Butler Family Blog

A Letter to Josiah, my Kindergartner

2009-08-25T04:20:00.000-07:00

Well, things have been quite silent on the blog lately, and for that I apologize. I will make no promises that activity will pick up, but did want to celebrate Josiah's first day of Kindergarten yesterday! He was so excited beforehand and even more excited afterwards, exclaiming 5 minutes after we got home, "I'm bored! I wish I was back at Kindergarten!" Guess he had a great time.

One of the things I've committed to doing is to writing letters to my kids at different milestones (i.e. birthdays, firsts, etc.) and wrote Josiah a letter yesterday morning that I thought I'd share with you of the 5 things I'm praying for him.

Dear Josiah,

Today is your first day of Kindergarten and I couldn't be more excited for you. I know you are going to love school and all the great things that you are going to get to learn. As you start school, there are a number of things I am praying for you.

First of all, I am praying that you remember the things that Mommy and Daddy have taught you so far. Our goal has been to teach you the ways of Jesus our Savior. He is the only One worth following, so follow Him alone.

Secondly, I am praying that you forget or correct many of the things Mommy and Daddy have taught you. We are not perfect and have taught you things through our example that we wish you hadn't learned. This is why we point you to Jesus and plead with you to follow Him.

Next, I am praying that, like Jesus, You will be a servant. Jesus said that He didn't come to be served, but to serve and that is what I pray you will do. Everything in our flesh and in our world tells us to seek what you can get from others, but I plead with you to seek out what you have to give to others and experience the joy that comes from giving.

Fourth, I pray that as you follow Christ, and as you serve, that you will lead. Even now, I pray you learn to be a strong and humble leader. As you follow Christ, Josiah, the world will see your good works and look to glorify you. Have none of it! Give the glory to Christ and lead others to follow Him.

Lastly, I pray that above all, you will learn to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. He alone satisfies, son. No one and nothing else will give you that, though many will say they can. Listen to God's Word, trust in it, don't lean on your own understanding, and let Him direct your path. I'm proud of you, Josiah.

Love, Daddy

Heading Back to Ethiopia!

2009-07-16T04:30:00.001-07:00

This has to be one of my favorite pictures of all time, one that was taken as Brandy and I went with Peter of Children's HopeChest to visit his ministry, Compassion Family Ministry, back in May when we were in Ethiopia. This little girl was an absolute handful, but so full of joy and fun and laughter.

Tomorrow, I get to hop on a plane and head back to Ethiopia with a couple of teams of single adults from our church, Watermark Community Church. I have been missing Ethiopia so much, but have had the joy of knowing I would be heading back there in July, and now it's here and I couldn't be more excited. Our team has a trip blog that I wanted to let you know about so you could follow along with me there. We'll be able to post updates via satellite from the field. Rather than tell you all about the trip, just go to http://watermarkinafrica.blogspot.com where I've already written 3 blog posts about the trip, what it is, who we're ministering to, how we're going about it, etc. I'll post a couple more times before I leave to introduce people to the team.

The bitter-sweet element of the trip is that I leave Brandy and the kids back here for several days. We are so blessed to have such as amazing community around us and neighbors who will be looking out for her and them. Please pray for Brandy and I both. Thanks for tracking along with us.

Welcome Home, Fournets!

2009-07-13T04:55:00.001-07:00

A key factor in our decision to adopt from Ethiopia specifically was the fact that one family in our community group was already in the process to bring home kiddos from Ethiopia. We were excited about the opportunity to raise our kids together and for them to have that connection (We now have 3 families in our community group adopting from Ethiopia). At long last, our sweet friends, the Fournets, are home with their little ones, Beck and Deshi and we had the chance yesterday to introduce them to Malachi.

We're so happy for you guys, Beau and Natalie, and grateful for your friendship.

Malachi and Beck, destined to be best buds

Malachi and Deshi . . . who's up for arranged marriage?

If you're not already following their blog, you can check out the Fournets blog at http://fournetfamily.blogspot.com/. Also, continue to pray for the Tuckers who are waiting to hear back on their next court date. They were delayed again last week. You can follow their blog at http://thetuckerfamilylife.blogspot.com/.

Meeting the Rest of the Family

2009-06-30T19:16:00.000-07:00

We just got back Sunday from a great weekend with my family celebrating my sister's wedding to the man we now know as Uncle James (welcome to the family!). It was a great way for us to get to introduce Malachi to some more of his new family. Here are videos of Malachi getting to meet his Aunt Nikki (my sister), Uncle Matt (my brother), Aunt Kristen (his wife) and cousin Grayson.

We also got to take Malachi to the beach for the first time. He was absolutely fearless, walking straight towards the ocean as soon as we set him down on the beach. There have been so many moments since we returned that I am struck with the contrast of what he is experiencing and what the orphans we met in Ethiopia experience every day. They'll likely never see the ocean or anything like it. I wrestle with what to do with that other than to encourage anyone and everyone to pray and consider whether God might be calling you to bring one of these sweet kiddos home and give them a life they can't imagine today. Enjoy Mally enjoying the beach.

Gladney Foster Center & Our Adoption

2009-06-17T11:40:00.000-07:00

The second day we were in country in Ethiopia, we had the chance to go to the foster center where Malachi had stayed the bulk of his time. It was such a great thing to experience as we got to see the house he knew as home, meet the kids who were his friends, and especially get to spend time with the caretakers. Each of the kids has one or two main caregivers who call themselves the kids' "special mother." Malachi's "special mother" was a wonderful lady named Geti (sp?) who you see in the video. It was clear how much Malachi loved her from the way his face lit up the moment we walked into the compound and saw her. This was probably the first time we got to see his playful, happy personality (though it is on full display in our home today) as you could tell he was so much more comfortable.

While on the trip, I had the chance to read Dr. Russell Moore's book "Adopted for Life" which is an absolute must read. In it he describes his experience of taking his boys from the orphanage in Russia by saying, "They'd never seen the sun, and they'd never felt the wind. They had never heard the sound of a car door slamming or felt like they were being carried along a road at 100 miles an hour. I noticed that they were shaking and reaching back to the orphanage in the distance . . . I whispered to Sergei, now Timothy, 'That place is a pit! If only you knew what's waiting for you -- a home with a mommy and a daddy who loves you, grandparents and great-grandparents and cousins and playmates and McDonald's Happy Meals!' But all they knew was the orphanage. It was squalid, but they had no other reference point. It was home." He goes on to say, "My whispering to my boys, 'You won't miss that orphanage' is only a shadow of something I should have known already. Our Father tells us that we too are unable to grasp what's waiting for us -- and how glorious it really is. It's hard for us to long for an inheritance to come, a harmonious Christ-ruled universe, when we've never seen anything like it . . . We must learn to be children, not orphans . . . [but] we don't fully believe that our new Father will feed us, so we hang on to our scraps and long for the regimented schedules of the orphanage from which we've come. And when our Father pushes us along to new tastes, we pout that he's not good to us. But he's readying us for glory, preparing us to take our place on thrones as heirs."

I read this with the image of Malachi with the workers fresh in my mind, how he latched on to them, how he playfully ran from us to the safety of their arms, and how in that moment, he chose the care of orphanage workers over the care of his mommy and daddy. It was so much fun to watch the slow transition that week we were in Ethiopia when he stopped reaching for African women, any African woman, rather than staying in Brandy's arms, and to think of where he is now, where those same faces you see in the video that he made with those workers are the faces we see every morning when we walk in to get him out of his crib.

My prayer is that I will increasingly grow in my love for my true Father, rejecting the old ways of the orphanage of my sin and flesh, that my life will delight in walking in His ways even when they don't make sense to me, and that I will grow in my longing for the day when my adoption is complete.

Enjoy the video!

Favorite Videos

2009-06-15T09:03:00.000-07:00

We took a lot of video the week we were in Ethiopia and I'm determined to get some of my favorites up this week. I'll just start with "The Moment" for now. This was when Travis, who works with Gladney, brough Malachi to us at the house and we met him for the first time. Wagayu, our host at the guest house where we stayed, is filming and his hands were less than steady, shall we say, but he caught the moment for us which was great.

It was such a surreal moment for sure . . . this was less than an hour from the time we got out of the airport in Addis, and we were shocked that this moment happened so soon, but obviously overjoyed. Enjoy the moment.

Pictures from Week 1: Getting Settled In

2009-06-07T18:39:00.000-07:00

It's been a good first week and we're starting to get settled into a bit of a routine. Mally is doing great and seems to be taking everything in stride. He's moved from sleeping in our room the first few nights to sleeping in his new room with Josiah the last few nights. We've had the chance to introduce him to many of our friends and took him to church this morning and shared some sweet moments with friends praying for him and thanking God for him. Then this afternoon we got to join our friends, the Fournets, for a birthday party and Malachi got his first chance to take on a swimming pool. He was very chill and relaxed with all of the kids. Here's a few pictures from our first week.

Josiah and Selah love their new little brother. They're like two kids with a new toy at Christmas. Most of the time that's a good thing.

PawPaw and Malachi, plus Vanna with the sign in the back.

MawMaw and Mally . . . what a great couple!

Enjoying his first bath at home

Now that's a smile!

Daddy and Mally in the pool.

Just chillin'

God Spoke to Me

2009-06-03T12:18:00.001-07:00

OK, so I've never heard the audible voice of God, to the best of my knowledge, but one of the coolest moments from the trip was about the closest I think I've ever been to it.

As we made plans for our time in Addis Ababa, it was really important to us that we take in as much of the sights and sounds of what God is doing for orphans in that city as possible and towards that end, we hooked up with Children's HopeChest who recently started doing sponsorships of orphanages in Ethiopia. So, as I said in one of the posts on the trip, we spent a considerable amount of time with Peter Abera, their country director and loved hearing his story, his heart, and then getting to see what God was doing through their ministry in the lives of orphans. We also set aside funds especially for the purpose of blessing those orphans and their caregivers in whatever way God would have us.

The first day we met Peter, as I said, the orphans were not at the orphanage because it was a holiday. This particular orphanage, the Kichene orphanage, is a private orphanage that is very much Christ-centered. The kids do not live at the orphanage, but live either with a legal guardian, a single parent, or perhaps even both parents who are simply too poor to care for their children adequately. They come to school every day where they are fed breakfast and lunch and sent home with a snack in case they don't get dinner that night. The school is led by great Christian men and women with a passion for children and a commitment to teaching them about Christ in addition to their school learning and life skills training.

As we toured the school and saw the classrooms, at some point, Brandy asked about their books. We saw some lying around, but mostly old and worn and not very many of them. Peter said in response, that yes, these were their books and that they needed new ones. For whatever reason, I remembered that moment vividly and remembered thinking, "I wonder what we could do about that." When we returned for the party the next day, it was clear that the Lord wanted us to use some of the money we had set aside to purchase some books for the children. I approached Peter and asked about where we could get books and when we could do it before we left. He spoke with Nicodemus, the director of that orphanage, and his response blew me away. He said that just that morning, the government had dropped in on the orphanage to do some kind of inspection. During that time, they mentioned to him the shortage of books and told him if they didn't get new books, the orphanage would be shut down. He then said, "You must have been listening to God!"

That was it! I'm telling you, not one person there mentioned this to me prior to it, nor did Peter in some manipulative way point out the pitiful collection of books. God in His providence laid that on our hearts so that we could be used of Him to meet that need. What an amazing moment! We went Monday, bought a ton of books and had the joy of delivering them to the children that morning. Their hugs and kisses and shouts in Amharic-accented English of "Thank You!" were far more precious than any book we gave, so we walked away the blessed ones.

I was reminded of one of my new heroes of the faith, a guy named George Mueller. I beg you to take some time and listen to John Piper's biographical sketch of this great man of God (you can find it here http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/Biographies/1531_George_Muellers_Strategy_for_Showing_God/). Mueller said that his primary aim in caring for orphans was not first and foremost the care of orphans in and of itself, but rather to show believers, all of whom discouragingly struggle with trusting God, that God can be trusted. That was it! That was his main reason for caring for orphans, because if God could take a poor man like him and care for the very least of these in ways only explained by God, perhaps it would increase the faith of others so that they might begin to take God at His word. O how my faith was increased this week, even as it has been increased each step of the way through this journey. Take some time to watch and listen to the songs of these children in the video below and pray that the Lord will increase your faith as a result.

Home with My Family of 5

2009-06-03T11:36:00.000-07:00

Well after 28 hours of security, airplanes, buses to the next terminal, more airplanes, immigration, customs and two claims for lost bags (got one back this morning and another on the way this afternoon), we made it home last night. The remainder of our time in Ethiopia was full of adventure that I'll catch you up on in posts to come. We enjoyed great time with the families from Gladney, took in another orphanage where we threw another party for them and the workers, returned to Kichene to drop off a delivery (post to follow this one and likely the coolest story of our trip), and took one day (Sunday) just to do nothing but love on Malachi and try to relax before what we knew would be a long trip home.

Our flight yesterday left Addis Ababa at 4:05 a.m. local time, which meant our driver picked us up at 1:30 a.m. so we could make it to the airport by 2:00 and get checked in. Fortunately, both the BMI flight and the American Airlines flights we took coming home were much better than the ones we endured on the way there, so although we spent about 20 hours of the day yesterday in a plane, it wasn't too bad. Once we arrived in Dallas, everything went about as smooth as it could through immigration and customs, and though they lost two of our bags, it wasn't that big a deal and we finally got to step through the international doors and onto U.S. soil with little Malachi for the first time.

We were greeted by a great cheer from family and friends who came out and stayed long last night to welcome us home, which was so sweet. We especially loved Josiah and Selah's reaction to Malachi as well as all the other kids who were there to welcome us home. The video below captures the moments where Josiah and Selah got to meet Mally for the first time. The quality of the filming is awful as I had my hands full and was sleep deprived, but you get the best moments in between the other stuff.

All of that to say, we're home and we're now officially a family of 5. I am certain that Brandy and I have no clue what is ahead of us, but we couldn't be more excited to find out. Malachi is doing great, and responded really well to both Josiah and Selah. No hesitation in this boy as he continues to get more and more comfortable. We can't wait to introduce him to so many of you who have played such a huge role in this process.

We also pray that our continued pursuit of adoption (this won't be our last) will compel others to consider the same and to take on this most joyfully holy task of bringing orphans into families. It was only fitting that this morning in my time alone with the Lord and as we continue on The Journey, that our reading was from Psalm 68, quoted on the front page of this blog. He does in fact place the lonely in families. The question is, will He call you to be the family for a lonely person and if He does, will you respond by saying, "Not my will, but Yours be done?" I cannot begin to tell you the joy of responding that way to His call.

Orphanages and Malachi’s Aunt

2009-05-30T04:14:00.000-07:00

The last few days have been incredibly full, so I haven’t been able to make it to the Hilton to get on the internet. Thursday morning, we got to take a tour of the Holy Trinity Church, one of the centers of worship for the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. The history here is so rich and so ancient, it’s pretty amazing. Belay, who is the country director for Gladney here in Ethiopia, was kind enough to come and act as our tour guide. What made this more special is that Belay’s father was the Commander in Chief of the Imperial Guard in the 70s before the Derg Regime (communist) came into power. When they came and conquered the Ethiopian Emperor, Belay’s father and 59 others were sentenced to death and killed by firing squad. They are now entombed at the Holy Trinity Church and there is a really nice monument to them there as national heroes and martyrs. Pretty cool stuff.

After that, we met up with Peter Abera of Children’s Hope Chest and he took us around to a couple of the orphanages that Hope Chest sponsors. The children don’t live at these orphanages, but do come there for school and for meals every day, but they weren’t there on Thursday because it was a national holiday (one of 29 on the year). We were bummed but made plans to come back the next day.

After a short rest, we went with all of the Gladney families in country to pick up their kiddos to an Ethiopian cultural dinner. The food was just like the Ethiopian food we like so much in Dallas but it was accompanied by music and cultural dancing. If you want to know where the dance style “Pop & Lock” (see So You Think You Can Dance) got it’s beginning, pretty sure it was from ancient Ethiopia. It was a long day, but so much fun.

Yesterday was by far my favorite day so far. We started off by getting the chance to meet Malachi’s aunt at the Gladney Center. It was a very sweet moment, while at the same time a very sad moment. She clearly wanted to hold Malachi, but he didn’t recognize her and clung desperately to Brandy. In the long run, that’s a good thing, but I can only imagine how tough that must have been for her. We had the chance to ask her some questions and for her to do the same through 3 way translation (English to Amharic to whatever language she spoke). We told her we were Christians and she was thrilled to hear that. She is a Protestant (7th Day Adventist) and was so thankful to know that Malachi would grow up hearing about Jesus. I got to pray with her and we exchanged the traditional 3 kisses (believers do this to symbolize the Trinity). We got the whole thing on video which will be such a good thing for Malachi as he gets older.

Speaking of Malachi, he’s doing great. He still has moments where he looks shocked that we are still there, especially after he has been with a caregiver. But we are doing a lot of attachment work with him and are being rewarded with smiles, giggles and snuggles. He is finally eating(after about four days of eating almost nothing except bottles) and so that is a relief. He sleeps like a champ and has not woken up in the night. The doctor told us yesterday that he has tonsillitis, but you wouldn’t know it as happy as he is apart from the congestion and cough at night. He’s really bonded well with Brandy, always looking for her and reaching for her if someone else is holding him, and he’s starting to warm up to me. Mostly, he just thinks I’m funny, which is great with me. One of the funniest things about him is that he knows how to whistle. Josiah will be so jealous!

After meeting Mally’s aunt, Travis, from Gladney, took us and the other families to the Gladney orphanages, specifically Kolfe and another orphanage we can’t say much less spell. We have mixed emotions about the whole thing. On one hand, getting to interact with the orphans was great. Kolfe is an older boys home, so they followed us around and we spent about 10 minutes playing American football with them, and teaching them to throw the football. They told us how much they like Beyonce and one boy even sang a Beyonce song for me(I got it on video!). They all wanted our email, so I’ll have a bunch of random emails from guys at the orphanage when I get back. The other orphanage was a co-ed home for younger children. We got to hold babies, and play on the playground with the other kids. One of the little girls who was hearing impaired latched on to Brandy and wouldn’t let go. One of the saddest things is that Brandy asked what her name was, and one girl answered that the deaf child did not have a name. She was very sweet and just grinned at her the whole time. Another of the girls braided Brandy’s hair (Belay suggested I let them do the same to me . . . the kids are totally freaked and laugh at my baldness). While we loved the boys and the children, the condition of the homes is not at all ideal and there seems to be very little structure other than feeding them and trying to educate them. We are glad there is something for them, but pray that something will be done for these orphanages to improve and to set these children up for success (I may write more in another blog post since this one is already crazy long and I’m not done).

Lastly, and the highlight of our trip apart from Malachi, we returned to the Kichene orphanage that Peter had taken us to the day before and Brandy and I got to throw a party for them. We were so impressed with the staff at the orphanage. One of the teachers, a young man, was absolutely incredible with the kids, engaging, funny, and energetic as he told them stories about Jesus and sang songs with them. The singing of the children was exuberant and so much fun to watch. Peter then asked me to teach them from God’s Word, so I spoke about the wise man and the foolish man from Matthew 7 and then taught them the song. Afterwards, they fed the children and gave each one a soda, a treat for them, and then we joined them in the meal. Again, I can’t overstate how impressed I was with Peter, Nicodemas, the director of this orphanage, and so many others. They clearly love these children and have a vision for them to know and love Jesus in addition to setting them up for success as they get older and leave the orphanage. Please join me in praying for Nicodemas and the others who are working at Kichene and for the children, that they would grow to love and follow Jesus. As the children left, we were swamped with kisses and hugs that make your heart happy. I love the delight that the Lord gives us as He delights in us when we join Him in what He is doing around the world.

OK, sorry for the long post. Lots to say and catch up on. There is no way to describe all that we saw or felt today, but we look forward to telling you all about it when we get home. Today, we are going to go shopping at the market and then we’re hoping to take it easy for the rest of the day and for tomorrow as well. Still not done here in Ethiopia, so we’ll see you soon!

Day 2: Visiting the Foster Center and Embassy Appointment

2009-05-27T07:27:00.000-07:00

We’re almost to the end of day 2 and it’s been great. The end of the day yesterday was spent with us getting to know Malachi a little better. Daddy and Mally got to play for a long while just the two of us so he could get used to me. He still prefers Mommy over Daddy, but I’m OK with that.

This morning when we woke up, Malachi acted like he was in shock that we were still here. I think he expected to wake up to the usual hustle and bustle of the orphanage. After we ate breakfast we walked to the Gladney Foster Center, which is literally a block over. In fact, one of the homes is on our little street. It was so great to see the caregivers and their love for the kids. We met Beti, Malachi’s “special mother” which is what they call the primary caregiver for each child. He loved her and we really got to see his personality when he was at the foster home. He is still pretty reserved around us, as you can imagine. One of the best moments was when we got to see his room and the crib that he stayed in. The picture book we had sent him was there and Beti picked it up to show him and when he saw the pictures of Brandy and I he said, “Mama” and “Papa.” I think he made the connection with us as Mama and Papa after that, though he obviously doesn’t fully understand what that means yet. It was a great moment. It was really tough on him, and on all the kids, when the caregivers gave the kids back to their families. Malachi kept reaching for the door after we left, which is such an encouraging sign of just how well he’s been cared for by them.

We also got to see the other foster care centers including the one that the Fournet’s twins are at. It was so great to see them and we are praying especially hard that we get to see them again very soon back in Dallas. We weren’t able to see the Tucker’s little boy, but Travis who works for Gladney, was nice enough to take the package to him and to shoot some video of him that we will bring back to Cary and Sarah.

After that, they did a coffee ceremony for all of the Gladney families which was great. They roast the beans in front of you over a little pit of hot coals, and then grind the beans by hand. The coffee was amazing (at least I liked it). Afterwards, we all went to lunch together and then headed out to the Embassy. I was pretty nervous about that, just praying that we hadn’t forgotten some little piece of paperwork. All went well and the Embassy worker congratulated us and sent us on our way.

Today has been great to meet the other adoptive families. We sat next to a really nice family from North Carolina at lunch and got to know them and their journey to adoption. While waiting at the Embassy, I had a great conversation with Jed, who is the Director of the Christian Alliance for Orphans out of California. We had a great talk about all things related to orphan care and churches. He is just getting started in this post, so it will be great to get to know him better over the next couple of days.

Tomorrow, we will tour Holy Trinity Church here in Addis and then Brandy and I are going to meet up with Peter Abera, the country director for Children’s HopeChest here in Ethiopia. We are excited to see the work they are doing here in Addis caring for orphans and connecting the local churches to that cause.

All in all, it’s been a great day and we’re looking forward to the rest of our time here, though we’re anxious to get home. Thanks again for checking in and we’ll try to update again tomorrow.

Wes, Brandy, and Malachi

P.S. We posted a few pics on Facebook. Click here to see.

Meeting Malachi

2009-05-26T05:30:00.001-07:00

Well we finally made it to Addis after what seemed like the longest plane trip ever. The flight itself was smooth, but the combination of very little space, a warm cabin, and some rather loud Navy personnel who were enjoying themselves a little too much throughout the evening, made for a very long trip with very little if any sleep. But it all fades into a very distant past in light of what I look at as I’m typing this – little Malachi taking a nap with his mommy.

After we arrived at the airport, there were no delays with immigration or customs and we met up with Travis from Gladney who introduced us to our driver, Yasoo (probably a very horrible spelling). We made a quick stop a grocery store to get some water, juice and soda and then we got to the Ayat House where we are staying this week. Mr. Waradu (sp?) showed us around this very beautiful house that is just a block from Gladney’s foster home and we got settled in briefly and took showers.

Then, the moment came. Travis arrived with Malachi and he’s absolutely beautiful, but very uncertain of what he’s doing with these white people. He reluctantly went to Brandy, but refused to come to me once he had latched on to her. The entire time he seemed to be on the verge of tears as he looked around, and I’m pretty sure if I’d taken him away from Brandy that would have pushed him over the edge. Eventually, he fell asleep in Brandy’s arms and only then did I get to hold him. He and I took a short nap together before I went to order us some lunch and now he’s sound asleep with Brandy again.

That moment is such a strange one, but so fun as well. You can see the absolute terror in his eyes as he’s handed to these strange people who introduce themselves as Mommy and Daddy. He never did really burst into tears until Daddy reached over and tickled his belly a little and that pushed him over the edge. He didn’t cry for long, but I said, “Soon that will be one of your favorite things.” Funny how that works. Pray that he adjusts well to us and that all goes well tomorrow at the Embassy.

Thanks for checking in.

Hello from London

2009-05-25T02:15:00.000-07:00

Well, we thought we'd update the blog last night at the hotel until we realized it would cost us $50 US to get on the Internet. Nothing is cheap in London and little is free. Just found this Waffle House with free wifi. So, I'm updating from my iPhone which means this will be short.

We got here safely yesterday around noon, got checked into the hotel and then went to Picadilly Circus yesterday just to look around. We were proud of ourselves for navigating the buses and tube system without getting lost. We had Indian food for dinner which was awesome. That came at the recommendation of many of our friends. We pushed through the jet lag yesterday and slept ok last night, although Brandy woke up in the middle of the night and couldn't go back to sleep.

Today we are taking a bike tour of London with my friends from Fat Tire Bike Tours. We did this last year with our Burundi team during our layover and had a blast so I'm excited to take Brandy this time and do the full tour. Looks like we'll be doing taking the tour in the rain as we watch it fall from the sky right now. Oh well, they do the tour rain or shine, so we will too.

All this is a fun passing of the time until our flight at 9:30 tonight. Can't wait. Hoping to meet Malachi within 24 hours. Hard to believe.

Thanks for checking in and we'll keep you posted.

Leaving Today

2009-05-22T08:12:00.000-07:00

Well, there he is and we're just a few short (or more likely long) days away from meeting him face to face. The past few weeks have been a whirlwind of activity both getting ready for this trip and just living life in the midst of this short waiting period. Brandy would say that the 4 weeks notice we were given was too long, and to a certain extent I agree with her, but once again, the Lord worked out the timing so perfectly and there is not a better day to hop on that plane than today.

We are going to do our best to post to the blog while we're there and update you on different events. Pictures will have to wait until we get back because the internet cafes operate at dial-up speed. I talked to a friend who said it took 3 hours to download 20 pictures . . . we can wait.

We'd love your prayers for us and specifically for us to be able to relax and enjoy this experience. There is a lot of temptation to grow anxious about everything from travel to the Embassy appointment to leaving the kids here and even the meeting of Malachi, so pray that the Lord will give us peace in the midst of this time so we can enjoy this celebration.

We thought it would be fun to have the kids shoot a video for Malachi that we can show him when we're there to introduce themselves to him. Don't tell Josiah, but Selah's video was the best! Thanks again for following along and keep checking in for more news!!!

15 Days and counting...

2009-05-08T15:49:00.000-07:00

We leave on the 23rd of May to get our sweet boy. We were excited to be able to schedule a long layover in London, so we will get to take a bike tour of the city while we are there. The last week has been fun and stressful, trying to get ready to leave. Our kids are so excited, but a little nervous too. Josiah has a major meltdown on Wed and he told me later "I am just very sad and un-patient for Malachi to come home "....manipulative or self aware? Who knows, but it was sweet. I am "un-patient" too!

As Mother's Day approaches, it is bittersweet...I think about my children and how much delight they bring me. I think back to past mothers days when it was so painful to NOT be a mother. I think about my children's genetic/biological mothers and wonder what that day is like for them. I think about sweet friends who long to be mothers or who have lost children this year. I think about all the moms in my family and in my circle of friends and I am grateful for each one of them. Being a mom is the most difficult thing I have ever done, and I continually pray that my children will grow up saying that I loved them, that I loved their father, and most importantly, that I loved Jesus. There is nothing I want for my kids more than for them to have a relationship with Christ and to become like Him. It is such a blessing to see that happening already- today I was frustrated because the kids were playing in the kitchen and I was trying to get some things done and I spoke to Josiah, but it was not a very nice tone of voice. I was not concerned about their heart, I just wanted them out of the kitchen! Josiah approached me and very sweetly said "mommy, can you try next time to use kind words?" OUCH- but true. I apologized and asked for his forgiveness. He forgave me and said "I know it is hard to remember"- that made me laugh!

So Happy Mother's Day to all the moms and moms in waiting!

He's Ours!!!

2009-04-27T11:11:00.000-07:00

Introducing Malachi Wesley Butler!!! We just got word that we passed and will be traveling sometime around May 25th. More later, but we thought we'd let the blogging world see his picture. Enjoy!

Orphans in Ethiopia

2009-04-23T05:00:00.001-07:00

As we anxiously wait for everything to be finalized with our adoption, we've been tracking this week with Tom Davis of Children's Hope Chest. I've had the privilege of having lunch with Tom and am grateful for his heart, vision, and passion for orphans. He left last week on a vision trip to Ethiopia as they look for more orphanages in need of support and sponsorship and has been posting stories and pictures on his blog all this week. Please take some time to read through a couple of the stories from his trip to better understand the plight of orphans there and the needs both for more families to adopt as well as for followers of Christ to care for orphans. We've not all been called to adoption, but we've all been commanded to care for widows and orphans.

Here are the two posts that have moved me most this week.
http://tomdavis.typepad.com/tom_daviss_blog/2009/04/the-mighty-one-has-done-great-things-for-me.html

http://tomdavis.typepad.com/tom_daviss_blog/2009/04/the-poorest-of-the-poor.html

And I join Tom in praying this morning, "Come, Lord Jesus!"

Jesus said, "I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you." John 14:18

Good News and Bad News

2009-04-22T10:24:00.000-07:00

Good news first-
Our case went to court today and all parties(the judge and MOWA) seemed to approve of the adoption

Bad News-
His aunt did not bring her identification with her, and the judge could not rule without her having it. She was instructed to come back on monday with her id and the judge would make a final ruling.

We are bummed, but hopeful and thankful that we don't have to wait for a brand new court date to be scheduled.

Thanks to all of you who are praying for us- we appreciate it so much!

One Hurdle Down, One Day to Go

2009-04-21T15:14:00.001-07:00

We said today that no news was good news, meaning that MOWA (Ministry of Orphan and Widow Affairs) in Ethiopia could stop the court date today before it started if they didn't have everything they needed/wanted and that we would hear from Gladney in all likelihood today if that was the case. Well, it is now 5:15 and I hope that means its safe to say this will be a no news day.

So, pray for tomorrow, that the judge would rule in favor of our adoption, that our little boy's aunt would have a safe trip to Addis and sign the appropriate documents and that Brandy and I would be able to breathe/sleep in between now and when we hear something tomorrow. Praying for good news and a travel date in a few weeks.

One fun thing from today is that we got our monthly update and got a new picture of our little guy wearing an outfit that Josiah used to wear and that we sent over with some folks a few weeks ago. Can't wait to see him in person!

Where to stay?

2009-04-18T19:22:00.000-07:00

This week has been a whirlwind of activity! The to-do list is long, but we are trying to slowly get to all of it, and we continue to pray that court will go smoothly on Wed. Today I spent the morning searching garage sales for a dresser and the afternoon painting two twin beds.

Tonight I am researching different places to stay- we know we want to stay in a guest house, but there are so many choices! I would like to have our own bathroom, but other than that, I don't have any major preferences.

The ones I have looked at are-
New Flower Guest House
Oziopia Guest House
Addiskidan Baptist House
Ayat Guest House
Sidama Guest Lodge
Z Guest House
Weygoss Guest House

I am sure there are others- anyone have any experience or recommendations?

Never a Normal Adoption: Ruining the Grading Curve

2009-04-14T12:45:00.000-07:00

You know that kid who always ruined the grading curve in class with their more than above average test score? When it comes to adoption, I'm pretty sure Brandy and I are that kid. Through our first two adoptions (see one of the first posts on the blog), we've had to tell people, "Our story is not a good example of normal" and once again it looks like that might be the case.

We got word today that we do have a court date set, which was a little early but not unheard of to hear something three weeks after our referral. Then they told us the date. Average time to wait once court date is set is anywhere from 7 to 12 weeks, but not for the Butlers. Our court date is set for a week from tomorrow, April 22nd!!!!!! We're in shock. There's always the possibility that we won't pass court and will have to wait for another date, but if we do pass, we'll be traveling to pick the little guy up sometime in the month of May.

We're stunned, but excited. Please join us in praying for those involved in the decision making process there, for his aunt who will have to be at the hearing on the 22nd to sign the needed papers, and for our little guy to get to come home very soon. Grateful for all of your prayers and support to this point. We'll update you next week when we hear something.

Building the Church Through Adoption

2009-04-13T08:05:00.000-07:00

My daily reading through God's Word usually encompasses about three different sections of Scripture. Right now I am working my way through Job, the minor prophets, and the Gospel of Matthew. Some mornings that results in a handful of lessons learned, but every once in a while, the Spirit generously lines things up just right and it all fits together like a beautiful puzzle. Today was one of those days. Job 31 is one of Job's rants in the midst of his suffering and is, to a certain extent, a distasteful self-justification. However, the thing about the book of Job for me is you have to pick out the redeeming statements in the midst of a context that is less than ideal (in this case, showing that you deserve better from God because you do good things . . . not recommended). Nevertheless, here is what Job said in vs. 16-23 of chapter 31: "If I have denied the desires of the poor or let the eyes of the widow grow weary, if I have kept my bread to myself, not sharing it with the fatherless -- but from my youth I reared him as would a father, and from my birth I guided the widow -- if I have seen anyone perishing for lack of clothing, or a needy man without a garment, and his heart did not bless me for warming him with fleece from my sheep, if I have raised my hand against the fatherless, knowing that I had influence in my court, then let my arm fall from the shoulder, let it be broken off at the joint. For I dreaded destruction from God, and for fear of His splendor I could not do such things." Despite the context his statement, I was struck by the noble pursuit of Job to see the needs around him, to see his own provision from God, realize it wasn't his but God's and then give it and himself away to the fatherless, needy, and widow.

I followed that up with reading the first chapter of the short book of Haggai and came across this. "Then the word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggai: 'Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains a ruin?' Now this is what the Lord Almighty says: 'Give careful thought to your ways. You have planted much, but have harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it.'" Haggai was appointed by God to stir the hearts of the Israelites to rebuild the temple, the place where God's glory was to dwell and pointed out their faulty use of resources to build their own homes, fill their own stomachs, and pad their own savings accounts.

The translation for today is this: God's temple is the hearts of His people, His church and as His church, His children, we are commissioned with this work of building His church. Yet we are prone to focusing our time and attention on establishing our own kingdoms known as comfort, ease, pleasure, and independence. What Haggai points out to the Israelites of His day, is becoming more and more clear for me today, that the Church is in desperate need of being built, so what must I sacrifice to build it. Adoption is not a cheap or priceless venture, and I'm not talking financially (although I could). It is choosing to bring another person into our home, to endure all that he will bring with him in the way of rebellion, selfishness, and pride for the sake of introducing Him to Christ and His ways that he might be one more brick in the glory that is God's church. How many more will we adopt? Not sure, but the Lord knows. What I do know is that those who call themselves the church should be on the alert for how we should support the fatherless, either through adopting ourselves or supporting Christ-followers who do so. The fatherless of today are part of the temple God is constructing for His glory and we must not be guilty of padding our lifestyle, feeding our faces, or stuffing our leaking purses while the temple is yet to be built. My takeaways . . .

This is consistent with a few sermons from one of my current heroes of the faith, Francis Chan that I would point you to and challenge you with. Go to http://www.cornerstonesimi.com/special/media_player.html and listen to Chan's messages from March 8th and 15th to be challenged along with me in this area. Well worth your time. And if you haven't read "Crazy Love" by him, you need to. http://www.crazylovebook.com/

Praying you are challenged with me today.

Texas Bluebonnets

2009-04-13T07:56:00.001-07:00

We had a great Easter weekend as a family. On Saturday, we spent the day driving down to Ennis, TX to enjoy the Bluebonnet trails there and get some great pictures. Here are a few of my favorites from the day.

Brandy and I both said at one point during the day, that as much fun as this was, we both felt a very real sense in which this wasn't the whole family and we missed the chance to share this experience with our little boy. We can't wait to introduce him to Texas bluebonnets among so many other things. It is a sweet sorrow!

Josiah's Historical Soccer Day

2009-04-05T08:15:00.000-07:00

Last week our soccer game was cancelled again due to weather and Josiah cried like a baby. This week, prior to the game, Josiah declared that he would in fact score a goal this week. His predicition proved to be true, but a little modest. He did score his first goal this week and then proceeded to score 4 more!!!! 5 goals total. I got video on the camcorder of the first 3, but don't know how (yet) to transfer that video to the computer, so you'll have to take my word for it. He was so excited, and I was really proud. Mommy missed it due to our family's battle with a stomach virus this weekend. She cried.

Afterwards, I told Josiah that I loved watching him score all of those goals, but that my favorite part of the game was when he had the opportunity to score again and instead, stepped back and let one of the little girls on the team take the shot (she missed).

We're in negotiations with Gatorade and Nike this week . . .

God's Word and Donuts

2009-04-05T07:26:00.000-07:00

We've made it another couple of weeks through our Bible verse challenge. This week was a pause and review week, so no new verses, but in the excitement of the previous week, I didn't post videos of the kids verses from last week. So far, Josiah has memorized 10 verses in 5 passages: Deuteronomy 7:9; 10:12-13; Romans 11:34-36; 12:1-2; Psalm 56:3-4. Selah has memorized 6 verses: Genesis 1:1; Matthew 6:24; Proverbs 3:5; Psalm 1:6; Isaiah 30:15; 43:5. Each week as we pray and thank God for our donuts, we thank God that His Word is far better than donuts and that having His Word in our heart is the real prize.

Here are the videos from the last verses they've memorized. This week, we'll be working on Psalm 62:5-8 with Josiah and Psalm 119:105 with Selah. Join us if you'd like.

Psalm 62:5-8 "Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from Him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I will not be shaken. My salvation and my honor depend on God; He is my mighty rock, my refuge. Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour our your hearts to Him, for God is our refuge."

Psalm 119:105 "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path."

Here's the videos from the last few verses.

"Is He the One?"

2009-03-25T09:05:00.000-07:00

This morning I was reading in Matthew 11 as I work my way through the Gospel of Matthew and came upon the interaction that Jesus had with John the Baptist's (JTB) disciples where they asked him, "Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?" I love how Jesus replies: "Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor." There are a lot of layers to this whole thing, but my point in sharing this is that we have been blown away by how the Lord has provided for us at every turn in this process, especially financially. Adoption is no small undertaking financially and we didn't start this process because we had an abundance of extra cash laying around. We started this because the burden we had for the orphans of Ethiopia was far greater than the financial restraints of our situation and we were confident that the Lord would provide for us if this burden was truly of Him. As we prepared to accept the referral and get the ball rolling on next steps, the Lord once again provided exactly what we needed to be able to take that next step with confidence in His calling. If you want to hear the full back story on that, it's pretty remarkable, so just ask me when you see me.

Nevertheless, I look forward to the day when my son says, "Is He the One?" referring to Jesus, and I'll be able to tell him his adoption story and say, "Son, here is what I have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the good news is preached to the poor, and orphans are given homes. He is the One. Follow Him." We found out last night that our son's name means, "My messenger." I pray now that his life will testify to these great truths and that the gospel message will go forth proudly from his lips.

The other layer of this story that's worth noting is the discouragement of JTB as he sat in prison. We have some really close friends, the Fournets (http://fournetfamily.blogspot.com/) who are "imprisoned" right now by a longer than expected wait to bring their kiddos home and I'm sure there are many who I don't know who are discouraged by the same thing. I've been so encouraged by Beau and Natalie's determination to reflect often on what they have "seen and heard" as followers of Christ even in the midst of this heartache. The truth that "He is the One" is the greatest comfort in times of trouble, the greatest purpose in life, and the greatest hope for the future.

Join us in praying for the Fournets and reflect often on what you have seen God do in your life and in the lives of others.

The Moment

2009-03-23T19:13:00.001-07:00

At exactly 3:00 today (according to the iPhone records), Brandy called me and greeted me with, "Where are you?" Her tone was too excited to be anything else, so I think I said, "No way!" in response. Regardless, she had just received the call from Natalie, our case worker, that we had a referral, but Brandy hurriedly loaded the kids up and brought them up to the office so we could get on the phone together and see his picture for the first time together as a family. As I waited for her to get to there, I bounced around the office like a school kid telling anyone and everyone I could that I was about to "meet" my son for the first time. As usual, Jim Wimberley, my boss, prayed a prayer of thanksgiving and for the salvation of my little boy while others cried and hugged me. As soon as Brandy got there, we got on the phone with Natalie and she emailed several pictures along with his information. He is AWESOME!! He is 14 months, in good health, weighs about 20 pounds and is about 30 inches tall. We fell in love, all of us. Brandy cried. Selah asked where the pictures were of her baby sister (she's almost as anxious for the next one as her mommy is). When we heard that he was suffering from some eczema and "asthma-like" symptoms, Josiah's face lit up and he said, "I have eczema and asthma too!!!" Connection made, although a strange one, but it was cool to the little man. I sat in awe!

We spent the rest of the afternoon walking around, celebrating with anyone who was close to us, calling family and friends, thinking of baby names, and enjoying a great meal at our favorite Ethiopian restaurant, Queen of Sheba, with our friends the Tuckers. They received their referral a month and a half ago, and as we compared notes, we discovered that our boys were both from the same area, both placed in the same orphanage in that area, and both traveled from that orphanage to Gladney's foster home on the same day!!!! Crazy!!! By the time all is said and done, these two little guys will have traveled all the way from their little area in southern Ethiopia to Richardson, TX together . . . within blocks of each other. Mind-blowing!!!! We hope their journeys home won't be too far apart in time.

Everyone asked the same question today . . . "When do you get him?" There are a ton of variables in play, so the following information is educated guess at best based off of "normal" situations (which there are none of). Essentially, once we accept the referral, we wait 4 to 6 weeks to get a court date set and then another 6 to 8 weeks before the actual court date. Assuming we pass court the first time around, which is no guarantee, we will travel within a few weeks of that to go and pick him up in Addis and bring him home.

Lastly, I can't help but draw one parallel to my Heavenly Father in the midst of this. I was just thinking about how giddy (no other word for it) I was when I got the news, how my heart raced, how I practically skipped around the office looking for anyone to share the good news with, and how I know my face must have beamed with pride every time I mentioned, "My son." And I can't help but think about that day when my adoption that had been preordained before the beginning of time came to be in a moment of faith when I received His Son's sacrifice for me as means of eternal fellowship with my Father in His forever family. To think that His heart leapt, the Creator of the universe, for me is unfathomable!!! As great as this adoption day is for my son, I continue praying for him and all of my children, that they will experience an adoption day far greater than any I could offer with a far greater reward and inheritance from the Father of all the fatherless. He is Yahweh, the Great I Am, the Ancient of Days, the King of all Kings, and the Lover of my soul. "For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen" (Romans 11:36).

Happy 4th Birthday, Selah!

2009-03-16T17:46:00.000-07:00

We have had a jam-packed weekend full of celebration where we could squeeze it in around Selah's battle with a cold. Poor thing scored her first full-blown cold of the season which was also accompanied by 4 days of rain and cold to postpone her birthday party for a week. It worked out kind of nicely and we're hoping for good weather next Saturday.

We were able to celebrate a little over the weekend with Mawmaw and Pawpaw (my parents) and made a trip to The Magic Time Machine on Saturday night for Selah's birthday dinner. She dressed up in full blown princess garb for the occasion and was fascinated by all of the characters, although her exposure to Heath Ledger's Joker provided great motivation to shorten our visit. Brandy reminded me that the last time we went to the Magic Time Machine (in San Antonio) was the night I proposed to her (no, it was not a part of the proposal plan). Here's a few more pictures of our time there.

Selah and Snow White

Selah, Daddy, and Cinderella

The rest of the princesses

After a busy Sunday, I took a vacation day today on Selah's actual birthday so we could all spend the day together without her being sick. So, we had some waffles for breakfast this morning, made a trip to the gym, and then tried out Amazing Jake's (like Chuck E. Cheese on steroids) for pizza, games, and rides. Here's a few pictures from our time.

Riding in the Space Ship

A Spin on the Carousel

Putt-putt golf lessons

We wrapped up the day by giving Selah her brand new bike and taking a few family laps around the park across the street. It was a perfect day today. We are a blessed family to have such a sweet girl be a part of it. Happy birthday, Princess!

Another Week, Another Verse, Another Donut

2009-03-15T06:00:00.000-07:00

Well, we're three for three on donut days since we started our new tradition. Josiah and Selah both did a great job memorizing their verses this week. Here they are . . .

Josiah and Hockey

2009-03-14T05:52:00.000-07:00

If you want to experience a hockey game like never before, you should really consider taking Josiah. I am not a hockey fan and prior to beginning a streak of attending 4 games with Josiah, I had only been to one game and wasn't that impressed. Then it began . . .

Josiah's first hockey game, a friend gave us her corporate tickets to the game: Front row up against the glass right behind the goalie. If that wasn't enough, on the night there were no less than 15 fights, the first of which was right in front of us ending with a pool of blood on the ice (I'm sure a good father wouldn't think that was a good thing, but it was pretty cool . . . and the guy was OK). We also ended up with a practice puck that one of the guys working on the ice gave us. Game 2: Another friend invites us and we end up in his company luxury box with all you can eat hot dogs, popcorn, fajitas, etc. Stars win! Game 3: Another buddy and his company's tickets treat us to a game. Great seats close to center ice and the Stars score 10 GOALS which they had never done since moving to Dallas in the early 90's! Crazy! Game 4: The very next week, the same buddy had a co-worker offer him his season tickets and he gave them to us. We're about 8 rows up, close to center ice, and about 5 minutes into the 3rd period, a puck goes flying into the air and lands under Josiah's seat. He picks it up, holds it up triumphantly, and the crowd goes wild!!! Amazing!!! Needless to say, Josiah is a HUGE hockey fan now.

So, if you're thinking of attending an NHL hockey game and you've got an extra ticket, give us a call and we'll loan Josiah and his mojo out. GO STARS!!!

Here's some pictures from the last game.

Celebrating a Stars goal

After "catching" the hockey puck

Showing the "Official Game Puck" stamp of the Dallas Stars

Memory Verses

2009-03-09T06:29:00.001-07:00

We're trying to up our game as a family on memorizing Scripture. I still remember Scripture that I memorized as a young kid (in the King James Version, no less) and probably remember that Scripture better than stuff I am memorizing today, sorry to say. So, we wanted to get the kids involved in that. We ordered the Fighter Verses Packet from Children Desiring God (www.childrendesiringgod.org) and started that a couple of weeks ago. Our new tradition is that if you get your verse for the week, we get donuts on Sunday morning. Selah is working on the "Foundation Verses" and Josiah is doing the Fighter Verses with Brandy and I. Here's their work so far. Selah's version of Genesis 1:1 is priceless and very unique. Here you go.

If you want to track along with us, Selah is working on Psalm 1:6 this week and the rest of us are working through Romans 11:34-36.

Josiah's First Soccer Game

2009-03-09T05:34:00.000-07:00

So, this weekend was Josiah's first soccer game and he couldn't have been more excited, nor could we. He did great and it was so fun watching the game. He is already counting the "sleeps" until his next game on Saturday. Here's a few pictures from the day.

Getting ready for the game

Action shot!

Taking a breather

Cheering the team on!

Here's a short video of the first goal of the season for the Orange Crush! Ignore the father yelling at his son to get the ball. I don't know who that guy is . . .

Recommitment to Blogging

2009-03-09T05:31:00.001-07:00

OK, so it's been a while since either of us posted, so I'm recommitting myself to blogging once again. As far as the adoption goes, there's not much news during this time as we simply wait, but we are close to being in the window where a call/email could come at anytime. The Lord knows when that will happen, so we're not anxious, just excited about the possibility.

In the meantime, life continues to be a fun adventure and it's always good to share it here, so you'll be hearing more from us in the days to come.

Letters to my brother

2009-01-04T13:40:00.000-08:00

Our kids wrote a letter to their brother in Ethiopia and we put them in his stocking and read them on Christmas morning. I thought they were so sweet and hillarious too-

Dear Brother,
I miss you while you are in Africa and I hope you be here soon. I miss you and I can't wait until you get home. This is from Josiah. I hope that your skin is brown like usually African people are. I'll share my toys and animals whenever you want some when you get home. I have a sister named Selah that is very sweet and beautiful and that's who will be your sister when you get home. We will have another sister after we get you and you can play with all of us. I hope I get to play with you and I am excited that you get to sleep in my room. I hope you have black hair and I hope you like sports and I hope you like army, pirates, blocks and a king castle and I can't wait that you get to sleep in my room and I hope you are excited. We will see you when you get home. And we have all sorts of things. And I am praying for you and people in Africa like your friends and I hope you like me. And I would like to say other things to you but I have to get to picking up my room. That's all I can say.

Love,
Josiah

Dear Sister,*
I love you too. I love my bubba and I hug him and I want to play a game with you. And I love you and hug you when you come to our house and I love you because I like you, I hope I walk with you and hold your hand and we love him and mommy does because we like you. I hope you like baseball and barbies. I hope you look like me. I hope you get up and walk. I hope your name is baby Grayson. I will love you when I see you for the first time. I can't wait to tell you about the man on the roof. I am praying for you and your birthmother and your forever mommy. I hope I get princess stuff for Christmas and you get batman stuff. I love you.

Love,
Selah

*We have explained to Selah over and over again that we are adopting a boy this time but she is convinced that it will be a girl, so I tried to correct her with her letter to her "sister", but she insisted. "Baby Grayson" is our nephew and she thinks he should share his name! The man on the roof is a neighbor who fell off his roof and broke his leg and she is a little obssessed with it- and prays for him at each meal. I hope she won't be too disappointed that he will not have blonde hair and blue eyes!!

Bittersweet Christmas

2008-12-23T07:25:00.000-08:00

All I really Want- Steven Curtis Chapman
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjMz0MmYejQ

Well, I don't know if you remember me or not
I'm one of the kids they brought in from the home
I was the red-haired boy in an old, green flannel shirt
You may not have seen me, I was standing off alone
I didn't come and talk to you 'cause that's never worked before
And you'll probably never see this letter, anyway
But just in case there's something you can do to help me out
I'll ask you one more time

All I really want for Christmas is someone to tuck me in
A shoulder to cry on if I lose, shoulders to ride on if I win
There's so much I could ask for, but there's just one thing I need
All I really want for Christmas is a family

Well, I guess I should go ahead and tell you now
If it's really true about that list you have
Somehow I always seem to end up in a fight
But I'm really trying hard not to be bad
But maybe if I had a brother or a dad to wrestle with
Maybe they could teach me how to get along
And from everything I've heard, it sounds like the greatest gift on earth
Would be a mom

All I really want for Christmas is someone to tuck me in
A shoulder to cry on if I lose, shoulders to ride on if I win
There's so much I can ask for, but theres just one thing I need
All I really want for Christmas

All I want for Christmas is someone who'll be here
To sing me happy birthday for the next 100 years
And It's okay if they're not perfect or even if they're a little broken
That's alright, 'Cause so am I
Well, I guess I should go, it's almost time for bed
Maybe next time I write you I'll be at home`
Cause all I really want for Christmas is someone to tuck me in
Tell me I'll never be alone, someone whose love will never end
Of all that I could ask for, well, there's just one thing I need
All I really want for Christmas is a family

Normally, I am not a big fan of sappy, try to make you cry christmas songs(Christmas shoes, anyone?), but I love this song. I can't make it through the first verse without crying. One time, I was trying to teach this song to our son Josiah in the car, and started bawling and he laughed and told Selah "this song must be about adoption". I heard it this morning while cleaning out my kid's toybox...and it started me thinking about the abundance of what we have. Which of course then led to thoughts of where my child is now, what he may or may not have, etc. I think I have said before that I don't allow myself to think this very often- it is too overwhelming to think about it for too long.

As I was listening to this song, it struck me that along with the millions of orphans overseas, and the children here in the states waiting for forever families, who knows how many other kids(and adults) will spend the holidays with their biological families, and yet feel like orphans? How many people will end this christmas season surrounded by "loved ones" and yet be incredibly lonely? How many women will have empty arms this christmas but know that they are mothers?(I remember that I got pregnant with my son right before christmas and when people would say"Congrats- you will be a mom!"- I thought to myself- I am already a mom, I have just lost those babies). I also thought about my daughter's birthmother...what is this season like for her?

Lord, help me to not get caught in the craziness of this season that I forget those without a family. Break our hearts so that we can be compassionate. Make us like you, extravegant in your love and mercy. Thank you for the children you have given me, and thank you for their biological families. Thank you for the passion you have given us and thank you for the infertility that led us down this path. Please give me the same mercy and compassion for those who are indifferent. We wait for the day we can hold our son- praying for it to be soon!

Alright adoption bloggers, how are YOU doing this christmas? Especially those who are waiting, what are you doing to help with the wait in this time?

Brandy

Letters To Santa

2008-12-09T09:54:00.000-08:00

Dear Santa,
My name is Josiah Grady Butler and my birthday is September 5th. How are you? I know you are pretend I like to pretend and play army with my army men. Christmas is Jesus' birthday so I want a birthday cake like a batman birthday cake or a soccer birthday cake for him. My favorite story is David and Goliath and when Jesus died on the cross for our sins. For Christmas I would like a batman mobile and a bed for me and my brother and for my brother to come home because I am going to share my room and my toys with him. I also want a trampoline like Camp has and his brother Cooper played trampoline football with me and he taught me kindness. I want some cool clothes and cool shoes and batman and spiderman sheets and some bath toys and for my brother to come home and for my brother to have dinner every night and breakfast and new leapster games and for B and Y to come home and a dog because we lost Toby and I miss him and a bed for my sister so she won't bang her head and some books from that fun store about Jesus. I love you.

Love,
Josiah

Dear Santa,
I love you and I want a new kitchen and some not breakable stuff I don't want to break my stuff thats all I want and I love Santa and I am going to hug you thats all and thats my favorite thing because he is my best friend and I want a pink barbie and to have a bride dress to dress up to marry Caleb and a pink leapster and can you wrap it and I like Caleb but Hannah and Charly are my best friends you not allowed to marry your brother or daddy and a pink bike and to play with those big girls again please please please can I have ballerina classes and can you bring some leapsters and spidermans for those kids don't have any toys and a fun fun trampoline and to not sneak food anymore and please please please with a cherry a baby sister with the baby brother and lots and lots of baby sisters and a huge huge pillow for my room and a new bed and Barbie cereal and thats all and I love Jesus.

Love,
Selah

These letters crack me up...Josiah's "fun store" is Mardel, a christian book store. It makes me laugh and cry to hear him ask for his brother to have dinner and breakfast every day. Selah was so excited to do her letter, and I had no idea she had such strong feelings for Caleb Fournet : )

Great News...and now we wait

2008-12-01T08:13:00.000-08:00

Brandy here....just got an email from our caseworker Natalie, saying that we were placed on the waitlist on 11/26/08. The average wait is 4-6 months, but we also know it could be longer. So now we are officially officially expecting! I wonder if this means Wes should cater to my cravings...hmmm...I have been craving ethiopian food....

Prayer for our Friends

2008-11-30T06:16:00.000-08:00

Just a quick post this morning to ask that you pray for our friends, the Fournets. They are currently waiting to pick up their kiddos in Ethiopia and just found out at the end of last week that they will be waiting longer. Their case has been delayed again and are now waiting to hear about their new court date. God has blessed them with an amazing faith during this extended waiting period and it has been humbling to get to see it up close.

Beau and Natalie, we are blessed to call ourselves your friends and are heartbroken with you as your wait is extended. Thank you for your unwavering trust in the sovereignty of God and for setting an example for so many (including us) and making the light of Christ shine brighter in your lives as a result. Love you both and can't wait to celebrate with you at the kids' homecoming.

Follow Beau and Natalie's blog at http://fournetfamily.blogspot.com/

A Call to Action for the Congo

2008-11-25T03:40:00.000-08:00

"Let us seek to be like Jesus in our devotion to the forgotten of the earth who have nothing to recommend them but their poverty and their heart-hunger and their tears."

A.W. Tozer

When Jesus was asked by the teacher of the law, "Who is my neighbor?" Jesus told him the story of the Good Samaritan and then ended it by asking the question the lawyer should have been asking. "Which one of these (the priest, the Levite, or the Samaritan) was a neighbor to this man?" You see the question is not to figure out who your neighbor is, but whether or not you are being a neighbor to anyone God makes you aware of.

I'm writing this morning to make you aware of your neighbors in the Congo and to ask you whether you will choose to act as a neighbor to them. Did you know . . .

5.4 million people have been killed in the violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo since 1998. More people have died there than in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Darfur combined.
45,000 people die every month in what is being called Africa's World War. This is the deadliest conflict since World War II.
One of the primary weapons used in this particular war is rape. 80% of women living in the Congo today are victims of rape and 75% of all the rapes that take place in the world happen in the Congo.
The violence has forced civilians to flee their homes and head for already over-crowded IDP (Internally Displaced People) camps where it is virtually impossible to access health facilities, find clean water sources, and locate nutritional food. Most deaths are a result of these types of conditions, an indirect result of the violence.
The Congo has been named as one of the most dangerous countries in the world for children, whether they are killed by the violence, die from desperate conditions, or are recruited by the rebels and forced into unspeakable acts of violence themselves.

Who will be a neighbor to these people? Here are some practical ways you can love them as you would wish to be loved.

1. Pray that God would bring justice on all who seek to do evil in the Congo.

2. Pray for believers in Jesus Christ in the Congo to have the courage to stand firm in the face of this intense violence and proclaim the unwavering hope found in Jesus Christ.

3. Write your congressional leaders. Here are some links that may be helpful.

For Texas Senators and Representatives Addresses: http://www.visi.com/juan/congress/cgi-bin/newseek.cgi?site=ctc&state=tx

For info on what to write as a sample letter: http://community.wr.org/Page.aspx?pid=1290

4. Consider giving financially to relief efforts in the Congo. $50 will allow a family to survive for a month. What would God have you give? http://community.wr.org/Page.aspx?pid=1274

5. Grow your understanding of and empathy with those struggling to eat daily by fasting or restricting your diet to basics like rice, beans, and flour.

Please consider how you ought to respond and then do what God leads you to do.

"Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter. If you say, 'But we knew nothing about this,' does not He who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not He who guards your life know it? Will he not repay each person according to what he has done?" Proverbs 24:11-12

For additional information, check out these sobering videos.

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=3706833n

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7700111.stm

We've been TAGGED!

2008-11-24T20:37:00.000-08:00

Seven Random Facts about Brandy

1. I love chips and salsa and I am kind of a salsa snob. I love it so much that even my children know this is my favorite snack. I will admit that I have eaten this for breakfast before.

2. I have an irrational fear of dentists. I require sedation....for a cleaning. I still have no idea what my old dentist looked like because I was always sedated when I left her office. I hate the sounds and smells of the office, I hate sitting in the chair, I hate that mouth stretchy thing, I hate the scrapey hook thing(I am shivering now just typing it). Don't even talk to me about the laughing gas....laughing gas is for amateurs.

3. I purposefully don't correct my kids when they mispronounce words because I think it is cute. I think it annoys my extended family, but come on, Josiah won't go to college saying "benember"(remember). I also cry when they figure it out and start pronouncing things correctly- like the first time Josiah talked about his friend "Joseph" instead of "Jo-fuss".

4. I have a secret ambition to move to Baltimore and get a job at Charm City Cakes. Maybe I will post some pictures of my work and Duff will somehow see it and offer me the job.

5. I have something wrong with my senses- if I am wearing sunglasses, I can't hear as well. Wes makes fun of me because when we are in the car, I have to take my sunglasses off to hear him.

6. If I could do it, my home would look like a Cottage Living magazine.

7. I don't know how many kids I want. It is strange, because most people I know say"we want three kids" or whatever number, but I have not been able to come up with the number that feels "done". Maybe I will know when we get there....I have read that women who have lost children often feel like their family is never complete because someone is always missing, and maybe that is true. But when I see videos of orphanges or think about the USA foster care system, I always wonder, will I always think maybe just one more??

Maybe Wes will add his facts later....

Daddy's "Helpers"

2008-11-20T03:40:00.000-08:00

Josiah & Selah Building a Fire Truck at Home Depot

These pictures are from a little outing we went on about a month ago to Home Depot. They have a deal once a month where they set up a little project for the kids and you can come and build something (for FREE). It is a fun little experience, but it's not really a building project for the kids. It's a building project for Daddy.

I was thinking about this today and how one of the great things about parenting little kids is asking them to "help" with something, some kind of Daddy chore that's not on their typical list of responsibilities, like helping to cook breakfast, rake leaves, etc. Reality is that I don't really need their help and in fact could probably do it quicker and better (and cleaner) without their help, but I delight in watching the joy they experience in being a part of the "mission," a "mission" greater than themselves. I dread the day of their young childhood/teenage response of no longer seeing this as a delight, but as a duty and the proverbial "Aw, Dad!" that accompanies it. So for now, I delight in their delight.

And I think of how gracious our Father is to us. How ultimately, He doesn't NEED me or my "help" for anything, but delights in giving me the opportunity to build intimacy with Him through participating in a mission greater than myself. He tells us as much in passages like Psalm 50:9-10 where he says, "I have no need of a bull from your stall or of goats from your pens, for every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills." I am so grateful that though he doesn't need me, He pleads with me to "sacrifice thank offerings" (vs. 14) to Him, because He knows that there is no greater delight for His children than that they delight in Him.

I don't pretend to think that God needs Brandy and I to adopt. Granted there are 143 million orphans in the world and if just 7% of all people who call themselves Christians were to adopt one, we'd knock that out, but God has already declared Himself to be the "Father of the fatherless," and He'd do a much better job of fathering them than I would (and there'd be less mess). But He gives me the privilege of joining Him in this mission, among many others, and sits back to watch with delight as we delight in Him. How gracious and loving! And how I pray that God will deliver me from my teenage "Aw, Dad!" attitude, forgiving me for the many ways I already do that, and return my heart to the place of childlike joy in asking, "Can I help, Daddy?"

P.S. Within the hour of returning from Home Depot, one of the firetrucks was stickerless, wheel-less and little more than a pile of scrap wood. There's probably an illustration there too.

Last piece of paper . . . we hope!

2008-11-17T04:35:00.000-08:00

Hello friends! Sorry for the long silence, but did want to update you real quickly on the latest with our adoption. Last weekend, we received the confirmation we needed from the INS saying that our fingerprints had cleared and that our Home Study had finally been approved after a little bit of hoop jumping that was requested of us. God continues to be faithful and provide for us in every way along this journey and it is fun to see His hand at work in all of this. We will mail this last piece of paper off and should be on the wait-list by Thanksgiving.

Many ask how long the wait is from here and while they say right now the wait is 4 to 6 months, we've watched others have longer and shorter waits than this, so if you want a timetable, that's what we're told, but we remember that God is King and His timing is perfect.

One of the things that I'm reminded of as we get into this season of waiting is that the definition of "waiting on God" is probably far different from what we traditionally think of as waiting. I think far too many of us look at this concept of "waiting" as though it's the "waiting room" at the doctor's office. In that sense, there is no real purpose to the waiting, nothing is being accomplished, and your left with nothing more than a few mindless magazines to pass the time while you wait for the doctor who is busy with other people. This is not the biblical concept of waiting. Instead, the Scriptures tell us repeatedly to wait on the Lord and that by doing so, we are strengthened and encouraged (Psalm 27:14; Isaiah 40:31), we are helped and shielded (Psalm 33:20), we are exalted (Psalm 37:34), we are heard (Psalm 40:1) and answered (Psalm 38:15), we are redeemed (Psalm 130:5-8), we are delivered (Proverbs 20:22), and we are blessed (Proverbs 8:34; Isaiah 30:18). Doesn't sound like any doctor's waiting room I've ever been in. God does not waste our waiting, when our waiting is grounded in hope in Him and in Him alone. He does not call us to wait because he is busy with another patient, but is actively involved in our "healing" that takes place during the waiting. There is never a wasted moment in God's economy, so we ask that you pray for us in the waiting for this adoption as we pray for all of you in our mutual waiting for the completion of our adoption as sons and daughters of God (Romans 8:23).

Here's a few pictures of our "waiting" recently. It's been a beautiful fall season here in Dallas!

Gladney Dinner and Fingerprints

2008-10-01T04:14:00.001-07:00

We had a great time last night at the Gladney dinner in Ft. Worth. Talking with one of the case workers, the original caseworker when Gladney started their Ethiopia program, it is amazing to hear that this program only started 2 years ago and in that time, has grown from 25 families in the program to over 250. May God continue to stir the hearts of His people to give kids in Ethiopia and all over the world forever families. Brandy was thrilled to get to interact with a few of the little Ethiopian boys who were at dinner last night and dream about our little guy. She is planning to bring candy next time to entice the kids to come play with her (which I told her is a little creepy).

And in the midst of dreaming of our little guy, we got a big surprise yesterday afternoon when the mailman delivered our letter saying we could go and get our last set of fingerprints. Our caseworker, Natalie, just sent off our request to them a week ago and typically it takes 4-8 weeks for them to reply back. We got it in a week!!!! Amazing!!! So, we're up early and headed to the INS office with the kiddos to get there before they open so we don't have to wait too long. If all goes well, there's a chance we could be on the wait list by the end of October. Join us in praying for patience as we wait on God's perfect timing.

Here's some pics of the kiddos from our trip to CO!

Kids posing at Helen Hunt Falls (not sure what Josiah's doing or what Selah's looking at)

One of our favorite pictures of Selah! Such a pretty little girl.

Update and Story

2008-09-29T04:57:00.001-07:00

Well it's been a while since I posted, but thought I would take a few minutes to give a quick update. Time to blog has been scarce lately, but perhaps if I could learn to keep my posts shorter that would help. I have a hard time communicating anything briefly, much less something I'm as excited about as this (and now that I finished this post, I can say I didn't do well this time either. Perhaps next time).

We are wrapping up the last few portions of our paperwork and getting those off this week. We got our blood work done on Friday and are happy to report that Brandy and I are both disease free!!! We also got our home study back in the mail earlier last week, which is a huge step in the process and really gets the ball rolling on a lot of stuff. We'll be working on getting an appointment to get our 2nd set of fingerprints done with INS (again, happy to report that our first set of fingerprints showed that neither Brandy or I are criminals) and if all of this goes smoothly, we hope to be on the wait list within a couple of months. Very exciting times.

We're also excited to get to go to a dinner tomorrow night at Gladney. Their Ethiopia staff is in town, so this will be a cool chance to meet the folks who will be caring for our kiddo until we can go and pick them up. We'll also have the chance to meet more families in the program, which is always a treat.

And, as always, we're continuing to struggle through the adventure of parenting the two great kids we now have. We went on vacation a couple of weeks ago to Colorado Springs to see my brother, Matt and his wife, Kristen, to meet our new little nephew Grayson and then to hang out in the mountains. Highlight of the trip for me was hiking with Josiah. We took on Mt. Cutler together, about a mile long hike and the little guy did great. Only had to carry him for about the last quarter of the way down. We enjoyed lunch together on the top of the mountain as well as a great time of talking through Psalm 1, his daddy's favorite passage.

One of the things that came out of that time and that I was challenged with, was encouraging him to begin to have his own personal time with God every morning. Even though he can't read, he knows all of the key Bible stories, so I have been telling him each morning before he plays on the computer or watches cartoons, that he should spend some time looking at one of the Bible stories in his Bible and then talking to God about it. Wasn't sure how that was working until this morning. I asked him about it and he told me he looked at the story of Noah and the Ark. I then asked him if he talked to God, and he said yes, so I asked him what he talked to him about. He said, "I thanked God for getting all of the animals in the boat and for telling Noah to build the Ark and for bringing the storm." Proud moment for me as a daddy to watch him already digesting some of this stuff on his own. Praying he'll keep it up and be like the tree we talked about on our hike, firmly rooted by streams of water that yeilds its fruit in season and whatever he does prospers (see Psalm 1).

Fever

2008-08-17T15:58:00.000-07:00

My daughter Selah has a fever tonight. Not a big deal, and not an unusual occurance for her. Selah, like everything else in life, is one extreme or the other and in this....she is either completely fine or has 102-104 fevers. When she gets a fever, I can tell because her cheeks get really red and she starts to slow down and snuggle more. It is funny and sad to say that it is a small part I enjoy when she is sick- that she will sit in my lap and snuggle. I don't like it when she is sick, but I know I can give her some Motrin and more than likely, she will be fine.

But tonight as I was measuring the medicine to give her, I thought about my child in Ethiopia. I wondered, what happens when he gets a fever? More than that, I thought about how easy it is for me, just grab the bubble gum flavored medicine and give it to her, fix whatever she wants for dinner and let her sleep. No real worries....but does his mother get scared? Does her mind go there- when a fever is not just a fever because there, it could be something more? I doubt she has the bubblegum medicine so what does she do to calm him(and herself?).

As I have been thinking about our child, I have not allowed myself to think on these things- the idea that right now, my child could be sick....or hungry...or scared...or even dying...my mother's heart almost can't take it. And then I am hit with the thought that I don't know how you could endure this process, the waiting, the unknown, the vastness of the need there, without faith in Christ. As a mom, I want to fix it- even if I don't know what "it" is. So I sit tonight, with my daughter lying next to me and thank Him for how He takes care of her and how He is taking care of my child who is across the world.

Africa Reflections #2 -- Who's Movie Is It?

2008-07-29T20:40:00.001-07:00

Well, I wrote yesterday morning and shared about the number one highlight of the trip, so it's only fair that I would share about the number one lowlight of my trip as well and what God reinforced in my life through it. The picture above is of the 5 star hotel that Kenya Airways supplied for me and three other members of the team (we each had our own room) after they overbooked our flight by 43 people, leaving 4 members of our team, including me, left to hang out in Nairobi for an extra day. Reflecting on this again today, there is a great sadness that comes over me that I missed out on a full day with our team in Burundi because of this. It's funny, I had read a few days or a week earlier on The Journey (http://www.jointhejourney.com/) about Paul's suffering and how he boasted in things like shipwrecks, torture, beatings, sickness, etc. for the cause of Christ and I really prepared myself mentally for sufferings of no running water, bad food, sickness, etc. but I didn't prepare myself for the sufferings of a 5 star hotel. In all sincerity, that's exactly what it felt like to me . . . suffering.

I had our team read through a book on our trip called "Crazy Love" by Francis Chan (which is currently required reading for being my friend http://www.crazylovebook.com/) and in one of the chapters he says what many others have said but in a way that God has used tremendously in my life over the past few weeks. Essentially, he compares the foolishness of making this life all about me to being an extra in a 3 hour epic movie where the back of your head appears on screen for 2/5 of a second and then calling all your friends to come to see the movie about you. It makes no sense, but that's exactly what we do when we make life all about us and inevitably when we do this, we find ourselves complaining, grumbling, and turning to all sorts of selfish pursuits that leave us more empty and more miserable at the end of it all. By God's grace, this was the mindset that I entered our little 24 hour detour with, so that when the other members of our team jumped on their jet as we received cash, a transit visa, and a ride to The Stanley Hotel in Nairobi I was able to say, "God must want us in Nairobi."

Love to say that I know exactly what God wanted us in Nairobi for, but I'm not altogether sure. What I do know is that the 4 of us looked for ways to make the most of our opportunity and to that end, we hung out for a few hours with a lady named Sonia who was in a similar situation to us. She was supposed to have been on our flight as well and ended up at our hotel. We chatted during the bus trip to the hotel and then over breakfast at the hotel (or really she chatted and we listened) and discovered that she was a photographer from the Virgin Islands and a Reverend of a Unitarian church. When she learned we were from a non-denominational church in Dallas, her eyes lit up under the assumption that we, like her, believed in nothing which is something. We took the opportunity to inform her that we do believe in something and that His name is Jesus and He alone is the hope of the nations. We had a very pleasant dialogue and shared truth with her as much as possible, but the Lord didn't choose to enlighten her heart in that moment. We prayed for her and prayed that the seed that we planted or the water we threw on that seed would bear fruit in eternity, but we'll probably never know.

What we do know is that God was glorified in our lives in those moments, so if the story of my life is really all about him, then we did exactly what we should have done. It was a blessing to watch Jeff and Todd and Vince jump right in the fray with us and to see them encouraged that God was still in control whether we were in Nairobi or Burundi. Still wish we had been in Burundi, but it's your story Lord, so write what you will and may I be faithful to play my part.

Psalm 90:1-2, 10, 12, 17

A prayer of Moses the man of God

"Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations.

Before the mountains were born

or you brought forth the earth and the world,

from everlasting to everlasting, you are God . . .

The length of our days is seventy years --

or eighty, if we have the strength;

yet their span is but trouble and sorrow,

for they quickly pass, and we fly away . . .

Teach us to number our days aright,

that we may gain a heart of wisdom . . .

May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us;

establish the work of our hands for us --

yes, establish the work of our hands."

Sunset in Makamba, Burundi when we did arrive.

Africa Reflections #1

2008-07-29T09:21:00.000-07:00

My heart, mind and soul are full. Full but longing for more. I think about Jesus telling the woman at the well that he would give her living water and she would never thirst again, and how we are completely satisfied in him and yet in the midst of our satisfaction we long for more and that's where I find myself today. Over the next several days and posts, I want to take the opportunity to talk about my experiences in Africa. I just got back last night and have spent the morning uploading pictures and reflecting on all that I've seen and thought over the last 10 days. My prayer is that I'll never be the same.

Above is a picture that captures the moment that I consider to be the number one highlight of the trip for me personally. A little background first. We planned this trip with our primary mission being to build a clinic that Watermark had funded for the people of Makamba, the southernmost province of Burundi. But we also went into it with the mindset of "T.I.A." which means "This Is Africa" and you never know when, what, or how your plans will unfold (side note: wish our lives were a little more this way). So the third full day that our team was there, we arrived at the work site and there were no construction workers there, no foreman, and really nothing for us to do. So, we spent the entire day just being with the people. I remember Bob Pyne, one of the staff members for ALARM, meeting with us a few months ago and basically saying, "Presence is far more important than program," meaning that our Western mentality was good for nothing and that just being with people was more important that accomplishing any task. He was right.

So right before this, we were walking along when an elderly woman stopped us and asked if we could help her. She had walked from her home outside the village to come to the clinic in hopes of receiving an injection to help with her asthma. When she arrived, there were no more injections for her and now she would have to walk back home with labored breathing and little more than a few tablets of Aspirin to help (which it doesn't). We told her that unfortunately, we could do nothing for her, but we prayed and shared with her about Jesus. Tracy Lau and Merritt Olsen did a great job of loving on her and I stood back, watched, prayed and cried. I cried for her because of how simple it would be to meet this need back home and how there are thousands and thousands of doses of this medication sitting on shelves in the US that will be thrown away before it's ever used and how wasteful and foolish that seemed in the midst of this. But I cried more for the destructiveness of sin, selfishness, hard-heartedness, and all the sins that so easily entangle us that leave this world broken and fallen.

We left her and I continued to cry, pulling my sunglasses down to hide the tears. I found a pile of bricks and began to help Jeff Stanley stack them. After a few minutes, some of the kids, including my buddy Nikeza came and began to help me (by the way, can your 3 year old pick up 6 bricks at a time and carry them 10 feet? There's can!). We moved bricks for a while and then I told them, let's take a break and I sat down on this pile of rocks and told them I would tell them a story and teach them a song. Before I knew it, I was completely surrounded by kids and adults alike and Christine, one of our translators came to help me tell the story. I told them the story that Jesus told at the end of the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 7 where Jesus says that if you listen to what he says and do these things, you are like a wise man who builds his house on the rock, but if you do not, you are like the foolish man who builds his house on the sand. Sitting only a few feet away from the clinic that is built on it's cement foundation and with large stones that we and the team before us had moved to begin to reinforce the floor, I used it to illustrate my point. I pleaded with them to listen to Jesus, to live like he lives and love like he loves. We sang the song, "The wise man built his house upon the rock, the wise man built his house upon the rock . . ." and the kids did the hand motions. It was priceless. Then, Christine asked them in Kirundi, who can repeat the story back for us. And several of them raised their hands. Christine saw a man standing behind me raise his hand and called on him to share the story again. Verbatim, he went back through the story and told people to be wise and to build their lives on Jesus.

When he finished, we all applauded and I stood up to find him. I asked him his name and he told me it was Peter (not making this stuff up people. The guy named "Rock" was the one who retold the story about the wise man building his house on the rock). I put my finger in his chest and told him that it was his job to tell all of the people of the village the stories about Jesus, I told him that I had to go home but that he lived here and the children would listen to him if he would tell them the stories. You see, the adults, even in the churches, do not teach the kids. They send the kids outside the church to play and run around while they sing and worship inside. I don't know if he got it or not, but I hope he did.

The day continued with all sorts of moments like this, but that was my favorite. I was humbled that God would use me like that, and astounded when I thought, "This must have been what it was like for Jesus to walk through the towns in Israel and Judea during his day." The Africans would surround you, whether you were doing anything or not and just stare at you and want to touch your skin or whatever and listen to you tell them stories. It was unbelievable. The ALARM staff told us that the impact of this would be huge for these people, because typically the mzungus (white people) only talk with the rich or go and hang out at the resorts or with government leaders, isolated from the people, but we were there touching them, hugging them, and playing with them. As Christine said so simply, "You are loving people!"

I'm praying that I will take more advantage of simple opportunities to love people. Tell a story, teach a song, hug someone who's dirty, and do it in the name of Jesus, because it's all about Him anyway. Yesu arakukunda (Jesus loves you!). More later.

This is me with my buddy Nikeza

This is me and Christine. Fanta Citrus is really good, by the way.

What Kids Teach Us About God

2008-07-17T03:41:00.000-07:00

Yesterday morning was an interesting one and not at all like what I hope most mornings are like, but they do happen from time to time. I feel a little bit like Chuck Dickens (his friends call him Chuck) because it truly was "the best of times" and "the worst of times." I've had a great season lately of consistent early morning time with the Lord and have a new hideout to do so . . . the park across the street. The benefits of this are that I get to be alone with the Lord while watching his magnificent sunrise every morning and no 4 year olds interrupting me. But it rained the night before and was a little damp, so I decided I would hang out inside yesterday morning. So Josiah woke up early and interrupted my time, which is fine, except that when I told him what he was allowed to do and what he was not allowed to do now that he was awake, he didn't like his options and massive melt down fit throwing ensued. This led to various attempts at discipline that ended with me putting him in his room and leaving him there to scream and cry all by himself and completely ignore him (or at least try to).

Did I mention that I was trying to read and journal? So as I sat attempting to hear from the Lord, He spoke to me in the cries of my little boy who was screaming, "DADDY! WHERE ARE YOU? HELLO? IS ANYBODY HERE?" And all of a sudden I was in my mind in the Psalms where David and other writers say things like, "How long, O Lord? Will you hide yourself forever?" (Ps. 89:46) and reflecting on seasons of silence that I've been through, mostly due in part to my own pursuit of self and sin, much like Josiah yesterday morning. I realized in that moment, just how gracious and loving God's silence is. You see, I believe that when we pursue self, that God will at times allow us to have as much of ourselves as we'd like, only for us to find out, like Josiah did, that all of myself, all by myself is not as much fun as it appeared to be on the front end. Consequently, we begin to scream, "Daddy, where are you?" as we ache for the intimacy of relationship with him that our sin has broken (disclaimer: not all seasons of silence are the result of sin, I realize, but the vast majority are). You see, Josiah wanted me to bend to his will (cartoons, computer games, running around the house at 6:30 in the morning) rather than him submitting to the will of his daddy. That's not how daddy's should work, because that's not how God works. He will at times let you go there, but you're not dragging him with you.

Which leads to this other observation. While Josiah genuinely began to worry that I wasn't there anymore and that he was completely alone in the house, I hadn't gone anywhere. I was here in the kitchen, writing all of this stuff down. I was continuing to provide protection and provision for him because I love him and would never leave my little boy alone in the house, and once again, I remember that this must be a glimpse of what God does with us. That even in the seasons of silence, he is not too far that his arm can't reach us. That's grace.

So at the end of it all, after the weeping and gnashing of teeth had subsided, Josiah and I talked. And I told him that from here on out, when he is being selfish, that we will let him be selfish, but it will be all by himself. I told him I would give him as much of himself as his little heart desired, but he would have to enjoy it all alone. He seemed to get it. Ironically, as I was typing this he came out again (at 5:45 in the morning), but this time he listened to the options his daddy gave him and did it. Proud of you, little man! You set an example for me. Praying that we will listen to the voice of our Daddy through His Son, Jesus, and obey and, in that way, be like the wise man who builds his house on the rock!

Ethiopians

2008-07-11T11:14:00.000-07:00

Just so you know, I realize that our blog is a little on the boring side visually right now, due in large part to the fact that we haven't been able to locate the chord for getting pictures off our camera and onto our computer since we moved. Until then, here's an old picture from when we first adopted Selah.

One of the cool things in the last several months since we first felt like the Lord was leading us to adopt from Ethiopia, is that the Lord has given us multiple opportunities to interact with people from Ethiopia living here in Dallas or visiting. Some has been strategically planned such as a dinner with an Ethiopian pastor at the Fournet's house a few weeks ago, but some has just been God's providence in allowing our paths to cross with Ethiopians (of course, I guess it's all providence whether it's planned or not, but let's not get technical). On Tuesday of this week, I had a lunch appointment at the Chili's down on Knox and 75 in Dallas (not my usual stomping grounds). As I try to make a practice of doing, I asked our waitress her name and didn't understand her at first. She repeated saying, "Rahel . . . it's Ethiopian." We were off!! I told her we were adopting from Ethiopia and wanted to hear more about her. So, through a handful of trips to our table, we got a glimpse at each other's stories and swapped email addresses so we could be in touch. I sent her an email later that day and here was the first part of her reply:

Hello brother Wes,

It was nice meeting you as well. It is so great when you meet someone who is outside of your ethnicity and culture but yet who is one with you through the bond of Jesus Christ our Lord. I was so touched when you told me that you are in a journey of trying to adopt a child from Ethiopia. What a heart you have!

I was so encouraged by her response and loved her theology all at the same time. It should never cease to amaze us as believers in Christ when we encounter the bond that is formed between us through the person of Jesus Christ. We have extended invitations to one another to visit each other's churches and plan to do that as soon as we're able to. She attends an Ethiopian Baptist Church here in Dallas, so I can't wait to sit through a service entirely done in Amharic and join my adopted brothers and sisters in Christ in celebrating our adoption as sons and daughters.

Rahel, I hope you'll read this and know just how much you blessed my heart over lunch on Tuesday. See you soon!

The Example of Salmon . . . not the fish!

2008-07-10T03:44:00.000-07:00

As I said yesterday, I want to be guilty of posting my thoughts much more often, so here goes. This morning I was spending time with the Lord and hanging out in Matthew 1 this morning for a little while. There, you will find the geneaology of Christ as recorded by Matthew, going from Abraham, through David, to King Josiah (just had to mention that for obvious reasons) and finally to Joseph and Mary. But I was struck by verse 5 and Matthew's mention of Salmon, the father of Boaz, who was the husband of Ruth. This verse mentions two women in the lineage, both Salmon's wife, Rahab, and Boaz's wife, Ruth. If you know your Bible, you know that Rahab was the Canaanite prostitute who helped the spies as Joshua and the boys were making their claim to the land God promised them and Ruth has an entire book dedicated to her and her story of redemption by the "kinsman redeemer" Boaz. What struck me fresh this morning was to see these two stories side by side. You see, Salmon, a Jew, married Rahab, who through her faith (as we see in Hebrews 11) was saved by God and grafted into the nation of Israel. Salmon's choice here of a bride was probably not a popular one considering Rahab's storied past, not to mention her race, but Salmon "redeemed" her. The next thing you know, we have Boaz, Salmon and Rahab's boy, meeting Ruth, a widow from the land of Moab, again, not a Jew, and feeling the same heart of compassion for her as he observes her faithfulness and "redeeming" her into his family.

So many threads to these stories to consider and I could write forever explaining this, but here's my point in making this observation. Salmon, led by God, chose to adopt Rahab into his family through marriage. In this culture, a woman on her own was as good as dead, which is why widows and orphans are most often mentioned together in the Scriptures. For all intensive purposes, they are the same and need someone to "adopt" them into their family. Salmon chose to do this and then we see his son, following in his father's footsteps, making the same choice to "adopt" Ruth through marriage. As I considered this, I thought about my own story. While my parents never adopted officially, my heart for adoption began with an observation of the way they loved kids while I was growing up. They served in many ways as a parental model for many of my friends who didn't have a dad or whose parents didn't love Jesus. I believe it was here that God began to stir my heart for the orphans of this world and continued to foster it to where it is today. Subsequently, I love that Josiah and Selah both already have a knowledge of adoption, both from their own stories and as they walk with us through this process, and pray that, like Boaz observed and followed the example of his father, Salmon, my kids will do the same.

Oh God, that there might be generations of Butlers with a Christ-like passion for orphans and a deep conviction of their role, as commanded in Scripture, to care for them and redeem them, either through adoption or some other means. And that it would spread like wild fire throughout your people, your church, to care for the millions of orphans around the world. This is Your heart, Oh God and I thank you that you "hear the needy" and that they will "see and be glad" (Psalm 69:32-33).

As a P.S. I should mention that we are walking through the book of Ruth on Sunday morning, led by my buddy Blake Holmes, and it is worth taking a listen to. Go to http://www.watermarkradio.com/ and listen to his first message from this past Sunday, "Faith in the Midst of Famine."

Home Study Done

2008-07-09T14:48:00.000-07:00

It's been a long silence on the blogging front, so I apologize. I definitely need more time to write!!! Lots of things floating around in my head that I'm anxious to get out there.

But for now, I'll simply report some very exciting news. We had our home study this morning and all went very well. Having been our third stab at this thing, we are becoming old pros in some sense and yet learning something new at every turn in another sense. Amy Curtis was our social worker and was greeted at the door by two very enthusiastic toddlers. Our greatest anxiety going into today was that Josiah and Selah would entertain themselves enough to afford us the time to talk with Amy and answer all of her questions. We asked several folks to pray for that for us and the Lord really answered our prayers. They really didn't try to hog the attention and apart from the occasional interruption, really allowed us to talk with Amy. Amy even commented at the end of our time that she was really impressed with how the kids acted, saying that typically her home studies result in one catastrophe or another from one of the kids in the home.

We spent about 3 hours with her, answering all of her questions and giving her the tour of the house. She had told us prior to the visit that she thought it would be a short visit since we already had two home studies on file. Before she left she said, "I know I said this would probably be a shorter visit, but I just enjoyed talking to you guys so much." That was really encouraging. So, we don't have an official "PASS" on the home study as of yet, but unofficially, she said that she had no concerns and we should get a written copy of the home study within a couple of weeks for us to look over and make any corrections on before finalizing it.

One other funny story that happened while she was there. As I said the kids were really good and at one point, I thought, too good. They were really quiet back in the back of the house and eventually Josiah came out and said, "Selah colored on her doll house." Selah's reply was "No, Bubba colored on the doll house," and they went back and forth. I asked Josiah if he had and he insisted that he hadn't. So, I went back to the back to inspect the damage (despite Selah trying to block my path and yelling, "NO, DADDY!") to discover that coloring had indeed taken place. I probably would have believed Josiah too, except that someone had prominently written Selah's name (in the best handwriting of his life to date) on the top of the doll house. The moral of the story is, if you're going to blame something on your little sister who can't write her letters yet, don't attempt to sign her name to the crime scene. Funny, but punishment did ensue.

Thanks for your prayers, and I promise to do a better job of posting our thoughts as we move forward in the process.

One Step at a Time

2008-04-25T12:30:00.001-07:00

Well, we took care of a good chunk of paperwork today and dropped it off at FedEx Kinkos this morning. It was "fun" to do this with the kids who were not too happy about waiting patiently while we filled out the forms at Kinkos and got some things notarized, but as you can see, they were all smiles as they held up envelopes going to Gladney, the Department of Homeland Security, and our Dossier helper (I'm sure there's a more official title, but that's what I know to call her). So, we're one step closer.

Josiah is sitting on my lap as I type this and I asked if he would like to share something on the blog. He wanted me to tell you that "Everybody should love Jesus." Couldn't have said it better myself.

Eager for a homecoming,

The Richness of our Father

2008-04-16T01:19:00.000-07:00

It's 3:15 in the morning on April 16th and I can't sleep, partly because of a little boy's asthma that called for a breathing treatment in the middle of the night and partly because I am overwhelmed by thoughts of gratitude and awe and need to get this out in words. Yesterday morning I read in 1 Corinthians 1:5, which says, "For in Him [Jesus] you have been enriched in every way . . ." little knowing what the day would hold. To be clear, Paul's words here refer to the spiritual gifts that have been bestowed on every follower of Christ, but I was caught by the word "enriched" yesterday and took time to reflect on how unending God's generosity is for His children. This is not, "God wants you to be happy, healthy, and wealthy" crap. This is "God has everything I need and a limitless supply of it, so why worry about tomorrow or the next day or the day after that."

So why am I up at 3:30 (now) in the morning reflecting back on 1 Corinthians 1:5? Simply because we got to see the richness of our Father on full display yesterday. A couple of posts ago I mentioned that we had hit our first speed bump in the adoption process (seemingly before it ever started) and were trying to rejoice in our trials. We thought we were still a week or so away from the resolution of that trial, one that carried a great deal of uncertainty as to whether we would be able to move forward at this time or not with our dream to bring more kiddos into our home. And then I received a wonderful email from a lady at Gladney with the title, "Good News" and suddenly we were past the speed bump and on a collision course with adoption #3.

That would have been enough to make our hearts full, but then God decided to do a day-night doubleheader on us. After sharing this news via email with the friends who are walking most intimately with us through this time, I had a chance to spend time with some of those guys last night for a routine meeting with a little extra celebration to it. They celebrated with me, said they had been praying for that issue to be resolved and praying for how God would have them support us when it was time to take steps forward in this process. They then proceeded to hand me an envelope with enough cash to get us over the speed bump of the first financial obligation in this long process. To those guys I want to say, whatever my outward reaction was last night pales in comparison to the overwhelming sense of gratitude that has me in tears now. How in the world do you say "Thank You" to friends like that, and how in the world could I possibly express enough gratitude to the God who already knows where the rest of the money will come from? He has greatly "enriched" us and continues to do so on a regular basis in a way that leaves me baffled and astounded.

So, to our little one who is perhaps already waiting for us in Ethiopia, we can't wait to meet you, to introduce you to your brother and sister, to introduce you to our friends who love you so much they would sacrifice financially to help bring you home, and most of all, we can't wait to tell you about the Father who already knows you, knows every hair on your head, knows your name, and who generously shares the riches of His knowledge, wisdom, grace, and provision with you, today and forever.

"Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! 'Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?' 'Who has ever given to God, that God should repay him?' For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen. (Romans 11:33-36 NIV)

Prayers of a Child's Heart

2008-04-06T19:23:00.001-07:00

Josiah and Selah are both pretty excited about the prospect of a new brother or sister to add to the family, but more than that, we want them to develop a heart that is burdened for the poor, orphaned, and helpless. So, we have been discussing what boys and girls in Africa have to deal with on a regular basis. Here's a prayer, word for word from Josiah last week after a conversation with Brandy in the car on their way to school.

"Dear Jesus, thank you for reminding me about boys in Africa and girls in Africa that don't have mommies and daddies or food or soap or trash cans or any toys like checkers or memory and awesome food like bananas and yogurt, but not peach yogurt but strawberry yogurt and pizza and cheeseburgers and candy and thank you Jesus for my new brother and sister and help them to have food and soap and thank you that we are going to adopt them and help them to adopt soon. And dear Jesus, Amen."

Not sure why soap and trashcans stand out in Josiah's mind, but grateful that he's developing a heart that considers the needs of others. We join him in praying for his new brother or sister and asking the Lord to protect and provide for them wherever and whoever they are.

Our First Two Adoptions

2008-03-31T17:40:00.000-07:00

Well, the blog started out heavy with my last post, but because there are some of you who don't know our family, I thought I would tell you our story. Brandy and I have been married for 10 years and are blessed to be parents to Josiah (4 1/2, and the 1/2 is incredibly important apparently) and Selah (3). Both of our kids came through the beautiful miracle of adoption. We discovered early on in our marriage (by accident) that we would not be able to conceive and began our steps to adopt shortly thereafter. Brandy had done some research on the internet and discovered that there was this thing called Frozen Embryo Adoption that an agency out in California, Nightlight Christian Adoptions, had started a program for. We were excited to see that there was a way for Brandy to experience pregnancy without doing anything that we felt broke our marriage covenant. It was a long and lengthy process, but we were eventually matched up with a family who had 13 frozen embryos left from their IVF treatments and we proceeded to get pregnant with Josiah in December of 2002. Josiah was lucky number 13 after a few unsuccessful tries, so we have no more embryos left.

For our next adoption, we didn't feel led to repeat the frozen embryo route again, so we took a more traditional approach, or so we thought, with our next child. We began to research local agencies in the Dallas-Ft. Worth metroplex to see what our options were and were stunned when one of the agencies told us that they had a birth mom who was set to deliver any day who they didn't have a family for. We hurriedly updated our home study, made a book, got our application in and waited to see what would happen. About a week later, we carried Selah home from the hospital, anything but traditional. We tell people to be sure not to look to us for examples of how the adoption process works. They will be sorely disappointed if they're looking to us.

As we prepare for our third adoption, we're excited to see what the Lord has in store for us on this journey. Already we have hit some speedbumps in the road, as recently as today, that are causing us some anxiety in the process. We believe that God has called us to this course of action, but I am confident that God's greatest desire for me and for Brandy is not necessarily that we add Butler kid #3 to the family. Rather, He will use this, like every other moment or event in my life, to make me more like His Son, if I will allow Him to. Behind the quick synopsis of our first two adoptions I just gave you are the unbelievable threads of the lessons we learned, the sufferings we endured, and the leaps we took in our relationship with Christ as a result. James 1:2-4 says, "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." We appreciate your prayers for us in our anxieties and ask that you will pray that God has His way in our hearts regardless of the outcome.

No Consolation Prize

2008-03-29T05:13:00.000-07:00

Brandy and I are excited tonight to get to share at the "Adoption: Myths and Realities" workshop that our church is doing. The myth that we are going to attempt to put to rest tonight is "Adoption is second best." Thought I'd share our thoughts on this.

First of all, we realized that it is somewhat difficult for us to talk on this matter because it is so foreign to us. Before we ever got married, both of us had a dream that someday we would adopt, so when we found out about our infertility, while we definitely mourned that loss, it was not a huge leap to begin to think of building our family through adoption. It was never second best to us, just one of two options for building a family. We realized that this isn't true for everyone, but why is that?

That question led us to explore what is at the foundation of that conviction, and that led us to the very core of our faith. When I am most moved as I consider my faith, is when I consider my relationship to God, not as a servant or friend of God, but as a child of His. My absolute favorite verse in all of Scripture is 1 John 3:1 which says, "How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!" The Word of God is FULL of descriptions like this of our relationship to God as a child to a Father. But how is this accomplished? It is through this beautiful miracle known as adoption, and as Ephesians 1:3-6 reminds us, adoption was a part of God's plan from before the beginning of the universe. Verses 4 & 5 specifically says, "For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight. In love He predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will." John Piper pointed out this simple observation in a video you can find on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgNXQ2CazUg (as soon as I learn to post videos to the blog from Youtube, I'll do that). What Paul points out here is incredibly profound as we consider our salvation and our standing as children of God and heirs with Christ of the riches of heaven, namely, that adoption in Him, through Him (Jesus Christ) and to the glory of our God is no consolation prize!!! To view it that way would be to ignore this Scripture and to see the Fall of Man as the defeat of God. In other words, when we consider adoption as second best or a consolation prize, we are saying that Satan won in the Garden when he snagged Adam and Eve, that God was somehow shocked by this turn of events, and changed course to Plan B which was Jesus and his sacrificial atonement for our sins that enables us to be adopted, but not legitimate children of God. Absolute heresy!! Nothing could be further from the truth. God, as Piper points out, created the universe as the stage for His glory to be displayed through adoption of His chosen ones which He had already "predestined" before "Let there be light!" was ever uttered!!! That's no second place prize. That's an infinitely wise, loving, and gracious God's Plan A for having eternal fellowship with His children. That's what John meant when he talked about the love that God has "lavished" on us (such a great word, by the way).

So, you can consider the Abrahamic Covenant as a display of God's miracle of adoption, not only by how he adopted the nation of Israel, but how he told Abraham from day one, "all peoples of the earth will be blessed through you" (Genesis 12:3), stage setting for adoption. And on and on the Story, God's Story, plays out with this glorious thread of adoption running through it.

This is the truth that prevents us from ever considering that adoption is somehow a consolation prize for us. Josiah and Selah and this little one waiting for us in Ethiopia are fully ours, fully loved by us, and have the assurance of being a Butler forever because of the miracle of adoption. That God would allow us to participate with him in this miracle is further evidence of the abundant grace of our King. I love how Piper describes adoption, not as a phony piecing together of a family, but "phenomenally at the center of reality" in light of God's revelation of Himself through His Word.

Because of this, adoption is something to be celebrated, not lamented, and that is the way it is in our family. The other day, Brandy was sharing with Josiah about some friends of ours who had a new baby, and Josiah asked, "Where is their birth mommy?" Brandy explained to Josiah that their birth mommy was also their Forever Mommy, to which Josiah replied, "Well, that's OK," as if to say, "That's sad for them, but they'll be all right." I love it that he thinks that way.

We clearly have a burden for the millions of orphans who are left orphaned by the ignorance of people who think this way about adoption, but we are burdened for those who feel that their heart could never love a child that wasn't "their own." How sad for them. I can't wait to blow that myth up! I really believe that at the heart of this ignorance is a weak or skewed view of the gospel of God and His eternal plan of salvation through adoption. In addition, I think people consider this horizontal adoption and separate it completely from the vertical adoption they have been offered by God. If I can encourage my brothers and sisters in Christ to link the two, I believe that many others will be burdened to adopt.

We are blessed to be adoptive parents. I don't believe there is anything closer to the heart of God than this. It is by this that we call God, "Abba, Father!" If that's my consolation prize, sign me up!

Our First Blog Post

2008-03-17T12:45:00.000-07:00

Well, in the spirit of trying to fit in, word on the world-wide-web is that if you're going to adopt, you must have a blog. As we prepare to bring kiddo number three into our home, we're excited to use this tool as an opportunity to keep the world informed on our adoption process and what God is teaching us in the process. We are thrilled that God has blessed us with the opportunity to participate with Him in the miracle of adoption and can't wait to see what He has in store for us in the days, weeks, months, and years to come. Thanks for journeying with us.