multitude minus 1

2011-09-08T09:23:00.001-07:00

"I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something.

And I will not let what I cannot do interfere with what I can do."

- Edward Hale

a two year old refugee child, Dagahaley Camp, July 2011

Happy Independence day!!!

2011-07-04T06:05:00.000-07:00

Embassy!!!!

2011-04-28T19:28:00.000-07:00

We are bringing our baby girl home!!!! Wow I cannot even begin to put my emotions into words. Tomorrow will be 7 weeks since we said good bye, boy has it been a tough time. We have missed her more then word can say. Her smile, how she wrinkles her nose, her sweet snuggles just to name a few. Thank you so much to everyone who has prayed on our behalf, God has continually showed us that this is HIS plan and we need to trust Him to finish what He started. He is so good to have chosen us to be a part of this precious little girls life, I cannot wait to see all the God has in store for her life. We would love for anyone who would like to welcome us home and meet our sweet girl to email me and we will get you the flight information, this will be such a sweet time, and we want to share it with our family and friends.

adoption fundraiser giveaway.

2011-04-28T19:25:00.000-07:00

A online friend of mine is doing a giveaway for some beautiful felt food. Go over to her blog and check it out, and consider donating to their Ethiopian adoption.

http://thebehrensfamily.blogspot.com/2011/04/felt-food-raffle.html

Embassy

2011-04-19T06:59:00.000-07:00

We heard on Friday the 15 that the embassy had requested 1 extra document regarding our case. Our agency was wonderful and took care of everything and got it back to them right away, the embassy said the info was sufficient and they would be processing our case very soon. So now we wait, we are praying to hear any day now that we have been cleared to travel to bring our precious girl home for good. From what we know of embassy dates it looks like ours could possibly be on Monday the 25, so we have plane tickets on hold for leaving Ft Wayne on Friday the 22, and returning on Friday the 29, Lord willing of course. Please continue to pray, that the embassy will sign off on our case and that all the details for travel will fall into place. We are still seeking the Lord to provide the last $10,000. This has been an amazing journey and I am so thankful to the Lord for the things He HAS and IS teaching us through this entire process. We can truly look back and see the Lords hand every step of the way.

Adia says "dada"

2011-03-22T11:48:00.000-07:00

Introducing.....ADIA MILLER!

2011-03-13T12:38:00.000-07:00

I have so much to post about our amazing time in Ethiopia, but for now I will show you some pictures of our precious girl. On March 11, 2011 the Judge declared Adia "ours" :-)

Give thanks to the Lord for He is good.

4 DAYS!!

2011-02-25T06:12:00.001-08:00

Father to the fatherless, defender of widows — this is God, whose dwelling is holy. God places the lonely in families.

Psalms 68:5-6

Court Date

2011-02-10T06:40:00.000-08:00

4 weeks from today, ( well actually the 10th is almost over in Ethiopia ) we will be standing before the judge asking him to finalize Adia's adoption. Please join us in prying now, and in the next weeks that all the papers and people will be in the right places, so that the adoption can be final that day. We have friends in Ethiopia now whose case is looking like it might be postponed for the 3rd time, they have been waiting over a month. We do not want these delays, if we do not pass court they may postpone it for 3-5 weeks, then her Visa appointment will be another 4-8 weeks beyond that. Pleas pray with is that God would go before us and prepare they way, Pray for peace for Nathan & I, no matter what the outcome. We know that God's timing is perfect, but our hearts are longing to get this precious baby into our loving arms the sooner the better.

Tickets!

2011-01-18T09:33:00.001-08:00

We have tickets to Ethiopia. I can hardly believe it, I am so excited and feel very overwhelmed at the same time. Now to start collecting things/supplies for the orphanage. Let the count down begin 42 days :-)

COURT DATE!

2011-01-13T12:28:00.000-08:00

We received a call on Wednesday Jan 12 from our case manager informing us of our court date. March 10, 2011 we will stand before a judge and say YES! to becoming Adia's parents.

Please pray as we are now working to get plane tickets, shots, and 2 papers yet renewed. We are so thankful for all the the Lord has done, and are excited to continue to trust Him on this journey.

Pictures!!!

2011-01-11T11:50:00.000-08:00

I Woke up this morning to a wonderful surprise. A kind family that traveled to Ethiopia for I believe their 1st trip, took time to get us some pictures and a 30second video of Adia . What a great way to start the day. She looks so healthy , and for that I am thankful. She has the biggest eyes, you just get lost in them. and her skin is just so smooth and clear, I can't wait to kiss her chubby cheeks and get my fingers into those beautiful curls.

6 months

2011-01-10T04:52:00.001-08:00

Happy half birthday to my precious Adia. I can't believe you are 6 months old. We have only known your sweet little face for 6 weeks, but know you have us all wrapped around your chubby little finger:-) Daddy,Mommy & your big brothers love you so very much and are longing for the days we can hold & kiss you and tell you how precious you are. We know that God has big plans for your life and are so blessed to be a part of it.

OH HAPPY DAY!

2010-12-31T13:29:00.000-08:00

We got new pictures of Adia today, and we even got a video! I am so filled with love for this baby girl , the video is wonderful we even got to see her smile for the 1st time.

Thank you so very much Geroge and Christina for taking the time on your busy trip to do this for us.

I so wish I could share them on here, but No we must wait until after our court date which is still unknown :-(

2010-12-27T20:13:00.000-08:00

‎"Not flesh of my flesh, nor bone of my bone, but still miraculously my own. Never forget for a single minute, you didn't grow under my heart, but in it." - Author Unknown

REFERRAL DAY!

2010-12-22T18:12:00.000-08:00

It is so difficult to put into words the emotions of this day, so much so that I think it is why I have procrastinated so long to write about it. On Oct 23 there were 5 referrals given so we knew we were right at the top of this list for a referral, I have never felt so anxious in all my life, every time the phone would ring my heart would stop for a moment and then I could breath again after I saw the caller ID.

On Tuesday Nov 30 at 12:28 the phone rang and like always my heart raced and I raced to the phone, when I saw Children's Hope ( our agency ) on the caller ID I almost passed out and yet at the same time was thinking no, she is just checking in on us, this is the THE CALL. When I said hello, she asked if I had a few minutes she wanted to tell us about a baby girl, I started crying right away, I could not believe this was finally the day we had been praying for for the last 20 months. We got Nathan on the call as well, and we were told about a precious baby girl just 4 1/2 months old. She weighs 13lbs and is beautiful, I hung on every word and wanted to memorize every detail. She then emailed us a picture and more info, I had to keep the bedroom door shut till Nathan came home from work to keep myself from opening that email :-) the longest 30 minutes of my life. We got the boys ( they were wondering why mommy was crying ) and all gathered around the computer to open the email. Words cannot describe that moment seeing MY baby girl for the 1st time. She is beautiful, she has the roundest little face and big dark eyes that you get lost in, the most kissable cheeks. We are all smitten to say the least. I still walk by her picture and think wow, she is ours......We are so blessed that God has chosen us to be a part of this little girls' life. And now the waiting continues, all of our papers and info have been sent to Ethiopia to be translated and approved again and we will be given a court date. Please pray with us, that the date will come quickly and that everything will be processed the 1st time. I cannot wait to stand before that judge and tell him, YES! that we love her and will care for her always.

I wish you could all see my precious Adia, but we cannot post pictures until we pass court, but when we do, look out world :-)

Thank you for rejoicing with us and praising God for all that He has done and is yet to do.

Our Ultrasound picture

2010-11-15T06:24:00.000-08:00

Well we are at 10 months now with this "pregnancy" and I thought it is way past time for an ultrasound. I came across this picture on another adoptive families blog and it made me cry, I just had to share. Nathan and I were talking in bed last night and he commented on how long this pregnancy is taking, he decided she will be dark because we left her in the oven soooo long :-)

Yesterday also marked 10 months on the waiting list,and 20 months since God moved our hearts to adoption. What a roller coaster ride it has been. There have been many ups and downs and many tears, but one thing has never waivered.....The faithfulness of our God! He has been so patient and loving with us, speaking to our hearts, confirming to us that He is in control and we just need to rest in Him.

If I had to do a post about what we have learned through this process It would included 3 things.

1: The faithfulness of God

2: The power of prayer

3: The generosity of God's people

Our agency reassured us we are at the TOP of the waiting list but they cannot tell us our exact number, by my count, on the list waiting for a single baby girl we should be around number 3.

We are praying for many referrals this week, and for God to place these children into loving Christian families. I will leave you with this, a note to my precious baby girl.

You have my heart in the palm of your hand, across the ocean, a world away. But since you are not here with me, I wipe the tears away, and we continue to worship God in this wait. You are worth this wait.

NEW NUMBER!!!!

2010-10-24T05:25:00.000-07:00

we got a great update this week. There were 5 referrals this week, 4 baby girls and 1 baby boy. so we are 10 on the list, and un-officially number 4 0r 5 for a baby girl. We are beyond excited, we could be getting our referral in the next week or 2 :-)

MOBY WRAP GIVE AWAY

2010-10-24T05:23:00.000-07:00

http://www.themodestmomblog.com/2010/10/moby-wrap-review-and-giveaway.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheModestMom+%28The+Modest+Mom%29

WEEKLY UPDATE 10-8-2010

2010-10-08T11:06:00.000-07:00

We are now number 14 total on the list, and in the single digits for a little girl.... We are number 9

I can hardly believe it, we are so crazy in love with this little girl we have no idea who she is, but we know that she is ours. I am so thankful for the Lord placing the burden on our hearts to adopt, He never ceases to amaze me with how good He is and how much He wants us to draw close to Him through everything. Please be praying for our little girl, she is most likely born at this point in time, please pray for her health and safety, that she will be strong and well in the orphanage. We are also praying for this little ones birth family, We are already eternally grateful to them for the gift of this precious child, and pray that they will know Christ as their personal Lord and savior.

National Babywearing Week

2010-10-06T08:52:00.000-07:00

I am sure everyone knows by now what a fan I am of baby wearing. In honor of national baby wearing week a great company http://www.bobababycarrier.com/ is giving away 2 baby carriers. This is a carrier I would love to have, so I hope we win :-)

Calling All Prayer Warriors

2010-10-05T12:30:00.000-07:00

We are within weeks of being matched with our daughter and are so excited to see all that God has in store. This last week we had the chance to go on a mini family vacation ( nathan needed to go to a work conference) So the boys and I tagged along, we all had the best time, and we also realized this will be our last trip as a family of 4. We were headed home on Wednesday afternoon and the mini van started to make some weird noises, so Nathan pulled over and he checked everything out, we made some calls and got the advise based on everything we could see the engine was going out and we were to just make it as close to home as possible then call for someone to come pick us up, the van finally died about 1 hour from home. I had spent the entire trip crying and just praying, telling myself that God know our circumstances better then we do, He is in control of all things. So this brings me to the title of this post , we are "Calling All Prayer Warriors" The van is officially dead and we don't have a vehicle that can fit 3 car seats in, and we are within a few weeks possible or being matched with our little girl which also means writing a check for $10,000. We are in need of $8,000 yet to reach our goal , and then we will have some expenses for travel. I am trying so hard to just leave all this at Jesus' feet and trust Him to supply our needs, He knows them even better then we do. Please pray that we will be diligent in seeking the Lord in all of this and that God will meet our needs for a vehicle and also for the adoption. Please don't take this as just a request for money, I just know that we need to have people joining us in prayer laying these things down before our Almighty God.

I know when all is said and done and this little one is home forever we will be able to proclaim the name of our Lord and say "Look and see what the Lord has done" not to us O Lord but to Your name be the glory.

Boba Baby carrier giveaway

2010-09-04T05:48:00.000-07:00

This carrier is snapping carrier, which makes it really easy to use. Wrapping which is my all time favorite can be a little intimidating to people. I am wanting a carrier like this for the ease of using it to back carry. I have never perfected a good back carry with a wrap, I I think with having Adia home I will want to be able to do a back carry. The other great thing about this carrier is it can be used up to a higher weight, so Nathan could carry even titus in it ( which Ty would love ) you can learn more about this carrier at http://www.bobababycarrier.com/and check out this great blog for a chance to win a free carrier.

usehttp://familyliciousreviews.blogspot.com/2010/08/boba-carrier-review-and-giveaway.html

Cloth Diapers!

2010-08-12T07:59:00.000-07:00

This just must be the month for cloth diaper giveaways, hooray for me :-) I love the chance to win a new cute diaper for the little bums at our house. this one is for a new diaper company I found on FB. Here is there new site, you can also "like" them on FB and find details about the giveaway there.

http://www.ragababe.com/

Cloth diaper give away !!!

2010-08-09T13:53:00.000-07:00

gotta love a cloth diaper give away. This is for a new BG 4.0 i would love to have one in the light lavender color for Adia.check it out

http://www.pennilessparenting.com/2010/08/meet-our-sponsor-and-giveaway.html#more

Beco baby carrier give away

2010-08-09T13:32:00.001-07:00

I love baby wearing, and with Adia soon to be home I am wanting a carrier that is easy to use and very comfortable. I found the Beco baby carrier and fell in love :-) However it is way more important for us to be saving the money to bring Adia home so I was really excited when I came across this great giveaway from a friend ( who is also adopting from Ethiopia, hi Jenny )

http://familyliciousreviews.blogspot.com/2010/08/beco-baby-carrier-review-and-giveaway.html

cloth diaper give away

2010-08-01T05:16:00.000-07:00

As most of you know I am a huge fan of cloth diapers. I have used them on both the boys and are ready to use them on Adia as well ( with a few pink diapers added of course ) I love the blog modestmom, and right now they are giving away a new pocket diaper from katydid diapers. This is a one size pocket diaper, which is a favorite around our house. head over and check it out, and you might win a great new cloth diaper.

http://www.themodestmomblog.com/2010/07/katydid-diapers.html

YEAH FOR GIVEAWAYS!

2010-07-21T04:58:00.000-07:00

Who does not like something for free? I know I always love a fun freebie. Danielle had a chance to try these snacks, my absolute favorite thing about these I think is that they are gluten free. I will be going gluten free for a couple weeks to see how I feel and these would be a real treat.

http://gaertegang.blogspot.com/2010/07/snikiddy-snacksmama-buzz-review.html

2010-07-06T19:20:00.000-07:00

Danielle has another exciting give away going on. I love sewing so my favorite line is the

"Stitch Happy" :-) you will see what I am talking about when you head over and check it out.

http://gaertegang.blogspot.com/2010/07/quilt-happy-scrap-happy-reviewgiveaway.html

Come Home soon!

2010-07-06T12:08:00.000-07:00

Last night as I was tucking Titus in to bed he said "mama I want Adia to come home" I said oh honey I want her to come home to, we just need to wait a little while and then we will go get her, but mommy, other people have their babies home from Ethiopia.

He sits with me as I read several blogs of families who have recently brought home little ones from Ethiopia, he just is a little young to understand all that has to take place for us to bring Adia home. It just makes my heart melt to see how much he already loves her and is longing for her, just as Nathan and I are. Often times he will tell me, Mommy I miss Adia.

Journey to Love, an Ethiopian Story_0002.wmv

2010-07-01T13:32:00.000-07:00

Baby Hawk baby carrier

2010-06-27T13:11:00.000-07:00

I am becoming a lover of blog give aways, but I must say this would be the best thing to win. I am a huge advocate of baby wearing, it is healthy for baby and frees up mama's hands :-) head on over to http://liltulips.blogspot.com/

and check it out.

Finally a new number!

2010-06-26T13:46:00.001-07:00

Ethiopia

2010-06-25T12:42:00.000-07:00

Ethiopian Flag Meaning:
The colored stripes on the Ethiopian flag are significant - the red stripe stands for power, faith and blood; the yellow symbolizes peace, natural wealth and love; and the green represents the land and hope. The colors were also interpreted to have a connection to the Holy Trinity, and the three main provinces of Ethiopia. The star represents unity of the people and the races that make up Ethiopia. The five rays on the outside of the star represent prosperity and the blue disk represents peace.

The three equal horizontal bands of green (top), yellow, and red with a yellow pentagram and single yellow rays emanating from the angles between the points on a light blue disk centered on the three bands; Ethiopia is the oldest independent country in Africa, and the three main colors of her flag were so often adopted by other African countries upon independence that they became known as the pan-African colors.

Modest mom.

2010-06-15T08:10:00.001-07:00

Another great giveaway at the modestmom.

Make sure to go check it out.

http://www.themodestmomblog.com/2010/06/review-and-giveaway-of-gro-baby-diaper.html

Modest MOM.

2010-06-15T04:43:00.000-07:00

This is a blog I found through a friend on facebook. It is one that is worth your time to follow, I love the articles she posts and she also have some fun giveaways. This week they are doing a giveaway of a pack of new cloth baby wipes, you all know how much I love cloth diapers :-) Here is the link go check it out and become a follower.

http://www.themodestmomblog.com/2010/06/review-and-giveaway-of-bummas-cloth.html

NUMBERS!

2010-05-28T06:40:00.001-07:00

Number Update

2010-05-24T10:26:00.001-07:00

Numbers

2010-05-17T07:28:00.000-07:00

1st Fund Raiser

2010-05-15T08:09:00.000-07:00

This weekend we are having a garage sale with all of the money going towards bringing Adia home. Thankfully the weather has been perfect and we had a great turnout.

Titus and Creed sold cookies and drinks, they spent some time on Thursday coloring pictures of Africa and Ethiopia is always red with a heart. Ty tells everyone that Adia is far far away in Ethiopia, and the money is going to help bring her home. People have been so kind and generous, the cookies are .50 and drink .25 most everyone just hands them a dollar and takes cookies and says keep the change. We have even had 1 man give $6 for 2 cookies and a drink. Another today gave him $10 for 4 cookies and 2 drinks. God always provides, and it has been neat to see it in this unique way.

It has also been neat to share with people the great need of orphans and our burden. pictures are to come :-)

2 referrals this week

2010-05-03T06:35:00.000-07:00

2010-05-01T18:31:00.001-07:00

Great Adoption Song

This music video has been going around AGCI blogs and Faceb**k pages and I love it so I had to share it too :-) The lyrics are below and here's a link to Aaron and Jamie's blog.

AMOS STORY
Aaron Ivey. ©2009 IVEYMUSIC. (ASCAP)

Another photograph to wrestle in my head
Another sleepless night on concrete featherbed
These thoughts of you like bullets to my soul
We’ve got to find a way to get you home

I’ll find a way to get you here
If it takes my fleeting breath
Another sunrise hits the ground
And it’s a dark lonely sight
Light years away I hope you know
There is somebody searching
For the way to get you here
I will get you here

Throw the clocks away and run out to the street
We’ll fly to distant clouds where it’s just you and me
A day will come when all of this is gone
You’ve got to find a way to believe

I’ll find a way to get you here
If it takes my fleeting breath
Another sunrise hits the ground
And it’s a dark lonely sight
Light years away I hope you know
There is somebody searching
For the way to get you here
I will get you here

Close your eyes and dream of a better day with me
As angels hold you tight, may you sleep in peace tonight

So dream, dream, dream my child
Hear the whisperings of hope

It’s a song that you can sing, as you sleep in peace tonight

Number Update

2010-04-26T08:20:00.001-07:00

new number

2010-04-16T16:56:00.000-07:00

Free cloth diaper

2010-04-14T13:00:00.000-07:00

I just entered to win a free Bum Genius AIO cloth diaper. I am a cloth diaper addict as most of you already know, so go check this out and you might win and become an addict like me :-)

http://justrollingwithit09.blogspot.com/2010/04/bum-genius-aio-review-and-giveaway.html?showComment=1271275190982_AIe9_BFdvMNb1PZG06_bDvfrSQ9dHMpha-KaMaVL1Ueml7QyCVZxkfK0gW0j5QQmAqhjUIk_UDpEKQaDxWJ3EnOBJ00D_lXcLNiCX642ps-NkfPZECBNScUzzTDeN5a6wKMxrF0NZT_s-zSXmCrKjR3ay-m8W4L6U9xdYwcfcmpeC-kC7D05vBrxd3zTWBlV9sWGaHwFErUmNslbAbxZALUJhDsp00Nw1kPS9ynqnnnGP_L4uXqEp-zBVz2sSqI9dzMB3mFgFjbQ#c372907083379018686

New Number

2010-03-27T17:56:00.001-07:00

Ergo baby carrier give away

2010-03-23T17:35:00.000-07:00

I just found this awesome blog that is giving away a Ergo baby carrier, these are awesome carriers, I tried one the other day from a friend and I was hooked. Check it out and good luck.

http://www.makingmyamericandream.com/2010/03/ergobaby-carrier-review-giveaway.html?spref=fb

New number

2010-03-23T13:14:00.001-07:00

Number Update

2010-03-23T13:09:00.000-07:00

Our case worker sent an email update as of Monday we are family 47! there was 6 referrals waiting on her desk Monday morning. We will get another update on Friday.

Congrats to all the families who are now looking forward to bringing there little ones home soon.

UPDATE

2010-03-06T13:06:00.000-08:00

4 referrals this week so we are number 53. In the month of February there were 19 referrals: 11 boys and 8 girls. Praise the Lord for placing these orphans in loving "forever families"

Ethiopia update

2010-02-27T11:13:00.001-08:00

There were 8 referrals this week, so we are now number 57!

Ethiopia's Lone Winter Athlete

2010-02-19T12:20:00.000-08:00

I didn't even realize Ethiopia had anyone in the Winter Games... But they do! They have one athlete competing in the Olympics. His name is Robel Teklemariam. He was the first Ethiopian to ever compete in the Winter Olympics back in the 2006 games. His sport is cross-country skiing. He learned to ski when he moved to New York with his mother at the age of 9. According to this article, his goal for his second Olympics is "to improve on his finish in Italy [the 2006 games] and inspire young Ethiopians to follow in his ski tracks." I think that's a great goal! Mr. Teklemariam, you've just gained another fan!!!
Here and is another neat article on him and here is a link to his blog.

2010-02-11T14:33:00.000-08:00

"But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint"

Isaiah 40:31

As of today we are waiting family number 65 !

waiting

2010-01-29T13:51:00.000-08:00

family number 66!

2010-01-27T04:41:00.000-08:00

1,739 Miles From Our Baby.

TUESDAY, JANUARY 26, 2010 AT 5:46PM | NATHAN MILLER

As many of you know Christa and I decided last year that our third child would be adopted. We have never had trouble getting pregnant and hope to have more biological children but we believe God loves adoption and that He calls true followers of Christ to be more than hearers, but doers. With millions of orphans around the world how could we turn our backs and pretend there is no need. We have been called to adopt.

Since June of 2009 we have filed more papers, sat through more training, and paid more money for each than I ever thought possible but we did it! Our family is approved to adopt a baby (or maybe two) from Ethiopia. We are number 74 in line to adopt and waiting to see that number drop to 1. Our hearts are in Ethiopia and we look forward to seeing our Ethiopian children for the first time, but on January 12, 2010 everything changed.

The earthquake in Haiti shook the world. The devastation has been on tv screens across America and many are left staring at the pictures, wondering what to do. For us though, it wasn't a question...

In 1999 Christa took the first of two trips to Haiti with an organization called Teen Missions International. She worked with orphanages on the outskirts of Port Au Prince and fell in love with the children and culture. When we were dating she told me stories of her time In Haiti and how she hoped to adopt from there, and when we began the adoption process our first choice was Haiti. Unfortunately the government was very difficult to work with. Adoptions could take more than four years to complete and the costs were ridiculous. After weighing the options we opted for Ethiopia, it is a much quicker process and not so costly. However, with the earthquake leaving thousands of people without food or clean water and the growing realization that countless children are new orphans the Haitian government has begun to release some known orphans (that is, children who were already in orphanages and have proper documentation showing their status) to families in the United States.

We have heard many stories of families being matched with orphans on a moment's notice, all across the country. There are rumors that the US government has waived their usual costs for bringing in orphans, as have the Haitians. Babies, toddlers, children of all ages are being flown in with little more than rags on their backs and a few pieces of paper which serve as proof of their identity. They are being handed over to their "forever" families, they are being given life.

Last week an organization in Indianapolis posted a request for area residents to open their homes to some 300 orphans being evacuated to Indiana. Safe Families for Children was inundated with emails and phone calls, thousands of people responded in just a few hours. By chance I caught a passing comment on Twitter about the news and something inside me moved. I didn't talk to Christa, I didn't think, I just responded. I knew God wanted me to respond, to offer my family to these poor children. As the day went on it became clear the plane to Indianapolis was not coming. Communication to Haiti was horrendous and a number of misunderstandings created bad information but the clock was set into motion.. since then Christa and I have been trying to find a child that we can graft into our home. I have spoken with people in Chicago, Indianapolis, Texas, and Kansas. Christa has emailed to Maryland, Texas and even Haiti. We spend our free time discussing what else we can do. I believe God has called us to adopt from Haiti but every door til now has been shut. We are always one step behind and just a moment too late. There is no telling how long we have, the Haitian government is handing out refugee visas to orphanages and freeing them to travel but it takes an advocate (often the orphanage director) standing in line for more than 15 hours along with more than 7,000 people waiting in line to get the paperwork. No one knows how much longer the Haitian government will allow this to happen. Now is the time to act!

I write this to ask for your help. If you have any contact, any way of reaching someone who can help please email me. We are "paper ready", that is, all of our documents are in order and we are simply waiting for a child. I'd also like you to pray. The evil one would love nothing more than to see the Haitian people starve. He cares nothing for orphans, he wants nothing but destruction, and he is who we fight against. Pray for our friends in Haiti and pray especially for the children who have nothing. No hope. No family. Pray that they will be released and given to prople who love the Lord. Pray that we find our daughter or son.. we are waiting for them.

My email address is: miller.nw @ gmail.com

phone calls

2010-01-21T10:35:00.000-08:00

Titus just came up to me and says "mom, are we waiting on a phone call? I said what phone call ? Titus: the one to tell us about my baby sister Adia and then we can go pick her up.

waiting

2010-01-20T11:09:00.001-08:00

we are number 74!!!!

Martin Luther King jr

2010-01-18T11:45:00.000-08:00

Thank you, Dr. King, for dreaming of racial harmony. Because of your life and work, we live in a nation and a world that is a little bit closer to the equality and respect for our common humanity that God intended from the beginning.

Waiting Family

2010-01-14T13:20:00.000-08:00

We are officially a WAITING FAMILY! all of our paperwork is back from Washington DC, and now begins the real wait. as far as we know we are family number 80, but we have no idea what the 79 other families are waiting to be matched with, so time frame we are looking at anywhere from 4-12 months. we will keep updating with how many families have been matched with children and that will give us an idea. Thank you for all the prayers and support.

Adia's song

2010-01-07T18:11:00.000-08:00

Titus began singing this for Adia last night and I thought it was so sweet. he loves his new baby sister so much already. the other day he said "Mommy, it sure is taking a long time to get Adia home "

2009-12-27T19:34:00.000-08:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zQYA6OgyuM

this is so convicting to me, I just wanted to share it with you.

Emma

2009-12-26T08:53:00.000-08:00

I am so excited to be able to share a picture with you of our friends new little girl Emma, they got to meet Emma for the first time on Christmas morning. Congrats Aaron & Cacey she is beautiful.

Dec 11 weekly update

2009-12-14T11:06:00.001-08:00

Once again this week 3 children were matched with forever families.

another great giveway

2009-12-10T11:06:00.000-08:00

head over to geartegang.blogspot.com and check out a great giveaway from a wonderful lady on Etsy. http://gaertegang.blogspot.com/

Baby Emma

2009-12-09T06:52:00.001-08:00

our friends Aaron and Cacey will be meeting their baby girl in Ethiopia on Christmas morning. What an awesome present from God. Congrats Aaron and Cacey!

This weeks update

2009-12-04T15:14:00.000-08:00

3 referrals this week, 2 girls and a boy. Congratulations to those families.

During the month of November there were 23 referrals.

As of today there are 85 families waiting to be matched with a child.

An update on us, we are so close to being done with this stage of the process, we sent everything down to Indy to get State certified and there was a problem with 2 papers so we are redoing those then we will be done and waiting to be notified of our number on the waiting list. We really don't know how long we might have to wait for a referral, it could be like 6 months it may be a year or even longer. But our hearts are encouraged with the speed things are going, we have to keep reminding ourselves that all of this will happen in God's perfect timing.

Have a great weekend!

Thanksgiving thoughts

2009-11-28T13:20:00.000-08:00

As you sit down to your thanksgiving dinner with food a plenty, please remember the mothers around the world who may be struggling,

remember the children who are living in orphanages,

living on the street,

maybe crying out in hunger,

or maybe so hungry that they can not cry.

While no one person can help all these children, you can start by helping one.

This week from Ethiopia

2009-11-06T11:38:00.001-08:00

our agency placed 6 children this week with loving families.

CONGRATULATIONS!

Orphan Sunday

2009-11-06T08:45:00.001-08:00

Sunday November 8,2009 is Orphan sunday

Isaiah 1:17 — to “seek justice, encourage the oppressed, and defend the cause of the fatherless.”

Steven Curtis Chapman will perform a live concert, anchored by presentations from several leaders in the adoption and orphan care movement, among them Jedd Medefind, who prior to his leadership of Christian Alliance for Orphans worked in the White House Office of Faith-Based Initiatives

We need to be working on ways to start raising awareness about the dramatic need that exists among the world’s children. Over 143 million of them have lost a parent; some 87 million have lost both parents. Most of them live in poverty and have very few chances to succeed in life.

Whether it’s supporting foster care, domestic adoption, international adoption or supporting overseas orphanages and shelters, there is much that we can do as the richest country on earth to support these 143 million children who need help.

The Orphan Sunday live webcast starts at 2:00PM Pacific Time this Sunday, November 8. I hope you check it out!

Finger Prints

2009-10-26T11:01:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow we will be going to Indianapolis to get our finger prints done, this is the last major step before submitting our dossier and being OFFICIALLY on the waiting list for our daughter. As of right now there are 90 families waiting to be matched with a precious little one. Thanks for all the prayers, we are so blessed to be a part of what God is doing to bring this little one home.

2009-10-26T09:50:00.000-07:00

Thanks to my friend Danielle for offering up another great give away, we won a kids CD from a previous give away and I am sure the boy's are going to just love it. this time it is a scented. plug in wax tart burner. I love to have yummy smelling things in my home. Check it out at

http://gaertegang.blogspot.com/2009/10/scentsy-review-giveaway.html?showComment=1256575778927#c2455155205468513997

2009-10-10T14:41:00.000-07:00

check out another great give away from my dear friend Danielle.I think my boy's would enjoy this.http://gaertegang.blogspot.com/2009/10/charlie-hope-cd-review-giveaway.html?showComment=1255210783570#c6285444395438086156

Ethiopia

2009-10-02T14:10:00.001-07:00

Ethiopia

Immigration Update

2009-10-02T10:56:00.000-07:00

we got our immigration approval in the mail today!!!!! we have a finger print date and that is the last step before submitting our dossier to Ethiopia. YAH one step closer.

GOD IS SO GOOD

This weeks update from Ethiopia

2009-09-29T11:38:00.000-07:00

The Ethiopia team is thrilled to have offered 5 referrals on this week and placed another special needs referral on CHIFamilyNet, who is already being reviewed. The break down of referrals is: 3 boys - 3 ½ months, 4 months and 5 months old; one 5 month old girl (special needs) and a sibling set of an 8 ½ month old girl and a 7 yr old boy. All of the families waited just about 11 ½ months to be matched, however the family with the 5 month old boy waited 10 ½ months.

We also placed 3 of our waiting children. One who is Heb B+ and an older sibling set of 2 boys.

Congratulations to all of the families and children

give away

2009-09-29T11:30:00.003-07:00

another great give away at geartegang.blogspot.com

http://gaertegang.blogspot.com/2009/09/marie-madeline-studio-giveaway.html?showComment=1254249005448#c5017224974474091186

2009-09-29T11:21:00.000-07:00

at the geartegang web site this is doing an awesome give away . check it out.

http://gaertegang.blogspot.com/2009/09/labyrinth-balance-board-reviewgiveaway.html?showComment=1254248437939#c4606694698923561970

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!

2009-09-11T12:49:00.001-07:00

Ethiopian New Year (Enkutatash)

September 11^th Ethiopia welcomes in the New Year ! The year 2002!!

Ethiopia still retains the Julian calendar, in which the year is divided into 12 months of 30 days each and a 13^th month of 5 days and 6 days in the leap year.

The Ethiopian calendar is 8 years behind the Gregorian calendar from January to September and 7 years behind between September 11 and January 8. Enkutatash means the “gift of jewels”. When the famous Queen of Sheba returned from her expensive jaunt to visit King Solomon in Jerusalem, her chiefs welcomed her back by replenishing her treasury with inku or jewels. The spring festival has been celebrated since this early time, and as the rains come to their abrupt end dancing and singing can be heard at every village in the green countryside; but Enkutatash is not exclusively a religious holiday. Today’s Enkutatash is also the season for exchanging formal New Year greetings and cards among the urban sophisticated - in lieu of traditional bouquets of flowers. It is a time to express hopes and dreams for the future. Meskerem (September) is seen as a month of transition from the old year to the new

This weeks update

2009-09-11T12:47:00.001-07:00

The Ethiopia team is happy to announce the referral of two children this week. The children are both boys, ages 8 months and 11 months. The families waited 12 months and 11 ½ months respectively to be matched. Congratulations to them all.

Dossier/ Goverment paper work

2009-08-24T10:42:00.000-07:00

So we received our information packet on Friday, I was so excited I dove right in and started reading over everything and getting myself all organized , I was ready to tackle the world.....the more I read the more overwhelmed and stressed I got, so much so that on Sunday night I was looking for papers in my sleep, evidently they were under the mattress :-) Nathan got a good laugh out of it.
But Monday is a new day, and I am so pleased with what got done today I got at least 3 things finished and 2 more partially done. I just keep reminding myself that God is in control, he has orchestrated this whole thing and will not leave us hanging. Please pray for me, that God will give me wisdom in understanding all of the legal stuff, and patience to not rush through things. I need to remember that all things happen in God's perfect timing ( not mine)

Baby we miss you

2009-08-20T06:45:00.001-07:00

2009-08-20T06:37:00.000-07:00

This makes me so excited for the day we will bring our baby girl home.

2009-08-20T06:20:00.000-07:00

TIME LINE

2009-08-20T05:43:00.001-07:00

July 2 2009: our 1st meeting with Gateway Woods.

July 30 2009: Home study visit.

Aug 19 2009: Accepted into the Ethiopia Adoption program with Children's Hope Intl

Aug 28: mailed all release papers to CHI

Sep 16: Home Study Complete.

Sep 18: Immigration papers mailed

Oct 2 : Immigration approval, apt for finger prints.

Jan 2 2010 : Mailed Dossier papers

Jan 14 2010: Waiting family #80

Dear Little one

2009-08-20T05:11:00.000-07:00

My Precious baby, you are not even born yet and we are so in love with you.

I think of you everyday, praying that God will watch over you and care for you, that you will grow to be healthy and strong.

love your forever family

We Are In

2009-08-20T05:10:00.000-07:00

We just got the phone call that informed us that we have officially been accepted into the Ethiopia Adoption program. WOW !!!!! excited does not even begin to cover the way we are feeling right now.

GOD IS SO GOOD

August 19, 2009

Dear Nathan & Christa Miller

Congratulations! Your application for adoption has been approved by the Program Director.

We will be mailing out your approval packet today or tomorrow with instructions on how to proceed.

We are very excited for you, and wish you well as you begin your adoption journey!

Gloria Akers

The Intake Department

Children’s Hope International