‎"The King will reply,

'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for

one of the least of these brothers of mine,

you did for me.'"

Matthew 25:40

"While we're waiting" family photos

Our friend Elaine Howe took some family photos for us to document our "wait" for our new ones to come home.  I think they turned out great!  And this wasn't some elaborate photo shoot, either.  Elaine met us on the church playground before church last Wednesday night to take our pics.  It was about 4:45 in the afternoon, and it was HOT!  In fact, the playground was free for us to do our shoot only because it was too hot for the day care kids to go out to play that day.  We were sweating like crazy, but Elaine was great and got it all finished up before all we spontaeously combusted.  She's awesome! 

(Between shots - the way we "really" are!)

Where's the beef?

I know it's been a while since I posted anything of substance here on the blog. It's all been sort of on the "lite" side lately. (Wii family portrait, etc!)  It's not that I don't have anything going on, it's just that I've been so busy that I haven't had time to sit and put it into words.  God has been teaching me MANY things lately.  So many that I feel like my head and my heart are going to explode.

On top of that, I have been running around like a crazy woman doing "stuff".  Home school, home school co-op, robotics, church stuff, buying groceries, cooking said groceries, soccer practice, dance, piano, more soccer practice, soccer games, taking kids to "do stuff" with friends, laundry, leading a ladies' Bible study at church, etc.  Every single thing seems to eat up more time than it should, and the list feels like nothing ever really gets checked off. I feel like I am moving in slow motion no matter how hard I try, and I always feel like I'm behind - and getting more and more behind every hour of the day.

I guess I need some "margin" in my life right now.  I usually don't have a problem making sure that happens, but lately I feel like I am fighting a losing battle. I'm pretty much to that point of having so much to do that I become paralyzed by the thought of it all so I basically end up getting nothing done.

However, on top of all that other stuff I've been doing, I did take some time to read an awesome book over the last few days, and I'll be posting about it soon - another MUST read.  I am so glad I put some things on hold in order to read it.  It was worth it. 

(Soon I hope to get around to posting some of the things God has been teaching me, but at this moment I really am behind and must get up, get this disgusting kitchen cleaned up, and make sure everyone has clothes to wear to church tomorrow!)

Pierce family "portrait"

Here's the latest Pierce family portrait...

Ha ha ha ha ha!

(Soon... soon we'll be able to post their real pics!  Can't wait!)

Monthly update came today!

Every month in which we do not travel (for court date or "gotcha" day), we can submit 5 questions to have answered about our kids.  Today we received our first update.

Here are just a few of the things they said...

About our boy:
"He is active and fast learner; he can count numbers both in Amharic and English, he also can read alphabets"
"He is an outdoor game fun; he enjoys playing soccer and all other games"
"...said he wants to be a medical doctor"

About our girl:
"She can read and write numbers from 1-10 and can read few English alphabets"
"She is good in singing and she enjoys it too"
"She loves to sing spiritual songs"

YAY!!!

We also got some new pictures (wish I could show them!).  Just can't wait to give them lots of hugs and kisses!

LAST CALL FOR ADOPTION T-SHIRTS!

Here are some reasons why you should buy one (or more!) of our adoption T-shirts:

1) We were thrilled to get our referral after only 3 WEEKS, but it has really cut down our fundraising time.  (We're in a serious crunch here!)

2) They are really cute

3) You can always use ONE MORE T-shirt

4) You can dress like the "stylish" Pierce family

5) Chuck Norris wears one (OK, I just made that up, but I bet he would if he had one!)

6) I'll throw in a FREE wristband and tote bag with each order

7) When they are gone... they are GONE!

You can order them through our "Fundraisers" page.  (Go there now!)

THANKS!

Have a blessed day, everybody, because...

Mailed more care packages today...

Today I mailed our second set of care packages to our babies.  (Actually, I mailed them to the T family who delivered our last ones for us. They'll deliver them when they go back to Ethiopia to bring home their baby girl in a couple of weeks.)   The man at the FedEx store who helped us back in June when we sent our dossier was there again today. When we explained that we were sending in our paperwork for our adoption, he was genuinely happy for us. Today he remembered me when I came in, and he was so excited to hear that we had our referrals and were sending care packages to our children.  It was a blessing to see him again.   I thank God for the "little" things He sends my way just to brighten my day!

"Think of Me" - Lisa Chan

What's been going on...

Well, we are still waiting for our court date to be assigned.  That will not happen until October, so there's really not much to tell on the "progress" side of the adoption. But we haven't been just sittin' around, that's for sure! 

Last week, the first four went to the grandparents' for several days while my brother came to help us get everyone's rooms ready to fit two more kiddos in them.  We repainted all the rooms and built loft beds for everyone.  (There are still a few details to complete, and I'll post some pics when they are completely done - hopefully next week!)  No kids knew what their rooms were going to look like.  I did all the planning, etc. without telling the kids anything except that they would be getting "loft beds".  And I think they were all very happy with the results!  We absolutely could not have done it without my brother coming and working 16-18 hours a day with us for 4 days straight.  He built all six beds and helped with lots of other misc. jobs, and all he got paid was some 5 Guys, Foosackly's, McDonald's, Chick-fil-A, Steak & Shake, a really yummy sandwich from the Winn Dixie deli, and some tater tot casserole! (THANKS, Eric!)

Another fun thing that has happened since my last post is that we were able to send care packages to our little ones.  They were delivered by the T family from NM who also took pictures and some awesome video for us of the kids opening their gifts.  It was so great to see them "in action"!  So cute and sweet - and so lively and fun!  I can't wait until we can go to our court date and be able to deliver care packages for someone else! 

We are still praying about the $$, but we are trusting that God is going to take care of it all somehow. 

Besides that, we are now back to home school, and fall activities are almost in full swing.  Soccer 3 nights a week plus 2 games on Saturdays, diving, piano, co-op, dance, robotics, plus regular church activities and Bible studies, etc.  And hopefully in October we'll add a trip to Ethiopia in there somewhere!

So... that's pretty much our update on what we've been up to.... (in case anyone wanted to know why I haven't posted lately!  LOL)   

watch...

I have no words to say about this....


The Village of Korah from ReFocus Media on Vimeo.

God is great. God is good. Let us thank Him for our...

food.

Gourmet food. Soul food. Fast food. Southern food. Health food. Snack food.
We party with it. Snack on it. Plan our days around it.
It is the centerpiece of family reunions, football parties, church fellowships, romantic dates, and even movie nights.
Multiple restaurants on nearly every street.
Fully stocked grocery stores.
It is available 24 hours a day.
We have entire cable channels devoted to it.
We don’t even have to get out of our cars to get it.

Food.

We are so blessed in the USA to have more than enough of it.

We “ask the blessing” before we eat. We teach our kids to do it, too.

But what are we really saying?

I admit that most of the time I am thanking God for giving me food that I like. I am sincerely thankful that God has provided food for us, but most of the time I don’t really consider what an incredible blessing having food is. I take it for granted - as if there were no other option. I don’t even think about it. The concept of not having food is not a part of my daily life. I’ve never in my entire life wondered where my next meal is coming from.

There have been times, when presented with some terrible statistic or picture of a hungry child, that I have thought about other people – other moms – who have to see their children hungry. And it has brought me to tears. I can’t imagine their pain. It has to be a horrible reality. But not until recently has it become truly personal. 

Food.

So simple.

So basic.

So powerful.

The lack of food or the availability of food makes the difference not only between being hungry or being satisfied, it also determines whether families can stay together.  How many birth families who have given up their children have done so because they simply lack the food to feed them? How many could remain together if they had enough food?  It is crazy for me to think that something as simple as food has the power to separate families or allow them to stay together.

Food.

I know there are often other factors. That most children who live in poverty around the world also do not have access to education, healthcare, or “good” jobs. But the lack of food is critical to daily life and requires immediate action. You can live together as a loving family without those other things, but not being able to provide food for your children places parents in a desperate situation that must be remedied.

It is heartbreaking that families who already have so little must often give up their most cherished relationships - their own children or grandchildren or neices or nephews - because they do not have what we so blatantly take for granted every day. Families are literally torn apart for lack of food.

That is not okay.

Food is more than entertainment. More than an activity or hobby. Even more than just a way not to be hungry. Having food helps us keep our family together. If we didn’t have food, our kids may not be able to stay with us. That is a sobering thought.

Since this reality hit me a few days ago, I have not seen our daily habit of “asking the blessing” the same way ...and I never will again. 
I am truly thankful for our food on a whole new level.

I am thankful that I am not hungry.
I am thankful that my kids are not hungry.
But most of all I am thankful that we get to stay together as a family.

Because.


We.


Have.


Food.

What's in a name?

Now that we have our referrals, we have been thinking about names…

We plan to give our kids American names to go along with their Ethiopian names, but the question remains, “Should we call them by their American names or by their Ethiopian names?”

Reasons to call them by their Ethiopian names:
- In a nutshell:  Heritage
- We think their Ethiopian names are beautiful… BEAUTIFUL!
- They were given to them by their birth family and are extremely special.
- We certainly do not want to make them feel as if we think their Ethiopian names were not “good enough” or that we did not like them.
- They are used to them. It’s what they’ve always been called, and it would be strange for them to have to learn new names at 3 and 4 years old.

Reasons to call them by their American names:
- In a nutshell:  Practicality
- Their Ethiopian names would be unusual and difficult for people to remember, pronounce, and spell. We have experienced this some with Deke and Mattea. For some reason, people have trouble figuring out how to spell Deke’s name. (Apparently, it’s more difficult to spell than we originally thought!  “Deek”,  “Deak”, even “Dink”) And poor Mattea has her name mispronounced almost every time anyone has to read it. We’ve even made it a game to try to guess how it’s going to be pronounced – especially when we go to the dentist! (It’s Muh-TAY-uh, by the way. LOL) I can only imagine how many times our Ethiopian kids will have to re-pronounce, spell, and re-state their names! I just don’t know if they should have to do that their entire lives.
- So that they won’t have to answer questions or explain where their names came from every time they meet someone new.
- In the Bible, God gave many people a new name to mark a turning point or new phase in their lives. (Abram became Abraham. Sarai became Sarah. Jacob became Israel. Cephas became Peter. Saul became Paul.) This is definitely a new phase in their lives, and I believe it would be appropriate to receive a new name.

Really, the only reason we would call them by their American names is so that their lives could be simplified. It really does get old having to repeat and spell your name for lots of people. That’s a pretty big reason. So, I think we’re leaning toward calling them by their American names, but we certainly are not completely committed to that yet.

We’re praying about it. We’ll see…

A little more on the referral...

There are very strict rules about what you can share about your child(ren) before you go to court and they become legally yours.  So...  I can tell you that we have a 3 year old girl and a 4 year old boy siblings.  In their pictures (which we are not allowed to show yet!) the brother has his arm around his sister.  They have the most unique and beautiful features.  She looks like a precious little angel, and he looks full of mischief - which means he'll fit right in with his new roomie Wyatt!  Actually, upon seeing his picture for the first time Wyatt said, "He looks FUN!"  (Heaven help us all!) 

We can't wait to get to meet them in person!  We are now waiting to be assigned a court date. 

After we pass court we will come back home and have to wait again to go back and pick them up and bring them home forever.

So, the waiting begins again...

R-E-F-E-R-R-A-L!!

Friday afternoon we received our referral phone call!

Siblings: 4 year old boy and 3 year old girl!

They are beautiful, and we are all in love!

(More info to come in a later post...)