A parent's delight

I’ve been amazed at the way Amelie has just settled into her new life without the slightest bit of distress. I question this amazement when I look back on this adoption in its entirety and see God’s hand in it all. What am I really amazed at? God’s grace, it truly is amazing.

Millie has been nothing but an absolute joy and delight to us. She is an extremely happy, content baby who is very active when awake! We’ve also been blessed with an excellent sleeper: 11.5 hours at night and two 2 hour naps during the day!!! Amelie has been developing in leaps and bounds since I first took her home with me two and a half weeks ago. Every day there is something new. Last weekend while we were still in Ethiopia she started clapping. A few days at home in Dubai and she figured out how to move out of a sitting position to crawling (it’s been extra busy for me since!). She also now pulls herself up to a stand and has added many more sounds to her vocabulary, including dada much to her father’s delight! Her sense of humour is very silly and Dennis and I are often laughing together at her antics.

What a precious gift!

Sought out in Faith, United by Grace

Introducing Amelie Joy Liya Lister our Striving Joy that Belongs to the Lord.

It is with great delight we are able to announce that Amelie officially became our daughter on 25 November and arrived home in Dubai 7 December! She is an absolute joy to us and we are in a constant state of awe at this amazing gift.

Please join us in praising our gracious Heavenly Father who has blessed us beyond measure.

Overdue Update!

I know it has been quiet here for several weeks. There has been so much information I have wanted to post but find I need to restrain myself until this precious baby girl is officially our daughter.


I have been blessed in being able to make two trips to Ethiopia since I last wrote. The first visit I travelled solo from 12-16 October and the second Dennis and I flew together 29 October. Dennis returned 31 October with me staying on until 5 November. It has been such an amazing experience spending time with her, at the same time heart wrenching in just wanting to bring her home as soon as possible. This past trip I was able to witness her beginning to crawl and also the arrival of her first two teeth! I praise God he allowed me to be there for these precious milestones.

We have also been so blessed by the warm hospitality of special friends Peter and Shona who just recently moved to Addis Ababa. God again has been so gracious in bringing us together. The support and friendship at this time is absolutely priceless!

I travel to Addis 17 November on what we are praying is the final trip to bring our daughter home. The court hearing is 20 November. This is when she should legally become our daughter. We will continue to stay in Ethiopia for at least two weeks after court as we wait for passport and visa to be issued. Please pray that all goes well.

I thank God for His peace that surpasses all understanding and the calm assurance in the knowledge that He alone is sovereign. The hearts of the judge and all the officials we will be dealing with in the next several weeks are in His hands. Whatever happens is according to His will. Awesome.

Exceedingly abundantly

Psalm 145

I will extol You, my God, O King;
And I will bless Your name forever and ever.
Every day I will bless You,
And I will praise Your name forever and ever.
Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised;
And His greatness is unsearchable.

One generation shall praise Your works to another,
And shall declare Your mighty acts.
I will meditate on the glorious splendor of Your majesty,
And on Your wondrous works.
Men shall speak of the might of Your awesome acts,
And I will declare Your greatness.
They shall utter the memory of Your great goodness,
And shall sing of Your righteousness.

The LORD is gracious and full of compassion,
Slow to anger and great in mercy.
The LORD is good to all,
And His tender mercies are over all His works.

All Your works shall praise You, O LORD,
And Your saints shall bless You.
They shall speak of the glory of Your kingdom,
And talk of Your power,
To make known to the sons of men His mighty acts,
And the glorious majesty of His kingdom.
Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
And Your dominion endures throughout all generations.

The LORD upholds all who fall,
And raises up all who are bowed down.
The eyes of all look expectantly to You,
And You give them their food in due season.
You open Your hand
And satisfy the desire of every living thing.

The LORD is righteous in all His ways,
Gracious in all His works.
The LORD is near to all who call upon Him,
To all who call upon Him in truth.
He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him;
He also will hear their cry and save them.
The LORD preserves all who love Him,
But all the wicked He will destroy.
My mouth shall speak the praise of the LORD,
And all flesh shall bless His holy name
Forever and ever.


On Saturday we met our daughter. She is a healthy, amazingly beautiful, 6 month old girl. God has done exceedingly, abundantly above all that we could ever ask or imagine! We are so humbled to be entrusted with this precious gift. Praise Him!

Setting out in Faith

Just a very quick update…


On Monday we received the final stamp completing our dossier. Dennis immediately phoned the orphanage administrator and we arranged to meet him this FRIDAY to hand over the documentation! We fly out tomorrow, 01 October, very early morning and are going in faith that we will be able to meet our daughter this weekend. Emotions are running wild!

Please pray for the administrator, Girma, that God will be directing and preparing him for our visit and please pray for us especially in having to leave our baby behind after just meeting her.

I will update you all as soon as possible, God willing introducing you to our daughter!

A is for???

I thought I'd do a fun post during this waiting period considering I'm having so much.. well.. FUN!

We have been having a blast getting bits and pieces ready for our baby. I am especially enjoying putting the nursery together. Although my resources are limited here in Dubai I am trying to be as creative as possible. Last weekend (over our long Eid break) Dennis painted one of the walls in the nursery which immediately transformed it!!

I have also been having a go at doing a bit of 'artwork'. The 'A' is the first letter of the name Dennis and I chose over 4 years ago! We have kept it a secret so long and now can't wait to share with everyone real soon!

We both just absolutely loved the colours of this pram and were so blessed to have been able to purchase it for a real bargain!

Anyway that is all of the frivolous stuff for now!! Things are moving so fast please pray the cot gets here on time! ;)

Labour of Love

I stood, waiting in the hot, busy Police Headquarters trying to suppress a grin. Inside my heart was beaming, Philippians 4:4 coursing through my brain on a continuous loop. This was the second of a long list of bureaucratic paper stops we would be doing and I was like an excited child in a candy shop…

On 01 September, after a 9 week hiatus, we finally were back ‘on the couch’. It was only our fifth session and we had been told we needed at least 8 so I had already booked two more for the following week. Dennis had called the orphanage a few days prior and was told that as soon as our paperwork was finished we should come to Ethiopia and they would match us with a child. Needless to say we were eager to finish our paperwork!!! The session with Sabine went very well. We discussed how to handle insensitive prying questions, that we are bound to encounter from complete strangers, all the while keeping our child protected from feeling like a circus act or a possession. Afterwards she looked at us and said ok we’re pretty much done! DONE!! Oh my goodness. Then she looked in our file and exclaimed that she didn’t have any paperwork for us. Of course she didn’t! We thought we still had several sessions left and as a few of the documents were date sensitive she had asked us to leave them till the last possible minute. Well now the last possible minute was upon us. Sabine cancelled our next appointment, and asked us to gather all the require documents and bring them to her on the 8th when she would just need 30mins of our time to discuss a few more things and then she could process her report. Oh my goodness. Dennis and I looked at each other. I wanted to scream, jump up and down, do the highland jig (or at least my version of it), instead we just smiled and said “ok”.

So there I was standing in the Police Headquarters, filling in forms, waiting for translations to be made, being fingerprinted and feeling complete joy. It was my form of an ultrasound, that first glimpse of my child. That moment when the dream becomes more of a reality. I could not be happier. Isn’t adoption marvelous?

“ For My thoughts are not your thoughts,

Nor are your ways My ways,” says the LORD.

“ For as the heavens are higher than the earth,

So are My ways higher than your ways,

And My thoughts than your thoughts.
Isaiah 55:9-10

Birth Certificate: Check!

One of the many difficulties we face in our adoption expedition is the aptly named “paperwork”. At the outset of all this paper and all this work we discovered we were missing a vital document: Dennis’ birth certificate. Upon further investigation I discovered that a request for a reissuance from the South African embassy in Dubai would take about 5 months to process. 5 months! That ruined everything. How could a silly little piece of paper that stated Dennis had been born (hardly a questionable fact) be such an obstacle, delaying us from meeting our child. I sensed despair lurking in the shadows ready to attack.

We called out to the One who is Sovereign asking for a miracle but knowing if we did have to wait 5 months it was all according to His perfect timing.

A few days later my dear friend Monica was visiting the South African embassy and offered to make an inquiry on my behalf. She called just after her visit with good news; the lady she spoke to was under the impression that if the request was made in South Africa they would just produce the certificate then and there, however, we weren’t allowed to quote her on that!

A call was immediately made to Super Granny who rushed to the rescue!! Within the time frame of just a few hours the birth certificate was printed and in the post on its way to Dubai! I could not believe it. God is so amazing!!

It is with great excitement that we received the above said document today along with a note stating the most beautiful words: “Now you can bring her home!”.



Thank you Super Granny!

Ethiopia Take 1: First impressions of Addis

Awakening to the dawn chorus of an African morning is truly a gift from the Creator. The birdsong held me in place, eyes closed, for a few brief moments reflecting on where we actually were and why God had brought us here before bounding out of bed; a bundle of excitement.

I then proceeded to drench myself from head to toe as I vainly battled with the shower to extract some hot (even warm would have sufficed) water. I eventually admitted defeat and quickly had one of the briefest, coldest showers of my life! Dennis followed suit and we both headed to breakfast very alert!

At breakfast we met up with Gerlinde, the wonderful lady who allowed us to tag along on her trip to Addis Ababa. She told us she wanted to go to a locally run orphanage, AGOHELMA, as they had told her the day before they might have a little girl for her!

We finished up and Gerlinde introduced us to our driver Gabre. I can’t begin to explain how integral this man is to everything about the adoption. He acts as guide, translator and mediator and does so with such grace and patience we can only thank God, once again, for orchestrating our meeting.

Packed full of donations our large van made its way through the streets of Addis. We realised very quickly it was wiser to observe the cityscape passing by rather that the road ahead. Because of power outages the very few traffic lights were non operational. Local drivers were apparently accustomed to this as they didn’t even seem to slow down when navigating through intersections. It reminded me of some animation or futuristic movie scene; hundreds of vehicles weaving on perpendicular paths to one another barely a few inches between them. Adding to the chaotic traffic were young boys herding goats to the Mercato, cyclists and pedestrians all using the same roads. ‘Roads’ now there is a general term. Main roads were paved but there were many streets that were little more than dirt paths, completely washed away, littered with enormous potholes.

Before arriving at AGOHELMA we stopped at a little grocery store to get a few things for the children and some of the homeless people we would be meeting. Dennis was also concerned about not being able to find a place for lunch and only managed to find some small tins of Pringles and a few Snickers bars that would have to satisfy any hunger pangs. We were appalled at the prices and realised again how things we can easily take for granted are a complete luxury for others, this included being able to have three meals a day…

Ethiopia Take 1: Taxi!

As we stepped out of the safety of the confines of the airport we faced a wall of dark faces with a tang of trepidation. We stood out like two bobbing apples, easy targets for the zealous taxi masters. Encouraged by the first taxi representative we gladly followed behind making small talk along the way. It was late, dark and somewhat cool – almost cold. We arrived at the car park, it reminded me of ‘Scrapheap challenge’, and after a double take I realized that this was the taxi fleet (a total of 3 cars). Some of which were semi operational. Taking a deep breath, I forced my way forward preparing for the journey ahead, thinking the worst was behind us. We were then introduced to a cute kid - soon found out he was our taxi driver probably not much older than 16. Broad smile and hands ready to load our luggage into the taxi he ushered us to the yellow rattletrap. With slight reluctance we seated ourselves, Aims in the back and me in the front next to the driver - we sat quietly optimistic looking forward to a good night’s rest at the hotel.

Doing a quick 22 point check, I instantly realized this car was not road worthy; I reached for the seat belt to find it missing. I then tried to open the window to clear the windscreen from condensation – no handle. Using a napkin I cleared the windscreen giving me and the driver some visibility.

Slightly embarrassed and with a laugh our driver requested in Amharic for a push-start from the other drivers standing around. With a couple of jolts the car fired up and we were away.

Straining up the hill at 25 km/h and firing only on two cylinders the taxi narrowly made it to the top reaching the car park exit at the airport. The rest of the journey to the hotel was interestingly the same; every hill seemed to be a challenge for the ol’ jalopy. The headlights flickered slightly making it virtually impossible to see what was ahead. Our driver having an upbeat personality and charm made the trip to the hotel somewhat an enjoyable escapade.

We made it to the hotel without incident and the whole experience only cost us $10. The best taxi ride in the world.

Ethiopia Take 1: Return to Africa

With great anticipation and equal trepidation we arrived at the airport and were pleasantly surprised to discover our bags were actually under weight and then slightly frustrated at the realisation we could have taken more!!

After all the usual airport waits and delays we were finally on our way to Ethiopia. The plane was practically an antique and I found myself praying for safety throughout the flight and giving thanks when the wheels finally touched down! As we still hurled down the runway, breaks and reverse thrusters straining to slow us down, a majority of the passengers were already up and taking their hand luggage down from the overhead compartments! This was the first of many occasions when Dennis and I would just smile at each other with a slight shake of the head and say TIA*.

We descended from the airplane and both stopped as the first wave of pure air hit our faces. Eyes closed we greedily drew in large gulping breaths of the sweet grass scented, rain-fresh breeze until our lungs could hold no more. We were once again on African soil.

The wonder of that moment quickly faded as we entered the Bole Airport and were faced with a queue of over one hundred passengers waiting for their entry visas. Groaning we joined the line. An hour passed and there was light at the end of the tunnel! Visas obtained we rounded the corner only to discover that light was an oncoming train, another queue, another wait. Thirty minutes and we were actually through customs, positive we could finally head to our hotel, only to encounter one last line as each piece of luggage was x-rayed once again. Our ‘entrance’ lasted 2 hours and we were thrilled when we eventually exited the airport...

*THIS IS AFRICA

Therapy, Ethiopia, and waiting (or not) …

Well … falling asleep in your therapy session is probably not considered good client - psychologist etiquette. Although according to Aimee both the psychologist and I were both, let’s say somewhat torpid. Today’s session was about how we both will cope with this new ‘intruder’ in our lives. Our focus has primarily been on all the dreams and blessings associated with having children incidentally there are some rather audacious behavioral characteristics that come gratis part of the ‘package’. I still don’t see it … aren’t babies supposed to be cute darlings … maybe this is one of those realizations that happen upon you ONLY with experience? Another thing is QT (quality time) with Aimee, well I have that on demand at the moment and this arrangement works well for me. The little darling will somehow come into our lives and turn everything upside down and inside out. Oh I look so forward to that day!

The other good news is that we have our first trip planned to Ethiopia – NEXT WEEK! Again only through God’s grace and perfect timing. Through our new ‘adoptive’ acquaintances we have an opportunity to accompany a group heading out to Addis next week. Initially we liked the idea but thought of timing and cost, well Aimee was on the net in a dash and located flights for half price, really half price and as they say the rest is history. This is a bit of a scouting mission for us, we are planning to visit 3 orphanages of which one of these may just be the one where our little ‘trooper’ will hail from. Further to that we are taking two BIG suitcases full of aid; clothing, powdered milk, crayons, books, sweets and more. I feel a bit like Indiana Jones (with Mrs. Jones) going on an expedition searching for gold or in our case a gift from God.

One whole year!

Today was our one year anniversary of arriving in Dubai and what better way to mark the occasion than by attending an Ethiopian adoption meeting? The evening was wonderful. We met three new families adopting from Ethiopia: One already completed the adoption and is just waiting for the Dubai visa so they can bring their little boy home (hopefully by Monday) and another waiting for the Ethiopian court date in three weeks time. The last couple has already visited Ethiopia despite not having their paperwork complete and are encouraging us to do the same to build a relationship with the orphanages there. They have invited us to travel with them on one of their next trips to introduce us to the different contacts we will need to make. They have a visit planned in two weeks time and then again at the beginning of August! Our hearts are already in Ethiopia but now we are praying for wisdom in our decision making.


Before arriving in Dubai we had so many presuppositions as to why God was moving us to this country. Reflecting over the last year we realise that none of these were true. Our God did exceedingly abundantly above all that we asked or thought – to Him be the glory!

Sobering thoughts

Last night we had another great session. Lots of thought provoking questions. We were reminded again that regardless of the circumstances surrounding a child being put up for adoption it is always a time of tragedy and sorrow:

Recently I was praying for our child and its birth mother. Suddenly I was overcome with the realization that this unknown woman I was praying for would not likely live to see the new year. The maternal mortality rate in Ethiopia is extremely high: 1 in 14 women will die in childbirth. Children in Ethiopia also lose their mothers to starvation and infectious diseases. Tearfully, abruptly my prayers changed from praying for her physical health and needs to that of her spiritual health. I pray God would be graciously working on her heart, giving her the opportunity to hear His word and drawing her to Him in the realisation of her need for a saviour. How glorious it would be to be united one day in His presence!

Psychobabble

Surprise! We’re psychologically within the ‘normal parameters’ whatever that means (Dennis was quite disappointed; I think he was hoping for something exceptional - he doesn’t do normal. ;) This meant we were ‘safely’ able to proceed with the homestudy and that was the only feedback we received on our two hour labour of colouring-in tiny circles!

The remainder of the session was focused on getting to know us better and we both had to dictate our life stories to this complete stranger. We also discussed our motivations for adoption, and how we plan on disciplining (yikes!). She was wonderful in making us feel at ease and we were very open and honest with her. We were able to share a bit of our belief in God and how He is sovereign over all. We ended the session feeling at peace and couldn’t stop talking the rest of the evening!

Reflecting on our statement about God’s sovereignty I was once again overwhelmed with the knowledge that God has chosen us for this amazing blessing. We are so humbled and pray that we will be faithful stewards of His precious gift.

Descending from an euphoric high…

Ahh where do I begin? We are absolutely buzzing with excitement after spending 2 hours at an Adoption Support Group meeting. We were able to meet with our adoption ‘mentors’ who have adopted 3 children from Ethiopia. Their youngest, a gorgeous 18 month old girl, was brought home just 7 months ago! They are veterans when it comes to the procedure of adopting from Ethiopia to Dubai. We were talked through the entire process step by step and assured we will be most likely bringing our child home next March/April if the program remains as it is today (it could change at a moment’s notice). Needless to explain our euphoria…

In addition we met loads of other couples who are also just starting the process. Dennis was so engaged sharing our very limited knowledge and experience thus far, if they weren’t already sold on adoption they are now!

Well I am sure I am going to crash any moment now from all the exhilaration – I just couldn’t wait to pass on the news. God is good.

Thank you all for your prayers and support!

Psychology for Dummies

(or translated to American: "for pacifiers")

Yesterday evening Dennis and I found ourselves in a surreal situation. Sitting across from a psychologist propped up in an enormous leather wingback chair clipboard in hand. We scrambled for words to relay our desire to adopt and why we had chosen ‘fashionable’ Ethiopia as our country of choice. After a brief 15- 20 minutes we were asked to complete a 567 question psychometric test (MMPI-2) to ensure there were no underlying issues that needed to be addressed before proceeding any further. The questioning was interesting at times to the point of bizarre. After nearly two hours, hands cramping, necks aching, brains fried we finally put our pencils down.

This was the first of what will be several sessions of required 'parent preparation counseling' before they can sign us off as approved for adoption.

Today I have found myself ridiculously wondering what this computer scored test will ‘reveal’ about me. Our psychologist (I NEVER thought I’d be saying that) mentioned problems detected that include bipolar, psychopathic, and schizophrenia.

I will let you know the results and whether it would be wise to avoid us in the future!

Beginnings

I always imagined this would be a pregnancy journal. Thoughts expressed of a changing body and impending parenthood. Musings over gender and which of its parents our child would most likely resemble. How blessed am I that my Father in Heaven had a different design?

God, over the past four years, has worked miracles in both our lives; drawing us nearer to Him, causing us to acknowledge our complete dependency on Him, adjusting our motivation and desires for children and opening our hearts to international adoption.

We embark on this expedition with a peace and assurance that can only come from God. As we eagerly await the day we finally bring our first child home we trust in our sovereign Lord “who works all things to the counsel of His will”. Whatever lies ahead, to His glory, His will be done.