We we able to have a conference call with our local case worker and our International Team worker at the Bethany home office yesterday...it was a 30 minute call...and we had our questions all lined up...all typed up...numbered...yes, the OCD girl had everything organized and in order for the call.
We asked a lot of questions and got clarification and understanding on a some gray areas. It was a great call and we gained so much from it. During the call, one of my questions was on having traveling families 'check in' on our kiddo...see how he is, take pictures, and tell us what he's like. We were told all we had to do was search out on the forum a family who is traveling and has a kiddo in the same orphanage, sign a release, forward to the home office, and they would allow the family traveling to take photos and know who our kiddo is.
I am not a newbie to the forum. I have been on there and gained a lot of information as well as celebrate each step closer to our kiddos with fellow adoptive families. So after so research on the forum, we made connection with a family from our agency who is traveling for their embassy appointment and to bring home their 2 boys! We don't know them...but I sent an email the other night, blindly, asking them if they would check on Baby T. I went on and on, and said 'I promise, I am not crazy.' Yeah. I said that. The mom emailed me back and said they would be happy to and to take some photos of Baby T....and she said, 'I know you aren't crazy. I GET IT. I have been where you are.' I can't tell you how much I want to hear from another momma how my baby boy is. Their embassy appointment is the 19th...we are praying for them as they travel and as they are united as a family with their boys.
Did I mention we received an update recently? It was awesome to see 14 photos of the little guy! We did get an update on his progress - he can now roll from his front to his back and his back to his front and sit assisted. He, however, has only gained almost a pound in 2 months. He hasn't grown in length either except .6 inches. We continue to pray for him...and the big little guy joins right in there too!
E-man asks, OVER and OVER and OVER every day, if we can go get his brother from Africa. He doesn't have any concept that Africa is on the other side of the world...he does know we have to drive to the airport, get on an airplane and then we can go to Africa. My prayer has been, Lord, please allow us to fly through the rest of this adoption without any delays. Please grant the wish and prayer of my 3 year old son...to have his brother here. Now.
Outside of all of that, a lot of things have been going on - I guess maybe that's why I haven't been blogging. I have been thinking, listening, praying. I am in an uncomfortable position right now...being pushed a bit out of my comfort zone. And I ask the Lord questions like, "how?" " are you sure you want to use me?" All I know is I have to listen, have faith, and trust in the Lord. I have said over and over, this adoption of Baby T is much bigger than us. God has a plan that is bigger than being about family. And I am seeing that we are involved in it more than I thought. I am feeling a burden on my heart greater than I have ever felt in my life. I spoke to Will about it - and we are continuing to pray. But for now...it's a burden that I carry as we wait on the Lord....and when I clean out my refrigerator, I cry when I throw food away.
I know this - adopting a child who is malnourished will definitely change your outlook. We take soooo much for granted. We live in abundance. We are blessed! But there are people who don't know when they will eat next. People who are starving. Starving to death. And I am not ok with that. I am not ok, to just say, 'well they live on the other side of the world, I can't do anything about it because I am here. It's a problem, but I'm sure someone else will do something....World Hunger, Feed the Hungry..." What if everyone said that? What if everyone said, oh, someone will do it...someone will step up to the plate. And no one does. Then what? I am not ok with sitting on the sidelines and waiting, hoping someone is addressing the issue. I am ashamed of what we waste, what we say we need, what we want... to, what, make our lives more comfortable?
We are making our 'registry' for Baby T's virtual baby shower my sister is having for us. I was having a hard time coming up with things for it. You know what I really want? Money donated so when we go to ET, we can go shopping for things that are needed in the orphanage for the other children there and for the children who will be in the orphanage after we are gone...formula, diapers, etc...we don't want to take it with us... we want to buy it there - so we can stimulate the local economy there in ET by buying locally.
But, there are things that we need for Baby T that I didn't know/think about until I was looking at the photos from our updates. There are things that we need for Baby T to transition from Ethiopia..from an orphanage...to America...to his new home and family. We need things that he has used, played with, seen in the orphanage...we need to re-create things that were familiar to him there in Ethiopia where his world was, so that so he has a sense of comfort and safety. After all, he is leaving a country, a continent, a life, people, a language, clothes,...he is leaving everything that he has ever known. The only thing he leaves with, is his name.
Speaking of his name...we came across this, written on an African website about Africa names... Names are cultural identifiers. The first gift you can give your child is a noble African name, they wear it all their life and God willing live by the name given. Your name links you with your past, your ancestors and is a part of your spirituality. A beautiful name accompanies us for the rest of our life. This act of naming is so critical to self-determination.
His name is all he has..and we are not changing it to an American name. We are keeping his given name {and adding to it...this kiddo will have the longest legal name in history!} that his birth mother chose, just for him...it's part of his heritage, who he is, where he comes from...and we embrace that. He is our son. This is 'his story'.
I know that this is all over the place - but I thank you for reading my thoughts. I do have one request now that you have read this...you can do something. Right where you are. It may not change the world, but it will change the world for one.
What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and filled," without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. James 2:14-17
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