World Travels of 2012

So with all the excitement of Ted getting done, and being more settled in the groove of having two kids, we did a LOT of traveling in 2012. Perhaps a bit too much actually. I could write pages and pages on such events, but since this is a summary of what happened, I'll save that for my journals I can ready later.

The nutshell:

March 2012

Ted goes to Colombia with Medican Ministries International

Ted traveled to work off of a boat on the Amazon river and was based out of Leticia, Colombia for 10 days in March. Following this trip, he was asked to sign on as the Medical Director for the amazon branch of MMI. We plan to have a long term partnership with this group in the next few years as a way of culturing more long term relationships in missions, and also as connection to Lucas and Sam's birth countries. Here are a few photos of the excursion.



Yet another in March 2012

Erin co-lead a trip back to Haiti with the Global Orphan Project. This was a smaller team from our home church, Deerbrook Covenant as well as with a larger church in the area, Lakeland Community. It was a nice transition to get "trained in" with a different intention on this trip.



May 2012

Then we completely changed gears and gave ourselves one of "those" vacations that many normal Americans take from time to time. This was a celebration of surviving 9 years of Ted being in some sort of college and our first major getaway together without the kiddos. It was much needed and a big blessing. Given that we will soon have 3 boys under the age of 5, it probably won't be happening again for awhile. It was wonderful. We had tans. We ate big breakfasts.




Back to Haiti again with The Global Orphan Project in July 2012

Erin headed up her own team in July that consisted of folks from Missouri, Colorado, and Pennsylvania. We had a wonderful time, yet again. Auntie Breann was able to come with me this time!



We traveled to San Antonio, TX for Labor Day as well as to Tucson, AZ to visit aunti Laurie for Thanksgiving (fresh home from the war for the last time we hope!)





I nearly forgot, but we sent Ted to Uganda with Medical Missions Foundation based out of Overland Park, KS



We did to more than just fly all over the place in 2012, but that is a different post :-)

What happened to 2012? So most of the big updates since that last somewhat emotional post of 2011 are listed on our timeline to the left of the screen. I knew it had been awhile since I had attempted to put up anything on the blog, but I didn't realize it had been that long! Why did that happen exactly? Well, lots of reasons. 1. We do a lot of Facebook around here, and pretty much everyone that wants to keep up with us is on there or is married to someone that is on there. If they aren't on facebook, they probably aren't reading blogs either. 2. The blog is more here as a way to catalog events and feelings for future recollection.. so it doesn't really need to happen in real time as long as it happens eventually. 15 years from now I probably won't care if I was a few months late. 3. I had more than one kid. There. I said it. I just don't have much time for quiet coherent thought... and if I do I use it for journal time with God. So why the update now? Well.. will be traveling back to Colombia in a few months for our 3rd child, and it would be in good form to at least have this space updated between now and then so there isn't a random hole for 18 months of life where suddenly Ted is a doctor, Lucas is in preschool, Erin is working with new ministries, Ben is a little boy, and we have this random new child. Happy updating to me this morning!

Reflections

Oh my sweet child Ben.

I am sitting here in tears, at Panera of all places.. having just reviewed your final 2 days in Addis.. I was simply planning to get the blog post up.

You Mamas.. you mamas out there whose hearts literally hurt when you see your child in pain... you're feelin' me now.

These days.. Ben has moments here and there of fear.. anxiety... and it comes out in swinging of fists and frustration that he is trying to communicate with me that I took something away.. or I'm too far away usually.

But what I am feeling in my soul at this moment.. is all of the smiles, the kisses both given and taken.. the hugs.. the sweet little voice that sings in his crib in the morning.. and the chubby little brown arms always reaching for me.. ALWAYS... always always always.

When he smiles, which is all the time, his little face just lights up and his eyes have this twinkle in them that you just MELT. It's immediate.

So when I look at where he was.. who he was back then.. my heart is restored that maybe all the long and sleepless nights and days that I have poured into the last 4 months are not in vain. His beautiful heart is being restored day by day by the God that formed him in his birth mothers womb. The God who will love him and keep him and has a plan for him I could not conceive.

I can, for the first time in months, feel in my heart that God loves what I did.. and what I do every minute of every day... and I can actually SEE that I was "Jesus with skin on" every step of the way. Ben's little soul is coming out to bless the world and heal one day at a time.. and God put me there to do that.

News flash Erin. You're not a failure. You don't suck. You do something worth it.

I am humbled. I am blessed beyond measure. I have made the world a safe place for a little person who very much loves his mama. Just ask him. Or watch him chase me down the hallway. All the day long :-)

Exhibit A: When he wouldn't look anyone in the eyes...


Exhibit B: (taken a few days ago)

Ben Coming Home from Ethiopia- Post 6 Embassy and Coming Home

May 31st, 2011- Embassy day!!

Sorry.. but the entries going forward weren’t written in real time. Turns out taking custody of a traumatized child doesn’t quite leave time for “blogging”….

(okay real time for this moment.. what is HILARIOUS.. is that I wrote the statement above like 4 MONTHS AGO.. when I was just sure that I would have this up like 2 days later. 4 MONTHS AGO.. pre-"traumatized Ben" me is just so cute.. and clueless)

Anyway, from what I recall:

We were able to get up in a timely fashion, and thanks to my Mom the labor coach, were able to get presentable enough to load back into the van with the other families and head for the American embassy. The Embassy was… well… very American. Shiny and concrete and power toilets and a big 8x10 photo spread of Obama and Ms. Clinton. We passed through security with the regular screening… actually wasn’t quite as crazy as Colombia’s. Once sent into the crowded room, we were given a number. They don’t go in order and you never know when it will be your turn. I believe I was 2nd or 3rd in our group? I was a little nervous about this because I was armed with a folder of plastic sleeved documents (including original Powers of Attorney from Ted saying I could adopt him a kid in Ethiopia).

My interrogation was more than Colombia but not bad. I’m kind of a stickler for adoption related timelines and details so little escapes me. The most involved explanation my worker wanted was why I had traveled for court in December 2010 and why I was just then getting there. Oh, Mr. Officer, I’d like to tell you a little story called “Erin’s Adoption Drama” the details of which I am happy to explain to YOU. Ha. It wasn’t really that bad. Ben was in the Ergo and was getting tired, so he made it decently easy. We were told that his adoption was considered legal, binding, and FINAL by the United States government and that Ben would be considered a citizen upon entering the country. Sounds good to me! They never asked for any of my fancy documents I was all excited to impress them with!



We traveled home, we did nap time, we tried to get Ben to eat a bit more and I believe had some success with a vegetable soup thing that the guest house made. Mom went out with one of the other father’s that afternoon for a little additional shopping. Tuesday night, Mom and I celebrated with some African wine that was quite fantastic.



Real time again for a moment.. look at his FACE.. he was so scared.. I'm so glad I don't see that face anymore. Breaks my HEART to realize it now looking back.










June 1, 2011

Most of this day was spent hanging out with the other babies in the common area. It was our last full day in Addis and one of the only days where we could just enjoy our children. We did!! I went for one final shopping trip with a couple of the other Dad’s for my last time in Addis. It finally became more clear that I wasn’t going to be back in a few months. This was sad. This was Ben’s last day in the country of his birth, at least until he was older. That was sad. Pretty much everything about what I was about to do to this child was making me sad.

June 2, 2011
Here we are... Visa packet in hand.. and the rest is history.




This is what a much loved immigration packet looks like. Don't you dare open the envelope. The world might explode if you do.



This is what an "lap infant" can look like on a 16 hour flight if you're not careful... He is bigger now too. Oops.



All cleaned up and teeth brushed and clothes changed.. in Chicago.



Now back to real life for a moment.. here.. in October... 4 months since this picture was taken. THAT moment.. coming off the plane into KCI with this sweet child of God.. who was born in my heart over the course of a year and a half.. who spent his first days of his life under the saddest of conditions.. who spent every other day of his first year of life.. a little over 365 days in 3 different orphanages.. this picture says it all. You are MINE. You are loved. You are safe.

THIS makes me weep.

Because I'm not the only Ethiopian mama out there passionate about the famine. Please take a look!

Hi friends,



This is Shonda from God Will Add.  Erin has kindly let me take over her blog to tell you about an awesome Baby Shower like none other.  A couple of my friends have teamed up and we're trying to raise funds for an organization called FOVC.  They help provide aid and hope to the immediate areas where our kiddos are from, an area that has been hit hard by this horrible famine.



Shameless plug:  Will you hop on over to my shower?  I promise I won't make you smell mystery diapers and  no I won't let you wrap toilet paper around my abdomen.



For $13 FOVC can feed one starving child for one month.  So far, this shower has raised $710.  If you're amazing at math like myself, you know that 54 kids who didn't have food today, will have food tomorrow and for the next month because of the generosity of a select few.  Wow!  Can we make it 100 kids?  Will you please help me spread the word? 

Why? 

Of all the great charities out there, why have I chose to rally behind FOVC?  A few simple reasons:



1) There are a lot of other great charities that are working to fight this famine, and I (despite my cynicism of big organizations) have supported them.  But FOVC is the only NGO working directly in the areas my boys are from, and where their first families still live.  Even if I liked nothing else about FOVC, this one simple fact would make me want to support them.  Thankfully, there are lots of other things I like about them:



2) They are a very small grassroots organization and very conservative with their money.  All their workers are volunteers, and they do all their traveling on their own dime, which means all the money we give goes directly to feeding the kids and helping their community fight poverty with long-term goals in mind.



3) I have a close friend who has done aid work with them in Ethiopia (and is on her way back in a few weeks), knows many personal details about how they operate and spend their money.  She's a Dave Ramsey fiscal conservative like myself, and she fully endorses them.  They have an independent bookkeeper who verifies that over 96% of the funds go directly to Ethiopia.



4) Directly from the president of FOVC:  "We have an amazing team of volunteers! Our board members and officers (if I do say so myself) are doing outstanding work! We spend a lot of time and effort educating ourselves on best practices of economic development (it's what my husband does!) and strive to implement every program using best practices. This means we empower, not enable. Every effort we undertake is aimed at offering long-term sustainability, success...and HOPE



Have I convinced you they're great?



Click here and support them:



And then (this part is optional), click here and tell MB how excited you are about his arrival into our family.







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