Today we received news that we officially have a daughter waiting for us. Last night as we slept, the courts completed the legality portion of our adoption. Today, we are her legal parents in Ethiopia. Her birth name is Tesfanesh. Right now, we are calling her Adey (because of the difficulty of the first). Both of the names are Ethiopian. She is currently almost 9 months old. We are truly excited and can not wait to pick her up.
The sad part of the good news are the pains that had to occur. Adey's (Tesfanesh) mom had to go in front of the judge as well to finalize the adoption. We can only imagine how painful this must have been. Even though we received good news, we can only imagine how difficult it would have been for her biological mother. I pray that this adoption strengthens her and puts her in a position to reclaim what she rightfully deserves. Peace be with all of us. I look forward to meeting her (if she chooses) as we are now extended family.
We will travel soon and we look forward to all that these journeys will bring.
Friday, June 5, 2009
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Thanks for Stealing!
We had a great weekend. It was a month's worth of work that my wife and our friend Jaime had set up. The mission: a garage sale that would support our trip to Ethiopia and help fund the proposed humanitarian aid work that we will be doing. At first, my wife and I thought "how many items could we really get?" We had a lot of items ourselves. We wondered whom else would want to fork over beloved items for us to sell and make the profit. It turned out to be a simple answer: A TON! Literally, we probably had a ton's worth of materials to sell. Bethany and I had very little work in asking people to donate. By the grace of God, people just kept giving. This weekend, we realized that we were truly blessed.
Now for the kicker:
Here we are. A lot of people helped put this garage sale together (by donating, selling, advocating, etc). Each and every penny earned during this sale will directly benefit those who are in need. These are people are orphans, widows, the sick, the hungry, and etc. This cause was posted for all to see (literally, a big sign). What better way to spend one's money, right? People bargained and were cheap. But this was to be expected. It was a garage sale, right? The one thing that we did not expect was stealing. There were a couple objects that were missing or switched. But that was petty compared to what I am referring to here. I am referring to counterfeit money. Today, we lost $70 because of a couple of counterfeit bills. And of course, they bought small items and took a great deal of change.
We spent a good deal of time asking, "why would someone do this?" A simple answer to this question is: this is a small part of the big problem. A good percentage of the people that we will be assisting are not in their situations because of their "choice." These people (especially kids) are put in the positions that they are because the world. It could be a neighbor, the government, the environment, or etc. These people fight, they work hard, and they hurt. We, and others, were made victims of theft because others were consumed by their own greed (or other unfortunate circumstance).
No matter how hard we work, the world is always ready to try to take it away. We see this every day by watching the news. What can we do? We have to stand strong. We have to work harder to provide for those who have been stripped. When are neighbor has fallen, we need to offer our hand to help them up. If they have been in the wrong, we need to be influence of the right. If they have been victimized, we help them protect themselves so that they can be stronger. You and I need to be this support. If we are robbed from, we turn our cheek and move on. Because after all, "the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world."
Don't get me wrong, I am bummed from what has happened. The ones who have stolen will face repercussions that are far worse. This have been proven from the beginning of time. I am thankful for what we have been given and what we can do. These situations only prove that more work needs to be done!
To hear the specifics on the sale: check out my wife's blog
Now for the kicker:
Here we are. A lot of people helped put this garage sale together (by donating, selling, advocating, etc). Each and every penny earned during this sale will directly benefit those who are in need. These are people are orphans, widows, the sick, the hungry, and etc. This cause was posted for all to see (literally, a big sign). What better way to spend one's money, right? People bargained and were cheap. But this was to be expected. It was a garage sale, right? The one thing that we did not expect was stealing. There were a couple objects that were missing or switched. But that was petty compared to what I am referring to here. I am referring to counterfeit money. Today, we lost $70 because of a couple of counterfeit bills. And of course, they bought small items and took a great deal of change.
We spent a good deal of time asking, "why would someone do this?" A simple answer to this question is: this is a small part of the big problem. A good percentage of the people that we will be assisting are not in their situations because of their "choice." These people (especially kids) are put in the positions that they are because the world. It could be a neighbor, the government, the environment, or etc. These people fight, they work hard, and they hurt. We, and others, were made victims of theft because others were consumed by their own greed (or other unfortunate circumstance).
No matter how hard we work, the world is always ready to try to take it away. We see this every day by watching the news. What can we do? We have to stand strong. We have to work harder to provide for those who have been stripped. When are neighbor has fallen, we need to offer our hand to help them up. If they have been in the wrong, we need to be influence of the right. If they have been victimized, we help them protect themselves so that they can be stronger. You and I need to be this support. If we are robbed from, we turn our cheek and move on. Because after all, "the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world."
Don't get me wrong, I am bummed from what has happened. The ones who have stolen will face repercussions that are far worse. This have been proven from the beginning of time. I am thankful for what we have been given and what we can do. These situations only prove that more work needs to be done!
To hear the specifics on the sale: check out my wife's blog
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Brain is Going to Explode
Right now I am enjoying my time watching cartoons with my little buddy and drinking coffee. I do not plan to move off the couch anytime soon (although Bethany might get mad if I do not do a Costco run). My laziness is brought from our couple days in Texas.
We felt called to go to Texas to attend the Christian Alliance for Orphans conference in Dallas, Texas. It was stressful to make the decision because we knew we would have to pull it from our adoption fund. We knew if we attended, it could help us change the lives of others as well. So, we booked the plane tickets, rented a car, and prayed it would all work out in the end. We were blessed by the Alexander family because they offered to open their house to us (this saved us a ton of $$).
We flew into DFW on March 29th. Wow, what a large airport (the largest in the U.S.) Through all the chaos, we found our rental car and headed to our guest house. We arrived at the Alexanders in the evening. This would be the first time that we had physically met the Alexanders (our wives had communicated through on-line). What an amazing family! They are an inspiration to me and my wife. I had a great time talking with both Moody and Emily as well as talking with their 5 kids. Yes that is right...5 KIDS. If we had spent the money to go this conference and were let down, the trip would have been priceless just because of meeting the Alexanders.
The conference was well worth the journey. Our heads felt as if they would explode. At one point in the conference, I actually broke down and started to cry. I am sure no one saw me and the guy I was talking to on the phone probably didn't know (thank God for crappy cell phone reception). I am sure that admitting this breakdown will come back to haunt me. But, how could I not have come to this point? You hear so many stories about lives that are broken. Not even one of my friends, even during their trying times, have experienced the pain that so many little kids experience on a daily basis. My head was full of helpful information and flashbacks of our trip to Ethiopia came back like a waterfall.
I look forward to implementing many of these ideas. Bethany and I have a game plan on how to organize this. I have not been the best about blogging about our journeys. If you have not checked out our new idea, please do at: http://www.theperpetualchange.me/. This idea will help us travel to Ethiopia and affect the lives of others in need. Not one cent of the money raised will go to our actual adoption (other than travel to Ethiopia).
We met a couple other amazing folks. Two of these couples have organizations that are already implemented. We had great conversations with them. I look forward to keeping in touch. Please check them out at:
http://kingdomvisioninternational.org/ (orphanage in Ethiopia)
http://gobena.org/ (great coffee)
Keep my wife and I in your thoughts and prayers. We plan to grow our ideas like pestering weeds that pop up everywhere (but in a good way). Well, the boy is growing restless as one of the cartoons is over. I guess I am off to Costco.
Peace.
We felt called to go to Texas to attend the Christian Alliance for Orphans conference in Dallas, Texas. It was stressful to make the decision because we knew we would have to pull it from our adoption fund. We knew if we attended, it could help us change the lives of others as well. So, we booked the plane tickets, rented a car, and prayed it would all work out in the end. We were blessed by the Alexander family because they offered to open their house to us (this saved us a ton of $$).
We flew into DFW on March 29th. Wow, what a large airport (the largest in the U.S.) Through all the chaos, we found our rental car and headed to our guest house. We arrived at the Alexanders in the evening. This would be the first time that we had physically met the Alexanders (our wives had communicated through on-line). What an amazing family! They are an inspiration to me and my wife. I had a great time talking with both Moody and Emily as well as talking with their 5 kids. Yes that is right...5 KIDS. If we had spent the money to go this conference and were let down, the trip would have been priceless just because of meeting the Alexanders.
The conference was well worth the journey. Our heads felt as if they would explode. At one point in the conference, I actually broke down and started to cry. I am sure no one saw me and the guy I was talking to on the phone probably didn't know (thank God for crappy cell phone reception). I am sure that admitting this breakdown will come back to haunt me. But, how could I not have come to this point? You hear so many stories about lives that are broken. Not even one of my friends, even during their trying times, have experienced the pain that so many little kids experience on a daily basis. My head was full of helpful information and flashbacks of our trip to Ethiopia came back like a waterfall.
I look forward to implementing many of these ideas. Bethany and I have a game plan on how to organize this. I have not been the best about blogging about our journeys. If you have not checked out our new idea, please do at: http://www.theperpetualchange.me/. This idea will help us travel to Ethiopia and affect the lives of others in need. Not one cent of the money raised will go to our actual adoption (other than travel to Ethiopia).
We met a couple other amazing folks. Two of these couples have organizations that are already implemented. We had great conversations with them. I look forward to keeping in touch. Please check them out at:
http://kingdomvisioninternational.org/ (orphanage in Ethiopia)
http://gobena.org/ (great coffee)
Keep my wife and I in your thoughts and prayers. We plan to grow our ideas like pestering weeds that pop up everywhere (but in a good way). Well, the boy is growing restless as one of the cartoons is over. I guess I am off to Costco.
Peace.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Wisdom From My Toddler
This morning my son showed me that his wisdom far supersedes others. I never expected my son to tell me what he did, but here is the story:
My son had to use the toilet this morning. He made his usual mad dash so that an accident would not occur. After completing his work, he called me in to help, "Daddy, I'm done!" I came into the bathroom and helped him off the toilet. I looked down to notice he went Number 2. He looks down and looks back up at me and says, "That's a big one." "Yes, yes it is" I replied as I was cleaning him up. He than again looked at me and said, "Daddy, no eat." "What?," I replied. "Daddy, no eat. That's icky!"
You see, my son has advanced knowledge. I have met some people who can not grasp these elementary things whom are much older. I am sure that I could relate this to many other areas in our lives. But for now, I was just happy that my son realizes some things to which he should not do. I'll check that one off the list as a parent to not worry about.
My son had to use the toilet this morning. He made his usual mad dash so that an accident would not occur. After completing his work, he called me in to help, "Daddy, I'm done!" I came into the bathroom and helped him off the toilet. I looked down to notice he went Number 2. He looks down and looks back up at me and says, "That's a big one." "Yes, yes it is" I replied as I was cleaning him up. He than again looked at me and said, "Daddy, no eat." "What?," I replied. "Daddy, no eat. That's icky!"
You see, my son has advanced knowledge. I have met some people who can not grasp these elementary things whom are much older. I am sure that I could relate this to many other areas in our lives. But for now, I was just happy that my son realizes some things to which he should not do. I'll check that one off the list as a parent to not worry about.
Monday, March 23, 2009
The Problem With Always Being Right
I was reminded today that I have troubles being wrong. So, what is the problem with always being right? Let's just say that I am never wrong (I would like to believe this sometimes). Even if I was to be this perfect, if I am reminded of it, I must have done something wrong.
I know that I am wrong a lot. I know that I am also far from perfect. Often times many of us have troubles admitting this when we are confronted. This confrontation presents itself often in a form of disagreement. And let's face it, who wants to lose a debate?
I believe the root of this problem is pride. We all want to be proud of who we are. Nobody walks around thinking: "how can I let people down today?" Americans are proud people. We like to believe everything we do is great. You can see this from high school football to worldly affairs. I have heard many people say, "Why would I want to leave this country (travel)? This is the best country in the world!" Now, I am proud to live in this country. But once you travel outside our walls, you quickly find out that we are far from perfect.
This is the problem that I face. I often forget to think of what I am like outside of my own body. I often think that my actions are the correct ones. Otherwise, why would I have made those choices? Today I vow to increase my effort of humility. This requires me to listen more than talking. There is no problem with being right all the time. Even if we are right and are negatively reminded of this, it often means that our approach was wrong. It is ok to be right and be quite about it. And when we are wrong, it is nice to correct it before the issue snow-balls out of control.
Some people say that apologizing admits weakness. I say that apologizing takes strength. It is often hard to do; especially when we don't want to. Not apologizing is a sign weakness. It is the easy way out of a situation. It takes less energy and often ends the confrontation. The down side is that it is an illusion; all magic shows are eventually revealed. Even the great Roman empire fell when they were strong in numbers.
I know that I am wrong a lot. I know that I am also far from perfect. Often times many of us have troubles admitting this when we are confronted. This confrontation presents itself often in a form of disagreement. And let's face it, who wants to lose a debate?
I believe the root of this problem is pride. We all want to be proud of who we are. Nobody walks around thinking: "how can I let people down today?" Americans are proud people. We like to believe everything we do is great. You can see this from high school football to worldly affairs. I have heard many people say, "Why would I want to leave this country (travel)? This is the best country in the world!" Now, I am proud to live in this country. But once you travel outside our walls, you quickly find out that we are far from perfect.
This is the problem that I face. I often forget to think of what I am like outside of my own body. I often think that my actions are the correct ones. Otherwise, why would I have made those choices? Today I vow to increase my effort of humility. This requires me to listen more than talking. There is no problem with being right all the time. Even if we are right and are negatively reminded of this, it often means that our approach was wrong. It is ok to be right and be quite about it. And when we are wrong, it is nice to correct it before the issue snow-balls out of control.
Some people say that apologizing admits weakness. I say that apologizing takes strength. It is often hard to do; especially when we don't want to. Not apologizing is a sign weakness. It is the easy way out of a situation. It takes less energy and often ends the confrontation. The down side is that it is an illusion; all magic shows are eventually revealed. Even the great Roman empire fell when they were strong in numbers.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
A Call for Help
An organization that we have connected with is in distress. Matter of fact, the organization is also not really an organization. This cause started with Mrs. Haregewoin Teferra. Haregewoin was a simple lady who stretched out her hand. She herself had be stricken by emotional disaster. While mourning the unexpected loss of family members, she received a simple request which in turn would affect the lives of many children. Haregewoin took children into her care as a loving act. She has personally fed and medically cared for children who were left for dead. Many of these children are battling HIV. At the current time, 59 children were under her care.
The unfortunate situation is that Haregewoin unexpectedly died on March 17th. The cause of her death is unknown. The children who were under her care are now in need. A U.S. based organization called Worldwide Orphans has taken full custody of these children. This organization needs financial support for these children to ensure food, health care, education, and etc. The current care givers have remained onsite to assist with the care of the children. Bethany and I were to personally meet Haregewoin and her children on our upcoming trip to Ethiopia. She will be missed by many. Her saintly life did not change the world...but because of her, the world changed for at least 59 children.
To read more about this need, here is the link: http://www.thereisnomewithoutyou.com/blog?op=view&id=63
To donate, click on the link below. All donations are tax deductible. https://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/2669/shop/custom.jsp?donate_page_KEY=2749
Thanks and God bless,
Jeff
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
