Dear Baby E

To our precious child,
Your father and I have been thinking about you so much lately. I've been having strong feelings for the past two weeks that you have recently been conceived. I have been praying especially for your birth mother, and I know that others reading this will pray along with me. I thank her so much for the life she will give to us, but my heart already grieves for her loss. I pray that she is surrounded by people who love and support her. Our God promises us that He ["created our inmost being and knit us together in our mother's wombs"] (Psalm 139:13). Although you are not in my womb, you are certainly in my heart each and every day.
Love, Mommy

It's a Small World After All

Wow! Within the past several weeks, I have been amazed at the "Ethiopian connections" Jeff and I have made...so amazed that I wanted to share:

My best friend, Nancy, is a pre-school director and she knows a sweet family who is in the process of adopting from Ethiopia. Looking forward to connecting with them.

Another dear college friend, Ali, has a family friend who has recently adopted a beautiful baby boy from Ethiopia. I can't wait to connect with them, too! Check out their story here.

Yet another college friend, Steph...her good friend's neighbor has adopted from Ethiopia.

Family friends of Jeff's parents in Murray are adopting from Ethiopia. We're working on getting in touch with them.

A dear friend, Kristen, has friends who have a beautiful Ethiopian son, Jonah. Thank you, Kristen, for passing along their contact information.

Heard that someone else I know from college has a beautiful baby boy from Ethiopia...I will find you, Suzanne!

My dear friend, Stacey in Nashville, has a girl in her Bible Study who is adopting from Ethiopia. Read about their journey here.

Also got word of yet another neat connection (thanks Ellen!). The summer of 2001, I met an amazing girl, Amy, while spending time in Florida with Campus Crusade for Christ (she was actually my roommate :-). I remember meeting Amy's sister (Laura) that summer one crazy night when we drove several hours to her parents' beach condo. What an amazing family! 8 years later, I am meeting Laura (Amy's sister) again, this time through her blog--yes, she and her husband are adopting from Ethiopia. If you do nothing else, check out their story here. What an incredible story of faith.

Sweet friends from church, Michael and Ashley, told us about their friends who have recently moved to Ethiopia! to live and work for the next two years. What they are doing there is incredibly awesome. How neat to see what life is truly like there. Check it out.

And the coolest yet...Most of you know that much of my job consists of working with students who may be having difficulties/challenges at school, then meeting with their parents, teachers, administrators, etc., to assist with a plan to help them succeed. I see almost 100 children each school year. All are so special to me, but a few are unforgettable....At the end of this past school year, when Jeff and I were officially embarking on this journey, I began working with a girl who had recently moved from Africa (what are the chances?!...just wait). She had many challenges but none could deny the sparkle in her eyes and the love that she gave. This little girl taught so much to everyone at our school. She did not move here directly from Ethiopia but as I was reviewing her file, I came across her birth certificate and sure enough, she was born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia! Fortunately, I was able to meet her sweet Ethiopian mother through this process. We laughed together. We cried together. Amazing how we connected, even with the communication barrier. Speaking of communication...at one of the meetings, the mom brought a friend who could help interpret for her (a professor at a local college). This lady was also incredibly kind...and Ethiopian! The entire meeting was spoken in English and Amharic (Ethiopia's primary language!). It was so beautiful! And just that very week before the meeting, Jeff and I were discussing our hope to find someone nearby who can help our family (especially Baby E) learn some Amharic. Looking forward to connecting with this sweet family (and professor) again this fall!

Yes, we are so grateful for these connections and I can't help but be reminded of a song from one of my favorite rides at Disney:

"It's a world of laughter, a world of tears;
It's a world of hopes and a world of fears;
There's so much that we share,
That it's time we're aware
It's a small world after all!"

Meet Jackson

Hi! My name is Jackson and as you can see, I was adopted by Kim Windsor (Ginger's mom and Baby E's grandmother). Mrs. Kim (actually, I call her KK like the other grandchildren) is on the Board of Directors of The Exchange Club Family Skills Center located in Birmingham, Alabama. About one year ago, this wonderful organization held a silent auction where bears like me could be adopted. At that time, KK knew that adoption was definitely on the hearts and minds of Ginger and Jeff. KK thought that she would adopt a bear that would one day be in the arms of her adopted grandchild. My bear friends were all adorable and dressed in all sorts of attire, but I suppose KK chose me because I aspire to be a doctor, just like Jeff (KK's son-in-law and Baby E's father). I secretly lived at KK's house for many months (don't worry, she took good care of me!). When Ginger and Jeff told KK they were adopting, I was given to them as their first gift. Since then, Ginger and Jeff have told me all about their journey to their baby and I cannot wait to meet Baby E! Jeff also has given me several tips on how to become a doctor, but I'm beginning to wonder if I want to go to school for that long and work those long hours! For now, I am just enjoying hanging out in Baby E's room and anxiously awaiting the arrival of him/her. The coolest thing is that I get to listen when Baby E's mom and dad come into the room, get down on their knees, and pray for Baby E. Baby E, I know that God is watching over you.