Come Party WIth Us!

Are you in the middle Tennessee area? If so, come on over this Thursday night! We're hosting a Shop For the Cause event. We'll be showcasing our fundraising merchandise, plus we'll be selling 147 Million Orphans items as well (which we will also earn some of the proceeds from). Some of it will be cash (or check) and carry, and some of it you can place an order for and it will be ready by Christmas! A great way to get lots of your Christmas shopping done, and it all helps bring our two precious children home! We would love to see you there!

And if you can't make it here in person, you can "attend" virtually by placing an order via email (watsonadoption@gmail.com). Just let me know what you want and we'll get it to you!

If you plan to attend in person, just email me (watsonadoption@gmail.com) and I'll send you directions.

Our Big News!!

I've been hinting for a couple weeks now at some big news we had to share with you all. And here is is, finally.

Since David and I began this journey of international adoption, the Lord has been teaching us and convicting us about what HIS desire is for our adoption... About the need there is out there... and about the ethics of adoption (which are rarely ever black and white). Our eyes are being opened to things we were naive about when beginning this adoption. But our prayer through much of this adoption has been for God to break our hearts for what breaks His, and He's been faithfully answering that prayer, and turning our world upside down in the process.

The more we learn, and the further we get in this journey, the harder it has been for us to imagine sitting on any kind of an adoption waiting list (NOT because we're impatient). We have often looked at the faces of the older children on the Ethiopian "waiting children" list and felt God tug at our hearts as He's asked us some tough questions.

We have been doing our best to follow God's lead during this whole adoption journey, and we feel that this is what he desires for our family - adopting two children from the "older child waiting list!" And we are thrilled that He's calling us to this! We had originally been planning to adopt two children between 0-4 yrs. of age. So this is a BIG shift for us, as you can probably imagine. We're still digesting it all ourselves.

There are two particular siblings on the waiting list that have been tugging strongly at our hearts. But we are awaiting some important information from our agency still (and praying lots) before we make any official commitments concerning specific children. We are SO anxious to get this info. You have no idea! It's seriously ALL we want for Christmas!

Adopting off the waiting list brings some additional anxiety, because once we commit, we face deadlines concerning our dossier and fees. But we know that God is in control of all this too.

And let me make it clear that though we are indeed thrilled at this change of direction concerning our adoption, we are probably equally as SCARED! It's just a whole different ball of wax than what we were planning for previously. But all these new changes just require a deeper trust and dependence on God, and draw us closer to Him. And what a blessing that is!

And can I just say, how much I LOVE MY HUSBAND! He's such a great MAN! It's not every husband that would get excited about adopting from Ethiopia. It's not every husband that would suggest adopting two children from Ethiopia. And it's certainly not every husband that would be as excited as mine about adopting two older children from Ethiopia. (Plus, he's hunky!) There is nobody else I would want right by my side on this crazy journey, but him. How did I get so lucky?

Thank you for continuing to pray for us. We need those prayers! We feel 'em! They keep us going!

A New Kind of Thanks

This Thanksgiving finds me and David in a place we could barely imagine a year ago. Though we knew we wanted to adopt eventually, we didn't know The Call would come so soon, and we had no clue it would take the twists and turns it has.

We are still trying to be patient as we wait for news from Ethiopia regarding some specifics of our adoption. There's so much we want to talk with you all about, but we need all the info ourselves still first. Please continue to be patient and check in with us regularly! And pray for God to provide some clear answers and direction for us. We're longing for His Will in all this, and not our own.

And speaking of unexpected twists and turns... We were supposed to be with my family in Chicago this weekend to celebrate Thanksgiving. BUT our USCIS fingerprinting was scheduled for tomorrow morning, so our plans changed. (As those of you who have adopted probably know, you don't mess with your fingerprinting appointment if you don't have to.) I am very close with my family, and holidays are kind of a big deal to me, so this sacrifice was not an easy one, but I know it's for a very worthy reason. (Plus, my in-laws came into town, and some wonderful friends joined us for our Thanksgiving meal as well.)

So though we're sitting in a kind of strange place in our adoption right now (and sitting in Nashville when we were supposed to be in Chicago), we are overwhelmed with all we have to be thankful for right now. Adoption brings the most unexpected blessings into your life. It empties your pockets, but it fills your heart - and then some!

Here are some things I'm feeling thankful for:

- New friends. New blogging friends; friends we've made during fundraisers; other (amazing) adopting couples that have been so encouraging and supportive; acquaintances that have become friends through their encouragement and mentoring (because they've been through this themselves); new friends God brought into our life that have LIVED in Ethiopia and speak fluent Amharic; neighbors (a couple of them!) that feel like kindred spirits with their heart for the orphan and the widow. I have been inspired and enlightened and encouraged by you all. God is using you all to change our lives!

-Old friends. You know who are! You have been there backing us up, helping with fundraisers, asking questions, praying for us, giving to help make this happen. It's humbling. You're my heroes! I want to be like you someday!

- Family. I know that we've asked a lot of you all. Adoption is a decision that affects more than just me, David, and Isaac. You all have BIG hearts. BIG HEARTS, and I'm so excited that these two children get to be loved on by you all for the rest of their lives!

- Our church. They have HUGE hearts for the orphans of the world. We couldn't ask for a supportive family to have lifting us up through all of this.

- Opportunity. That God would call us to such an important task is again, humbling. Thank You, Lord for the work you are doing in our lives, and in our family.

Adoption is one of the most challenging things David and I have ever faced. But we have never felt so much joy and so much blessing. What an awesome Thanksgiving!

Disclaimer: It's late and we have to get up early tomorrow for our fingerprinting (fighting black Friday traffic... fun!), so forgive any typos please. No time for proofreading.

Here are some photos of our Thanksgiving:

Our family

All of us feasting

Friends

Grandma and Papa Watson with Isaac

Still Waiting

We are waiting to hear some news back from our agency, and when that happens (soon we're hoping, but we don't really know), we will be able to give an official and exciting update about our adoption!

In the meantime, we're giving thanks this week for the many blessings adoption has brought us already. We went to see The Blind Side this weekend, and I loved that line where the mother's friend says, "You're changing this boy's life." And then the mother says, "No, he's changing mine." It's kind of a cliche line, but so true. Our life has changed SO MUCH since this adoption journey began. Maybe I should say our hearts have changed so much since this adoption journey began. God is spiritually stretching us and molding us in ways we can almost physically feel!

So much to be thankful this year! What kind of adoption blessings are you thankful for this year (or any other kind of blessing)?

New Pretties

Some of my latest creations. Still plenty of time to order tees (and out other items) for Christmas!

Calling All Bloggers!

We need your help! Would you post our blog button (located at the top of the right hand column of our blog) on your blog? Help us spread the word about our fundraiser so we can bring our two kiddos home! Our fundraising needs are becoming increasingly more urgent.

There is some change afoot in our adoption journey. Big change. We'll fill you in soon once we have everything figured out a little better, which will hopefully be within the next week here. In the meantime, copy that code below our "Buy A T-Shirt, Save An Orphan" button and paste it somewhere on your blog.

THANK YOU, GUYS!

We're Failing Them

My heart is so heavy lately. God has been putting a burden on my heart for all the mothers in the world that are without their children. There are so many mothers in Africa (as well as other continents and countries) that are not only without their children, their children are an ocean away. That's wrong. Wrong.

I am still learning a lot about Ethiopia, and about adoption myself, but what some people don't realize is that many orphans in the world still have one (or two) living parent(s). There are various reasons these parents choose to give their children up, but in many cases the reason is poverty and disease.

Parents, can you imagine? Can you imagine being so sick and/or poor that your only hope for a future for your child is for them to be adopted by strangers... foreigners, and taken across an ocean never to be seen again? Usually never to even be heard from again? I can't! It kills me to try to imagine that.

Or, think back to being a child. Picture your parents. Can you imagine your parent(s) being sick... lacking money so severely that they have to give up custody of you? You have to leave your parents, go to a strange country (and a totally new culture), with people you've never met (that probably look very different from you)...

This is a tragedy!

It's wonderful that there are those willing to step up and adopt some of these children. But wouldn't it be even more wonderful if there were enough of us willing to step up and care for these mothers and fathers so these children would never become orphans? Is that really an intangible goal?

These children are being orphaned by diseases that people don't die from here in America, as well as diseases that people can live a long, normal life with here in America. And the only solution we have to offer is to swoop in and take their children away to live in America? I'm having such a hard time stomaching this.

James 1:27 commands us to care for the orphans AND the widows. We as Christians have just as much of a responsibility to the widows as we do to the orphans. Aren't we failing the widows?

Of course, this is not the situation for all orphans.

I know I'm not the only adopting/adoptive parent whose heart is breaking over this. Talk to me about this people. It's tearing me up. What can we do? What is already being done?

I'm still learning about all this. Perhaps I am being naive? I would love to hear people's thoughts. Please!