Conspiracy

Advent Conspiracy, that is!

Please share with us if you are spending less this year. What are you doing instead? In our family, we are spending much, much less.

Instead, we want to Worship Fully. Spend Less. Give More. Love All.

What about you?

Thankful

All that is missing is our son!

A Divine Appointment with Andreas Widmer (a post by Dave)

Last summer, I devoured an excellent book on economic development in developing countries. The book was In The River They Swim (and if you haven't read it, I highly recommend it). I was particularly impacted by selected chapters written by Andreas Widmer. Andreas is a successful entrepreneur and businessman who is now running the Seven Fund. Despite his business successes, Andreas is often more noted for his duty as body guard to the Pope, which was an experience that helped to shape his strong faith and values today.

Last Tuesday, I had the honor of sharing breakfast with Andreas while I was in Boston. Andreas' faith and vision are contagious. I was delighted to find that I had much in common with him (sans serving as a body guard to the Pope, of course). As many of you know, I have struggled recently with a growing desire to apply my business experience and skills to help develop scalable business opportunities in Africa. For a few moments, I was able to live vicariously through Andreas' charisma and his recounting of encounters with African business people who are building sustainable and scalable business models despite little or no access to capital. He also shared about his program, Pioneers of Prosperity, which seeks to fill the gap that exists in developing economies between microfinancing (e.g., Kiva.org) and traditional bank financing.
Microfinance is a good vehicle to help lift those in extreme poverty (i.e., people who can't afford to feed themselves or their families) up to subsistence poverty (i.e., they can afford a means to eat and barely survive). Traditional bank financing is viable for multi-national corporations wishing to expand into developing economies, but traditonal bank financing isn't available to small and medium-size businesses wishing to start-up and grow. In developing countries, there is little to no access to venture financing, so local entrepreneurs can't access capital to build and grow sustainable and scalable businesses. 

Think about it: Over 90% of businesses in the United States are small and medium-size businesses, and they employ over 70% of the workers. In the United States, small and medium-size businesses are the growth engine of our economy. Yet, in most developing nations, the share of small to medium-size businesses as a percent of total businesses is in the single digits, if that. In other words, these developing economies don't have the engine that powers economic growth.  Andreas is working feverishly to develop solutions to problems like this. This is something I aspire to do as well.

I have no idea where it may lead, but this was one of those encounters that I cannot deny was orchestrated by God.

God has blessed me with few encounters in life as rich as this one and I look forward to how He might use it in the future. If nothing else, God connected me to a devout follower and brother in Christ who inspired me to make the best use of the time, talent and treasure God has given me. I pray that I will get the opportunity to use these gifts in service to the people of Africa.

Andreas, thank you again for your time and I look forward to what God has in store for both our futures.  God bless you!

Outcome

We passed court! All thanks to God---and everyone He works through to make these miracles called adoptions happen.

It appears we will be offered an Embassy date of January 13. Because we will do some traveling in-country before our court date, we would leave the first week of January.

The next prayer need is for USCIS (United State Citizenship and Immigration Service) to move on our paperwork! We haven't even received our fingerprint appointment yet.

If we don't have Bereket's immigration paperwork in time, then our Embassy date would be January 27, which means we would leave around the 20th.

We are rejoicing today!!!

TONIGHT / TOMORROW

Wow.

Ours and Bereket's court appointment in Ethiopia will happen as we sleep tonight.

Hopefully, we will hear sometime tomorrow whether or not we passed.

Will you join us in praying that we will pass on this first try?

It is becoming really, really real that we are going to have a little boy!

What Allison Told....

...our adoption social worker, when she asked how fourteen year-old Allison feels about bringing another little one into our family:

"You see, we have made this discovery in our family. We have figured out that love multiplies."

One Week and EEEEEKKKKK!

In one week we will know whether or not we passed court in Ethiopia. Yikes! Two families from our agency--both returning adopters who are bringing non-babies home, like us--passed court yesterday. Yea!

In other terrifying news, Abby was suprised to meet a mouse out in our garage pantry this morning. (She says it was big and she says it was a rat....but I just can't go there.)

Apparently it was on a shelf and it SQUEAKED at her when she saw it. Abby's typically a steady-as-she-goes kinda gal; I don't think I've ever seen her move so fast as she did when she streaked back into the house. Poor Abs!

Alas, Dave is still out of town. And I'm not going to the garage to deal with it. EEEEEKKK, you know. So, the ol'minivan is parked safely outside, in the driveway, until Dave comes home and saves us. In the meantime, I have done my part by thoroughly vacumming every shelf in our real kitchen, lest any kitchen crumbs entice Mr./Ms. Mouse out of the garage and into the house. EWWWWW!

Next week...

...we can say our court date is "this week!"

(It's only 10 days away now!)

Everyone Loves a Parade (Especially Pink Poodles!!)

Allison's middle school band marched with Longmont High in the Halloween Parade Saturday.What follows is a pictorial for your viewing pleasure:

Here is a super-cute pink poodle, with some people cleverly disguised as middle-aged suburbanites.

This is so super-fun!

Even better, mayhaps, than a parade? Discovering donut holes!

I love me these donut holes!

Are those fleas on the pink poodle? Nah, it's only donut hole sprinkles.

Abs and the Morganizer take a coffee break!

I love hangin' out with the big girls!

I'm experiencing a bit of stimulation/donut hole overload here!

Here comes a cute little kitty...I mean, my sissy!

There goes my sissy!

I love my sissies!

But this parade stuff wears a poodle out!

Happy Birthday, Allison!

Our oldest daughter, Allison, turned 14 today.

I know parents say it all the time, but....where did the years go?

In a nod to her wonderful-ness, Allison used her own money to buy flowers for ME today.

My kids are the best gifts ever!

But Still, I Am One

Please take four minutes and forty-seven seconds to watch this video.



Lots of people are asking, "What can we do? How can we help?" This video has inspired average people, just like us, to think about how to help. We think about Amelia, and Little Boy B., and it's impossible to comprehend it could be OUR CHILDREN who are starving. Our children are safe. But many, many more children, children whose parents love them as we love our kids, are starving.

A highly-regarded international aid organization, Doctors Without Borders (aka Medecins Sans Frontieres) currently has a matching gift program that will double any donation...$10, $25 or more.

Doctors Without Borders / Medecins Sans Frontieres has been distributing a highly nutritious food product called Plumpy Nut (click here to read a 10-8-2009 article from Foreign Policy magazine or click here to read a 60 Minutes story about Plumpy Nut.)

To make a donation to Doctors Without Border, you can send a check to Doctors Without Borders at the following address:

Doctors Without Borders USA
333 Seventh Avenue, 2nd floor
New York, NY 10001
ATTN: Charlie Kunzer

In the envelope should be a note to Charlie that includes your name, donation amount, that this gift is for Meghan and Amber's Fundraiser (for the matching funds) and that your gift should be dedicated to nutritional fund and the Janus Charity Challenge 2010.

To donate with a credit card, please make the donation at the Doctors Without Borders website here:

https://donate.doctorswithoutborders.org/SSLPage.aspx?pid=197&hbc=1?ref=main-menu

There is also a phone number if you prefer to call Doctors Without Borders.

If you donate via the website, send an email to Charlie at Charlie.Kunzer@newyork.msf.org with the same information as requested above (your name, donation amount, statement that this donation is for Meghan and Amber's Fundraiser (for the matching funds), and should be dedicated to nutritional fund and Janus Charity Challenge 2010.)

PICTURES!! and Ras Kassa's

Woo-hoo, my camera is finally up and running again.

So, here are some pictures for your viewing pleasure, starting with the most current:

Some sweet friends took us to Ras Kassa's in Boulder tonight.
Thanks, George, Sarah, T.J. and Grandma Jackie!

Amelia liked our server, and our server liked Amelia!

What she REALLY liked was the little spoon and the little cream pitcher...and using the little spoon to feed herself a little cream!

Feeding it to Daddy was pretty fun, too!

Here we are...minus Allison--what a teenager,

she was at a football game tonight!

I have lots of teeth and we had a great night!

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Getting ready for "school"....

Amelia's hair is growing and Mommy can make piggies!

Meelsie's salon is the kitchen counter!

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Now, let's travel waaaaay back to the summer! I now (finally) present, "The Summer In Pictures:"

Sprinkler discovery...

This is so super fun!

I'm goin' back for more!

(Random Alert!) Grammy got a six-toed, stub-tailed kitten...in the Ozarks...while Allison was at Kanakuk. We really did look quite hill-billian, driving around in the Ozarks with a portable litter box and this kitten named Lambert!

Mom and Meels at the IAN picnic.

Pondering the meaning of iced tea.

Sweet sissy love!

All decked out in her swimming gear!

Father's Day at Rocky Mountain National Park.

A lil' more sweet sissy love!

THE END!

COURT DATE!?!

(This picture is for Amelia. If she was going to pick out her favorite picture in the world of a surprised person, er, monster, this would be the one.)

We had email, voicemail and phone conversations with our coordinator today.

OUR COURTDATE IN ETHIOPIA IS NOVEMBER 18!

Nobody knows exactly how this has happened. Yes, our file has been re-opened in the Ethiopian court. But we haven't even sent all of our documents over yet! We haven't even applied for our I171-H yet.

We don't know how this came about, but we'll take it!

We will pray now that we can complete the U.S. immigration piece in record time so it won't hold us up from traveling.

Crying Out...Orphan Sunday

Orphan Sunday from Christian Alliance for Orphans on Vimeo.

Sunday, November 8 is Orphan Sunday. Check out the Christian Alliance for Orphans for more information.

I believe there is a movement building at our church, and peoples' hearts are being broken for the orphans. I know of many families who are going after orphans and bringing them home, who are fostering parenting, who are providing care for orphans. God, may our numbers increase!

There are 145,000,000 orphans in our world. This is, truly, a number that is too big for me to "get." What I can "get," is that Dave and I fully love two of these orphans. Our hearts and lives are changed forever because of them. How to comprehend that every single, individual orphaned child is so very close to God's heart? Deserves a home and a family?

I am currently re-reading There Is No Me Without You. This book changed my life as we were preparing to go get Amelia. It doesn't seem possible, but....now that I have been there....now that Amelia is our girl....now that we are longing to travel for our son....it's even more powerful and more painful to read this book.

I found myself awake early this morning, wondering how much more we might be able to do. How much obedience can we pull off? Even if we could afford more adoptions, how many more kiddos could we squeeze into our house? How much more financial pressure could Dave withstand? (Smile....sort of.)

Dave wants to look for work opportunities when we travel to Africa this time. God, will you open these doors for us? Show us the doors. We want to walk through them. Hand in hand with You, we want to change the world.

Neighbors

I just "met"--over the phone--another IAN family who live just a few miles from us! Right here in Longmont! They have older kids, too, and they are waiting for a court date for two baby girls. Can you imagine? So, so, so sweet and so super fun.

Hi Kelly....look forward to meeting you soon!

Medical Exam

An IAN traveling family--the dad is a pediatrician, the mom is a nurse--recently came home from a loooooong trip to Ethiopia--check their blog to learn about their extended journey. (They added two babies to their family, so they are now a family of eight kiddos!)

While they were there, Marty and Kendell examined all of the referred children at Sele Enat. Amazing, huh? What a gift!

So we have Little Boy B's most current medical and developmental information. It looks like he is four years old (not five years old). And he is small, wears a size 3T (experience with Amelia tells us he'll catch up!).

He does all the developmental things--hops on one foot, counts, draws, plays ball--that you would expect any little kid to do. And he is healthy. Thank you, God!

The scary part: His caregivers report that he PLAYS HARD. I'm a girl mom! I don't know about this hard-playing stuff!

The sweet part: Kendell reports he will snuggle "till the cows come home."
Awwwww!

Shout Out to Allison

Way to Go, Allison!

Even though she is brand new at Westview Middle School, Allison won the Student of the Month Award today. We are so proud of her!

Just a few kids win this award each month. Allison's teachers nominated her because she is an excellent and conscientious student, because she works hard, she's kind to everyone and she showed herself to be a real leader on the volleyball court.

The school celebrated these great students this morning with a fancy breakfast. The principals brought the students to the front of the room and shared a bit about each of the kids. Allison's photo and the information about her will be on display in the school entry for the next month.

After the not-so-great year at a different school last year, it is so wonderful to see Allison's confidence returning. And isn't it just like God: but for the tough time last year, the positive and fantastic experience she is enjoying now wouldn't be so sweet. He is a redeemer! And He teaches His lessons to all of us....even our kids.

Game Changers

Check out this link to an organization called GameChangers. It is a cool partnership between Architects for Humanity and Nike.

With Hanna Fanta's permission, we submitted a proposal to Children's Heaven to GameChangers. If it wins, Architects for Humanity will design and build a permanent structure for Children's Heaven! Let's hope and pray the judging team sees the need for a real, useful, facility for Hanna and her girls!

While you're at it, check out this link for the Frehiwot Wondye Memorial Run. Frehiwot was a "sister" at Children's Heaven who took her own life this summer. Sixty-five of Frehiwot's "sisters" at Children's Heaven are running the 10K Great Ethiopian Run, a road race in Addis Ababa that attracts over thirty thousand runners. These girls are running in memory of Frehiwot, and as a way to raise some much-needed funds for Children's Heaven. These girls are overlooked. There is little help or hope for them in Ethiopia. Will you donate today?

A Castrophe is Looming

The Economist has more this week on the impending drought in east Africa. This one will most likely surpass the drought of 2000 and could be the worst since the great drought of 1991. This is not only bad because more people go hungry, but as the article points out it often heightens the level of violence between already warring factions. In addition, droughts have all kinds of unintended consequences. Did you know that 95% of Ethiopia's power is hydroelectric, which is water dependent? And, if the needed rains do come, then the region is plagued with mudslides and malaria and cholera increase.

It's a no-win situation. However, besides prayer, it appears part of the answer is helping these countries to build stockpiles of non-perishables and livestock in anticipation of these droughts which appear to emerge on a regular basis. Also, this is also why initiatives like those the Jonas family is undertaking are so important.

Another friend is going to Ethiopia in December with Ethiopian Orphan Relief to help build a well in a remote region.

You can check out the Economist article here.

P.S. - If you want to keep up with what's happening in Africa...and the rest of the world for that matter, I highly recommend investing in a subscription to The Economist.

A Picture of Little Boy B!!

Sorry, can't share any more. But isn't it cute and sweet? Those old adoption feelings have started bubbling up again. We can't wait to get to Ethiopia!

She Loves to Read + Home Study

Meelsie loves-loves-loves to read books!

Given how she likes to spread out, I wonder how her bedside table will look someday? (For a hint, you might want to look at her Dad's and Mom's bedside tables....)

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Our big, long homestudy visit is today! We needed just one--ONE!--decent photo of our whole family together. It was a monumental effort to get us all:

• in the house at the same time;
• awake at the same time (although it's pretty obvious Amelia is ready for bed);
• fully dressed at the same time;
• ...we gave up on getting everyone to smile at the same time!

Here are the results of our efforts...not aided, I'm sure, by the fact that our real camera is being repaired, so these are phone camera pics.

Aughghgh!! Given our difficulties in taking a simple family photo, can you believe "they're" going to let us adopt again?