And the Winner Is...

Now that I have you attention, I want to write about something other than the winner of the free book. But I promise...I will tell you the results of our drawing in just a minute.

I was sitting in church this morning thinking about our Ethiopian kids and some of the recent snags we've hit in the process. They aren't anything major at this point, but they are annoying little things that delay bringing our children home.

I could be mad at the Ethiopian government for changing the rules mid-game. I could be upset with out agency for not foreseeing these issues. But they aren't the enemy.

There is an Enemy, and he is very real. He's called a Liar and a Thief, and for good reason.

He lies to me and to you and to my kids in Ethio all the time. He says we're not good enough. He says we don't belong. He says nobody will ever love us. He says we're unworthy. He says things will get worse.

And he steals. He steals our joy. He steals our hope. He steals parents from children. He steals our mental and physical health. He steals our sense of well-being.

I believe every snag we hit in this adoption is another attempt by the Liar and the Thief to keep our kids from having what every child deserves--a mom and a dad. A family. Grandmas and grandpas. Aunts and Uncles and cousins. Because if you don't have any of those things, it's hard to believe in a good God who loves you.

I can't think of anyone more vulnerable than a child without a family to love and protect him.

And I believe the Liar and the Thief would like to prevent our kids from belonging to a family and a church family who loves them and tells them the truth about God, about life, about death, and about themselves.

You can fully trust the Liar to do what he does best: lie. And usually about the things that are the most important.

...

If you are the praying sort, would you say a prayer this week for our kids? There are some important meetings where our Ethiopian team will meet with government officials to try to find out just what they need to provide to get things moving. Decisions will be made which we have no control of.

But God...

The authorities that exist in Ethiopia have been established by God. Their hearts are in God's hands. That's what the Bible says, and I choose to believe it.

God is able. More than able.

...

And now...on to the original purpose for this blog... our WINNER!

We printed every comment that was left on the blog and on Facebook, and we cut them into strips which we folded and put in a bag. At dinner Saturday night, we had Jackson pull out a piece of paper. And he pulled out... mine! For real. Forty some strips of paper, and he pulls out the one we accidentally included (I had commented on the FB post).  #ThatsMyBoy

Not to worry, we had Jack choose another one, and I'm super happy with his second random draw. 

The winner is a fellow adoptive mom and Wheatonite, a writer, and an advocate for modern-day slaves. She has authored 13 books (maybe more?) and is an avid reader. She's been a part of the same book club for more than 15 years. I first met her more than 15 years ago because her husband was my boss. Now that I freelance, I'm my own "boss," and I like to joke that he is *still* the best boss I've ever had.

*Drum roll, please...





Congratulations to Terri Kraus! Let me know which of the books you'd like, and I'll get it right out to you.

Thanks to everyone who left comments. It was encouraging and fun to see all the people who were reading.
...

OH, and just for fun, after we pulled Terri's name, I let Ken pull a name out of the bag. Guess who he pulled? His mom. Like father like son. :)

Today is the Day

The first blog in a blog series is always the hardest to write. Is background necessary? Should I explain the purpose? I don't even know the purpose for sure--only that I need an outlet to record the days of my life. I've had blogs before, but they never really encompassed all of me. So today is the day. From marriage to faith to babies to freelancing to writing to grammar to what's for dinner ... this is my life.

Today started with a somewhat stern call to the manufacturer of our baby crib. We ordered a crib online through Wal-Mart in November. We received it in December. Due to the holidays, we didn't open the box until January. May have been a mistake. It's a gorgeous crib, and I'm so happy with the way it looks.

Only problem is that the hardware was not included! After numerous emails and phone calls, I pulled the pregnant mommy card this morning. I threatened to contact the Better Business Bureau. She said the hardware will be here on Monday. Let's hope so! Our baby isn't due for another six weeks, but Ken's coworker just had her baby three weeks early...and that put the fear in me!

Speaking of baby, he is super active this morning. My belly is waving and jumping and rolling with all his movements. It's so fun to watch. The doctor says an active baby is a great sign of good health. But I have to admit, it still feels very, very strange.

Much to do today. My long-time friend Dawn and her two kids are coming to visit tomorrow from Chicago. I'm so happy they'll get relief from their ultra cold, snowy weather. We have big plans...pool, beach, drive-thru safari zoo, Billy Swamp Safari, church, Aruba's Beach Cafe...all in three days or so!

Also need to get busy on some freelance work, and do my daily reading. I'm reading through the Psalms, other Wisdom Literature, the Gospels and the Epistles this year. Reading through the entire Bible seems entirely too daunting, but this I can do. I got a daily reading plan off the internet, and so far so good. It's about two chapters a day, and truthfully, that's about all that my mind can digest in one sitting. If I read too much, I tend to lose it all; if I read a manageable amount, I can walk away with a couple truths for the day.

That's all for now...
Luann