Please Pray Tonight!

Our friends, The Shaws, have a court date tonight in Ethiopia! Ethiopia is 8 hours ahead and so the judge will hear their case as we sleep tonight. I cannot tell you how nervous a mommy can be in the days approaching court! Helplessness consumes the wait as our child is over an ocean in someone else's care. As a mom, all we want to do is go there and scoop our kids up in a protective embrace. Please pray for the Shaws and for all the necessary details to fall in place for an Ethiopian court date:

electricity to be working and on
judge to show up
MOWA to get the letter of approval to the courts
all the necessary people to be there who need to speak before the judge
favorable decision by the judge

Check back tomorrow at The Shaw's blog

Random pics of our "Mr Social"

Micah at Wes and Anne's (Roscoe's dad and new step Mom) wedding trying to do the YMCA with everyone!

Hunger - such an abstract thought to us

Face it - we don't know hunger. We use the word flippantly as we Americans only know to use it. But true hunger - the hunger that leads to malnutrition and stunted growth - it's just abstract to us really. We can't understand it..some choose to ignore it for the mere fact that we don't know what to do with information like the info in the article below. In reality, injustice will always persist in this world. I'm a pessimist I know - but really - it's always been so pervasive. So what to do with something that has always been there and will always be to a degree?

The following is taken from an article I found online entitled "UN says hunger stunts some 200 million children":

"It is unrealistic to believe malnutrition can be addressed by any topdown U.N. scheme," said Philip Stevens, of International Policy Network, a London-based think tank. "The progress UNICEF's report points to in improving nutrition is almost certainly a result of economic growth, not U.N. strategies."

The Rome-based FAO announced earlier this year that hunger now affects a record 1.02 billion globally, or one in six people, with the financial meltdown, high food prices, drought and war blamed.

The agency hopes its World Summit on Food Security, with Pope Benedict XVI and some 60 heads of state so far expected to attend, will endorse a new strategy to combat hunger, focusing on increased investment in agricultural development for poor countries.

I like the thoughts in this article though. It has me thinking about the recent boom in Microloans and microfinancing for third world countries. It also has me thinking about our country and where our govt is headed (bigger and more controlling). The article below suggests that no govt or agency can save the little men or minority in need - they must be given the tools to save themselves - personal responsibility - I guess that's why I'm so opposed to big govt and socialized programs. Microloans work! They really do! Perhaps it might help with such a large problem as hunger. "Empowering people to become self-sufficient with dignity" - a qoute from Microloan Foundation. Read this success story.

I know I'm thinking a lot about the children in Africa - the ones who are 6 years old and look as if they are 3. Thinking about all I know about nutrition and how vital nutrients are to growth. Thinking of how quickly Micah caught up with good nutrition here at home. One year ago, this Friday, November 13th, Micah was found. Why was he left to be found? I think a lot about this and his birth family in Africa... about hunger, AIDS, trafficking, the injustices we can so easily ignore in suburbia. Then I think about how small I am in comparison to such a huge problem. But Muhammad Yunusprobably felt the same way.

143,000,000 orphans

YODA!

Micah enjoyed his first Halloween handing out candy. He loves to be social so this event was so exciting for him! I was surprised at how many kids knew who Yoda was! We got a lot of comments of how Micah even walked like Yoda. Way to get into character buddy :)

Happy Birthday Micah

Our Gotcha Day Video.... finally only 7 months later :)

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

My thoughts on my state of mind/soul one year ago - waiting for Micah

Wow! hindsight sure does make you laugh..and cry sometimes! October of 2008 was a very rough time for me emotionally as we waited for Micah. I look back and feel very strongly that he was born this month and that my inner struggle (which prompted much of the pleading and 'crying out' type prayers) were ordained by God - I was to pray for my son as he entered the world and the rough months ahead for him. I also needed to yearn to hold/comfort, as only a mother can, her son. No child should have to face rejection/abandonment at any time after birth (whether immediately after or at a later time). It is such an injustice! A world of injustice really is what we live in - broken and fallen. We all are born into the tragedy of what we coin "sinful nature". Some beginnings are more blatantly tragic... like Micah's. He was left under a tree at about 1 month old. Why would his birthmother, birthfather, relative, have to do this? Such a horrible injustice! But his story is not without hope, or joy. He was found early in the morning (I assume he wasn't left long - and assume he was left early in the morning with hopes of someone finding him). He was taken to an orphanage and eventually to our agency's orphanage. He was tiny but well nourished at that point. This makes me think he was loved and cared for his first month. He was our son - and eventually would be home in his forever family. I cried so often this month - sometimes cried myself to sleep - sometime a primal sort of cry. I was often on the edge of tears and usually just bit my tongue for fear of breaking down in front of a stranger or friend who just wouldn't understand. If you've never adopted and had to wait for your child, you just won't get it - why we who are on this adoption journey, get so emotional over waiting, or referrals. All the adoptive mothers and father (but especially mammas) 'get it' and some reading this may be so agonizingly close to that referral and are experiencing many sleepless nights and frantic reactions to every ring of the phone. Back then, I found NO solace in comments like "one year from now, all your sorrows will be behind you and your son will be home." If you are ever talking to an adoptive mom and are not one yourself - PLEASE don't say this. It gives no solace. (although for some reason, it seemed ok at times on the YG) Back in October, I wanted a shoulder to cry on - someone to grieve with me for my son and pray with me for his safety. An adoptive mother understands the agony of knowing your child is an ocean away and possibly scared, sick, cold, etc and you cannot be there to hold and protect him/her. It just makes you cry and grieve as a mother - and sometimes there are no words of comfort. I did a lot of crying one year ago - a lot of praying - some journaling but a lot of praying/pleading with God on behalf of my son, our Micah.

Here is my post last year on October 19, 2008 - doesn't capture my emotions but captures my assessment of our time. Which was a bit off!

so that is where we are - waiting still - maybe even until the end of November now - we will likely travel 8 weeks after receiving a referral. I know I mentioned in the last post that I thought our son would be at an orphanage or our agency's transitional home - now I really am unsure - not really sure of anything to be honest! So we wait and pray that he is safe and protected!

I laugh that I thought we'd have our referral by the end of Nov - HA! More like Dec. 17th :) and we traveled 14 weeks after that, NOT 8! :) again another chuckle. Other adoptive parents also know (and if you don't, heed my advice) - you simply CANNOT plan an adoption or the timeline - even if your agency gives you timelines and contines to give you updated timelines. We prayed often for God's timing (I know - it's so cliche and I even cringed when I prayed it out loud with Roscoe because I hate cliche prayers - but we truly wanted it!) There were so many variables that had to fall in place with Roscoes' business. And now we know we couldn't have been a day later - Micah's health was so fragile.

So what's my point with my post. I don't know. I'm pensive today - thinking back on our journey to bring Micah home and his journey to come home to his forever family. Looking back at last year and the waiting of adoption. Soothing my son to sleep (who just woke up as I was typing because his pacifier fell out and his blanket was snagged in his legs). I really don't think knowing or seeing any of this back then, would have made my wait any easier. I needed to go through October of 2008. It wasn't the hardest things I've ever had to go through - not nearly - but it was new and evoked many new emotions I had never felt. The mother in me was taking form.