blown away

I have sat down to write this post a few times now... I'm not sure the best way to describe all of this!  I think you may remember me bemoaning our upcoming tax bill in an earlier post.   I've been feeling pretty discouraged about money issues lately -- wondering where we will come up with the funds needed to bring this kid home.

I came home from work yesterday and found a note in the mail from a friend from college.  I don't think I've seen her since I graduated and we've only had some limited contact on facebook over the past 10 or so years.  All the same, I was really happy to hear from her - she wrote a really sweet note to us, encouraging us on our adoption (she and her husband have also adopted a few times from Africa).  and then I noticed the check.  She said that she and her husband had committed to giving away their adoption tax credit to families who are adopting, and they wanted to bless us with a portion of what they were giving away.  I broke down and cried when I saw the check -- it was enough to cover our homestudy expenses, and much of the initial costs with our agency!  nearly double what we owe on our taxes this year!  I was blown away.

My faith has been so small through all of this, but I'm reminded that God is bigger.  Through my faithful, generous friend, and through so many ways we have yet to see, I know he will provide.  I'm so excited to continue on this journey!

progress?

we had our first meeting with our social worker today.  it seemed to go pretty well, from what i could tell.  we have lots of paperwork to gather, but each meeting, each document is one step closer!  i love being able to check things off the list.  even though this seems like a huge long list, each check mark feels like a great accomplishment.

hard to imagine...

Our adoption agency recently sent us this, and I thought it was worth sharing...

Today there are more than 147 million orphans in the world, enough children to go three times around the world at the equator.

It is hard to grasp such large numbers, so picture being on a very long road trip.

…if you had these orphans hold hands in a line,  you would see over 1,700 orphans per mile;

…if you were to follow that line of orphans holding hands, driving 60 miles per hour, you could drive 24 hours a day seeing 1,700 orphans every mile, hour after hour, day after day, without stopping for over two months, and you would still see orphans holding hands.

(From Save our World magazine, Volume 50)

more thoughts on Kony 2012

There has been quite a bit of talk recently about the KONY 2012 project, both positive and negative.  Below are some good thoughts a friend of mine shared on facebook, along with a video, which helps us understand the larger picture.  Regardless of your thoughts on the KONY project and their tactics, it certainly is bringing quite a bit of attention to the tragic, heartbreaking situation in Uganda.  It's good for all of us to dig a little deeper into these things. 

You and I may or may not agree with Invisible Children's approach to the KONY project, but the fact remains that they are taking action where they see injustice.  I just hope that these actions bring help, not harm...and that we can all find ways to take action against atrocity.  

‎"What KONY 2012 doesn't find time to address in its dramatic 30 minutes is that the primary beneficiary of Invisible Children's call for U.S. military assistance and intervention is the oppressive Ugandan military and its general, President Yoweri Museveni. Museveni is, by most accounts, a brutal dictator who gets credit for, among other things, the following crimes against humanity:

1. Being the first in Uganda to normalize the strategy of kidnapping and forcefully conscripting thousands of children into armed combat and using rape as a weapon of war -- against both women and men.

2. The forced expulsion of 2 million of northern Uganda's mostly Acholi people from their land and homes into squalid concentration camps – an ethnic-cleansing policy that lead to thousands of deaths of mostly children from poor sanitation, disease, starvation, and brutality at the hands of government troops.

3. Contributing to the ongoing conflicts in neighboring countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo which earned Museveni and the Ugandan government an indictment and guilty verdict at the International Court of Justice for, among other things: "acts of killing, torture and other forms of inhumane treatment of the Congolese civilian population, destroying villages and civilian buildings, failing to distinguish between civilian and military targets, failing to protect the civilian population in fighting with other combatants, training child soldiers, inciting ethnic conflict and failing to take measures to put an end to such conflict."

We don't learn any of this by watching KONY 2012. The tragic and more complicated reality is that Joseph Kony is just one of a number of brutal tyrants in the region who need to be brought to justice. By following Invisible Children's overly simplistic and thoroughly Americentric one-track solution of supporting Museveni and the thugs in his army with American advisors, military equipment & technology, as well as millions in tax-payer dollars, we might find down the road that this is yet another case where the cure is much worse than the disease."

encouragement...discouragement...

Children in Sierra Leone

What a beautiful weekend!  I spent Friday evening, and most of the day on Saturday at the Vineyard for the More4Orphans summit.  It was so encouraging to hear from people engaged in caring for children around the world, fostering and adopting children, both internationally and domestically.  There were seminars on all sorts of adoptions, which were really helpful (there were about 7 I wanted to attend, but I only had time for 2!).   


(Side note:  A couple great ways to get involved is through child sponsorships, though organizations like Eyes Wide Open, or through donating toward building an orphanage in Sierra Leone through Touch the Nations.)

I then came home to a beautiful sunny afternoon, which I spent out in my yard with my dog.  We (and by “we” I guess I mean just me – Calvin wasn’t really that helpful) cut down some old bushes and cleaned up ornamental grass that’s looking pretty scraggly.  I loved seeing my little spring flowers pushing their way out of the ground – tulips, hyacinths, and daffodils.  I have several little crocuses in bloom.  It makes my heart sing to see these little flowers growing and blooming.   Spring is such a joy. 


On Sunday, I took Calvin over to see my nieces and nephew.  My dad had sent me some more crocus bulbs and some other things home with my brother from their recent visit, so I went to collect those things.  I thought it’d be a good opportunity to have Calvin play with the kids too.  I haven't been sure about how the dog would behave with children; I really want our kids to get along with him and vice-versa.  He’s our first adoption of sorts, and in some ways that process helped provide some of the catalyst to move forward in our child adoption process.  And to my delight, he did great with the kids!   The girls took turns leading him around the yard and playing with him with his squeaky toy, and Ben was ready with his squirt gun in case Calvin misbehaved.  It was lots of fun.  

Later in the afternoon, I went home thought it’d be a good idea to get started on our taxes.  I’ve been hoping for a refund to help us fund our homestudy and early adoption expenses.  Much to my chagrin, it looks like we will owe…and a rather hefty sum.  I was so disheartened, almost to tears.  We have the money in savings to cover the tax bill, but it feels like a huge setback in our fundraising process.   This chunk of money that I wanted to put toward bringing our child home will now be heading to the IRS.  Groan.  


After experiencing the mountain top of the orphan summit, the beautiful weekend weather, and sweet family time, how quickly I crashed down into the valley of despair.  I read this verse this evening, though (Malachi 3:10):  "Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it."  That is my prayer...for more blessings than we can store...and for the grace to trust for that kind of provision.   

orphans (random thoughts)

I've been doing a lot of thinking lately about children, and orphans specifically.  This adoption process has brought up so many questions and additional areas of concern in my heart for kids in crisis situations.  I have started a journal of letters to and prayers for our child, and I can't help but wonder what circumstances our child is in right now.  What types of suffering has our little one endured already?  I long to see a picture and have a connection of some sort...to be able to send care packages and photos and hear stories from the adoption staff.  I'm itching for more.  

And when thinking about this one child (or maybe 2 children!), it leads me to the millions of other children who are orphans, or have parents but are suffering in poverty or under oppressive military rebels such as Joseph Kony.  The problems are heartbreaking and overwhelming!  How can I possibly make a difference, in the face so much suffering?

I've been also reading the Hunger Games series and The Connected Child this week, and all of those books have caused me considerable angst regarding abuse and injustice toward children.  My heart is full and aching.  

This video has gone viral, according to whatever morning news program I watched this morning.  It is from the Invisible Children folks for Kony 2012:  

Our church has been planning a conference on orphan care as well.  The more4orphans summit will take place this weekend (March 9-10) at Vineyard Columbus, and will cover many topics related to foster care, adoption, child sponsorship, as well as how we as individuals can get involved in helping orphans and children worldwide, right here and right now.  I'm really excited and hope many show up!  (here's the brochure for more info, too!)

Between things like Kony 2012 project and the orphan summit, I hope we can all find ways to get involved and make a difference for children in this world.

2 miles in the rain

Our homestudy application is now submitted!  One more step!

The agency we're working with for our homestudy is downtown, about a mile from my office.  I thought I'd take my lunch break and just walk our paperwork and payment over to the agency, thinking it would help keep the ball rolling to take it in today in person, rather than waiting to mail it.  By the time I'm out the front door of my building, the heavens have opened.  Before long, I'm pretty well soaked from the waist down (thankfully I did grab my umbrella before I went out!).  I walked along, grousing in my mind about the wet and cold...I even say a prayer, asking God to hold back the rain for about a half hour until I can get this done.

Kroo Bay in the rain

But then I start thinking about old songs, like ones that talk about a guy walking 500 miles to be with the one he loves.  And then I remember what it's like in Kroo Bay when the rains come, and the children whose homes are flooded by rainwater and sewage, and I wonder if our child is warm and dry today...and then I'm reminded of the road of suffering that Jesus walked for us...  and suddenly 2 miles in the rain is no hardship at all.