Waiting...

Waiting.....I have never been good at waiting......living in such a fast paced society and one where gratification is well...instant..., my skills at waiting have not been well defined.  I have always been someone who worked hard and often long to get what I thought was best for my children and my family, but in this there is not one more thing I can do.  The last month has been hard, a lot of inner emotional overwhelm, turmoil,  anxiety, sadness and beseeching...   On several occasions I know I have embarrassed Rock as emotion neither of us knew was so strong came rushing out of me like lava out of volcano.  Homeland Security is not one of those places you want to make a spectacle of yourself, but when they could not find my paperwork to do my fingerprinting, I sobbed and begged through tears.  I rationalized with the poor worker and poor Rock nervously looked at the 3 security guards with their guns.  A few phone calls later the matter was cleared up and a new appt made ...for 10 days later...don't they know I have children 1/2 way across the globe that need a mother?...Don't they know that these children have been waiting for a long time and I don't want them to feel abandoned and alone another minute?  My pleading with "man" and with God has felt defeating...but I know the Truth. As many of you know the Ethiopian court closes for 6-8 weeks beginning sometime in August through into October.  I desperately wanted to meet our kids and go to court before they closed.  As that window of time is closing and I have gone from hope to sadness, defeat to hope again and then to acceptance it doesn't change my longing....This past Sunday in church I felt a real peace and felt the Lord telling me that it was ok, that He was in charge and that He had a plan.  Of course I knew all these things in my head, but to feel it resonate deep within my soul was a comfort and a blessing.  Then there was an email....a family who had submitted their paperwork a MONTH after us got a court date.  I didn't know my peace was so fragile.....I was thrown into hurt, anxiety, anger, desperation and my driven nature to take charge.  Even though it was impulsive I called our agency "after hours" and left a pleading voicemail.  Well, I guess if I can bawl in Homeland Security, I can plead with our agency worker.  i have tried hard not to be "that emotional annoying mom who calls every week to find out what's happening" in fact I have seen that rather than externalizing my emotions I have taken many of them to the Lord and wrestled with Him about them.  Though we do not have a court date and it feels like we are no closer to meeting our new children, I am closer to their Maker and Creator.  He knows the longing of my heart and He is already making me a better mom to them, by helping me trust and rely on Him more.

                           

 You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you,

my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water.
Psalm 63:1-3 

My soul yearns for you in the night; in the morning my spirit longs for you.

Isaiah 26:8

I know that when God closes a window, He opens a door.  Rock and I will wait upon Him and His plan. Thank you for your continued prayers for us, for M & Y and their family too

Here's What Love Looks Like!

These are some of our first letters from the kids!  Together Rock and I had goose bumps and tears as we read their messages!  They even love and miss the dogs!

Enjoy!

Pam & Rock

Many of you have asked....

Many of you have asked how dinner went....I must admit my first attempts at Ethiopian bread were a flop!!  But I recovered with making a mild chicken stew & doro wot (a hotter chicken dish).  I am having so much fun!

If you want to learn more...read on!

Dining in Ethiopia is characterized by the ritual of breaking "injera" and sharing food from a common plate, signifying the bonds of loyalty and friendship. The traditional way of eating is with fingers. "Injera" is placed on the plate with variety of dishes decoratively arranged around it. A small portion of "Injera" is torn off and wrapped around a mouthful of the selected dish. "Injera", our staple bread, is a flat bread made of "Teff", a fine grain unique to Ethiopia. "Wot" is dipping sauce which maybe prepared using a variety of meats, fish, and vegetables. "Wot" is cooked with "Berbere" (Ethiopian seasoning prepared from matured red chili pepper and other exotic spices) which may range from very mild to spicy hot. "Alitcha" is more mildly spiced dipping sauce prepared with a variety of meats or vegetables. Ethiopian dishes are prepared with a distinctive variety of unique spices for an unforgettably striking dimension to exotic cookery. To help you make the best of choice for this truly different and exciting dinning experience we offer the following descriptions: Berbere : A popular Ethiopian seasoning prepared from red chili peppers, garlic, & other spice. Berbere is sun-dried then mixed with more spices & used in wots. Nitir Kibe : Another Ethiopian basic, Nitir Kibe is pure clarified butter seasoned with several condiments and used in traditional sauteing. Kaey Wot : A lively sauce prepared with berbere, nitir kibe & meat, fish or legumes. Alitcha : A delicately mild sauce made from meat, legumes or beans with garlic, ginger and Ird. Mitmita : Bird's eye red pepper spiced with cardamom & salt, usually served with Kitfo.

Welcome M & Y !!

We are so excited to announce that we will be welcoming M & Y, brother and sister to our family either late this year or early next year!  We have begun corresponding and we just received our first letters from them.  Our hearts are full!  Please pray with us that the process goes smoothly and quickly!  They are anxious to have a new family and we are anxious for them to be here! 

Anyone For Dinner?

These just arrived!  So excited to learn to cook food for our new children! In the end they may say "I want pizza", but that's ok!  Anyone want to come to eat the experimenting!

Cheers!

Pam

The Master Web

Though we needn't be amazed, Rock and I continue to be awed by how God has woven so many people and events in our lives to point us to international adoption!  Many of you reading this have been a part of this journey and helped mould us into the people that our new children need.   So, in Dec 2011 we started researching agencies....who works where?...what do we do first?....ugh!  Overwhelming and Amazing Fun!  Follow the maze and obstacle course and find the next two or more members of our forever family.....

So Where is Ethiopia anyway ..........

more to come....

A New Chapter in the Grand Adventure

Rock and Pam

After successfully "launching" 4 children, what middle age couple would start over?  Fall of 2011, Rock and I talked about the fact that neither of us felt that we were "done" parenting.  We felt a strong calling to bring siblings from somewhere into our home and create a larger forever family!  So as we prayed, it became more and more apparent that those siblings would be from Ethiopia...and a new chapter in the Grand Adventure began.....

Please join Rock and I as we walk through the adoption process, find and meet our new children and go to Ehtiopia!

Check back often for updates!!