celebrating 5 years of LIFE

Today Faith registered for Kindergarten.  There is such a  swirl of emotions in my  heart.  I picked her registration packet up a few weeks ago at the school and my voice cracked just asking for the papers.  The school secretary was surprised at my reaction.  After all, Faith is my fourth and I still have a baby at home.  Now, I hold all my babies close and when they head out the door for school a little piece of my heart goes out with them... every time.  But there is something about Faith.  Something about her story.  Something about all the miracles that made her my daughter.  Something about it that has a lump in my throat and tears that I am fighting to keep inside.

It seems a blink since the day I sat on the edge of my seat waiting for them to call her name, the long staircase to her room that felt like an eternity, and the way my heart leaped when my eyes met hers for the first time.  The days pass too fast, especially when a mama has missed the first 14 months of her daughter's life.

As Faith walked away with the reading teacher this morning, I looked down and realized that London was wearing Faith's old clothes.  In fact she was wearing the very sweatshirt Faith is wearing in the picture above.  London is 6 mo old.  Faith was 14 mo.   She came home tiny, sick, delayed and emotionally starving.  Today she is a happy, beautiful, healthy little girl getting ready to go to school.  She is so excited to go to school but even more excited that in a few short weeks she will turn 5 years old.

In Ethiopia only 30% of girls ever make it to a secondary education.  The area of Ethiopia where Faith is from most women are illiterate and live in a level of poverty of which she has no concept.  Many children never make it to the age of 5 due to the effects of poverty.  When we were waiting to adopt Faith we read so many times of all the statistics against children in poverty making it to the age of 5.  I knew then that the day she turned five and started school would be a day to celebrate.

So for Faith's 5th Birthday our family would like to invite you to learn about and support a ministry in Ethiopia that is making a difference in the lives of little babies just like Faith.  For her 5th birthday we want to give back to the country that gave us so much. Embracing Hope Ethiopia. They are preventing orphans and preserving families by offering a safe place for children to be loved and cared for during the day.  This allows their mamas to find work and keep their families together.  They are sharing the love of Jesus in word and in action.  They are laying down a karate chop across the poverty cycle and bringing life, health and education to a new generation.  Everyday they have to turn mamas away because they do not yet have the funding to meet the need.  In honor of Faith we ask you to make a donation to help one more family stay together.  Go here to donate and click on the button "GIVE: click here to give online".

I challenge you to watch this video and not be moved to action.