community

So tonight we got to spend some time with a family that has adopted from Ethiopia.  We had such a good time of talking, and asking questions. It eased our hearts greatly as we asked lots of questions. They were really gracious and gave us lots of thoughts and ideas.
Was so good to glean wisdom from those that have done this before. We had been getting bogged down in all the paperwork, and this brought us back up and lifted our hearts.
Its an emotional ride as we go through this.

I think the one of the hard parts is the waiting period. Wait for your life to change, wait to have your world upside down. Wait on the government, wait on fingerprints.... wait on this and wait on that. In our get it done now world we live in its so hard to have to wait on things that are beyond your control.

Who likes to have their patience level muscle strengthened or grown... um... I think no one. We generally would rather go with the easy and comfortable. But as you know Dan and I, being comfortable is just not us. We love to get outside our comfort zone. Then again there are times when I just want to fall in line with others, but I generally like to think outside the box.

With that said, this whole process is growing my patience muscle! (joyous)

Thank you dear family for letting us glean your wisdom and see up close an personal your family! We are so completely thankful!!!!!

Still waiting...

Yes, we are still adopting and still waiting....

I get that question a great deal, Hows the adoption going?
What I have come to realize is that there is a great deal of waiting invovled in this process. The amazing thing is the more we wait, the more our hearts are getting excited to welcome our children home.

We finished a long course in our adoption education (parenting class) called with Eyes Wide Open.
We learned so much about bonding, the difference in parenting natural children as opposed to adopted children. We also learned a great deal about how people can react to our family. Since we will have afirican children, we will stand out, but we know we are a family. We learned how to talk to our kids about it, and also about their past, and how it affects where they are now. Also there was talk about the grief they experience coming to another country, how they will act.

I am so grateful for my friends who have taught me so much about parenting. You know who you are.

We still have 5 other courses to complete but the one we started with was the longest. We are still waiting on things to come back. We are almost done with the homestudy things.

We went away last week to emotionally rest, and to spend some time with our friends Jeff and Candy. We felt refreshed from our times there. Wow, what a great place to catch up.

Till later-

time away

so we just returned from vacation where we went to a retreat house within our mission in the Black forest. During our time, we did some personality tests, and evaluations to see how we are doing. This was such a great time of relaxing and decompressing. We went to a thrift store in France, and stumbled upon a winery town.  This was filled with about 20-30 wineries. They even had a Haas winery. We went there just because its our name. We went about a half hour from the place we were staying into Switzerland and enjoyed a date night and also got a BASEL mug!

While on vacation we continued our training courses for adoption.These were on rejection, and grieving. Its was a great time to stop and think on who we are and our parenting style. We have been apart of some great families who parent well. We glean knowledge and experience from them. Also we have been around people who have not parented well and we process that as well.

All this to say, God is working in our hearts preparing us emotionally for our children. I know you can't be really ready for what will happen but at least we are letting go of past issues that have been holding us back, and processing hurts along the way.

Woot woot! God is good!

Corrected ranting

I was rereading the thing I read that made me heart broken in the last blog, and when I reread it, I realized I had totally misread it. Maybe I needed to walk through some things I was dealing with, it seems as the Lord is constantly putting before me the idol I so want to be demolished. Praise the Lord that I am recognizing His hand in all this!

I will seek you Lord in all I do!!!

Thank you Lord for loving me in spite of myself. I am forever grateful of your great love and mercy!
Where would my life be without you....

Processing--- classes--- life

Part of who I am is always wondering, considering, processing.... I think there are days I think to much on things. I love being in the heart of it with people, but what do you do when people don't want you in the heart of it? I love realness is others, but sometimes (I am guilty) its hard for me to communicate with others who are not real with themselves. Sometimes this leaves me lonely, and right now there are many of my friends who have left and I am mourning the loss of them here. So its time for me to put my self out there again, but its so hard. then I think do people even want to get to know me? I fall in this loop hole in the military context that we are not civilians, not military, but we love each of them, and try to serve them the best way we can.

Lately I have been feeling insecure because I have noticed military spouses only want to share with military spouses, how do I fit in this mix? Who do I spend time with other than the youth?

I pulled back this last year as I was way over committed the year before, and its been hard to build back into the community... But then I think, I know why I am here is to serve the military with everything I am and have. Sometimes that means loving when no one loves you back....

ouch that is hard.....

We are having to do 10 semester hours of training online for adoption. This has been helpful in that it makes us think about lots of things like what our children will experience with new food, sounds, a whole host of things.... The first course we are doing is eyes wide open. ITs a 19 chapter class that has homework at the end of each one.

We also are taking, Adopting the older child, Becoming your child's best advocate, Conspicuous Families, Discipline and the Adopted Child, The Journey of Attachment, Lifebooks, Medical Issues of International Adoption, We're home, now what (parents of newly adopted school age children). There is a ton of info in each, we are only thru one course.

I think these classes would be good for parents of kids that have them naturally. that brings me to a question, do parents of natural born kids go thru training?

I will sign off, as I am wandering around with my thoughts.

I am sitting here drinking the ethiopia coffee we got!! YUM YUM!!

Parenting classes

So here is a wonder-

Do families that have children naturally go through parenting classes?

We are going through parenting classes, and adoption education classes. We started on the Eyes wide open course. First thing to do was draw a picture of the child you want, and pet the picture like you were talking and interacting with the child.... hm...

This was interesting....

Each chapter has homework after the powere point slides that we have to do and send to our social worker....

Its been interesting...

Friends with same passion

I am amazed how the Lord works. In 2007, the Lord brought in our lives 2 families that have forever changed our hearts, and deepen our relationship with the Lord just by knowing them.

Both families have hearts for adoption and missions. Its totally the Lord who has woven our hearts to be united in Him. One of the couples we got to skype with last night, and this totally blessed our hearts. They are in the process of adoption as well and what a blessing to be able to share experiences and struggles. This couple also is providing a website where you can donate to our adoption costs. There will be a meter that will show the progess. We are needing to raise 15,000. If you know anyone who would like to share in the joy of adoption and might be interested in giving toward it, please let me know, or go to the website when its up. We will let you know!

Thanks for listening and journeying with us on this adventure!