Ethiopian Monolithic Churches

I was thinking this morning that Maggie and I have embarked ourselves upon a journey. The path upon which we're traveling is oriented toward the eventual adoption of our youngest child from Ethiopia. As a result, I thought a post about some of the sights in Ethiopia might be appropriate to describe. In this post, I'll highlight one of the (little known) wonders of the world.

I'd like to introduce you to Lalibela, a holy city of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church and a pilgrimage site for centuries. It lies in the north of Ethiopia and the eleven churches there are regarded as one of the wonders of the world. They are all excavated -literally carved- right out of the bedrock. Carved into the solid rock, they are an immense maze of underground tunnels and passageways.

Ethiopian tradition says that they were carved in one night by angels. The legend goes that King Lalibela (the Ethiopian monarch in the late 12th to early 13th centuries A.D.) was carried off one night to the heavenly Jerusalem. There he was instructed to build the churches and that angels worked beside each men as they cut each one from the rock.

Some scholars, noting that the style of the Lalibela churches closely matches the architecture of ancient Aksum (the capital during Ethiopia's "golden years" of the 1st to 10th centuries) believe the churches are actually older than that- that some may in fact be converted palaces.
In any case, after King Lalibela's death, the city began to draw thousands of pilgrims coming to see the "new Jerusalem." The people of Ethiopia have a saying about Lalibela that goes like this: "If you do not wish to see Lalibela, you are like someone who has no desire to see the face of Christ."

Ethiopian Tastes

I was so excited to discover that my latest issue of Cooking Light (Dec 2008) had an article entitled "Ethiopian Tastes."  I wanted to share a few of the recipes found in it with everyone so they can get a sample of Ethiopian cuisine.

The first recipe I wanted to share was for Injera which I have been told is very difficult to make and often the ingredients are nonexistent in areas like the rural Mid-West.  So with that in mind I will be trying this recipe first since it is not a traditional recipe but rather, it is one that has easily found ingredients and a short prep time (no long fermentation period).

Teff Injera Bread with Carrot-Ginger Chutney

A traditional injera batter may ferment for days, but this streamlined version comes together quickly.  Yogurt adds sourness, while the club soda creates bubbles for a lighter batter.  To use the same amount of whole wheat flour in place of teff flour, add 1/2 cup water to the batter; the characteristic tangy flavor may be subdued.

Chutney:

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 cups (1/2-inch) cubed peeled carrot (4 medium)

3/4 cup finely chopped shallots (about 3 large)

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 (3 x 1/2-inch) julienne-cut strips peeled fresh ginger

2 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon butter

4 cardamom pods, bruised

2 thyme sprigs

2 cups organic vegetable brother

1/2 teaspoon salt

Injera:

9 ounces teff whole-grain flour (about 2 cups)

4.5 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1 cup)

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 1/2 cups club soda

3/4 cup plain yogurt

cooking spray

To prepare chutney:

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Add carrot, shallots, garlic and ginger to pan.  Reduce heat to low, and cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add sugar, honey, butter, cardamom and thyme; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.  Stir in broth; bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, and simmer 45 minutes or until carrot is tender and liquid almost evaporates.  Discard thyme sprigs and ginger.  Stir in 1/2 teaspoon salt; cool.

To prepare injera:

Weigh or lightly spoon flours into dry measuring cups; level with a knife.  Combine flours, baking soda and 1 teaspoon salt in a large bowl; stir with a whisk.  Combine club soda and yogurt in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk until smoot.  Add the yogurt mixture to the flour mixture; stir with a whisk until smooth

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Coat pan with cooking spray.  Pour about 1/3 cup batter per flatbread onto pan in a spiral, starting at the center; cook 20 seconds.  Cover the pan; cook an additional 40 seconds or just until set.  Transfer to a plate, and cover with a cloth to keep warm.  Repeat procedure with remaining cooking spray and batter, wiping the pan dry with a paper towel between flatbreads.  Serve flatbreads with chutney.  Yield: 14 servings (serving size: 1 flatbread and 2 tablespoons chutney).

Nutritional Information:

Calories 171 (20% from fat); Fat 3.8g (sat 1.1g, mono 1.8g, poly 0.3g); Protein 4.2g; Carbs 30.5g; Fiber 3.8g; Chol 4mg; Iron 2mg; Sodium 520mg; Calc 70mg.

ENJOY!!!

Dealing with others

When does one finally come to terms with adoption?  For parents, when did you realize that this is where God was calling you – calling you to have a child that is not your flesh and blood child – and then you realize that there really is no difference between that child and your other children?

Someone who I attend class with asked me the other day why we were doing an international adoption.  I don’t recall my exact response but I do recall them asking the follow up question of “well, its not really your child, so how could you know what is best of them?”  From talking with this person before (this is the same person that has started referring to me as Angelina Jolie – apparently she adopted from Ethiopia), anyway, I have come to discover that my classmate somehow think it is wrong for Americans to go overseas and "take" children – to this person it is something not far from kidnapping.  Now, I can’t say that I understand this sentiment but it is not the first time I have heard it expressed either. 

Just because I am not adopting a blue-eyed, blond-haired child does not change the way I already feel about my child.  This concept has been very difficult for my classmate to understand, much less accept it.  He does not have children of his own and according to him had a very nasty divorce from his wife and other things have happened in his life that may have cause his outlook on life to be a bit cynical.  That being said – how does one deal with others who don’t view your child (your adopted child) as your own child?

I already view the child that God has planned for us in Ethiopia as my child.  I refer to this baby (whether he or she has been conceived yet) as our child.  I don’t see the difference…it seems to me that this is just another form of pregnancy.  We simply found out we were expecting earlier than a pregnancy takes.  I am experiencing the same sorts of conflicting emotions and the fear that comes with the unknown.  In the case of our adoption – fear for my child’s safety (no different than fear for a child I carry), fear for the future and being able to provide for the child and be the best parent that that child needs (no different than fearing for a biological child you are going to raise from their birth on), conflicting emotions over whether or not I am doing the right things (no different than wondering if eating this extra piece of cake is the right thing for my body now that I am carrying a baby)…. those sorts of things.  It really is no different in my eye, so how can I convince others of that and help them to see that God has already given me a child to care for, love and worry over?

 

Struggling with God's many callings

So, the last week has been a real struggle for me to do what is required of me right now.  I am continually drawn to be “doing something” for the adoption.  I feel as if that is where I am, that is where God has called me . . . but that is not where I am yet and even though it is where God has called me to go, it is not where I have been called to go immediately.  I am finding it very difficult to understand that I have also been called to be a student at the moment and that that is an important job – one in which God has called me to complete.  I feel this need to abandon my current callings and just leap head first into this adoption calling.  Matthew has been a real strength but it is hard to go to class on Tuesdays and Thursdays when I miss my children and feel this unbelievable urge to go home and hug them, kiss them, play and read with them and tug them in at night!  

I have an exam tomorrow in my NeoClassical and Romantic Art History course and I have been unable to study for it.  I continue to think that I can sneak off to the computer and work on our narratives for our home study or start collecting some of the paperwork needed for our dossier.  All the while, I know in my heart and in my head that this is not what I am being called to do at the moment.  How does one find balance?  I have been praying constantly and have asked almost everyone I know to be praying for me but I am continuing to struggle with this and it is not getting any easier.  Please, continue to pray for us and for God’s continued strength and support!

The Orphan's Cry: "Abba, Father!"

When I was a youngster, I used to love to sit down at the piano and play and sing a song by Steve Fry called "Abba Father." (O.K., I still love to sit the song, but that's not germane to my point!) It's a song that takes up Jesus' cry of "Abba, Father" in the Garden of Gethsemane on the night of His betrayal. Over the last couple weeks as Maggie and I have been starting to pursue our hope of adopting a child from Ethiopia, I have been greatly encouraged by this Word of our Lord. When Jesus used it, when He addressed His Father (and our Father) on that terrible night, He was crying out for deliverance.

Yet, even though Jesus was clearly and understandably frightened and trembling at the prospect of being crucified for us, still I don't believe this was Jesus primarily crying out for Himself. It was not simply His humanity crying out for deliverance from suffering. Rather, I believe it was His cry of deliverance for you, for me, for all the orphans in this world needing adoption by the Father.

The key, for me, is the context in which Jesus prays this impassioned prayer, this impassioned cry for deliverance. "Abba, Father" is what Jesus cried out, as I said before, in the Garden of Gethsemane on the night He was betrayed. It was the beginning of that three-days work which would culminate with the cross and the empty tomb. Listen to how Mark tells us in His Gospel: "And going a little farther, [Jesus] fell on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. And he said, "Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. YET NOW WHAT I WILL, BUT WHAT YOU WILL" (Mark 14:35-36, emphasis mine).

Notice how Jesus is not primarily praying for Himself. Even though He was "sorrowful even unto death" (v.34)... even though Jesus WAS praying that God would determine a different way and obviate the need for His own terrible suffering and death... even still (and above all), Jesus was praying for US: He was praying for the removal of the cup of his Father's wrath against our sin. He was praying for our deliverance, that God would take pity on us poor unworthy orphans and adopt as His own sons, worthy of (and heirs of) eternal life. It's a truth we see confirmed by Jesus' humble submission to His Father's will when He drank every last drop in order to deliver us from what we justly deserved.

Good News for Us
"Abba, Father" is also a prayer that God the Father answered. Oh, He didn't answer it in maybe the way that we would have expected; but He answered it in the way that was the best for us. God HAS granted us deliverance. God the Father sent Jesus Christ to the cross in order to answer the cry of Jesus' heart- His desire that we be redeemed from our sin and damnation. The Father enabled His Son to humbly submit to the cross and that, in turn, has resulted in an indescribably good gift to us: the gift of sonship through adoption. St. Paul writes in Galatians 4 that "when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so THAT WE MIGHT RECEIVE ADOPTION AS SONS. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, "ABBA! FATHER!" (vv. 4-6, emphasis mine).

Jesus submitted to His Father's Will "for the joy that was set before him" (Heb. 12:2). And because Jesus did that, because Jesus went to the cross for us and earned us adoption into the Father's family... again, because we are now adopted as the Father's sons, we also now have the right to pray that same prayer Jesus prayed. We now have the right to address the Holy God of Hosts as Father, as "Abba, Father" knowing that, because of Christ, God is our true Father and we are His true children" (Martin Luther, Small Catechism, Lord's Prayer Introduction).

How Should We Respond to God's Great Gift?

There are many different ways and avenues through which God moves His people to respond to the Gospel. For Maggie and I, we believe that God is answering our cry of "Abba, Father!" by leading us to James 1: "Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction" (v.27a).

Some people are moved by the love of Christ to sing at nursing homes (as one dear departed friend of mine was moved to do for many years). Others are moved to volunteer at the local food pantry. Others are moved to provide a place of home and shelter for abused women. Finally, others are called to "visit orphans"; that is, to provide a home for those who have no home, to provide a family to those who have lost their family, to bring the adoptive love of God to someone needing the Father's love.

In sum, we believe that our family is missing someone- that God has given us a family full of love, love which is overflowing. As the Father has loved us, so He is calling us to love others: in particular, to love one little child who (perhaps not even born yet) has no father, who has no mother. How do we know this? I don't know; we just do; God works in mysterious ways (see John 13:7). He is calling us through the Word. We know that God has adopted us, and that when pray "Abba, Father!" that God is answering our cry. To God alone be glory, Amen.

Applications!

Both of our applications go out in the mail on Monday. All I have to say is: Yay for being done with application paperwork and bring the rest on!
It is exciting to think we are one step closer to our child with the completion of the applications. Now comes the waiting to see if we are approved by the agencies and then the home study...but I get ahead of myself. I am just going to enjoy this small accomplishment before I move on to the next one. Glory be to God!

An Inter-racial Family

I just read a post on a Yahoo.group that totally remind me of where I was just a few weeks ago...before we told my family about our decision. The post was on starting an interracial family in the rural midwest where the population is 99% caucasian. I must admitt that I struggled with this idea for a while but then I talked with a friend of mine whose family had adopted two children, one from China and the other from Sierre Leone. With her help and along with lots of prayer I came to the following conclusion:

We are drawn to Ethiopia for a reason and I believe that reason is to help a child. Would we be happy just with our three boys? Yes, we would be happy just having our three boys but we feel that our family is missing someone and that we are being called to help a child in need. We feel that a lot of people out there are helping children here in the United States and a lot are helping children from Europe and Asia but there seems to be a need for people willing to adopt from Africa. Ethiopia's culture is an amazing one and the people there are truly beautiful. I try to keep that in mind when people look at me and say "why a black child"? We already love our child and have yet to complete our home study! That is what I need to keep in mind. The minute people see our child they will not see his/her color. I truly believe that people are good and will get past their prejudices if they are given the chance. If they don't that is their own fault and I will avoid them or ignore them -- which will be hard but all I need to do is remember that my child looks like me. MY child will have two eyes, a nose, ears, a mouth...all the features I have. MY child will also have skin, just like me, who cares what the color of that skin is...it does not change how I feel or my ability to love and care for your child!

God would not be leading me here if it was not where I was suppose to go.

To the women I respond to...I pray that all goes well for you and your family should you chose to adopt from Ethiopia!

Being patient

Being patient is so hard.  I really want my case worker to get back to me about the questions I had so that I can send our application in.  I know that he said he would not be able to answer them on Tuesday but it is now Thursday.  What's the deal!  It is so hard to know that you are being let somewhere but that the process is dependent about SO many others who don't share your unique enthusiasm about the opportunity.  How do others deal with this?  It is hard to think that we have just begun and that there is only 1 1/2 to 2 years more ahead of us!

Applications

By the end of this week it will be official. We will have sent in our application to our home study agency along with all the other mountains of paperwork we were given! We have yet to complete our application to our placing agency. My husband and I are very excited. We have yet to tell our children but we want to wait until we are sure that our applications are excepted. When have others told their children about a possible (adopted) sibling ? We are new to this and it is just so exciting! I know that that excitement will wear off but I just want to enjoy the positive moments because I know that there will be some rough times ahead. However, with the help of God – who is leading us to Ethiopia – we can do all things!