A hut under the stars

(A guide leading us back to our hut the next morning.)

After meeting with the birth family, we had to leave quickly because it was getting dark and we had not yet reserved a "hut" for us to sleep in for the night! Both Yalfal and Kinetibeb seemed to be in good spirits when we left. They were waving goodbye and shouting, "Ciao! Ciao!" and were full of smiles while we were taking our last pictures with their family. The social worker told us that they would probably demonstrate a sense of relief when leaving since they can sense the tension but are still too young to fully understand what has happened.

We had about a 15 minute drive down a muddy and bumpy road where we all were bounced and jostled around the van like popcorn in a popcorn popper! We all have bruises to show for it! We were driving on an incredibly narrow dirt road navigating through the lush and dense African forest.

We saw so many amazing things on just the drive alone, one of which was a black panther that crossed our path and of course, monkeys galore!

By the time we arrived to the main hut to sign in, it was completely dark but we saw one hut situated in the middle of all the vegetation. All we had been told up until that point was that we would be staying at a lodge/hut where hyenas roam, so I was a little unsettled to say the least. As Brad went into the hut to sign in, I was wondering how we were all going to sleep inside the hut! I decided to take the kids inside the hut to check it out and come to find out, the hut was HUGE inside and absolutely gorgeous (and just the hut where you check in)! Soon, we found ourselves following a guide on a beautifully groomed pathway filled with gorgeous flowers and steppping stones that led us straight to our own thatched roof hut! It was so authentic and stunning from the outside, we all couldn't wait to see inside!

Once inside, it was truly a "one room hut" that had a couple of partitions that separated the main living area from the two bedrooms.

(These pictures are pretty bright because of the camera's flash compared to how dimly lit the hut was at nighttime.)

(Above and below are pictures of the two bedrooms...notice the laterns!)

There was a large wooden pole in the center of the hut and everything was supported from the pole. The roof was a woven thatched roof and the perimeter of the hut was woven cane with stone at the bottom base. There were three windows with wooden shutters and the only light came from laterns situated around the inside ledge of the hut. There was a small bathroom with white concrete walls, tile flooring, a small corner shower, water heater, porcelain sink and toilet, and of course, a window. It was an amazing experience and such an authentic, gorgeous place to stay!

After we checked everything out and got settled, we all walked down to a larger hut where they were serving dinner buffet style. They had many traditional Ethiopian dishes that Yalfal and Kinetibeb just gobbled up! At dinner, Kinetibeb had a major breakdown, but we were able to eventually comfort and soothe him; however, we were all sad seeing him so upset and wondering what all he was internalizing from the long and exhausting day. After dinner, we bathed the kids, took showers ourselves and were all thrilled to finally get some sleep! (Here is the "dining hut" to the right and the adjoining "kitchen hut". These pictures were taken the next morning so we could see them in the daylight.)

Very early the next morning, we discovered that the kids had accidents in their beds, so we bathed them again, and Brad, Aunt Brittany, the kids, Solomon (our driver), and a guide went on a hike to find hyenas!

(Solomon using a stick to "poke" into the hyena dens!)

(The dark mud pit in the center of the bushes is one of the many hyena dens they saw on their hike!)

They saw coffee trees and hundreds of raw green coffee beans, several hyena dens (but thankfully, no hyenas!), a scarecrow in the forest, and pineapple groves with real pineapples growing!

I stayed behind at the hut to have some downtime as I was extrmemely emotionally spent and needing some quiet time. It was exactly what I needed....by the time everyone came back, I felt refreshed, recharged and ready to meet the new day with more patience and resolve that I deeply needed!

(I had no idea what this new day would hold for us emotionally...more to come on that later!!)

Meeting the Birth Family

(continued from Travel to Yirgalem - Part 2)

We finally pulled off the main dirt road onto a little tiny dirt "path" and we began to hear cheers of little children as they ran beside our van. They were yelling, "YALFAL! KINETIBEB!" and both of the kids perked up with curiosity while pressing their little faces against the windows to see who was calling them. They instantly began squealing with joy and calling out to the other children! It was just a wonderful moment to witness Yalfal and Kinetibeb recognize a small part of their past with such glee! Solomon pulled our van up in front of the orphanage that their grandmother had originally brought them to for care. As we got out of the van, sweet little hands were grabbing for Yalfal and Kinetibeb, but you could tell through both of their sweet smiles, they were beginning to feel insecure. (The little red gate of the orphanage in Yirgalem.)

Brad carried Kinetibeb tightly, while I carried Yalfal close to me and Brittany followed with the video camera. We were lead across some meager tree limbs that were placed across a dirt ditch leading to the gate of the orphanage. It was truly like walking across a tightrope and I was sure I was going to lose my balance and fall flat on my face in the dirt with Yalfal, but thankfully, I was helped across. There was a small little yard in front of the orphanage where I stopped briefly to make sure Yalfal's face was clean (and really to catch my breath as I was incredibly anxious about this meeting)! I am assuming Brad was just as nervous, since he had continued on to the entry of the orphanage unaware I had taken a "breather"!

I quickly caught up with him and together, we entered into the orphanage where our babies had been relinquished. It was a very sobering moment that I hadn't prepared for at all. I didn't expect the actual orphanage to hold such emotion for me. I didn't immediately see their grandmother since the room was so dimly lit and there were so many people standing around staring at us as we walked in (to which I still have no idea who all the people were)!

(Our driver, Solomon, with Yalfal. They both LOVED Solomon! He was wonderful with them!)

(The orphanage director in Yirgalem, Yalfal, and Solomon.)

Then, I saw this tiny little elderly lady covered in a dingy white wrap who was reaching out for Kinetibeb, so I immediately put Yalfal down to go to her grandmother. They were both a little reluctant to go to her as we had be prepared for, so I bent down and gently led Yalfal to their grandmother and Kinetibeb shyly followed. Their grandmother reached for them both and smothered them with love, hugs and kisses. She finally took a seat and situated the kids beside her with her arms tightly wrapped around them. You could see the bittersweet emotions she was experiencing as were we all. I really did not have any expectations of what she would physically look like, but was taken by her beauty and her gentle countenance. You could truly feel the deep love she has for Yalfal and Kinetibeb.

(This is the only picture I have decided to share since you cannot see their grandmother's face.)

Of course, the aroma of coffee was filling up the room as they were preparing a coffee ceremony for us at the back of the room. There was a translator available who was able to moderate our questions and comments between one another and we have the entire visit on video for Yalfal and Kinetibeb to watch at a later time. We were thankful we were able to give their grandmother a Bible in her native language, Amharic, as well as a photo album with all of the pictures we had received of Yalfal and Kinetibeb and pictures of our home, family members, the kids' rooms in our home, etc. We were able to see the beds where they both slept before they were taken to Gladney's Foster Care Center in Addis Ababa.

(Yalfal's bed at the orphanage)(Kinetibeb's bed at the orphanage)

Of course, there are so many more amazing details of our meeting but we have decided to keep those private for Yalfal and Kinetibeb. We think it is important for them to be the first people to hear these sweet personal stories of us meeting their birth family and their history when they begin asking questions in the near future.

It was truly a blessed time filled with precious details of their life before reliquishment, lots of love and affection and exchanging sweet blessings and prayers for one another. Even though we experienced many bittersweet moments, we know this opportunity was such a gift to us and our precious children!

Travel to Yirgalem - Part 2

(continued from Travel to Yirgalem - Part 1) Well, I left off with us driving the long 6 hour drive to Yirgalem to meet the kids' birth family and they had finally fallen asleep in the van. Shortly thereafter, we stopped for lunch in Awassa which is about 45 minutes away from Yirgalem. The minute we drove up to the outdoor restaurant (which was situated on Lake Awassa), we were surrounded by all kinds of monkeys! Solomon had some wheat kernals we were all snacking on during the drive, so we offered some to the monkeys and they grabbed what they could right out of our hands! We walked down the drive toward the lake and there were these HUGE black and white monkeys that had these long gorgeous featherly-like tails! They were just as anxious to take part in our feeding frenzy!

We were all so giddy with excitement and amazed at how "African" our surroundings actually were while Yalfal and Kinetibeb seemed comfortably at home amongst the monkeys. (This is one of my favorite pictures! Kinetibeb was so brave until the "daddy" monkey jumped at him as the "mommy and baby"monkey look on from the background! Look at his face of terror! )(Safe in the arms of Daddy and it was all smiles and giggles for Kinetibeb!)

We met up with the social worker, Fasika, who would be translating for us when meeting the kids' birth family and finally were able to sit down to lunch outside on the porch of the restaurant overlooking Lake Awassa! It was breathtakingly beautiful! All of a sudden, monkeys descended upon us wanting more food! I got a little anxious and began to lean away from the monkeys while Yalfal turned around, scrunched up her little face and yelled, "CHIT! CHIT!" as she "shooed" them away with her hands! It was amazing! This continued to happen throughout the meal until the wait staff brought us a huge stick to swing at the monkeys when they got too close! We would swing our stick and they would leap into the trees literally swinging from the tree vines! After our late lunch, we let the kids run around for a little bit and then we packed up to head on to Yirgalem. The scenery from Addis Ababa to Awassa was very green, hilly, lots of African trees, somewhat paved roads filled with packed donkeys with a beautiful view of mountains in the background. However, the 45 minute-drive from Awassa to Yirgalem was totally different. The vegetation changed into tall, lush overgrown trees and bushes that definitely had a "rainforest" feel to it while riding on VERY bumpy red-dirt roads. Once entering Yirgalem, the dirt roads were filled with naked babies playing in the mud, barefoot children running alongside our van, mud huts with thatched roofs, donkeys packed with supplies, women carrying babies in slings on their backs and water pots on their heads, and men carrying tree limbs or bundles of banana leaves strapped to their backs or atop their heads. I have never witnessed such intense poverty so up close and that has affected me in such a personal way.A father & his children carrying a huge load of bananas dangling from a stick with his eldest son.Meeting the Birth Family to follow in next post...

Travel to Yirgalem-Part 1

This morning, we ate breakfast early in the morning at our hotel and then waited outside for our driver, Solomon, to pick us up. He drove us to the Gladney foster care center to pick up the kids and when we arrived, all of the children were outside getting their hair washed and combed (and the girls were getting braids)! We heard the cutest little squeal and when we looked over, Yalfal was sitting on the porch stairs waving at us while getting her hair done by one of the caregivers. There were children everywhere on the front lawn, freshly bathed and clean ready for the day! It was great to see the older girls helping with the younger children and we even saw several 5 & 6 year olds braiding the younger little girls' hair. We have never seen little fingers move so quickly with the outcome being a head of beautiful braided hair!

Once they were all ready to go, we all hopped into our van and off we went to travel 6 hours south of Addis Ababa to Yirgalem where the children were born and lived with their family until May 2008. We were so excited to be able to travel with the children and spend lots of time with them, the drive was actually really fun! They were so entertaining and we were able to get to know them much better during our travel. We had stopped at the store to buy some crackers for them to snack on since they wouldn't eat the fruit snacks we brought with us and the Teddy Grahams we brought from home were running low...they LOVE Teddy Grahams! They kept saying, "Bis-coot! Bis-coot!" (which means "cracker" or "biscuit") and it was so precious to see them eating and so happy!The crackers (or "Crickers") were a hit!After we played for a long while and had some snacks, they both fell sound asleep in our arms and we were finally able to stare at them and study every little detail of their little sweet faces. They both have the longest eyelashes EVER!! She has the most beautiful heart-shaped lips and he has the greatest plump pucker! They are just stunningly beautiful and we are so incredibly proud of them (if you couldn't already tell)!

Travel to Yirgalem - Part 2 to follow...

Visit to the Orphanages

Today was Ethiopia's New Year of 2001 (they are on the coptic calendar and 7 years behind us) and the streets were only half as crowded today as they have been since all the goats/sheep had been bought and slaughtered for the new year! Yesterday, we saw everyone on the streets purchasing their goat or sheep, binding its legs and throwing it on the roofs of their vehicles similar to how we strap down our Christmas trees to our cars! We witnessed one woman bind up the legs of her goat and then throw the goat upside down over one shoulder like a purse! It was pretty shocking to see that the goat was still alive and occasionally thrashing about over her shoulder but she didn't seem to mind that she was carrying her dinner home on her shoulder. Although these things seem strange to us, for them, it is their way of life. Once we arrived at Gladney's foster care center to pick up Yalfal and Kinetibeb for the day, the other children in the house came running and we are getting more attached and familiar to many of their friends! Inside the house resembled a bubble factory filled with giggles and squeals from all the bubbles the children were making and Brad warned us to stop at the entry and he would get Yalfal and Kinetibeb so we wouldn't slip on the bubble-slick floor! We were so pleased that they both acted thrilled to see us and welcomed us with big smiles and hugs! Yalfal was so excited to go wth us, she ran straight towards the gate to leave!

Today was a day to visit many of the orphanages in and around Addis Ababa and it was a very sobering experience. For those of you traveling soon, prepare your hearts and minds for this day. I am not sure any of us were prepared to see the conditions in which these precious orphaned children live in and call "home". It will probably be the only "home" they will know before they "age-out" and will be forced into the streets unless they are adopted, which for many of them, will never happen because of their age. It saddens me that these children are not known about by most people and that there is not an awareness about these "left behind" children from most people.
First, we visited the Kolfe Boys orphanage and as everyone, who has previously traveled, has said, we had such an amazing time with these young boys! These boys/young men are mature beyond their years as their youth has been cut short by their life experiences. When we drove up, it was raining but we were greeted immediately by a host of boys who were eager to meet us and offer their affections to us. They were perfect gentleman as they proudly guided us through their "home" which included all the different "bunk buildings" where they sleep separated by age groups, their kitchen where we met their "house mom" who cooks for them, and finally their "common room" where they eat, study, watch movies, play ball, and many other things in this huge cemented room. Once we entered the "common room", they began to do gym stunts, playing basketball (as many of us joined in as well!), playing with and chasing Yalfal and Kinetibeb and mostly, just wanting to talk and spend time with us. They wanted to know about America and you just couldn't meet these boys without just falling in love with them all! It was definitely the highlight of the day and as we left, we exchanged emails with many of the boys and delivered the care packages we were given from other families to which the boys were elated! We were touched most deeply by these boys who are so positive amidst their living conditions and who are so focused on their studies to which they understand the importance of their education. It was truly a blessing that we were able to spend time with them and get to know them if even for a short while. Our lives have been changed by meeting these amazing Kolfe boys!
We were also taken to an older girls orphanage and thankfully, their housing was much more adequate than we had seen at Kolfe. They girls were typical girls, very playful, friendly and excited to prepare their coffee ceremony for us! Their rooms were very clean and had posters of American movie stars and pop singers on their walls! It was amusing to see Britney Spears plastered on the walls of an Ethiopia orphanage! It made me want to collect posters of more wholesome people and send them to the girls! I have a feeling that they may not be so into Britney Spears but using her posters mainly just to decorate their walls with something!

We then arrived at the third orphanage which was the "home" for younger boys and girls. Driving into the gate was incredibly overwhelming as children came running in every direction. The grounds looked similar to a campground with crude housing for the children. For us, this was definitely the most upsetting to experience. Upon arriving, all of the children gathered around all of us and Ryan began handing our Beanie Babies and lollipops to all the children. It was craziness and excitement all at once. Yalfal and Kinetibeb had stuck close to us while visiting the other orphanages, but they began to strongly push away from us while watching the "gifts" being passed out. We were holding their hands not allowing them to stand in line to receive the "gifts" because we knew, now, the "gifts" were for the other orphans. In our hearts and minds, they were no longer orphans, they were our children who we had been providing for knowing that they didn't need to just "survive" anymore. However, seeing them forcefully break from us and run towards the "gifts" being handed out, demonstrated to us that nothing really had changed in their minds. It was sobering to witness this reality, and so the remainder of our time their was eye-opening, sad and stressful to say the least.
The drive home was very quiet as we were all pensive and processing our experience. We had been "stretched" in a way that took us by surprise and left us uncomfortable, discouraged, saddened, and heartbroken for these precious children. Many tears have been shed with a desparate desire to meet the needs of these children, but feeling overwhelmed and incredibly inadequate in knowing how to help. The Lord is sovereign and He knows their needs better than we do. I pray that we all will be open and obedient to how the Lord might use us to further His kingdom and bring glory to His name!

Hilton in Addis Ababa

We are staying at the Hilton in Addis Ababa and are amazed at how nice the grounds are at the Hilton but it is situated right in the middle of hundreds of clay houses with tins roofs. Every direction we look off of our balcony is filled with these "dwellings" so close together they look like a sea of debris in front of a backdrop of gorgeous, lush vegetation and mountains! There is such a stark difference between the two. Here are some pictures from our hotel balcony:



The Hilton hotel's hot spring fed pool

Embassy Appointment

Today, we were able to pick up Yalfal & Kinetibeb at the Foster Care Center early in the morning and when they saw us walk in, they immediately ran to us! They are getting more and more comfortable with us...another answered prayer!

After we played with their friends for a little bit and took more pictures, we left with the kids to head to the Embassy to secure their passports and visas. The drive to the Embassy was great with them (even though it was a very bumpy ride since it is very rainy here and the roads are muddy with potholes). They kept waving out the window and saying in the sweetest little voices, "CIAO! CIAO!" (meaning "good-bye"...and showing the Italian influence here since Ethiopia was once occupied by Italy).

Once we got to the Embassy, they became really reserved and shy, but probably more because they were tired since they both fell asleep. All the other families were called and taking only a few minutes, but after we were called and sworn in, answered a few questions, they told us their were problems with our paperwork and denied the kids passports and visas.

Belay told us that he knew the guy handling our case very well and said he was frustrated that he was giving us a hard time with our paperwork. Brad was very frustrated with the "run-around" the guy was giving us but said he had to refrain from really telling the guy what he thought of him because part of the paperwork we had submitted were Brad's employment letters and the guy had already asked Brad if "Pastor" was his primary job.

We will have to get more paperwork from the states and then resubmit on Friday since tomorrow is their New Year and everything will be closed down. (Ethiopians are on a coptic calendar and they are 7 years behind us, so tomorrow will mark the year 2001!) Pray we get this taken care of promptly so we do not have to stay any longer than we have planned for. After the Embassy, we drove to meet the rest of the Gladney staff and the other families at a restaurant called Top View. It had a gorgeous view of the city and great distinctive food. We were able to bring the kids with us since it was far enough away from the city. Under the new rules of the government, families traveling to Ethiopia to adopt are no longer allowed to bring their children out in public for various reasons. So they are not allowed to stay with us, so it is a treat everytime we are allowed to bring them with us! Yalfal and Kinetibeb were amazingly well-behaved and had their very first taste of chicken fingers and french fries (which they loved!!) and ketchup (which they both did not care for at all!!) After our lunch, everyone sat around to talk and Brad and Brittany took the kids around the front of the restaurant to play and run in the grassy areas! They had so much fun! After several hours there, we had to take them back to their foster home and they fell asleep on the way home. It was such a joy to be able to cradle them like babies and watch them as they comfortably slept in our arms! Such a blessing that we are so glad we got to experience so soon after being with them!Upon arriving at the foster home, Kinetibeb was very unsettled to go back. He clinched on to Brad's neck and wrapped his legs around his waist. It is so difficult to drop them back off and then waving good-bye to leave them. Tears always follow from us.As we walked into the foster care, all the children's laundry had been washed and hung to dry. Shoes were all lined up for the next day's wear and three new guests were at the home.....chickens!! They had been brought to the foster care center to slaughter for a feast tomorrow for New Year's!! I don't think the children knew they were chasing and playing with tomorrow's lunch!! When we entered the home, they had prepared a coffee ceremony for us and it gave us more time with the kids! We left with tears in our eyes, and headed to the baby house for another coffee ceremony with the other Gladney families and staff. It is a very intricate and long ceremony where the ladies roast the raw green coffee beans, crush them by hand and a staff, then pour the grinds into a beautiful Ethiopian coffee pot with boiling water over fire and burn Frankincense while the coffee brews. Coffee was first discovered in Ethiopia and Frankincense can only be found in Ethiopia so they have much to be proud of!!

We concluded our time there by visiting all the babies and taking pictures of all the Ethiopian baby beauties! It was truly a wonderful day!! Tomorrow, we will visit three of the orphanages that Gladney places children from and we will be able to take Yalfal and Kinetibeb along with us! We are very excited for the opportunity to spend more time with them!!! Thank you all for your prayers and sweet comments! They are truly encouraging to us while we are far from home and experiencing so many emotions! The Lord is faithful!!!

Foster Home Visit

Here are more pictures from Ethiopia...these were taken today when we were able to go to the kids' foster care home for the first time where they have been staying ....it was great to see them in their environment with all their friends and caregivers! They are really warming up and the minute they saw us, they ran to us! What a wonderful moment!! They are so precious!!! We love them more everyday! Thank you all for praying for us!

All of the children here in Gladney foster care center are beyond precious and just crave attention of love! They are all so sweet and will run right up to you and hug and kiss you. Many of the girls kept touching our face and wanted us touching them at all times. We had a wonderful day being able to spend many hours here and love on these precious children! Please pray for these children as they all really need homes and loving parents to raise them! Words cannot express the emotions we have experienced today...it was bittersweet.

We left there to meet the other Gladney families and In-Country staff at a restaurant called the Beer Garden Inn. It was wonderful to meet everyone but as I sat there thinking about Yalfal and Kinetibeb and how we had to leave them each day, my nerves kicked in and we had to leave because I wasn't feeling well at all! We were able to go back to the hotel and rest, and I began to feel better. Even though I feel I had prepared myself emotionally very well for this experience, the incredible emotions involved in this process are far more than one can imagine. We cannot imagine how both of the children are making sense of all this change in their lives. Children are resilient and we know we all are being bathed in prayer, so we are encouraged by that!

Please continue to pray as we finalize their visas tomorrow and then travel 6 hours south on Saturday to visit their grandmother in Yirgalem....We will be able to take them and it will probably be a difficult time for us all but definitely worth it in the long run! Many blessings!
Yalfal's caregiver, Yalfal, Brad, Kinetibeb, Kinetibeb's caregiver, and Kimberly

We've Arrived

We flew out of Houston at 6:45pm on Saturday evening to Dubai on Emirates. It was such an amazing airline and the people were so accomodating! We had to board and deboard the plane from the tarmac and then take a shuttle to the actual airport in Dubai. When we got off the plane in Dubai, it was a sweltering heat that felt like our faces were in front of a car's exhaust pipe! Once in Dubai, we had a layover, inwhich Emirates automatically pays for a hotel, so we stayed overnight. We were so exhausted, we immediately ate a little something, showered and fell into bed! We were fortunate to have that layover so we were not so tired on Sunday. Early Sunday morning, we flew for 4 hours and arrived in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia!!

The view from the airplane flying over Ethiopia and one of their many lakes!

After getting through customs, and purchasing our visas, we were picked up by Ryan and Travis of Gladney. We walked down to meet our driver who drove us to the Hilton to check in and get our baggage in our rooms. We were able to freshen up for a little bit and then they drove us straight to the Gladney Foster Care Center. They brought Yalfal & Kinetibeb to the baby house so we could meet them without all the other children around.

When we arrived it was raining and we hurried inside and through the hallway, we saw Yalfal and Kinetibeb sitting quietly on the couch waiting for us. When we walked into the room, Yalfal smiled and ran to me with her arms raised to me. I scooped her up and she immediately put her hands on my face and kissed me smack dab on the lips!! She is so afffectionate and sweet! She also began to "discover" Brad and myself and the moment she laid eyes on the pink Ethiopian cross I was wearing, it HAD to be hers. She quickly removed it from my neck and around her neck it went! She kept putting it around her forehead and looking over at us smiling so big! It was so special to be able to give it to her! Kinetibeb sat quietly on the couch just watching us as Brad came over and picked him up. He was sporting a cute little girly sweater with flowers and did so with such security! Obviously, the orphanage does not dress the children in gender specific clothing, so we have many pictures of Kinetibeb in girly outfits! For the first hour, he was really quiet and stoic, just watching us so we tried to keep everything very low key for him. Yalfal began playing with us immediately and when Brad pretended to chase her, she burst out laughing with the cutest little giggle! Kinetibeb finally showed us his first little smile and quiet giggle. It was a turning point for us with him! He is just precious and so sweet. He loves to stand by and watch and take everything in. He is just beyond precious! As he warmed to us, his true personality emerged...a little mischievious one! Kinetibeb trying to "sneak" a drink from our water bottle! So funny!

We gave them some little animal figurines to play with and he absolutely LOVED his animals and would not put them down! They caregivers then served us tea and bread, and both of the kids drank the tea while it was still boiling hot and it never bothered them at all! They are used to drinking hot tea in the orphanage so they will fit right in with us at home as Brad and I both love hot tea!

We are even more smitten with them now and are so grateful for this amazing blessing in our lives!!!

There is so much more to tell but I know everyone really just wants to see pictures!! So here they are...enjoy!!! Finally some wonderful kisses for Mommy and Daddy!

Thank You!! Thank YOU!!

There are so many people who have journeyed along with us in pursuing our children from Ethiopia as well as supported us generously in so many ways, so when everyone heard about the opportunity to provide items for us to bring over to Ethiopia with us, once again, the blessings were heaped upon us! As an adoptive family, we are required to bring with us $200 worth of humanitarian aid for the many orphanages in Ethiopia and since I used to sell died and appliqued onesies, we had packed 200 of them for our part of the humanitarian aid. However, our church (GRBC) began collecting items and several friends collected items as well and we were able to take 3 large 18 gallon Rubbermaid bins plus one large duffel bag full of items for the orphanages!!! We were overwhelmed with everyone's willingness to serve and now the orphanages will be filled with these items:

• 394 diapers
• 20 pairs of shoes
• 3 children's bowls
• 15 baby bottles
• 4 brown baby dolls
• 3 tubes of Desitin
• 1668 baby wipes
• 6 Brainquest sets
• 1 Papasan musical baby swing
• 3 umbrellas (for taking the sick children to the doctor during rainy season)
• 39 little girls' panties
• 25 little boys' underwear
• 3 bins of baby & children's clothing (before we put them into spacebags!)
• 1 can of formula
• 153 pairs of socks
• 200 onesies
• 16 paperback books (for the Kolfe older boys orphanage)
• 9 handmade bookmarks (my friend, Sheri's, children made them to go with the books!)
• 1 WeeSong music set
• 72 small tubes of toothpaste
• 86 child-size toothbrushes

All of these items are so needed in the orphanages and we are so honored to be able to deliver these wonderful gifts that we know will be greatly appreciated by the In-country staff, the caregivers as well as the precious children who will most importantly benefit from all of your generosity!!

Thank you does not begin to express our appreciation for all of you who made this possible!!

P.S. Our pediatric dentist, Dr. Jai Pothulari, generously donated 72 of the toothbrushes and 72 tubes of toothpaste without any hesitation when he found out about the need for dental care in the orphanages, so please don't hesitate to ask your child's dentist, pediatrician or any other offices or companies who could help provide necessary items! You may never know who would be willing to help if you don't ask!!

Sweet Update!

Families are always traveling to Ethiopia at different times and since the Kennedys were traveling to pick up their precious little Addis, they offered to take care packages to Yalfal and Kinetibeb! For their care packages, I packed two large ziploc bags that were each filled with a coloring book and crayons, a disposable camera for the nannies to take pictures of each of them, a plush photo album with pictures of our family inside, stickers, little sparkly lip glosses and a doll for her and a cuddly little teddy bear and some toy cars for him!

When they visited the care center, they delivered the packages to Yalfal and Kinetibeb and this is what they said:

"Your children are ADORABLE!!! When we got there it was lunch time and they were all on the floor with their injera and chick peas. Apparently that is about all they eat! Not my favorite!!! The caregivers pulled them up onto the couch and we handed them the packages. They immediately started kissing them and hugging them. The caregivers told them they could open them so they did and they both went for the photo albums first so I sat on the couch with them and took turns with them on my lap going through them saying mama and daddy and talking to them about the pictures. They kissed the picture of you guys with your other kids without any prompting. It was so sweet. The caregivers were not translating except to say mama and poppa to them I guess telling them that the gifts were from you guys. The chap stick was also a hit. She loved it and her doll. He also loved the cars. He drove them all over the couch. We snuggled them for a long time. They are very loving and sweet. He seems a little more shy than she does but he was the fist one to run back up to us as we were leaving and pulled me down for a kiss and to kiss Addis. She quickly followed. Their personalities were truly so soft and sweet. They were not at all afraid of us though. They took right to us so I know they will do the same when you get to them. Some kids seemed scared of us and they did not at all. They both chased us out the door waving and smiling. I would not worry at all about them reacting to you. They will come right to you and love on you. I can't wait to hear about your trip. If you have any questions I would love to talk to you. I truly appreciate your prayers. It meant a lot to know we had so many people praying for us. I am praying for your kids and for your trip as well. Talk to you soon."

Here are several of my favorite pictures they sent us:

Both discovering their cameras

Yalfal looking at her dolly and Kinetibeb looking at his photo album

I absolutely LOVE their expressions in this picture! It is my favorite of the bunch!

They are looking at our family picture!

I cannot wait to receive more pictures from other traveling families!

NEW TRAVEL DATES

"A man's heart plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps." Proverbs 16:9

There has been a change in our original travel plans.

We were so excited about our original travel dates being in that we were notified they day after our case passed through the Ethiopian court that we were to travel 2 weeks later! We had been waiting for so long to see our precious children and now we would get to do that in 2 WEEKS!!! However, after several days of trying to secure flights, our travel agent kept coming up short since all the flights on all the airlines were booked. We had one exception that allowed us to fly there on coach but we would have to fly back in business class. I was thrilled until we found out the cost of the flights would be well over $12,000!! This obviously was not including the remaining balance to our agency or lodging, etc. We were told that we could defer travel a week later to reduce our costs and availability on flights.

So, Brad called our case worker and long story short, our Embassy appointment got moved back 2 weeks later. The Embassy can only see 10 cases, per agency, per week and they were filled up for those two weeks. We were a little saddened by this, but we know the Lord is sovereign and is never "surprised" by these things!

We are now traveling SEPTEMBER 6 - SEPTEMBER 16!!

(Here are two of their referral photos for those of you who are like me and think that a post without pictures is just cruel!) Even though we will have to wait two additional weeks to see our children, delaying our travel has some benefits. It has reduced our flight costs by almost half for which we are so grateful! Also, Brad will not have to miss the first week of school as he serves as the new interim Headmaster of NCA and we will both be able to take Isabella and Elijah to their first day and week of school as well! Of course, it also allows us a little more time to prepare, pack, etc. And we know that Yalfal and Kinetibeb are thriving and being well taken care of and loved at the Gladney Foster Care Center in Addis Ababa! We are especially thankful for that!

As we don't want to post our exact flight schedule, we will be sending out an email to friends and family for those of you who would like to meet us at the airport upon returning home!

Also, we continue to gather Humanitarian Aid to bring with us to Ethiopia! For those of you who would like to contribute, here is a recent list of the orphanages' needs that are their priority right now:

1. Diapers (size 1,2 & 3)–need more of size 2

2. Wipes

3. Underwear and socks for older children (age 3-10 years)

4. Rain jackets for older children (age 6-10 yrs)

5. A few umbrellas for caregivers taking children to doctors, immigration appointments, etc.

6. Bouncy seats

7. Baby swings

8. 1 or 2 strollers (single or double stroller, not larger ones like ones at churches as to not draw attention)

9. Infant/toddler toothpaste and toothbrushes

10.Bottles (Gerber plastic, small and large size, solid colored bottles that come in a pack of several colors)

11.Infant Clothing (size 0-3 months)

Leave a comment or email me if you would like to contribute any of these items to the children in these orphanages! They are so thankful for anything they receive!

We are truly grateful to all of you who have asked how you can help and we have been blessed by your support!

"May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word." 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17

Happy Birthday, Elijah!

Today was Elijah's 5th birthday and we are so proud of our BIG boy! He has been counting down the days until his birthday and was excited ALL day today, of course!

On the kids' birthdays, I always let them choose their favorite foods to eat during the day. Typically, for breakfast, they choose a new "sugary" cereal that they are not allowed to have except for on their birthdays. But today, Elijah said he wanted....Fiber One! He assured me that it was his favorite cereal, so when he asked for a second bowl, I obliged! I really wasn't thinking about the word "fiber" and its amazing results until he proudly said, "Daddy lets us have this cereal and he says it will help us go to the potty ALL day!" (as if he needs help in that department!) So, the cereal definitely lived up to it's name, as Elijah was thrilled that "Daddy was right!"

The rest of the day was filled with continued preparations for our trip to Ethiopia, along with "pirate" activities all day long ending with a little "pirate" dinner! Again, I asked Elijah what he wanted for dinner and he quickly stated, "Ummm, I think I'll have shrimp with noodles, some broccoli and "warm" (meaning "cooked") carrots!" What 5 year old asks for that for dinner?! So, that is what we fixed for him, served on a pirate's treasure map tablecloth, lemonade in a pirate's cup, with pirate's hats for all to wear during dinner! He LOVEs pirates right now, so he was really surprise and loved his "pirate's feast!"

After dinner, Aunt Brittany had made him some banana cupcakes (his favorite!) that were delicious, we all sang "Happy Birthday" and he ended the night sleeping in his new pirate pajamas and new CARS slippers!

(Every year on his birthday, I take his picture saluting at the camera while wearing Brad's West Point ring and hat in his pajamas to see how he has grown through the years.)

Although there are many more, here are 5 things I love about Elijah:
1) He is so affectionate and loving towards his family (a great snuggler)!
2) He prays diligently for his brother, Kinetibeb and his sister, Yalfal that they will come home soon!
3) He is so focused, determined and curious about things and how they work
4) He is incredibly ticklish and yells, "UNCLE WHO-WHO!" when he wants you to stop tickling him
5) He has such a clever sense of humor with the greatest giggle ever!

He is going to make such a wonderful BIG brother to Kinetibeb and Yalfal! He cannot wait to see them! Happy Birthday Elijah!! We love you!

TRAVEL DATES!!

"Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, "The Lord has done great things for them." The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy." Psalm 126:2-3

So, we passed through court on August 5th, but since so many other families were passing through too, our caseworker told us she would have to call us the next day to give us our Embassy date. Basically, Atticus Knox and Scarlett Paige are officially ours from the Ethiopian government's perspective and they can be brought out of Ethiopia, but could not (at this time) be brought into the United States until we go to our Embassy appointment.

Yesterday, Brad called around 2:45pm to tell me that our caseworker had called with our Embassy date and we will be traveling:

AUGUST 22-AUGUST 30!!!!!!!

"As cold water to a weary soul, so is good news from a far country."
Proverbs 25:25

We leave in TWO WEEKS!!!! We are incredibly joyful at such a quick travel date, but for many of you who know me, I am now in quite the panic mode!! We are trying to work out all the little details while our heads are still spinning; however, we will have both of the children in our arms in TWO WEEKS!!!! I have been waiting to hold and love these babies for so long even when the Lord had yet to reveal them to us, it is beyond surreal for us right now!

We have so much gratitude to our Lord who has guided us through this incredible journey and who will continue to guide our every step! We give the Lord all the glory!

Many of you have asked how you can pray specifically for us so, I have listed several things that need prayer. Please pray for:

1) Kinetibeb and Yalfal...that their little hearts are being prepared for this new and radical transition into a new world, culture, home, family and that they would bond with us, quickly feel safe and secure with us as their Mommy and Daddy.

2) Quick and efficient travel preparations, travel mercies and health for all during travel

3) Isabella and Elijah's very first day and week of school while we are away

4) Our Embassy date on August 27, 2008 that everything will be completed and run smoothly

5) Our financial obligations towards the adoption to be paid in full

6) Brad and I that we may be able to demonstrate our love to Kinetibeb and Yalfal in a way that is accepted and feels safe to them. Please also pray that we would remain dependent on Him while we travel and as we navigate this new and unknown transition/ chapter in our lives

7) The children's grandmother and her health that we might be able to meet her (and possibly other family members)to express our love and assurance of the children's safety. Please pray that we might be able to deliver a few items to the family including an Amharic Bible and that it will be accepted

8)The transition of two new precious children into our family, their acceptance among family and friends, and that the Lord would receive ALL the glory!

Thank you all for bathing us in prayer as we especially need it at this time!

"The LORD is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion. Be at rest once more, O my soul, for the LORD has been good to you." Psalm 116:5&7

Our Cup Runneth Over!!!

"As cold water to a weary soul, so is good news from a far country." Proverbs 25:25

With extreme joy and overwhelming gratitude, Brad and I would love to announce the newest members of our family, our handsome little Kinetibeb whose name will be ATTICUS KNOX BAGGETT:...and our precious little Yalfal whose name will be SCARLETT PAIGE BAGGETT!We received the call at 12:00pm (on the dot) from our caseworker who called Brad's cellphone to deliver the great news!!!! They are officially and legally ours and our hearts are full! We will receive our Embassy date and travel dates tomorrow! We were told we should be traveling sometime later this month or early September!! Thank you for all your prayers and for loving us through this long journey!! We will be posting more pictures soon of our new children!!! We are now a family of 6 and couldn't be more overjoyed!!! The Lord is faithful and we are so humbled by His provision and blessings!

“Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bring your children from the east and gather you from the west.” Isaiah 43:5

Prayers for our Court Date

So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. Hebrews 10:35 - 36

As many of you know, our court date is set for tomorrow, August 5th, and if our court date is successful, we will legally be the parents of Y and K!!! Please pray with us for the outcome of our court date as well as many other families who will also be going through court tomorrow!

We have recently received an email from our agency stating that the Ethiopian courts will actually be closing one day earlier (August 7th) than originally expected, so the courts will stop hearing cases on the 6th of August. This means that if our court date is not successful, we will have to wait throughout the rainy season (August 8th-September 29th) for the courts to reopen in early October to re-hear our case. We, of course, would be very sad if that happened and we would have to wait even longer to bring Y and K home, but we are trusting in the Lord's perfect timing as He has planned from the beginning!

We will be posting tomorrow on the outcome of court, and if we are successful, there will be LOADS of pictures I will post for your viewing pleasure!!

We received an update on Y and K this morning and here is what it said:

“Y and K are beautiful, playful and energetic! They both like their friends and each other and are generally out going. Today "K" was sluggish after lunch and "Y" was energetic but as many differences as they have; they have as many similarities! They have many ‘gender specific’ characteristics and are precious together or apart! I confirmed that "Y" is ticklish but found "K" on the potty, so I left him alone. With all their other similarities, I will assume he is ticklish too!"

We are so excited because since our referral, K has gained one pound and Y has gained 4 pounds!!! We also received some of the most precious pictures where they both look much happier, healthier and definitely have "life" back in their little eyes! We just love them so much and cannot wait to be their Mommy and Daddy!!!

“Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29: 12

Vaccination Fun!

Today, Brad and I went to get our shots to travel to Ethiopia. Yes, most people get their shots while in the process of adopting (during the dossier process or right thereafter). Except us. We have been in this adoption process for 2 1/2 years and we still haven't been vaccinated! But really for good reason.....I have researched all the shots we could possibly receive and have asked endless numbers of people, endless numbers of questions, endless numbers of times about our vaccinations. It has always kind of scared me about getting EIGHT vaccinations and having all those "ills" swimming around in our bodies! The CDC only requires people traveling to Ethiopia to receive the Hep A series and we have been told if we only stay in Addis Ababa (where the elevation is higher with no incidence of mosquitos, etc.) we won't have to get the other vaccinations. However, now that we have our referral and know that we might be able to travel south to meet our children's birth family, we might be suseptible to other diseases to which we need to be vaccinated.

Here is the long list of vaccines: Hep A & B series (meaning 2 or 3 shots spaced out between several months), Polio, Tetanus, Meningitis, Tetanus, Typhoid, Yellow Fever and Malaria (which are actually in pill form).

Brad has always been of the mindset, "Just load us up with everything just in case", but I have always been a little more leary. I had printed off the Adult Vaccination Chart of when and what vaccinations adults should have and brought it with me (the nurses just looked at me like I was a complete LOON!) But honestly, who can remember when you were last vaccinated for Tetanus or Polio??

So, we were in the doctor's office and I kept saying, "But didn't we have to be vaccinated for (fill in the blank) when we went to college??", as Brad was getting more annoyed at me saying, "Look, both of your arms will just be sore for a few days....no big deal! It is worth getting ALL the shots!" And while I really do agree, I just wanted the doctor to tell us it is being OVER-precautious to get all these shots.....but he didn't.

So, we left his office with 2 shots (one in each arm) of Hep A and Hep B. He said we need to come back to receive the rest at a later time before we travel. That seemed really nice to me since I think he was trying to give us a compromise (or maybe just wanted us to pay another copay which never really occured to me until now)!

So guess whose arms are NOT sore one bit and guess whose arms and neck started getting stiff an hour after the shots?

Yes, I am typing this post in a semi-paralyzed state. Wonder what the morning holds for me?

Breakfast in Bed!

Look what I woke up to this morning...........breakfast in bed!!!

For the past few weeks, both of the kids have been getting up in the middle of the night and crawling into our bed for various reasons. The reasons range anywhere from "I'm scared!" to "I think the bathroom nightlight is going to catch the whole house on fire!" to "I thought you might be cold, and I could make you all 'warmy' (as Elijah calls it)". I told them that they are keeping us up at night and it makes us really tired the next day. So, they both got up early this morning and made me a wonderful breakfast of pretzels, a granola bar and a nectarine with a glass of water! As you can see, they brought it to me on Isabella's Strawberry Shortcake tray accompanied with a "Good Morning!" note....so cute!

Best. Kids. EVER!

COURT DATE!!!!

“He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted.”
Job 9:10

Brad called Natalie this afternoon to ask a few questions and she tells him that she has good news! She proceeded to tell him that we have been issued a court date on....

AUGUST 5th!!!

We cannot believe we received a court date so soon, but we are rejoicing that things seem to be moving along!!! HALLELUJAH!!!

Please continue to remember us in your prayers as we are hopeful for a successful court date! If our court date is successful, Y and K will be legally our children and we could be traveling to Ethiopia by the end of August to bring them home!!!!

"Ah, Sovereign LORD, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you.” Jeremiah 32:17

Two Precious Blessings!!!

After two years of praying and waiting for the Lord to reveal our children to us, we received a phone call from our social worker yesterday at 12:53 PM giving us the news of our referral of our precious little ones. It was one of the most (if not the most) surreal and emotional day I have EVER experienced! Let me fast forward and give the important details first:

Our referral was for a boy and girl, both 3 1/2 years old, not twins but first cousins, one month apart! I don't think I am allowed to post their names yet (and I know I am not allowed to post their pictures) until they are legally our children, but please trust me when I say that they are incredibly beautiful and just perfectly precious! We are over-the-moon, our hearts melting, in LOVE!! I cannot even express our urgent desire to travel quickly to love on them and bring them home!!!

Okay, so backing up.....I had basically resigned to the fact that with everything going on with the courts, we would not receive our referral until the fall, court in the winter and travel in February '09!!! I did not want to expect any sooner and get disappointed!

Brad was home today, and in the kitchen, while I had just sat down to check my email. My mailbox had reached 1,000 messages and no more could be delivered so I was a little annoyed at having to clear everything off and wondering if I had missed an important email. I saw a bazillion emails from our adoption yahoo group with the title, "GREAT NEWS!", and I started to get anxious trying to figure out what the GREAT NEWS was! I quickly started reading and then I saw an email from our caseworker, and quickly opened it. I scanned the email that says that there has been some movement in the cases and so our agency will be issuing referrals.....TODAY!!! (except I thought it said next week for some reason!!) So, I ran screaming into the kitchen to tell Brad the news (my heart racing) and yelled at him to come into the study so I can read the email to him. As I am reading the email, I realize it says, "TODAY" and I immediately try to prepare myself that I won't be called today (again, so I won't get disappointed). We talked about it for a minute and then he went back into the kitchen.

I felt so sad and anxious, I decided to pray about it except I didn't even know what to pray for! I thought, "Do I pray (or more like BEG!!) that the Lord would deliver our referral today?" or "Do I pray for patience?" (since I was just positive our referral would be months away!). So, as I was praying for both, the phone rang at 12:53 PM! Thinking it was my sister calling from her new job (and the Caller ID said "Out of Area" instead of "Unknown" like many people have said our agency's number pops up as), I picked it up with ease. I heard Natalie (our caseworker) speak and even though my heart fluttered a little, I convinced myself she was calling about needing a paper signed that we had not yet emailed her. As soon as she said she was calling with our referral, I lost all time and space!! Literally, time stood still! I immediately went into the "Ugly cry" asking her if she was serious!? She assured me she was and I ran into the kitchen screaming to Brad that Natalie was on the phone and we have our referral! Poor thing....his face went ghostly white and the kids started cheering! We both ran into the study and grabbed the other phone. I had to let Brad take over the whole computer thing since I seriously could not funtion. It was the most bizarre feeling ever! She emailed us the pictures and documents on the children but my computer said it would take 48 MINUTES to download everything!! We promptly moved to Brad's email and when he pulled up the pictures of the kids, I truly believe our hearts skipped a beat! We both cried and kissed and hugged and cried some more! We then quickly opened the other documents and she went over every detail with us (which was wonderful!!) About 3/4 of the way through, I totally blanked out. I was in complete overload and I was needing to digest everything that was just given to us. And, really, I just wanted to stare at their pictures! We were on the phone with her for about an hour and afterwards, Brad and I got to stare at their faces and spend some precious sweet time together basking in the blessings from the Lord!

We then began to call everyone and I did not get off the phone until 12:30 AM!! I had sent out an email with a few of their pictures around 9:45 PM since I realized I wouldn't have enough time to call everyone! I always wondered why families wait several hours and sometimes even days to post about their referral....and now I know why. It is the most amazing experience that I know of but also an incredibly emotional one that drains you quickly. I cannot even begin to imagine what we will experience when we actually travel to Ethiopia and meet them, hold them, love on them, etc. but I cannot wait!!!

I am sure I will be posting updates soon! We are praising the Lord for His continuous guidance and blessings during this process!! Please pray for us during this time as we continue prepare ourselves and our hearts for these precious children whom we already love as our own! Please also remember the children, as their story is one of sadness and, I am sure, feeling incredibly lonely, scared and grievous. Please pray that we might receive a quick and successful court date so we can travel to Ethiopia soon and bring them home!!!

"He will bring things about at the proper time--He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords" 1 Timothy 6:15