... she is fabulous!).

So... once we have gathered these pictures, get our final form from Immigration and then get one more insurance document... we will be done with our Dossier! :)

Oh... and our Family Coordinator needs to sign off on all of documents as well.

So, if all goes well, we could be DTE in a few weeks!

Then the real wait begins!

Elevation 2010

2010-02-20T08:55:00.003-05:00

This weekend is Elevation Weekend.... hundreds of Middle and High School Students filled the place last night! Zac and his team do a great job each year in hosting this event!

Here is the theme for Elevation 2010:

"Do all the good you can, By all the means you can, In all the ways you can, In all the places you can, At all the times you can, To all the people you can, As long as ever you can." - John Wesley

Why Adopt from Ethiopia?

2010-02-19T09:43:00.003-05:00

When we began the adoption process, I tried to find as many adoption blogs as I could so I could see the journey other folks took in adopting their children.

I found this info on one of the blogs from a family who adopted from Ethiopia:

Why Adopt from Ethiopia?

No Tweets for 40!

2010-02-19T09:22:00.003-05:00

We are in the midst of the Lent season. As a part of what I am giving up... Twitter and Facebook are on that list. I tell you... when I walk away from the social networking world (even for these first few days) it is a bit freeing.

I find myself caring a lot less about those little status updates and Tweets!

I also find myself a little less connected.

Which... might not be such a bad thing!

What are you giving up for Lent? The more important question... what am I putting in place of my Twitter and Facebook time?

Who Will Go?

2010-02-17T14:54:00.002-05:00

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, 'Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?' And I said, 'Here am I. Send me.'

Isaiah 6:8

Snow-Cation.

2010-02-10T15:39:00.004-05:00

Sorry for the absence in the blogosphere! I am experiencing what you would call a Snow-Cation. We have been snowed in since Friday of last week. Two blizzards have hit Northern Virginia... one over the weekend and then one today. We have experienced what our newscasters are saying is the most snow to ever hit the Washington D.C. area. (since 1899)

Whoever is shaking the snow globe... please stop.

A few updates on us:
Our I-600 form was turned in... we are waiting to hear from Immigration. When we get that document back... we will hopefully be ready to send our Dossier to Ethiopia!

More to come later... and I will post some snow pictures as well!

TOMS in Ethiopia

2010-01-22T11:21:00.002-05:00

I Have A Dream!

2010-01-18T14:58:00.001-05:00

Reign!

2010-01-18T13:46:00.002-05:00

Loving our new Sermon Series! Yesterday was amazing... God is at work at Mount Ararat! You don't want to miss next Sunday!

MLK Day

2010-01-18T10:59:00.001-05:00

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that." Martin Luther King, Jr.

Highlights

2010-01-18T10:45:00.004-05:00

I'm sorry I've not blogged in a couple of weeks. It has been a bit busy! Here are some of the highlights:

We thought our Home Study was completely done and... not so much. Since I lived in Florida in the last five years, another CPS form is required specifically for that state. So, I filled that out last Monday and we are waiting on that to be completed.
We began to gather the Dossier paperwork. So many papers... so many paper cuts!
The Dossier requires a notarized physical from our Doctor. Ed's Doc is in Centerville... mine is in Stafford. Neither Doctor has a notary. So, Anita Howard from church went with me to the Doctor's office at 7:30 last Thursday morning to notarize my form (such a blessing!). Ed called his Dad and asked if Dean's paralegal could help Ed out with a notary for his form. Thank you Anita and Iraima for helping us!
Ed and I have the blessing of taking three kiddos each Saturday and Monday to Upward basketball practice in Fredericksburg! With three of them to different locations and times, my Dad has also been helping out too! It's been a fun couple of weeks! We are looking forward to their first game on Saturday!
We have had many folks "help an orphan become a Wanderer" and receive one of our T-shirts! It's still not too late! Let us know if you would like one.
We set up a paypal account for our T-shirts... if you would like to use that... the account is: edwardwanderer@yahoo.com
We have had a very wonderfully large amount of folks visiting Mount Ararat in the last couple of weeks... amazing to see all of those kiddos and their families! a blessing!

More people are helping an orphan become a Wanderer!

2010-01-03T22:38:00.002-05:00

I helped an orphan become a Wanderer

2010-01-02T11:23:00.004-05:00

As you know, are in the process of adopting a beautiful little girl from Ethiopia! We felt God's calling to adopt in the Fall of 2009 and we are now on our way to see this calling come to fruition!

We wanted to create a way that you can join us in this journey! We are providing you the opportunity to wear a wonderful t-shirt to tell the world you helped us in bringing our daughter home!The suggested donation for our T-shirts is $20. All donations will go to help off-set our cost in the adoption process.

We are taking a photo of each person that receives a shirt. We will put these photos in our daughter's Journey Book to show her all the folks that loved her from the start.

So... if you are out of town and order a shirt, please take a quick photo and email it to us so we can print it out and add it to her book.

Here's what you need to know on the details of getting a fabulous, one of a kind t-shirt!

You have a few options:

1. Come by Mount Ararat to my office to receive your shirt.
2. Come by our home in Lake Ridge to receive your shirt.
OR
3. If you are out of town,you can mail us a check and we will mail you a shirt. I can email you our home address.

If you would like further information, please feel free to email us anytime! (swanderer@mtararat.org) We also have a Facebook group... feel free to join it! We will be posting pictures of the folks who "Help An Orphan Become A Wanderer"!

Thank you for joining us in this journey! God is faithful and we are eager to see the plans He has for us in this coming year!

Love to you all!

Santa-Watching

2009-12-21T11:56:00.003-05:00

As you all know, we had a crazy intense snow storm come through the DC area over the weekend. On Friday night, before the snow began to fall... Ed and I went to the Mall to try and do a bit of Christmas Shopping.

While we were shopping, Ed and I took an Orange Julius break. We split a cup of the yummy goodness and sat on a bench watching the very long line of families wait to see St. Nick. We had a front row seat as the kids were gleeful, crying, scared or elated with happiness as they saw the first sights of Santa!

After about 15 minutes of Santa-Watching... we realized that this might just be our last Christmas with just the two of us. We sat and talked about our last 5 years of Christmas memories together... 3 of which we have been married.

After our walk down memory lane, Ed said it best, "God is going to use our daughter to make even more memories. She is going to make our family better and make our lives even richer."

A Christmas Tea!

2009-12-15T13:26:00.002-05:00

Our Children's Ministry Staff was blessed today by Imani Stokes and her daughter Nia! They came in during our Team Meeting and served us this beautiful Christmas Tea! It was such a treat... and wonderfully tasty! Imani and Nia were fantastic blessings to us this morning!

Come Wind, Rain and Wet Socks...

2009-12-14T19:42:00.004-05:00

Ed helps on Sunday mornings to park cars at the middle service and then with the Security Team at the third service.

It was POURING rain... I mean POURING BUCKETS... he was soaked from directing traffic... I get a text from him that says...

"If you are looking for me... I'm at the car... trying to dry my socks off"

the image of him with the vents on in the car holding his socks up to dry them off... made me chuckle.

love his dedication to Sunday mornings!

Freedom

2009-12-14T17:41:00.001-05:00

"Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom." 2 Corinthians 3:17

Home Study Completed!

2009-12-11T15:53:00.004-05:00

Yesterday afternoon we signed off on our Home Study.. all of the paperwork, interviews, fingerprints, signatures, etc... are complete for that portion of the adoption.

Next Step - we will hear from Amy, our Intake Coordinator. She will assign us our Family Coordinator and we will begin the Dossier.

Wow - we are one step closer to Ethiopia.

(this picture cracks me up... it was taken after 2 hours at the courthouse to get our fingerprints done. I look rough... and Ed looks so glad for that 2 hours to be done!)

Community before Conversion

2009-12-11T13:15:00.002-05:00

I read this today on Ben Arment's blog:

"I believe that people are converted to community before they're converted to Christ. So what if there were a gathering that built community on a regular basis... drew people... cared for them... touched on spiritual issues... but didn't function as a church?

What if there were more "pre-church planters" to help cultivate communities for Christ?" - Ben Arment

IJM Benefit Dinner 2009

2009-12-11T12:26:00.003-05:00

Ed and I spent the evening last night in Washington DC at the International Justice Mission 2009 Benefit Dinner. There were 1200 people there to hear the inspirational message and mission of IJM. It was wonderful to sit with 22 people from Mount Ararat. God continues to show us His heart for those that are poor and oppressed. I am so grateful to be a part of a church who wants to answer the call to care for those that are enslaved, oppressed and in need of rescue.

'Generosity is an invitation to greatness--greatness of heart & the larger reality.' -Gary Haugen
'poverty doesn't kill generosity: the poor are disproportionately generous.' -Gary Haugen

We Passed!

2009-12-09T16:09:00.001-05:00

Our Home Visit was approved! We will head to our Agency Office tomorrow and sign off on the paperwork!

Next Step... Our Dossier...

Grateful

2009-12-07T19:43:00.005-05:00

On Saturday, when Katie and I spoke to the ladies of Grace Baptist... we talked about plans. Primarily our plans vs. God's plans. We talked about God's plans for us are always better than our own... even when we don't understand our current circumstance.

I shared my testimony about our adoption. I can truly say... after these last couple of years and the last couple of months of adoption proceedings... I am now grateful for my infertility. I never thought I would say that... it makes tears come to my eyes and peace flood my heart even as I type it.

I have not understood God's plans for us... but I trust Him. In the midst of infertility, I was confused and frustrated. However, God's purposes are bigger.

I am grateful for my infertility because I now see the bigger plan... the bigger purpose... and the joy He is allowing us to experience. Had we not experienced this infertility, I'm not sure we would have known this incredible joy of walking this adoption road.

It is allowing me to have a clearer picture of how Christ adopted me. He is the ultimate Father to the fatherless... He did not leave us as orphans. He rescued us, redeemed us and gave us life... life abundantly eternal.

Saturday Morning

2009-12-04T21:07:00.004-05:00

I am meeting Katie Hawkins and Staci Rowenhorst early tomorrow morning. We will celebrate the Christmas season with the Women's Ministry of Grace Baptist Church in Woodbridge for their annual Christmas Brunch!

Katie and I will be speaking and Staci will be leading us in Worship.

We would greatly appreciate your prayers at 9AM tomorrow!

2009-12-04T18:28:00.001-05:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Tom Davis: Scared: A Novel on the Edge of the World

2009-12-04T15:10:00.001-05:00

Scared - A Novel on the Edge of the World from Children's HopeChest on Vimeo.

Thanksgiving 2009

2009-12-04T10:12:00.002-05:00

Home Study Review

2009-12-03T21:50:00.002-05:00

Ed and I had our first official visit on Wednesday for our Home Study. It really was a beautiful time with our social worker. Her name is Harriett Hanke... and she is fabulous! She stayed a little over 2 hours and we chatted all the while. It was actually kind of fun. Ed and I were able to talk about our desire to adopt and also listen to wonderful nuggets of advice from Harriett. It also was very much a treat for me to listen to Ed as he described: Why Adoption, Why Ethiopia, His childhood experiences, our Marriage, etc... I was reminded yet again why I love that man of mine.

We could really tell God's hand was on both of those two hours we were with Harriett.

We have another Home Visit on Monday. This one will consist of the separate interviews. I will meet with her first and then Ed.

Then on Thursday... we will meet with her in their Tyson's Corner office and we will find out if we are officially approved.

Thank you so much for all of your prayers. God has truly blessed us with amazing family... and wonderful friends. Love to you all.

Posting Soon!

2009-12-03T15:22:00.001-05:00

Our Home Study was amazing last night! I am so thankful for so many of you asking about how it went. I promise tonight I will blog about it and tell you how it went!

Also - I do have some Thanksgiving photos to post... I hope to get those up soon!

Today on Oprah

2009-12-01T16:35:00.002-05:00

Just got home to begin watching the Oprah Episode for today.

It is a must see. I am not an avid Oprah watcher.

However... today's episode... every believer must watch.

Oppression, Poverty, Torture, Slavery...

God, show me how to be a part of the answer and not just stand here with my mouth standing open in amazement of the evil.

Half The Sky

2009-12-01T16:05:00.005-05:00

I set the DVR to record the Oprah episode today... can't wait to get home and watch it. She interviews the authors of "Half The Sky". I've not read it, but have listened to some of the stories that Nick writes about.

Americans truly have no idea how the other 3/4 of this world live.

Lord, break my heart for what breaks Yours.

Why Ethiopia?

2009-11-30T23:12:00.004-05:00

Ed and I have been asked many times over the last 10 days... "Why did you choose Ethiopia?"

Here are the answers:

After we decided to answer the call to adopt... we prayed for months... I mean MONTHS about where God would have us adopt.
We went to four orientations with four different agencies (2 for domestic adoption; 2 for international adoption).
After the domestic adoption meetings, our hearts were stirred... yet, there was not a peace. You know what I am talking about... our spirits would just not rest in a decision to adopt our first child domestically.
Does this mean we will never adopt domestically? Not at all. Does it mean there is not a need for those to adopt domestically? No way! It means that God is leading us right now to adopt internationally.
We did so much research... hours and days worth of research.
After much prayer.... and scripture reading... and research... God guided us towards Ethiopia.
Once we made that choice to focus our efforts towards Ethiopia, Africa... the confirmations began to appear.

The examples of these confirmations are another post. :)

By adopting internationally we are not saying there is not a need to adopt domestically.... because there is a need... a great need.

The reality is there are 142 Million Orphans worldwide... we are all called in someway to be an answer for these children.

We believe that we are called:

To adopt a child in Ethiopia.
To raise awareness of the 142 Million Orphans both domestically and internationally.
To pray for God to raise others to adopt.
To pray for God to raise up others to help those to adopt who need financial, spiritual and/or relational assistance.

God has called all of us in some way to care for the fatherless.

Trade as One - Just One

2009-11-25T09:37:00.000-05:00

Trans-Racial Family

2009-11-24T17:22:00.003-05:00

We learned last night at our Home Study visit that we will be what is called a "Trans-Racial Family". When I heard the social worker, Harriett, say that... I about squealed with excitement! I looked at Ed with bright eyes and just squeezed his arm with glee!

Can you imagine anything more beautiful? This is what the Kingdom of God will look like in heaven! We will all be a one big, beautiful and worshipful Trans-Racial Family! Every tribe, tongue and nation will be bowing their knee in worship of our Heavenly Father. Glory!

When Harriett said we would be a Trans-Racial Family... I just felt like I caught a glimpse of heaven... Ed and I will just get a taste of it here on earth. I love the diversity and beauty of the body of Christ.

Doesn't mean the road will be easy as a Trans-Racial Family... but the Christian life is not about ease... it's about calling... and glorifying the One who calls us.

Home Study Visit #1 Complete!

2009-11-24T15:10:00.003-05:00

Last night was our first visit for our Home Study portion of our adoption. It was (as Grandma Wanderer would say) a "howling success"! It was a beautiful experience. American World Adoption Agency (AWAA) is doing our Home Study. They are a phenomenal agency... and it was a blessing to be in their offices last night.

I just can't explain how humbled and thankful we are to be a part of this process. I am so grateful God is allowing us on this journey of adoption. Last night was yet another confirmation that I am eternally grateful for my own adoption in Christ.

One other note: Kudos to my fantastic husband for keeping us on track and getting our paperwork turned in for our Home Study! I am so thankful for Ed and the way God has wired him for details... a beautiful blessing!

Pittsburgh, Errands and Home Visit...

2009-11-23T14:19:00.004-05:00

I will have an actual blog post later tonight or tomorrow... here is a run down of the last few days:

Went to Pittsburgh this weekend to visit Grandma Wanderer. It was a fantastic weekend... pictures to follow!
Took mom to the doctor today and then we ran oooodles of errands.
First Home Study Visit tonight! excited.

More to come...

Dreams

2009-11-19T21:32:00.003-05:00

Ben Arment over at www.benarment.com has a fascinating new idea... Dream Year.

I like dreaming...

Doctors, Court Rooms and Fields...

2009-11-18T22:10:00.006-05:00

Today has been a day filled with adoption adoption adoption...

I went to get my adoption physical today.... complete with blood work and TB test.... not a fan of needles.
Went to the Prince William County Courthouse to get the fingerprints done. We sat outside of "Court Room Number 5" for 2 hours. We had to wait until all those needing to be processed were done. Um... it was an interesting morning... filled with lots of fascinating people. Let's just say, it was not boring.
Met Deborah Schmitz for our adoption photos. We have photos we need to send into the Dossier, Home Study, etc... Deborah is such a fabulous photographer! She took us to some great scenes in Stafford. fun times.

Picture This: Change for Orphans

2009-11-18T22:08:00.000-05:00

Picture This: Change for Orphans from Show Hope on Vimeo.

Piper on Adoption

2009-11-17T17:59:00.000-05:00

Super Sweet Sunday!

2009-11-16T18:05:00.006-05:00

We had an amazing Sunday yesterday... there was such a buzz in the Children's Ministry! There were oodles of first time guests and many families were back that we haven't seen in a while. We had hundreds of preschoolers and children enter our doors with gigantic smiles! The teachers, small group leaders, worship teams, greeters, security team, kiosk folks, tech teams... (wow! there are a lot of fantastic volunteers that make up a Sunday morning!) were just sensational! It was a beautiful Sunday!

An Afternoon with Alece

2009-11-16T15:54:00.002-05:00

On Sunday afternoon after The First Look Lunch... Ed and I went with Greg and Terri Poss to Alexandria to see our friend, Alece Ronzino! I've blogged about her before... she is the author of www.gritandglory.com as well as the Founder of Thrive Africa (www.thriveafrica.org). Greg and I had the beautiful opportunity to see her ministry first hand in the Summer of 2007 in South Africa. Thrive does an amazing job with: building leaders in South Africa, HIV/AIDS Prevention, After School programs, Pastor Training, Women's Conferences, etc...

I love Alece... she is an inspiration!

(Pardon Ed and I in our matching T-shirts... we came straight from church... Kids at The Mount volunteers look like this on Sundays. Ed and I don't normally intentionally match our clothing {hee hee} )