Stand in the Gap

Just over a week ago, we were invited to an Ethiopian Christmas party being hosted by good friends of ours, their first with their son, Abe, who has been in the States less than six months. I took the time to caution Tyler and Trevor on proper etiquette for an occasion such as this, harkening back to a phrase taught to my college choir just before we left for a European tour. We were warned not to be rude American tourists, not to call things “weird,” or “gross,” but to address uncomfortable situations by thinking, “My that's different; I wonder why they do it that way.” I told the boys to take a similar attitude to this party. We were dressing up a little, because that's what they do in Ethiopia. There would be no gifts. There was a good chance there would be music and perhaps even dancing. And, of course, there would be food made just for the occasion, recipes unlike anything the boys had ever tasted. I told them not to be rude, but to try new things, and that if they didn't like it, we could talk about it in the car, but they were under no circumstances to say anything offensive. “The last thing we want to do,” I told them, “is hurt Abe's feelings.” To this Trevor smugly replied, “So, first we'll go to the party, and then we'll hurt Abe's feelings.” I laughed, and admitted that technically, I did say that, sort of, but he knew that wasn't what I meant. He was certainly proud of himself for his cleverness, though, and I was admittedly pleased that he's developing such a quick whit already. This one's going to keep us on our toes! Trenton is also learning to express himself in more and more ways. As his vocabulary increases, we find ourselves entertained by his imitations of the big people in his life. For instance, during the NFL playoff games this weekend, every time we cheered, or he looked up and noticed what was on TV, he let out a hearty, “O-H!” We've evidently successfully begun the Buckeye indoctrination. Next year we'll start on identifying the team colors! LOL! Tyler is developing into quite a fine young man. He is soft heart-ed and increasingly aware of the needs of others around him. It's interesting to watch him as his reasoning skills develop and he is trying to incorporate himself into more adult conversations and taking on ways to be helpful at home. That's not to say that he's not still a typical kid, however. A couple of weeks before Christmas I asked him to help me wrap a few gifts for his cousins, and it wasn't until Steve helped me get them out of the closet to give them away that he discovered that while, yes, my niece's gift was technically wrapped, it was done so with the paper in-side-out, which Tyler never bothered to tell me – probably because he was too engrossed in Minecraft to notice. Again, I laughed, “still blind!” I tell you all of this silliness because those little moments of joy and laughter are what we live for around here, and what we can't wait to share with another little one, no matter how long it takes to bring her home. If you read many adoption blogs, you'll quickly learn that this journey is hard. Really, really hard! The road is filled with ups and downs, twists and turns, and lots of uncertainty. The last month has been particularly trying for us as we have become, for lack of a better term, battle weary. Keeping up the constant fund raising efforts, sharing our story with everyone we meet, running to basketball practice, and quizzing, and choir, working full time jobs, and doing homework, not to mention all the holiday madness, and now the home study, has taken its toll on us physically and emotionally. Writing checks from the adoption account and seeing that balance decline instead of grow has certainly been a bit unnerving. And then there are the ever-present unexpected expenses, unplanned illnesses, and unfortunate mishaps that pop up at the most inconvenient times. We're still on the journey, but things are a bit slower at the moment. Earlier this month, discouragement and fear hit Steve and I both so hard that we were temporarily paralyzed frightened and unable to do anything, but we've been praying our way out of that, and I've started calling in the reserves to help us. If it takes a village to raise a child, it takes an army to get her home! An army of warriors intercessing on their knees, dressed in the full armor of God, and ready for a fight! In the last couple of weeks I have started personally reaching out to my warrior friends and asking them for help. We've hit the wall, bounced off it, and begun reorienting ourselves for the next round. It has been interesting to me how often I have drawn strength from Old Testament passages and how they have come to life in new ways for me since we first set out on this expedition. I remind myself that the God of the Old Testament is the same yesterday, today and forever, and He's got this under control! In Exodus 17, the Israelites were attacked by the Amalekites. Moses prepared them for battle, and told them he would be watching over them atop a hill with the staff of God in his hands. As Joshua led the charge, Moses stood firm, holding up the staff. As long as the staff was raised, the Israelites were winning. But when the staff was lowered, the Amalekites gained the upper hand. Ultimately, the battle was won because when Moses' strength failed, Aaron and Hur came to his aid, bringing him a stone to sit on, and holding up his arms with the staff, one on each side. Holding up a staff to win a military encounter seemed like such a simple thing to do! Moses and that staff had come a long way from the burning bush, to Pharaoh’s palace, through the Red Sea, and across the desert. Yet, somehow, this time, the weight of the staff was too much for Moses. It took the assistance of his brother and a friend to carry out the task set before him. Moses had been faithful to the call, but his body was worn and he needed a little help. That's kind of where we are. We're by no means giving up, but we are tired and we've encountered spiritual warfare in real and palpable ways. So this month, rather than announce our next massive fundraiser (I have no idea what that is), I am simply asking you to stand in the gap for us. We need your words. We need our friends and family to help widen our fund raising circles by sharing the link to our coffee fundraiser, www.justlovecoffee.com/sheltons. If you've tried it, we could use some good reviews on Facebook to help us promote it. We need words of encouragement as we face our fears and dive into the home study. And most importantly, we need your words to pour forth to Heaven on our behalf. We trust in the God who provides, who strengthens the weak, and who cares about the fatherless. Together, we, all of us, are going to see God work yet another miracle and win one more victory. And in the end we will all sing, “Give thanks to the Lord, His love endures forever!”