Three Months and a Leave of Absence

Today marks 3 months from the day we met our boys.  That is hard to believe for me.  In some ways, it seems like yesterday.  In others, it feels like an eternity.   We have had so many ups and downs during this time.   It has been life changing in a way that nothing in my life can really compare to.   I pray that we have all grown and become more Christ-like, that we see the world in new ways, that we have the eyes of Christ as we look at the humanity surrounding us.  

My boys have changed and grown dramatically during this short time.  When we first laid eyes on them, these precious faces changed everything for us:

Today, when I look at them, I marvel at how healthy and strong they look, how happy their smiles are, how jubilantly the yell and run and jump all over the house, how early they get up, how much food they eat...  :-)  They look so much older:

Today, we also started our school year officially.  Again, I am just floored by God's timing.  We brought the boys home just at the end of our school year and we are ready to start right at the 3 month mark of having them home.  We've had the whole summer to get used to each other before jumping back into our new year of homeschool.  What perfect timing!  AND - we had a wonderfully fantastic first day back at school.  I asked God to really surprise me at how great our day would go - and HE DID!!!  

So, with teaching a 7th grader, two 5th graders, a preschooler, and a toddler, my hands are very full.  Oh, and did I mention that I'm cooking challenged?  Which makes meals for 7 people day after day more of a challenge than it should be.   In fact, I'd rather blog than cook!   Between running a household, homeschooling with 5 kids, and somehow keeping these kids' hungry bellies filled - I am having to prioritize my time more than ever.

This blog has been such a blessing to me.  Having an outlet to share what is going on with our adoption process, knowing that people were and are praying, and getting encouragement through the comments of others has been a wonderful thing.    However, blogging is difficult for me.  Writing is not an outlet for me - it's a chore.   I have to force myself to write in my own personal journal because I want a record of our lives.

I have found so much help and encouragement through the blogs of others and I'm so thankful that God has gifted others to be able to write so beautifully and effortlessly because it blesses me!

I have struggled over whether to continue this blog or not.  I want so much to encourage others on their own adoption journeys or to maybe inspire someone to consider adoption.  I want to be an advocate for orphans and for their needs.  I want to be a voice for the voiceless.  I'm just not sure that this blog is the way to do that.

I purposely do not write about my older 3 kids' personal lives or issues.  I want to protect their privacy.   Now that the boys are home with us, it is difficult to write much about our story without sharing details that I consider private to them.  

I believe the answer is to quit blogging for the time being.  I just don't have the time.  It takes me a long time to write a paragraph - I check and recheck it for errors - I drive myself crazy!!    I have some issues...   Should I blog about them??  :-)

I desire to continue to share our story with others in ways that can be an encouragement.  I still want to be able to send out prayer requests because I rely very heavily on the prayers of others.  So, I may use the blog to do periodic updates or to share a specific prayer need or just to put out some updated pictures of the kids.  But in the meantime, there won't be a whole lot coming out of our corner of the woods.

As I was writing this, Riley came in to talk for a bit.  She asked me why, if God cares about the smallest things in our lives, does He allow such hard things like children living in trash dumps?   As you can imagine, that led to a long discussion.  Part of that discussion included that, as God's children, we have the responsibility to use the resources and gifts He has given us to serve those who are suffering.   It ended with both of us having tears rolling down our faces.  When I asked Riley why she was crying, she said, "I'm just so glad that we adopted."

Many of our fears when considering adoption had to do with our biological children.  Was it fair to them?  How much would they have to give up?  Our family would never be the same.  We would be asking them to make sacrifices in many ways.   Riley's words are such a testament of the work of God in all of our lives.  No fears should ever keep us from obeying and following where God leads.  If God calls and we follow, blessing is the result.   It's a lesson I needed to be reminded of.  I am just beginning to grasp the full joy of adoption.   

Thank you so much for sharing this wild ride with us.  Thank you for being present with us.  Thank you for truly caring about us.   Most of all, thank you, thank you, thank you for praying for us.    God has been listening.

 "But Jesus said to him, "No one after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God."

Luke 9:62 

How do you like my teeth?

Yesterday, Lukas had some dental work done.  It was scheduled at a surgery center and he had to go under general anesthesia for about an hour.  I was very concerned about how he would handle being taken away from me.   I had some people praying.   It was rather traumatic - for both of us - when the nurse carried him away from me.  He was very upset and didn't understand what was happening.  However, I was so thankful to be allowed to be by his side as he awoke afterwards.  

He had multiple cavities fixed, two front teeth pulled and then stitches put in, coatings put on the remaining teeth and lots of serious black stain scraped off.   We are unsure of the origin of the stain, but assume it is from a food that he had eaten lots of in Ethiopia.  The dentist had a very hard time removing it, but got the majority of it off.

Lukas had an amazing recovery!   Not once has he complained of pain.  Not once.  No pain reliever needed!   I kept asking him if he had "ouchies" and he kept insisting "No ouchies!"   He asked for a mirror to see why the front of his mouth felt so funny.  He looked and looked at the gaping hole and the stitches in his gum, and finally nodded, and smiled as if to say, "Yep, they did good!"   He looked in the mirror the rest of the day, checking and checking.   He seemed rather proud of his missing front teeth.  :-)   Thank you to all who prayed for him.  God definitely answered those prayers!

Not only did he stay awake the rest of the day and seemingly felt great, he got up at 3:00 a.m. and went out in the yard with Tom and the older 3 kids to watch the meteor shower for an hour!   I think he fits in just fine around here...

So, how do you like those beautiful white teeth and that devastatingly handsome smile?

Korah is calling us...

Where do we go from here?  That is a question that is on our minds a lot.   Our hearts have been broken for the helpless and the hopeless.  We are seeking God continually for His guidance in what He has for us to do.  We want to be wholly yielded to Him and His work.  To have His eyes and His heart.

We know that we cannot forget the orphans who are still left behind - all over the world and in our own country.

"Not everyone is called to adopt.  No one wants parents who adopt children out of the same sense of duty with which they may give to the building fund for the new church gymnasium.  But all of us have a stake in the adoption issue, because Jesus does.  He is the one who tells us his Father is also "Father of the fatherless".  He is the one who insists on calling the "least of these" his "brothers" and who tells us that the first time we hear His voice, He will be asking us if we did the same."
-Russell Moore in Adopted for Life

We do not know what the future holds, but we know that we want to be able to answer Him when we see Him face to face. My heart cannot forget what I read and what I learn about the voiceless in this world.  What can you do to help?  What can I do to help?  How can we be the hands and feet of Jesus to this hurting world? It can seem so overwhelming.

There is a village in Ethiopia named Korah which means "cursed" - just outside the capital city of Addis - and this village is built entirely around and within a massive trash dump.  100,000 people call this trash dump "home".   To the rest of the country, the people who live there are cursed.  To read a firsthand account about the plight of some of the "least of these" who live there,  go to this blog entry.

Please watch these few videos that show the reality of life for 100,000 souls, each one precious to the Lord.


The Village of Korah - A short documentary from Session 7 Media on Vimeo.



Ordinary Hero~ A day in the trash dump in Ethiopia from Kelly Putty on Vimeo.

There is a wonderful organization called Project 61 who is doing something to help the "least of these" in Korah.   Through them, we are able to sponsor a child who lives in the dump and provide 3 meals a day, clothing, education, housing, and transportation to and from school for $700 a year.  Yes.  $700.   That's it.  To totally change a life.  To bring hope where there was none.  To feed someone who scrounges around in mountains of trash every single day looking for enough to live on and feed brothers, sisters, parents.   The $700 allows this child to go to a Christian boarding school for the year where, most importantly, they will hear the Good News.   They will receive an education which will enable them to change their life and the lives of their families.  Truly, it is priceless.

When I first heard of this situation, I was struck to the very core.   So many emotions.  I cried and cried.  The next day, I could think of nothing but those dear people who lived in that dump.  The next morning, I told my youngest daughter about it.  She said, "Mom, let's give up Christmas this year and give that money to sponsor a child there."   That night, we asked the other kids about it.  They all immediately said, "YES!  We don't want Christmas presents.   We want to help someone in Korah."  It was unanimous.

Now, we don't normally spend $700 on Christmas.  But, we believe the rest will come as well.  How could it not?   And lest you feel sorry for my poor little ones - they still get gifts from grandparents!

We "met" our child today. He is 18 years old and lives in the dump with his sister.   Our house was filled with wonder and with joy at the knowledge of the privilege we have to be able to help this precious young man.   Because of our American prosperity, he will now have 3 meals a day, education, housing, clothing, and a hope and a future.   We won't have Christmas presents that would be forgotten in a few weeks or months.  A pretty good trade-off, I think.

We will be corresponding with this young man and sending packages, letters, pictures, etc.   We have been told that he will now consider us his family.   One day, I truly hope that we will visit him and meet face to face.  We hope to be on one of the mission trips to Korah in the future.

Project 61 is still accepting sponsorships until August 31st.    There are still children waiting to be sponsored for the September school start-up.    Please consider what you can do.  I know that most of you already give and maybe already support an orphan somewhere.  I'm certainly not telling anyone what to do or putting on the guilt trip.  There are thousands of real needs and worthy causes out there.  But the situation is so dire in Korah and the money goes directly to helping one hopeless and helpless person - not to postage or mailings or administrative costs.  Consider, if a few families go together, then it would not be costly at all to be able to give this kind of a gift.   They encourage small groups or extended families to go in together to sponsor.   Their website is www.p61.org.

I'm really looking forward to Christmas morning this year.   We are going to brainstorm how we want to spend the morning in focusing on the eternal rather than the temporal and giving thanks for the greatest gift we have already been given.  I'm excited to see what this does in our kids' hearts and how it impacts us all.   So, for now, we serve Korah.   We wait to see what God leads us to next...  It is a grand adventure!

"Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink?  And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You?  When did we see you sick, or in prison, and come to You?  The KING will answer and say to them, "Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to ME."  
Matthew 25:  38-40

Fam-i-ly

From the first week home, we would recite all of our names and Lukas would repeat after us.  "Daddy.  Mommy. Riley.  Isaac.  Eva.  Lukas.  Yakob..... FAM-I-LY!" in his strong African accent.  It was so special to hear him saying that.

We are now nearing the end of our strict cocooning phase.  The boys have been with us 11 weeks now.  We have been very deliberate about not doing much, staying home a lot, limiting exposure to strange situations or large groups, never leaving them with anyone, etc.   It has been hard and isolating...but I think it is having the desired results.  I think the boys recognize that we are their family.  I am Mom.  Tom is Dad.  They love their brother and sisters.  They are showing signs of feeling safe with us and learning to trust us more and more.  Of course, there is much farther to go, but I think that we are on the right track.  There is definite progress.

So...part of this is seeing more of our extended family.  The boys got to meet more family last Friday.  Tom's family from Chicago came into town and we had a great time together.  So, that means they have met all of their immediate aunts, uncles, and cousins - except my brother who is serving our country in Afghanistan.  With each new experience of meeting family, the boys have shown more and more relaxation and seem to really recognize the difference between family and others.  They love their grandparents!

In light of this, we decided to take our first road trip.  My older three kids have been in Ohio all week at our annual family reunion gathering at my grandmother's house.  It has been very hard to not be there with them since we decided that it was too soon to take the boys.  But, we cracked and just had to take them for a few hours this past Saturday.  It turned out to be a wonderful experience!  The boys handled the 4 hour drive there beautifully.  And they slept the whole way home, too!  It was really special to introduce them to my grandmother's home where I have made so many lasting memories of my childhood.  The boys loved the lake and ran for it as soon as they saw it.   They didn't want to get out of the water!  I'm so glad that my grandma could come out and see them enjoying the lake that she and my grandpa created so many years ago just for the purpose of watching their family enjoy it.  The boys were heartily welcomed by great aunts, uncles, and cousins.  It was a good day - and a fitting end to the beginning of coming out of our cocoon.  

Road trip - oh yeah!  And who can start a road trip without a stop at WalMart for the necessary supplies - Gobstoppers and Junior Mints - oh, and Pull-Ups.

It's been in the 90's for days, but this day was cold and rainy.  It didn't stop anyone, though!  Eva couldn't wait to get playing with Yakob and Lukas in the water.  

Riley was so happy to be reunited with Yakob after not seeing him for a week.  

Made to be brothers for sure!  

Yakob kept wanting to jump off the dock.  We have to watch that little dude at all times.

My older three get home in an hour or so and I can't wait for all FIVE of my kids to be home together again!