No News is...

good news a bummer.
I am sorry it has been such a terribly long time since my last update. The busyness of life and especially the holidays combined with the fact that we don't have anything good to really update you on has made it tough for me to want to write on here.

I do want to keep you "in the know" since so many of you have been great supporters asking about what's going on, and I know many are praying. Right now we are still waiting. Honestly, lately most days we are waiting impatiently.

We started this process almost a year ago, and at that point were under the impression we would have our new little one home before the end of 2011. Since then there has been an incredibly devastating famine and major changes to the government department that handles adoption in Ethiopia. Here we are almost a year later, and we still have a long wait ahead. In fact, we got an email Friday, and according to the way things are going right now, it doesn't look like we will bring our little one  home in 2012 either. Bummer. Really big BUMMER. Not gonna lie, we did not take this very well. Usually when one of us is having a hard time, the other is doing well. We balance each other out. This time we were both disappointed and discouraged.

We gave ourselves time to be upset. And then we were reminded our lives and plans are not our own. Our plans are not always the same as the Lord's. Even on the hard days, we have peace and confidence in Him. That doesn't mean those days don't include tears and impatience, it just means we can rest in faith and hope.

Hoops that Help!

Lots of people have asked if there is any way they can support our adoption...this morning we got news of a great way you can show us support!

Lipscomb University has an amazing program this year for their basketball season. They are selecting an adopting family for each home game to receive a grant from all the ticket sales of that game. Jonathon applied for this Adoption Rally, and we were selected! Let me say that again-we were selected!!! They picked us!!!We are so excited!!!

We will get all the ticket proceeds from the game!!!! What an incredible blessing! The game we were selected for is Saturday, December 3 at noon! They will recognize us during halftime and award our grant then! We need you to be there! Please come if at all possible! If you don't live in Nashville-tell anyone you know that does live here!

Here is a link to order tickets online or you can get them the day of the game!
http://lipscomb.streamlineticketing.com/web/section.asp?eventId=82

We got class!

Adoption classes that is!

In honor of our classes, here is a picture of Emory from her first day of "school!" Really just mother's day out that she started back in July, but she calls it school! Sorry it has been forever since my last post! Lots of busyness around here and not really any exciting adoption news.

Part of the adoption process is mandatory adoption education classes. We have been taking these for a few hours the past 3 Monday nights.  We were happy to go to these because it felt like one step closer to that precious baby! Each night we went in pumped and thrilled to learn, but came out feeling like someone had just burst our balloon.

One of the reasons these classes are mandatory is because they want you to know what you are getting into. Their job is to prepare you for the worst. Usually adoption is painted in a good light, and it gives people warm fuzzies. I am so thankful that over the years the concept of adoption has transitioned into a very positive thing in our culture, but the truth is it is difficult for all involved and there is a tremendous amount of loss.

The biggest topics we covered were adoption expectations, attachment & bonding, race & culture, and losses & gains. They gave us so many resources and information to equip ourselves and be prepared.

One of the best things to come from these classes was being around other adoptive families. These classes were specifically for international adoption, and there were various countries represented. It was so nice to be around other couples that are in the same boat! Each country program is different, but they also have a lot of similarities. We made connections with other people in our area to keep in contact with as we all go through the process!

Jonathon and I still haven't quite decided how much of our adotion story and details we will make public knowledge through this blog, but one thing is for certain-we will always be honest. And honestly speaking, we are scared and uncertain about how everything will go when we meet our child and bring them home. BUT what we are certain of is that we are called to this, and no matter how difficult the days ahead may be, we feel blessed that this is part of our story. We have complete confidence in our Heavenly Father that He will be with us every step of the way!

Tiiiimmmmee is on our side, yes it is!

Hope you all have that song stuck in your head now like I do!

We have had several people ask lately about what our time frame is looking like. First off, THANK YOU for asking and being interested. We really appreciate it! Now to answer the question-there is an average wait time of 6 to 12 months after our dossier is submitted before we get our referral! Pretty wide range, huh?

In the beginning of this process, we wanted to rush through everything as quickly as possible, and we were quite impatient. Now, we have a different outlook. Whether we get a call tomorrow or a year from now, we believe whole-heartily that the Lord has gone before us and knows who our son or daughter is. He will join us together in His timing. So until that comes, we want to use that time wisely.
If you know much about Jonathon, you know he is forever an optimist! What can I say, I guess after being with him for 10 years, he is starting to rub off on me! So here is a list of perks for having a longer wait:

-More time to read pretty much every resource I can get my hands on!
-More time to downsize things in our house to make room for another nursery
-More time to find nursery ideas! (I check hgtv rate my space everyday:) )
-More time to decide on a girls name (we have about 5 boys names we love and 0 girls we can agree on)
-More time to pray for our baby's birth mother!
-More time to prepare our hearts
-More time to talk to others about this massive, global need!
-More time to learn as much Amharic(Ethiopian language) as we can!
-More time to hopefully have Emory out of diapers!
-More time to get to know others on this adoption journey!
-More time to save money for this endeavor!
-More time to learn to fix African hair! If its a girl, I may need even more time!!!
-More time to adjust to both of us working.
-More time to relinquish control, and completely TRUST!

When you look at it that way, Time really is on our side. I need to start working on this "to-do" list!

One Month Down!

We have officially been on the wait list for one month-wohoo! That means we are one month closer! Even though technically we started this process back in January the time on the wait list is what really matters.

Jonathon and I were just saying last night that we both have such a peace about the timing of this whole thing. We know we are going to get our referral at just the right time, whether that is 3 months from now or a year from now. There is nothing that compares to peace from the Lord!

Psalms 27:14 Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord!

Bring On The RAIN!

If you have never been to a third world country, you may have never considered what it would be like to be a pedestrian nation. It is a completely different way of life. Obviously things move at a much slower pace because it takes significantly longer to get from one place to another! Of course there are some people that have cars, there are construction trucks, and some type of cab-like vehicle for those that can afford it. But overall, there is quite simply a LOT of walking! This can greatly complicate life at times.

Rainy season is one of those times. Rainy season comes every year and lasts about 2 months. Usually it pours! In the adoption world this is an important time because all of the Ethiopian courts close. That's right-the court doesn't see one case for 2 whole months! This can be devastating if you have already had your referral and are waiting for court. So most of the time, this is a disappointing time of year.

From the beginning of this process, I prayed that we wouldn't be affected by the "rainy season."Recently, my prayers have changed.  There is a tremendous drought right now in the horn of Africa. In fact, it recently turned from a drought into a FAMINE. Difference between a drought and a famine-simple, people STARVING. This isn't nearly as glamorous as Kim Kardashian's upcoming wedding, so it isn't getting the same news attention. THOUSANDS of people have died from this just in the past 3 months. The main country hit is Somalia, so most of the people there are fleeing to Ethiopia and Kenya for refuge. Some people have to walk hundreds of miles to a refugee camp, with children in tow. Praying they make it to just a little more food and water.

Now, I don't dread the rainy season, I am desperately praying for it. These people NEED the rain to survive. Please join me in praying that the Lord would BRING ON THE RAIN!

A Hug and A Punch

Most people that blog do so because they love to write. Not the case with me. Not a fan of writing and really feel silly when people read what I write. But I knew we needed a way to communicate what was happening on this journey, and this seemed like the best way to do that. For a little while we had things going on to keep you updated on, but now really we are just waiting. And its gonna be awhile. So what do we talk about.

Over these next few months I would like to use this blog to share with you a little bit about the world of orphan care that exists. God gave me this passion a decade ago, but it wasn't until the past 6 months that I have discovered others that share this same brokenness and what they are doing to help with this crisis.

There are so many amazing stories of people reaching outside their comfort level, financial means, and society's idea of normal to love and care for those in need.

"Once our eyes have been opened, we cannot pretend we do not know what to do. God, who weighs our hearts and keeps our souls, knows we know, and holds us responsible to act."-Proverbs 24:12 This Scripture has been weighing on me lately. Jonathon and I feel such a burden for these children because we have been there and we've seen. We can't go on with our lives pretending to forget. Not only are we called to act and reach out ourselves, but now we are challenged to share it with you.

Just discovered this song called "One Less" by Matthew West. Wanted to share with you the background on where this song came from. I love how he describes it as " a hug and a punch."I hope that is what this blog becomes for you- a warm fuzzy hug, but kind of a punch in the gut too!

Feel free to end this post here. Or if you think you can handle it watch this video a local church put together for this song.