Christmas 2012 - Wonder and amazement.  For both Martha and the rest of us....so overwhelmingly blessed to have 5 children around the tree this year on Christmas morning.  And, for those of you still waiting....for your child, a new job, a love worth waiting for, etc.......God is faithful and His timing is Perfect.  As you look towards 2013 - remember that!

6 months already!

Today marks 6 months since we brought Miss Martha home. In some ways we can't believe it has been 6 months.  And, yet, it seems like she has been here forever and has always been a part of our family.  We look at the first picture of our family with Martha and she looks so quiet and calm.  But, as she has gotten more and more comfortable here, her true personality is just shining through.  She is feisty, determined, entertaining, curious, charming and very, very busy (and sometimes quite sneaky).  Recent Martha events include:

**Stitches in her forehead from tripping and hitting the corner of a wall
**Dave has used Bungees and ropes to tie up our kitchen chairs each day because she wants to climb on the chairs in order to get up to/on the table
**Moving something in front of the front door in order to stand on it to unlock the door and try to open it. (Nothing wrong with her problem solving skills!)
**Starting Speech Therapy - she is pretty much on target in other developmental areas right now, but needs to catch up on her speech.  She is starting to make progress and we're thrilled - though we are a little worried about what she will do when she realizes the power of the spoken word.  :-)

Recently, I resigned my position at work and the Monday after Thanksgiving, began working at Home full time.  I am doing some Childcare - God has provided me with this wonderful opportunity, that I totally see as a  blessing straight from Him!  Leaving a job that I loved so much was difficult, but I don't regret my decision at all.  I am right where I belong.  It feels so good!

Here's a picture from our Pumpkin Patch time this fall - I love each of these kids so much!  They make me proud each day and continually help me to be a better person!

Ethiopia and orphans everywhere continue to be in our Family's hearts. During this time of year, with the craziness of Black Friday, shopping and buying, spending too much, over scheduling and stressing, I am really struggling with the need vs. want, how many gifts are really needed, how we can do more to help others and all sorts of other questions.  We are all so blessed, but we take it so much for granted and don't stop to think how blessed we are in relation to the rest of the world.  As you reflect on Christmas, reflect on that Baby Jesus and that He was sent in to the world for YOU - because God the Father wants to adopt you into His forever family!  Out of gratitude for that - do something to make a difference this Christmas season.  You will be blessed!

One Year Ago......

One Year Ago today was devastating to us.  It was the day that our Agency called and gave us the news we never saw coming.....the two beautiful children whose referral we had accepted and we were just waiting for our Court Date to be given, had been taken back from the Orphanage by their birth mother.  These children whose pictures were posted around our home, whose names were part of all our dinner conversations, who already had beds and some clothes waiting for them, who were already family in our hearts - were gone - forever. Even as I write this I get teary.  We loved these two deeply.  We still have their pictures, we still pray for them, still worry about them and hope that someday we will see them in Heaven.  We will never forget about them.

One Year Ago this week, a 6 month old girl was transferred from her orphanage in Assela, to another one in Addis Ababa.  There were pictures taken of her on October 13, 2011 - a few days after she had arrived at the new orphanage.  She stayed at the orphanage as her paperwork was prepared for her adoption.  No one  knows why, but gathering her paperwork took longer than usual and her referral was finally ready on February 27, 2012.  But, had it happened any sooner than that, her new family might not have been ready to accept the referral for a girl so young, as they thought they should adopt a preschool aged child or older.  Had her paperwork been ready earlier, the Agency would not have even thought to share this referral with her family, because the family had been clear that they didn't want such a young one.

And, now we can look back and see how God was moving behind the scenes....delaying paperwork, making the ache in our hearts so deep that we were ready to look at different age ranges, moving that little girl to Addis at just the the right time so that now we can see His hand mightily at work.  We have now received the gift of Martha Joy with deep gratitude, knowing that she was intended to be a Jansen long before we knew it.

This morning, my devotional for today, One Year Later, was this.....

"Be wiling to follow wherever I lead.  Follow Me wholeheartedly, with glad anticipation quickening your pace.  Though you don't know what lies ahead, I know; and that is enough!  Some of My richest blessings are just around the bend: out of sight, but nonetheless very real.  To receive these gifts, you must walk by faith - not by sight."  Jesus Calling by Sarah Young

We declared One Year Ago today, that we would continue the adoption journey, and walk by faith, trusting in God's plan and purpose.  Today, we can fully rejoice in that!

This is shared with you, our blog readers, to encourage you.  If it feels devastating, lonely, like there is no way out or just so confusing, empty, ____?____.  Trust God and walk by faith.  Sometimes getting around that bend may feel like it is taking forever and you will never reach the blessing, but hang on and Trust God.  His plan is always Best.

This might be a long one.....

This might be a long one.....maybe you should grab some coffee before you start reading it......   :-)

It seems hard to believe - Martha has been home with us 14 weeks already!  And, that day of bringing her home seems a bit like a very distant memory, because in so many ways it seems like Martha has always been here.  She has fallen right into the moving and grooving of our household - and we have done the same with her. Though,we are still getting used to the drawers she opens and empties, the toys she believes are better all over the floor and remembering to bring diapers and wipes wherever we go.  :-)  But, it's all good!  She is talking more and more - not a lot of identifiable words, but more and more attempts and finding ways of communicating with us. Someone had told me to remember that she is sort of like an "ESL" (English as a second language) student.  Her brain was wired in Amharic and when we picked her up, she was at the very early stages of using words.  Then, we threw her in a new culture, where all of the words are new and strange, and she needs to "re-set" the language part of her brain to English.  Seeing how determined she is to keep up with everything the rest of the family is doing, gives us no doubt that her language will come - and before we know it, she'll be talking our ears off.  For now, her favorite word is "Da DEE" and it sends her Daddy into the hugest grin we've ever seen!

We can look at the pictures of her first few days and see a difference - as we look at them now, there seems to be a look of shock and confusion on her face, and probably some fear too.  These days, all we see is a happy, little rascal who is eating up every minute of life - just like any 17 month old child should be.  In the last couple of weeks, we have seen a lot of progress in her attachment journey - and much of that has happened while Vicki has been home on FMLA.  In a roomful of people, she usually (not always) now chooses Dave or Vicki over others - even a month ago, that wasn't happening.  She is also now initiating cuddling with Mom & Dad - also a new notable activity.  She has not been much of a cuddler at all, so we are thrilled that she seeks comfort periodically from us now.  Martha has proven to be friendly and flexible in almost all situations - including being around new people and places.  Usually, at this age, that is a good thing.  But, because she has had so many primary caregivers in her life already, this has concerned us that she  is not attaching to us.  Well, this morning proved different......Vicki brought her to the nursery at church and for the first time ever, she started to cry when Vicki walked away.  Vicki was then texted after a half hour, and asked to return to nursery because Martha hadn't settled in and was still crying.  This is a wonderful happening!  But, it also brought Vicki to tears because tomorrow she returns to work and Martha will again have different caregivers during work/school hours.  Vicki is very concerned that this will confuse Martha again and we will lose some of the progress we've made in the last 3-4 weeks.  Please pray that Martha will continue to know us as her parents and that Vicki will be of some usefulness at work in the coming weeks as going back is proving to be very difficult for her.

Labor Day weekend was also Baptism weekend and we enjoyed having family members here to help us celebrate God's promises to Martha!  Thanks to all of you who attended the service that morning - you all did our hearts good!  We were delighted to share the celebration with so many. After the service, we had a meal with our family who were in town and were blessed to have 2 Ethiopian friends prepare some Ethiopian food and do a Coffee Ceremony for us.  Here are some pictures.......

There are a couple of questions that continue to be asked of us - so here are the long answers:   :-)

1)Will you adopt again?
If finances were not an issue, we would do it again in a heartbeat.  The joy of Martha joining our family and the journey that got us here have changed each one of our family members in tremendous ways.  We also know God's love in a new way, as we are visibly reminded on a daily basis of the fact that God adopted us as His Children and loves us forever, No Matter What.  We also continue to have such a burden for orphans worldwide - it is frustrating that it costs so much financially to try to help them.

2) Will you return to Ethiopia?
YES YES YES!!!  Again, if finances were not an issue, we'd probably already have a trip planned.  We want to go back someday for Martha to see her homeland.  We'd also like to go back and show our other kids the Country. We try to help them understand how amazingly blessed they are living in America, but until they see poverty and suffering firsthand, we doubt they will be able to get a true grasp of it.  In addition, Ethiopia, the country, the people and the culture has really gotten under our skin and we are still figuring out what to do with all that.  Please pray for us as we seek to know and follow God's call.

3) Will you continue to blog?
Most likely, yes.  But, our posts may be more about the entire family or how we hope to love more orphans or care for Ethiopians.  We really don't know.  But, we'll still be blogging about Martha's progress and this crazy Jansen Expansion - knowing that as God has expanded our family, He has also expanded our hearts and we'll continue to seek to know how He wants us to live out what we've learned (and continue to learn).  Keep checking back!

This Tuesday, September 11th, is Ethiopian New Year!  Happy New Year to a Country we love - somehow we're going to celebrate here too!   :-)

Summer is Fallin' away......

What a great summer we've had!  Martha came home and we had the joy of being able to spend time getting to know her and love on her like crazy.  Earlier this month, we were able to take a trip to Michigan and introduce her to some more family members and also introduce her to Lake Michigan.  She loved it!  One of the special memories of our time in Michigan was being able to introduce Martha to the staff member from Adoption Associates who has walked with us since our first day of this Journey.  What fun it was to take a picture of the two of them, so someday, Martha can see another one of the people who have already played a big part in her life.  And, for us, it was a chance to try to put into words our gratitude for all she has done for Martha and our family.....but, no matter what we say, we can't express that kind of gratitude with words enough.

Today, the four "big" kids returned to school.....Jonathan as a Junior, Anna as a Sophomore, Ellie as a 7th grader and Joshua as a 5th grader.  It seems like just yesterday, they were all toddling around and tearing the place apart.  As with every school year, it is bittersweet.  So wonderful to see them healthy, growing, learning and yet hard to see them another year closer to independence, each in their own way.  One of the biggest blessings of this summer was watching how each of them love and spend time with Martha....each of them do it differently, but with such love and care that we as parents, have been just amazed and so thankful.

Vicki did not return to school this week......she have been blessed with some FMLA time and will not be reporting to work until September 10th.  She is so excited to have some time at home with just her and Martha - we are calling it  "Mommy & Martha immersion" - and is very glad for the opportunity.

We continue to try to stay connected to Ethiopian culture and a few weeks ago attended a Ethiopian Culture Day with other adoptive families, as well as Ethiopians.  We enjoyed Ethiopian food, listened to a Q & A session and a couple of the ladies tried to work with Martha's hair a bit.  Martha said a word or two in her native language and the ladies recognized it and started taking in Amharic. Martha seemed to listen intently to them.  She is starting to say some English words and seems to understand much of what we say - but we are a bit sad that she will lose all of her native language and that connection to her country.  Later this week, Dave, Vicki and Martha are having lunch with an Ethiopian pastor and his wife, who serve an Ethiopian church here in Columbus.  We look forward to spending time with them.

Dave will have the honor of baptizing Martha on Sunday, September 2nd.  This is a day we have looked forward to for a long time!  God has blessed us with the gift of another child to baptize, and we get to claim God's hand in her life and give her back to God for His purposes.  Feel free to come celebrate that with us!

Thanks for stopping by to check in - and please, continue to pray for the precious orphans all around the world.

2012 Olympics

GO ETHIOPIA!!

Surprises Along the Way

As in any journey, there are usually some surprises along the way.  Here's a few that I didn't see coming......

Grief
I went through some grieving after we brought Martha home.  Weird, I know.  We worked and waited and prayed and hoped for so long, you'd think all this Momma heart would do was celebrate, right?  Well, this Momma heart gets a little complex, so of course I couldn't keep it that simple.  First of all, I grieved all those things during Martha's young life that I had already missed......her first smile, when she sat up, ate cereal , etc.  And I mourned the fact that I will never be able to tell her about how beautiful and happy she was during that first year of her life.  I mourned that someone else got to see all those things and I missed out.  Selfish of me?  Maybe it is. But, I'm pretty sure that other Momma hearts out there have a bit of understanding of what I mean.  I have missed KNOWING my child.  There's this term in adoptive families - it's called "family age". It's NOT the age that the child is biologically, but how old they are as a member of the family.  Martha's "family age" is now almost 8 weeks old. Imagine an eight week old baby and their parents - they are still very much in the "getting to know you" stage.  That's where we still are with Martha and I grieve that I don't know her better (and that some people outside our walls don't understand that). I know this knowing will come and that it will take time and I will be patient.....

I also grieved for her birthmother.  I don't know a lot of details, but I do know that her birthmother visited her at the orphanage and may have done so until shortly before we picked her up.  I feel bad that her mother, who remained resolute in her decision to surrender Martha, can not go check on her and take a peek just to make sure she's okay.  As a birthmother, I can only imagine how hard that must be.  I am so deeply grateful for her birthmother's decision, but I am also so deeply aware of the depth of her sacrifice and my heart just hurts for her.  I know she did it with a mother's love.

Connection
We anticipated that Martha would have a harder time bonding and attaching to Dave, because she was not used to having men around at the Orphanage.  We had all sorts of plans in place to help her attach to Dave, games to play, strategies to use.  Well, we really didn't need to use any of them.  Dave seems to be the one she is most connected to.  I am very, very glad for that because I didn't want that to be a hard process for my husband.  But, it has been harder for me.  Martha has been used to female caregivers for all of her life and at the last orphanage, had 5 different women caring for her.  So, she has taken longer making a connection to me (Vicki) - and doesn't always chose me over other women that are around.  That has been a hard pill to swallow at times.  So, I am putting on more of that Momma heart and loving more deeply and fiercely and using some of those strategies we had planned for Dave.  And trusting that time will prove this process fruitful.  And then there's that patience thing I need to keep working on.

Work
The school year starts in a matter of weeks here (deep, deep sigh).  I thought I would be ready to return to school, after having all summer home with Martha.   That has always been the plan.  But, I've realized,  we had  planned on having an older child who would probably be preschool or kindergarten age (our plan, not God's).   And, when we imagined that older child, it seemed so very sensible that they'd go to childcare/school when I'd go back to work.  They'd need preschool/k-garten education, English immersion, socialization, etc.  Sending them off somewhere seemed so logical.  Well, now we have a baby here and I stayed home with all of my other babies.  Sending her off somewhere is breaking my heart.  And, because Martha's connection level with me is not where we'd like it to be, sending her to be cared for by a new (and wonderful) group of women, does not help my heart feel any calmer.  But, it is what it is and I am trying hard to deal with it - with tears in my eyes - and give her over to God.

Love
I knew I'd love Martha, but I am surprised at the fierceness of it, the depth, the no turning back of it, the child you are mine forever and ever no matter what of it.  I am ready to argue passionately with anyone who wants to question if an adoptive parent loves less.  We don't.  We love and worry and kiss and protect and defend just like any other parent.  The bond is amazing from the parental side - so amazing I can't put words to it.  It continues to put my relationship with God in a whole new perspective - he chose me as His daughter.  He loves me fiercely, He loves me deeply, He defends me, I am His forever and ever and He will not turn back on me.  He is attached and bonded to me and wants my total dependence and attachment to Him.

Isn't that amazing?  The God of the universe wants the same of you - He wants to adopt you into His Forever Family - I hope you let Him be your "Abba" Daddy forever and run into His arms today.

Pray for Sami

It took many people to bring Martha home......each person a part of the puzzle that brought us all together.  One of those people was Sami - a kind, gentle man, who helped us when we went to Court, as well as has many other duties at Adoption Associates, Addis Ababa.  Please take a moment and click on this link and then take some time to pray for Sami and his family, as they face his illness.  We saw some of the hospitals in Addis.....and we were glad we did not need them.  There just isn't adequate medical care there for all the needs.....pray for Sami as he goes to India for treatment and for his family, as they stay back in Addis to wait and pray and carry on.  Thank You~
http://www.adoptionassociates.net/news/lets_bring_hope_and_health_to_sami/

The Trip Continues......

On Wednesday, May 30, we returned to the Orphanage to pick up Martha.  We were so excited to see her!  It was a wonderful reunion for us.  We stayed for a while so that her caregivers could wrap up their good-byes with her, many of whom were shedding tears because she was leaving.  That did make it a little difficult to leave, but also gave us such assurance that she had been loved and cared for well.  We also shared in a Coffee Ceremony with the staff that morning - we never tired of the Coffee Ceremonies.

Martha promptly fell asleep on the ride back to the hotel and slept for a good while on our bed there.  We continued to enjoy the day with her, outside in the hotel garden and just playing in our room.  We still couldn't believe she was actually with us and she was OURS!  Each moment was filled with delight for us and she was filled with wonder at all the new things she was discovering around her.

The next day, May 31, was our Embassy Day.  We attended Embassy with another adoptive Mom from our agency (there were 3 families at our hotel from our Agency this trip).  We had to wait outside across the street first until they told us to form a line, then wait in the actual line for a while also.  They allowed  2 families at a time to come in and be put through security.  Then, we left that building and walked to another building and were again put through some security.  Then we sat and waited in rows of chairs until our name was called.   Each family would go up to a window when it was their turn and answer a few questions by an Embassy employee.  And, that was it.  We walked out, retrieved our cell phones & cameras from security and left.  Well, we did try to take a picture outside the Embassy, trying to mark this important moment and we were QUICKLY told that it was NOT an option there!  The day was topped off by a wonderful meal at the home of our nephew's college roommate, who is from Addis.  His parents are so kind and loving - we really enjoyed our fellowship with them and were made to feel right at home.

The interesting fact about the Embassy was this - there were very, very few very young children there.  Most of the children were 4 or 5 years old or even older.  If you've been paying attention to our Adoption Journey - that was what we signed up for.  Older children being adopted were everywhere we looked on this trip - at the hotel, in the airport, at Embassy, out shopping.   We thought we should have an older child to be a part of our family.  But, obviously, God thought differently and brought us to Martha - and we are so glad He did.

A few people have commented already - "well, I guess you're starting all over" - and maybe, in terms of baby stuff in the house (which had long been cleared of all that) we are.  But, having Martha as part of the family, feels like a totally natural, fit right in sort of thing.  It doesn't feel like starting all over - it just feels natural and right.  No doubt about it - she is ours and our whole family is loving it.  Are we maybe a bit more tired on the rare night she doesn't sleep so well?  Yes, we won't deny that - but the smiles she gives us and the time we get to then hold her more give us the extra bit of energy that we need.

Friday, June 1st was mainly another "Stay and Play" day with Martha.  We did get out for a little bit of last minute shopping, but mainly just hung around the hotel.  For dinner, we went to the home of our Agency's "man on the ground" in Ethiopia.  This man is amazing and has been helping children in Ethiopia find their forever homes for 30 years.  He treated us to a wonderful Ethiopian meal and Coffee Ceremony and also had us dress in traditional clothes for our evening there......

After enjoying that awesome Ethiopian Feast, we were taken to the airport for the trip HOME.  We were very anxious about this flight - it was posted to take 17 hours (part of that a stop in Rome for fuel, but we would not be getting off the plane).  Thankfully, this is how Martha spent 9 hours of the trip.....

and we were able to sleep for 7!  We were so grateful. We had prayed specifically for the seat in between us to remain empty, so that Martha could have it - and it was!  There were only 3 empty seats on the plane and all 3 of them were in between adoptive parents.  God is good! We had a stopover again in Washington, D.C. and then a quick flight back to Columbus.  As we prepared to taxi out for the journey to O-H-I-O, the Pilot played the Buckeye fight song for us all.  So, Vicki knows that Martha is destined to be a Buckeye!  Martha took a nice nap on the way to Columbus, while we could hardly sit still, as we were so eager to see the rest of our family.  The walk to see them seemed to take forever and we just wanted to take off running.......

Our reunion as a family was spectacular and Martha's introductions to her siblings went very well - she looked a little dazed and confused but seemed to handle it all very well.  And now, the "after picture" of the Jansen's and our new friends from Columbus, who are feeling as blessed as we are.

Ethiopia Take 2

We haven't really shared a lot about our 2nd trip to Ethiopia - a lot of the reason being that we didn't have internet access at our hotel for the 2nd trip.  It was very disappointing to us, as being out of contact with the rest of our family made us feel even farther away.  But, we still want to share about the adventures, as much for you, the Blog reader, as for ourselves - so we can chronicle our adventures......

We left Columbus very early the morning of May 28th (Memorial Day) and flew to Dulles Airport (Wash. D.C.)  to catch our non-stop flight to Addis Ababa.  While we were at Dulles, we caught up with another couple, from Columbus, who were heading back to Addis to attend Embassy the same day we were scheduled to  and bring home their daughter also.  We had all been in Addis at almost the same time on our first trips, but we didn't know each other until someone connected us after we had all returned home.  Here is the "before" picture for the 2nd trip.

The flight was looooong.  Neither of us slept more than 3 hours and we were uncomfortable, eager to get there, etc.  We were so thrilled to finally land!  As we got out of the airplane shortly after 7:00 a.m. and into the open air, we could smell the spices and incense and all the wonderful scents that confirmed our arrival back to this wonderful place!

We got to our hotel and quickly got a taxi.  We had a tour scheduled at the Hamlin Fistula Hospital  http://www.hamlinfistula.org/   If you are not familiar with obstetric fistula, we'd really encourage you to visit the website and learn more.  It is a devastating condition that can leave women hopeless and alone.  But, the  Hamlin Fistula Hospital is doing amazing work to restore life and hope to these women.  The hospital is a gorgeous place of gardens and peacefulness.  We were able to see some of the patients and learn about the work being done to help so many.  It was an amazing visit - just one more thing that we can hardly put into words.  If you'd like to learn more and still need a book to read this summer, we highly reccommend http://www.hamlinfistula.org/our-hospital/autobiography.html  This is the book that Vicki read which led us to visit this place and see it first hand.

After the hospital and lunch, we went out to do some shopping.  At that point, we were starting to get very tired, as essentially, we had been up for more than 24 hours.  We finished up our shopping, went to get some dinner and went to bed.  We slept from 6 p.m. until 8 a.m. the next morning.  We needed our rest, as the next day we were going to pick up Martha........

Report Cards

This morning, I printed off the end of year report cards for all the kids.  Two of them (the other two at away at Young Life Camp) looked at them this morning.  I found it interesting that they didn't start looking at their grades right away, but went to the "teacher comments" part.  They knew they did their work, completed their tasks, followed through.  But, what they wanted to know was what the teacher thought.  It made me wish I had a report card right now in regard to Martha.  I'm pretty sure I'd get good marks in "meal provider", "diaper changer", "spending time on floor playing", etc.  But, I'd really like to know her comments.  Who does she see me as?  It's been two weeks since Dave & I picked her up at the orphanage - I am pretty sure I am still the "nice lady who meets her needs". Other then that, I am doubtful that her comments would include "Mommy", "woman who loves me", "person who will protect and defend me", etc.  And that is where even more patience in this process comes into play.....

 As recent emails from both our Michigan and Ohio Social Workers remind us......transition is one thing (and is going well) but bonding and attachment is another thing (and oh goodness, please don't think Attachment Parenting in Time Magazine!! This kind of attachment with an adopted child is TOTALLY different).  We've been reminded to be very "conservative" in our outings and public time with Martha and to be very firm and limiting on the time and amount of guests in our home.  We were also reminded that we need to "be in her face" (for lack of a better term) most of her waking hours - which can be a little exhausting.   These are good reminders, but hard for us too......we're pretty social people and it feels like in a sense we are cutting ourselves off.  But, we know this is for a season and we know this is best for Martha to come to see Dave & I as the parents who have a deep & crazy unconditional love and care for her.  Hopefully, someday that will be the report card comment she will know deep in her heart.

Adjustments and processing......

Well, it's been a week and I finally feel like I can take some time to blog for a bit.  I'm not sure where to start.....I want to explain more about our trip to Ethiopia, I want to share about Martha's first week at home, I want to share all the feelings and emotions I've felt and seen in my family, I want to express gratitude to so many people for so many reasons, I want to explain how deeply I continue to feel about adoption, I want to share answers to so many questions that we've been asked lately and even more.....

I guess I'll start with Martha's first week in the Jansen Household.  It's been better than we could have hoped for! She has been sleeping 10 - 11 hours a night, and has only had one night where she struggled a lot to find her sleep.  She has napped once a day - but the time has varied each day.  That might be a good thing, because our household schedule tends to change a lot, so this may be good in that she'll have to find her sleep when she can and sometimes be flexible about it.  :-)  She enjoys playing with her brothers and sisters and they have all taken such a liking to her!   She is smiling and laughing and eating like crazy.  We are very thankful that her tummy has taken all the new foods she's tried so well.  She even had her first tooth come through this past week.  We had some toys all ready for her....but so far she's chosen the drawers, cupboards, things on the coffee table and the steps as her favorite play things.  All of this is keeping me very busy, as she is all over the place discovering everything and anything.....I had forgotten how very busy these 14 month olds are and how quickly they can make a mess!  But, we are so deeply grateful at the same time because she seems so very typical and on target for her age.  She did seem to have an ear infection or something similar when we picked her up and after 10 days of antibiotic, that seems to be much better.  Later this month, we will be going to the International Adoption Clinic at Children's Hospital, where they will do a very full (3-4 hours) assessment of her.  We are looking forward to that visit and getting their opinion on how she is doing.

We have taken her out of the house for some walks and very quick errands.  We are being very careful about taking her out too much for two reasons:  1) We don't want to overstimulate her too much - she has been used to pretty much being in just one room for most of her life so far.  When you consider that - she's had an awful lot thrown at her little body and brain since we picked her up from the Orphanage.  2)  We are working hard at the attachment and bonding process and are trying very hard to only have family members hold her and care for her needs right now.  Because she has had a variety of caregivers already in her life, she is very friendly and open to others.  We need to work hard at making sure she knows that we are her parents and family now.  And, when we do go out - she will probably stay in an infant carrier by either Dave or I, to continue to establish those roles for her.  So, please don't be offended if we don't let you hold her or we seem protective for a while....that is a very important part of our role as Martha's parents right now.

Well, that's probably more than enough information for tonight......thanks for checking in.  More to come soon!  

Home!

We are HOME from Ethiopia! We arrived in Columbus Saturday afternoon and are proud to share a picture of our family of SEVEN! 

We had another amazing trip to Addis Ababa and will share more soon......after we continue to get a little more acquainted here at home.  :-)  Thankfully, Martha seems to be adapting very well and we are very grateful.

Pinch Us!

Well folks, it's been quite a day here!  We woke up to an email from the US Embassy in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia confirming our appointment there on Thursday, May 31st.  This is what we have been waiting for!  We fly out from Columbus early Monday morning and arrive in Addis on Tuesday morning.  We will arrive back in Columbus on June 2nd.  We are so excited we can barely think straight.....but we need to, because there is MUCH to be done before we leave.  :-)

Thanks for your prayers - we'd appreciate them as we prepare to travel, for our kids here in Columbus, for traveling mercies and for Martha to enjoy flying - a lot!

A Quick Update

We have heard from the U.S. Embassy since our last post and so far, all of our paperwork continues to be approved and they move on to the next item on the list for their review.  The biggest part of that will happen this coming Tuesday morning at 7:30 Addis time, while most of us in the U.S. will be sleeping....and the work day in Addis Ababa will be up and running.   Would you please say some prayers Monday night and keep knockin' on Heaven's doors that this last step will go well and that we would get word very Quickly on Tuesday about the outcome? Once we get word about this, we should be able to very soon make our travel arrangements!  :-)  And, we are so very eager to do so!!  We are not sure we can even put into words how ready we are to jump on that plane and bring our little girl back home to her brothers and sisters and the many other people in her life who already love her!

And, while you pray for the Jansen Expansion, would you please pray for the other families who await news also?  We have met quite a few other adoptive families during this process and they are all just amazing people.  They too, have been living "in the wait" for a very long time and are eagerly awaiting the union of their families.  Pray too for all the orphans waiting to go home to these families and the many orphans who don't yet have families to go to.

Again, Thank you for everything!  We are blessed!

We are submitted!

This morning started in its usual way....except that I hurried downstairs a bit more than usual, so that I could check the computer and see if we were submitted to Embassy yet - after all, it was 1:30 p.m. in Addis Ababa already when I came downstairs.  :-)  No email.  A bit after that, Dave seemed to get downstairs  sooner than usual and quickly checked his email.  Nothing.  So, we got on with the day, hoping, but preparing that it may not happen again today.  After I got to work, I checked my email ONE MORE TIME before I went to get the kids off the bus - and there it was!  We have been submitted to the U.S. Embassy in Ethiopia!!!  One more step closer to bringing her home....

What does this mean from here?  Well, more waiting on another email from the Embassy.  They will be doing some people and paperwork checking, and once they have found everything to be satisfactory, they will contact us.  Then we can set up our time to come to the Embassy and get Martha's travel visa, so that she can come HOME!

Please continue to pray that this process continues in a very timely (okay, I mean  really quick like, super fast and as soon as possible!) manner.  The closer we get to the end of the school year, the more complicated this trip planning may get.  We are trusting in God's timing once again.....and at the same time, we are really eager to know what that timing is!

Rejoicing!

"Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn"  Romans 12:15

So many of our wonderful blog readers have mourned with us through the ups and downs of this adoption journey, and last night many of you came to rejoice with us - Thanks for coming!  It was great fun to share stories and pictures of Martha and Ethiopia with you and we just felt blessed to spend time with you!  We have been giving Thanks to God all day for the wonderful turnout and joy you shared with us.  Special Thanks to Ollie from "ChrisCakes" for a great job with the Pancake Dinner last night too!

For those of you not able to attend, we'd love to share some pictures!  Anna and Ellie did a fantastic job and we are proud of both of them and their hard work.  Martha has some beautiful role models in her big sisters!

Cupcakes in the design of the Ethiopian Flag

The CenterPoint Church Cafe all decked out!

Tables ready for Pancakes 

Table Decorations designed by Anna & Ellie

Not Today

We found out that our Paperwork was not able to get to Embassy today - we are bummed, but take heart in knowing that Martha is ours and WILL be home with us - hopefully soon!

We still need a specific piece of paperwork to be filled out by a physician - but there are only 3 physicians in Addis Ababa who are approved to do this for Embassy.  Please pray specifically that this can be done in the next few days.  Our agency can only submit papers to Embassy on Thursdays - so please pray specifically for Thursday, May 10 to be the day!!!!!!

Thanks for praying~

The Jansen Expansion Team

Quick Request and Reminder.....

We have a quick request for Prayer.....would you please start praying on Wednesday, that ALL of our necessary paperwork will be submitted to Embassy on THURSDAY, MAY 3rd?  (And, since Ethiopia is 7 hours head of Ohio, those prayers on Wednesday are really important)  :-)  Having it all submitted on May 3rd would be nothing short of a miracle - but we are a people of Hope, serving a God who still does Miracles!

Also -Don't forget - we're looking forward to seeing many of you at our Pancake Dinner & Shower on Thursday evening - the more the merrier!  

You're Invited...

The Jansen Family would like to invite You and Yours to a Pancake Dinner on Thursday, May 3rd from 6:00 - 7:30 p.m. at CenterPoint Church (7750 GreenMeadows Drive North, Lewis Center, 43035)

Pancakes will be served by ChrisCakes  (http://www.chriscakesohio.com/)  This Pancake dinner is a Celebration of our Adoption - donations appreciated, but not necessary. We'd just like you to join us in Celebration and take the night off from Cooking! 

We will also share pictures of our recent Trip to Ethiopia

There will also be a Baby Shower that evening given by 

Anna & Ellie Jansen

The Jansen's are registered at:  Target, Babies R Us and Amazon.com (click on Wish Lists, then Baby registry)

Please join us and share in our Joy!

Hard to Believe

It's hard to believe that tomorrow (Wednesday) marks one week since our last post and since Martha became a member of our family!  :-)

The rest of our time in Ethiopia continued to be just as wonderful as the first few days.  We spent some time shopping in local outdoor markets, had a great night out at a wonderful restaurant complete with Ethiopian dancing and local food (which we love!), had our hearts filled with joy when we were with Martha, and had them broken as we continued to see the poor and the many needs all around.  We wish there were words to explain what we saw - God stirred our souls deeply through our experiences in Ethiopia.

Leaving Martha was one of the most difficult things we have done in a very long time.  We have given her over to God and know He cares for her.  During her lifetime, as parents, we will need to do that again and again, just as we currently do with our children here in Ohio.  After all, they aren't really ours - they belong to God and He has entrusted them to us for but a little while....to love them, care for them, teach them about Jesus and His Amazing love and grace.  That is our job - and we feel humbled and privileged that God has blessed us with another child and the big responsibility it is to raise her.

Our trip home went very smoothly - it is just a very long trip!  It was so good to get home and see our kids here and catch up on their week and share stories, pictures and video of Martha.  Our Jet Lag has been very manageable and we are grateful for that!

We heard a bit today about when we might be able to go back to Addis Ababa and attend the U.S. Embassy and bring Martha home. We don't want to get into details about that, because it is all just an estimation at this time (and if you've read this blog for a while, you know that things can change quickly in International Adoption) but we do have a prayer request about all that......please pray that the timing and details all fall into place easily. We are approaching a bit of a crazy, busy time/season for our family and are a little anxious about how it will all work out. We KNOW that God's timing is PERFECT - we've learned and lived that every step of this whole process.  But, we silly humans can get a bit uptight about how it all is going to work out.  Please pray that we rest in God's peace as we wait these final steps and that we trust God's got it all covered (Okay, we know He does, but we may need some reminders.....)

We have been amazed at how many of you are reading this blog and sharing in our Joy - you have made our Joy greater!  Thank you again and again - we feel so very blessed!!

Two Extremes

For as much Joy as we've had on this journey to Martha and Ethiopia, we've also had our hearts broken by being here. We would not be responsible if we didn't share the heart break, as well as the joy.

We share some pictures of this Country and its people that we can truly say that we love - they are beautiful, kind, gracious, patient and loving. As you join us in Praising God today for the addition of Martha Joy to our family, please also pray for the woman and her children washing themselves in a mud puddle and for the street children who were always wanting to sell us something. They are all so beautiful and they matter to God.

As we prepare to start our journey back home tomorrow, part of our hearts will be left here with Martha (thankfully only short term!) and part will be left here with her people - whom we will pray for and hold in our hearts.

We hope you have learned something about the beautiful land of Ethiopia as you've shared in our GREAT JOY on this journey. We continue to Praise God tonight for each and every bit of it - we know God's hand has been present through it all and He has joined us with our Martha - to Him be the Glory!

We Passed Court!

We are thrilled to announce that we have Passed Court in Ethiopia! Martha Joy Jansen is now officially a member of our family! We're so thrilled to introduce her to you!!

An Emotional Day

We have had a very emotional day - and since, we are still processing it all and just emotionally tired, this may be a short post.....

This morning, we went to our Agency's Office here in Addis. The birthmother of our little girl came to the office to meet us. She was sweet, shy and so gracious. We know this was a difficult decision for her to make, but she believes it is the best thing for her daughter. We could tell by her tears and humble gratitude that she loves this little girl very, very much. We tried to express to her the depth of our gratitude through tears too - it was just not possible.

Our next stop was the Addis Ababa University Museum and lunch. We tried to enjoy these stops as much as possible, but our minds were a bit frazzled because our next stop was the orphanage.....

And we met our daughter. It was surreal. We held her, we fed her, we talked and laughed with her, we counted fingers and toes, we took pictures. We tried to absorb all of this. Tonight, we continue to do so.....we are exhausted but are "buzzing" at the same time.

Thank you for your prayers as this journey continues~

Dave & Vicki

Happy Ethiopian Easter!

Greetings from Ethiopia!

We arrived safely in Ethiopia Saturday evening - after 24 hours of travel time and 4 take offs and 4 landings and not enough sleep. Our flights were smooth and on time. Thanks for all those prayers!!

We were brought to our hotel and had a very good nights sleep. This morning we were picked up by an Adoption Agency Employee and brought to his home for an Ethiopian Easter (which is today) breakfast and Coffee Ceremony. With us also, were 3 beautiful children from our agency's transition home. They were ages 6, 11 and 12. They were just a delight to spend time with today! After breakfast, our Agency Employee brought us about 2 hours north of Addis. The drive was amazing! The Countryside was more beautiful than we imagined, filled with hills and valleys and lots of curving roads. We often had to slow or stop for cows, sheep and donkeys that were being shepherded around the countryside. We spent some time at an Ethiopian Monastary and Museum and had a guide teach us much about this Monastic group and its history. After that, our Agency's Employee took us to his mother's home, which was near the Monastary. She lived in a very poor community, as most of the people who lived there make their living as beggars. When we stopped to park the car to visit her, we were immediately surrounded by all age groups, asking for money. After a short visit with his mother, we then began the drive back to Addis. Addis is a very busy, populated city. Since today was Easter, and the end of a 55 day fasting period, there were goats all over the city. People would pick one, have it slaughtered on the street and go home and make an Easter meal.....talk about a different world! We have seen so many people here who are poor and have nothing - we can't put it into words. We both had times today where we couldn't speak - we were so overwhelmed by the emotions that the poor and forgotten awakened in us........we couldn't believe what we were seeing and our hearts were being continually being broken more and more.

After a short, wonderful nap back at our hotel, we were taken to the family of our nephew's college suitemate, who is from Addis. We had such a wonderful time with his Mom, Dad, Brother and Sister. They shared dinner with us and more coffee. ;-) Our fellowship was warm and sweet and we truly felt like we had made new friends when we had left their home.

We still feel like this is a bit of a surreal experience to be here - it is such a different, wonderful, hurting and amazing place! To all of you who have helped in some way to make it possible for us to be here - we remain humble and forever grateful.

We will probably try to post most days - simply because we want to remember this experience for ourselves and "document" it when it is fresh.

Thanks for your continued prayers~

Dave & Vicki

Up, up and Away!

Today we fly out....Columbus to Detroit, Detroit to Amsterdam, Amsterdam to Addis (with a gas stop along the way). We can't believe the time is really here - so excited, so tired, so thrilled to see our little girl, but sad to say good-bye to Jonathan, Anna, Ellie & Joshua. Can't wait to have all the kids on the same continent!

Please pray for safe, smoooooottthhhhh flights :-) and a great week for our whole family - whatever continent they may be on.

Thank you!

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter everyone! We hope you've had a Great day celebrating our RISEN LORD!

We are very excited because we leave for Ethiopia THIS Friday. We can hardly believe it - we've waited so long for this, that in some ways, it still doesn't seem real - and yet we can't wait to meet our little girl (who turned ONE yesterday) and see her country.

WHAT WE'VE BEEN UP TO LATELY~

We have spent plenty of time preparing for this trip - more Federal Fingerprints, doctor's appointments, more shots (typhoid and yellow fever to name a couple), filling prescriptions for malaria and antibiotics "just in case", signing and notarizing more papers, purchasing gifts for the orphanage workers and others who will be helping us in Ethiopia, covering transportation, etc for our kids while we are gone, and a myriad of other things as well as day to day life (which in our house is usually pretty busy). If you look at the pile currently on our bedroom floor, it looks like we have everything we need :-) and hopefully we will. Vicki has worked hard to make sure we aren't forgetting anything. We are so grateful for the many people helping out with transportation, etc and to our Small Group who is lovingly bringing over some meals while we are gone.

WHAT WE WILL DO IN ETHIOPIA~

Most importantly, we will meet our daughter. We absolutely can't wait for this! We will also attend Court (April 18 in Ethiopia - which is 7 hours ahead of Ohio) to legally adopt her - can't wait for that also!! We will go visit her birthplace and possibly meet her birthmother. We will spend time experiencing the beauty and culture of Ethiopia. We will be dropping off a backpack full of items for our Compassion Child (unfortunately, due to the timing of our trip, we will not be able to meet him face to face). We are also hoping to meet the parents of our nephew's college suitemate and close friend - who is from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia - amazing! When you consider we leave on one Friday and return on the following Friday, and each trip takes 24 hours......we will be pretty busy while we are there.

WHAT YOU CAN DO~

Pray - LOTS!

*Pray for our kids back here at home - we know that they are going to be well taken care of, but it won't be the same without Mom and Dad, and it's not every day your parents take a trip to the other side of the world. Pray for their safety, peace and contentment while we are gone - and that internet works at our Hotel so we can somewhat stay in touch.

*Pray for our times with our little girl to go well - that we aren't interrupting her naps, etc and that we can have some good playtime, etc with her.

*Pray that we stay healthy there and somewhat rested.

*Pray for all of our papers, etc to be filled out correctly and to be just where they need to be with NO complications!

*Pray for our flights to be smooth and quick....and for Vicki to be calm as she flies - it is still the biggest stressor of this current process for her.

Once she is legally ours - we will be able to post pictures! Keep watching the blog late next week.......

Thanks again for all of your prayers and support and for being a part of this journey~

Dave & Vicki

A Summery Spring Break

We have had a beautiful Spring Break! The temperatures were in the 80's, the skies were blue and all the windows were open. It was wonderful! We cleaned drawers and closets, turned the Dining Room into a "Study Room", finished most of paperwork we need for our first trip, took care of many miscellaneous tasks around the house, painted the room for our Baby Girl, had some good family time, the kids had time with their friends and we all enjoyed some Ethiopian food this week too.

We also purchased Airline tickets!! Dave & Vicki will fly out on April 13 and return to Columbus on April 20. It's all a little overwhelming and exciting at the same time. Vicki is still not a fan of flying.....so she is trying to wrap her brain around those long flights.....

We also set a new date for our "Cele-Funda-Shower". It will be Thursday, May 3 from 6:00 - 7:30 p.m. at CenterPoint Church in Lewis Center. We hope that YOU can join us! Now, we know you are asking.....why are you calling it that? Well.....

"Cele" - So many of you have supported us, encouraged us, prayed for us, cried with us - now we want YOU to Celebrate with us! Just come out and have a good time enjoying some pancakes for supper from "Chris Cakes" (pancakes with attitude :-) www.chriscakesohio.com) Hopefully, we'll have some pictures to show you also from our 1st trip to Ethiopia.

"Funda" - We are feeling financially prepared for our 1st trip to Ethiopia, but not so sure about the 2nd trip. If you come celebrate with us and feel called to make a donation for our 2nd trip, we would be grateful. Please keep in mind that these trips involve so much more than airline tickets.....we need food, a place to stay, gifts to bring (25) for all those involved in our adoption process in Ethiopia, drivers/staff to accompany us everywhere we go, medications, Visas, and other paperwork, etc. Have you ever heard of the phrase "nickel and dimed"? Sometimes, that's how we feel with all the small, unknown aspects of adoption.

"Shower" - Our daughters, Anna and Ellie really, really, really want to have a Baby Shower. In fact, they just can't wait! So, this event on May 3rd, will give them the chance to do that. If you are feeling called to support our adoption by giving something for our Baby Girl, this is your chance (or if you just like shopping for baby stuff!) ;-) We are registered at Target, Babies R Us and Amazon.com (see"gifts & wish lists" at the top, then click on "baby" on the right side).

One continuing concern.....we have talked to the Immigration Service Office and they stated that we have appointments for our Federal Fingerprints this week Thursday. But, the paperwork that they sent to us, still has not arrived. If we do not have the specific paperwork from them, we can not get our Federal Fingerprints done - and they are a necessity for our trip. Please pray that the paperwork arrives in our mail this Monday.

Thanks again for all of your support and prayers. We are most thankful for each one of you!! Please join us and Celebrate on May 3rd and be ready to catch your own pancake for dinner - really! :-)

Going to Court!!

We are thrilled and a little surprised tonight - we have our Court Date! WOW! We will be appearing in Court IN ETHIOPIA on APRIL 18!! We were hoping to hear about our Court Date by the end of March, so we are extra thrilled that we have a Date already!

We were so sure that we wouldn't have a Court Date soon, that this morning we had actually finalized plans for a "Cele-funda-shower" for April 19th, but we will soon be figuring out a new date for that between our first and second trip.

To the many of you who have offered to plan a Baby Shower for us - we are most grateful. But, we have these two girls at our house, Anna & Ellie, :-) who are super eager to have a shower for their new sister and have been partnering in the planning of one. They have also been asking us on a daily basis about having one......so, we have agreed to let them plan a shower, thus the "Cele-funda-shower" event mentioned above.

So, now the planning (and yes, a little bit of hysteria) begins! We are so thankful that we recently had a wonderful, special friend who has agreed to stay with our kids while we are gone. That is a huge load off of our minds. This past Saturday, Vicki and the girls went and registered for some of the baby items we will need in preparation for the arrival of our little girl, so we are getting started on setting up the home for her (Target, Babies R Us and Amazon.com - they have some great adoption/multicultural books). Vicki and the kids start Spring Break in 2 days.....and the cleaning, purging and prep work will commence full force.

As always, we are grateful for your prayers and for the fact that so many of you have wept with us as we have wept, and now rejoice as we rejoice. Please keep praying for all the details yet to be put into place - especially the trip dates for the 2nd trip now - we already have Jonathan & Anna at Young Life Camp in June, as well as plans for Ellie & Joshua to attend Camp Geneva in June. We really want them to have those awesome opportunties, but also want them to participate fully in their sister's Homecoming. We trust in the Lord, because He is in the details - He has proven that to us again and again!

Questions & Answers

Thanks to each and every one of you for sharing in our joy this week! It has been so much fun to share our joy with you and we know that our little girl is coming home to a loving, supportive and welcoming community!

Throughout this week, there have been plenty of questions that you're asking - or maybe do not dare....so we thought we'd address some of them here.

When is she coming home to Lewis Center?
This past week, our papers were submitted to court in Ethiopia. Hopefully in a month, we will be given a Court Date - which then would allow us to make travel plans. Our hope is that the Court Date would be in late April or early May (please pray that we are Home for Ellie's Birthday on May 6 and here for Anna's Dance recital on May 20). Our first trip will probably be around 7-8 days long.

After that trip, we will return to Lewis Center, without her, though, as we await the processing of her Visa. Hopefully, then we will return in June or July (Joshua's birthday is June 26 and Anna's is July 6 - we'd like to be Home for those too) and on that trip of 4-5 days, we will bring her home with us!!!!

Do you have any baby stuff at your house?
That's a definite NO! :-) Remember we weren't thinking BABY......but, we'll figure all that out soon.

What's her story?
Her story, as is the case with most Orphans, is very sad and breaks our hearts. But, it is HER story and we will not be sharing the details of it. As she grows and asks questions and is ready to hear her story, we will share it with her.

Are we scared because of what happened to our first referral?
Yes, we are probably more anxious because of that. But, we do not want fear or anxiety to stop us in our tracks and miss the blessings (yes, and challenges) that God has in store for us.

Will you keep her name?
Yes, without any doubt. There are several reasons....
*Other than the clothes on her back, it is the only thing that she brings with her from Ethiopia.
*Her birthmother gave her this name, and out of respect, admiration and deep, deep gratitude to to her, we will keep the name that she gave her daughter
*This Biblical name of hers, will always remind us of God's answered prayer, in that Vicki had asked God to match us with a child that had a Biblical name. It will be a daily reminder of God's faithfulness to us and something by which we can tell her of God's faithfulness to her also.

Will there be any more fundraising?
Hopefully, not (but.......just for fun, Google plane tickets to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia....yikes!) and just like the baby stuff.....we'll figure that out soon.

If you have any other questions, please contact us. We'd love to share more of our story!

Thanks again for rejoicing with us - we are grateful for each of you who continue to support us on the journey!

Surrendering

For those of you who have been with us from the beginning of this journey, you know that Dave was not at all ready to adopt - until he surrendered and undoubtedly felt God put this deep, deep call in his heart to adopt. Well, the past month or so, we've really been feeling the call to surrender even more. When we started the process, we said "adopt" and "Ethiopia". And, then there's the paperwork and the questions and then you try to figure out what is "just right" for your situation and family and it became more complicated than "adopt" and "Ethiopia". So, we figured the perfect plan for us was one preschooler or early elementary child. So, that's what we requested.....

About a month ago, one of our kids asked us if we should change some of those parameters on our request. We promised that we would consider and pray. We really struggled with all of that pondering and praying. We didn't want to let go of what we thought was best, though we had already had plenty of conversations about changing our parameters.

This past Friday, Dave called and had a good talk with our Social Worker at Adoption Associates (love them!). She too suggested that we could still change our parameters and that in fact she could offer us a referral very quickly if we did. We were CAUGHT! What do we do? If we change the parameters, are we taking things into our own hands, just like Abraham, Sarah and Haggar did? If we stayed the course as we have been, were we missing something God had ready for us? This referral was a different age than what we thought we "should" have - but did we really know what we should have? So our weekend was filled with many conversations, much time in prayer and lots of soul searching. Sunday evening, we spent time with two of the Elders from our church, seeking their prayers and insights.

And, this morning, we officially accepted the referral of a gorgeous little girl - who will turn ONE YEAR old in April!!! We never expected to be accepting the referral of a child so young - but we are so filled with Joy and peace, and already so in love with her!

Yesterday, Vicki shared with Dave that for most of this adoption process, she had been praying that whenever our referral came, that the child would have a Biblical name (our four children all have names from the Bible). Today, as our Social Worker shared the name with Dave, she said, "This is amazing, we rarely can figure out how to pronounce most of the names of our Ethiopian referrals, but this little girl has an English name, and it's one from the Bible even." Friends, God is in the details!

We hope to bring this beautiful young lady to her forever home sometime this summer - please keep praying for all of the rest of the details to fall into place and for she and our current family to be prepared for the adjustments ahead. And, join us in Praising God for His amazing gift in this little life!

Ready to Quit

This morning, I was ready to quit this whole process. Let me explain........last night, we received an email from our Agency Social Worker and the main point of the email was that we are no closer to our referral than we've ever been. We could still be waiting for months. And, there doesn't seem to be any definite reasons or answers as to why. I was so disappointed, so frustrated and so confused. I have believed for so long that God has called us to this adoption - and I have been getting so angry because I feel that we are trying to follow God's call and He doesn't seem to be answering. Why would He call us to this if it seems like it will never happen? Why, when we are trying to be obedient, does there seem to be this wait that no one ever saw coming? Last night, we went to bed weary and worn, pleading to God in our prayers together for some sort of explanation. We awoke this morning and tried to talk a bit about what God might be up to. And, I, well, I was so weary and torn, that I told Dave that I just didn't know if I could continue. The lows of the disappointing times just keep seeming to get lower. And, have I mentioned that I am weary and tired? And, that sometimes I just cry - a lot. I left for work still crying and with puffy eyes from the tears of last night. I know, I know.....you can all tell me that it will be worth it, there is a reason, God has a plan, all "those answers". But, sometimes you can't give any answers that make any sense or bring comfort when it just hurts deeply and the ache in your heart can't be explained.

Then, shortly after I got to work, Dave called. An envelope had been left for us and this is what it said:

"My dearest children, I have spoken and said: "Because of My great love you are not consumed, for My compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is My faithfulness. Remember, I am your portion; therefore wait for Me. I am good to those whose hope is in Me, to the one who seeks Me".

You have sought Me, hoped in Me, waited for Me and remembered Me - I have not forgotten My promise to you. The time is near for My promise to be fulfilled; do not lose heart. You faithfulness has brought Me great joy! My faithfulness will do the same for you. Your children are under My care and will soon be with you; until then, "be steadfast in Me and I will keep you in perfect peace".

"I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you and your children with loving kindness." Absolutely nothing will ever separate you from My love - you are Mine and I am yours. Thank you for waiting on Me.

With all my love and through my servants - Your Heavenly Father"

So, now there were more tears as Dave read me this letter. We have no idea who God used to write it, but we are so very grateful to whoever it was. It was what my heart and soul needed - a reminder to not give up, but to keep on waiting. The words were good medicine to my hurting soul. This was God telling me that I can't Quit - I need to keep putting one foot in front of the other and keep walking this journey - even on the days when it feels like the journey has stopped.

If you are responsible for leaving this very special envelope - Thank you for allowing God to use you - you have no idea what an impact you have made!

To God Be the Glory - always!

Caution ahead.....

Caution ahead......

As Lent begins today, I ask you to read this post slowly and really do some self examination. Most of the words I share today are not my own, but resonate deeply with my heart and soul these days. I borrow them from someone else, who writes much better than I and who definitely lives out her words. (She's adopted 13 children in Uganda)

"Adoption is wonderful and beautiful and the greatest blessing I have ever experienced. Adoption is also difficult and painful. Adoption is a beautiful picture of redemption. It is the Gospel in my living room. And sometimes, it's just hard."

"Adoption is a redemptive response to tragedy that happens in this broken world. And every single day, it is worth it, because adoption is God's heart. His Word says, "In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons and daughters through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will" (Ephesians 1:5) He sets the lonely in families (Psalm 68:6). The first word that appears when I look up adoption in the dictionary is "acceptance." God accepts me, adores me even, just as I am. And He wants me to accept those without families into my own. Adoption is the reason I can come before God's throne and beg Him for mercy, because He predestined me to be adopted as His child through Jesus Christ."

"My family, adopting these children, it is not optional. It is not my good deed for the day; it is not what I am doing to "help out these poor kids." I adopt because God commands me to care for the orphans and the widows in their distress. I adopt because Jesus says that to whom much has been given, much will be demanded (see Luke 12:48)."

From "Kisses from Katie" by Katie Davis (pgs 72-73)

"The truth is that the 143 million orphaned children and the 11 million who starve to death or die from preventable diseases (emphasis mine) and the 8.5 million who work as child slaves, prostitutes, or under other horrific conditions and the 2.3 million who live with HIV add up to 164.8 million needy children. And though at first glance that looks like a big number, 2.1 billion people on this earth proclaim to be Christians. The truth is that if only 8 percent of the Christians would care for one more child, there would not be any statistics left. This is the Truth. I have the freedom to believe it. The freedom, the opportunity to do something about it. The truth is that He loves these children just as much as He loves me and now that I know, I am responsible"

From "Kisses from Katie" by Katie Davis (pgs 91-92)

So - there you go. You were warned before you read it. Now you too, are responsible. Have you been given much? (If you are an American, yes, you have) Then, much will be expected from you. During this season of Lent - will you commit some prayer, time and conversation with God and see how you need to help the orphans and widows of this world? Maybe you won't feel called to adopt - but could you sponsor a child (http://www.compassion.com/)? Could you help families (encourage, support financially, offer meal help, etc) that feel called to or have adopted? Could you drink only water for this season of Lent (Join Dave & I as we do this http://www.bloodwatermission.com/fortydays.php)

You are responsible - take your responsibility seriously.

Still here.....

Well, we're still here - waiting.

This past Saturday, our local Social Worker came over for our Home Visit. We still have a few pieces of paperwork to wrap up and then she can complete our Home Study (again). Then we will send everything on to the USCIS for re-approval to adopt and another set of Federal Fingerprints to be taken. We hope that we can send in our USCIS request in early March.

We recently had the opportunity to have a family over for dinner who has adopted from Ethiopia. It was a visit that was good for our souls! To see this child in her forever family, adjusted, healthy and happy - it was just beautiful! It was a glimpse of the future that our tired souls really needed to see.

We seem to be no closer right now to our referral - and if we wrote a few weeks ago that we are weary.....well, we are even more weary now and at times we are having a hard time with some anger and other emotions that we are feeling. We are leaning harder than ever into God and His promises - but also spending some time questioning, wondering, pondering and pleading. We continue to always come back to the Call that we feel God has placed in and on our hearts to this adoption. "Caring for orphans is about obedience and expressing the heart of God" (Moments With You by Dennis & Barbara Rainey). We want to be obedient to God and what He wants us to do --- sometimes He just makes waiting a part of that obedience. We would appreciate your prayers that we can stay focused on God and His call to us.

We do have another favor to ask. Would you please go to this link and sign this petition for our family and hundreds of others who have been called to adoption? http://www.change.org/petitions/make-adoption-costs-fully-refundable-in-the-2012-2013-tax-years This year and following, adoptive families will get less and less of a tax credit (soon it will be no tax credit) when they adopt. And - at international adoptions rounding out at about $20,000 (and we are finding that to be a pretty low estimate in our experience so far) tax credits count! Please sign this petition and help send a message that ADOPTION MATTERS and makes a difference in our world.

Please pray for our child(ren) in Ethiopia - that they have food, shelter, care and comfort this day.

Thanks for reading our blog - it is so encouraging to us to know that people take the time to care!

Friday update

Well, here we are again - it's Friday. This week brings some news.....

We had some hope from our Social Worker, based on some happenings a month or two ago, that we would have another referral by the end of January. We inquired to see if that might still be a possibility earlier this week -and it isn't still a possibility. Needless to say, we were very disappointed. We seem to live in this pendulum of hope to disappointment - it swings back and forth on a pretty regular basis.

We also heard this week that some other adoptive parents who have already made their first visit to Ethiopia to meet their children have now had their paperwork sent to Nairobi for further review because they are "not clearly approvable". This means another level of review of their paperwork and the possible request for more information. Having gone through the Home Study process and laying our lives open for all sorts of review, I can't imagine what other information may be requested from those families, who are just longing to go back and bring their children home!

Today, it was confirmed by our Social Worker -- - we need to request another appointment for our Federal Fingerprints via the USCIS (United States Center for Immigration Services) and also request an extension of our "Approval to Adopt" from the USCIS. Requesting an extension of this form also means we need to update our Home Study - which may be costly and it sounds like it may involve another Home Visit.

Would you please pray for:

*Our child(ren) in Ethiopia - protection, health, development & preparation for coming to us

*That we can get the updated paperwork done in a timely and cost efficient manner

*For those families dealing with having their paperwork reviewed again - and that when our referral comes through, all of our paperwork and processes go very smoothly

*For our spirits to stay encouraged and strong

"Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from Him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I will not be shaken. One Thing God has spoken, two things have I heard; that you, O God, are strong, and that you, O Lord, are loving." Psalm 62: 5 & 11

It's Friday - again

It's Friday - again, marking another week without a referral. We're not sure why, but both our hearts and spirits are discouraged and sour tonight, more than most Friday nights. Please pray for us to keep a spirit of hope and perseverance, and for the protection of our family in Ethiopia. We don't know why God is making us wait - but he is also making a child or children wait for some reason. We keep trying to trust that there is a good reason (or many good reasons) but tonight, it is hard. We'd appreciate your prayers - we need them right now.

Thank You~

Dave & Vicki

Very Deep Sigh

This is a picture of two wall signs that hang in our home. Often, I walk by them and am encouraged. Often, I also walk by them and sigh a very deep sigh. Tonight is a very deep sigh night.

The top sign says "Pray Big". I do often pray big - I pray for this adoption and every detail I can think of relating to it. I pray for people to be healed, to find salvation, to find little and big miracles in their lives, for love to be found, forgiveness to be given, needs to be met, etc etc. (you'd probably laugh at me and all the prayer conversations I have in my own little head with my friend and my Lord God). I believe that I serve a BIG God and that he wants us to pray BIG because He can do more than we can ever imagine.

The bottom sign says "Be Patient. Our Prayers are always answered, but not always on the exact day we'd like them to be." It is almost in ways, the opposite of the Pray Big sign - because as much as I, or anyone else does Pray Big, the answers and the timing to those answers are totally out of our hands. And, I need to be reminded of that - pretty much on a daily basis relating to our adoption and all sorts of other things too.

So - getting back to why today is a "very deep sigh" sort of day.....we heard from our agency today about possible time lines and it was discouraging once again. They do not have a referral ready at this time. The thought is that the best scenario is to possibly have our family home with us by early summer. And, that was the best scenario sort of update. (This spring we will hit the 2 year mark of the process - we never thought we'd be here!)

In some ways, that sounds fabulous, right? The kids and I would all be home together to adjust to all this newness together over the summer. But, I was really hoping to have some time with Family Medical Leave to be home with our new member(s) while the older Jansen's were still in school, to help build the parental bond. And, I've always thought it would be easier to convince/bribe/coerce someone or somebodies to stay with our kids, while Dave & I go to Ethiopia, while they are all in school. Their caretakers could go shopping and eat bonbons all day - much easier than being their summer entertainment while Dave & I travel, right? Exactly. These are just some of the thoughts that continue to bubble through my head as I make plans - or actually dream again about making plans - for the future.

So - I must Pray Big and yet be Big in my patience. I am reminded that God wants what is best for our entire family -those here in Ohio and those in Ethiopia.

"For I know the plans that I have for you," says The Lord. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope." Jeremiah 29:11

I believe this and tonight I will rest in it.