Ethiopia

It is getting closer. I can tell by the negative comments I get from those around me.

I guess in a perfect world, everyone would be excited to see an orphan connect to a family. Some one to care for them, love them, feed them, give them medical care and an education.

In a perfect world, those who can care for an orphan would, and those who could not, would simply be supportive of the ones who can.

In a perfect world, it wouldn't take many, many months of seemingly endless paperwork to bring an orphan home.

In a perfect world, there would be no orphans.

Our dossier has been to Lansing for state authentication. It was returned and is ready to go to our agency in Portland, OR. to be sent to Ethiopia. 4 pieces of paper had to be returned for the state seal, so that left yesterday. Within 2 weeks it should be returned. Then the complete dossier is ready to travel across the world to begin the referral process that will match us with our Ethiopian children.

We are so excited to be at this step in the process, but we can't help but be saddened by some of the responses around us.

"Oh, more kids? Don't you have enough already?"
"Why would you bring foreign kids here? We have homeless children in the states."
"Don't you know how old you are?"
"You can't save the world, you know."
"I have 2 kids you can raise."
"What if these kids make your own kids sick?"
"You have 7 kids with problems. That will just make them worse."

I can not explain why God put this desire in our hearts. Sometimes I don't understand it myself. And yes, life for us can be hard some days, but what we go through will never be the hardship that the Ethiopians endure day after day.

I don't want to be stuck in the thinking that because I was blessed to be born in America that I can gloat in my achievements while others suffer.

I never go hungry. I never thirst for fresh water. I sleep comfortably at night, and do not have fears of what tomorrow will bring.

I may not have everything and I know we can not save every orphan.
But God put Ethiopia on our hearts, and helped us prepair a plan to alleviate the suffering of at least one orphan.

We are excited, and I hope others will be too.