Music Monday...again!

This is the One We Have Waited For

 

A refuge for the poor

A shelter from the storm

This is our God

And He will wipe away your tears

And return your wasted years

This is our God

A father to the orphan

A healer to the broken

This is our God

And He brings peace to our madness

And comfort in our sadness

This is our God

First, let me say I have been remiss at posting - 3 WEEKS since I've posted! Sorry :(

Onward...I love this song, I love the words...when I sing "this is the One we have waited for," I know that I AM waiting for Him. He fulfills the longings we have within us, whether we are poor, in the midst of a storm, if we are orphans, widow, in chaos, etc.

I just watched a video this weekend about a family who never intended on adopting...their son said he had prayed for a family...needless to say, God answered his prayers! How many kids are praying for families and waiting on us to be God's answer to a prayer? I look forward to chaos of being an answered prayer. I say "chaos" because I am not naive enough to believe it will be all smooth sailing, but life is full of waves and storms...we just have to trust Him to be our shelter.

Music Monday

Boys become kings, girls will be queens

Wrapped in Your majesty

When we love, when we love the least of these

Then they will be brave and free

Shout your name in victory

When we love, when we love the least of these

~Audio Adrenaline

I love this song! The first time I heard these lyrics I started crying. The thought of helping a couple boys from another country become kings (hmmmm...maybe helping girls become queens, if that's what God wants) is truly amazing. Alan and I really feel that adopting from another country is SAVING A LIFE; we won't be just giving kids a better life, but a chance at life. Some people will not understand this, I know. People have already politely suggested adopting from the US, or Montana. I have no problems with anyone adopting from the US, but for us, God has guided our heart internationally. We feel that if we get to "choose" our children, that we will follow His lead, and right now, Ethiopia is our starting point.

Just keep blogging, just keep blogging!

I really am trying to get the hang of this blogging thing. In general, I am pretty tech savvy, but I seem to be blog illiterate, which is frustrating (read: anyone who knows what they are doing can feel free to help me!). Anyhow, I did manage to create 3 new fundraising pages - it seems like that's all we are doing right now, focusing on how to raise $$$. So, you will notice 3 new pages on top - Jewelry, Sushi and Art. Also, for those of you who are so inclined, you can also give a tax-deductible donation to us by giving directly to Ethiopia Hope and tagging us (Alan & Chairsty Stewart) in the memo. 

The Waiting Game

Classes started on Wednesday and so inevitably, I'm helping students with logins, passwords and course registrations. This morning I had to contact a vendor (via chat) to help one of my students get logged into her course. Ugh...chatting...and waiting...

So, I head to the wonderful internet and put in all my info and start waiting in the queue - you know, the virtual waiting line. It says that I am number 3 in the queue and that the average wait is 8:22 - not great, but not bad for this time of year. So I wait, and wait, and wait...I have waiting much more than the anticipated 8:22, but somehow the average wait time has gone DOWN to 7:02. I don't know how this happens when I have been waiting, and waiting, and waiting. FINALLY, I get to chat with John and tell him all of my troubles...about 9 minutes into our chat we are spontaneously disconnected and I am re-queued!! Now, instead of actually chatting, I am FIFTH in line...fifth? I've been waiting here for a while again, my average wait time is 14:52, but of course I have waited longer. I am now third in line and I "should be connected to an agent in about 33 seconds." Hmmmm...

It makes me wonder - are there a couple kids who are waiting? A couple of boys who felt like they were in the queue...some boys who thought that their average wait time has passed? My waiting is so very inconsequential compared to our future children. I wish I could speed up the process, but I do not know how to do that.

People have been asking where we are in our process and all I can say is that we are fundraising. I feel like I should have a better answer, but at this point, that's what we do, wait and raise money. I pray for God's timing in this whole process, I pray that our children do not feel like they have been re-queued.

BTW - I have been waiting in my queue as I type this...my average wait is now 10:58. :)

Pure religion...

"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." James 1:27

This is just one verse that compels us to adopt. Adoption is obviously not for everyone, but it's for us...on Christmas I was wondering if it would be our last Christmas as just a couple; wondering if in 2013 we'd have a couple little ones to buy gifts for and bless. The truth is, our kids are already out there, alive...waiting for us to adopt them. I pray that God helps us through this journey - from paperwork and fundraising to choosing and praying for a couple boys we don't even know yet.

What Do We Know So Far?

So, in conversations with people - in-person and online - there are a string of questions, of course! Here are just a few of the most common questions:

• When will you get your baby?
• Do you know who you are adopting?
• Where are you adopting from?

First, let's just say this: WE AREN'T ADOPTING A BABY...yeah, if you know us, you probably know that, but just in case it wasn't clear - NO BABIES, sorry ;)

Now, our plan is to look for two boys, aged 5 to 7 years old...that's our plan...who knows what GOD'S plan is though? We might end up with one of each, older kids, etc...(pretty sure He is onboard with no babies though!).

Second, and maybe obvious at this point, no, we do not know who we are adopting, yet. We are in the very beginning stages of this whole thing. We still have a lot of fundraising to do and a lot of steps. We'll keep you informed of the progress.

Third...where...WELL, this is a BIG one for us...we are adopting from Ethiopia! I know, I know...people will ask why we don't adopt locally or within in the US, but we feel called to adopt out of the US, we just do. We feel that if we get to choose our child, we want to make an impact and since we have choices, we're going for it! We believe that by adopting from Ethiopia we will literally be saving a life...or two.

Looks like you got our Christmas card, and since you're here, it looks like you read it too :)

We are excited about this next phase of our life together, and just a little freaked out as well! It's been just the two of us for over 17 years and now we're getting ready to throw kids (yes, that is PLURAL) into the mix. We don't know how long it will take, but we have started our journey and we hope you will be around to support us.

Keep checking in for updates - Merry Christmas!!!