Help the Orphans and Win and IPod!

Visit send.Megan2Africa.com to help my sister become a missionary AIDS orphans in Ethiopia and Uganda this summer. Get 1 raffle ticket entered into the drawing for an ipod nano 16 g for each $10 you donate!

Number 14!

Called Holt on Friday. Narrowly avoided the gal I normally speak with. Apparently there are unspoken rules about how often you can call your agency because while she was extremely friendly and helpful at first, over time, she has become inreasingly curt. For this reason I was very excited to speak with someone new on Friday. This lady told me that our paperwork is on its way to Washington DC and that we are number 14 on the wait list! Woo hoo!!!! That is amazing news...except...we were desperately hoping to receive our referral and get our paperwork into Ethiopia by April 30 in order to avoid two trips. Alas it does not appear that this will be possible. Not that we ever had much of a chance, but hey, I figured that despite whatever obstacles blocked our way, we had a 60/40 chance. 60/40 because we asked God, and He can say 'yes' or 'no' and Jesus says He likes to say 'yes.' But either way, we'll have a baby one day. Yay!

And Holt really should give waiting families some guidelines on how often is appropriate to call. (Honestly, I call as little as possible!)

Homestudy Check!

They say that 2-4 months from now we'll be getting our referral! Woo hoo!!!!!! Our homestudy went beautifully, and we are approved. Spring, sunshine, and baby pictures are headed our way!

Also I purchased the mobile on ebay today to match the adorable bedding set we bought a few weeks ago. We found the set on craigslist, and its previous owner was adopted. What a sweet surprise from God :)

DHS Approval

I'm sorry I've neglected you, dear little blog, but today I have wonderful news. My hubby and I arrived home from celebrating sunshine with pizza in Ashland to find our DHS approval letter tucked in our mailbox! And 1-3 weeks earlier than expected! Thank you Jesus!

A Mom Event!

AH! I am about to attend my first Mom event ever! I have been invited by many wonderful people to the Westminster Presbyterian Church this evening for the adoption mom's group. I feel a bit more grown up just thinking about it.

Amazon-Crazy

I purchased 3 more books on Amazon today, saved 6 more in my "wish list," and finished reading the book Ashes to Africa that arrived in the mail on Wednesday. Currently I am also reading Shepherding a Child's Heart, Attaching in Adoption, an Ethiopia travel guidebook, and A Praying Life (the only book not related to adoption). They are all amazing, and I can't wait to keep reading! Nate is a bit overwhelmed with the deluge of books, and I will admit I am a little obsessed. But if we can't work on paperwork, paint the nursery, or shop for baby supplies (until I know if it is a boy or girl...), I might as well prepare my mind! Attaching in Adoption includes lots of helpful examples of the intimidating situations Nate and I could face with our baby... I was reminded that if God confirms something through Scripture, marital unity, heart desire, and the body of Christ, I cannot say 'no' because it seems hard. Not that I want to say 'no'! But still, the self-seeking side of me doesn't do jumping jacks when I read about adoptive kids who give strangers more affection than their parents! God, please help all of us, Nate, me, and our baby, to learn to love one another. And thank you for the chance to care for orphans and create the family you have for us, even if it does not always match my smiles-and-cuddles-all-day idealism. But then I've never seen a family that does...

A poem that touched my heart today

What Can I Teach My Kids About Being Black?
by urbanservant.blogspot.com posted 11/2007

What can I teach you about being Black?
Not much,
Because I'm not.
But I can teach you about pain,
And how to forgive peoples foolish words.
I can show you how to endure suffering,
So that through it Truth will be proclaimed.
I can love you and cry with you,
I can be the she-bear when you are threatened.
We can live where there is a rainbow of people,
and we can learn to love them together.
We can seek out the truth in history,
And not be afraid of the ugliness.
I can your heart and your eyes
to the painful reality that comes
clinging to the back of sin.

And in the end,
I can release you into your destiny,
And wait for you to come home,
With a fuller understanding of who you are
And what you are to be in your life.
Then I can listen as you teach me,
What it means to be Black.