Patience. Faith. Journey.

Patience- quiet steady perseverance...
Faith- belief that is not based on proof. Confidence and trust.
Journey- passage or progress from one stage to another.


International adoption- all of the above and then some!


As of March 16th, it has been one whole year since The Karki family sent in their application for adoption of their 4th child. It has been 7 months "paper ready" and still waiting.


When I think of this process or this journey, it is truly a quest that requires patience where you never thought you had it and faith draws a new picture right in front of your face each and every day. We all are faced with different obstacles or challenges in our lives at certain stages of this life journey. Indeed, we all hope that during these moments, when we are most tested, it is then when we grow our wisdom and we hope to better understand ourselves and our beliefs. (At least thats what we hope for.)  A book I was given as a gift after the loss of Katlyn has a great saying.


More than anything


more than anything~ I want to trust a journey that I don't understand.       - terri St. Cloud 


I think thats where that word FAITH comes back into play! That journey can mean many things to all people at certain stages of our lives.


Adoption is not easy. We knew it wasn't suppose to be, but as we are human, we sure wished we would be one of those rare situations. In the meantime we focus on the good and all that we are blessed with. Allan and I are blessed with 3 amazing children who continue to grow and wow us! Chandler, our oldest, is now signed up for drivers training, oh my! He continues to be a gentle heart.  Keegan is ready and eager to start middle school at Cathedral and continues to bring humor into our lives. What would we do without him? Avah, almost 7, has taught us about strength and keeps us humble and is willing to be confident in just who she is, love it!
Allan and I will be celebrating 14 years of marriage this summer and we are taking a fantastic trip through Europe and France. 
We have great jobs and people around us. Meaningful friendships and fantastic families! We are blessed.


In the meantime, we will keep our faith, try for continued patience and watch as the journey unfolds!


*Here's some heart warming pictures of Avah reading and learning her Amharic language for her sister. (She know's Amharic the most! Calls out to her brothers "wundim; which means brother, makes me laugh.) She also continues to write messages to a sister she already loves and hasn't seen yet. So sweet.

5 Months and Waiting...

Its been 5 months and waiting since we have been "paper ready." (In March, a year we started the process.)  We were officially put on the waiting list August 19th! At that time we were number #69 on the waiting list, we are now #59. Not much has moved. 

When we first started this process, at that time adopting an older child as we are, was almost an instant referral for our age range request. A lot has changed. Ethiopia's Ministry of Women's Affairs (MOWA) has started looking into international adoptions more now, thus more time, and many orphanages in southern Ethiopia have closed. We know of some cases in which families were given referrals and then these children were taken back to the original orphanages or areas in which they came; most likely not adoptable anymore. Hard to comprehend why a child is better being an orphan, than a child who would be loved and adored into a family... a HOME? 

We try and not focus on the waiting list number, as our circumstances our different then the majority. (older child versus baby) But its easier said then done. There has NOT been a lot of referrals happening and court dates are taking longer. At one point, we were hoping to have our daughter home by this last Christmas, then Valentines Day, now its moved to summer and soon the reality may be next Christmas.

Her room is ready, we talk of her often, she's prayed for at the dinner table and her sister Avah, always is thinking of what she will do with her new sister when she comes home, what she should save for her etc... this for her is a daily conversation.

Adoption is a journey. Its a faithful journey. And its a journey you really don't do unless your heart is into it and its your families calling. It will test you, it will make you question, but I believe in the end this part will all be a blur as she naturally blends into our family and we get to see her face daily and embrace her with hugs and love as she will now be ...HOME.

Blessings this Holiday

BLESSINGS to you and your family this holiday!  Blessings is what the holidays are truly about.  We are thankful for our family, our amazing children who put as at awe each day, our friends, our health and all we are blessed with. It is an extremely emotional holiday this year, we are coming to the one year anniversary in which I lost my adored little sister Katlyn, it is also our first holiday with out her. I remember at this time last year, we were kindly arguing about our mom's X-mas gift... oh how I wish I could again...
I miss her contagious smile each and every day and she truly had the biggest heart! (Scott, my brother, had the same smile.) Blessings. What we all will do this holiday is remember and celebrate all we were given and all that we were taught by our special angels. It's not about the stress and the clutter... it's deep in my heart this holiday year, that's it's about all that we are simply given in our lives each and every day by the people who cross our path in life; all for different but meaningful reasons. Take a moment this holiday and reflect and share your blessings!

Next year at this time, we should be a family of 6! We will have a new face at the table, a new body around the tree and a new voice in the house... oh we can't wait! Will this be her first Christmas? I'm sure. Another blessing indeed! We have been on the waiting list now for about 4 months... waiting for that call. In God's time it will happen; we continue to keep the faith.

We wish you and your family a heartfelt peaceful holiday. Embrace all those around you as we will. Reflect and remember. And just as we do... watch for the butterflies!

Dreaming ... Travel

One more step closer. With the end of the year upon us, we decided we better get our first round of shots for travel to Ethiopia done. (Just 3 more shots to go!) Allan and I accomplished this bright and early one morning before our way to work.  Avah was with us and she thought it was just great that she could watch her parents get shots and she didn't need to have any of them! =) Giggle.. giggle...

Adoption is indeed a process and a journey of itself. As we wait, I always find new hope in reading other families adoption blogs and especially after seeing how their children mold into their God intended families; no more precious of a Gift!

In Gods Time... Keeping the Faith

It has been awhile since our last post. Kids are back at school, we are activity central over here. Without the big white board that screams out in the kitchen showcasing the weeks activities, I'm not sure we could keep it all connected? Yes, everyone and every family is busy.  Busy, busy. Why do we do all of this?  Well, I guess it's the American way of making sure our children are involved, connected and apart of some sort of individual growth and development, much less you hope for teamwork. However, I always feel we need to "try" and keep it all into perspective. As Allan has said; we need to value what the hierarchy of importance is within our own family too... we try. We try, by keeping the importance of family dinners as much as possible and sometimes choosing when other things are more important then making that one practice or that one dance lesson.  It's important I feel, we not only teach the value of dedication to a team but the dedication to the FAMILY!

Adoption: We still have not seen her face, heard her story or know her name. We continue to pray and anticipate that we will "get the call" soon. We have a lot going on here and we do our best in finding the comfort in knowing, "In Gods Time, Gods Plan will be fulfilled."  I remember when my daughter Avah was born we were torn with what her middle name should be. Should it be "Jean", a name after my father and her mothers middle name? (Though Avah Jean sure does flow nicely,)  "Faith" just kept calling me. So "Avah Faith" she is! Amazing through all of our families journey this last year after loosing my adored sister, Avah's medical issues and our adoption journey, raising adolescent boys,  that middle name "Faith" sure seems to have been indeed what God intended!  Hence or blog name; faiths journey through life...

Like being pregnant, we are expecting. We have prepared the girls room, its beautiful and ready. We continue to prepare by having conversations, reading adoption related books, stories and articles to try and best prepare for her arrive. Just like having a biological child,  you don't know exactly what is ahead of you but you do your best to prepare the best you can.

We continue to Keep the Faith, knowing In God's Time we will all be united and we will bring our God Intended Child... HOME.

I am ONE

"I am only ONE, but I am ONE.
I cannot do everything, but I can do something.
And I will not let what I cannot do interfere with what I can do"
                     -- Edward Hale

(2 yr old Samolia refugee camp CHILD- July 2011 Degahaly Camp) Somalia is also Ethiopia's neighbor.

Karki family is still waiting for "the call."
Keeping the FAITH in God's Time.

For the Orphans...

Well its been one month today that we became a "waiting family." In the adoption world, that is not long. To the families waiting, every week seems like a long time. I know I set myself up on high expectations for a quick referral due to the older age we are adopting but as I am learning more and more... things can change ever so quickly in the world of adoption; especially when you are dealing with a different country. 


I am almost at a loss of words. (Rare for me, I know.) My heart just aches. There is so much happening in Ethiopia right now. Orphanages are closing in Southern Ethiopia, what happens to those kids? Time frames are taking longer for everything: referrals, court dates travel etc. In the meantime... kids without parents or families WAIT.  I met a lady (family) through our yahoo chat group that is in the middle of her 2nd Ethiopian adoption. She is adopting a 4 yr old little girl who was on the waiting list, the child was waiting to find  a mom and a dad for over a year.  I remember that little girls face! When we started the process with our agency CHI, she was on the wait list. Of course she fits our age profile. We were new in the paper process. Soon after, that little girl was matched with a family. Amen. Now, I've connected with that mom and they have named that little 4 yr. old girl JOY. They have their airline tickets for November purchased, her room ready, clothes bought, family (including her older brother at home) now ready for her. And Little Ms. JOY knows she has a mommy and daddy coming for her. 


Recently a couple men from the Southern region of ET where Joy was in an orphanage came to our agencies transition home and took her along with 2 other children.  They tried telling these men that these children were already matched to families, they didn't care.  Can you imagine how scary for those kids? Our agency director is now on her way to ET to try and locate these kids and allow them to be adopted as they were intended.  These are very scary and unsettling times in ET. Not fair for anyone! UNICEF has been behind a lot of these terrible things happening, NOT an organization to support! (I thought these were the good guys?)  As I read in an adoptive mothers blog, " I wonder if UNISEF  and these governmental officials have ever been in one of these orphanges where kids are begging you to be their mommy?"  


These are heart aching and scary times. Please pray for the children and the families who wish to provide a forever home.  In the meantime, we'll try to keep the FAITH and continue on.