tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9550579193899229312024-02-19T23:15:45.578-08:00Waiting for Sena and SimbonaReligion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. -James 1:27mcmahonmomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11710992766331070722noreply@blogger.comBlogger69125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-955057919389922931.post-37992591084388834022008-05-11T08:32:00.000-07:002008-05-11T08:35:27.014-07:00Information about KamashiThis was a post made today by Sue, the owner of our agency, regarding the children of Kamashi:<br /><br />"CCI families are adopting children that no one else cared about. We are working in a region where NO OTHER agency is working. As you know, that means that we can serve children that would never have had loving permanent homes."<br /><br />This is another testimony that Sena and Simbona were hand-picked by the Lord, from an unbelievably remote place in Africa, to be our children. Thanks to God for His grace!mcmahonmomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11710992766331070722noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-955057919389922931.post-23823408990379382832008-04-15T13:48:00.001-07:002008-04-15T13:52:14.226-07:00Simbona and Winnie the PoohThis was a message posted on CCI's Yahoo group, by the family who has been posting the information about their recent travel to Ethiopia. Their twin girls spent time in the same orphanage that Sena and Simbo were in, and they know him very well. It's such a funny story! ---<br /><br /><br />I have to share a sweet sweet story from this weekend. We pretty much only turn on the tv on the weekends, often for Saturday morning cartoons. (The writer's husband) brought the girls down on Saturday morning (to let me sleep in :) and turned on Winnie the Pooh for the twins. He said they got very, very excited and started gibberjabbering in Oromifa, but kept repeating over and over again Simbona/Simbo. George finally realized they said his name every time Winnie the Pooh was on the screen. They thought that Winnie the Pooh was Simbona :) I don't know if many of you have seen Simbona, but he is quite a chubby baby. We thought that was so cute that they thought they were seeing their good buddy Simbona on tv and were sooo excited about it. Just thought I would share. <br /><br /><br />----I am thinking that maybe the twins knew that Winnie the Pooh was a favorite stuffed animal that Simbo likes, or maybe a character on one of the few shirts that he wears... Not sure!mcmahonmomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11710992766331070722noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-955057919389922931.post-56740669559633315192008-04-07T16:43:00.000-07:002008-04-07T16:53:48.726-07:00New information about our babies(This information also came from the family mentioned in the previous post...)<br /><br />Simbona is so big and healthily chubby. He was playing with a couple of legos when we arrived. (This family's adoptive twin) girls talk about him all of the time and play like they are taking care of him, so he must be pretty popular...ha ha ha...also made the car ride no problem. (*Side note - our babies were transported on a 14 hour journey from their orphanage in Kamashi to Addis.) The poor nannies though all were car sick, as probably none of them had been in a car before.....but they never stopped caring for the children and making them a priority even through their sick moments...<br />What was really neat is that when the caregivers realized which children would be siblings back here in the states, they started already introducing this to the children.mcmahonmomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11710992766331070722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-955057919389922931.post-36595578100286739082008-04-07T16:06:00.000-07:002008-04-07T16:42:46.531-07:00Stuff for the babies' "baby book"This post was listed on our agency's Yahoo group. I wanted so much to post it on my blog so that everyone would have a good idea what life is like for our babies. Also, it was a welcome comfort for those of us (like me) who were a little "alarmed" at the pictures that we received from our agency. It was posted by one of the two families from our agency (the other family was my friend Nora) who just returned from Ethiopia from picking up their children.<br /><br /><br />Hi Everyone,<br />I feel compelled to explain something from my point of view as many <br />of you have commented on the children looking overwhelmed in the <br />photos. I hope this helps ease some of your worries :) The <br />orphanage is very simple and plain. The walls are plain white and <br />until this trip there were not many toys or colorful things to look <br />at. Also, there are not any white people there...AND. ...many adults <br />are stunted in growth due to malnutrition. So we showed up and <br />probably looked to the children like 3 giant white women and 1 giant <br />white man. We had only one day to assemble, organize, and <br />distribute 8 bags worth of donations; teach the nannies how to use <br />the items we brought; photo and video all of the current children; <br />photo and video all of the new children; deliver the care packages; <br />and explore the orphanage to see what else is needed. AND I was so <br />surprised to find out that daylight doesn't come until after 7am and <br />is gone before 7pm, which was critical as there was NO electricity. <br />(We were making coffee with flashlights in the morning :) When we <br />went to deliver care packages, photo, and video the children, they <br />had to stop playing and doing what they were doing, come and sit on <br />a chair or come to a certain area, and be surrounded by the white <br />giants with things that had red and green blinking lights on them, <br />while flashes of light were going off around them. Then they were <br />given bags of things, but did not understand necessarily what they <br />were for, as most if not all of these children have never had <br />possessions before. So really from their perspective, it was <br />perfectly legitimate to look confused.... hahaha... .I would have <br />probably been screaming and crying...hahaha. ..I just wanted to see <br />if I could shed some light on the events from a child's <br />perspective. I have seen this in Guatemala as well. There is no <br />time on these trips to take with each child, making them comfortable <br />with the photographer, to try to get good smiling photos. THere is <br />just too many other very important bits of business to attend to to <br />assure the progressions of the current and future adoptions. But I <br />promise you that I saw all of these kids from a short distance <br />behaving like regular kids, playing with their friends, smiling, <br />interacting with the nannies and the new toys. AND you will have <br />the real genuine smiles in person someday soon :) <br /><br />Well, not to make this email longer, but I thought you might be <br />interested in the routine of the kids at the orphanage. Here is <br />what I observed on a Saturday:<br /><br />Wakeup and morning routine, dressing, breakfast occurs between <br />around 7:30 to 9ish. This is because there is no light until then. <br />The nannies in the nursery were busy feeding up to 3 children at a <br />time usually with one baby with a bottle and 2 older <br />babies/toddlers, spooning porridge into their mouths. They were <br />using the bassinet part of the pack n play to situate 2 of the <br />children with one on their laps. The diapering of the babies was <br />very intense. THey would layer a cloth diaper and then a piece of <br />plastic and then another layer under the clothing. The flurry of <br />feeding and diapering it seemed to just continue and continue <br />throughout the day. Oh, before the dressing, the children are all <br />washcloth bathed and some kind of thick pink cream is rubbed all <br />over their bodies to keep their skin soft. THe nannies rubbed fast <br />and furiously, stimulating morning circulation, which the babies <br />seemed to love. THe nannies were hard at work also singing to the <br />children, working with the little ones with sitting and standing, <br />and giving them tons of kisses and hugs. The older toddlers and <br />older children in general were not bathed until the evening. THis <br />involved them undressing and sitting on the side of their gutter <br />system while bar soap was rubbed on their heads and was washed all <br />over their bodies while water was slowly poured over their heads. <br />THe kids all would rub furiously all over their bodies trying to <br />remove the day's grime, which was substantial. ..hahaha. For all 3 <br />meals, the older toddlers and older children ate Ingira (I haven't <br />looked up the spelling :( THis is a flat fermented kind of sour <br />bread that looks kind of like a big oversized thin pancake. While <br />we were there the evening meal included a bit of cooked lentils in <br />sauce as well. The toddlers donned huge bibs that covered their <br />entire bodies while they sat on the edge of a mattress and ate. You <br />use Ingira actually as a utensil to scoop up the lentils and this <br />really develops fine motor skills. We have been extremely impressed <br />with our girls fine motor and attribute it to the ingira. Then the <br />kids begin a day of play with the sticks, rocks, and especially <br />marbles. THey would roll the marbles down the gutter system that <br />they bathe in, make holes in the dirt and try to roll them in, and <br />hit marbles with other marbles for a more advanced game. They play <br />tag and hide and seek. THe older toddlers loved to play with the <br />babies, trying to help care for them and make them smile. AND some <br />of the older children would also make their way in to play with the <br />babies. At night, bathing of the babies occurred again, with more <br />cream, more feedings, more diapering, etc. The older children lay <br />down on mattresses on the ground, with the babies in the cribs and <br />pack n plays. When we left at 4am on Sunday to return to the city, <br />we went to see if the nannies needed help with light to prepare some <br />children who would be traveling. They were doing all of this <br />bathing, feeding, diapering in the dark very easily! They must be <br />used to waking with the younger babies throughout the night and <br />continuing their care. What amazing women! My girls also came home <br />singing Alleluia and we saw a couple of the nannies with Bibles. <br />THis was great to see as well!mcmahonmomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11710992766331070722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-955057919389922931.post-84352511148583899562008-04-06T12:16:00.000-07:002008-04-06T12:20:49.948-07:00God is great!Today I recieved photos from my dear friend Nora, who has just returned from her trip to Ethiopia. The pictures that she sent me were SO MUCH BETTER than the ones I had received from CCI. The kids look healthy, beautiful, and SO SO SO CUTE!!! You are just going to fall in LOVE with these babies. They are adorable.<br /><br />Sena must have been napping before the photos that were taken of her by CCI. Her eyes looked so bad! But in these shots Nora took, she looks much healthier. Simbo is being held by a woman who really appears to love him in these pictures, rather than sitting alone in a crib. My heart is put more at ease that they are doing well (as best they can without Mommy and Daddy). <br /><br />Thank you, Lord for your gracious provision of such a good friend in Nora. There is NO accident that she and I became friends for this very reason (and more). Just think how anxious I would have been had I not had Nora's pictures to see before we travel in THIRTEEN DAYS!<br /><br />Thank you, Nora!mcmahonmomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11710992766331070722noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-955057919389922931.post-79696001434838508362008-04-05T14:56:00.000-07:002008-04-05T14:58:49.726-07:00More pictures of SimbonaSue sent us another set of pictures of Simbona today. He is seated in a bouncy chair. He still has no smile on his face, nor sparkle in his eyes. I want him HOME NOW!!! My children here at home are just aching to hold them and love on them.<br /><br />She remarked in her email that she and her daughter (who travelled with her) are experiencing chills, diarrhea, and vomiting. She will be sending out a DVD with some video footage of the babies as soon as she is back on her feet.mcmahonmomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11710992766331070722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-955057919389922931.post-91100589546094402132008-04-04T23:49:00.000-07:002008-04-05T15:25:43.287-07:00New pics of the kids!Debbie sent us some new pictures of the babies (as Sue has returned from her trip to Ethiopia and took pictures of all the adoptive children). I have to say, I was really shocked to see their faces. The pictures that we had gotten only 6 months ago showed twinkling eyes, chubby cheeks and bodies, and a zeal for life.<br /><br />These pictures showed an entirely different picture. There was not one picture in which the babies were smiling. The sparkle seemed to have disappeared from their eyes. They looked so sad and seemed much thinner than before. Simbona's beautiful hair has been shaved off (maybe due to a lice outbreak??? Not sure) and he was just sitting alone in a crib in his pictures. He didn't seem to be even one bit joyful at some toys that had been placed in his crib to make him smile for the pictures. He has really thinned out in the face, and is wearing a shirt that I saw him wear in a picture taken 6 months ago. Has he not gained any weight?!?!?!<br /><br />Sena had either just woken up from a nap, or she is not feeling well. Her eyes are droopy and she seems to have lost a lot of baby fat. She has lost that "spark" in her eyes and her legs look so thin. A nanny was holding her in the picture, so at least she was being held.<br /><br />I can only think back to the emails that Nora sent me about Yacob being so sick (due to malnutrition). Could this have been the fate of these two sweet angels? Could it still be? Please pray that they will be kept healthy and nourished so we can bring them home! <br /><br />I am in agony right now! All I want to do is go get my babies and hold them and feed them and love on them. I don't want them to go another day without their Mommy and Daddy who love them so much.mcmahonmomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11710992766331070722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-955057919389922931.post-39851229966429099492008-04-02T08:45:00.000-07:002008-04-05T14:48:13.111-07:00Note from Nora #3Nora got a chance to meet our babies while she was in Ethiopia! (It doesn't hurt that she's an MD and can give us her "professional opinion" about their health in the note below... (Don't tell me THAT is a coincidence!)<br /><br />Julie,<br />First, I need to say that Simbona has the chubbiest thighs! Why is it that mine are about the same size and nowhere near as cute???? Both of your children are absolutely beautiful!<br />Zenha is doing wonderful! I absolutely fall to pieces everytime she says, "I love you" or "Ah my ay" or "mama". She has the cutest dimples when she giggles! We have been sleeping together except for a few times when I have rocked/sung her to sleep and then did some chores or took a shower.<br />Yacob is not doing so well. They have run a bunch of test but we do not have all the results yet and they are ordering a cat scan of his head. My guess is that he has a seizure disorder that is being caused by an underlying illness or malnutrition issue but we need the results of all of his tests to determine the exact diagnosis. It brought tears to my eyes to think of the chubby cheeks he had in the photos on the CCI website and now to see him with absolutely no body fat--on his cheeks or anywhere else. -Nora<br /><br />Please be in prayer for Yacob and all the other orphans who are living in extreme poverty and need love and care. We just don't understand what life is like outside the United States. We are so blessed and take it so much for granted.mcmahonmomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11710992766331070722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-955057919389922931.post-22760370111638672512008-04-01T18:41:00.000-07:002008-04-05T14:44:38.765-07:00We booked our ticketsWe decided to go with Susan Parr Travel (who specializes in adoption travel). Their staff is so familiar with the in's and out's of travel in Ethiopia. They are also very professional and helpful. We are on our way!!! We purchased travel insurance (in case we get sick on our trip - God forbid) because our US health insurance will not cover us abroad. <br /><br />When booking our travel plans with the travel agency, I had to give information about the babies, like their birthdates and names. It seemed so exciting to be able to call them Sena and Simbona MCXXXXXX! (You know our last name.) :)mcmahonmomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11710992766331070722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-955057919389922931.post-20799541740254502142008-04-01T12:39:00.000-07:002008-04-05T14:41:42.070-07:00Note #2 from NoraJulie,<br />I need to keep this email short but wanted to let you know that I briefly met your children and (another adoptive mom's) children today. They are absolutely beautiful and based on the few minutes that I was able to spend with them seem very happy and in good health. I took a few photos (which I will send as soon as I get home) and told them that you loved them and would be there soon. -Nora<br /><br />Isn't she just the sweetest thing to be taking care of me while she's on her trip to Ethiopia???mcmahonmomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11710992766331070722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-955057919389922931.post-70906457984062081342008-03-31T21:37:00.000-07:002008-04-05T15:00:26.897-07:00Note from NoraJulie,<br />Your children are in the city!!! I am going to help Sue take Yacob to the doctor's tomorrow. I have not seen him yet but apparently she is very concerned about his health. I think I might get to meet your children since we have to go to the guesthouse to pick him up and that is where your children are. If I do get to meet the children, I will definitely take photos. If it helps to ease your mind at all, the women taking care of the children are absolutely wonderful. I was there today when the brought (another adoptive family's) children to them and they were actually crying when they left. I gave them both hugs and told them how much we appreciate them taking such wonderful care of our children and how much it means to us that they love them so much.<br />Nora<br /><br />Yacob is a little boy who is waiting to be adopted. He is on the waiting child list on CCI's website. Please pray for him to recover quickly without pain and discomfort!mcmahonmomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11710992766331070722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-955057919389922931.post-71090707313635836412008-03-31T14:31:00.000-07:002008-04-05T14:37:37.237-07:00We be travlin'I got a call from Debbie today saying that we have an embassy date scheduled for April 22. I got on the phone immediately and am getting quotes from two different travel agencies, Susan Parr Travel and another one referred by our agency. I can't believe we are going to be travelling soon!<br /><br />My e-friend Nora is in Ethiopia right now picking up her sweet daughter Zenha Bethlehem. Nora is adopting from our agency, too. She is such a sweetheart to give me updates as she is travelling. She told me yesterday that Sue (CCI's owner who is also travelling with Nora) will be transporting our babies from the orphanage to Addis while she is there. So exciting! Nora also plans to take pictures of our babies if she gets a chance to see them, so we can get some new footage of their sweet faces.<br /><br />Yippee!mcmahonmomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11710992766331070722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-955057919389922931.post-88953462792571101142008-03-27T08:25:00.000-07:002008-03-27T08:38:22.439-07:00Orphans and AfricaI don't really love Rick Warren, because he ranks up there with the "Joel Olsteens" of the world in new ageism and "feel good Christianity", but this latest video clip really has a lot of good statistics in it. There are more orphans in this world than half the population of the United States! We as a blessed nation of wealth need to use what God has blessed us with to help those in need. As the Casting Crown song goes,<br /> <br />...If we are the body<br />Why aren't His arms reaching?<br />Why aren't His hands healing?<br />Why aren't His words teaching?<br />And if we are the body<br />Why aren't His feet going?<br />Why is His love not showing them there is a way?<br />There is a way<br /><br />Jesus paid much too high a price<br />For us to pick and choose who should come<br />And we are the body of Christ<br /><br />Aren't we basically picking and choosing who should and shouldn't come to Christ if we fail to reach out to those orphans around the world, and share the gospel of Jesus Christ with them? Didn't Jesus in the Great Commission call us to go to "all nations" and share the gospel? Do you realize what impact your life would have on a lost and hurting soul through the adoption and discipling an orphan?<br /><br /><object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/8zQYA6OgyuM&hl=en"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/8zQYA6OgyuM&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object>mcmahonmomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11710992766331070722noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-955057919389922931.post-82083737707772814722008-03-23T09:52:00.000-07:002008-03-28T09:56:02.745-07:00Easter ChoicesEvery day we make choices. Every move we make in life, whether physically or spiritually is composed of choices.<br /><br />God makes choices, too. The most perplexing, mind-baffling choice He has ever made is the choice to include me in His kingdom. He chose ME! I am so broken, so full of self, so prideful... It blows my mind that He, out of all the people in the world, would chose someone so lowly and undeserving. Yet, He reached down, and scooped me up out of the pit, and adopted me into His family. I am His child. I was once seperated from Him, but He brought me home to Himself. And now, I am whole.<br /><br />I am perplexed by this fact - Not only did He adopt me as His own, but He chose me (and Kevin) to adopt children. I am not worthy of the calling. I have been chosen to mother two of God's most precious masterpieces... Sena and Eli Simbona. They are <em>precious</em>. They are GIFTS. Yet, He overlooked all my failings and falterings, and He chose ME to be their mother. I am so eternally grateful. I pray that the same Spirit that called me to be their mother will guide me into all wisdom and I strive daily to care for His children in the way He will lead me. I pray that I will be obedient to whatever He has called me to do during this journey of motherhood, whether it is comfortable, whether it comes naturally, whether it required stretching me to a place where I might break.<br /><br />I pray that this Easter you, too, make the choice to place Jesus first in your life above all else. After all, He chose YOU.mcmahonmomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11710992766331070722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-955057919389922931.post-50881345276323586222008-03-21T09:50:00.000-07:002008-03-28T09:53:31.362-07:00WE MADE IT THROUGH COURT!Well, today is truly Good Friday. I woke up this morning to an answering machine message from Debbie, asking me to call her back. We passed court today, and the children are legally ours!<br /><br />We are so excited. Soon we will be holding those precious babies in our arms!mcmahonmomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11710992766331070722noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-955057919389922931.post-65799980178957247722008-03-20T09:27:00.000-07:002008-03-20T15:56:21.796-07:00Another bad dreamLast night I had a dream that Sena's mother had changed her mind and decided not to allow us to adopt her. I was in Ethiopia, at the airport, by myself. Kevin apparently stayed home to take care of our kids. In my dream, anyone who was there to adopt children had to fill out a bunch of forms while in the airport before uniting with their children. (Gee. Could this perhaps have stemmed from all the documents I've had to fill out and submit over the past week?) :)<br /><br />I was filling out the forms, someone came and spilled a bunch of water on the table where I was writing. The forms got all wet. I approached the counter to ask the woman if I could get another set of forms, and she looked at me with an exasperated look. Apparently, there was only ONE set of forms for me, and they couldn't be duplicated. (Kind of like how our dossier had to be notarized, authenticated, certified, etc., etc.,) I said, "Oh, well, let's just forget it. They'll dry!" <br /><br />As I was waiting for my paperwork to dry, I got a call from CCI. They told me that Sena would not be our daughter. I started moaning and sobbing. I couldn't imagine life without her! CCI hung up with me. Then I realized, I didn't know if that meant we could adopt another second child or not! I knew that Simbo would be our son, but we also wanted a daughter! Was I going to have to wait in Ethiopia until another child could be referred to us? Would we no longer be able to adopt a second child because the children's paperwork had already gone through court? Would I have to do another complete dossier? Would I have to travel back home with Simbo and wait to return a second time for our daughter? <br /><br />The wonderful part of the dream was, that a group of a few women (apparently who were fostering Simbona) approached me in the airport, holding that sweet little Simbo. They taught me how to say some soothing words in his native language. After I learned the words, I said them to him in my most soothing Mommy-voice. After speaking to me only for a few minutes, he turned to me and put his arms out to me and acted like he wanted me to hold him. He was mine at last! That was a sweet moment. (Of course, this is probably not what our first meeting will truly be like at all.)<br /><br />Well, as you can see, I am not getting much sleep lately. I just PRAY and PRAY that both Sena and Simbo will be ours... SOON! I don't think I could bear it if the children who I already consider mine in my heart could not be mine. Although it would be a wonderful thing for these babies to be reunited with their birth mothers, I don't think I would be able to truly celebrate for them.<br /><br />After reading this, you may be thinking to yourself, "Where is her faith now?" Well, let me tell you, I serve a BIG GOD with a perfect plan for my life. Although it would break my heart in two for something like this to happen, I know that His plan is sovereign and that whatever He has planned for me is best for all. I have not lost faith, but I am weary right now in this process. I place my full trust in the One who will call all things to be as He has planned. (I just happen to be having a few bad dreams on the side...) :)mcmahonmomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11710992766331070722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-955057919389922931.post-78410597398756478722008-03-19T21:13:00.000-07:002008-03-20T09:24:44.737-07:00Court date rescheduled... AGAINWell, folks! Let's hope that the third time is a charm. I was expecting to get "the call" today regarding the outcome of the court hearing. By 3:00, I was getting a little anxious. I had been out of the house all day and rushed home to see that little blinking light on my answering machine... No such thing. When I looked at my cell phone, I realized the battery was dead. So, (I reasoned) maybe Debbie tried to call my cell phone and I just didn't receive the call! <br /><br />So, I called her and asked her the outcome, holding my breath all the time. She told me that apparently there was some type of holiday in Ethiopia, and that the court date had been moved to Friday. AUGGGGHHHH! Why she didn't call me before to let me know this? Not really sure. But, at any rate, here we are, in the wait mode again. Friday just happens to be Good Friday. I wonder if there is any correlation of any kind? :)mcmahonmomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11710992766331070722noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-955057919389922931.post-73075189833522875722008-03-18T17:07:00.000-07:002008-03-18T17:17:20.870-07:00Tomorrow's the day!Well, tomorrow, when I wake up, the children's case should have already been through court (God willing.) Addis Ababa is 8 hours ahead of Oklahoma time. (So, it's about 7:00 pm here right now, and 3:00 am there...) I just pray that everything goes well, and that both of the birth-moms are able to make it to court.<br /><br />I have to tell you, I have been under EXTREME spiritual attack lately. I don't know what is going on, but I just feel a heaviness in our household. It really has nothing to do with the adoption. I just feel this overwhelming heaviness on my heart. I just ask humbly that you lift me up in prayer right now. And while you're at it, pray for a successful court date, too. :) (Thank you, Teresa and Danielle, I can already feel your prayers!)<br /><br />Maybe its because it is such a gray day outside. It's been dark, cloudy, and rainy all day...mcmahonmomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11710992766331070722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-955057919389922931.post-57447157274359902772008-03-18T17:01:00.000-07:002008-03-18T17:02:03.745-07:00I LOVE this!<object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/p3MdQP3OK4s&hl=en"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/p3MdQP3OK4s&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object>mcmahonmomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11710992766331070722noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-955057919389922931.post-31902970636726353942008-03-15T17:26:00.000-07:002008-03-18T17:36:53.285-07:00Sending more documents...On Wednesday, Debbie called me and told me that CCI was asking for more documents from us. They wanted me to complete the I600, the DS230, and the I864 and FedEx them later in the afternoon. Well... after looking over them, I could tell there was NO way that I was going to be able to do that. They were WAY too difficult to complete, and I had to get our 2007 tax packet and make a copy of the entire thing. (I have no idea where it is... Kevin does our taxes.) And, since Kevin is out of town on business (yet AGAIN), he can't help me find the taxes and he won't be able to sign all these forms until he returns on Friday.<br /><br />Thankfully, it was a good thing, after all. (Praise God!) Since the agency is so new at the Ethiopian adoptions, they weren't quite sure how the forms were supposed to be completed. So, by Friday, they had it all figured out (I think...) Kevin came home Friday afternoon and I spent all evening and all morning Saturday morning getting these forms finished and ready to be sent off.<br /><br />These forms are for the children, in order to start processing their visas once the court date is completed. WOW! It looks like things are really starting to move along!mcmahonmomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11710992766331070722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-955057919389922931.post-58773574824417461592008-03-14T15:38:00.000-07:002008-03-18T17:44:41.371-07:00Yay, for my friend, Nora!One of the "friends" I have made over the internet is an adoptive mom named Nora. She is adopting from CCI as well, and was scheduled the same day that we were for our court date (March 13). Her case went through! I am so happy for her. She will be leaving the US on March 26th to go pick up her little girl!! She has experienced a lot of anxiety throughout her adoption journey. There have been a lot of uncertainties for her, and now she can rest in the peace of God. I am praising God for how He has carried her through this whole process. <br /><br />This news may be promising for our family, as well. Since Nora's court case went through on the 13th and she's traveling 13 days later, perhaps it means that we will be traveling soon after our court date, as well! I am ready for whatever the Lord calls us to do. I'd better start a packing list!mcmahonmomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11710992766331070722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-955057919389922931.post-2052095787083636782008-03-12T21:22:00.000-07:002008-03-12T21:33:24.748-07:00Court date has been moved to March 19Hey, everybody!<br /><br />Well, I got a call from Debbie today, and it seems that Simbona's birth mother was sick and couldn't make the court date. So, it has been rescheduled for March 19th. I have to admit that I was a little bit disappointed for about five minutes or so. But, when receiving the call, I just reminded myself that everything goes according to God's perfect timeframe. He is the One in charge of everything, and that His plan is so much better than mine.<br /><br />One of the other adoptive mothers from our agency who had the same court date as mine made it through court. I was so happy for her, because she is a single mother and was really anxious about getting through court. She told me that she thinks her embassy date will be around April 1. That's a pretty quick turnaround for travel! (The embassy date is when the child is given a visa in which to travel to the US. Even once the child is declared legally yours on the court date, they can't travel without the visa. Visa processing takes a little while, so that's why there's a discrepancy of time between the court date and the embassy date.) Perhaps if her embassy date takes place in such a short time, that will mean a "positive" for us as well in regards to a quick travel date.<br /><br />All in all, I am certain what my God is capable of, and I just imagine that He will cause things to move rather quickly. He has done so many miracles and amazing things through this adoption, that I wouldn't expect anything less in regard to our upcoming court date and travel. I just have such a complete peace about the whole thing no matter what. It is so comforting to know that our lives are in such good and perfect hands. Now if I could just have as much trust and total faith in other areas of my life as I've had with this adoption... :)mcmahonmomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11710992766331070722noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-955057919389922931.post-89214142017058838222008-03-12T21:16:00.000-07:002008-03-12T21:18:55.934-07:00Great video about adoption by James PiperGod ordained adoption before the beginning of the world.<br /><br />http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgNXQ2CazUg&eurl=http://mcmahonmomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11710992766331070722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-955057919389922931.post-91481090753524701622008-03-08T13:55:00.000-08:002008-03-08T14:04:28.760-08:00Look what God has done!A dear friend of mine (that I've known since puberty and zits) emailed me the following letter...<br /><br />"Congratulations Julie! I'm so excited for your family. I just have to tell you how you have blessed ours. You know we have been talking about foster care for 2 years, but have not done it. When I recieved your first e-mail in January, I found myself just crying as I read your blog. (My husband) and I talked that very night and I called DHS the next day. We begin our classes to become certified foster parents next week. Not only has God orchestrated this adoption for you, but through your obedience it has also changed our lives. Can't wait to see the children God has planned for us. Hope to see you soon. I would love to get together and talk. Maybe we can get together in March before you travel to get your babies. I'm sure both of our schedules are going to become a little more difficult to get together in the near future!" (I edited the name above to protect her privacy.) :)<br /><br />I have prayed since the beginning of this adoption process that God would touch lives for His glory! I am so thankful that I get to see some of the fruit of those prayers! I have had friends that have been praying in agreement for the same prayer. What a wonderful blessing to be able to see the impact that God has had on others' lives as a result of this adoption! I mean, it is certainly a privilege that God shared this with us. I mean, after all, He is GOD, and he certainly doesn't have to let us know that our prayers are impacting people behind the scenes. But, what a wonderful and merciful God we serve! I am going to continue to pray that this adoption (and these beautiful angelic babies) are going to change the lives of YET MORE people for the praise and glory of our Lord. YAY!mcmahonmomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11710992766331070722noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-955057919389922931.post-90367693914137168062008-03-06T13:51:00.000-08:002008-03-08T13:55:22.528-08:00BRRRRRRRRR!Can you hear my teeth chattering??? It is a brisk 58 degrees in my house today. The heater has not been repaired as of yet, because the repairman has to order the part. (Apparently, having a geo-thermal system is kind of a headache, because the parts aren't just laying around in abundance...) Ugh.<br /><br />We are using two electric space heaters that my (darling) friend let me borrow, but we just can't seem to bear to light the kerosene heater that she let us borrow. The smell just gags everyone and we all end up with headaches about two hours after we light the thing!<br /><br />So, I guess until our heater gets fixed, PRAY for us that either (1) the part comes in so we can get our heater FIXED, or (2) that the weather gets much warmer so we won't continue to FREEZE!!! Brrrrrr!mcmahonmomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11710992766331070722noreply@blogger.com1