We again, find ourselves in a time of waiting.  Waiting for the silly phone to ring with news of when our court date is.  After our referral, we had a nice month in which I knew the phone wouldn't be ringing with adoption news.  It was one of our best months simply because for the 9 months before that, we lived in anticipation of 'the call'.  We were thrilled to hear that our case was submitted to court so quickly.  And, now here we are nearing another piece of time in which the anticipation for the phone call is growing with each passing day.  With the upcoming rainy season and court closure, I have spent much of my week in prayer regarding our court date.  From the time we knew there was a possibility of sqeaking in before the court closure- I knew this was totally in His hands.  The struggle has been in finding the balance between favoring the hope of God's power or contentment in God's plan.  Hope and contentment don't really go together. 
I 'stumbled' across this verse from a book I've been reading lately...
"Therefore, do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward.  For you have need of endurance, so that when you are done the will of God, you may receive what is promised."  Hebrews 10:35-36. 
Reading this yesterday was one of those moments when you are reminded that there is nothing random about the way God chooses to reveal Himself in our lives.  Don't throw it away, we have to keep our confidence in Him who is the author of our story.  The verse doesn't say 'and, He will grant you the fast track as you please'.  We firmly believe we are doing the will of God.  However, we're not done.  We are still awaiting our reward. 
Instead of focusing on the hope of an unusually quick court date or contemplating God's definition of contentment... really the focus is on confidence.  Confidence in our BIG God, who knows best and loves us beyond measure.  We'll keep praying for the Ethiopian workers within the court system.  May their days be highly productive and may any challenges be removed before they even arise.  For us, we'll keep praying for confidence in God's plan. 
In the meantime, I really think I need a big time distraction so my email refresh function doesn't go on strike :)   So, I'm heading to Laguna Beach and Disneyland and Hollywood and.... a bunch of other fun places.  Seriously, I really am even if it is with students and considered a 'work' requirement.  It couldn't come at a better time...definitely a great distractionary activity, just when I'm kinda really needing one. 
We'll just keep uplifting our little guy in prayer in confidence that God has it all figured out.  God Bless

God Bless, America!

Happy Birthday America!  Throughout our nice, relaxing 4th of July weekend I've very much been struck with the feeling of gratitude.  We are so blessed in this country we can't even understand it all.  Last night we sat out on the porch and watched fireworks from across the neighborhoods.  It was warm, a gentle breeze and clear beautiful skies.  Kids ran with sparklers and the big 'kids' kabooms lit up the night skies.  We hear lots of grumbling these days about the goings on of America.  This is bad, and that's getting worse and those people are ruining everything.  You know, reality is.... we've got it really, really good.  
 Sitting there, I couldn't help but think about Ethiopia.  On a daily basis, we don't work very hard to retrieve water, we've got shoes to pick from and loads of creature comforts.   Every baby in America can be born in a hospital if the mother chooses; simply calling 911 will get you emergency services at your doorstep within minutes and the power of education is free and readily available in every neighborhood.  God really, really has blessed America.  I'm reminded today to always put gratitude before grumbling. 
Also last night, while sitting in my rocker on the porch, I said to Wes "next year is really going to be fun" to which he replied 'ah, ya- 2012 is going to be awesome'.  And, right then just down the street a huge set of fireworks burst into the sky.  Explosive layers of color bursting into the sky.  It was like God's  exclamation mark : )   We can't wait for next summer's fun of lighting up sparklers, tanks, worms and some chickens.  This year though, we're headed out for a super fun night of block parties with friends. 
God Bless, America!

Update!

We were thrilled this morning to receive an update on our little guy!  He is so incredibly cute- like, I can't even explain it.  He's smiling and you can tell he's laughing...oh, how sweet.  He hasn't gained much weight but he looks well so, we're content with that.  We can't share his picture so, if you live nearby be sure to stop us.  We're now armed with even more pictures : )  Still no news on the court date.  Typically, we won't hear about that for a couple more weeks at the earliest. 
Please continue to pray for Kaleb- may he continue to grow and develop well; that the caregivers' days go smoothly; and for the people working in the Ethiopian court system- may their work be efficient and highly productive.   God knows our days...He knows the day in which we'll have the honor of meeting our little guy in person.  Oh, our hearts can't wait but we will wait to see how God has our path laid out.  Today, though- we're just thrilled to see a sparkle in those little brown eyes and a big toothless grin!!! 
Thanks for the prayers, they are so greatly appreciated!!  God Bless : )

Submit(ted)

Submit. To give over or yield to the power or authority of another. Today we received an answer to prayer… we have learned that our paperwork has been submitted to court! Thank You, Jesus : )
Today, I was surprised to hear of our court submission. But, God wasn’t. Nothing surprises Him because He is the author of our timelines. The Ethiopian courts will close by the 2nd week of August and will remain closed for 6 weeks. By anyone’s standards, it would take a miracle for us to receive a court date prior to the court closure. We are preparing for an early fall court date- most likely after September. But (there’s always a ‘but’ you know)….we serve a Big and Mighty God!
Please join us in praying for our court date. Pray for all the people working on our case. May their time working be productive and efficient. That any obstacles, distractions and challenges be averted before they even realize it.
Today, we are firmly and confidently submitting our court date to God. He already knows the exact day and time in which we’ll meet our sweet little boy. God knows and has always known exactly what our ‘timeline’ will look like.
Our paperwork was submitted to the Ethiopian court last Friday and today we’re submitting our court date to God’s timing. Submit. To give over or yield to the power or authority of another. We’re yielding this one to God.

A month already...

Its hard to believe that its been a month since that incredible Friday afternoon in which we learned of our sweet little Kaleb!  I can truly say that this past month has moved right along with lots of projects and things going on.  We' ve had tons of fun sharing our picture with friends and family within the area.  Sweet baby boy, there are so many people praying for you and talking to God about getting you home as quickly as possible! 

This past month has been filled with lots of 'projects' as well...The garden fence is built, the garden is planted and...things are even growing : )   This is an accomplishment especially since we got 9.5 inches of rain within 10 days.  Since then, we've had over 2 more inches all within about 3 weeks of time.  I could never make it in Seattle!!  The peonies and daisies are just begging for sunshine. 

And, we've been enjoying our newest visitor at what we call the 'Roth B&B'!  Auntie Ashley is staying with us as she studies for her NCLEX nursing exam.  Its been great having her!  As bizarre as it sounds, the job market for nursing positions is incredibly competitive.  Many, many of her classmates have not been able to find a job- the market is simply saturated and hospitals are cutting back due to funding cuts.  However, it was incredibly fun last week when she got 'the call' with a job offer!!  The good news is she'll be in-state even if it is on the opposite side of state so hopefully, we'll still get to see her lots : )  I found this sweet little onsie...couldn't resist!!  We're pretty sure our little brown eyed boy will be able to work his wonders in ensuring she makes frequent trips west river : )

In adoption news....we're still waiting to hear that we've been submitted to court.  Currently, paperwork is being gathered in paperwork related to the birthfamily and other documents to complete the legal aspect of adopting our little guy.  Once all that has been gathered, our file will be 'submitted to court'.  A few weeks to a month after being submitted, we'll hear when our court date is.  Right now, we're thinking of summer as our 'preparation time'; fall will be traveling and winter will hopefully involve all of us being home together!  Please pray that our paperwork comes together quickly and that any obstacles on the Ethiopian side can be overcame quickly through God's grace. 

Good Things...

"The Lord is good to those who wait for Him." 

Lamentations 3:25

The old phrase/Bible verse 'good things come to those who wait' seems to be an unintended slogan for what at times can feel like large parts of my life sometimes.  Ahh, but the cool thing about God is that- if you stick with Him long enough, it always turns out with a happy ending.  Like any good story, there are normally some twists and turns along the way but you end up in an even better place than you thought possible. 

Today is the anniversary of one of God's greatest 'happy endings' (well in my opinion anyways)- our 2nd wedding anniversary.  Yup, that's us- we've made it all the way to the big #2.  Oh, what a blessing its been these past two years. 

Often times, our adoption reminds me of my life before meeting Wes and being 'matched' by God.  The season of life before meeting was long; often very, very quiet and in reality no one but me and God really knew the journey of those days.  It involved lots of conversations with God about timing, waiting, hoping, fearing it would never happen and lots of unknowns.  Each time I tripped by a distraction of the heart- God refined me where I needed to be.  Where He wanted me to be.  Which I would respond back to Him with the grumblings of my heart then gratitude for His protection and guidance. 

And, then, suddenly out of the blue- there was my answer.  It was like God said 'Alright, here's your good thing you've been waiting for".  There was Wes.  Suprise, suprise- God only does perfect!! : ) 

Two years ago today, we gathered together in my little hometown country church where it all came together.  It was a beautiful and blessed day.  One of my favorite moments (there of lots, like any wedding day) was sitting at the piano, with my dress flowing all down and around us, with Wes at my side turning the pages.  Together, with the people we loved, we sang out love songs to Jesus.  And, it was sweet and precious and good.   The Lord really is good to those who wait for Him! 

Our journey to little Kaleb has felt long; often very, very quiet and in reality no one but us and God have really known the details of our journey.  Today, marks our 10 month mark since our paperwork was sent to Ethiopia.  The Lord has been good to us in revealing our little guy to us this past month.  I just keep praying for all those still waiting and the list that just seems to be getting longer and longer and longer. 

Tonight, after our dinner date to Applebees, I was sitting in our hammock while Wes was in the yard.  The birds were chirping, a sliver of a silver moon was above and the leaves above barely caught a breeze.  We're so blessed.  Oh, God just match all those babies quickly so they too can experience their 'good thing' which He's got all planned out for them. 

P.S.  Happy Anniversary to my #1 page turner : ) Love you lots!

Action and Vision

Naming a child is a tremendous responsiblity.  And, we're so very happy with how God has guided us in the naming of our little guy.  Throughout the long and often quiet months of our adoption process- it was the discussion of baby names that kept us entertained.  Although we speculated on many, in reality we really kind of new right from the start.  Last summer we painted the exterior of our very tall, kinda big two story house.  We spent an incredibly intense weekend of hauling scaffolding, paint buckets and...discussing baby names.  Do you like this one, how about that one?  It wasn't until sometime this winter that we really started to narrow down the top contenders.  Really, the process of naming our little guy was more about us discovering the name God had picked for Baby Roth.  I remember a year ago, a new dad commenting on this and I thought to myself... um, ok- but, still you're picking a name for your kid.  It wasn't until we've arrived at where we are today that I understand.

We've named our little guy after one of the great unsung heroes of the Bible.  Here's my paraphrased version of the story... Our little guy's namesame was a man of God who was selected as a leader to go scout out the Promised Land.  After checking things out, they were all to report back to Moses.  Ten of the twelve said- "Its great, flowing with milk and honey.  BUT, the guys there are huge, and they've got giants for relatives and well... there's no way we can beat them.  We look like grasshoppers compared to them!" 
However...the Bible then reads-

"Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said,

“We should go up and take possession of the land,

for we can certainly do it"

Numbers 13:30 (NIV)

Caleb and Joshua had faith that the Promised Land could be conquered.  But, the Isrealites...well, as usual they all got together that night and got to talking and whining and wishing they would have just died in Egypt anyways.  They got mad and didn't just doubt God.  They basically told Him (our Saviour and creator) that He had messed up.  They took matters into their own hands and decided to elect a leader and head back to Egypt because that was a 'better idea'.   Caleb and Joshua tried again calling out to their peers-

“The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good. 8 If the LORD is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us. 9 Only do not rebel against the LORD. And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will devour them. Their protection is gone, but the LORD is with us. Do not be afraid of them.”  Numbers 14: 7-9

But, instead of listening to God's two faithful ones.... the Isrealites started talking about stoning the two 'crazy' ones.  God loves and protects those who are faithful to Him.   And, God was admittedly very frustrated with the Isrealites.  'His Glory' was revealed in a tent of the people.  After reading Numbers 14, I don't think this was a beautiful, majestic, angels singing hallelujah's and peace on earth kind of 'glory revealed'.  It sounds a little more like a dad showing up in the middle of a conflict and saying- "Hey- enough is enough.  I'm done bailing you out and listening to you whine and you never cooperate or have any faith in me".  So, God kicked them back out to the wilderness where he promised everyone over 20 would die and none of you are getting into the promised land BUT..." 

But because my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he went to, and his descendants will inherit it. Numbers 14:24

Caleb was steadfast.  Forty-five years later at the age of 85, after a long journey and a faithful life- he reminded Joshua of the Lord's promise to Caleb as a blessing for his whole-hearted faithfullness.  Caleb was courageous, obedient, persistant and in the end rewarded and greatly blessed by the Lord.  He made it to the promised land (Moses didn't by the way- he got to see but no touch)! 

 Before we were matched with our little guy, we were seriously considering the spelling of 'Kaleb'.  You see, Kaleb is the legitimate Ethiopian cognate of Caleb.  But, we didn't know for sure.... until we learned that our little guy was born on Grandpa Kenneth Berry's 82nd birthday : )  So, the 'K' is for Kenneth and for Ethiopia!  God does amazing work I tell ya!!! :)
We'll call him Kaleb A**** Roth and will be keeping his Ethiopian family name as his middle name. 
This week, I received a letter from my Grandma- the new Great Grandma Berry.  In it, she summed up our name selection quite perfectly..."Kaleb, how fitting- action and vision."

We know our little guy's life won't be easy- it already has had its trials.  It is our prayer that we can raise him to be a faithful man of God who is obedient, courageous and in the end greatly blessed by God.  

God Bless!

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