Our Story for His Glory

September 15th- A very special day!!

2011-09-15T09:15:00.000-05:00

6 years ago today one of the sweet little boys came into our lives! He weighed 8lbs 8oz and was the cutest little thing I had ever seen! He was our first born and is SO special. He has the biggest and sweetest hearts that I have ever seen on a boy.

I have to share one story that sticks in my head that shows his big heart. One day Anslee was riding her 4-Wheeler at my mom's house and we told her to go park it. We park them in the garage and to get back to the house you have to cross the gravel drive. Bowen ran up to the garage and put his tennis shoes on Anslee so she didn't have to cross the gravel in bare feet. Such a sweet heart.

Bowen is very quiet around new people but warms up quickly. Every Sunday school teacher he has ever had just falls in love with him b/c he is so well behaved and sweet. Not your typical boy. (Until he gets home!) He sits back and quietly observes everyone. He is very perceptive and is one smart little boy!

Bowen--September 2005

September 2011

September 15th is also special to our family because it is our "Gotcha Day" for Nile. He was 3.5 months old and also weighed 8lbs and 8oz. How ironic is that? That day forever changed my life. I instantly fell in love with him-the moment they placed him in my arms I knew he was mine! Nile is different than our other two. He is loud, a chatter box and doesn't meet a stranger. Nile is rough and tumble and often beats up on Bowen. Bowen is just too gentle and sweet to fight back.

Nile--September 2009

Click here to watch our Ethiopia video.

Nile -- September 2011

2011-08-17T09:13:00.000-05:00

One thing that I am learning is that teaching my kids is so natural. Before this year I never intentionally sat down and had a formal lesson to teach my kids all that they now know. They can speak in full sentences, know their alphabet, their colors, shapes, etc without me sitting down and teaching them. I have to remind myself of this daily! I try to teach them naturally through reading good books, cooking together, playing games or just talking to them. I now understand that homeschooling is more of a lifestyle than a isolated activity. I know what I want my children to learn and I have about 13 hours a day to teach them. We may sit down for 20 minutes and do what they call "school" but they are learning all day and night whether they know it or not. They LOVE to read, but don't know that the hours we sit and read together is our "school" or when we go outside and draw with chalk or hang out at the creek that is "school" or when we bake a chocolate cake together that is "school" or when we go to the grocery that is "school" or when we are playing Alphabet GO FISH that is "school".

Here is a glimpse of the excitement of the week.

A raccoon that came to visit.

The kids loved this!

Can you say arranged marriage? You know they do that in Ethiopia!

School on the back deck

Yes, he is Clay's child.

The constant battle....

for a KISS!

PE TIME!

Cute conversations I overheard this week:
Nile: "Lets play football, Bowen."
Bowen: "No, you said earlier you didn't want to play."
Nile: "I change my mind, Bowen."

HOW STINKIN' SMART IS THIS CHILD! Cannot believe some of the things he says.

Later, Nile picks up a marker in the office and looks at me and says, "I know better than that Momma." LOL.

Love, love, love that kid! How could this face not brighten your day! Can't imagine our family without him!

Week One complete!

2011-08-08T21:07:00.000-05:00

This week was our first week of homeschooling. The kids learned lots and I was so excited that they had a blast. We are just starting out and I am figuring a lot out as we go. I am starting this year with a pre-planned curriculum called "My Father's World". I chose it because our over all philosophies of education lined up. I lean more towards a literature based/relaxed approach but was a little nervous to do my own thing this first year. I am not into a high pressure, my kids will win the next spelling bee kind of approach. If my children leave my house able to read their bibles and are sold out for Jesus, I will be one happy momma!

We started our week off at the library collecting as many "living" books as possible. We spent lots of time reading books on the couch. My voice was gone by the end of the day. Here were some of our favorites:

This is a must read chapter book that Bowen has loved this week. Bowen asked to read it so much that Nile has been walking around saying, "Mom, I want to read my chapter book." Love it!

One lady that I have admired and loved her philosophies on parenting, media, education and nutrition is Carol Joy Seid.

If you can make it to one of her seminars I would HIGHLY recommend it. She is coming to our area soon to do her second session mainly focusing on teaching older children. She will probably be back next year to teach the one dealing with younger children, which I attended a year ago. I learned so much and made many changes to the way I parent. You can now order her sessions on CD here. This week I found an interview online of Carol. Its is wonderful. Click here and click on the right "listen to Carol". It is a great use of 25 minutes!! It will bless you as a mom and if you can get your husband to listen, she talks also to dads.

Here are some things we have been working on this week:

Yep, how to do dishes! Give me another 6 months and this mommy will be chore free ;)

Next week we will be focusing on: How to give a good massage 101.

Run with Nations

2011-06-18T20:23:00.000-05:00

Today at "Run with the Nations" hosted by World Relief Nashville and African Leadership I looked around and thought this is a little glimpse of heaven.

"After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands."
Revelation 7:8-10

Me enjoying my donut while everyone was running.

2011-02-10T14:19:00.000-06:00

Well, my blogging time has been cut a ton and this momma is very busy! 6 months ago we stopped letting our kids watch any TV. We cut off our cable and we are so glad that we did. Although, it was hard. I felt like I lost a babysitter. TV time did allow me to get much more done during the day. Although, I stay at home to nurture my children. I do not stay home to have a perfectly clean house or to have time to blog daily.

I do want to update you on some excitement around our home. After picking up Nile in Ethiopia my return to the US was difficult. My heart was still in Ethiopia. I soon began to plan our next trip back which the Lord closed doors to. I was torn between having my children here to look after and being there ministering to those precious people I loved so much. I began to pray that God would somehow allow the two to merge. I didn't know if this would mean us moving to Ethiopia or adopting more children from there but I knew that God had a plan.

My wonderful mother watches my children once a week for me. I usually run errands, grocery shop, clean house and occasionally shower. :) Well, I just kept feeling like that was not going to be just my day anymore it was going to be the Lord's. So I prayed for months about what to do. God kept bringing "World Relief" and their ministry to my attention. I was fearful at first to work with refugees but I kept feeling like God was leading me that way. I was feeling led to step out of my comfort zone, being convicted by God's word. I finally went to a meeting and found out that they often had families from an Ethiopian refugee camp. I had no idea! I began to get very excited about the thought of being connected with that community here. Several weeks later I was matched with a family.

We met the first time with a translator but every other time it is just us and our new friends. It has truly been one of the more rewarding experience in my life. I have only a few details about their history but I know that it is a story of heartache and loss. Our government brings them into the U.S. and supports them for a few months. Can you imagine being dropped off in a country where you didn't know anyone or their language? Life continues to be hard for them here. Keep them in your prayers, along with all of the other refugees in the world. If you are interested in volunteering contact your local World Relief.

On another note Nile has almost been home a year and a half! I cannot believe it has been that long. He is now 20 months old and is a absolute doll! He has started to talk a lot lately. He has been our most active and strongest willed child yet. I am finally seeing a light at the end of the tunnel though. Within the past couple of weeks our consistency with disciple has finally started to show some promising signs. I knew it worked well with the other 2 just much quicker :) He is Mr Personality and is always so happy. He is a momma's boy for sure and I eat it up!

Here is Nile and his newest friend Jonah. Aren't they just precious. Jonah and Nile were both born June 2009 in Ethiopia.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!

2011-01-04T15:38:00.000-06:00

Almost one year in.....

2010-09-03T22:07:00.001-05:00

I cannot believe that we have been home almost a year with Nile. Oh the joy he has brought into our family. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't think about Africa and all of the children we left behind. I pray that all of the sweet children we met last year are not still there. It happens one family at a time. That is why I pray that other families will submit to the calling to adopt. I really want others to experience God's miracle of loving a child that was born across the world from you. A child of a different race, culture, country, family--it's a beautiful experience!!

I dream of the day when I can go back to Africa. It's hard when you have little ones but hopefully we will be returning in the future to bring other children or a child into our family to love, nurture, disciple.

Here are some recent pics of the kiddos.

Hairstyle attempt #1

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3 sweet kiddos.

Here is a cute video of Nile:

Shone, Ethiopia

2010-08-01T19:06:00.000-05:00

This is a map of where Nile is from. When in Ethiopia we flew into Addis Ababa and were unable to visit Shone. We hope to get to see it one day. I would love more info/photos of this birthplace. I think it will one day be very important to him to see where he is from. I am so thankful that we are able to know specifics on where he was from.

View Larger Map

I was able to find a sweet couple that were missionaries there and they sent me these pictures of Shone.

The church in the background.

Home in Shone

Tree in Shone

Hadiya countryside

inside of a house in Shone

The river where many gather to bathe and get water in Shone.

Nile and Amanda

2010-08-01T14:08:00.000-05:00

Amanda and I met through our adoption agency when we were in the process to adopt Nile. She was able to meet Nile in Ethiopia before we did. Look at the pictures of them together. What a difference a year makes!!

August 2009

July 2010

Blogs of people living radical lives for Jesus

2010-07-17T20:43:00.000-05:00

http://journeywiththeclarks.blogspot.com/
--family from Williamson Co. sold it all to move to Bangkok.

http://kissesfromkatie.blogspot.com/
--Williamson Co. girl out of high school moves to Uganda, now 3 yrs later is the mother to lots of kids--lost count is it 13?

http://blessingsfromethiopia.blogspot.com/
--Sweet young couple adopts 6 kids from Ethiopia. That is on top of their (almost) 4 children.

Share some more. I love reading about lives forever changed by their radical love for Jesus.

Do we REALLY believe the bible?

2010-07-17T20:25:00.000-05:00

Do you? If so, it has radical implications for the way we live. I have struggled with this ever since we started the adoption process. Seeing how differently the rest of the world lives. It's hard to see life there and life here. How do we just go on living like this?(speaking to myself here too!)

This isn't the way God intended us to live. I recently came across(not by accident) upon this sermon series. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE IT but it's a hard pill to swallow. Also, just started the book! Radical is an amazing book also. Just getting into it but that is for another blog post.

I have also been reading the most amazing book ever: "The hole in our gospel" Christians we are missing it, we have to care that there are people dying on the other side of the world. 30,000 children will die TODAY of starvation or preventable disease. Does that bother you in the least? What if it were your children? Sumner County would be wiped out in 5 days.

I read a similar illustration but if we just found out that 30,000 people were killed in the US we would be devastated. What if 150 planes crashed today? That would kill about 30,000 people. We would be in shock! What if it were 30,000 firemen dead. But the fact that 30,000 children will die today doesn't move many to action because we are so removed from it, so wrapped up in ourselves, our plans, our lives. I am SO guilty of this too!

DO YOU BELIEVE?

Luke 14:26-27 "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple. And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.

OR

Luke 18:18-22 "A certain ruler asked him, "Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?"
"Why do you call me good?" Jesus answered. "No one is good—except God alone. You know the commandments: 'Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother." "All these I have kept since I was a boy," he said.
When Jesus heard this, he said to him, "You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."

I hear people make excuses all of the time to make themselves feel better. Implying that God has them there(dying and suffering) and has us here(living the American dream) or saying the bibles says we will always have poor. God cares so much for the poor and I think he will be asking some Christians, "why were there so many poor in the world?"

Ready to get RADICAL for God! Are you?

Daydreams.....

2010-07-10T14:04:00.000-05:00

What do you daydream about? Clay- Colorado, Me-Africa. Today, I've thought a lot about adopting again. I have so many friends in the midst of adoption, I read so many blogs and facebook updates about adoption! God has surrounded me with it. I love having all of the friends around me keeping the passion for Africa and orphans in front of me daily. I love praying for the families raising money, waiting on the call, dreaming of their child. A true time of faith building, patience testing and pure excitement!

We talk about one day adopting a little girl from Africa, Lord willing. We feel like she will be older, maybe 3 to 5. That would probably mean that she is born now.

I am praying for her today!
Praying she isn't hungry.
Praying she isn't lonely.
Praying that she is learning dependence on our mighty God.
Praying for her family.
Praying for her country.

Could you have a child right now that lives somewhere else? Ask God!

Help bring home this precious boy....

2010-07-06T10:51:00.000-05:00

Our friends from church need $4000 by this weekend to bring home precious Jadon from Ethiopia. Please go to their site to donate. Any amount will help! http://www.lilysprayer.blogspot.com/

AWAA Africa Fellowship 2010

2010-06-30T10:46:00.001-05:00

September 3 at 6:00pm-September 6 at 12:00pm
Here in Nashville, TN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yay! Hope to see all of my travel buddies!
Click here to RSVP on facebook!
http://americaworldafricareunion.blogspot.com/

Adoption 101 Tea

2010-06-25T15:07:00.001-05:00

Do you have a heart for the fatherless? Have you ever considered adopting? I am hosting an adoption 101 tea. If you have questions or just want to fellowship with some ladies that have a heart for adoption please come. Come hear from someone who has experience with adoption ministry and has 5 children- 2 bio, 3 adopted. Justine Gamble will be sharing shortly about her adoption of 2 from Ethiopia and 1 from China. The majority of the time will be spent answering your questions. Light snacks will be served. If you have any questions please contact me at : tracyleev@yahoo.com

Here is Justine's bio:

* Mom to five kids - 2 homemade, three adopted

* Started and operated an adoption and orphan care ministry at a "mega" church for four years as a volunteer

* Worked with more than thirty adoption agencies, orphan care and missions to orphans organizations as a volunteer

* Member of the Christian Alliance for Orphans

* can host or help coordinate adoption and orphan care seminars

* can meet with groups or one on one to assist in the adoption process at any stage of the process, (adoption 101 classes)

* can assist in finding ways to make adoption affordable

* can assist groups or individuals in finding mission trips

* can assist churches in "adopting" communities in need overseas

**all the above is on a volunteer basis - no payment to me

My Ethiopian Prince

2010-06-25T14:55:00.000-05:00

Amazing pictures taken by Amanda Humphrey. She is taking pictures to raise $$ to bring home her Ethiopian princess, Macy. Contact her here.

HAPPY 1ST BIRTHDAY NILE!

2010-06-19T08:25:00.000-05:00

My precious boy just celebrated his first birthday!

We had a blast celebrating!

Attention local families....

2010-06-13T15:07:00.000-05:00

We are starting an Ethiopian fellowship called CAFE North for families north of Nashville. We have our first family social this Saturday. Email me if you are interested. tracyleev@yahoo.com or look us up on facebook.

Remembering....

2010-05-29T18:44:00.000-05:00

As happy as I am that I get to celebrate my baby's first birthday, I cannot help but think about Nile's birth mother. It's hard to imagine but there is someone on the other side of the world that is remembering the child that she gave birth to. I cannot know who or where she is today but I wish she knew how much he is loved. She has no clue that he is alive much less so loved. I am sad for her and cannot imagine not knowing. I cannot imagine what her circumstances were and I pray that she has the peace of Jesus to get her through this life. As Americans we cannot fathom the weight of everyday life that she lives. I am thankful for the life she has given us. I can't imagine life without my precious boy. Please pray for her to have a peace as she remembers the baby that she gave birth to around this time a year ago.

Look at these teeth!

2010-05-22T11:08:00.000-05:00

Lookin' cool in the mini!

John Piper on caring for the fatherless...

2010-05-08T13:46:00.000-05:00

I love PIPER!!! Click here to read his article called "What Does It Mean to Live by Faith in the Service of the Fatherless?"

May 2010

2010-05-04T12:01:00.000-05:00

Well, our little guy is 11 months today. I cannot believe we are one month away from celebrating his 1st Birthday. It went by so quickly. He keeps this momma on her toes. He is into everything and loves our stairs. I cannot complain too much because he is a GREAT sleeper. Nobody can believe how much he sleeps in a day. At night he sleeps from 6:30pm to 7am. Then by 8:30 is back in bed until 11ish and he does another afternoon nap for a couple of hours.I don't know how but I have had 3 great sleepers. Thank you Lord! He is the sweetest boy and LOVES his momma! He is very attached to me, which I love. I am cherishing every moment with my growing boy!! He is my most active and loudest child so far. He keeps us entertained and laughing!

His newest trick:

Praise the Lord

Mommy's big helper

Well, if you are not from this area you have probably seen TN all over the news. We have had MAJOR flooding.

Check out the small creek behind our house.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

We are very lucky to be up on a hill. Some of our neighbors on the other side of the creek houses were flooded.

We have friends that have water to their ceiling and many business owners are being affected by the damage. Please pray for all affected by this!

Here are some pictures of the flooding.

Downtown Nashville

Parking Lot at our church

Aerial view:

Adoption Yard Sale this weekend!!!!

2010-04-20T14:12:00.000-05:00

Come out and support a local Hendersonville family, who is adopting a little girl named Macy from Ethiopia.

All proceeds from the yard sale will go straight to their adoption fund.

Help them as they reach out to save an orphan!!!!

Here are the details:

When? This Friday and Saturday--April 23 and 24th
Time? 8am to Noon
Where? 110 Strathmore Ct. Hendersonville

Fun in April

2010-04-17T13:45:00.001-05:00

The weather in TN is gorgeous!!!! We have been outside every day. Amazing how nice you can keep your house when everyone is outside. Here are some recent pictures. Enjoy!

Sharing our story

2010-04-09T16:18:00.003-05:00

About 4 months ago I was asked to come to a church and share our adoption testimony. I immediately felt sick to my stomach. I have never liked speaking in front of people and have no experience at it. That night God wouldn't let me sleep. I was reminded about all that He had done through our adoption. What good is a testimony if you aren't willing to share it? So I said yes and started to prepare. I wrote out word for word 16 pages of our testimony. Clay got a big kick out of that and explained that I needed to do an outline. This sent me into more panic.

So I prepared and everytime I would practice my heart would start racing and I would get out of breath! What was my deal!? So I had it down, 11 page outline, 40 minutes of talking. I am not a big talker so I don't know if I had talked that much in a week or so.

The night before I prayed, "God you did all of these miracles through our adoption, I know you can do another miracle and take away my nervousness." I had tons of people praying for me that week. Guess what? I wasn't nervous, I got up and spoke for 40 minutes, feeling more comfortable than I ever have before. THIS WAS TRULY A MIRACLE! I get nervous speaking up in a small group or getting up in front of anyone! God totally took over that night! He is SO faithful!!!

Hebrews 4:16 says, "Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need."

Mark 11:24 says, "Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours."

During my talk I talked about our sponsored child through Children's Hopechest. I thought I should ask Hopechest if I could bring some children's profiles with me that needed sponsoring. They said YES and sent me 36 profiles. I cried when I opened them b/c all of the children needing sponsors were from the same city Nile was from. I loved looking at all of them and reading about their lives. It broke my heart all over for all of the children we left behind. I will never forget them.

God did BIG things that night and we got 19 children sponsored. 19 more children will have shelter, a bed, food and an education all because people were willing to sacrifice $32 a month. Thanks to all who made that commitment! If you are interested in sponsoring a child, visit Children's Hopechest.

Our family is good! Getting very busy with Nile crawling and eating everything he finds around he house. He is 10 months and has the cutest personality!

Here are some recent pics:

I need your input...

2010-03-05T14:22:00.000-06:00

In preparing my talk I need your help. What are some reasons Christians don't adopt? What is your reasoning or things you have heard from other people.

9 months and movin'

2010-03-04T14:38:00.001-06:00

Our boy is getting so big!!! He is now offically in 9 month clothes and is 9 months! Amazing!

He is doing so many new things. Saying dada, mama and bye-bye. He's waving, army crawling and trying to sign more. It's so cute. He is cutting his first tooth that should be through the surface very soon. This has interrupted some of mommy's 9-7 sleep schedule. :)

Check out the "in the works" fro!

Here is a picture of his sis Anslee bathing him.

I know what you are thinking. She needs to read my post on modesty. We are working on it.

I am loving every day with these kiddos.

Children are a gift from the LORD; they are a reward from him. Psalm 127:3

Sharing our story..

2010-03-03T06:25:00.002-06:00

This month have been asked to share our adoption testimony. Those of you who know me best know that public speaking is not my strength. I do know that this is something I am suppose to do and God will speak for me. Please pray for me as I prepare!

I was asked to share the info here. If you are interested in coming you can buy a ticket from me or send an email to the address below. Tickets are $1.

Attention All Ladies…

The Women’s Ministry of Parkway Baptist Church

invites you to an evening filled with fellowship, testimony, and hearing from God’s Word entitled

“Who Is Writing Your Story?”

Our guest speaker will share her personal testimony of love, faith, and miracles along her family’s road to adoption. Parkway’s own, Ginger Moore, will give insight from Romans regarding our adoption into God’s family.

Friday evening, March 26th

Time of Fellowship/Snacks – 6:00 – 6:30pm

Time of Testimony – 6:30pm

Parkway Baptist Church – Family Life Center

Tickets on sale for $1.00

To reserve your tickets or for additional information, please email womensministry@parkwaybc.net.

Parkway Baptist Church

505 Cunniff Parkway

Goodlettsville, TN

from 5.5lbs to 18.4lbs

2010-02-09T14:33:00.000-06:00

I loved looking through his pictures to see how much he has grown. I am with him everyday but people always comment on how big he is getting. I went back through pictures and made this collage.
1 Month--this was our referral picture we got on July 9th. He was 5.5lbs.
2 Months- this was taken before we traveled to get him.
3 Months--this was taken by a friend that visited him in Ethiopia.
4 Months--this was the week after we got home when he was at Vanderbilt Children's for 5 days
5 Months-at home, happy and healthy!
6 Months- Trying to sit up!
7 Months- Could he be any cuter?
8 Months- check out my haircut!!! He now weighs 18lbs 4oz.

Crazy what some love, nutrition and modern medicine can do!!

We feel blessed beyond words. Bowen has requested we adopt 12 more from Ethiopia.

He's 4, she's 3 and he's 8 months

2010-02-04T11:50:00.004-06:00

8 month old boy!!!

People always ask, "Oh how old are they." I have my response down now. "He's 4, she's 3 and he's 8 months" I get a million questions. I think people want to ask questions trying to get to, "Is he yours?" or "is that your friend's baby?" that was my favorite. Overall, people are super sweet when we are out, just curious. I mean how could you not want to come and talk to these sweet faces?

Lovin' life!

2010-01-20T14:56:00.004-06:00

Love what my friend Laura is giving away for a GREAT CAUSE!!!! Help the orphans in Haiti and get something for free from Pitter Patter Art! Check it out here!

1st haircut and our new blog

2010-01-10T13:24:00.005-06:00

Yes its true, Nile got a haircut. I know its heartbreaking!! It does make him look so big but its nice not having to cut out knots everyday. It was starting to fall out and looked weird. We did love the big hair look and cannot wait for it to grow out again. Hopefully this time it won't grow in patches and we will have a nice fro by summer. :)

Our friend Betty from Africa cut it for us. She was not a fan of his big hair.

I mentioned in my last post that I was going to take this blog in another direction. I changed my mind and I am just starting another blog. I want this blog to be about Nile and our adoption--I will continue to update on him here. I have lots of people that enjoy following Nile's story but won't care about the other stuff that I will blog about. Click here to check out my new blog!

My 7 month old!!!

2010-01-04T21:36:00.004-06:00

My growing boy is 7 months today.

He could hardly believe it himself!!

What adventures lie ahead in 2010?

2010-01-01T00:05:00.001-06:00

Oh what a precious year 2009 was!! A year I will NEVER forget....a year of learning about God's faithfulness, provision, love, mercy, and seeing a glimpse of His heart. I am in awe of the precious life that he brought into our family and how it has forever changed us. I love Nile beyond words and I am still amazed at how well he fits in our family. I never thought it would feel so natural.

Since this adoption is behind us I think this blog will become more than just about our adoption. God has stirred some other passions in me lately that I will be sharing about.

Here's what you can expect from my future blogging. Yes, I will keep you up-to-date on Nile and more on my other kiddos Bowen and Anslee, but right now my passions are learning what being a Christian "like Christ" looks like, reading any and everything about authentic Christian living and orphan care, adoption, parenting, nutrition, being a staying at home mom, and homeschooling.

I already have blog post in my head that I have been waiting to find time to type! Stay tuned.

What will it take to open your eyes?

2009-12-07T23:15:00.001-06:00

For me it took a visit to Africa. Here are things I've observed and how it changed me.
-I have seen complete joy in Christ alone even when you have no earthly possessions.
-I saw Jesus shine brighter through people with no earthly possessions.
-I am now aware of what poverty really looks like.
-I never have the right to complain about anything.
-I see race and color of skin as something beautiful.
-I will never look at orphaned children the same.
-I won't go a day without thinking and praying for orphans all over the world.
-I can't spend money without thinking about how it could change lives in Africa.
-I have a hard time thinking/worrying about superficial things-my clothes, looks, ect.
-I am sickened by how America/Americans spend their money.
-I don't want to spoil my children and raise them with a sense of entitlement.
-I take pleasure in the simple things.
-I will never lay down on my bed without thinking about all of those without homes, food, beds.

Have you ever experience a 3rd world country? If not, it will forever change you. GO!!!!!!!!!!!!

Many of you have experienced this. How did it change you?

Look who's 6 months!

2009-12-04T00:05:00.000-06:00

I don't think I can say enough about my precious boy. He is just an angel. He is becoming such a ham. He loves to talk and wave his arms to get attention. If he is anywhere that he can watch people, he is happy. If he is not getting attention, he demands it by screaming or banging on something. Clay says he's spoiled and I say good, he needs to be. Everywhere we go I am stopped a million times for people to ask tons of questions and talk about how stinkin' cute he is. I mean seriously, could he be anymore precious?

He is getting up about once a night and overall is just an easy baby.

I thank God everyday for this precious miracle! We are so blessed.

Change a life for Christmas and forever!!

2009-12-03T13:26:00.016-06:00

As many of you know my passion for helping orphans has recently increased more and more. I want to do any and everything I can to help. Will you? There are millions of children that are in need throughout our world. YOU can do something so small to make a HUGE impact. Read below and help me spread the word about helping an orphan and I will enter you into a raffle to win one of favorite books, "Scared" by Tom Davis. Details below.

Let's think for a minute what Nile's life would have looked like if he stayed in Ethiopia. What if he wasn't adopted by us or anyone. We now know that without the care he received at Vanderbilt Children's that he wouldn't have lived much longer but let's say he did. He very possibly would have grown up with no mother, no father, no family, no food, disease--I could go on and on. What Children's Hope Chest does is find those children and help restore wholeness to their lives. Not only does your $34 a month provide a home, food, medical care, schooling, Birthday and Christmas gifts but most importantly it provides the opportunity to learn about Christ unfailing love for them.

Please pray about your part in helping an orphan in need! Read this post to see what an impact our sponsored child has had on me. I love this ministry b/c you really do form a personal relationship with your child and you are encouraged to take trips and visit your sponsored child.

Below is information from the Hope Chest website:

Vision
Long Term, Holistic, Redemptive Ministry

The vision of Children’s HopeChest is to see orphaned children find restoration and wholeness. We believe that every child should have the opportunity to know God as a Father and a Savior, to experience the blessing of family, and to live independently.

Through our program, you’ll help meet their entire needs – physical, emotional, social, and spiritual. As they move into adulthood, you will become a key part of redeeming orphans from their circumstances and setting them on the path to wholeness.

We look forward to a day when our ministry is run by former orphans who have assumed leadership roles in their own countries.

Beyond Sponsorship
What happens next?

Once children “age out” of the orphanage, Children’s HopeChest provides them with an array of services from community outreach centers (Ministry Centers), and transitional living programs (Family Centers and Independent Living Programs).

Many sponsors choose to stay with their child into adulthood – deepening their relational and financial investment. These programs help ensure a smooth transition from the orphanage to independent life.

Helping spread the word about this awesome opportunity is key! Share this post or write your own and encourage people to sponsor a child through HopeChest and you will be entered in a raffle for the book "Scared" through my blog. Just leave me a message and let me know where you shared the info.

I am so excited to see the word spread and help some precious orphans find hope this holiday season! Love you all!!

Africa will change your life..

2009-12-01T06:00:00.000-06:00

Our adoption video

2009-11-22T20:06:00.003-06:00

Would you consider...

2009-11-10T14:55:00.004-06:00

sponsoring an orphan? We signed up awhile back by making a $35 per month commitment. Soon thereafter we received a picture and info on a 15 year old boy that was living in Ethiopia. I have done this kind of thing before but I have never had a connection to the child or really felt like my money was truly going directly to this child.

I wrote our boy a real simple letter and didn't hear back from him for awhile. We were hoping to meet him while in Ethiopia but were unable to b/c we didn't have time without the babies plus Nile was so sick. I still didn't feel a real connection but knew that when I signed up with Children's Hope Chest that is was a great organization and my money would go directly to help my child.

Well, today I got my first letter. I was so excited! I went and got his picture and took it into the kids to read it to them. As I read the letter I just couldn't read anymore I was crying so hard.

Here is part of the letter:
"I don't have any family. Now you are as my father, mother, brother and sister. I thank God that he makes me part of your family. I am happy to be here. I am thankful you are sponsoring me, please pray for my country and school. I am eager to see your pictures. I am looking forward to getting my next letter. May God be with you! I love you Clay, Tracy, Bowen and Anslee."

Heartbreaking! What a precious letter. Can you imagine, no family! I just love the kids of Ethiopia so much and there situations will just break your heart. I know I still haven't really blogged about our trip but it forever changed me. So immediately I email Children's Hope Chest to see if he was adoptable and wrote him another letter. I am mailing off pictures to him tomorrow.

$35 a month. One meal out as a family here in America can house, feed, cloth, school a child for A MONTH. Unreal!

If you are interested please email: mindy@hopechest.org
To read more about sponsership--click here.

OK my kids are getting up: excuse the typos!

Quick update on Nile

2009-10-29T11:27:00.004-05:00

He is doing great. Gained 1 lb in a little over a week and he is sleeping so much better. In desperation I asked for sleeping advice on facebook last week. He was getting up every 2 hours to eat. That night I moved him upstairs to his room. He slept much better. Last night he slept from 8:30 to 5AM!!!!!!!!!!!! Can you believe it. IT WAS A WONDERFUL THING!!

At his check up I got the go ahead to give him regular formula and start him on solids. He is still a little unsure about my cooking, I am sure Clay would agree that it's an acquired taste :) Yesterday he had avocado and sweet potatoes, not too sure about solids yet.

We are having so much fun loving on this beautiful boy!!!

Nile's pictures 4.5 months

2009-10-23T13:32:00.004-05:00

My friend Amanda is doing photography to raise money for their adoption. They are adopting a little girl from Ethiopia. Check this post out about getting your family photos done for only $80!!!!!!!!!!! This is a great deal! Great idea for Christmas photos or gifts for family! Click here for details

Look at some of the amazing photos she did for me yesterday! You can click on the collage to make it larger.

GREAT NEWS TODAY!!

2009-10-15T18:57:00.002-05:00

Today was our appt with the Infectious Disease doctors at Vanderbilt. We went in with many questions about why we were told by the pediatric staff that he had HIV and why they said 100% the total opposite. They assured us that he didn't have HIV and didn't EVER have to be retested. He had 3 negative test and they were very accurate for a 4 month old. After, many questions from us the doctor looked at us and said, "would you like a certificate or something that says he doesn't have HIV." We said YES...haha!
They proceeded to tell us that he was perfectly fine and healthy now. We asked about what we were told at Vanderbilt about not leaving the house and treating him like he was a preemie. The doctor just stared at us for awhile and laughed. He repeated that he was perfectly fine and healthy!! He said that we don't have to live in a cave anymore!!!!!!!!! He said we are free to get out as much as we want! PRAISES!!!!!!!!! So we will be at church Sunday morning. Can't wait to see everyone!!

Our Ethiopia video

2009-10-15T03:52:00.001-05:00

Click here to see the video of "Our Journey to Nile"

4 weeks ago we picked Nile up....

2009-10-14T15:34:00.004-05:00

We had an appt today with Nile's pediatrician, he was very impressed with his overall health and weight gain. Nile has gained 2 lbs since we picked him up 4 weeks ago. He is back to eating every 2 hours about 4 oz. It has been rough at night but I know he needs the nutrition! We are going to hold off on cereal for now since formula is much better for him. Basically cereals are just empty carbs that will make him feel full where his formula has proteins, vitamins, ect.. So the doctor was pleased that he was eating so much!

We did get him on Zantac for acid reflux today. I will be glad when that kicks in. He is a spitter!

The doctor is also trying to get him qualified with insurance to get the vaccinations for RSV. The shot cost about $1500 per shot and he would need several injections. Insurance will only cover it if they feel like the child is a high risk for RSV. The danger of him getting it and being hospitalized has to outweigh the cost to our insurance company for the vaccination. Our doctor is going to hold off on any routine vaccinations until he is off the antibiotic and staying healthy.

Tomorrow we will meet again with infectious disease at Vanderbilt. It is just a follow up visit. I will update if there is anything new.

Overall, we are doing really good. He is just an angel that I cannot give enough kisses to! He is so adorable and smiley!! Here is a cute video of him, sorry for me being so cheesy!

Two boys that need a home….

2009-10-07T14:30:00.003-05:00

You have to read this post

******update THEY FOUND A HOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Nile -- 4 months

2009-10-06T11:06:00.009-05:00

Nile is doing awesome at home. He is eating like a champ. About every 2 to 3 hours he will now eat 4 to 5 oz! Last night he thought it would be fun to eat every 2 hours through the night. I didn't like the idea but love that he is eating well and gaining weight.

This may be a hard fall/winter for us. The doctors said that keeping Nile, Bowen and Anslee healthy is #1 priority, meaning stay home. They were very happy to hear that Bowen and Anslee are not in preschool. We are debating what we do about going to church and if A&B should be in class at all. I hate to miss and not let them be there but that is the only place they pick up bugs. If they get sick it is not going to be easy to keep them out of Nile's face. They just cannot do it! We've talked alot lately about germs and washing hands.

We are so thankful for the technology in America and that Nile is doing so well. We are so grateful that God got us to Ethiopia so quickly b/c several doctors have made the comment that he would not have made it much longer without treatment. It also makes me sad for all the babies and children we left behind. I pray for all of the babies waiting on their forever families.

I was looking at happy Nile last night thinking about his birth mother. I cannot imagine not knowing where he is and if he is even alive. I wish she could see his big smile and how much he is loved! I feel like he has been in our family forever and I cannot imagine life without him.
I am as happy as I could be!!

So today it hit me that although Nile looks like a 1 month old he is actually 4 months and can eat solids!! Maybe that is why he is eating every two hours. So I had my mom pick up rice cereal on her way over today. He like it. I took 91 pictures of his first taste of food. Who said the 3rd child doesn't have many pictures? I cannot help but take a ton of this cutie!! Those who know Clay know that he is master at crazy faces but I think he has met his match. What do you think?

The drama of the last 24 hours...

2009-10-03T13:55:00.002-05:00

Oh man, I don't know if I will even be able to relay to you what has happened in the last 24 hours.

Yesterday about this time Nile was looking great and we were looking forward to discharge today. Clay left to go home and get the kids. I would stay with Nile until we were ready to go home. That afternoon our team of doctors came to the door and asked to see me privately. I could tell that something wasn't right. They took me into a private room and they all seemed very down. They told me that Nile had tested positive for PCP Pneumonia. Then they proceeded to tell me that because of several factors including PCP they were pretty positive that Nile had HIV. I was stunned and in shock. He had already had 2 negative tests with another more specific test still pending. They told me they were 90-95% sure and he would start the medications for HIV in the morning. They said that the pending test could come back negative but he could still have it and test positive down the road. I called Clay, a wreck, and told him the news. We had no clue what to do with the information. So until this morning we were praying for a miracle. We told a hand-full of our prayer warriors about the situation and asked for them to pray for a miracle. We knew that God wouldn't give us something we couldn't handle. And if he in fact, did have HIV we would love him just the same and know that he was suppose to be in our family.

After a heart breaking, "what if" night we saw the same team this morning. They got the RNA HIV test back and it was negative. We were relieved but knew that they had told us that this wasn't 100% and that he would need to be tested in the future.

Here is where the good news comes in.... we met with the Infectious Disease team from Vanderbilt....their take on everything was totally different. They are the people that deal with HIV every day. They told us that all of the tests done were very accurate and they were certain (less than 1% chance) that Nile didn't have HIV. They think that he was a preemie and malnourished and that is why he contracted the PCP Pneumonia. They told us that he didn't even HAVE to be retested and WOULD NOT START HIV MEDICATIONS!! They were surprised about the meeting that the other Drs. had with me the night before. The main Dr. told us we needed to be more worried about getting in a car wreck on the way home than Nile having HIV. So we knew that God had heard our cries and answered prayers. WE WANTED TO SHOUT PRAISES FROM THE ROOF TOP!!!!!!!!!!!

So, we are now at HOME AND NILE IS AWESOME. They said he has nothing that is contagious and that he needs to be cared for as if he were a preemie. We were told not to have him exposed to a lot of people due to the fact that he still has a weak immune system.

We are so grateful that Nile is OK and is gaining weight and acting more like a 4 month old now. We have seen amazing improvements!!

Please continue to pray for little Nile and his health. I know it will be hard to keep this little guy healthy through the fall/winter months. We will be following up on all of his testing in the future. We know that God is in control and will rest in that!!

THANK YOU FOR ALL OF YOUR SUPPORT, LOVE, CALLS, VISITS, CARDS, MEALS, PRAYERS!!!!!!!! THEY ALL MEAN SO MUCH!!!

Procedure went well...

2009-10-02T10:26:00.004-05:00

Nile did awesome today during the lung procedure. We fed him last night around 1:30AM and he would only take an oz of formula. At 4AM he woke up hungry and crying. I was really worried that he would scream until 8AM--So after praying over him I turned on the TV and Handy Manny was on and he watched that and stopped crying!! The boy likes to watch TV!

He has had zero side effects that they prepared us for from the procedure.

I really think he is on the up side. We are hearing rumors that we MAY be out of here tomorrow. We are so ready to sleep in our bed without alarms sounding every 2 minutes. Since I sat down to type this I have gotten up probably 11 times to silence alarms that are going off. The alarms misread info on him and start dinging.

We should get lots of info today and more lab results.

Thanks for your support and prayers.

Prayers are working...........

2009-10-01T23:01:00.001-05:00

I cannot tell you the number of ppl that are praying over this little guy! I have had people come by to pray over him, ppl call/text telling me they are praying. THANK YOU SOOOOOOOO MUCH!!!!!!!
I came back from a small break away from the hospital and came back to a different child. He is smiling, cooing, kicking, picking everything in his reach up and putting it in his mouth.....this is totally different than we have EVER seen him. I am soooooooo excited to see the positive changes.

Also, he hasn't had tylenol since 10am today and hasn't had a fever!!!!!!!!

Keep the prayers coming!!!!!!!!!!!!

2AM--is the last time he can eat b/c of his procedure in the morning at 8AM. pray that he sleeps through the night and isn't up screaming. Also, pray that the procedure is on time. I know that it is common to push these things back.

We should have results from the procedure by tomorrow afternoon. This will give us a lot more information about what is going on and what they need to do to treat it. I will update!!

Thanks again for being prayer warriors!!

Prayers for Nile

2009-10-01T14:36:00.003-05:00

For now we still have the Vanderbilt doctors a little puzzled at why Nile is sick. We know some of the factors but there are still some missing puzzle pieces.

We would covet your prayers tonight b/c in the morning Nile will be put to sleep for a Pulmonologist to go down into his lungs for a sample of fluids. This means he will be unable to eat after midnight. It may be a rough nights sleep with a hungry little boy! Putting a baby under at such an early age I know is pretty controversial but I know he is in good hands at Vandy. I pray for wisdom over the doctors there!!
Thanks for all of the calls, prayers, texts and emails they mean so much!! We have an awesome support group!

We want this little guy better and we are ready to be back home as a family of 5.
-pray his temp stays in a normal range
-pray that the doctors will figure out why he is so sick
-that he will be able to have normal oxygen levels
-that he will start eating and growing!!
-pray that we get rest so we are able to function

I am now at home with the kids and they are napping so I am about to crash. Clay is at the hospital with Nile and I will be heading back later.

Love you all!

Nile's at Vanderbilt childrens hospital

2009-09-30T08:56:00.004-05:00

Yesterday morning we took Nile to our pediatrician b/c he had a 102 temperature. We thought the pneumonia was better so we were stumped why his fever spiked. Our ped. called Vanderbilt and they wanted us to bring him in. We went through the ER and got great attention and care. His oxygen was at 86% when we got there. Immediately there was a team of 15+ around him drawing blood, suctioning his lungs, giving him a breathing treatment, giving him oxygen, taking urine samples, stool samples, chest x rays, etc.... They asked us a million questions, many of which we were unable to answer b/c he was found abandoned..i.e. exact age, birth weight, medical history, family history, immunization records, etc....

We were admitted yesterday and told to expect to be here at least 48hrs. We do know at this point he has salmonella, a parasite (cryptospiridium) and his pneumonia is still there.

We have tons of tests pending. We just had a meeting with a team of 8 Drs. We are very impressed with this hospital. Everyone is very interested in nile and his story. It is always exciting to share our story about him. He is getting lots of attention and HAS to be the cutest kid here :)

In order to go home we have to have him off oxygen, maintain a normal temperature and a normal breathing pattern. Last night his fever spiked in the middle of the night to 102.6--it is responding to Tylenol. Since he's been on Oxygen and having his lungs suctioned he has been eating great. Before that he had taken 4 oz max. from me but 2 times last night he had 5+oz. We will meet with a nurtionist later today to talk through his poor weight gain. I want to ask about adding pureed snickers to his formula :) I think that would solve the weight issues.

With him being from Ethiopia the Drs are having to do lots of research on diseases/problems that may occur from being born there.

Pray that we are able to come home soon!

Coffee is my friend....

2009-09-23T16:01:00.009-05:00

Oh boy...I am tired! I apologize up front for any typos! This boy got up every 2 hours to eat and takes about 30 mins to drink 2 oz. Today the Dr. said his pneumonia sounded better but now he has thrush. We got meds for that and we are hoping that he will starting taking more formula (in a shorter amount of time) :)

Overall he looks good. We will continue to see the Dr. once a week until he is growing at a steady rate.

The boy is feeling better.....

2009-09-22T15:34:00.001-05:00

CAN YOU TELL?

Nile update

2009-09-22T12:29:00.004-05:00

Yesterday we took Nile to our doctor. In Ethiopia we were told he had an upper respiratory infection, so we wanted to get that checked out. We got to the Dr. and he weighed 8lbs 10oz, he gained 2 oz since we got him a week ago. Our Dr. didn't like the sound of his lungs and sent us to the hospital for a chest X-Ray. The X-ray showed a mild case of pneumonia. They gave him a shot of antibiotic and sent us home with oral antibiotics. Our Dr. also gave us high calorie formula to fatten him up. Developmentally he is on track with a newborn. He just needs some nourishment and love!!

Today we went for a recheck he had gained another 2oz. The Dr. was a little concerned with his heart rate and oxygen levels but thought overall he was improving. He seems more alert, has no fever and is eating great. He just has a pitiful cough.

We will go tomorrow for another check up. I am so grateful for American doctors and technology. I am thankful God got us to Ethiopia when he did b/c pneumonia there is deadly.

Today is the first day I have felt somewhat normal. Last night I went to bed at 7:30pm convinced I was getting the flu but after resting I felt better. Never realized how bad you can feel from lack of sleep. I sleep a couple of hours per night in Ethiopia. It was nuts. The walls of the guest home seem very thin. You can hear everything outside. Lots of dogs barking, music, cars, Muslim prayer chants, ect.... I am so grateful that we have meals coming from friends b/c I cannot even think about cooking right now. My head is spinning still and I may harm my family if I tried to cook :)

Pictures with family...

2009-09-21T06:09:00.003-05:00

I want to do a day by day blog post for our time in Ethiopia. I will get to that soon. Nile is actually the easiest of all of my easy babies! He sleeps alot. Today we go to the Dr. to get a full blown check up. He is coughing alot and seems to just not feel too well. It will be a good to see our Dr. and know that he is OK! Pray that he is healthy and gets feeling better soon.

I had to share picture of the kids with Nile. They love him. I thought Anslee would be jealous but she loves him and is so glad we are home. Bowen wants to hold him constantly. He really is a big help, he even likes to feed him! YES!

We are HOME!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-09-20T06:59:00.004-05:00

Home has never felt so wonderful!!! We had a great trip but missed home! WE have a beautiful, sweet baby boy!. Here are some of the 250 pictures/video from our trip. I will share more later. During travel we got 2 hrs of sleep in 36 hrs. We are wiped out!
First Bath with mom and dad!

OUR FIRST TIME TO SEE NILE. WHAT A MOMENT!

More pictures to come!

Pray for Nile!

2009-09-18T07:52:00.001-05:00

Tracy sent a text yesterday that Nile is sick and not holding much down. He's also got an upper respiratory infection. They are still scheduled to leave today so please pray for Nile's health and for them as they travel home!

-Lori

2009-09-14T11:29:00.002-05:00

We finally got word that Clay and Tracy made it safely to Ethiopia! For some reason I expected to get a text from them at exactly 11:00 yesterday that the plane had landed and they were there. So, I naturally began to worry when I went to bed last night without hearing a thing! I was in contact with Tracy's mom and my mom all day hoping someone had heard something. This morning, Tracy's mom said she received a text late last night that they were there but the cell phones weren't working. Praise God they made it safely!!!!
Today was the day they were supposed to meet Nile for the first time. I've been wondering all morning if they were holding him in their arms yet.
Tracy called her mom a little bit ago and this is what Melody posted on Facebook, "Just talked to Tracy on the cell phone..they spent 3 hrs with Nile..Clay said he was the cutest baby there..:)"
Hopefully Tracy can update us all later with details and pictures!

-Lori

While we are gone

2009-09-10T13:21:00.003-05:00

My sweet sister-in-law Lori will be updating my blog. I will be texting/emailing her when I have a chance. So you can check back for info on our trip. I will share pictures and more details upon our return.

We will be back in Nashville Saturday the 19th at 6pm. Here is our flight info for those planning on meeting us there to get a peek at Nile! United Airlines 7051.

Pray for us and our travel group. Pray that everything goes smoothly and that everyone stays healthy while in country. Many people get sick while traveling b/c of bad water, bad food and elevation!

TWO DAYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

so excited for these families....

2009-09-09T04:05:00.002-05:00

This last week I have been talking to two friends from church about adopting. They both are wanting to adopt from Ethiopia. I am so excited that Nile will have more Ethiopian friends to grow up with.

Here are their blogs. The Underhills and the Humphrey family.

I praise God that they are willing to step out in faith and do something crazy for God. All for his glory!!

Pictures of Nile from this last week.

2009-09-08T06:56:00.002-05:00

A family was in Ethiopia picking up their sweet son and got some pictures of Nile for us.
Here is the email I got from her while in Ethiopia.

"hey!
we have electricity here today so we're able to get online. just thought i'd let you know we met your little guy today and got some pictures. i think he just woke up from a nap so he wasn't very happy - but he is SO SWEET! he's a little thing - but he is precious!"

One week from today will be our "Gotcha Day" this special day will also we shared with our sweet Bowen's 4th Birthday. What a special day it will be in the years to come!!

I think he's frowning b/c he wants his daddy and mommy!

more on travel...

2009-09-03T15:10:00.005-05:00

I just got off of our travel group conference call. It was so fun to hear all of the families traveling with us. There will be 7 families total. I think Nile will be the youngest child being picked up with the oldest being 16. Seeing a 16 yr old being adopted along with his 8 yr old brother, will be a cool experience. Can you imagine? That 16 yr old was probably a year away from being put on the streets for life.

This week has been so encouraging, as I have gotten to talk to so many people about our adoption. I love walking people through the beginning stages when they really feel like God is calling them to adopt. It gives me chills to get those calls, saying "hey I think God wants us to adopt." I rejoice that there will be one(or more) less child(ren) orphaned and pray that their story touches others and opens eyes to the blessing of adoption!

Here is our schedule once in Ethiopia:

Sunday get in late-Crash!

Monday- more paperwork, lunch, MEET NILE!!, Leave Nile :( for his last night at the Transition Home, Go to an Ethiopian dinner with the group

Tuesday- Sight seeing/Shopping, PICK NILE UP AND TAKE HIM WITH US!, Take pictures for families here in the US with kiddos still in Ethiopia

Wednesday- Embassy appt. (more paperwork)

Thursday-sight seeing, visit orphanages

Friday-coffee factory, shopping, fly HOME!

Saturday- We'll be home Saturday night!!

"wash and make yourselves clean. Take your evil deeds out of my sight! Stop doing wrong, learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow." Isaiah 1:16-17

Click here to see a video of a family just returning from Ethiopia from our agency. You can see some of the things we will experience and see where we are staying. See if you recognize the artist singing! Good choice!

In 2 weeks from today.....

2009-08-31T15:39:00.003-05:00

I will be in Ethiopia meeting my son for the first time! For those of you who have walked with us through this over the last year. Thank you , thank you!! Here is our first post on here ever. Neat reading it and seeing where we are now!

I wanted to post and let everyone know we are out of Medium shirts. Praise God! We have sold lots in the last few weeks!!! We are so pumped! God is providing last minute cash to take to Ethiopia. Of course, I knew he would! We are soooooooo stinkin' blessed!!

More pics of Nile coming soon.....

August update on Nile

2009-08-28T21:36:00.003-05:00

Today we got our final update on Nile before we see him. I needed to know what he weighed so I would know what to pack for him. He is currently about 12 weeks old and weighs 8lbs. He is basically the size of a newborn. So I will be packing tiny diapers and clothes for my little man!! They told me that he has had a viral issue going on but was better now. Praise Jesus! It was all of those prayers I have been praying for him to stay healthy. He is eating 4-5 oz 7 times a day. I guess that is normal? I forgot all of this baby info plus this will be my first formula baby so I'm learning! They said he is a happy baby and fussy when he wants to be held. I think I can take care of that. :)

This mommy is ready!!!!!!!!!!!! I think I may actually sleep better once he is here, safe in my arms.

Travel details....

2009-08-26T17:21:00.003-05:00

We just booked flights!!! I wanted to let everyone know that I will putting more info on facebook than I will here. If you check my blog and we aren't facebook friends you need to sign up. Since this is a public site I don't want to put too many details on us!!!

Cannot wait to see my baby!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We still have room for donations for our Nile's transition home and the orphanges we will visit.
-diapers, formula, baby or kids meds, clothes, ect.....

Nile at 12 weeks

2009-08-25T07:09:00.005-05:00

I had a sweet friend take new pictures of Nile this week. She is there with him now, loving and praying over him. Cannot wait to hold him!!!

This week...

2009-08-23T23:17:00.003-05:00

On the agenda this week:
Get concrete travel dates
Book flights
Get updates on Nile with pictures. YIPPY!
Pack

We are on the fast track now. We will be leaving in less than 3 weeks and are so excited. I have about 2 pages of things to pack so I am working on that now. There are so many things you have to pack when travelling overseas not to mention all that is needed to fly with an infant for 17 hours. Yes, 17 hours in the air. Can you imagine. If you have any travel suggestions please send them my way.

Clay and I were talking about how everything had been so smooth throughout this adoption. Passing court was our last big hurdle and after I got the call I felt like it was a dream. It is feeling more and more real now that I am packing bottles, onesies, diapers, ect.

Tonight I went through tons of clothes that were donated by a sweet friend from her consignment sale. It made me smile thinking about what a blessing those clothes will be to some precious children.

I will post new pictures of Nile when I get them!

"I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you."
John 14:18

Pictures of Nile Tadele

2009-08-19T13:16:00.003-05:00

Here is our precious boy at 20 days old. He was 5.5lbs in this picture. I should be getting more recent pictures next week. I am dying to see and hold him. We should be travelling in about 3.5 weeks!!!

He is now about 11 weeks old. We had a sweet family go last week that took pictures of him. There were some communication problems and the nannies brought out the wrong child at first. She did go back in and took more pictures of the baby that they pointed her to. We think the second set of pictures is Nile but we still aren't 100% yet. It looks alittle like him but he looks soooooooo different and really big. I am trying to confirm that it is him before I post pictures.

We are just in love!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WE PASSED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-08-19T09:59:00.001-05:00

MORE TO COME!!!!!

pray for our court tonight!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-08-18T16:31:00.002-05:00

Our case will be in court tonight in Ethiopia. They are 8 hours ahead of us so it will be in the middle of the night. We should hear something in the morning--telling us if we passed or not. Oh I pray we pass!!! I know God is in control-pass or fail.

Check back tomorrow for news and hopefully pictures of Nile!!!!

In less than a week....

2009-08-12T13:39:00.015-05:00

Less than a week away is our court date. We will have 3 children!!! It still seems surreal that we have a baby on the other side of the world. I think I will have to see him in person to really grasp it all. Right now there is a family in Ethiopia picking up children and they are taking pictures of Nile for us!! Next week a friend will be there with him and give him a care package. I included a picture of our family, a blanket, two outfits(one was Bowen's) and one of our kids baby toys.

If we pass I can then put his picture on here. He is a doll. I cannot wait to show off. I am so ready to see new pictures of him. I am hoping they are fattening him up with some great formula donated by Tom Davis.

This week my sister in law and some girls from church gave me a baby shower. It was so awesome to have their love and support!! I got some precious gifts. Here are pictures:

My painting and onesie were done by Laura Kelley. Check out her site: http://www.pitterpatterart.com/

1/2 price ADOPTION T's

2009-08-05T13:55:00.006-05:00

Currently we are planning our travel to Ethiopia, hopefully in September. Our tenitive dates are the 12th through the 19th.

We will be purchasing plane tickets and our travel package very soon, so we thought we would do a half off sale on our T-Shirts to raise some travel money.

We have about 28 shirts left that we are selling for $10 a piece.

We have no smalls left, 9 Mediums, 12 Larges, 5 XL and 2 XXL.

In 3 weeks.......

2009-07-28T22:33:00.003-05:00

3 weeks from tomorrow is our court date. PLEASE PRAY THAT WE PASS!! 40% of families fail the first time. Just got word today that courts are closing for a month on August 22nd. Our court date is the 19th so if we don't pass it will probably be November before we could pick Nile up. That will break my heart. PLEASE PRAY WITH US.

Moving on....

2009-07-27T13:49:00.008-05:00

Well, last night as we filled out our travel packet paperwork we came across the section to put the baby's American name. We have had a name picked out that we've liked for a year but Clay has a hard time finalizing decisions. It was good for us to have to commit to a name. With the support from some great friends Clay decided to go ahead with the name. So his name will be..........drum roll please.............

Nile
I cannot put his middle name b/c its his Ethiopian first name and we cannot reveal that until after court. Our court date is the 19th of August.

Speaking of making hard decisions, most recently we've purchased a mini-van. I love it, Clay is dealing with it. We are impressed with the amount of space and the kids think it's the best thing ever.

We got our travel packet and tenitive travel dates on Friday. If we pass court on the 19th we will be traveling to Ethiopia on the 12th of September. We are so excited and are shocked that everything has moved so quickly. The traveling part overwhelms me a bit b/c of all that is involved. There are several very specific things you have to bring with you and more paperwork to keep up with. We are currently looking at different travel agencies and getting quotes for plane tickets. We will be in the air for 17 hours total. I will need some good books to read!

I know many of my prayer warriors read my blog so here are some prayer request.

-that we get a good deal on our plane tickets.
-that we get all neccesary paper work before we travel.
-that Nile stays healthy!

The Nile is a major north-flowing river in Africa, generally regarded as the longest river in the world.
The Nile has two major tributaries, the White Nile and Blue Nile, the latter being the source of most of the Nile's water and fertile soil, but the former being the longer of the two. The White Nile rises in the Great Lakes region of central Africa, with the most distant source in southern Rwanda and flows north from there through Tanzania, Lake Victoria, Uganda and southern Sudan, while the Blue Nile starts at Lake Tana in Ethiopia flowing into Sudan from the southeast. The two rivers meet near the Sudanese capital Khartoum.

Baby's room

2009-07-18T16:04:00.002-05:00

Wow, things are moving very quickly for us now. Therefore, we decided we needed to get the baby's room ready. We are thinking we will travel mid Sept if we pass court in August. Such a wonderful surprise! Here is a glimpse of his room!
The naming game is coming along. I think we have the name but need to do some finalizing before I announce.
Next on the agenda is getting our shots. Working on in the next week or so. Fun stuff!

You have to check out my friend's blog. They just got home from Ethiopia with the cutest child EVER!!!!

We have a court date!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-07-16T10:56:00.003-05:00

This is HUGE. It means that courts are NOT closing in August and we are THRILLED!!! Our court date is August 19th, so mark your calendars. We need to pray that we will pass. If we pass we will travel 3-4 weeks later!!! I never dreamed it would happen so quickly! In September I could be holding and kissing on my 3rd child.

An ORPHAN'S TICKET HOME!!!

2009-07-15T06:09:00.002-05:00

Want to attend an incredible, life changing event that helps bring orphan's home? Please come with us. This is our adoption agency's organization. It's so awesome. When I saw Tom Davis was going to be there I signed up immediately!! Click here to read more about it!

Today was the day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-07-09T17:15:00.002-05:00

I was at the pool with my mom and the kids and my cell phone rang-- the special ring that I had set for our agency. I jumped out of the pool saying this is it, this is it!!!!!!!! My heart was pounding. We got info over the phone about his name, situation, ect..... Clay drove from Nashville to meet me to see the photos of him. He is 1 month and beautiful!!!

I cannot tell much about him on here but I'll tell you he's precious!!!! We are in love and cannot wait to pick him up. Everyone asks when we will travel. It really depends on if Ethiopian court close this summer or not. If not we may travel in September, if it does it may be November.

I received two pictures of him and he is tiny. We will let you know when we pick a name for him!

I am still giddy and on cloud 9!!!!!!!!!!!

A year ago today......

2009-07-01T22:07:00.002-05:00

One year ago today we started our adoption process. What a cool year it has been! We have learned so many things and met so many awesome people. We love to share our story with others. It has been amazing seeing God's hand working in our lives and the lives of those around us!!! We knew God called us to this adoption for a greater purpose than just adding to our family and we have already begun to see God changing hearts.

Yesterday we got a call from a friend telling us that we were the #1 family for an infant boy referral. So the next baby boy is ours!! I cannot wait for that call. My heart jumps every time my phone rings. I want to see that boy's face. I know once I see him I will want to jump on a plane and get him. We most likely will get caught in court closure in Ethiopia--meaning it will probably be the end of the year before we can travel to pick him up. :( That will be hard having a child on the other side of the world! But I know that God has him picked out just for our family and we won't travel a day earlier or later than what God has planned. This process teaches you patience and trust!!

I will let you know when I get the BIG CALL. I told Clay to answer his phone just like he had to do when I was nearing my due dates!!!

Sounds so cool!

2009-06-11T21:00:00.001-05:00

I want to let you know about the World Vision Experience: AIDS, a free exhibit that will open your eyes to the AIDS crisis. This amazing walk-through village takes you on a virtual journey to Africa, where you'll walk in the steps of a child affected by the AIDS crisis. The interactive exhibit features a stirring audio tour combined with captivating photography that will transport you to the heart of Africa. You'll gain a completely new perspective on the greatest humanitarian crisis of our time: AIDS.
I encourage you to visit the website, www.worldvisionexperience.org/hendersonville for more information and to reserve a FREE ticket today!

6 months of waiting

2009-06-11T18:23:00.002-05:00

Well, our computer is down so I don't have much time to type but I wanted to update everyone. Tomorrow is the 6 month mark for our wait. The current wait with AWAA is 9-11 months. But we got some SUPER EXCITING news today. We went from #6 to #2 on the infant boy waiting list!!!!!!!!!!! CAN YOU BELIEVE IT!!! I CAN'T.
I didn't expect this to happen so quickly.

We are in the midst of moving right now so things are CRAZY!

Hopefully, we will see the face of our child soon!!! I cannot wait.

2009-06-02T14:03:00.003-05:00

God is stirring in the hearts of families all around me. Two more of my friends have just told me that they feel God's calling on them to adopt. Praise God!!

Will you let God use you to save a child or children? Not just save their lives but their souls!

Read this devotional from A Godward Life by John Piper

James 1:27 NASB ~ Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.

Local businessmen in Brazil call them “vermin.” Garbage. “If we let them grow up, they will be criminals, a blight on our society.” There are an estimated twelve million homeless children on the streets of Brazil. Their parents lost them in the crowds, put them out, died. However they got there, they are there. They beg, they steal, they sell their bodies. They eat garbage. They start scared and end scarred, hard, and dead.
Some policemen and others moonlight by contracting to kill street children so that they will not menace the city. In 1992 average of 400 of these children were killed monthly.
It’s the same in other big cities. The Philippine government estimates that there are fifteen thousand child prostitues in Manila between the ages of nine and twelve. One estimate suggests that in Thailand there are eight hundred thousand girls between twelve and sixteen years old involved in prostitution.
Is your first thought merely human? Like, “If I can barely rear my own children to walk worthy of the gospel, what hope would there be to change the lives of these street kids?” Or, “If it takes ten thousand dollars worth of Christian counseling to stabilize a mature American Christian who was sexually abused, what in the world would we do with thousands of adolescents who knew nothing but abuse and lawlessness and violence on the streets?”
Do you find yourself looking (in good American fashion) at the bottom line and saying, “The turnaround on this investment would not be good”? Or, “The growth potential in planting churches among street kids is not very great. There are too many obstacles.”
Shift your thinking a minute (or a lifetime). What about the widow who put in her last two pennies? Jesus said she gave more than anyone (Luke 21:3). What about John the Baptist who lost his head on a dancer’s whim and never did a miracle? Jesus said, “Among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John” (Matthew 11:11 RSV). What about the poor in spirit? Theirs is the kingdom of heaven. What about the meek? They inherit the earth. What about those who receive one child in the name of Jesus? At that moment they receive God (Mark 9:37).
What effect does it have on your longings when you think that God says true religion is to visit orphans (James 1:27)?
The effect it has on me is to make me want to love like Jesus loved and not always be thinking of the earthly payoff. Face it. A few kids are cute, but most street kids will be thankless, rude, dirty, diseased, scar-faced, shifty-eyed, lice-infested, suspicious, smelly, and have rotten teeth. If we minister mainly for the earthly payoff, we will burn out in a year.
Jesus did not say, “True religion is converting orphans.” He did not say, “True religion is making orphans mature and successful adults.” He said, “True religion is visiting orphans.” Results are God’s business alone. Obedience is ours by His grace. More specifically, by faith in future grace. Perhaps when we grasp this, we will be freed from our earthbound way of thinking and released to minsiter to the ones who are least likely to thank us.

You have to listen to this song.....

2009-05-20T08:28:00.002-05:00

Clay's cousin has a precious heart for Africa. Click here and listen to this song on her blog. Read the words too! I cannot wait to visit Africa! I've heard it will change your life. I want my heart as much like His as I prepare for eternity. If you have the opportunity VISIT AFRICA! I encourage my High School girls to pray about it. I so wish I had taken the opportunity before having children. Click here to see how God used Africa to change this Brentwood girl's life.

5 months of waiting.............

2009-05-12T12:02:00.002-05:00

5 months down and not much to report at this time! I will let you know when I know something for sure! It looks like we will be waiting a bit longer.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

Urgent need at our orphanage!!

2009-05-05T11:33:00.004-05:00

**UPDATE--wonderful news there has been $12,500 donated to get formula for these babies!!! Read this testimony about how the formula saved this baby.

Click here to find out how Tom Davis is providing a way that you can help these precious children. This is where our child/children will be coming from!!! There have been children at this orphanage up to 4 months old and just a couple of pounds.

A gift of $30 will buy and ship one can of formula to the chidlren in need. Right now if you give $30 it will be doubled to $60! The first $500 we raise will be matched dollar-for-dollar. If CHC hits their goal, we can send 400 cans of formula to starving infants in Ethiopia. Please consider giving to help these babies.

Our MIGHTY God......

2009-04-30T18:53:00.006-05:00

Last night Clay and I looked over our adoption finances and were amazed at how God has provided. In an early post I've mentioned details about some of what God has done but I have to share and give him the glory. I want this to ENCOURAGE you to step out and step up!! Over a year ago God made it clear that we were to adopt. He confirmed it over and over. We weren't sure how we would come up with $20-30K but knew he would provide. All of our fees so far have been raised through donations, raffles, T shirt sales, garage sales, ect.... IS THAT NOT AMAZING!!! He has blessed us beyond words!!! We are so thankful for everyone who has show his love and been supportive on this journey.

There are so many children out there that need moms and dads to rock them, love on them, to give them a bed, food and most importantly to teach them about our Savior!

"O LORD, you are my God;

I will exalt you and praise your name,

for in perfect faithfulness

you have done marvelous things,

things planned long ago."

Isaiah 25:1

2009-04-24T07:32:00.001-05:00

I feel hopeless, and I cry out to you from a faraway land.
Psalm 61:2

Africa T shirt junkie?

2009-04-21T14:45:00.004-05:00

I AM!!!

I want them all!!

You have to check out these!

My new favorites that my friend is making to fund their adoption!!! Yes, its the talented Laura Kelley, owner of Pitter Patter Art. She can do it all! Click here to check all of the different ones out!

A wonderful Ethiopian filled day......

2009-04-20T13:55:00.016-05:00

We spent Sunday night at our Ethiopian fellowship that we have once a month. This month everyone brought their kids with them. It was a full house!!! We had a blast and left feeling totally blessed and so excited that we have such a wonderful support group. I am sure we will always meet and grow with these families.

My kids love making faces in the mirrors.

This beautiful little girl from Ethiopia loved Anslee.

This is Rachel who lived in Ethiopia and she is getting to see a child that she was with for months in the orphange. He is now home with his forever family. It was a sweet reunion.

Three beautiful girls with big hearts and always smiling. Two of these little girls recognized each other from their orphanage in Ethiopia. They have been here for a year.

OK let me tell you about some ROCK STARS that we met. The Weimers, my heros!! They had 3 children, adopted 3 more from Ethiopia and are in the process to adopt 3 more. #7, 8 and 9!!! Is that not AWESOME!! I told them that when I heard about them I expected them to be 50 or 60 yrs old, NO THEY ARE 31!!! I cannot even imagine but am very challenged by their testimony!

After we left the fellowship we went and ate at an Ethiopian restaurant in Nashville. The kids loved the music and danced the entire time. While there we met a family from Ethiopia. They are super sweet and thanked us for adopting. It was so encouraging to talk to them and to see their excitement for us.

Checking that food out...not too sure!

Clay loved using his hands to eat.

Interesting!

It was a great experience and made us so excited to go to Africa and get our baby or babies!!

Huge Success!!!!

2009-04-18T17:30:00.002-05:00

"Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness." Psalm 150:2

After a final calculation we made a HUGE amount today. More than we could have imagined!!

We have soooooooooo many people to thank for the success!!

Our final total from today was: $3726.25

Praise the Lord!!!

OUR BIG SALE IS TOMORROW

2009-04-17T22:48:00.006-05:00

Oh we have been working, working and we are finally about to head to bed. We will be up in the morning at 5am to start unloading. I cannot even describe how much we have!!! TONS!! We could probably fill 4 Uhauls up with great stuff. I have had 25+ families bring donations. We are so excited about the sale tomorrow! We are praying that this will be our last fundraiser for the adoption! I will report back with how much we made tomorrow night!!!

HUGE PRAISE: We received over $600 today in donations. PRAISE GOD!!

OK so now all we need is shoppers!! Pray for lots of shoppers.
Here are the details:

HUGE ADOPTION YARD SALE & BAKE SALE
DATE: APRIL 18TH
TIME: 8-4
LOCATION: Next to VOLUNTEER STATE BANK HENDERSONVILLE

(Main Street AND Walton Ferry Rd.)
MULTI FAMILY DONATIONS FROM HOME DÉCOR, TREADMILL HOME FURNISHINGS, ART, BOOKS, BABY ITEMS, BAKED GOODS AND MUCH MORE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

$10 HAIR CUTS BY SHERRY WILLIAMS OF TANGLES, FACE PAINTING, ECT....

IF WE HAVE THE HELP AND WEATHER WE WILL START A CARWASH AT NOON!!

Racial Diversity in Hell

2009-04-14T23:25:00.001-05:00

April 1, 2009
By: John Piper

The difference between heaven and hell is not that heaven will be ethnically diverse and hell won’t be. Both will be diverse. All races and all ethnicities and all cultures will be present in hell.
The difference between heaven and hell is that in heaven—that is, in the new heaven and new earth—there will be perfect racial and ethnic harmony, but in hell, racial and ethnic animosities will reach their fullest fury and last forever.
Paul spoke of the ethnic diversity of hell in Romans 2:9,
There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek.
“Jew and Greek” was shorthand for all ethnic groups.
We know he is talking about hell here because the opposite is eternal life:
To those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. (Romans 2:7)
Therefore, everyone who loves racial diversity and racial harmony will call all ethnic groups everywhere to believe on Jesus Christ, the Son of God, because
Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him. (John 3:36)
Heaven will be all the sweeter because the ethnic diversity that God designed for the good of his creation and the glory of his grace will last forever in perfect harmony and joy.

Month 4

2009-04-12T22:37:00.001-05:00

Once again another month down and we are that much closer to our baby/babies being home!! It’s a weird feeling adopting. It's not like being pregnant and having a due date. I like dates, something set in stone, I am a planner! But who better to plan out all of the details than God. I know that he has a precious child/children that he knit together for our family. Our agency tells you to expect to wait 5 more months or so but I can see that referrals are coming fast and we are about #10ish in line for an infant boy. In the back of my mind I think "don't get your hopes up" but it’s exciting! I did feel a little panicked last week that I may not be as prepared as I need to be. So I ordered 5 more books to read related to adoption, transracial adoption, parenting, ect....on top of the 10 or so I've already read. I now feel a little better prepared after just having these books in my possession.My favorite so far has been In Their Own Voices: Transracial Adoptees Tell Their Storiesby Rita James Simon, Rhonda M. Roorda. Just in reading the first 4 chapters I have learned so much.

I am constantly getting this questions/comments.
Why would you adopt?
Because there are children homeless, dying in the streets.
Because Jesus loves and tells us to care for the orphans/fatherless.
Because we have love to give.
Because this life is not our own.
Because these children need parents.
Ultimately, for us, because God told us to.

I don't have that kind of money.
Seriously, this is the life of a child. How much did your car cost?

OK so for some fun Ethiopian facts:Ethiopians have a very beautiful traditional coffee ceremony, its unimaginable for most Ethiopians to start a new day without several cups of coffee. Coffee is the best drink an Ethiopian family offers to honor guests, as coffee ceremony is the best occasion for a get-together with neighbors and friends. I've also learned that they use salt in their coffee instead of sugar.

Next Saturday............

2009-04-11T22:54:00.003-05:00

CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT WHAT IS HAPPENING A WEEK FROM TODAY. WE ARE SO EXCITED AND VERY BUSY. I HAVE TONS OF GREAT STUFF FOR THIS SALE. HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Plus we have added a CAR WASH!!

Quit your hidin'

2009-04-09T13:32:00.004-05:00

Hey peeps I am about to reach hit # 10,000! Who reads this anyways! Haha. Mom are you really on here that much? I know there are so many blog stalkers like myself. Leave a comment every once in awhile. I would love to hear your thoughts! I run into people and they mention my blog and I think OH they read my blog.

I am giving away a T Shirts to # 10,000 plus for everyone that leaves a comment and tells me who they are I will put your name in a drawing for one of our Ts!

Love you all!!

Donation praises!!!

2009-04-02T15:21:00.011-05:00

Last night we picked up a trailer full of garage sale items! We have lots of stuff stored 3 different places. Thanks to all of the families donating items! We will be happy to pick anything up that you have if you cannot make it to the Friday drop off or if you need a manly man to load everything up for you. Just let us know! Next week we will be picking some items up in Nashville and Hendersonville. We are so thankful for all of the donations!! We just had Sweet and Sassy offer to donate some yummies to sale too!!

**Pray for pretty weather and spread the word!

Here are the details again:

ADOPTION YARD SALE & BAKE SALE

DATE: APRIL 18TH

TIME: 8-4

LOCATION: VOLUNTEER STATE BANK HENDERSONVILLE (Main Street and Walton Ferry Rd.)

MULTI FAMILY DONATIONS FROM HOME DÉCOR, HOME FURNISHINGS, ART, BOOKS, BABY ITEMS, TOOLS, BIKES, TOYS, CLOTHES AND MUCH MORE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We will have face painting, bake sale, and a CAR WASH!!!

Click here for all of the details from an earlier post.

Our blog received a facelift.....

2009-03-28T00:17:00.002-05:00

Same blog new look. Hope you like it. Let me know if you have trouble seeing or reading anything.

The colors I picked are the colors in the Ethiopian flag.

God is at work....

2009-03-23T13:16:00.007-05:00

The purpose of this blog is to keep people updated on our adoption process and to show all of the mighty things that our God is doing. This is different than most of my post but I have to share what has been going on in our home.

We have a 2 and 3 yr old now and are very busy. Both are great kids and basically easy going. We have our days but I am pretty laid back so life with kids doesn't stress me too bad. Just recently our son was diagnosed with OCD. Initally, I took him to the Dr. for a facial tic and he sent us to a neurologist. He diagnosed him with OCD. The only area this effects daily is him going to sleep. Bedtime became a nightmare. He hated going to bed at night and we dreaded it too. He had to have everything in his room and routine perfect. We became very frustrated every night having no clue what to do. The neurologist gave us medicine to help him sleep which didn't help the problem but caused him to wake up in the middle of the night. We didn't feel like that was the answer. We really tried to fix everything on our own. With my background in child development I feel like I should be able to have the answers. I tried to do it own my own with changing his diet, taking away naps, ect. Nothing seemed to help. I was on my face before God praying for answers. Lots of friends and family were praying too.

One night Clay was painting Anslee's room and she had to sleep in Bowen's room. I thought it would be even more crazy. But this was God's answer. Bowen did great. He started loving his sister being in there with him and bedtime is much more peaceful. They are now sleeping together every night and Bowen is no longer struggling with his bedtime routine. Along with that we haven't seen his facial tic in about a week. We know that God is working everything out!!

My mom called this morning with a revelation from God. She said that satan was trying to attack our family and discourage us from adopting. Wow, I have so felt that lately. It seems like when you mention Bowen's problems, people always try to bring up the adoption stressing him or putting it off until we figure things out with him. We know that our God is so much bigger than satan and he cannot hold us back or discourage us!!!

God has called us to adopt and he is providing like crazy for us!! We have seen God work mightily in this process. This is a verse that always challenges me and I have seen the blessings poured on our family!! Test God in this and see what happens! This is the only place in the bible where God tells us to test him. Try it. Test him! He will bless you!!

Malachi 3:10 "Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.

Another request change....

2009-03-20T14:33:00.005-05:00

In the past the Ethiopian gov't had the rule that your children and the adopted child had to be 2 years apart. Well, this rule has now changed. Now our agency only requires there be an 18 month difference. So now we are changing our request so that we are open to and approved for siblings 18 months and younger. We are told that this is rare and unlikely. Well, I did it!! Mine are 15 months apart. One of the many things we've learned through this process is that God is in control. Whatever child or children we get is exactly who he created for our family!

This means that when we are up for our referral (I am thinking in 4 or 5 months) we will get:
an infant boy, siblilings 18 months and younger or twins!!! You can read more here about us wanting two and the twin request change.

Jeremiah 1:5
"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations."