22 weeks waiting

Gimpy here. Today makes 22 weeks waiting for someone so worth the wait.

Tuesday was a rough day. The pain from the gout is absolutely excrutiating. It kind of takes on a life of it's own. I feel like it should be called THE gout, not just gout. It's that kind of thing...unspeakable almost. Sounds like it should be shameful. Mom didn't want me to tell people I had the gout, in case they didn't understand. That cracked me up, because for a split minute I thought about what people may think when I said I had the gout. Sounds like leprosy or gangrene. I'm feeling much better now, still tender and limping, but not in that inconsolable pain. I continue to covet your prayers for complete restoration....man, the gout stinks!

My big brother is coming to town! I've been looking forward to this as I haven't seen him in over two years. I get to pick him up at the airport and praise the Lord, it looks like Marshall will be home to go with me in case I need to "sit a spell" in the airport. I usually, though not on purpose, park in the farmost corner of the place and walk several miles to the loved one's terminal. (Do you detect sarcasm here? It's the anti-inflammatory meds, I'm sure ;) He will be around for 2 weeks, mostly volunteering at a hospital, but we will get to spend some time with him.

Thanks for voting on the name poll! It has been so fun to watch. Only a few more hours to go. We just can't wait to see that sweet boy's face.

That's all for now. Gimpy, out.

Gimp

OK, this is humbling. My foot started hurting yesterday and sometimes that happens if I wear "cute" shoes instead of "good" shoes for a while. No biggie. But I was awoken at 5 this morning by excruciating pain. Pain so bad it ranks up there with my dry socketed wisdom teeth. Yeah. That kind of unrelenting pain. (Now would be a good time to stop reading and pray for me, if you don't mind.)

I went to the clinic and was diagnosed with gout. Yeah, I thought only "older" people got that. I'm gimpy. I called Marshall and apologized for not believing how much pain he was in several months ago when the same thing happened to him.

I had to cancel my whole day. I meet with some ladies every Tuesday for a discipleship Bible study. I hated to cancel that. And Bible study tonight...I look forward to that and all of my homework was done and I was ready to discuss!! And I cancelled a hair appointment. You KNOW I must be in pain to cancel a root job! Sweet friends have taken care of me all day long. Anya came over to tell me she would walk Sophie the next few days. Jeannette didn't get my message about our discipleship group being cancelled, so she came over and went and got me some bottled water. She came back later with a box of chocolates and a Get Well card signed by the group. Priceless. Lisa came over and got my mind off of the pain. We talked baby stuff. She's lovely. My friend Christy says these are labor pains. I say, bring on the epidural, like NOW.

Thank You Lord for these friends that care so much about me.

I just feel completely fragile right now and helpless, but totally taken care of. Now would be a good time to pray again. :) I'm going to try to nap again now.

I can't believe I have gout. Yuck!

The Accidental Adoption

Those of you adopting or have adopted will totally appreciate this. The rest of you have probably heard me talk about adoption so much, you'll get a chuckle too. If this type of thing happened, there would not be 143 orphans in the world. I've read this a million times and it still makes me giggle. Sit back and enjoy!

Honey, sit down. I have some news for you.

What is it?

Well, I don't know how to say this, so I'll just come out with it. I went to the mailbox today and... well, we got a 171-H.

A what?!? A 171-H? As in, we're going to have a(nother) baby?!?

It looks that way.

But how? We've been so careful! I put away all the blank I-600A forms. Didn't you hide our homestudy update?

Of course I did, but don't forget, there was that one night...

What night? (pauses) Ohhh, that night, But it was only once. We were just messing around. I didn't print clearly. I didn't even use ink! (pauses again) But it was kind of fun. (giggles).

It was, wasn't it? I'll never forget how cute you looked getting your fingerprints. So now we've got our 171-H, eh? But that doesn't always mean you'll adopt, does it? I mean, shouldn't you see the agency or something, make sure everything's okay?

I already did.

And?

I'm five documents along.

Five documents! And they're all notarized, certified and authenticated okay?

Just great. There was one small scare when the agency couldn't see the Notary's middle initial but it showed up just fine under the magnifying glass.

Thank God.

And you, honey? Are you feeling okay?

I'm feeling fine. As long as I know you're happy about this.

Happy? I'm thrilled! It's always a shock at first when something like this happens, but of course I'm happy.

Author Unknown

God cares about the details

First, let me say thanks for voting on the name poll. It has been so fun to watch the votes come in. Keep 'em coming!

The other day I was praying. It sounds kind of silly, but I prayed very specifically for two things. Praise God, we have everything we need. Cutest baby in the whole world could come home today and we'd just need to run to the store to grab some diapers and bottles. The Lord has provided in abundance. So really we're down to the small stuff. I prayed that we would find a changing table (not a necessity) and a rocking chair so I can rock my baby to sleep.

The other day I went to the Fairkauf. Those of you around us probably know what that is, but others don't. It's best described as like a German Goodwill. It was introduced to me as the Dead Man's Store because a lot of people donate their estates. It is charity and it is fun! I walked in the front door and there were a lot of folks in the entrance so I took a left through the "rooms" they have set up with furniture. A lot of it was familiar, as I'm a regular. I enjoyed walking slowly, touching and keeping my eye open for two specific things. I wound my way through and was walking back toward the entrance. And there she was. A dark, cherry wood finish. A good old fashioned rockin' chair. I couldn't believe it! (Why couldn't you believe it, Jill? You asked Him for it!) I removed the stuffed frog that was occupying it and sat and rocked. And rocked. And rocked until the sales guy approached me because I looked weird and sentimental I guess. I bought that rocker and brought it home for some TLC. The only thing missing is that precious baby, but I have confidence that he will be rocking with me soon.

My point to this story is that our God cares about the details. He knows the number of hairs on our heads and He knew that at month 5 of waiting, I just needed to know He remembered. My friends, He does remember. And I think He likes to show us, if we'll just open our eyes.

Many blessings to you this Sunday. Maybe I'll go rock for a while and think about our babe.

Name Poll

**Edited to add: This is SO much fun! Thanks for participating!!**

What should we name the baby? At first we called him Noah, but ultimately decided that we would know when we saw his sweet face and learned his Ethiopian name.

But just for fun, there is a poll set on the right hand side of the page. You have a week to choose one of the names we've listed.

Noah - "rest, comfort"
Jude - "author of epistle of Jude"
Abram - "high father"
Samuel - "name of God" or "God has heard"
Silas - "NT missionary with Paul"
Micah - "OT minor prophet"

Come on! It'll be fun...the more the merrier.

Feel free to leave a comment about your choice or if you have another spectacular name that I haven't included.

18, 19, 20, 21....

weeks waiting. What happened to 18, 19 and 20? Well, it's my blog and I can change the way I count our weeks if I want to. ;)

After I started the weekly count, I found out that we can really say we are "officially waiting" when our dossier is received by our agency and deemed "good to go". Before I was counting by when our dossier was mailed to Ethiopia. I just decided tonight that I would change the way we counted the wait. Fast forward 3 weeks....viola, we've been waiting 21 weeks to.day.

It's fun to have your own blog.

In other news, five families are in ET right now picking up their children. It has been so fun to watch. In pictures I spotted Bebi, one of our translators on the missions trip, and Sammy the best driver in all of Ethiopia. Check out the Carpenters and the Davids. They are the parents of some beautiful children!

The transition home looks wonderful. It's comforting to know that once our son is referred to us he will be in great care there. Sounds like the nannies love the kids just like their own. Can't wait to meet them. Can't wait until our boy is there.

We're still waiting to hear about when we're expected at our next duty station. And we still feel like our referral is coming soon. Word is the next batch is in February. That's not far away. Praying!!

Please Pray

There is a family that needs your prayers. A seminary friend let us know about a man named Andrew. He and his wife have a 4 year old son adopted from ET. Andrew was in ET picking up their new 5 month old baby. Yesterday evening his wife and 4 yr old son were in a car wreck. Their son is fine, but his wife was killed. Andrew did not know this as he was literally on the plane, flying home with their new baby.

I don't know this family, but my heart is broken and my stomach hurts. We have a Sovereign God. I just can't sort this out.

Please pray for Andrew and their children. These kids have already lost so much in their lives. I can't imagine what he must be feeling. I was telling Marshall earlier that I know somehow the Lord can be glorified in even this. We just sometimes assume that people who are serving Him with all of their hearts, minds, and souls, will be "ok". And I know I'm thinking in the flesh, as we should be more eternity focused. I can't help but be broken hearted for this family. Please pray.

Extra! Extra! Read all about it!

Are you bummed out because you think you missed out on an Ethiopia Adoption tee shirt? Well, turn that frown upside down. We have some extras for sale:

Child:
small (1),
medium (1),
xl (1)

Womens:
medium (1),
large (1)

Mens/Unisex:
large (1),
xl (1)

Leave me a comment or email at marshallandjill@hotmail.com to order.

Minimum donation $20 per shirt (Paypal on the right hand side of screen is easiest). If you're new and would like to see a picture, see this post and this post.

*Edited to reflect current shirts available. :)

17 weeks waiting...

I'd be lying if I said I hoped to be waiting for seventeen long weeks. I do, however, feel like there is a light at the end of this tunnel. Five families are traveling, as I type, to pick up their precious little ones. Another family got a referral early this week for a baby girl. Congratulations Harpolds!! The families that received referrals on 19 October got their court dates this week for 8 February.

Marshall talked to Duni, our Program director yesterday. She told him that we are 2nd in line for a baby boy and we figured out that we are 8th in line overall. Ya'll, I think we're getting close! One thing is a fact: we are 17 weeks closer to being parents than when we mailed that paper baby in August! Ha!

Thank you for all of your supportive comments on changing our referral request. We have learned over our marriage that there is no better place to be than smack dab in the middle of God's will. No matter how good it sounds to be somewhere else, I want no part of it. Even if I'm typing a Friday post that says "many many more weeks waiting", if that's God's will, that's where I want to be. It's not always easy, but He is ALWAYS right. My life would be miserable if I was flittering around out there on my own.

Thank you Lord for leading us. I pray my heart always lets You keep the lead. We both know it's works better that way!

I would like for our referral to come soon for obvious reasons. But I really want it to come before we move because our family here (the beauty of the military) has walked this road with us. We don't go anywhere on any given day that at least one, two, three or more people ask us about the adoption and what's going on. That means so much to us. One friend walks her dog every other night (hubby takes alternate nights) and she told me that each time she walks by our building, she prays for us and for the baby. That means the world to me. I'll miss this community. We'll make new friends, but they won't know us pre-cutest boy you're ever seen. This place will always be special for that reason. I imagine the next will be special for another reason, yet to be seen.

Cutest boy you've ever seen (I know that's a mouth full) is also loved all over this world. I had one of those days the other day. We all have them, not a huge deal. But the phone rang and I picked it up. It was a sweet friend that has moved back to the States, just checking in, seeing what was going on with the adoption. Made my day! Got an email today from a friend in England. "Where's the Week 17 post? I'm waiting on the post!" I do have a faithful reader!!

I must be feeling really loved today....really sappy!

Those of you that ordered tee shirts, they were mailed today. Wear those shirts proudly knowing that you are supporting adoption...something very close to God's heart.

Well, as always, we covet your prayers and thank you, every one of you, no matter where you are, for walking this road with us. It's a wild ride but SO worth it!

teeshirts on the way

If you ordered a teeshirt from us, they are packed up and ready for delivery/post office.

I will drop them at the post office tomorrow and if you're local I'll get them to you ASAP.

Thank you for your support!!

A Call, But Not THE Call

We made a very important decision this week. So, we were the ones that made a phone call. We called our agency to let them know that we wanted to change our child request. After much prayer, we have decided that we will only adopt one child this time around.


We want to be the best parents we can be. Since we've never been in that role, it makes sense to focus on one child at a time. While we totally believe that if the Lord wanted us to adopt two children at one time, He would totally equip us for the job. And we did feel called to that and were obedient.


It will be a blessing to be able to bond and focus on this one little guy. We want to give our all to our son. For us, it would have been a disservice to the children to try to balance two very different stages of development for the first time. Do people do it all the time? Yes and I'm sure they do it well. For us this is right. I'm not too proud to admit that.


If there are regrets (which I don't think there will be) we would rather "regret" adopting only one instead of "regretting" adopting two and not doing a great job with them.


Maybe next time we'll bring home two. Yes, I'm already thinking about next time. I'm ready to work on the paperwork. This adoption thing rocks!


We have peace that surpasses all understanding. We are requesting a boy, birth to 18 months old.

16 weeks waiting

Here are some fun facts about the number 16:

Put the word "sweet" in front of it and you have a very special birthday.

Abraham Lincoln was our nations's 16th president.

Sixteen Candles is a classic 80's movie.Apollo 16

Yes folks, we've been waiting for 4 months. That can make a person a little loopy.

(So I've heard.)

Merry Christmas, Ethiopia!

It's Christmas again! Ethiopia uses the Julian calendar and celebrates Christmas on January 7. Using the Julian calendar also means that this year is their millennium...the year 2000 which began in September! Remember our Y2K craziness? Somehow I doubt that the Ethiopian population was hoarding bottled water and canned food. But I digress....

Merry Christmas Ethiopia!

I pray that you know the True meaning of Christmas, no matter what day it's celebrated...the birth of our Saviour, Jesus Christ.

15 weeks waiting

We are in a new year and praying for good news!

Teeshirts! They are in the mail and I will get them to you as soon as they arrive. Our wonderful teeshirt providers have their embassy date and travel plans are made. Go celebrate with them...they are neat.

We continue to press on and pray on! Thanks for checking in.

love, jill

Hello 2008! Nice to meet you!

I can't believe 2007 is over! It will always be known as the year of the adoption (the paper chase part, at least). It was a wonderful year I'd say. I was so so hoping to have our referral before it ended but I don't want to look back with "with onlies"....cause I can get all mad and caught up in those if I don't watch it. God is in control (and I want Him to keep it-I keep trying to do His job-Lord forgive me) and we pray for good news early in 08.

Lord willing, our children will come home very soon.

My friend Heidi and her husband Kirk, who I met on our missions trip this summer, are in Addis, as I type, picking up their 3 newest children. I am so happy for them! You can follow along with their blog (see the hyperlink...another 2007 accomplishment..ha!)

I am looking forward to this new year and the blessings it will bring....two in particular.

Dear Precious Babies,
Oh how my heart longs for you both! We are getting so close it hurts! Mommy and Daddy are getting everything ready for you, so when we get the phone call, everything will be in place. We can't wait to see your little faces...and fingers and toes...and big brown eyes. It feels like we've waited a lifetime for you. In a way we have. God has been preparing us our whole lives to become YOUR parents. Even before I set eyes on your precious faces I know YOU ARE WORTH IT ALL. And then some.

Lord, I ask You to bless them and keep them; make Your face shine upon our babies and be gracious to them. Lord, turn Your face toward them and give them peace in their little hearts. I pray this in the Name above all names, Jesus Christ. Amen.
(from Numbers 6:24-26)