He Will Equip Us

Great News!!!!! Praise God

2009-08-27T21:04:00.004-04:00

Yesterday, August 26, 2009 we received a referral for TWO children. Yeah!!!!!!!! So, apparently it WAS God's plan all along for us to adopt two. Even if it took longer than I would have liked and even when I started to doubt if we were in step with God. The waiting is the hardest part.

Our referral was for an 11 mo. old girl and a 2 yr. old boy. They are precious and we accepted the referral today. We are on cloud nine.

Courts are closed right now so we won't be given a court date until they reopen in October. We are praying that we will get a quick court date and be able to travel to bring them home by late October or early November. But, it could be further out than that. Again we wait.

We are unable to post photos of the children until we pass court and they are officially ours. But take our word, they are TOO CUTE.

God has orchestrated everything perfectly as usual.

Please pray for us as we gather the remaining funds needed to pay the agency/country fees, the humanitarian aid money and any travel expenses.

Our babies will be home soon!

God is SOOOOO good.

4th Annual Adoption Seminar & Expo

2009-08-11T19:29:00.003-04:00

As many of you know, Mike and I run an Adoption & Orphan Care Minstry through our church called God's Visible Love. We will be hosting our 4th Annual Adoption Seminar & Expo on Saturday, September 26th from 8am - 4pm at Providence Baptist Church on Glenwood Ave. There will be general sessions where adoptive families will share their testimonies and breakout sessions covering an array of topics (domestic infant adoption, foreign adoption, adopting from foster care, etc.) The cost is $5 per person and covers breakfast, lunch and materials. We will also have many local adoption agencies on hand at the expo to share information and answer questions.

On-line registration will be available on September 1st at www.pray.org .

Please feel free to share this information with anyone who may be interested.

We hope you can make it.

As a pre and post curser to this, the Southern Baptist Convention has recently passed this resolution:

WHEREAS, in the gospel we have received the “Spirit of adoption” whereby we are no longer spiritual orphans but are now beloved children of God and joint heirs with Christ
(John 14:18; Rom. 8:12-25; Gal. 3:27-4:9; Eph. 1:5); and

WHEREAS, the God we now know as our Father reveals himself as a “father of the fatherless” (Ps. 68:5) who grants mercy to orphans (Deut. 10:18; Hos. 14:3); and

WHEREAS, our Lord Jesus welcomes the little ones (Luke 18:15-17), pleads for the lives of the innocent (Ps. 72:12-14), and shows us that we will be held accountable for our response to “the least of these my brethren” (Matt. 25:40); and

WHEREAS, the Scripture defines “pure and undefiled religion” as “to visit orphans and widows in their trouble” (Jas. 1:27); and

WHEREAS, the satanic powers have warred against infants and children from Pharaoh to Moloch to Herod and, now, through the horrors of a divorce culture, an abortion industry, and the global plagues of disease, starvation, and warfare; and

WHEREAS, Southern Baptists have articulated an unequivocal commitment to the sanctity of all human life, born and unborn; and

WHEREAS, a denomination of churches defined by the Great Commission must be concerned for the evangelism of children—including those who have no parents; and

WHEREAS, upward of 150 million orphans now languish without families in orphanages, group homes, and placement systems in North America and around the world; and

WHEREAS, our Father loves all of these children, and a great multitude of them will never otherwise hear the gospel of Jesus Christ; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, that the messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention meeting in Louisville, Kentucky, June 23-24, 2009, express our commitment as a denomination of churches to join our Father in seeking mercy for orphans; and be it further

RESOLVED, that we call on each Southern Baptist family to pray for guidance as to whether God is calling them to adopt or foster a child or children; and be it further

RESOLVED, that we encourage our pastors and church leaders to preach and teach on God’s concern for orphans; and be it further

RESOLVED, that we commend churches and ministries that are equipping families to provide financial and other resources to those called to adopt, through grants, matching funds, or loans; and be it further

RESOLVED, that we ask our International Mission Board and North American Mission Board to prioritize the evangelism of and ministry to orphans around the world, and to seek out ways to energize Southern Baptists behind this mission; and be it further

RESOLVED, that we encourage Southern Baptist churches to join with other evangelical Christians in recognizing November 8, 2009, as “Orphan Sunday,” focusing that day on our adoption in Christ and our common burden for the orphans of the world; and be it further

RESOLVED, that we hope what God is doing in creating an adoption culture in so many churches and families can point us to a gospel oneness that is defined not by “the flesh” racial, economic, or cultural sameness but by the Spirit unity and peace in Christ Jesus; and be it finally

RESOLVED, that we pray for an outpouring of God’s Spirit on Southern Baptist congregations so that our churches increasingly will announce and picture, in word and in deed, that “Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world.”

Remembering Our Daughters Adoption

2009-07-24T21:06:00.006-04:00

I thought I would take some time to reminisce about our daughter's adoption.

THE DECISION

It was 2004. Mike and I had been married a little over 2 years. I was desperate to be a mom. I knew my whole life that this is what God had called me to do. I was going on 38 years old and not a pregnancy in site. Oddly enough, when Mike and I were dating we talked about having a couple of biological children and then adopting also. Little did we know during that conversation that God had planned for us to build our family through adoption all along.

In March of 2004 Mike and I traveled out to California to visit his sister. Before we left, I asked Mike if I could take some time to talk with him about adoption while in the airport and on the plane. I am notorious for jumping on him with an important topic at the wrong time. So, I prepared him for what I wanted to talk about. By the end of the trip we were both in agreement to move forward with the adoption.

Immediately upon arriving home, I started the investigation of agency and countries. By the end of April we had decided on Russia and Frank Adoption Agency which happened to be located here in Raleigh. I spent the next four months getting us "paperwork ready". We officially went on the wait list towards the end of July. Within two weeks of going on the wait list, we got a referral for a baby boy. I can not explain it as God was in control, but we did not accept that referral. A month later we received another referral for another little boy. Again, this did not feel right. We almost decided to postpone the adoption process but we went to the agency and changed our request from with a boy or a girl to just a baby girl. We expected the wait to take much long. Two months later, we got Em's referral.

TRIP ONE

Emily's referral came at the end of October. We accepted it and two weeks later we were on a plane to Russia to meet our baby girl. We flew in to Moscow and took a van on a two hour ride north to Tver. Emily's orphanage was another two hours north of Tver in a tiny town called Kaishin. We had two other single ladies traveling with us who happened to be adopting at the same time. One of the ladies was from Cary, NC and her daughter was in the same orphanage as ours. The first trip was short. Five days. Just long enough for us to meet and spend a little time with Emily. Of course that was not her name at the time. Her Russian name was Yevgenia. While driving to Tver, our van was pulled over by some police at a roadside stop. Our van driver (Losha (sp?)didn't speak a word of English but VERY nice) had dark features and the Russian police were pulling drivers over who may look like they were from the Chechnya region where all the unrest was going on. It was a bit scary as all the police were armed with automatic rifles and did not speak English and none of us on the van spoke Russian. After an hour delay, we were back on our way.

Upon arriving at the orphanage, we all piled out of the van. The orphanage was painted a pastel lime green color and looked pretty against the white snow, even if it was run down. Most of the buildings in Russia are very old. It was a tiny orphanage with only about 50 children. We entered the building and went up the uneven stairs to the orphanage directors office. They don't have OSHA in Russia so we were constantly tripping over door thresholds and uneven stair steps. At one point I had to use the restroom. All the plumbing is very old and the pipes are exposed. It is amazing that it still works. Everything screams history. You can see it in the buildings, plumbing, roads, the churches and the elderly peoples faces. Russia's history is still very prevalent.

We spent about two hours holding and playing with Em. At one point we placed her on the carpet to see if she could sit up or crawl and we were instructed that that was not allowed. The orphanage workers are very nice but very careful to not let the children get sick, if they can help it. When one gets sick, they all get sick. I am sure their jobs are hard enough without all the kids having colds. Russians tend to think that sickness or colds are caught from drafts (not germs or viruses). Because of this, they keep the buildings VERY VERY warm. They are heated with oil and we sweated to death the entire time we were there. Freezing outside and a sauna inside.

One the ride back to Tver, our coordinator (Tatiana) handed us a book and asked us to write down her full name. First, middle and last as she needed this information for the adoption documents. Now, let me just say that I had spent the previous six months flipping through a book of 50,000 names and narrowing down my list to about 20 names. I kept on Mike for us to decide on a name so we could start talking about her by name. I just happened to take the list of 20 with me. The night before we went to meet Emily for the first time, I pulled out the list and said "okay, we are here in Russia now lets pick a name". Still no commitment. When our coordinator asked us for her name, you could have seen daggers shoot from my eyes at Mike. ;-) That night he wanted to go look up names on the Internet. I said "NO!! I spent the last six months looking at names and trying to get you to do the same. Now, you can choose from my list." Is this a guy thing??? Not funny at the time but hilarious now. I chose her first name and Mike chose her middle name which ended up being her birth mothers name. How cool is that! In the end, it suits her perfectly.

TRIP TWO

The first trip to Russia was cold but tolerable and no snow. Our second trip, which was just two weeks later, was MUCH colder and snow drifts as much a 4-6 feet deep. We left the US on Friday, arrived in Moscow on Saturday, stayed two nights in Moscow at the Marriott Grande and on Monday went to court, in Tver, to finalize the adoption. We spent Monday and Tuesday running around doing paperwork for Visa's and passports for the kids. On Wednesday we left for Kaishin to pick up the babies. It was like a blizzard driving from Tver to Kaishin and we insisted on being okay with postponing the trip to the next day. But, the Russians drive in that kind of weather all the time and didn't think a thing about it. The snow drifts were so deep that they cover up roads and drive ways. People would use TALL wooden stakes with greenery attached to the tops to mark their driveways in the snow. We got to the orphanage and found a small group of little children playing out in the snow. They were TOO cute. I wanted to take one of them home with us along with Emily. We went up to the orphanage directors office and they brought the kids in to us. We dressed her in the clothes we brought for her and then shared some tea and desserts with the ladies of the orphanage. After bundling Em in her snow suit we brought, we got in the van for the long driver back to Tver with two babies and no car seats or seat belts. We stayed one night in Tver with the babies and then left Thursday for Moscow. Thursday, by the way, was Thanksgiving. We spent hours in the van as we got caught up in Moscow's rush hour traffic that evening. After finally arriving at the hotel, we were exhausted and had missed the hotel's traditional US Thanksgiving meal. So, we ordered room service for Thanksgiving. I had spaghetti carbonara and wanted dessert but Mike wouldn't let me because it was so expensive. He wouldn't even let me order a dessert on Thanksgiving. I will never let him live that down. ;-)

The next day, Friday, the kids had to have physicals and then we had our exit interview at the US Embassy. There must have been 50 families all crammed into this tiny room waiting for their name to be called. That night, we all went out to dinner to the TGI Friday's that was right down from the hotel. After several days eating nothing but Russian food in Tver, a familiar restaurant with familiar food was a welcome sight. The next morning, Saturday, we boarded a plane and headed back to the US.

THE FLIGHT HOME

The entire time we were in Russia, I never got emotional or shed a tear. It was all about the business of getting things done to bring our baby home. But now, on the plane, leaving Russian soil, it was all done. Em was ours and we were going home. There were at least 20 other kids on that flight. All just adopted. Many of the older children were terrified as they had never been out of the orphanage before, let alone on an airplane. Tears just started to stream down my face uncontrollably. I was overwhelmed with all the emotions I had encountered over the last several weeks but denied myself from feeling. Excitement, fear, nervousness, joy, love. The gates opened and all this rushed in. Em was the best baby on the plane. She did not cry once. When we landed in NY, Mike took mine and Em's picture stepping off the plane because that is the moment that Em became a US citizen. After a 4 hour layover at JFK, we boarded a much smaller plane for the flight back to Raleigh. With all that had occur ed and time changes, we had been up for over 24 hours. We were beyond exhausted and running on fumes. All we wanted to do was crawl in our beds and sleep. When we arrived at RDU we had some family and friends waiting to greet us with signs, gifts and balloons. It was great.

We spent the next two days staying home and sleeping. Then, I was off from work for 12 weeks to spend with Em getting all her doctors visits, getting her on a schedule and bonding with her. Not to mention it was Christmas time and we had to decorate and shop.

We had a Welcome Home Baby Emily party in February and had all our friends over to meet Em for the first time.

Summer Time Fun

2009-07-14T21:02:00.009-04:00

Emily's Preschool Graduation

Birthday fun at the Mestas.

The grand-kids visiting Gammy & Gampy. Emily, Josh & Kate

Josh's 3 year birthday cake

Ballet recital with best friend Emma.

Learning to ride bikes at Falls Lake Dam.

The butterfly garden at the NC Museum of Life and Science.

Still waiting but definitely not idle

2009-07-13T20:50:00.003-04:00

So, we are still awaiting a referral for our children. Every month I dial into the Gladney conference call to get the country program update. We have been on the wait list for 10 months now. I am desperate to see and hold our children. I have an emptiness in my heart that can only be filled by them. The Ethiopian courts will close for the rainy season in August and September. That means no cases will be processed during that time and when court opens back up there will be a back log of families waiting to be processed. I am still hopeful that we will get our referral this Summer and travel this Fall to bring them home. However, as time passes, it is becoming more and more realistic to think they may not come home until after the first of the year.

This is a whole new experience for us. Our first two children's referrals came to us rather quickly and both adoptions were completed in under a year. This long drawn out wait is so hard. God is testing us. He is testing our patience and obediance. I am not very good with the patience thing but leave it to God to use our weaknesses to refine us. We pray nightly at the dinner table for their safety and health and mostly that they will know they are loved and wanted. My heart aches for them.

We have definitely been kept busy with our two littles at home. After 4 months, Josh is finally potty trained. Yeah!!! Em graduated pre-school and has now started an Early Start Kindergarten program to get her ready for Kindergarten that starts in late August. She LOVES kindergarten!

Please keep us in your prayers as the waiting is the hardest part.

A Perfect Snowy Day

2009-01-20T21:57:00.003-05:00

Our kids had not seen snow since either one was brought home from Russia. (2004 and 2007)

They had a blast. Cinnamon rolls, hot chocolate and bacon for breakfast. Out to play in the snow. Back in to warm up with more hot chocolate and some tomato soup for lunch. Then naps, back out to play some more, in for dinner, a nice warm bath and early bedtime.

Aaahhhh! Bedtime! ;-)

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

What We've Been Up To...

2009-01-10T14:08:00.003-05:00

October, November and December proved to be just as busy for us as they have always been. After wrapping up a successful Adoption Seminar & Expo at the end of September, I took a much need break to enjoy my favorite time of year.

October was filled with visits to the local pumpkin farms, a visit from my sister and new neice, a vacation in the mountains, Mike's birthday and of course Halloween.

November was busy with Emily's birthday Tea Party, our anniversary, my birthday, a visit from my parents, pictures with Santa, Thanksgiving, decorating the house and a fun neighborhood event with Santa, hot chocolate, cookies and hayrides.

December I did lots of baking and cooking, shopping, Christmas parties, getting together with long lost friends, my parents coming for a visit, Jesus' birthday, Emily's actual birthday, New Year's and house cleaning.

I just LOVE the holiday's. Did I mention I had two weeks off???

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

3rd Annual Adoption Seminar & Expo

2008-09-15T14:06:00.002-04:00

For two months now, we have been planning for our 3rd annual seminar. It is now fast upon us, scheduled for Saturday September 27th from 8am - 4pm. Registration is now open at www.pray.org . A continental breakfast and lunch will be provided which is why we need people to register. The event will offer general sessions with personal testimonies, breakout sessions on a multitude of topics and an expo area with many adoption agencies and support organizations. This event is open to the public so please if you know someone considering adoption, refer them to this seminar.

Please pray that our event would glorify God and help to educate, equip and encourage those who attend.

And Now We Wait!

2008-08-30T08:16:00.003-04:00

Yesterday, I walked to the mailed box opened the door and there laying on top of all the mail was our Immigration Approval. My eyes filled up with tears. This is the last and most important document that allows our children to come home to us. We've been waiting on this for 3 months and now we have it.

We can officially go on the wait list now.

As I mentioned in my previous post, we have been told that the average time on the wait list is 3-5 months. Having our children home seems so much closer than ever before.

I will probably spend this time investigating the possibility of using our frequent flyers or credit card points to cut down on travel cost.

Also, need to start thinking about who will care for the kids while we are gone. I want them to be able to stay in their own home and beds. I think it will cut down on the stress and anxiety for them. Someone mentioned to me about having a progressive sleepover where friends come for 2-3 nights at a time to stay with the kids. I'm going to make sure they are lined up to go to school every day during the week. This is the one area that I am most uneasy about. Please pray that we will find a good solution.

The room for the boys is ready with bunkbeds. We just need to paint the nursery and get the crib set up.

The next few months will be busy with the planning and putting on of our 3rd Annual Adoption Seminar & Expo, vacation in October (we can't wait!) and all the birthdays, anniversary and holidays through the end of the year.

Things are getting ready to kick into high gear in the George household.

Paperwork Pregnancy Done! (for now)

2008-08-11T13:44:00.003-04:00

Well, we finally completed all of our application and dossier paperwork for our adoption. Two weeks ago, we received our official Gladney approval and today we mailed off our completed dossier. Yeah!!!!!! The last piece of the puzzle is to get our immigration approval which we hope to have in the next 3-4 weeks. Then, we go on the wait list. We've been told that the average time on the wait list is 3-5 months. We could have a referral as early as December and be traveling 1-2 months later. Of course, we are talking about international adoption so who knows. It could be sooner or later than that. For some reason I have had one or two inklings that this may happen fast. That may just be wishful thinking but I'm covering our bases, just in case.

Wow! By Spring time, our new children could be home with us. We are so thrilled we can not even put it into words.

Please pray for us. Once we get our referral that is when the last and largest chunk of money is due (excluding travel expenses)for the adoption. God has been and will be faithful to us.

Praise Him, praise Him, praise Him!!!

Pajama Drive for ACC pictures are here!

2008-07-21T11:29:00.005-04:00

Here are the photos from when we delivered the pajamas to the Africa Children's Choir. Two of our pastors from church joined us as well as their wives and my friend who introduced us to Mirembe. You'll see us serving dinner to everyone, the pajamas being passed out, taking the pastors on a tour and the kids performing during their worship and praise time in their new PJ's.

The kids were THRILLED to get new PJ's. Thanks to all who gave so generously.

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

143,000,000 (Million!) Orphans in the World

2008-07-08T14:45:00.004-04:00

Wow! That sounds like A LOT! But, can we really comprehend what 143 million orphans looks like? I know it's a lot but I can't get my mind around that number. Or at least I could not until I saw this short 4 minute video.

Please watch.

I just can't even stand it. I feel like my heart is going to burst for these children! In the words of Kay Warren .... I have become seriously disturbed and gloriously ruined. I will NEVER stop trying to help these children. And, I will never feel like I am doing enough.

Oh God! Please help us to do more!

Reflecting on God's Grace

2008-07-05T18:23:00.009-04:00

As the last month or so has passed us by, I sit back and wonder at God's grace and mercy.

We've spent the last few weeks searching for a new place for my parents to downsize to, putting their house on the market and selling almost everything they own via Craigslist. God provided the perfect 1 bedroom first floor apartment in the perfect cozy little complex that NEVER has 1 bedroom first floor apartments available. He provided that every last large piece of furniture be sold which in turn provide for some extra "move-in" cash for them. The house is listed with a reputable agency and has already had it's first showing within the first week and was in the prospective buyers top two picks.

Over the past few weeks, we have also been in the middle of a pajama drive for the children of the African Children's Choir. Everyone so graciously donated and we had almost enough PJ's for each child to get two pairs. On June 28th, we took the PJ's, dinner, bubbles and some arts and craft supplies out to the kids. We were also blessed enough to have two of our pastors from church, and their wives, join us. I hope to post pictures of the kids in their new PJ's very soon.

We are also in the midst of kicking off the planning for our Annual Adoption Seminar & Expo to be held September 27th.

And, on top of all of this, we just completed ALL our paperwork for the adoption. We should have agency approval within a week and immigration approval in August. YEAH! Adoption is very much like being pregnant. The paperwork phase is like the 9 months of carrying the child, the referral is like seeing the ultrasound of our child and the first time we actually see them and hold them is like their birthday into our family. Completing the paperwork is a HUGE milestone in the process. Even if it is our third and fourth child it is just as exciting as the first just without all the unknowns.

We have recently learned that some friends of ours who use to attend Providence and helped to start the Adoption & Orphan Care Ministry with us, have recently felt called to adopt from Ethiopia. They too are adopting two children. My heart overflowed with joy and my eyes welled up with tears when they told me.

You see, adopting from Africa is not some trendy thing to do. It's not following in the footsteps of Angelina Jolie or Madonna. It's a true tug at your heart strings for the African people. A true calling to want to be a mother and a father to one of these orphaned children. It does not matter, the color of their skin. Why would these precious children deserve any less to have a mother and a father or OUR love simply because of the color of their skin? Why should we not listen to God's calling (or our heart) to grow our family simply because of the distaste someone else may have for an inter-racial family? It breaks my heart to know that people think and feel this way. I know that what I have heard so far is only the tip of the iceberg and we will experience this much more once we actually become an inter-racial family. Most people's comments are not said out of harm or racism but simply out of a lack of understanding.

I read part of an article called "One Race" on the website http://www.answersingenesis.org/ . The article talks about how we are all ONE race. We are all decendents of Adam and Even and then Noah and his wife. Throughout this time, there was one language and skin color or shades of that color (medium brown), until the Tower of Babel. Then, man was scattered around the earth with different languages imposed upon them when God became angry with mans disobedience in building the Tower of Babel. From that point forward, mans geographic region helped to determine the amount of melanin their skin produced.

Regardless of all this, we are all sons and daughters of God. We were all created in His image. Noone has greater superiority or worth because of the color of their skin. God made us all equal. It is by His love and His grace alone that we may enter the kingdom of Heaven and Heaven will be a rainbow of skin colors. I hope that my family, both by our hearts and skin colors, will be a reflection of Heaven to others.

An Amazing Weekend!

2008-05-27T21:32:00.003-04:00

We had the most amazing weekend!

You may have heard of the African Children's Choir. They have performed on American Idol, The Ellen Degeneres Show, for the Queen of England, and other notable venues. They are a group of 26 children (mostly orphans) who tour the US and world performing to raise awareness and money to help care for and educate the orphans back in Uganda.

The African Children's Choir now calls the Triangle home. King's Park International Church purchased about 6 acres and a house out on Jordan Lake for the children to use as their home base when they are not touring. The house is called "Mirembe" which means "peace" in their native language of Uganda.

The newest group of children just arrived this past Thursday. Friday night, we took dinner out to the kids. The children are so loving. They ran up to us when we arrived and showered us with hugs calling us Auntie and Uncle. We were able to play, talk, laugh and eat with them. We also had the privilege to stay late and worship and pray with them, after they were in their pajamas. It was the MOST amazing time. I felt so close to God and to our unknown children we are adopting from Ethiopia. It was difficult to hold back the tears of joy and love.

Again, on Saturday we went back out for dinner and a welcome party with a much larger group of people.

It was apparent on Friday that the children need an new pajama wardrobe. So, our ministry is having a pajama drive for the children. PJ's for Mirembe! There are approximately 14 girls and 14 boys sizes 7-10. If you would like to purchase some new pajamas (no gowns please) to donate, contact me for drop off.

For more information about the African Childrens Choir or Mirembe House, check out their website at www.africanchildrenschoir.com or www.friendsofmirembe.org

From the Mouths of Babes

2008-05-16T23:05:00.004-04:00

So, this morning my 4 year old daughter comes into our bedroom wide awake and in a good mood (for a change). She says that she had good dreams last night. She dreamed of God (and ladybugs, her favorite). She asked me to come and sit beside her on the couch and said we needed to pray to God. I sat down and said "okay".

She put her little hands together and said "Dear God, thank you for my baby sister and brother in Epiopia (Ethiopia) and thank you for my mommy and my daddy and my baby brother Joshie, Amen".

I almost fell apart crying. I held her and kissed her and told her how much she meant to me and that God loved her prayer very much.

Then, later that morning while in the makeup section at Walmart, she decides that she needs to open a bottle of lotion and put some on her face. It was self tanning lotion!!!! All over her face and hands.

Kids are so precious and funny. They can take you from one emotional extreme to another.

We spent the day running errand for Joshie's birthday cookout and mailing off adoption paperwork. We are up to our eyeballs in paperwork. You would think I would be use to this by now. The other night, I joked with Mike and said that since we were having twins (not really but adopting two)that my "paperwork" labor pains must be worse this time around. He asked me if I needed an epideral. :-) It helps to keep a sense of humor about things.

And we're off!!!!

2008-05-08T21:23:00.003-04:00

This has been an exciting week for us. We had not planned to start the paperwork process until August but God has provided for us to start things and after talking with the agency we think the timing will still work out. So, this week we submitted our application to the agency, as well as our application for immigration approval.

As I said, God has provide for us to "start" things. This tells you that this is definitely a step of faith. Within 12 months our adoption should be complete and we will have come up with a large amount of money to pay for it. Do we have 100% of the funds today? No! Do we know where the money is going to come from over the next 12 months? Not exactly. But, what we do know is that this is what God has called us to do and He will orchestrate the exact and perfect timing and funding of bringing our children home.

Over the last 4 years, I have seen Him provide for us for two adoptions from Russia and now he has called us to Ethiopia. How could we doubt Him when He has been so faithful and generous to us.

Please keep our family in your prayers as we travel down this new road.

AMAZING Inspiration!

2008-05-06T20:51:00.004-04:00

I just got back from the Christian Alliance for Orpahn's Summit IV in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. The conference started off with a performance from the World Help's International Children's Choir. I was moved to tears as I watched these children perform. They were singing African style songs, playing drums and worshipping the Lord with their hands reaching up to heaven. I am just so thrilled that God has opened our hearts and minds to welcoming and loving children of a different culture.

Dennis Rainey spoke on Thursday evening and said something which really struck a chord with me. 99% of the worlds orphans will never be adopted. This is why orphan care is critical. We must be the visible love of God to these children, just as Jesus was the visible God to us.

Kay Warren, wife of Rick Warren the author of Purpose Driven Life and Pastor to Saddleback Church, spoke on Friday. She was choked up the minute she stepped up to the microphone, before even saying a word. She spoke of the 143 million orphans in the world and the 7,500 new orphans each day. She admitted her ignorance several years ago when she did not know a single orphan, a single person that was HIV positive and thought you could "catch" Aids by casual contact. She said that the church, the body of Christ, needs to become "seriously and permanently disturbed" about the orphan pandemic. She talked about the verse Mark 8:34 which says to deny yourself and take up your cross and follow me. About how we will become "gloriously ruined" when we give up our cross.

The scriptures command us over and over again to care for the orphan. I believe there is an awakening that is occuring within the Christian community. "The ground is thawing and Asland is on the move". What is your plan for fulfilling the scriptures command? Are we busy doing the things that God wants us to do? It was the faith that God would use 1 small stone to take down the giant (David & Golith). WE are that 1 small stone.

There were at least 15 people at the conference from NC. Many of us have met each other over the past year or so and several of us just met at the conference. Everyone was so pumped up to get home and start making plans to care for the orphans of the world and to encourage others to step up and do the same. The momentum was infectious and exciting. Can't wait to see what God does!!!!

Busy, busy, busy ...

2008-04-28T12:40:00.003-04:00

Sorry to have not posted in a while. It's been busy around the George household. Two weeks ago Josh fell and got a huge goose egg over his right eye (which has now turned into a black eye) as well as a bad gash inside his right ear. We thought he was going to need stitches. It was a clean cut and has healed nicely using Derma Bond. I love our pediatricians office as we were able to take him there to have all this treated, instead of the ER or urgent care.

Last weekend, both kids and then Mike were sick with a bad stomach virus. We had to cancel Josh's birthday cookout. Calgon!!!!

The ministry has been just as busy. Two weeks ago we hosted a "Post Adoption - What to Expect from a Medical Perspective" seminar. Our pediatrician was the guest speaker. We've also had some exciting developements around a potential grant fund that I hope to be able to blog in more detail about later. This weekend, I will be attending the 4th Annual Summit for the Christian Alliance for Orphans in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. This Alliance was formed by Family Life, Focus on the Family and Shaohannah's Hope. There will be many key leaders in the adoption and orphan care arena in attendance. I have learned several people, that I have met over the last year or so, from NC will also be attending. I am excited to attend and come home recharged for God.

This past Saturday, we held a social at Pullen Park. It was a beautiful day. We met a family who just came home two weeks ago with their two baby boys from Ethiopia. They are beautiful children. Every day we become more encouraged and inspired about our decision to go to Ethiopia to adopt. We know that God has called us to do this. I am so anxious to get started on the paperwork.

About Ethiopia

2008-04-07T09:54:00.006-04:00

Ethiopian Flag

Ethiopia is a magnificent ancient land with a host of modern problems. Deforestation, drought, and soil degradation have caused crop failures and famine during the past few decades. It has been a period of great turmoil. Seven million people face starvation. Forty percent of rural households do not produce enough food or income to meet their basic nutritional needs.

Unique among African countries, the ancient Ethiopian monarchy maintained its freedom from colonial rule with the exception of the 1936-41 Italian occupation during World War II.

Africa’s 10th largest country, Ethiopia lies in the northeast region known as the Horn of Africa, just north of the Equator. It spreads across more than 1.2 million sq. km of savannah, desert and mountain highlands. Addis Ababa is the Ethiopian capital.

Axum is the oldest city founded around the second century BC. This ancient settlement is frequently referred to as “the sacred city of the Ethiopians”. It is a site of many remarkable monuments attesting to the great antiquity of religious expression in Ethiopia. Theory has it that Axum is the last resting place of the Ark of the Covenant which is considered the most precious and the most sacred object of Old Testament times. The most famous Ethiopian river is the Blue Nile which runs a distance of 1,450 km. Ethiopia’s Great Rift Valley is the only geological feature of the world visible from the Moon.

Ethiopia is home to a rich cultural mosaic due to its 80 different languages and nearly 200 dialects. Amharic is the official language. English is the most widely spoken foreign language and is taught in all secondary schools. The cultures and customs of Ethiopia are as colorful and varied as its many landscapes.

Ethiopia along with Liberia, was one of two places in Africa which was never colonized by European powers despite colonial interests and designs on Ethiopia in the “Scramble for Africa”. The first wild coffee beans were taken from the province of Kaffa in Ethiopia to Arabia more than 500 years ago.

Ethiopia has 4.6 million orphans, one of the largest numbers of orphans in the world, and of these, 1.2 million are AIDS orphans. Malaria remains as one of the major causes of morbidity and contributes to 47% of children’s deaths. The generally poor health of Ethiopians as a result of drought, malnutrition, limited healthcare, and other infectious diseases has caused HIV to progress rapidly to AIDS.

The word Ethiopia appears in the King James Bible version 45 times. When the word Ethiopia is used in the bible, it most of the time refers to all the land south of Egypt. Sheba is believed to have been Queen of Ethiopia and it is through her, Ethiopian rulers claim royalty.

YouTube - Voice Of Truth

2008-04-04T08:09:00.003-04:00

Voice of Truth by Casting Crowns - My FAVORITE song

2008-04-03T15:50:00.005-04:00

I break down in tears every time I hear this song. It speaks directly to my heart.

Oh what I would do to have
The kind of faith it takes to climb out of this boat I'm in
Onto the crashing waves

To step out of my comfort zone
To the realm of the unknown where Jesus is
And He's holding out his hand

But the waves are calling out my name and they laugh at me
Reminding me of all the times I've tried before and failed
The waves they keep on telling me
Time and time again. 'Boy, you'll never win!'
"You'll never win"

But the voice of truth tells me a different story
And the voice of truth says "Do not be afraid!"
And the voice of truth says "This is for My glory"
Out of all the voices calling out to me
I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth

Oh what I would do to have
The kind of strength it takes to stand before a giant
With just a Sling and a stone
Surrounded by the sound of a thousand warriors
Shaking in their armor
Wishing they'd have had the strength to stand

But the giant's calling out my name and he laughs at me
Reminding me of all the times I've tried before and failed
The giant keeps on telling me
Time and time again "boy, you'll never win!
"You'll never win"

But the voice of truth tells me a different story
And the voice of truth says "Do not be afraid!"
And the voice of truth says "This is for My glory"Out of all the voices calling out to me
I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth

But the stone was just the right size
To put the giant on the ground
And the waves they don't seem so high
From on top of them looking down
I will soar with the wings of eagles
When I stop and listen to the sound of Jesus
Singing over me

But the voice of truth tells me a different story
And the voice of truth says "Do not be afraid!"
And the voice of truth says "This is for My glory"
Out of all the voices calling out to me
I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth

I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth

I will listen and believe to the voice of truth

And I will listen to You...You are....

God Plants the Seeds ....

2008-04-02T19:15:00.004-04:00

Last July, as we started to plan our ministry's annual Adoption Seminar and Expo, God started to place upon my heart that we needed to offer a breakout session to address questions and concerns about adopting outside of your skin color. We were connected with Rebecca Kepley and she hosted one of the 40 minute breakout sessions. As I was busy overseeing the entire event, I did not have an opportunity to attend her session. Later in the year, while putting together the 2008 calendar of events for the ministry, God again pressed upon my heart to offer a few more of these seminars as stand alone seminars throughout the year. So, again I contacted Rebecca and she was more than willing to assist with these. We held the first in March of 2008 and I was in attendance. It was an amazing 2 hour seminar packed full of helpful information. Rebecca and her husband have a precious little girl who is bi-racial and adopted domestically. They are now waiting for a court date to go and complete the adoption of their little boy from Ethiopia.

Also, last April, at our annual social at Pullen Park, we met the Mestas family. The have three biological children, 2 twin boys adopted domestically and were in the process of adopting three children from Ethiopia. The Mestas adoption journey is an amazing testimony of faith and we asked them to share it at our Adoption Seminar & Expo in September. Over the next few months we got to know the Mestas and followed their adoption journey through their blog. In October we attended a small fundraiser luncheon to benefit Shaohannah's Hope, an adoption grant fund started by Stephen Curtis and Mary Beth Chapman. Stephen was in town to perform at the State Fair and so he performed at the luncheon for us. The Mestas received their referral of twin baby girls and a sibling brother in August. Over the next three months, it was very exciting to read the daily updates to their blog. The week of Thanksgiving, they traveled to Ethiopia, to bring their children home. (the same time we brought Emily home in 2004)

Late in 2007, I began to wonder if God was calling us to do more than just "promote" adopting outside your skin color. Maybe He was calling us to actually adopt outside our skin color. I pondered the thought often and would occasionally talk about it with Mike. In January, we went to meet the Mestas new children and in February we attended their new daughters 1st birthday.

One morning I was driving to work and thinking about a rainbow and how beautiful it is with all it's many colors. I thought about how boring it would be if a rainbow were all the same color. What a beautiful thing God created! I thought this was a good analogy of adopting outside your skin color. As I turned the corner, right smack in front of me was a gorgeous RAINBOW! It was an overcast day, no sunshine and no rain. The conditions were not good for such a wonderful rainbow, or any rainbow for that matter. God had placed that rainbow there in the sky at that moment to speak directly to me. He was telling me that THIS is what he had planned for us.

As I talked with Mike, over time, about adopting from Ethiopia it was hard for me to get a feel if he felt the same calling or not. Even after asking him at one point, he said he was not against it but had not yet felt the call the way I had. I told myself that this was a decision that we both needed to be in sync with. I thought to myself, if Mike does not want to go to Ethiopia, I will not push it. I mean, look at the two beautiful children we adopted from Russia. Why in the world would I have a problem going back to Russia to adopt two more! Russia would be "easy" for us. Easy in the sense that the process was familiar, the paperwork was familiar, the flights were familiar, etc. Just when I would get comfortable with the idea that we might not go to Ethiopia but back to Russia, God would start to work on me again. He would put people and circumstances in my path. "Easy" is not what God calls us to do. God does not call the equipped but equips the called.

In late March, Mike and I shared our testimony to our Sunday School class at church. Mike shared how God used adopting these orphans to show and give him purpose and meaning in his life and I shared about God's great provision for us with our miracle. It was an emotional day for ALL (Mike, Me and even our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ). I was really proud of Mike. He was so brave and really opened up and shared some very personal things in his life. It's amazing how supportive we can be of one another if we could only let down our guards and be more transparent with one another. On the ride home, as we reminisced about our testimony and talked about the possibility of going to Ethiopia, Mike asked what we were waiting on to make the final decision that our next children would be from Ethiopia. I told him that I was waiting for him to have the "calling". He said, then it's official. Gods wants us to go to Ethiopia to get our children and that is where we will go.

So, it is now official. We will go where God has called us to rescue and bring home our children from Ethiopia.

We will spend the next few months getting the house ready, start the paperwork in August, hope to have immigration approval by December, then go on the wait list and hopefully have our children home by summer of '09.

Sounds a bit planned out, I know! You know me! It's as planned as an adoption can be with the expectation for blips and delays. We are at the mercy of God's perfect timing. So, stay tuned for updates as we travel down this road.

Our Journey Begins - The Miracle

2008-04-01T20:35:00.005-04:00

We knew we wanted to adopt two more children, we just did not know how we were going to accomplish it. That's where we were mistaken. We were not to accomplish anything. God was going to orchestrate this entire journey.

Even so, we felt overwhelmed at the journey ahead. There is so much to do to prepare our home for two more children. Additional bedroom sets, finishing off a bathroom, making additional storage in our attic since we would lose all our closet space. So much to be done, so much money needed to do it not to mention we had not even started saving for the actual adoption. We felt "stuck" at the starting line.

Here's where God steps in ....

Mike took off one Saturday morning to get out taxes done. We anticipated a slightly larger return this year with us filing both the Federal and State adoption tax credits from our sons adoption in 2007. However, we were sorely disappointed with our tax refund for 2004, even though we had the Federal adoption tax credit that year from our daughter's adoption. So, I was not expecting too much more than normal. After Mike left, I got down on my knees and prayed to God. I layed out for Him all the reasons why this next adoption seemed so unattainable. (as if He did not already know) I told Him that if this was His will, we needed Him to provide for us. After two adoptions in the last three years and now two children we were caring for, we just did not have the money. About an hour later, I sat down on the sofa with my kids. My son comes up to me with a children's bible story book, wanting me to read to them. I opened the book to the next to the last story and began to read.

Matthew 17:24-27

One day, a tax collector told Peter, Tell Jesus he needs to pay his taxes." So Peter went to find Jesus. Jesus already knew what Peter wanted before he spoke, so he told Peter what to do. "Go to the lake and catch a fish. Open it's mouth and you will find a coin. Take the coin to the tax collector. It will be enough to pay your taxes and mine."

Without even thinking, I said to my kids, "see God will always take care of us and provide what we need." I immediately dropped the book and made a quick exit into the next room. I was beside myself. God had just spoken to me through my children and this story. I apologized over and over again for being so doubtful and not trusting in Him. I felt so unworthy of His Love. Later that morning, Mike called to tell me he had finished up with the taxes and to guess how much our return was. $14,000 dollars!!! There was dead silence on my end of the phone. I could not speak I was trembling. I said to Mike, you do not understand. This is a MIRACLE! Through a broken voice, I began to explain to him the events that had transpired after he left the house that morning. I told him that God may as well be standing right here in our house with His hands held out and saying "I told you I would take care of you". This was an answer to prayer and what I call a "blatant miracle". We now have the funds we need to get the house ready, take care of the last of the debt from Josh's adoption and have a small amount left over to start the adoption fund for the next two.

God is so mighty and amazing! Why do we ever doubt Him? Why do we ever think that the things we accomplish and the things we possess are of our own doing. He deserves ALL the GLORY!