Waiting Children and more....

My sister, Kristi, who is the Coordinator for the waiting children at OH, just did a great post on these waiting sisters. You will have to go check it out. After my other sister, Kasey, just got back from ET for her first court date, we were looking through her pics and I noticed the older sister of these two in the background crying in every picture. When I asked her about her crying, she said it was just the saddest thing because she was simply crying because once again, no one had come for them. She said it broke everyone's heart to watch. They all tried to console her but she was just simply HEART BROKEN.  Well, I just wanted to cry when I saw the pics. I have met these girls twice now and they are just the sweetest. The older one has always expressed to me how badly she wants a family.  I even have a video of me with them that you can see if you email Kristi@ordinaryhero.org and ask her for the link and password. You can see their pics on our waiting list if you email Kristi and ask for the password.

I realize that things are very frustrating right now concerning Ethiopian adoptions.  But these kids need support now more than ever. Think about kids like these sisters who have been waiting such a long time already and now the doors just closed even tighter. BUT there is hope!! We serve a GREAT GOD! I have seen what a difference you can make just by being a part of a child's life through sponsorship and support. It makes them feel loved and cared for, even if you are a thousand miles away. I can't tell you how often I hear the words " you have changed our lives" from the boy and his mother we are sponsoring in Ethiopia. We have simply sent him to school and helped his mother so that the little boy doesn't have to feel the burden of working to support her and he can go on to school.  It is literally life changing and you can make life long connections and relationships.  So all that to say,  for these two sisters and many like them, yes, it may take a while for you to actually bring them home, but there are so many ways to connect with them in the meantime.

So to all of you stuck in this adoption craziness from Ethiopia, keep your faith high and don't lose hope! I have seen doors close before with different countries. Sometimes they open back fairly quickly but sometimes they don't very quickly.  It took me four years to get to my son after going several different routes but Lord knows, he was worth the wait :) God knows your child and the path He has you on to get to that child. It was weaved into His perfect plan. Stay in the word. Lean on Him during this time. And be still and hear His voice as He directs you one way or the other to your child. Waiting does something in all of us. It defines our character in the meantime. Trust me, I know :)

We have had some new agencies join our wait list. We have some new Ugandan children from Adoption Advocates. We have also seen some GREAT success with SEVERAL adoptions taking place from China through Wasatch International. If you are signed with an agency that is not on our list but you know they have kids waiting that you would like to get the word out about, put them in touch with us. Have them email Kristi@OrdinaryHero.org.

Also, our Affiliates are up and running! I have just made it easier as far as the tracking code and all of that. Now all folks have to do when they check out is click on the affiliates name in the drop down list and they get the 40% credit from the purchase. I hope this makes things much easier.

I also received a great comment from someone wanting to make a purchase and wanted to know how to pick an affiliate to give the credit to. I will be adding a list of all of our affiliates and their blogs to my site. Any affiliate who signs up with us to sell will have the option of being added to our site as an official affiliate. It will allow folks to see your story and your cause and help spread the word and bring more awareness to adoption and missions. If you have not signed up as an affiliate yet and would like to you can visit our Affiliate Sign Up page. Read through the terms and conditions and then you can get started.

Have a great day!!