Selam

Our first morning in Ethyo-pya and we are now tasked with breaking down barriers. Barriers in our own minds and hearts as well as barriers created by the experiences and assumption of others. I've made it a personal goal to smile all the time on this trip, as I can think of no greater non-verbal piece of communication (This is a stretch, as it is not always my forte)

But first...our trip. We drove to Chicago to catch a plan to London. It was a little bit close, as Chicago traffic reared it's angry head. With constant motion we were able to check-in, move through security, hit the bathroom, and walk right onto the plane and into our seats with nary a moment to spare. This is big! You see, I'm a control freak. Not necessarily the kind of freak who has to control everybody else, but the kind who's brain is always scanning the environment, the background, the people around me so i can strategize on how to do things more safely, more efficiently, or more effectively. Moving through traffic and the airport are great fun, but pretty mentally exhausting for me. Once I planted my biscuits firmly in that seat, I knew that I was no longer in control and it's time to recharge my batteries. Ahhh.

So we hit London and I was excited! My first time! I was worried about language barriers but this proved to be a non-issue :). I was on full out watch for the Queen and the crown princes but unfortunately, they weren't at Heathrow at 7Am in terminal 1. That said, I do think Mr. Bean was driving the passenger cart! Anyway, it became apparent that we were in London on St. paddy's day. I quickly assessed the situation and realized what had to be done. Regardless of the fact that it was 7AM in England and 3 Am in Michigan, Whitney and I headed straight for the Tin Goose pub, ordered an Egg and Pork Biscuit and a pint of Guiness. Check that one off the bucket list!

Our next flight had an unexpected twist. One that was clearly in the plans for the airline, but news to Whitney and I. We had a small layover in Beirut! Sweet! We stopped, gazed out the windows, dropped 90% of our passengers and headed towards Ethyo-pya. An interesting observation with this stop...the plane was pretty mixed from a racial/cultural make-up heading to Beirut but what was interesting was when we stopped in Beirut all the caucasions (including us) were handed customs forms and most of them exited the plane. We did not, they assumed we'd be getting off in Beirut. What was left on the plane was 24 people for the last 4.5 hr leg of the trip. The only other caucasions on the plane were the lonely two people up in first class (there were about 30 seats in first class). Whitney and I made up the balance of caucasions. The salesman in me clicked and I thought, with such an empty flight, I could easily negotiate with the crew to sit in first class with Whitney. Then something started happening around us. The economy section began to wake up. Unlike typical plane rides where conversation is kept sterile and eye contact is minimized, our travel mates in economy, began getting out of their seats, sitting next to each other, passing kids between them and engaging in meaningful conversation. Whitney said, "They must all know each other". Yes...they did, they were all ethiopian. The community that developed over those 4 hrs was great to be a part of. It was like a family reunion among 20 people who had never met before. We participated where we could as most conversation was amharic, but most of them could speak english as well.

Upon arriving to Addis we negotiated customs and were pleased to find a driver for our hotel holding a sign with our names on it. He was so happy to meet us and gave us both hugs. I have to tell you after 24 hrs in planes and airports, it was good to get a hug from this little man. He had a distinct manly odor about him that had indicated he'd been sweating in the recent past and likely hadn't showered for a few days. Funny, how I was no longer worried about my greasy hair or the salad dressing that dripped on my pants while eating on the plane.

Our driver negotiated us past a throng of other drivers who were begging for our attention. Short though he was, one would have guessed he was 7 feet tall among his peers as he pushed our 100 lbs of luggage past his peers towards his van with a bright smile as if to say, "I have customers and i am happy help!"

It was dark as we negotiated the one way road, now used two ways with ensuing construction. We arrived at our hotel, The Sadula Lodge and checked in to a room on the second floor. Room is a nice blend of furniture and craftsmanship installed in a do-it-yourself manner. It certainly was a good place to plant our head and end our first day.

Selam - it means peace, or Hello

Where do I begin?

Someone asked me this week how we were feeling in our preparation to travel...where do I begin?

Leaving tomorrow means getting much closer to holding my littlest man who is almost 10 months old. He began crawling about 2 weeks ago, so I plan on doing a little chasing too. Traveling means being able to have a picture of him, with his parents also in it! It means being able to actually touch him to let him know I care. It means meeting the angels who have cared for him and all his friends in my absence. It means grieving for his biological father who had to make the greatest of sacrifices. It means leaving behind all the others in his biological family and orphanage family whom I cannot also take with me. It means a trip to AFRICA! a spiritual journey, a great exploration, a grand adventure. It means leaving behind two other adorable and super fun boys whom we will miss greatly. It means wishing we could take them along, and yet it also means giving great thanks for grandparents who will take fabulous care of them so we don't have to take them along!.. I am excited. I am scared. I am ecstatic. I'm nervous. I'm sad. I'm in disbelief. In short, I feel like it would be appropriate to just throw up! :) The ladies at the adoption office tell me that this all sounds about right.

Stay tuned. I can't wait to actually be allowed to share pictures of his darling face with all of you. Blessings to all of YOU for caring about my family. And so begins a new chapter...

Developing a Zone Defense

The Scholtens family (Kurt, Whitney, Mac, and Bennett) have been engaged in the journey of adoption. On Friday 3/16 Kurt and Whitney will be taking our first trip to Ethiopia to meet our sweet little man and stand in front of an Ethiopian court to state our intent to adopt. We are not the first to have this experience and with God's will, we will be far from the last. We'd like to offer up a praise for the joy in learning through this process. The EGM family has been an integral part of preparing us for this journey, from our first realization that this story is not about us, to the most recent series of messages forcing us to acknowledge that we are Untied. God's been preparing our hearts through EGM and removing obstacles SO THAT this journey can be made real for us and our little man in Ethiopia. Rejoice!

That said, the journey continues and with very short notice, we are heading to Ethiopia on Friday. We have a rough idea of what to expect, but will be submitting ourselves to many unknowns. Pray with us that God will keep our senses fresh and allow Love and Compassion rule our hearts and minds rather than fears or judgement that might be present in such an unknown environment. What a great Adventure!

Mischief Men

Just look at these faces! Can you see the mischief of boys in this house? Most days we think that this mischief is loads of fun... That's why we're making it a trio! That's right, you heard it. We've got another son whom we are eagerly awaiting to bring over 7500 miles to his home here in Michigan.

It's crazy how attached one can become to a name, a photo, the notion and a promise. He is 7 and a half months old and doesn't even know we exist, how much he is loved and cherished, the mischief his brothers have planned for him... I wish I could tell him. I wish I could hold him. I wish I could make him laugh. I wish he knew we were coming.

James 1:27 says religion in its purest form is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. The latter part can feel like a bit of a tall order, but this much I know is true: Hambisa, you are no longer an orphan.

It has been years that we have talked about adoption; it was a normal part of our family conversation It has been just months since we began the official process and home study, back in August. Early in the process, Macabe and Bennett were told we were going to be adopting from Ethiopia. With several books from the library to help explain a bit of the country, we all sat on the bed to learn a little more together. Macabe was so captivated by the photos and the notion, he took a headlamp to bed, along with those library books to continue the exploration.

In the beginning, adoption preparation is just a lot of paperwork. It feels impersonal to be thinking of adding to the family and just having busy work. But that's all before the referral comes. Now we sit and wait for the US and the Ethiopian governments to process the necessary paperwork to make this happen smoothly for our growing family. In the meantime, we will continue to talk to his picture, to pray for our little man, and learn how to wait with patience and grace.

Crazy Good Times

Mighty Mac...yes, we let him do this, but at least he's wearing his helmet. (We certainly did not make him wear those neon/orange socks.)

Bennett Flying high...yet keeping his feet just where he wants them, firmly planted on the ground.

While Bennett will jump off just about anything, he does prefer 'ground' activities. To say he is not a fan of swim lessons would be an understatement, but he is a trooper about trying, depite the crying. On the other hand, big brother is a complete fish!

This year we had a pumpkin and a puppy for Halloween. Handing out candy to all the fun kids and costumes coming to our house is still preferred to Trick-or-Treating. Mom and Dad are okay with that too.

And this is the triple threat...the three amigos. Lucy puts up with a lot of antics when they find crazy hiding spots for her, when they practice jumping over her. But most of all, she likes the snuggles that sometimes turn into tackles. Lets be honest, with a houseful of boys, wrestling is a favorite pasttime around here. Tag team yourself in, if you dare. But it is one of our favorite ways to have a crazy good time around here!

A Scholtens Summer: Just Add Water

No, not all rain, but any sort of water activitiy. Umbrellas, swimming pools and lakes, slip-n-slides, sprinklers, camping and the cottage...all essential elements to the summer here this year. The boys have become each others preferred playmate for now. We spent some time in Georgia this spring visiting Grammy and GrampS where the boys "shared" a room. After lots of giggling, laughing, joke telling and several adult interventions, at 10 pm when they had stripped the bedof sheets, they were separated. I opted to be thankful they are friends. Oh the trouble this could mean! :)








For Macabe, this summer has been about riding bikes, swimming, dogs, Daddy-o, Grammy and Nana, and more bikes and water. He prides himself in recently learning to swim without a life jacket and jump in the water. He is a real fish, usually has to be dragged out of the water shivering. tube rides at the cottage are a weekend favorite, and he's big on the hand signal for faster. The orange bicycle was a birthday present. If you ask him when his birthday is, he'll tell you "It's either March or March 10. I can't remember which one."

These days everything lis also measured in "Daddy" units. "Wow! That building is huge. It's like 10 Daddies tall." or "Mom, how many Daddies does it take to get to China?"








Bennett prefers some of the less adventurous ways to explore the water sports, drinking from the sprinklers, watching tube rides from the boat and a nice jet ski rides. It is actually a common occurrence for him to fall asleep on the jet ski and ride until the gas runs out.

Along with his height, his language has really exploded in recent months. Just the other day he saw a "wabby bunnit" (aka bunny rabbit). Okay, so we get alittle confused about some of the animals, but Fred at the grocery store appreciates a visit from Bennett each time. Fred is a "wompster" (lobster). And one of his favorite snacks is raspberries and "flamingos" (mangoes).

Bennett is a bit embarassed yet about his new hole in his head. He is a bit more rough and tumble on steady ground, and has lost his front tooth! Hopefully a visit from the tooth fairy will help with that.

Stay tuned...we'll post some more summer slideshow picks soon.

Eskimos and Penguins

That's right...Igloos! The church in the backyard pushes their snow into a pile that makes for great snow caves. Dad worked to carve it out so we all fit inside, even Lucy gets in. We've found our favorite time to be at night with our head lamps on.

We've had so much fun this year int he snow. Bennett is not sure he likes sledding yet, but Macabe will take any adventure he can get. The neighbors thought we were crazy when we snow-blowed the front yard to make a giant pile of snow, but they have been over to play on our homegrown sledding hill. Now, tonight, we await 15 in. of snow forecasted. Ooo-wee!

Macabe continues to love music and school, and really just wants to be able to read. He has become very imaginative in his play and a current favorite is setting up to play grocery store with old boxes from our kitchen. Recently he came to us upset that he was trying to play but "Bennett is antagonizing me."

Then again, turnabout is fairplay as a sibling, right?...While both strapped into their carseats (out of each others' reach), I have found Bennett crying, very upset. When asked what is wrong, he'll say, "Mac just bop-bop at me!" I look at Mac and his is just singing in his seat, "Bop-bop-bop-bop," quietly...yet grinning in shear enjoyment! Seriously?

Really, despite this "brotherly love," the boys have been the best of friends lately. The house is filled with giggles, laughter, chasing, tackling, fun, games, and jokes...the stuff that dreams are made of!

Bennett is into all things boy. Cars, balls, basketball, football, tackling. While his brother is his buddy, he also really enjoys those days Macabe is in school and he gets that one-on-one time with Mom. His date with Mom often times involves a doughnut for him and a coffee for Mom. Mmm! Though most of his responses to questions are either "I-O-know" (I don't know) or "Because Yeah", if you ask him what his Dad does for work, he'll tell you "he sells camels" (aka chemicals). The market for camels isn't so great in West Michigan, but chemicals, yes.

And let's not forget the Ring Boys in Anna's and Chris's wedding! We had some of the best looking penguins around. Trying our best to prep the boys prior the wedding, we reminded them that they would need to put on their tux and walk Mommy down the aisle. So that is just what Macabe did. He put on his tux, walked Mommy down the aisle...and took it off. Yup, he immediately began undressing and when we'd try to get him to leave clothes on, he'd just shout, "This itches! When can I take it off?!"

Both boys were enhausted at the end of the day, but boy did they find the reception to be the best dance party ever!