39 hours after leaving Addis Ababa we are finally HOME!!!!
For the first time since discovering who Tarik is, we are now all together as a whole family. The girls LOVE Tarik and Tarik seems to love them back. We have slept maybe 10 hours out of the last 50 or 60 so we'll post pictures later.
Thanks for your interest, prayers, etc. And thank your, Lord, for getting us all home safely.
Showing posts with label Ethiopian Adoption. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ethiopian Adoption. Show all posts
Monday, February 2, 2009
Saturday, January 31, 2009
On Their Way Home
Hi, it's Reed's sister again. Since I knew many of you were checking in on Reed and Lee Ann, I thought I'd let you know that they're on their way home! They left Ethiopia around mid-morning Saturday (US Central time). I just checked that their flight made it safely to Dubai, where they will have another overnight layover. VERY early Sunday morning (2 am, US Central time), they'll start the last, long leg home, arriving in Tulsa just before 9 pm Sunday night. Please join us in praying for travel mercies in the home-stretch, most especially that this long flight will be as peaceful and restful for little Tarik as possible.
Here's hoping that the next post on this blog will be directly from Reed and Lee Ann, from the happy confines of their own living room, with their three sweet girls piled on them!
Here's hoping that the next post on this blog will be directly from Reed and Lee Ann, from the happy confines of their own living room, with their three sweet girls piled on them!
Friday, January 30, 2009
Tarik
(Posted by Shannon for Reed and Lee Ann)
First let me say thank you to all of you for your interest in our journey. At times we have felt a little lonely and isolated and knowing that you all have been reading our blog has really helped, and getting you that info has almost been a form of therapy. We cannot see our blog, or even post on it, but my sister has been kind enough to email us your comments – they have meant more than you know.
It seems like we have been posting about everything but Tarik lately so we thought we would catch you up on who this little girl is. If you are more interested in the African part of this blog, please forgive us for a moment while we act like parents.
Right now we are calling her Tarikwa (her full name) because that is what she knows. In fact, if we say even her full name with an American accent she barely responds, so we are walking around saying her name in the best African accent we can muster (with a rolled R and all).
In many ways she is like a six-month old. She is definitely about that size and has about that much energy (much of her first eight months were spent in a crib). She is really playful, but peters out fast. She takes “snuggle” breaks about every ten minutes of playtime. Everyday she gets more curious, energetic, and loud. We have become good friends with the one American here at the guesthouse; this morning he said he could tell a difference in her between yesterday and today! We hope she doesn’t cover too much ground too soon because our sixteen hours on a single plane will be easier if she has the energy of a six-month old.
This girl loves to cuddle. She always wants to be held (mostly by Lee Ann) and sleeps best right next to us. She typically starts out in her crib but usually gets hungry or scared somewhere along the way and stays in bed with us for the rest of the night. Every morning she will spend as much as an hour just lying around in bed with us after she has woken up. She just can’t get enough of physical touch. To comfort herself, she sucks her left thumb (upside down) and puts her right hand up beside her head.
At the orphanage she was only taking a bottle and some soupy cereal. Since being with us she has already taken to eating some mashed potatoes and even some rice. Like I said before, it’s kind of like we got a six-month old on Monday but to her, a day is like a month of development.
Speaking of development, this morning she waved for the first time, to a waitress named Leah. There is a restaurant attached to the guesthouse and we have gotten to know all the different workers well – but this wave was a real first.
Yesterday (Thursday), she said “Momma” for the first time. She has been able to say the word before but it was yesterday that she actually used it. Of course, until this week there was no need to! I don’t have to tell you how much this meant to Lee Ann. That is her first and only word thus far and if she is like any of our other girls she will figure out a way to say several other things before she gets around to “Daddy.”
She has a several things that you might say are her favorite things to do…
-- She loves to be held by Lee Ann and reach out for me only to withdraw at the last moment.
-- Anytime she is crawling, she wants me to “chase” her around the room.
-- Much to the chagrin of our waiters, house cleaners, and her parents, her favorite thing to do is shred Kleenex tissues.
-- And she loves to clap her hands – the phrase is ach-om-chew-ee in Amharic. (We cannot thank our Ethiopian friends in Kansas City enough for teaching us some phrases like that.)
One strange little thing she does is she can somehow gag herself. She did it a lot every time we were at the orphanage but not as much when it is just us. We have decided that in the orphanage they must do this as a little game to get the children to cough up all their mucus. Any kid that comes from any orphanage usually has pretty bad sinus stuff going on – this is why they always have their mouths open in the pictures (they can’t breathe their little noses). Even though it is very strange and sad to see her gag, it is another example of the good care she has received.
Not being able to travel the city has been annoying at times, but we are so thankful that we have had several days of just getting to know our little Tarik. She is a delight to know and we cannot wait to get her back home and integrate her into the life and family we love so much.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Compassion Visit
(Posted by Shannon for Reed and Lee Ann)
We were pretty busy yesterday (and then tired) so we didn’t get a chance for much of an update – sorry.
On Tuesday we got to meet our Compassion child (Birhane). She is a wonderful young girl and it was a pleasure to meet her. All of her information told us that she was six years old so we came with loaded with clothes, toys, etc. Well, apparently, in the rural parts of Ethiopia age is not something they cling to very much because come to find out she is eleven!!!! Needless to say, not a stitch of clothing fit, but I think her little sister will be well dressed for some time. Compassion was nice enough to let us arrange to send her bigger clothes when we get back to the states.
Birhane is incredibly shy and, of course, doesn’t speak English – so the conversation was pretty short. She was SO sweet. She spoke so gently and quietly that we probably could not have understood her even if we spoke her language. One gift that was a hit was a little baby; I don’t think she put it down for the entirety of our visit. Being so quiet and shy, it was hard to see if we really sparked her attention or curiosity, but one member of our family certainly did. She LOVED Tarik. She lit up when she would look at her and even did a great job holding her.
She lives in a village where they don’t have electricity and they have to pump all their water from a well. She is in her first year of schooling (even though she is older than most of her classmates). The reason this is her first year is because this is our first year to sponsor her – as if we needed any evidence of our direct involvement. It is amazing to see Compassion reach out, educate, clothe, and nurture these children. We got proof of that when Birhane surprised us and burst into the English alphabet! The Amharic alphabet has something like 260 characters, so to be working on a second version is pretty impressive.
On Tuesday we got to meet our Compassion child (Birhane). She is a wonderful young girl and it was a pleasure to meet her. All of her information told us that she was six years old so we came with loaded with clothes, toys, etc. Well, apparently, in the rural parts of Ethiopia age is not something they cling to very much because come to find out she is eleven!!!! Needless to say, not a stitch of clothing fit, but I think her little sister will be well dressed for some time. Compassion was nice enough to let us arrange to send her bigger clothes when we get back to the states.
Birhane is incredibly shy and, of course, doesn’t speak English – so the conversation was pretty short. She was SO sweet. She spoke so gently and quietly that we probably could not have understood her even if we spoke her language. One gift that was a hit was a little baby; I don’t think she put it down for the entirety of our visit. Being so quiet and shy, it was hard to see if we really sparked her attention or curiosity, but one member of our family certainly did. She LOVED Tarik. She lit up when she would look at her and even did a great job holding her.
She lives in a village where they don’t have electricity and they have to pump all their water from a well. She is in her first year of schooling (even though she is older than most of her classmates). The reason this is her first year is because this is our first year to sponsor her – as if we needed any evidence of our direct involvement. It is amazing to see Compassion reach out, educate, clothe, and nurture these children. We got proof of that when Birhane surprised us and burst into the English alphabet! The Amharic alphabet has something like 260 characters, so to be working on a second version is pretty impressive.
At the end of the visit, Birhane and Lee Ann shared a huge hug--this visit really meant a lot to us.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Momma's Girl
(posted for Reed and Lee Ann by Shannon)
When we first met Tarik there was a definite warm-up period, she did not just jump for us from the very beginning. She was wonderfully playful and even responded to us quickly, but all that could just be chalked up to her being a people person (which she seems to be). Yesterday (Monday), we basically did nothing but play and bond and through that time she did not show a real sense of needing either of us, and might have even preferred me (Reed) for much
of the day. We know all kids are different and we weren’t sure when to expect a real bond to occur.
But something truly amazing has happened and it is the answer to many of your prayers and ours. It has been very clear all day that Tarik is completely in love with Lee Ann. It isn’t that she simply responds well to Lee Ann, she always did that, it is more that she needs Lee Ann in a way that any little girl should need her Momma. All day today, Tarik cries (hard) anytime Lee Ann puts her down – even for a moment. It is an amazing thing to see this little girl we hardly know reach up to Lee Ann to be held.
During our Compassion visit we were around several people who knew the Amharic language and looked and smelled a lot more like what Tarik was used to, but anytime someone else wanted to hold her, Tarik would make it abundantly clear that she wanted to stay with Lee Ann. We have heard that one major way to prevent some attachment issues is to make it very clear who the primary caregiver is so there is no confusion for the little child (remember, for Tarik’s whole life she has just gone to the person who happens to be working at the orphanage at the needed time). Even though I know we are just getting started on this journey, we are blessed that Tarik already finds a level of comfort and sense of home from the one person who will provide it for her most – her Momma. Thank you for your prayers.
More on the Compassion visit to come. And, as a final side note, as I write this Tarik is just picking up sign-language for the word “more.”
When we first met Tarik there was a definite warm-up period, she did not just jump for us from the very beginning. She was wonderfully playful and even responded to us quickly, but all that could just be chalked up to her being a people person (which she seems to be). Yesterday (Monday), we basically did nothing but play and bond and through that time she did not show a real sense of needing either of us, and might have even preferred me (Reed) for much
of the day. We know all kids are different and we weren’t sure when to expect a real bond to occur.But something truly amazing has happened and it is the answer to many of your prayers and ours. It has been very clear all day that Tarik is completely in love with Lee Ann. It isn’t that she simply responds well to Lee Ann, she always did that, it is more that she needs Lee Ann in a way that any little girl should need her Momma. All day today, Tarik cries (hard) anytime Lee Ann puts her down – even for a moment. It is an amazing thing to see this little girl we hardly know reach up to Lee Ann to be held.
During our Compassion visit we were around several people who knew the Amharic language and looked and smelled a lot more like what Tarik was used to, but anytime someone else wanted to hold her, Tarik would make it abundantly clear that she wanted to stay with Lee Ann. We have heard that one major way to prevent some attachment issues is to make it very clear who the primary caregiver is so there is no confusion for the little child (remember, for Tarik’s whole life she has just gone to the person who happens to be working at the orphanage at the needed time). Even though I know we are just getting started on this journey, we are blessed that Tarik already finds a level of comfort and sense of home from the one person who will provide it for her most – her Momma. Thank you for your prayers.More on the Compassion visit to come. And, as a final side note, as I write this Tarik is just picking up sign-language for the word “more.”
Monday, January 26, 2009
We've Got Her!
US time: 7:oo am Monday
Ethiopia time: 4:00 pm Monday
It's Shannon again--so far, Reed and Lee Ann haven't been able to see or access their blog from Ethiopia, so I'm posting what they e-mail me. I've promised them I'll e-mail them the text of any comments you leave, because they are eager for words from home--please feel free to leave them your prayers and good wishes!
This morning, I started my day with the happiest of news when I saw that the following text message had hit my phone at just after 2:00 am:
A few hours later, they sent the following blog post and photos:
Our Compassion visit got postponed till Tuesday, so after breakfast this morning we went to the orphanage to get Tarik. They put us in a room with a few couches and brought her in. It was amazing. We kind of had to slowly let her warm up to us, which was strange to do with a child who has already been a part of our family. It was hard not to grab her and overwhelm her with our love and affection. Instead, we had to do simple little things like let her fiddle with the buttons on Lee Ann’s shirt. But there was no doubt that our love for her, whether we could fully communicate it or not, was already overpowering.
We played with her for about 15 minutes in that room and the first thing Tarik did was mark her territory by spitting up all over Lee Ann. It was exceptionally large as spit-ups go and we like to think she was welcoming herself into the family with it.
She is beyond our expectations in how happy she is and responsive to other people. She squealed when she saw another kid her age and again when she saw one of her caregivers. We have the sweetest, most fun little girl in the world. She is smaller than we thought she would be – she is healthy, but still really small (6 month clothing). Of course, if she were really large, people would think she was adopted!
She fell asleep on the car-ride home in Lee Ann’s arms. As I write this she is lying with Lee Ann on the bed; just a few moments ago she woke up for a bit and Lee Ann got to sing her back to sleep. She is also currently sucking her thumb.
Unlike the rest of our girly swirls, Tarik took an immediate liking to me. Throughout all the paperwork we did at the orphanage, she sat on my lap and played with my watch. She is very curious and playful.
We have nothing to do today and tomorrow but play with and get to know our little girl and meet our Compassion child. We have a US Embassy appointment on Wednesday afternoon and we’ll probably go back to the orphanage to see the kids on Thursday.
We are really happy.
Ethiopia time: 4:00 pm Monday
It's Shannon again--so far, Reed and Lee Ann haven't been able to see or access their blog from Ethiopia, so I'm posting what they e-mail me. I've promised them I'll e-mail them the text of any comments you leave, because they are eager for words from home--please feel free to leave them your prayers and good wishes!
This morning, I started my day with the happiest of news when I saw that the following text message had hit my phone at just after 2:00 am:
A few hours later, they sent the following blog post and photos:Our Compassion visit got postponed till Tuesday, so after breakfast this morning we went to the orphanage to get Tarik. They put us in a room with a few couches and brought her in. It was amazing. We kind of had to slowly let her warm up to us, which was strange to do with a child who has already been a part of our family. It was hard not to grab her and overwhelm her with our love and affection. Instead, we had to do simple little things like let her fiddle with the buttons on Lee Ann’s shirt. But there was no doubt that our love for her, whether we could fully communicate it or not, was already overpowering.
We played with her for about 15 minutes in that room and the first thing Tarik did was mark her territory by spitting up all over Lee Ann. It was exceptionally large as spit-ups go and we like to think she was welcoming herself into the family with it.
She is beyond our expectations in how happy she is and responsive to other people. She squealed when she saw another kid her age and again when she saw one of her caregivers. We have the sweetest, most fun little girl in the world. She is smaller than we thought she would be – she is healthy, but still really small (6 month clothing). Of course, if she were really large, people would think she was adopted!
She fell asleep on the car-ride home in Lee Ann’s arms. As I write this she is lying with Lee Ann on the bed; just a few moments ago she woke up for a bit and Lee Ann got to sing her back to sleep. She is also currently sucking her thumb.Unlike the rest of our girly swirls, Tarik took an immediate liking to me. Throughout all the paperwork we did at the orphanage, she sat on my lap and played with my watch. She is very curious and playful.
We have nothing to do today and tomorrow but play with and get to know our little girl and meet our Compassion child. We have a US Embassy appointment on Wednesday afternoon and we’ll probably go back to the orphanage to see the kids on Thursday.
We are really happy.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
On the Ground In Ethiopia!
(It's Shannon--Reed e-mailed me and asked me to post the following):
US time: 12:30 pm Sunday
Ethiopia time: 9:30 pm Sunday
We made it!
No one wants to be on a plane for 14 straight hours, but if necessity strikes you, fly Emirates Airlines. It was an incredible experience. From hundreds of movies on the plane to an included hotel and meal vouchers for an overnight stay in Dubai, it was very plush. On Sunday morning, as we waited for the plane, we had the pleasant surprise of eating at Cosi – one of our favorite restaurants in Philadelphia.
We got to Addis Ababa around lunchtime on Sunday. We are staying at a guesthouse that will be a wonderful haven for the week. We have a living room, bedroom, kitchenette, and a bathroom. We hired a taxi driver to take us around for the rest of the afternoon and it was incredible to see this exotic place. We went to two museums this afternoon – one of which included the famous Lucy remains, which was discovered in Ethiopia.
Our driver (Sahlu) shared more than his time with us, he told us a lot about what it was like to grow up and work in Addis. We knew the people would be welcoming, but nothing could prepare us for how nice Ethiopians truly are. First of all, if we drove as lawlessly in the States, people would constantly be shooting each other on the roads.
We spent much of the taxi time only inches from other cars and there was absolutely no regard for lanes, intersections, or anything else, but not once did I see an angry look or hear a horn honk in a sinister way. By the end of the day our driver had invited us to a traditional dance festival and called me his brother and Lee Ann his sister. He also took us to a market where some of his friends have a stand and we could trust their prices – we got some wonderful souvenirs.
Of course the poverty was striking. We saw children with deformities out roaming the streets. We saw shantytowns that words simply can’t describe. We certainly hurt for people we didn’t know and could not help. But we love this place. We love the people. We love how different it is from our normal life. We love how beautiful it is – wonderful mountains surround the city. We are so happy that this place will forever be a part of our life.
Tomorrow (Monday) is the big day. We meet our Compassion child in the morning and then it is off to the orphanage to pick up Tarik. With all the fun we had this afternoon it is amazing to think that tomorrow is really it, the culmination of a year of work, hope and prayer. But it is; and we will tell you all about it.
US time: 12:30 pm Sunday
Ethiopia time: 9:30 pm Sunday
We made it!
No one wants to be on a plane for 14 straight hours, but if necessity strikes you, fly Emirates Airlines. It was an incredible experience. From hundreds of movies on the plane to an included hotel and meal vouchers for an overnight stay in Dubai, it was very plush. On Sunday morning, as we waited for the plane, we had the pleasant surprise of eating at Cosi – one of our favorite restaurants in Philadelphia.
We got to Addis Ababa around lunchtime on Sunday. We are staying at a guesthouse that will be a wonderful haven for the week. We have a living room, bedroom, kitchenette, and a bathroom. We hired a taxi driver to take us around for the rest of the afternoon and it was incredible to see this exotic place. We went to two museums this afternoon – one of which included the famous Lucy remains, which was discovered in Ethiopia.
Our driver (Sahlu) shared more than his time with us, he told us a lot about what it was like to grow up and work in Addis. We knew the people would be welcoming, but nothing could prepare us for how nice Ethiopians truly are. First of all, if we drove as lawlessly in the States, people would constantly be shooting each other on the roads.
We spent much of the taxi time only inches from other cars and there was absolutely no regard for lanes, intersections, or anything else, but not once did I see an angry look or hear a horn honk in a sinister way. By the end of the day our driver had invited us to a traditional dance festival and called me his brother and Lee Ann his sister. He also took us to a market where some of his friends have a stand and we could trust their prices – we got some wonderful souvenirs.
Of course the poverty was striking. We saw children with deformities out roaming the streets. We saw shantytowns that words simply can’t describe. We certainly hurt for people we didn’t know and could not help. But we love this place. We love the people. We love how different it is from our normal life. We love how beautiful it is – wonderful mountains surround the city. We are so happy that this place will forever be a part of our life.Tomorrow (Monday) is the big day. We meet our Compassion child in the morning and then it is off to the orphanage to pick up Tarik. With all the fun we had this afternoon it is amazing to think that tomorrow is really it, the culmination of a year of work, hope and prayer. But it is; and we will tell you all about it.
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Saturday Night
This is Shannon, Reed's sister. He and Lee Ann gave me the log-in info for their blog while they're away. They're hoping to be able to post updates while they're gone, but they're not sure yet how reliable the internet access will be.
In the meantime, I knew many of you would be eager for an update. They made it safely into Dubai early this morning (our time), and Reed just wrote from the airport that they're waiting to board for the last leg of the journey to Addis Abada. Please join us in praying that they will miraculously feel rested.
Let's hope the next update will be directly from them! Thanks so much for your prayers.
In the meantime, I knew many of you would be eager for an update. They made it safely into Dubai early this morning (our time), and Reed just wrote from the airport that they're waiting to board for the last leg of the journey to Addis Abada. Please join us in praying that they will miraculously feel rested.
Let's hope the next update will be directly from them! Thanks so much for your prayers.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
PRAYERS
Tonight we sat down with the girls and prayed for Tarik. It was like our normal bedtime routine in that half of their prayers were for things that don't exist or toys they won't get. But there was one difference... the next time we pray with the girls for Tarik, she will be in the next room!
Tomorrow the girls go with the grandparents so this has been a week of "lasts" as a family of four. No last is more powerful than praying. For so long prayer is all we had. At first there were prayers for the generic "little sister". We didn't know anything about her. Then came the news of severe drought -- our prayers became pointedly about her having enough food. And to see her chubby cheeks is a testimony of the power of prayer. Then there was the outbreak of pneumonia and orphans were dying -- again we prayed every night with the girls. In September we found out who she was and the prayers finally became personal. Don't think we are raising spiritual giants, the prayers for Tarikwa Teka (the girls typically call her by her full name) were mostly sandwiched between pleadings for Christmas presents and petitions to be fairies or mermaids. But still, prayer has been all we had. We couldn't hug her, protect her, or play with her -- we could only pray for her. There were times we didn't think that was enough and I always thought I could do a better job taking care of her than God, but we rejoice that our prayers have been answered and "little sister" will be home soon.
Tomorrow the girls go with the grandparents so this has been a week of "lasts" as a family of four. No last is more powerful than praying. For so long prayer is all we had. At first there were prayers for the generic "little sister". We didn't know anything about her. Then came the news of severe drought -- our prayers became pointedly about her having enough food. And to see her chubby cheeks is a testimony of the power of prayer. Then there was the outbreak of pneumonia and orphans were dying -- again we prayed every night with the girls. In September we found out who she was and the prayers finally became personal. Don't think we are raising spiritual giants, the prayers for Tarikwa Teka (the girls typically call her by her full name) were mostly sandwiched between pleadings for Christmas presents and petitions to be fairies or mermaids. But still, prayer has been all we had. We couldn't hug her, protect her, or play with her -- we could only pray for her. There were times we didn't think that was enough and I always thought I could do a better job taking care of her than God, but we rejoice that our prayers have been answered and "little sister" will be home soon.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
STRESSED!
The pressure is on at the Dunn household. We have a million things going in a million different directions. Maybe for pity, certainly for prayer, I thought I would let everyone know what we are up to. Here's to hoping that writing it down helps...
- Getting Frank (the dog) ready to be in Tulsa
- Getting the girls packed to be in Benton half the trip then Tulsa for the rest
- Packing for ourselves
- Packing clothes for Tarik (when we don't fully know her size)
- Packing enough toys to help with the 24 hour plane flight
- Packing gifts that go to our Compassion Child that we'll get to see
- Packing things that go to the orphanage to fill general needs
- Packing and organizing care packages that go to the children of waiting parents
- Getting super important documents like immigration papers in order
- Oh, and savoring our family of four in our last few days as such
Please pray for our peace of mind... we are just a bit overwhelmed.
- Getting Frank (the dog) ready to be in Tulsa
- Getting the girls packed to be in Benton half the trip then Tulsa for the rest
- Packing for ourselves
- Packing clothes for Tarik (when we don't fully know her size)
- Packing enough toys to help with the 24 hour plane flight
- Packing gifts that go to our Compassion Child that we'll get to see
- Packing things that go to the orphanage to fill general needs
- Packing and organizing care packages that go to the children of waiting parents
- Getting super important documents like immigration papers in order
- Oh, and savoring our family of four in our last few days as such
Please pray for our peace of mind... we are just a bit overwhelmed.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Monday, January 5, 2009
TRIP UPDATE
We have bought plane tickets and even started packing... here is what we'll be doing.
We'll depart Tulsa on Friday, Jan 23 and fly to Houston then on to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. We'll actually spend Saturday night in a hotel in Dubai (on the Persian Gulf!).
Sunday morning we'll get up and take a four hour flight from Dubai to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (pictured).
WHILE WE ARE THERE (Sunday through Saturday)...
- SUNDAY: some sightseeing.
- MONDAY morning we'll meet the 6 year old girl we sponsor through Compassion International.
- MONDAY afternoon we'll meet Tarik and actually take her with us to our guest house.
- TUESDAY: mostly paperwork and playing with Tarik.
- WEDNESDAY: an important day at the US Embassy in Addis Ababa.
- THURSDAY: don't really know.
- FRIDAY: finalizing documents we think.
- SATURDAY: fly out for Dubai.
We will try to spend time at the orphanage and other things like that -- the above is just stuff we know about.
Our return flight will look about the same. One night in Dubai and the next morning (Sunday) a direct flight to Houston. Lord willing, we'll get back to Tulsa late Sunday evening (Feb 1).
We are excited about an exotic trip and even more so about meeting a daughter we love but don't know. We have a lot to get done in the coming couple of weeks to say the least. Thanks for your interest and especially your prayers.
We'll depart Tulsa on Friday, Jan 23 and fly to Houston then on to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. We'll actually spend Saturday night in a hotel in Dubai (on the Persian Gulf!).
Sunday morning we'll get up and take a four hour flight from Dubai to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (pictured).
WHILE WE ARE THERE (Sunday through Saturday)...
- SUNDAY: some sightseeing.
- MONDAY morning we'll meet the 6 year old girl we sponsor through Compassion International.
- MONDAY afternoon we'll meet Tarik and actually take her with us to our guest house.
- TUESDAY: mostly paperwork and playing with Tarik.
- WEDNESDAY: an important day at the US Embassy in Addis Ababa.
- THURSDAY: don't really know.
- FRIDAY: finalizing documents we think.
- SATURDAY: fly out for Dubai.
We will try to spend time at the orphanage and other things like that -- the above is just stuff we know about.
Our return flight will look about the same. One night in Dubai and the next morning (Sunday) a direct flight to Houston. Lord willing, we'll get back to Tulsa late Sunday evening (Feb 1).
We are excited about an exotic trip and even more so about meeting a daughter we love but don't know. We have a lot to get done in the coming couple of weeks to say the least. Thanks for your interest and especially your prayers.
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
SHE'S ALL OURS!!!!!!!!
We are so happy to announce our favorite Christmas present this year. The little girl we are adopting had her court date on Christmas Eve and (praise God) she passed. That means she is officially and legally ours! That also means we can share more about her with you...
HER NAME:
Tarikwa Teka Dunn We will call her "Tarik" (pronounced tar-ick)
It means "she has a story that He has replaced"
The meaning of her amazing name kind of strikes at the heart of why we decided to adopt in the first place -- we wouldn't dare change that!
OUR PLANS:
Everything will start to happen pretty fast from here. We will be traveling four weeks from this Saturday (12/27) -- that means we will be over there the last week in January. Pretty soon! We'll be in Ethiopia for about a week.
Her birthday is in early March which means she'll be 11 months when we get her and was 8-9 months old in these pictures. Thank you all for your prayers, support, etc as we have been going through this life changing process. Please continue to pray that all will go smoothly. We will keep you posted as things come up. Finally, we thank God who has graced our family with this little girl.
Her birthday is in early March which means she'll be 11 months when we get her and was 8-9 months old in these pictures. Thank you all for your prayers, support, etc as we have been going through this life changing process. Please continue to pray that all will go smoothly. We will keep you posted as things come up. Finally, we thank God who has graced our family with this little girl.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
COURT DATE!!!
We just found out that little sister has a court date scheduled for December 24, 2008.
Merry Christmas!!!!!
If all goes well (please pray that it will!) we will probably be traveling early February.
Merry Christmas!!!!!
If all goes well (please pray that it will!) we will probably be traveling early February.
Monday, November 3, 2008
ADOPTION UPDATE
If you are wondering why we haven't had any news about our adoption, it's because there hasn't been any. In fact, today was kind of a hard day around the house. We are getting tired of waiting. A few people we know have recently had court dates, and we haven't even gotten a second picture!
You know how great it is when you first get engaged after you've been dating for awhile? And then you realize that being engaged really is pretty awful -- it's awful because in your mind you have committed yourself but in the real world you aren't any closer to being married. Well, that's where we are with this adoption. It is wonderful to have a picture of this little girl and know her name, etc. But it is also more difficult because we actually have a picture of her and we know her name.
If you think of it, please pray for her and us. Pray that we'll wait well. Pray that God will keep this little girl in the palm of his mighty hand. Of course, we will share more when we can.
You know how great it is when you first get engaged after you've been dating for awhile? And then you realize that being engaged really is pretty awful -- it's awful because in your mind you have committed yourself but in the real world you aren't any closer to being married. Well, that's where we are with this adoption. It is wonderful to have a picture of this little girl and know her name, etc. But it is also more difficult because we actually have a picture of her and we know her name.
If you think of it, please pray for her and us. Pray that we'll wait well. Pray that God will keep this little girl in the palm of his mighty hand. Of course, we will share more when we can.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
GOOD ADOPTION NEWS!!!
The courts reopened today!!!! We were expecting them to reopen mid-October and for some reason they opened early!!! This is good news because we should find out soon (I'm thinking a few days) when little sister has her court date. After she passes her court date (please pray she will pass on the first go-around) she will officially be ours and we will then book our plane tickets to go get her. We are so excited and just can't wait to bring our sweet baby home to her family. She is so beautiful. She looks just like a Dunn. :) Once she passes court we'll get to post her picture--so stay tuned!
Saturday, September 13, 2008
LITTLE SISTER!!!!!!
Well, today we got THE call -- the call that has taken 7 months to get... WE GOT OUR REFFERAL!
We know almost nothing else. All we know is that she is 6 months old and now waiting for us in the orphanage. If all goes smoothly, we could be traveling to get her by the end of November. We will post more details as we are able. We really don't know much more than we did yesterday, but the one thing we do know is overwhelming -- that there is a certain little six month girl that now has a family that didn't the day before. And we are that family.
Praise God for answering our sometimes impatient prayers. And thank you for all your prayers. We covet them even more now that there is a little girl we are actually praying for.
We know almost nothing else. All we know is that she is 6 months old and now waiting for us in the orphanage. If all goes smoothly, we could be traveling to get her by the end of November. We will post more details as we are able. We really don't know much more than we did yesterday, but the one thing we do know is overwhelming -- that there is a certain little six month girl that now has a family that didn't the day before. And we are that family.
Praise God for answering our sometimes impatient prayers. And thank you for all your prayers. We covet them even more now that there is a little girl we are actually praying for.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
WAITING FOR LITTLE SISTER
If you feel like you are in the dark about our Ethiopian adoption and have been waiting to hear some news, well, you aren't the only one! We finally just learned a little bit and it's not that great. Here's the deal...
All of our paper work is complete and for months we have simply been waiting to have a child assigned to us (a referral). This is a little mind numbing since it could literally be any day that we find out who this little girl is and when we can go get her. In fact, we are now first on the list both at our adoption agency and at the orphanage in Ethiopia.
BUT... the Ethiopian courts close from July 15th to September 30th and yesterday was the deadline for getting our little daughter-to-be in court before they close for the summer. So we could still find out tomorrow who this little girl is, but she would not have a court date until October, and we would go over there four weeks after that.
At first this is really frustrating. Then we feel guilty for being frustrated because maybe we are just being spoiled Americans that want everything now. And then the reality hits us that there is a little girl in a starving world and we can do nothing about it. It's like we are letting Jennalee or Adeline play in a busy street while we pray for contentment rather than going and grabbing them! But the truth is, God knows this little girl -- even if she is not yet born -- and he loves her more than we do and can care for her better than our American life ever could. So we DO pray for contentment; there really isn't anything else to do.
In the midst of this, we are especially thankful that God has already given us two sweet little girls -- not everyone has that. And we are also thankful for one whole summer with just them; we'll enjoy them in a special way knowing that this is hopefully our last summer as a family of four.
All of our paper work is complete and for months we have simply been waiting to have a child assigned to us (a referral). This is a little mind numbing since it could literally be any day that we find out who this little girl is and when we can go get her. In fact, we are now first on the list both at our adoption agency and at the orphanage in Ethiopia.
BUT... the Ethiopian courts close from July 15th to September 30th and yesterday was the deadline for getting our little daughter-to-be in court before they close for the summer. So we could still find out tomorrow who this little girl is, but she would not have a court date until October, and we would go over there four weeks after that.
At first this is really frustrating. Then we feel guilty for being frustrated because maybe we are just being spoiled Americans that want everything now. And then the reality hits us that there is a little girl in a starving world and we can do nothing about it. It's like we are letting Jennalee or Adeline play in a busy street while we pray for contentment rather than going and grabbing them! But the truth is, God knows this little girl -- even if she is not yet born -- and he loves her more than we do and can care for her better than our American life ever could. So we DO pray for contentment; there really isn't anything else to do.
In the midst of this, we are especially thankful that God has already given us two sweet little girls -- not everyone has that. And we are also thankful for one whole summer with just them; we'll enjoy them in a special way knowing that this is hopefully our last summer as a family of four.
Friday, February 22, 2008
ADOPTION UPDATE
We have good news on the adoption front - two things really.
First, we just found out that the family that was before us (waiting on an infant girl from our orphanage) actually got their referral. This means that we are next in line!
And secondly, our paperwork, which has been complete for some time, is officially translated and sitting on someone's desk in Addis Ababa - the capitol city of Ethiopia. Let's hope our dossier is at the top of the stack.
First, we just found out that the family that was before us (waiting on an infant girl from our orphanage) actually got their referral. This means that we are next in line!
And secondly, our paperwork, which has been complete for some time, is officially translated and sitting on someone's desk in Addis Ababa - the capitol city of Ethiopia. Let's hope our dossier is at the top of the stack.
Friday, February 1, 2008
Adoption Update
There is a not much to report -- that is actually the purpose of this update.
It seems many of the orphanages in Ethiopia are having large outbreaks of pneumonia among the children. Of course, these places don't have access to enough antibiotics and so the whole adoption thing is getting slowed down. We were possibly going to find out who she was in December but that obviously didn't happen. One of two situations applies to us... either 1) they have stopped looking for a child for us until they can get a handle on the health situation, or 2) they have found our daughter but will (understandably) not let us know who she is until they know she will make it through this difficult time.
We hear of the crazy stuff happening in Kenya or the Sudan on the news -- that is the flashy stuff. It is only at times like this that we realize the people in Africa deal with daily struggles that, though never reported, are just as difficult as political unrest. If you think of it, please pray that our little girl is safe and healthy and that she is receiving the love she needs right now.
We have been told that we will possibly find out who she is in April and go over there in June.
It seems many of the orphanages in Ethiopia are having large outbreaks of pneumonia among the children. Of course, these places don't have access to enough antibiotics and so the whole adoption thing is getting slowed down. We were possibly going to find out who she was in December but that obviously didn't happen. One of two situations applies to us... either 1) they have stopped looking for a child for us until they can get a handle on the health situation, or 2) they have found our daughter but will (understandably) not let us know who she is until they know she will make it through this difficult time.
We hear of the crazy stuff happening in Kenya or the Sudan on the news -- that is the flashy stuff. It is only at times like this that we realize the people in Africa deal with daily struggles that, though never reported, are just as difficult as political unrest. If you think of it, please pray that our little girl is safe and healthy and that she is receiving the love she needs right now.
We have been told that we will possibly find out who she is in April and go over there in June.
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