Court trip!!!

Mark and Erin’s trip to Ethiopia

This is our very brief trip schedule.  Please pray for us while we are gone!

1.       Leave from Des Moines 6:10pm on Saturday, June 11th to Chicago O’Hare.  Leave from Chicago to Istanbul, Turkey at 10:30pm (11 hour flight) and arrive at 5:05pm Sunday, June 12th.  Leave from Istanbul to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia at 6:50pm and arrive in Ethiopia finally at 12:15am Monday June 13^th!!  Ethiopia is 8 hours ahead of us.

2.       Pray for a few hours of restful sleep before we get up early to drive south.  We will drive 6-6 ½ hours to Woyalita, Ethiopia.  This is where the girls are in an orphanage.  We will spend about 2 hours with them.  Pray for God to supernaturally extend this time, for us to connect, and for our departure as we leave them behind.

3.       We will then drive another 2 hours for Lewi, Ethiopia where we will be staying the night.  Pray for protection for us from mosquitoes that carry malaria.  We will be taking precautionary medication and will likely use a mosquito net this night.  Malaria is only an issue in the south not in the capital city.

4.       Tuesday we will drive back to Addis Ababa.  Pray for protection on the roads as we share it with many walking people and animals.

5.       Tuesday afternoon will likely be sightseeing and shopping. 

6.       Wednesday we will meet with our Ethiopian lawyer and our big court date.  Pray that all the paperwork is in order and we will hear the words, “they are yours!”  We are pretty prepared that this will not happen, as the last court groups have been missing one important piece of paper.  The ministry of women and children in Ethiopia has to sign off on all adoptions.  As of late they have been under intense scrutiny by outside sources due to unethical adoptions.  Thus, the process has become much slower.  But….  We believe in the power of God and believe it will all happen in His perfect timing!

7.       Wednesday afternoon will likely be more sightseeing/shopping until we head back to the airport to leave at 1:15am Thursday, June 16^th!

8.       We then arrive in Istanbul at 6:40am, then on to Chicago leaving at 11:20 am and arriving at 3:15pm.  We will be back in Des Moines at 7:20pm on Thursday. :) Whirlwind!!!  

      Please pray for the kids as they stay home with my parents while we are gone.  Pray for a fun week for them, safety, and good sleep for all. 

Dear Girls,

To our dear daughters E and F,

Not sure if you even know about us yet, but you're so a part of our world.  Drew asks to see you almost daily on my phone.  Your pictures are framed in our kitchen.  And we pray for you daily, at least!  Your room is getting ready for you.  It's been hard for me to work on because it makes me miss you so much.    Tonight Carson's prayer made me tear.  He prayed that all the bugs that carry bad diseases would stay away from you.  Can you tell we've been talking about Africa?  And Malaria?

We got more books last week and we're trying to learn a few words that we hope you will also know.  It makes us feel like we are doing something as we wait for you.  We were submitted to court almost five weeks ago.  Each week I desperately check my email every five minutes on Tuesday and lately Wednesday!  I can't wait to know when we will get to hold you both in our arms.  E, I wonder how you will react.  Will you be hesitant?  Will you know what's going on?  I'm betting so, it doesn't seem like you miss much from what we know about your cute personality!  Little F, I know you will be scared.  We pray for your little heart every night.  For protection, for comfort, that God would wrap you up in His big arms...  After all, He loves you both so much more than we ever will.  And that's hard to imagine!  I'm so glad you're both growing and getting healthier.  We love looking at how you are changing. 

This time is changing us too.  It's teaching us more about waiting.  And about being more thankful.  About appreciating the little things.  We CAN NOT wait for you to be here.  We can't wait to see how you fit perfectly into our family.  How you will spice it up.  :)  But most of all, we can't wait to tell you and show you how much you are loved.  You are daughters of the King!  Have a wonderful Sunday, beauties.  We are coming soon.

Mommy and Daddy

Happy Birthday Dad!

Today is my Dad's birthday.  He's 6 or 7.  :)  My kiddos all had to call him on facetime and sing Happy Birthday.  I LOVE facetime!!  So much easier than skype.

I have the best Dad and the best Papa to my kiddos.  He's fun, caring, smart, loving, and loves God.  I couldn't ask for a better Dad.  The crazy thing...  he didn't really have a Dad growing up.  His Dad (my Grandpa Zumbrun) died from the effects of asthma and epinephrine when my Dad was only 5.  He still has stories to tell us about the convenience/gas station that my grandpa worked at.  How he would pick up the phone and tell the operator, "I want to talk to my Daddy."  And she'd get him!  My Dad is and was an amazing Dad.  He loved to tell us stories of Tinkum and camp Whitley.  We LOVED them.  Just that touch of suspense that kept you hanging on.  He also loved to sing to us and pat us.  I still love it.  :)  My dad, though a very busy doctor, never (really I mean NEVER) missed a game or activity we were involved in.  We always knew he loved us, and he told us regularly.  I never knew any different!  He was and still is committed to my Mom.  What a gift for us kiddos.  I always knew/know I can count on my Dad.  He's a man of integrity.  One very vivid memory I have as an adolescent is of waking up and knowing that I'd find my Mom and Dad on their knees praying for us.  I didn't realize yet how rare this is.  He loves my kids and they love him.  He loves to play tickle monster still.  And they laugh until they can't breath.  I remember that too.  He and my Mom still pray, and if they tell you they are praying, you better believe it happens.

Dad, I know I've told you before, but THANK YOU.  Your actions and your love for the Lord and for us mean more than words can express.  I love you.  Thanks for being you and for being real with us.  Happy 67th Birthday!

4-0!!

Today my man is 40!  And so, today is all about him.  40 reasons I love Mark Douglas Fish and am so thankful that God gave me such a precious gift.

1. He loves God.
2. He loves me.
3. He's a great dad.
4. He's fun!
5. He makes me laugh.
6. He's a HARD worker.
7. He's smart.
8. He has many interests.
9. He's a techie.
10. He knows what I need.
11. He has a soft heart.
12. He's athletic.
13. He's tall.
14. He can fly a plane!
15. He's has a degree in youth ministry and medicine.
16. He can speak Spanish.
17. He loves his family.
18. We can share medical stories.
19. He has great friends. (like from high school!!)
20. He likes to go out to eat.  :)
21. He will eat anything I cook.  (without complaining.)
22. He loves to teach our kids how to do things.
23. He is really good at what he does.
24. He appreciates little things - like the kids decorations in our house last night.  ;)
25. He lets me be who I am.
26. He is a hunk!
27. He's competitive.
28. He does his own laundry when needed - without saying a word!
29. He can smoke meat like nobodies business.
30. He loves adventure.
31. He's always up for something new.
32. He plays the guitar.
33. He dresses really well.
34. He likes to play games.  (The kids love this one.)
35. He has a motorcycle, and he takes me for rides.
36. He's very loyal.
37. He smells good.  :)
38. He's always happy, well most of the time!
39. He processes by talking to me, and I LOVE that.
40. He told me when we were dating that he wanted 5 kids!!  And I was the one that said noway.  And here we are.  :)

Love you, Baby.  Can't wait to write another list at 80.  :)

Favorite Song...

This Love is my new fav.  If you haven't heard it give a listen!  Be ready with a few kleenexes if you're on the adoption journey.

My advice is to download and put on repeat.  It's a happy cry after all...  :)

We're coming soon girlies!

REFERRAL!!! (long)

I have such good news to share!!  WE GOT A REFERRAL!!  It's such a crazy God story, but I will do my best to write it here...

Last Monday night, March 8th, I was coming home from a school board meeting at 10:15pm.  I called Mark to tell him I was on my way, and he shared that our social worker had called.  We have the absolute best social worker that calls to check up on us every now and then so I didn't think much of it until he said she had a sibling group to talk to us about!  WHAT?!  I was overwhelmed and didn't even know what to say.  Some background...  A lot of you know that we had asked and gone to committee for a sibling group in January/February and were not chosen for them.  At that point we had returned to our original request which was one child from age 0-3 years.  We had both relinquished any idea of siblings and were expecting a referral around May.  So, this phone call blew us out of the water!  God had different plans for us!  I emailed our social worker that night, but at this point we weren't sure if this was a real referral or if this was another waiting child process.  We were told we would get an email on Tuesday.

Tuesday, I was on a kindergarten field trip all day.  I tried to call our social worker about 3pm, but she wasn't available.  We still hadn't received any emails!!  About 4:30 our social worker called to see if we had gotten an email.  I told her no, and she said she would call me back.  She called back shortly to tell me, yes, it was a real referral, and that I would receive an email any minute!!!  Our family was considered for these girls because they knew our interest and because we had gone to committee for the sibling group that was very similar to this one.  Of course Mark was at work until 10pm that night, so our first glimse of our daughters was apart.  :( 

Because of our extreme differences in our expectations and our referral, it took us awhile to process through it all.  But last night 2 little girls became ours!!  They are 2 1/2 and 4 1/2 and so gorgeous!  I can't wait to hold them.  I can't post pictures here, but I can show them to you if I see you, and would share them with you via email.  :)

We're praying they will join our family by Christmas, and would cherish any of your prayers!  (Of course I hope it's sooner, but I'd rather be happily surprised than disappointed.)

So, there you have our crazy referral story!  It's not at all how I expected it to be, but I wouldn't change it for anything either.  Our referral verse is:

Ephesians 3:20-21
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever!  AMEN.

New life...

Lately this is the theme - babies!!  Our church is busting with them.  Our great friends had theirs today - a precious little girl.  God is so good.  I also helped host a baby shower for another friend today.  (That's the second in a month, and another still to come this month!)

I love new life, and isn't it great that our God does too?!  We all have the opportunity for new life through Him.  He blesses us with the new life of spring each year.  Each morning is a new start.  Hallelujah, for that!  Because, I don't know about the rest of you, but I desperately need new life every moment!

We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.  Romans 6:4

On the adoption front there is some news that adoptions may be slowing substantially in Ethiopia.  Would you please pray!  It breaks my heart that children will stay longer in orphanages unnecessarily!

The good news is that referrals have been abundant lately from our agency!  They did away with the numbering system, but by my calculations, we have broken into the 20's!!  I think we are around 26, give or take.