The Good, the bad, our new friends, and the Great Stinson Mystery!!

Chandra and the kids have officially been home for 1 week, and life has been interesting. We have had many firsts for the fource from water bottles to door knobs to water fountains. One of the funnest times at our house is bath time. Lee Atnafu and Orin Mihretu, the 5 and 6 year old boys, are like greased pigs in the tub. In fact Worth and Jeremiah have asked us after their bath, "Can we watch them bathe?" And I have to admit it is well worth the time. They giggle, roll over and talk almost non-stop in what I believe is a lanaguage, although I can't understand. They splash around to the point that the entire floor is wet. We might be a little more lax with their splashing because they have so much fun with it, but shhh don't tell anyone. New words have become a fixture in our house. Conjo Amharic for good, Yalem Amharic for no. Worth and Jeremiah are even understanding them and may become fluent in Amharic, if anyone needs an interpreter. There have been some truly dark times. Monday of last week when the reality of organizing a house of 10 kids occurred, there was a time of weeping. This weeping has occurred approximately once per day for other random reasons. The darkest time was getting shots for the oldest. We spoke and acted with Levi Ashenafi, age 9, about everything in advance, and he understood; we could tell. From his records he had 3 shots previously in June. Everything went well until they actually brought the needles into the room. He lost it. I held him down while the nurses gave him 4 shots in the leg. We sat in the room for 45-60 minutes afterwards with him voicing his disatisfaction in more of a wail than a cry. He wouldn't let me hold him. He hid behind the table in a fetal position. When I finally decided we needed to go, Emmaline led the 3 others out while I bear hugged Levi and carried him out of the clinic, which was the back way. It wasn't the shots that bothered him, that pain was gone within a few minutes. It was me forcing him to do it. He calmed down by the time we got home. This is the response of a child who has endured great loss. We have adopted new friends, but not the kind you want. Wednesday night while Emmaline was braiding Evelyn Shega's hair we discovered a bug, not the type you pick out and wash away. The type that keeps on giving, LICE. By 1:30 in the morning we had all of the boy's hair shaved, Shega's hair trimmed, and all the blonde head's treated. In case you run into this problem I don't recommend attempting to get 12 boxes of Rid from 1 store. They don't keep that much in stock. The next day was spent sterilizing the house as well as bagging up all of the miscellaneous stuffed animals, blankets etc. Greater than 20 trash bags in all. This is a title we never desired, but have acquired-- Defeator's of Lice. The joy is we get to treat everyone's hair again on Wednesday... sooooo looking forward to it. AND...The Great Stinson mystery is underway. Each day I have walked into a random room and felt hot- thinking, "Am I having hot flashes or is the AC not working?" At the thermostat I find it set on heat or emergency heat. I'm sure there is a little finger pushing buttons but it is a mystery. No one has seen who is pushing the buttons but it continues to occur. So either there is a cold ghost in the house or we have a sneaky button pusher. We will see what time reveals. Overall, God has been good. Looking back the week had many firsts, moments of jubilation, new words, crying spells from the adults, and scary moments. But with all of that we have been sustained by God's grace and His calling.

Update

At 1 am our time Chandra, her father, and "the fource" will be at the US embassy applying for a visa. All other hurdles have been demolished. In theory they will be ready to leave for home on Wednesday. The "in theory" part is because there are no flights out until August 23rd meaning it might be 12 more days until they can leave. So we wait... Getting 6 tickets out to come home early would normally be a challenge but throw in the fire at the international airport in Kenya and there are no flights available. The airline has said they might send an additional aircraft through but it hasn't materialized yet. Thanks for your continued prayers and support.

The peace of God

I, Matt, left Ethiopia last night. At 10:05 my mother-in-law, my mother, and myself boarded a plane to come back to the US without our 4 new children. Behind we left my wife and father-in-law who are waiting to bring the children home. Today as I am writing this the birth mother is awaiting her interview at the embassy. It is to be at 6:00 AM our time Wednesday morning. (Prayer point #1) Once that is completed the embassy will finish their evaluation of the case which we pray happens quickly. (Prayer point #2) We will schedule an interview with the embassy as soon as possible. (Prayer point #3) After the embassy appointment is set up Chandra and her father wil take custody of the four children (Prayer point #4) and they will attempt to move the flight up. (Prayer point #5). This will be a significant challenge as moving up 1 ticket is foreseeable, moving 6, must be of God. We started this second trip to Ethiopia knowing full well that we could come home without the kids as there were so many loose ends to tie up. But we knew it was of God. Why, you ask? Why would it be of God to leave your six children at home with friends and family to pursue the other 4 children? Simply put, it comes down to the peace of the Lord. Three years ago we were in a similar situation with Jeremiah's adoption. All air traffic had been shut down in and out of Europe so we had to make a quick decision. Do I go by myself, leaving the rest of the family behind to bring home a baby from across the world knowing I would be late for the embassy appointment even after our own agency had advised us not to go? The peace of God said "Yes, go." In Jeremiah's case the peace started with me. After prayer, I had a compelling from the Holy Spirit to go by myself. After i discussed with Chandra, she agreed and both of us shared this peace. In the fource's case Chandra led out with a nudging from the Spirit that it was right to go. After prayer, I agreed. So, here we sit in the middle of that step of faith waiting for God to move and pull all of the pieces together. But what if He doesn't? What if everything falls apart and all of our best laid plans fail? Was going not of God? Do we judge the truth of the call based on the outcome? Surely not. If the birth mother interview fails, the embassy appointment doesn't happen right away, the plane tickes cannot be moved, or if, God forbid Chandra and her father come home without the children, how do we respond? We will mourn. The depth and breadth of our mourning will be felt by those closest to us but... we will not question what God has laid on our hearts. Whatever occurs mourning or rejoicing we will give God the glory for His purposes have been completed in our lives. Please pray for those areas listed above. God is moving.

Appearances vs. Reality

Anyone who has had the blessing of caring for children on a regular basis knows the differences between your first interaction with the child and the reality of his or her nature. There is that initial "honeymoon" period of behavior where they are able to control their struggles, and then there is reality. Reality is always uglier and messier than it first appears. Adoption agencies do a good job of preparing your for some of these struggles, having you read books that discuss worst case scenarios and how to deal with them. They use phrases like artificial twinning, post-adoption depression, and the dreaded reactive attachment disorder. We have prepared for some of these problems especially those unique to adopting older children. What will it be like for them to use a toilet the first time? How do I teach them to shower? How will they handle the 17 hour flight? How will I handle the 17 hour flight with all 4 for them? Will they be overstimulated by American culture? What foods will they like? How will they interact with our other children? How can I communicate with a child whose language I don't understand? And the questions mount as the stream of consciousness flows with more and more firsts for these children. We have prepared for these concerns. Over the past few days we have started to see the "reality" of our children. Shega... playful, likes games, but possessive of her belongings. Atanfu... Rough, likes active games, when angry he kicks. Mirihetu... in his own little world, happy, quiet, seems to be oblivious to the orphanage. Ashenafi... seems to include the others, holds hands well, likes soccer, "gets" that we are adopting him. At first that last statement doesn't seem too important but it is of the utmost importance in Levi Ashenafi's attachment to us. Today as we were preparing to leave he developed a "headache" that caused him to withdraw, shed tears, and have difficulty explaining his emotions. He had this intense look of sadness. Chandra and I saw it right away; even without words we understood. You see to Ashenafi there has been a continual pattern of people who have come into his life and abandoned him. His father, dead. Six homes in the last 2 years. His birth mother, relinquished him. Sent to one orphanage. Now in another. Eighty-three children in his current orphanage with scores of parents like us coming in and out to adopt other children. Never him. Now there is a family for him but every day they leave? Why do they leave? They say they love me? Why don't I go home with them? We are just another layer of disappointment to him. When adopting you understand there is baggage that comes along with the child. As the parents you have to deal with all of the failures and disappointments the child previously encountered. But never do you enjoy seeing that inner struggle. It is so painful to see. So ugly and real. Yet it is the reality of the situation. We reach down into the muck and filth of their past life and vow to walk through it with them. To help them when they can't see and to feel for them when they are too hurt to feel. But it is never pretty, and it is always painful. Maybe that is why the reality of the cross is so different than the appearance. A cross necklace is a beautiful and innocent reminder of God's sacrifice for me. The reality of the cross is so completely different. God allowed himself to be bruised, bloody, and broken for me. A broken people being saved by a God who chose to be broken to reach us. He reached into the muck and the filth of my life to walk through it with me. And so we, as the people of God do likewise. As God brings it to your mind, please pray for those concerns above; mostly how to reach them.

And we met...

What do you expect when meeting four new children whom you have only previously spent 1 hour with and who have never known you as father and mother? On the plane ride here we had many moments of random thoughts such as "What if they run away?" or "Will they want to be touched?" or even "Do I hug them?" And yet with a single encounter all of those questions get wiped away. The first encounter with our children as mother and father went extraordinarily well. They recognized us and ran to meet us. We had Aha moments like "They remembered us!". They wanted to call us mom and dad. We cycled through the books we had previously made them and named random people such as "Graham, Wil, Jasmine, the dog, Mom, Emmy, etc." One by one they would repeat after us the names of the people with their interesting little accent. Foosball was a favorite and so was high five. It wasn't all rosy. There were awkward pauses due to inability to communicated in Amharic. Lapses of time where nothing was said and nothing was communicated. How do you communicate with someone you can't speak to? There were thoughts of what do we do next? One of us would say, "Let's look at pictures on the phone." or "Let's see their beds." We finished the day with all of our questions from the plane answered but new ones had arisen. The sense of peace we were striving for was balanced with new questions of language and communication. Fear was beginning to rise in our minds again! How is it that we can go from fear to momentary peace back to fear again? When we find our calling in life we want to be able to believe that we will walk through it with peace and courage. Yet it isn't always that way. We have good friends in Papau New Guinea who have been missionaries for many years who have been open to share those struggles. Other friends whom we currently share our life with who have remarked of their struggle with isolation in the midst of their calling. I am reminded as the Bible tells us that "the battle is in the mind". How easy it is to let my mind drift back to thoughts of fear or as we sometimes rename it, concern. And if I let my mind follow that rabbit hole I will become disempowered and worthless, giving glory to only myself which in turn just proves how unworthy I am. There is an alternative though. God had just answered all of our questions with a resounding "Do not be afraid!" And we blinked and almost missed it. What if I were to stay in the moment and give God the glory and praise, not giving in to my fear? There is such power there. Power only because God is source of that power, not me. "May you be strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for all endurance and patience, with joy giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you..." Colossians 3:11-12 We still have many questions and hurdles to endure. We are visiting the kids every day. As the Lord brings us to your mind please pray for our growing relationship with the kids, the birth mother interview to go smoothly as well as the embassy date. It will be in God's power not ours.

As I write this we are sitting in the hotel in Washington preparing to travel to Ethiopia. There have been many challenging steps in this process from the court document to a delay in turning in paperwork to the US embassy. How do you wait on the Lord with patience and peace? In this we haven't been the greatest example as we have struggled and been stressed through the process. This has taken a toll on our family and even our relationship as the frustration rose to excessive levels. But God has begun to fill us with encouragement from friends, family, and strangers. Most of those words have been in the form of scripture as we are reminded of God's patience, power, and control. There is a possibility that we wouldn't be able to bring them home this trip. There are there are 3 steps that need to occur before we can bring the "fource" home. The embassy needs to interview the birth mother; we need to be cleared to bring them into the United States; we need to have our meeting with the children and the US embassy. We pray and hope this will occur over the next 3 weeks so the adoption can be completed. If not we must be prepared for the possibility of leaving them remembering that God is in control of their movement, not man. The most challenging of these steps above is the birth mother interview. For this we are dependent on the agency and orphanage. Our goal is to help facilitate this even if that involves being a little "squeaky". I write this remembering the above statement, God is in control of their movement, not man. Even the timing of this trip is a challenge. I, Matt, will be coming back to the US with my mother and mother-in-law in 10 days. Chandra and her father our staying for 3 1/2 weeks as there was no way to get out of the country with 6 people until that time. But knowing this was the right time, she was prepared to stay to facilitate the kids coming home. In our eyes they have been in an orphanage long enough. Up to this point our focus has been so intense on the steps to bring them home. Today our focus changes as we are going to meet the children. We need to focus on that relationship and nothing else, them meeting us as strangers and excepting us as parents. So as God brings us to your mind please pray for the above. The birth mother interview, Chandra being in the country for 3 1/2 week, but most of all the relationship with the kids.

Emotions

Fatigued, elated, saddened, despair, excited, scared. Yes, even for me an unabashed logical thinker, I experience all of these feelings in a single day. On Wednesday of last week we had the blessed opportunity to meet our four newly adopted children Ashenafi-9, Shega- 7, Atanfu- 6, Mihertu-5. We started with a four hour drive to the city of Awash in Eastern Ethiopia which is one of the larger towns in this area. My expectations were to sit, view the countryside and talk about how we would handle our first introduction to this little crew. But there was the growing sense of sadness that overwhelmed Chandra and I. We started in Addis Ababa with traffic that makes any American city look like a well-tuned symphony. Then on to view the landscape and see sights the sights like women carrying wood, approximately 50 pounds on their backs for miles. They carry this wood into the city to sell it and in the process contort their backs and bodies. We saw children in control of horse carts on the way to town, mud huts as small as a typical bathroom in an American house, and many, many empty faces. I don't say all of this to portray an image of misery in Ethiopia because it is not that way. In fact there a sense of joy the Ethiopians have that is more rich than we experience. But watching all of this transfixed the two of us. It was like, "Wow, the poverty here is transfixing." We were almost trance-like as we drove for hours. My plan to sit unaffected and view the Ethiopian country did not account for these emotions. We we arrived in Awash, we ate lunch, and prepared to meet the children. We were to have 1 hour and 30 minutes with the group and were not to inform them that we were adopting the four. Simply, we were to treat this as a visit to the orphanage to interact with all of the children. We drove down a remote dirt road in Awash, simply saying a dirt road would have described all of the roads but the main road in the town. The outside of the building was gated shut with glass on top of the walls to keep people from getting in. Entering in, we were escorted to the dining room area with a small table and bench on the side. The social worker came in to describe that we would be meeting with 19 children today, none of them would know we were there to adopt. Slowly they came in, a small group at first including Shega and Atanfu. Then a larger group including Mihretu and Ashenafi. There was this short period of introduction to all of the children and then an awkward pause until my ever adventurous wife broke the silence by getting out the balls and playing with the group. She has an amazing way with children. Graham and I played a soccer game with Ashenafi and the older children while Aubrey, Emmaline, and Chandra engaged the younger children and Shega with stickers, markers, and paper. Shega, we found out later, is the only girl in the orphanage. We had some goals while there. Number one, engage the kids in a game of trace your foot on the paper. This was our simple way to get the shoe sizes for the four. We made a special mark on the tracing from our kids. Number two, use Graham as a measuring stick for how tall they were. Randomly Graham would walk over to one of the four, and Chandra and I would eye up their sizes. They are smaller than we expected. Number three, see how they interact with the other children. In one instance Chandra saw Shega sharing with another younger boy. Amazing concept for an orphan to be willing to give a prized possession to another child. Our goals had been accomplished. We observed characteristics of sharing, caring, kindness, joy on all of their faces. After only one hour we were told our time was up, but it was an amazingly positive and encouraging visit. The realities of the situation were also evident. No shoes. We played soccer with the kids, and they were wearing crocs that would randomly fly off. It didn't stop them from playing. They would continue to run barefoot on the rocks and kick the ball. No English. In fact we aren't even sure how much Amharic they speak. They shared beds with each other. There were 6 beds in the boys room and 17 boys. You do the math. Clothes falling off of them or holes in everything, no toilet, an outside shower, a small dirt play area. Questions begin to arise like who sleeps together? How will we teach them to use a toilet? toilet paper? How will we speak to them? Do they use soap? Have they ever brushed their teeth? How will they react to the city? To bright colors? An airplane? They are important questions that we need to deal with but not now. Not after the wonderful experience. But if not now when? It is easy to see how your mind can go down the never ending rabbit hole if you let it. It is hard to give words to an experience such as this, and I do not give these mental images justice. I hope you catch a glimpse of the roller coaster of emotions that even I, an unemotional male, have experienced here, and I am not even ready to mention the DVD of their home and family history. It is too heavy to even process yet. So in all of this there is a juxtaposition of ideas. The extreme poverty vs. what we know lies ahead for them on the journey.  My response? It is same anytime I see a task so big, so overwhelming that no one person or even team can solve it. Dear God, please... give us strength... give us peace... prepare these kids... prepare our family. You started this journey Lord, give us the fortitude to endure. Amen.

Control

We arrive at the airport fatigued, utterly exhausted from 17 hours of flying and arrive in a world that looks nothing like ours, almost the antithesis of our world. We attempt to maintain control... in everything. From tight schedules to handpicked schools to nicely manicured lawns, we control, or attempt to control everything. Here it seems as everything is out of control... or almost out of control. In my mind it is as if one small twist or turn can send everything into a tailspin. Water covering the road in rainy season, there is no way to travel to Awash. Paperwork lost, come back next week. And on and on. But this is how they live, organized chaos. But to them it isn't chaotic at all; they adapt. Trucks collide, everyone creates a road on the dirt. Children on the side of the road without a bottle, throw your water bottle out the window to them. No toilet, pee on the side of the road. No toilet paper, use your left hand. Ok, maybe a little over the top. Control: it is a fascinating attraction, or should I say mirage. I struggle when I don't have control at work, at home, in life. But I know and you know that we have very little that we control. The economy slows, natural disaster occur, a father dies and what happens? We flounder and flail feeling as though everything is falling apart when, in reality it is the way of the world. Trying to pad ourselves from this reality makes the fall so much greater when loss of control occurs. So how do I deal with this struggle? In my logical mind I can create a framework. We are broken people who live in a broken world. As a follower of Christ I know this from the truth of sin as I see it in my heart and as I see it everyday in the world. Science confirms this with concepts like entropy and erosion. We are in the process of becoming less and less complex. Or to say it another way, we are deteriorating. I am called to redeem my little part of the world. It is was Christ meant when he said "You are the salt of the earth." We help to keep the world from deteriorating any faster than it already is. So I make these logical assertions but realize that coming face to face with sin and brokenness is simply well... overwhelming. It is heavy. It is again out of my control. The only one who can make sense of the madness is a God who sees all, knows all, and is in all. And I trust that He will redeem this out of control world, someday... someday.  

I'm back to continue. Okay, where were we.....Oh yes, the lion zoo! The lion zoo was a place that had mostly lions, but there were some other animals too. Of course, we were more of a spectacle than the lions. So, we had a little group of followers. One boy tried to tell us the names of the animals and what they were called in Amharic. He was very nice, and I think he enjoyed hanging out with us. We learned that lion in Amharic is "ambasa". After that we continued and went to "the women who formerly carried wood". Here there were women who were weaving cloth or "shes" in Amharic. This facility was designed to give these women who formerly went up to the mountains and gathered wood an opportunity to support themselves and their families. This way it was safer for them, and they were earning money in the process. Therefore a better deal all around. We watched them weave for a little bit, and then went to the gift shop where they sold these "shes". Emmy, Mom, and I bought some, and then we were on our way. Next we went to the Ethiopian Orthodox church. One of the men standing there took us in, led us around, and gave us a tour. It was really interesting and very historical!! Throughout this whole trip Emmy had still not been feeling well, so we decided we'd go get some dinner, and then go back to the hotel. We went to Island Breeze, and had pizza. It was very good, and very interesting to watch them cook it in their brick oven. Emmy was feeling really bad at this point and very often would get sick to her stomach. By the time dinner was over she was laying on the table....asleep. We went back to the guest house and she sent straight to bed. That was the end of day one!! Day Two This morning we were supposed to leave at seven to begin our journey to see the kids. So we got up around six fifteen, and began getting ready. We had to pack a whole new suitcase for tonight, because we were spending the night in Awash, where the kids were. Previously we had bought toys to take to all the kids at the orphanage, so we had all these to be packed too. We got everything ready as quickly as we could and were soon ready to go. We had a four hour drive to Awash, so we were prepared. We took our travel journals, a book each, the electronic devices, and a couple of travel friendly games. We were soon off, and were taking millions of pictures as we went. So we rode, and we rode, and we rode. We played some games, took some pictures, chatted....everything you can think of to do in the car, we did. So now, here I am, typing on a EXTREMELY dusty road. We are fifteen minutes away from them. Now it's Thursday, and we just arrived back at the guest house. But that's not where we stopped, so I won't begin there. Yesterday we made it to Awash after what seemed like a day in the car, and checked into the guest house. Then we went and ate lunch, all in anticipation of three thirty. That was when we were supposed to meet them! Finally the time came around for us to go and meet them and we were ready! It was a ten minute drive, but it seemed like forever. When we arrived we were informed that there were twenty kids living at the orphanage, and eighteen of them would be playing with us in our slot of time which was an hour. The toys we had bought we got out and played with them. We had bubbles, a kite, paper, stickers, balls, and cars. We tried to space them out so we wouldn't run out of fun things to do. One of the boys got into our bag, and found one car, and took it out with the other kids. Soon we were being pestered with the word "makina". "Makinas, makinas!!" They said. We tried to figure out what they wanted, and then the social worker told us that meant car in Amharic, so out came the "makinas", and boy were they a big hit!! No one wanted to do anything but play with those "makinas"!! They loved them. Levi/Ashenafi was a very happy, content, and smiley boy. He was very small for his size, but he was a very kind and thoughtful boy. Evelyn/Shega was very kind and thoughtful. She was always willing to give up her fun to make sure that the littler ones had all they needed. She was very good at playing by herself. She was the only girl at the orphanage. All of the other girls had moved into the city recently. Lee/Atnafu was like a little old man. He preferred to shake hands rather than give high fives or pounds. He was also very thoughtful and helpful. Orin/Mirhiretu was a very quiet and playful boy. He liked to interact with others as he played, rather than play with himself. Overall they were all very patient and helpful with the little ones. They were willing to wait for a very long time to get their turn, or join in the games. They were also very beautiful, all of them! We were all very pleased with their social and interactive skills. None of them seemed to have any major problems, which proved our concerns wrong. When we returned to the guest house we ate dinner and just relaxed; it was good to have some time to just think. That concluded day two. Day Three This morning we had plans to go to a wildlife park on the way out of Awash, so we left at seven again. The park was very dry since they're in the middle of their summer, but it was good. We saw Oryx, Dick-Dicks, Gazelles, Guinea-Fowels, Baboons, and Hornbills. We saw a beautiful mountain landscape, and very pretty salt water falls. We searched the falls for any crocodiles, and had no luck until dad stumbled upon one. We were able to get very close to it, which means great pictures. It was a small one, but it was cool. Overall the park was very enjoyable. I'm glad we were able to go. Then we started our four hour journey home. It wasn't as bad as the first one because we were beginning to get used to the potholes, rocks, heat, no seatbelts, and dust. Dad and I even slept for a good portion of the ride. We made it back to Addis, and Mom and Dad had to go to the social workers office and watch a video about the kids lives with their mom before they came to the orphanage.  I shall continue writing about our journey soon my friends!! Aubrey for the Stinsons

Our Journey So Far....

Wow!!  I'm truly amazed at how far we have come....seems like just this morning we first got the call!!  God's is so amazing, I don't even know where to begin!

Ahhhhh......the plane rides....I guess that's where we left off, and I'll begin there.  So, picture this, a beautiful day, church in the morning, and three little boys.  You see, these three little boys are my brothers, and they  were so confused and nervous about what was to come.  They knew JUST enough about the court date to know that something weird and strange was going to happen.....and they didn't like it.  We came home from church, all the while with testy, scared boys, and showered, because we were not going to have a chance to shower until Tuesday evening.  Ma Ju and Papa Larry were going to drive with us and the boys to the airport, and then take them to Bolivar.  The grandparents and our aunt and uncle were going to take turns watching them while we were gone, and it just so happened that Aunt Kimmy and Uncle Jeremy, in Bolivar, got the first turn.  We really had an EXTREMELY smooth time at the Springfield airport, so all too quickly it was time to say goodbye.  We said our goodbyes, and continued onto the next leg of our journey, the first flight.

We picked up some dinner, and sat at our gate waiting to board the plane.  On this flight, it would be me and Emmy sitting together, Dad by himself, and Mom and Graham in a whole different section of the plane.  We were all in a good mood on this flight, so Emmy and I easily knowcked out some school.  This flight was only and hour and twenty minutes, so it really didn't feel that bad at all.  This flight from Springfield to Chicago passed quickly.  In Chicago now, we patiently waited for an hour to board our plane.  On this flight it was getting late, so we decided that we'd do just a little bit of school, but basically watch a part of a movie we had downloaded.  This flight was also an hour and twenty minutes.  This flight over, we were in Washington.  Originally we had planned that since it was already midnight, we would just spend the night in the airport, but once we realized how long our layover was(from 12:30 A.M. to 11:00 A.M.), we figured we should get some decent sleep, so we decided to find a hotel.  We did that pretty quickly, and God blessed us with a less than half the normal price rate.  We just went straight to bed to get as much sleep as possible, to be ready for the next leg.

We took a shuttle to the airport and went through customs again, and waited.  Now, this was to be the thirteen hour flight.  We were trying not to think about how long it would be, so we were patient at the time.  We boarded and were good, until about four hours into it.  This is where it began getting long.  Since we were going through many different time zones, the routine of the plane was designed  to help us get used to Addis's time.  So, we had a snack in place of lunch, dinner, and breakfast, and designated sleeping periods.  On this flight we were positioned as so; Graham, Emmy, and I, and then Mom and Dad across the isle differennt place.  It was finally time to sleep, and we got all comfy....or as comfy as you can get in between two people on a plane....Emmy fell asleep right away, and I was dozing for about an hour.  When I woke up, Emmy was still asleep on top of me, and Graham was playing a game.  Emmy woke up about thirty minutes later I think, and we tried to rearrange.  Now, the way we were doing it was Graham was on the window side, I was in the middle, and Emmy was on the other side.  The lucky people were the ones that had a whole row to themselves, and could lay down and stretch out.  The man in the row directly behind us one of those lucky ones, and his knees were right behind my seat, so I couldn't lay my seat back.   I tried to get comfortable, but Emmy and Graham were both really hiper, and not willing to go to sleep, so they just kept wiggling and moving around, so every time I was about to fall asleep they'd wake me up by moving around.  I finaly asked emmy if I could switch her seats, so I could lay down and not be squished by two wriggling siblings!!  Mom, Dad, and I ended up sleeping for most of the rest of the way.  We made it, but I am so tired of planes....

Anyway, it was 7 A.M. here, and we were ready to get to the guest house, and just rest.  So as we are going through and getting our passports checked, a girl probably about my age started following us.  We didn't really pay much attention to her at the moment, because wehave to remember that we are the minority here, and we are the ones that stand out.  There are not many whites here, other than the foreign visitors like us.  But soon, as our last passport was getting checked she tried to take it from the lady that was checking them.   Thankfully dad got it first, but then we knew she was trouble, and were keeping our eyes open.  She continued to follow us, and tried to take some luggage from Mom, but mom just held on tighter and kept walking.  Now, we were outside, and there were police watching, so she just kept asking for our passports and luggage, but we just ignored her.  We finally found who we were looking for, and we left.  Now the tiredness was really beginning to hit all of us, but especially Emmy and Graham, since they didn't really sleep all that much on the plane.  We got the the guest house, and decided that we would leave at about one thirty to go sightseeing.  But first, we were going to nap.  We did that, and Mom, Dad, and I were ready, but...... Emmy and Graham were NOT!!!!  Anyway, we were waiting for our driver to get here, and next thing we know, Graham and Emmy are both COMPLETELY out in the lobby sort of area.  Now Emmy was beginning to feel bad while we waited, and woke up, went to the bathroom, and threw up, three times.  It was bad, and we were debating whether or not we should go when they arrived.  Emmy said she didn't want to ruin our fun, and that she was feeling a LITTLE bit better, so we went.  We drove around a little to just see the people and what  they  were doing, and then we went to a lion zoo.
I must close for now, but I will continue with more later.   Please pray for my sister to feel completely beter.  Tomorrow is the day we meet the Fource.

Aubrey for the Stinsons

The Journey

The journey begins.  Most of us leave tomorrow-- by most of us I mean Matt, Chandra, Aubrey, Emmaline, Graham-- for our first trip to Ethiopia.  During that trip we will travel to Ethiopia, visit the orphanage, meet the children, and make our court appearance. 
We simply ask that you would pray for this trip as the Lord brings it to your mind. 

Pray for long suffering... we are sleeping in the airport tomorrow night to save money. 
Pray for flexibility... a schedule in Africa is not the same as a schedule here. 
Pray for bonding...our first meeting with the children.  We aren't allowed to tell them we are adopting them yet.
So, just simply pray and thank you for being willing to.

Sometimes waiting is the hardest part

It has been almost 3 months since our last udpate.  So... what have we been doing but waiting...waiting... and more waiting. 
  Life has kept moving.  School has continued. Work has continued.  We have six children here whose lives have continued.  Essentially life has continued to move along.  Sometimes it has moved a little too fast.  And yet, there is this expectant part of us that is waiting for the call or e-mail saying, "It's time".  There is this hesitation every time we make plans, thinking, "Will we still be here?". 
  We are now waiting for the Ministry of Women's Affairs to give a letter to the court saying they approve the adoption.  How long will this take?  "It seems to be moving along a little quicker than a few months ago," is what we keep hearing.  But what does that mean in REAL time.  Nothing...
We have been anticipating, yet sometimes the anticipation gets old.
We have been preparing the rooms, yet sometimes to work is long.
We have been praying, yet sometimes the prayer seems stale.
Everyday we go through this similar routine.  Anticipate, routine, anticipate, no response, work, pray, no response, wait...

It is interesting to me that as of yet, the fource doesn't even know we exist.  I know, I know... it is best for the kids to be oblivious.  But for almost 1 year we have been working towards bringing them here and they are not even aware that something big is going on behind the scenes.  Their world is about to change... forever.  Yet they know nothing.
It is this reality that we come face to face with from time to time that keeps this journey real.  Life is about to change...forever.  Although at times is seems like this is never going to happen; it is.  God promises that His Will will be completed in His perfect timing.  Timing that is perfect for us and for the Fource- and in the way that is perfect.  Matthew 7:7-8 "Keep asking, and it will be given to you.  Keep searching, and you will find.  Keep knocking, and the door will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives, and the one who searches finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened." 
One day we will get the call and we will be scrambling, quickly to pack and leave.  And although that reality seems far off.  There ARE 4 children on the other side of the world with no family.  Waiting...

 

Final Adoption Fundraiser! :)

Friends, thank you so much for all that you've done for us!! We're so blessed by your generosity! This is God's story. He's planned everything, from the major things to the minor details, and we thank him for that!! As we've been preparing for the arrival of the "fource", we've been cleaning out the auction items that are left from "The Event". There is no minimum price, we're just asking you to make an offer. If you have any questions or would like to see a picture please don't hesitate to contact us! The deadline for all purchases is March 24th!

1. Kansas City Ballet Gift Certificate. Three free adult or teen classes at Kansas City Ballet School. Class options include ballet , tap, jazz, modern, flamenco, pilates, yoga, and more. Donated by Kansas City Ballet. Retail value $45.

2. Nail care gift bag which includes bottom coat, top coat, nail lacquer, and two hand lotions. Donated by Karen Claussen.

a. Steady as she rose. Retail value $20.

3. Three HVAC precision tune ups, professional cleanings, and combustion safety inspections. Donated by Rory Krueger from Krueger Geothermal Systems.

a. One tune up: Retail value $189.

b. One tune up: Retail value $189.

c. One tune up: Retail value $189.

4. Four adult admissions to Clay Cooper's Country Music Express, which entertains with singing, dancing, rope twirling, and hysterical comedy, and four adult admissions to Red, Hot, and Blue, a journey through the Big Band era of the 40's, Rocking 50's, eclectic 60's, disco 70's and an All American salute to Veterans, appearing at the Clay Cooper Theatre in Branson. Donated by Clay Cooper Theatre. Retail value $260.

5. Half-hour riding lesson with Tennessee Walking Horses at D & D Farms. Donated by David Davenport. Retail value $25.

6. One day guided fishing trip on Lake Granby, Colorado (near Winter Park). Expires 10-31-2013. Donated by Bernie Keefe, premier fishing guide. Retail value $575.

7. One voucher for Kansas City T-Bones Tickets good for four adult tickets to the Kansas City T-Bones baseball club. Donated by Kansas City T-Bone baseball club Monday-Wednesday home games. Retail value $26.

8. One copy of a set of 2 Christian instrumental CD's, which include piano hymns. Donated and performed by Louis Claussen. Retail value $24.

9. One insulated vacuum server (1 liter) coffee pot. Donated by Feller's Food Service. Retail value $50.

10. One blue squash book, a lovely fold up photo album. Donated by Michele Lindley. Retail value $12.

11. "The Bare Facts: 39 Questions Your Parents Hope You Never Ask About Sex" by Josh McDowell. Donated by Erin Davis. Retail value $10.99.

12. The Original Fashion Sports Watch by deuce brand. A clever and ergonomic design, this watch can be worn in a multitude of conditions from trend setting to contact sports. Waterproof, durable, and contains supreme functionality. Donated by deuce brand.

a. White-small(16 cm.). Retail value $20.

b. Clear-large(18 cm.). Retail value $20.

c. Blue-xlarge. Retail value $20.

13. Baby Roll Asleep. No need to drive your baby around in the car to fall asleep. Gently ease your baby to sleep in your home. Can also be used as a changing station or bath tub. Donated by Baby Roll Asleep. Retail value $79.95.

14. "Mallards, Final Approach" open edition framed print by Manning. Size: 29" x 25". Donated by Mark and Sandy Cunningham, Gallery Art Market/ Art Market Network. Retail value $95.

15. Salute to Heritage, artist John Fulton. John Fulton was known as a prolific painter of colorful balloons. John Fulton was alos the architect for the John Q Hammons enterprise. This painting is also #80 of 350, a limited edition. Donated by Allen & Michelle Lindley. Retail value $300.

16. "We are Loved" Short Sleeved T-Shirts $15 each.

Extra Large - 2

Large - 2

Medium - 1

Small - 3

Youth Large - 2

Aubrey and Louis for the Evergrowing Stinsons!! :)