adopting from Africa

If you have ever thought about adopting from Africa I have found a great site for you to start with.

Check out Jason Kovacs’ blog as he talks about countries that are open for adoption in Africa.

Haiti changes people.

The first time I went to Haiti in November of 2006 my life was forever changed.  It was one of the hardest trips of my entire life.  I was a very scared person going into what I thought was a very scary place.   I struggled with leaving my 1 & 2 year old children at home for a whole week.  I mean what kinda of mom leaves her babies at home to go to a crazy place such as Haiti?  I was fairly certain that I would be killed there by a crazy Haitian man and forever leave my children mom-less.  YES these were my crazy thoughts.  For those of you that know me, you are not surprised by these crazy thoughts!  I tend to think the worst!  Aaron says I have WCSD – worst case scenario disease!

Even though that trip was so very hard for me it changed the course of my life forever.  From there I couldn’t stop thinking about the country that I had seen.  The children I had looked at there were starving for not only food, but also love, attention, arms to hold them, hope, a family, and most importantly the love of Jesus Christ.  I left Haiti then forever changed.

Fast forward 9 months and I would be staring at the face of my future son on a computer screen one night feeling a feeling of something I had never known before.  A feeling that just felt right although it was very crazy.  Haiti changed the course of our family.

Because of that trip we are now adding two children to our family through adoption from Haiti.  Because of that trip I have led 2 more trips back to Haiti full of people whose lives are now also forever changed because of the country.  Because of that trip I no longer desire a bigger diamond wedding ring that I always wanted, dreamed about, and literally begged Aaron for.  Because of that trip my wants are smaller and my thoughts of giving are bigger.

I am forever changed by that trip.  I did not change Haiti, but instead Haiti changed me.

This past March we led a group of 6 girls to Haiti.  Most of them this was their first time to Haiti.  Before each trip I pray that God would use Haiti to change them.  I pray that eyes will be opened to the “real” world that we live in. I pray that hearts will be softened towards “the least of these” and jobs will be changed, hearts will be changed, and locations will be changed.

Caroline was on that trip and she was changed.  She will be leaving in July to head back to Haiti for 7 weeks to serve alongside Lori in the clinic.  What an amazing opportunity for both of them. Caroline will once again never be the same and Lori will have a nurse there to help out with some of the patients.  Check out this blog HERE to hear her story about going back.

I am honored to know both of the ladies at RHFH.  Lori and her sister Licia are literally heros to us.  They are saints.  They are world-changers.  They are servants.  They are lovely.  They are friends of ours.  They are examples to us.  We love these two ladies.

*Picture from the literacy graduation that we helped with in March 2009

*The graduates.  These ladies are changing Haiti.

Needs for the DR

For all my friends at the STONE we have some people going to the DR and they need your help!  Some of you can’t go on mission trips, but what you can do is buy a few items this weekend on your Wal Mart run and bring them to the church on Sunday.

Here are their needs:

* Flashlights and batteries
* small hand soap dispensers for school bathrooms–preferably antibacterial (no foam soap please)
* Moisture absorbers you put into closets to prevent mold. We need these for our medical supply closet. We need 2 every 40 days.
* 5 clip boards-the kind you hold in your hand
* grapefruit seed extract
* boxes of pens and pencils for the school
* hand held pencil sharpeners
* ink cartridges for the printer at the house – we have an hp psc 1315 all in one printer, scanner, copier. we need color and black cartridges. Color- HP Tri-color print cartridge 8 ml # 28 Black-HP Black print cartridge 19 ml #56
* roles of masking tape and duct tape
* ticky-tac the stuff teachers use for sticking posters to the wall
* scotch tape dispensers and extra roles
* bug spray

* hand sanitizer

* kids flavored toothpaste (just kids flavors…we have enough travel size toothpaste to teach dental hygiene to the entire country)
* tacs –for a bulletin board
* paper clips
* white printer paper
* construction paper (all colors)
* card stock (all colors)
* roach hotels–those things you put out that roaches crawl through and then kill the whole family
* khaki pants-ONLY toddler sizes and a little smaller (for skinny kids ages 3-6)
* tennis shoes-ONLY toddler sizes(for skinny kids ages 3-6)
* underwear-ONLY toddler sizes(for skinny kids ages 3-6)
* bulletin board decorations-ONLY spanish. Stuff for a bulletin board that will be used to do seasonal displays, holiday, special anouncements.
*small storage bins (shoe box size and larger)
* storage boxes for pencils, pens, glue, and scissors (the small ones, so we can put one on a table for kids to share from)
*cotton balls (for art)
* paint(for art)
*q-tips(for art)
*popsicle sticks(for art)
*stickers
*anything “crafty”

This trip is going to the Dominican Republic July 3rd – July 11 and could use all the donations you could bring!  If you can bring them Sunday and put them in bag for Shanna Wright and leave them at the KidStuff sign in table.  If this doesn’t work for you email me jamie@aaronivey.com and I’ll connect you with someone to help you out!

2 things that made my day today.

Sometimes it doesn’t take much to make my day! Isn’t that fun when you don’t need a lot to make you super happy!

Tonight at the sports camp a man asked me what sports I played in high school. I told him I played basketball and ran track. I asked him why he asked and he said …. here it comes … this is what made my day …. hold on to your seats …. he said ….. “I HAD THE LOOK OF AN ATHLETE!” ….. yes you read that right. this 31 year old, out of shape mom looks like an athlete! Oh I had a little more pep in my step for th rest of the night!

The second thing that made my night was an email from our adoption coordinator telling me that Story’s passport has been made and it will be printed next week. Oh my word this is exciting! I hope to hear next week that indeed it was printed. You just never know!  I’m trying not to get too excited until I hear it is in hand!

I went back and checked out other blogs and how long it was from passport printing to Visa appointments and then to home.

This family got passports and then had visa appt about a month later.  This family got out of MOI and about a month later had visa appt.  This family got passports and then almost four months later had visa appt.  This family got passports and then two months later had visa appointment.  So as you can see it varies from a month to four months from when you can expect to have your child home from passports being issued.  Dear Lord I pray ours leans toward the month side!

So those are the two things that I heard today that made my day!  What made your day today?

spread the word!

From Aaron:

as you know we’ve all been quite overwhelmed by the response to the record on here, twitter, facebook, and iTunes. thank you guys for purchasing the record the past few days!! it’s been a direct result of online community, word of mouth, and grassroots movement. so, we need your help in getting the word out to your circle of friends. if you have connected with the music and believe in the message, we’re inviting you to join us on a sort of BLOG TOUR. we’ll come to your blog, set up our gear, and play the songs. we’ll bring ice cream and snow cones, and you provide the chips & salsa. ok, seriously though…

here’s a button you can place on your blog/web… if you want to write a little blurb about it, great… let us know when you do, and we’ll post a link to your blog entry… it’s “blog love,” as they say…

ALSO, we will be giving “There is a Fountain” as a FREE digital bonus track to every blogger who joins us on the blog tour.

<a href="http://bit.ly/iveyrecord" mce_href="http://bit.ly/iveyrecord" target="_blank"><br /> <img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-1127" title="AARONIVEYbutton" src="http://aaronivey.com/09/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/newrecordbutton.jpg" mce_src="http://aaronivey.com/09/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/newrecordbutton.jpg" alt="AARONIVEYbutton" width="411" height="157" /></a>

Send someone flowers soon!

Would you like to brighten someones day? I suggest flowers! Aaron sent me flowers this week for our anniversary and I still love looking at them each day. They make me smile each time I look at them!

I have a great place for you to get flowers from if you live here in Austin:
Alpine Florist – 512.282.0994
http://www.alpinefloraltx. com

Right now they are running a special where each week they will have a special arrangement and 50% of the profits sold from those arrangements will go directly to TOTAL CITY SPORTS CAMP and FOR THE CITY NETWORK. Gotta love that!

This weeks special is a Hydragia with alternate flowers such as roses or Gerber Daisies for $45 plus delivery.

Next week the special will be 5 Gerber Daisies in a tall vase for the $45 or for $5 10 Gerber Daisies. We will be doing this every week for here on out.

So there you go. Send someone some flowers to brighten their day and help out a great organization in the process! Just call Alpine and tell them you want the special that will go towards TOTAL CITY SPORTS CAMP!

random tid bits from the week …

Each day I have gotten in bed only to realize that I never wrote anything on the blog.  I have wanted to get back to writing more, but at the end of the day it’s just not happening.  I’ve been super busy this week and very tired at the end of each day.  So instead of many blogs, here are some random things going through my head:

1. Monday, Aaron and I celebrated our EIGHTH anniversary.  Yes we have been married for 8 years and they have honestly been very fabulous.  I am more in love with this man than I was the day we were married.  I grow more in love with him each year that goes by.  He is truly my best friend and my lover.  I am still amazed that I am allowed to spend the rest of my life with such a great guy!
2. Speaking of such a great guy – his new album BETWEEN THE BEAUTY AND CHAOS was released on the 23rd and today it hit #1 on itunes Christian music and #79 overall!  So, if you haven’t heard it please go to www.aaronivey.com to listen to a few songs and then go and get yours!
3. I took the kids to the movies today and a small popcorn and small drink was $10.25.  Did you read that?  YES TEN DOLLARS.  Never again!
4. I had a flat tire and it was right around lunch and so while they were fixing it we walked to Taco Bell and the three of us ate for $4.08.  Yes a whole meal!
5. I haven’t heard anything new on adoption stuff.  I know that Story needs new passport photos and I’m not sure when she’s going to get those.  Still praying for Amos’ file to move this week.
6. Cayden is making me close my eyes when we kiss.  He also wants to hold my hand while we kiss.  And sometimes he insists that we hold it there for a few seconds.  Weird or sweet?  I think he just LOVES his momma!  He says he saw someone do this on Wall-E. 
7. I’m so behind in the news …. I didn’t even know a governor was missing this week!
8. I hear BIG BROTHER is coming back on in July! I love that show!
9. Total City Sports Camp is going great and making me very tired at night!  Love it!
10. Tomorrow is my annual “girl-doctor” visit.  I hate these!
11. My kids have slept until 9 every day this week!  Oh my I love that!  Hopefully they’ll do that next week when I have no where to be in the morning!
12. Aaron sent me the most beautiful flowers on Monday.  They are still beautiful!

I hope that your week is going well!

Joy and Sorrow

One of the hardest things for me in our adoption process this time is feeling as though you are leaving some behind.  You see it is hard for me to truly rejoice sometimes and share those feelings because I know all of the families that I have met that are still not even moving.  Haitian adoptions are very unpredictable and there is usually no rhyme or reason to anything that happens.  It can take one couple one year to bring home their child and another family three years.  You just never know.

I have been that person on this side of the computer reading someones fabulous news that they were out of IBESR or out of MOI in 2 months.  I truly do rejoice for them, but always in the back of my mind I’m wondering, why them and not us.  It is this hard emotion to deal with.  It is not a fun emotion, because if you don’t check yourself you can become bitter and mad at the whole process, and we know that doesn’t help at all.

During out time in IBESR I had to check my emotions so many times.  I would be so happy for those getting out, but mad that it wasn’t us.  God had to do something in me to realize that it is pure joy and happiness when any child/family moves further in this process.  I truly did have a change of heart and can honestly say that now I am much better at this.  I rejoice at others advancement.  Pure rejoicing with no hidden agendas in my own heart.

All these emotions make it hard for me to shout from the rooftop on our blog when something good happens in our adoption.  I for sure send out a very excited email/text to my friends and family, but it’s hard for me to do that on here.  As I start to spread our news I think of our friends that have been in IBESR for 16 months, our friends in MOI for 6 months, our friends not even in IBESR yet.  My heart is heavy for them and it’s hard to “rub” my good news in their face.

But you see this time my joyful news also has sorrow alongside it.  Saturday morning I woke up to an email I’ve been waiting to get for a long time.  STORY IS OUT OF MOI.  Yes you read that right.  She is out.  BUT you see I am experiencing sorrow in the midst of this too.  Our sweet Amos is not out.  In fact I haven’t even heard that he is close.  I’ve been hearing Story was close since April.

So as we rejoice around here for out little girl our heart is always heavy for our little boy.  Of course we would love them to come home together, but we will go and get any child that is ready to come home.

Last night I drug Aaron to Target to look at baby girl stuff.  I bought her a dress and a shirt and skirt that were both 50% off.  I feel as though we’ve been doing this adoption process for so long and known about our daughter for 19 months, but her room is still not ready.  And of course I know that her room is not what is important, but I still want her to have a room when she comes home!  This momma to three boys is super excited to have her baby girl home!

I have read tons of peoples blogs and followed their time lines from MOI to home.  Some do it in a month, others two and some even three.  Who knows!  Next stage is passports, then medical exams then visa, then HOME!  Oh my word.  I can’t even begin to imagine my kids HOME with us!

upcoming Father’s Day

A few days ago I was driving and I thought I would ask the boys what they thought we should get their daddy for father’s day.  Here’s what I got:

Cayden:

book

DVD

piano cord

plants

CD

flower

air pump for bikes

iphone

star wars game for iphone

Deacon:

trumpet

tuba

pretend ice cream truck

So we went with a Starbuck’s gift card instead (dont’ worry, he doesn’t read my blog!) and a few cards!

Speaking of Father’s Day ….Happy early Father’s Day to my brother Jordan b/c in 2010 he’ll be the proud papa to another baby!

That means I am now Aunt Jamie to FOUR people!

No news.

Adoption update: Well there is nothing for me to update you with.

We’re still in MOI and hoping each week for good news.

Don’t you love that.

I must say over these past few weeks my emotions have changed. I don’t know if I’m becoming numb or trying to protect my heart, but things have changed.

As you know I had prayed and hoped for April 12th to be our date. Easter. It would have been marvelous. Obviously our kids are not here. It didn’t happen.

So then I began saying to people “we hope they’re home by the end of the summer”. Well now we’re half-way through June and the end of the summer is not looking so promising.

I found myself emailing someone tonight and stating that “I hope my kids are home by the end of the year.” Yeap that’s right, I have gone from Easter, to end of summer to end of the year.

I can not make myself pick a date to pray for b/c I can’t go through what I went through this past April with Easter coming and going. It was hard on me. I seriously think I was depressed there for a few weeks. Happy to the world, but dieing on the inside. I put on weight, I didn’t call friends, I got behind on “normal” home stuff, and I was just down right sad all the time that I was not in the presence of friends.

Now I feel different. I feel as though I’m at more peace. I haven’t cried in a few weeks. Being on the road with Aaron was good for me. I never had the opportunity to sit on the couch at night and cry and wallow in my misery. I was busy and not alone ever. It was good.

Now I’m back home, but I have determined to not get back into that nasty “groove” of misery each night. I’m fighting it and fighting it hard. My friend Ginger is here so we have “movie nights” most nights and that helps out tons. I’m loving it.

I’m feeling as though God is asking more of me. More trusting. More relying on him. More relaxing and not stressing. More of not trying to figure it all out. I feel as though he is asking me to trust that he really does truly know what he’s doing. Sometimes I struggle with that. I sometimes truly think my plan is better than His. I know that’s bold, but I’m just being honest. I struggle with feeling as though God is not looking out for my best interest and the best interest of my two babies in Haiti.

So, I continue to think of my kids in Haiti HOURLY. They are constantly on my mind. My friend Amy sent me home this past weekend with BAGS full of girl clothes from 2T to size 6. Oh my word it has been fun to go through those bags of clothes. I can’t wait to be the mommy to a little girl!

So, no adoption update tonight. I pray and hope we get one soon for you. Thanks for prayers and thoughts. I’m not alone in this journey. There are many of you out there in my same boat.