EeteeOpia

This weekend we took a mini (like one day) vacation up to Sioux Falls. We were needing to get a new key made for our VW and decided that we would spend the night in a hotel and do some fun things with the kids. On Friday night, we found a little Ethiopian restaurant in a small house on East 10th St. that we decided to check out. Josiah was, of course, excited to have.....

INJERA!!!!!He did love eating the injera and did love that he could freely eat his meal with his fingers again, like in Ethiopia. It was amazing how walking into the house was like walking back into Ethiopia--what a feeling! The people were extremely hospitable and the food was excellent. People in the restaurant expressed to us how great they think adoption is and would smile and talk amongst themselves when we would say things to him in Amharic---maybe b/c we weren't saying it right or maybe they were just amused. I am happy to say that given the choice between injera and my pancakes he said he would choose pancakes--- Chalk it up.

The weekend also included swimming at the hotel, the Great Plains Zoo, and Toy Story 3. Josiah's FIRSTS this weekend: Ethiopian cuisine in America, elevator ride, zoo, and movie theatre experience. I think he enjoyed it all except the movie, during which he repeatedly told me, "Andinet, movie, twadeley no." Interpretation..."Andinet does not like the movie." He also put in a couple, "movie is yucky"s. Oh well, he enjoyed the popcorn and was exhausted enough to nap the whole ride home.

Josiah's Lunch Time Prayer

I started recording a little late..."Thank you, God, for our family. Thank you, God...thank you, God, for Julesy, Mommy, Daddy, AMEN"

We ask that his passion for prayer only increases as he grows to be a mighty man of God.

Wow. I have really wanted to be more active with this blog since we returned home. Who knew that adding a new kid to your family would be so involved?--Just kidding... kind of. I have found that I have had to be much more "present" at home during this transition, which has been tiring but WONDERFUL. It has also given me opportunity to see all of the selfishness inside of me (really rears its head in the early morning hours...). Stretching situations are an awesome tool to allow God to make your ashes into beauty. I'm working on that beauty part.

We have seen fear being cast out by God's perfect love in our sweet boy as he is beginning to enter rooms by himself, pet kittens, and sleep from 8 to 8---Praise God!
I have a lot that I want to write about but even tonight I will be cutting it short. Micah and I have a movie that we have been wanting to watch and have had to watch it in 45 minute increments after the kids are asleep. This is our third night watching ONE MOVIE. Oh well, we are savoring this time in our life that will not last forever. Thank you God for this great BLESSING.

Here are some snapshots of activity since our return home.

He Started It All

We're back! We're home! We have our new son! We are adjusting well.

There is so much that I would like to write about our trip and our time here at home but there is just no time so please excuse the discontinuity of this post.
Julianna and Josiah have been getting along very well. Each difficult moment is an opportunity for us to learn to love each other as Christ has loved us.
We have found 2 fears that keep Josiah clinging on to our necks for dear life: animals and being alone.
Our days are filled with giggles and activity. Our nights are filled with hushing sounds and rocking chairs. Routine has proven to be a life saver in putting him down for naps and to bed; however, he continues to wake up at about 2:30 and cry until about 6 (thanking God that Jules is a deep sleeper). We are trying different techniques to foster attachment and also to foster my sleep! I am trying to use the time during the night to pray for him and our family. Today I cut his nap short and am trying very hard to tire him out with a lot of activity. I'll keep you posted...

Here is a link to the pictures we took on our trip to Ethiopia (which was amazing and priceless):
http://www2.snapfish.com/snapfish/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=2613327023/a=152754705_162347016/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfish/

We have been having a lot of fun experiencing all of Josiah Andinet's firsts like... bubble baths, bikes, a daddy, happy meals, seat belts, learning to cuddle with a blanket, picking out clothes, flushing the toilet, putting the seat down, and teaching him all kinds of new words. My favorites so far are "Mommy," "pa-leese," and the rolling r "rrrrrrrrred" and "grrrrrrreen." When he walked into his room for the first time he immediately saw the semi-truck meant to hold small race cars, sat on it, and frantically raced around the room. We both knew that we should be recording the moment but also both knew that we should just enjoy it while we were there.

Life is good and Josiah Andinet is proving to be a great fit for this family.

Panic Attack & Praise Report

We are sitting in Dulles Airport in DC waiting for our flight to board in about 2 hours. Thirty minutes ago I checked my email on Micah's phone. There was an email from Holt with the subject: Important Program Update. I opened the email and read that yesterday Holt started contacting families that were to travel in July to tell them there was a miscommunication with the US Embassy in Ethiopia and that many visa interviews have been cut. Families who were to be leaving today will have their pushed back. We immediately called Holt. Our worker stated that of the 10 visa appointments for July 13th, 5 would be seen as scheduled....WE ARE IN THAT 5!!!! It happened that from the 10 families with Jly 13th visa appointments, 5 had already began their travel, these 5 would keep their appointments. Praise God that we began travel on Tuesday--had we waited until today our travel may have been cancelled. My heart sinks for those who received bad news---Lord, protect their hearts.

Ethiopia or Bust!

Well, I had some great packing pictures taken to put

here,

and here,

here

and here....

BUT the day got away from me and our camera is securely packed. Along with about 150lbs. of other luggage and about 50 more pounds of documents. We are leaving in the morning to start this adventure and shall return in about 10 days.

Tonight we ate supper together for the last time as a family of 3.

Tonight was our last night of tucking in just one special person.

Tonight was our last night praying as 3 hearts united for our 1 missing part.

Excited for our lives to be part of a bigger plan and excited like crazy to meet our son on Friday morning!

"When they walk through the Valley of Weeping, it will become a place of refreshing springs. " Ps. 86:4

FAITHFUL: MONEY MIRACLE

This post has been a long time coming. I just wanted to put down in record how God blessed us with financial miracles during our adoption process.

Adoption costs big bucks...

Thankfully, God has commissioned us (the church) to care for the orphan. When we tap into his heart He is ALWAYS FAITHFUL to provide the means. What an amazing thing to be serving so close to God's heart and to be blessed with a child because of it.

We can't publish every way that finances have been given towards our adoption, but I want to let you know some of the ways that God has used his people (you will be blessed for it!): memorial fund from our dear friends' infant daughter, family sacrificing Christmas presents and handing us a check, funds like Katelyn's Fund, Lifesong For Orphans, and a church in Sioux City with a heart for the orphan (can't thank you enough!). Another huge showing of support was from our friends and family who raised money, donated, and/or walked with us in our Walk-A-Thon to bring Josiah home (you can find pictures of the event here: http://s918.photobucket.com/albums/ad29/msgitlin/Walk%20A%20Thon/ ).

What a beautful day and a what a wonderful feeling to see so many people supporting you!

If you want some hard numbers, this adoption has ended up costing around $24,000. That's a big money bag--- but God is BIGGER! God has blessed us by provided EVERY PENNY of this! After our adoption tax credit comes in next spring, we will have enough surplus to give back into some of these adoption funds that have blessed us! Isn't God amazing? It is so obvious to us through these past 9-10 months that God's will is to place the homeless in homes. Every prayer has been answered. So much so that many times I have had to shake my head, throw up my hands and repent to God for ever having a doubting thought about His provision. Even yesterday, I stopped by our church to prepare for our service that night and a loving brother in Christ who happened to be there from a sister church (and that has always taken care of me on mission trips when I was in high school) handed me a handful of cash for our trip. I am sooo thankful that God sees every sacrifice that his children make and blesses them right back because there is no way we could repay all of the kindness that has been shown to us.

Thank you for paying it forward, we stand back amazed.

This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him. 1 John 5:1-15