Sunday, February 19, 2012
New Week, New Family.
Happy Sunday, everybody! One of the perks of this little gig is that I get to meet all kinds of cool people. Danae, our mama of the week, is one of the sweetest, most hard-working, sincere sweeties I've had the pleasure to meet on this journey. She and Kyle just seem like a ton of fun! I think you'll agree when you meet them. Now, every week we have a video and every week I tell you to go watch it. But this week you SO have to do it. I've watched it several times and end up looking like a fool laughing and crying at the same time. Repeatedly, y'all. It's not like I don't know what's about to happen and then there I go laugh-crying again. So go check it out (so I'm not totally alone in this) and donate and spread the word!
Friday, February 17, 2012
Let's Have a Garage Sale!
It’s almost time for Spring cleaning! And wouldn’t it be great if you could take all those garbage bags and boxes full of excess (that you finally realize you never did and still don’t need) and do something really great with it!? How about a good ol’ fashioned garage sale…for orphans?
We loved the idea when Jen Hatmaker suggested it in her recent blog post. So here’s the deal:
[caption id="attachment_1646" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="This is where 30 orphans lived in Port-au-Prince before H.E.L.P. partners built an orphanage."]
[/caption]
Our goal is to help Jen Hatmaker raise $6,000 to build a safe home in Haiti. This home will be built for orphans who are close to aging out of the system. Often, these orphans are exploited and targeted for sex and labor trafficking in the Dominican Republic. H.E.L.P. builds houses close to the Dominican border to help give these orphans a better future.
[caption id="attachment_1647" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Orphans in Haiti"]
[/caption]
As H.E.L.P. explains, “Each home will have an overseer, or house mom/dad, potentially a widow. We hope to create a family style orphan care. Our local leader in Haiti will oversee the entire project. The kids will be sponsored, so they will get food, water, clothing, and will also be able to attend school. Once we rescue a child, we will raise that child until they graduate college or trade school, so they can then take care of their own families."
Pretty great stuff. Even better, you can be confident that your financial support is actually going to help the kids. H.E.L.P. uses 85 percent of its donations for the actual work of providing these homes. (Just 15 percent is used to spread the word.)
So will you help us help H.E.L.P.? (Best sentence I've ever written.) Join us for a big Garage Sale for Orphans by clearing out the clutter in your house. With it, we can do some amazing things for kids in Haiti.
Stay tuned for details…better yet, subscribe to Give1Save1 via email so you don't miss any Give1 goodness!
We loved the idea when Jen Hatmaker suggested it in her recent blog post. So here’s the deal:
- We’re asking you to clean house. Start piling up all your previously loved items that you and your family have outgrown. Better yet, ask your friends for their stuff, too. (Remember, we're helping orphans. Don't by shy.)
- Next month, we want you to join us for a big Garage Sale for Orphans. We’ll tell you more about it soon…but it’ll be fabulous.
- All the money we raise will go to a really great organization called H.E.L.P. (Help Eliminate Local Poverty). Their mission is “To be a global tribe dedicated to ending extreme poverty by helping to rescue orphans, restore their hope and renew their communities.”
[caption id="attachment_1646" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="This is where 30 orphans lived in Port-au-Prince before H.E.L.P. partners built an orphanage."]
[/caption]Our goal is to help Jen Hatmaker raise $6,000 to build a safe home in Haiti. This home will be built for orphans who are close to aging out of the system. Often, these orphans are exploited and targeted for sex and labor trafficking in the Dominican Republic. H.E.L.P. builds houses close to the Dominican border to help give these orphans a better future.
[caption id="attachment_1647" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Orphans in Haiti"]
[/caption]As H.E.L.P. explains, “Each home will have an overseer, or house mom/dad, potentially a widow. We hope to create a family style orphan care. Our local leader in Haiti will oversee the entire project. The kids will be sponsored, so they will get food, water, clothing, and will also be able to attend school. Once we rescue a child, we will raise that child until they graduate college or trade school, so they can then take care of their own families."
Pretty great stuff. Even better, you can be confident that your financial support is actually going to help the kids. H.E.L.P. uses 85 percent of its donations for the actual work of providing these homes. (Just 15 percent is used to spread the word.)
So will you help us help H.E.L.P.? (Best sentence I've ever written.) Join us for a big Garage Sale for Orphans by clearing out the clutter in your house. With it, we can do some amazing things for kids in Haiti.
Stay tuned for details…better yet, subscribe to Give1Save1 via email so you don't miss any Give1 goodness!
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Timing is...everything?
I'm a pretty punctual person. I get anxious when I'm running late and it's a rare occasion when I'm late to an appointment. The director of my clinical affiliations in grad school used to say, "to be early is to be on time, to be on time is to be late, and to be late is unacceptable." This statement still haunts me, ha. I never really think about how my perception of time turns me into a ball of stress. Until I lived and worked on Ethiopian time.
Ethiopian time is very different from our American time. No, literally, the time is different. I'm not just talking about time zone, either (which is EAT - Eastern Africa Time - and 10 hours ahead of my internal Mountain Standard Time clock). It is currently 2004 in Ethiopia (they're on the Julian calendar) and many Ethiopians go by a 12 hour clock with 1:00 - 12:00 being dawn until dusk. This means that when I think of it being 6:00 a.m. when I'm in Ethiopia, it's considered 12:00 to a lot of the locals. Therefore, it's pretty important when you're discussing plans to clarify "Ethiopian time" or "ferengi" (foreigner) time, otherwise, you'll find yourself six hours early...or worse, six hours late.
As with some other foreign countries, Ethiopia has another attitude towards time: it just doesn't matter all that much. Meet you at 10:00 a.m. (fereng time)? Great, I'll probably really see you closer to 12. You'll swing by my place on the way? See you an hour late. Know what that means for me? I get to sit and enjoy my macchiato (or two...or three) even longer :) It really was hard for me to try and let go of my normal uptight self and there were a few times I found myself frustrated about the lack of regard for timing. Nick had his first experience with this concept when we were meeting Yemamu at 8:30. When Our friend showed up at 10 ish we said, "We thought you would be here at 8:30!" His response came with a huge smile, "Yes 8:30! I am here!"
In another instance, we had a CT scan appointment for one of the babies named Adissa at the orphanage. We scheduled the appointment, pre-paid and were clearly instructed multiple times to NOT BE LATE. Do NOT be late. You will miss your appointment if you are late. Finally, someone who gets me! The morning started off badly when the person meeting us was running pretty late. We had hired a van driver in order to avoid delays on the public taxi system. Let's just say our mode of transportation left much to be desired:
[caption id="attachment_1655" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="yes, that is the van door. yes, you use a string (requiring multiple attempts) to both open and close said sliding door. safety at it's finest"]
[/caption]
We arrived to the orphanage late. We had high expectations for the day: I was taking Addisa for her CT scan with our friend Yemamu while another therapist, Keely, was headed with Misfin, Alex and one other friend to take a few other kids to the hospital. Being late to begin with made the fact that the orphanage had no diapers even more of a big deal. Now, I don't have children yet, but I think it's time consuming to get my dog ready to leave the house. So gathering necessary items for four children, including bottles with formula, change of clothes, blankets, coats (yes, some children wear coats in the middle of the summer in Ethiopia) and one of the important things: diapers. Plenty of them. What do you do in that situation? When you are already running late, may likely miss the CT scan appointment and therefore leaving us helpless to figure out what is going on with Addisa? You take some onesies, you wrap them around a child's bottom, secure them as best as possible and pray for no explosions. Yep, we did that.
What can I say? We made it to the CT scan. An hour and a half late. And you know what? Nobody said a word about it. Nothing. No mention of being an hour and a half late. We got right in. My front office calls patients for me when they are 10 minutes late. But you know what? Life happens, and sometimes we're late. And I appreciate a culture that understands and accepts that.
[caption id="attachment_1656" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="van ride with elshaday, addisa and yordi. bottles, but no diapers."]
[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_1658" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="Addisa after anesthesia"]
[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_1657" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="I was like a nervous parent waiting for Addisa during her CT scan"]
[/caption]
Whatever time it is in your neck of the woods now, it's a good time to go donate to the Kulenkamp family to help them bring their babes home.
Ethiopian time is very different from our American time. No, literally, the time is different. I'm not just talking about time zone, either (which is EAT - Eastern Africa Time - and 10 hours ahead of my internal Mountain Standard Time clock). It is currently 2004 in Ethiopia (they're on the Julian calendar) and many Ethiopians go by a 12 hour clock with 1:00 - 12:00 being dawn until dusk. This means that when I think of it being 6:00 a.m. when I'm in Ethiopia, it's considered 12:00 to a lot of the locals. Therefore, it's pretty important when you're discussing plans to clarify "Ethiopian time" or "ferengi" (foreigner) time, otherwise, you'll find yourself six hours early...or worse, six hours late.
As with some other foreign countries, Ethiopia has another attitude towards time: it just doesn't matter all that much. Meet you at 10:00 a.m. (fereng time)? Great, I'll probably really see you closer to 12. You'll swing by my place on the way? See you an hour late. Know what that means for me? I get to sit and enjoy my macchiato (or two...or three) even longer :) It really was hard for me to try and let go of my normal uptight self and there were a few times I found myself frustrated about the lack of regard for timing. Nick had his first experience with this concept when we were meeting Yemamu at 8:30. When Our friend showed up at 10 ish we said, "We thought you would be here at 8:30!" His response came with a huge smile, "Yes 8:30! I am here!"
In another instance, we had a CT scan appointment for one of the babies named Adissa at the orphanage. We scheduled the appointment, pre-paid and were clearly instructed multiple times to NOT BE LATE. Do NOT be late. You will miss your appointment if you are late. Finally, someone who gets me! The morning started off badly when the person meeting us was running pretty late. We had hired a van driver in order to avoid delays on the public taxi system. Let's just say our mode of transportation left much to be desired:
[caption id="attachment_1655" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="yes, that is the van door. yes, you use a string (requiring multiple attempts) to both open and close said sliding door. safety at it's finest"]
[/caption]We arrived to the orphanage late. We had high expectations for the day: I was taking Addisa for her CT scan with our friend Yemamu while another therapist, Keely, was headed with Misfin, Alex and one other friend to take a few other kids to the hospital. Being late to begin with made the fact that the orphanage had no diapers even more of a big deal. Now, I don't have children yet, but I think it's time consuming to get my dog ready to leave the house. So gathering necessary items for four children, including bottles with formula, change of clothes, blankets, coats (yes, some children wear coats in the middle of the summer in Ethiopia) and one of the important things: diapers. Plenty of them. What do you do in that situation? When you are already running late, may likely miss the CT scan appointment and therefore leaving us helpless to figure out what is going on with Addisa? You take some onesies, you wrap them around a child's bottom, secure them as best as possible and pray for no explosions. Yep, we did that.
What can I say? We made it to the CT scan. An hour and a half late. And you know what? Nobody said a word about it. Nothing. No mention of being an hour and a half late. We got right in. My front office calls patients for me when they are 10 minutes late. But you know what? Life happens, and sometimes we're late. And I appreciate a culture that understands and accepts that.
[caption id="attachment_1656" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="van ride with elshaday, addisa and yordi. bottles, but no diapers."]
[/caption][caption id="attachment_1658" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="Addisa after anesthesia"]
[/caption][caption id="attachment_1657" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="I was like a nervous parent waiting for Addisa during her CT scan"]
[/caption]Whatever time it is in your neck of the woods now, it's a good time to go donate to the Kulenkamp family to help them bring their babes home.
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Paper Pregnancy
All of the symptoms are there.
My adoption gurus had told me that there would be something like a pregnancy that takes over your brain during the dossier process.
So true. I can barely think straight.
Why does this happen? Because of this this..
Appeasing all of the governmental agencies with the required paperwork is
on par with natural childbirth. I've now done both.
I would be hard pressed to pick the fiercer competitor.
One is fast and furious. One is slow and painful.
A particular piece of paper is causing a lot of problems. USCIS requires backup documentation for the background check.
For almost two weeks, I called every half hour. It did not look good:
"Ma'am, what you are asking for does not exist. It is impossible."
"Ma'am, you would be better off getting an audience with the governor and asking him to talk to my supervisor's supervisor.
It would be faster than me getting that far."
"Ma'am, the Attorney General himself could come down here and tell us to provide that letter, and we still would not do it."
I was very nice. I just kept asking for the next supervisor.
Late one afternoon, with low bloodsugar pumping, I just pressed random buttons on the automated prompter until I got an unknown person's voicemail. I had no idea whose.
And I lost it.
I was still very nice, but about halfway through explaining the request for the 300th time, I started to cry. On a message machine.
I hung up quickly and said a prayer. I decided to take a break.
The next morning, I was up before dawn. I examined my exhausted list of contacts at the clerks office and then settled in for more prayer. I got low.
I decided that today, God was going to help me. He had already gotten me this far, and He has never abandoned me in my life. I prepped myself for battle and ran 3 miles with Jennifer Knapp as loud as I could get her.
The phone rang early.
A woman named Deborah called and explained that she was calling to solve my paperwork problem, and that she was going to personally handle the situation. The impossible letter would be in the mail today. Her voice was one of the kindest I had ever heard.
She was the recipient of my sobbing phone call the day before.
Somehow, I had randomly pressed the right buttons to get to
the actual Clerk of Court's Administrative Assistant.
God reminds me every day that these battles are not mine to fight. He is doing all of the work, pressing all of the "random buttons". I have to remember this. Anyone who is adopting has to remember this. It's a divine calling, and He's got this under control.
My adoption gurus had told me that there would be something like a pregnancy that takes over your brain during the dossier process.
So true. I can barely think straight.
Why does this happen? Because of this this..
Appeasing all of the governmental agencies with the required paperwork is
on par with natural childbirth. I've now done both.
I would be hard pressed to pick the fiercer competitor.
One is fast and furious. One is slow and painful.
A particular piece of paper is causing a lot of problems. USCIS requires backup documentation for the background check.
For almost two weeks, I called every half hour. It did not look good:
"Ma'am, what you are asking for does not exist. It is impossible."
"Ma'am, you would be better off getting an audience with the governor and asking him to talk to my supervisor's supervisor.
It would be faster than me getting that far."
"Ma'am, the Attorney General himself could come down here and tell us to provide that letter, and we still would not do it."
I was very nice. I just kept asking for the next supervisor.
A few times, I would hit a wall:
"Ma'am, I AM the supervisor." (PopCopy, anyone?)
"Ma'am, I AM the supervisor." (PopCopy, anyone?)
Late one afternoon, with low bloodsugar pumping, I just pressed random buttons on the automated prompter until I got an unknown person's voicemail. I had no idea whose.
And I lost it.
I was still very nice, but about halfway through explaining the request for the 300th time, I started to cry. On a message machine.
I hung up quickly and said a prayer. I decided to take a break.
The next morning, I was up before dawn. I examined my exhausted list of contacts at the clerks office and then settled in for more prayer. I got low.
I decided that today, God was going to help me. He had already gotten me this far, and He has never abandoned me in my life. I prepped myself for battle and ran 3 miles with Jennifer Knapp as loud as I could get her.
The phone rang early.
A woman named Deborah called and explained that she was calling to solve my paperwork problem, and that she was going to personally handle the situation. The impossible letter would be in the mail today. Her voice was one of the kindest I had ever heard.
She was the recipient of my sobbing phone call the day before.
Somehow, I had randomly pressed the right buttons to get to
the actual Clerk of Court's Administrative Assistant.
God reminds me every day that these battles are not mine to fight. He is doing all of the work, pressing all of the "random buttons". I have to remember this. Anyone who is adopting has to remember this. It's a divine calling, and He's got this under control.
See you Tuesday!
I'll be taking another unplugged weekend.
(To smell the roses and such.)
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Shop for a Cause
Happy Valentine's Day, you guys! I'm in love with some stinking adorable adoption fundraiser necklaces. Have you guys seen these?
This one is my fave, I think. Very Valentine-y.
But these are cute too.
If you'd like to support another adoption, then head on over here and buy one. That is after you give to the family of the week, the Kulenkamps. You did that, right? And you know, with it being Valentine's Day and all, a really awesome way to express love is to support an orphan (well two, actually) in someone else's name. If you need something cute for a last minute gift, just donate to the Kulenkamps to clear your conscience and then right click this cute little image and email away. Or facebook or whatever you do.
This one is my fave, I think. Very Valentine-y.
But these are cute too.
If you'd like to support another adoption, then head on over here and buy one. That is after you give to the family of the week, the Kulenkamps. You did that, right? And you know, with it being Valentine's Day and all, a really awesome way to express love is to support an orphan (well two, actually) in someone else's name. If you need something cute for a last minute gift, just donate to the Kulenkamps to clear your conscience and then right click this cute little image and email away. Or facebook or whatever you do.
Sunday, February 12, 2012
New Week, New Family
Hey Hey Everybody!
It's that time again. We have an opportunity presented on a shiny platter. There's a couple of orphans and a sweet family that need a little financial peace, and with the resources that God has entrusted to each of us, we have the privilege to relieve a burden. Let's do that, shall we?
Say hi to the Kulenkamps. Bonnie and Kyle adopted their little girl from Africa in 2010 and now they're headed back so that she can be a big sister to two twin littles! You know what to do! Donate and then check out their video. Or the other way around. Whatever floats your boat.
I'm so excited to see what God does through us for this sweet family! Let's make it BIG! Spread the word, peeps!
It's that time again. We have an opportunity presented on a shiny platter. There's a couple of orphans and a sweet family that need a little financial peace, and with the resources that God has entrusted to each of us, we have the privilege to relieve a burden. Let's do that, shall we?
Say hi to the Kulenkamps. Bonnie and Kyle adopted their little girl from Africa in 2010 and now they're headed back so that she can be a big sister to two twin littles! You know what to do! Donate and then check out their video. Or the other way around. Whatever floats your boat.
I'm so excited to see what God does through us for this sweet family! Let's make it BIG! Spread the word, peeps!
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Blessed and Lucky
I was watching the Jensen family’s video to find inspiration for my blog post this week. Amidst Natalie Merchant’s (or was it 10,000 Maniacs?) “These Are Days”, my eyes were welling up at the sheer beauty of this family. First there were four kids…then three more…and now they’re going to add FIVE more siblings…for a grand total of 12 kids. By my math, that is 12 kids to feed, 12 kids to clothe, 12 beds to make, at least 12 annual doctor visits, etc...
Overwhelming? Gosh, yes.
But that’s also 12 kids to hug before school each morning. 12 sets of eyes from which to witness the magic of Christmas. 12 birthdays to celebrate. 12 lives to witness and nurture. 12 gifts to love. 12 reasons to make life immeasurably richer.
Imagine how different those 12 lives would have been if the Jensens didn’t know how blessed and lucky they were...blessed enough to give more and more of themselves to create such an amazing family.
If you’re feeling blessed or lucky or just in a giving mood today, please bless the Jensens by hitting that red donate button.
Enjoy the blessings of your weekend. - Lindsay
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