Update 7/10/12: Mercy received her medical visa!!!!!!!

Update: 4/5/12 We JUST heard that Mercy’s case will go before the board of Surgical Doctors at Black Lion Hospital on FRIDAY for the final decision. Our friend in Addis Ababa, Dr. Ridwan feels very positive that …. this is it!!!! Pray BIG for mercy & a medical visa approval!! We have prayed circles around Mercy for over a year. “If you do pray, all bets are off. You can live with holy anticipation because you never know how or when or where God is going to answer, but I promise you this: He WILL ANSWER!! If you’re willing to dream BIG and pray HARD and think LONG, you might just bring kings to their knees and shut the mouths of lions” -The Circle Maker

Update: 12/23/11  we are starting the campaign OPERATION: MERCY to bring Mercy here for medical treatment as soon as she receives her medical visa approval. Please join us praying for Mercy and that the process of getting her passport (done) and medical visa will be expedited. I will update here on My Crazy Adoption as we move forward. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown Mercy. (Matthew 5:70)

[Post: March 8, 2011] I want today’s post to testify God’s mercy in Ethiopia.  I want every word to honor and respect and give all glory to the great Healer.  The first thing that seared through my heart was a mother’s pain.  What great lengths would I go through to seek help for my daughters?  I love Hannah and Zoie with all my heart and I would give my life for them.  I looked into the eyes of this desperate mother (Mulu) asking me to come to her home and pray for her sick daughter.  I saw faith, fear, and hope in her eyes.  I quickly grabbed a few girls on my team and told them to come with me to pray for this mother’s daughter.  She held my hand and told me her daughter, Mercy was very sick and needed healing.  Mercy was waiting for a miracle. Continue Reading

OPERATION: MERCY (update 7/3) You have helped raise $2,012 in the past few days for Mercy’s flights & expenses. We are boldly praying for a total of $5,000 in the next 10 days to be able to purchase her ticket to the USA!! Click on the special donation button (right side column) and help support Mercy!! Please help spread her story to your family and friends.

The alarm went off at 5:30am. I could feel in my heart that today would be different. Long before we woke up this morning, the Spirit of God was circling us with songs of deliverance. We desired to grow spiritually this year praying for Mercy’s medical visa, but was our dream too big for Him? It was the kind of God-sized dreams I read about every time I opened up The Circle Maker! Our dream was overwhelming for so many people involved with the visa. Our plans seemed perplexingly impossible, every day we expanded the radiuses of our prayer circles!! He stretched all of us … everyone who prayed and supported and cheered for OPERATION: MERCY!!!!

I love this quote… “Until you come to the conviction that God’s grace and power know no limits, you will draw small prayer circles. Once you embrace the omnipotence of God, you’ll draw every-enlarging circles around your God-given, God-sized dreams!” (The Circle Maker) Meeting Mercy was God-given. He was the one who told Mulu to find us that day in Korah with our Visiting Orphans team. We missed the encounter the first day, but she showed up the second day. Isn’t that just God. We can so easily miss out, but His mercy gives us a second chance. There is no limit to God’s power.

The morning was cold and rainy. Our dear friend, Sammy Liben picked us up and drove us to the US Embassy. The fog lifted and I could see in the distance the big American flag waving, welcoming us. Why does that sight always make me feel safe? As he pulled up to the front, we couldn’t believe we were first again in line. There was a heavy drizzle, but we were so excited. Then guard came up to us and said directly, “Go to the end of the line?” The end of the line, but we were first, I thought. He pointed to the other side of the street and there were about 100 people standing in a long line. Ohhhh we were so embarrassed. We obviously had cut in line terribly the day before. We crossed the street and headed to the back of the line. This was going to take a lot longer then we planned.

We waited about an hour out in the cold and rain, so Roger dared me to go ask the guard if Mercy could go inside due to being here for a medical visa. Well, she did look really cold, so I decided to try and charm the guard. It worked and we were able to “cut’ in line with our beautiful Mercy. The process went quickly. The same officer who we met up on top of Entoto Mt. Asked us again to approach window #10. I was a little nervous because I knew this particular one had denied two of my Ethiopian friends their visas. We took a deep breath and headed back up with Mercy. She smiled and told us all the documents were in proper order and approved Mercy’s visa!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I smiled through tears as we thanked her for her approval. After waiting for a year …. endless amounts of paperwork and many visits to the Black Lion Hospital we had Mercy’s visa!!!!! I felt so honored to be a small part of this BIG miracle!

Is there a limit to my power?

Nothing honors God more than a big dream that is way beyond our ability to accomplish. (The Cirlce Maker) Here’s what’s so awesome, I had an arrow pointing from that quote in the book with Mercy’s name written next to it. Why does God want us to dream so big? Because our biggest dreams knock us to our knees and we have to pray bold and big and without ceasing.

We drove away from the US Embassy with the flag waving in the distance. I was so proud to be an American that day, but more proud that Mercy would now benefit from our medical care in the states that would help make a difference in her life. Our prayer is for her to return to Korah healthy, happy, and healed!!

We raised $1700 in 24 hours before Mercy even heard the words … medical visa approved!! You did this!!!!!! Now, we need your help spreading Mercy’s story and giving big and supporting big! Our goal is to raise $5,000 in the next few weeks to purchase her flight. I will keep you updated here and on my facebook. If you can commit to tweet, blog, and share the links on your facebook … we can all be a part of helping bring Mercy to the United States for medical treatment. We have a blog “button” OPERATION: MERCY on the top right side column – you can click and donate. Every penny we raise for Mercy will be used for Mercy’s needs. Thank you for praying for our family and Mercy!! Continue Reading

My Life Is Crazy Too is a new series of reader submissions. This is your opportunity to share stories about life, love, and mommyhood to provide understanding, hope, and compassion in the unique situations each of us face every day. If you would like to submit a story to this series, email me. Today’s crazy guest is our SUPER-nanny, Dovie White!!!!!!

GODS TIMING IS PERFECT … It’s a promise that we can stand on.

Kari asked me to tell my story. To tell the world about God’s faithfulness in my life and how he brought me here to Addis.

It really began three summers ago. I was sitting on my bed shortly after school had ended my softmore year, contemplating weather to work at Cold Stone again or try something new, when I started begging and pleading with God that he take me out of the country.I longed to go on an adventure! Then I allowed myself to compromise and pleaded for at least something long term, even if it was still in the country, and eventually just that he would bring me a NEW opportunity. He was quick to answer by allowing me to be a nanny KAA for the Janke family. It was a month long job that ended up being EXACTLY what I needed that summer. It was the perfect amount of time, for the perfect amount of money, with the most perfect family for that time in my life.

What I did not understand then, was that God still heard my FIRST plea to travel the world, it just wasn’t time yet.

Fast Forward to the beginning of my senior year, my sweet friend Alex Snyder asked me to lead a bible study with her, for freshman girls. This is something we had been given as freshmen, and something we wanted to give as seniors. We wanted to invest in younger girls and be mentors, because we had been blessed with that gift by girls before us. However, the beginning of my senior year when Alex approached me about getting a group started, I was not quite feeling up to par. I had heard a thousand times though, “if you wait till you feel ready, you’ll wait forever.” So the small group began and I came to know Hannah Gibson and her family.

Since her brother and I graduated in the same class, I had mingled with them a few times over the years but never got to know them personally. The small group really sparked our friendship and gave us the foundations for a now “family” like relationship. Throughout the year I still felt less than awesome as a leader but was constantly encouraged by Alex, and my family and the girls! We ended up growing really close and meeting weekly to hang out and pray together.

One night probably in March, I ran into the Gibsons at my favorite Chinese restaurant, Panda House. We chit chatted for a while and Kari casually mentioned, “We are really hoping you join us this summer in Ethiopia as a nanny. Oh is that Lo Mein? Well we better head back to our table…” I was sure she wasn’t serious. That sounded too good to be true! But, sure enough, a week later she called me to ask formally  if I would come with them this summer to be a nanny for Zoe and a friend for Hannah, and to help them both with the transition. She told me right up front that they wanted to cover the expenses and that she wanted to meet with my family soon to discuss it! AND, that they had hardly any for sure details and that it would certainly be an adventure!

I was ECSTATIC! I hurried and told my parents who were 100% on board and amazed at such a wonderful blessing!

Then it started getting sticky, one thing after another sent Plan A (Three month adventure living and serving in Addis Ababa) further and further away. The house wouldn’t sell, the job wouldn’t end, the finances weren’t there yet. It looked doubtful. Kari eventually called me to tell me that it wasn’t going to happen. I was heartbroken for them, and sad I wouldn’t get to travel. Continue Reading

I took the weekend off from writing so I want to share the past 2 days with you. We went to our first Ethiopian-English church service at Beza and loved every second. It felt like we were home with our church family at James River!!! The worship team lacked only one thing … our best “red headed” friend, Trevor Birch!!! Zoie even had children’s church and loved it! When the girls dropped her off, they said she started talking to the other children in English and they were talking to her in Amharic, but ended up just playing with each other. The teacher could speak both languages, so Zoie was blessed at church, too.

I bumped right into one of my favorite boys, B who formerly lived on the streets at the Post Office (shopping area) He was clean and happy and worshiping the Lord with the P61 leaders! The last time I saw him a year ago, he was running away from the boarding school at Shashamene and almost hit by a truck. He fully rejected the free gift of education and I was heartbroken for him. Today, I told him how proud I was that he made a great choice and could see how much his heart had changed!! I love that God will always give us a second chance. Roger also met an old friend from the Post Office formerly living on the streets without hope. The woman he fed four years ago and every year he came back with teams was standing behind us with her 3 year old son. She almost fell out of her seat when her eyes saw Roger. After the service, she told him she had a job and was providing a home and food for her son now. We still have no idea why she was there on Sunday at the English service, but it was a God moment for sure!!

We spent the rest of the day with our new friends at EGH going out to lunch and picking up Mercy at Korah for her sleepover with our family.

Mercy did not get her medical visa on Monday. They allowed both Roger and I to go with Mercy to the scheduled appointment. I was a nervous wreck, but Mercy told me she was not nervous at all. Your prayers definitely touched Mercy’s heart. It was difficult watching people go up to the window with big dreams of going to the USA and then hearing “denied.” One man was so irrate, they had to call security. His spirit was broken. The officers behind the window truly hold all the power in 2 simple words … YES OR NO!! Here’s the funny part of our story. When we climbed to the top of Entoto Mt in Addis, we bumped into 3 American women. We started chatting and they remembered seeing us at the Hilton on our first dinner out. They told us they all worked for the US Embassy issuing visas and sure enough they were the faces behind the window on Monday morning. The gal with brown hair actually denied 2 of my good Ethiopian friends their visas, so I joked with them on Entoto and said … “I hope you will give us our visa on Monday” She smiled and told us if we had all the correct documentation there shouldn’t be a problem. She did smile at me when we walked by her station (whew!)

When it was our turn, my heart was pounding. We ended up sitting with my friends, Sumer Yates and Denea. They were also there helping two P61 boys get their travel visas (they were approved!!!!!) When Mercy’s name was called, we headed for window #10 and smiled at our new friend from Entoto Mt. For our case, the US Embassy needed 2 more documents … a letter from mother, Mulu stating she grants her consent for Mercy to travel to the United States and the letter from Mercy Hospital in Springfield, MO that is taking care of all her medical needs. We will go back on Wednesday with renewed hope and more paperwork!! Continue Reading

One of the things I love most about living here at Ethiopia Guest Home (EGH) is meeting new people just about every day. We love coming down for breakfast and seeing a new face at the common table. You just never know who will show up. Today, a darling couple from Australia walked into our lives. They simply said 2 words when we asked them what they wanted to do for the day … Fistula Hospital. How could they refuse us tagging along when they saw the smiles on our faces! I told them if they wanted us, we’d love to join them. We didn’t have an appointment or an agenda, but Fistula Hospital is one of my favorite places in the world to visit. I’ve encourage you many times to watch the documentary film, A Walk To Beautiful.

Have you watched the film and what impact did it make on your heart?

Typically, I have a big team with me when I go to Fistula Hospital. They split us up in small groups so we don’t overwhelm the women. Today our team included: Dovie, Hannah, Zoie, Hubby, Reg, Aliza and me. We arrived and told them we were friends with management staff, Feven and Sisay, so they let us have the golden ticket (a red pass with the words- no photography allowed) to go inside. Zoie has tackled every new day like a pro missionary … march in and smile, melting everyone’s hearts! The women are wrapped in their colorful blankets, so excited to greet new visitors. Hannah and I had just been there a week ago with our Visiting Orphans team. We recognized many of the beautiful faces.

I “guided” our tiny team, pretending I was their tour guide, around the grounds that were stunning with flowers of every single kind in full bloom. It’s a peaceful sanctuary. Reg mentioned that even the air at Fistula Hospital was fresh and clean. It makes you feel renewed, healed, and spiritually energized. I have no idea how to describe this beautiful place, but encourage you to visit in person. The real guide was still having her tea when we arrived, but I told her “no rush” I would share the highlights until she could join us. I think I found my new calling … guide extraordinaire at Fistula Hospital. The stories are heartbreaking how each individual women made the long journey (most by walking) to receive surgery and healing. But, there is big hope here too, reminding us how Jesus heals His children and cares deeply about each one of us.

We visited the new baby ward and had no idea God was preparing us for a special surprise. One of the women I hugged last week, JUST had her baby boy. She has previously lost 2 babies due to traumatic pregnancies and this newborn was her first to survive. She walked in with her nurse and husband (amazing miracle!) and beautiful baby … all we could do was cheer!!!!!! She felt like a movie star. We clapped and congratulated the new parents, even the staff was crying. The baby was absolutely stunning, so we gushed over him, too. I noticed my hubby walked over to another bed greeting a very young girl holding her baby.

He was talking to her with the help of one of the staff and he was beaming with joy. He motioned for me to join him. He was drawn in completely. The guide asked her if she wanted to go home, but the new mom adamantly said no. Her life was complicated back in her village. She was only 16 years old, so her husband had married her illegally. She had no family, no husband, no village, no future. My husband held her in his arms and she was responsive. The staff said this was the first time she allowed someone to hear her story. Roger asked her what she dreamed of being in the future. She smiled and said she wanted to finish her education. Hope. She told him she wanted to start a new life in Addis and take care of her baby boy. Hope. She declared her hopes and dreams and fears. With the help of the staff, Roger told her gently to stop worrying about her future and start dreaming about your future. It was so emotional for all of us. We went into the social worker’s office and made the decision of faith to help raise her support for the future. The miracle happened when they told us her name … Senait!!!!!!!!! She had the name of our daughter. We were blown away! Later, we went to say goodbye to Senait and they told us she had not named her baby boy yet and asked Roger to give him a name. He mentioned our son, Michael’s name was from the Bible and what his name meant. She didn’t show any emotion. Then Roger mentioned the name we chose for our African son so many years ago. Do you remember that story? Benaiah was a warrior and one of King David’s top 3 bodyguards. Senait looked up at Roger and smiled the most beautiful smile I’ve ever seen. She chose Benaiah. We were so happy for this precious baby boy. I decided she needed a marker for her miracle day and gave her a special ring to some day give to her son, Benaiah. Please read, 2 Samuel 23:20-23 for the Bible story of Benaiah. Also, run go buy the fantastic book, In A Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day by Mark Batterson!!!!! I’m hoping next week to beg my friends at Fistula Hospital to allow us to take one photograph of Senait and Benaiah!! Continue Reading

Today I watched my 4 year old fall in love with Korah. We had no idea how Zoie would react coming back to the village she was born … would she be nervous, scared, shy, or refuse to get out of the van? It was our first day of loving and serving with our brothers and sisters and multitudes of children running around on their summer break. There is nothing I love more than watching children sprint toward the visitors coming for hugs and playing. Korah is constantly on the move. There are mothers walking by with their babies strapped to their backs and elder men with leprosy walking for lunch and children playing on the dirt road in front of Great Hope’s bright blue gate. Don’t forget the dogs, donkeys, cats, and cows that pass by too.

We wanted to stop and say Salem (Hello) to the 35 women working with Mission Ethiopia in the heart of Korah. They create stunning magazine and clay bead necklaces for order here. They also have hand made rugs, scarves, mats for online orders. I hope everyone of my bloggy friends check out the Mission Ethiopia website and help support these amazing, strong business women.

It was such a hoot getting our first Amharic lesson from the women. They giggled as Roger and I struggled to learn 2 simple words … how are you? “Tenayistillign endemen not?” and I am well. “Dehna negn.” We butchered it so badly they couldn’t stop laughing. The proper way to greet a friend in Ethiopia is to say … Name first, and ask, how are you? But, you say a different phrase for male and female. Whew!! As we helped shine the clay beads rubbing gently tiny pieces of sticks, we worked hard on our words. The BEST part of visiting these women everyday is that our precious friend, Mulu is part of Mission Ethiopia. Can you believe how happy we were to spend time with Mercy’s mother today and chat about her daughter’s miracles!! We are grateful she understands English better than we understand Amharic.

Our next stop was visiting a wonderful daycare ministry founded by our friends Jerry and Shannon – Embracing Hope Ethiopia. They have a beautiful facility that has 66 children from babies to toddlers. Single mothers or widows can join the program that need a safe place for their children to play and cared for during the work day. Is this incredible or what! Just think how many families they are saving with this one of a kind ministry in Korah. Please take the time to view and share your thoughts. This is what living radical and loving big and making a difference really looks like.

What would you do if you HAD to work to live, but didn’t have anyone to watch your children during the day?

After visiting the daycare, we headed to meet for the first time in real life our friend, Emily (Cornish) Tenker and her brand new hubby, Berhanu, one of our dearest friends working with Great Hope Ministry. Their new home is beautiful! Zoie loved holding their new puppy … we had the honor of naming him, too! We all agreed he looked just like a Simba! Emily has faithfully helped Mercy the past year get her medical visa paperwork finalized. We have Mercy’s US Embassy appointment on Monday, June 25^th! Please pray for favor and help spread her story on your blogs or facebook. Continue Reading

Today I said goodbye again. I just ended the 14 day Visiting Orphans mission trip with the most amazing 23 mission-hearted people who rocked Ethiopia and Uganda loving big and serving even bigger!! Hannah and I left the team last night and at the last second realized we missed the opportunity to say goodbye to our friends due to flight attendants splitting us up in 2 buses when we landed in Addis Ababa. I started bawling, so we grabbed the few remaining on the last bus and hugged like crazy! I think the one of the best parts of a mission trip is bonding and sharing life changing experiences with complete strangers from all over the world. If you have never gone on a mission trip … I promise if you’re willing to open your heart wide and set aside your fears and comfort and conveniences, God will use you in a mighty way to share the love of Jesus Christ to the unreached people groups around the world. I can’t wait to share the miraculous stories from the mission trip with you. I watched with my own eyes God healing widows in Uganda, and orphan’s spirits open again through the loving touch of the team.

I want to commit to writing everyday here on my blog during on our family missions adventure in Ethiopia and Haiti. I want to be real with you and expose my heart with the joys and challenges and ministry opportunities we will face and tackle. I want you to challenge ME with thought provoking questions and committing to praying for us when the days get tough. We have left our comfort zone for the purpose of serving the Lord. We will stay in Addis until September 5th and can’t wait to see what He has planned for us.

A friend gave Hannah a special verse to claim during our time here in Ethiopia. Joshua 1:9 (MSG) Haven’t I commanded you? Strength! Courage! Don’t be timid; don’t get discouraged. God, your God, is with you every step you take. This is flat out the scariest thing we’ve ever done as a family. We are here. We are happy. We are being challenged. We are open to serving Him every single day.

A few of you have emailed and asked a few questions. Also, you have asked how you can pray for our family. Thank you so much! I hope this helps … Continue Reading

How you can help Mercy … love, pray, and give BIG!!!

 

UPDATE 7/10/12 : We have received Mercy’s medical visa and need your help spreading her story on your facebooks, tweets, and blogs!! We have raised $2,000, but need your help with the remaining funds to reach our goal of $5,000 in the next few days!!! Please consider donating any amount that God puts on your heart … $5, $10, $100 and beyond!!! Every penny will be spent on this beautiful girl’s journey to the USA for medical treatment!!!! HELP SPREAD OPERATION: MERCY!!!!!!!

On June 25th we will hold Mercy’s hand in Addis Ababa for her US Embassy appointment. We need help to raise $5,000 for her flights, personal expenses, and additional medical care needs. Mercy will live with a wonderful host family in MO until our family returns back home to the states mid-September. We are grateful for Team Mercy!!!

You have prayed, supported, and cheered on Mercy this year … the time has come to raise the funds in a radical My Crazy Adoption fundraiser!! We need your help to spread the news, share Mercy’s story, and raise funds. There have been so many of YOU who have wanted to help and now is the time.

You can donate any amount … I will update (in Ethiopia) when she officially receives her medical visa. Please continue to pray for Mercy and her journey to healing.

I want to personally thank, Dr. Anne, Dr. Ridwan, Julie & Rob Neal, Mitch & Shannon Hauschildts, Brandy Disylvester, Dr. McQueary, Emily Cornish, Mastewal Asefa, Wynne & Stephen Elder, Jake Boner, and Dr. Tarif Bakdash. Continue Reading

My Life Is Crazy Too is a new series of reader submissions. This is your opportunity to share stories about life, love, and mommyhood to provide understanding, hope, and compassion in the unique situations each of us face every day. If you would like to submit a story to this series, email me. Today’s crazy guest is  Meredith Howard.

Sometimes LIFE is Bizarre.  That is the best way I can sum up our story…..Just Bizarre.  Just God!

In 2010, after the Haitian Earthquake, my husband and I decided it was time to pursue our long time desire to adopt.  We had talked about it for years, but decided it was time to actually DO something…not just keep talking about it.  We spoke with our 3 children (at the time ages 2,4,6) about wanting to adopt.  As best as they could understand, they were supportive.  We began pursuing an adoption from Ethiopia.  Our “plan” was to adopt a little toddler age girl.   No more diapers, we thought, and no babies.  Been there, done that 3 times.

During the process- at my husband’s insistence- we got certified as foster parents as well.  He just really believed that if there were children in the US who needed homes, we should start there.  Long story short, we got a call about our sweet foster daughter- Nancy- and had to make a decision in about 5 minutes (before meeting her) if we would want to be her parents.  Birth parent rights were just about terminated.  This was going to be a “done deal.”  We said yes, and piled our 3 kiddos into the minivan to drive an hour north to meet her.  She was precious.   Our 3 bio children fell in love with her immediately.  I ran out and rented Chris Rock’s movie “Good Hair” so I could learn to do African American hair.

After 3 months with us, and her calling my husband “Daddy!  Daddy!” she ended up being taken away from us (that is a whole other blog post in and of itself!).  We were heartbroken.  BUT, in our heart ache we knew this was the confirmation we needed to pursue international adoption. Continue Reading

WE ARE MOVING TO ETHIOPIA …. NOW!!!!!!!

I shared Part 1 with you here sitting at Panera and today I’m home-free, unemployed, and happier than I’ve ever been in my life! How is it possible to feel pure joy and massive butterflies inside doing exactly what God has called up our family to do? I love and serve a God who understands every single one of my strengths and weaknesses! Honestly, there were lots of days this past month, I didn’t think I would make it. It was too hard, too scary, too difficult, too crazy. Waiting for our home to close was challenging and tested me at every level spiritually, emotionally, and physically. We packed up our 5,000 sq. ft. home in less than two weeks, celebrated my son’s graduation and cheered him on in state finals at golf… all in the month of May. We’ve been busier than we’ve ever been in our lives, but the miracle never wavered … God sold our home and we made a decision to trust THAT promise through the storms. We officially closed on our home Friday, May 25!!

My hubby woke me up early on Mother’s Day saying, “Why are we waiting … let’s go NOW!!!!” I still had morning breath, but could have kissed him and hit him!! How in the world could I get us ready to go now in just a few weeks??!! I assumed it takes months to prepare a family to move to Ethiopia! Well, you know how crazy we roll as a family … we’re living home-free and now out of 4 bins & 4 duffles getting ready to LIVE in Ethiopia as a family June until mid September!!!!!!!!!!

The best part, over a year ago we dreamed of spending the summer in Ethiopia with our family during the time Roger and I both lead Visiting Orphans mission trips in June, July, and a special Man Up trip in August. We can’t believe God made our dreams come true in such a radical way. Change is never easy, but faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

So, here’s the nitty gritty …. I leave TODAY (with Hannah) and my best friend, Julie Neal leading an amazing Visiting Orphans team of 24 to Ethiopia and Uganda for 14 days. Roger, Zoie, and our happy helper, Dovie White will travel on June 16th and together we’ll spend the summer in Addis Ababa. Dovie will head back to the states in August and we will stay until mid-September. Our incredibly supportive son, Michael will start his freshman year at MSU!!!!!!! Continue Reading

ETHIOPIA ADOPTION NEWS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is a special announcement for all adoptive families, at ALL stages of their adoption, even those of you wanting to start from the beginning!!!!!!!

Last Friday, we received confirmation for MANY MANY Ethiopia referrals with International Family Services (IFS) and My Crazy Adoption wants to help the fatherless find their forever families!!!!! This is truly a miraculous event and I want to encourage you to contact the Ethiopia Program director, Randi Shetley for more information and let her know “Mama Kiki” sent you or My Crazy Adoption blog. I have partnered with IFS to inform YOU via my social media when there are referrals available and ready for adoption. I am not able to show you photos, but we do have several of the older sibling groups you can view here on Rainbow Kids site.

What you need to do:

1. Contact Randi Shetley, IFS Ethiopia Program Director
2. Let Randi know where you are in the adoption process. She will work with you at any stage of your adoption journey.
3. If you have heard about the new referrals from My Crazy Adoption blog or or … please let Randi know Mama Kiki (Kari Gibson) has sent you for additional information on the referrals.
4. We also have several older sibling groups available to view now on rainbowkids.com Search: International Family Services.

If you are ready to embark on an adoption adventure … I highly recommend you taking that first courageous step and contact Randi Sheltey. Do it afraid!!!! Continue Reading