Sweet Home Alabama

It's been a while since I posted, sorry friends, it's been a busy time around here. 

I am away on business again and heard a birthday party in the courtyard of my hotel, the cake looked good and well as they say, the rest is history.

I walked by said hello, and was offered some cake.  Of course, I had to, because in the South if you are offered food and say no, it's a big deal, so I HAD to eat the cake, right?

As I enjoyed the tasty morsels I learned that yet again, this hotel is housing people from another set of tornados (1/23/2012).  Large families staying in the hotel until their houses are rebuilt, and others who aren't sure where their next home will be, maybe out of work, or maybe lost their jobs or houses.  But there was a common thread, they were all there for one another.  Watching each others' kids while going to another house inspection, doctors appointment, or job interview, everyone is in it for the common good.

As I have traveled and stayed in many hotels, I have realized that this is the only hotel I have stayed at where family and friends are made.  Where people have come to make the best of what they have (or don't have). They were happy to have another person to tell their stories, to pray with them and to hope for the future with them.  And at the end of the night, I realized, that this is really what is meant by Sweet Home Alabama.

Rolllllll Tide... :)

Iris...The Great News

When I was in Ethiopia for our Embassy date and to bring Isaac home, Kevin and I were chatting over email over a little girl who needed a home, Iris, and how we could bring her into our family.  Our hearts were broken when we she hopped in the van with us in August and thought we were her parents, so when we learned that she still didn't have parents, we felt called to help her.  We attempted to find out how we could adopt her, but it was not possible at that time in August, and when we attempted in October/November it was not possible then either.  With very different languages, it was hard to  understand the why's and how's, but after recently joining a Facebook group for parents of the orphanage Isaac is from, we found out that little Iris has been claimed by her birth father.  Now, I know for a fact that this was an impossibility, we were actually working to provide her and other children in a similar situation at the orphanage (are not eligible for adoption, so will be in the institution until they come of age without any education, without any life skills that a normal Ethiopian family would provide, without a support system, in other words, without much hope) educational opportunities.  But as we prayed and asked God to reveal to us how we could best do this, we continued to ask that her birth parents would come for her.  This seemed like the only way.  So when someone asks me if I believe in prayer, and if I believe in miracles, yes, yes I do.

Praise God for little Iris and the hope her story can provide to others.

And as far as the other children, one of them is being matched with a family now.  It appears that God is providing the solution to the bigger problem, and not our short-sided view. :)

Mine

When Dane starting saying "Mine" I despised it, I corrected it and I ended up with a little boy who would bite instead of saying mine. So as you can imagine when I learned that Isaac's first phrase was "An tee" which means "Give it to me, it's mine" I was a little more likely to let him say it.  In fact, as we brought him home, we let him use it to express himself when.  But one thing that we did a little different, is that whenever he would say "an tee" or "mine" we would give him a big hug and tell him "an tee. mine."  At first he didn't get it.  But this morning he ran around the living room and started hugging everyone and saying "Mine, Mine, Mine."

Yes folks, I think he's got it.  We are his. (Insert tears of joy here!)

MINE boys