Rainbow Kids, a terrific online adoption magazine has sent out a plea for support asking that readers participate in a giving opportuntity that will save the lives of infants with heart disease. The organization, Love Without Boundaries, is in a challenge to recieve $10 donations from unique donors. The organization that wins this challenge will be granted $50,000 to go towards their humanitarian work. Love Without Boundaries is a volunteer organization providing medical care, foster care, education, and nutrition to orphaned children in China. To learn more about this opportunity to save the lives of orphan children in China, through a ten dollar donation, please visit the following websites:

Rainbow Kids
Love Without Boundaries
Love Without Boundaries Facebook Cause Giving Challenge

This morning our family snuggled on the couch and watched the newly burned DVD that we created of our adoption journey. Picture after picture was a visual reminder of the road we had traveled and a flooding of memories came to all of us. Before our little guy came home a friend of mine turned me onto the concept of “babywearing”. She showed me different options for carrying your baby on your chest and back. I sat down and with help made my very own baby carrier called a mei-tai, which is an Asian style carrier. As silly as this sounds (and my husband can testify to this) before leaving for Ethiopia I spent an evening testing out my carrier by walking around with a teddy bear tied to my chest! I was eager for the closeness of my son, the nearness, the connection.
He settled into that carrier with great ease. We walked in circles for hours during the time that we were not permitted to the leave the compound. His little eyes could simply glance up and meet mine. His weight was even on my back and shoulders. I carried him on my chest and back all across Ethiopia. We walked, we hiked, we adventured, we worked, shopped, and lived connected together in that carrier. We had adventures that would not have been possible if he was not attached to me tightly as if he was a part of my own body. While we were gone my husband set up the baby stroller. Even though we are long home that stroller has been used twice. When we are heading somewhere we pack our carrier. My son knows where it hangs in our house and he has been known to bring it to one of us when he is itching to be up close to Mom or Dad. He is content to be on Daddy’s chest while he folds the laundry. They talk about the colors and match socks together. He is content to let me grocery shop as long as he has the view from my back. He often falls asleep to the movement of my gate. In Ethiopia the women carried their children on their back everywhere they went. It was necessary for work, survival, and transportation~ but it was oh so beautiful to see mother and child connected by a piece of fabric and going happily about their days. I miss this. It seems that so many of the things that are supposed to make our life easier and our children content actually take them further away from us, when perhaps what they really need is just to watch the world go by from the safety and security of their parents back. My son is 24 bulky pounds of wonderful curious boy. The mei-tai still holds up well, especially with the frequent use that it gets in our home. In Ethiopia we were forced to walk everywhere and I never had to look for a reason to strap my son in close to me and go. Now, where automobiles rule the road it is a bit more difficult to live that lifestyle. But we search for excuses often amid other chances to be close like reading, snuggles, and horseplay. If you are adopting a little one or toddler I would encourage you to do some reading about the concept of babywearing~ if for no other reason than bonding. We loved it for two months as we ventured through Ethiopia and traveled across the world. We still love it today on our walks, grocery runs, and just about any other time when there is work to be done that would seemingly take away our time together.

The African Cradle Inc. will be hosting thier annual Ethiopian Heritage Camp from July 24-July 27 in Scotts Valley, California. The Heritage Camp will be organized similar to past years with family games, Ethiopian culture workshops, cooking lessons, keynote speakers who will be focusing on Ethiopian history, movies, swimming and a banquet with Ethiopian food and dance. Accommodations are prorated and range from rustic cabin to typical hotel-room type and rooms may accommodate from 2 up to 7 people. Cribs are available and meals will be included.
Camp will only occur if a minimum of twenty families preregister by April 1, 2008. Registration and more information can be found on the African Cradle, Inc.

The love/hate relationship that I have with my old rusty Jeep took a sharp turn towards strong dislike today. My nineteen month old son and I were driving a fifty-six mile stretch across country highway, a route that is familiar to us. Our region of the map is experiencing some frigid weather right now with temperatures being in the negatives. The jeep has a soft top and leaks cold air like crazy. Normally, the heater is able to battle the weather and stay on the winning side. Not today. Heater or not, we were freezing. Cold air was flooding into the car. When we were passed by any other moving vehicle tiny bits of snow came sprinkling in making me have to actually wipe moisture off of my face as I drove. I pulled over and bundled my son up in his coat, my winter coat, a hat, a blanket and anything else I could find. He seemed content and toasty. I bought a cup of coffee simply for the warmth and after a short de-thawing in a Shell station we began our journey again. Now, I was really cold as my coat was bundled around the little man in the back seat. I stopped again and reached for the only thing I could find that seemed like it would help our situation out at all- a tarp. Here I stood outside of a gas station wrapping a tarp around my body as if it was a bath towel. People were looking at me and all I could think to say was, “How ya doing?”. They nodded awkwardly and moved on. It was a long cold drive, but we made it.
A few months after my son was home I began feeling anxiety. I was not sleeping well at night. I felt guilt anytime I was not giving my son all of my attention. I was confused about my philosophy of discipline. I felt exhausted, confused, and worn thin. I cried because I felt a sense of mourning for my old life, the freedom I used to have, and the memory of what it was like to not wear my heart outside my body. I cried because I felt guilty for even thinking those thoughts. I cried a lot because I felt so much pressure. I would look at my son and desire to fill him up with affection, attention, and affirmation but, although I loved him dearly, it felt forced. I went to the doctor. I finally broke down and told my husband. I called a dear friend. I prayed. My friend allowed me to sob on the phone. She said calmly, “This is a season.”
The miserable car ride home ended, we walked into our house and began to de-thaw. At naptime I tucked my little man into his bed. The anxiety, confusion, guilt, mourning were far from me. My son rolled over and smiled at me warming my heart through and through.
I left his room thinking of the car ride, the cold and winter, and how much I look forward to this season passing. It dawned on me that I made it through another season as well. For weeks I felt messages aimed like arrows at my heart telling me that I was failing as a mother. The truth is attachment, adjustment, and transition are all things that take time. I was forgetting this and allowing guilt to settle into my spirit. On the silly ride home just a few hours ago I ridiculously had to pull over and cover myself up in a tarp to protect me from the cold season outside. It was embarrassing to do this in front of others, but it was necessary at the time. Just the same when I feel a cold season approaching again on my motherhood journey I am going to ask the Lord to put a covering around my heart to keep messages of guilt and failure away. I am going to surround myself with friends, family, and those with wisdom who will not laugh at me, but will gently speak wisdom that the cold seasons will come and best of all, they will pass.

While we wait for our children to come home there are men and women who spend day and night caring for them. If the children are lucky they are taken care of in a place where, despite conditions of poverty, they are given ample attention, affection, and affirmation. Long before our son arrived home through the incredible miracle of adoption my husband and I would pray for the caretakers that loved him in our stead. Two years later I sat with these caretakers in a little room full of cooing, crying, and active babies. Older kids walked in and out, to and fro, acting as mini-momma’s and mini-dada’s to the tiny ones. There was constant hussle and bussle in the orphanage as children were fed, rocked and comforted. Beyond those basic needs was the exceptional, the extra mile stuff of loving caretakers who were combing hair, braiding, and back rubbing. There was ball playing, tag, and teaching moments. Children were invited to sit down next to the tired ladies as they tried to steal a moment for a cup of tea and biscuit. The older children shared inside jokes with thier caretakers. They looked to them for guidance and boundaries. In our stead they parent handfuls of children that are not their own, many of them going home then to parent thier own children as well.
Yesterday, we received news that one of my son’s Ethiopian caretakers died in a tragic car accident. I grew particularly close to her during my time in Ethiopia because she loved my son, this was apparent and for this I felt deep gratitude to her. On the Meskel holiday she sat down with me and taught me the inner workings of the Ethiopian coffee ceremony. I took pictures of her hands as they crushed the beans. My son stood next to her and she guided him as if she was passing down to him a tradition that would live on in his own life. I am struggeling today with her death, not only because she has a husband and children who will have a great void in her life, but because she was a women who loved on my son before I was able to. I will always have curiousities about the one who carried my son in her womb and may never know her story in entiritiy. But, I did come to know over coffee and diapers changes a women who stood in the middle and cared for my son while he mourned the loss of his birthmother and waited for my arms. Tonight, in our home we are celebrating Genet’s life and love with a traditional Ethiopian coffee ceremony. My son will stand by my side as he did hers and hopefully I will honor that which she taught me and pass this tradition onto my little Habishaw.
I urge you to consider and not forget about those that care for your children while they wait for you. Let us pray for them, show them our gratitute, and provide them with the support that they need to continue meeting the emotional and physical needs of the children.
Talk with your adoption agency and find out if you can help support the staff that make a great difference in the life and health of your children. Many agencies accept donations from thier parents to go towards providing caretakers and staff with Christmas Hams and gifts. Our adoption agencies happily allowed us to throw a small “Thank You” party for our son’s caretakers. These are women and men that, even for the smallest child, are an integral part of thier history.
Thank you, Genet for the love you lavished on my son. Pictures, stories, and lessons you taught will remain a piece of our family. Tonight we roast coffee, grind it slowly and firmly by hand, and brew it over the fire. We serve the coffee and drink together in honor of you and all of the other caretakers who love in our stead.

God be with your family and the children who will miss you greatly.

John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His one and only son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (NIV)

It’s one of the most popular verses of our age. Even among those who do not acknowledge Christ as Savior, this verse is known or at least heard of. It’s a very appealing verse to anyone, to know all we need to do is believe in Him. Then we will not perish, but we will have eternal life. This is Truth. But what did followers of God share with their children before this snappy little bit of truth came about?
It’s interesting to know there is a section of scripture just as popular in the ancient times as John 3:16 is today. In Deuteronomy chapter 6, we find words that were passed down through generations. Verses that were probably among the first a Jewish child would learn. They are verses that would do us well to remember today.
Throughout the chapter we find instruction for raising a child, and are reminded to pass on these things of highest importance. Not wealth, not possession, not cattle, not even the secret family recipe. The most important thing a family passes on is their faith. This comes to a crux in verses 4-9:
“Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. Keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart. Recite them to your children and talk about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise. Bind them as a sign on your hand, fix them as an emblem on your forehead, and write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” (NRSV)
This portion of scripture would easily be called the John 3:16 of it’s day. You could ask anyone, and they could recite it to you. They learned it from when they were very young, and passed it onto their children as well. It was not just a popular verse, it was how they were called to live. But wait; if this message if for the children of God, and we are the children of God; that means this message if for us also?
We take our children to Sunday school. We watch Veggie Tales at least once a week. They go to VBS every summer. Our teens are actively involved in youth group! Aren’t we doing enough?
As someone involved in ministry to children, I have to apologize on behalf of the ministry we’ve been doing for years now. Time after time, in situation after situation, we’ve collectively said to families “we’ll take care of this”, when it comes to spiritual formation of children/teens. What started with parties and afterglows and big fancy worship services to draw them in, and has evolved into real discipleship and growth in Christ Jesus…still falls so short of what God calls us to as His Church. Many parents depend completely on the church for the religious upbringing of their children. Many churches gladly steal that role from the parents. It’s becoming more and more common. It’s becoming easier, as it moves from one generation to the next. But God is calling for THIS generation to end that pattern.
Does that mean we should pull our children and teens out of church? No way! Besides wanting to keep my job, I think it’s vital to teach our children the value of community and help them experience being a part of the collective body of Christ. But what it does mean is we begin to live the truth found in Deuteronomy chapter 6. That our homes would be the number one place where spiritual formation happens. That we would love the Lord with all of our family’s heart, soul, and might. Not just memorizing the scriptures, but binding them to what we do, what we represent, and what our home is all about. Passing on our rich heritage as God’s children. Sharing the stories about where we’ve come from, and where God has brought us. Talking about these things with our children, and as they grow, instilling this same pattern in their lives as well. This is family. This is being a parent. This is the Will of God. His good, pleasing, and perfect will…

The President of Guatemala, President Oscar Berger, has announced that as of January 1, 2008 intercountry adoptions will be suspended. On this date the Hague Convention will go into force in Guatemala and all adoption cases will be required to meet Hague standards. This will include all cases in process and those filed prior to this date.
Guatemala will not be processing any adoptions cases for non-Hague countries, which includes the United States as the Hague does not go into force in the U.S. until April 1, 2008.

In addition, all adoption cases that are pending will be suspended. A suspension, according to the Joint Counsel on International Children’s Services, would leave over 5000 children in limbo going to niether a family or a reliable system of care in Guatemala. The children could and will remain in institutional care such as an orphanage or in foster care indefinately. This situation, if it occurs will also be detrimental to the adoptive famiies that have been anxiously preparing their hearts and homes for the arrival of their child from Guatemala. They have set their love on a child, committed to providing that child with family, permanency, and love only to have those promises unfulfilled.

There is a large amount of advocacy going on to see that all pending cases can be completed. In addition, groups such as the JCICS are working hard to advocate for the rights of the children of Guatemala and the adoptive parents that love them.

With such great uncertainty in the air it is wise to not pursue an adoption from Guatemala at this time. Any referrals from Guatemala of children, regardless of their age or needs, will most likely at this time not result in the placement of a child. For more information on how you can get involved in the advocacy for the children of Guatemala please visit JCICS The Guatemala 5000 Initiative. Their website contains a list of specific ways in which to participate with the advocacy initiative.

In addition, as in all countries where adoption is not an option, there are opportunities for orphan care. During the time in which the children of Guatemala cannot be placed in permanent homes they need not be forgotten. Please be in prayer for the families that are now stuck in the limbo of the adoption process, the 5000 children that may not be united with families, and the government bodies involved in making decisions that will greatly affect the lives of children in desperate need of a home.

We will be working to provide you with updated information regarding this event. We encourage you to speak openly with adoption agencies that work in Guatemala concerning the events taking place there and the ramifications of these events on adoptions.
We will also be working to locate several organizations that work within Guatemala providing orphan care so that you may actively support the children of Guatemala during this time of limbo.

Yesterday the Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs Maura Harty deposited the United States’ instrument of ratification of the Hague Convention on the Protection of Children and Co-Operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption at a ceremony in The Hague. I imagine that this was a spectacular event for her and the rest of the people that have been working towards this moment for fourteen years.
I have a basic understanding of the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption and the purpose it provides. What I am not sure of is all of the smaller ramifications of the Hague going into effect after April 2008. There is a great short audio story (just four minutes long)posted online the NPR website concerning the events of yesterday and the Hague Convention that addresses some of the many questions. The audio post is with Adam Pertman, the executive director of the Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute and the author of Adoption Nation. If you have a moment, I would encourage you to listen to the NPR story.

On the morning of December 12, 2007 Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs Maura Harty deposited the United States’ instrument of ratification of the Hague Convention on the Protection of Children and Co-Operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption at a ceremony in The Hague. This means that the United States is now a full member of the Hague Adoption Convention, which will enter into force for the United States on April 1, 2008. The Convention will govern intercountry adoptions between the United States and other Convention member countries inaccordance with the provisions of the Intercountry Adoption Act of 2000 (PL 106-279) as of April 1, 2008. Read the rest of this entry »

On my second day visiting with my son during his time at Adoption Advocates International’s Layla House in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia I met a young boy who had taken his free time to visit with his baby sister. He skipped out on playing soccer to spend some time on the floor tickeling the cooing child. The next day, his friend, a boy that has been at Layla House for over two years (and still does not have a family) came out of curiosity to meet me. He wore a cross around his neck. After some small talk he began sharing with me little pieces of his heart. “I pray everyday that Jesus will find a family for me.”, he said. He continued by saying with a big smile that he hopes the family has a horse as it is his dream to become a real American cowboy. The two friends would visit me each afternoon. Someday they provided entertainment by doing tricks, splits, and rolling around the floor together with the energy and sillyness that makes boys such a joy to watch play. Read the rest of this entry »