Blessings-Silas

A little over 3 months ago we received our referrals for our boys. We were so thrilled on April 9th, when we first saw little Judah at 2 months...he looked so healthy and happy. He was already smiling and we felt so good looking at pictures of such a happy baby. Three days later on April 12th we received our referral for Silas. At an estimated 6 months old, he was barely 9 pounds. His picture did not portray characteristics like the healthy baby boy we had seen just days prior. We honestly didn't know how to react. We loved them both instantly, but we were so concerned for Silas. We knew malnourishment was a problem in Ethiopia but we still weren't prepared for what we saw. He was so tiny and his little body just looked so weak. He did not smile at all. In the video we received he showed some other physical concerns as a result of his malnutrition. He was taken to a doctor and had some scans done. Thankfully everything came back clear, but those days of wondering were scary. We felt so helpless. Thankfully in the coming weeks he was able to get proper care to help him gain the weight he needed to.

I had been checking every month with my agency to find out how much weight Silas had gained. As of late June, I knew he had gained almost 9 full pounds....doubling his body weight. I knew this was amazing, but it was nothing compared to seeing Silas' amazing transformation in his latest pictures from this month. 

I am proud to say this boy has some fat rolls now!! Praise the Lord!

I will say it again, I have been blown away to see God at work through this process. When we first saw this sweet baby who was so malnourished, we didn't expect to see such a happy, smiling, chunky baby boy only a few short months later. This is nothing short of a miracle. Even his little fingers are chubby! 

I just can't wait to hold these babies in October! And I can't wait to be able to show their sweet faces!

Court Date!!

Finally, I able to post something I have been waiting months for...we got a court date in Ethiopia! I really thought we wouldn't hear anything about a potential date until courts reopened after the rainy season, but some offices must have stayed open. :) I think I screamed when I saw the email. It is for October 31st so we will have to leave a few days before then. Today was the first day of school and I was a bit worn out, but I think I just got a second wind! Like I said before, changes seem to keep happening with the adoption program so please pray with us that we keep this date and that we will pass court the first time. All I want to do is hold these babies....and now it looks like that will happen in just a couple of months, Lord willing! After the court date it would still be several weeks before we can bring them home. Now to book some flights!! Praise the Lord!

Chicken Enchiladas and Mexican Rice

Derek and I shopped and cooked together this week. Besides grilling, I don't think we had ever done this before. We really had a lot of fun and everything turned out great! We LOVE mexican food and so this was a perfect dish for us to make together.

We chose to make this chicken enchilada recipe from the Food Network and it was wonderful! It was just a little spicy and the corn was such a nice touch to the enchilada. We reduced the contents of the recipe a bit for two and made a few changes. Instead of cooking chicken breasts, we bought a cooked rotisserie chicken and used about half of it (saving the rest for another yummy dinner...I love rotisserie chickens). We also only used i small can of green chilis, 1/2 - 1 whole can of poblano chilis (the can we bought was small but the sauce was HOT!). We used about 10 corn tortillas. Derek pretty much made this dish by himself...I just read off the recipe to him. :)

Then we found this recipe for mexican rice. We followed it exactly. It was sooo close to what we love from our favorite mexican restaurants. I plan to make this anytime I want mexican rice. Amazing.

Blessings in Abundance

Court in Ethiopia has officially closed for the rainy season. We didn't receive a court date and had hoped we would by now. Sometimes things seem unknown and that can be scary. It is easy to feel sad and discouraged when things seem to be moving slowly and we think about the time we are missing with the boys. But let me tell you that even though I am not exactly where I want to be in this adoption, I know I am exactly where God has planned. Despite the delays and the unknowns, I have to tell you that miracles are happening!


 When we first started this process to adopt...I was scared.
I wondered how in the world we were going to be able to afford it.
You see, I am a very practical person. I like to save and budget. And this kind of money simply wasn't in the bank account.
I read so many blogs where others advised "do not worry about the cost, God will provide"
BUT STILL
I tried to list every possible way I could think of to come up with the money to adopt. I tried to work it all out on paper, but I just didn't see how it would work out. And what if we had to replace our AC unit or our cars needed repair? What if things came up and we couldn't even save what I thought we needed to. Every time I tried to plan out how we were going to finance this adoption it looked impossible....do you notice a pattern in what I have been saying...
At some point, I finally realized that this was not about what I could do alone...I didn't need to rely on what seemed normal or practical. Others questioned how in the world we were going to do this, yet we realized that this was not a matter of what we could offer. This was about what God wanted. If I really was going to trust God in this, how could I put him in a box that I had created which was based on my"normal" expectations rather than the extraordinary? We KNEW this was a journey in our lives that we were not willing to say no to. No matter the cost.


Can I tell you how humbled I have been by the generosity of others? Can I tell you that even though I knew somewhere inside me that God would provide, I was still blown away by actually seeing it all take place? Can I tell you that when I look back at all of the details that worried me, I am so grateful that I didn't let the cost hold me back? Can I tell you that at times when my heart aches to see these two boys, I remember how God has provided (even when I couldn't see the outcome)....and I know I just have to trust him alone.


Since we started this process we have been beyond blessed by the generous donations from friends and family. These people stepped out in faith to help us bring home the children God called us to. We have been blessed with grants from 4 different organizations to help fund our adoptions costs! These grants and donations have helped us to cover all of our agency and referral fees! This has been such a miracle and blessing to us. We could not have made it this far without God's provision and the blessing we have received through these grants:


We received a matching grant from Hand in Hand Christian Adoption, an agency that "is dedicated to helping children become part of "forever" families by partnering with Christian couples to help carry the burden of the cost of adoption through matching grants and the raising of support." We are so thankful for this support.


We also received a matching grant from Orphan Care Alliance through Lifesong for Orphans. "OCA believes that caring for orphans is one of the most important commands that God gives to Christians.  This same command is listed explicitly in both the old and new testaments, which underscores its importance.  In addition, the bible tells us that God adopts us as sons and daughters when we follow Jesus, and OCA works to equip and empower individuals and churches to follow this call." This organization is based here in Louisville and we are sooo excited to continue to work with this organization to help build orphan awareness in our community and aid other adoptive families!


As both of these were matching grants, we were amazed at God's provision when He allowed us to become involved in Naomi's Fund  which is based here in Louisville as well! We have been blown away by the love of this family of adoptive parents and are so thankful to be a part of it. Naomi's Fund aids families who are adopting internationally and would not be able to do so without financial assistance. We look forward to get togethers with this amazing community of adoptive families. We also will now have the opportunity to be a part of helping to aid other adoptive families in the future through Naomi's Fund. We have been able to meet so many Namoi's Fund families who have been so amazing in supporting us through this journey and have provided us with opportunities to learn from their experiences with adoption. What a blessing!


Then just a couple of weeks ago we were awarded a grant through Show Hope. This organization was established by Steven Curtis Chapmen and his wife Mary Beth. Show Hope is named after their adopted daughter Shaohannah  Hope. Show Hope "is a ministry that enables individuals and communities to change the world for orphans by not only addressing a child’s need for food, shelter, care, and spiritual nourishment, but by also addressing the root issue for an orphan: the lack of a family." Thank you Show Hope!


Between the grants, donations, and fundraising we have raised a total of....... $22,000 toward our adoption!!! This covers al of our agency fees and homestudy for both referrals. The remaining costs we have will be for our travel to Ethiopia twice. Again, to say that I have been blown away by all of this is an understatement. All of this happened so quickly that I did not even know how to accurately express how in awe I was of what God had done for our family, for these children. Thank you to all who have supported us through this journey. It isn't over yet, but I have been shown again and again that God is working miracles everyday! Keep praying and THANK YOU ALL for helping us!

Roasted Tomato and Red Pepper Soup

As I have said before...I love cooking! It is truly something I could get lost in for hours and it serves as a stress reliever for me. I grew up watching and helping my mother and grandmother cook and I always wanted to be in the kitchen. One thing about my cooking is that I rarely ever follow a recipe exactly. Most of the time I don't really use a recipe. I glance at them, see what ingredients are needed, get a general idea of how it is prepared, and get started making changes along the way!

As I posted before, we started our first garden this summer! I must say, it has been very successful. I have picked several cucumber, peppers, tomatoes, and heads of lettuce. Right now I have an abundance of tomatoes.

So I decided to make a roasted red pepper and tomato soup. 

I found this recipe and pretty much went with it with a few adjustments for portion size, preparation, etc. This is what I did:

1 Red pepper

3 medium sized tomatoes 

1/2 of 1 large onion chopped

1 clove of garlic chopped

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon of thyme

about 1 teaspoon of paprika

a couple of sprinkles of chili powder

1/2 teaspoon sugar

2 cups chicken broth

1 cup milk

a dash of tabasco sauce

less than 1/4 teaspoon of chili sauce (or more if you like it spicier!)

salt and pepper to taste

1 Tablespoon of butter

1 1/2 tablespoons flour

How I made it:

First I roasted the red pepper and the tomatoes. I set the oven to 400 and coated the outside of the whole peppers and tomatoes with olive oil. After about 15 minutes I set the oven to broil and let the skins of the vegetables get crispy and darker. After this I took the tomatoes and peppers out and set them to chill in the fridge. Once the were cool I was easily able to peel off the tough skins and seed the tomatoes. This part was super easy.

While the veggies were roasting I was sauteing the chopped onion and garlic in olive oil til soft. I added the thyme, sugar, paprika, chili sauce, and chili powder. Once I had peeled and seeded the tomatoes and peppers (save a few diced red peppers to mix in at the end) I added this to the mix and cooked until most juices had evaporated. I added the chicken broth now and simmered for about 5 minutes.

Then I poured my mixture into the blender to mix until it was smooth. While the tomato and red pepper mixture was in the blender I added the butter and flour to the pan. This acted as a thickener for the soup. Then I whisked in my cup of milk until it was smooth as well. At that time I was able to add my tomato and red pepper mixture. As I finished I added a little more Tabasco for heat, toasted up some french bread, added a few roasted red peppers to the top of my soup that I had reserved, and a dropped a dollop of sour cream to finish it off! It took some time to make, but it was awesome! This made about 2 1/2 bowls of soup...so next time I make this  will probably double or triple the recipe so that I will have some soup to freeze for later. 

Encouragement

This has been a tough week. I am trying to wrap my head around all that has happened and stay strong. I have to admit, I haven't been very good at "staying strong" the past couple of days. It looks like there is one week left before the courts close for the rainy season in Ethiopia. One week to be assigned a court date before 2 months of silence. Our court date wouldn't be until October and it is possible it may just be for Silas if matters are not cleared up about the closed orphanages. I am praying so much for getting a court date that I am having dreams about it. I pray all the time for Judah's safety and for my friends and their sweet babies who are in the same situation. We just don't know much, and that part is hard.

My heavenly father knows how much we hurt. He hears our prayers and cries. It has been so encouraging to see how He is working even through all of this. He is working on my heart. I have been so encouraged by the emails or calls I have had from friends asking how we are doing. Knowing that the babies and us are being wrapped in prayer gives a sense of peace. I have been able to turn to scripture for words of comfort.

3 years..

This past week was our 3rd wedding anniversary. It is so hard to believe 3 years have gone by. I tried to make cake like our wedding cake and set it out with our wedding pictures. We went out to dinner and it was nice to remember that time in our lives.

We are even more amazed to look back on our lives and to see how different it is now than in the beginning. My grandmother mailed us a card that wasn't the normal anniversary card that simply paints the rosy picture...it was beautiful because it reflected that love isn't this picture of hearts and rainbows all the time. It is better than that. This first words of this Hallmark card were, "Love has little to do with moonlight and balconies and everything to do with patience, acceptance, and hanging in there"...love is about having that person to be there when you are having a bad day and who can make you feel better, more like yourself. Love is about making sacrifices and bearing through the tough stuff always. Like our vows said "in the good times and the bad". We are better for enduring both the good and the bad. Through the uncertainty we draw closer together and closer to Jesus. We share this journey.

Praying for Obstacles to be Lifted

When we received our referrals in late April we thought we would have seen our children by now. I thought that was how I would have spent my summer, preparing and traveling to Ethiopia. However we faced some slow downs and were not able to get a court date when we thought. It was a long, at times difficult 8 week wait to finally hear that things would start moving. We were then hoping we would now hear about a court date before the rainy season in Ethiopia.

 So we crossed one hurdle and felt so relieved. Then, that was crushed again about 2 days later when we got more unsettling news. Over the past week many, many orphanages in a southern region of Ethiopia have been closed. No one seems to know why but this affects over 250 children who have been moved elsewhere. They have been moved away from everything and everyone they know, which I am sure would be terrifying. One of our little babies was in one of those orphanages. We don't know what this means yet as these changes are so abrupt. We are crying out to the Lord for a miracle...that both of these boys can make their way to us.

All along this journey we have clearly seen God at work in leading us to them. Even if everything has not been in our timing we have seen very challenging obstacles lifted. We have had health scares for Silas and yet his tests came back fine. We worried about his weight and he has put on almost 7 pounds in 2 months (which was amazing for him). We have faced delays and uncertainty that in time have settled. We have heard nothing but wonderful things about where both boys were residing in Ethiopia and we are so confused as to why all of this is happening.

Please pray with us that these obstacles would be lifted. That families matched with children would receive court dates soon. Please pray that all of these children can find peace with these changes as they have already faced much hardship in their lives. We are praying for peace as well, as this has been difficult to digest. All waiting children and families could use all the prayer we can get.

"For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” Matthew 18:20

"A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling.
God sets the lonely in families." Psalm 68 5-6

"But you, God, see the trouble of the afflicted; you consider their grief and take it in hand. The victims commit themselves to you; you are the helper of the fatherless." Psalm 10:14