Things I wish you knew. Thoughts from the flip side.

I have written this blog a thousand times in my mind. It is brilliant each time. Now, as I am putting the words to paper (or computer screen), it is terrifying. 

 Let me explain. No, there is too much. Let me sum up. 

I am wife to the best husband in the world and the mother of five amazing children. Two of those kiddos I grew in my womb - all by myself (OK, my husband helped, but I did all the work). The other three were born on the other side of the world. Thanks to God, my family, my friends, and a couple of great agencies, we were able to bring them home. 

 They were 4, 6 and 11 years old when they joined our family. 

 Yes. I am one of those weirdos who adopted. Not only internationally, but also adopted older kids. 

I know, Crazy. 

I am also the Ethiopia Program Director of an agency. Yup. I am one of those people that are criticized, glared at and judged quite severely from the adoption world...and often those outside the adoption world as well.

I help unite children and their forever families. Best. Job. Ever. 

 Most days. 

So. Here is a list of things we adoption professionals would want our adoptive families, their friends, and those who give us the stink eye, to know. 

 We hate corruption and child trafficking. Hate it. We hate it even more than you do. We want nothing to do with it. It makes us sick. We wish neither of these things existed. 

 We care for the birth families of our children. The greatest day will be the day I am out of a job because there are no more orphans. I pray for that day. 

 We are not in this for the money. Do you want to see my tax return from last year? Trust me, it won't blow your mind. 

 We do this because we LOVE it. But, it isn't easy. 

 You know those days when we call or email you with bad news? Yeah. We hate that. Almost as much as you do. You know THE CALL?? The one you have been waiting for? Yeah. LOVE those days. It may be your best day ever - but I am floating on clouds right along with you. 

 You know that phone call, where you are angry and frustrated because of delays? When things are just not going the way you think they should. That call where you yell at us, and accuse us of not doing our jobs, and vent your frustration until you have no more words? Yeah. It's OK. We understand. This job is more than a job. We are working with your heart. Sometimes it gets broken. And it hurts. It's OK. We forgive you. And we will keep on working until you have your child in your arms. (We may still break into cold sweats the next couple times your number shows up on our caller ID. Just being real, here.) 

 If you want to know the truth. I was afraid (terrified) to write this post. I was afraid I might say something wrong. It seems like even Christians (sometimes ESPECIALLY we Christians) can get mean and ugly where adoption is concerned. There is an "Us verses Them" mentality. Well, I am both us and them. I am an adoptive mom. I work for an adoption agency. 

 How do we resolve this conflict? We need to see each other as friends. As teammates. As family. We are working toward the same goal. 

 Do we fight corruption and trafficking? Absolutely. Bring on the battle. 

 Do we let fear stop us from adopting? Never. These kids deserve a family. 

 Do we work together with love and compassion? Yes, please. 

 I know there are some agencies out there who do this for the wrong reasons. But, those are rare. Most of us are doing this for the kids. And the families. 

 We believe and live James 1:27.
 We believe God puts the fatherless into families. 
 That he will not leave them as orphans. 

 We are passionate about this job and will pour our heart and souls into it. We will work odd hours to keep in touch with overseas staff. We will take emergency phone calls from our families with flight delays at 3am. We will work diligently to bring your child home. We love you. Because we are you.

 Now, lets start down the road that makes my job obsolete. Are you in???

Back by Popular Demand - Super Man-Up Shirts

I have had several people ask me about the Super Man-up tshirts, so I will be selling them again to help raise money for our Ordinary Hero trip this June! I will only be taking orders until May 20, I want to be sure they will be out by Fathers day. These shirts are high quality and super-soft and are unisex slim cut. They have the Man-up logo on the front and say "Protect and Love the Fatherless" on the back. Great for Dads, but also great for anyone else who cares about the fatherless!! Thanks for your continued support! We can't do this trip without you!

Buy your Mom a gift, help a Mom and Daughter get to Ethiopia!!

Hello friends! If you only follow my blog and not my FB page, you probably wondered if the Shetley fam dropped off the face of the earth. Nope, we are still alive and running from sporting event to drama performance to musical concert. Staying busy. As many of you know, Megin and I have been trying to plan a trip back to Ethiopia. We will be traveling with a group called Ordinary Hero and we will be doing lots of great projects for orphans, widows and those in poverty in Ethiopia. It will be Megin's first trip back to her birth country and we are so excited! We tried this last summer, but because of passport complications, had to reschedule. Now, we are moving back "home" to Branson less than a month before our trip and OH MY GOODNESS it has snuck up on us and we have some MAJOR fundraising to do before we go. We have about $3000 to raise in 2 months!! This week we will be selling some AMAZING Mother's Day gifts. We have Simply Love shoulder bags in three colors (I have used one of these as a purse for the past 3 years - I LOVE it!!). We have blue, yellow and green (UPDATE: SOLD OUT OF GREEN). These are $25 (plus $5.00 shipping). I also have a very limited supply of paper bead necklaces from Rwanda. These are beautiful, colorful and uber-stylish. I wear mine all the time and always get great compliments. These are being sold for $20 (plus $2.00 shipping). If you buy more than one item, I will combine shipping and you will only pay one shipping fee. If you have a mom and if she would appreciate a gift that also helps us serve orphans and widows...here is your chance! Click on the link on the right of my page to purchase. I have a limited supply, so order soon! I will do my best to get your gift to you (or your mommy) before Mother's Day. Of course, we are also taking general donations as well. Click here:Randi's Ordinary Hero Trip to make a tax deductible donation directly to Ordinary Hero for my trip. Thank you for your continuous support! We can't do this without you! Randi and Megin

Ta-Mo-Ca Ethiopian Coffee for sale!!

Megin and I are selling Ta-Mo-Ca coffee as a fundraiser for our June Mission trip with Ordinary Hero. Just click on my paypal link to purchase. $12 per bag + $3 shipping = $15. Please select whole bean or ground. UPDATE: WOW!! I AM ALREADY SOLD OUT OF WHOLE BEAN!! GET YOUR GROUND COFFEE BEFORE IT IS GONE TOO!!! Thank you!!

Just a girl, following a BIG God.

I can't blog from Ethiopia, but am (trying to) keep a journal. Here is what happened last Wednesday: Day 3: It is Wednesday. Today was Abenezer’s visa appointment. The visa appointment was set for 8:00am. We arrived about 20 minutes early, it was wet and a bit rainy. We had Ab’s passport, photos, application and letters from a few churches and camp where Abenezer is planning to share his story. Unlike my last experience at the US embassy in Addis, I was not able to just walk right in. This was Abenezer’s appointment, so we had to wait in line with the other Ethiopians. I was so glad I was going to be able to attend the appointment with him. We waited in the line outside for about 45 minutes. About a hundred of us huddled under the one bit of shelter in front of the embassy. We finally made it in the door, went through security, then went into a giant room that was already filled with around 150 people. There were 12 windows. Abenezer was given a number and we waited. His number was called and we went to the first window, we gave them his passport and visa application, then sat back down...and waited. We thought they had called his number again, went to a window behind another person and saw their application rejected and they were sent home to make another appointment because the passport photos were the wrong size, the same size as Abenezer’s. We approached the window and realized Ab’s number had NOT been called, so we sat back down...and waited. Abenezer’s name was called and we went to another window where his fingerprints were taken. We sat back down and waited...and waited...and waited. While we were waiting I was studying the four Americans that were giving the interviews. I had been specifically praying for whoever would do our interview. I was curious who it was I had been praying for. We were told the interview would last only a couple of minutes, and a decision would be made. We were also told that one of the interviewers was very tough and she rarely granted visas. And we waited. We watched several people who had been behind us in line come and go. Finally, Abenezer’s name was called. When we got to the window I realized this lady had just taken over this window. It had been a man in that spot all morning. We walked to the window together, but she asked me to hand her my paperwork then sit down, she needed to talk to Abenezer alone. I heard her ask him his story, since so many churches were asking to hear it. I did not hear his answer. She asked him a couple other questions, then she invited me up to the window. She asked how I knew him, and I told her the 2 minute version. She then asked if I was a Quaker - that threw me off guard. I told her yes, she said she noticed most of the churches he was visiting were Friends churches. Then she told me she went to a Friends school...and she gave us the visa approval. We found out later that day, this is the woman who rarely granted visas. The fact that the photos were the wrong size was never mentioned. We experienced a true miracle...WOW!!

I am learning so much about how BIG my God is, and how small my faith is. My eyes are slowly being opened. Each time I take a small step out in faith, God exceeds my expectations. He is so much bigger than me, His plans so much greater. It is not about me. It is not about Abenezer. It is about God’s kingdom and His plan. I can’t wait to see how God uses Abenezer. I have said I feel like Billy Graham’s Sunday school teacher. I am getting the chance to be a small part in Abenezer’s story, but I really feel God is going to use him to do mighty, mighty things for His kingdom. I can’t wait to watch his story unfold. Until then, I pray I am faithful and willing and courageous enough to do whatever it is God asks of me. I pray my story will inspire others...not that they will see me, but that they can see that if God can use a little, poor, goofy Kansas girl like me, then He can surely use them as well.

Passport Madness

What a crazy week. Well, unless an unbelievable miracle happens tomorrow, Megin will not be going on this trip to Ethiopia. The craziness started last Thursday. Megin still, after 4 weeks, had not received her passport. I called to ask about it, they told me we could expedite for $76. We were getting down to the wire, so I agreed. Monday, we got a

letter in the mail telling us we need additional documentation to prove her citizenship. No problem, we had an issue with Tem's passport, too, but were able to call and clear everything up. No such luck. After 2 days and over 60 phone calls (Congressmen, lawyers, county clerks, adoption experts, best friends, and lots and lots of random secretaries who would transfer me...and transfer...and transfer...)nothing worked. We had to break the news to Megin after school today, which was one of the hardest things we have ever done. She was disappointed, i was heartbroken. Overall, a very hard day. SO...we are postponing her trip. She will still go, we can get a refund for all but $300 of her airline ticket. She has raised enough money to make a trip later. Perhaps she and I can return in September when we take Abenezer back to Ethiopia. We can complete all the paperwork the passport agency is requesting over the summer. WE will make that trip, and still have that reunion with Grandma. I will still be leaving on Saturday morning. It is going to be a completely different trip without Megin. Not really sure what I will be doing for two weeks. I am kind of a spontanious planner. I like to have an outline for the trip...then I am comfortable to change it as I go. To go into a trip like this with, really, my departure, my return and Abenezer's visa appoinment on the calendar...and nothing else. Well, it is pretty scary. Definitely out of my comfort zone. Well, bring it on. Please continue to pray for Abenezer's visa appointment. I really want to be able to bring him home for the summer. Pray for my health (my biggest fear is to be sick while I am there, esp. there alone). Pray that I am open to whatever God has for me on this trip. Thanks, friends, for your fervant prayers this past week. Please keep them coming. It feels like a spiritual battle and I can't do it without your support!

URGENT! Need a family for these girls

UPDATE!!!! FOREVER FAMILY FOUND!!! PRAISE THE LORD :) These beautiful girls need a Forever Family, and soon! These beautiful girls are 7, 4 and 3 and are currently in an orphanage in Ethiopia. They are getting older and it is sooo hard to place 3 children with one family. If you know anyone who would be willing to adopt this sib set of girls, have them email me ASAP at randishetley@ifservices.org. We would prefer families who have already gotten their I171H approval, or at least have completed their fingerprint appointment. Please do not share this photo, but feel free to send people to my blog. Please pray we can place them soon!!

Randi

Help Megin get to Ethiopia!

Hello friends!

I am so excited that Megin is coming with me to Ethiopia in May!  I am thrilled to be able to share my love for her birth country.

Along with Abenezer's visa appointment (keep praying for favor with the embassy - we WANT that visa!!), we are also hoping to re-connect Megin with her grandmother, and perhaps some of her extended family.  What an amazing opportunity for both of us!

We are also hoping to visit some orphanages, help with a medical team coming to Korah (city dump area), and spending some time with Embracing Hope Ethiopia (check out their video HERE).

We still need to raise about $1000 (we already have a little over $1500) for her trip. To donate, Simply click on the chip in button on the right of this page and donate as much as you like.
Thanks for your continued support on our crazy journey!! Can't wait to tell you all about this trip!

Out of the Box, into the Amazing

Well followers (that sounds pretentious), sorry there has not been an update recently. Life gets crazy, you know??  If this is the first post of mine you have read you will need some background.  Read my story about Abenezer HERE.

Where to begin??  December.  First, on December 14th I wrote THIS post (it's short, if you read it this will all make more sense...trust me).  I was saying I trusted God to provide the $3400 I needed to get Abenezer a visa and airline ticket.  I knew that it couldn't happen with out His help.  Needless to say, God did some crazy amazing things right around Christmas.  You see, I had begun working as a Field Rep a couple months before.  I was hoping to help connect some families with an agency, and was honored to work with International Family Services again.  I worked for them as a receptionist waaaaayyyy back in 1996 when I was pregnant with Alexis.  Great people.

So, I got an email from Carol Mardock (aka Executive Director of IFS) telling me that they had these infants available in Ethiopia and no waiting families at this time.  Well, thanks to God, Kari Gibson and Facebook, we placed 5 infants in a month.  As a field rep, I am paid per family as I unite them with the agency.  Between t-shirt sales, donations and that one month miracle, I had more than the $3400 I was hoping to get.

Plan B:  You know that verse where it says God is willing and able to to more than we can think or imagine (yup, that's a good one).  Well, it's true.  At the beginning of January, God challenged me to stop putting him in a box.  That, when it is His will, there are no limits.  So, I started to get ridiculous (in my feeble teeny tiny mind).  I thought "Oh, yeah, lets see how big I can dream".  Here was my "big" dream.  Now that I had the money to get Abenezer here, I wanted to be able to go get him myself.  My being at the visa appointment would increase the chances of his getting a visa by 567% (totally made that number up).  It is what I had secretly hoped for from the beginning, but never dared to think it  could happen.  Then, I dreamed even BIGGER.  I dreamed I could take my daughter Megin with me.  We adopted Megin nine years ago from Ethiopia. I have always wanted to take her back with me and give her a reunion with her grandmother.  I also wanted to give her the opportunity to serve in her home country.  Of course, it seemed like a far-reaching dream.  Yeah, have you met my God?  He loves those dreams.

Cut to February.  I find myself getting tons of emails and fb messages about adoption.  I also get a call from IFS that they need a new Ethiopia Program Director, and would I be interested.  WHAT?!?  Of COURSE I am interested.  I only live and breathe God, orphans and Ethiopia.  It's only my PASSION...YES PLEASE!

So, now here I am, a mere 3 months to the DAY that I posted that I wanted to get Abenezer home, but I wanted God to get the glory.  I wanted it to happen in such a way that I would get no credit.  I am blown away by God's blessings to me.  I don't even have the words to express it.

Today, someone sent $500 to my Paypal account.  Out. Of. The. Blue.  Yesterday, a friend told me they were sending $350.  God is Rocking My World.  The $3400 I needed for Abenezer has grown to $7500 so Megin and I can go to Ethiopia (an astronomical amount in the world of Randi's checkbook).  As of today we only have $1574 left to raise.  And you know what?  I'm not even worried about it.  Nope, not a bit.  And you know what else? I am going to TRY to stop limiting what I do by what my checkbook tells me.  God is bigger than my checkbook (shouldn't I have known that by now??).  God is bigger than my "big" dreams.  And the more I come to know Him, the more I see His character, the more I understand that this is SO not about me...well the more in Awe of Him I am.  I am willing to stop freaking out - and just do His will.  I am going to listen and GO, because this adventure I am on is incredible.  

Thank you to those who have prayed for this dream.  Thank you, thank you to those who have listened and donated.  Your faithfulness astounds me.

This is so much bigger than I know.  God is doing amazing things, which makes me think this is about more than bringing my son home from Ethiopia.  This is a catalyst of something huge for God's kingdom. I don't know what that is, but I am thrilled to play a part.  I am willing.  Send Me.

My Daughter, Alexis

Just had to show off.  This is my 15 yr old daughter, Alexis, performing an original song.  Thanks for watching!!
Click Here to watch "Okay", by Alexis Shetley

God is...WOW!!

Crazy Miracles happening this Christmas season!

Will fill you in on the details later, but for NOW, I only have 2 African Magazine Bead necklaces left!

Let me know if you want one of them!  $12 each!

Thanks!  Hope your Christmas was Amazing!  I know mine was :-)

Wow!

Thank you to those who purchased T-shirts and necklaces!  I have even had a few donations from people I have never met!!  Shirts came in today and should be in the mail tomorrow!

I have been praying so hard about Abenezer.  I know that if it is God's will that he be with us this summer it will happen.  I love Mark Batterson's Lion Chaser's Manifesto.  The line that keeps standing out to me is this, "Go after a dream that is destined to fail without divine intervention."  That is SO scary.  

To some people $3400 is nothing, a drop in the hat, a tiny portion of their income.  I am so blessed in my life with family, friends, passions that God is growing in me, love for life, good health, soooo many things.  Money, I have not been blessed (cursed??) with.  And honestly, I praise God for that.  It forces me to trust Him, seek His help, follow His dreams, His passions.  And WOW, what an adventure it has been.  I look at how God has provided over the past year and a half.  I have been to Africa THREE times!!!  THREE!! Each of those provided by God in crazy miraculous ways.  God put this passion in my heart for orphans and I don't have an option but to do what He tells me to do.

I want to make this disclaimer.  This post is not to ask you for money.  I have been so worred.  I have been asking God to show me how to raise these funds.  I have racked my brain for new exciting ideas for fund-raising, wondering who I should bug next - ha!!  But, you know what?  I don't want to be able to take the credit for raising this money.  I don't want to look back and say: "I worked hard and I sold this many t-shirts, and I raised this much with a dinner, and I made people feel something - which convinced them to give."

I want to say, "WOW, there is no way this could have happened if God had not stepped in."

I will still do fund-raisers, I will still keep everyone up to date as things progress, I may even ask for your help.  But I want you to know, God gets all the glory.  He is the one who assembled this puzzle, he knows how it ends and what the final picture looks like.  I am but a humble servant, in awe and amazed at what my King can do.

Last Chance for T-shirts!!!

UPDATE:  The t-shirts are IN and I did purchase a few extras, just in case.  If you want a shirt, leave a comment with the size you would like and I will let you know if I have any available.  ALSO, I have 9 African Magazine bead necklaces left.  If you order a shirt or a necklace by noon on Friday, you can still get them before Christmas.


Thank you!!!

My Super-Man Up and Wonderlady shirt sale ends at MIDNIGHT TONIGHT!!!

Please order soon if you want one!  Thanks for all your prayers and support!!

ALSO, I will be selling the African Magazine Beads until Christmas!!

Thanks again for your purchase and prayer support!!!

Randi

Be A Hero!

UPDATE:  The t-shirts are IN and I did purchase a few extras, just in case.  If you want a shirt, leave a comment with the size you would like and I will let you know if I have any available.  ALSO, I have 9 African Magazine bead necklaces left.  If you order a shirt or a necklace by noon on Friday (Dec 16), you can still get them before Christmas.


OK, for one week ONLY!!  I will be selling the Hero Simply Love and Hero Man Up T-shirts!!

The mens shirt (which girls can wear too) is slim cut, unisex, and Awesome!!  The front says "Man Up", the back says "Protect and Love the Fatherless".

The women's shirt is also slim cut (jr size, order one or two sizes larger than normal).  The front says "Simply Love", the back says "Protect and Love the Fatherless".  I LOVE this shirt!!

I also have several African magazine bead necklaces for sale.  These are beautiful, durable, hand-made necklaces that come in many colors. 

Remember, each purchase helps us bring Abenezer home.  If you have not read my story, click here.

Shirts are $25 each, and necklaces are $12 (please add $5 per shipment for shipping costs - only pay shipping once, even if you buy several items).  Just click on my Paypal "donate" link and type your order in the notes, or send a check to:

Randi Shetley

PO Box 296

Fowler, KS 67844

Thank you!!!

  

The Son of my Heart

Many of you know this story, some of you know part of the story, and a few of you may have never heard of my Ethiopian friend, Abenezer.  I will start at the beginning.

My first mission trip ever was with Visiting Orphans in July 2010.  My friend Kari Gibson was leading this trip, and God provided all the finances I needed to go on this incredible adventure.  My prayer before this trip was that I would be able to make a difference in the life of one person.  I knew what I saw would be overwhelming, and I knew I could never make a difference in the world, but was hoping I could make a difference in one life.

One of the most memorable parts of this trip was our visit to Korah, the village outside the city dump in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.  An amazing group called Project 61 had begun a sponsorship program for kids from Korah.  These kids could now be placed in a boarding school with 3 meals a day, a bed each night and education.  

My first day in Korah, I met 3 incredible kids.  Sentayu, Binyam and Abenezer.  These three teenagers followed me everywhere and treated me like a princess.  They would carry my water bottle, my backpack, and when we were hiking to the community soccer field and back they each had an arm on mine to make sure I didn't slip in the mud. Sweet, sweet boys.  Binyam spoke English very well, so I talked to him the most, and he would translate for the other boys.  Sentayu smiled a lot, and Abenezer quietly followed us around.  When our team supplied the kids with a meal of injera, sheep and veggies, the boys insisted I sit with them.  They even offered to share their food with me - wow - not sure when they had eaten last, but they were worried about me.  I hugged each of them goodbye, not knowing that was the beginning of a relationship that would change my life.

On the last full day in Ethiopia, we got a BIG surprise.  Six of our team would be able to spend the night in Korah.  We would sleep in the shelter with some of the kids who were being sponsored.  It was a giant sleepover!!  It was sooo much fun!  The kids made us coffee and popcorn.  Someone brought in a TV and VCR and we watched a movie together, all crammed in a little room and sitting on wooden benches and wood slat floor.  

When we arrived at the shelter, Abenezer was one of the first kids I saw. I was SO happy that one of my boys was there!  He ran up to me and gave me a big hug, which surprised me since he had been so shy a few days earlier.  He sat next to me the entire evening, looking thru the photo album of my family.  Within 20 minutes, he knew the names of each of my kids and Shane.  He poured over that album, staring at it. memorizing each face.  While we watched the movie, this sweet 14 year old fell asleep on my shoulder.  By the end of the evening, he was calling me mom, and I was calling him my son.  The next morning, my team had to leave.  I hugged Abenezer goodbye, gave him a pic of my family, and told him that God had BIG plans for his life and to trust in God.  I told him I would never forget him.  

I meant that, but I had no idea what God had planned.

In October of last year something amazing happened.  I got a phone call from my friend Kari.  I had purchased 2 t-shirts from her and was entered into a contest.  Much to my surprise (and Kari's), my name was drawn and I WON a mission trip back to Ethiopia.  WHAT?!?!  It was a wild feeling...and a bit scary.  Why had God given me this trip?  What did it mean?

Well, February 2011 came around and I was on my 2nd trip in 6 months to Ethiopia.  We went back to Korah, but since it was February, all the sponsored kids were away at school.  We did, however, have an incredible experience in Korah.  A beautiful 14 year old girl named Mercy was very sick.  Her mother, Mulu, asked our team to pray for her daughter.  Mulu is an incredible lady, with more faith than I had ever seen.  Mercy had actually died several months before, but after a prayer from Mulu her daughter was raised from the dead.  Yes, dead.  She was alive but, still sick.  When a few ladies from our team prayed for this sick girl, and sang over this sick girl, they didn't know they were about to witness a miracle.  Less than an hour after our team left Mercy and Mulu's house, Mercy came walking down the street.  Compeletely healed!!  We sang praises to God, and took Mercy shopping for a new outfit for her new life.  It was an incredible day.

God made it possible for 5 members of our team to take a 5 hour trip to Shashemene school, near Awassa, to see our kids.  Two of our team had sponsored kids through Project 61 and wanted to meet them.  Kari and I wanted to see the kids we had met the summer before.  

Abenezer had no idea I was coming.  When we arrived at around 10am, all the kids were in class.  We had to wait until noon to find the kids.  Even then, this is a HUGE school, so as I was waiting in the cafeteria, wave after wave of kids came in, but no Abenezer.  Finally, one of the Korah kids came running in to me and said "Abenezer is coming!".  I saw him out the window and ran to him and caught him up in a big Mama Bear hug.  He was shocked to see me, and there were tears in his eyes when he looked at me.  I had wondered if he would remember me, since so many Americans tour Project 61.  Then he showed me something that rocked me to the core.  He told me he wanted to show me his belt buckle.  He lifted his shirt, and on his belt, made into a buckle, was the photo of my family I had given him back in July.  He was wearing my family around his waist!!  Wow.

Abenezer gave me a tour of Shashemene school, I saw his dorm room, the restrooms, the cafeteria, and the beautiful campus.  I asked him to remind me to give him the gifts I brought for him.  He told me he had a gift for me, too.  We stopped back in his room and he pulled his backpack out of his closet.  In this backpack was a package, wrapped in shiny red paper, just for me.  In it was three necklaces that he made     for me ( I am still wearing one of those as a bracelet, I never take it off) and a comp notebook.  In it were drawings for each of my family members, and at the end, his entire life story.  What an incredible gift...that he had been keeping in his backpack for the day he would see me again.  Again, wow.  Remember the picture album he looked at over and over again at the sleepover?  I brought that album back with me and gave it to him to keep.  I also gave him an Amheric bible and reminded him that God had big plans for His life.  I told him I loved him, but God loved him even more.  I told him to keep seeking God's will, even when it is hard.

We had a tearful goodbye, and I told him I hoped to come visit him again soon.  

At this point I started trying to figure out a way to make Abenezer a more permanent part of my life.  I asked about adoption...not a possibility since he did have a living birthmom (whom he had not seen in many many years).  Also, adopting a pre-identified child is VERY difficult, if not impossible in Ethiopia right now.  Next, Shane and I talked about getting him a student visa.  If we were not able to do that, we wanted to at least get him a tourist visa so he could spend a summer with us.  We visited with an immigration lawyer about what it would take and prayed. A Lot.

My greatest fear was that I would tell Abenezer that we wanted to get him a visa...then something would go wrong, it wouldn't work, and he would be crushed.  

In August of this year, Shane and I had the opportunity to lead a trip to Ethiopia and Rwanda with Visiting Orphans.  I was SOO excited for Shane and Alexis to meet Abenezer.  The reunion was awesome.  We met with a big hug, and sparkling eyes.  I introduced him to everyone on our team, and we had some great conversations.  

Here is where things get crazy.  I have only told this story to 3 or 4 people.  Even now, almost 3 months later, I'm not sure how to explain it.  Abenezer told me there was a prophet in the village, and that the prophet had told him some amazing things.  She told him that he would be a man who shared the Gospel of Jesus around the world.  He wanted me to meet this prophet.  When he found her I almost fell to my knees right there.  The prophet was Mulu, Mercy's mother!!!  When she realized I was "Abenezer's Mother", she was so excited to talk to me.  Abenezer, Mulu, Henok (our translator) and I all went into a small room away from everyone else.  She told me that she dreamed about Abenezer before she had ever met him.  She knew this boy would be traveling to another country to talk about Jesus.  In fact, three days before this, she had told Abenezer a Forenge (foreign) woman would be coming with a group of other Forenge to visit him.  She had had a vision about that very moment in that room with the four of us talking about Abenezer.  Wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow.

I knew in that moment that I did not need to be afraid to tell Abenezer our plans to bring him to America for a visit.  It seems God had already told him.

Sooooo....now, we are in the process of getting his visa.  I know God will provide, but I feel like I need to share this story, and give you the opportunity to help us bring Abenezer home.  He has his passport, but now is the hard part.  Visas are not given easily.  Lawyer fees and visa fees and airline tickets are expensive.  But it seems God has a plan, who am I to question it??  Please be praying fervantly for this precious boy and for our family and for this situation.  I do belive God has a BIG plan, which means the enemy will be working hard against it.

My CURRENT fundraiser (Feb 1-9):  I have a gorgeous king-sized, hand made quilt up for auction on ebay.  It has a cool coffee cup theme and is tagged Protect and Defend the Fatherless.  SO cool.  Here is the link. 

UPDATE

I have the $3500 to get Abenezer here!!!  Praise God!!  Phase one is complete.  Now we are on to phase 2.  I need about $2500 to get my airline ticket to Ethiopia and for my lodging for about 10 days.  I really feel like I need to be there for Ab's visa appointment.  His chances of getting the visa approved will increase 100 times if an American is there to insure he will return to Ethiopia.  THANK YOU SOOO MUCH for your help so far, God is doing great things!!!  I can't wait to see what happens next!

God Chooses the itinerary

August 9th 

We awoke this morning after a relatively good night’s sleep.  We ate breakfast at the hotel, and loaded up to go to our first orphanage.  Jane called to see if there was anything the orphanage needed.  They asked for food.  Wow.  Everyone pitched in and we bought $195,000 (not dollars...Francs - the equivalent of $325 USD) of supplies for them.  We bought porridge, rice, diapers, sugar, beans, and laundry detergent.  We made our way to the orphanage and arrived around 11:00.  

I felt like something was wrong as soon as we arrived.  I had seen pics of the orphanage and this did not look the same.  We were told that there were visitors there from the American Embassy singing for the kids.  Clue #2, the orphanage knew we were coming and were expecting us.  The orphanage director was very kind, and told us some amazing stories of how the orphanage came to be.  When he asked who we were, we told him about Visiting Orphans, and he said “Why have we never heard of you?”.  Clue #3.   He gave us a lovely tour of the facility, then we joined the kids and listened to the end of the concert.  I held a lovely little girl on my lap (I think it was a girl, they all had their hair cut short).  Finally we had our final clue.  Emmanuel called us on Jane’s phone asking us when we would arrive...oops!!  At least we hadn’t already given away the supplies they had asked for!  

I do believe that God makes divine appointments sometimes, and I think there is a reason we visited this orphanage! I will be passing on their info to Visiting Orphans so we can put them on the itinerary next time.

We had lunch at a lovely Rwandan buffet, and were measured for hand made Rwandan skirts.

Finally, around 3:00pm, we made it to the orphanage.  They were sooo happy to see us.  We parked on the side of the street, grabbed our donations and the supplies and followed them across the street.  We walked up a hill, then walked up a steeper hill, then jumped across a small ravine, then up an even steeper hill.  Most of the Muzungus (white people) were panting pretty hard when we finally made it to the orphanage!

At first, it was pure chaos.  20 Muzungus with candy, bracelets, whistles, stickers and 95 kids wanting them makes for a pretty insane picture.  Eventually we realized we could never make it even, so we gave the toys to the director to give away later.  We, with Emmanuel’s (The Director) help split the kids into three groups by age.  We did some great art projects with them.  The youngest kids glued cotton balls onto light blue paper to make the sky (God made the sky and God made us).  The primary/elementary kids made paper dolls and colored them (We are all connected and all friends), the tweens and teens drew their name on a piece of construction paper and decorated with glitter, sequins, and crayons (God knows your name).  For about 30 minutes it was very organized - ha!!  As the kids finished their art projects, Jenn and Chris were setting up the camera equipment.  They would take a pic of a child holding their art project, then printed them, right there in the orphanage, then stuck them on foam board and let the kids decorate.  It was a BIG hit!  The kids loved seeing their pics and loved even more that they got to keep those pics!!

We finished the day in Heaven.  No really, the restaurant is called Heaven!  Brad and Chelsea Carpenter met us there and we had some amazing food, and great conversation with them and the team.  It was really great to spend time with them!

Tomorrow we leave early for Giseny.  We didn’t empty many suitcases today, so we will have to fit 22 people, 41 suitcases, plus our carry-on bags in a bus made to carry 24 people.  It might be a tight 3 hr drive tomorrow!!

PLEASE continue to pray for us, lots of traveling in the next few days.  Praying we can really love these kids and make a difference that lasts longer than one day!!

The Adventure Begins

Aug 6 - Aug 8, The Adventure Begins!

Shane, Alexis, Keighley, Amanda and I left Fowler at 6:15 and had an uneventful drive to Wichita (thanks for driving us, Shawna!) and boarded our flight to Chicago. We were a bit nervous because we only had 40 minutes between flights and O’Hare is a huge airport. We made it there on time...and our flight was delayed. We finally got to Dulles in Washington DC and met Katie and Abby, the other two teenagers on the trip. We caught a shuttle to the hotel and waited for the rest of the team. We had planned to meet at 6:30 for dinner, but almost every flight had been delayed. At 7:30 those who were there (the Fowler crew, Amy, Carmen, Katherine, Danellia, Katie and Abby walked to McDonalds. We had a great time getting to know each other, then walked back to the hotel...through the rain!! We decided it was just preparing us for the rainy season in Africa!
Tena, Beth, Jill, Miranda, Chris and Jenn arrived later that night.

We woke up early the next morning to board our flight. The Fowler team and Miranda were the only ones who were able to send their luggage all the way to Kigali, so we had a lot of luggage to get to the airport. We made it in two trips in the hotel shuttle. Shane took the first group, I followed with the second. When my group arrived, we had a bit of a problem. The back of the shuttle was full of our luggage. Behind the last row of seats was a plexiglass shield. The door to the back of the van was jammed! Shane tried to help the driver open it but it wouldn’t budge. After 30 minutes and a borrowed screwdriver from airport security, they were able to remove the plexiglass, and remove the suitcases. Whew!!

We were able to get our team checked in, and other than a $150 fee for Carmen’s extra suitcase, it went very smoothly. Tena had one bag that was overweight, so we distributed the extra weight to a few of the carry on bags. Shane and I were the last of the group to head to the gate. On the way there, we got a call from Amanda telling us that Alexis had been stopped at security. She had taken some of the extra luggage, and had a bag of lotions that were in Tena’s donation bag. We told them that we had some extra baggies and could split them between us. When we got to security, they were nowhere to be found! We called them back and somehow they had ended up at security on the other side of the airport. It was getting dangerously close to boarding time, so we told them to leave the lotions behind and get to the gate. We finally made it to the gate just as the plane was starting to board. We said a quick hello to Tina, Debbie and Melinda and boarded our flight.

We had a 14 hour flight to Ethiopia, then a layover in Addis. We were all a bit tired at that point. I told everyone we would have a chance to eat, shop a bit and get online once we reached the airport, but they sent us to terminal one, which didn’t even have a vending machine, let alone internet access. After an hour sitting in the smoky waiting area we loaded our last flight to Kigali. We made it safely, but the whole team was exhausted, a bit nauseated, dehydrated and cranky. We did get every piece of luggage (yay!) and met Jane in the lobby.

We were planning to check in at the hotel first, but decided we needed to get to the genocide memorial before it closed. We grabbed some water, coffee and smoothies at the cafe, then went inside to the memorial. It was absolutely heartbreaking. There are 293,000 people buried in mass graves at that site. The guide did a great job of telling the story of the Hutus and Tutsi tribes (we were so tired from the flight, many of us had a hard time keeping our eyes open while he talked).

Finally, we arrived at our hotel. It was beautiful! We stayed in apartments in groups of four. Ate dinner together, then finally went to bed.

Tomorrow we visit our first orphanage, Kimisagra, in Kigali.

FREE SHIPPING ON SIMPLY LOVE STUFF

We leave on Saturday for Rwanda and Ethiopia!

I have a few shirts and bracelets left in stock! We still need a couple hundred dollars for our trip. Please think about buying a shirt for $25 or a bracelet for $5!

Photos of the t-shirts are on my facebook page, here is my current stock:

Black Africa Swirl shirt, I have two 3XL and one small left - these are mens fit, so run a size big

Black Women's Heart - slim fit, womens (fits a size or two small, order big!) One medium, one XL

Gray Man-up - I have 4 small v-neck and one XL crew neck.

Bracelets are only $5 each.

This week only!! FREE SHiPPING - order by Thursday!!

THANKS!

New Simply Love Bracelets!!

New Simply Love Bracelets!! Only $5.00 Each, If you buy 2 or more, shipping is FREE!!! All Proceeds go to our Trip to Ethiopia and Rwanda this August! We have child and adult sizes, be sure to specify which you want!!

Thanks!
Randi

Go! Shirts for our Aug Visiting Orphans team!!

We have the design for our Visiting Orphans Rwanda/Ethiopia trip!!! These will be available for our team for $15 and for non-team members for $20. Order by Tuesday, we need to get the order in!!! Don't miss out!! Just select the shirt you want on the drop down box and click "Buy Now". Don't forget to send me a message with your t-shirt size!!

Africa in 30 Days!!! Woo Hoo!!!