Flashback to 2011

I can't believe it's been THREE YEARS since we brought home our Zareb from Uganda!!
I savor these precious images from when we travelled home.

 He seems so little at just under 3 years old!

We had this ridiculous 6 hour layover in Amsterdam…but it gave me time to grab these sweet photos. Looking back, those 6 hours were indeed hard (especially when he took off with another family and I had to chase him down!) but I delight in these images where he looks SO LITTLE!!
And I have to also share this precious one…where my now Kindergartners (!) were taking one another in. Love their fingers touching!

It's been an amazing three years where we've added to our family TWO more times…and Zareb has just rolled with all of it! 
Here's my favorite shot from this summer of our Zebby:

He was so delighting in playing in the ocean! :)

Oh how I am sooooo grateful for this precious boy whom we were given!!

Two Years Ago Today!!!

August 11, 2011. Do you remember what YOU were doing? 
I do.
:)
We were sitting in the director's office having a little chat about international adoption when a nanny came in with a quiet little boy...dressed in a crazy outfit.
Ready to meet his parents.
Suddenly we were ushered into HOLY.
Angels wings fluttered.
"It's NOW!" they must have announced in hushed tones. 
After years of hurt and anguish, our little frightened boy was meeting his adoptive parents for the very first time.
"This is your Mummy and Daddy. Say hello." said the director of the orphanage.
"Hullo Mummy. Hullo Daddy," came the tiny voice.
No eye contact was made.
He clung to our necks though. 
And we walked out the door and into the taxi to go take his passport pictures.
How terrified he must have been!!!
Over the next 3 1/2 weeks we went from strangers to legal guardians...leaving for America to forge a new life.

 We got to pull him away from the other children on August 13th...my birthday for a quick private visit!

Here we were about to leave for our court date! Poor little guy...he had no CLUE what was happening!!

I love these pictures! Quintessential Africa!! Oh that water jug!!

What an incredible experience this was for our Zeb. It was the first meal he had WITH A DRINK at the same time as his food. He clung to that drink for dear life. That's not how they serve 50 kids in an orphanage!

Going away party at the orphanage! Sweet mamas loving on us!!

 Having fun with fellow Ugandans being adopted by Americans as we waited for visas to process.

 Leaving beautiful Uganda.

I will always LOVE this image!!!

 

Happy 2 year Anniversary of meeting you, Zeb. You are my little love forever!!!

Beautiful Things--Our Story

This is the video that God showed me in my mind while driving to an appointment earlier this week. "Beautiful Things" by Gungor came on the radio...and I watched the story of my life go by.

I was filled with joy and sheer awe. Tears were in my eyes and my heart was bursting!

Sometimes when you are living in a story, you don't always see the big picture!

God put this video together in my mind...and I came home and created what I saw. Special thanks to Brian Bagley for our airport homecoming footage!

As you see, Toby is patiently waiting for us to come for him. We are in the final weeks preparing to travel to bring him home! We still have $8,500 yet to raise in order to travel.

We have been graciously blessed by our church, Crossroads of Wauseon and Lifesong for Orphans, with a matching grant! Every amount given up to our grant will be DOUBLED! All money after that amount will come 100% to our adoption account payable for our adoption expenses. 

Will you prayerfully consider a gift to help us finish the task of bringing Toby home?

You can easily give online using the link on our sidebar: Lifesong for Orphans. Please follow the instructions below the picture.

However, if you would like to avoid the 1.9-2.9% Paypal service fee please write a check directly to Lifesong for Orphans. Your gift is tax deductible.  In following IRS guidelines, your donation is to the named non-profit organization. This organization retains full discretion over its use, but intends to honor the donor's suggested use. 

Mail checks to:

Lifesong for Orphans

PO Box 40

202 N. Ford St.

Gridley, IL 61744

Please write: Preference SHAW 3330 in the memo line.

We are forever grateful for the ways others have helped us fulfill what God has called us to do. In the words of Ashley Moreno,"We have been called to help heal, with God's help, a child who has suffered the profound damage of being unwanted and unloved. We are obediently living out the command given in James 1:27 to care for the orphan, clothing the gospel of Christ's redemption in flesh and blood. We are asking the body of Christ to come alongside us prayerfully and financially...to become part of the miracle of what God is doing!" 

A Year Ago Today...

Sometimes I just sit amazed at ALL God has done in one year's time.

One year ago today, we met Zareb Jeremiah.

He was all dressed up in layers of funny colors as only an orphanage could do!

That moment that the director brought him in to her office to meet his parents was a holy moment.

I KNOW I heard angels' wings flutter. "Shhhh! This is the MOMENT!!" they must have said.

"Jeremiah, this is your Mummy and your Daddy," said Barbara, the director. She led a silent, wide-eyed little boy over to the chairs where we sat waiting with big round eyes ourselves. It was a moment we had all been anticipating and none of us could believe was happening.

"Hullo Mummy." He said in the softest voice, barely lifting his eyes.

"And this is your Daddy," Barbara guided.

"Hullo Daddy." he breathed, looking at his shoes.

We thanked Barbara profusely for choosing us to be his parents. She waved her hand, "No no, I didn't do this, GOD DID." (in a fabulous Ugandan accent)

From there, we immediately got into a taxi to take his passport picture. Note how happy WE were...and how scared to death poor little "Jeremiah" was!

That scared look was appropriate! Who in the world were we?? He left the orphanage for the first time in TEN MONTHS! And with these strange white people!

Then I compare that with how he is now.

It's an astounding change.

He loves freely.

Covers my face with sloppy wet kisses of his own volition.

Giggles.

Eats like there's no tomorrow.

Twirls and sings.

Beats the African drums with his brother and daddy.

Loudly declares his opinions while playing.

He rides a bike without training wheels.

Loves to swim in the pool.

Drops everything and breaks into an all-out run when he learns his daddy is home!

Early in the mornings he crawls into bed with me declaring, "It's snuggle time!"

When we snuggle, he remembers. We talk. He mentions the orphanage. How we came to get him and we brought him here.

Deeper snuggle.

"Will you always keep me safe?" he asks.

"I will."

"We need to get Toby out of the orphanage too, Mommy." This comment breaks my reverie and snaps me back to the job of bringing Toby home.

Reality comes in like an unwanted icy blast...dear little Toby does not yet know the freedom to come find mommy and snuggle and hear that life is going to be alright.

I had NO IDEA that one year from today we would be delighting in Zebby and collectively aching to bring home yet ANOTHER orphan. 

It kind of amazes me.

If I were writing the text of my life story, I would have never added these chapters. These adoption chapters of sons. 

But God.

He is writing our lives, and we are committed to the task of keeping our eyes on Him and obeying. We no more than finalized Zareb's adoption in April and He led us to the file of a Dong BaoKun in China. I think I would have given us a little breather...but not God! Here we go!

I wonder where we will be next August 11 as we mark 2 years of knowing Zareb?

Only God and time will tell.

The Adventure of a Son with his Father

My favorite place on the planet is where the salty water meets the sandy earth.

The beach.

Oh, just the sound of it makes me happy!

This year we stopped everything for an entire week and sat around where water and land meet. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. But there was one moment in particular that was very special...watching our Zareb experience the beach and ocean waves for the very first time.

It was actually very emotional for me. Let me explain.

My adopted son, from a landlocked African country, finally got to put his toes in the ocean. We flew over that same ocean for hours upon hours last summer. We looked down through the tiny porthole in our airplane and talked about the ocean. We talked about the beach. I promised I would take him there--and that he would love it.

I have seen Zebby do many new things in the 9 months he's been home. I know that look of uncertainty and sometimes terror that he gets when he is unsure of something. I know that telltale shaking of his right hand when he is frightened. I know that tentative gait he takes on when he is scared. I expected to see all of that when we took him to the ocean.

But God.

In the form of my dear husband, God gave me a most gorgeous picture of how He walks me through this life.

You see, as Zeb approached the ocean with that tentative gait, his father came to him and held his hand.

Immediately, Zareb felt assured. This was going to be okay. Not scary.

They ventured out deeper.

Suddenly the water swirled up around ankles and surprised him with a shock of cold. Suddenly what was only "take me to the beach" now had depth in the meaning. It was no longer just a phrase, but it had meaning. Reality. Sensation. Hot, granular, cold, wet, rhythm...all completely unknown to him in the phrase "I'll take you to the beach soon, Zebby."

I couldn't help think in that moment how this is precisely what is going on with us--we look forward to the day we reach Heaven. We know a few things: God will be there, angels, no pain, no sadness, no sin...but we cannot truly grasp the depth of what HEAVEN itself means. We just have to wait until we go.

Just like that...Zeb had in his mind, no doubt, a diminished idea of what the beach really meant. Now he was here: touching, walking, hearing, smelling and tasting what to ocean really meant. That word came to life. And it was a swirling reality he was thrilled with!

Brian and Zeb continued to walk deeper into the ocean. Water around his knees now, he clung to his father's hand and was finding enjoyment in the waves that would come over and over again. Brian would allow him to let go and experience the power in those waves and little Zebby would topple...only to be quickly rescued by his father's strong arms.

I continued to watch the exchange, behind the lens of the camera. God was putting verses in my mind as I watched and I was thinking about heaven. It was a truly swelling moment (accompanied I am sure in heaven by great choruses of angels) when the water became too deep and Zeb's father swept him up safely in his arms and carried him.

The familiar poem "Footprints" came to mind. "...it was then that I carried you."

Emotion washed over me as I saw my husband play out the role of our loving Heavenly Father.

There was a time in our adoption process that we became frightened. That the fears of the unknown, the naysayers of this world grew loud and we were about to shut it all down and call it all off. We were going to walk away. It was too scary. Too much. We might lose control of our lives! (ha ha, I see that was a GOOD thing now!) During that very intense window of decision the same Father God spoke to Brian's heart. He said distinctly, "Let me bless you."

I continued to watch Zareb cling to Brian and point to go out further, further, further into the ocean. He had no fear at all in his father's arms. I saw them look with delight into each other's faces and I remembered God's words to Brian, "Let Me bless you." Once again, my heart burst.

I think so much happened in those 5-10 minutes that Zareb was introduced to the waters of the deep. Zareb learned again how Daddy is trustworthy and safe. Angels rejoiced over the adventure of a child. When we spoke later, Brian said he too remembered the words of the Lord to his heart and was savoring the joy on the face of his son in his arms.

Adoption is scary. But it is also wonderful. It's like having a daily picture of God self-sacrificing to bring us into His family. It is a continual picture of the wonderful ways that He cares for us as His very own dear children. We are so deeply blessed to have said yes to this major life change called adoption...I for one know I am better for it.

Let's PARTY...small style!

Party time!!!

(Although our original plans to have a huge celebration in our home town with family and friends had to be cancelled due to illness, we delighted in having the seven of us together for a little soiree of our own!)

For whom you may ask???

For...
This child we have loved on for 6 weeks in our home.

This child who a year ago had a much much bleaker outlook on life.

This child who went dazed and confused into an orphanage with 49 other lost children...relearning life and wondering what would be next.

This child whom God matched to our family.

This child for whom we did a heroic paper chase and YOU joined in the effort to help us bring him home.

This child whom we've fallen head over heels for.
(and you will too when you meet him!)

The monkey cake (he is always telling me he is my little monkey!) and the pizza, the ice cream and the laughter around the table were priceless.

These boys are just loving their BROTHERHOOD!!!

All the party-goers had a great time! (If you know Zora, you note the location of her red ball!) ;)

The singing...

The candle blowing...

The cheering!!!

The cake cutting... (I LOVE that he requested the monkey's smile...right in the MIDDLE! :))

The dancing!

The presents... (Wait, what are presents??? LEARNING QUICKLY that presents are FUN!!!!!)

                                                   The happy hugs...


And the one final question....

When can we do this again????