Defend the Cause of the Fatherless: Orphan Sunday 2009

Orphan Sunday from Christian Alliance for Orphans on Vimeo.

If you are home this Sunday afternoon from 4-6pm (central time) and have access to a computer, I encourage you to tune in (via webcast) to what promises to be an amazing event. LIVE from Nashville! will feature special music by Stephen Curtis Chapman and the Children of the World Choir, as well as special guest speakers Jim Daly and Dennis Rainey, among others. The hope is to reach the nation with God's call to care for orphans. The event is sponsored by the Cry of the Orphan Awareness Campaign, which enables organizations from around the world to join forces and make a difference in the fight against a problem that is too big for any one person or organization to solve. Click here to find out more about the event and campaign.

Sweet Home Alabama

It was good for my soul to go home a few weeks ago. Living eight hours away from family and close friends means I only get to visit with them a few times per year...which makes each visit that much sweeter!
2009 means that my close group of friends (including myself in a couple of weeks!) turns the big 3-0! Brooke (aka Babbs) was the first to enter this new decade. It was so wonderful to have lunch with her and celebrate her special day. Equally as wonderful was meeting her precious son, Sawyer, who recently celebrated his first birthday! Brooke is such an incredible mama who inspires me in so many ways. I can't wait for Baby E to meet Sawyer!


Nancy was next to bite the dust, and we celebrated her 30th birthday with a wonderful dinner. We also celebrated motherhood, as Nancy is expecting her first baby in April. By our calculations (and intuition!), we think our babies will be very close in age. What an amazing gift to experience this journey into motherhood with my best friend! I'm really looking forward to Baby T and Baby E growing up together!

Another great addition to my weekend at home was having dinner with a friend I haven't seen in maybe seven years! Although we've been in touch through various forms of communication over the years, we couldn't really remember the last time we actually saw one another--but we think it may have been my wedding day! Kelly Sprayberry Akers is such a dear friend to me and I loved reconnecting with her. While we grew up in the same town, we were not in the same grade so we only attended the same school for two years during high school and two years during college. However, I have such great memories with her outside of school--particularly from church and piano lessons/recitals. As adoptive parents themselves, Kelly and her husband, Ryan, have a HUGE heart for adoption and speak beautifully of the reflection it can be of Christ's love and adoption of us, His children. Kelly has been such an encouragement and inspiration to me throughout this process, and I look forward to growing even closer throughout the years.

(Imagine a picture of me and Kelly here....I did take my camera to dinner, but we were so engrossed in conversation that I forgot about taking the pic!)

And nothing tops spending quality time with my family. Whether it's playing games with Marlee and Maggie, listening to Granddaddy Joe's stories, or the sweet moment of the family blessing when we all come together around the table...I am so grateful for each and every moment I spend with my parents, my grandparents, my brother and sister-in-law, and my precious nieces. Baby E is in for a blessing!


And a fall weekend in Alabama would not be complete without a football game at Bryant Denny stadium! Jeff and I had a great day in Tuscaloosa visiting our alma mater, tailgaiting on the Quad, and witnessing another Crimson Tide victory! Baby E, get ready to say "Roll Tide!"


***As of today we've been on the wait list for our referral for 2 months already! Where does the time go?! I don't know, but that just means in 5 or 6 months, we will see our baby for the first time (via pictures)!***

A Wonderful Gift

Last week, my sweet Granddaddy Joe gave me one of the best gifts I have ever received...and I found out that he has a hidden talent that may not be so hidden anymore!
Recently, my hometown held a Celebrity Auction and Concert as a fundraiser for our local museum and arts center. A few months ago, over 30 "local celebrities" and Alabama artists teamed up to paint original artwork to be auctioned off at the event. Many of you will not be surprised that my Granddaddy Joe was asked to be one of the "celebrities," thus he has been working with a local artist for months on a watercolor painting. He told me about this venture a few weeks ago when he informed me that the picture he chose to paint was a beautiful scene from Africa-- from a photograph taken of the Serengeti in Kenya by a missionary from his church. I thought it was so neat that Granddaddy was revisiting an old interest of his (turns out, he was quite the artist back in the day!) and that he was painting a scene from Baby E's homeland! However, when I found out the painting was to be auctioned off, I was bummed that I wasn't going to get to see it-- yet so proud of my Granddaddy and the work that he was doing.

Last week Jeff and I went home to Alabama for a few days (more to come on that later!) at which point I thought the painting was long gone to the highest bidder. So much to my surprise, as we were sitting in the living room visiting with the family on Sunday afternoon, in walks my Granddaddy Joe holding the painting! In typical Granddaddy fashion, he says "Well, I hated to buy my own painting but I knew I wanted you to have it." We were so surprised and grateful for this beautiful gift! I am so impressed by his skills and am encouraging him to paint more often. It is an amazing watercolor that is going to look perfect in the nursery! I cannot wait to hold Baby E in his/her room for the first time and show him/her the painting that his/her Great-Granddaddy Joe made for for us. What a special gift that our family will cherish forever. And even more, I cannot wait for Baby E to meet the wonderful man that is his Great-Granddaddy Joe. He is such a blessing to us and all who know him.

A Night of Hoping and Holding

We love living in Chapel Hill. We love the people. We love the weather. We love the spirit of community. We love the diversity. We love the opportunities. We love the charity. Recently, Jeff and I experienced all of these loves in one evening at Carolina Hopefest....the good music was a definite bonus!
Carolina Hopefest brings together singers/songwriters to benefit grassroots sustainable development in Africa. This year, proceeds will benefit Nourish International, a student-led movement to eradicate global poverty. Proceeds will also benefit Beacon of Hope and other organizations of Africa Rising.
Matt Nathanson (who rocked it out and was quite the solo entertainer!) as well as the Indigo Girls were this year's headliners. However, the best surprise for me was getting to hear "Held" performed by its North Carolina songwriter, Christa Wells. Many of you may recognize this song made popular by Amy Grant. If you haven't heard it, I encourage you to listen here. What an incredible reminder of how God holds us in his arms when we need him most. When describing how the lyrics of "Held" came to fruition, Christa writes "...no person of faith lives without suffering...BUT...in the middle of that heartache...we are held, held up, held together, by the One who has walked here and knows the pain, and who also holds all of time, every story, my story, your story, the Greatest Story in his hands."

Two months is too little. They let him go. They had no sudden healing. To think that providence would take a child from his mother while she prays, is appalling.

Who told us we'd be rescued? What has changed and why should we be saved from nightmares? We're asking why this happens to us who have died to live. It's unfair.

This is what it means to be held, how it feels when the sacred is torn from your life and you survive. This is what it is to be loved and to know that the promise was when everything fell, we'd be held.

This hand is bitterness. We want to taste it and let the hatred numb our sorrows. The wise hand opens slowly to lillies of the valley...and tomorrow.

This is what it means to be held, how it feels when the sacred is torn from your life and you survive. This is what it is to be loved and to know that the promise was when everything fell, we'd be held.

If hope is born of suffering; If this is only the beginning.... Can we not wait for one hour, watching for our Savior?

This is what it means to be held, how it feels when the sacred is torn from your life and you survive. This is what it is to be loved and to know that the promise was when everything fell, we'd be held.*

*"Held" lyrics, written by Christa Wells

Pray With Africa

I found out about this awesome movement/organization through another blog. Please take a minute to watch this video and pray along WITH us: I Am African

Waiting with Excitement

September has been busy and exciting in the Nix household. On September 3rd, we were officially placed on the wait list to receive a referral for our baby! This is a huge milestone in the adoption process and means that we should be getting a phone call and email to introduce us to our baby in about 8 months. This is an average, based on our agency's recent time frames, so it could be sooner (which is what we are hoping for!) or a little longer than 8 months. Also, on September 17th, we received confirmation that our dossier is now "on Ethiopian soil," about to be translated into Amharic! One step closer...
Along with all of this exciting news has come the beginning of the Fall season (my favorite!) and the start of a new school year, which means I am working again! Crossing another adoption milestone and being captivated by the busyness of the new season has resulted in a halt of preparation for the arrival of a new baby. Of course, we are always preparing for our baby in our hearts and praying for his/her well-being. But practically speaking, we have a A LOT to do before Baby E arrives, and realizing that we could be getting the phone call in 8 months or less puts that into perspective! Fortunately, my wonderful friends who are already mothers or who are currently expecting have helped me to realize that it's okay just to "relish in the moment" when you're about 8 months away from being introduced to your baby. So, that's what we're doing...relishing in God's grace and thanking Him for this amazing gift.
And we're thankful for friends and family who are celebrating along with us. Somehow amidst this busy month, we managed to get away to Ohio and spend good quality time with Jeff's family. And in October, we are going to visit my family in Alabama. We are so blessed to have such amazing, supportive families who are anxiously awaiting for the arrival of Baby E!

Here we are enjoying an NFL football game...Can't wait for Baby E to wear his/her Bengals jersey!

My sister-in-law, Carrie, welcomed us with these great gifts...games from Africa!

Our nieces and nephews love Uncle Jeff...he is going to be the best Daddy!

Signed. Sealed. Delivered.

This weekend, we spent $35 to send 1 piece of paper to New York...all so our CIS approval could safely and quickly get to KBS Dossiers. So it was well worth it! We should officially be on the wait list very soon (which means our dossier is off to Washington D.C. for final authentication before heading to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia)! Can you tell how happy we are?!