Our Adoption Journey

Really? 9 months!

2010-12-07T14:54:00.002-05:00

I can't believe it has been 9 months since my last post. ALOT has happened in 9 months! Lets see... the most important thing...We moved. Rob is now a Sr.Pastor, the kids are in new schools and me,mom...well I am at home ALL day by myself. Which is good and at times not so good. But "the move" has been fantastic for our family. I remember walking into our new home for the first time. Each kid ran to the room they picked out. All of the newness is new to all of us, not just Yabby. That is a very good thing. We all decided together to get a dog. Well sort of, I was the last one to decide. Two things that Yabby has been hoping and praying would happen (besides the dog)Happened! She lost her first two teeth and got glasses(only for reading) all in the same month!
So that is the tip of the ice burgh...
I'm going to close so I can return to eating my bon bons and watching the snow fall:)

2010-03-14T16:19:00.006-04:00

Today was a very special day for our family. All three of our children were baptized.They all three have a unique relationship with our creator. It is so fun seeing how they are learning to listen to the Spirit and follow Him.
The pastoral staff at our church is amazing. They are our family. Each one of our children have a pastor (uncle) that they connect with. Each one was baptized by that "uncle" pastor.
PS.They love their "Auntie" Betsy too! Thanks for praying that meant a lot!

I am someones baby

2010-02-18T11:36:00.003-05:00

Before I left for my most recent trip to Ethiopia God showed me that I was to go on this trip with my mother eyes wide open. In the airports before I even left the USA I met 3 mother's. Mother's with love and dreams for their children. Two African Mom's and one Mom with an adult son and his family in Ethiopia. In this video please look at the faces of these children. Look at them through the eyes of a parent, through the eyes of a family member. These little ones are someones. Someones Princess or Buddy.
Please consider giving them hope through your sponsorship! You can contact me for details at heathersparr@gmail.com

Big Snow!

2010-02-07T15:09:00.004-05:00

We were hit with about two feet of snow and there is more to come this week!

2010-01-16T10:11:00.011-05:00

It has taken me days to write this as I finally felt like after months that I had something to say. But I still feel completely inadequate to take on this task. I compare myself to the others in my group that have been off and running since before we left and that makes me feel less than able. But the Lord keeps reminding me "It is not yours but my will be done...in My timing and under My circumstances." So, here you go. This is my offering...

Life is different. I am different.
While I was in Ethiopia I couldn't write about it. I am typically and have always been a very emotional person. But I wasn't while I was in Ethiopia. God protected me from not being able to see clearly through literal tears. I saw, smelled and experienced things that can't be done justice by pictures or words.
Do you remember holding your baby in your arms and dreaming of who God has made them to be? As they grow dreaming with them of becoming a doctor or a nurse or a pastor and seeing in them the gifts God has given them to be those things. For many parents in Ethiopia they will never be able to see the hopes and dreams they have for their children come true. Poverty brings with it death, hunger and lack of opportunity. Imagine something taking away your child's hopes and dreams. You would do everything you could to keep that from happening! I'm asking you to do that for someone elses child. My breath is taken away when I put myself in the place of my daughters first mother. Not knowing what would become of my child after my death. I have now seen both sides. I have seen what my daughter has described and experienced. Children going hungry for days, maybe having one meal a week, if you can even call it a meal. A piece of injera(bread) and some tea. Being alone in a home while a parent or care giver is at work making pennies a day. The home that a child stays in is nothing like the US. Corrugated metal, dung and sticks, dirt or rough wooden floors, rats and no in door plumbing( bathrooms or water spickets). Or taking care of a dying parent at the age of 3 or 4 years old. There is very little hope of school because even public school costs money. So, do you feed your family or send your child to school. Families make decisions both ways. Many have one set of clothing and not a complete set according to our standards... maybe no shoes(or very worn and ill fitting ones), no undies or socks or even pants. Can you imagine sending YOUR daughter to school in her fathers old big shirt and nothing else because you wanted her to have an education so badly and that is all you had. This my friends is all reality just a 17 hour flight from here!
But, I have seen how God can change all of that. When God's people give these children hope there is no telling what they can do. When you sponsor a child for just $34 a month they will go to school, eat twice a day!, have clothes to wear, have access to medical care and most importantly be told of and see the love of Christ! If you are interested in changing a life please leave your email in the comments section and I will contact you.
There is a very special place in Ethiopia that our sponsorship program will touch and it is the town of Shone. We will be working with an organization there called Look development. In the posts to come I will be giving you a clearer picture of what the partnership looks like.
If you are thinking that sponsorship isn't enough and God is calling you to something in addition and it is adoption, that YOUR child is in Ethiopia(or anywhere else) and you want him/her home, I would love to talk with you .Do not be afraid for whatever He calls you to He will provide.

Lost in translation

2010-01-03T22:32:00.002-05:00

Ah, Christmas morning!

I know I have not written about my trip yet and I'm sorry. I am still processing in my mind what God showed me. But I promise I will write about it later.
But I had to share another word that got "lost in translation". Right before Christmas my husband was commenting to me loud enough that the kids could hear," Honey, I forgot I 'll have to buy some mistletoe so you can kiss me under it!" He was expecting to gross out the kids but not in this way. Yabby exclaimed,"OOOOO,Daddy! Mommy doesn't want to kiss your stinky toes!"

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-24T20:50:00.001-05:00

more from Ethiopia

2009-12-07T22:37:00.000-05:00

Today was a very emotionally draining day! We saw God do amazing things. I know my friends and family are reading to see what I am doing but it has been very difficult to process everything I am experiencing. And it is also 2:19am here in Addis and I need to be up before six. So, here is the short version. Every place we have visited has had one thing in common. When we ask them what is your greatest need they all say food. People are really starving here. And it isn't just in the city or just in the country side. It is everywhere!
Please pray for our team as we seek to listen to the Spirit and follow His plan.

2009-12-03T17:44:00.001-05:00

Sorry I haven't had a chance to blog but our schedule has been very busy. We have visited two Orphanages since we have been here in Ethiopia. Yesterday we traveled 11 hours to a city named Kombolcha.The ride was unbelievable. The roads were way worse than PA! And our driver had to dodge people,other vehicles, sheep cpws and camels! But Ethiopia is so beautiful!
At the orphanage we meet 125 orphans who have very little. But their love was overflowing. They have such a strong desire to love and be loved. Imagine not having a mom and dad to give hugs and kisses and praises. Thats what we did all morning. Loved on these little ones. To see a child's whole being light up from a simple," Good job" on an art project.There is so much to right and a line for the dial up internet so I must be brief.
Please contiue to pray for myself and the team. For direction and the ability to love more and more.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-26T21:07:00.001-05:00

I'm testing to see if I remember how to post from my email because I will not have access to blogger in Ethiopia. But I should still be able to post via email.
I hope everyone had a blessed Thanksgiving! Last year at this time life was very different. We are so thankful to God to have our Yabby home! She is learning so many new things and having so many new experiences. Like today when she announced in shock at my sister's house, "Aunt Mandi has a dead turkey in her basement!"

2009-11-19T10:08:00.003-05:00

In less than two weeks I will be back in Ethiopia. God has been doing some amazing things in my life and in the lives of the other members of the team I am going with. He is changing us. Along with the good comes the attacks. Sickness, sin and all the distractions that keep us from our one true purpose... to love God!
My back is starting to tighten up from sitting on the floor organizing donated underwear. I've had back problems for years...but it hasn't done this in over a year. Temptations to sin are being whispered in my ear. To go back to the ways of thinking that God has healed and forgiven. They are all distractions to keep me from loving and responding to the Spirit of the Living God. To have faith and listen to His leading. It has been a life long struggle of mine. Do I do what I want or do I do what He wants me to do. I don't know why I insist on taking the lead.
It is like leading in a ballroom dance when your partner is a professional. Taking over the dance and making it look a mess. With my two left feet I pull in this direction and then that direction, then I stumble over my feet then His. But when I relax into His arms and let Him sweep me over the floor it is beautiful. It is His footwork and grace that makes the dance.
My prayer is that we can dance all the days of our lives. To relax in the arms of our Father and coopperate in the dance.

2009-10-29T11:27:00.007-04:00

Since Yabsira has been home we have learned so much about Ethiopia and her life there. If it wasn't for our daughter we would still think that the "We are the World" pictures and videos we saw in the 80's just simply COULDN'T be happening NOW. But it is. The details of my daughter's life are her's, and her's to tell. But what I will tell is that it is common to many people, especially children in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to live in conditions that are nothing like the ones I live in. Many do not have bathrooms, running water, electricity or even kitchens in their homes.(Over 80% of Addis Ababa is slums) Three meals a day(or even one) and a second set of clothes and shoes that you don't have to share can be a luxury.
When I asked my daughter for ideas of items to bring with me for the children in Ethiopia our conversation went like this.
"So, Yab. Before you went to the Orphanage, if there was one thing you could have that you didn't have what would it be?"
She stopped playing with her happy meal toy and looked right in my eyes.
"A Mommy and Daddy."
Whoa, once again a response I wasn't expecting. I felt tears well up in my eyes. Out of all the things in the world that she could have said the thing that was most important was a Mommy and Daddy.
16.2 million children are orphans in this world. Think about what that means, really think about. If you are a parent start thinking about what you do for your child. Hugs and kisses, reading stories, tucking them in bed at night, being there if they have a bad dream, feeding them, disciplining them the list could go on and on. If you are a child(and we all are)think about what a Mommy and Daddy is. Someone who loves you even if you throw up on them. Someone who lays in bed with you at night listening to all of life's tough questions and the silly ones too.Loving and being loved. The smell of your mother as she puts her arms around you in a hug. You feel relaxed and safe. But 16.2 million children grow up with out that kind of love.
So, what can we do? God has called us all to take care of the orphans and widows but not all the same way. To some He says,"This orphan is no longer an orphan, she is your daughter." To others He says take care of my children by sponsoring a child in Sierra Leone to go to school,have clothes and a meal. And to others He says, "GO!" be my hands and feet in Haiti, love on my little ones. The women of my church are collecting underwear, the Jr. highers, toothbrushes. Nothing is too small or too big. You would not even imagine how something as small as a toothbrush can make such a big difference in the life of a child. For others they are donating directly to Children's Hope chest for our specific trip to meet the immediate needs of the children and Care Centers and Orphanages we will be visiting. If you would like to do this please go to http://www.hopechest.org/ and click on GIVE and please put "Ethiopia Vision Trip" in the notes section to make a tax deductible donation.
Our team leaves in just over a month to answer the call that God has given us. Could you please pray for us so that we may be HIS hands and feet to all that we meet in Ethiopia.

"This is the best day ever!"

2009-10-25T17:18:00.006-04:00

Yabsira has been in love with the fall! The cool weather, the fire pit, pumpkins, "wollyworms", and especially the trees with their bright beautiful colors.
This morning before church we looked out the window and saw the leaves falling off the trees and I made the statement that after lunch we could jump in the leaves. Yabby made a squely girly noise.
It is so much fun because things like this are firsts for Yabsira. And what is really fun is that her firsts she can express with the words of a six year old not a small child that doesn't have the vocabulary yet.
So I was wondering what she thought jumping in the leaves was.
"Mommy, Do we climb in the branches and jump?"
"No, we rake them into a big pile and jump in them."
"Mommy, rake?"
"I'll show you after lunch."
After lunch came. And just like sled riding she got the hang of it quick. After a while she decided the pile of leaves wasn't big enough and made it her mission to hand pick every leave off the tree. She would be still out there working on it now if we didn't spot her new pet, a cute fuzzy wollyworm. The whole afternoon she had the biggest smile on her face and she kept saying "Mommy, this is the best day ever!"

My Buddy is 10!

2009-10-13T15:13:00.006-04:00

Today my buddy turns 10!
Happy Birthday, Joel!
Our son has been gifted with the ability to love more, laugh more, notice more then anyone I know. So many times we cannot believe God trusted us with such a blessing!

DIVE!

2009-09-17T09:08:00.002-04:00

I have been praying,"Holy Spirit, You are going to have to have to prove it to me that you want me to go to Ethiopia in a BIG way!"
As if my daughter coming from a place where she went long stretches of days without food wasn't enough!! He spoke through children, song, scripture, friends, websites and a very generous family that has given me the exact amount of money needed for the trip! I am so blessed and unworthy of the attention the Spirit has given me.
So, here I go "I'm divin in!!!" I will be going back to Ethiopia at the end of November. The trip will be a way to see how we can get involved in God's plan for loving orphans in Ethiopia.
Off go my water wings and pop goes the baby pool!

"Deep water faith in the shallow end."

2009-09-11T08:34:00.004-04:00

When your heart breaks...really breaks, you can never forget. It is actually still in pieces. When we left to bring our daughter home from a third world country I had no idea what I would experience. Even before we got there I knew that God wanted me to do more.
It would seem then that it would be a no brainier that when given the opportunity to go back to Ethiopia that I would jump at the chance! But I haven't. I hate the word "but" it is full of meaning that I hate. For me in this case it means distrust in the God of the universe that isn't short on protection, cash or anything else needed for His will to happen. But(Ahh, I'm using that word again!) I am afraid to dive in, to get out of the boat. At least I think that is why I can't commit to the trip. I'm afraid of how God will change me through it. It is hard when you are a selfish person like I am to let go of that behavior.
I was in the car with our three children last week(before they knew I was considering going back to ET)and I asked them"If we could do anything to help the people in ET what would it be?" Wow, I wasn't ready for their answers. Yabby told them about people living on the streets and as she told them"even babies sleep on the streets." The other two were flabbergasted! The talked about ways they could help,and they dreamed big. Then Isabelle said to me,"Mommy, You should get a team of people and go there and find out what they need and then come back and help them."
I remember thinking, Did she really say that?!
The trip I was asked to go on is exactly that! It is a vision trip through Children's Hope Chest.
"Deep water faith in the shallow end." That is from a song that the Holy Spirit is
using to change me. I need to get out of the boat, dive in without water wings! It is easy to have faith standing on the edge of a blow up baby pool.God is asking me to take off the water wings and dive in, dive in deep. Deep into the unknown and much bigger than a baby pool.
Is God asking you to dive deep? I know I am not alone out here! What is your baby pool. Where is that comfortable place that you feel restless in?

We are FAMILY!

2009-09-04T09:59:00.006-04:00

Yes, this is a shirt from 1979!lol Wishful thinking for 2009!

I friend of mine just recently wrote in her blog that "they didn't feel like a family yet." I want to thank her for saying that. So many times in and out of the adoption community we want things to look like everything is going perfect! But the reality is that we as adoptive families face many challenges that seem like any other challenges that any family would face but what in fact seems to be "typical" isn't always "typical."
Right now we are stuck in the " It is not as tough as it was but it is not as good as it is going to get." We are in between "We are Family!"(sing it Pirate fans!!) to "When are we going to feel like family?" So, I have figured out that family "feels" different in different stages of our family. Every time we have added someone to our family, the idea of what our family feels like has changed. As my friend, Candy has put it, we have a "new normal." So, I think we are on the verge of it(meaning our new normal). But that means giving up the old normal. We cannot put new wine in old wine skins as God says it. But we have been trying to do just that, which has made this transition a lot harder than it needs to be.
Some people have said(even myself at one point) that everything you have been experiencing would have happened if you would have added another biological child. Yes and No! Typical isn't always typical. We added a 6 year old baby to our family. She came with a past and a present and she was living with both. And then we come along and give her a promise of a future in Christ. That is a lot for a family to deal with. That is a lot for a little girl to deal with.
So right now we are singing "We are Family!" It doesn't sound really pretty, But in God's grace we WILL get there.

Family Pictures

2009-08-27T07:24:00.008-04:00

All summer we TRIED to have our family picture taken. And every time we tried to get our outside picture taken it rained. So finally we had a partly cloudy day so that we could get it in!
Candace and Lori at Magic Moments Photography have been photographing our family for a long time. http://www.magicmomentsstudio.com We have a tradition that on your 5th birthday the kids have a big solo portrait done. So since Yabsira turned 6 shortly after she arrived home, she had her 6 year old portrait done.

Referral-versary!

2009-08-26T10:06:00.009-04:00

One year ago today at 1:00 we saw a picture of our little Yabsira for the first time and today at 1:00 we will be taking her to kindergarten for the first time.

Soooo much has changed in one years time. From a tiny room in an orphange full of children yet very much alone to a home in a far off land where she will never be alone!

Thank you Lord for Yabsira!
Thank you for replacing her sad face
to one full of joy and excitement!
Thank you for giving her "a hope and a future."(Jer 29:11)

I've been thinking...

2009-08-07T11:09:00.010-04:00

I had to post a picture.: The girls were flower girls in our friends wedding!

I haven't posted in awhile. I've been thinking about how I would bring all of my thoughts together. And I still don't think I have a grasp on exactly how to communicate what I (and my family)have been going through since the beginning of our adoption process. It would pretty much take at book.
So these are some of my feelings that I will reluctantly gush out on the internet.
Deep breathe...hear I go...
So, from the beginning we ALL knew it was a God thing that we adopt. In the past I have said "There is someone missing from our family." I knew that when we saw the face of OUR child that she was OURS. God made it so. In my mind we were adopting OUR child. God put us together. He would give us a child just like us,right? Wrong. For some reason I thought that when God said here is your little girl that it meant that she would naturally be infused with our families genes or always had a small bit of them tucked away inside of her. I know that sounds ridiculous, but that is what I thought. But the truth is she is "like" another mother and father. That is the genetic truth.
So, how have we been working this out in our family? In the beginning this was tough, really tough. To be completely honest, I cried a lot. Her reactions and mannerisms were completely foreign to us just as much as ours were to her. Not only was there a language difference,cultural difference but also a family difference. What we were able to teach our other children from the beginning of their lives we had to start at 6 years of life with our youngest child. Our family rules, expectations and just the ways we do things. Weather the reactions of our biological children are nature or nurture (I think a little bit of both.), we can kind of predict what their reaction to something is going to be. Our son is a lot like his father and our daughter is a lot like me(yet they are still their own people). While I know that everyone has their own unique personalty despite the number of kids that are in a family(Thanks, Mandi. I've learned that from your precious kiddos:)). I wasn't expecting her to be who she is.
As you read on you will understand that my next statement is not a bad one. It has become clear to us in a much more vivid way that GOD GIVES US WHAT WE NEED NOT ALWAYS WHAT WE WANT. When we started this process we would have said boldly "We DO NOT have any expectations!"LOL!! But guess what? We had plenty of them. So, we have spent the better part of the last 7 months realizing that. Some of them have been right on and others have been dead wrong! But God has been loudly declaring that HE knows what we need. And we NEED Yabby! She has made us realize things about ourselves and our family that need to change. She has shown us that "Jesus can do anything!" She says it and lives it! She has been a huge testimony of those words to us! Personally, I have realized my flaws in parenting and myself. Wow, that part stinks. In order to become the people God has made us to be, Yabby NEEDS to be apart of our family.
So, it is seven months since our little fire cracker has come home. We are starting to see how she is "like us." In good and bad ways. And she even tells us she looks just like her big sister. So, maybe God did infuse some of our genes in her. Because in the words of Yabby,"Jesus can do any thing!"

Vacation

2009-07-10T11:33:00.008-04:00

Over the 4th of July we went with my parents and sister's family on vacation! Yabby experienced a lot of new things! From fireworks to Maryland crabs!

So much to do, so little time!

2009-06-28T23:28:00.005-04:00

Little Miss. Sassy at the beach with her big brother!

In the last two weeks...Our princess had a birthday, we had our 6 month post placement visit, went to the beach(of course without swim suits)and had VBS which all three kiddos went to and both Rob and I were counselors! Plus, the same week of VBS, Joel's team was in the baseball play-offs, Dad was coach-they came in third! Some how we fit in cleaning out the garage, which relaxes me. I know, I'm weird that way:)!

2009-06-17T09:06:00.002-04:00

A big thank you to everyone who prayed for my sister! She is home after staying 3 nights in the hospital. Her recovery has been going slow, and with five little ones it seems even slower. But praise God her husband is on maternity leave:)

Asking for prayer

2009-06-11T11:17:00.002-04:00

I mentioned in my last post that my sister, Mandi had her fifth baby last week. Yesterday she was admitted to the hospital and has two infections in her body and her heart rate isn't what it should be. She thought she would have to stay one night but they haven't been able to get things taken care of. Please pray for her and her husband ,Jason and all five of their children that Jason is on his own with.

two sisters,a baby and a wedding

2009-06-07T22:58:00.005-04:00

This week will be one our family will soon not forget!
Early this week my "baby" sister had her fifth child! She now has 1 prince and 4 princesses!(ages 7,6,4,3 and a new born)She is a fantastic Mom! She manages to spend special time with each of her children and make them feel special.
At the end of the week my other sister was married! It was a really fun day! Yabby got her hair done and was thrilled. My entire family was involved in the wedding. I was a brides maid, the kids read scripture(Yes,even Yabby.She memorized "Love is patient." and Rob preformed the ceremony. My sister looked beautiful and now they are relaxing in Hawaii!

PS. Oops! Up until I saw our traveling buddies blogs announcing they have been home for 5 months I thought it had been 6 months. I'm losing track of time! So, ignore the post from a month ago when I said we were home for 5 months...it was actually 4! Which makes Yabsira's progress even more amazing!!

Who would have ever thought?

2009-05-25T09:54:00.006-04:00

THEN....

AND NOW....

Can you believe it?! These two pictures are taken in the same place, just 13 years apart!

Today is our 13th Anniversary! In the short time we have been married our life has changed so much! It has been a wild ride with a lot of ups and downs. But there is no one in the whole world that I would rather ride this roller coaster with that my sweet husband. I am so blessed that God has let me live this life with him. Knowing Rob has changed my life and given me confidence to be the person God has made me to be. And if you ask him,that is all God and not him.(I love that about him!)
Our life has taken a lot of twists and turns. Thirteen years ago if you would have asked us we were going to be Youth pastors until we were 80 and then volunteer! Maybe have a few kids.(or not) I love that God has done the unexpected in our lives. That life would have been good but it wasn't the one that our creator has intended for us! Seminary and 3 children later,God has done much more than we could have created in our dreams of the future! We could never has predicted how God has changed us.

"Mommy, I do not want to talk Amharic."

2009-05-22T09:26:00.005-04:00

Yesterday we went to a wonderful Ethiopian restaurant! Yabby was so happy! I really had to watch how much she ate because I learned from a previous experience that Yabby plus a lot of Ethiopian food equals puking girly in the car! The smells and food were so familiar. The cook (I'm not sure if he was the owner?) was so sweet, his hospitality made me long for Ethiopia. He sat and talked with us and came out a few times to see if everything was OK. He walked us down the street to our car carrying our left overs!(I can't believe we had left overs!)
Despite our wonderful time,Every time the cook would come out Yabsira would hide under the table. When he would leave she would come back out and she told me "Mommy, I do not want to talk Amharic." I told her that was fine. It was up to her.

Lately she hasn't wanted anyone to know she is Ethiopian. Her sister mentioned it to a waitress at dinner last week. Yabby pulled me aside and asked me to tell her sister not to tell people she is Ethiopian. She isn't crazy about her hair right now either. She wants straight hair like Mommy. And I tell her I want curly hair like Yabby!(I was a teenager in the 80's, It is in my blood to want big hair!) We tease that we should switch hair. So we put my hair on her head and look in the mirror and laugh.

Honestly, I knew this was coming. We look different and she is very aware of it. I know she loves Ethiopia, WE love Ethiopia. But that isn't the issue. Our genetics are different. And she wants so badly to look like us. So this is one of the many discussions we have had on the subject. We tell her how beautiful God made her and how creative He is. Yes, in some things we look different but in some ways we look the same. Like you have the same eye color as Daddy, Joel and I, And the shape of your eyes are like mine and Belle's. And I can only imagine how beautiful your Ethiopia Mommy was, I bet you look like her. Both of those things are helping. Bringing together her past and her present.
Our next discussion will be on how our insides are more important than our outsides. But right now the outsides matter to her. I praise God that He always meets us right where we are at.

A little funny story about our Princess!

2009-05-17T13:51:00.003-04:00

A few weeks ago Belle came to her Dad looking pretty upset. He asked her what was wrong and she said heart broken,"Daddy, we missed Star Wars day!" Can you imagine if you realized you missed a holiday!(especially if you are a kid!) Of course Rob was a little confused. "What do you mean by "Star Wars Day?" he asked. "You know Daddy! May the 4th be with you!"
I'm just glad we caught that one before she started to explain that bit of American culture to her Ethiopian sister! Yabby already thinks we are a little wacky because a giant rabbit brings her a big basket full of candy!(What will these people think of next!!)

Busy Week

2009-05-12T12:43:00.008-04:00

We had a busy week! We were "flocked" by our Youth Group. It was a fundraiser for there mission trip to St.Vincent this summer. Our kids thought it was so cool and I saw quite a few of our neighbors driving very slow in front of our house. "It's OK folks! It is just us,the crazies with Flamingos in our yard! And yes, they will go away very soon:)"
On Saturday we had my sister's bridal shower. It was a lot of fun. All of the nieces are in the wedding,5 including my two. (Plus the 2 nephews should prove to be an interesting wedding day!) The girls were a big help at the shower. They all had a job and did them well. Here are some of my favorite pictures!

And last but not least Mother's Day. We attended our new Family oriented service at church and it was a lot of fun. My heart filled when I saw my new daughter with her eyes closed and arms raised singing "Blessed be the Name" at the top of her voice. And the other two surrounded by the church family discussing who their family was in Christ. And my dear hubby preaching with his heart open wide. It was a great Mom's day! The picture at the top is of my and my girls hands. We got tattoos at church that said "Mom rocks". They where so cool.

PS I almost forgot some really exciting news! Tom Davis raised $12,500 to send formula to our Transitional Home in ET!!! Praise God! Many lives will be saved!

Honor Your Mother and give a child life!

2009-05-06T14:25:00.008-04:00

We were wondering this Mother's day, what to get our mothers who have everything! In honor of our Mom's who give so much we are sending formula to Ethiopia. I had mentioned before we went to Ethiopia that there was a formula shortage. On some levels I understood that...but when I saw the results...It cut to the core! I saw babies lying in cribs with tiny little bodies with IVs hooked up to them. Other babies that weighted only 7lbs. and they were 8 or 9 months old! Then since we have been home our little one tells us about times when she had "very,very no food."
This gift will give life!

Just click the blog button of little Zoe on the top right hand of this page to find out how you can donate.

The money raised will go to THE very Transitional Home that Yabby was in! In the article below,our sweet family coordinator,Duni is quoted!

URGENT NEED: Forumla Needed for Malnourished Babies in Ethiopia

UPDATE: You've given $6,110 to send formula as of 10:30am on May 6. We can now send at least 200+ cans of formula! Keep it coming! We've got new blog buttons for you here.

Famine and poverty are increasing the rates of malnourished infant babies in Ethiopia. Children's HopeChest has worked with the America World Adoption Agency (AWAA) on projects in Ethiopia and Russia over the past five years. This request came to us from their transition home where they are receiving severely malnourished babies into their care. This month, in honor of mother's day, I want to raise $12,500 to provide specialized baby formula to this transition home for these malnourished babies.

To kick this off, a friend of Children's HopeChest has offered a matching gift for the first $500 we receive toward this project. [We met the match on day 1!]

Here's a view from the ground from Duni, an Ethiopian woman working for AWAA at their transitional home:

Even though I grew up in Ethiopia, I never knew just how badly babies suffered from malnutrition until I returned to Addis and started working at the AWAA office there. The children at our Transitional Home come from very remote areas. Their families are unable to feed themselves let alone their children and usually relinquish them to their local orphanage when it becomes evident their children will die if they don't.

It is hard to see malnourished babies, so tiny, with just skin and bones. I remember the first one I saw, we will call her Gracie. She looked like an old woman in a baby's body. She had big eyes that seemed so wise and testified to what they have seen in the short months Gracie has been alive.

That was a few months ago, since then we have admitted many more babies in such condition. And looking at Gracie today, I can't believe she is the same baby. I knew she was a beauty but it really came out once those cheeks filled up. She is still tiny but the pound she has gained in the past week has made a world of difference in her appearance.

I look at the others and feel the same way I first felt with Gracie, dejection and fear that she may never make it. The right type of formula for such babies is hard to come by. In fact any kind of formula is expensive and hard to come by. We have babies who need this today so we work tirelessly to get the best formula possible for malnourished babies shipped from the US.

It is not fair for a baby to have sad eyes like Gracie's or for a baby to cry out of hunger and not have that need met.

Worse yet, it is not fair for a baby to die because of malnutrition. And yet, that is what happens daily in Ethiopia. Today, I am praying for the babies lying still in their cribs. I am praying I will see them feed soon (they are now on feeding tubes). I am praying that their tiny lifeless legs will slowly fill with flesh and will wiggle and play like normal babies do.

Here's what we can do to help. CHC will raise $12,500 to purchase what is known in the U.S. as "Nutramigen" formula. This type of formula is necessary because traditional formula cannot be digested by malnourished infants.

You can participate by making a gift of any size. A gift of $30 will buy and ship one can of formula to the chidlren in need. Right now if you give $30 it will be doubled to $60! The first $500 we raise will be matched dollar-for-dollar. If we hit our goal, we can send 400 cans of formula to starving infants in Ethiopia.

Five months

2009-05-04T15:07:00.004-04:00

We have been home with Yabby for 5 months now! Just about every medical problem is gone! For the first four months I think we were at one of the four doctor's office at least twice a week!
We are all amazed at Yabby's English! Her preschool teacher reported to us a couple of weeks ago that she loves to talk. Considering her big sister loves to talk too...our house is never quiet! Add in a loud big brother and a Dad with a big voice and well, you get the picture. Can you imagine dinner time at our house?
I think we are starting to get into the groove of the new normal. Everyone one has adjusted pretty well. Considering Yabby was pretty much an only child and Isabelle was the baby. We have had to help them find their new places. We are still working on it but things have seemed to calm down. So the adventure continues...

New Life

2009-04-13T10:47:00.011-04:00

My mother-in-law looked over at Yabby sitting on her Daddy's lap at church and she looked like a princess. The drastic contrast from the first picture we have of her has not been forgotten. Her sad little face and receding hair line. It is amazing how a lot of love and good nutrition can change things.
On Good Friday as I was putting her to bed she started with a long list of "Why" questions.(We are in the "why" stage right now) "Mommy, Why Adam and Eve eat apple? It yucky and dirty?" "Mommy, Why Jesus die on cross? I die instead of Jesus!" That was just the beginning! Just then God spoke to my heart. This is part of why you are her Mommy-You are to help her with these questions. This is why she is in your family. I often struggle with why our family and not another. I'm not sure if I have the insight or knowledge to be her mother. God gives me those moments and reassures me that it WILL be OK and that HE will give me what I need to be her Mommy. She is a very complicated little girl with a complicated past.But I have learned so much from her. If only we could have the compassion of Christ that we would feel so passionately like Yabsira that it would make us so sad that we would want to take His place because we love Him so much. Of course I explained to her why Jesus had to die in her place- But I love the way she loves Him.

This last picture is Yabby sitting with her Grandma and Papa at church. It is such a blessing that after many years of being away that Rob can serve in the church he grew up in. The kids go running when they see grandma and papa at church!

Our first family trip

2009-04-08T09:25:00.006-04:00

We went on our first little family trip since Yabsira has been home. We went to a friends wedding in Virginia that Rob was preforming and we stopped at some old friends home on the way.
We had a great time visiting our old friends. Our children are around the same age and Joel and their oldest daughter were each others first friends. The kids got along great and it was fun to catch up on each others lives.
Even though we had a long trip in the car the kids got along crammed in the back seat. The only thing we didn't expect is that Yabby gets car sick! It is only by God's grace that I had a couple of Ziploc bags that were easy to get to. Poor little girl didn't understand why she didn't feel well...she kept blaming the granola bar she ate.
Our friends wedding was beautiful. The bride was gorgeous and the groom was beaming. The girls loved getting all dressed up. Yabby now refers to her dress as the married dress. It was also good to visit with more old friends at the wedding. Isabelle and her "first friend" won a dance contest and got a giant lollipop as a prize.
We started to get used to the warm weather of the south so it was shock to our system when it stared snowing when we got home!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2009-03-17T18:53:00.008-04:00

It is getting warmer here so we decided to break open the fire pit for the season. As you can see Yabsira had her first smores! She tried one the traditional way and then she decided "no chocolate!" So,I had to eat her chocolate...I can never let chocolate go to waste!

WE ARE PRAISING GOD!!!

2009-03-06T11:51:00.003-05:00

Today we found out that Yabby's best friend from Ethiopia passed court! She will be living in the U.S.A. and I have been in touch with her sweet Mom and we plan for the girls to keep in touch. Yabby is beside herself with joy and can't wait to talk with her BFF on the phone.

We are still alive!

2009-02-28T23:00:00.003-05:00

Another month has almost past and I really didn't think life could get any busier that it already was! Was I ever wrong! I have been to the doctors office at least twice a week since Yabby has been home. Mainly the visits have been for her with one of the rest of us sprinkled in every once in a while. From giardia to ear infections and everything in between. We are praising God that nothing has been serious.
Yabby is very, very, very loving her family(as she would put it:). She has a new favorite song. It is a Toby Mac song and I'm not sure the name of it. But it melts my heart when I hear her sing it. The chorus goes like this...sort of..."I love my family. God bless my family." It is in the cd player in my car and to her brother and sisters dismay she sings it loudly even after the song has ended.

My girls

One Month in America!

2009-02-03T09:49:00.005-05:00

Did one month really go by?! It is fun to reflect on a little girl who had never used a straw before that is now playing the Wii with her brother and sister.
Rob and I have often used this analogy to gain perspective. It is like we started reading a novel a third of the way through. We aren't sure how it started. We are figuring out the plot as we go along. As we keep reading the plot becomes a little clearer.
I know we will not completely figure her out. That is kind of a joke in our house...When Joel was one week old I said to Rob, quite confidently,"Go to work! I need to figure him out!" Every year on his birthday Rob asks me laughing,"So, have you figured him out yet?"(sorry,I think I have told this story before:)) The same goes with Isabelle and Yabsira. God is the only one who knows them completely. So, we need to constantly be seeking Him on how to raise them. After all, He knows the whole story!
THEN

AND

NOW

Happy Birthday Yabsira!

2009-01-26T21:33:00.003-05:00

Yabby's Birthday was a blast! And thanks to Grandma and Papa Brown she thinks all cards sing and have a dollar in them. She got plenty of toys but one of her favorite gifts was from Aunt Brenda...two mangoes! At preschool she got a really cool birthday hat that she insisted on wearing while we did our errands! So everywhere we went people wished her a "Happy Birthday" and gave her candy! At the bank they even gave her a big bag of stuff. She was in heaven!lol What a great first birthday in America!

YABBY

2009-01-22T16:42:00.008-05:00

When we found out our daughter's name, I thought it was beautiful! Yabsira means "the work of the Lord"! And she certainly is! Before she was home I would let everyone know her name. "Her name is Yabsira," I would say,"But you can call her Sira." It was so sweet and lovely,sigh.
Don't get me wrong, I still think our daughter is sweet and lovely. But our little one is a firecracker! She is fun and silly and has enough energy to power the whole eastern sea board, so... She is Yabby! It comes out so easy and is very fitting.

SNOW!

2009-01-20T12:42:00.004-05:00

Yabsira is fearless! She loves the SNOW! Or as she calls it"ICE!" Her Dad has tried to explain to her by holding snow in one hand and ice from the freezer in the other the difference between snow and ice. But she protests and says "NO, ICE!"
This picture was taken when the weather was a little warmer. Joel and Isabelle only had to show her once how to use the sled and zip,she flew down the hill! It was pretty trying to get her to come in!

Week 1

2009-01-10T16:18:00.006-05:00

A lot of ups and downs this week. Here are some of the ups.

We are home!

2009-01-04T17:39:00.007-05:00

It seems like we were in Ethiopia a lot longer than one week. When we arrived at our last airport on a very long journey our family and friends were waiting for us at the end of a tall escalator. They welcomed us with balloons signs and a lot of love!
Yabsira fell a sleep on the way home from the airport and missed a welcome home party. She was so tiered we couldn't wake her up!
I don't have time to write more right now. But please enjoy some of our pictures.

2009-01-01T10:33:00.000-05:00

Happy New year! Last year at this time we didn't even imagine we would be celebrating in a Pizza shop in Ethiopia listening to Jonny Cash!lol

Today was a great day. Yabsira is like a sponge. She has learned so much English and she understands alot of what we are saying also. One of her favorite things to say is "I love you Daddy!" She is very sweet and full of ENERGY!

Robel our guide took some of us to do our last minute shopping. We met some of the homeless children he sponcors to go to school. It costs money for everyone to go to school here. So many of the children never get the opppertunity to go to school.

The Tennants and Savages left to go home this evening. Please pray for their LONG plane ride with their little guys and that there are no delays.

This will most likely be our last post in Ethiopia. I think tomorrow will be interesting. We will post when we get home.

Again thank you all for your prayers and support!

Heather

2008-12-30T12:02:00.000-05:00

Hi, It's Rob (my first post on Heather's blog) she is busy putting pj's on Yabsira.

What a great day! We went shopping and got to dicker over stuff -- it is amazing how a sweet look from Heather can save me 50% on something. The US dollar equals 10 Ethiopian Birr so we bought a ton of stuff for about $40 American money. I am going to look at soccer jerseys at some point, but I know that they are about $40 American.

Then we had Pizza -- It was at a place called Ricos (not very Ethiopian) -- and then we went and got Yabsira, went to the US Embassy to get her Visa, went back to the transition home to play, and she said goodbye to her friends there -- while it was sad to see, she wants be with us -- and it was quite clear by the way she clung to us all day, smilied and laughed.

We got to meet her teacher, and we got to see the school work that she has been doing. She can knows and can write the alphabet, and can count to 10. She is picking up on words very quickly. We are really considering for her to spend some time in the MPC preschool if she can for the rest of this school year -- she is ready. We see it, and her teacher sees it.

We brought her back to our hotel room, and Heather gave her a bath after she let her pick out some clothes -- she picked out one of her big sister's old, but favorite outfits, and matching underwear -- you could imagine how excited Heather was. She got a bath, and it being the her first time using a bath puff she scrubbed herself 4 times, while she laughed.

After she got clean and dressed, we sat and watched a video that her big brother Joel and big sister Isabelle made for her being tour guides of our home. You should have seen how big her eyes got when she saw Joel open our refrigerator full of food. She is ready to have a brother and sister! I can't tell you how just being with her for the day let Heather and I both see that she was made for our family. She is so much like Joel and Isabelle that we know that they will bond very quickly.

We went to dinner, and she had Ethiopian food, and she ate, and ate, and ate, and ate, and then she wanted to go "home" -- our hotel room -- and she had her first Twizzler! She didn't know what to think at first, then she smiled, and wanted to share it. Sharing, Hunh, what a concept.

So it was a great day. She knows when to use the toilet, that is what she says when she need to go, already knows how to put lotion on her body, and folds her napkin after she eats.

A few other things that would help you understand our experience. There are no traffic laws here. I asked why, and I was told that since Ethiopia is a democracy, they are free to drive anyway that they want to.

The people go out their way to make you comfortable. They are courteous, and kind. I was asked by the hotel manager how our stay has been, and when I said great, he kept saying "really"? They want to serve us.

I have had the best coffee of my entire life. Since this is the birthplace of coffee they know how to make it the correct way. We bought one of their coffee pots to take home. I was told that one judges whether a women is worth marrying based upon their coffee.

So keep praying for us. We are excited and can't wait for you to meet her!!!

We would love to post some pictures, but the dial up internet, that can only be used in the hotel lobby, is too slow here.

Today was THE day!

2008-12-29T14:40:00.001-05:00

We met our sweet little Yabsira today! She is so precious and very smart. It is so hard to describe our first meeting with her. She is so loving. She was holding our hands and giving us pecks on our checks. At one point I needed to finish some paper work so Sira and Rob where sitting on the front steps talking and singing and Rob pointed at himself and said Dad(we were doing that with her all day) and then Yabsira looked at him and said Find Mom. They came and found me. I cried. I wasn't sure how she would react to me. But now I know, she knows I am her mother.
We had such a wonderful day. I still haven't processed everything.
We played with all of the children and had such a fun time! The children at the Transitional Home are amazing. They are so special!
Rob and I have been forever changed. But that will have to be for a later post.
Please pray for good health for our family, the Tennant Family and the Savage Family. And that tomorrow will be a smooth transition for the children and the parents. Thank you.

We are here!!!!!

2008-12-28T02:54:00.001-05:00

Hello Family,

Well after 24 hours of traveling we are finally here -- Pgh. to Newark, New Wark to London, London to Rome, and Rome to Addis. We stayed in this rent by the hour (not what you think) kind of futuristic hotel in the London airport, so we got a little bit of sleep, but we are exhausted.

Addis is a unique place -- there are zero traffic laws, signs, etc. It kind of reminds us of driving in Cranberry.

We will spend the day resting today, and will go and meet Yabsira tomorrow.

We will do our best to post the adventures of each day on Heather's blog. It is only dial up internet here, and we just found out that the only place that we can use it is in the hotel lobby -- arrgh.

We did have a moment of church today -- As we watched the sun rise from the airplane, we were listening to David Crowder sing All Creatures of Our God and King -- My MP3 player provided the music, The Lord provided the rest -- It is amazing how He still delights in showing us His indescribable Glory!

We can feel your prayers and we miss you all, especially Joel and Isabelle!

Be God's,

Rob and Heather

We leave TOMORROW!!!

2008-12-25T20:12:00.001-05:00

We found out on Tuesday that we were leaving on Friday instead of Saturday! This will be my last post from home! When we get a chance we will keep you all updated from ET!
I can't believe we will meet Sira on Monday!

ONE WEEK!!!!

2008-12-20T22:34:00.002-05:00

I'm getting goose bumps just thinking about it! In ONE week we will be leaving to bring home sweet little Yabsira!
The past two weeks have been so full! Not only did we get everything ready for Christmas and a trip to Ethiopia but my back went out(it's a Christmas tradition,lol),I had Strep,Rob had bronchitis and something else I can't spell. Praise God,the kids have been healthy although I'm pretty sure they are the carriers.
With one more cleaning the house will be as clean as it gets. The packing isn't near completion but I have a schedule for that. All will get done and if it doesn't "Oh,well." I have decided to relax and enjoy the last moments of life as we know it.

You Know You Should Adopt If...

2008-12-13T10:13:00.004-05:00

I posted this in April and I still can't read through it without crying! It cuts deeper now.

This is our referral picture. The first picture we had of Sira (Yabsira). (8-26-08)

1. The fact that there are 143 million children without a parent to kiss them goodnight has made you lose sleep.
2. You realize DNA has nothing to do with love and family.
3. You can't watch Adoption Stories on TLC without sobbing.
4. The fact that, if 7% of Christians adopted 1 child there would be no orphans in the world, is convicting to you.
5. You spend free time surfing blogs about families who have experienced the blessing of adoption.
6. It drives you crazy when people ask you about adopted child's "real" parents.
7. You have ever been "pregnant" with your adoptive child longer than it takes an elephant to give birth.(2 years!)
8. You had no idea how you would afford to adopt but stepped out in faith anyway, knowing where God calls you He will provide.
9. You have ever taken an airplane ride half-way around the world with a child you just met.
10. You believe God's heart is for adoption.
11. You realize that welcoming a child into your heart and family is one of the most important legacies you could ever leave on this earth.
12. You know what the word "Dossier" means, and you can actually pronounce it!
13. You have welcomed a social worker into the most private parts of your life.
14. You shudder when people say your child is so lucky that you adopted them, knowing full well you are the blessed one to have him or her in your life.
Author Unknown

If this makes your heart ache...pray! Does God what you to adopt? Does He have another way He wants you to take care of an orphan? Pray...He WILL show you! But I have to warn you,it is a wild ride! But worth it 100%!

2008-12-12T15:59:00.001-05:00

I'm testing out our email to blogger. We won't have access to blogger in ET. But we will have access to email.

Theme Music

2008-12-08T11:18:00.007-05:00

Have you ever thought that there was one song that if you had to name it,it would be your theme music? When you walk into a room it is blaring.
So I've never really thought about it until...Starting the day we passed court every time I turn on the radio the first song or the second a certain song plays. Rob didn't believe me until the last few times we have been in the car together it comes on! As I was thinking about writing on this blog I had K LOVE on. And guess what? THE song came on!
So here is the song and lyrics that God wants me to hear continually!

A New Hallelujah
Michael W. Smith
Can you hear, there's a new song
Breaking out from the children of freedom
Every race and every nation
Sing it out, sing a new Hallelujah

Let us sing love to the nations
Bringing hope of the grace that has freed us
Make it known and make Him famous
Sing it out, sing a new Hallelujah

Chorus:
Arise, let the church arise
Let Love reach to the other side
Alive, come alive
Let the song arise

Africa sings a new song
Reaching out with a new Hallelujah
Every son and every daughter
Everyone sing a new Hallelujah

God is trying to tell me something!
For the last two months I have been distracted. Detracted from His plan and purpose for our lives. Rob and I have had some weird things happen to narrow our view. And not in a good way. We are so overwhelmed to know that God knows us inside and out that he would know what would refocus us back to Him and His plan! Praise God!

So if you haven't figured it out by now ... We passed court!

2008-12-05T09:56:00.005-05:00

So here's the whole story...

On Tuesday we received a call from our adoption coordinator Duni telling us that there was a major snag in our adoption. We found out that it was Yabsira's step father who signed her relinquishment papers, and the courts said that they needed a blood relative to sign the papers. Meaning that they had to conduct a search. You can only imagine the worry and struggle that we went through. If they couldn't find a blood relative the court would give the orphanage guardianship of Yabsira. If we didn't pass court we would have to wait until the end of January and probably traveling in February. So, we were frustrated, worried, and just plain sad.

So we decided to fast and pray on Wednesday -- Why give up hope when our God is much bigger than all of this. We also were blessed to have a large group of friends and family fasting and praying with us. Rob was even prayed over by our intercessory prayer team, and the Holy Spirit was felt. How good it is to be supported by so many.

Early Thursday morning, I was awoken around 3AM and was let to pray. We have no idea what was going on across the world from us -- it would have been noon there. We found out that many people from our Travel group were awoken around the same time to pray. Two of them woke up with Yabsira's name in their heads and were praying for her -- though they didn't even know the full story.

My day was filled with time with my friends. Breakfast with Marlene,then helping Betsy with her business for the rest of the day. I'm not sure if they planned it, but my sweet friends were keeping me busy so that my mind wasn't continually worrying about what was happening with my precious Yabsira! So, we were completely surprised when we received a call from Kristen,the TRAVEL coordinator,saying that we PASSED COURT!

We don't know what exactly happened. We wouldn't be surprised to find out that all of this was happening in Ethiopia when I was up at 3AM. We hope to find out, but even it we don't all we know is that a miracle happened. Praise God for listening to the prayers of His people.

We were also reminded during all of this how loved we are by so many. Our daughter already has a big family -- None of us are her "blood" relatives in the eyes of the world, but in the eyes of God -- we have always been.

God Specializes in the Impossible!!

2008-12-04T14:47:00.002-05:00

INTRODUCING......
YABSIRA BRENDA SPARR

2008-12-03T15:31:00.002-05:00

We received a call from Duni yesterday. It was not the news we were hoping for. It seems that there is a situation that has come up with our adoption that may prevent us from traveling next week or even in the next few months to bring our princess home. It doesn't seem that our court date was yesterday,which in our situation is good. But if the situation does not get worked out by the end of the week we will not pass court this second time. So, we ask for prayer that God does what is impossible for man but not for Him.
Also, please be praying for the Kulp and Semlow families as they did not pass court yesterday. And for the other 8 families in our travel group that have not heard a thing yet.

Please Pray

2008-12-01T10:20:00.003-05:00

It is our understanding that tonight while we sleep, it will be the day of our court date in Ethiopia. Please pray that all of the paper work that needs to be there will be and that the judge will grant us favor so that next week we can go to ET and bring home our precious Y!
It was two Christmas' ago that God laid the importance of adoption on our families heart. Our little girl started to grow in our hearts two years ago and we now hope God brings our family to completion this Christmas!

Pretty in Pink...and green

2008-11-25T09:10:00.005-05:00

My sweet little sister has requested "Please update your blog!" So I'll give her something while she is taking care of four puking kids.
Isabelle and I have just finished little Y's bedroom and as you can see the girls in our family love pink! We even think Y does too because just about every picture we have seen of her she is wearing pink! Oh, I need to give a BIG Thank you to my beautiful friends, Beth and Marlene who helped me paint Y's room!!

Today I was really convicted by a scripture I read this morning on our YG prayer list.(Thanks Kim!)
Jesus said,"If? If there are no "ifs" among believers anything can happen." Mark 9:23 As I have said before I have grown comfortable waiting. But in my mind I've realized it isn't about waiting, it is about disappointment. "IF" I think the worst then I won't be disappointed when we don't pass court. But the "Ifs" need to be replaced with "when." Hope is such a precious thing. It can change everything! So..."When" we pass court on December 2nd I will post pictures and Y's name!:)

Pictures, Pictures and more Pictures!!!

2008-11-11T09:48:00.002-05:00

Sorry, I can't share them with you just yet! I hate it when someone does that to me. But just let me tell you...She is absolutely stunning!!! Her smile lights up a room! Rob said it is bad enough that Isabelle has him wrapped around her finger; his youngest daughter does too!!
Friends, It is getting harder and harder to wait! With every new picture and update we see more of who she is. And she is beautiful. I want so badly to hold my daughter in my arms. That time will be soon. Praise God!

Peace.

2008-11-03T15:13:00.002-05:00

God is so good! He has given us a great peace. His purpose and plan is perfect! Although we aren't sure when we will be picking up sweet little,Y, we know it will happen. She is being loved by the staff and nannys and by our YG family and most important by her heavenly father!

Sad news

2008-10-30T21:39:00.003-04:00

We received an unexpected call from Duni today. Today was our court date and we did not pass.:( There was one piece of paper work that was missing. It was a government agency over sight, I guess. All of our travel group had the same problem. Our new tentative travel dates are in mid-December IF we pass court on the second try. We are so blessed to have a fantastic travel group. There are five families in our group that got the sad news today. Please pray for us.
We know that God has a great plan but right now we (The Sparrs') can't see beyond ours.

One Month and counting!

2008-10-29T08:46:00.002-04:00

It is SO good to be counting DOWN! For so long we were counting up. Adding up the days of the wait!
Yesterday our sweet little daughter received a package from us! Our yahoo group friend, Amy Lusse and her husband are in Ethiopia RIGHT NOW! They took our package and all our love to our precious girl! We are so thankful to this family! In the excitement of her trip she thought of a bunch of us and on her blog gave us a written glimpse of our children! She is so wonderful!
I am at the point were I can barely write about our little girl without tears in my eyes. It is not sadness it is so much emotion! It is gratefulness, love, longing, happiness and so much more. It is hard to describe!

T.I.A.

2008-10-18T23:03:00.003-04:00

Rob has come home from work with some new lingo. Our good friend and Lead Pastor at our church, Dean keeps reminding Rob, "T.I.A.".
Till In Africa, nothing is set! Besides traveling quite a bit to various parts of Africa,Dean and his wife Beth have two adopted children from Africa so they are all too familiar with the ups and downs of this process.
So, You might have noticed a new time line to your right. If you read my last post you also might notice it is a day off. The whole tentative part of tentative travel dates has already been proved! I know it is only one day. But it is one day closer to bringing our daughter home! Now also realize it could go the other way. One day you might take a peek at this blog and see the time line has been changed to reflect a January travel date! God is good and He will bring our daughter home.
We hold Y loosely in our hands because we know she is firmly in HIS!

Tentative Travel Dates!

2008-10-16T11:42:00.002-04:00

Yesterday we received our tentative travel dates! They are TENTATIVE! But here they are...Nov.30-Dec.5th! If we pass court the first time around these are the dates we will be traveling. We don't know the specific day of our court date but from the e-mail that was sent we assume that it is in the next 3 weeks. So as soon as we have passed court our little one is officially our daughter and we can share her name and picture here!
Please pray for successful court dates over the next 3 weeks. There are many of us from AWAA and other agency's waiting to pass court!

2008-10-14T10:57:00.005-04:00

For the past week Joel would pull me aside and ask "Mommy, can you believe your baby is going to be 9?" And then he would give me a big hug. He is the sweetest boy!
God gave us Joel as a gift! I wish I could put in words how great full I am to Him for that! All of the circumstances around Joel coming into this world are truly miracles. We are blessed beyond words because what God has done in and through this little boy.

Got Formula?

2008-10-09T20:02:00.002-04:00

The orphanage that Y is at is in great need of formula. There is a formula shortage in Ethiopia! Even if we brought money with us to buy formula in Ethiopia it is difficult to find. So we are hoping to bring formula for the orphanage and diapers and wipes for the Transitional home. If anyone would like to donate any of those items please let me know! Thanks!

Any good painters out there?

2008-10-09T19:27:00.003-04:00

I have grown used to waiting. Not very gracefully I might add but I have grown used to it. I guess you could say I am very comfortable waiting. Not gracefully comfortable but comfortable. I can pass by Y's room without crying now and the thoughts of going to get her in January feel,well,comfortable.
When we received our referral in August Duni told us we could travel in December but it could be January. So, I have been letting myself believe we will bring Y home in January. After all,the time lines in this whole process haven't been really accurate.
So, we had a conference call today with AWAA. We learned a lot of great stuff today! One being that all of the summer referrals have court dates. And all of us that have court dates should(if we pass court)travel to Addis to bring our children home by or on DECEMBER 6th!!!! There will be 5 groups from now until Dec. going to ET to get their children!(We should get tentative travel dates on Monday!)
So, thinking that I had until January to get everything ready-I probably don't! Y's room isn't painted yet...so,friends...Is there any good painters out there?

Our first update!

2008-10-02T09:47:00.002-04:00

It is so hard not to type our daughter's name when I am referring to her in our blog! I think from now on I will type Y when I want to type her name. The day we received our referral we knew we wanted to keep her Ethiopian name. It is the name her parents gave her and we want to honor that.
So anyway-The update. It was small, just a few lines but it is just what we needed to hear. She is in school at the orphanage, she loves playing with the other children and is friendly. We also received a new photo! Y is smiling in the the picture. She looks happy! When Isabelle saw the picture she concluded that they must have told her that the picture was being sent to her family!
The courts reopen soon-in 6 days!(there is a buzz that they might have already reopened!) So we are praying that everything is running smoothly and we receive a court date soon!

Are you ready for some FOOTBALL?!

2008-09-22T19:38:00.005-04:00

This year is the first year Joel has played football on a team. He is really loving playing! He smiles a lot and is having fun. The first game rained cats and dogs! It reminded me of Friday nights in high school dancing on a muddy field. But this last game was perfect weather! Between Baseball and Football Isabelle has had to sit through a lot of games. We are thinking about inventing a princess chair with a flat screen TV built in.(The flat screen is all her idea...if she is not allowed to have one in her room why not in her chair) I think that will make for a good sideline chair!
To change the subject we haven't heard anything about our little girl. We are hoping to get an update this month! Courts reopen October 8th! Please pray that we receive a court date quickly.

Conference Call

2008-09-12T09:51:00.003-04:00

Yesterday our agency had a conference call for all of the families with referrals. There was a lot of information given and we even had a surprise visit from Rachael,who runs the Transitional Home in Ethiopia! Rachael is back in the US with her husband on vacation.
-One of the changes that will be happening is that we will no longer be staying at the Hilton but a Guest House. The Guest House will be homey and we will be able to be immersed in the culture. We will be able to get a better picture of Ethiopia!
-Duni is hoping to send 2 big travel groups (big meaning 6-8 families) a month in October,November and one in December.
*So for us this means we will be traveling anywhere from late November to early January. Our prayer is that we could have our sweet little one home before Christmas!
-When Rachael returns to Ethiopia we should receive an update on our daughter. We are hoping to see a glimpse into her personality and how she is doing. We were able to send a small photo album to her. We are so blessed we had the opportunity to do this.

2008-09-04T12:09:00.007-04:00

On Sunday I was reminded of a gift I have been given. A gift that at one time seemed like I would never get to enjoy. Before I had the gift I wanted it bad. It was hard to see others receive the gift I longed for. That gift was the gift of a child and the chance to be a mother.
The short story is that having children didn't happen in the way or timing that we planned. We had times of wait,agonizing wait, and at other times huge unexpected surprises. God has shown us that being parents to our children is a gift. One that he took time and joy picking out. No matter the ups and downs, He has placed them in our family for a reason and as a gift. Unfortunately not every minute of ever day do I look loving at my children and think "What a gift." sigh. The kids fight with one another, burp at the table and well,act like kids. But they are our kids,our gift. God has trusted us to raise them and seek His guidance in doing so.
So these thoughts have led me to a place in my heart I was incapable of reaching or understanding until now. That no matter how our children have come to be our children they are ours. God is no stranger to adoption. He invented it! As believers we are adopted by Him and He doesn't look at us as his pretend kids or not His real kids. We are His. He loves us and gives us everything a father gives a child and more because He is God! Which leads me to thoughts of our new daughter. God has done something I cannot explain in my heart. She is our daughter plain and simple. When we saw the picture of her for the first time we knew that she was our daughter. Not a pretend daughter, our real daughter, just as real as Joel and Isabelle! We have seen God do a lot in our lives and they don't always have an earthly explanation or make sense to other people. Looking from the outside I guess this whole thing may look crazy. "You are telling me that you have a daughter half way around the world that you have seen one picture of her, she doesn't look like you(ok,secretly, I think she has my eyes:)),you didn't give birth to her and she is 5!" Yep,that is what I am saying!

So much excitement!!!

2008-08-29T15:27:00.006-04:00

This week has been full of milestones (actually this month has). But three of them this week! We have been celebrating ALL week long!
On Tuesday we saw the face of the the youngest member of our family for the first time! Every time I look at her picture I am reminded of the perfect love of our Savior. The One who knows all things and all circumstances. Praise God!
(Did I mention she is BEAUTIFUL?!)
On Wednesday Joel and Isabelle started school. Joel seems so much more independent. He didn't even want me to walk him to the bus stop(but I did). And Belle. She is in school all day this year!(look how grown up she looks!) Exhaustion is setting in. She is my sleeper. So getting up and going earlier than usual is taking it's toll. She needs a good 12 hours to feel rested and that isn't happening.
They both love school and they have awesome teachers! I can see how God put them with the perfect teachers for them.
On Thursday Rob and I hit a big birthday.(At least I feel it's big)Let's just say we are officially in our mid 30's. Yes, you heard me right both Rob and I have the exact same birthday. I'm only 5 hours older than him but he likes to rub it in that I am older.
I am praising God for his promises and blessings!!
Now I'm off to eat more birthday cake:)

THE DAY BEFORE SCHOOL STARTS...(hidden message inside)

2008-08-26T14:41:00.002-04:00

Well it is the day before school starts and Joel and Belle have some friends over to play. I'm not sure if they will every want to come back to our house because they now know me as a crazy lady. We got our referral TODAY!!!!! She is the most precious little girl! I don't know how much I can say but- she is 5 and beautiful!
I got the call and couldn't stop jumping up and down.(I think they should market mary jane crocs to high jumpers!) Rob wouldn't answer his cell phone so I had to have one of the secretaries interrupt a meeting(yet another person who thinks I'm crazy)and he came straight home.
So there you have it... a not so typical day before school starts!

the journey.

2008-08-23T22:26:00.002-04:00

"I know the plans I have for you,"declares the Lord,"plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
Jeremiah 29:11

The end of Chapter 1

2008-08-07T20:54:00.006-04:00

This week the kids and I went on a trip with Rob's Parents and his sister, Brenda's family. If you didn't catch it, I didn't mention Rob actually being on the trip with us. He was not.
This week marked a chapter of our lives coming to a close. After more than 17 years of doing youth ministry this was Rob's last youth mission trip! I'm sure once it sinks in there might be a few tears. God called Rob to youth ministry when he was in 7th grade, we met for the first time in youth ministry classes in college, Rob proposed to me at Jr. high youth group, we stared out our married life together working at the same church doing youth ministry (I'm still not sure if that was such a good idea:)) So,to say Youth Ministry has been a big part our life, is an understatement!
He will miss the excitement of a student who has excepted Christ for the first time or just learned something new about his maker,the Mud games at Laurelville (or maybe not)and those goofy skits that didn't always make sense- just to name a few memories . But I know he won't miss sleeping on floors in places with no air conditioning. (It is taking him a lot longer to recover these days)
I have been blessed to see God using Rob and growing him into the man He wants him to be. There are no words to describe how humbly honored I am to be a witness to what God has done.
His greatest joys recently have been watching his former students grow into adults. We are so old that some of our first students have children (many children!)and some who are further along in our history are getting engaged and finding jobs. God has blessed us and has allowed us to continue to be part of there lives. So this brings us to the new call that God has given Rob. He is now the Pastor to Families at our church. He is very passionate about this new call. God has been giving him a burden for families and marriages for some time now!
Praise God for His plans for us! What a ride!

2008-08-04T09:46:00.000-04:00

We have no news on the adoption. We are waiting. Duni was recently in Ethiopia and we were hoping to hear something,anything, but we have not. We are currently number one for a little girl between the ages of 3-6.
On Tuesday there is a conference call. I'm not sure how much new information we will receive but when information is minimal any at all is very much welcome.

7 MONTHS!

2008-07-21T09:47:00.000-04:00

Wow, I can hardly believe it! It has been seven months since we sent our big stack of official papers (our dossier) to Ethiopia. To be honest I never thought I would be posting the big 7 on our blog. At the most 6 but not 7!
But God is doing way more than we had bargained for! As I type Duni is In Ethiopia. She has been working hard on behalf of many families. Weather our situation is in the fore front of her mind I'm not sure. But I have been compelled to pray that God would lead Duni to our little girl while she is in Ethiopia. I have hope that God is moving in that situation. So if you would please join us in that prayer. Thank you, we are so great full for your prayers!

PS. Happy Birthday, Mandi!

2008-07-16T22:04:00.000-04:00

Tonight was a fun night! Joel had a baseball game. Baseball games are usually a family event. This year his coach is none other than his Uncle Tom and assisting is Dad (Rob), Aunt Brenda and big cousin, Nicholas. And when you don't think it could get any better Joel's best friend and cousin, Jonathan is on his team! It was really hot tonight so getting ice cream after the game was already on the schedule weather we won or lost. But the team won- I think ice cream tastes better when you win!
But I'll have to admit the real reason you get to see pictures of the night is that I got a new camera today. I'm having a lot of fun trying to figure it out!

Camping!

2008-07-15T15:55:00.000-04:00

The Sparr family went camping for the first time ever! I know you are probably getting a good chuckle especially if you know us well. Don't worry we didn't go by ourselves. Four other families from our church that are seasoned campers showed us the ropes! Thanks guys! We played,fished and swam in the river. We ate great food. Joel and Belle had Mountain pies for the first time and keep coming up with new combinations to fill them with. Saturday night it rained! Belle and I were sleeping on one side of our friends camper but Joel and Rob, well they were in a tent. I was worried all night. But the rain (and maybe exhaustion!)put Joel to sleep and there were no leeks in the tent! We had such a great time! We would love to go with our friends again but we aren't quite ready to venture it on our own.

2008-07-08T20:47:00.000-04:00

Last week we were able to spend the day at the Zoo with my parents and my sister's two youngest children! We had a blast! Joel was practicing being a big brother to more than one little sister. He was so helpful. He held my niece's hand the whole time. Isabelle named herself "Tour Guide" and made sure we all kept moving.
I think we tired Grandma and Papa out.

2008-06-27T09:19:00.000-04:00

I was able to speak with Duni this week and get some clarification on exactly what age range we are eligible for and exactly where that puts us in line. Having said that I hesitate to write it down...because if I have learned anything in this process it is that things can change quickly or slowly. There is no formula! So, we are close. But close is a relative word in the adoption world!
God is continually showing us how much He is in control of the whole thing! This week I was at my wits end and very sad. I said to God "I'm done with this. You are on your own. There is nothing I can do any more. I don't even know how to talk to you about this!" How arrogant of a human being I was. I'm not quite sure exactly what I thought I was in control of? But now I know I was in control of holding the situation in my hand with white knuckles! The last couple of days I have felt a release. My hand is starting not to hurt as much from the grip I had. As my hand is loosening up, my eyes are seeing more clearly God in the details.

2008-06-25T10:19:00.000-04:00

I just wanted to let the one person (you know who you are, Mandi!)who checks my blog everyday that we have no news on the adoption front. We are trying not to have expectations of any until August or September. And even then it will just be hoping. A very wise mom of 3 adopted children and 3 bio. children keeps reminding me not to put a time frame on it! So I'm trying not to-I'm just not having much luck with it!

2008-06-14T12:48:00.000-04:00

On Thursday we received an email from Terra, one of the Ethiopia family coordinators. It was pictures and a little history on each child in the Waiting Child program for Ethiopia. The Waiting Child program is children that haven't been able to be placed. The reason can be because of a medical condition or age,etc.
Rob and I both received the email, Me at home and him at work. As I looked over the email God kept bringing to my mind Abraham and Sarah. God had promised them that they would have a child and in fact their descendants would be as numerous as the stars in the sky! But as it was taking a lot longer than their time frame would allow they decided to take the matter in their own hands. While they were controlling the situation it blew up and not in a good way.(don't you love my paraphrasing!?) Although there were consequences to their poor choices, God still chose to bless them like He promised!
So with all of that in the back of my mind I got a call from Rob. "Did you see the email?" "You should call the pediatrician and see what she thinks." I knew right away which child he was talking about. So I called our pediatrician's office... She was off. She could call us back tomorrow."Ok, good" I thought,"This will give me a chance to talk with Rob a little more and let him know about the whole Abraham,Sarah thing!" Not too long after I hung up the phone Rob called me back. "Heather, That isn't our child!" "I know". I said We talked a little more and agreed. Despite it being her day off our wonderful pediatrician did some research and called me back. She confirmed our thoughts and was such a blessing to talk with.
I can tell you that already God has done much more than we expected. In the beginning we were being obedient to what God wanted us to do,we knew there was a person in our family missing. We never anticipated the changes He would do in us as a family and as individuals! Daily He is revealing Himself(I love this time in life!). It isn't always a love like "This is so much Fun!" at times ,yes. But more often it is softer, more humble adoration and unbelievable thankfulness.

2008-06-12T13:42:00.000-04:00

The conference call did happen on Tuesday but I have been so busy getting ready for Princess Belle's birthday parties(yes, I did say parties,plural!) that I haven't had time to post.
So here is the news. We learned that our wait time has increased AGAIN! It is now 7-9 months,which means we shouldn't be expecting a referral until July at the earliest. So now we are looking at July, August or September for a referral and traveling November, December or January.(Hopefully) So you are asking "What is the hold up?" There are two factors in play for our situation. 1. The lack of power has slowed everything down. Government Agency s don't have generators and they only have power 2-3 business days. 2. There aren't that many children in our daughters age range in the orphanages. With Ethiopian adoption becoming popular a lot of children are being adopted as babies.
The good news is that our agency has signed on another orphanage. That makes the count 3.
Please continue to pray. We are confident in the Lord and know He has it under control but the wait is still difficult.

2008-06-10T10:15:00.000-04:00

Sorry I was unable to post any updates after the conference call on Thursday. The reason was is that there was no conference call. It had to be rescheduled until today,Tuesday. The reason... You aren't going to believe this but... No electricity in Virginia where are agency is located!(bad storms swept through the area!) Power problems in Ethiopia and now in Virginia. I feel like God is trying to tell me something. He is more powerful than anything! that despite our lack of control he is in control. He doesn't need electricity to do His thing. He is still working even if the lights are not!
So, we are looking forward to this afternoon! Oh,the forecast for our area-Thunderstorms! I have my cell phone charged!

2008-06-03T20:58:00.000-04:00

I wanted to give an update. This is what our understanding of our situation is right now. Originally we were given a 3-6 month window to get our referral for our daughter and then a 3-7 month window. At 7 months that would put us into July. And if we received a referral then we would need to be given a court date and the date would have to be before the courts in Ethiopia close down in August until October, which is very unlikely because as of late it has been taking over a month for families to receive a court date. So where does that leave us? Well, it looks like we won't be traveling to Ethiopia until after October. We could still get our referral this summer but not travel until after the courts open back up in the Fall. Praise God that most days "it is well with our souls." We are understanding that God is using this time for all of us to grow. We know there is a reason why our daughter needs to be in Ethiopia right now.
On Thursday all of the waiting families(those with their Dossiers in Ethiopia) were invited to a conference call. Duni will update us on her trip to Ethiopia and we will receive any new information. Hopefully she will tell us we can all go get our children!(Ha,Ha) God tells us to hope,right?!

We are so blessed!

2008-05-31T19:10:00.000-04:00

God has given our family such wonderful friends and family. Thank you to all of you that have been praying for us, fasting for us and loving us! We are so blessed that we have brothers and sisters in Christ that are willing to listen to us when we need someone to voice our concerns and to rejoice with us when good things happen. The adoption process has been up and down. At times I (Heather) feel a little insane, but you my dear friends have shown me that there are even friends for the insane!
We have never felt so loved.

Thank you.

2008-05-24T10:38:00.001-04:00

God has used the Chapman family to inspire and encourage so many of us in the adoption community. We mourn with them today. Maria was 5 and the youngest Chapman.

In Remembrance of Maria Sue Chapman

Dear America World Families,
Our agency grieves with you as we mourn the loss of Steven Curtis Chapman's daughter, Maria Sue. It was an honor for our agency to have assisted the Chapman family as they brought such a precious life home. I use the word precious because this tragic event has reminded us all of how precious life truly is. We join you in prayer that the Lord of this Universe, who holds the whole world in His hands would be as close as possible to the Chapman family during this time of mourning.

We would like to give the Chapman family something formally in rememberance of Maria on behalf of America World and our families. What better way than to give to the agency the Chapmans created to bring more precious lives home like Maria? So, at this time, we encourage all of you to give to Shaohannah's Hope. They have created a special fund in memory of her called the Maria's Miracle Fund.

Christ as our Comforter,
America World Adoption

Power outages in Ethiopia

2008-05-13T13:26:00.000-04:00

Here is a little insight into the power outages in Ethiopia. I got this from an article on Ethioblog.

Power Outages Slated For Ethiopia Capital On Low Water Levels

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AFP)--The Ethiopian capital faces a lengthy power outage until next month because of reduced water levels in the country's hydro- electric plants, a state-owned generator said Monday.

Addis Ababa, a city of 5 million, will have no power for up to three days a week, the Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation said in a statement.

"Power rationing will continue until June. Climate change, which is inflicting a great damage worldwide, is the main cause of the poor performance of seasonal rains in Ethiopia," state media quoted Water Minister Asfaw Dingamo as saying.

Please pray for the families that are farther along in this process than us. A few have had court dates reassigned 3 times because of this and there are more than a hand full of families waiting on court dates.

2008-05-06T09:25:00.000-04:00

There isn't much to update for us personally. But this week there were two federal holidays so courts were closed those days. It seems like every other week there is some holiday.(not really) I think they like to celebrate in Ethiopia! Who doesn't?! So of course that slows some things down a bit.
And this week we received this email.
In an effort to conserve energy there have been power outages in Addis Ababa, where all power is turned off for certain periods of time. Due to this, communication with Duni while she is in Ethiopia has been very challenging. Emails and even phone calls have become very limited. Because of this, we are asking families to please be patient and understanding knowing that we are trying to do all that we can to relay important information.
So there is a glimpse into the bumps in the road of an Ethiopian adoption.

Some facts that I once again stole from someone else's blog! (thanks Gibsons')

2008-05-06T09:08:00.002-04:00

DID YOU KNOW IN ETHIOPIA:
* One in ten children die before their first birthday
* One in six children die before their fifth birthday
* 44% of the population of Ethiopia is under 15 years old
* 60% of children in Ethiopia are stunted because of malnutrition
* The median age in Ethiopia is 18 years
* 1.5 million people are infected with AIDS (6th highest in the world)
* 720,000 children have been orphaned by AIDS alone
* Per capita, Ethiopia receives less aid than any country in Africa
* In the 90s the population (3%) grew faster than food production (2.2%)
* Drought struck the country from 2000-2002 (first year no crops, second year no seeds, third year no animals)
* Half the children in Ethiopia will never attend school. 88% will never attend secondary school.
* Coffee prices (Ethiopia’s only major export) fell 40-60% from 1998-2002.
* Ethiopia’s doctor to children ratio is 1 to 24,000.
* In 1993, after 30 long years of war, Eritrea broke from Ethiopia and became an independent nation leaving Ethiopia landlocked without any major seafaring ports.
* Ethiopia has approx. 4.3 million orphans and the country is twice the size of Texas.

2008-04-30T14:42:00.000-04:00

Just found out we are still number 2.

2008-04-26T09:14:00.000-04:00

In all my excitement I didn't say Congratulations to the four (hopefully 5 by next week!) families that received there referrals!!

Congratulations and we are praying for you all!

2008-04-21T16:03:00.000-04:00

Joel saw Belle on our blog and wanted to get in on the act!
SO....
Announcing....
We are #2 in line for a child in our age bracket!

2008-04-21T13:27:00.000-04:00

Today marks the fourth month we have been waiting for our little girl! Things seem to be moving along at AWAA. They are hoping to give 10 referrals a month!! We hope to hear something in the next few months!?

2008-04-17T17:48:00.000-04:00

I had lunch with a good friend today who also has a passion for what God is doing in Africa. We often talk and dream of what it is that God wants us to do there. As of yet He hasn't revealed to us the specifics. But here are some of the reasons we can't ignore the gut feeling that we need to do something more.

(I took what follows from Kingdom Vision Internationals Blog)

*Nazareth is where one of the orphanages is located that our agency is working with.

Nazareth, Ethiopia

Here's some basic information about Nazareth, Ethiopia

Emperor Haile Selassie renamed the town after Biblical Nazareth, and this name was used throughout the twentieth century. The city has officially reverted to its original Oromo language name, Adama, though "Nazareth" is still widely used

Nazareth is about 60 miles from Addis Ababa (capital of Ethiopia)

Nazareth is Africa's so-called 'high corridor of HIV'

It is a popular weekend destination for residents of Addis Ababa and hosts many governmental and non-governmental conferences

Nazareth is also home to at least 100,000 refugees, mainly from Sudan, Eritrea and Somalia

Nazareth has an estimated total population of 228,623

Nazareth has one of the highest percentage of 'street kids' in Ethiopia

Ethiopia

Ethiopia is located in East Africa just north of Kenya and west of Somalia and only a few hundred miles north of the equator. Interestingly, it is the only African country never colonized by Europe (with the exception of an Italian occupation in the 1930s). It is slightly less than twice the size of Texas.

Roughly 75 million people live in Ethiopia. About half of the population today is Muslim and about 40 percent Christian. Ethiopia traces its history and ruling lineage back to King Solomon and the Ethiopian Queen of Sheba. It is believed that the Queen of Sheba went to visit King Solomon and had a child with him. That son became the next Ethiopian king, so every Ethiopian monarch since then can trace their lineage to the throne of David.

Many people know of Ethiopia from the 1980's when the country was going through horrific droughts. The media put up images of "starving children in Ethiopia".

Ethiopia counts one of the largest populations of orphans in the world: 13 per cent of children throughout the country are missing one or both parents. This represents an estimated 4.6 million children – 800,000 of whom were orphaned by HIV/AIDS (UNICEF)

Begging is frequent, with many children working to escape poverty. The labor and social affairs ministry estimates that 40 percent of children start work before the age of six, often working a 30-hour week.

According to the labor and social affairs ministry, some 150,000 children live on the streets in Ethiopia, about 60,000 of them in the capital.

2008-04-03T21:19:00.000-04:00

You Know You Should Adopt If...

I stole this from another adoptive families blog and I couldn't read it without crying!

1. The fact that there are 143 million children without a parent to kiss them goodnight has made you lose sleep.
2. You realize DNA has nothing to do with love and family.
3. You can't watch Adoption Stories on TLC without sobbing.
4. The fact that, if 7% of Christians adopted 1 child there would be no orphans in the world, is convicting to you.
5. You spend free time surfing blogs about families who have experienced the blessing of adoption.
6. It drives you crazy when people ask you about adopted child's "real" parents.
7. You have ever been "pregnant" with your adoptive child longer than it takes an elephant to give birth.(2 years!)
8. You had no idea how you would afford to adopt but stepped out in faith anyway, knowing where God calls you He will provide.
9. You have ever taken an airplane ride half-way around the world with a child you just met.
10. You believe God's heart is for adoption.
11. You realize that welcoming a child into your heart and family is one of the most important legacies you could ever leave on this earth.
12. You know what the word "Dossier" means, and you can actually pronounce it!
13. You have welcomed a social worker into the most private parts of your life.
14. You shudder when people say your child is so lucky that you adopted them, knowing full well you are the blessed one to have him or her in your life.
Author Unknown

CONTROL-Do I really want control?

2008-03-27T15:00:00.000-04:00

A lot of excitement on the adoption front this week. We are constantly praying for things we have no control over. That is good for me because I have learned over the last few years that I am a control freak. I hate that about myself. If it were up to me God would send me a giant check list and let me go at it. Everything would be neat, orderly, timed and in it's proper place! I am so thankful to the Lord that He has done and continues to do everything in HIS time and HIS order! I have so much comfort that His way is THE best!
So anyway, lets get to the exciting stuff. How God has gone before us...On Easter Sunday someone from our church came up to Rob and told him that they had sold something worth a lot of money and wanted to give us some of it to bring our little girl home! How generous! This is the second time during our adoption journey that God has moved a family to give to us in a big way. As Rob likes to quote Bono " My God ain't sort on cash, man."
Today we received an email from Duni. In the past a child needed to be in an orphanage for 90 days because of abandonment issues. And now it has changed to 60 days! And on top of that our adoption agency is now working with a second orphanage in Ethiopia!(If I can figure it out I'll put the links on our blog somewhere)
So, before Sunday I was trying to settle into the inevitability that we wouldn't be picking up our new daughter until Thanksgiving, because when I spoke with Duni she said that there just aren't any girls in the orphanage our daughters age. But I have hope and proof that God can do anything!
Our prayer right now is that God would comfort our daughter and give her strength to get through what ever hard situation she is in. And that He would lead her to those who can provide the manifestation of God's love to her.

The Green Gate!

2008-03-16T15:19:00.000-04:00

I am not at all computer savvy so I am trying to figure out how to show pictures...I did it! This is the big green gate in front of the transitional home. These are the doors we will walk through to meet our daughter for the first time.

2008-03-15T14:40:00.000-04:00

As you are reading this you need to keep in mind that I am "pregnant" without a due date!(and we are technically in our 15th month!)
I was just reading a blog of one of the families from our agency(AWAA)that is in Addis right now bringing their baby girl home. She said that there are now 19 children in the transitional home! The transitional home is the place where the children stay after they have been identified to be referred to a family and the place they stay until their forever family comes to take them home. The other thing she said is that about half are babies and half are older! Which could mean we are very close!!!! There are not many families requesting "older" children, so either the line will be getting drastically shorter or we will get our referral!!!

2008-03-12T14:40:00.000-04:00

Well, we are waiting...Hmmm....(fingers rapping on the table)...Still waiting.
We aren't very long in the waiting process but the last couple of weeks have seemed really long! I don't expect to hear anything for at least a couple of months but I am hoping that we would hear around the 3 month mark! (the agency gave us 3-6 months) I figure I can pray and hope. God knows our family and he knows what is best for all 5 of us so that is who I have put my confidence in. It is hard though. I want to call our sweet family coordinator , Duni every day. "So have you any idea? How long? What is her name? What does she look like? What is she like?!!?" But I think that might look a little crazy, don't you think? Ha, Ha.

2008-02-25T14:49:00.000-05:00

Remember in the last post I said I wasn't pregnant. Well, Despite the fact that I am not physically "with child" I am still having the same feelings that I did when I was pregnant with Joel and Belle. No cravings(Chocolate doesn't count-that is a constant!)but I have been nesting. Yes, like a mama bird. Getting the whole house ready. Throwing out junk(WOW we have a lot of junk!), organizing, cleaning and getting our little girls room ready.
So in my weird mind I am hoping this is a "sign" because when Joel was born I was insisting on finishing his room and staying up until midnight to do it. We were back up at 2am when Joel decided to come 2 weeks early.
But it is funny with all of my "getting ready." I am finding that God is "getting me ready" too. He is reminding me of my purpose. A couple of weeks ago I would have told you that my main purpose was to be a wife and mother. But now I look at them as my call in life. I can go about them as a response to my purpose .Through a bunch of Godly neon signs, he has shown me my purpose, which is to "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. " Matt.22:37 For so long I have been trying to uncover my mystery purpose in life as if God had hidden it. But it was so basic to my faith and in plain site. So now starts my journey to love and worship Him with and through every thing I have. I have known this before but it seems now to becoming a part of me. Those of you who know me don't expect me to become a saint. I will disappoint you. So, with His strength I will move forward to work this commandment out in my life.