Ethiopia In Crisis

Humanitarian agencies are rushing emergency aid to drought-stricken central Ethiopia, where a sudden deterioration in food supplies has led to surge of child mortality. At least 23 children have died at hospitals and emergency feeding centers during the past three weeks, and authorities say countless others have died at home for lack of treatment. In this first of two reports from the hardest-hit area around the town of Shashemene 250 kilometers south of Addis Ababa, VOA's Peter Heinlein reports conditions are expected to worsen over the coming months.

Four out of five children in Ethiopia do not get life-saving health care when they need itIt is bedlam inside a tent on the grounds of the Shashemene hospital. Thirty severely malnourished children, their mothers, and assorted other siblings are scattered over the bare ground, with nothing to do but wait for the next feeding.Three-year-old Chemeni is a tiny wisp of bony flesh with black eyes wide as saucers. Her mother, Buqre Hussein softly strokes Chemeni's face, a younger daughter strapped to her back. She says her children are among the fortunate ones."I am glad my children are recovering,” she said. “And I expect they will recover. I am glad to see this."Every four hours, each child in the tent receives a red cup filled with a high-nutrition supplement known as F-75. But Shashemene's regional health officer, Dr. Abebe Megerso says many more malnourished children are having to be turned away."The supply is not enough because we did not know the problem is this much overwhelming,”said Megerso. “And now as the people with problem are appearing, the supply we have at hand is becoming short, and even now, we do not have F-100 and F-75, particularly F-75 is very scarce now."This makeshift therapeutic feeding center was erected nearly three weeks ago when health officials realized they had an emergency on their hands. Dr. Megerso says regional health officials tried to prepare for the effects of the drought, but could not imagine the shortages, and the flood of malnourished children, would be this bad."It is unusual,” he said “We have never had problem before because this zone is known by surplus production. We are simply admitting the severely malnourished ones, and we are referring the children with high complications to hospital. But we cannot refer all of them to hospital because we can create high overcrowding in hospital and we are not well prepared."Ethiopian officials last month issued an international appeal for enough emergency food aid for two-point-two million people. But U.N. agencies say at least three-point-four-million people, and possibly many more, are already severely affected by the drought. Viviane Van Steirteghem, deputy country director for the U.N. Children's Agency, UNICEF, says tens of thousands of children are in danger of starvation."We estimate now, and this is a best estimate, that 126,000 children over the country are in immediate need of this therapeutic care to avoid mortality,” said Viviane Van Steirteghem.The United States provides the bulk of the food aid to Ethiopia. The U.S. Congress approved an additional $100 million of aid this month, boosting the total for the year to more than $300 million.But the U.N. World Food Program estimates 395,000 metric tons of food will be needed to get through the immediate crisis. That will cost $147 million more than is currently available. The WFP's Lisette Trebbi says the way conditions are deteriorating, the month of June is going to be especially difficult."We have new donations coming in, but it is a question of timing,” said Lisette Trebbi. “And we therefore foresee we will have some shortfalls... during the month of June, which will be a critical month, for the population, because they will still not have recovered, we anticipate the crisis to get worse, so we are taking every measure that we can, we are short and will probably have to prioritize the worst and most affected area."There has been some rain in central Ethiopia in recent weeks; not enough to produce the desperately needed bumper harvest in September, but enough to spark fears of an outbreak of water-borne diseases among a weak and vulnerable population.Officials here are predicting many difficult months ahead.
By: http://www.voanews.com/english/2008-05-18voa15.cfm

Please pray for rain & aid in Ethiopia!

PIRATE PARTY!

Daddy & TJ trying to look tough! LOL!

Izaiah with some friends.

My Dad & Braylon.

Zai & Bray blowing out the candles

Izaiah & Braylon opening presents!

Pirate Birthday Party!!!

Oh Boy, did we have a party on Saturday!!! This year we decided to celebrate our boys birthdays together since they are close together (March & May). Izaiah had been begging me for a year to have a "pirate" theme party. That is just what we did! We had a great turn out and everyone seemed to have a good time!
It is so hard to believe that our babies our now 3 & 4! It seemed like yesterday we were rocking them to sleep, feeding them bottles, & getting up a zillion times during the night. Now they are getting to be so easy. I miss their baby cries & slobbery open-mouth kisses.
Where has the time gone???

3 1/2 Months & Counting....

We are getting so anxious & excited as we wait for that phone call & photo of our precious little girl!!! We have been praying for so long for the match to be perfect. That we will be all that she needs & that she will be all that our family needs. I can't imagine what God has in store for us!
As I look at & hold newborn babies, I can't help but wonder... is my baby this small right now? ...is she being held? ...is she fussy? ...is she being fed? I just wonder through out each day what is going on in her life & I long to be with her. I love to read other adoptees blogs as I go through this journey and one put everything into perspective for me...

A lady had been waiting for a while for a photo of her baby. She was getting so anxious and was beginning to get impatient. She kept pleading to God that today would be the day she finnally got to stare at her photo. She felt God tell her "your baby's birth mother is praying for one more month, one more week, one more day, just one more second that she could hold her tiny hands and glare into her beautiful eyes. Don't steal the last moments she has with her."

As I read these words, I began to sob and pray for our baby girl's mother. What sadness she must be feeling to know that she cannot take care of & provide for this little one; or that she could die anytime & will not get to see her baby grow up. I cannot imagine. I have made a commitment to myself & God that everytime I think of our baby, I will also pray for her mother. That He will comfort her & give her rest knowing that she will be in good hands & will be loved so much.
"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans for hope and a future."

Happy Easter!!!

We hope that everyone is having a Happy Easter! We have had an eventful weekend full of dying eggs, hunting eggs, and opening easter baskets. The boys are so much fun! It is neat this year because the boys are starting to make sense of Jesus dying on the cross and rising from the tomb. Sometimes they can say the funniest things as they are trying to figure it all out. This morning, as I was talking to Braylon about Jesus dying on the cross, he said, "Mommy, did you know that Jesus had a crown on his head like a KING!" I think he missed the part about the thorns. I told him that yes, Jesus is our King. He then said, "when I get to heaven can I have a crown like a king?" They are just so adorable and innocent. I wish we could keep them this age forever!

It is awesome to think that our next Easter pictures, we'll have our new addition! We are so blessed and thankful for all that God has done for us, and can't wait to see what else He has in store.

Seeking Him,
The Robison's

The Wait Begins!

Hey guys! Just wanted to fill you in on our wonderful news. On February 1st, our paperwork arrived in Ethiopia! We were told that it would take anywhere from 2-3 weeks in Washington DC, at the Ethiopian Embassy, but it only took 1 week. Yay!! Now the wait for a picture and travel finnally begins. It could be anywhere from 3-9 months before we get a referral, but currently the average wait is 3 1/2 - 5 1/2 months. This means that we could travel as early as July and as late as December. It is so amazing that she will actually be here this year ~ 2008! We cannot wait to finnally get to see a picture of the little girl we have been praying about for so long, and to meet her! Please pray for us during this wait, because I know it will seem like an eternity, but know that she will be ours in God's perfect timing. Please also pray that we raise the remainder of the funds needed. We will owe $6,000 on referral, and then our travel to Ethiopia, which will be approximately $6,000 also. He has provided this far and know He will continue to. Thanks for all your support!
Seeking Him,
Kristy

Our Provider

We are so in awe of God. We have been praying so hard for the remainder of our dossier fee. This morning we received $1,100 from our church family. We are so thankful and blessed to have church family that love us and support us! He DOES provide for our needs!!! What an amazing God we serve!
Thankyou for all your support!
Serving Him,
Matt and Kristy

YAY!!

Good News!
We should have everything sent to our adoption agency's office by next week, who will then send it on to the Ethiopia Embassy!!!! Yay!!! We are so excited and relieved that the paperwork is almost done. Boy, this ride so far has sure been a roller coaster with many more hills to climb. But we are ready for the challenge!! Our faith has grown by leaps and bounds, and the way God has worked and is working is miraculous. He specializes in the impossible and we are getting to watch. It would have been safer to stay away from the path of adoption, but what a ride we would have missed. This has probably been one of the most terrifying and exciting things we have ever done, and we're not even finished yet. Some truths from an adoption devotional have helped us along the way:
* We aren't waiting on man, but on God
* God isn't going to send us where He is absent.
* God is not bound by geography, timelines, politics, or finances
* God hasn't asked us to walk this path alone. Not only will He remain with us each step of the way, He has prepared many warriors to go into battle with us.
* God's gifts to us are NEVER late; they are always on time and far beyond what we could ever imagine.
I would encourage anyone who has a passion for orphans and needy children, to adopt. We are to be a picture to the world, as always, of what God is about to do - the return of Christ for His church. As Jesus said, " I will not leave you as orphans, I will come to you." John 14:18 It's all about God's glory and plan for the world.

Please continue to pray for financial support!!
Seeking Him,
Matt and Kristy

Christmas

Almost There!!

So Sorry it has been so long since I have written. The past month has been really busy. We had a really great Christmas with family and we loved being home for the holidays.
We are almost finished with all our paperwork, PRAISE GOD!!! It seems like it has taken an eternity. We have now sent everything off to be state certified and are waiting to get it all back so we can then send it to the Ethiopian Embassy. We are so ready to be done with this stage of the adoption process! It will be exciting to just set back and wait for that referral for our daughter! When we get all our paperwork back to us, our first big fee of $4,000 is then due. Please pray that God provides the remainder of this money. Please also pray that we get our paperwork back soon. When we send our paperwork to Ethiopia, our homestudy must be less than 6 months old, and ours was completed on August 27th, so we're getting close. We know that God is in control of this process and know it will all work out. Thanks to all of you who have supported us through your generosity and prayer support. We are so thankful to have you in our lives!
Blessings,
Kristy

God Is So GOOD!!

God is soooo good! We have been praying so hard for the past couple weeks about the funds we need to complete our adoption. Just thinking about the amount that we need almost seems impossible at times. But we know that nothing is impossible with God. I especially started praying for our dossier fee of $3,600, which is due when we send our dossier to Ethiopia, which will prayerfully be around January1. We have raised 1,000 of that through the yard sale fundraiser that we had. Yesterday, Matt got a late tax return check for $900!! We were shocked!!! We were supposed to get this check last year, but for whatever reason it never came, and we completely forgot about it. We know this is God pouring His blessings on us and answering our prayers. We plan on putting $700 toward our adoption, and giving the rest back to God, wherever we feel His leading. We are just in awe of God and his goodness! We now have $1,900 to go in meeting our January 1 deadline and $13,300 in meeting our overall costs. We know God will provide. Please specifically pray that we raise the $1,900 by January 1. We appreciate ALL your prayers!!!
This makes me think of the scripture in Ephesians that says: "God decided in advance to adopt us into His family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ... and it gave him great pleasure...He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his son..." ~ Ephesians 1:5,7
Our adoption by God cost us nothing, but it did cost God His Son. Adoption is costly. Whether in finances, emotions, relationships, time, or effort, adoption does cost so much. But I cannot help but think of what it cost God, and how he was so willing to pay that cost for us. He went through so much pain and suffering, but yet He delighted in bringing us into His family. All the obstacles that we face in this adoption cannot compare to the price that Christ paid for us. Jesus came to be a ransom for many (Matthew 20:28), and we know that God will be our guide in ransoming his precious child from her state as an orphan.

Inside Ethiopia

November 2007

Inside The Country

Ethiopia Trip
You can read hundreds of books and watch countless stories on suffering in Africa, yet nothing really prepares you for the reality that is Ethiopia. All the things that one sees on the television or reads about in the papers, they are not isolated circumstances and exceptions to the rule; this is the general state of things. People are really dying every day from easily preventable causes and millions of children are in fact being orphaned by poverty, disease, and malnutrition. Most intersections in the capital city of Addis Ababa are crowded with beggars, street children, and mothers with babies on their backs. Every time the car stops, you are immediately surrounded by stretched out hands belonging to a street child, a single mother, or a disabled person dragging themselves towards the car, all in hopes of maybe receiving enough to just eat for one day.
It’s difficult to watch as the crowd around your car gets bigger and bigger. You can’t help but to feel heartless, but after about a minute, the only thing you can do is tell the driver to keep driving, while you are followed by a dozen sad gazes from children whom you weren’t able to give anything to. I say children, but they are children only in age. Their childhoods have been stolen from them, and most became adults long before their due time.
Whether they were forced to leave their homes, lost their parents to HIV/AIDS, or because of some other misfortune, they all have one thing in common—they have seen and experienced hardships beyond what most of us can even imagine..These children have no homes, nothing to eat, nothing to wear and they are in constant danger. To survive they have to beg, steal or become prostitutes. This in turn only isolates them even further, and forces them to live in a state of absolute hopelessness.For most of us it is difficult to imagine what it really means to need. We often desire things and have ambitions for better lives, but they’re not really needs. For millions of Ethiopian children that is not the case. They are in need of most basic items such as a home to sleep in, warm clothes to wear, and a hot meal to fill their bellies. They are in need of assurance that someone loves and cares for them, and that they have hope.
During this season of giving, let us keep in mind those who are less fortunate than us, and do something to change their lives for the better. For many of them, tomorrow will be too late.
~Andrei SkurtuInternational Programs Directorprojects@ChildrensHope.net

DID YOU KNOW?
Every year, more than 80,000 Ethiopian children die from Malaria.
One third of almost 80 million people living in Ethiopia stay alive on less than $1 a day.
Only 31 percent of women 15 and older can read and write.
Safe drinking water is available to only 24 percent of the households.
40 percent of Ethiopian children are severely underweight, 52 percent are stunted, and 11 percent are considered wasted.
There are over 6 million orphans in Ethiopia and approximately half a million street children.
Average life expectancy is less than 45 years, and one in six children die before they turn five years old.


© Copyright © 2007 Children's Hope International Contact Us

Why International Adoption?

Many of you may be wondering what lead Matt and I to adopt internationally. Many of you know that we have 2 beautiful biological boys, and have no problems with fertility or labor and delivery. Because of this, we have answered many questions about why we have decided to adopt at all. This blog may help you understand our decision.
A special verse in the book of James tells us : "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress." (1:27) That doesn't mean that adoption is right for everyone, we realize this. But this scripture lead us to adopt. As Matt and I grew up in the same chuch, we got to experience many international mission trips together, and through these we met many beautiful children that were in desperate need of food, shelter, love, and most of all forever families. During these trips, on many occasions, we felt God tugging on our hearts to one day adopt a child.
Matt and I married in 2002, and right away we began praying about adoption. We prayed that God would show us when the time was right to start the process and lead us down the path He wanted us to go. We started our family by having 2 precious boys, Izaiah and Braylon. Even during our pregnancy's, we continued to research international adoption; the countries, adoption agencies, the process, ect... We gathered as much information as we could. Finally, when Braylon turned 2, we decided we were ready to add to our family. We continued to pray for God to show us His will for our family. Through MANY confirmations, we knew God was calling us to add a daughter to our family from Ethiopia. We decided to adopt an infant girl, and have chosen to use Children's Hope International to help us through this process.
We know this decision to adopt will not be easy. We have already witnessed some of that through this long and difficult process. We have been researching Ethiopia culture every chance we get to help our daughter have a respect for her culture. We have become members of an Ethiopia adoption support group that meets once a month in Cincinnati. We are trying to prepare ourselves for the negative comments and strange looks we will get. Still, we know we can't be prepared for everything, but know that God will be with us every step of the way. He never promises that everything will be easy, but does promise to never leave us.
Often people comment on the blessing we will be to our daughter. But, we know she will be more of a blessing to us. We have already been blessed through this process. Just hearing our boys pray every night for their baby sissy and listening to them talk about her is such a blessing!!
Another question we recieve a lot is, "How do you bring a child into your home that has nothing in common with you?" Different skin color, culture, language, ect... The answer to this is we know we will have many differences, but know we have the same Christ, and we believe, that is more than enough.We're aware that her Ehiopia background will be important one day to our daughter. As such, I've researched Ethiopia, got Ethiopian recipes, have connected with other Ethiopian adoptive families, and have began purchasing Ethiopian children's books. But more importantly, we stress the fact that our primary heritage is not in our ancestors or family genealogies or birthplaces, but at the cross, in Christ alone.
We know that we can not change the world by adopting one child from Ethiopia, but we do know that we can make a difference in this 1 child and prayerfully will help others answer that calling to adopt. Adoption is truly a miracle and does make a difference!!

Adoption Update

Oh what an exciting month this has been in our adoption journey!!! We are moving right along in the process, but not without a few road blocks along the way. We have been so busy getting paperwork ready to send to Ethiopia. I never dreamed this would be so hard! We sent our first dossier draft to our adoption case worker last week. This is a huge milestone for us in this process. It just gives us hope that we are almost ready to send everything to Ethiopia and wait to be matched with our daughter. Our caseworker noticed that Matt's passport reads Matt Oaks Robison, instead of his full legal name, Matthew Oaks Robison. This is our little road block that we have stumbled upon. Ethiopia is very strict about all the documents matching exactly, and each will have to have our full names. So, Matt has applied for a renewal passport, and it should be here within 2-3 weeks. We will have to wait to correct our dossier documents until we have his new passport number. This has been very frustrating, but we know this is ALL in God's plan in matching us with the daughter of His choosing.
We have also been concentrating on raising funds to bring "Layla" home. We had a yard sale in Harrodsburg, the first weekend in October, and it was a HUGE success! We were so blessed by all the generous donations we recieved to put in our sale. Thanks to everyone who helped in any way!! We raised over $1,000 in one weekend! Thank the Lord! We have now applied for 2 adoption grants and are praying that we recieve them! We still have around $15,000 to raise counting travel and all adoption fees. Thanks to all who have supported us through monetary funds and prayer. We really appreciate everything! We know that this is God's plan for our family and know that God will provide everything that we need.
Please continue to pray that we raise the remainder of funds needed and we get all our paperwork completed and ready to send by January 1 (date we are shooting for). Also, pray for Layla, and her birth mother who is possibly carrying her now.