genocide memorial.

before we went to The Best Family on the first day in Rwanda, we went to the genocide memorial.

in Rwanda, there was a genocide in 1994 that in 100 days nearly 1 million people were killed.

it's terrible.  and horrible and you wonder HOW it could ever have happened.

I kept thinking, during the time this was going on, I was having my 10th birthday party and having NO IDEA.  

Going to the memorial, all I could think about at first was the last time I was here.  

with Jessica, Joe & Jack and Norbert.  When I was here to photograph their adoption (which I still need to post pics from :)  Jack might have had too much to eat at lunch so we didn't get to go inside but I was reminded of Norbert (their attorney) and his story.  It made this memorial come to life.  It wasn't just about "some people" but it was about my friends!  

Jessica blogged about Norberts story here.  

We sat outside at lunch with him one day & heard his story.  Please go over & read it.  

It is a beautiful story of how God could use brokenness and loss for something beautiful.  Norbert is helping orphans find their homes, he is volunteering his time every week to help those who don't have a voice, and he's doing it in Jesus name.  Beauty for ashes indeed.  

This is Norbert...

I'm about to tell you another very cool God story about Norbert & his involvement with my good friends Jenn & Chris.  Jenn blogged about Norbert here.  

If you haven't already seen it, I suggest you rent Hotel Rwanda.  It will give you a better understanding of what these beautiful people went through in 1994.  Spending time at the memorial before going to love on and spend time with children who were orphaned because of this horrific event, put it all into perspective.  

This country is rebuilding.  They are strong.  They love justice.  

I don't think I ever blogged about it, but when I was with the Honeggers in Rwanda my laptop (along with lots of other items of theirs) were stolen.  From the home we were staying at.  If this happened in the US, no one would care - but the police were over that night and within 48 hours they tracked down the theif and we had all of our stuff back.  Justice, people.  They care.  They fight.  

Lane Mears, in country director of International Justice Mission, wrote about it on his blog here.  

I was drawn to the pictures.  Pictures tell stories.  Pictures say things that words sometimes can't. 

It was a pretty emotional day.  Afterwards we went to lunch (traditional Rwandan buffet) and then headed out to the Best Family.  

like a mother.

watched parenthood tonight for the first time since my "parenting" came with a face.
I seriously bawled at the end.
bawled.

is it normal to be nervous?
anxious?
this is becoming so real.
so so real.
I bawled tonight and cried out to god to keep our sweet Camp safe and healthy.
feeling a way I have never felt, a way I can't put into words.

feeling like a mother.

this week was nice to ignore email and facebook for a few days to just get caught up around the house, with WEP & Africa pics.
now I'm behind.
forgive me.
I'm leaving for a wedding in the morning.  one of my very best friends, Scarlett.
you know this emotional feeling won't go away.
last college bestie that got married, I cried for seriously 2 hours after she left the reception.
it's a happy cry.  but it's still a good cry.

praying tonight that Camp will be able to be moved to the foster home facility in Addis soon.
will you pray?
I'm ready to get updated pics of my baby and know that he is safe and healthy all the time.

more blogs and updates next week.
promise.

happy weekend early to me :) 

ready for Camp?

"He has made everything beautiful in it's time"

Ecclesiastes 3:11

I don't really know how to start this blog post.  I've been putting it off all week because my heart hasn't quite figured out how to put into words how it feels.  I've spent the morning praying that the Spirit would lead me to the right words that would bring Him glory.  So, bear with me.  Here goes nothing.

We know who our son is.

We have his picture.

We have memorized his face, his big brown eyes and his amazingly "ready for a fro" hair.

We know his name.

God knows his name!

Our son, whom we have named Camp, is now real.

He's alive.

he's a precious precious child of the living God.

There are so many details that go into this story and many of them I cannot tell you yet.  And how I wish I could show you his beautiful picture, but can't do that either yet :(  or tell you his beautiful Ethiopian name.

But I can tell you that it was ALL God.  He is funny, ya know?  Laughing at all the plans we make in our heart.  Stephen & I weren't expecting to have a face to go with our sons name for another year +.  We expected to get a phone call from our Gladney worker, Sara, telling us she has the information for us and then I would have called Stephen to come home & gotten to a computer.  We would then pray & video tape our reactions and cry and call asked all of our friends to come over & call our families.  Well....that is not how God planned the meeting of our son.

As to not go into too many confusing details - I'll tell you that God put four really amazing women in my path over the past 2 weeks to tell me about this precious baby (whom they were advocating for through another agency).  A few that I blew off for a few days (sorry girls).  But God kept on, and after one very wise woman told me to "keep praying & God will give you peace to know what to do".  Honestly, I hadn't been praying about it because it wasn't part of MY plan.  God wasn't supposed to move us to a different agency!  I prayed something like this, "God, does this baby not have a family because WE are his family?"  Then He used another friend to affirm that prayer & accidentally show me a picture of the boy we now know as Camp!  The first words out of Stephens mouth when I sent it to him was, "He looks JUST like me when I was a baby!"  Phone calls were made, prayers were prayed, a whole page of questions were answered (after being in this for 16 months I had LOTS of questions), prayers were prayed over us, lots of money was given to us and ultimately we accepted the referral last Thursday afternoon! 

There is so much more to tell, so many details I don't ever want to forget but that is all I have for now.  All I can say is God HAS made everything beautiful in it's time.  And His timing was perfect.  Are you kidding with the Give1Save1 week?  We were supposed to be the week before, but because I spent an extra week in Ethiopia, my friend Lauren graciously offered to switch with me.  God knew.  He knew THAT week specifically we actually needed the money.  To accept a referral!  It was all in His timing.  

He has confirmed again and again through so many other little stories that this little boy was meant for OUR family.  He is our son!  We can't wait to hold him, to love him, to give him a family!  To introduce him to Jesus, to speak truth into his life and to be his earthly parents.  Words can't even describe!

What now?  Well, since we changed to another agency, International Family Services, we are having to have our dossier sent back to us to add/remove parts and update our home study.  We are trying to get these two things done in a very timely manner & would love your prayers!  We are praying that we get submitted to court with a court date in JUNE!  But you know....nothing in Africa moves quickly.  so PRAY!!!  

You can continue to shop Noonday: http://www.wynneelder.noondaycollection.com/

If you are in MIdland, and have items at home you want to get rid of, we are having another garage sale sometime in March!  Feel free to call me & drop things off!

You can order a Camp shirt: I just ordered 75 more & would LOVE for them to find a home!

http://camptees.storenvy.com/ {and I might start pre-ordering for KIDS shirts...let me know if you are interested} 

You can continue to donate if your heart so desires, but clicking on the "donate" button on the top right part of the blog.  With moving agencies & having to re-do certain items, we still have about $6-7k to raise (mostly for travel!).  

Mostly, you can PRAY!

• for Camp's caretakers - that they will show him the same kind of great love & care that Christ gives us
• for his health - that the Lord would continue to protect him from sickness
• that he feels LOVED every single day and is HELD!!!
• for the paperwork process to be speedy & the courts in Ethiopia also :)

Seriously, so many of you have been a huge part of this story.  We want to genuinely thank you for your support- spiritually, emotionally and financially.  For your prayers, your encouraging out of the blue notes with checks in them, for giving up your Christmas to donate to Camps fund, for giving up your kids birthdays to support bringing Camp home, for de-cluttering your entire house to give to a garage sale benefitting Camp, for wearing your Camp shirt & thinking/praying for us when you wear it and telling us so, for giving your dollars last week on Give1Save1, for praying for our son (and your own children) every day at 3 pm, for considering and asking God what YOUR role is in adoption & if He's calling you to it, for hearing and spreading the gospel through Camps story, for letting me come over to your house at midnight to cry my eyes out because all I want to be is a mom, for comforting us in those hard moments, for praying for us in our kitchen, in your living room & in the church sanctuary, for affirming Gods call on our life, for writing a check bigger than we've ever had in our lives to help make it happen....but mostly for loving us and our little family more than we deserve.  Words can't express our thankfulness.  We love you all!  Thank you for doing what the scripture says, in being a part of taking care of the widow & the orphan (James 1:27).  

{it's for sure not a good blog post without pictures...especially of Camp's siblings in their "I love Camp shirts"} 

We can't wait for Camp to meet ALL of you.  He is one loved & blessed little boy already.....

get ready world.  Camp's coming!

praying he will be a WORLD CHANGER!!