"Are you Confused about today's most controversial issues?"
That is a quote from Chip Ingram's website www.lote.org. He is an amazing pastor and his messages are powerful. I love listening online to his messages and always walk away having learned so much.
I felt so convicted to put the website up for you all to check out as his series lately deals wiht all the issues our society seems to be so confused about. I am ashamed at our culture and where we are going as a nation. But God's word never changes and all the answers we need are found in it. I encourage all of us to renew our minds in the truth of God's Word (the Bible) and listen to some great Bible teachers like Chip Ingram. The envelope keeps getting pushed wider for what's accetable in our culture but in our family it is tightly sealed. May it be sealed in the truth of what God says in your home too and not in what the world says.
www.lote.org check out the daily broadcasts, they are free to listen to and just under a half hour. We all have time it is just chosing what to do with out time. The Bible is living and active always applicaable to our lives every day.
"For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do." Hebrews 4:12-13
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Happy Birthday~!
We celebrated our little guy's birthday just a few weeks back and just wanted to share a few pics with you guys. We had a great time with just the grandparents and Uncle Ben. Talo loves having his extended family around and just before his birthday we celebrated Grandpa H's birthday. Next we will celebrate Uncle Ben's birthday so he is getting a hefty dose of birthday cake and singing. I don't think he minds though!
Here are some pics to enjoy.
Talo happy as Grandpa "H" blew out his candles!
Talo in his crazy p.j.'s hugging Grandpa and Grandma goodbye! He certainly loves them and so do we!
About to blow out his candle!
Talo wishing cars came out of every present.
Oh no cars, but why does the wrapping paper have cars, Talo just couldn't figure this one out. But he likes play dough too!
"For you formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother's womb.
I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made." Psalm 139:13-14
Here are some pics to enjoy.
Talo happy as Grandpa "H" blew out his candles!
Talo in his crazy p.j.'s hugging Grandpa and Grandma goodbye! He certainly loves them and so do we!
About to blow out his candle!
Talo wishing cars came out of every present.
Oh no cars, but why does the wrapping paper have cars, Talo just couldn't figure this one out. But he likes play dough too!
"For you formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother's womb.
I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made." Psalm 139:13-14
Sunday, March 14, 2010
God's Strength
So I was going to do a new post about Talo's Birthday but we are all so sick right now. Talo has double ear infections and Jon and I both have the flu. It is not easy I will say that but I constantly think "I don't know what I would do without the LORD!" He is always there and his mercies are new every moment to give us strength. How do people take care of their sick kids when they are sick whiteout the Lord's strength?
My prayer, O Lord please heal Talo and give me strength. I find He gives Grace over and over to make it through these hard days.
This song was on my dear friend's blog and I just love it one of the lines says. . .
"When my strength is gone I find you mighty and strong."
This I recall to my mind,
Therefore I have hope.
The LORD'S lovingkindnesses indeed never cease,
For His compassions never fail.
They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness.
"The LORD is my portion," says my soul,
"Therefore I have hope in Him."
The LORD is good to those who wait for Him,
To the person who seeks Him.
Lamentations 3:21-25
My prayer, O Lord please heal Talo and give me strength. I find He gives Grace over and over to make it through these hard days.
This song was on my dear friend's blog and I just love it one of the lines says. . .
"When my strength is gone I find you mighty and strong."
This I recall to my mind,
Therefore I have hope.
The LORD'S lovingkindnesses indeed never cease,
For His compassions never fail.
They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness.
"The LORD is my portion," says my soul,
"Therefore I have hope in Him."
The LORD is good to those who wait for Him,
To the person who seeks Him.
Lamentations 3:21-25
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
The Truth can Be Hard to Hear
Past trauma's seem to reoccur at any time. A little over a week ago Talo was sick with a cold and bad ear infection. His ear drum was close to rupturing for the second time in his little life. We couldn't imagine how badly this hurt him but we can saw the pain in his every action. You see Talo never tells us when he is in pain and he quietly suffers alone.
The other week was trying to us as parents. We felt like we were just giving and he was not receiving our love. His behaviors were so off and we could tell some of it was because he didn't feel good but the other's go way deeper. Over that week we saw Talo exhibit the same "fear based" behaviors that we saw upon his return home with us and upon us moving apartments two months ago.
After just a long exhausting day I felt like I had no patience or love left. Being just the selfish person that I am whiteout Jesus Christ I went into our room to pray and just asked the Lord, "What is going on with Talo, something is wrong." Then the Lord just brought to mind what happened in Talo's life one year ago this month. You see we are about to come up on the date he was brought into the orphanage the date that he was close to death. The first pictures we showed you of Talo were after he had gained 10lbs. Talo was so sick upon being brought into the orphanage that he was near death. Not only had he just lost the only people he had ever known he was also loosing the battle for his life. On top of the illness that was causing him to be so close to death he had ruptured ear drums in both ears, intestinal parasites, and scabies so severe that it has left scars on his body.
We never saw pictures of our son in this condition and to be honest I don't want to. I can't imagine having a visual image to go with the pain I already feel when I look at the scars and see his recent behavior as he has been sick. You see when Talo was near death he was also without a mommy or daddy to take care of him. He has never know what it is to tell someone he is in pain and have them fix it, or tell someone he doesn't feel good and have them hold him, he never knew what it meant to be cleaned up after having diarrhea or be given anti-itch cream as bugs ate away at his little body. He has never know that there are people who can love him in his pain and sickness. He fears to tell us he is hurting and instead he runs from us. His current ear infection is bringing not only physical pain but intense emotional pain.
After my time of praying that night God lead me to go back in Talo's room and I was committed to be with him until he feel asleep. After almost 45minutes of singing, praying, holding, rocking and laying next to him. He finally relaxed and fell asleep with his arm wrapped tightly around my head as I laid next to him. I said, "I love you so much Talo", and he looked up at me and said, "I love bu so much mommy, I love bu so much mommy, I love bu so much mommy."
I don't think you can understand the trauma of an orphaned child until you experience it everyday. As his parents we know his behaviors and when you see him in fear it is heart breaking. It is not how God created things to be. However, because we live in this fallen world there is suffering and pain and never will I know why our son had to suffer but what I do know is that God saved him from dying and brought him into our family. And if it takes all our lives to help him know he is loved and not alone in his suffering than it takes all our lives. For God has given Talo to us for such a time as this because no child should ever be without a mother or father. . . yet 147 million are.
Giving money to the orphan is good, sponsoring a child through World Vision or compassion is good too, yet no amount of money gives an orphan a mommy to rock them when they are sick or a dad to read them stories at night when they are going to sleep. No amount of money can end their suffering of living alone in sickness and living alone in hunger and living alone when they are so close to dying. Some people cannot adopt due to age or health reasons or other unavoidable circumstances.
Although the reality is that many people can adopt and chose not to.
Why?
Why?
What's your excuse?
Do you think it's ok for them to suffer and eventually die alone. Picture your biological children wearing rags, living at the end of your driveway or road, eating dirt mixed with dirty water for dinner, and then when the sun has gone down they lay their head on the dirt or dirty trash lined street and go to sleep alone. Is that ok for your children?
Why then do you say it's ok for the 147 million for whom this is life. Life alone. . . or maybe they can hope one day to lay their head down on a soft pillow in your home as part of your family. Alone no longer.
The other week was trying to us as parents. We felt like we were just giving and he was not receiving our love. His behaviors were so off and we could tell some of it was because he didn't feel good but the other's go way deeper. Over that week we saw Talo exhibit the same "fear based" behaviors that we saw upon his return home with us and upon us moving apartments two months ago.
After just a long exhausting day I felt like I had no patience or love left. Being just the selfish person that I am whiteout Jesus Christ I went into our room to pray and just asked the Lord, "What is going on with Talo, something is wrong." Then the Lord just brought to mind what happened in Talo's life one year ago this month. You see we are about to come up on the date he was brought into the orphanage the date that he was close to death. The first pictures we showed you of Talo were after he had gained 10lbs. Talo was so sick upon being brought into the orphanage that he was near death. Not only had he just lost the only people he had ever known he was also loosing the battle for his life. On top of the illness that was causing him to be so close to death he had ruptured ear drums in both ears, intestinal parasites, and scabies so severe that it has left scars on his body.
We never saw pictures of our son in this condition and to be honest I don't want to. I can't imagine having a visual image to go with the pain I already feel when I look at the scars and see his recent behavior as he has been sick. You see when Talo was near death he was also without a mommy or daddy to take care of him. He has never know what it is to tell someone he is in pain and have them fix it, or tell someone he doesn't feel good and have them hold him, he never knew what it meant to be cleaned up after having diarrhea or be given anti-itch cream as bugs ate away at his little body. He has never know that there are people who can love him in his pain and sickness. He fears to tell us he is hurting and instead he runs from us. His current ear infection is bringing not only physical pain but intense emotional pain.
After my time of praying that night God lead me to go back in Talo's room and I was committed to be with him until he feel asleep. After almost 45minutes of singing, praying, holding, rocking and laying next to him. He finally relaxed and fell asleep with his arm wrapped tightly around my head as I laid next to him. I said, "I love you so much Talo", and he looked up at me and said, "I love bu so much mommy, I love bu so much mommy, I love bu so much mommy."
I don't think you can understand the trauma of an orphaned child until you experience it everyday. As his parents we know his behaviors and when you see him in fear it is heart breaking. It is not how God created things to be. However, because we live in this fallen world there is suffering and pain and never will I know why our son had to suffer but what I do know is that God saved him from dying and brought him into our family. And if it takes all our lives to help him know he is loved and not alone in his suffering than it takes all our lives. For God has given Talo to us for such a time as this because no child should ever be without a mother or father. . . yet 147 million are.
Giving money to the orphan is good, sponsoring a child through World Vision or compassion is good too, yet no amount of money gives an orphan a mommy to rock them when they are sick or a dad to read them stories at night when they are going to sleep. No amount of money can end their suffering of living alone in sickness and living alone in hunger and living alone when they are so close to dying. Some people cannot adopt due to age or health reasons or other unavoidable circumstances.
Although the reality is that many people can adopt and chose not to.
Why?
Why?
What's your excuse?
Do you think it's ok for them to suffer and eventually die alone. Picture your biological children wearing rags, living at the end of your driveway or road, eating dirt mixed with dirty water for dinner, and then when the sun has gone down they lay their head on the dirt or dirty trash lined street and go to sleep alone. Is that ok for your children?
Why then do you say it's ok for the 147 million for whom this is life. Life alone. . . or maybe they can hope one day to lay their head down on a soft pillow in your home as part of your family. Alone no longer.
Monday, February 8, 2010
God's Grace in our Infertility
Our Talo fast asleep in the craziest spots!
He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap,
To make them sit with princes, with the princes of His people.
He makes the barren woman abide in the house As a joyful mother of children.
Praise the LORD! –Psalm 113:7-9
The other day after listening to one of my favorite Bible teachers (www.walkintheword.com) I felt convicted to write this post. Often times I feel people reading our blog or hearing about our adoption assume Talo is a product of our infertility. But let me say it loud and clear that is not the case. I can’t tell you how many times people tell us, “Oh now you’ll get pregnant I know so many people who adopt and then get pregnant.” Now we know your comments aren’t intended to be hurtful but they are. Think about what you’re saying, you assume we choose adoption because we were unable to conceive however let me share with you the true story. Talo is not a product of our infertility but of God’s perfect and chosen design for our family.
Even in the freezing cold he pushes that stroller!
October 2006, only 4 months after we had been married a coworker of mine made a statement to me. She said “I believe every Christian should adopt”. I quickly responded, “Oh Becky, I don’t think I could ever love an adopted child as my “own”.(note we came home wiht Talo 3 years later October 2009) She said something to the effect of how I could more than I ever imagined and began to talk more of the adoption of her beautiful little daughter. I kind of stowed that conversation away and thought how I could never adopt like she had. Then it began to happen, God’s Holy Spirit began to move in my heart and life in a mighty way.
Only a few weeks later I learned that the severe pain I was enduring each month could be more of a serious health problem than I thought and in some cases causes infertility. I was devastated. At the time Jon and I were not trying to have children however, I became overcome with grief, “is this what our future holds?” “Lord all I have ever wanted was to be a mom, I had dreamed of it since I was a little girl”. I used to pretend my stuffed raccoon was a baby, I would feed him, hold him and push him in my toy stroller, on Sundays you could find me helping in the nursery so I could hold the real babies, while as a teenager I spent much of my time babysitting. To top it all off I am a labor and delivery nurse. However, it was like God telling me in his gentle yet powerful way through his word and prayer not to concern myself with this fear of infertility right now and trust that whatever happens, God’s plan is always the best.
"Where's ah Talo"-direct quote from Talo when I took this picture!
Only a few short months after that conversation with my coworker I became consumed with this passion for the orphans and adoption. I told Jon how much I felt God calling us to adopt even before having children by birth and I cried for endless hours to him about the plight of the orphan. After almost a year I looked online and found this adoption agency “America World”, I read the stories, looked at the countries, and printed out an info packet. I can’t remember if Jon read that packet or not but I filed it away because I knew someday we would adopt. Over the next year we spent countless drives in our town laboring in conversation over adoption. I was usually just broken over the plight of the orphan and felt we should adopt before we had biological children. However Jon, being the cautious wise man that he is felt we couldn’t adopt if we hadn’t even been parents to a child yet.
Talo assesing which birdie he will run after first.
And the birdies, planning their escape from Talo!
After tons of prayer and more talking than you could imagine we decided to try to start a family by birth and Jon said “someday” he knew we would adopt. What he didn’t know was how soon that “someday” may be.
The pain and grief came heavy after only a few short months of not being able to conceive. People told us oh it’s only been a few months you’ll get pregnant but some how I knew God was going to work this together for His good and glory. I also started to realize that maybe I had heard the Lord correctly, He was leading us into adoption. However, Jon still wasn’t convinced and I knew when God united our hearts we would be ready to start the adoption process. Well, in October 2008, two years after God spoke in a still small voice through my co-worker Jon agreed with God, it was time to adopt.
Jon says he had been hearing God speak to him for awhile but wasn’t ready to take that step of faith and obedience. Then James 1:27(Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and keep oneself unstained by the world.”) spoke to him so strongly that the question became. . .
“How could it not be God’s will to adopt?”
After Christmas festivities were over in 2008, we started out to find an agency when wouldn’t you know in our file box was the printout I had saved over a year earlier from the agency America World Adoption. New Years day we filled out the application and began our “pregnancy” to Talo. Though what most everybody does not know is that only a month later I had surgery to remove large cysts due to my endometriosis. Medically I had to have the surgery because the pain that I talked earlier about was affecting my daily living and the cysts were at risk of rupturing. As we sat in the Surgeon’s office he tried to explain how unlikely it would be for us to ever become pregnant unless we chose fertility treatments (IVF ect) and how he was more than eager to have me enter into a roller coaster ride of those treatments so we could have a child by birth.
Notice the stick in Talo's hand and the birdie on the bottom right! Ahhh!
This Surgeon just couldn’t comprehend what we were telling him. Adoption? What? He said, “surely you have wanted to do this for a long time because we wouldn’t even diagnose you with infertility until its been 6 more months of inability to conceive.” He felt adoption was plan “B” or second best, he felt we hadn’t “tried” hard enough to have children of our “own” to go on and choose something as extreme as adoption.
Talo directing Grandpa,"Now Granpa push me in this direction and fast please!"
After Talo's push down the hill Grandpa runs to catch him. This all made Mommy very nervous!
Yet for us this was never plan B, It was always God’s plan “A” for our family and we had conceived a child in our hearts months before the doctor ever told us we may never conceive one in my womb.
You see God the author of life already had a child picked out for us and he was waiting on the other side of the world. Just like pregnancy we didn’t know if we would have a boy or girl, or what they would look like, or what medical needs they would have. But we did know that on January 1st, 2009 we found out we were “pregnant” and 9 months later September 21st, 2009 we would meet our son. A beautiful boy of Ethiopian heritage who God knew before the beginning of time would be our “first born”. Talo is plan “A” and has always been the best plan.
We believe that our infertility is not a disease like cancer that needs to be treated nor is it a punishment from God like some people may think. But let me say this, if you are experiencing infertility in no way do I want to offend you or make your grief minimized. Infertility is a terrible grief one that is like no other. It is very much a silent type of grief. No one knows exactly how it feels unless they are experiencing it and when people who have biological kids do find out the lack of sensitivity is astounding. So hear me, anyone who is experiencing this trial that seems to have no end until heaven, I know your pain.
Though that pain has never made Talo second best or plan B. We look forward with great anticipation and excitement to grow our family and our daily prayer is not, “O Lord please make us pregnant.” It is “O, Lord please provide for our next adoption as we move forward to do your will.” For the Lord has answered me several times about my physically barren womb and I rest in His perfect answer. May God speak to you about your individual grief’s as you read the answer He has given me about the “thorn in my flesh”.
“To keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me- to keep me from exalting myself! Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me. And he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak then I am strong.” 2 Corinthians 12: 7-10
And he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.”
-The Power of Christ
Sunday, January 31, 2010
First Trip to Connecticut!
Last weekend we made a very short day trip to Connecticut. As many of you know all of my (Jolene's) extended family is in Connecticut and we figure it was about time to see some relatives. We had a great time visiting with different family and Talo had a great time running around outside in the yard and exploring a new home! He was a little nervous when he first walked in to see all of the new faces but became very excited to see familiar Grammy and Grandpa!
We just felt so happy for some of the relatives to be able to meet Talo! You all helped us so much financially and prayerfully to bring Talo home and how surreal it was for us to bring him to you! We love you all and can't even say Thank You enough! Your love and support brought our child home and we are forever grateful!
Here are just few pictures from the weekend. But we are bummed because it's only pictures of us with Talo. We should have taken a family picture with you all! Ahh, next time!
Just quick Family Picture!
Running To Daddy!
Talo with a crazy smile!
We just felt so happy for some of the relatives to be able to meet Talo! You all helped us so much financially and prayerfully to bring Talo home and how surreal it was for us to bring him to you! We love you all and can't even say Thank You enough! Your love and support brought our child home and we are forever grateful!
Here are just few pictures from the weekend. But we are bummed because it's only pictures of us with Talo. We should have taken a family picture with you all! Ahh, next time!
Just quick Family Picture!
Running To Daddy!
Talo with a crazy smile!
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Nothing Ordinary
Hi Everyone,
It's been a long time I know. I am just so not a faithful blog poster. To be honest I was actually thinking of ending the blog because I felt like we are just a normal family now and nobody wants to read about our life now that we are home. However, I received a call today from my wonderful Aunt Candice telling me I had to update the blog and how she and other family love to read it. So Aunt Candice I finally have another post. It's a long one though!
As I started to think about our "normal family" I realized it is anything but ordinary and what God has done is anything but normal. Jon and I sat down the other night to watch our Ethiopia video footage and the Talo we saw in the video was unrecognizable. We both just stared in awe as we looked back to see a much smaller, Talo with gross motor delays and a very tiny vocabulary of Amharic words. His whole personality was just so hard to look back on. We saw a timid little guy who horded his new toys in a bag so no one would take them and who was obsessed with shoes because he has never owned his own pair. We watched the first time he experienced a bath and how overwhelming it was for him to have clean water just falling out of the faucet. In his first weeks with us he was obsessed with drinking water, touching water and holding water bottles. His life as an orphan was so clearly seen in his behaviors and actions in those videos. As we watched we also saw how much of a stranger he was to us and the lack of trust he had for us in our first weeks together.
Tomorrow marks 4 months from the day we were untied with Talo and the growth and progress he has made is amazing. Truly all the glory, credit and reasoning for who he has become in these four months all goes to God! Praise you LORD for you have done this! In these four months Talo has grown several inches, exploded in his vocabulary and learning of the English language, goes to the bathroom almost independently , can count to almost 20, is learning color's and shapes, and loves to help Mommy or Daddy do anything! He has also has learned how to say good bye to others without it causing a panic trauma moment because of all goodbyes he has had to say in his little life.
Talo is our table setter at dinner time and he loves to get to play in the kitchen sink! He hasn't lost that love for water! We also see his bedtime routine getting so much better as his anxiety level has gone down so much at night and he has learned all the songs I sing to him as I lay with him each night at bedtime.
Two nights ago he sang along with me as I sang "Give Me Jesus", "There's Just something about that name", and "Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus". Oh tears just filled my eyes as I couldn't believe Talo had learned all the words and was singing back to me "Master, Savior, Jesus, let all heaven and earth proclaim". Truly adoption is such a miracle from God. As I write these posts I can make our life sound very romanticized but hear me clearly we have many very "normal days" where we play with his cars, or blocks, or puzzles for hours. There are times where I don't have lots of patience and Talo is pressing every button he knows to press! Yet every night when I sit down and Talo is finally asleep I can't help but think that what God has done is anything but ordinary. It is truly Extraordinary and Adoption really is a miracle.
Here are some recent pictures from the Christmas season and I posted our first ever picture of Talo at the Top of it. . .
People always say "I can't see God, He isn't at work, He isn't real." However, I can't help but wonder maybe they are looking in all the wrong places. God's heart is for the broken, the weak, the lost, the poor, the widow and the orphan. He is at work in the fields of the fatherless. He is at work to bring the broken, lost orphan without a name or home into families. Yet our American Christianity is all about "ME and I". It is all about "our small group", a polished hip Sunday morning service that will make "ME" feel good, sermons of how Jesus can make "My life better", and quiet times with the LORD that do not last longer than 15 minutes so as not to interfere with "My" busy schedule. I would bet to say that the American Church spends more time on face book, their cell phone, or the TV than they do in God's Word. I feel like American Christianity is like trying to make Jesus fit into an application on the iPhone. I believe we have it all wrong as a society, God is never going to be seen working in a Christianity all about "self help" and how to make "our lives" as comfortable as possible. Jesus’ message doesn't fit into face book or an iPhone application. And it is hard to find God working when we can't look beyond having a "comfortable life". Maybe we have it all wrong in American Christianity today?
I say this because why does it take an earth quake in Haiti to open the eyes of Christians in America to the plight of a third world country? Haiti has been suffering long before this earthquake hit and orphans have been going hungry and thirsty there for years, not just these past few days.
As you look at the pictures of Talo know this: there are an estimated 147 million orphans in the world. In Ethiopia alone there are 4.6 million orphans. What are you going to do about it? If you are a Christian you do not have an option to ignore this question. For what does Jesus say in Matthew 25:31-46? Vs 43-45
"I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick and in prison, and you did not visit me.'"Then they will answer, 'Lord when did we see you hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?'"Then he will answer them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.' Matthew 25:43-45
We can only make excuses for so long.
Talo Decorating Christmas Cookies!
Talo's reaction as we brought him to his gifts on Christmas Eve. Me handing him the Christmas card we made him. Notice his reaction. I was filled with tears.
Our First Christmas. Only a few small gifts but "Jesus's Birthday" is what Talo will tell you Christmas is really about!
Talo and Daddy! Talo Loves his Daddy!
Talo Loved his Christmas Present from Great Grandma and Grandpa Heidebrink!He calls it his "Duck Blanket". This is Christmas at Jon's Parents House!
Talo helping Grandma H, open her gifts!
Talo opening gifts from Grandma and Grandpa Johns!
Times after Christmas.Me holding frozen corn on Talo's head after he did a swan dive into the corner of the night stand!
Mommy wishing it was summer time! (and no I didn't ask him to pose like that)!
Day to Day life, Play Dough creations in his favorite pajama's right before bed!
It's been a long time I know. I am just so not a faithful blog poster. To be honest I was actually thinking of ending the blog because I felt like we are just a normal family now and nobody wants to read about our life now that we are home. However, I received a call today from my wonderful Aunt Candice telling me I had to update the blog and how she and other family love to read it. So Aunt Candice I finally have another post. It's a long one though!
As I started to think about our "normal family" I realized it is anything but ordinary and what God has done is anything but normal. Jon and I sat down the other night to watch our Ethiopia video footage and the Talo we saw in the video was unrecognizable. We both just stared in awe as we looked back to see a much smaller, Talo with gross motor delays and a very tiny vocabulary of Amharic words. His whole personality was just so hard to look back on. We saw a timid little guy who horded his new toys in a bag so no one would take them and who was obsessed with shoes because he has never owned his own pair. We watched the first time he experienced a bath and how overwhelming it was for him to have clean water just falling out of the faucet. In his first weeks with us he was obsessed with drinking water, touching water and holding water bottles. His life as an orphan was so clearly seen in his behaviors and actions in those videos. As we watched we also saw how much of a stranger he was to us and the lack of trust he had for us in our first weeks together.
Tomorrow marks 4 months from the day we were untied with Talo and the growth and progress he has made is amazing. Truly all the glory, credit and reasoning for who he has become in these four months all goes to God! Praise you LORD for you have done this! In these four months Talo has grown several inches, exploded in his vocabulary and learning of the English language, goes to the bathroom almost independently , can count to almost 20, is learning color's and shapes, and loves to help Mommy or Daddy do anything! He has also has learned how to say good bye to others without it causing a panic trauma moment because of all goodbyes he has had to say in his little life.
Talo is our table setter at dinner time and he loves to get to play in the kitchen sink! He hasn't lost that love for water! We also see his bedtime routine getting so much better as his anxiety level has gone down so much at night and he has learned all the songs I sing to him as I lay with him each night at bedtime.
Two nights ago he sang along with me as I sang "Give Me Jesus", "There's Just something about that name", and "Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus". Oh tears just filled my eyes as I couldn't believe Talo had learned all the words and was singing back to me "Master, Savior, Jesus, let all heaven and earth proclaim". Truly adoption is such a miracle from God. As I write these posts I can make our life sound very romanticized but hear me clearly we have many very "normal days" where we play with his cars, or blocks, or puzzles for hours. There are times where I don't have lots of patience and Talo is pressing every button he knows to press! Yet every night when I sit down and Talo is finally asleep I can't help but think that what God has done is anything but ordinary. It is truly Extraordinary and Adoption really is a miracle.
Here are some recent pictures from the Christmas season and I posted our first ever picture of Talo at the Top of it. . .
People always say "I can't see God, He isn't at work, He isn't real." However, I can't help but wonder maybe they are looking in all the wrong places. God's heart is for the broken, the weak, the lost, the poor, the widow and the orphan. He is at work in the fields of the fatherless. He is at work to bring the broken, lost orphan without a name or home into families. Yet our American Christianity is all about "ME and I". It is all about "our small group", a polished hip Sunday morning service that will make "ME" feel good, sermons of how Jesus can make "My life better", and quiet times with the LORD that do not last longer than 15 minutes so as not to interfere with "My" busy schedule. I would bet to say that the American Church spends more time on face book, their cell phone, or the TV than they do in God's Word. I feel like American Christianity is like trying to make Jesus fit into an application on the iPhone. I believe we have it all wrong as a society, God is never going to be seen working in a Christianity all about "self help" and how to make "our lives" as comfortable as possible. Jesus’ message doesn't fit into face book or an iPhone application. And it is hard to find God working when we can't look beyond having a "comfortable life". Maybe we have it all wrong in American Christianity today?
I say this because why does it take an earth quake in Haiti to open the eyes of Christians in America to the plight of a third world country? Haiti has been suffering long before this earthquake hit and orphans have been going hungry and thirsty there for years, not just these past few days.
As you look at the pictures of Talo know this: there are an estimated 147 million orphans in the world. In Ethiopia alone there are 4.6 million orphans. What are you going to do about it? If you are a Christian you do not have an option to ignore this question. For what does Jesus say in Matthew 25:31-46? Vs 43-45
"I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick and in prison, and you did not visit me.'"Then they will answer, 'Lord when did we see you hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?'"Then he will answer them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.' Matthew 25:43-45
We can only make excuses for so long.
One of our Referal Pictures of Talo June 11, 2009. Talo so tiny here yet so much better. In March 2009 he weighed only 15lbs. Do See God at work now?
Talo holding his first Christmas Tree!
Talo Decorating Christmas Cookies!
Talo's reaction as we brought him to his gifts on Christmas Eve. Me handing him the Christmas card we made him. Notice his reaction. I was filled with tears.
Our First Christmas. Only a few small gifts but "Jesus's Birthday" is what Talo will tell you Christmas is really about!
Talo and Daddy! Talo Loves his Daddy!
Talo Loved his Christmas Present from Great Grandma and Grandpa Heidebrink!He calls it his "Duck Blanket". This is Christmas at Jon's Parents House!
Talo helping Grandma H, open her gifts!
Talo opening gifts from Grandma and Grandpa Johns!
Times after Christmas.Me holding frozen corn on Talo's head after he did a swan dive into the corner of the night stand!
Mommy wishing it was summer time! (and no I didn't ask him to pose like that)!
Day to Day life, Play Dough creations in his favorite pajama's right before bed!