Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Approval
Just got a call last night from the director of Children's Hope International (our adoption agency) and WE'RE APPROVED! They said to expect 2 weeks for the approval and we waited 3 days! I sure hope everything is this ahead of their timelines...right now we're looking at bringing home a child somewhere between 19 months-25 months from now. Wow-that seems like forever away!
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
The Picture That Made It Real
Friends sent us this picture along with an article about Ethiopia. Doesn't that girl on the far right look like Lydia? It really moved me that there is a little girl just the same age, with the same curly hair, holding her little doll as my daughter-but living in total poverty, eating out of the trash that the hotels throw out on the other side of the world. After a lot of tears (just from this photo), I knew what we were supposed to do and Ethiopia became where we were going to adopt from.
Adoption Here We Come!
Well-it's official! We've decided to adopt from Ethiopia! This is a HUGE decision for us in more ways than one and we are so excited! Currently our application is in St. Louis and we're waiting to hear that we've been approved.
Why adopt (you may be asking)? Honestly, it is something that young (21 year old) Peter and Erin discussed before marriage (and MANY times since). I've always had a heart for children and adoption has always seemed like a necessary part of parenthood to me. We ARE able to have children of our own-we have 2 daughters already and they are beautiful and fun and wonderful...but something has always compelled me towards the child who was orphaned. God's heart beats for the orphan, He says it over and over again in the Bible. And really, if I want to be a follower of His, I should act like him and my heart should beat for the same things that His heart beats for. Through the years, we thought and prayed over adoption many times...international, domestic, foster care system...you name it and we've looked into it. For years, we've gone back and forth about the "right" fit for our family. The only thing that I was certain of was that we wanted to do God's will in this situation, whatever that meant. Why Ethiopia? The only real answer I can give is that our eyes have been opened to the needs of that country. I truly believe that in God's eyes, no one orphan is any more important than another. However, in Ethiopia, there are 5 million (!) orphans who are in desperate need. The country as a whole is in desperate need and I can't do much to change an entire country, but I can change the life of one child. So, away we go!
I told Peter the other night that this feels like an adventure to me-and I'm so excited to see how this will shape us, grow us and open our eyes in new ways. We sincerely covet your prayers over this-thanks in advance for already doing this. I'm hoping to keep this blog updated as much as possible to reflect back on, keep people updated on what is happening and hopefully to inspire others that this is possible for their families too!
Why adopt (you may be asking)? Honestly, it is something that young (21 year old) Peter and Erin discussed before marriage (and MANY times since). I've always had a heart for children and adoption has always seemed like a necessary part of parenthood to me. We ARE able to have children of our own-we have 2 daughters already and they are beautiful and fun and wonderful...but something has always compelled me towards the child who was orphaned. God's heart beats for the orphan, He says it over and over again in the Bible. And really, if I want to be a follower of His, I should act like him and my heart should beat for the same things that His heart beats for. Through the years, we thought and prayed over adoption many times...international, domestic, foster care system...you name it and we've looked into it. For years, we've gone back and forth about the "right" fit for our family. The only thing that I was certain of was that we wanted to do God's will in this situation, whatever that meant. Why Ethiopia? The only real answer I can give is that our eyes have been opened to the needs of that country. I truly believe that in God's eyes, no one orphan is any more important than another. However, in Ethiopia, there are 5 million (!) orphans who are in desperate need. The country as a whole is in desperate need and I can't do much to change an entire country, but I can change the life of one child. So, away we go!
I told Peter the other night that this feels like an adventure to me-and I'm so excited to see how this will shape us, grow us and open our eyes in new ways. We sincerely covet your prayers over this-thanks in advance for already doing this. I'm hoping to keep this blog updated as much as possible to reflect back on, keep people updated on what is happening and hopefully to inspire others that this is possible for their families too!
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