Is that cultural?

My husband has been a lot of places in the world with the military. He has experienced a number of different cultures and been immersed with the people. His first few days in Ethiopia, he was getting a little frustrated because not only was everyone staring at him, but he thought they looked judgmental or confused about the obvious strangers in their country. It didn’t take him long to get annoyed enough to start taking the initiative to say hello. “Selam,” he said as we’d walk past. He was surprised at what happened next.

[caption id="attachment_1545" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="He really wonders why people look at him funny?"][/caption]

His greeting was met with the biggest grin you’ve ever seen, followed with another greeting. What Nick realized is that people were just interested. They were so friendly! This new habit made all of our trips around town longer because we spent time interacting and sharing. Even though our Amharic isn’t polished enough to carry on a long conversation, we were so present with everyone we met. It was a good feeling, like we’re all here for a shared purpose. Is that weird to feel so connected when you only exchange a few verbalizations? It’s just so natural. I think this is why, when the kids point and say “ferengi” (foreigner) as I walk by, I sincerely try to convince them “na, enay habesha!” (no, I’m Ethiopian!). That, my friends, is a great way to hear some giggles :)

[caption id="attachment_1546" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Brothers"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1547" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="Enay Habesha! ...although that hurts!"][/caption]

Here’s the real question, though: is that acceptance cultural, or is that just kindness?

A Love Story

My eyes open this morning, and I am already late.  I stood God up for our quiet time together.  My feeble excuse is a 20-month old who has taken to crying all night long. 

I'll have to reschedule.  There are 3 mouths to feed;  Paul is home for Labor Day.  I drag myself down the stairs and give up before the day even starts. 

Paul invites me to go along on the morning walk, even though he knows he will have to wait for me to get dressed.  I go.

When we get home, I pull out a processed convenient box of pancake mix; a new addition to our breakfast repertoire thanks to the budget cuts and Mommy's suddenly stretched time.  Paul unloads the dishwasher without a word, and I stir the water into the mix with an attitude.

He makes the pancakes, the eggs, the sausage; and he insists on doing the dishes afterwards.  I grumble a thanks. 

I am looking for something to complain about today.  I can't find it yet.

After too much prodding on his part, Paul packs us all up to go to a random flower garden he found tucked away in the neighborhoods behind NC State back when he was in school.

We find it.

I am quiet and take the pictures. 

It's what I do now.

God reschedules, too.

He meets me in the garden.

The girls want to pick the flowers.

Daddy says:

"We can't pick these flowers.  Just smell."

The girls have favorites.

I break my silence to tell Paul that the

red roses are my favorite.

We head home. 

The flowers are not for picking.

Daddy picked one, anyway. 

Thank you for picking me,

even when I am less than delightful.

Thank you for knowing me so well.

I love you!

Live Out Love.

Hey you guys,

All my favorite stuff is all smooshed up today. Worlds collide! Ready? Art + Style + Adoption = :)

Kal Barteski is one my art heroes and she SO kindly designed these awesome Live Out Love T-shirts as an adoption fundraiser for the Sanford family. I got mine and oh, I love them. Here's me and the Abster sporting ours.





Want one? You can get your own here.

And as your personal shopping consultant, let me also recommend another way to spend your money (after you donate to the Jensen family, of course).



Say hello to Rahel, the cute little Ethiopian Heart for Heart doll. You can find her at Target,of all places. But wrap your head around this... each purchase benefits her country through aid from World Vision! How cool is that?! So happy shopping today!

New Week, New Family

Hey Guys,

Happy Sunday! You'll remember the family of the week from earlier in the year. The Jensens were scheduled to go first in 2012, but opted to forgo their week in order to help their friends, the Roepnacks, do some fundraising. The whole thing was a big old love fest. Well, now it's time to properly meet the Jensens. Here they are. Paul and Chrissy and their 12 kids. Oh, yeah, you read that right. Not a typo. Count 'em up. Now put your hand under your chin and push your jaw back up so your mouth is closed. Ok, now we're going to donate accordingly!



We've got seven here, and...



Yep, that's five more (still in Ethiopia). That's 12 kids, y'all!  So go watch their adorable video, donate, tell your friends, and let's make this happen!

Family Updates

My goodness, what an amazing week this has been for the Elders and the little kiddo they are waiting to meet! It is so inspiring to see so many people rally around our families each week and help them provide homes and families to more and more orphans.

Some of the previous Give1 families have also had wonderful news in their adoptions…

Remember the Whitis family? They welcomed their biological son, Finn, a few months ago. And the just got a referral for another boy –  a toddler! But check out this picture…



They got their referral a year to the date after they found out they were pregnant with Finn. So fun!

Next, the Knight family finally welcomed home their daughter! We all fell in love with little Emme, and we are so thrilled she is finally in the loving arms of her forever family. (Wynne Elder is also Mama Knight’s friend, and she took this picture at Emme’s homecoming.)



Last, remember the Mowen family? They adopted little Jacob last year. When they were in Ethiopia, they met 10-year-old Isaiah and just knew they wanted to be his parents, too. They found out Isaiah had a baby brother and started the adoption process all over again, not even knowing if they could adopt these brothers. Long, amazing story short, they passed court, and they are all officially a family!



Check out this video (especially their reunion at about the 2-minute mark). Mama Mowen has been in Ethiopia with the boys since before Christmas, and they are just waiting for clearance from the US Embassy (and plane ticket money) before they can all come home.

Thank you for moving mountains for all these families. Keep the love coming by staying connected to Give1. You can subscribe to Give1 posts via email. (It’s like Daily Candy for your soul...and sometimes your closet.) Or, you can encourage others to care for orphans by adding the new Give1 Button to your blog (right over there on the right-hand side of the screen). And of course, we’re on Facebook! Are you?

Coffee makes the world go 'round.

I never used to be much of a coffee drinker. Sure, I would get the occasional sugary over-flavored mocha from Starbucks every once in awhile, but coffee wasn’t something I looked forward to in the morning or even gave a second thought about craving. That started to change for me on my first trip to Ethiopia in 2009. I was exposed to the most delicious macchiatos in the world. Plus, it’s customary to add a few tablespoons of sugar for your little tiny cup and we all know that certainly can’t hurt the enjoyment level.

[caption id="attachment_1492" align="aligncenter" width="395" caption="my first ever Ethiopian macchiato"][/caption]

The story goes that Ethiopia is the birth place of coffee. In one of the “chain” coffee shops, Kaldi’s (by the way, when you visit Kaldi’s – and most likely, you WILL – you MUST try their French toast. ohmygoodness.), in Ethiopia, the story of the how coffee was discovered.

The following is a rendition of this…don’t judge me…from Wikipedia. I know, it’s not always the most reliable source (although that doesn’t stop me from checking it when I’m looking for tidbits of information), but it is similar to the story I read while in Kaldi’s.

“Another story involves a goat-herd, Kaldi, who, noticing the energizing effects when his flock nibbled on the bright red berries of a certain bush, chewed on the fruit himself. His exhilaration prompted him to bring the berries to a Muslim holy man in a nearby monastery. But the holy man disapproved of their use and threw them into the fire, from which an enticing aroma billowed and the holy men came. The roasted beans were quickly raked from the embers, ground up, and dissolved in hot water, yielding the world's first cup of coffee. The Ethiopian ancestors of today's Oromo tribe, were the first to have recognized the energizing effect of the native coffee plant.”

So now, I guess I could be considered a coffee snob. I thoroughly enjoy a cup of Ethiopian coffee, fair trade, of course. We prefer the coffee from the Harrar region and we purchase all our coffee from Just Love Coffee, a company founded by adoptive parents who sell fair trade coffee from around the world and help support fundraising efforts and an orphanage in Ethiopia, along with Charity:Water.

Another piece of advice: do yourself a favor - after you’ve had your fair share of macchiatos, try some tea, WITH spices. MMMMM good, and I don’t like tea, either!

[caption id="attachment_1493" align="aligncenter" width="378" caption="it does not get more authentic than this. ethiopian tea."][/caption]

How much do you rely on your coffee to get you through the day?

Bless This Mess

The homestudy lady looked right at me and asked,
"Can you handle this?"

No, I can't.  God can.

He gives me just enough strength to make it

through each day; every day.

He already does that for me.

Several background checks are required for adoption.  FBI fingerprinting is one of them.  I showed up for this appointment covered in strawberry jelly and a pajama shirt.  It was the best I could do that day.

I brought both kids along with me.

Lilly cried when we got to the courthouse. 

I had to explain that Mommy said we were going to the COURTHOUSE.  Not the CLUBHOUSE. 

Any mom with a toddler who watches Disney channel can understand the type of epic meltdown that occured when she processed this tragic misunderstanding.

A group of rowdy teenagers were blocking the door to the courthouse.  

They moved out of my way.  Quickly.  I was pushing my double stroller full of screaming children, talking to myself:

"You can't do this, girl, but God CAN. 

He can get you through this day. 

He will SUSTAIN you. 

Thank you Jesus!   Thank.  You.  Jesus!"

While I was fingerprinted, the young technician casually asked why I was getting FBI clearance. 

"I am adopting a child." 
"Oh..."  She eyed my two toddlers, who were smearing the jelly from the insides of their sandwiches on each others heads.  Lilly proceeded to lick the jelly off of Daisy's head during the pause, while the technician and I stared.
She sighed heavily.  She must think I am nuts.
"...That's wonderful."  She said it purposefully.  She squeezed my ink-convered hand. But I could also tell she would not trade her job with mine for a second.  I remember why, too. 

I remember working.   In a classroom... 

...wearing shirts WITHOUT jelly smeared down the front of them.  Students with sunny faces yelling "SPOOOOOOTZ" and running to hug me when they saw me down a long hall. 

Having a lanyard and other official grown up tools and badges. 

I miss this.

Seeing the moms with morning hairdos and frantic faces in the drop off lines...

I said I was going to be different.  I was not going to have jelly on my shirts in public.

I was going to be the "Cool" mom. 

After all, I was the cool teacher. 

How hard could it be?

Oh, the joys that come with a jelly-stained shirt. 

Morning cuddles. 

Jesus stories in our pajamas. 

Teaching my children at our kitchen table.

I remind myself that the classroom will be there waiting for me.

Maybe I will even be the "Cool" teacher again someday.

But for right now, I am here.

And God gives me what I need.

Thank you for giving me sanity

in the midst of this insanity.

Thank you for sustaining me.