Remembering what God has Done

The 1 year anniversary of officially adopting our children is this week.  Many families remember this milestone every year, celebrating "Gotcha Day" with their children.  June 28th, 2013 was the day that we stood (or sat really) before an Ethiopian judge, answered a list of redundant yet official questions, and vowed to love and care for two orphans, providing for them as our own children.  I will never forget that day as long as I live.  I will never forget the nerves in my stomach as we sat in a crowded courtroom, whispering with our new friends. My heart sank for them as they entered the judge's chambers then returned with confused looks on their faces as they learned there was a little "hiccup" with their case.  I will never forget the smile that covered the judge's otherwise stoic face as she learned that our children had Ethiopian cousins waiting for them in America.  "They will transition very well then," were her words.  At that moment I felt God's nod of affirmation, reminding me that of course, He is in this. I will never forget my very first cup of coffee as we sat in an Ethiopian café with our dear friends, celebrating our victory, trying to take in the enormity of that day.  I will never forget arriving at the transition home that day to find my daughter dressed in a hand-me-down Easter dress, 2 sizes too small, smiling ear to ear as I told her how beautiful she looked.  She was adopted, no longer an orphan, but officially a Mateyoke.  Eyeruse Greg Mateyoke and Ermiyas Greg Mateyoke to be exact.  I will never forget the events of that day.  Just like our wedding day and the birth days of each of our other 3 children, this adoption day was a life changer.

As I remember our first trip to Ethiopia and everything we experienced there, and I remember our first days, weeks, and months home with our children, I think about what God was doing. I may or may not have realized it then, but I can see it now.  I can see how God, only God could have accomplished what he has in our family.  There are so many things in our lives and our children's lives that God has used to piece together what is now.  I cannot and will not describe them all, but I will highlight just a few that have impacted my heart the most. 

One of the first things we learned about our children and thus Ethiopia, was that Dairy was not one of their 4 food groups.  Ruth and Jimmy both cringed when we asked them to drink a small cup of milk every morning, gulping it down quickly with their eyes closed like it was a concoction on "Survivor".  We made and ordered everything WITHOUT cheese, because we knew that the mere taste of it would cause convulsions and send them into shock. I remember my frustration as Ruth scraped all the cheese and toppings off of her pizza before eating it, while our other children couldn't scarf it down fast enough.  My thoughts of being a normal pizza-eating American family were soon dashed. 

Well, fast forward about 9 months and you have this girl below that licked the plate clean of  "Chicago-style, Deep Dish, Cheese Stuffed Pizza" that we enjoyed on our vacation:

Say CHEESE!!!

Our daughter loves to draw and when she first arrived she spent a lot of time drawing things from back home.  I think it was a good way for her to express herself (before she mastered English)  and to communicate with us.  In fact, both her and her brother Jimmy would use the colors of the Ethiopian flag in just about every drawing they depicted.  I love this picture she made for me of Greg and myself, dressed in the good ole flag of Ethiopia.  Not sure the significance of the star placement, and since I am not a Freudian psychologist, I will not attempt to interpret. 

Some say that "it takes a village" to raise a family and whether or not I agree wholeheartedly with that, I do value the support we receive from family and friends that have invested their lives into our family.  God has blessed us with a loving extended family and wonderful friends that are making an impact on our children.  Ruth and Jimmy never knew their Ethiopian grandparents, and although they had extended family, they shared minimal positive experiences with them.  Those Ethiopian cousins that the judge was so happy to hear about, make up only a small fraction of the kids in our family that share the best set of grandparents in the world.  Craziness abounds when the Hill family kids get together.  There is nothing my kids love more than spending time with any or all of them.  Here is a very small sampling of some of the wonderful people in our lives that are each one a gift from God to our family:

Ruth was thrilled to celebrate her 1st birthday in America with these guys

Meeting Aunt Jenny for the first time, on the beach.  That doesn't make her the favorite or anything :)

Didn't I say craziness abounds?  This is only half of all the kids.  Nana is right in the middle, loving every minute

 

Our good friend Dianne with handmade gifts for the children.

Ruth with Leah, her piano teacher and basketball coach.  All of my kids love this girl (and her family) to pieces

 

This blog post does not do justice to our One Year Anniversary of meeting our kids and adopting them.  Like this post, my thoughts, memories, and words are often scattered.  As I often do, I will end with the words that led me here, that gives all the credit of ANYTHING good coming from this family to God:

 

"I remember the days of long ago; I meditate on all your works and consider what your hands have done."  Psalm 143:5