Food (for Thought)

"Only one life, 'twill soon be past,

Only what's done for Christ will last."

 -C.T. Studd {1860-1931}

(behind the scenes: my heart)

Today I was studying faith (righteousness). Actually, it started by finishing up study notes from my Pastor's sermon this weekend.  My church has started small groups (growth groups) to help us not only have better fellowship (big churches sometimes find love: fellowship difficult).  We all study Sunday's sermon and discuss it. 

This weekend we weren't in church, well we were, but it was a different church.  We drove an hour away to an Ethiopian church that meets in New Haven.  It was combining with our Ebenezer Evangelical Church (Ethiopia/Eritrean) church; as we lost our pastor last year.  We had an all afternoon celebration of the combining of these two congregations.  It was wonderful.  Honestly never did I think my family would be sitting amongst 100 Ethiopian/Eritreans, listening to Amharic (for 3 hours), having a dear friend (Getch) translate for us, then eating a feast together of their amazing (AMAZING) food.  

beautiful fellowship: LOVE (real stuff!)

 community: different, but filled with love, open hearts and a willingness to let us in.

strange, not what I would have expected
 or where I would have expected it in life.

Anyhow, as I tried to be ready for our growth group tonight, the Holy Spirit began to direct my path...

  I was led to study a sermon by Smith Wigglesworth. 

 I came across this quote (see above) and was convicted to allow the Holy Spirit to renew my view of how I should be living.  I love the Lord, but I think I must have forgotten this truth that all else gets burned up in our life...only what is done for Jesus is what will stand. 

Father forgive me, somehow I lost the vision, renew my heart Lord.

In Jesus' name I ask it.

How does this statement resonate in your soul today?

Recipe for Ethiopian Tea

One of the many benefits of adopting children from a foreign country, has been the blessing of discovering culture through our taste buds.  With two beautiful Ethiopian daughters (age 3 and 14), we have thankfully been led into Ethiopian foods and drink. I think having a 14 year old who grew up within the culture has helped us retain many of the traditions within the Ethiopian daily life.

It wasn't until I pushed my buna (coffee) cup away-that I learned to love Ethiopian tea.  Now I don't know how they prepare this in Ethiopia, in Addis Ababa I only experience a real buna ceremony. But in my Ethiopian church, this tea is served during fellowship time at gatherings close. 

All of us look forward to a cup, each of my kids always line up to get handed their own cup of tea, including our 3 year old.  They normally pair it with Ethiopian bread, which is a yummy partnership: caffeine and carbohydrates-in my book you can't go wrong there! 

Ethiopian traditional tea

What you will need:

tea pot 

(mine is a stove top whistling model-I try to get whistled at a few times a week at least)

4-5 black tea bags 

(well for a typical tea kettle size)

(my Ethiopian friends like the Lipton variety)

8-15 whole cloves

5-8 cardamom (the green whole variety)

one cinnamon stick (about 3 inches long)

fresh cold water to fill the kettle with

sugar to taste (but my Ethiopian friends aren't afraid of sugar, enough said).

Put all ingredients into the kettle.  Bring to a boil.  Let sit for 3 minutes, fish out tea bags (which if you were smart, you let those cute little strings hang out over the edge of the kettle and secure them with the lid).

Pour into cups, add sugar while hot.

Stir...

Drink!

Personally, I don't drink tea black or with tea with sugar, but this is beyond lovely this way.
You can reuse the spices and tea bags for another round,
often I reuse mine for several days before discarding them.
They sit their waiting, patiently waiting for some fresh water, so they can get to business!

To change it up once in a while (hey, a girl has to have change, right?) I sometimes throw in some fresh ginger, a big hunk with the rest of the spices before brewing occurs.

Hope you will give it a try and let me know what you think!

cardomom

(easily found at an Indian market)

cinnamon

(you only need one, but the one I had looked so lonely 

that i brought a friend along for the photo shoot)

 cloves

This is what we're talking about!

Pop on over for the giveaway...

Ethiopian Orphans Need OUR Help

We have got word (not rumor) 
that adoption to Ethiopia is in trouble.

Our agency, All God's Children International has asked us to rally the troops to action.  The orphans need our help or they face the reality of hope for no future, no dream of adoption to come for them. 

My daughter shared with us that for 3 months there was NO food for the 54 orphans in her orphanage.  They got one small piece of injera (a flat sour-dough bread) that they would divide into three meals.  They cried out to God to please send help to them, their need was desperate, it was real. She lived in an orphanage for 5 years, she cried out daily for God to bring her a family.  God heard their prayers and sent a woman to help them, she began to find them homes and families...

and this is my testimony;

that I am one of those homes that she found. 

Won't you sign the petition ,
aimed at Prime Minister of Ethiopia, Meles Zenawi.
We are urging him to reconsider the recent decisions made on behalf of the orphans of Ethiopia.  

I love this country,
I love these people,
my heart cries desperately for the orphans.
Let our voices be heard,
please share this very real need with your readers (Twitter, Facebook, Blogs...)
so that we can get 250,000 signatures before March 12th.  

We have to take action...won't you join us?
And would you please pray that adoption would not be stamped out of Ethiopia, as it has in so many other countries.  

Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Ethiopian Adoption-11 months Post- Changes

Princess Sweetness now

Our girl looking at us for the first time in a photo album we sent to her.

Her friends from Emmanuel Children's Home (Orphanage)...

look on, 

as she meets us for the first time.

and then...

Then we came to bring her home. 

We traveled all the way to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to make her ours. 

What an amazing girl.  

She speaks three languages now (Oromo, Amharic and English).  

Today on our way home from the library

(one of our favorite things to do in all this world), 

we were discussing how someday she will be big and perhaps fall in love. 

I told her that I will buy her

a mitad 

for a wedding present, maybe two (a mitad is the flat grill that they make the injera on (injera is the flat bread they eat, like the rice they eat in China).  

She smiled at me and said she would come use my mitad, she could bring her injera home with her, 

BUT that she would really like if I would buy her a *PASTA MAKER!*  

Laughing out loud. 

This is the same girl who ate almost 100% Ethiopian food for the first 9 months of her coming to our family.  Mama was happy to do it for her (and for us...we love it too).  It wasn't until last week that she ate her first bowl of salad.  I nearly cried when she asked for a bowl to put it into (like the rest of us.) 

The first salad for her was just the salad, no dressing.  But the next night (we eat a mixed salad, romaine, iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, carrots, red pepper, red onion, cucumber, red cabbage)  she put on dressing (her choice was French dressing, which I told her that many children like because it is sweet).  I looked at her an smiled, abigsmile.  She ate it all. 

The next night she added croutons and she said, "After all, I am just like you."

Yes, my daughter, you are.  And I will happily buy you an Atlas pasta maker for a wedding gift.  I will look back and remember this time, perhaps with a tear running down my cheek.  I will remember how when I retold the story to your Papa, how he laughed and asked if you too were becoming a bit Italian

(like your Papa).  

My God is amazing. 

And if you think 13 years old is too old to be adopted, I'd ask you to take a look at me and step out in faith.  Life is full of all kinds of wonderful surprises. 

My new daughter is certainly one of them!

Connecticut Ethiopian/Eritrean Church

We recently discovered this wonderful Bible believing church.  Our mission is to spread the word and help others find it too! What sweet fellowship and what a beautiful presence of God!  The service is in Amharic and boy is it a beautiful language to listen to.

Come and see for yourself, everyone is welcome!

  Please leave me a way to contact you if you would like more information on how to contact the church's Pastor or church elders.  My email is on the sidebar or leave me your contact email address, so I can forward the information to you!

This Mama Can Braid!

She was very happy to have me box braid her hair.  She said, "Good job Mama."

I still have much to learn.

Thankfully, she sits still, unlike her 2 year old Ethiopian sister. 

These were my very first attempt at cornrows (I think these are cornrows?)...boy was it tiring on my fingers.  It took me about an hour and a half to do her whole head...but pretty good considering I had only watched a couple of videos online on how to. 

Hopefully, I get better over time. 

 I have seen so many creative styles over at Happy Girl Hair- boy, is that Katie amazing with styles.  She is an inspiration for sure and if you haven't met her Ethiopian twin daughters; you are in for a treat! 

 I love gleaning information on the web...how blessed I am to live in such a time as this.  I can imagine if you adopted an African daughter 10 years ago, it was much harder to learn hair care for them.  Another reason to give thanks for today and the knowledge that God has given to man.

Of course I love her hair natural. I am still trying to convince Princess Sweetness, who continues to tell me that they took her to straighten it in Ethiopia and that this is much nicer.

 (Go figure, no food to eat,

but money to straighten the girls hair??)

  She will never convince me.

never. 

I will continue to tell her how beautiful she is just the way God made her and believe that she will start believing it herself. 

After all, it is the truth.

Need to Understand...help!

I REALLY could use some insight...

Two weeks ago, God spoke something to me and it didn't make a bit of sense to me.  Actually, He spoke and I said, "Huh?"  It wasn't that I didn't understand what He said (like that it wasn't clear), it was that I can't get my mind around what He might be saying. (does that make sense?)

He said, "Kimmie, you are an activist."

I said, "HUH?" 

To be honest, activist isn't a word I normally toss around.  Hey, it is a word I probably never have even spoken.  So to hear my Father speak it to me, well, it was confusing.  I actually went to the dictionary today to see if I really knew what it meant.

activism:  : a doctrine or practice that emphasizes direct vigorous action especially in support of or opposition to one side of a controversial issue

*An activist is a person who takes vigorous action in support or opposition of a controversial issue

So, I have to ask you, is adoption of a 16 year old (or a 17 or 18 year old) a controversial issue?

  I came to learn that our country-my country...the U.S. of A.,  has a law saying that children who are 16 or older can't be adopted from Ethiopia (maybe other countries too??) 

I was so angry at hearing this, honestly my Hungarian blood began to boil. That Attila the Hun blood does course through my veins, and if you remember your history, he wasn't known for his gentle spirit. However, I also found myself weeping, as I prayed to God about how this could actually be true.  How could a child, an orphan, at 16 not be able to be placed into a family that is willing to adopt them? 

God has given me a holy passion for orphans and justice for them. How can this new information not upset me or motivate me to a new level of orphan care commitment?

 How could a government not allow this?  After all, we have paid for home studies, that state we want and can afford to care for them.  We clearly have it established that we will be responsible for meeting their needs and providing for them.  How then can 16 be the cut off- to a child who has no hope and no future as an orphan. How can this age suddenly be *too old?" 

I certainly don't have all of the details, but I know that kids are having to go through bone scans in Ethiopia to try to determine age, if they think that birth age may be closer to that 16 year old cut off age. 

This question of age comes from the fact that there are no birth certificates in Ethiopia, or very few.  How can we rely on bone scans?  We do remember that these are orphans who have not had food or care over their very hard lives?  I am pretty sure that bones don't grow the same when you are starving.  What kind of foolishness is this, I am asking?

So, what do you think all of this might mean? I have heard of adoption advocates, but never adoption activists.   I'd love to hear what you think?  And if someone is already an activist...tell me what I can do. 

Or if I am totally confused-set me straight!

Moments of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Snippets of Addis from our car window,

from our adoption journey to our Ethiopian daughter, Princess Sweetness.

Adoption Transition-Adoption Bonding

For those of you who might have happened upon me due to the blog post title...welcome! Per introduction, we are a Christian family who is radically following God.  Part of our following Him has led us down the road of  adoption. In April (2010) we came home with our eighth child, the seventh we've adopted.  Our girl is Ethiopian and we recently found out that she is 13 years old. 

I'd be negligent if I didn't tell you that everything at our house is taken to God in prayer.  Adoption transition is no different.  We pray: as a family, as individuals, and we ask our friends to cover us in prayer.  Without God, I can not tell you how bonding happens.  What I can tell you is that God is with us, that He has let her and us bond in ways I never even imagined would be possible in so little time.

By inviting God into our home and asking the Holy Spirit to come and help us, we have had such a beautiful time over the past few weeks of becoming a family of 10.  There have been hard spots, but as we sought God (hard) we have found Him so very faithful. 

The things that seemed impossible to overcome, vanished away at his touch.  (an example being:  anger and some hostility towards homeschooling.  By prayer and love, our daughter has now embraced the idea of being homeschooled and is now saying it is *good!*  Actually she says that she loves it.!!!)

Please feel free to email me if you have any questions that I might help you with.  Honestly, God has all of your answers, but I would count it a privilege to stand with you in believing Him to come into your situations with His Power and Presence. 

Here are some of the many things that God has led us to over the past few weeks...all of them helped in our bonding and growing in love with one another...

Cooking...

Our Ethiopian teen loves this! And of course great for any age child.

Teaching us

some Garage dance moves...

helping us to understand and embrace her culture.

Sitting and enjoying the day ...

lazy...

no agenda other than to enjoy one another

Painting nails. 

Actually my oldest (19) volunteered to take this task on.  She even (out of love) did toe nails.  (which if you know my oldest, was an act of God!)

Walking together...

enjoying a slow pace and some conversation.

More cooking...

Look at that smile!

A homeschool field trip...

visiting a farm.

Making injera (the bread of Ethiopia)

Doing homeschool...

learning cursive for the first time.

With her siblings at her elbows.  All of us have something we are studying and learning.

(I had planned on no school for a while, but this child is hungry to learn!)

Being silly...

with friends and family.

Culture...

learning how we celebrate birthdays as a family. This was her sister's ninth birthday...we headed to Chuckie Cheeses. (not something we normally due, but something that let everyone have a bit of fun!)

Crafting...

she is one of us after all.

Touch and time...

the importance of this is huge! Here her sister is painting her nails, after taking her out to buy the nail polish...a little sister adventure!

Relaxing together...

Rest is important over the first few weeks.  We all find ourselves exhausted at times.

Braiding...

She has slowed down to bless her tiniest sister.  Cornrows are a part of their culture and are now a part of our family!

Family...

Getting to know her grandparents.  A blessing and one she loves!

Adoption of an Older Child

Popping in for a moment to share the latest here.  Actually, there is so much to share, but just haven't found the time to sit and post. 

If you have been paying attention to the tiny changes here (like the number 7 being added to the header) or the new pictures of the kids on the sidebar, then maybe you noticed
that Princess Sweetness did an age jump. 

A few days ago, she explained to us that in Woliso they make the older kids younger, so they will be adopted.  Really, a sad reflection on us I'd say.  The human reality makes me shake my head and cry out harder for the world's orphans.  What is with us that we think that a child older than (pick your number) is too hard to adopt?

So, though it isn't official on paper yet, we have made the jump from 10 years old to 13. (which at the beginning of this journey, up to meeting her we had thought was her true age.)

Does it matter to us?  Not one bit. Will it screw up our children's birth order?  According to God...nope.  This is the child who God picked for us.  The child who God spoke to us about and moved our hearts towards last September.  So she is not 10, but we knew that she probably wasn't.  So now, we will embrace 13 and move forward without a blink.  Why, because our God is faithful and we are in His hands. 

All.of.us. 

Funny, my heart has always said that a child is never too old to be adopted.  13 isn't too hard.  Honestly, I fell in love with a boy there who is 16 in reality (10 on papers)...I would have brought him home in a heart beat, if he hadn't already had a family.  God is moving me to a new place of confidence in Him-how good it is and how thankful I am to be called to this life of adoption. 

Oh, how we love our new daughter.  What a joy she is too us.  I will share more soon...I promise. 

Please keep praying...as it is moving all of us to new levels of His love and mercy.

Ethiopia~ Adoption ~Shopping (buna/coffee)

Our new friend Elias-our Ethiopian driver through Celebrate Children International.  A sweet man, with a heart of pure gold.  We enjoyed driving about with him and having him share his knowledge and love of Ethiopia with us.  I will always remember his belly laugh, when I told him that Ethiopian buna (coffee) is the very best in the world.  Without a doubt he agreed.

 We invited him to come visit us in the states, as he has never left Ethiopia, but perhaps this is better...as Ethiopia is such a beautiful country.  Our home is your home, Elias, if ever you want to venture out of your beautiful country.  Elias is expecting his second child soon.  Oh how we love this man of God!

Might I add, his smile begins in his big beautiful Ethiopian heart.

Our chariot awaits!

Elias is ready to take us about Addis Ababa to buy some Ethiopian things for our new girl and our home.

The sign of the coffee shop (taken from the inside of the people packed shop).  Wish you could smell the bunna.  Heaven, pure heaven!

Like I needed any encouragement to drink more coffee.  Strong and black with sugar is how I drank it here...at home with milk and no sugar.  But how wonderful it was and how we could have sat or stood there all day.  And to see our Elias smile from the inside out as we praised his buna...priceless.

Equipment galore!

Elias helps my Knight buy oodles of coffee bags to bring home. We learned last time...stock up, as this stuff is wonderful and so inexpensive in Ethiopia.  It cost us about $2 for a one pound bag.

The coffee beans

Our Ethiopian Beauty, who also was giddy with her shopping day adventure.  She set about serving others their coffee as her Papa waited in line for coffee.  Everyone in Ethiopia is so warm and friendly.  Oh how I love Ethiopia.

God says I will go back "in a time."  Hopefully it won't be too long.  And MAYBE it will be to bring more of our family home. 

Update on the home front:

I want to clear up any confusion I may have left you with in the last post.  I am experiencing both highs and lows in our transition with our girl.  We love her so very much.  God is guiding our every step and there is no fear where perfect Love is.  Though I am human and sometimes let fear enter in.  Fear is not of God, and never will be.  Fear is sent by our adversary, the devil, to try to keep us from walking in the fullness of God's joy and will. 

We are trusting Him for wisdom in what we do and how we do it.  I don't want to paint a negative picture of our daughter, or of adoption.  There is nothing negative, just bumps in the road .  God will smooth our bumps and my fears; as I submit it all into His loving caring hands.

We continue to press on and listen for His still small voice to guide the way.  We delight in walking this path He has chosen for us and are so grateful for Him blessing us with her.

We continue to share our life with transparency, hoping it will encourage you and lead you deeper in your faith and walk with Him. 

I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.