Ugh, waiting stinks.  Some days I’m fine and other days I’m ready to crawl up a wall or under a blanket with a fluffy pillow to squeeze.  I’m having a hard time focusing right now, so I’m making a list of everything that I have to look forward to in the next couple of months.  This will likely be very boring for everyone else but me.

1. Trip to Memphis to meet Lindsey and Le, Ruta, and Alazar.  So slobbering excited about that.  We’re doing the Mojo Music Bus Tour and staying right on Beale Street.  I love the blues, and I loooovvve Lindsey and fam, who I feel like are our counterparts in Oklahoma City.  Can’t wait to talk sponsorship coordinators, Uganda, Ethiopia, adoption, and do some major laughing and celebrating, all while listening to killer music and eating barbeque.

2. The final batch of Adacar profiles should arrive any day now.  I keep checking the mail to see if they’ve come.  I’m just really excited to get all the kids sponsored.  Right now I have a ton of people to follow up with, but slowly I’m seeing my database of kids be filled with sponsors’ names.  Still a lot of blank ones, but people are slowly getting their payments set up.  And we’re making progress on the CarePoint.  More about that when I have concrete info.

3. HopeChest’s partner conference followed by the Together for Adoption conference.  I’m so excited to have quality face-to-face and hugging time with the Warrior Girls and to get to see Joseph (Uganda country director) again.  And to meet more and more and more adoptive parents.  Honestly, I’m meeting so many adoptive parents these days that it almost seems weird to me when I meet a family with all biological kids.  “Like, really?  You made all of these and they all look like you?  Weird!”  Ha!

4. Back to school!  I know, it’s cruel and unusual for me to look forward to that, but I abhor summer and all things shorts and sweating.  I love getting all my high school girls back on a regular basis, cooler weather, layering clothing, and being able to take Elliott to the park without getting a third degree burn.  Fall frolicking is around the corner, and as the leaves die, I start to live.  And one of my favorite things in fall is Vertical Reality, the fall retreat with the high school students.  I can’t wait to spend a whole weekend away with them.  We’ll have so much to talk about, starting high school and all.  I wouldn’t repeat that for a million dollars, but I love walking this road with them.

5. A referral?  Fall should mean we get to “meet” our little one, at least on paper.  I’m so excited to find out boy or girl, and hopefully that knowledge will give me lots to dream of and work on through the winter until we finally get to go.  In the meantime, I am happy to report that we’ve found a delicious Ethiopian restaurant in Atlanta (Thank you, Beattys!!), and I’ll be making lots of trips there to soak up the culture and shovel in the food.  As some of you know, Alex and I tried Ethiopian food years ago in Georgetown and it was terrible!  I love almost every kind of food on the planet, so I’ve just been sick about it (both literally for 24 hours after and figuratively).  I’ve been praying for God to allow me to love it, because both Ethiopia and food are such huge parts of my family.  Anyway, one bite at Queen of Sheba last week and we realized that Ethiopian food is DELICIOUS!  Our first experience in Georgetown must’ve just been BAD Ethiopian food, just like I’ve had bad American food.  Queen of Sheba was good, good, good, oh so good, and Elliott adored it, too, rising on his knees over the big family-style plate and scooping up the food with injera.

Okay, that’s enough anticipation for one post.  And just typing it all out has elevated me from my waiting funk and reminded me of what’s to come.  I also want to balance all the things to come with the things of NOW, because I don’t want to live in the future.  The now is good and is not to be wasted.  The now is digging into God, spending time with friends, kissing my husband, building really tall Lego towers with Elliott, helping unite sponsors with kids in Adacar, wearing my cute Sseko sandals (maybe the one benefit of summer weather in Georgia), and spending precious minutes with my parents.  Two of my close friends lost their parents last week, and I’m reminded that life is fleeting, there are no guarantees, and I want to enjoy every minute.  So, this post is kind of rambly, but I think I just blogged myself into a really hopeful and positive mood.

Hey, Baby Slash.  Mommy’s been busy hopping planes and holding orphans, watching God unite kiddos with sponsor families.  It’s been amazing.  I love being part of God’s plan for these kids.   I get to be the one who holds up the big neon sign saying, “Look at how awesome my God is!”  I love being a sign-holder for God.  He’s done some pretty neon-praiseworthy things lately.

This week, as I’ve waved my awesome-God sign and seen my orphan profile packets dwindle to 17 lonely teenagers in need of sponsors (only 17 more!), my thoughts have fluttered over to you more and more.  It’s hard for me to think about you too much right now.  I can help hundreds and hundreds of orphans, but I can’t help you right now, MY orphan.  My Slash, who is an orphan right now but won’t be soon cuz Mommy.  Is.  Coming.  To.  Get.  You.  Oh, I wish it was tomorrow.  I wish it was today.  I just want to hold you hold you hold you forever and I want forever to start now!  Slash!  I miss you, buddy.  I miss you and I haven’t even met you yet.  Yesterday Elliott said that he thinks you’re a baby sister.  I think you’re a baby brother.  I can’t wait to find out what you are.  Last week I watched girls make beaded necklaces and then yesterday I bought girly clothes for your new cousin who’ll be about your age, and I wanted you to be a GIRL!  But then last week I watched two brothers play ball together and yesterday I watched Elliott swim with the boys, and I wanted you to be a BOY!  Pretty much I’m excited about you no matter what you are.  Whatever you are, you’re going to fit into my family, your family, our family.  We’ve been 3 for 3 years now.  I want to be 4…and then if God wants to double or triple that number, I’m all for it, as long as they’re not all toddlers at the same time. 

Slash, okay, I’m just going to be really real with you right now, Mommy has tears in her eyes thinking about you.  I’ve held babies in Africa now.  Baby Slash, some of them are sick.  Their hair is bleached light with malnutrition and their eyes are sickly yellow and some of them have malaria and are anemic and need nutrients.  Oh buddy, is your hair too light?  Are your eyes yellow?   Do you have malaria?  Do you have a parasite or ringworm or a rumbly, hungry belly?  Do you need Mommy to kiss it and make it better?  I want to take you to Publix and get you a cookie while we wait for your antibiotics that’ll kill all the bugs living in you.  I want to fatten you up with Chick-fil-A chocolate milkshakes with some Juice Plus gummies on the side for good measure.  Slash, please hold on.  I am coming for you.  I’m going to make you yummy smoothies, and full disclosure, I hide spinach in my smoothies, so prepare to receive nutrients on the sly, sweet child.

I just put Elliott to bed.  Someday soon, you’ll sleep in the room right next to his.  Daddy and I will read you both stories and brush your teeth and pray with you.  This month, Elliott and I have been thanking God for making him.  “Thanks, God, for making Elliott’s laugh.  Thanks, God, for making Elliott’s blue eyes….”  I’m thanking God for making you, too, and I can’t wait to thank Him together.  Thanks, God, for making Slash’s big brown eyes.  Thanks, God, for making Slash’s sweet smile.  Thanks, God, for making Slash’s curly hair…Thanks, God, for making Slash for our family.

I was catching up on other people’s blogs and saw where someone mentioned something about her adoption process.  Oh yeah.  That’s one of the reasons I have this blog, to keep the people I love informed about our adoption process.  My bad.  Okay, so about a week and a half ago, the Ethiopian government changed it’s law about court (It’s allowed!  I’m just grateful that my beloved Ethiopia is accepting of international adoptions, so I’m not going to complain about the way it chooses to handle them!).  We had signed over power of attorney to our agency’s in country staff to go to court for us, but now we’ll need to appear in court, and then come back 3-6 weeks later to take our child home.

Pros:

1. Two trips to Ethiopia!

2. Getting to meet our baby sooner than expected!

3. Two chances to fill our suitcases with humanitarian aid and visit Children’s HopeChest carepoints!

Cons:

1. Double the travel costs

2. The worst one…having my baby in my arms, being legally his/her mommy, and having to hand him/her back to the nanny and get on a plane!

So anyway, sorry I failed to mention the big adoption update.  The update is – more time in Africa.  We knew getting into this that adoption is a crazy world involving big faith.  God’s in charge and will unite us with Baby Slash in His perfect timing.  Whew!  I just felt my faith get bigger.  It felt good!

Hi, Baby Slash.  I just got all my vaccines to visit Uganda in May.  And one that I don’t need for Uganda but do need for Ethiopia – to get you!  When I was pregnant with your brother Elliott, I got poked with lots of needles, so getting shots to come get you is just part of this mommy’s job.  I don’t know if you’re at the orphanage yet.  I think about you every day.  Your daddy and I are getting ready to go play with hundreds and hundreds of orphans in Uganda.  These sweet kiddos fill my brain and jump up and down in my heart.  I can’t wait to hug them all!  And I can’t wait to hug you, over and over, forever.  I’m grieving with you right now as you are experiencing a tragedy.  For whatever reason, you are either in an orphanage or on your way to one soon, and my heart is breaking for you.  I’m praying that God will shower you with love and protection, will help you feel loved and surrounded with comfort, that He’ll hide you in the shelter of His wings.  I’m devastated for you right now, Slash.  I want to be there to make it all better.  I will be soon.  I have the biggest privilege in the world, of being part of God’s redemptive plan for you.  I am preparing a place for you in our home, just as God’s preparing a place for you in His home.  You are anticipated; you are wanted; you have a place in this family and in God’s family.  I’m devastated for your current circumstances but I’m overjoyed for what’s to come.  Oh the joy of being adopted into our family and Adopted into God’s family!  I cannot wait to tell you all about it.

Hey Everybody,

I didn’t get to post all my videos from Ethiopia, but this one is especially important.

Many people ask us, “Why do you do this orphan ministry?” This video is the best answer I can give them.

WATCH: http://www.vimeo.com/8105860

Please share this video with your friends online, along with this simple message…

Watch this video to see one of the many reasons I’m involved in orphan ministry with Children’s HopeChest. Find out more and become a HopeChest Partner today at http://www.hopechestpartners.org/.

Thanks so much!

Tom.