Song sung in my church today

"In Haiti, There is Anguish"

In Haiti, there is anguish that seems too much to bear;

A land so used to sorrow now knows even more despair.

From city streets, the cries of grief rise up to hills above;

In all the sorrow, pain, and death, where are you, God of love?

A woman sifts through rubble; a man has lost his home;

A hungry, orphaned toddler sobs, for she is now alone.

Where are you, Lord, when thousands die- the rich, the poorest poor?

Were you the very first to cry for all that is no more?

O God, you love your children; you hear each lifted prayer!

May all who suffer in that land know you are present there.

In moments of compassion shown, in simple acts of grace,

May those in pain find healing balm and know your love's embrace.

Where are you in the anguish? Lord, may we hear anew,

That anywhere your world cries out, you're there--and suffering, too.

And may we see, in others' pain, the cross we're called to bear;

Send out your church in Jesus' name to pray, to serve, to share.

Words by Carolyn Winfrey Gillette, 2010

I'll find a way to get you here...

I saw this video yesterday. This song is by Aaron Ivey, who has adopted two children from Haiti, one of whom just came home to them last week. The Ivey family has an amazing story, you can check them out here. Grab a kleenax or two and please watch this video.

When you are adopting, the wait can be so hard. Once you have seen the child who is to be yours, the wait to have them in your arms seems like an eternity. You carry around your phone everywhere and check your email multiple times a day. You wonder if your child is safe and healthy. You wonder if there is someone there to comfort them when they are sad. Your thoughts are consumed with your child. You go to bed at night and are thankful that tomorrow is a new day and you are one day closer to your child. As supportive as friends and family can be, you want to avoid them at times, not wanting to have to answer the question "any adoption news?" when you have none to share (For those that asked us this question, don't feel bad. Even though I know it can be a hard question to answer when there is no news, I find myself asking friends who are adopting this question too). Even in trusting God's timing and plan, you still question God at times (or at least I did).

Adoption is not for the faint of heart. I have learned a lot about patience and perseverance, about not giving up. And through it all, I have seen more of the heart of God, who spared no expense and waited patiently to bring us into His family.

"Before the quake there was estimated 380,000 orphans in Haiti. 1200 of them had pending adoptions. As of yesterday 497 of those kids are home. Still a lot of families trying to get their children out of Haiti. We can't forget those families or the many orphaned children!" Kristen Howerton, mom to Keanan who just came home from Haiti on Saturday after many years of waiting

A geography lesson from big brother

Belachew, pointing out Africa and Ethiopia on a map and explaining to Hudson that they were both born in Ethiopia.

Photo from The Oregonian

The adoption agency I work for is partnered with two orphanages in Haiti. Amazingly, 83 children from one of these orphanages arrived in the U.S. last night to meet their new adoptive families. These children's adoptions had been in process for several months prior to the earthquake. In spite of all the suffering and tragedy that we have seen and heard so much of in recent weeks, these photos brought happy tears to my eyes.

Adoption agencies have been bombarded this week with families interested in adopting children from Haiti. I've received many questions about Haiti adoptions and orphan relief efforts. Any interested in both can refer to these resources: http://www.bethany.org/blogs/bethanyblog.nsf, http://www.rainbowkids.com/ArticleDetails.aspx?id=687 and http://www.adoptioncouncil.org/.

I've been amazed at the outpouring of concern and generousity that has been shown to Haiti. It makes me wonder, though, how different the world would be if we responded with so much care and concern over the everyday tragedies in our world. Not just the tsunamis or earthquakes, but to the those in need on a daily basis. There are millions of children who are waiting to be adopted around the world and right now. Haiti has pricked many hearts, and I pray that this passion is carried out into the world.

Meet Jason

Meet Jason (far right in the photo, with his family). Jason is from Indonesia and is studying engineering at a local university. He has been living with us for a couple weeks now and we are enjoying our time with him.

We have hosted students from Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Japan, India, and Ethiopia. We enjoy learning about our students' countries and cultures, and we also enjoy welcoming internationals to our city and country. We also think it is a wonderful opportunity for our children to learn to appreciate different cultures. Belachew can now find India and Indonesia on a map (he already knows Ethiopia).

When I lived in Kenya, a Kenyan family hosted me. They welcomed me, made me feel comfortable and secure, helped teach me about their culture, and helped me settle into life in their country. They had lived in the US before and shared with me that they didn't always feel welcome in the US. When I returned home from Kenya, I got involved in an international student ministry. There, I was told that over 85% of internationals in the US never enter an American's home. That statistic saddened me and since then, I have looked for opportunities to welcome internationals to our country. Over the years, Paul and I have spent time with refugees, tried to find housing and jobs for new immigrants, waited at the airport to welcome new immigrants, and hosted international students. We have been so blessed through these friendships and hope we continue to have opportunities to make new immigrants to country feel welcome.

If you are interested in hosting international students, check with your local university.

Thoughts on Haiti

I want to share a few posts from friends on the situation on Haiti, that I found challenging and encouraging.


From Jennifer:
My heart hurts for Haiti. And my heart hurts for the so very many who will continue to live in circumstances we could never even begin to imagine - day after day - while we slowly make our way back to normal life. My heart hurts that it takes this level of desperation to change us - and the change doesn't last very long, does it?

note - there is already so much to pray for, but add the 254 Haitian children who were in the process of being adopted by American families - pray that the US government grants them humanitarian visa status and that the Haitian government is somehow able to work together with our government to let these children come home to their families.

From Brianna:
Haiti wasn't really on most people's radar screens before this earthquake happened. But it was hurting. And incredibly impoverished. Countless orphans waiting for families. People dying of what should be preventable causes. Many hungry and starving. God sees these things all the time, but we only see them when we want to. Or when the media tells us to look. (I will again recommend Tracy Kidder's Mountains Beyond Mountains. It's awesome.)

If we care about the vulnerable children of Haiti, let's really DO something. After we send our money to Red Cross, let's pursue an adoption of a waiting child somewhere in the world. Or become a foster parent. Or give away a bunch of money to build a well somewhere. Or commit to permanently downsizing something in our life in order to continue giving to Haiti, even after CNN has stopped talking about it.

I'm wondering if our hearts start becoming numb to people and tragedies, if we simply endure one media frenzy after another, give a few bucks, and then go right back to our lattes and iphones and "reality" TV shows?

Guess I just wanted to remind everyone, including myself, that there are kids sitting around all over the world today waiting for families. There are hungry women unable to feed their
babies, there are families struggling to survive in refugee camps. Instead of despairing or just wringing our hands, we can do something. And we should.


From Jody:
God does not sleep.

He knows.

He’s weeping.

He’s moving.

and long after our compassion fatigues, He is there.

and before we were paying attention, He was there.

Haiti, in my prayers

I have no words. Just a heavy heart and prayers.

Orphaned children in Haiti, sleeping outside

Photo from Haiti Rescue Center (I found this on Jody's blog)

Brothers

Consider yourself warned ...

If you see this face:


and it is snowing outside, duck and cover. He got a snowball launcher for Christmas (from relatives who live out of state and will likely never be victims of his snowballs).

Seriously, though, this kid loves the snow and has had a blast playing outside.

Adoption Art

Jodi and I have been blog friends for several months now. She and her husband are in the process of adopting from Ethiopia. Jodi is an amazing artist and has created some adoption themed art. She is currently having a giveaway and you should check it out! Some of her profits from the sale of her art goes towards Kolfe Youth Orphanage in Ethiopia. Great art, great cause. Check it out. You can also find necklaces and pendants made by Jodi here.

The Kolfe Youth Orphanage is a government run orphanage in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia located on a garbage dump and it is in great need of funds. Through Children's Hopechest, Kolfe has now been sponsored but the boys there still have tremendous needs. They call themselves "The Forgotten Boys of Kolfe." Thank you, Jodi, for letting these boys know that they are not forgotten and that they are cared for.

Happy Anniversary!

5 years ago on this day, Paul and I were married.




I'm looking forward to celebrating many more years together.

Merry Christmas (again!)

January 7 is the day Christmas is celebrated in Ethiopia. Why, you may ask?

Ethiopia follows the ancient Julian calendar, which is 7 years and some days behind the Gregorian calendar that the rest of the world follows. The Ethiopian Orthodox Church calls the celebration of Christ's birth Ganna. Ganna is usually celebrated by attending church, and spending time with family and friends having fun and eating food.

Here is more on how to celebrate an Ethiopian Christmas.

Holidays

We had a great first Christmas together as a family of four. We visited my family and Hudson met many new family members and friends. He adjusted well to being in a new place and meeting so many new people.

Hudson definitely got the hang of Christmas presents! He was handed his first present and Belachew moved next to him to try to help him open it up. Hudson yanked his present back and gave Belachew the funniest look (we were envisioning him saying "stay away from my presents). Both boys get a set of wheels- Hudson got a stroller and Belachew got a bicycle with training wheels.

We had a great time relaxing, catching up with family and friends, celebrating the true miracle of the Christmas season, and reflecting on all the blessings of this past year.