Final Stretch!!!

We've been home for only two weeks, and it seems like two months!  The distance between us and our boys is feeling deeper every single day.  And. I. Don't. Like. It.  Most children from our agency are moved to our agency's transition house after they are referred to a family.  With our boys, we decided to leave them at their orphanage until we are able to bring them home.  It made sense that they stay where they've been (for almost FOUR years) instead of transitioning now, just weeks before we return.

BUT, this means that there isn't a constant flow of families visiting them, and the last family to travel with a child still at their orphanage recently returned home. 

That means we have no contact with them until we return!  Many people are shocked when I tell them this, assuming we are able to visit via Skype, phone, or email. 
Nope.  Nada. 

And so we are fervently praying for their hearts.  That they are being readied to come home, that they fully understand the love we have for them....and that they understand God will be with them WHEREVER they go....  

We have managed to be a busy as possible these past two weeks, which has helped the time pass.  On August 14th we FINALLY finished Addy's readoption in the US.  She is FINALLY a US citizen, and is officially Addy Rose Williams.

 

Eli celebrated his 7th birthday, with an Ethiopian party!  I'm one of those crazy moms who loves throwing birthday parties.  I just love celebrating my childrens' lives and the joy the day brings to each of them.  I've got to say, this was my favorite yet!  This sweet, compassionate child ASKED ME to be sure his friends knew he did not want gifts this year, but wanted them to bring donations for Detcho and Nahagi's orphanage. 

Seriously.  How sweet is he?!?!?!?
We also put together a slide show of our trip....Eli stood up so proud, telling his friends all about Ethiopia.  He spoke for AN HOUR---to about 15 children and 10 adults!  We finished the evening with an Ethiopian dinner with family (doro wot, injera, sega wot,shiro, and lentils).  A birthday celebration we'll never forget!

 I also spent a great deal of time these past two weeks preparing my new classroom!  Many people keep saying I'm nuts teaching this year with everything else going on...I see it as a complete blessing!  God opened the doors and my heart to quit my previous job and accept the 1st grade position at my children's school (Hope Christian Academy).  I'm co-teaching and working just mornings, I have my very own Eli in my class, and I'll be close by D and N when they come home and make adjustments!  A blessing indeed---and I've got to say being able to start the day each morning with my kiddos singing praise songs...the BEST!

Today Eli, Ayla and I hopped in the car for our first day....(and in a few weeks there will be FIVE of us loading the car every morning!).

As far as adoption news goes....

WE GOT AN EMAIL EARLY THIS MORNING THAT OUR CASE WAS SUBMITTED TO THE US EMBASSY!!! 

This means we are on our final stretch. Our boys are soon going to be home, and we CANNOT wait!  Now we wait for news from the embassy as far as our case goes.  They will investigate their orphan status, check their medicals, and then tell us they are ready for us to return!!!

The wait isn't over, but we are almost there!  Please continue to pray for our family.  I shared this photo from one of my devotionals on FB the other day....praying I can continue to lean on Him and remember He has FULL CONTROL!

Removing the Facade

Façade: a superficial appearance or illusion of something...

Dear family and friends,

I'm writing this post to pull the reigns back a little bit, and to hopefully remove the façade that I've created.

There is a tough line adoptive parents have to walk along.  On one side of the line lies the wonderful, happy, great aspects of adoption and the child(ren) that God has placed in your family.  On the other lies some painful, hard, discouraging truths that must be trudged through.

Sharing too much information one way or the other can very easily create a façade that in the end is indeed a superficial representation of the truth.

Without sharing information that we have decided to keep private, I'm telling you that just because we traveled across the seas to a foreign land and had a great meeting with our boys, it's not that simple.

There are many trials and hard times lying ahead.  Some that we even experienced while we were there...

Let me put a few superficial truths to rest:

• Yes, both D and N can speak enough English to communicate and interact. 
  No, they are not fluent English speakers, readers or writers.
• Yes, our time in country with them was wonderful and they were much more open and comfortable with us than we had expected. 
  No, we do not expect it to be easy for them to leave a place they have called home for almost FOUR years and all the friends they have made.  They have a big, hard adjustment coming.
• Yes, there was a strong connection and bond made.
  No, we are by not by any means passed the bonding or attaching process.  Not even a wink.
• Yes, they were in the US for a year with His Little Feet. 
  No, they are not accustomed to the US way of life---we've got some silly stories proving it;)
• Yes, they are considered "healthy" children.
  No, we are not in the clear from various issues regarding their health.
• Yes, they are extremely excited for school at Hope.
  No, school is not going to be easy for them (or their teachers, or us!).
• Yes, we know a lot about them and got to know them well in the short 10 days we were with them.
  No, we do not know them inside and out.  We have a lot of learning about each other to do, a lot of catching up to do, and a lot of healing to do.
• Yes, the boys bonded very well with Eli.
  No, this does not mean the bonding with the rest of our family will necessarily come as easily. 

My intent is not to be negative, but rather for others to understand some of the truths behind the façade I may have portrayed that everything was wonderful, great, and easy.

The downright truth:  adoption is not easy.  We are learning....and we've got a long ways to go!  BUT....we are so blessed by the 6 children God has entrusted to us, and we love them so very dearly! 

The distance between us is very, very hard.  But, we know both their hearts and ours have a lot of preparing to do before we are cleared to bring them home. 

Best Day Yet!!!!

Today we took our boys on a car ride out of Addis, and it was SUCH a breath of fresh air to get out of the city for a while. The drive was absolutely breathtaking. We passed village after village, with shepherds guiding their animals, farmers working the land, and rolling green hills stretching out in every direction. It was one of those drives where I just wanted to stare out the window and take everything in. 

At one point, we pulled off to the side of the road near a group of farmers so we could see their work up close. They were preparing the fields to plant teff, one of Ethiopia’s most important crops, and our friend Chip even gave the plowing a try! It was such a simple stop, but I loved getting to see this part of everyday life up close instead of just watching it pass by through the car window.

To be completely honest, I still don’t know exactly which falls we visited! I thought we had headed toward the Blue Nile Gorge, but later realized that wasn’t where we were. ;) We asked our guide where we were, and he gave us the name of the river, which he said eventually flows into the Blue Nile, but I have never been able to find it on a map. At this point, I’ve decided the exact location really doesn’t matter, because the day itself was AMAZING.

One of the coolest things we saw along the way was an old bridge that, according to our guide, had been built in the 16th century using limestone and ostrich eggs. Seriously — OSTRICH EGGS! Whether or not I’ll ever understand exactly how that worked, it was such a fascinating piece of history to see standing there in the middle of the countryside.

The biggest gift of the day, though, was getting to spend almost an entire day with our boys OUTSIDE the orphanage. Normally that wasn’t permitted, but because the boys were still living at their orphanage rather than the agency’s transition house, their orphanage director had given us special permission to take them with us.

That made the day even more special.

We had hours together to cuddle, talk, explore, and simply enjoy being a family without the usual distractions of the orphanage. I loved every second of it. Nahagi opened up SOOOOO much during the drive and told us story after story about his childhood as we passed through the farming villages. It was incredible to hear him talk about the places and people that were familiar to him and to see how excited he was to share those memories with us. He was also an amazing source of information throughout the day and seemed to know something about nearly every person, plant, and animal we passed.

And then came one of Eli’s favorite parts of the entire trip.

BABOONS!!!!

Eli had been hoping we would see some sort of monkey while we were in Ethiopia, so imagine his excitement when we saw them in the WILD rather than behind a fence at the zoo. And we didn’t just see a few. There were baboons EVERYWHERE — around the falls, along the cliffs, and near the village beside the falls. It felt like there were THOUSANDS of them!

Baboons on the cliff

Watching them in their natural surroundings was absolutely incredible. We would spot one, then another, and then suddenly realize there were dozens scattered across the hillside. It was such a fun, unexpected part of the day, and Eli was in heaven!

But as much as I loved the scenery, the falls, the farmers, and even the baboons, my favorite parts of the day were the quiet little moments with our boys.

Before this trip, I remember telling people that I was worried Detcho and Nahagi might be too old to want to cuddle with us.

Well...

I guess I was WRONG. :)

Detcho curled up and slept on my lap during the drive there, and Nahagi did the same on the way back. There I was, with these big boys I had worried might be too old for snuggles, and both of them were perfectly content to curl up with their momma.

My heart was FULL.

Poor Nahagi wasn’t feeling very well on the drive back, though, and that was HARD for me. Every mother instinct in me wanted to take him back with us, tuck him into bed, give him medicine, and take care of him until he felt better.

Instead, we had to drop him back off at the orphanage.

That was one of those moments that made the reality of our situation hit all over again. These were our boys. We loved them. We were bonding with them. They were beginning to feel like OURS in every possible way, and yet at the end of the day, we still had to leave them behind.

I don’t know how we are going to say goodbye to these boys in three days.

My heart absolutely aches just thinking about it.

But we have three more days, and we are going to soak up EVERY SINGLE MINUTE we can.

Today truly was our BEST DAY YET!!!!

Unveiling...

I've always wanted a large family..... 

but I never imagined that on my 30th birthday I'd become the mother to 2 boys, making me a mother to SIX wonderful children. 

 

Today at about 1:50pm in Ethiopia we became parents to two boys we are incredibly in love with.....

 

Introducing to you Nahagi Adam and Detcho Ian Williams...

 

Thanking God today for the work He has done in my life over the past 30 years.  It would never be possible without His grace and the love and devotion of my handsome hubby! 

 

Off to birthday dinner, but had to show these handsome faces off before heading out:) 

Thank you for all the love, support, and prayers.  We officially a family of EIGHT!!!!!!!

Not Able to Process...

Today was different from the past few days. Since arriving in Ethiopia, we've settled into a pretty comfortable routine: wake up, eat breakfast, wait for our ride, and head over to the orphanage to spend the day with our boys. Every morning, we've been eager to get there and soak up as much time with them as possible.

But today, we decided to do something different.
We chose to spend the morning visiting Korah.

When our driver picked us up and we told him where we wanted to go, he was stunned. Why on earth would we want to visit Korah?!?! We'd seen pictures and read about the various ministries working there, serving the community and being the hands and feet of Christ. But I had felt an increasingly strong desire to see it for myself.

Unfortunately, our morning didn't go quite as planned. Some unexpected circumstances meant we didn't have nearly as much time in Korah as I had hoped, and we weren't able to visit several of the ministries I had wanted to see.

But it was enough.

More than enough to break my heart in ways I hadn't anticipated.

In the end, we only had time to drive past the dump. And honestly, after experiencing even that small glimpse of life there, I think perhaps it was for the best. Little Eli was completely speechless throughout the entire drive.

NOT ONE WORD.

What we saw was enough to bring me to tears almost immediately, and both Bobby and Eli were equally stunned. We had read about the conditions in Korah, but seeing them with our own eyes was an entirely different experience. Photographs and descriptions simply cannot prepare you for the reality of standing there and witnessing something so overwhelming.

Even though our visit was brief, I know I will never forget it. EVER.

I left knowing that I wanted to do something, whether great or small, to make a difference in Korah. And starting today, we will be praying. Praying for the families and precious children living in such difficult circumstances, for those who depend on the dump for food, and for those who spend their days searching through discarded items in hopes of finding something they can sell.

These are real people, created and loved by God, living lives that are so difficult for me to comprehend from the comfort of my own home.

This was a visit I needed, even if we were able to experience only a small part of the community.

Thankfully, we were also able to visit a ministry just a few blocks from the dump. Embracing Hope  provides childcare for children of single mothers, with sponsorships helping make it possible for the mothers to work while their children receive care.

We happened to arrive during music time, and what a JOY it was to see the children singing and dancing! After the heaviness of what we'd just witnessed, walking into a room filled with music and laughter was such a beautiful experience. And poor Eli was practically trampled by all the little ones who wanted to touch him, kiss him, and give him hugs!

We absolutely love the work this ministry is doing and the opportunities it provides for the women and children of Korah. What an incredible example of people stepping into difficult circumstances and offering practical help, love, and encouragement.

Obviously, our primary purpose in traveling to Ethiopia was to meet our boys and spend time getting to know them. Giving up an entire morning with them wasn't an easy decision, especially when our time together was already so limited. But I'm incredibly grateful that we did.

Those two hours away from the boys were a powerful reminder of the tremendous needs in Ethiopia and so many other places around the world. I know we'll return to Ethiopia someday, and I hope that on a future trip we'll have more time to become involved in hands-on ministry. For now, this visit has renewed my desire to serve and reminded me that there is so much we can do to be the hands and feet of Christ.

Quite honestly, I'm still struggling to process everything we saw today. It's difficult to wrap my mind around the circumstances in which some people live while we enjoy such EXTREME comfort. Even the photographs I took cannot begin to capture the reality or the scale of what we witnessed.

I was reminded of Isaiah 61:3 and its beautiful promise of beauty instead of ashes, gladness instead of mourning, and praise instead of despair. What an incredible picture of the hope we have in the Lord, even in the midst of circumstances we cannot fully understand.

“He will bestow on them

 a crown of beauty instead of ashes, 

the oil of gladness instead of mourning, 

and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.

They will be called oaks of righteousness, 

a planting of the LORD 

for the display of his splendour.”

Isaiah 61:3

After our visit to Korah and a quick lunch, we headed over to spend a couple of hours with the boys. It was pouring rain when we arrived, so rather than playing outside, we spent the entire afternoon in their guest room while the other children were in their rooms.

And I have to say, it turned out to be one of the BEST visits we've had with them!

For the first time, it was just the five of us, with no distractions and nowhere else we needed to be. Oh, and we had left ALL our electronic devices behind, which turned out to be a wonderful decision!

We laughed, played cards, and enjoyed simply being together. D showed us some card tricks, and the boys taught us a few of THEIR favorite games. We talked about their future bedrooms, picked out sheets for their beds, and answered what seemed like hundreds of questions as N looked through the pictures on our camera for what must have been the tenth time!

They talked with Bobby about their dreams of going hunting, and we spent quite a bit of time discussing what would happen at court the following day. We also told them what their full names would be, which led to some amusing confusion about how last names work!

But the sweetest moment of the afternoon came when the boys began asking about our plans for tomorrow.

We explained how court day would work, and D wanted to know whether we'd be coming back to see them in the afternoon, as we had every other day. When I explained that we wouldn't be able to because our court appointment was scheduled for that afternoon, his face fell.

Apparently, our sweet boy had something special planned for my birthday, and he was so disappointed that we wouldn't be there to celebrate!

Oh, my heart!

Bobby quickly assured the boys that they could sing to me when we came to visit in the morning. And I told them that having them become part of our family was already the greatest birthday gift I could ever imagine.

They both wrapped their arms around me, giving me the biggest hugs and smiling from ear to ear.

Seriously, could these boys be any sweeter?!?!

I know I've said it a million times, and I'm sure I'll say it a million more, but these two are the sweetest, most wonderful boys. Every day we spend together makes me more grateful that God has brought us into one another's lives.

And tomorrow is another day we've been waiting and praying for throughout this incredible journey.

I CANNOT WAIT FOR TOMORROW!!!! :)

Soccer Family...

Many of you know one of my biggest concerns with bringing home the boys was their love for soccer.  When we received their referral, we didn't know Dickinson had JUST started a club soccer program.  It was a huge relief when we found out so, as we knew soccer was a big part of their lives. 

The other part of my concern: I know NOTHING about soccer! 
The reality...

Dickinson DOES have a soccer program and they have already begun the soccer lessons in making us a soccer family.  I'm actually excited to add soccer to our list of hobbies and even more excited that we have some awesome boys to teach us!

Today: Lesson 1

In addition to playing soccer, we visited, played cards, drew/colored and I had the boys do some math problems for me!  It was another great day of bonding.  One thing we learned....a timer for electronics will be on the top of our list when they get home!  Ha ha, the boys and their friends would play aaallllll day long! 

Me and my big boys!

D:2 Mom:1

Our friends' boy.  He and Eli made quick friends and are pretty inseparable! 

We also attended church this morning at the International Evangelical Church.  It was an amazing service with wonderful worship.  Eli was so pumped after church saying it was "AWESOME music."  We may try to attend a more traditional Ethiopian church next week....if we feel Eli is ready for a 3 hour service! 

The best part of today.....I got our first "I love you."
I wasn't expecting it and most definitely wasn't going to push for it....but D said it loud and proud ....another melt my heart moment!

Ready for dinner, than some rest....and then another day with our boys!

Meeting D and N!!

We arrived in Ethiopia late last night after 32 hours of traveling. To say we were exhausted would be an understatement! The trip seemed especially long at times, although I certainly wasn't complaining when we got bumped up to business class for the nine-hour flight from Frankfurt to Addis Ababa. Now THAT was a nice surprise!

We had been trying to prepare ourselves for the time change, and thankfully, arriving late at night worked out perfectly. By the time we reached our accommodations, we were more than ready for bed. We slept through the night and woke up the next morning feeling surprisingly normal.

Well, almost.

Eli had gotten up around 3:00 a.m. to use the bathroom and noticed that the power was out. When we woke up at 6:30, it was STILL out. Naturally, I assumed that meant we wouldn't have any hot water, so I washed my hair in the ice-cold sink, washed up with a few damp cloths, put my makeup on in the dark, and let my hair air-dry.

As I stood there trying to get ready, I couldn't help laughing about our trip to Congo. Remember the morning we were supposed to meet Addy, when I realized I'd forgotten my shampoo and then managed to blow up my blow dryer?! Apparently, getting ready to meet our children in Africa was destined to be an adventure in itself!

But I quickly reminded myself that none of it mattered. Not one bit. It didn't matter what my hair looked like or whether I smelled like I'd just spent 32 hours traveling. Because THIS was the day we had been waiting for.

The day we would FINALLY meet our boys!

We were about to drive across Addis Ababa to a small orphanage where our boys had been living for far too long. A place that had been such an important part of their lives and was about to become a very special part of ours. It would be the place where we received our first hugs, had our first conversations, and played our first game of cards. And believe me, that card game was VERY important!

We were fortunate enough to travel to the orphanage with another sweet couple who had already been in Ethiopia for a few days. They graciously offered to take pictures and videos of our first moments together, which was such a blessing. I had been praying that I wouldn't completely lose it and terrify the boys with their crazy, emotional new mom the very second they met me!

But despite being a crier, I barely had time to think about my emotions once we arrived.

The moment our van pulled up, we spotted the boys through the window. And as soon as we climbed out of the vehicle, they were right there to greet us!



The first hugs we'll never forget!

I was SO nervous. I had no idea how they would react, what they would think of us, or whether they would be comfortable showing affection right away.

But there they were.

All smiles. Arms wide open.

Ready to greet us.

Those first moments happened so quickly that they hardly seemed real. I'm crying now just thinking back on them, but at the time, I was simply overwhelmed with happiness. I FINALLY had my BIG BOYS in my arms, and I couldn't wait to get to know them!

The rest of the day was absolutely wonderful. Within minutes of our arrival, the boys were playing soccer with Eli. Before long, they were running off and motioning for us to follow them as they eagerly began showing us around the orphanage.

Our first stop was the baby house, and OH MY, do those boys LOVE the babies! They ran around picking up as many little ones as they could, placing them in our arms and giggling with delight. There were so many precious little faces! From there, they took us to the toddler room, the schoolroom, and finally, their bedroom. They were clearly excited to show us every part of the place they knew so well.

Watching the bond develop between the boys and Eli was absolutely incredible. They wanted their new brother beside them every second and even fought over who got to spend time with him! The three of them played catch, enjoyed games together, and made their way around the orphanage so the boys could proudly introduce Eli to all their friends.

I was honestly surprised by just how outgoing D and N were with us. Before arriving, we had no idea what to expect. Would they be shy? Would it take time before they felt comfortable? Would they want to interact with us right away?

Well, those worries disappeared pretty quickly!

The boys were ready to play, talk, laugh, and show us everything. We played more soccer, visited an area behind the orphanage where women received training in hairstyling, weaving, and beadmaking, looked through hundreds of pictures and videos, played cards, chewed LOTS of gum, and asked one another what seemed like hundreds of questions.

They especially loved watching the videos I had brought on my phone. They couldn't get enough of Addy laughing hysterically, Eli sledding, or Ayla and Owen singing. It was so sweet to watch their faces light up as they saw their brothers and sisters back home. They already knew each sibling by name from the pictures we had sent and were clearly SO excited to meet them in person.

One of the sweetest moments of the entire day happened while all the children were gathered in the schoolroom watching a video. Bobby and Eli had gone inside with the older kids, while I stayed outdoors to play with a few toddlers who had been following me around.

After about ten minutes, I quietly slipped into the schoolroom and found a chair near the back. I had been sitting there for only a couple of minutes when D glanced over his shoulder and noticed me.

Without a word, he stood up, made his way through the room, grabbed another chair, and pulled it up right beside mine. Then he put his arm around me and simply smiled.

Oh, my sweetness!

That was it. The tears started flowing like CRAZY!

It was such a simple moment, but I will never forget it. I had spent so much time dreaming about meeting our boys and wondering what those first interactions would be like. And there I was, sitting beside my son, with his arm around me and the sweetest smile on his face.

My heart could hardly contain it!

We were also able to share a special note from their "Auntie" Rachel, and a video from "Uncle" Ben. Their faces absolutely lit up when we told them we had met these special people in their lives and that Auntie Rachel had even stayed at our house—in their future bedroom!

It was especially precious to listen as each boy read the note Auntie Rachel had written to them. They carefully sounded out the words, and I loved seeing how much joy the message brought them.

Oh, how BLESSED we are that WE get to be the parents of these two sweet, handsome, wonderful, and smart boys! They stole our hearts long before we ever arrived in Ethiopia, but what we're feeling now is simply indescribable.

And as though meeting our boys wasn't enough excitement for one day, I also ate my first injera (which I LOVED and Eli HATED!), picked my first coffee bean, and had my first Amharic lesson, courtesy of D!

What an incredible first day in Ethiopia. I can hardly wait to see what the rest of our time here will bring.

Up tomorrow...church and MORE time with our boys!!!!

Oh, and I almost forgot to mention something. Apparently, the hot water DOES work when the power is out. Bobby discovered this when he took a perfectly warm shower later that morning.

Needless to say, he got a pretty good laugh out of my ice-cold hair-washing adventure!

P.S. A little travel advice: Don't buy a brand-new computer and bring it all the way to Ethiopia, assuming it has a built-in microphone so you can Skype with your loved ones back home. You may find yourself even more out of luck than the woman who thought she had to take a cold shower!

Here we Go Go Go Go!!

Sitting in the Denver airport after our first leg (of four)....

Eli's reaction when the plane took off was priceless!  I couldn't contain him as he squealed with delight! Finally after about 10 minutes he settled in settled down;)

I don't know how we're going to make it two weeks without Ayla, Owen, and Addy...but we know they are in good hands!  It's hard to believe just 9 months ago we had little miss Addy placed in our arms.  Wow!  What a road God has brought us down...and we are so very thankful that He chose US to add to our family by adoption!

And here we are now, on our way to meet the boys!  We are so anxious...especially after hearing more and more about them! 

Another family who we'll meet soon is there now and have been sending us photos and notes all week.  They tell us the boys are a true delight and that they are super excited to meet us!  They also confirmed that their English is good enough to communicate, so that's a relief!!  

Here's one of the notes she gave us:

"I asked N again today, "Are you
excited to see your mom and dad?" And he said, "Yes on Friday!" with a big
smile. I just can't get over how sweet your boys are. N especially is like
a big brother to all the younger boys, and he has been amazing with
translating. :) D has the funniest little personality, he's all smiles.
They both seem to have the sweetest, kindest souls, and N seems to both of
us like he is wise beyond his years."

Here's a sneak peek at another photo!  d washing his hair!!

Next post....MEETING OUR BOYS!!!!!!