My Two Cents

I saw a post on Facebook today that made me angry. I chose not to respond because I get annoyed by the political banter on Facebook that often turns ugly and leaves Christians looking like close minded idiots. Come on people, aren’t we called to be salt and light?

So I thought I’d vent to a much smaller venue. Perhaps that makes me a chicken but I’m okay with that.

Here’s the post:
“America: the only country where we have homeless without shelter, children going to bed without eating, elderly going without needed meds, and mentally ill without treatment – yet we have a benefit for the people of Haiti on 12 TV stations. 99% of people won’t have the guts to copy and repost this. I DID”

Okay, really? First of all, since when did America become the only country that has homeless without shelter, etc.??? Is anyone else confused? Perhaps the post is meant to be sarcastic and I’m just not getting it.

Secondly, I understand that we have a national deficit and that there are hurting and needy people right here in the US, but the worst of days for the US homeless are better than the best of days for the homeless in countless countries around the world. Again, I’m not saying that the US homeless have it easy by any means, but there is assistance available through shelters and soup kitchens.

Yes, the government has sent millions (if not billions) of dollars to Haiti, but it’s also the American people digging into their pockets to help a country in need. I am proud that we are a nation that jumps to help those in need instead of hoarding our wealth for ourselves. We are called to care for the poor and needy . . . both next door and around the world!

Deut. 15:7. “If there is a poor man among you, one of your brothers, in ANY of the towns of the land which the LORD your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart, nor close your hand to your poor brother; but you shall freely open your hand to him, and generously lend him sufficient for his need in whatever he lacks.”

Finally things are movin again!

Hooray!!! There is a lot of celebration going on today within the Gladney family! After a lot of silence this month, 3 families (that I know of) finally received referrals this week . . . all baby girls! Congrats to all the families!

That now makes us #9 on the unofficial list, #3 for siblings, #6 for a girl and still #4 for a boy. I’ve assumed all this time that our referral would be a boy given the large amount of requests for baby girls, but the gap is narrowing between girls and boys. Where are all the little boys? Could it be that God has a little girl planned for our family?!? And of course there is still the small chance of siblings, although highly unlikely . . . but you never know!

What to you think our referral will be? Boy? Girl? Siblings?

Click here to vote
(polls)

Six Months

Sunday, January 17th marks 6 months on the wait list! The average wait time is still 7.5 months so perhaps we’ll hear something in the next 6 weeks. These things are so unpredictable though. The two families currently at the top of the unofficial wait list have been waiting over 8 months now and referrals have seemed to slow down. Only 1 referral so far in 2010 . . . but a highly celebrated referral because the family had been waiting over a year for siblings and were finally referred twin boys (28 months old). Hooray!

We are now #11 on the unofficial wait list . . . still #4 for a boy, but now #4 for siblings, and #8 for a girl. BTW, for those of you having a hard time finding the actual list when you click on the link to the unofficial wait list, you need to scroll down almost to the bottom of the page and you will see a bunch of blue links (Paper Chase, Wait List, Referral, etc.) spread across the page. If you click on one of these links, you will see the list.

Merry Christmas!!!

Yes, I do realize that today is January 7th, not December 25th. For those of you that are confused . . . today is Christmas in Ethiopia. So Melkam Gena would be a more appropriate greeting. That means our kiddo(s) will get to celebrate Christmas twice a year . . . however it is not traditional to give and receive gifts on Christmas in Ethiopia (sorry kids).

Below are some facts about Christmas traditions in Ethiopia.

1. Ethiopia is one of the oldest nations in Africa. It still follows the ancient Julian calendar, so Ethiopians celebrate Christmas on January 7. (The Ethiopian calendar actually has 13 months. 12 months containing 30 days and 1 tiny month with only 6 days. Ethiopia didn’t celebrate the millennium until 9/11/07.)

2. The Ethiopian Orthodox Church’s celebration of Christ’s birth is called Ganna. It is a day when families attend church. The day before Ganna, people fast all day.

3. The next morning at dawn, everyone dresses in white. Most Ethiopians don a traditional shamma, a thin, white cotton wrap with brightly colored stripes across the ends. The shamma is worn somewhat like a toga.

4. Around the time of Ganna, the men and boys play a game that is also called ganna. It is somewhat like hockey, played with a curved stick and a round wooden ball.

5. The foods enjoyed during the Christmas season include wat, a thick, spicy stew of meat, vegetables, and sometimes eggs as well. The wat is served from a beautifully decorated watertight basket onto a “plate” of injera, which is flat sourdough bread. Pieces of injera are used as an edible spoon to scoop up the wat.

6. Twelve days after Ganna, on January 19, Ethiopians begin the three-day celebration called Timkat, which commemorates the baptism of Christ.

7. Ganna and Timkat are not occasions for giving gifts in Ethiopia. If a child receives any gift at all, it is usually a small gift of clothing. Religious observances, feasting, and games are the focus of the season.

You can read more interesting facts about Christmas traditions in Ethiopia, by going to http://christmas.howstuffworks.com/traditions/christmas-traditions-around-the-world-ga4.htm.

Five Months

Today marks the fifth month on the wait list. Referrals seem to be coming around month 7 these days so February just might be our month. A part of me thinks it could happen even sooner, given we are #4 for a boy on the “unofficial” wait list, but I’m trying to put that aside and if it happens sooner, then I’ll be elated!

It is likely though that our baby might be in the pre-referral process right now. Pre-referral is when they do medical testing for HIV and hepatitis. We have requested 2 HIV tests, so our referral could be a bit delayed. Why 2 tests? Because HIV doesn’t always reveal itself right away in infants. You may have a negative test at birth and then a positive test 6 weeks later. The older the child is when tested produces a more accurate test result.

In the mean time, we have a lot of work to do. We plan to paint the nursery over Christmas! So much to do . . . one step at a time.

Last minute shoppers . . . this one’s for you!

Christmas is just around the corner! If you need some inspiration as to what to buy for the kiddos in your life . . . consider some of the gifts below. The proceeds from the gifts will help fund Ethiopian adoptions. Happy shopping!

I’ll start with my personal favorite from ONE*C, because it’s most near and dear to my heart (shameless plug). You have the option to purchase a onesie (ONE*C) or toddler tee for a child in your life OR you can purchase for an orphan. Onesies and tees will be hand delivered to the orphanage when we travel to pick up our baby. We’ve already had one delivery from our friends, the Wilson’s. See our post titled, “Special Delivery“.

Purchases can be made through our store on Etsy, or by going to www.onechosen.org. Note: purchases for orphans can only be made on onechosen.org.

African toddler tees and onesies by ONE*C. Click on image to purchase

African American Rag Doll - click on the image to purchase

Heart for Africa Infant/Toddler Adoption t-shirts - click on image to purchase

Made in Ethiopia onesie - Click on image to purchase

How about a gift for mom or grandma? Click on image to purchase

If you like what you see, I would encourage you to browse through the shops on Etsy. There are so many other cute things to buy that can help unite orphans with their forever families. Merry Christmas everyone!!!

Things Are Movin’

For those of my blog followers that are also waiting for their Gladney referral, you probably already know about the ever so addicting “unofficial” wait list and how fast things are moving lately!

For those of you not in the adoption world, let me tell you about it . . . it’s called the Gladney Ethiopia FBI list and can be found by clicking http://gladneyfbi.blogspot.com/. This list encompasses only 50-75% of those in the Gladney Ethiopia program, however this list seems to moving very quickly these days! Gladney says the current wait time for a child 0-12 months is 7.5 months with the longest waiting family currently waiting 7 months. We will hit the 5 month mark on December 17th, which means only 2 more months to go instead of 3 (if things continue to move as they are now).

If you check out the list and count, you will see that we are #15 on the list,  but since we are requesting either gender, we are actually #4 for a boy! There were 2 referrals for baby boys just this week!

Those that know me can attest that I’ve been REALLY guarded throughout this entire process, so I’m having an arguement with myself right now whether or not to even post this and I’m trying to talk myself out of being excited because so many things can still go wrong, but I’m going to ignore that little voice at the moment and just celebrate!

My baby boy (or girl) wherever you may be right now . . . I already love you and cannot wait to kiss your cute little face! Love, Mommy

Keep A Quiet Heart

With all the waiting and uncertainties of the adoption process, it’s easy to become anxious and lose sight of God. Last week, I pulled an old book out of the closet and decided it was extremely applicable to the current noisy and restless state of my heart.

The book is called, “Keep A Quiet Heart”, by Elisabeth Elliot. Below are some of the areas I’ve been struggling with lately and the words of encouragement I have found to help “quiet” my heart.

When I become discontent:

• God came down and lived in this same world as a man. He showed us how to live in this world, subject to its vicissitudes and necessities, that we might be changed-not into an angel or a story-book princess, not wafted into another world, but changed into saints in this world. The secret is Christ in me, not me in a different set of circumstances.
• Heaven is not here, it’s There. If we were given all we wanted here, our hearts would settle for this world rather than the next. God is forever luring us up and away from this one, wooing us to Himself and His still invisible Kingdom, where we will certaintly find what we so keenly long for.

When I am struggling with the wait:

• Be patient. Wait on the Lord for whatever He appoints, wait patiently, wait trustingly. He holds every minute of every hour of every week of every month of every year in His hands. Thank Him in advance for what the future holds, for He is already there. “Lord, you have assigned me my portion and my cup” (Psalm 16:5, NIV). Shall we not gladly say, “I’ll take it, Lord! YES! I’ll trust you for everything. Bless the Lord, O my soul!”

When life feels like to too much to bear:

• Gold is gold, but it has to go through fire. Faith is even more precious, so faith will always have another test to stand. Remember God’s loving promise of 2 Corinthians 12:9, “My grace is all you need; power comes to its full strength in weakness” (NEB).

Thanksgiving 2009

Below are some pictures from Thanksgiving. As you can tell, my niece was the star of the evening! 

Sisters and baby Ali

No, the turkey wasn't the center piece this year, Ali was! She's sitting in a Bumbo on top of a lazy Susan.

I think this takes takes the term "center of attention" to a whole new level! With good reason . . . she's too cute!

4 Months Down, 4 To Go!

We’ve now officially been on the wait list for 4 months! Gladney says the average wait time is currently 8 months, so we’ve got another 4 months before we receive our referral. Still a ways to go, but at least we’re half way there!

With 4 months on the wait list still ahead of us, plus another 2-3 months after that before we actually travel to Ethiopia . . . we’re looking at 7-8 months before we actually bring our child(ren) home. Because of that I had told myself I wasn’t going to start on the nursery until January. Well, this weekend I broke my own rule. I got inspired from a picture I saw on someone else’s blog (see below) and when you get inspired you just have to run with it because it could be awhile before inspiration hits again.

Of course, I’m putting my own flare on the room, but I did find a Jenny Lind style crib (as shown in the picture) for free on Craigslist and “yes” I am painting it yellow! No pics of my own to post yet, but stay tuned . . . I will be sure to share.

Click on the picture to see additional pics of this adorable room, or go to http://www.ohdeedoh.com for even more inspiration.