A Place Called Simplicity's Dead Beat Dad Series

Happy winter break! This blog post is a bit different in that I have chosen to profile our family for the A PLACE CALLED SIMPLICITY'S initiative to help families bringing home their children and are close to travel. Linny's blog, which I have followed for years, has been a source of inspiration to me. Although I think she and I are so different in many ways, our love for the orphan, especially those with special needs, is what links me to this family's blog. I have followed her family's trials and tribulations with some of the most fragile children I have seen. In the past few months Linny has blogged about God not being a "deadbeat dad" and how provisions are made for all his children to care for their special "treasures" that are so in need of homes and medical care. Her days of prayer and fasting have connected me to others who visit her blog, some who helped pray me and Sam home after our trying time in Ethiopia. Her family's work in Africa has been amazing to follow and soon her daughter Emily will be moving to Uganda to help so many children and adults in need. 
Anyhow, these questions are answered for APCS in the hopes of being a chosen family to be profiled on her blog as we save up for our travels costs to Ethiopia!

1.   Tell us a bit about the child you are adopting - including this treasure's age and name {Please post a picture if allowed.} K is beautiful with mesmerizing eyes and a small crooked smile that makes her look shy and happy all at once. She is from a very hard place, a child headed household from the Western most region of Ethiopia that borders the Sudan. Her oldest sister cared for her and her 12 year old sister for the last 3 years; her oldest sister is just 16 herself. K will be 6 years old (on paper) next month. The peditrician believes she is closer to 7.  Currently she is in a much safer transition home in Addis and loves to have her hair braided. We believe she now knows she has a new family that will be coming to see her soon.
 Due to the restrictions from our agency and the country we are adopting from, we are recommended not to use her actual name and are not allowed to show her picture. Her first initial is K and her middle name will be Amhara. She is between 6 and 7
{Please post pictures if able.}

2. Is the child you are adopting considered "Special Needs"? Yes- She is HIV positive and has likely been exposed to trauma, coming from a child headed household on the edge of the Sudanese civil war
3.  What country or geographic area are you adopting from?  Western Ethiopia 
4. Have you adopted before? Yes, a special needs little boy from a waiting child program. He came home in September of 2011 and is also from Ethiopia- he is 4 years old.

5.. How close to travel are you? We will likely have court in February or early March. We are awaiting a court date- after a slight dossier crisis was averted, all papers are in order!

6. Do you attend church regularly? If so, what type of church is it? Yes, we attend the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Columbia, SC nearly every week

7. Do you tithe with each pay {at least the scriptural standard of 10%}? I am not working, but still contribute 10% of my graduate assistantship money (I am in graduate school), plus I am a Sunday school teacher for 3-5th graders. My husband tithes 10% as well as volunteers monthly with the high school youth group. 

8. This week, did you participate in any way with the day of Praise, Prayer by giving praise on the link and then posting your request? I did participate in the day of prayer, praise and fasting this past Tuesday

9.  Have you read the entire Deadbeat Dad series? Yes I have read all parts of the series and also chose to contribute to one of the families that are bringing home a sibling group

10. How did you hear about this Link up we are having? I have followed the blog A Place Called Simplicity for two years or more. 

11. Is there anything, briefly, that you would like to share with our orphan-lovin', God-honorin', Jesus worshippin' bloggy friends reading this?

My husband and I have fallen in love with the beautiful culture and people of Ethiopia. We feel so blessed and fortunate to have added a wonderful little boy to our family. Despite his orthopaedic issues, and often inability to walk- he has the brightest smile and sweetest disposition. We feel drawn to advocate for orphans and have also contemplated moving to Ethiopia for a year to work with educational/literacy development and Engineers Without Borders. We are so excited to have the opportunity to add to our family from Ethiopia. We both have a special connection to Waiting Children with special needs. I am in awe of the work Linny has done both as a mom and in developing support for missions and orphan programs. She has been an inspiration to me. 



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Finally, understanding that each gift received through this "Response Time" has been entrusted generously for our use from our loving Father, we promise, in the unlikely event that we would be unable to or decide not to adopt the children we are advocating for, we promise to return all of the money gifted to us as a result of this link to International Voice of the Orphan so they can, at their discretion, give to other families adopting.

{Please place your initials on the line.}
Yes, I will submit_TAP_ No, I am unable to submit to this ________