Normal

Before we left for India I was feeling upset about leaving the boys for 10 days and how they would do and what would be going on in their little minds all that time- they were only 2 and 5! But then a friend of mine reminded me that God was not only preparing Mike and I for this adoption, and he was not just preparing Sova'a heart for us to come- but of course He new that the boys were part of this picture too and for sure we was preparing them and working in their hearts too!

That was so true- and looking back I see so many things now that God has used our 3 kids in getting His will for us accross! It's almost like they knew what was to come before us!


For almost a year now Jacob has been asking/begging if we can adopt a child from China. I'm not feeling it from China but it has always made me feel better that Jacob loves having siblings and would even want more. As he said when he was 5, "I think we should knock down this house and build a bigger one for even more orphans." Well, I would have never believed it then- but it's kind of true-we'll have to knock down some walls to make some more room for this newest addition!
Jacob is a giver- whenever he finds money or gets money he drops it right in his 'Haiti' donation jar (he made himself after the earthquake) instead of his own piggy bank. His piggy bank never has money in it...he does not allow money in it...he would rather give. He has even convinced Sova and Caleb to put all their money in the Haiti jar. The kid understands how the kingdom of God works- maybe even believes it more than most too. I have learned from him.


Sova-Grace:
Her words now ring in my ears. The first time she said it- it did impact me but now I come back to her heart felt message she spoke to me in her broken English just months after being home, "Mommy, I have more room in my bed...(throwing her own special stuffed animals/dolls down to make even more room) See! I have lots of room and lots of stuff to share with more kids. We need more kids, please send daddy to go get more kids and I will give them my things because I have too much stuff!"

And my dear Caleb:
The baby who kept me up at night for 16 months straight- is the one that shot my heart with grief for all the other babies up at night crying...but no one coming for them....
I will never forget the tears we shared in that rocking chair in the wee hours that night...you my son, never forget that God used yes-' even the least of these' to do the mighty works of your Father in heaven. You my dear are called to work for 'Justice.'

I believe God used everyone of our children in getting His point across to us.

One rainy Saterday morning- all the kids were jumping on Mike in the bed and cuddling- I thought, 'perfect oppurtunity to tell them the news.' We had to repeat the news like 4 times- because we thought that maybe they werent hearing us? THey kept on laughing and playing and would kind of give us the 'oh ya- cool' thing...not exactly what I pictured but I LOVED it because it just showed us that this is 'normal' to them. They werent surprised at all because we talk about adoption, we pray for the orphans- they are so aware of the sistuation that it was kind of like, 'of course we are adopting again, why wouldnt we?'

They always talk about, 'when I grow up' stuff- where each of the kids state their future professions (which are currently J- a spy and part time worker at cousin Jacks car shop, S- a baby Dr. and C- the owner of 'Summer Bay' resort in FL :)
but Each also state that they are going to adopt their children...Jacob is currently promising me 7 Chinese grand babes! I love it!

Adoption #2: The Beginning

I can actually pin point this story's beginning when we started Sova-Grace's adoption.
We were gathering the documents for India in 2007 when I first learned about Ethiopia...The crisis they were having with orphans there...an overwhelming need- starvation, disease and a very low child expectancy life rate. I was bothered that I was thinking about Ethiopia when we were picking up a little girl in India who was so clearly brought to us by God. So I tucked the thoughts away for 'later.'
Near the end of 2009, a year after we brought Sova home, my heart was being completely wrecked for the orphans of the world again. Mike and I watched a documentary on street children in Russia and I could not get those images out of my head. I literally felt sick. Information on Ethiopia's crisis would somehow always reach my eyes while on the computer. Seriously- blog links to Ethiopian adoptions and headlines would just pop up before me! I became burdened with the thought of this nation where I would literally weep at night. I would hold back tears just talking about the subject with friends. I knew God was doing something in my heart but I did not know what it was. I thought maybe I should just go there! And so I set off on emailing a contact I know who goes there frequently to work in orphanages and I was invited to join her. I really thought- maybe this is it...I just have to go. Mike and I prayed about it but as soon as I really prayed about it- that deep urge and desire to go completely lifted. I knew that was God because I Really wanted to go...and then all of a sudden I just knew that I shouldn't and that was ok with me.
So 2010 comes along and I felt something. I knew there were some big choices and decisions to be made this year about our future. Mike and I were talking about these choices while driving to the airport and we both said we would pray about them.
So we were standing in Disney World, waiting in a long hot line for, 'It's a Small World After All,' surrounded be hundreds of whiney tired kids when Mike turned to me and in a serious matter of factly way, he said, 'when we get home I think that we should start another adoption.' I thought, 'maybe he has heat stroke or has just gone completely mad-did he really just say that?' I mean- yes we have talked about it and we knew that we would do it again but I guess it was just the circumstances- standing in a line surrounded by strangers- that threw me off! Those words to adoptive parents have similar emotions to the words, 'I'm pregnant!' I remember the exact moment where Mike and I decided to pursue Sova's adoption- we were giddy laughing together at the fact that were embarking on this journey to India to pick up this little girl. So yes, we were hugging in the line all lit up and glowing like a newly pregnant couple :) 'It's a Small World After All' now has a special place in my heart ;)

So besides our own personal conviction that Ethiopia is where we need to adopt from here's some more info:

Why Ethiopia?
The needs of children in Ethiopia are staggering.
Here are a few facts:
• There are 5,000,000 orphans in a land 1/2 the size of Texas.
• Nearly 15% (800,000)of children are orphans due to AIDS.
• Four out of five people in Ethiopia live on less than $2 per day.
• Ethiopia is listed in the top 10 countries for the worst human development index worldwide.
• Only 6% of births are attended by a trained attendant.
• One in every 10 Ethiopian children dies before reaching a first birthday.

The Ethiopian Aids Campaign lists 5.4million orphans in Ethiopia for 2007.
If the 147 million orphans of the world stood side by side they would wrap around the earth 4 times.