Referral Wait Week...

Wow... we are

now starting week #14 of the referral waiting time warp.

There has been some great news on our agency forum, however... Several families have received referrals in the past 2 weeks. And as I have said before, we are movin' on up the list (my best educated guess is that we are getting closer to the single digits...maybe #10 or 11.)! The average wait time right now, is 27-30 weeks.... So we are about half-way there. We knew this going into the process, so it comes as no surprise. However, knowing in advance that you could be on a list, waiting for months does nothing for the heartache of actually waiting.

Thank goodness I have plenty to keep me busy...

I have begun the collection of fabrics for the 100 good wishes quilt... anyone who wishes to send in a square of fabric and a wish, is welcome to do so... (see archive "Things to do while we wait" for instructions!)

I had planned on beginning the quilt right away, but I still have squares showing up in my mailbox, so I am putting it on hold for a while to allow them all to arrive... Thanks to you all, who are participating... I have received some great fabrics, and wishes... I am really looking forward to completing this project.

Things you learn when you have sons....

You find out interesting things when you have sons, like...

1.) A king size waterbed holds enough water to fill a 2000 sq. ft.house 4 inches deep.

2.) If you spray hair spray on dust bunnies and run over them with roller blades, they can ignite.

3.) A 3-year old Boy's voice is louder than 200 adults in a crowded restaurant.

4.) If you hook a dog leash over a ceiling fan, the motor is not strong enough to rotate a 42 pound Boy wearing Batman underwear and a Superman cape. It is strong enough, however, if tied to a paint can, to spread paint on all four walls of a 20x20 ft. room.

5.) You should not throw baseballs up when the ceiling fan is on.When using a ceiling fan as a bat, you have to throw the ball up a few times before you get a hit. A ceiling fan can hit a baseball a long way.

6.) The glass in windows (even double-pane) doesn't stop a baseball hit by a ceiling fan.

7.) When you hear the toilet flush and the words "uh oh", it's already too late.

8.) Brake fluid mixed with Clorox makes smoke, and lots of it.

9.) A six-year old Boy can start a fire with a flint rock even though a 36-year old Man says they can only do it in the movies.

10.) Certain Lego's will pass through the digestive tract of a 4-year old Boy.

11.) Play dough and microwave should not be used in the same sentence.

12.) Super glue is forever.

13.) No matter how much Jell-O you put in a swimming pool you still can't walk on water.

14.) Pool filters do not like Jell-O.

15.) VCR's do not eject "PB & J" sandwiches even though TVcommercials show they do.

16.) Garbage bags do not make good parachutes.

17.) Marbles in gas tanks make lots of noise when driving.

18.) You probably DO NOT want to know what that odor is.

19.) Always look in the oven before you turn it on; plastic toys do not like ovens.

20.) The fire department in Austin , TX has a 5-minute response time.

21.) The spin cycle on the washing machine does not make earthworms dizzy.

22.) It will, however, make cats dizzy.

23.) Cats throw up twice their body weight when dizzy.

24.) 80% of Women will pass this on to almost all of their friends, with or without kids.

25.) 80% of Men who read this will try mixing the Clorox and brake fluid.

This post came from an adoption web-group that I belong to... It makes me very Thankful that we do not have a ceiling fan!

Week 11... And a Plug for sponsorship.

As we settle in to week 11, it is hard to believe that we could be waiting 30+ weeks. If that is the case, (And I hope it isn't!) we are almost 1/2 way there.
There continue to be children picked up by families, and new children arriving at Layla House (our agency's care center). Every week , there have been referrals made. The last time we were updated by the agency (a few weeks ago), there were about 10-15 families in front of us in line. That means that approximately 30 families have received thier referrals since our dossier was sent. We were #45, when we were officially put on the waiting list.

This is great news... for both the families waiting and the children being matched.

A few weeks ago, I received a letter from the father of Tilahun, the little boy that we are sponsoring to go to school in Addis. I am an emotional person anyway, but it really brought tears to my eyes, to read the letter. The program we are sponsoring him through is normally for Orphaned students, to keep them in the custody of extended family members, or friends. Tilahun (7) is very lucky to still have both parents... He also has a younger brother (5) and two younger sisters(3 & 1). His mother and father are very poor. His mother doesn't work, as she stays home to take care of the youngest children. Tefera, his father, is deaf. He is attending university (with sponsorship from another family in the States...) to become a teacher at a school for deaf children. He works odd jobs in his off-time, and they scrape by, with very little.

We send $30 per month, which goes through our agency, to help with Tilahun's school tuition, and uniforms, along with supplies.

If anyone is interested, $30 is a small amount to pay to keep a family together. Without our sponsorship, It is likely that Tilahun's parents would have to give up 2 or more of thier children.

There are many sponsorhip programs out there, but you can find information at the link below for the Orphaned Student Project that we support....

http://www.adoptionadvocates.org/AAI/HowCanYouHelp.htm

Tefera is a proud man. He is doing the best he can for his family. It is very important to him, to complete his education, and make a better life for his children. The letter I received was a little bit difficult to understand the first time through, since it looked as though it had been translated from Ethiopia's native Amharic, to English via one of those free translation sites online. But there was no doubt that he was very grateful for the help that we are giving him.

I hope that while we are in Addis, we will be able to meet them. To hug them, and let them know that they will not be among the 'lost and forgotten' in Ethiopia.