So, WE ARE GOING TO ADOPT TWO LITTLE ONES FROM ETHIOPIA!!!!! So far, the initial reactions we receive are "Wow"..."That's wonderful" & "WHAT???" and of course my personal favorite "Are you crazy? WHAT would you want to do that for?" I'm pretty sure the reason behind the disbelief is the fact that we've been married 17 years and our biological blessings (age 12 & 9) are starting to be more self sufficient and independant. Both kids get their own breakfast (usually) each school morning as well as have their fair share of chores around the house. They both are showing a great sense of pride in their work, are respectful, kind and loving (usually) and show leadership qualities in their daily activities...A lot of 'other people' think we should be sitting back, donating to charities (as opposed to adopting) and letting life take on this relaxed "on the homestretch" turn. Afterall, (as I've heard about 12 times) we could "be having grandchildren in another 10 years!!" Smile. And I say, "Bring it on!" I hope I get grandchildren...maybe not in ten years, but I do hope my children are blessed with relationships as loyal, loving and devoted as my husband and I have to each other. Andrew is my best friend and I do believe in soulmates.
Well, I should let you in on how this all started...
Since my sister as well as my niece are both adopted from infancy, expanding our family this way seems very normal for me. For years I considered adopting another child. My husband wanted six children when we first married but after a job change, this also changed his mind. Not being on the same "page" over the past few years, I abandoned this idea and started getting more "into" my own life and the freedoms that come with the children growing up and such. I started back to work after eleven years and definetly enjoyed my shoe shopping excursions and lunch dates with my friends.
At Christmas, 2007, my mother made an "adoption" comment...which started my husband talking about it again. He, being "on board" now, was really trying to convince me that we should adopt. (It was SO one of those "Where is my husband and what have you done with him?" moments). I was having a hard time understanding how my husband had come full circle and wanted to grow our family...and not just by one but by TWO more.
Of course, I was secretly excited but hesitant. I had been enjoying my little taste of freedom and there were things as a family we could do much easier since the kids have gotten older. Like letting them swim and knowing they could touch the bottom...etc. But when God calls on you, He doesn't give up easily. AND, I would quickly learn that GOD had called on my husband to lead this journey! God knew I would be the easy one (one look at any child in an orphanage and I was hooked) but knew short of moving mountains, Andrew would be the one to convince. Andrew is the money guy. Very financially detailed and knows where every dime goes. I on the otherhand always know that "it'll always work out". He keeps me grounded. =)
So, now that WE BOTH were thinking about adopting...we prayed that God would open doors. We prayed that God would send us a sign. We prayed for guidance. We did nothing.
On January 9, 2008, I was told about a baby girl from China whose paperwork was going to be sent back if she was not requested for adoption. The story really touched me and after prayerfully considering the situation, Andrew & I decided to 'go for it'. I was out on one of my little shopping/lunch excursions with my best shopping/lunch girlfriend and she insisted we look up this child on the internet at the library. Not knowing how the library computer system works, we didn't realize that we'd have to wait in line behind others who were there because they had no computer. Andrea said that she always thought the name Lulu would be a cute chinese name and we referred to this little one as Lulu from then on.
After about 45 minutes (enough time that we could have just driven to Andrea's house!) a computer became free. We eagerly typed in the website and gazed on the most beautiful Chinese baby I'd ever seen. And, her real name included the name Lu! (Lu Feng Hong). We realized that God was guiding us. He was sending us HIS sign.
Well, Lulu was not meant to be, God had another family in mind for her...plus, my BMI is not below 40, one of the Chinese government requirements...but nonetheless, we knew that we had made the decision to adopt and now we were going full force ahead.
That's when God lead us to choose Ethiopia.
Drubek
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