And We're Off!!!

Friday!  We leave Friday to begin the next chapter of adventures.  5 planes and two weeks later we expect to arrive in Addis Ababa.  We still don't know where we are going to stay when we arrive, a temporary residence somewhere, but I expect by July 6th we will move into a more permanent home in Addis and this will complete our 11th move by our 11th anniversary.  Whew, Sean warned me that MKs have a hard time staying in one place:)  Now we are raising our own MKs and they are already showing the signs of transition, some regression but amazing resilience as we are moving out of our home in Bonney Lake.

Unexpected Blessings-I had no idea how much I needed to be back "home" for these months.  As a Washington girl there was something God knew that I needed.  He blessed me with this time here.  I keep telling people "it is so EASY to be here".  Actually I say it in a dumbfounded way, like; I had no idea how easy it would be here! (Despite that it was an unexpected detour and we did not know how long it would last and we came here with only 3 suitcases for our family a year ago)...But I understand the culture without trying.  I can go to the store, or invite people over, or just be in my house without thinking much about it. When I am outside of my culture, so much more energy goes towards trying to figure out who I am, where I am going, how I am suppose to fit in... As an introvert meeting new people is like running a marathon inside and when I have to do that every day it is really hard.  DC was especially hard because I was pregnant for half of the time there, and trying to figure out the culture of motherhood at the same time.  Here I can stay in my house all day and the people I've known my whole life come to me.  I can breathe peaceful fresh air and see the mountains or the ocean without more than a stroll outside, I love it!

So WHY is God calling ME, a girl who spent her whole life until the age of 22, in Washington state, across the world?  It's easy to see why Sean is called there. He is good at it.  He is really good at meeting new people, and jumping right in to new cultures, and for goodness sake he is leading the World's largest water campaign ever attempted, to bring clean water to millions of people.  It's pretty clear why God wants him there.  He's amazing, God shines through him, and He LOVES his work.  He will always work hard and I am excited to see him working up close in a place HE loves.  I think living in Africa with Sean will let me see a whole new side of him and that is exciting in and of itself: - But me?

God also made me with the itch....Change is growth I use to say a lot in college. I studied psychology because I love figuring out people, and cultures is just another, bigger challenge. So once I started seeing new places, it was hard for me to stop.  In the 6 years before I met Sean I traveled on my own to Germany, Switzerland, France, Mexico twice, Puerto Rico, Honduras and then moved to Chicago for grad school.  So when Sean says; you want to move to Africa? Remember when we met and you said you wanted to live if Africa?  Do you think our kids would want to move to Africa? (he can be a little persistent, a bit like a wall you crash into every day) I say, right now? Where will I get the energy to figure out the culture AND raise kids?  But in the end I say yes because life is short and I want to do this too.  And I am excited.  AND mostly I have evidence that God is leading us there so clearly.  HE's got us and I can trust that it is the best place in the world for our family.

One more thing: Last month I went to a Christian Psychology conference and the theme was Cross Cultural Care and Counsel and several presenters basically suggested that one's culture, not an individual's own emotions, behaviors and cognition is at the center of understanding self.  Hmmm something to think about...Most people think of culture as an outside characteristic of who they are.  For example if you meet new people and ask them to tell you about themselves they might list of a whole gamut of characteristics, one of them being the culture they are from.  But what if it's more than our individual emotions, behaviors and cognition's, rather our culture, our worldview and ethos that we are in the midst of that determines who we are at the core...I am interested in this.  I want to think about it more and how western thought and culture is changing the world.  I am about to largely step out of this culture.  How will it change me?  How will my kids be affected?  How will Caleb and Eli feel knowing they look like the people around them, but inside they will feel American, not Ethiopian?  How will this affect the kingdom of God?  What is Christian culture, and what is following Christ?  I am leaving with more questions than answers on this journey, clinging more tightly to my savior than ever, and begging Him help me hold my children during this massive earthquake He called our family to, relocating to two of my son's beautiful birth land; the ancient land that is mentioned at least 45 times in the bible, where the queen of Sheba once reigned, Ethiopia.  .

Our next steps...

So a signing date is set...April 24th.  A moving week is set, May 26th...Yes it is not the first time for either of these dates but these are a bit more hopeful this time that this may all come together.  The office in Ethiopia has officially invited us to come in late May so once again we begin to pack our bags.

Crazy that this will be our third move in less than a year, and this one into a temporary guest home.  But how Great is God's faithfulness and I could not be more blessed.  The time in Washington has re-energized me and I continue to just want to absorb every minute around the comfort of friends and family.  When we moved back into our home in Bonney Lake (January) I had mixed feelings as we felt "ready to go" but God knew it was exactly what we needed to prepare for another long season away from our extended family and in a new culture and environment.  I'm so thankful the kids know their cousins and Grandparents so much better.  I'm so thankful for the small group of woman that I have had the privilege of meeting and praying and studying with these months, all of whom I have known for over 20 years.  I am thankful for the growth in my kids-I now only have one in diapers!!! A first ever since I've had kids:)  Keziah will be just old enough at 9 months to get her yellow fever vaccination in May and is through the early months of getting on a sleep schedule and routine.

Mostly though I am thankful for God's abundant Grace as my dependence on him has increased and I realize daily that it is He that supplies me with the strength at each moment to handle whatever happens.  It feels so much better to live the life we are living in this state of trust, than my other mode of control, over preparation and masking.  If I spend my energy on pleasing God rather than on trusting God I always loose and end up empty at the end of the day.  If I tell my children behave, try harder, you must obey we all end up spending our last dose of energy on being frustrated that we can't be better.  If I tell them though, that they are precious children of God, saints in God's kingdom and the light to the world-and sometimes their current behavior does not reflect that...then we seem to be able to get somewhere.  It's about God and what He has done for us...Not what we can offer Him.  I'm reading the gospels of John and Luke and  "The Cure" by Bill Thrall, Bruce McNicol and John S Lynch and this has been been an excellent reminder of God's Grace and our precious Lord's own humility and love for people.

My kids are up, this is another day, The Lord has made, let us Rejoice...


What a blessing this house and beautiful backyard has been during this season!

Temporary plan!

 Praise God, we have a plan for the next several months.  We have made the decision to move back into our home in Bonney Lake for the short term. That means that for the next several months we'll live simply there without having our things shipped here (they are in storage in VA). Once things are final for our move to Africa we'll ship our things there and eventually follow. Things with Ethiopia continue to progress, just very slowly so we will also look into a move to another African country.  Praise God for friends! Between my little bible study, my parents and BSF we have beds, washer and dryer, and kitchen supplies for the next few months:) We are excited to move back into the home where Caleb and Eli were babies and to let my parents have their home back:)  I'll update as I have more specifics!  Thanks for your prayers:)

Waiting again on Ethiopia

If you followed our last blog, 4 years ago now, (www.kerriganadoptionstory.blogspot.com) you know that we have waited on Ethiopia before.  As I write, I remember four years ago, we were a week away today from the referral of our two oldest boys and two months away from meeting them, those weeks felt like years as our 6 year journey for children came to a climax.  Since then we have added four children in the past four years!  Now we are waiting for something else.  Another tug on our souls that has been growing...and now that we are anticipating happening, moving internationally.  I'm not sure how much longer this current wait will be but we I thought I'd start writing now as in our planning, we would have arrived three weeks ago.  In his heart a man makes his plans...but THE LORD directs his steps.  (Prov 16:9)

History: We have desired to move overseas for several years.  It has been in our minds since we dated and  through every job transition and move. When we lived in Charleston (2002-2004) we looked seriously at moving to Honduras.  When we lived in Phoenix for two years (2004-2006) we spent a summer in Guadalajara Mexico and loved it, then considered seriously a job that would have moved us to the DRC.  We chose instead to move just north to the Seattle area where I started a private counseling business and Sean began his work with World Vision. We considered moving to India a few years ago for a project Sean was working on there, but that also fell through and we moved instead to the DC area where we have been since 2010.  We have moved a lot in ten years but have not yet made it across an ocean and we continue to feel a tug on our hearts to do this, to serve and learn from people in a different place.
"...spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed..." Isaiah 58:10

A year ago we were presented with another opportunity to move internationlly.  Sean's current role in Water, Sanitation and Hygiene often takes him to Africa and there was a need for him to be closer to the work.  We were excited at the possibility to return to the country of Caleb and Eli's birth so this past summer we packed up our house in Arlington, VA and moved with three suitcases and a couple carry-ons back to the the other Washington to be near family, and to have our fourth child before moving to Ethiopia.  We expected the paperwork for the move would go through early in the summer and our things would be shipped while living here.  Our plans were to move on October 8th but the paperwork still sits unsigned so we wait here until we get word; and our belongings all wait in Arlington to ship.  Apparently Ethiopia is among the hardest of countries to obtain a work permit.  In the meantime parents have been very generous and have taken all 6 of us in.  They stayed in lovely home down the street until earlier this month (when they thought of course that we'd be gone) but now the eight of us are living in my childhood home until we get notice from the office there in Addis that we can come and begin working in Ethiopia.  I will spare you the details but it continues to grow us to wait on these steps that we have such little control over.  Meanwhile we are blessed beyond measure to be around friends and family for longer than we expected.  Our sweet kids know their cousins and Grandparents so well now and having extra hands around with four kids under five fills my heart with gratitude.  This morning during Keziah's nap, my Dad stayed with her and I took the three older boys on a couple hour bike ride.  Here are the boys when we stopped to throw some leaves:)

Luke age 2

Caleb age 4

 

And here is baby Keziah-2 months

Eli age 4

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Romans 12:12