Christmas Ponderings

You never know when it's going to hit you. It might come from a certain expression ... a little giggle ... a funny quirk .... or a memorable day. Ah yes, it's often on my mind. I suppose even more around special holidays. But today ...... it was the new pink robe that brought that pierce so tenderly and sharply to my heart.

I noticed she was gone for a few minutes. Sure enough, here she comes boppin' in to where we were .... having ditched the clothes behind with her little chocolate-toned body all adorned in her new robe. "Mommy! ... it's so comfy and cozy!", she said, as she twirled about showing us all. And as I reached for the camera to capture this fun memory, it hit me once again.

My mind drifted off thinking about another momma .... wonder what she'd think of this precious little sight, I thought. Would it make her giggle to see this spunky little girl all happy and dressed in pink?

Often these moments are a little bittersweet for me. I wonder at times if the other momma would approve, for lack of better words, on how we're raising this most amazing little girl that she gave birth to. As I was baking Christmas cookies this year, the thought came to me that she would want us to rejoice in these times and enjoy all these wonderful moments in Naomi's life. She would want her to be happy.

I wonder today if something made her stop and ponder and dream of this wee-one. Oh how I pray she is well and that the God of all Hope is her Peace today.

Soon we'll be celebrating Naomi's 4th birthday. Can it really be four years since I took those flights to get to Texas? How I would have given anything just to have one picture of that dear other momma. And so tonight as I stop and think this all through ...... yes, there are some tears. But oh the JOY of getting to witness this child have LIFE, because of one brave Momma's choice to walk a very difficult journey all alone and give her the best gift she ever could .... the gift to live.

What a privilege it was tonight to sit together and hear the Christmas story being read. For these girls to hear of a most special baby born many, many years ago. He came so that we might have life.

Oh Lord, help us to live our lives well ... for your glory.

Merry Christmas!

Winter in ND!

Well, in "our plan" we'd be spending this winter in IL. However, here we are. :) It has truly been a time of reflection. As we wait on our house selling and for some details to come together for our move to IL, we look back and recount all the times in our lives that God has proved himself faithful. What a comfort that is!!!

Recently, the kids all bundled up and ran outside for a quick photo session so I could complete a project for all the grandparents. This week we're to get a heat wave for above zero temps .... so I'm sure they'll be out enjoying the snow and sledding!

While we continue to trust the Lord about all the unknowns in our lives ...... we also REJOICE in WHO He IS and what HE came to offer. How blessed we are to have such a loving, heavenly father. What JOY is in our hearts to celebrate His birth.

Warm blessings to you from frigid North Dakota!

Birthday Boy, Doing Hair and Setting the Stage

Sorry ... any of you that actually read this blog ... I've been very negligent on any updates. What can I say? ... the delays and unknowns in our lives leave us in "coping mode" much of the time and not much extra left. November left us really aching for extended family and sad we'll not be with them for the holidays. But it also brought a visit from grandparents which was HUGELY appreciated, a Birthday Boy celebration, lots of hair and "setting the stage" for an open house.

Our youngest son turned 11! .... can that really be? He is for sure our bundle of dynamite. Always has been, probably always will be. I LOVE how our children are so different, even though every now and then certain aspects can put this momma over the edge. :) Josiah wanted a football cake so that was a fun project. We enjoyed a great evening with friends, lots of pizza and plenty of chocolate! He had a great day! :)

Hair! ... what more can I say? We do lots of hair in this house. Naomi was in great need of a trim, as her hair had never been evened up throughout the baby-days-stage. So I finally conquered the task. As you can see, she hammed it up for her brothers taking the photos. :) Then came some braids, which only stayed in 24 hours. YEAH, you read that right! We'll not be doing that again soon. Back to twists that she can handle sleeping on. Maybe someday her desire for braids will overcome her sensory issues and she'll be able to handle it. Until then, we'll try something else!

We've been swamped preparing for our local craft fair (pics to come later on our projects) and decorating the house for the Tour of Homes! Our town invited us to participate to hopefully get the locals through here and let them see the renovations. BUT!, with all our Christmas things being shipped to IL, this has been quite an undertaking! Time to get out the paper crafting supplies and go to work. Thus another reason for our lack of updates.

While we long to have this move over and transition more complete in our lives .... we often stop and talk about God's incredible faithfulness to us while we wait. HE is so GOOD, even when circumstances are not. HE is in CONTROL, when we are so not! HE is our STRENGTH, when we have nothing left.

The Lord has been so faithful to teach us through this time. In the days ahead I'll share more with you about that. In the meantime we have to finish a mass of loose ends for the upcoming Tour of Homes. Would so appreciate your prayers concerning the sale of our home.

About a Year Ago .....

Pop over HERE to the blog where we journaled our most recent daughter's adoption for a special story of God's faithfulness!! May you be encouraged, just as we have been to look back and see all that He has done! :)

A Tribute to Birthmoms

As you all know, November is Adoption Awareness month. These days, my heart and mind have been drifting a lot to Texas, the birth state of our first daughter. I think about her birthmom and weep with overwhelming gratitude of the choice she made for Naomi. We live in a culture that is SO approving of abortion ..... yet her birthmom chose the most courageous choice for her in giving her life. She had no support network, in fact not even her immediate family knew of her pregnancy ... yet she chose LIFE.



We never had the opportunity to meet her in person. It was her wishes that the adoption be closed. Because of Naomi's health issues (which she had no prior knowledge of), we spent our first days together in the critical care unit of Texas Children's Hospital. While there, she learned that her little girl had a family. She gave Naomi something we couldn't .... life. And now it's up to us to take that baton and be there for her all the days of her life.

So often when Naomi curls up in my lap for snuggles, my mind drifts to her birthmom. I am SO grateful for all the choices she made for this precious child. I pray that she is at peace knowing her little girl has a family who are absolutely crazy in love with her. One of the things her birthmom wanted us to know about her is that she loved to laugh. Naomi has this most wonderful little mischievious giggle that adds such a fun sense of spice to our home. It makes me think of her birthmom with such great joy. We may never see each other this side of heaven ..... but her birthmom will always be treasured in our family and her legacy honored.

This video by Mark Shultz is such a touching tribute to his birthmom. It encompasses so many aspects of adoption. As we enter Adoption Awareness month, may we become more aware of the journey of birthmoms. May we be sensitive to their needs and their heartache. May we be challenged by their courage to choose LIFE.



Lord, may you pour out your mercy on all the women today who are struggling through a pregnancy. May they see you as the giver of Life and may they trust you. May we all be sensitive to women in our lives that need someone to walk with them. Stir in us Lord to help them. Make us aware of their needs. Will you pour out your blessing on the women that gave our daughters LIFE. Heal their hearts and give them renewed strength. May they always know how much their children will be loved and cherished.

Adoption Connect!

Today I'd like to introduce to you the author of Adoption Connect. I really appreciate Courtney's heart for adoption. She has a wealth of experience from their own adoptions to offer on so many important issues that adoptive families face, including trans racial adoption, financial hurdles, older child adoption, bonding/attachment and many more. No doubt you will come away very encouraged! Recently I was able to ask Courtney a few things about her experiences.

At what point in your life did you contemplate adopting?
I always wanted to adopt. I can remember being a young girl and thinking about it. My husband and I starting discussing it immediately. We got married young and so the timing never seemed right. Initially we said we would adopt after our biological children were raised. After our 4th child was born, God moved on our hearts. In fact He spoke clearly to both of us about it. That was in 2004 and it wasn't long after that we welcomed our first two children in our home through adoption.

(Click on this photo to enlarge so you can see her beautiful children!!)

What is one challenge in particular that you or your family has overcome after bring home one or more of your children?
Attachment disorder. Yes, it is real. Yes, it exists. And yes, it is a struggle. However, what I want people to know is that through our loving and healing God, it can be overcome. Our daughter who came home at 8 years old from Russia had attachment issues. She rejected me immediately and fought my love and affection with avengence. There were many hard days. And many days that I cried. It was not at all what I had imagined when we went into adoption. But, God used those times to draw me to Him. And He used those times to show me what it means to love without conditions. It took time, a lot of prayer and a lot of perseverance, but today our daughter is a wonderful, loving, well adjusted 11 year old. And I would go through all of it again to have this precious girl in our lives.

What is something you feared about adoption?
Since we had set out to adopt older children, my biggest fear was that our children would struggle from their past hurts and have so much pain that they would be unable to move past any of it.

Your future grandchildren .... What is it that you want to be known for by them?
Faith. I want to be known for my faith. I want to pass down to them a Godly heritage as well to my great grand children and great-great grandchildren. I want them be faith -filled believers who are willing to risk it all to follow after Jesus.

What is a verse that helped you through difficult days?
I lift up my eyes to the hills- where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip- he who watches over you will not slumber. The LORD watches over you- the LORD is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The LORD will keep you from all harm- he will watch over your life; the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and for evermore.

Psalm 121:1-3,5-8

If you could share one thing with people struggling to trust God with all the unknowns associated with adoption, what would it be?
Adoption is a giant leap of faith. It is an awesome an amazing journey. Yes, there are many unknowns. In our humanness it is only natural to fear those unknowns. If God is laying adoption on your heart, JUMP! Is it scary? YES! But, you will not regret it. And God will do amazing things in your life in the process. Adoption has changed me in so many ways. It has made me a better me and I am so glad we took the leap. Don't let your fear hold you back from doing what God is placing on your heart. You only get one life and our lives are short and fleeting. If you are feeling that nudging that your life is meant to be more than it is, I encourage you to cast your fears aside and put your faith in our Father. Then get ready for the most amazing journey of your life!

Courtney and her family's story is adding a new chapter
very soon You'll want to also check out their family blog
Storing up Treasures in Heaven, to hear more about
how this little guy will be joining his family,
Lord willing, very soon!!! What a joy it is to see a family trusting their Heavenly Father for every detail of their lives. Adoption brings about real obstacles and real challenges, but God is greater than all of them. If we will trust Him and yield to Him, He WILL make a way through provision, strength and healing.

I have always appreciated Courtney's honesty about both the trials and the joys with adoption. Be sure to share the Adoption Connect link with others. May we encourage each other along this wonderful journey, as we trust in our Heavenly Father to help us climb each mountain on the path He's set before us. Perhaps you are not in a season to adopt yourself, you'll find several families highlighted on her blog who are adopting and could use your love and support!

Introductions & Great Article

Here is a great little article very much worth reading! I find myself pondering these issues more and more as our 3 year old grows older and much more aware of introductions and things being said about her.

I think of my sons and how it would feel "odd" to both them and me if someone introduced them as "C, N & J, born of her womb". Seriously .... wouldn't that make us kind of think ... "hhmmm .... strange?!". I'm not saying it's never appropriate to acknowledge that our children have been adopted ... that's not the point at all. But I do think we should ponder this over in our hearts and continue to seek to think of our children. It's pretty obvious my daughters do not look like me. But they are my daughters, most certainly as much as my sons are .... without the need to always give commentary on how they entered our family.

Often if it's an introduction, you're gonna end up spending some time together and usually you'll cover the "adoption conversation" anyway.

What have been your experiences and how have you found good ways of handling such things, helping your child to feel comfortable and not needing to justify who they are? Would love to hear!

One of These Little Children . . .

"Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me." Mark 9:37

Lately I've been reflecting on the unbelievable transformation we've seen in our little one since she came home. Not only that though, but even greater what God has done in our family. There is a deep truth in Mark 9:37.

Oh Lord, how grateful we are for your incredible love for us, your presence that sustains us, your faithfulness that carries us through. We are so undeserving ... we fall short ... we fail. But You, oh God .... you are the true example of what it means to be a Father. How blessed we are to be your children. Thank you for all the ways you teach us about your great love. We rejoice in what you've done in Arsema's life. Thank you for allowing us the absolute privilege of witnessing it.

Why Adopt article & book

Why Adopt? over on Crosswalk.com is a wonderful article you'll for sure want to read. The author, Natalie Nichols Gillespie, shares about her family's own experience with adoption, as well as taking a look at what scripture says about caring for orphans. Take a look. She has authored the book Successful Adoption: A Guide for Christian Families. I plan to order it! Successful Adoption also includes real-life stories from families who have adopted, including: Steven and Mary Beth Chapman, Rita Springer, Dave Thomas, Karen Kingsbury and Donna Van Liere.

Meet the Darlings!

We have been so blessed to meet some wonderful families along our adoption journey to Arsema. The Darlings are one of those families. You can imagine their great JOY as they just recently received their referral of a beautiful little girl waiting for them in Ethiopia!!

Throughout their adoption journey, many people have come alongside them to help them with raising the financial needs of making this a reality. Their church has been a wonderful support to them, not only in helping with a special offering, but also helping with supplies for a very successful garage sale. I remember how excited I was to hear all they did to raise awareness for orphans around the world at this event. Many orphans have had a voice through this family's journey.

I would encourage you to read a bit more about their family at the Legacy Child program through the ABBA Fund. And also, be sure to read more about their adoption journey at their family blog.

Today they have heavy hearts as the funding they thought had come through for this next phase didn't work out in the way needed at this time. Will you join us in PRAYING for this family? Pray that God would meet every need of this adoption. Pray for creativity for them as they face this current challenge. Pray for their new "Darling" .... waiting for them in Ethiopia!! I can't show you her beautiful picture until they pass court! :)

$3,385 is a small thing for God. Pray that it is taken care of in abundance!

Tupelo, MS/Memphis, TN Conference!!

Calling all families that live in the Tupelo,MS/Memphis, TN area!! There is an event THIS Saturday that you will NOT want to miss! Be sure to check out all of the details at the ABBA Fund blog today. How we wish were not so many miles away. We would be there for sure! :)

Card Info

So ..... along with a huge passion for adoption and family .... I enjoy a little "side business" with card-making. I hold monthly classes here in our home. Many of you know that this is hugely how we funded Maleah's adoption. I will share more on that story in another post. But for now, just wanted to let you know that over HERE you can see what I've been up to concerning card production and if there's ever any way we can help fulfill your card needs, please let us know! This is only a small sampling of what we do. I say "we" ..... because pretty much everything in our home is a team effort. We continue (on a much smaller scale now!!) to sell cards to finish paying our no-interest loan through the ABBA Fund.

In the future I'll be gathering resources for the many fabulous things out there that families have done to help bring their children home. I would LOVE to hear what you've done! Please share in the comments section!! Your ideas will help spur on others about what THEY can do also!! Not only do funding projects help to bring your child home, but it is just an amazing way also to raise awareness in your communities for the needs of waiting children! Just leave a comment and I'll be in touch to highlight your family/project in an upcoming post. Thanks so much! Be sure to check out the resources in Jason's blog that he does for the Abba Fund. It's full of a wealth of information, including this topic as well!

Courts Open - Prayer Needed

Now that October is here and courts have reopened in Ethiopia, my heart and mind are often drawn to the many families that have been waiting SO long for this time to arrive! Some of these families approaching court have children in Ethiopia that we met when we traveled this last spring to bring home Arsema. (sidenote - yes we still call her by both her names. I used to think that might be awkward for kids, but I now see it is not. I have a feeling she'll always be called by both names. She smiles adoringly at both, so why not?)

Would you join me in praying for the many families who are waiting to pass court? It can be a very nerve-wracking time as a waiting parent when it feels you have NO control over your soon-to-be-official-child's life. What a comfort it is to know that someone IS in control though! He has every detail fully taken care of. He asks us to trust Him and cling to Him.

Pray for extra strength for the staff workers of all the different agencies working on behalf of orphans in Ethiopia. Pray for accuracy in paperwork. Pray for provision for these families, both in their upcoming travel expenses, as well as God's mercy to get through each day. Pray for health for the children.

I'll never forget receiving the call that we "passed" and made it through court. I think I asked sweet Mary at Gladney like three times, to be sure I heard her correctly. Now soon it will be time to go to court again for us here in the states to make everything final on the US side.

For you waiting families ..... my heart goes out to you in abundance. For some of you the wait has been extra long. May I just encourage you that the Lord has not forgotten you or your child(ren). He cares SO deeply for you. Our family will be rejoicing in abundance with you when we hear you've made it and will soon be on those planes!!!

May you declare Psalm 130:5 . . . "I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope."

Getahun update

Thanks so much of those of you who have checked in with us about Getahun .... I know several of you are also praying for him and that is so comforting. Well, we have received word from him and he's with his grandmother right now. I don't want to share many details on the blog about this. Thanks for understanding. He isn't able to get the care he needs at Kolfe .... nor is he really able to get the care he needs at his grandmothers .... but that's where he is right now and I'm grateful for his trust in the Lord. This move (for now) also means he isn't in school. This is a huge "not-good" thing. His education there is his future hope. He is such an amazing student. So your continued prayers for his health are GREATLY appreciated!!!

One thing I am learning is that there are no easy fixes for the fatherless. I "knew" this before .... but walking this journey with Getahun .... it's much more deeply embedded into my heart. So we'll continue praying for him and loving him from afar the very best we can.

May I also say here that someone from our agency was very helpful in checking on him for us as well. We are SO grateful for a staff that truly cares for the orphans in Ethiopia. Not only those they are able to find homes for .... but those also whose status will remain.

Unexpected Blessings . . .

Yesterday we had the absolute privilege of having new friends over. Had our upcoming move gone according to "our" time table, we would have missed out on this HUGE blessing in our lives, as we wouldn't even have met our new friends. It's really made my heart experience deep gratitude to the Lord.

Fall is in full swing in ND (lack of rich hues of purples, reds and oranges like IL), and winter will all too soon make its way here. Selling a home in ND in the middle of winter is about like selling an air-conditioner to an Eskimo. But as we once again try to lay those concerns aside . . . we have to wonder if there are even more unexpected blessings yet to be experienced.

Last fall at this time, we had just finished our dossier for Ethiopia and were going on the "wait-list" for our referral. This year we're still swirling in a sea of unknowns. Sometimes I feel sea-sick ... at times I wonder if we are sure of what direction we're going ..... other times I wanna jump ship altogether. Ever feel like that? :)

But as we look back over the course of life God has brought us on, we are so amazed by His faithfulness. It's most certainly not been a life of "smooth sailing" .... but He is worthy of our Praise, our Thanks and our Hope. We can follow Him confidently, knowing His way is the right direction in our lives.

What about you? Are you weary, overwhelmed, or feel as if you might sink? I encourage you to trust in your Heavenly Father. You never know when He is going to bring about "Unexpected Blessings" in your life.

Oh Lord, how we want to trust you more. Thank you for so graciously providing to our family "Unexpected Blessings", at a time we needed to see you so badly. Help us to be faithful, as you are faithful.

A fun little side-note. Our new friends happen to be walking the journey of adoption. Ethiopia. We are so full of joy to get the opportunity to experience this incredible miracle with them.

Need Prayer!

We're asking for your prayers for Getahun, our "far away son" in Ethiopia. Please see the post at our adoption blog for the info. There are links there to his story as well.

Sorting Socks and Singing

You know ... that dreaded task, of sorting/matching all the odd socks. It seems like a "never-gotten-to-job" around here. I oddly found myself alone while doing the task and my mind was just bombarded by all the details of our future that have yet to be determined. As often is the case though when my mind gets overly consumed by all the "unknowns", the Lord faithfully reminds me that HE KNOWS. He knows every detail, every question, every burden, every fear. Soon I found myself singing songs that He so gently brings to my mind to help me claim truth and not become numb by doubt.

I found myself amazed once again, by His faithfulness to me. After realizing what had just happened (yet again) ... I remembered a wonderful song by Chris Tomlin about this very thing. Press play and hear for yourself.





Thank you, Lord, for your faithfulness ... to help my heart want to sing.

Slowly, steadily, surely . . .

"But these things I plan won't happen right away.
Slowly, steadily, surely, the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled.
If it seems slow, be patient!
For it will surely take place.
It will not be late by a single day."
Habakkuk 2:3

I was reminded about this verse while visiting a friend's blog who is waiting to bring home their little girl from Ethiopia. It's a verse that brought me much comfort in the adoption process ..... and I should be clinging to it again as we wait for God to reveal so many unknowns in our lives.

You see, I can read this verse and say I believe it ..... for sure it's true, it's God's Word! .... of course it's true. Well, what happens when God takes us on a L-O-N-G journey of LIVING OUT this verse? OUCH! ...... we have a choice, moment-by-moment to choose to believe this is true. I don't know about you, but I fail in this miserably and often! I am faced daily with the challenge to be CONTENT right where God has me ... in the midst of one unknown after another.

Father, how I long for you to be glorified in our lives. Help us, as a family, to live truth and not embrace fear. Help me to TRUST YOU when my heart is weary. Give us eyes to see who you are, even when we don't understand your time table. Thank you for reminding me Lord that your vision will be fulfilled, just as it was in days long ago. This trusting thing is HARD Lord. I confess my lack of trust. Thank you for your Word. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Upcoming Adoption Conference!

Be sure to check out this great upcoming adoption conference!

You can find out all about at the Together for Adoption site.
There you will also find many helpful resources and encouraging articles.

Walking by Faith

For we walk by faith, not by sight. II Corinthians 5:7

This goes against "worldly wisdom" .... and often it goes against the grain of "comfort". But what we know is that our Heavenly Father is able to be TRUSTED. He is worthy of our PRAISE. He is ABLE to carry us through. Yet how often do we find ourselves so distracted and consumed about what we can't see. We spend our energy worrying over details completely out of our control. We get overwhelmed by all the "unknowns" of life and they distract us from the things that we DO know to be true of God. Does God have you in a season of walking by faith? You can stand firm in Him, fulling believing that HE DOES SEE and know what's ahead. He is sovereign. It may not be a comfortable journey, but it will probably be one that makes you long more for heaven.

If you choose to walk this way, it will leave you changed. You will have to let go of some of the things that bring you comfort. I'm not talking just material things. I'm also not talking about blindly and aimlessly walking through life. Walking by faith takes a firm decision, a deep commitment, a focus on eternal things. It means following God's will for your life, even when He doesn't give you all the details. It means trusting Him, even when you don't have all the answers to what lies ahead. It means being vulnerable to Him and what He wants to do in and through your life. It means laying down your agenda, so that He can fulfill His. It means thinking less of yourself so that you can think more of the people and purposes that He values.

Beware .... walking by faith is anything but relaxing. It will challenge you to your core of what you truly believe. But what I can promise you, is that you will not walk alone. I don't know about you, but I find great comfort in Deuteronomy 31:6.

"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them,
for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you."

A New Chapter . . .

WELCOME! Well, we're entering a new chapter on this journey of life. Right now this new blog is looking really, really empty! Kind of intimidating. :) I suppose you could summarize the last several months of our life by one word ..... t-r-a-n-s-i-t-i-o-n. Not sure what I think about that word, honestly. It envelopes SO many things. Fear, excitement, anxiety, UNKNOWN, and unanswered questions, just to name a few. Regardless though of what we think or feel, we can be sure that the One we serve is unchanging ..... He's our rock, our fortress, our strong tower. We can testify that without Him, we would surely be sunk!

Currently we are in the process of selling our house and relocating to Illinois. While we are anxious to have our house sold and settle into our new home/life/routine ..... our hearts are heavy and sad as we think of leaving dear friends and loved ones behind. Will that all happen in one month, or one year .... only the Lord knows. What we do know is we're only gonna make it through this transition by clinging to Him.

Many of you probably followed our journey to the most recent member of our family here. Well, as that journey came full circle and we now venture off on a new one .... it was time for a relocation on-line as well. While we needed to respect our agency's parameters for not sharing much about fund-raising on our Ethiopian adoption blog, we also are keenly aware that finances are such a huge part of adoption. So we hope that at this new "on-line home" we can address some of those issues and offer encouragement to those wrestling through all of that.

If you are a family currently on the adoption journey, be sure to leave a comment and let us know where you are at in the process. It would be a privilege to follow along with you and pray for you.

Soon, we'll be sharing more about what all our new ministry/life is gonna look like. Right now, we just wanted to say WELCOME! ..... Lord willing, we'll be striving to encourage, strengthen and equip families in their journey of adoption.