Well, Here is the latest look of statistics from our Adoption Agency.
Here is an update about what families are currently experiencing:
- 24 families received a referral in the month of March. So far in April, 12 families have accepted referrals for 15 children.
- the wait time estimate for a single child continues to be 12-18 months from dossier submission. Currently families are receiving a referral of a single child approximately 13 months after submitting a dossier.
- of the families who received a referral of a single child in March/early April, one family waited 13 months and 1 week, while another family waited about 11 months.
- families “at the top of the list” for a referral submitted their dossier in March 2008
- court date assignments that we received at the end of March were for a date approximately 8 weeks after a family accepted their referral; which is a positive change from the 12 week time frame we had previously been seeing. Hopefully this will continue to be the pattern.
-at this time we continue to see families traveling to Ethiopia about 16 weeks after they accept a referral.
On a related note, CHSFS Ethiopia has finally received all of the necessary documents and permissions needed in order to begin referring children from Bethel Orphanage in Nazret, Oromiya! A few children have already been matched with CHSFS families and we hope to be placing more children from there soon.
Maybe it will be October when we get a call afterall! Keep the Faith!
Friday, April 24, 2009
Sunday, March 15, 2009
May Now Be Looking at DECEMBER???!!!!
Well, I got the latest newsletter from our agency and we were told that due to a huge number of applications last late summer to fall, we may be looking at 14 months of total waiting. I have to say that I am heartbroken. What is two more months? It is two more months of going with no control over anything, two more months of waiting for a name then waiting three months to travel, two more months of not having a child. Two more months which leaves me asking, "Did we make the right decision?" "Maybe we should have done domestic adoption." "Maybe we should have gone with another agency." "Maybe we should have gone with another country." Two months, when we have been waiting for so long, feels like a life-time!
But what choice do we have? We wait. And pray that God will maybe speed up time or work with the system to get more needed orphans homes of love!
But what choice do we have? We wait. And pray that God will maybe speed up time or work with the system to get more needed orphans homes of love!
Monday, February 2, 2009
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Happy Ganna! Christmas in Ethiopia is TODAY!
The Ethiopian Christmas, known locally as Ganna after a hockey-like game the shepherds played when Jesus was born, usually falls on the old Julian calendar date of 7 January. The celebration has a gently festive air, especially on Christmas Eve in Addis, where people gather to eat, drink and dance.
Christmas is generally not that important in Ethiopia. This is partly because Orthodox Christianity is more centred around Mary than Christ, but most importantly because death is considered more significant than birth, hence Easter is a much larger religious occasion than Christmas. Only very dedicated Christians fast before Christmas, whereas almost all fast before Easter. Many people follow the Ethiopian Orthodox Christian approach. On Christmas Eve, a religious ceremony takes place in all Orthodox Christian churches throughout the Ethiopian highlands. The ceremonies are long and involve the whole congregation. Priests dance sedately, swaying side to side in time with their sistrums (percussion instruments), while young men dance around a drummer, leaping and jumping, achieving an almost trance-like state. The ceremony begins sedately and builds up through the night into a crescendo, the music from the church being heard far and wide until the early hours of the morning. In most towns, Christmas Day itself is largely a family affair, with the occasional game of Ganna being played in the afternoon.
An invitation to a family Christmas is the best way to enjoy the day. If you're lucky enough to be invited, be prepared to eat a feast of delicious specialities and drink homebrew until late in the day.The place to really experience a traditional Ganna is in Lalibela, which was built as Ethiopia's own Jerusalem by King Lalibela in the 12th century. There is therefore a particularly strong connection with Christ here, and pilgrims travel for days to attend colourful ceremonies in all of the 13 rock-hewn churches nested in the hillside. After church though, if possible, buy a goat or some tej (honey wine) and pay a visit to the adopted family you've found!
Christmas Traditions in EthiopiaEthiopia is one of the oldest nations in Africa. It still follows the ancient Julian calendar, so Ethiopians celebrate Christmas on January 7. The Ethiopian Orthodox Church's celebration of Christ's birth is called Ganna. It is a day when families attend church.
On January 19, Ethiopians begin the three-day celebration called Timkat.The day before Ganna, people fast all day. The next morning at dawn, everyone dresses in white. Most Ethiopians don a traditional shamma, a thin, white cotton wrap with brightly colored stripes across the ends. The shamma is worn somewhat like a toga. Urban Ethiopians might put on white Western garb. Then everyone goes to the early mass at four o'clock in the morning. In a celebration that takes place several days later, the priests will dress in turbans and red and white robes as they carry beautifully embroidered fringed umbrellas.
Most Ethiopians who live outside the modern capital city, Addis Ababa, live in round mud-plastered houses with cone-shaped roofs of thatched straw. In areas where stone is plentiful, the houses may be rectangular stone houses. The churches in Ethiopia echo the shape of the houses. In many parts of the country there are ancient churches carved out of solid volcanic rock. Modern churches are built in three concentric circles.In a modern church, the choir assembles in the outer circle. Each person entering the church is given a candle. The congregation walks around the church three times in a solemn procession, holding the flickering candles. Then they gather in the second circle to stand throughout the long mass, with the men and boys separated from the women and girls. The center circle is the holiest space in the church, where the priest serves Holy Communion.
Christmas is generally not that important in Ethiopia. This is partly because Orthodox Christianity is more centred around Mary than Christ, but most importantly because death is considered more significant than birth, hence Easter is a much larger religious occasion than Christmas. Only very dedicated Christians fast before Christmas, whereas almost all fast before Easter. Many people follow the Ethiopian Orthodox Christian approach. On Christmas Eve, a religious ceremony takes place in all Orthodox Christian churches throughout the Ethiopian highlands. The ceremonies are long and involve the whole congregation. Priests dance sedately, swaying side to side in time with their sistrums (percussion instruments), while young men dance around a drummer, leaping and jumping, achieving an almost trance-like state. The ceremony begins sedately and builds up through the night into a crescendo, the music from the church being heard far and wide until the early hours of the morning. In most towns, Christmas Day itself is largely a family affair, with the occasional game of Ganna being played in the afternoon.
An invitation to a family Christmas is the best way to enjoy the day. If you're lucky enough to be invited, be prepared to eat a feast of delicious specialities and drink homebrew until late in the day.The place to really experience a traditional Ganna is in Lalibela, which was built as Ethiopia's own Jerusalem by King Lalibela in the 12th century. There is therefore a particularly strong connection with Christ here, and pilgrims travel for days to attend colourful ceremonies in all of the 13 rock-hewn churches nested in the hillside. After church though, if possible, buy a goat or some tej (honey wine) and pay a visit to the adopted family you've found!
Christmas Traditions in EthiopiaEthiopia is one of the oldest nations in Africa. It still follows the ancient Julian calendar, so Ethiopians celebrate Christmas on January 7. The Ethiopian Orthodox Church's celebration of Christ's birth is called Ganna. It is a day when families attend church.
On January 19, Ethiopians begin the three-day celebration called Timkat.The day before Ganna, people fast all day. The next morning at dawn, everyone dresses in white. Most Ethiopians don a traditional shamma, a thin, white cotton wrap with brightly colored stripes across the ends. The shamma is worn somewhat like a toga. Urban Ethiopians might put on white Western garb. Then everyone goes to the early mass at four o'clock in the morning. In a celebration that takes place several days later, the priests will dress in turbans and red and white robes as they carry beautifully embroidered fringed umbrellas.
Most Ethiopians who live outside the modern capital city, Addis Ababa, live in round mud-plastered houses with cone-shaped roofs of thatched straw. In areas where stone is plentiful, the houses may be rectangular stone houses. The churches in Ethiopia echo the shape of the houses. In many parts of the country there are ancient churches carved out of solid volcanic rock. Modern churches are built in three concentric circles.In a modern church, the choir assembles in the outer circle. Each person entering the church is given a candle. The congregation walks around the church three times in a solemn procession, holding the flickering candles. Then they gather in the second circle to stand throughout the long mass, with the men and boys separated from the women and girls. The center circle is the holiest space in the church, where the priest serves Holy Communion.
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
A Blessing
This was a blessing used at a friend's ordination service. I share it with all of you!
May God bless you with discomfort at easy answers, half truths, and superficial relationships, so that you may live deep within your heart. May God bless you with anger at injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people, so that you may work for justice, freedom, and peace. May God bless you with tears to shed for those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation, and war, so that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and to turn their pain into joy. May God bless you with enough foolishness to believe that you can make a difference in this world, so that you can do what others claim cannot be done. May the peace of God and the God of peace be with you forevermore. AMEN.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
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