Last post

I will not be posting any longer on this site but will leave it open for other's to read our journey to Felicity. I will periodically check back to see if there are any comments. Thank you to everyone who has thus far followed our journey and all that the Lord has done to make Felicity our daughter. I have been greatly encouraged at meeting many of you fellow adoptive families and I am keeping up with you :o)

Blessings!

Miranda 

PLEASE PRAY FOR STEVEN CURTIS CHAPMAN

I know I have not posted in a while, I have been working on a family site now but I really had to post this morning and ask for prayer. I don't know if you all have heard but Steven Curtis Chapman's youngest adopted daughter, Maria, was hit and killed last night. Their son was coming out of the driveway and hit Maria by accident. My heart is so grieved and I have grown in so much love for this family. HERE's the article. They were so generous toward us in our adoption, awarding us with a $4000.00 grant for Felicity. I have seen his heart for the gospel and for adoption. He has played such a huge role in adoption and the church. PLEASE PLEASE pray for the Chapman's. Pray that they would be comforted in this loss and that they would run to the Lord for strength. Pray that they would put God and his mercies on display as they grieve. Thank you so much. 

Our Baby Turns 1!

We celebrated Felicity turning 1 yesterday! It was so sweet to celebrate her life and think on all the Lord has done for us. It felt like such an honor to be the one rejoicing over her being in our home and this huge milestone of being 1 yr. old! She can't even know how loved she is or how much we desire that God get the glory for her life but our prayer is that as we continue to celebrate many birthdays this will become more and more clear to her.
Her birthday also made me think about how if she was not in our home she most likely would have had no celebration at all and yet now WE get to bless her and see this precious child, made in God's image, turning 1!

"Who is like you, O LORD, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders?" Exodus 15:11

  

  

Ministry to the Lost

“Our power in drawing men to Christ springs chiefly from the fullness of our personal joy in Him, and the nearness of our personal communion with Him. The countenance that reflects most of Christ, and shines most with His love and grace, is most fitted to attract the gaze of a careless, giddy world, and win restless souls from fascinations of creature love and creature-beauty. A ministry of power must be the fruit of a holy, peaceful, loving intimacy with the Lord.”

- Horatius Bonar, Words to Winners of Souls (Phillipsburg, NJ: P & R Publishing, 1995), 13.

What an encouragement to us to be witnesses for Christ among the lost! Our chief aim should be to be so filled with joy and pleasure in what our Lord offers us that others can't help but desire to know this God we serve. The most obvious ministry to the lost I think of is my little ones. I know I make mistakes as a mom and often show impatience and pride but I pray my children will be drawn to Christ most of all because they see a real, intimate, fruitful life of love to my Savior. Are your little ones and those God has given you opportunity to witness to seeing joy from communion with Christ and a life filled with fruit and happiness?  

Kids at Play......

First of all to those who asked about which song it was that I used on my "Faces of Ethiopia" slideshow, the song is Bethany Dillon and it is called "On our Side" from her album Waking Up. We have been enjoying ourselves and the nice weather as it comes.
I have also recently been viewing these from Mars Hill Church in Seattle, Washington. Mark Driscoll is a good teacher and has been very passionate about keeping the gospel at the core of the church. The series is called: Religion Saves + nine other misconceptions. Check them out if you like. Well here are the latest pictures of our growing brood, I hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed taking them!

* Job wearing one of Felicity's hats!

*Phinehas always seems to be smiling - especially when he's been outside playing in the mud (notice the dirt!)





* Don't you love it when your children wear underwear like a hat? Always good for a laugh until it's your own granny pannies...these, for the record, are Felicity's that go with a dress...

Day 2

We slept pretty good the first night. I think we were just so tired from missing sleep the night before because of flying. Felicity woke up once around 12A to eat and then slept until 7AM. When I woke up and the sun was coming through our windows and I could hear cars and goats. There are a lot of sherperds and herders with sheep on the streets. Well we got up and had breakfast and enjoyed getting to know some of the other families staying at the guest house. There were some families from Norway and other parts of Europe. They said it takes like 2-3 years for them to complete their adoptions - forget us complaining at 11 mos! Helen (the owner) said there are a lot of families from Europe adopting from Ethiopia. One of the little girls had been referred around 14 mos but was now around 3 I think. Can you imagine not getting your little one but having their picture so long? I am amazed that they perservere. We were the only Gladney family there at the time since the other families did not arrive until that evening. We did some shopping, I found Felicity some traditional dresses for her at this age and around 5 or so and then as a young adult. They are very beautiful. We also got the suggestion to purchase some tablecoths we could use for birthdays so we found two really nice ones. We also quickly found a favorite hot spot for coffee - La Parisienne - REALLY good Machiattos and flaky, yummy crossiants. Taffesse said when the guy opened the place he was the only shop with crossiants and people would buy them out every day. They also have something there called Caldi's. It's funny because the environment and art and logo is JUST like Starbucks but it's called Caldis. We had lunch at a Buffet and was the first time to try Ethiopian food and the Injera. It's good and the Injera is very sour but it tastes great with the Ethiopian dishes because the spices mix well with the sour. We headed back to relax at the guest house and had dinner there. They make a really good Ethiopian dish with chickpeas, theres a red one with more spice and a sweeter yellow one and you mix them and eat them with Injera. I also got a recommendation and plan to purchase a book called "Exotic Ethiopian Cooking". So we chatted and watched a little tv, the satelite tv comes in from Dubai, so that was very interesting to watch. Then we hit the sac.

*These next pics are just a few shots of the first few days with her at the Guest House. She had a fungal skin infection that was clearing up but had discolored her face. It's amazing what some good skin cream will do because her face has almost completely cleared up. It was almost gone by the time we left. *

* The dining area of the Guest House*

*Hanging laundry in the courtyard*

The Faces of Ethiopia

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

The rest of Day 1...

Sorry all this stuff is so late in coming!

So we arrived at The New Flower and Travis and Joanna wanted to know if we needed time to rest, refresh or shower. We said "No way! We are ready to meet our daughter!" They were like, "Are you sure you don't even wanna brush your teeth?" We are still hoping they weren't hinting at morning flight breath :o) We were just so eager to meet Felicity and our adreneline was definately in full swing. We dropped off the stuff and headed to the baby house. The weather was beautiful, like 75 and sunny. I loved waking up in Ethiopia, the sun would come through our window so bright and it was just a good feeling. Every day we were there was amazing weather. When we got to the baby house we sat down in the living room area that's downstairs. We chatted and then Travis and Joanna took the camcorder upstairs with them to tape Felicity coming down and meeting us the first time. They brought her to us and it was so sweet! She looked just like her pictures and she had the roundest belly (which has since started to shrink!). She wasn't too sure but she let me take her and we just got to know eachother for a little while. It's funny because you feel like you should know this person (after all I AM her mom right? I have seen her pictures...) but when they are put in your arms you realize you are just learning everything about them and it's neat. When she would start to fuss I would sing some which seemed to calm her. Paul was able to hold her without crying within a few minutes. The rest of the day she was a jewel, no crying or fussiness. She just went with the flow. She would just observe everywhere we went and what was going on but seemed really easy going. We drove around some the rest of the day kind of getting a feel for Ethiopia and looking around. We were able to get to know Travis and Joanna - some of Gladney's in country staff - a bit. They are really neat and we enjoyed our time with them. Their kids are really sweet too! We went to the local grocery store for some crackers and water. They have quite a bit of things there - baby food, wipes, etc. I think they didn't carry good brand diapers but we saw several local little shops (one by the New Flower) that had Pampers for sale. We headed back to our room in the evening and rested, rocked Felicity to sleep and marveled that our daughter was actually asleep in the same room as us!

Our First Day in Ethiopia (pt 1)

I had met another family adopting at the Mestas Family baby shower before they went to pick up their kids. They already had their referral for a sibling group of three (two girls and a boy) and at the time we were still waiting on our referral. I had not spoken with the wife, Deanna, at all after the shower (a good 3 or 4 mos ago) but Eileen informed me she was pretty sure we were on the same flights to Addis! I was excited and when we recognized them in DC. As we waited to board we were able to share all that God has done in our hearts through our adoptions. I was so thankful for all that the Lord was already doing to sweeten our journey. We kept checking in with one another through the flight and saying things like "Can you sleep?" and "What will our first meetings be like?", it was so nice to have someone else on the plane with us that was going though the same process (except for them it was x3!). I kept thinking "wow, all these people are just having a normal flight, visiting Ethiopia, or going back home but no one can tell that we are sitting here so excited to get to Ethiopia to meet our child!" We arrived in Ethiopia at about 8:30am. My sleeping was on and off through the flight and I was able to journal and pray some. It was hard for me to rest when I would think of meeting her - what would she be like? Would she like us? What was Ethiopia like? Etc. Etc. When we arrived we got in line for our visa and then made our way to get our bags. Right when you get to the belt to swipe bags through security these guys come up and grab your bags onto the belt. It happens kinda fast and your still a little confused as to why we couldn't just grab the bags and set them on the belt in front of us but these guys wanted a tip. We gave them one (100 birr- $10 US) and then he looked at us and said "for two!" so we gave him another 100 birr. I guess you are supposed to tip around 30 birr a bag. Just a tip for future travelers :o) Then we spotted Travis and Joanna pretty quickly because they were the only two white folks in a sea of black. We met our driver and headed to New Flower Guest House. This place is great! We had read a blurb of a review on another site where someone suggested the surrounding area seemed unsafe. This is crazy! There is a row of 3 houses next to eachother and each has a gate and a guard and the area is busy with people (we saw a lot of people walking the road outside the compound). There is a lot of construction in Addis, they seem to be building everywhere. You know your in Addis when you say "Oh! Our guest house is the one next to that pile of rocks" :o) Anyways, we felt incredibly safe there, really we felt safe the whole time in Addis. I can't think of a time we ever felt uneasy while being there, even when we got looks its a curious look and not a glare. The people are very very friendly. The guest House was clean and they offer a menu of food choices. We ate in a lot for only $2-3 each time You could eat Ethiopian (very yummy), fries, grilled cheese, pasta with tomato sauce which was really good because the sauce has some zip to it and is not at all like American, a tuna sandwich and a few other things.

*Balcony we shared with one other room*
*Our wonderful master room with a private bathroom (a big plus!)*

*View from right outside the guest house gate*

*Berhane, a guys who helps run the guest house. We got to know him and he was such a sweetheart!*

It was nice because we got to meet all these other adoptive families. There was about 3 other families (just in our house) with other agencies and we would all commute at night in the living room and would get to know eachother. A lot of times we would all sit around the table and eat dinner together. It was like a little family and we were able to compare, ask questions and learn a lot from others adoption experience. We are people people though, we love chatting and such so it was nice to have the option once the baby went to sleep and not just sit in the room. We really felt like we had hit the jackpot at this place and were able to interact more with the culture of Ethiopia. We got to know our guard and housekeeper (as much as we could with speaking bits of English) and was able to talk to Helen, the owner. She is Ethiopian and lived in the US for a while. She really has a heart toward adoptive families. She was very helpful and had medicines for the baby if needed and mentioned a hospital that had good care that was close by. Our bedroom was a master with it's own bathroom so if you plan to stay here I would request a master bedroom with private bath. Everyone else had to split a bathroom that was in the hallway of the rooms. They always had toast with butter, jam and coffee for breakfast. If you wanted eggs and other things you could order it. The house help was amazing! These ladies would go and go and go. If someone came in at 9:p requesting something to eat/drink they would get it, they would clean our room each day and were always doing something to keep things up. Most houses have a compound around them in Addis and in the back two rooms are attached for a guard and a housekeeper to live. We were informed they make about 600 birr ($60) a month! If you stay here, be generous and tip these sweet people. They were such servants to us. We got laundry done about 5-6 times and it was I think maybe totalled $30, and baby clothes are FREE! You could hear dogs barking at night and of course could hear the local mosque at 5 but it really wasn't that bad and we were used to it after a few nights. The walls are thin and you can hear people talking if they are standing in the hallway. We saved a lot of money and really enjoyed our stay. We got a major glimpse of all that God is doing to bring orphans into families because there were a lot of other families we met and many were adopting older children (like older than 8). We were blessed by their faith and encouraged by how God is pursuing even the older children to place them in christian homes. I guess this is enough for one post but I will post about meeting Felicity next time

YAY ATWOODS!!!

Go over and congratulate the Atwoods because they finally made it through court and are going to get Isaac! I was blessed to be able to see sweet little Isaac and take pics for the Atwoods while we were in Ethiopia and he is suich a cutie! He will fit into the Atwood family just perfect :o) Paul and I are SO happy for you guys and want to tell you that we have been so blessed to be side by side with you in this journey. Your friendship has brought much sweetness Keva and it's too bad we weren't friends before we started adopting Ethiopians! I cannot wait to see you holding Isaac and see him light up with happiness as he grows into his beautiful family. CONGRATS GUYS!

Never Go Hungry...

As I adjust to life with three, I need constant reminder that God is enough for me each day. As the newness of adoption wears off and I realize - yep I am STILL a sinner - I find myself once again at God's mighty throne pleading for mercies. He is faithful to provide them and reminds me of his goodness to me in giving me these three precious gifts. He will equip me each day with just what I need to bring him glory. May this encourage you as it has me this morning:
Taken from Spurgeon's Morning & Evening
“And his allowance was a continual allowance given him of the king, a daily rate for every day, all the days of his life.”
2 Kings 25:30
Jehoiachin was not sent away from the king’s palace with a store to last him for months, but his provision was given him as a daily pension. Herein he well pictures the happy position of all the Lord’s people. A daily portion is all that a man really wants. We do not need tomorrow’s supplies; that day has not yet dawned, and its wants are as yet unborn. The thirst which we may suffer in the month of June does not need to be quenched in February, for we do not feel it yet; if we have enough for each day as the days arrive we shall never know want. Sufficient for the day is all that we can enjoy. We cannot eat or drink or wear more than the day’s supply of food and raiment; the surplus gives us the care of storing it, and the anxiety of watching against a thief. One staff aids a traveller, but a bundle of staves is a heavy burden. Enough is not only as good as a feast, but is all that the greatest glutton can truly enjoy. This is all that we should expect; a craving for more than this is ungrateful. When our Father does not give us more, we should be content with his daily allowance. Jehoiachin’s case is ours, we have a sure portion, a portion given us of the king, a gracious portion, and a perpetual portion. Here is surely ground for thankfulness.
Beloved Christian reader, in matters of grace you need a daily supply. You have no store of strength. Day by day must you seek help from above. It is a very sweet assurance that a daily portion is provided for you. In the word, through the ministry, by meditation, in prayer, and waiting upon God you shall receive renewed strength. In Jesus all needful things are laid up for you. Then enjoy your continual allowance. Never go hungry while the daily bread of grace is on the table of mercy.

Our Little Darling

I thought I would post a few recent pics of Felicity at home and a couple with our boys. She is doing so well! Waking up once at night to eat...that belly has to keep it's shape somehow! I really think the Lord led us to the right name because Felicity is such a happy girl. She LOVES her brothers so much and gets very excited when they are driving their trucks around her. Enjoy the pics and I promise to write about Ethiopia soon. We are certainly enjoying our three little ones.

We are home!

We arrived home yesterday pretty much wiped out but still running on adrenaline from introducing everyone to Felicity and finally seeing our boys! It was such a sweet day for us!!! My family all came to the airport with balloons and hugs and videotaped us greeting everyone. Then we all went back to our house for subs while the kids played outside and everyone got to see a little bit of our new little sweetie pie. My house was cleaned and organized in just about every corner. My mother is INCREDIBLE! We had signs welcoming Felicity home as well. I know it was you Alyson & Tara :o) She seems to be adjusting amazingly well! She defiantely knows the difference between other people and Paul and myself. Whenever she is being held she looks at our faces to see if it's okay and often times wants back to us. Our flight went pretty good, it was all together about 17 hours. We didn't sleep much at all (maybe an hour put together) just because we were uncomfortable and would walk the baby around, etc. The Lord made it pass quickly though and we were on cloud nine when we arrived in DC and only had a 45 min flight left to NC. I didn't blog much while in Ethiopia because we were simply very busy and enjoying the country! We stayed at New Flower Guest House and LOVED it. I will write more about it later, but our house did not have a computer but the main house - a 30 sec walk away - did have one. It was dial up and I would have to resize every picture so we just enjoyed our time there and posted a couple pics. I will post pics from everything and talk about our amazing experience. We have fallen in love with Ethiopia, it was incredible time for us. Our boys are in love with Felicity. They want to help feed, dress and play with her and Phin even tried to wipe her nose for her this morning! I am so thankful the Lord has given grace to match all the changes that have taken place in our family. The fears and worries that can come with adoption (and sometimes occur) are washed away as I see God always couples it with his mercy.

More Pictures!

Finally a Picture!

We are ALIVE!

We are here in Addis and loving every minute of it. We got Felicity on Monday but aren't able to post pics yet as the internet has been really slow. She warmed right up to us and now, 6 days in, she is just blossoming! She laughs, smiles and holds out her arms for both Paul and I. The Lord has truly blessed every part of our trip so far. Can I just say Ethiopians ADORE babies? Everywhere we go they goo goo and want to hold her and it's very sweet. The first day we got her and she fell asleep on me for a nap and we were eating at a restaurant when a wait came up, put two chairs together and laid down a blanket for her to sleep on. Our house guard wants to kiss her head every time he sees her and says "Baby! Hallo Baby". The people are beautiful and precious. It's beautiful weather here, like 75 every day. Felicity is already sleeping through the night and is has just truly lived up to her name, she's so happy. Both of us have felt great so far other than Paul getting a little overheated one day after he played soccer for an hour with some boys. The altitude is so much higher you get really worn out when playing sports or running. The orphanages were incredible and very difficult at the same time. I am looking at our precious gift, knowing she will never be 8 or 10 or 16 without parents but seeing so many that have been living without parents for 3 or 5 or 12 years. There was a little girl who was 4, Hannah, who wanted to hold my hand the whole time and would giggle at Felicity. They say that most babies will find a home and get referred but it's the children over 2 that have a harder time being adopted. The people have nothing here but love being Ethiopian. Hopefully I can send some pics before we head home but we will see. Thanks for everyone's prayer and encouragements! We feel them :)

A Refreshing Viewpoint

This was such a wonderful encouragement regarding future fears and questions our children will have. It is a refreshing perspective that we should hear more often.

Adoptive parents can be trouble by these kinds of questions. We want to be honest but not give our children information they are not ready to absorb. We want to speak just the right words to soothe any unsettledness they may be feeling, and we want to answer their questions while also protecting their emotional security.
In the same seasons as the questions came from my son, I woke up one night to the sounds of a storm. Wind and rain pummled the house, shrieking and battering. It sounded bitterly cold. I was glad to be snuggled under a warm blanket in a well heated home. As I lay awake, sheltered from the wailing tumult outside, I thought about Benjamin's (my sons) questions and my own. Are these the beginning of an identity crisis? What kind of anxiety will our boys' adoptions bring them? How will it surface? Will they grieve because of their past? How can I best sheperd and love them through these questions and anything that worries them later?
It is comforting to lie safe in a warm, dark room wile a storm rages outside. The Blankets feel especially cozy; so does the presence of love ones safe under the roof together. My thoughts drift from the storms to adoption and back. My sons may someday be assailed by other kinds of storms, tempests of doubts and grief. Questions may batter against them. But we cam bear those storms is we encounter them while safe in a strong shelter. I can listen to the questions as I listen to the wind this night, knowing what sounds menacing does not have the power to harm. We can endure a fearsome storm if our shelter is strong.
Adoptive families of the past, encouraged by their social workers, tried to keep out the storms by conceiling theur children's backgrounds...Children might not be told of their adoptions until they were teenagers or adults or sometimes not at all. It was thought best to give adopted children a blank slate in which to begin their new life. Denying the storms might have increased their devastation when they did strike.
Now adoption professionals encourage us to talk about our childs past often and in as much detail as possible. The assumption is that there will be menacing storms, as we are encouraged to tell our children to let them come; maybe even to stand out in them. Some suggest that we ask leading questions to explore things that may be troubling them, that we tell them in advance that they may sometimes feel confused or angry.
But each childd, teenager, and adult is unique. Some are settled in their identity and feel no battering from unresolved questions. Some eperience a passing shower, mild curiosity that is easily resolved. Others are slammed hard with frightening questions and doubts. If we insist that our children will have pain and identity confusion, when some of them really may not, might that not also increase the potential power od the storms in their lives?
What if we focus not on the storm, but on the refuge? As I lie in bed, I am thankful for my walls and roof. As we sheperd our children, we can draw them with us into places protected by the walls and roof of God. He calls himself refuge, stronghold, shield, fortress, and tower - each of which suggests the same comforting shelter as a warm house during a night of storm. "I love you, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. (Ps.18:1-2). We can hide in God. We can enjoy his presence as he shelters us through the storms of our lives.
"He who fears the Lord has a secure fortress, and for his children it will be a refuge." (Prv 14:26). What a wonderful verse for adoptive parents! Right now my faith in the Lord is the refuge of my children. They are safe in upheaval because of my relationship with God. We do not need to deny or ignore the storms, not do we need to stand outside and expect them to harm us. These children share a home with us, their parents. We share a physical shelter and we share a refuge of faith. Together we listen to the storms, if they come, while together abiding in the stronghold of God. We do not need to try to conceal the storms. We can acknowledge them. But we experience the threats of wind and thinder together from a safe place.
Later, we hope the refuge of faith that shields our children will be their own...We hope our children will know that God's protection is stronger than any storm might frighten them. Perilous tempests will prove the strength of the refuge and make it even more cherished by those safe inside.
I need not fear the storms that may threaten my children. I need not have all the right answers in fearful times. I only need to be with them in the fortress, to put God between them and the storm. That God is my refuge IS the answer for my children.

Carried Safely Home by Kristin Swick Wong; Pg.158-160

A Gift Idea

I thought I would quickly post the link to International Bible Society. They have a bible in Amharic and it's is a very nice, leather, study bible. We purchased this for Felicity's birthmother and thought it would be a nice gift for anyone there. I am sure you can find bible's in Addis but it's a good gift none the less and is more meaningful.

Things I am doing lately...

Well I thought I would post a list of things I have been doing to get ready to go. I have emailed a few families who have already traveled to get their little ones and they gave me all the tips they had which REALLY helped! Okay, here's what we've been up to:

* Securing a Bassinet sat on our flight for Felicity
* Filling our prescriptibon for Malaria pills & scabies cream
* Getting my last Hep B shot
* Getting a prescription for Felicity for scabies cream & a general antibiotic
* Buying a few bottles, a formula holder and disposable liners (which everyone is saying is very helpful since your on the go a lot and don't have to wash)
* We are taking tylenol for us and Felicity along with a whole handy meds bag full of everything like cold medicine, lice shampoo, anti-fungal cream, benadryl, etc. Another family told me they don't have much in the way of over the counter medicines there and they ended up using everything they brought.
*Securing travel insurance for us all (Gladney has some options for this in the travel packet, it's not much money at all)
*Trying to contact our airline to see if we can waive our humanitarian aid fees for the luggage we will take full of stuff for the children.
*Our church is donating pens, paper, crayons and gently used clothing & shoes that we will pack. * Everyone also said to bring a TON of wipes and diapers because all the babies seem to be having mysterious "blow out" diapers :o) and are using wipes for everything.
*Buying powdered pedialyte to bring for Felicity
* Preparing for our baby shower in a couple weeks
* Trying to get at least one bag packed while my two boys run around - That's a start right?

Okay, that's all I can think of for now. Anyone else doing anything different? Am I forgetting anything??? People are also saying you can really get a lot of things if needed that are forgotten so that's good!

It's All Good Hair

My cute husband brought home this GREAT book yesterday and I wanted to share it with those in need of understanding our kids hair. It's called It's All Good Hair: The Guide to styling and Grooming Black Children's Hair.

First of all, let me just say my husband is so sweet. When we talk about doing Felicity's hair or doing different things with it as she gets older he's all about helping and he's all about learning to do different stuff. Then when he brought home this book, it was just really cute. Anyways we bought it at Barnes & Noble but I also found this site that has a lot of other books having to do with black children's hair care. I have learned a ton about different textures and how often to wash, styles, etc. I am not sure what they are doing with Felicity's hair but it's cute!

Well, we are preparing as much as we can for our trip. It can be overwhelming but I am encouraged daily that God has called me to prepare to get our little one and He has sovereigly given us this court date and therefore is going to help me accomplish all the things that need to be done in time to go. We have been enjoying our family time before we leave as we complete our tasks. I have been thinking, wow, there's a lot to pack for Felicity! Diapers, wipes, formula, bottles, clothes, shampoo and lotion, etc. It's a lot for a whole 10 days. Other's have told me there are items in Addis if we need them so that's comforting to know. We are really excited and I am trying to have self-control with the girl clothes since we aren't having our shower for about 2 weeks.

And lastly, I am sure you get sick of hearing about BOOKS but I never cease to find something that is encouraging to me in one of them so if you don't read or if your adopting and you haven't really read anything PLEASE read this book! It's called Carried Safely Home by Kristin Swick Wong. Thanks to Shelly for the recommendation (check out their site, they should get their referral any day now). It's a wonderful book that weaves the theological and the personal sides of adoption. The way the author write is so perfectly how I have felt many times in this process and she explains the mysterious way our hearts are knit together with our children whom we have never met. Here's a taste (she's talking about their lengthy struggle while adopting their first boy from Vietnam):

"We love Benjamin and are committed to him, though he is utterly unaware of it. Our love is not a response to anything he has done and is not supported by any repricocity, not even the pleasure of watching him grow and learn. Newborn babes seem to take more than they give to their parents at times, yet at least they offer a soft bundle to hold and the promise of smiles and coos to come. Benjamin has no natural or physical connection to us. At this time he can offer us nothing. Yet we have set our love on him. We have chosen him, and we will do anything we can to bring him to us. God has poured out love for him into our hearts, and we cannot move away from him.

This must be a faint reflection of the love that God our Father sets on us. God has chosen us and so we are loved, even though we may go through days blindly unaware of that love, as Benjamin is unaware of ours. God loves us because he chooses to love us, not because we have performed in any way to earn his love or because we can give anything back to him. As Benjamin has done nothing to make us love him, so we have done nothing to make God love us. Our adoption is not based on our being worhty or cute or attractive. It is based on the free and sovereign grace of God planned before the world and bought for us by the blood of Christ."

Our Cutie Patuties

Here are some new pics of all the kiddos, including a new one of Felicity. She is cute as a button! We will be heading to Addis on the 29th of THIS month! We will be able to be with Felicity when she turns 10 months which is such a sweet thing for us! Any fellow travelers out there with advice on luggage, hotel or health stuff feel free to post your tips. We are SOOO excited about seeing Ethiopia and getting to know our little girl.





Phinehas being his smiley self. He is VERY easy to get to laugh, especially when my husband is doing something silly (which is quite frequently!)

Job is getting so huge. He is such a smart boy and loves to help me out around the house. He talks about Felicity all the time and told me about a cute baby at the Y who looked like our baby from Epiopia. When I asked what made her look like our baby he replied "She was really cute and she was brown" - adorable I tell you.

We OFFICIALLY have a DAUGHTER!

Praise the Lord our court date went through without any problems!!! We are the proud parents of Felicity! My heart overflows with joy as I realize it is and has always been the Lord who has worked. Thank you so much for all who were praying for us, your prayers were fruitful and we have really appreciated all your encouraging words! We are undeserving.

Lord I am astonished at the difference between my recievings
and my deservings, between the state I am now in and my past
graclessness, between the heaven I am bound for and the hell I merit.
Who made me to differ, but thee? for I was no more ready to recieve
Christ than were others; I could not have begun to love thee had you not forst loved me, or been willing unless you had first made me so. O that such a crown should fit the head of such a sinner! Such high advancement be for an unfruitful person! ...Let wrath deserved be written in the door of hell, but the free gift of grace on the gate of heaven.
Taken from Valley of Vision - Puritan Prayers -'The Mover'

A New Pic

We recieved a new pic of Felicity from another family and just recieved another from Gladney yesterday - our girl is just edible! I can't seem to post the one from Gladney for some reason but I will work on that. We are excited about tomorrow and await any word. We will let you know how things go. I have been reading this book and it has been very encouraging. It's called Adoption as a ministry, Adoption as a blessing, by Michelle Gardner. She and her husband have adopted three childred with various special needs from China, Russia, India and six children from Ethiopia. They have an adoption ministry called Kingdom Kids. I thought I would post a snip-it of a section on Questions some people have posed.

Some Questions and Answers Regarding Adoption

"As families and churches consider ways of ministering to children who need permanent, loving families, there are several questions that seem to come up again and again. We have examined what scripture says on these issued and encourage families to be open to how the Lord might direct them.

1. Is it right to spend so much time and money on one child?

Adoption requires great resources of time and money. Sometimes people wonder if it would be a better use of funds to donate to groups that leave children in their birth counries and minister to their physical needs there.
Excellent programs, administered by groups such as World Vision and Compassion International, allow people to support a particular child on a monthly basis and ensure the chils will recieve an education and other necessities. We have sponsered many children this way over the years.

Most of the children in these programs, however, are not orphans. They live with their families, who, for various reasons, usually poverty, can't provide the child with the necessities of life. These worthwhile programs allow families to correspond with their sponsered child, but provide little opportunity to build values and spiritual truths into the child's heart. Of necessity communication is rather superficial.

If a family desires to meet a child's physical needs, this is an excellent way to do so. But if a family wants to build their convictions into a child's life over a period of years and hopes to eventually see the child accept Christ as her Savior, adoption is the most profound option possible. I encourage families to sponser children, but also to consider adoption. It doesn't need to be an either - or situation. The Lord's resources are unlimited, and we can minister to children in many different ways.

The Gospels clearly show that Christ chose to spend a great deal of His time with individuals. He ministered to crowds of people, but over the three years of His ministry He invested the majority of His time in twelve men, and eventually more time in a more intimate group of three - Peter, James and John. Both the crowds and the individuals were important, but Jesus constantly interacted with His small group as He dealt with the large group.

Similarly, we can help relieve the misfortunes of large groups of people by contributing to various ministries that work in war-torn countries and areas where natural disasters have occurred. We can also pour ourselves into the lives of individuals by adopting one or two children and giving them a desire to reach out to others. Many people have told us that our adoptions have inspired them to adopt, so we feel like our small efforts have been multiplied. "