Family

Yesterday was the first time that Mahlet told Heather, “I love you,” without Heather first initiating it.  Sure, she has repeated it at bedtime and such, but it was the first self-initiated time.  It brought a smile to both of us. 

I have been sitting around for the last couple of weeks letting my ankle heal and I have had lots of time to just sit and watch.  I normally am so busy that I don’t have time to just sit and process things.  The questions that have been streaming through my head have not been easy though.

Would Yosef have made it to his 5^th birthday?

What about Mahlet’s deep hurts?  Would she have any childhood left?

How much longer would Eyerusalem be able to last without her innocence being stolen?  (God thank you for protecting her.)

What about London?  What would her life have been like growing up in the foster care system here in America, lasting in one house for a few months at a time? 

How far have our kids come? 

What was their life like?  I know that they came from a very poor area, (I have been there.)  

Normally, I don’t think of our kids as orphans, or ex-orphans.  They are just our kids. I don’t like to go back to the memories of them as orphans.  It is too hard to do.  This week though, God has been showing me something.  (I am not quite sure what it is but I know that he has been putting something on my heart.) 

God has graciously placed them in our family.  They have comfort in knowing that they have a mom and dad who are at home who love them unconditionally.  They take comfort in knowing that they have siblings to play with.  I am watching them grow up well fed, loved and cared for. 

This week was the first time that I have seen Mahlet play make-believe.  She has never done this before.   She has had no idea how.  She asked for Barbie’s for her birthday a few months ago, but then afterward she wondered why she got them because she didn’t really know how to play with them.  She has never had time for make believe before.  When we were staying in ET, I thought that Eyerusalem and Mahlet would be easily entertained with the long days and I was completely wrong.  London, Geneva and Capri, all knew how to play make believe and entertain themselves for hours playing house, or tea party or flying paper kites.  Mahlet had no idea how to just play. 

Now, I listen to her playing Barbie’s with her sisters, “Okay, I get to be the mom now.  It is okay baby, I love you so much.”  These words mean a lot.  She now remembers what a mother is supposed to be like and she now knows how to love again. 

God, thank you for demonstrating to us what a family is.  Thank you for being our Heavenly Father who cares for the orphans.  You place them in families.  It is by your grace that you have blessed us with our children.  Lord, embolden your church, your people, to provide and care for the millions of orphans that remain.  You are the Father to the fatherless and you bring justice to the orphan.  

Two men, Two continents, One Vision

Thirty two years ago a man was born into a middle class neighborhood in the middle of a suburban city in California.  His parents, both Christians would take him to church weekly.  His dad was a drummer at their church and his mother made sure that we were apart of everything going on at church.  His dad had a solid job and though money wasn't always overflowing, the family never went hungry, and had clothes on our backs.  His mother was able to stay at home and take care of the household.  The family was able to fit into the neighborhood, attending local, public schools as he grew older.  He was able to participate in sports activities freely. This man was able to live a comfortable life growing up.  Sure there were the normal ups and downs but nothing overwhelming.  He was able to get a solid job after going to college for a few years, find a beautiful wife, have numerous children and now has a career as a Fire Captain.

Yes, I am that man.  Born into blessings.  Given the world at my fingertips.

The same year, across the width of this wide world another man was born.  He into vastly different circumstances.  Born into an Orthodox monastery to two blind parents.  His father a monk in the monastery.  His mother being the good Ethiopian woman, taking care of the house and the family.  This man had no public school to go to but did attend a school in the monastery learning about his religion.  It was during this time as a youth, he taught himself how to read, write and speak English using a dictionary.  He grew up in poverty.  It was at the age of 18 that he decided to follow Jesus Christ.  He was then beaten, thrown into a prison where food and water were withheld from him for 3 days.  It was during this time that he was rejoicing in the Lord Jesus.  Tied to the top of a bus, so as to prevent the evil spirits from the inside, he was sent to Addis Ababa.  He entered the capitol city of Ethiopia and was ridiculed as a country boy. Wearing his sheep skin shirt he was send to live in the leper colony, right next to the city dump.  Where the unwanted go.  Daily, he would scavenge the dump for food and items to sell so that he could have money to put himself through high school.  The leper colony, known as Korah was where he established his first church of Jesus followers.  He now has a job as a translator for a guest house.  His name is Bisrat.

Who would ever think that our paths would cross on multiple occasions.  He met us and comforted our anxiety as we went from one guest home to a place unknown, late at night, across the big city of Addis with out 3 kids.  He led us to the church that we were apart of in Korah during our time in Ethiopia, where we were blessed immeasurably.  We were just able to host him as he travels throughout the US.  What an honor it was.  In his words, "Can you believe that a man from the dumps of Addis, is standing on the Golden Gate Bridge right now?  It is amazing.  Simply amazing."

Somehow is God's sovereign grace, He allowed our friend to come to California and stay with us for a few days.  During this time, he was able to help us show our daughter who Jesus Christ is and decide to follow him.  I know that God has ordained the times that we have met.

What if the roles had been changed?  What if it was I who had been born into a monastery, into poverty?  What if he had been born into the wealthiness of America?  Somehow, in God's grace he put each of us into the position that we are in for a reason.  I don't know why.  However, I do now that God has blessed us so that we can in turn bless others.  Everything is His.  Everything.  Whether we have a lot or a little, it doesn't matter.  It is all His.

During his three days here, just about every conversation was centered around Jesus.  It was so refreshing.    We both shared our dreams and visions with each other.  They are the same.  May God be glorified in all that we do, and to see the name of God proclaimed amongst all people groups.

It was difficult to say goodbye but I rest assured knowing that there will be a day when we meet again, whether in this life, or when we are bowing before the Creator of the universe giving Him our praise.

Adopted by the KING!!!

.IDOLS. 

.WITCHCRAFT.

.CHARMS.

These words bring up many images in our heads.  However, for our daughter Eyerusalem they bring up different ones.  Eyerusalem was brought up as an Ethiopian Orthodox.  Ethiopian Orthodox believe that the saints or the virgin Mary hold a special place between themselves and Jesus.  They believe that they need a mediator to Jesus and that they must still work out their salvation through rituals, kissing pictures and fasting. 

The line between Ethiopian Orthodox and Christianity in Ethiopia is hard to distinguish at times.  I have asked time and time again for an explanation into the differences between the religions.  After months in Ethiopia I still felt very vague about how to explain the difference to our new daughter.  To her, she was a Christian.  Yet, something had a grip on her and she was missing it.  She continued to worship pictures.  Even though the differences seemed vague at times I also knew that those who change from Orthodox to Christianity can be severely persecuted for it. 

We have a friend staying with us for a few days from Addis Ababa who used to be Orthodox and now is a Christian, a follower of Jesus.  He has really been able to explain the differences to us and how vastly different they are.  Today, we had him give his testimony to our family during school.  We then asked our kids if they had any questions.  That is when things changed.  Eyerusalem started to ask questions, (and those of you that know her, know that she can ask questions:)  She finally was seeing the difference, seeing the truth.  She was seeing the explanations from her past as lies now.  

She told us that last night while lying in bed, by herself, she decided that she was going to turn from Orthodox and follow Jesus.   We asked her why last night.  She replied that we had been going through a book on peoples of the world in school that day and we briefly talked about witches, charms, idols, etc.  It wasn’t even a two-minute conversation but that didn’t matter.  (This is a major plus in homeschooling our kids:)  Lying in bed she realized that she had idols, she realized that she had charms, and she realized the witchcraft that had been a part of the religion. 

She wanted the truth. 

She knows that Jesus is the Truth.  She knows that He and only He can stand between herself as an imperfect sinner before a Holy and Righteous God. 

What an amazing time for her and our family to talk through these things and clearly see how the Spirit of God has been working in her. 

So we asked her what to do with her idols?  Burn them was the answer.  So with a big bonfire and some fanfare we burned her idols.  (I can’t even believe that I am typing this, it is so incredible.)  As she threw them in the fire she was reciting that Jesus is the way, the ONLY way. 

We discussed many different passages and decided that she needed to be baptized to confirm the decision and make a bold statement that she is going to follow Christ as her Savior now. 

 

With a couple of hours to prepare, we invited our family, and senior pastor to come to our house and join us for a baptism tonight.  We threw a celebration because it is worthy of celebrating!  I am honored that I was able to get into the water with my new daughter and baptize her.  What a blessing.  Having our friend stay at our house this week has been another incredible blessing that we are ever grateful for. 

Praise God, as Eyerusalem’s journey of adoption has now been completed through her adopted status as a daughter of the KING.