developing lifestyle worshipers

I’m not going to lie.  The trip back from Ethiopia was the most physically and emotionally grueling experience I have ever had in my life.  I knew a 16 1/2 hour plane ride from Addis Ababa to Washington, D.C. with a 2-year-old in my lap would be difficult.  What I didn’t expect were the absence of changing tables in Ethiopian men’s bathrooms, security checks with bags and baby in hand, not being able to keep him in the pouch on the plane to sleep which meant I had to choose his sleep over my sleep and food, fixing food with no room and no one to hand Eli off to, and other stuff like that.

While it was difficult, he did amazing.  Eli slept in my arms for 8 hours straight until we touched down in Rome.  We played a while, ate, then he took a 3 hour “afternoon” nap on me later.  You know it is bad though when you are watching the plane map and telling yourself, “I can make it if the countdown clock says 9:59.  If we can get under 10 hours I can make it…If I see an 8…If I see a 7…”

You think you are going batty.  We finally arrived in USA and then had a 4 hour layover.  During that time, it was time to eat a meal.

Since most of what Eli ate at the orphanage was starches, and he wasn’t too fond of the stuff I brought on the plane (except what I got for myself…), we found a nice Italian joint in the airport for his first meal in America.  I didn’t get to eat that much.  We looked hilarious after that trip.  He is sitting in a regular sized chair in his pajamas sucking down noodles, and I am an unshaven mess with all the stuff he had gotten on me during the trip.

Cleaned him up, got ready for the flight, had a 2 hour delay due to some mechanical issues, and then he fell asleep on the flight from D.C. to GSP.  I had to work to wake him up since his bodyclock was telling him it was nighttime.  He woke up right before seeing his mommy for the first time.  Both in tears, but each had their own reasons.  Eli was befuddled and scared, Mommy was finally holding her boy she had worked and prayed relentlessly for.

After a trip back to Dad’s arms, Mom got out the Goldfish, and the bond was formed.

The meeting of Obie and Eli was pretty hilarious.  We have it on video and I hope to share it one day.  Obie stated jabbering to Eli, Eli responded with a loud squeal which startled Obie, Obie began to tell Eli, “Shh, Eli. It’s otay, Eli.  Shh.”

Unbelievably, EVERYONE slept through the ENTIRE night Saturday night.  And both boys (and maybe two parents) had a long nap Sunday afternoon.  Last night, Eli woke up and he’s having a little difficulty napping now.  He is having jetlag, 2 ear infections, and some bathroom regulating going on right now.  Thankfully, he is easy to soothe either by me or Amanda.

Everyone has asked how the boys are doing together.  What does the above picture tell you?  I’ll be honest.  I had very low expectations.  2 2 year olds in the same house.  1 with some serious damaging history with some unhealthy learned habits in an orphanage.  I wasn’t too hopeful.

I was planning on saying, “Considering the circumstances, they are doing well.”  All I can truly say today is, “They are simply doing well.”  Not considering the circumstances, they are behaving really well.  Obie has bent over backwards to share with Eli, we have been intentional with both boys, and while there have been a couple of moments of sharing issues, they have behaved remarkably well.  Obie has proven to be a great big brother considering Eli in many ways.

We went to the doctor with Eli this morning.  I can’t tell you the change he has made in a week.  1 week ago today, he freaked out if someone walked him down the hallway of the orphanage.  Today we took him to a small doctor’s office room and he handled himself very well being poked and prodded.  We have some steps to take to get his health up to par, but we are making remarkable improvements.

I plan on sharing a few of the extra moments in the coming days.  So much has happened that it is hard to summarize.  Once again, I am eternally grateful for your encouragement and prayers.  I can honestly say, those prayers kept me going when I thought I was about to lose my mind!  So happy to be a part of the Body of Christ and so honored to be a husband and father today.

We did receive on update on Eli yesterday.  With our agency, families pass through court in groups and then also travel together.  Group 91 to Ethiopia was processed through court yesterday, and we were not on the list.  While that is sad, it seems very sure that we are going to be in the next group.  The next group will most probably pass through court in the next 2-3 weeks.

After that, it will probably be 2-3 more weeks before travel.  That means that my previous guesswork at when I would travel is probably pretty close.  I think I will be leaving the States on April 16th.  If not then, its sometime near that.  If I go on that date, all of my responsibilities for family, church, Lander, weddings, and such will be taken care of without too much craziness.

This Sunday night in the nursery, I came upon Obadiah in the bye bye buggy.  This wonderful contraption is normally used by nursery workers to ride children in, but my son has to be the one wanting to help push the other kids.  When I picked him up, Keri told me that he kept going to a little boy in the nursery, waving in his face, saying “Hi, E-ya.”  The little boy did look a lot like Eli’s picture, so we thought it was real sweet.  In case you are wondering, Obie doesn’t say that to every little black boy he encounters, this one really did look a lot like him.  I tried to tell Obie that wasn’t Eli, but I don’t know if he bought it.

Obie loves to say names now.  It is a regular occurrence that Obie starts going through the roll-call of family members.  Lately, he points around the room and says, “Daddy, Mommy, Obie, Eli, Daddy, Mommy, Obie, Eli.”  The boy is getting that something is special about Eli.  It’s wonderful to see God preparing his heart.

As we continue to wait, it’s hard, yet we trust God’s timing.  It is pretty crazy to think that unless something crazy happens (which can happen in adoption), my second son will be home next month.  I just loved even writing that!

In the meantime, if you are a praying person, we would love the support:

• Pray for Eli’s development – pray that he gets enough food, interaction, and love during these days.  Pray an unknown hope wells up in his soul that something beautiful like a family is coming as fast as they can.
• Pray for Nesting – as we prepare our hearts and our home for a second child, there is all types of things to consider.  Not knowing how Eli will sleep and such, we are a bit in limbo.  If you know Amanda and myself, you know that is a place we don’t naturally go to – we like to get things rolling.  So as we prepare, pray God’s guidance over preparations we need to make.
• Pray for Workload – I love having a busy job, but the hard thing about it is preparing to leave for an unknown amount of time and having everything in order.  I’ve got to take care of a lot before I go at church, Lander, and some other opportunities.  Please pray that as I prepare and try to get ahead, I won’t neglect the most important things in life either.
• Pray for Logistics – as we continue to finalize paperwork, arrange travel setup, work on finances and such, please pray that God’s hand be in every single step we take during these last days.
• Pray for a Supernatural Homecoming – while Obie is real excited, we know that jealousy will set in at some time.  Even if our second child was biological, it would happen, but just pray for a special attitude by Obadiah that he shows an unnatural amount of love by a 2 year old for his brother.  Pray for our family, friends, and church as he comes home so that Eli truly does feel at home as soon as we touch down in South Carolina.

We have been so honored for the prayers going up and the support that people like you have shown us.  Thank you so much for walking down this path together!