Our Story...

Our story... wow. So much to say. Where to start? How do we even adequately express all that God has done in our lives? The redemption, the stretching, the beauty from our messes, the so many blessings, the stripping of control, the journey we never thought we'd do... wow.
Here's just a small glimpse of "us" and "our story" ... at least from the past few months... This will be added to the "Our Story" section soon.


***A HUGE shout out to Corey Lamb and the communications team at our church for putting this together as part of our send off. YOU.ARE.AWESOME. ***

The TRUTH about our adoption... Post #5

We must be completely transparent at this point, only because we feel it is significant to our story at this point. While some of you know, because it wasn't a secret, many of you do not, because it wasn't necessary for you to know... God had moved in our hearts when starting our first adoption (with E)... as we went through the infamous "check list" of things we will "accept" and "not accept"... what a heavy, heavy task. I was sitting on an airplane. We first, without thought, went through that checklist with our flesh. Then, God said "YOU NEED TO KNOW WHAT YOU ARE SAYING NO TO"... specifically when we came to HIV. So, Ok, I can at least educate myself on an issue that I don't have to bring into my home. cool. Sure, God, I'll educate myself on what I'm saying No to. cool.

The next few months we spent reading... I remember when I read "HIV is easier to treat than diabetes in children." WHAT? surely not! I remember reading things like "they can live a normal life expectancy with the medication." WHAT? "There is no known transmission of the disease within normal household environments." WHAT? "It can actually become undetectable in the system, they can grow up and get married and have children." WHAT? and, that truly it is a matter of medication availability and diet that determines if a child with HIV will live or die. In addition, YOU can't pick them out.. nor can I. We also read Red Letters by Tom Davis. We were ruined... gloriously, for the sake of children, specifically orphans, living with HIV around the world. So, maybe to your surprise, over the last 2 years we have prepared ourselves, our home, and our family for the welcoming home of a child... our sweet AJ... who would be HIV +. We didn't want it any other way... God had given us that passion and desire. We WANTED her. and we still do. Only, now, we don't know when that will be and... there will be many of them who I will love as I would love her. Living among the children deeply in need. In Zambia, 1 in 5 children have been infected HIV/AIDS, and 10% of the population are orphans...largely due to the HIV/AIDS crisis. Zambia has one of the highest HIV rates in all of Africa between 15-20%. God was preparing us, educating us, and removing fear and replacing it with passion for a group of people largely ignored by the church. We thought it was for our one, but now we see it was for loving many.

Don't be scared, "Know what you don't know now" ... God truly spoke to my heart to be educated. YOU can be educated, too. It is FAR different than you think. Now, while I really can't speak about who God will set into my family at this point, nor if they will be + or not... know that We as a family will live among and hopefully with those living and fighting a disease that doesn't HAVE to take their life. It doesn't have to take their mommy or daddy. It doesn't have to take their little child. Educate yourselves... and maybe even consider checking the "yes" box on that checklist if you are in the adoption process.

Some of our favorite resources on HIV/AIDS:

Project Hopeful

From HIV to Home

Positively Orphaned

Sweet Friends... The Mayernicks

*Next post will be current time about our adoption process and hopefully answer some of your questions...

World AIDS Day...

This is a blog post written by a lady that is very well respected not just in the "blogging" community, but throughout the world of adoption advocates. This is something we are passionate about, and want to encourage others to be educated... so take today to learn about something you might not have otherwise... or maybe had misinformation about. Families depend on people like us to not only become educated, but to go near and love like Jesus. Enjoy her post...

December 1st is World AIDS Day. Does it matter to us? Should it matter? Many of us have lived unaffected by HIV/AIDS, but in Ethiopia, my children’s birthplace, there may not be a single person who can say that. Every day children are orphaned by this incurable but treatable disease; they are left to raise their siblings, left on the street, left to a neighbor’s kindness,or left at the gate of an orphanage. They cry, they starve, they suffer, and many of them do not yet know that they too are infected with this virus.

What can you do?

1. Read

If you only have time to read one book, I recommend There Is No Me Without You: One Woman’s Odyssey to Rescue Her Country’s Children. Written by an adoptive mother, the book tells the story of one Ethiopian woman who responded to the AIDS orphan crisis with practical compassion. It is a compelling and interesting read.

If you have time for two books, get 28: Stories of AIDS in Africa by Stephanie Nolen. My exposure to AIDS in Africa had been limited primarily to Ethiopia, but this book features a short story about 28 different people across the continent and how AIDS has affected them. 28: Stories of AIDS in Africa will give you a quick education about HIV/AIDS in a captivating style.

2. Learn

Visit the From HIV to Home website, to find great information including our free webinar and audioconference. You can also read Family Stories about families who have adopted children living with HIV.

If you have 30 seconds, go to my HIV Fact page and get the facts.

Take three minutes to watch Truth Pandemic by Project Hopeful; make sure your knowledge about HIV/AIDS isn’t stuck in the eighties.

3. Shop

Shop with a purpose. Christmas will be here soon and this year you can purchase gifts that will benefit children with HIV/AIDS.

At From HIV to Home we have some great new earrings available for a donation of $30.

4. Care

If it all seems remote to you, take a few moments to watch my family’s video of our Ethiopian adoption. I know I don’t write about HIV/AIDS much, but our lives have been forever changed by this virus. I am so thankful to God that we learned there was nothing to fear about HIV, and I feel honored that God trusted us to adopt our children who are HIV+.

5. Adopt

Consider adopting an HIV+ child. It isn’t as hard as you think! The last four years have seen an explosion in the number of families adopting HIV+ children. When we began the process, a handful of HIV+ children had been adopted from our daughters’ orphanage. Now, the children are finding families very quickly. For more information on HIV+ adoption, contact Adoption Advocates International one of the other agencies placing HIV+ children.

Don’t wait until December 1st to wear a red ribbon. Do something today and when World AIDS Day arrives, you will be ready to tell somebody else what it is all about. Please feel free to share this post and spread the word about World AIDS Day. My family thanks you for caring.

Stuck in the 80s?

Something that we have become passionate about over the last 2-3 years within the realm of adoption and orphan care is the HIV/AIDS crisis and how it is a major contributor to the overall orphan crisis. Another ministry we've been able to get to know, Project Hopeful (In this weeks PEOPLE magazine, btw) has created a project called the TRUTH+Pandemic. Here is a little glimpse of how they are using their platform to educate others. Amazing, really. Hope you enjoy, and are educated... maybe even challenged a bit...