Next

We have received news this week from our case manager that we are currently the only family waiting for a sibling set of up-to-age 5!!!! That means that we are "next" in the waiting room of families to receive a referral!!!!

What is a referral? This means we will get a call (or email???) with specific medical and other pertinant information (including pictures!) about a sibling set and consider them for adoption. When we accept the referral, we will wait for a court date to be established and then travel to meet the children and appear in court---pleading our case to be their forever parents. After we pass court (doesn't happen the 1st time in about half the cases), we will return home-without the children- and wait for an embassy appointment. That will be about 6-8 weeks following the court date. The embassy has to grant permission for the children to leave the country, so a lot rides on the shoulders of that embassy date.

Friends, please pray this week that our referral will be soon and that God will continue to knit our hearts together, as we live an ocean apart.

And, during this week of Christmas, I will leave you with something that our family thinks is totally RAD: Jesus' life began and ended with adoption. He was adopted by Joseph at birth, and he designated Mary as the mother of "the disciple whom He loved" (John, the son of Zebede) as He was on the cross.

Read John 19:25-27 if you never have....to us, it's a great example of the plan of adoption. Of course, adoption is not a flawless, smooth, joyous plan, but if one can love outside their own flesh and blood----love someone who has never done anything for them---then, God's glory is written all over it.

To God Be the Glory! Great things He has done! So loved He the world that He gave us his Son.

Merry Christmas!

In Between

I need some serious lessons on how to get pictures where you want them on a blog. Anyway, here are some pictures from a few recent important days. The first few are from our 10 year wedding anniversary party we celebrated with our close friends. It was a hoot---the most fun I remember having in a L-O-N-G time. The 4th picture is our family eating at The Blue Nile Cafe in the River Market downtown Kansas City. It's one of the 2 Ethiopian Restaurants here in KC. The last several are of our birthday girl, Claire. We have quite a few happy memories lately! Read on for an adoption update (ish).

Hurry up and wait!!!

Our family has been on cruise control for the past several months. We have been enjoying the "hurry up and wait" period of our adoption.

However, our hearts are starting to stir again. It's becoming more difficult to wait. This weekend, I was listening to a great song by a good friend of our's, called In Between. It was the perfect description of how we feel these days.

We spent a great deal of time this weekend moving furniture and hanging coat hooks (looks pretty neat to see 6 coat hooks and anticipating them being full of coats and backpacks.). We feel like we are readying the Rust home for change. We are doing everything in our power to streamline and ease all the things we do every day. We moved couches and tables to allow for better "traffic" flow through the house. We cleared a room to make space for a child work/play space on the main level of the house. We put a couch in our bedroom, to prepare for children who need to be within sight/touch at night time to develop a strong sense of trust. It was pretty exciting. We took an online test after the kids went to bed and reviewed some important tips we need to research in order to be the parents all our children need and deserve.

In church, tears streamed down my face as I held hands with my son who is safe and warm and worshipping God right next to me (while kind people take care of our girls in the nursery). I was thinking about our little ones who are on the other side of the world and how we just can't get to them. Are their tummies full? When was the last time someone combed their hair or trimmed their nails? When was the last time someone told them they are the sun, moon and stars? When was the last time someone told them how much their heavenly Father loves them? When was the last time someone looked at them and took pride in their character? When was the last time someone held their hand and told them everything will be alright?

Adoption is so different from pregnancy. We knew in pregnancy when to expect our children's entrance to our world. With adoption, I don't know if it'll be tomorrow or next summer. It's like the coming of Christ. We know it's coming. No one knows the day or the hour----not even the angels.

God is in control, thank goodness. We are sure of that. We are just feeling the lonely He has set upon our family. We are not complete until our dinner table is full of children eating and laughing and even arguing. Let it be.

In Between

by Tyrus Morgan and Anthony Snape

No expectation, no insight

Without illusion or fear

With no regard for a history

All I want is you here

A single soul in a landslide

Bringing the mountains to dust

Taking the space out of distance

We will learn to love and trust

I'll keep coming til there's nothing

In Between
Nothing seperating you from me
An unrelenting gravity
I'll keep coming til there's nothing in between.

The rumble of a collision

Brings me down to my knees

A shaking realization

This is more than just a dream

closer come closer

step by step by step

There's no rock I won't break down

No walls hold me now

Thanks, Ty, for putting into words what this process has laid on our hearts.

My Father's House

In Uganda, people call children's homes (orphanages) "the Father's house." It is a metaphor to what Jesus says about Heaven. In John 14:2, Jesus talks about our Father's house. He says "In My Father's house are many rooms." These homes built by Global Orphan Project are a dream come true for these children who have nowhere and no one to turn to.

We are excited to report that 2 homes are now full of 22 girls in Lira, Uganda, who otherwise would have been without. 2 more girls will be moving in soon.

One home is called the "Wilma Cook House of Hope," named in honor of my sweet grandma. I've shared this on earlier blogs, but my grandma lived in an orphanage from the time she was 5 years old until she "aged out." She was never available for adoption and shares much in common with the girls who call "the Wilma Cook House of Hope" home. Her stories of the time she spent in the Baptist Home for Girls in St. Louis always inspired me to do more for the fatherless. She used to tell me about the "Knot-Hole Gang." The knot-hole gang would walk to the baseball stadium, then known as "Sportsman's Park" (later to be known as Busch Stadium), and watch the ballgame through the knot holes in the fence. She always had a passion for Cardinal baseball. Up until the day she died, and despite her Alzheimer's complications, she kept up with the Cardinals~~especially Albert Pujols. Her stories are precious memories for me. I can't tell you how much I wish she could've lived to see these homes be built in her honor.

The second home is called the "Chris McKenna Home." It is named in honor of a special lady who touched many lives as an educator and passed away from cancer a year ago.

Each home:

~cost $5000 to build

~12 girls and one mama (girls are not available for adoption)

~located close to medical help and a church (The Church of Uganda)

~located close to a school

~girls get 2 meals a day of rice and beans; one is fortified with a powdered nutrient

~fully sponsored (24 children!!!!) for 3 years at $40/month/child. After 3 years, the home will be self-sustaining.....this is the BIGGEST praise.

Thank you to all who supported this worthy work and encouraged our family through the process. It is a blessing to see the fruit of so many people's labor. We aren't always so lucky to see where our hard work gets us....

You can see pictures of some of the girls by clicking on this link.

You can see videos and more information about the Lira village here.

May God bless each and every one of the girls and the mama in these homes. May His perfect peace and joy fill the homes every day. May their tummies be full and their bodies rested every night when they lay down in their new home. All this to the Glory of our Father, who allowed us to be a small part in His BIG plan.

These walls

Oh, the things these walls have heard this week. Jason posted a status on facebook that made me cry I was laughing so hard. I had to share it with the world. It was a listing of all the things said in our house last night. Here goes:

"Stop scratching there."

"No, there are not wood chips in your butt."

"Wendy, you can't run away!"

"Sophie is pooping her pants but I'm too tired to get up."

"Sophie won't sit on the toilet."

"Sophie won't get off the toilet."

"Evan, stop reading Peter and read Psalms!"

"There is no way people sweep every day."

"I could not possibly have more crumbs on my feet than I do right now."

"Oh, Claire, you do have wood chips in your panties!"

~~Now, let the world hear what God has to say about living with all these little crazies:

Psalm 127:3-5 Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are sons born in one's youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. (I love that part.)

The eyes of Alpha

Let me tell you a story of redemption.

One year ago, my husband and I attended The Global Orphan Project's "Big Event" where hundreds of people gather together to plead the cause of the poor and the needy, and put our heads and hearts together for the fatherless. The stories we heard there were jaw-dropping. We were astounded by the raw numbers of orphans and to learn of the orphan pandemic of today. We stood in disbelief of so many stories of survival and also stories of the heroes who are working in the lives of these children.

One of the stories was about a little baby named Alpha. One and a half years ago, a man named Peter found a garbage bag on the side of the road that was moving. When he inspected its contents, he found a brand new baby inside with a rope around her neck. Someone has discarded this little life on the side of the road. When others heard of what Peter had found, they asked what he would do if this baby was HIV positive. He said he was just going to love her. When the tests came back, she was HIV positive. That was probably the reason she had been thrown on the side of the road in the middle of the night. Peter named her Alpha and she became a member of his family. At the Big Event last year, we heard her story and the crowd of hundreds prayed for Alpha and her health and her future, with candles lighting up the room. Her story burned a hole in my heart.

Last night at the 2010 Big Event, Jason and I had a seat near the back of the room with dear friends of our's who share the same passion for these children. We listened to Moise Vaval speak about finding and burying his son in Haiti after the earthquake this January and about the beautiful work Global Orphan Project is doing there in Haiti week-after-week. All the while, there was a baby screaming in the audience, being carried back and forth into and out of the auditorium. It was a very dimly lit auditorium, lit mainly by candles on the tables near the stage. I kept thinking "Goodness, that baby is MAD! I wonder why someone brought a baby to this event." The crying did not cease. Eventually, I told Jason that I had to go see how I could help.

I followed the mom out the door and practically chased her all the way to the bathroom. When we arrived, I asked if there was anything at all I could do to help. I offered to hold or walk the baby so that the mother could be a part of the presentation that was happening in the auditorium. She was thankful, but was hesitant to leave me with her baby. I stayed in the bathroom long enough to find out that the family was here from Malawi, Africa. Admiring the beautiful brown skin of this baby and her sweet dimples on her face, I asked what her name was. The mother said "Her name is Alpha."

I am not kidding you that TIME STOOD STILL.

A number of incontrollable tears fells down my face. My mind was grasping for all the details that could bring together the correct conclusion of whether or not this is THE Alpha who I prayed for a year ago. THE Alpha who burned a hole in mine and so many others' hearts a year ago.

I ran out of the bathroom and found a friend of mine who could confirm whether or not this baby was THE Alpha and she did, in fact, confirm that it was the baby who so many of us prayed for last year.

I ran back into the bathroom and just looked into the face of this little girl who has no idea how she has saved so many lives with her story. I stayed and spoke with the mother as long as I could without seeming like a stalker. When I returned to my seat next to Jason and shared with him who that crying baby was, he was in shock.

I was able to go hold and play with little Alpha later in the evening. We walked around and talked (as best as you can with an 18 month old) and I kissed her precious cheek. To look into those eyes and know her story of survival is a feeling that is hard to put into words.

It puts us so close to the heart of God when we consider the lives of the "least of these." When we put a hold on our lives and stop long enough to love a child who has done nothing for us, we are experiencing the heart of Christ.

I love the passage in Matthew when Jesus speaks of the "greatest in the kingdom of heaven." Read Matthew 18:1-5 for yourself, but listen to verse 5 especially:

Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me.

Just Love Coffee

I'd like to extend an offer for some delicious coffee for a great cause.

Click on the link below to order coffee (some blends from Ethiopia!) to support our adoption. Just Love Coffee will give us $5 for every bag sold toward our adoption from Ethiopia. They also donate 10% of their yearly earnings to an Ethiopian orphanage where the owner adopted 2 girls in recent years. Jason and I have tasted the coffee and it is worth the money. We like The Roasterie coffee, and this is just as high-quality. The Tyrus Morgan CD and coffee package is a great deal, too. He's a talented musician and a good friend of our's. I know you'd enjoy his music.

We will be putting in a bulk order soon, so you can choose to order directly from the web site or you could pay me and get the bag right away from my home.

The money we make on this fund-raiser will go directly toward our travel expenses, which includes 4 round-trip tickets to Ethiopia and 2 one-ways. The adoption, itself, is paid for and ready to go (dossier is translated and sitting in the hands of our agency in Addis Ababa)----as soon as we get our referral (names and pictures of our new children). We are hopeful that will take place this winter.

http://www.justlovecoffee.com/therusts

Looking forward to a cold winter with some hot coffee!

Wendy

P.S.: On a related side-note, Jason and I (along with Jeff and Jenny Rodgers and other friends) will be attending the Global Orphan Project "Big Event" this Saturday. I am hopeful that we will be able to finalize information regarding the 2 homes built in Uganda with the money raised last year for that cause. More information to come on that soon!

www.theglobalorphanproject.org

www.147millionorphans.com

Epiopia

Claire is one sweet little girl. She says this prayer (almost word-for-word) every night. Her brother and sister in Ethiopia just don't have a clue how lucky they will be to be Claire's sibling.