Surgery Tomorrow

We are peaceful tonight as we prepare for Quilla's big surgery tomorrow. We know she is covered in prayer and God will be right there with her through the entire process. We ask for prayers for her recovery. We pray that she will be eager to eat and drink soon afterwards so that she doesn't lose much of the weight she has gained. I was dressing her the other day and I was marveling at the rolls of fat on her legs. She has made such strides since coming home. We praise God for that! They weighed her today and she weighed ELEVEN pounds!! She weighed 9.1 pounds the day after we arrived. Wow! Thank you God for the ways you have watched over our precious Quilla. We have seen how you have worked miracles in her life already. We pray for the surgeons, doctors, nurses, and others who will work on her tomorrow. We claim victory over this surgery and the recovery process, affirming that you are the Great Physician. We wait with expectancy, Lord!

Zeke has been a doll through this entire transition. He is such a loving child! He is so openly affectionate with "Baby Quilla," as he always calls her. Last night, he helped me bathe her, gently helping suds up her hair. He smiled at me and said, "I have a sister!" it was like he was newly appreciating this sweet baby being a part of our family. He's been having Brad read a book to him about a new kid at a new school who isn't treated nice at first (Mom, it's that book by Katie Couric you got me!). He loves to look at the book and talk about how HE warts to be Laszlo's friend and how the kids making fun of him are making really bad choices. He has such a tender heart!

Q&Z

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Surgery Next Week

Quills will have surgery next Tuesday to repair her hiatal hernia, deal with her acid reflux, insert a tube in her stomach (temporarily), and improve her strider (noisy breathing). Please join us in praying that all goes well and that she makes a quick recovery. We are so glad she is home where we can get her the medical care she needs.

Coming soon: Photos of Q and Z!

Still at the doctor's office.

The Latest

Well, Quilla will be seeing a surgeon in St Louis Monday. An x-ray last Friday revealed half her stomach is in her chest cavity. It's a hiatal hernia that will certainly have to be repaired. We ask for your prayers as we move forward and get our baby girl better. Despite this rather dramatic development, she's eating well and is happy most of the time. The big exception is when she's eating baby food. The hernia and associated acid reflux causes her to be in terrible pain at times during feedings. We are trying to manage it with medicine and by giving her small bites. It's horrible to see her in pain like this and we are wondering if she can get the surgery done next week. We'll know more after Monday's appointment so stay tuned.

Zeke is adjusting very well to being a big brother. He is beginning to embrace that role whereas initially, he had insisted he was the big baby, not the big brother. He knows baby Quilla's tummy is "sick" and like the rest of us, he's praying for her to get better soon.

Health Update!

Quilla weighed 10.2 ounces and change this morning!! PRAISE THE LORD! Dr. Vo thinks she's doing well. However, we found out Friday that she has a hiatal hernia and acid reflux. We've been waiting for the scheduler to call us back about a swallow test. Our pediatrician found out the speech pathologist who has to order the swallow test is out for like three weeks. So, she got us in TOMORROW for an upper GI test. I guess this is supposed to be EVEN BETTER than a swallow test, though we'll probably end up doing that too later. Please keep baby girl in your prayers. We pray that we the results of the test tomorrow are good and that we won't have to have surgery for her hernia.

More Quilla!

More super sweet cuteness! Will try to get Z and Q together...

Photos from today!

A MUST READ

I posted this on Facebook but I MUST share this here too. Click here to read this awesome blog entry about adoption. So, so important.

By the way, I'm waiting for Brad to email me some photos from church this weekend. Miss Q was dressed to the 9s. As soon as I get the photos, I'll post them here.

Stay Tuned!

I expect to have new photos to post today. Here are a couple to tide you over! These were taken last Friday at a retirement potluck lunch for our department director.

Fun Times

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Sent from my iPhone

Sent from my iPhone

Amusing Stories

I know you want some photos. I'll get some soon. Here are some from our big arrival last week.



There have been several amusing things that have happened in connection with Quilla's homecoming. Here's a sampling:
*At the airport in Addis, a woman said my baby was so cute and then asked, "Is it a boy or a lady?" I said, "She's a girl." She said, "No. Boy or lady?" Polite smile..."Lady."
*Zeke has been concerned about Quilla's chicken pox. He calls them "chicken boo-boos." When we were at the doctor last Friday, Dr. Vo walked in the room, Zeke pointed to Quilla and said, "Fix it!"
*Zeke is so affectionate toward Quilla. He held her hand the whole way from the airport to home. So sweet!!!!
*Quilla does not like to be put down. She's getting better about hanging out in her high chair while I prepare her food. We bought her a cool bouncer to both entertain her while we do other essentials (ya know, like prepare her bottle!) and to build her leg muscles. She's getting used to it but is still not a big fan of it yet.
*Quilla LOVES to take a bath. At first, she wasn't into it but I could tell she wanted to like it because she was only half-crying. Well, now she totally digs it. Some days, she even gets two baths. One post breakfast to clean up for the day and an oatmeal bath before bed to help with her chicken boo-boos.

QUILLA IS HOME

For those who don't know, we were able to bring Quilla home from Ethiopia this week. When we got there and met her on July 6th, we discovered she was sick with pneumonia, coughing and gasping for air. This was the third or fourth time at least that she had developed pneumonia. The AWAA staff members in Ethiopia agreed to do what they could to get her home as soon as possible. After much prayer and fasting, many expedited steps, and miraculous events, we were granted her visa and we arrived in the states Thursday. A visit to our pediatrician yesterday and another x-ray confirms she has pneumonia...again. This is after just finishing 10 days of IV antibiotics. We are going to be seeing two specialists in the coming two weeks who will help us understand the underlying causes so we can treat those and take the appropriate steps to restoring her health. Despite having pneumonia, she is eating really, really well. At seven months, she weighs a smidge over 9 pounds. So, that is also a major concern. All of these health problems, including her low weight, are traceable to her laryngeal stridor. While it presents many concerns right now, she's expected to outgrow the condition and have no life long problems. In the meantime, we must do our best to prevent pneumonia and help her gain weight.

We appreciate your prayers as we begin our wonderful journey as a family of four and work toward making Quilla strong and healthy!!!

Q

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I Heart Ethiopia

I love Ethiopia! It's an amazing place. Here's a short list of what I love:

The people are kind, expressive, and have a great sense of humor.

The food is great, though I'm taking it very easy--mostly cheese
pizzas because they're "safe." I did have injera once last week.

The smells are mostly wonderful. I'm sure we're being kept in the
nice-smelling areas.

I've had a fabulous time here. I'm excited that some more of my buds
are arriving this weekend!!! Can't wait to see them in Africa!!

When I Get Home I Want to...

Love on Zeke and Brad!
Eat salad, chips, salsa, and sushil.
Take a long, hot shower.
Walk barefoot outside.
Rock Zeke to sleep while I sing to him.
Watch some fun TV like the Bachelorette.

Ethiopia is wonderful. I absolutely love it. It's a very complex
place but the people are fabulous. I can't say it enough. The people
have really impressed me. I mean, how could you not love a place
where you're driving down the street, looking at crowds of people, and
see a guy wearing a brand new Tennessee Vols shirt. Awesome!

Still here in Ethiopia!

Brad made it back to the US safely this weekend. I'm still here and I
get to see Quilla every day. I love it!! Ethiopia is amazing. The
people are so expressive and kind. The worst part about still being
here is missing Zeke. I miss him like crazy. He's doing well and I
know that he and Daddy are having some good bonding time so, I try not
to worry. Quilla is getting better, though she's still on
antibiotics. She was off the IV for a couple of days, switched to
injectibles. However, she has virtually no fat on her legs so they
put her back on IV. When she was off the IV, I put her on her back on
a mattress and put a toy just out of reach. She rolled over so she
could get her toy! It's so good to see her progress. Also, she's
"talking" so much more now than she did when we first got here. I
sing to her a lot, we look at touch and feel books everyday, and I've
even introduced her to a baby doll. She likes the doll's hair best.
I think she's going to be teething soon. She's increasingly drooly.
Pray that we will get to bring her home sooner than any of us thought
possible!!

One More Tip for adoptive families come to Ethiopia!

Scroll down for my longer list. Here's one more:

You'll probably eat lunch at a restaurant that starts with an M. It's
a restaurant and art gallery for Ethiopian artists. The art is
reasonably priced and the owner gives a discount to adoptive families.
We bought two paintings--one is a street scene in Addis and the other
is an impressionist-type painting of tall African women. (Mom--When I
saw this painting, the mountain saying from "A Tall Woman" came to
mind: A TALL WOMAN CASTS A LONG SHADOW!!). It's LOVELY! Definitely
take advantage of snagging a beautiful work of art from your child's
birth country!!

Brad headed out last night, just as I was going to bed. He emailed me
this morning from Frankfurt. Many from our court group left last
night. Thankfully, there are still families here so I'm not lonely.
We're going to an international worship service this morning in Addis.
Can't wait to be in God's house, sing praises, and thank God for
passing court.

Ok...I can't get on the Yahoo Group but I hope someone will see this
and share it with the group. These are things I wish we had known:

*Expect to spend two hours in the airport at Addis. First, you buy
your visas. Then, you go through immigration. Then, you get your
bags and they have to be scanned before you can leave the airport.
Each step involves long lines. Bring something to read. *smile*

*If you get car sick, bring something. The roads here are SUPER
BUMPY. My stomach is usually ok but it's been trying for me at times.

*Your in-country fees do not include transportation on the weekend.
You can get a driver but expect to share the cost with the others in
your group.

*The food at the guest house IS as good as everyone says. Breakfast is
sweet breads, some covered in yummy syrup. There are also eggs
prepared the way you want. If none of these sound good, bring your
own breakfast foods.

*Bring plenty o' snacks. I don't sit around and eat bars of chocolate
at home but here, it's been nice to have a few KitKat snack-sized
bars. It's just nice to have a familiar taste.

*Put something over the sink so you don't accidentally use the tap
water for teethbrushing or anything else. My friend suggested duct
tape...great idea!

*Laundry service at the guest house is great. So, you can pack fewer items.

*The Ethiopians think it's cold here now. I think it's perfect. I've
worn short sleeves every day with jeans or capris.

*Bring PLENTY of hand sanitizer.

*Bring stuff to watch on your computer...movies,TV shows, whatever.
The internet here is TOO SLOW to download anything once you're here.
So, come prepared!

That's it for now. I'm sure I'll think of more tips.

Thanks for your continued prayers for our safe travels and for
Quilla's health. Can't wait to see her this afternoon!!

When we arrived for our Quilla visit this afternoon, we discovered
that she's being kept in the clinic because she's on IV antibiotics.
She sounded better today, less coughing and not as junkie. WE NEED TO
GET HER HOME! I'm joining mom and TT in praying that God will move in
supernatural ways to let me bring her home with me. She'll do so much
better when she's out of an environment where babies just pass around
illnesses. Please pray with us!!! Nothing's too big for God!!!

--
*A joyous AP to Zeke
*Waiting to hug Quilla Rose in Ethiopia
*Saw Quilla Rose's sweet face for the first time on May 6, 2010
*DTE August 20, 2009
*Waiting to hug Lily Ruth in China
*April 23, 2007 LID for China

WE PASSED!!!

Court Tomorrow!

Court will happen tomorrow morning around 10AM.  That's 2AM central time Thursday, if you're wondering!  Q was good today but sounded like she still has an upper respiratory infection (again? or the other one never went away).  Poor baby!!!  Please pray for her. Of course, please prayers that we pass court tomorrow.  That will be HUGE!

 

We're so happy that Zeke is doing well. TT's reports are all great!

 

Also, say a little prayer for Pierre Clovis. Kitty Boy had two teeth removed and is recovering.  He's one of the kids for us and we hope he recovered quickly!

We arrived Monday evening after a long trip. Met Quilla today. She's
beautiful. Court on Thursday. Efforting pictures.

This photo was taken moments before Quilla came out!

Where to begin? First, God truly went before us and prepared the way
when we were coming into Addis. There were storms all around and the
flight attendents asked us to make sure our seat belts were pulled
tight. I began to pray intently for our safety and for the pilots to
have wisdom as they navigated the clouds. We had a very, very smooth
descent and landing around 7:45PM local time. Thank you, Lord!
At the airport, it took 2 hours to get visas, go through immigration,
and get our bags (which also required getting in a long line so your
bags could be scanned on the way out).
Very weary at this point, we finally arrived at the hotel, which is
very,very nice. We both slept like logs, had a delicious breakfast at
the guest house and then rode over to the Hilton for
lunch/orientation. THEN, it was timeto head to theTransition Homes
to meet the kids!!!
They bring the kids out in alphabetical order by the family's last
name,so we were first!!!!!!!! Quilla is as tiny as we imagined but
she is a tough cookie in that she is engaged, interested,and is trying
with all her might to be strong. We held her, sang to her, fed her,
put her on her stomach, read a touch and feel book to her, made silly
faces, and kissed her. We got out the photo album we sent her a while
ago and showed her the photos. We signed Mommy,Daddy, milk,and eat. We
also showed her nanny how to do the sign language. We got her to eat
some organic baby food we brought and left the rest with her nanny.
We got her to finish her bottle but we had to work on it on and off
for an hour or more. At the first sitting,she gulped about half of
it. But, then it was evident she needed a break. So, we would do
something for a while and then go back to the bottle. She's clearly
developing the self-care habits that we saw with Zeke when he first
came home—trying to hold her own bottle. She can definitely do it but
we gently insisted that WE hold her bottle for her.
What else can I say? She reaches for toys, hold toys, made a couple of
verbal noises while we were there. Smiled for us a couple of times
when the nannies got her going.
As good as all this sounds, it's very evident to us that we have a
long road ahead. She can almost roll over but not quite all the way.
When on her tummy, she's trying to make the motions with her legs as
though she wants to crawl but clearly doesn't have the muscle or
strength yet. Her leg muscles are practically non-existent. I've
never held a baby with zero muscle tone. Yet, when she does try to
kick or push against my hand with her foot, you can tell she's trying
really hard.
The bottom line? We need to get her home as soon as humanly possible.
The next step is passing court Thursday. Five big pieces to pray over
with all your heart:
1. For the MOWA letter to be there.
2. For the birthmom to be there.
3. For all other details to be in order.
4. For us as we give our testimony.
5. That the judge will pass us right then and there.

PLEASE PRAY WE PASS COURT THIS THURSDAY!

Guten Tag!

We're in Frankfurt, waiting for our flight to Addis. What a blessing!! Please keep the prayers coming! We feel them and appreciate them so much!! (Abby, thank you for your sweet offer...we'll let you know if we might need your friend!! AND I'm wearing the 7,990 mile shirt today, of course!)

We will try to update tonight from Addis but we've heard Internet acccess is iffy. Love you all!!!

WE MISS ZEKE!!! CAN'T WAIT TO MEET QUILLA!!!

Missy's pick for her in flight entertainment.

Chicago!

Had a smooth and on time flight to Chicago. We'll be leaving here for Frankfurt at 3:30ish this afternoon...so plenty of time for maxing and relaxing. Called the house...Z and TT are great. Didn't talk to Z for fear of upsetting him. We had a good day/night yesterday. I tucked him into bed. Before he got in bed, I reminded him that Mom and Dad were leaving. He said, "Come back?" "Yes, sweetheart. We'll be back." Then we put our hands together and prayed for all of us to be safe. At the end of the prayer, he gave me a big kiss on the lips. So, so precious.

Here We Go!

We are at the airport and just got checked in. We got no love from United when we checked in. We had one extra bag to check. We had not weighed our bags. I asked the woman if we could get a break on the bags because they were filled with donations for orphans. The gal was not sympathetic at all. (This is United, by the way.) She said it would cost $380 for the one extra bag, as though we would say, "Oh ok. The kids don't need formula so we'll just leave that extra bag here.". I told her it was fine because our church wa helping us pay for it. I also told her our travel agent hasaid the fee would be $200 for the extra bag. She said no. Well, when she went back to check, it was indeed $200. Then, we had not weighed our bags. So, I was prepared for excess weight fees too. God had already taken care of that detail! The bags came in at 49.5!!!!! One bag wa 50.5 but a different lady checking the bags said it was fine. We are so excited to see the other ways God will provide on our trip! We appreciate the prayers as we head out. I'm wearing one of adoption shirts destined by fellow adoptive parents Abby and Roger. The shirt has the number 7,990 over a graphic of Africa. That's the number of miles we'll ne traveling to get to our sweet Quilla!!! Pray for Zeke and TT too. I know they'll have fun but we will miss them!

A cake for Baby Quilla from one of our news producers at my station!
So sweet!

WE LEAVE SUNDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! We are so excited!! We got the call yesterday and we sprung into action immediately. Even though things were not confirmed, Brad and I had talked about how to handle it if we did get to go. Sweet Brad is taking today off from work to clean and get things in order for his mom's stay at our house. She arrives tomorrow morning! Please pray for TT's safe travels, for our safe travels, for great weather, smooth flights, uneventful travel, and on time travels. ALSO, pray now that we pass court on the 8th. That will be HUGE! It's a major milestone for our adoption to pass court.

Brad's great aunt Teenie and Mammy called last night to say how excited they are for us. I totally choked up as Teenie told me all the people she had asked to pray for us. Of course, our families are praying. My friend Kelley in California has activated her prayer chain. My bestest friend in the world Katie and her family are praying for us. Our church family has us wrapped in love and prayers. The America World yahoo group is praying, our local adoption friends are praying, I know so many of you are praying. Honestly, people...it makes me tear up just thinking about it! THANK YOU!!

So, ever since last Friday when we found out we might be traveling on the 4th, we've been prepping Zeke about our trip and the fact that he'd be at home with TT. We've also talked to him about making good choices while TT's in charge. He asked us if TT could give time outs. We said yes, if you make bad choices TT can give time outs. We have told him that TT will likely have treats for him and when we bring up TT's arrival, he always says, "And cars and trucks?" He's so sweet. It really struck my heart last night how hard it's going to be to leave my sweet Zeke for a little over two weeks. I know he'll be in excellent hands but I'll just miss him, plain and simple. Thank goodness for Skype!

No Decision

The judge is still deciding whether we can be in court on July 8th. I am so hoping and praying we can be there. We are supposed to find out tomorrow morning. It's a miracle that all of our plane tickets, including the plane tickets for Brad's mom, are still on hold. We feel like that was a very good sign and an important detail. We will find out tomorrow morning what the judge has decided. Shortly after I heard this news, I decided to fast until sundown, asking God to give us a favorable decision on this matter. We are really longing to see our girl and to get this court business done. What the judge is deciding is whether she wants the birth families and adoptive families to be in court together. We really want to meet Quilla's birth mom so please pray that we will get to be in court with her. So...more waiting and praying...

TENTATIVE COURT DATE-JULY 8!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We got THE CALL today that we have a TENTATIVE court date of July 8. We are putting plane tickets on hold today and will know Monday if we can buy them. Please, please, please pray that we get to go!! More later!

Court Papers Filed!!!

The birth certificate arrived and our papers were filed for a court date late last week! THANK YOU JESUS! We are so happy and can't wait to get our actual court date. We should any time between now and next Friday (July 2nd). We may not have much notice on when we go so we are starting to think about getting ourselves in gear now. Several families found out Tuesday that they have a court date of July 2nd. With less than a week's notice, they are heading to Ethiopia!! I'm so happy for them!! I will post as soon as we get our court date!!

BELIEVE: Claiming Victory Over the Junk

God sent me three angels last week via email. First, my mom reminded me of a great saying that really encouraged me during the wait for Zeke:

Because
Emmanuel
Lives
I
Expect
Victory
Every time

BELIEVE!

So, yes, I believe that God is victorious and sovereign over this current wait.

Also, two of my Internet buddies sent me encouraging emails about how they are praying over this hold up. Thanks, Katie and Kelley!!!

Another blessing: We got several donations at church today for our upcoming trip to Ethiopia! Praise the Lord! Our church has also agreed to assist in covering the cost of taking extra luggage (filled with donations!) on our trip. So, I pray that we will be overflowing with donations when the time comes (in July!!!) to travel. If you are interested in donating, you can email me at zekeandlilysmom (at) gmail (dot) com to find out what we need. We're taking donations to our agency's transition homes. We're also collecting donations for Into the Streets, a ministry for streets kids in Addis Ababa (see the link on the side). So, I am focusing on these donation drives instead of worrying about when we'll hear something. More time waiting means more time to collect supplies for these kiddos who really need them!

Brad Comes Home!

Brad is coming home this afternoon from Chicago (scroll down for his photos from Chi-town). Hooray! Zeke prefers dad to tuck him in at night, though we've had some sweet snuggle time. One night this week, Zeke reached over, put his hands on my face and brought me in for a kiss. He rarely does that so it was just super special! He knew Mommy needed it. Of course, the battle royale that followed over getting him to sleep was craziness. He was up past 10PM one night this week. He's been sick (though he's much better now), and I guess not having dad there has just gotten him off his bed time routine. Poor little guy. He had to get up very early this morning because I had to be at work early...so he should sleep well tonight!

Yeah...still no news. I don't even want to get my hopes up for next week...Can't stand another week of no news.

Hear the Crickets Chirping?

That's the sound of no news. We have no news on birth certificates and no news on court. Honestly, I'm beginning to prepare my heart for the possibility that we may not get to travel for court until after the closures. That's how discouraged I feel. I'm exhausted from praying so much over this...

Zeke and I are by ourselves this week. Brad's in Chicago for work (see photos below). Lucky duck. He's already had some Lou's pizza. He's promising to bring back treats for everyone--including Quilla. *sigh*

Brad's digs

Postage stamp room

Hear Our Prayers!!

I am begging God to unclog this log jam, to get those birth certificates done and to get us a court date. PLEASE! Hoping and praying that this is the week we get some news!!!

How God Encouraged Me This Weekend

I'm so glad that God speaks to us in creative ways. Wouldn't it get boring if God only had one way of doing things?!?!

So, yesterday, we headed to Wal-Mart. We needed essentials like milk and cat litter. I noticed that there were a lot of adult clothes on sale. I wondered if any of the kids clothing was on sale because we're planning to take clothes and other donations with us to Ethiopia for the kids at the transition homes our agency runs and for the Into the Streets ministry (see link on our sidebar).

I wandered toward the racks of sale clothes. (I love sales anyway, and I figured that buying on sale would allow me to buy more for less.) So, I saw some boy shirts with Toy Story and GI Joe characters on them. Not exactly what I had in mind. Then I saw these shirts:





YES! I was practically in tears thinking about how perfect these shirts about AFRICA and its ANIMALS would be for little kids IN AFRICA! Plus, they were only $3 each. Well, I bought six shirts in different sizes. I cannot wait to give these and other donations to the children in Ethiopia!!

Our church is doing a donation drive for the kids in Ethiopia. There was an awesome write up about it in the church newsletter this week. Our pastor said this could be the start of an ongoing ministry where our church sends donations with every family that adopts overseas! YES! If you're interested in helping with donations, you can contact me at zekeandlilysmom at gmail dot com or donate directly to Into the Streets by clicking on the button on the sidebar. We (all of us!) are called to be the hands and feet of Christ!

Zeke on his hog.

Zeke Antics

*Yesterday evening, he found a feather small white feather in the floor from our bedding and said, "Mommy, it's a cat feather. Throw it away."

*Zeke's new favorite game is falling on a stack of pillows. I seem to recall liking this same game when I was a kid.

*Zeke has nearly memorized a poem that I had memorized when I was little--"The Moon" by Robert Louis Stevenson. Zeke calls it the bat poem.

*We've made some progress on the potty front but it seems like every time we take a step forward, we take two back. *sigh* We still aren't insisting or making a big fuss over it, but we're strongly encouraging him to go. There's a 99 cent truck at Target with his name on it as soon as he takes his potty skills to the next level.

*At school yesterday, they had the bounce house up and going. I arrived to pick up Zeke just as he was getting his turn. Of course, I let him go at it for about 10 minutes. Then, the teacher was asking the kids to rotate out so others could have a turn. Zeke came out willingly and then I told him it was time to go. The fit that followed was one of the worst ever. In fact, even though I normally do not give in to that kind of behavior, he was so "beside himself" with fit pitching that I couldn't get him in his car seat to leave. So, we walked back inside and I asked if he could get in the bounce house again. The teacher said yes. Zeke literally gets in for 10 seconds and says it's "hurting" him. I asked him where it hurt and he just got out without answering. I said, "You don't want to play in the bounce house?" "No. Wanna go." So, we go out to the van. By the time I get him in his car seat and start to back out, the fit is back in full force, as though I have once again denied him access to the bounce house. I reminded him that he was the one who didn't want to stay. Well, the crying and snotting continued until I could get to McDonald's and get him a milk and some fries.

A Spirit-Filled Moment

Our worship band from church played and sang this morning for the statewide annual conference for United Methodists. It was an amazing experience. While we were singing a song that's relatively new to us, I was struck in such a profound way by the lyrics:

Oh that the church would arise
Oh that we would see with Jesus' eyes
We could show the world Heaven
Show what it means to be His
To be formed in His likeness
Show them that they have a purpose

As I thought about being "formed in His likeness," I thought about the fact that after we sang, an African-American preacher was going to take the stage, someone who has been on the forefront of civil rights for decades. My, how humans have struggled to grasp the idea that those who look different than them are just as much created in the likeness of God as they are. We like to create God in our own image, instead of the other way around. It also reminded me of the photo and caption at the top of this blog. The first time I saw it, I felt a sharp pain in my eyes and throat as I fought back tears. Yes, this image truly exemplifies what it will look like when "thy kingdom comes." Oh, that we would see each other with Jesus' eyes, or as one Christian writer put it, that we would see others as Christ sees them, that for us, there would be no such thing as "other."

Back from the Lake

We spent last night at the lake. We were there for a broadcasters' awards ceremony. Missy won first place for a story she did on a Vietnamese woman needing a bone marrow donor. She took her search to Marion Days, a gathering that brings together up to 18,000 Vietnamese each year. We had a lovely trip. Zeke got to enjoy plenty of time in the pool, which featured a waterfall and "bat cave." The weather was amazing. Overall, it was a very refreshing trip.

We have high hopes for this week. We are praying that we will get our court date this week. We will rejoice when it comes! Oh yes, and we will begin planning for this massive trip. Please continue to pray as we await news on our case.

Quilla has an awesome sick prize waiting got her! Thanks TT!!!

An Interesting Read on Ethiopia's Government (and no news)

Click here to read an interesting article on Ethiopia's government, in light of the recent national elections there.

As far as we know, the birth certificate for our baby girl is still not ready. Please pray that this will get done SOON! That's the final piece of paper we need to file for a court date. We so appreciate your prayers!

Ethiopia is FAR!

I've been looking at flights and itineraries (hoping to have news of travel dates SOON!). And it occured to me that Ethiopia is really far away. Unlike flying to Asia, you can't take a single flight from the US and land close to your destination. (When we went to Vietnam, for example, we flew from LA to Hong Kong and then had a pretty short flight to Hanoi.) Even the "non-stop" flight from D.C. to Addis stops briefly in Rome. So, we can expect one domestic flight, probably putting us in Memphis or Atlanta. From there, we'll likely travel to Europe. Amsterdam, Frankfurt, and Paris are the typical layover points. (We're hoping to spend two nights in one of these cities!) Then, you've got another flight to Addis, and (here's the kicker) that flight is about as long as the flight from the U.S. to Europe! We will be weary (but excited) travelers by the time we arrive is Addis, no doubt. That's another argument in favor of spending two nights in Europe--to catch our breath and get adjusted to the time difference before hitting the ground running in Ethiopia. Well, all this is just "play" right now. We're praying so fervently that we'll know our court date soon!

Zeke got his face painted today at school!

Knowing How to PRAY: Birth Certificate and Passing Court

Apparently, the courts in Ethiopia have issued a new requirement that children who are awaiting adoption have birth certificates from their regions before getting a court date. Because this is new and few people in Ethiopia have this kind of documentation, it's taking longer to get it. PLEASE PRAY RIGHT THIS MOMENT that we will find out THIS WEEK that our baby girl's birth certificate from her region is DONE and that our paperwork is being submitted for a court date THIS WEEK.

Additionally, we had hoped that some things would come together before our court appearance to improve our chances of passing court. It appears that those things will not be happening before we show up, thus not giving us any better chance of passing. It's still estimated that half of families will NOT pass court the first time. PLEASE PRAY RIGHT THIS MOMENT that God will bring together every person, paper, and detail (including electricity being on!) so that we will pass when we're there in court. It sounds like we CAN pass court before the courts close but it will be by God's grace and mercy that it happens in a timely manner.

We will update you the minute we know anything about when we will have our court date. It's so good to know exactly what we are waiting on and how we can pray!