One Thing...

Recently I have seen some minor shock when people have seen my daughter Truth for the first time. To sum these experiences up I think many of my friends have expected her to be younger. So to be more clear our daughter is somewhere between the ages of 9 and 13 her current birthday (the one used at court) is January 1 2001 which would age her at 12. When we started on this road to Truth our first thought was that the child that God had for us may be between the ages of 3 and 7 BUT God had a much different much better plan in place for our family! We gave our specifics to our adoption social worker and the SAME WEEK were matched with Truth. The phone call was a little like this..."Danielle I have a child that we feel would be a great match for your family, you need to keep an open mind though because she is a bit older then what you has asked for...she is 9"...then Patty went on to explain that WAY BACK when I had called and inquired about the Ethiopia program through WACAP the program director had flagged this little girl FOR US that if we would pass all the checks and she would still be waiting then they would present her to us!!!! If that is not the hand of God in this I don't know what is.

Most people can relate to the excitement of bringing home a newborn or infant even a toddler. There are so many first that you can experience, you get to mold and shape them from the beginning  I believe it is harder for most people to put themselves in my shoes and share in my excitement . I in total honestly almost feel more humbled that God is trusting me with an already formed child! I don't get much say in her personality, I missed all her firsts, I missed the tiny toes and giving her a bath BUT I have NOT missed the most important part of being a parent. 

What is the most important part of being a parent? In my opinion it is not building their self esteem, insuring that they have worldly things, that they do well in school or sports, or that they have the "best" of everything because you can have it all and yet miss so much! In my opinion the very most important part of being a parent is teaching them HOW MUCH they are LOVED BY JESUS! The world is a painful place and the only TRUE WAY to find peace and healing is through the faith that no matter what Jesus is here and will NEVER walk away...and it is NEVER too late to teach this. So yes I missed most of her childhood but I get to experience the BEST part of being her parent!

The song "One Thing Remains"...sums it up really well :)

The Burn...

As we share our joy and excitement over the timely court hearing for our daughter in Ethiopia I do not want anyone to miss the extreme pain that her "house mom" or "Mommy" is facing. I imagine that Truth's current mommy has such mixed emotions about her adoption! She has know this day would come and she had thought that she had a month to say goodbye...then in our joy filled moment her world was crushed, the 37 days that she had to say goodbye just flew out the window. She now only has a day or two until she has to say goodbye for what may be forever! Mommy who has loved this child as her own for over 3 years is having to release her into someone else's care, to be adopted by someone she has never met and will never truly know. I imagine that her joy and grief are so mixed together that she honestly could not pull them apart if she tried. I have to admit that my joy is so mixed with the burn of pain for her that I am overwhelmed. I have been near tears for the last two days I just feel for this Mommy!

I ask that my friends and family join together with me to be praying and praying for every part of Truth's adoption BUT right now PLEASE PRAY for her "Mommy" pray for peace, love, understanding, pray that she knows Jesus and can place her trust in Him pray that her void is filled with the knowledge that Truth will be cared for and loved! Pray that she is able to hug, cuddle, love on Truth as much as possible until she is to move to the transition home.

Remember that no matter how long a "Mommy" cares for a child their love will last their lifetime...please just pray!

In a nut shell...

Our Journey to Truth (in a nut shell)...

In August of 2010 Ryan threw me a curve ball. He tole me one day after church that God told him to go to Ethiopia and bring his daughter home. Knowing my Husband this is HUGE Ryan BELIEVING that GOD SPOKE TO HIM!!! I had thought that we were "taking a break" and maybe would parent more children in the future. We started to research agencies and found that WACAP was the only agency that lined up with what we were looking for. One of our key questions had been "what would happen if we were matched and then became pregnant?" WACAPs response was that it would be up to us if we continued with the match (we were sold). Everything went SO FAST!!!...

November 2010...sent in application to WACAP and started Homestudy

Ryan drops another bomb that he believes that it is to be TWO girls!!!!!!!!

December 2010..."approval" of application to WACAP
February 2011...Homestudy is completed and sent to WACAP (for 2 girls)
Early March 2011..WACAP decides they will only allow 1 girl
March 29 2011...Introduction phone call from WACAP...during this phone call we expressed our desires for the age and situation of our daughter.
April 1 2011...WE ARE MATCHED!!!
June 1 2011...WE ARE PREGNANT...

LOL so there will be 2 girls ;)

August 2011...WACAP stopped our adoption due to our pregnancy
January 2012...Selah is Born!!!
February 2012...I e-mail WACAP about Truth ;)...they respond that we need to wait 6 months from Selah's birth (which would be July)
June 2012...I e-mailed again ;) asking if I could at least start the paperwork that would be needed to BRING TRUTH HOME
June 2012...WACAP said YES!!

PAPERWORK...$$$...Homestudy...$$$...

October 2012... Re-matched with TRUTH
January 23 2013...SUBMITTED TO COURT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Upcoming...
March 29 2013...Truth's court date

To clarify in Ethiopia there are multiple things that need to happen before a child can be adopted. First there is a whole gathering of documents and getting things ready. There then has to be a court date (March 29, 2012) on this date it has to be proven that Truth is an orphan and "needs" to be adopted. On the day of that court date or soon after the court will assign a date for Ryan and I to attend to adopt Truth!...

I hope that this catches anyone up to speed that may just to joining us :) We are open to questions!!!

Beauty in the waiting...

I am finding, through this journey to Truth that there is true beauty in the waiting. We first laid eyes on our daughter April 1 2010 it has been almost 2 years that I have been over the top in love with this child I have yet to meet. God has been able to show me many things in this period of waiting such as a new appreciation for my friends and family who are waiting with me coming along side us through monetary donations to ensure that we can BRING TRUTH HOME. I have learned better how to parent my 5 children, how to truly believe that time with others is so much more important then a tide house, that cereal is an acceptable dinner, to relax. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that it is absolutely necessary for Truth to remain in Ethiopia as long as she safely can. She is with very loving and caring house mothers and a bunch of amazing children she has grown to love and trust. Taking her from that is going to cause pain beyond our understanding! I feel blessed to be waiting...because now that Truth is "marked" as ours her wait has ended. Though she may not know it yet it is our time to wait she HAS a family no matter how long it takes for her to be here physically with us!! I carry the burden of waiting with great joy knowing that my DAUGHTER is at the other end!!!

We received news today that the court system has once again changed and that our travel will now most likely not happen until late April or Early May. I was first hit with sadness and a slight feeling of loss BUT then I looked to where my strength comes from and was reminded that Truth NEEDS every minute, hour, day, week, month that she can get in Ethiopia before she becomes a Fasnacht and I NEED to want that for her! It is beyond selfish of me to rush her time with everyone that she knows and trusts. So I am boldly saying that I am MORE THEN WILLING to wait for my daughter!

During this extra time I will enjoy crafting more items to help BRING TRUTH HOME. We will complete the basement, decorate Truths room, enjoy the time, and not wish a day away :)

We ask for continued prayers for everyone who comes into contact with any part of this adoption!!! WACAP already knows us ;) and we pray that others will know us to for being that family WILLING TO WAIT on God's perfect timing!!! Truth is an amazing little lady we are sure of that!

Are you positive...

A question was asked of me recently..."ARE YOU SURE YOU WANT TO ADOPT "TRUTH""??? My response was "Yes we are positive..." From fall 2010 when God told Ryan to "Bring your daughter home from Ethiopia" we have been on a journey to Truth. There have been many bumps and for a time we thought that Truth may be a different child then the one we were matched with in the first place...but after almost a year of "waiting" after becoming pregnant Truth was still there waiting, needing a family. I was positive that if it were Gods will to bring Truth home then he would lay it on Ryan's heart again so I waited (and waited and waited) and finally Ryan says to me randomly "we would never have an abortion would we?" I believe I just looked at him and he continued with "then how can WE stop our adoption" and we were positive again and started to process when Selah was 5 months old. We are positive that this little lady may NOT want a family, we are positive that bringing home a 12 year old girl is going to be beyond challenging, We are positive that she will use the famous "you are not my mother/father/brother/sister/family" lines, We are positive that she WILL long to return to Ethiopia, We are positive that we have a long road ahead, We are positive that we already have a great therapy team ready and waiting on Truth (Drs, therapists, counselors, friends, neighbors, family), We are positive that we love this child no matter if she loves us back, We positive that the pieces of joy are worth the struggle, and WE ARE POSITIVE THAT NO MATTER WHAT JESUS IS HERE/THERE/EVERYWHERE WITH US!!!! This question was asked of me out of a very sad very hurt place but I appreciate it. I appreciate that this friend took the time to ask and make sure that we are prepared for the worst BUT looking forward to the best :).

Christmas project 2012...

A Christmas time challenge...

Last year around this time I challenged my friends and family to give to a Christmas project...I challenged them with out many details...This year I get to challenge you with the FULL details :) We are once again raising money to send to Fields of Promise, they help support a project in Ethiopia called "Operation Rescue Ethiopia" in Mekkele Ethiopia. Last year through the wonderful donations of everyone we were able to touch the lives of over 80 children! These children were able to see our love through the gifts purchased with the money donated!!!! Please consider once again to help in the cause!

The challenge...
What can you do without? Your daily coffee? Eating out once a week? That new toy that your child just HAS TO HAVE!!! I challenge EVERYONE who dares read this to take this to your family and ask "Is there something that we can do without to show a child in Ethiopia love?" Last year my children decided to do without their Christmas gifts and we sent all budgeted Christmas funds to Ethiopia...and guess what my children SO BLESSED because of their decision!!!! They may not have received the lasted toy last year but they did receive an understanding of GIVING that goes SO far beyond my ability to put it into words it is unbelievable! We have not talked with the children yet about Christmas this year and today I dumped a toy box out and made the boys re-sort it (a tiny OCD on my part) BUT while doing so Graham or Everett made reference to how much they have and that their sister does not. They talked about how they gave kids their "toys" last year and how they still have SO MANY toys!!! It was very cute to hear! Also last year we were blessed by many random gifts for my children so please do not think that they had a totally giftless Christmas but we did not spend money on them.

So after you have talked, prayed, thought about this I challenge you to GIVE! Give with your resource, time, space, belongings, words. Give without worry...trust that when God asks you to GIVE HE WILL PROVIDE!!!!

I am NOT saying just give to my Christmas project. I am saying to ASK GOD where you should give and DO IT don't worry in your giving. If God says that Fields of Promised should be blessed though you then I will be more then happy to pass it along! Just give something...

Am I?...

A new perspective...

I have allowed my self one too many minutes of feeling upset about my current circumstances. I allowed myself to feel sorry for myself that my children are in an endless circle of Strep, ear infections, lice (YUCK), growth issues, med issues, school issues and so on and so forth...enough is enough.

Tonight I was challenged by a friend that maybe God is allowing ALL this to prepare me for the arrival of TRUTH.

I have now allowed myself to ponder this ;)...I like this perspective. It is as if instead of throwing me into a marathon with no training HE is totally preparing me for it! The more I think about this the more it makes sense!!!! I have been able to experience the many therapies that my children have needed over the past 6 years, I have visited many hospitals (CHOP, St Christophers, DuPont, Lancaster General, Pinnacle, Hershey, and even a hospital in Dover-Foxcroft Me), I have met many specialists...I can see how God has used each of those to help build on so that the next Dr is easier then the one before. This new venture of illness upon illness and the need to meet and greet new Drs and new places can only make the next leg of this AMAZING PARENTING JOURNEY a tad easier!

Truth is going to be coming and God needs me to be prepared...How gracious is HE to prepare me instead of just throw me into the fire!!!

If you find yourself having a crappy day maybe God is just giving you a crash coarse in how to be a better you, how to help a friend tomorrow, how to be prepared for something greater then you can imagine!!!

Thank you Jesus for trusting me enough to ask me to care for Everett with his ear infection, Aurora with her strep, With the privilege of homeschooling Graham, advocating for Israel's invisible disabilities, and believing that I can be strong enough in you to care for Selah while she struggles with growing properly...AMEN!!!

The song "Strong Enough" by Matthew West is what I said OVER AND OVER in my head while in the hospital with my PE and baby Selah...here is the link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knuHDPbE5es