16 years years of love & adventure

   

 

 

 

 

 “For it was not into my ear you whispered, but into my heart. It was not my lips you kissed, but my soul.” ~ Judy Garland

All one big piece of the puzzle

There are no extra pieces in the universe. Everyone is here because he or she has a place to fill, and every piece must fit itself into the big jigsaw puzzle. ~ Deepak Chopra

Unfortunately no news from Immigration. When we submitted our application the average wait time to receive approval was 6-8 weeks. As of today we have been waiting 12 weeks. The wait time has increased dramatically to where the officers handling the cases are no longer taking phone calls. Phone calls are going directly to their voicemail where they state if they are able to they will return voicemails for an identified hour per day. We know that everything happens for a reason and that if things were different we wouldn't be united with our daughter. I have seen it many times being on the professional side of adoption, families trying to be patient but feeling so far away in actually being able to hold their child in their arms. But when they become forever families, each and every time, they express that the waiting was all worth it and the timing was ultimately perfect!

When you have completed 95 percent of your journey, you are only halfway there. ~Japanese Proverb

There is no me without you

I just finished the most incredible book, There is no me without you. It is a very well written book which provides a glimpse into the AIDS/HIV pandemic and the resulting effects on children orphaned through poverty and death. As stated on the Amazon website "Not unlike the AIDS pandemic itself, the odyssey of Haregewoin Teferra, who took in AIDS orphans, began in small stages and grew to irrevocably transform her life from that of "a nice neighborhood lady" to a figure of fame, infamy and ultimate restoration."

You can visit the author's website, There is no me without you, to learn more about the author and the continued work in Ethiopia.

There were many statements and situations mentioned in the book that brought me to tears. However this one I felt was most appropriate for this blog: "So Haregewoin understood adoption like this: In the Epoch of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, a few families from foreign countries were throwing lifelines to individual children. The life-changing opportunity was not without a price, which the Ethiopian government weighed carefully: the adopted children would lose their country, people, faith, language, culture, and history. A child could end up the sole Ethiopian for hundreds of miles; another, the only child of color in his or her school. But the adopted child would gain the one thing on earth arguably worth more than a homeland: family. While most African nations did not turn to inter-country adoption as an option for orphaned children, Ethiopian officials had decided that for the infinitesimal minority of African orphans who could be raised by foreign parents, the trade-off was worthwhile and they would not block their path."

This statement addresses some of the issues that we initially discussed when thinking about adoption. We can say that we feel so lucky to live in a community where we personally know dozens of families who have adopted from Ethiopia (as well as knowing that there are several dozens of families we have yet to meet). There is an incredibly large and amazing support network for families who have adopted through Ethiopia. We recognize and understand the importance of maintaining her connection to Ethiopia, making this a natural part of our family life. We hope to facilitate this connection through our focus and exposure of her culture through activities, books, music, food, art and eventually returning trips to Ethiopia. We want to raise our daughter to know and love Ethiopia.  

We can't even imagine what the people of Ethiopia are going through. In the book, an adoptive family spoke to the village where their adopted children were born. Given the opportunity to talk with our daughter's family I couldn't have phrased it more perfectly, the family stated "we feel sad for your family's terrible loss. Your tragedy has turned into an incredible gift for our family. We feel deeply honored to adopt these children." We truly feel that our daughter will be a blessing in our life and we feel so grateful to be be given the opportunity to incorporate such a rich and incredible culture into our family. The more we learn about Ethiopia the more we fall in love with this amazing country. This truly is the journey of love.

“Throughout history, it has been the inaction of those who could have acted; the indifference of those who should have known better; the silence of the voice of justice when it mattered most; that has made it possible for evil to triumph.”   Haile Selassie

Immigration status

Remember, remember always, that all of us, and you and I especially, are descended from immigrations and revolutionists. ~Franklin D. Roosevelt

Working with immigration and been a lesson in patience. Although the wait was much longer than we anticipated, we feel so thankful that we are able to call the office to obtain information on our application status. I remember when I worked in adoption adoptive parents didn't have the option of calling about their status, I couldn't even imagine! The "officer" appointed to us has been very gracious and supported us in our curiosity as long as we kept our phone calls to no more than once a week! The first time we called, two weeks ago, we were #16, then a week ago we were told #13, and then I called today and we are #5!!!! We are thrilled to know that the process is speeding up and although we didn't make our goal to send the dossier by July 1st...we think we can make our adjusted goal of sending the dossier by August 1st! YAY!

" Patience is the companion of wisdom." ~Saint Augustine

Hakuna Matata

Everything you see exists together in a delicate balance. As king, you need to understand that balance and respect all the creatures, from the crawling ant, to the leaping antelope.

-Mufasa

What a wonderful evening! We were lucky enough to see the Broadway production of The Lion King at the Keller Auditorium this last week, what an incredible performance. The costumes were vibrant with amazing detail, and the actors had such powerful and beautiful voices. Everyone enjoyed the show.

We decided to eat some Ethiopian food before the show. Since we have been crossing off the various restaurants on our list we decided to eat at the En'Joni Cafe. We had a fabulous dinner and the staff were so friendly. The food was outstanding and we loved all the beautiful artwork everywhere. We plan to return to return on a sunday to take part in their Ethiopian Coffee Ceremony. 

"Hakuna Matata! What a wonderful phrase. Hakuna Matata! Ain't no passing craze. It means no worries for the rest of your days. It's our problem-free philosophy. Hakuna Matata!"

This week we finally broke down and called CIS (immigration) to see where we were on the list. We submitted our application at the beginning of May and at that time the current wait was 4-8 weeks to received your I-171-H. Unfortunately we just passed our 8th week of waiting. So when I asked the "Officer" what position we were on the list it was hard not to be disappointed when we were told "number 13" and they had only processed three applications in the last week. After a brief sigh,  we reminded ourselves not to get caught up in the worry and focus of the various wait times involved on this journey. We know in our heart that we will met our child at the perfect time in all of our lives.

 "Look at the ★s. The great kings of the past look down on us from those ★s...So whenever you feel alone,just remember that those kings will always be there to guide you. And so will I." ~Mufasa   

The Need in Ethiopia

* There are approximately 5 million orphans in a country less than twice the size of the state of Texas.
* One in six children die before their fifth birthday.
* One in ten children die before their first birthday.
* Half the children in Ethiopia will never attend school; 88% will never attend secondary school
* 82% of the population survives on less than 1 dollar a day
* Only 24% of households have access to safe drinking water
* Ethiopia’s doctor to children ratio is 1 to 24,000
* The average life expectancy is estimated between 45 and 55 years old
* 1 in 3 people are HIV+
* Children and family are honored above all else

We encourage you to research how you can help those in need. A little can go a long way! There are several organizations out there that can provide help to those who need assistance in getting even just their basic needs met. We have listed just a few that we know can make a difference with even just a small donation. We are so thankful to live in a country of abundance.

If you can't feed a hundred people, then feed just one. ~ Mother Theresa

Ethiopian Orphan Relief

Into the Streets of Ethiopia  

SIGN

Wherever a man turns he can find someone who needs him.  ~Albert Schweitzer

Day of the African Child

We have always loved and appreciated all that Portland has to offer, however going through this adoption process has allowed us to become even more aware of the wonderful cultural events and celebrations in the community. This past weekend Portland State University hosted the 5th annual Day of the African Child Event. After watching the parade of nations (children holding flags from the various African countries) we enjoyed the delightful sounds of African music, delicious Ethiopian food and a bit of shopping from the fabulous vendors. We even saw an adoptive family or two. We look forward to attending next year, hopefully with our daughter.

“Until the philosophy which holds one race superior and another inferior is finally and permanently discredited and abandoned, everywhere is war and until there are no longer first-class and second-class citizens of any nation, until the color of a man's skin is of no more significance than the color of his eyes. And until the basic human rights are equally guaranteed to all without regard to race, there is war. And until that day, the dream of lasting peace, world citizenship, rule of international morality, will remain but a fleeting illusion to be pursued, but never attained... now everywhere is war.”

Popularized by Bob Marley in the song War

 Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia quote

It was wonderful to participate in this joyous day with a family member who was also enjoying and appreciating every minute of this day, celebrating Africa and our Journey of Love.

Wake Up and Live

"Anticipate the good so that you may enjoy it." ~Ethiopian Proverb 

We went for a beautiful hike on Mt Hood this weekend. Hiking always provides time for us to have lengthy discussions around the current topic in our household. Of course these days the biggest topic on our minds is our adoption process. As we get closer to submitting our dossier to Ethiopia, we have started to turn our focus from the dossier paperwork to our travel plans in Ethiopia. Since we don't know exactly how long we will be gone (we can take two trips or stay for one long trip) we have several possible itineraries. As we were pondering about our trip and thinking about the possibility of just staying in Africa the entire time...we looked down and noticed a very familiar shape. We stopped in our tracks and observed a beautifully shaped rock....to us it looked like the shape of Africa. We both just smiled. 

 

Life is one big road with lots of signs. So when you riding through the ruts, don't complicate your mind. Flee from hate, mischief and jealous. Don't bury your thoughts, put your vision to reality. Wake Up and Live! ~Bob Marley

Fingerprints

 Today we got our fingerprints taken for CIS, for immigration purposes. This is the last step towards obtaining the long awaited I-171-H form (the end result of the I-600A), which gives us approval to adopt a child from another country. The I-171H form is the last piece of paperwork needed to complete the list of 22 documents/items needed in our Dossier, the paperwork that we send to Ethiopia. So, if our fingerprints are clear enough for a reading, to provide the necessary background checks, we anticipate to receive our approval paperwork in a few weeks. Another step closer! 

Family Celebration

We had Vivi's brother and sis-in-law come into town for a visit. So of course we had to take them out to Ethiopian Food! We went to Beta-Lukas for the first time. We loved the food, ambiance and service! What a special evening. It is very important to us to continue celebrating the Ethiopian culture in a variety of ways.