A Piece of My Heart . . . Half a World Away

(We wish we could show the whole, pic.  However, we can't until we pass court.)

It's February 26th.  It's been exactly 4 months since we left "M^" in the orphanage in Ethiopia.  We have not seen a new picture or heard any update on how she is.  Nothing . . . at all.  So many questions have been running through my mind lately . . .

How is she doing in school?
                                                                                              Is she learning anything new?

                                         Is she getting enough to eat?
 
                                                                                               Is she cold at night?


                  Does she know we're working hard to bring her home?




                                         It's been 4 months, does she wonder if we're coming back for her?



   Does she know we love her so very much?

                                    Does she know we love her so very much?

                                                                       Does she know we love her so very much?
 
                                                                                                                    Does she know . . .

Ugh, these are the questions that keep me up at night.  These are the questions that suddenly strike me in the moments that I'm even unaware of how much I think about "M^".  A piece of my heart is half a world away.  A piece of my heart is with a young lady that, while we've spent a little time with, we don't really know all that well.  Even though, we know that God is calling us to the task of advocating for her, loving her and being the best parents we can be to her.  It's hard to imagine that we're here in this journey.  It's hard to explain when people ask how many children I have . . . I have 4, no 5 . . . well . . . it's complicated.  I long for the day when all of our girls are home and we can be a family all together.  But for now, a piece of my heart will remain half a world away. 

33 Blessings to Bless Others

Well . . . today is my birthday.  My 33rd birthday.  I've never really been one to like the attention or celebration of my birthday.  I don't know why this is.  It just is.  (Thank you to all those that send birthday wishes to me anyway.  It really does mean a lot to me!)  While I'm sitting here at the end of the day pondering, I feel the need to focus on the ways God has blessed me.  So here are 33 blessings I see in my life.

Kevin - my amazing husband
"M^" - such a strong young lady
"M*" - always ready for a lively conversation
"S" - compassionate beyond words
"K" - humor galore
"T" - bravely embracing life
Our pets that have become integral parts of our family
My parents
My brother and sister-in-law
My grandparents
My godparents
All of my extended family
My mother-in-law and father-in-law
All of Kevin's family that have become my family as well
My friends - new and old, near and far
The awesome youth I have worked with over the last 14 years
The people of Emmanuel Lutheran Church
The people of Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church
Briarwood Church Camp
Crossways Camping Ministries
Luther Seminary
Celebrate Children International and all the wonderful people there
Grace Guest House and the wonderful people there
God's presence
Prayer
Faith
Hope
Love 
Health
Laughter
Music
Education
Abundance

Obviously this is just a short list of the ways God has blessed me in my life.  There are many more.  As I think about this it reminds me of our call as Christians. "I will bless you, so that you will be a blessing."  Genesis 12:2 (paraphrased)  I feel so blessed and I pray that I am (and will continue) to use my blessings to bless others. 

Also . . . Here's a little update on how Miss "T" is doing.

January 13 we had our LAST court appearance here in the US to COMPLETELY finish "T"s adoption.

We celebrated with dinner out!

Of course we very rarely get serious photos in this family!

An update on "M^"s adoption . . . We have our paperwork into the US immigration offices.  We are waiting to do our fingerprints again.  It is looking good for adoptions to stay open in Ethiopia (at least for now).  "M^" is still in her orphanage and going to school.  Or at least we assume.  It has now been 118 days since we left her there to return home with "T".  We have not had an update or any information on her specifically since then.  We guess that no news means things are going okay.  We pray for her every night and she is constantly in my thoughts during the day.  Please continue to keep her in your prayers too!