Fighting Back

For those of you who have followed our adoption journey since the beginning, you know of the attacks and obstacles we have encountered along the way. Of course, God has been faithful and triumphant and victorious. The prayers of MANY have fought spiritual battles for us. The attacks from the enemy subsided for awhile.

A couple weeks ago, I really felt the Lord telling me to "gird up." Those are the words He kept laying on my heart. To know fully that just because the process is winding down, does not mean the attacks are going to end. In fact, many other adoptive families will attest to the fact that oftentimes the attacks increase--and with a vengeance--once you bring your children home. These children's lives are at stake and on the line. We are claiming a future and a hope for these children, and the devil wants no part of that.

Satan has tried relentlessly (yet in vain, might I add), to thwart this adoption. To prevent these specific children from coming home to their family. Just to recap briefly: Since beginning our journey back in the spring, we experienced the loss of both of our vehicles unexpectedly, major and quite unexpected dental work, obstacles from our former agency to get our children, and bizarre and debilitating sinus/facial/jaw/mouth pain (and subsequent surgery) for me.

Get the memo, Satan. You SUCK (pardon my French) and you LOSE. So, this flu-like illness you've sent Kirk's way today? We ain't receiving it. And this ridiculous pain episode that has come to attack my sinuses and face with a friggin' vengeance??? Get on out of our way. We refuse it!

We are leaving tomorrow to get our children and there is NOTHING you can do about it. You are a thief and a destroyer, but you will just have to go elsewhere to do your dirty work.

Because WE win. YOU lose. Eat THAT, you evil LOSER.

Saints, we need you now more than ever! Would you pray for victory over these physical illnesses and pain? For swiftness, peace, joy, and ease this week? We thank you from the depths of our souls.

You've GOT to be kidding me...

So, we leave in less than 36 hours to head to Ethiopia to pick up our awesome threesome and bring them HOME. Our laundry load is about to increase exponentially. So, logically, what should break YET AGAIN just before midnight tonight?

OUR WASHING MACHINE. Not that we need a working one. I mean, six kids and two parents don't really wear THAT many clothes.

So, off we head tomorrow to Sears. Looks like we will be upgrading to super-capacity, high-efficiency before we planned on it. I mean, what better thing do we have to do with our time one day before leaving the COUNTRY?!!!

And uh, sorry, kids. We can no longer afford your visas or tickets to enter the U.S. We must buy a washer. Because, doggone it, you're going to want clean clothes.

Uh, anybody wanna buy another cookbook? :)

UPDATE: 2:30 PM Sunday
New washer and dryer to be delivered by Sears upon our return. Super-king capacity, high efficiency, front-loading power machines, baby!

WE CAN FLY! WE CAN FLY! WE CAN FLY!!!

Whew! After a slightly (okay, slightly more than slightly) stressful morning learning the difficulty of finding a pair of airline tickets on ANY airline in ANY section of the plane approximately 6 days before Christmas, 13 days before New Year's, and 19 days before Ethiopian Christmas Day, we NOW HAVE CONFIRMED RESERVATIONS!!!

(Kari @ Susan Parr Travel, you are our hero. Susan, this woman deserves a raise.)

We will leave New Year's Eve and fly out over the Atlantic Ocean, celebrating the turn of the new year somewhere over the big, blue sea. No lame televised countdown for us this year!

We will spend about 8 days in Addis and return home with our awesome threesome on January 9th. WOOOOO-HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

I'll email out more specific flight info for those that will be coming to the airport.

Whew...

Now off to work on the next few items on my list.

Now, if you were a passport, where would you be?

My To-Do List...

Just a small list of tasks to be completed in the next 10 days...

• find airline tickets too stressful
• book them still stressful
• book hotel room in Addis What good is a room if we can't find a flight?
• use travel agent to perform all of the above tasks---Winning answer.
• fill out paperwork for our travel
• find our passports
• pay bills
• try to remove the Sharpie marks that our youngest so sweetly bestowed upon our fairly new sofa and our futon while I was on the phone yesterday being told we have an Embassy date
• clean my house Forget that.
• pick up everything I see on the floor and shove it gently but intentionally under the beds
• take my son on his last date with me before the new kids come home
• bake muffins for the kids' school Christmas parties
• attend said parties
• prepare for our kids to be left with my parents for about 9 days
• finishing packing for our new kids
• count our money
• figure out how much we still need
• have our little Christmas here as a family
• buy hot chocolate at Borders and drive around looking at Christmas lights, our yearly tradition with the kids
• prepare for Santa to come early this year...He's coming Friday night at our house.
• pack for our Christmas trip to Mobile
• pack FIVE people's belongings for our Christmas trip to Mobile
• cry about the money being used for gas in our Suburban on our first road trip with the Beast Car
• spend 5 days in Mobile
• come back to Nashville
• have 2 days to pack for Ethiopia
• memorize the entire Amharic language
• leave for Ethiopia
• look at Kirk and utter the words "Omigosh this is really it I can't believe it how did we get here this is a whirlwind what in the world!"

Ahhhhhh....Happy Holidays.

EMBASSY DATE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I just got the BEST PHONE call EVER!!!!!

We have an embassy date of January 3rd in Addis, Ethiopia!!!

YEEEEEE-HAWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!

Most likely, we will be leaving for Addis on December 30th, and we will be arriving home around January 7th. We'll keep you posted on exact plans, as we want as many people as possible at the airport for the kids' arrival!

I can't type b/c I'm so PUMPED!!!!!

This means that in LESS than two weeks, we will have custody of our kids in ET!!!!!!!!!!

Thank you SO much for your prayers!

God is GOOD!

Ecstatically,
heidi & kirk

If I don't hear our embassy date very, very, very soon I think I might just go NUTS!

That's all.

Feminine Fate in Ethiopia

It is no secret that, of all the demographics, women and girls are the most oppressed people group in the world. I believe that God stands on behalf of women everywhere and aches to see His kingdom come to be fully realized on this planet, so that one's fate is not determined by an X or Y chromosome.

Click HERE to learn about the treatment and fate of women and girls in Ethiopia. Realize that these statistics and realities are similar for so very many countries around the world.

Be thankful that you are living in 21st century America. But, know that you and I have a responsibility to the oppressed. To the women and girls who literally do not have a voice.

Leftover Cookbooks...Must sell to travel!

Hi, friends! One more cookbook plea here...Out of nearly 600 cookbooks that we started with back in August, we now have only about 35 left! This is wonderful!

We will be leaving to travel in just 2-3 weeks, and we have some extra expenses for traveling that we need to get covered. (Besides airfare, hotel, food, etc. during our stay in Ethiopia, we must pay $150/child for medical exams, $380/child for visas, and a few other expenses as well.) Selling the last few cookbooks will bring in enough money to cover a visa.

SO, if you are looking for any last-minute gifts for friends, family, teachers, neighbors, pastors, and co-workers and want to help us with our travel expenses, we have the perfect gift for you!

Check out this post to read more: http://blessingsfromethiopia.blogspot.com/2007/08/adoption-fundraiser-cookbooks-are-here.html

You may contact me at heidiandkirk@blessingsfromethiopia.com if you need more information. OR, to make a purchase or donation, simply click on the Donate button on the left and you may pay through your PayPal account.

Thanks to ALL who have supported us in our cookbook fundraising so far!!!

Tunnel Vision

During this season of the year, when SO many are SO busy with SO much to do and SO many places to go, I am finding that I am NOT even wanting to stick around for a moment of holiday festivities! YES, I definitely love Christmas and it absoutely drives me nuts when people (especially Christians!) complain about the holidays...I truly love the gift-giving and the lights and the music and the decor. But, this year, I have got absolute tunnel vision. There is one thing and ONE thing only on my mind now...getting the heck out of Dodge and heading to ETHIOPIA to get our KIDS!!!

Sure, I have parties to attend, gifts to buy, desserts to make, traditions to carry out...But, honestly, if it weren't for the fact that our three blondies here EXPECT us to be doing certain holiday-type things, I would probably bypass it all this year, because all I really want for Christmas are my KIDS!!!

We are on the edge of our seats just WAITING to get a call to tell us when to get our tails to Addis. We could hear something this week, next week, the next. We will definitely keep you posted and update our blog as SOON as we know SOMETHING!

In a way, this part of the waiting is easier since the kids are OURS 100%. BUT, this part of the waiting is also that much harder, since the kids are OURS 100%!

They're OURS. Wow. It's really here.

Now, just bring on the travel, baby.

Connecting the Dots for Ethiopian Orphans

Friends, Family and Strangers...

We will be traveling in just a few short weeks (!) to pick up our new kiddos in Ethiopia. When you adopt overseas, you typically take some type of donation (whether in item or money) to give to the orphanage that has been caring so kindly for your children.

We have decided to take with us as many Connect-the-Dot books as possible. BUT, we need your help! So, we're calling on our amazing friends and supporters out there once again. Next time you are at the store, would you consider picking up a few connect-the-dot coloring books? They can be ABCs or numbers, as the children there will recognize both.

We would love to take at least 50 with us, so we are appreciative of your involvement. Let us know if you would like to participate and help Connect the Dots for the precious Ethiopian children! Thank you in advance! [If you would like to mail some to us, let us know and we can email you our address.]

Pray for our Christmas miracle!!!!

All along we have been telling people that we hope to have our kids by Christmas. Actually, there have been some pretty providential events that have confirmed that wish!

However, because of the holidays and embassy schedule, it is not as realistic to assume we will have our Christmas wish. Well, realistic if you walk by sight, that is, and not by faith!

Today I found out from our caseworker that the embassy has decided to squeeze in more families on other days of the week during the holiday season, so we just might get our Christmas miracle!!!

Be praying!!! We are SO excited, because it is all happening so very fast!!!

An Exciting Opportunity for Year-End Giving...

Our adoption agency, Christian World Adoption, has a non-profit branch (Christian World Foundation) that is raising funds to establish Acacia Village, a Christian center that will be located a few miles outside of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. At Acacia Village, orphans and women will be cared for, educated, and given a safe place to live and thrive.

Click HERE to watch a short video which describes this awesome endeavor.

And...see if you can spot our kids!!! They're all there!

Hint: Selam is in an orange, sleeveless shirt and khaki pants; Bethlehem is in a hot pink, sleeveless shirt and khaki pants; and Bereket is in a short-sleeve, button-down shirt and white cap. He's the one they do the close-up on towards the end of the video while the kids are hopping around in a circle!

Also, click HERE to read more about Acacia Village and how you can help make it a reality.