quick adoption update:
We were so hoping we would have good news to share by now, but there has been nothing…or at least nothing good! Instead we have heard more heartbreaking news about children who were with our kids in their orphanage passing away from measles or other things. We have never felt so out of control or at the mercy of others.
Still, we know true mercy, WHO it comes from, and are choosing (sometimes with the tiniest fleck of faith) to believe that He is doing all things for our good and his glory and he loves these precious boys more than we do.
Please keep praying. We are told that there should be some answers, or at least a precedent set for how cases like ours will be dealt with sometime tomorrow. Of course, tomorrow could come with no news, so we are trying to prepare our hearts for that while still being hopeful and prayerful.
Thank you for praying and hoping with us!
Tags: adoption
The unfortunate commits himself to You;
You have been the helper of the orphan.
15 Break the arm of the wicked and the evildoer,
Seek out his wickedness until You find none.16 The LORD is King forever and ever;
Nations have perished from His land.
17 O LORD, You have heard the desire of the humble;
You will strengthen their heart, You will incline Your ear
18 To vindicate the orphan and the oppressed,
So that man who is of the earth will no longer cause terror.
We interrupt the regularly scheduled adoption updates and “overheard“s with this important “how to”.
My local Aldi’s had pomegranates on sale this week so I gladly picked up a few. I LOVE pomegranates. And as I was peeling one this morning, I thought to myself how thankful I am to know how to peel a pomegranate. I didn’t know until 2 years ago, which is quite a shame considering the house we lived in for many of my growing-up years in Japan had a pomegranate tree in the back yard. It didn’t get that much fruit, and eventually died, but when we would get our meager yield of fruit a year, it was always such a struggle to get the juicy seeds out to enjoy. By the time we got them out, we had busted so many of the seeds in the meantime and it was scant reward for all that hard work.
Well, thanks for my amazing sister-in-law, Mary Stuart (who has taught me many things in this last decade that I have known and loved her), I now know how to peel a pomegranate and wanted to share this gem of wisdom with you, our dear readers. I even took pictures for you. You’re welcome.
Wash the pomegranate and cut off the two ends, like this:
Then, score the outside 4 or 5 times:
Next, submerge it in a bowl of cold water and gently break it apart:
As you pull it apart, the seeds will sink to the bottom and the ruffage (or whatever you call that stuff) will float on the top.
Use your hand or a sieve to remove the ruffage from the water:
Pour out the rest of the water and voila! You have your juicy pomegranate granules intact and ready to enjoy:
Store them in the fridge and enjoy them on ice cream, with granola and yogurt in the morning, or by the handful throughout the day (or any other way you enjoy your pomegranate – please share!).
And speaking of the amazing MSI (Mary Stuart), if you are even needing a home or wanting to be connected in the Atlanta area, she’s your girl. Seriously, people, she’s amazing. Check out her website and if you live in the Atlanta area, subscribe to ATL Savvy for all kinds of great insight into life in Atlanta.
And speaking of Atlanta, and Mary Stuart, you should also really check out my brother’s beer company, Monday Night Brewery. This beer company, born from a Monday night Bible study, makes the best beer around (granted, I don’t drink much beer, but I like theirs very much and everyone who drinks it loves it too). You don’t want to miss out.
So there you go: THREE helpful tips today. You are very, very, very welcome. 
Thank you so much for everyone who has been praying! Please keep praying!
We haven’t heard anything from Ethiopia yet. I wasn’t really expecting to hear, since ET time isn’t America time, plus the last time they needed to make a decision like this it took several months. Still, trying not to be disappointed and praying it won’t be that long again…
In the meantime, we have much to be thankful for. Most of all I am thankful to know Who is is we are thankful to. What a gift to know and walk with God through Jesus Christ!
Happy Thanksgiving from our family to yours!
I’ve been avoiding writing an update on the adoption for the last two weeks because it was going to be a tough update to write.
We have been at another stand-still in our adoption with no news on our case, and nothing happening for families ever a step ahead of us in the process for the last 3 months. Things were not only standing still, but seemed to be moving backwards. Two weeks ago we heard more hard news that made it seem like we would never get the boys, or at least not for a long long time. It’s been two weeks of feeling like we needed to grieve, but not wanting to completely give up hope and definitely wanting to fight in prayer for our precious boys.
Well, PRAISE BE TO GOD, last Thursday He moved some mountains in Ethiopia to allow many children to be on their way to their forever families. And since all those children were ‘one step ahead’ of where we are in the process, cases like ours are finally top of the list in the line-up to be dealt with. We’ve been told there will be some kind of plan or decision made regarding cases in our category this Tuesday. Now, we know from past experience that that doesn’t necessarily mean we will hear anything on Tuesday, but we are HOPING and PRAYING for God to do his thing and wow us with good news next week in time for Thanksgiving.
Thank you so much to all of you who pray for us and these precious baby boys so faithfully. I was telling a dear friend the other day that we have literally felt carried. It has been a hard two weeks, and there were days that it was hard to even pray. We are so blessed to have so many who haven’t grown weary of lifting us and Jonathan and David before the throne. Would you please keep praying?
Some things to pray for:
-That they would approve proceeding with adoption for cases in our situation, and that we would finally be given a COURT DATE. We are also asking the Lord to give us a clear answer about our case NEXT WEEK, and boldly asking to be given a court date QUICKLY (I can go tomorrow if they need me there by then!). *The Tuesday work day in Ethiopia starts in the middle of the night EST. So if you are up late at night tomorrow and want to be praying in “real time”, please DO!
-That our director who is in ET now would be able to visit the boys and love on them for us, as well as check on them and take pictures.
-We’ve heard measles has been going through their orphanage and we’re desperate to know J&D are ok. Please pray they would be protected and that we can get them out of there SOON.
-There are just so many children and families represented in all this craziness so please be in prayer for them too.
-Pray for our hearts. This has truly been a roller coaster and we’re begging the Lord that this good news keeps coming. Still, our hearts are a little fragile from all the disappointments. We want to hope and pray boldly while still being open to whatever God has for us, even if it isn’t how we would write the story.
THANK YOU!
Do not fear, for I am with you;
I will bring your offspring from the east,
And gather you from the west.
I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’
And to the south, ‘Do not hold them back.’
Bring My sons from afar
And My daughters from the ends of the earth.
Isaiah 43:5-6
Tags: adoption
The Children
Do you hear the children crying?
I can hear them every day,
Crying, sighing, dying, flying
Somewhere safe where they can play.
Somewhere safe from all the dangers,
Somewhere safe from crack and AIDS,
Safe from lust and lurking strangers,
Safe from war and bombing raids.
Somewhere safe from malnutrition,
Safe from daddy’s damning voice,
Safe from mommy’s cool ambition,
Safe from deadly goddess, Choice.
Do you hear the children crying?
I can hear them every day,
Crying, sighing, dying, flying
Somewhere safe where they can play.
* * * *
Do you see the children meeting?
I can see them in the sky,
Meeting, eating, meeting, greeting
Jesus with the answer why.
Why the milk no longer nourished,
Why the water made them sick,
Why the crops no longer flourished,
Why the belly got so thick.
Why they never knew the reason
Friends had vanished out of sight,
Why some suffered for a season,
Others never saw the light.
Do you see the children meeting?
I can see them in the sky,
Meeting, eating, meeting, greeting
Jesus with the answer why.
* * * *
Do you hear the children singing?
I can hear them high above,
Singing, springing, ringing, bringing
Glory to the God of love.
Glory for the gift of living,
Glory for the end of pain,
Glory for the gift of giving,
Glory for eternal gain.
Glory from the ones forsaken,
Glory from the lost and lone,
Glory when the infants waken,
Orphans on the Father’s throne
Do you hear the children singing?
I can hear them high above,
Singing, springing, ringing, bringing
Glory to the God of love.
* * * *
Do you see the children coming?
I can see them on the clouds,
Coming, strumming, drumming, humming
Songs with heaven’s happy crowds.
Songs with lots of happy clapping,
Songs that set the heart on fire,
Songs that make your foot start tapping,
Songs that make a merry choir.
Songs so loud the mountains tremble,
Songs so pure the canyons ring,
When the children all assemble
Millions, millions, round the King.
Do you see the children coming?
I can see them on the clouds,
Coming, strumming, drumming, humming
Songs with heaven’s happy crowds.
* * * *
Do you see the children waiting?
I can see them all aglow
Waiting, waiting, waiting, waiting,
Who of us will rise and go?
Will we turn and fly to meet them
Will we venture something new?
I intend to rise and greet them.
Come and go with me, would you?
Thank you, John Piper.
