He is finally here. i am not even sure i believe it, even though we have been home almost two months now. What a long journey to this baby. We began in late 2004 in South Africa. After over a year of waiting and fighting current adoption policies...we felt led to pursue our son in Ethiopia. There were/are children there that are waiting...and a government that wants to place these little ones in loving families. We had to start the adoption process over, from scratch, in order to meet requirements for Ethiopia. I believe we filled out the initial application this month last year. We began again wounded and broken. We lost a dream or two in the process and felt shaky and afraid that this pursuit might lead us to more pain and frustration. But it didn't. The faithfulness of our loving Father carried us through. The months went by, slowly but somehow, through some generous act of God's grace, we held on. and somehow all this pain has only caused us to love Jesus more...to gain a slightly bigger understanding of his pursuit of us, his children, in an evil, unpredictable, deprived world.
Joshua' s Ethiopia name, Tariku, means, "God's story." When David and i heard that we couldn't believe it...our lives, our stories, His story woven together by a good and loving God. While traveling in Addis, i was often awestruck by the intense poverty we saw and yet in the midst of every rock pile and dusting roadside there always seemed to be a flower blooming, standing tall out of the rubble. The people that we met there had surely endured things we will only read about (if we are lucky) and yet their faith and love for God and the poor was the foundation of who they are.
When we came home Joshua had projectile diarrhea...i am not kidding, it shot out of his bum across the room early one morning...it was amazing. This was no isolated incident...he exploded up his back many times and even made it into his hair on several occasions. Bath time seemed to be at 3am and 7am every day for many weeks. it was a rough and stinky start to our new family. me in my glasses (not the mommy anyone wants to see!) with poop all over constantly changing my shirt and washing my hands, a crying baby unable to stay sweet smelling for more than an hour, hungry, confused, still living on Africa time...it was a hard go. but looking back, i am again reminded of God's pursuit of me...His faithful love for me even though i smell like crap in my sin, even though i am cranked and angry at my circumstances however blessed they may be...he loves me anyway. he calls me into his presence. he longs for me to find joy in him and peace with him. he runs to me, to meet me, to embrace me--despite my stinky sin.
family of four. Toby and Joshua are incredible people. i feel so blessed to be able to parent them. so thankful for God's hand in placing them in our family. they are the coolest, funniest little guys i know...full of laughter, love and sometimes poop.
