The First Purchase

I can't tell you how many times I've been tempted to buy "baby things" over the past three years. Well, I've actually bought a lot of adorable baby items over that time frame, but always for other people. So many times shopping for other moms-to-be, I've wanted to purchase something for our baby. I've refrained...until NOW!
I've had my eye on this rug for a long time, actually. Along with other rugs, it's been hanging on a wall in our church for quite some time. Every time I saw it, I couldn't help but think how great it would be in a nursery. Since we decided we are adopting from Africa, I knew I had to have it. Not only is it adorable, but it has special meaning.

Our church has a global partnership with ministries in Nairobi, Kenya--including Beacon of Hope (BOH). This rug was lovingly made by women involved with the BOH ministry. BOH is a faith- and community-based non-governmental organization, sharing the love of Christ in a practical way. The mission of BOH is to bring hope to women living with and affected by HIV/AIDS within poor communities by empowering and equipping them to meet their spiritual, physical, emotional, and economic needs. Find out more about the ministry here.

We hope you like it, Baby E! So far this is our only purchase and probably will be for a while, but I hear that's not the case for your grandmothers!

Why Ethiopia?

We get asked this question a lot, and that's okay because it's not every day that your friend or family member tells you they're going to Africa to meet their child. I can sum it all up in three words: command, love, and need. Let me explain...
First and foremost, this is where we feel God has called us to go. Through our journey to become parents, I've learned a lot about God's personality. He is Big. He is Powerful. He is Mysterious. He is Sovereign. He is Patient. He is Humorous. He is Comforting. He is Disciplinarian. He is Personable. He is Friend. He is Lion. He is Lamb. He is Father. He is Son. He is Spirit. Overall, He is VERY complex and I love it. After all, aren't we all complex? Our family is certainly going to be complex, and I'll love that, too. For well over a year, God has been revealing to us that our child is in Ethiopia. He revealed this in the still of the night, in the middle of our busy days, through talking and listening to other people, through song, through images, through the Word, I could go on and on. Sometimes, though, it takes a while to "listen," you know? Fear often holds us back from experiencing the life He has planned for us. It feels good to listen. It feels good to follow His command.
When we decided to take the leap, we discovered an incredible love for this country, with beautiful people and rich history. A country who is deeply compassionate about their children and wants to see them thrive. People with incredible spirit and perseverance, despite such vast need:
There are an estimated 6 million orphans in Ethiopia. 6 million. Can we even fathom that?
1 of every 6 children die before their 5th birthday
Doctor to children ratio is 1:24,000
Adult literacy rate is <40%
Life expectancy is 53 years of age

Jeff and I don't know what our completed family will look like or where the roads will take us to our future children, but we do know that this is the road to our first. I'll leave you with this video clip from our adoption agency that recently aired on Good Morning Texas.

Seven

In Hebrew, seven comes from a root word meaning "to be complete, full, or satisfied." As portrayed in the Bible, seven can be symbolic of the whole, the completion, the ideal situation, or the perfect picture of things. So it seems only fitting that 7 years after our engagement and seven years after the strong desire to adopt appeared in our lives, that this desire-this dream-is now becoming a reality!
From the day we were married, we knew that adoption would be part of our story. What we did not know was that our road to parenthood would be rather lengthy, including many mountains and valleys. The road was often filled with heartache but never without hope...a hope that promised us that we will be parents some day, no matter how long that road that may be. It is that hope that has led us to this time in our lives.
So just what have we been up to, and who is "Baby E?" Well, if you take a look at our timeline to the left, you can clearly see that we've been very busy over the past few months. We wanted to send out our blog well before now, but we instead have been devoting all of our time and energy to completing the huge amounts of paperwork. Many of you are aware of the daunting task that is the dossier...a set of legal documents for international adoption. The time and energy have paid off--because in record time we are finished with everything for the dossier, with the exception of the CIS approval letter which we can only wait for at this point. Once this arrives, our dossier can be sent and logged in Ethiopia at which point we will wait for several months to receive our referral...the name of our baby, along with pictures and general health and other stats. After we receive our referral, we will wait (are you noticing a theme?!) for several more weeks before Jeff and I travel to Ethiopia to bring home our baby. We have requested an infant of either gender, so the day of the referral will be an exciting day in the Nix household!
The "E" is for Ethiopia. Not very original, I know, but "Baby E" does have a nice ring, right?! Some of my dear friends decided that this baby needed a "name" already...so "Baby E" it is!
Again, we're excited that you're following us on our journey. Please check back often for updates, including the next one re: "Why Ethiopia?"
Until next time, "We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield." ~Psalm 33:20

The Beginning

It is amazing to me how the Holy Spirit moves. Ginger and I have been on this journey now, it feels like anyway, for a long time. It is incredible that a small town boy from western Kentucky and a small town girl from central Alabama can end up with a desire for adoption in eastern Africa. The only way that we can explain it is through something other than & greater than us. We have felt so much love and support through all of this and we wanted to share our thoughts and emotions as we go through this process.
p.s. from Ginger~ For the record, I'm not a fan of this picture of us that was taken late at night a few months ago. However, Jeff did an AMAZING job finalizing the settings of this blog, so he received the honors of the first post (along with the picture). I love you, Jeff!!! Baby E, meet your parents...up close and personal, which is mostly how you will see us anyway!