Mary (me) and John. He was recovering from a recent bout with malaria. He wasn't sure what to think of us! He and his family live at the Baptist seminary in Togo. His father is a student there, preparing to be a village pastor and to reach his family from the grip of voodoo.

Dennis, Jeff and Pastor Honoree, the village pastor near Keve. Dennis and Jeff are giving Honoree a solar-powered, audio Bible that is in their local language, Ewe.

Kelsay and her friend Kaffri

Out of our Hands

After resolving we were indeed powerless when it came to this document, we began passing our time dreaming of what a referral call may sound like. At the time, DTE (Dossier to Ethiopia) to referral were roughly 5-6 months for a boy, a few more months for a girl. Our DTE was April 5th, so we considered this our beginning countdown. God, in his goodness, allowed our whole family to travel to Togo, Africa, in June 2008. Dennis' dream of taking us all became real when we left KCI for a grueling 30 hour trip, most of which were layovers in New York and Paris. Words are so inadequate when we try to describe what this type of experience means to a family who embraces it together. These people are so open to the love of Jesus and are extremely content. The kind of contentment that shouldn't make sense to us. But it does. You see, when you don't know what you don't have, you aren't spending your life desiring it. I came away completely humbled. The children are beautiful, but hungry. For food and love. I came home more convinced than ever that my motto would never again be "Why would I adopt?" but instead, "Why wouldn't I".

December 2007....Busy, busy, busy

In December of the same year, we received the dreaded dossier packet of requirements. I had been so looking forward to getting started on this monumental task, and when I got it, I literally became nauseated. It seemed so overwhelming and too big of a job, especially when I hadn't gotten my Christmas shopping done yet! After a few days of hyperventilating and a splurge on new Sharpies and manilla folders, I began organizing. Sharpies will calm me every time. I made lists and more lists. Sometimes I put "make a list" on my list so I could cross it off. Anyone who knows me isn't laughing right now. It took us nearly four months to gather, sort, fax, notarize, notarize correctly, certify, re-certify, re-fax, get fingerprinted, fingerprinted, fingerprinted, go to the doctor, get tb tests, get teacher recommendations, oh yeah, more fingerprints, and faxing. Add to that the 10 page mini-bio Dennis and I both had to write about everything from our first family pet to our childhood vacations to our philosophy of discipline. poor typist who had to read those! Finally, April 3rd and to FedEx I went. After a solid hour of copying and sorting, the magic package left Missouri and headed to Virginia....whew!

October 2007

I'm writing this in spurts, out of order, which would usually bother me to no end. But for our friends and family who want to know the "story" I'm trying to put it in a neat little package that goes by month. October 2007 found us inquiring from America World about an application. After much prayer and "what are we crazy" comments, we filled out the papers and sent them off. We didn't tell the kids right away, wanting to get this first step underway. What if we didn't qualify? What if they took one look at us and said, "No way, you are really a bunch of dorks." But in our defense, we did have four kids already, all seemingly normal-ish. We did something kind of right! We passed inspections indeed and the ball was rolling.

The Trip that Changed our Lives

Dennis and I have always had a crazy God-thing going when we make big decisions. For example, moving from the farm, buying our house, Dennis changing jobs, and me working full-time. More times than we can count, we will get a sense of God doing something and then when we start talking to each other, we say, "You were sensing that too???" So adoption has come to no surprise to us, with God leading Dennis to Africa last year with some other people from church. Life-changing is such a lame term when it comes to his experience. With literally hundreds of kids living on the street, none of which had anything, Dennis would have given anything to stick one in his Samsonite and run! When he came home, he was no longer what he was. And we are no longer who we were.

Realizations

As an adopted person, I have always known the intimate and sincere meaning behind being "chosen". I have often said in jest that when your parents "hand pick" you, that must mean you are way cool! Living as an adopted child, my parents were the ideal when it came to acknowleding my uniqueness and being open about my past. I have no memory of not knowing where I came from and how I got here. From day one, there has been an honesty and openness that means more to me every day. Although I was only 23 months and have no memory of a former life, I do know enough to say that I am absolutly convinced I am where I am today because a family listened to a call, obeyed with blind faith, and jumped. Thanks mom and dad!

Perhaps few understand the tug that being an orphan can have on a soul as the orphan herself. Although Dennis and I have been blessed with four fabulous children, who are totally self-sufficient mind you, there was just a puzzle piece missing that had been lost somewhere. The picture was so close to being complete. When God has the puzzle waiting for you, he doesn't leave out important pieces. They all work together to make an awesome picture!

The Journey Begins

Our journey to bring home a son began much sooner than our family may have realized. As God's ways are not ours, He often reveals his plan in small glimpses at the most unexpected times. This was the case when we succumbed to the realization that God had plans that included the beautiful continent of Africa, a country filled with orphans and us. With hands in the air, we jumped feet first and never looked back. This is how it began...