Top Ten [Ethiopia version]

Before I even start with the TOP TEN list, let me fill you in on what we considered to be the most significant part of our time in Ethiopia. Last Friday, we got into a van and drove [on the bumpiest roads I have ever experienced!] from Addis Ababa, the capital city, about 10 hours north to a small village called Wombera. This is the home of Ayehu, the birthmother of my dear siblings, Tem and Tessa. We walked down the muddy streets of this small village to a one room mud hut and spent an hour conversing with this incredible woman. Our lives intersected in a glorious clashing of two different worlds. But, we are now family. We spent close to 300 hours on this Ethiopia adventure, but our 1 hour in Wombera changed our lives.

"Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world." James 1:27 ESV

The rest of our time was spent doing a whole mix of things. Here's a glimpse:

10. Seeing wildlife that we have never seen before: Hippos and baboons. It was so awesome.

9. Our day in Bahir Dar: After meeting Ayehu, we stayed in this northern city on the shores of Lake Tana. Our time included: hanging out with Mahi, two ridiculous boat rides, hiking by the Nile River, and visiting a monastery.

8. Bethany Christian Services: We worked alongside BCS-Ethiopia and enjoyed spending time with some of the staff. Abel, one of my dear friends from my trip last year, took us to Mt. Entoto and had lunch with us a few days. We also met Senait, a dear friend that we hope to see again.

7. Eating injera. And drinking a lot of coffee. And, our favorite: mango juice.

6. Bungalow D: Our humble abode for our time in Addis Ababa. We have a new gratitude for showers with good water pressure, comfortable mattresses, and being able to flush toilet paper.

5. Funny signs: We saw signs for Baby Land Public School, the Hallelujah Pharmacy, Hanna Montana Baby Store, and a sticker declaring that "Jesus is the only way to Haven."

4. The Frankfurt Airport: We did not expect to spend so much time here. However, because of a volcanic ash cloud that cancelled our flight to Ethiopia, we stayed overnight in a German hotel and spent a full day in the airport. We actually had fun, met new friends like Riley and the four funny Canadians, and enjoyed a meal at McDonald's. ("annullie" = "cancelled")

3. Reading and sleeping: These are two things that we have neglected in the last year because of busyness. For two weeks we were living in Ethiopia without email, school, jobs, social events, etc. So, any free time was used to read and sleep. So wonderful.

2. Meeting some incredible adoptive families: Who knew you could get to know someone SO WELL in two days or less? We LOVE our new friends and cried tears of joy as we watched them interact with their new children.

1. Learning to trust God: We used our time in Ethiopia to encourage and support adoptive families, to love orphans and widows, and to attempt to teach English to kids in some orphanages.

On multiple occasions, we looked at each other and said, "just go with it." We had plans, but God didn't always abide by them. He did His own thing. And we are glad He did.

Made it to Frankfurt! Leaving for Chicago in a few hours....

HOME.....well, almost!!

We just received a scarce email from the girls (email is just beginning to catch on over there:)......and RIGHT NOW at this moment the girls should be on a plane beginning to fly back home!! Which also means they have a very long night (or is it day??) ahead of them. They should be in Frankfurt sometime in the middle of the night (for us) and then arrive in Chicago around 12:30 p.m. tomorrow. So pray......for lots of energy, for safety, for no major disasters in places like ethiopia or eritrea or germany like volcanoes to hinder them (i know, this sounds a little selfish - we could just pray for no disasters anywhere in the world), and for the jetlag and culture shock to be easy on them.

Also, please keep praying for Ayehu. Who knows what this visit has done to her emotionally? We hope it has given her a lot of peace, but it may have also opened some painful emotional wounds. I can't imagine how difficult it would be to give up your children, even if you know you are doing the best and right thing. Our hope is that she would receive the comfort of Jesus every day and know the peace that he can give.

This is posted by Connie again. Just in case you were wondering.

ADDIS ABABA.....TO SHENDI......AND BACK

Connie here and I am updating the girls' blog from UPBC, where I am attending prayer camp today and tomorrow. This morning Don VanRyn shared some verses from Psalm 46: ......though the waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging (erupting volcanoes).....BE STILL AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD. Shortly after that I received an email from the girls and am reminded that this trip isn't all about their plans. It is all about what God wants to do with them in HIS plan. Even if it meant getting there a day or so later.
They finally arrived in Addis Ababa around 3 a.m.Thursday to find Abel, our friend from our last trip to adopt Tem and Tessa, waiting for them with his huge smile and I can only imagine how wonderful it was to see a familiar face! He had been waiting since midnight!! He brought them to the guesthouse where they showered and rested and received their itinerary for the next week and a half.
Tomorrow they will be traveling all day to meet Ayehu (biological mom of Tem and Tessa). Tem and Tessa decided they wanted to give their mom a Bible (which we had purchased last year in Ethiopia) in Amharic with their pictures in it and they each wrote her a little note. Also, the girls made a book with pictures of the kids during this past year which they will leave with Ayehu. Please pray for all of them tomorrow, as this will be a very emotional day for all. Also, pray for Mahi,, their translator from Bethany, and the driver. It is our hope that Ayehu will know how great God's love is for her and will have peace about her dear little ones being placed in our family.
After returning to Addis Ababa on Sunday, the girls plan to work in an orphanage Monday through Friday for half of the day and the rest of each day will be spent helping adoptive families on their outings. They have brought suitcases full of shoes as well as other items to donate and will need wisdom in knowing where the greatest needs are and how to distribute these gifts.
Pray for continued strength and good health for the girls and that they will continue to be open to HIS agenda, rather than their own.
Thank you for your continued prayers and support for Julie, Kate, and Abby!!

FINALLY??!!

Just heard from Kate that they are on flight #598 to Addis Ababa. However, I have checked the status of this flight and they keep delaying it for some reason......we'll just trust that God will keep that volcano from erupting any more!! Pray for the girls to be encouraged and well rested when they arrive in Ethiopia.

- Connie

so here we are in Frankfurt

Our first flight from Chicago to Frankfurt was wonderful (including being able to check bags with donations for free and finding a free Starbucks drink certificate).

We're currently at a Ramada in Hofheim, Germany because all flights to Ethiopia were cancelled due to an ash cloud from a volcanic eruption in Eritrea. Lufthansa paid for our hotels and meals for the night and we're on stand-by for tomorrow.

Please pray that the ash could would miraculously disappear, that flights to Ethiopia could take place tomorrow, and that we'll all be able to get on the flight at 1:15 tomorrow afternoon (that would be 7:15 am Michigan time).

We're not discouraged, but we would love to get to Ethiopia tomorrow if possible. We've been especially thankful for exceptionally helpful Germans (at the ticket counter, at the passport booth, at the hotel, etc.).

We're confident that God is guiding and directing each step of our journey to Ethiopia. Please continue to pray that we'll be sensitive to His leading.

NEXT STOP......FRANKFURT......THEN ADDIS ABABA!!

this morning

We received confirmation this morning that someone from the Bethany Christian Services office will be picking us up at the airport on Tuesday evening. Thanks for praying!

We're so excited and expectant of great things that God is going to do and show us in the next 2 weeks.

And we're off

Thanks for your prayers and support. We made it safely to Chicago this evening. We'll head to O'hare in the late morning and our flight leaves for Frankfurt, Germany at 3:40 p.m. After, we have a nearly 8 hour layover in Germany, we'll leave for Ethiopia. We're scheduled to land in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia at 9 p.m. on Tuesday (2 p.m. MI time). Please pray for...

safe and smooth travels

ease in checking in bags

someone to meet us at the airport when we arrive in Ethiopia (we've contacted them, but haven't received confirmation yet)

for the Holy Spirit to go before us and for us to be sensitive to His leading

We're not sure how much internet we'll have in Ethiopia, but we hope to post to the blog as we're able.

Kate, Abby, and Julie

What will it be like to meet the woman who gave birth to these two?

Two Weeks.

It's true. Can you believe it?

I'm not really quite sure where the time went. In the next two weeks, Julie and I will be finishing up the school year, wrapping up last minute things like report cards and end-of-the-year celebrations. Abby will be continuing to plan a July wedding, putting some of the finishing touches on the exciting day.

And, then, we'll set all that aside to drive to Chicago on a Sunday evening. After a night of sleep (or maybe trying to sleep), we'll head to O'Hare and set off on the journey of a lifetime.

I have been realizing lately that I do not feel prepared. At all. I am not packed. I just got my last vaccination today, but still have prescriptions to fill. We have 160 pairs of shoes sitting at our house, waiting to go in suitcases. I am not mentally prepared. I am not emotionally prepared to meet the birthmother of my siblings who is living as a victor over AIDS every single day. And, mostly, I have not been feeling spiritually prepared. I have been so overwhelmed with busyness and have neglected time with Jesus much more than I want to. But, God has reminded me once again that

IT IS NOT ABOUT ME. IT'S ABOUT HIM.

[and its HIS grace that will sustain us on this adventure, not my own preparation, or lack thereof]

-Kate

making Jesus famous

Over the past year or so I've been thinking especially about what it means to live a life of complete surrender to the Lord. I usually like to do what I can to take care of things, to not have to wait on other people, to not have to depend on someone else coming through to get things done. And sometimes that's ok. But other times, it is deeply rooted in pride, and it gets in the way of me seeing God do miraculous things (like I say I want to see Him do).

Mostly through "accident"-not of my own choosing, I've found myself in an increasing amount of situations where I have the:

"I cannot do this on my own.

If God does not show up in this,

this is going to be a complete and utter disaster" thought.

I was sharing about this with a friend earlier this year and my friend said something like, "Julie, isn't that where you always be?!: involved in things where God is so much at the center that we cannot convince ourselves WE were the ones bringing change or doing good. If God is calling you some place, He is going to equip you and He wants you to depend on Him to come through."

And then, how frequently God will echo things He's trying to teach me in lots of different ways, He has continued to remind me about how He wants me to let Him take care of things...

(2) In Jesus Calling by Sarah Young--(if you don't know this book, I'd highly recommend it...it has daily words written based on Truth in scripture, prompted by the Holy Spirit, and grounded in God's character)--there are all these things that keep challenging me:

*"Do not fear your limitations or measure the day's demands to your strength. What I require of you is to stay connected to Me, living in trusting dependence on My limitless resources."

*"Although self-sufficiency is acclaimed in the world, reliance on Me produces abundant living in My kingdom."

*"Living in dependence on Me is the way to enjoy abundant life."

*"The truth is that self-sufficency is a myth perpetuated by pride and temporary success. Health and wealth can disappear instantly, as can life itself. Rejoice in your insufficiency, knowing that My power is made perfect in weakness."

...the list goes on and on.

(2) Our roommate is a 4th grade teacher. One of her students wrote her a note saying that her family is in the process of adopting from Ethiopia. The note said, "We don't really know how we are going to do it (we need God's help). So we are also doing it to make Jesus famous because we can't do it without him." She gets it. I don't need to be wondering what I can do on my own strength. I need to be asking what God is prompting and then go confidently trusting that He will provide and work through me.

God has been confirming (through conversations, through donations, through people we're meeting who are connected with Ethiopia, through things we're reading, through support of our friends and families, through Scripture) that this isn't some crazy plan that we made up ourselves. It is prompted by Him, and He isn't going to hold out on coming through with what we need.

So...

us.

Ethiopia.

plans.

travel.

logistics.

energy.

time.

preparations.

in all of these things, God has been reminding me that He has got it under control.

We need to faithful in praying about our plans, intentional with our resources, etc....but, it isn't about us.

Ephesians 3:20-21

Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all we ask or think, according to the power that is at work in us, to Him be the glory.

~Julie

We have officially raised over $9,000. We have a massive bag of brand new shoes waiting to be stuffed in a suitcase and flown to Ethiopia with us to give to the orphanage. We are in the process of making sure we have all the vaccines we need. We know where we are staying, and, generally, what we will be doing.

Yet I feel no where close to prepared for Ethiopia. We leave in 44 days, and it hasn't really hit me yet that we're really going. We're going to Africa, meeting Ayehu, helping wherever we can, and, most likely, we will be seeing things we weren't prepared for, things that will shock us and sadden us.

So, while it seems most of our plans are set, please continue to pray for preparation... Pray that God's plans will triumph over ours. Pray that we will not overwhelmed, but that we will be able to see both the beauty and the ugliness of Africa with hope and not despair. We are so thankful for all of you and for the support we've felt from so many of our friends and family.

I'll leave you with a quote from Shauna Niequist in Cold Tangerines, about her trip to Africa:

"I had to clear away space in my mind and my heart, spaces previously occupied by easy things-- groceries to buy, albums to download, people to call-- and replace them with the weight of Africa, a heavy, dark thing to carry with me, something under which to labor, something under which to tremble. Because once you see it, you will never be able to un-see it, and once you see it, you will be responsible for it, and for the self it reveals back to you."

Abby

Great news! I received a printout of our financial support when I was at church the other night. Our goal was between $7,500 and $9,000 for the three of us. Our current total: $8,572! Any money that we have left over will be given straight to Yezelalem Minch, the ministry/orphanage that we will be primarily working with. It would be great to serve with them for a few weeks and then give them a sizable donation to continue the work after we leave. So, feel free to continue to give if God calls you to :) This Ethiopia trip has been God taking hold of our hands, leading us

o n e.

s t e p.

a t.

a.

t i m e.

And, this is one more way that he is confirming this trip. So, to all of you who have supported us financially or have been praying along with us, THANK YOU. It is an incredible thing to be a part of God's family and it is a total privilege to step into the work He is doing.

"Yet the Lord LONGS to be GRACIOUS to you. He RISES to show you COMPASSION. For the Lord is the God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!" [Isaiah 30:18]

passions

I think there are lots of different ways that you can tell someone is passionate about something. For me, I feel like there are usually two defining responses to things I am passionate about:

(1) I can talk on and on about them endlessly.

(2) I am easily moved when hearing or thinking about them, often to the point of tears or, at the very least, a lump in my throat.

Adoption and orphans are things that evoke those responses in me. I think that is true about all three of us. God began stirring in us about going to Ethiopia this summer long before we actually had any realistic framework of what it might look like. It will be sweet to see ways that God continues to unfold His plans for our time there. The idea that we get to be part of something like this is overwhelming, humbling, and incredibly exciting.

Part of why I love love love adoption so much is because it is this beautiful, tangible picture of God's love for us.

Ephesians 1:3-8

³ Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. ⁴ For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love ⁵ he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— ⁶ to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. ⁷ In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace ⁸ that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.

In a world where things can seem so broken sometimes, I LOVE how smack-you-in the-face redemptive adoption is. God didn't just figure out some way for us to be saved from our sins; He went way beyond that. Through Jesus Christ's death and resurrection, I have the opportunity to be God's daughter.

I think that God has a heart for adoption, to see the lonely set in families (Psalm 68:6). I feel super honored that I get to be part of serving in a capacity that has to do with orphan-care. And, I know that can look like a million different things, but for us, this summer, it looks like going to Ethiopia.

On another note, we have been completely blown away by the generosity and support that people have given us since we sent our letters a few weeks ago and started sharing more intentionally about ways that God has been moving in our hearts about going to meet Ayehu and serving in Ethiopia this summer. Thanks to so many of you who have said such heartfelt and encouraging things, who have already begun faithfully praying for us, and who have given to help meet financial needs. This truly is not something that we could do on our own. Thanks for being part of the community that is supporting something much bigger than three girls getting on a plane and going to Ethiopia in a few months.

Part because I love reading books about adoption and part because I want my mind to (in whatever capacity it can) be prepared for June, I've been reading some different great books about adoption, God's heart for orphans, and Ethiopia. One book is Reckless Faith by Beth Guckenberger. I'll leave you with one section I found especially encouraging and challenging. In part, she talks about what it might look like to listen to the Holy Spirit and heed his direction. She says, "Sometimes that might look like stillness when we want activity. Sometimes that means avoiding activities that produce stress and self-importance. Still, sometimes that means working when you're tired, listening when you have other plans, or giving when you'd rather not. It means understanding that on your own, you cannot help or listen or serve or share or work or accomplish anything of value if it's not done with God's strength. His is the strength that endures the unendurable and spills over into joy."

~Julie

The Spirit of God, the Master, is on me because God has anointed me. He sent me to preach good news to the poor, heal the heartbroken, announce freedom to all captives, pardon all prisoners. God sent me to announce the year of his grace-- a celebration of God's destruction of our enemies-- and to comfort all who mourn, to care for the needs of all who mourn in Zion, give them bouquets of roses instead of ashes, messages of joy instead of news of doom, a praising heart instead of a languid spirit. Isaiah 61:1-3 (The Message)

In a little less than 3 months, Kate, Julie and I will be on our way to Ethiopia.

It was just over a year ago that Tem and Tessa came home, and almost immediately we started dreaming of some way that we could go back and meet Ayehu, to encourage her and support her, and to somehow, in a small way, tell her thank you for the sacrifice she made for her children. "Someday," I thought...

God is good. What started as a crazy idea in our heads is now unfolding before us. I am so incredibly thankful for the opportunity to go, and I know that this is HIS PLAN, and not ours.

"You are young enough to believe that anything is possible, and you are old enough to make that belief a reality." -Shauna Niequist

Our plane tickets have been purchased and we are excited about figuring out more details of our trip. We have been in contact with the Bethany Christian Services office in Addis Ababa and they are helping to coordinate where we will be serving while we are in Ethiopia. So far, it looks like we have opportunities to help with both teaching English to children in the nearby orphanages, as well as to help the nurse with medical assessments. We are so excited, and we know that God is going before us and preparing work for us to do.

Lastly, we want to say a huge THANK YOU to everyone who has financially supported us so far. We have been overwhelmed by the willingness of so many of our friends and family to give, and feel honored that so many of you are excited to be a part of what God is doing. We are in awe of the way that God is providing a way for us, and we trust that he will continue to do so.

Please continue to pray for us as we prepare for this... We know that this is so much bigger than the three of us, and we are so thankful for so many who are coming alongside us in this adventure. We couldn't do it without you!

Abby

Lyrics to "Our God Reigns" by Delirious?

40 million babies lost to Gods great orphanage,
It’s a modern day genocide and a modern day disgrace
If this is a human right then why aren’t we free?
The only freedom we have is in a man nailed to a tree.

100 million faces, staring at the sky,
Wondering if this HIV will ever pass us by.
The devil stole the rain and hope trickles down the plug,
But still my Chinese take away could pay for someone’s drugs.

Our God reigns, Our God reigns,
Forever your kingdom reigns.

The west has found a gun and it’s loaded with ‘unsure’
Nip and tuck if you have the bucks in a race to find a cure.
Psalm one hundred and thirty nine is the conscience to our selfish crime,
God didn’t screw up when he made you,
He’s a father who loves to parade you.

Yes he reigns, yes you reign, yes you reign,
For there is only one true God,
But we’ve lost the reins on this world,
Forgive us all, forgive us please,
As we fight for this broken world on our knees

After a few long weeks of addressing envelopes, buying lots and lots of stamps, and putting some last minute touches on our support letter, we have sent out most of them. So, pretty soon you should be receiving a piece of mail that is not a bill or credit card offer.

If you want to see the letter online, click on the link on the side of the blog -->
We feel like we are on the edge of an big, overwhelming adventure. But, isn't that what following Jesus is about every single day? I have so much to learn and so much room to grow...
-Kate

Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world. James 1:27 (ESV)