life lately

Yes, don't worry, we're still alive and kicking. Things have been busy during this last month and well, blogging went way down on the priority list. A big highlight was going to see the musical, THE LION KING, with my mom and the Ditchen/Olson girls last weekend. We have been waiting months. The show didn't disappoint....it was amazing. I'm really into all the behind the scenes stuff, thinking how did they do that? The lighting, costumes, sound effects, computer graphics, live music...seriously love it. It all comes together in a powerful way for one spectacular show.

This was Melia's first real live musical and she was so giddy. The show opens up with a big number complete with all the animals coming through the aisles and onto the stage to bow to the Lion King and meet his new cub, Simba. The lights go out at the end of the song and people cheered loudly. Melia turned to me with a perplexed look on her face and says, "That sure wasn't a very long show, mom". Her honest emotion and "newness" to the experience tickled me so much. She sure was happy when I said it was just beginning.

Of course, I can't get away from Africa and thinking about my baby boy. There is no real update to report. Still waiting. Although to clarify, we are waiting for a non-objection letter from the Rwandan gov't. When we receive this letter, we know that a referral of a child is within a couple months. The Rwandan gov't allows themselves up to six months to issue this non-objection letter. So, the wait is longer than we first anticipated. We've been officially waiting for about a month. Keep praying....

I've been able to help my friend, Sue, with a few weddings. She is an incredible event planner and has fabulous linens, table decor, arches, etc. available to rent for your special event. So, if you're thinking of throwing a great party or getting hitched, look her up (SHE Designs). The weddings have fallen on Saturdays, which allows Josh to be with the kids and us to maintain a semi-normal weekend.

I've also been helping out at our church with the new outreach building. There is programming starting in the fall for adults and kids. I working on literacy curriculum for infant - 5th grade and the volunteer piece for the kids area. Feel honored to have a hand in the beginning of this program. My brain hurts a little from not being used in this capacity in many months. :)

July is a big month for us. Melia will be 5 in 28 days. What! Five. A whole hand! Kinda crazy. She's already changed the theme of her party three times and it would be easier to walk into Target and tell you what's NOT on her birthday present list. I keep reminding her that the list helps give people an idea of what she wants....and that she's NOT going to get it all. Welcome to the real world chica. :)

We're going to throw a BBQ this Sunday for the 4th. So, if you don't have any plans and are looking for something to do....you're invited. Don't feel like a loser and that you have no friends because you do! We want you to come. Just call and let me know you're coming....

blessings and goooooo America!

officially, we wait.

We got a great call from our case worker last week. Our dossier has been officially processed into the Rwandan adoption system!!!!! We now wait for the next call.....the referral call. Meaning we have been placed with our boy. Could be up to six months for this call. Believe me, you will know when we receive that news! You may even be able to hear me shout it from the roof tops if ya listen close enough. :)

I've been thinking a lot about our son. He's never far from my thoughts, even in the middle of the night. I wake up thinking about him and pray all the time for him. Is he abandoned in a bush somewhere or worse.... Is he hurt, is he crying, is he hungry? Please God - I beg mercy for my boy and and your hand to guide him into the loving arms of the nuns at the orphanage.

I want to leave this blog with a dose of reality that many children face in Rwanda. One of the team members from AGCI returned from spending three months there and shared her experience visiting our orphanage (Home of Hope). I'll warn you it's really hard to read....but I believe truth is power and once you know what's happening I ask you to pray about your part in fighting the cause of the orphan?

"Our nun hurried us down a long, cement hallway to another room - I was so shocked to see over a hundred metal cribs, pushed together in clusters here and there. The silence was my first shock, not one baby was crying. The stillness of the room caused my heart to freeze, as well as my feet and thoughts. Why are they so quiet?

She began again, 'All these babies are orphans. True orphans. No father, no mother. They come to us sometimes in the middle of the night with umbilical cords still attached, naked, filthy from being birthed into a pit latrine hole (usually 20' deep) and they are left at our gate in plastic bags. Sometimes the person who found them in the latrine had put the newborn in a plastic bag and leaves the child in the road in the middle of the night because they don't want to be noticed by neighbors. The Sector official gets up early every morning to see if there are any 'bags' on the road, and if so, he brings them to the metal gate. That is how we get most of our children'. Prostitutes, especially child prostitutes, and over-burdened widows are desperate to get rid of their baby. They feel they have no other way. They are starving themselves. Some of their other children are beggars on the street. They live in the mud huts, they have no hope.

We have only been in this cemented room for a few minutes when I find myself just standing and staring.....I am now listening to this young woman tell me how thousands of mothers choose to dispose of their child and in many cases, the child dies alone in a bag. I slowly look around the room. There's too many. My eyes and hands fall to the nearest one. I touch his frail fingers. My touch startles him. Did this little one come in a plastic bag only a few moments ago? I didn't know this existed in our world. How is America to know? Will they care? Or is this just another Africa story on poverty?

They are waiting. They don't know they are waiting- right now they are a mass of humanity waiting for life to unfold. Like a rose bud. The petals are fragile - but each uniquely beautiful. They are too young for dreams or opinions or even the knowledge of a family. They know caring, yet I don't think they know love. They only know the hands of the nuns - not the arms of a mother. And there are too few nuns to share arms. "

Isaiah 58:6-9

"Is this not the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter - when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; they your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard. Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry out for help, and he will say: Here am I."

memorial day outing

Josh and I looked at each other on the Saturday of Memorial Day and said okay, we gotta get out of our house and do something fun for the holiday. We had played all day at our house and in the backyard and that's great and all but we were feeling the rut of "same ole' thing...just different day"... and needed a change.

We heard about this hike over by Lincoln City that leads up to a suspension bridge. It's called Drift Creek Falls Trail (if ya wanna look it up for your own nature adventure). Fun little hike in the woods ending with a cool bridge that shakes when you walk across it. The girls loved it!

Followed up hike with a fabulous BBQ with good friends at their house on Devil's Lake. It was a really fun day and exactly what we needed.

good news!

Want to hear some good, no, GREAT NEWS? Our dossier is officially on it's way to RWANDA. Oh yeah! It came back to our agency last Tuesday from the Rwandan embassy in Washington D.C. where they recommended us for adoption. Our case worker sent it out the same day to Rwanda. I am so thrilled to be this far. It takes a week to get to Africa and then up to two weeks to be processed into their system. I'm guessing that it's there now, since it will be exactly one week tomorrow.

Our case worker is suppose to be notified when we are in the Rwandan system and she is going to let us know. That means we will be officially in "their hands" and waiting to be placed with our son. The waiting has already begun for us.....but once we are in their system we've been told waiting for a referral could take up to 6 months.

My heart already aches to have my boy. I thought already having two kids and lots to keep me busy that the time would fly by... but that is not the case at all. I want him here with me now! No six months, thank you. I can see this will be a test of patience for me.

This is great news and I am so thankful to my Jesus for bringing us this far....

dear friend

Here's Shauna holding her daughter Ella (on left) with me and Melia at the garage sale. I somehow deleted the pic below....keeping reading to find out about her.

the time had come

Yes, two garage sales in two weeks! Grand total of money made for our baby boy's adoption.......$1,500!!!!!! Are you freaking out right now? I am! What a ton of money! I never would have dreamed that we would have made that much. A HUGE THANK YOU to all who donated items to be sold. My words won't come close to my heart here but I am humbled and so, so, so grateful.

A few pics from our second garage sale. As you can see we had a ton of stuff !

I was starting to go a bit loopy from all the distributing, organizing, and pricing.

Melia and her best buddy, Ella (on left) sitting at their concessions stand just waiting to make some money. If a few minutes went by with no takers for candy or drink, Melia would shout over to me in front of all the garage sale customers in a very frustrated, annoyed tone that no one was coming and buying from them. (I'm thinking that she probably doesn't have a future in sales.....or maybe she does because she was determined to move some product.) She did tire of sitting at the table really quickly and was off to play soooo concessions wasn't as big of a hit as I had hoped but my goal was made for having her feel apart of the experience.

My question is how could you NOT buy something from these two cutie pies?

Ella is the daughter of one of my dearest friends, Shauna. Shauna selflessly helped me out sooooo much at BOTH of my garage sales. She worked her booty off and kept me in a great mood. When I would try to let her off the hook to go home she would say, "no way, this is what friends do for each other". Thank you my wonderful friend for supporting me and my family in such a giving way. I love ya!

I'll end this blog on a light note.... What do you do with old winter tights now that the weather is warming up? Well, pull them over your head and pretend you're an invisible spy of course, sneaking up on the bad guy (daddy) and wrestling him on the bed. Continue to wrestle daddy, laughing hysterically, until you are worn out and the bed is a total disaster.

They could see out...I don't know how - but they could!

What's better than one garage sale......

....having another one, of course! Last week I learned very late in the week that the street next to ours was having a street garage sale. Hello lots of people! Time to make some money. We were going to originally have our garage sale THIS week (Friday and Saturday) but this was just too good of an opportunity to miss soooooo we went for it. My sister and bro-in-law graciously let us use their house (yes we live one street apart). We raised $700 bucks!!! How awesome is that. Our application for the US CIS is just a little bit more than that so I love to think that the cost is almost completely taken care of! God is good. I give him all the glory for such a great turn out and weather.

Turning to this week.....we had a little bit of stuff left over AND we have a few more friends that were going to donate items to the garage sale this week soooo....why not go for it again? Hello 76 degree weather! Let the people come and feast their eyes on all of our treasures and partake in great deals. Melia will be running her concessions stand with drinks and candy. Yes, yes I am using her cute face and curls to make some money. Judge if you must. :) Will be open for business this Friday (8-3) and Saturday (9-12). Stop by and say hi!

blessings.