This year, I have bought almost all my gifts for people and even wrapped them! I have watched Mickey's Christmas Carol (my favorite version of this classic) and National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. I saw Manheim Steamroller in concert and have listened to other holiday favorites in the car. It's a crazy, but good time of year.
As the days come closer to Christmas though, I can't help but think of the DRC and all the kids there who Santa won't get to visit.
How is this sad thought beautiful? It's not really, but the song below is, and it makes me think of Sara.
This Sunday I think of Sara next year, making cookies, dreaming of Santa coming and waking up to her first Christmas morning. While this year is special because it is the last one Matt and I will have as just a couple, it will be so much more magical next year- what a beautiful thought!
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Beautiful Sunday- How Could it Not Be?
This Sunday I really have no choice but to dedicate it to the people raising Sara. She is a beautiful little girl, living in a country that is beautful in it's own right. Her story and the women who have helped raise her so far are amazing human beings, even if I don't know who they are.
Sara's mom died two days after Sara was born. Local nuns took her in and nourished her for five days while waiting for other family members to show up- none did. The nuns then took her to a local village "orphanage"- a term used very loosly. There are 3-4 women at the orphanage (more like a house) who have helped Sara and her 8 "brothers and sisters" live as best as they can.
Stories like this happen everyday in the DRC. Even in a country ravaged by disease and severe poverty, people do what they can to help in the ways they know how. They are true local heroes saving lives without aknowledgement, without clean water and without money- but they make it happen. If only there were more of these amazing women and men all around the world, we would have a safer and better earth for everyone.
Thank you to all the beautiful heroes in the DRC saving the lives of so many! You are truly the most beautiful people on earth.
Sara's mom died two days after Sara was born. Local nuns took her in and nourished her for five days while waiting for other family members to show up- none did. The nuns then took her to a local village "orphanage"- a term used very loosly. There are 3-4 women at the orphanage (more like a house) who have helped Sara and her 8 "brothers and sisters" live as best as they can.
Stories like this happen everyday in the DRC. Even in a country ravaged by disease and severe poverty, people do what they can to help in the ways they know how. They are true local heroes saving lives without aknowledgement, without clean water and without money- but they make it happen. If only there were more of these amazing women and men all around the world, we would have a safer and better earth for everyone.
Thank you to all the beautiful heroes in the DRC saving the lives of so many! You are truly the most beautiful people on earth.
Saturday, December 10, 2011
She has Been Revealed!
13 blog posts, approximately 2 months, only two rounds of paperwork and years of thinking have brought us to the point that our daughter has been chosen! In such a short time we know who she is!!
Her name is Sara. She turned 3 on August 20. The adjectives that describe her? Joyful, capricious and likes to be put in charge." She is perfect!!
I truly believe everything in our lives happens for a reason. Sometimes we know that reason, sometimes it takes us looking back on events to see that reason. I believe with all my heart Sara was chosen so quickly because she was ment to be ours.
Are we freaking out? Of course! Did we think this could happen so quickly? Definately not! But, none of that matters. We will handle our daughter with patience and love. What may be a hard year for her when she comes into the family will result in a lifetime of opportunity and happiness she could never get back home.
Hopefully by summer we can meet this remarkle little girl and bring her home- WOW!!
Her name is Sara. She turned 3 on August 20. The adjectives that describe her? Joyful, capricious and likes to be put in charge." She is perfect!!
I truly believe everything in our lives happens for a reason. Sometimes we know that reason, sometimes it takes us looking back on events to see that reason. I believe with all my heart Sara was chosen so quickly because she was ment to be ours.
Are we freaking out? Of course! Did we think this could happen so quickly? Definately not! But, none of that matters. We will handle our daughter with patience and love. What may be a hard year for her when she comes into the family will result in a lifetime of opportunity and happiness she could never get back home.
Hopefully by summer we can meet this remarkle little girl and bring her home- WOW!!
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Beautiful Sunday- Housing
This Sunday I sit here cleaning like mad and wanting to purge the house of all the stuff Matt and I have collected in our 30-some years. We have our first case worker visit Wednesday night! True to form though, I sit here worried- do we really have a big enough house for Baby? Is it clean enough? Is there enough space for Baby to play and get toys out?
With all this in mind, I thought this Beautiful Sunday should be dedicated to housing. The average rent in Kinshasa is about $120/month; or a house will cost about $2545 total. Utilities run about $15 and internet is about $500 a month (no kidding!!!). For Expat standards of living, rent can go up to about $1000/month.
Most rural Congolese live within a family compound. The compound is a plot of land where family members build adjoining houses. This type of communal living is ideal for raising families. Families share children-watching duties since parents may be miles away from the living houses for extended periods of time.
It takes patience and dirty hands to build a mud and stick wall for a rural Congolese house. The work can be done by women or men. Strips of bamboo are tied to the supporting poles of the wall. The strips are put on both sides of the support poles to create a slotted wall. They then make mud and press it into mud balls. The balls are put in between the slotted bamboo walls. The mud fills the wall to give it a solid appearance.
Electricity can only be found in about 10% of residences, and 3 out of 4 Congolese have to walk 2 or more hours to reach clean water- everyday! With all this in mind, our home is a million times better than anything Baby will live in back home....hopefully the case worker thinks so too!
With all this in mind, I thought this Beautiful Sunday should be dedicated to housing. The average rent in Kinshasa is about $120/month; or a house will cost about $2545 total. Utilities run about $15 and internet is about $500 a month (no kidding!!!). For Expat standards of living, rent can go up to about $1000/month.
Most rural Congolese live within a family compound. The compound is a plot of land where family members build adjoining houses. This type of communal living is ideal for raising families. Families share children-watching duties since parents may be miles away from the living houses for extended periods of time.
It takes patience and dirty hands to build a mud and stick wall for a rural Congolese house. The work can be done by women or men. Strips of bamboo are tied to the supporting poles of the wall. The strips are put on both sides of the support poles to create a slotted wall. They then make mud and press it into mud balls. The balls are put in between the slotted bamboo walls. The mud fills the wall to give it a solid appearance.
Electricity can only be found in about 10% of residences, and 3 out of 4 Congolese have to walk 2 or more hours to reach clean water- everyday! With all this in mind, our home is a million times better than anything Baby will live in back home....hopefully the case worker thinks so too!
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Moving right along!
Does anyone remember the Muppets song "moving right along in search of good times and good news..." (yes, I did have to look up the exact lyrics), Well that has been playing in my head all day. The reason? We have a social worker and the agency is beginning to work on the referral.
What does this mean? It means we are moving right along! The social worker will start meeting us together and separately in order to ensure Baby will come home to willing and ready parents. The referral means the Congo will soon be contacted to start finding which baby is our perfect fit. At this rate we may be going to Africa in early summer, not later like I originally thought. Wow!
Soon we will acutually have to think about baby things- strollers, toys, etc. What an experience! I can 't wit to get the show on the road!
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Beautiful Sunday- Food
Post Thanksgiving, most of us are still eating leftovers in the form of soup or sandwiches. Food can be such a beautiful thing! This Beautiful Sunday I thought I would celebrate the foods of Congo. What do people eat there?
Most Congolese meals consist of a starch and vegetables and sometimes meat, kind of like our stew. The starch is kassava or corn flour and the meat is usually goat, chicken, insects or fish (if it is caught in the river, there are no fisheries). The people are not vegetarians, but since meat is so expensive most meals are only the starch and some vegetable. The vegetables are usually cassava leaves, okra or mushroom. Rice, yams, tomatoes, pineapple plantains and peanuts are also widely eaten. Our Baby probably eats a lot of bread as well.
Unlike Americans, most Congolese eat only once a day. It is usually the evening meal. Stew is common because it only uses one pot and saves on fuel. Women prepare most the food, and they usually cook outdoors. When food is served, it is placed on the floor or a table and the family gathers around it. They eat with their hands, taking some of the starch and dipping it on the stew.
Wealthier Congolese do eat a few times a day, and there are some Western delicacies, such as coffee and spaghetti to be found in the capital. I can't wait to go there, get Baby and enjoy some of the Congolese foods myself.
Most Congolese meals consist of a starch and vegetables and sometimes meat, kind of like our stew. The starch is kassava or corn flour and the meat is usually goat, chicken, insects or fish (if it is caught in the river, there are no fisheries). The people are not vegetarians, but since meat is so expensive most meals are only the starch and some vegetable. The vegetables are usually cassava leaves, okra or mushroom. Rice, yams, tomatoes, pineapple plantains and peanuts are also widely eaten. Our Baby probably eats a lot of bread as well.
Unlike Americans, most Congolese eat only once a day. It is usually the evening meal. Stew is common because it only uses one pot and saves on fuel. Women prepare most the food, and they usually cook outdoors. When food is served, it is placed on the floor or a table and the family gathers around it. They eat with their hands, taking some of the starch and dipping it on the stew.
Wealthier Congolese do eat a few times a day, and there are some Western delicacies, such as coffee and spaghetti to be found in the capital. I can't wait to go there, get Baby and enjoy some of the Congolese foods myself.
Friday, November 25, 2011
Thanksgiving Blessings..
This Thanksgiving I am thankful for a wonderful family, a comfortable home and an exciting future. I am thankful for clean water, the ability to buy Christmas gifts on Black Friday and for being a woman in a country that gives me safety and equality. I am thankful for people like you reading this blog and supporting us in our journey. Wherever you are, may you be blessed this day and always...
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