Filling in some of the gaps.......
I've known that we had a daughter in Ethiopia for awhile, my dear husband wasn't so sure.  I think since we lost the referral for Wudassie and Biruk back in the spring of 2008, I've known she was there and trusted the Lord would reveal His timing.  We both assumed that we would return to adopt a girl after Abe and yet the Lord so clearly spoke to both of our hearts that we had another son in Ethiopia.  I simply can't imagine our lives without Eyasu and the connection he has given us to our family in Dube Bute.  After Eyasu had been home awhile, I started to long to return, to start the process to our girl. Last summer around this time, my heart literally ached for a child that I longed to mother.  I was so heartbroken when Moody wasn't on the same page.  I wondered how I could have missed it.  So I prayed and waited.  Around Christmas he was ready.  The Lord confirmed in his heart we did indeed have a daughter and we were to begin! I'm so thankful now, seeing His timing, because it is now clear as our daughter wasn't ready for us yet, she actually was just being born. So the heavy heart was for her, I just didn't know it yet.

We updated our homestudy at the beginning of the year and made the decison to return to the agency that we used for Abe, Children's House International.  Our dear friends, the Porters, had recently returned home from Ethiopia with their precious Mary Aster and they used CHI and their YWAM program.  Their experience and way they described the care of the kids, family preservation programs, etc. gave us such ease using CHI again and it has proved to be a wonderful experience.  Everyone on the team has been a joy to work with through this process, and we are grateful for each of them as they work tirelessly for their families.

We assumed that the process would take a very long time as news began to circulate that the Ethiopia program may shut down or at least become VERY slow.  I even began to pray about other options and thankfully the rest of the family were RESOLUTE to remain in Ethiopia.  Moody kept saying, "she is in Ethiopia babe, just be patient".  Love him.

So we did our paperwork, we got fingerprinted and life went on.  Upon receiving our CIS approval we were allowed to discuss any particular children on the waiting child list.  She was not there and we were content to wait for our girl, trusting in His perfect timing.  I got an email from Becky about a little one that was ready but not yet on the wc list.  She was on the much younger end of our perameters, but once we saw her face, we knew.  She was ours and we were hers.  Her story breaks my heart and lets me know she is full of fight.  I simply can't wait to see what the Lord has for her.  We feel so blessed.  The kids are beyond excited and want her home yesterday.  We will sit out the court closure as we did with Eyasu and pray her home quickly.  We would appreciate your prayers as well.

This is the second time that we did not set out to adopt a baby and that it what He has given us.  I have now learned that His plan is always better than our own.  That His purposes are always for our good and His glory.  I have seen Him reveal Himself so much in our first two adoptions and have seen Him work in this one as well.  Moody and I may be the oldest to show up for sweet baby girls 5 year old dance recital, but you can bet her whole cheering section will be right there with us!  Welcome to the Team little one.  We love you dearly.

We are thrilled to announce that we have accepted the referral of the most precious little girl from Ethiopia!  I have much to tell (especially as many of you may be saying, huh? what?) but am running out to baseball games!  Trust me, she is perfect for the team and we can't wait to have her home.  More to come this weekend. :)  God is good.  Soli Deo Gloria!

I posted yesterday encouraging you to watch the story on the Orphan Summit. While the actual clip on the Summit was excellent and had me "amening" (is that a word?) through it all, I simply wasn't prepared for the exchange between Pat Roberston and Terry Meeuwsen. As Mr. Robertson began to speak, it became clear to me that he was trying to not only caution those listening to be aware of the "risks" of adoption, but was actually trying to discourage it!This is Hailee, eating her very first cake EVER! Can you seriously say she isn't WORTH it?

They are worth it, the "hard" is worth it, losing sleep is worth it-- you know why? Because Christ looked at imperfect us and shed His own blood to redeem us, to call us His own, to give us a hope a future. It is worth it because He is glorified in the process. I'm just not sure how Mr. Robertson doesn't see it. Maybe if Abe flashed him a big ole grin he would.........

A feature story on Summit VI will air on the ABC Family Channel at 10 AM EST on Thursday May 20. You can also watch it online at www.cbnnews.com.

I know this was yesterday, but I am sick and we have company! This is a great post from Erin that I wanted to share.

World AIDS Orphans Day
Today, May 7, is World AIDS Orphans Day. World AIDS Orphans Day is a grassroots campaign to draw attention to and advocate on behalf of the millions of children orphaned by AIDS. It is a day to remember, and hopefully a day to do something to help out the children in the world who truly are "the least of these". (See below for lots of things you can do to help).

Here are some of the staggering facts. Please read them... please really stop and think a minute about these statistics.

There are over 15 million children orphaned by AIDS living around the world RIGHT NOW. 15 million is the equivalent to the number of all of the people living in New York, Paris, and Bangkok combined. That is an awful lot of children.
Well over 12 million AIDS orphans live in Sub-Saharan Africa, alone.
Experts believe that millions more orphans remain unaccounted for in India, China and Russia.
This year the number of children who have lost one or both parents to AIDS is expected to reach 25 million.
Today, another 6,000 children will be added to the already 15 million children world wide who have been orphaned by the HIV/AIDS crisis.

The result of being orphaned by AIDS is heart-breaking for these children. From the World AIDS Orphans Day website:

In addition to the trauma of losing a parent, orphans are often subject to discrimination and are less likely to receive healthcare, education and other needed services.
In HIV affected households lacking community support, food consumption can drop by 40% putting children at risk to hunger, malnutrition and stunting.
Impoverished and often without support to educate and protect them, orphans and vulnerable children face increased risk of HIV infection. (And there are already an estimated 2 million children currently living with HIV).
Orphans are often easy prey to many forms of exploitation: forced labor, prostitution and child soldiering.
In the United States, if a child loses a parent to accident or illness, it is considered a terrible tragedy. Such stories are covered by the media, communities mourn and show their support, etc. In Sub-Saharan Africa, parents dieing is a normal part of life. It is still a terrible tragedy for those children, but it happens so often that no one else really pays any attention.

And do you know what makes this really, truly horrible? Do you know what makes my gut twist and my heart ache? HIV IS COMPLETELY TREATABLE.

If a person contracts HIV in the United States or another country where there is treatment readily available, they have an excellent long term prognosis. Most HIV+ people receiving treatment now have close to normal life expectancies and can live in good overall health. With treatment, HIV+ children can be healthy and happy. They can go to school, grow up, go to college, have (healthy!) children, and live long enough to raise them and beyond. Without treatment, an estimated 50% of HIV+ children will die before the hit their second birthday. My Solomon was almost one of those 50%.

HIV does not have to be a death sentence, and yet for thousands of people every day, it is, because the world doesn't care enough to really do something about it.

Can you imagine for one minute if some terrible disease struck the United States (or whatever country you live in) and was killing thousands and orphaning thousands every day? Can you imagine if another country had treatment that could lead to good health and a long life, but it just was too expensive or too difficult or too much trouble to get that medicine to us? We wouldn't stand for it.

So why do we stand for it now?

I can't wrap my head around what 15 million orphans looks like. I can barely wrap my head around the 100 or so HIV+ orphans that I am trying to find adoptive families for. The numbers are staggering, and so is the need for action. Children are the future of our world, and I shudder to think about what this world will be like with so many millions of children growing up without the love and security of a family... and way too often growing up without adequate food, education and medical care. Where does that leave all of us?

Rich Stearns, President of World Vision, US said,

"I believe that this could very well be looked back on as the sin of our generation. I look at my parents and ask, where were they during the civil rights movement? I look at my grandparents and ask, what were they doing when the holocaust in Europe was occurring with regard to the Jews, and why didn't they speak up? And when we think of our great, great, great-grandparents, we think how could they have sat by and allowed slavery to exist? And I believe that our children and their children, 40 or 50 years from now, are going to ask me, what did you do while 40 million children became orphans in Africa?"

I know that it feels like the problem is way too big for us to really do anything to make a difference, but I know with all my heart that touching the life of just one, just ONE, child can truly make a difference. And if everyone touched the life of just one child, we could reach them all.

Here are some ways that you can help touch the life of an AIDS orphan this World AIDS Orphans Day.

- Get educated. One of the biggest roadblocks in getting people to care and take action is the stigma surrounding HIV/AIDS. This is not a disease that only strikes those who "deserve it" (yes, that is really how some people think!). This is a disease that strikes men, women and children... it strikes heterosexuals and homosexuals, it strikes people of all races and social classes and it strikes people in all countries. HIV/AIDS is a HUMAN problem. There is tons of great info on the World AIDS Orphans Day website.

Fear is another big roadblock. HIV can not be transmitted in any casual way, and people that are HIV+ are not a threat to those around them. HIV can only be transmitted through sexual contact, birth, breastfeeding and blood to blood contact (such as sharing needles).

I have written a ton about HIV/AIDS, and you can find those posts here. Once you are educated, join my Tell Two Campaign and share the truth about HIV/AIDS with others.

Two excellent books to read about the HIV/AIDS crisis and the orphan crisis are There is No Me Without You and 28 Stories of AIDS in Africa.

- Sponsor an AIDS orphan. There are many wonderful organizations out there that allow you to sponsor a child for a very low cost per month. Doing so makes a great difference in the life of that child, and getting to know the child you sponsor through pictures, updates, letters, etc. will have a great impact on your life as well. I promise. AHOPE for Children (which supports AHOPE Ethiopia, a home and community support program for HIV+ children in Ethiopia which literally saved the lives of my Belane, my Solomon and countless other children) has child sponsorships for $30 a month. And you can send a text to AHOPE to 85944 to make a $10 donation. I know that financially times are hard for many right now, but we live better than most people in the world and would have to sacrifice very very little to sponsor (and truly help) an orphaned child.

- Another great organization to support is Because Every Mother Matters. Today is $10 Friday and they are trying to raise money in honor of Mother's Day to build a maternity clinic in Ethiopia. If we care for the mothers, we we have less orphans.

- Consider adopting. Adoption is only an option for a tiny percentage of the 15 million AIDS orphans around the world and it is certainly not the solution to the AIDS crisis or the orphan crisis, but for the tiny percentage of children who do get adopted, it changes their world and their future dramatically (and for the adoptive parents, it is equally amazing). There are agencies and programs placing healthy and special needs orphans from all over the world with new families. If your heart may be open to adopting an HIV+ child, I have about 100 amazing children of all ages waiting for a second chance at love, family and life. I am proud to work for Adoption Advocates International who has a thriving program placing HIV+ children from Ethiopia, and is also finding families for HIV+ children in Ghana and Thailand. I currently have almost 90 HIV+ children waiting for new families in Ethiopia.

You can read here why I believe in adoption, and you can read here why I feel so passionately about adoption for HIV+ children.

- Support From HIV to Home, an organization that helps provide care for HIV+ orphans and supports and helps parents adopting HIV+ children.

- Support Project HOPEFUL, whose mission is to "encourage, educate and enable parents adopting children with HIV/AIDS".

- Visit the World AIDS Orphans website for other ways to touch your heart, get educated and get involved.

Click here to listen!!

Adopting a toddler has brought much joy to our household! One of the many blessings is to witness "firsts" in his life- through his eyes. We are continually amazed at this gift we have been given. Most nights we all laugh around the dinner table and thank the Lord for the addition of Eyasu into our crazy crew! He is a crack up.

For those of you who need more details, here is my (Moody's) version of the Alexander's FAQ:

1. Why are you adopting? Isn't four enough?
For the longest time, four was more than enough! As many of you have heard us say, we were very content with our family size and felt fulfilled (and took medical steps to guarantee that!) The kids on the other hand have always asked if we can have more children. Six months or so ago, God began slowly opening up our hearts to the idea of adoption. We have ultimately come to the realization that this is what God wants for our family and we consider it a privilege to be called to it.

2. Why Ethiopia?
Several of our dear friends have adopted internationally (the Hilliards, Hurleys, Kelleys), not to mention my sister Shanna and her husband Luis. So when we thought adoption it was always international. We have been interested in the plight of Africa and our hearts have been touched by the tremendous need and orphan crisis there. One of Em's college buddies (thanks Kristin!) sent us a prayer letter about her upcoming trip to Zambia to work in an orphanage this summer. As a family, we watched the DVD about the mission. Of course, we were touched and made a prayerful commitment to go as a family in summer 2008. Then little Isabelle began asking "why can't we just bring one of those kids home?" That was a prick that opened a floodgate! Turns out, that even though there are 25 million orphans in Africa, Ethiopia is one of only a handful of African countries that allows for international adoption. They have the longest tract record (since 1998) of successful placements in the United States.

3. Why two?
There is a great need for homes for siblings as they will not split them up. We think it will help with transitions if there is a familiar face. Plus, the kids couldn't decide between a little brother or sister! We are requesting a "boy/girl sibling set between the ages of 5 and 1"

4. What is the process?
We have picked an agency, Wide Horizons for Children. www.whfc.org Our homestudy was done last week. We are hoping to have a dossier completed by the end of July and sent in. A dossier is a packet of multiple papers, forms, official documents, financial statements, physicals...Once the dossier is received by the agency and approved by the Ethiopian government, we will receive our referral. That is a big day because that is when they call and say we have your two new children! Photos and health histories are sent. Usually 3 to 6 months go by from when we accept our referral to the call that says "you can go to Ethiopia on this date and get your kids" Typically, you have only a 2 -6 week notice from your assigned travel date. We are planning (and saving!) to take all the kids with us. We are telling folks sometime between January and May.

5. How can we pray?
That God would protect us and the kids in the process, from spiritual attack, from doubt and fear. That God would care for the two precious children He has already picked for our family (even though they could not even be orphaned yet). For patience in the long process