Dossier to D.C.

Our dossier was sent off to D.C. today. We are so excited to be done with paper work and reach this milestone in the process. We look forward to seeing what the Lord has in store for us. The only thing that has me sad in the whole process is that Natalie isn't checking the mail everyday (gee...I wonder why?). The good thing is now she is focused on answering the phone and checking voice mail. This entire process has really been a lot of fun so far. Natalie and I as well as the kids are having really good conversations, and the Lord continues to expand our heart and passion for His plan in our life. More than anything, I am grateful for that. I see Natalie and I more excited and at peace than I have ever seen before. Nothing can explain that but His providence.

CIS APPROVAL

We FINALLY received our CIS approval....our very last piece of paperwork and approval needed. We are as official as possible and so excited to be getting close to bringing children home. While we received the CIS approval well within a normal amount of time, I am so thankful not be stalking the mailman anymore:)

The kids knew that we were waiting for one last piece of paper. After checking the mail, I told them we got the paper we had been waiting for....so now that the people in Ethiopia can look for their new brothers or sisters. Our tender Caleb said, "That makes me want to cry" and he was teary and Hannah was squealing....and I started crying. Beau was excited too....quickly taking care of the final notarization and fed ex to Kate! Beau's comment...."Nat, I guess this means you won't be checking the mail anymore." I never checked the mail before, and I guess I am done now:)

The kids and I prayed after we got the letter....thanking God for His delivering this awesome news to us today and for His sovereignty in our lives.

Get together

We are hosting a dinner and dessert for any Dallas area families (adults actually) in an Ethiopia adoption program. We will be gathering at our house on October 12th at 7pm. Email me for details if you would like to join us!

New names

We obviously do not know the names of our future children....and we do not know if we will change their Ethiopian names to a more American name. We have explained that to our children each time the discussion comes up. But naming their future siblings is still a favorite topic of discussion for them. Last night Caleb said I would like to name my new brother Luke, and I thought...that is a nice one. It would fit with our "Biblical names" and I don't know any crazy Lukes that make that name a big NO. About 30 seconds later Caleb said "And if I get two new brothers I want to name the other one OB1." I just laughed...he has never seen Star Wars but is fascinated by it! Hannah chimes in after that, saying "Well if I get a big sister I will name her Rainbow"....it was a very serious suggestion. Hannah did not like me laughing about it! So we may have to stick to their Ethiopian names....we are not coming up with many good ones yet!

Watch this video

Since we have no new news on the adoption front....I can only post what I find on other blogs. James 2:15-16 says "Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? " (I know I have lacked in obedience to this command to care for others.) So I stole this video below from another blog....It is beautiful!

Sara Groves, I Saw what I Saw

Mother Theresa and Bono

I have been thinking a bit lately about two quotes, one from Mother Theresa and one from Bono. ….

"When a poor person dies of hunger, it has not happened because God did not take care of him or her. It has happened because neither you nor I wanted to give that person what he or she needed. " Mother Theresa

“There's no way we can look at what’s happening in Africa and, if we're honest, conclude that deep down, we would let it happen anywhere else -- if we really accepted that Africans are equal to us….Look what happened in South East Asia with the Tsunami. 150, 000 lives lost to the misnomer of all misnomers, “mother nature”. Well, in Africa, 150,000 lives are lost every month -- a tsunami every month. And it’s a completely avoidable catastrophe.” Bono (http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/bononationalprayerbreakfast.htm)

I am challenging myself and friends around me to process these thoughts. If I believe any truth to be found in these quotes, I know I must do something!! (And I do believe in this quote…1 John 3:18 “Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.”) Mother Theresa’s and Bono’s words are echoes of the Lord’s calling to us all. So I have been asking myself (like many I hear in the adoption world), what else should we be doing? And honestly, asking why haven't we done more in the past to help Africa's issues with AIDS and poverty? Why have we heard the news accounts and virtually ignored the issues....Why haven't I loved my neighbors in Africa as I love myself?

We are thrilled about adding to our family through adoption, but we know there is more that the Lord would have us do. We also know that we can be lured by the love of comfort, greed, materialism, apathy, laziness, self-centeredness, etc… I want to use my time, money and gifts to love others well during this lifetime!!! Knowing we can’t do everything for everyone…and we definitely can’t do nothing…so we take to the big task of seeking the Lord’s wisdom and following where He leads…We’ll keep you posted??!!?!

And here are two more pictures from today. The kids had a great time making "African Jewelry"---that was the label for the craft table. I guess they are "African" because of the colors???...not because of the yarn and plastic beads:)

Lucy's Legacy

A true test of my sanity today....We traveled to the HMNS for the Lucy Legacy Exhibit. Lucy is the oldest fossil of human bones...over 3 million years old and found in Ethiopia. We found out that the bones we saw today are the "real" ones...the bones on display in Addis Ababa are replicas. The real bones have only been on public display in Ethiopia twice before and are usually locked away for safekeeping....or shipped to Texas. My kids were actually a bit frightened by the Lucy part of the exhibit. They were unsure of what to make of the human skeleton and the big "monkeys"....and we did have a BIG discussion of evolution vs creation ahead of time:) It was a wonderful exhibit of Ethiopian artifacts, beautiful, beautiful things!

The kids were also scared of the gigantic T-Rex and other dinosaur bones...as well as the hissing roaches and the "Goliath Tarantula" (in cages)...and the butterflies "swarming" them (not in cages so Hannah was screaming).

The best part of the day was a book talk by Jane Kurtz...a children's author who grew up in Ethiopia and has written many wonderful books about Ethiopia that our kids love! Her talk was so engaging for the kids and taught us a lot about life in Ethiopia. Look up her website http://www.ethiopiareads.org/index.html Caleb and I have been brainstorming on what to bring to Ethiopia to give to the children in the orphanages we visit...our visit today makes me think about books being a great idea. They may be too heavy though??

This is Caleb with Jane Kurtz

They did like the balloon artist....but both lost their balloons. Hannah lost hers when she was dodging the "killer" butterflies:) and she was too scared to go back in the exhibit to retrieve it. Caleb lost his when Mommy popped the balloon sword because he wouldn't stop hitting his sister with it:)

Diving Contest

No news on the adoption front. We had a relaxing, long weekend. After Hannah recovered from being sick, we had a fun day riding bikes and swimming.