As I sit here and write this post, my heart is full to overflowing at the goodness of our God.

You know, my son Joel has always felt a special connection to our oldest daughter Abigail. This is because when we were first given the opportunity to adopt her, we had a very serious discussion with Joel. He had always said that we shouldn’t adopt more than 3 more children. He felt very strongly that any more than that would take too much of his parent’s time and attention. However, after much prayer, Joel came to us and said that he felt like God wanted us to add this special girl to our family.

He has faithfully prayed for Abigail throughout the last 6 months. When we arrived in Ethiopia and were told that her adoption would require 6-9 months to complete, that we would have to leave her in Ethiopia, and that we would have to make another trip back here before she could join our family, Joel refused to believe it. He has prayed every night that we could adopt Abigail this trip.

I let him pray, but I told him that this wouldn’t be a possibility.

When he pressured me and asked me just how likely it would be that we could bring her home this time, I told him we had about a 1% chance.

And now I sit here tonight looking at the other side of the mountains that only our God could have moved.

Scott has been in Harar again this week visiting Abigail and working on her paperwork. He just called to tell me that he has the VERY LAST document she needs and that he will be heading back to to Addis tomorrow – with Abigail!

She will be going to an orphanage here while we wait for the courts to finalize her adoption. Usually when you request a court date, it takes a few weeks to find an opening in the court callendar. However, in this situation, the judge is aware of our case and of the fact that her siblings are already living with us. There is every reason to believe that Abigail will become a Putnam before the end of next week.

Did you catch that?

As of this moment, unless something crazy happens, ABIGAIL WILL BECOME A PART OF OUR FAMILY AND MAKE THE TRIP BACK TO AMERICA WITH US!!!!

Oh, to have the faith of a child. How much my son has modeled for me in this situation. Trust in our mighty God when facing seemingly insurmountable mountains. Faithfulness in prayer. Unbelievable joy in the answering of those prayers.

Please continue praying with us that no obstacles delay or prevent this process. Be praying that we can travel home together as a family of 8 very soon!

My pastor shared the following thoughts a few weeks ago.

Before we left America a wonderful group of ladies invited me over for a night of prayer and fellowship. This group consisted of adoptive moms who have walked this road before me. They offered wisdom and advice and prayer and grace. There were a few things especially from that evening that have stuck with me and have proved invaluable already.

#1 – Let my husband parent in the way that he feels is best.

I am such a Type A personality. I really enjoy being in charge. I am pretty sure my way is always the right way. I thought that I have always viewed my marriage as a partnership. My husband and I are a team! But when it comes to the homefront, I realized I pretty much view myself as the coach of that team. He just better be a good player and take instruction well. The ladies of this group encouraged me to step back and let him make parenting decisions. His decisions may not always be the same decision I would make in every situation, but who am I to say he is wrong? Let him parent his way.

#2 – Leave all my expectations at the door.

If I enter into our “new family” situation with expectations, I will be disappointed when they are not met. If, however, I just enjoy every moment as it comes, I can always find the joy in the journey.

#3 – My family will make beautiful music together once again.

This is something I think about over and over again. One of the ladies made this analogy. Our family is like an orchestra. We each play our own instrument and we each have our own piece of music to play. After so much time practicing, our family makes beautiful music together. Now all of a sudden I have these new members who play different instruments. In fact, they are reading from completely different sheet music than the rest of us. For a while it sounds like a mess. What happened to that beautiful music my family used to make? It will happen once again. It just takes time. Our family needs to practice together. We need to re-learn the music that we thought we knew so well. And soon, we will be harmonizing together once again.

It is this last analogy that has been on my heart this week. There are moments in every day that I hear the dischord. When my little Levi lashes out and kicks or hits when he is upset because this is how he survived in the orphanage. When Micah cried for 30 minutes because he had to learn how to share and take turns with a toy. When we gave Naomi a picture of her family and she spent the next 2 hours clutching that picture and sobbing from her soul.

And then, there are moments in every day where I can hear snippets of beautiful music. When I see Hannah and Naomi playing cards together and laughing. When I see Joel giving up his gameboy so his brother can have a chance to play something he has never had the chance to play before. When we sat down for dinner tonight. It was rainy and cold outside. We had hot soup. We had African music playing in the background. And for just a moment, as I looked around the table and everyone was eating and talking and enjoying dinner together as a family, I heard something beautiful.

The boys ask for their brother to sleep with them every night

Praying these girls will not only be sisters, but also the best of friends

 

 

Such cuteness...and honestly good hearts

 

 

Love, peace, grace, patience, joy

 

Blessings!

 

Natalie

PRAYER REQUESTS/PRAISES

*Abigail’s paperwork and speedy adoption

*Our embassy paperwork

*Our family’s beautiful music

Scott spent the last 3 days in Harar visiting our oldest daughter Abigail. She has been living in the government orphanage there for the past 4 weeks. He got the privilege of taking her to lunch, to play at a park, and to watch a hyena feeding ceremony. He also met with many people and worked on getting the paperwork in order for her adoption.

When we first heard about Abigail we were told that there was maybe a 50% chance that the orphanage would accept her and that we would be able to adopt her. Then, when the orphanage DID accept her (4 weeks ago) we were told that her case would take about 6-9 months to complete. After the 3 days in Harar, we are down to the final 2 documents to make Abigail paper-ready for adoption. And – I hesitate to even write this – we are told that if her paperwork is completed this next week, we might be able to adopt her and bring her home with us! I don’t know whether I believe it or not! But, could you all pray about her paperwork situation? If there is one thing we have learned while we have been here in Ethiopia, it is to expect the unexpected. Who knows what speed bumps might arise during the proccess of her joining our family?

Scott also had an opportunity to bless the government orphanage in Harar. We have some friends who donated $500 to be used anywhere we saw a need in Ethiopia. Well, when Scott arrived at that government orphanage, he saw a need. They did not have ANY toys for the children. They did not have ANY medicine for the children. They often did not have enough food or clothes for the children. Here is a picture of the children’s room.

So Scott went on a shopping spree.

 

When Scott arrived, they had NO diapers!

 

The shelves are now stocked! Food, formula, medicine, toilet paper and more!

When he was done, the orphanage director said to him, “I don’t know. This might not be that big of a deal to you. But you need to understand. This is a VERY big deal to us. This will change our lives for months to come.”

So I want to say thank you to our friends. You know who you are. God used your money to change the living conditions for children at the government orphanage in Harar, Ethiopia. Thank you for entrusting us with this opportunity!

Blessings!

Natalie

PRAYER REQUESTS

*Abigail’s paperwork and possible adoption SOON!!!

*Our health – especially Joel this week

My sweet Hannah girl has enjoyed a 7 year reign as the baby in our family. And suddenly, she feels as though her reign has come to an end.

Hannah and I have always had an extra-special relationship. Or maybe every mother feels that way about her daughter. She has always chosen Mommy over just about anything else.

Playdate with friends, Hannah?

No, I think I’ll stay with Mommy.

Want to go to Grandma’s/Nana’s/Auntie’s house?

No, I think I’ll stay with Mommy.

Sleepover at someone else’s house?

Absolutely not! We have tried. It didn’t go so well.

In fact, as I was eavesdropping on a conversation between Hannah and her dear little friend Carli….

“Do you want to come for a sleepover, Hannah?” asked Carli.

“Oh….you know how I feel about my Mommy. I would miss her too much!” replied my sweet girl.

And now Hannah feels that her relationship with her Mommy might be a little bit threatened. There have been some tears. And tonight she said to me, “Why do you like the new kids more than me?”

Oh! Knife to the heart!

I understand how she feels. All of a sudden she has to share her mommy’s time and attention and love with some “new kids.” She doesn’t understand that a mommy’s love is never-ending. It is a stretching, growing thing that suddenly is big enough to love 5 (or 6) children with the same amount of love.

I know this is just one of the adjustments that our family has to make. But can you please pray that Hannah would feel just as loved and special as she always has? And would you pray that I would have the wisdom as to how best to show love to each and every one of my children. Thank you, friends.

Come on...who wouldn't love this girl?

Blessings!

Natalie

Now that we have passed court and are officially a Putnam Family of 7, we are waiting on the US Embassy to clear our children’s paperwork. They need new birth certificates, visas, passports, and several other documents before we can leave the country. The time frame for this process is so wide and varied. Our agency gives an estimate of 8-10 weeks. Some families have finished in as little as 4-5 weeks. Some families have gotten stuck for 16 weeks or longer!

We are doing everything we can to help the process along. We have even looked into hiring someone here to double-check all of our paperwork and make sure everything is correct before we submit it to the US Embassy.

When we left America, we were expecting to be gone for 3-4 months. However, you all know that we have been here 8 weeks already and we just passed court! That kind of puts a damper on our plan for our timeline.

Many of you know that my husband’s best friend, Peter Crawford, died last year from a very aggressive form of cancer. We are so thankful that Peter was involved with the beginning stages of our adoption process! He was one of our biggest supporters and encouragers. Peter met Jesus face to face on August 21, 2011.

It is Scott’s desire to be home by Augst 21, 2012. He would love to be able to spend the day with Claire and Ethan, Peter’s children. We know that God has His own plans, but we are asking you to join us in pounding on heaven’s door and asking that we can clear US Embassy and be home in time for this important date.

Last Sunday the pastor here preached on Colossians 4:2-3

Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.  At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ.

He reminded us that God wants us to “continue steadfastly in prayer.” Not just throwing little one-liner requests up to our heavenly father, but to spend concentrated, repeated time talking to Him. And no matter what His answer is, we are to always pray with an attitude of thanksgiving.

This is what I would like to ask of you – would you join us? Would you continue steadfastly in this prayer? We want to lay this request at the feet of Jesus over and over again. And we would love an army of prayer warriors to join us in this. And no matter the outcome, we are committed to being thankful.

Blessings!

Natalie

PRAYER REQUESTS/PRAISES

*That we would be home by August 21

*Pray for our oldest daughter, Abigail

*Our health

If I had to list the top 5 things that bring me happiness in this life they would be….

My God

My Family

My Friends

Coffee

Group Fitness

I know. I know. Some of you just can’t wrap your mind around that last one. But it is true! Believe it or not, group fitness is one of the great joys of my life. I love the feeling of working hard and sweating harder. I love the endorphins. I most of all love it when I get to be in charge and teach group fitness classes.

In the states I get to feed that addiction every day with my wonderful job at Sun Oaks Tennis and Fitness. You know that saying, “Do something you love and you won’t ever work a day in your life.” Well, that exactly describes my job as a group exercise instructor. It doesn’t feel like work. It feels like a blessing.

On the very rare occasions when I get cranky, my husband jokingly says, “You need either caffiene or endorphins right now. So go drink a cup of coffee or go to the gym!” And it’s true! I can get cranky if I have not had my endorphins for the day!

Being here in Ethiopia has challenged me to find new ways to fill this need in my life. We have a beautiful, flat roof-top here at the guest house so for the last 7 weeks I have transformed this area into my home gym. I even had a couple of ladies join me! Jessie – the missionary who lives here and works with Bring Love In – and Dawn – a fellow adoptive mom who is sharing the guest house with me.

Jessie and Dawn doing exactly what I tell them

Deeper, Dawn! Lunge! Work those legs!

 

What do you think, Lisa? Our next purchase for Sun Oaks group fitness classes?

 

But even with all of that, my husband noticed a slight crankiness creeping in sometimes. He knows that one of my greatest passions is ZUMBA! And sadly, this was lacking in my fitness routine. So he suggested I look online for Zumba classes here in Addis. I thought he was crazy. I have never heard of Zumba in Addis. I even asked our in-country director of our adoption agency if she had heard of Zumba before. She had no idea what I was talking about! I am sure she has never been asked that question before by the other adoptive moms.

 

But I went ahead and googled it. And oh my stars! There was ONE class listed! I immediately emailed the instructor and asked her if this was a joke or if she was really teaching Zumba here in Addis. She assured me that not only was it true, but I had excellent timing because she had just received her work permit and her first class was going to be on Thursday at 10:00.

 

Thursday at 9:45 I was at the door of that gym.

 

But she wasn’t.

 

She had gotten sick and the guy at the front desk told me that class was cancelled.

 

Why would we let a little thing like the instructor’s sickness keep us from Zumba? I told them that I was a licensed Zumba teacher in the states, I just happened to have my music with me, and if they wanted – I would teach their Zumba class for free!

 

Now, let me say that in the states, something like this would never happen. We have to check things like licensing, certifications, liability insurance, etc. But here in Ethiopia – none of that was a problem! 10 minutes later I was teaching a Zumba class at Maxview Gym in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

 

38 ladies showed up to class that day. They were amazing! The room was filled with music and dancing and yes, even some screaming and shouting. It was wonderful!

 

Some of the sweaty ladies after class

 

After that first class, I went back and met the Zumba instructor. She is a sweetie and is so happy to meet a fellow Zumba teacher here in Ethiopia! In fact, she invited me to team-teach her classes with her for the rest of my stay here. How about that?

 

Kim and I

 

You know, God didn’t have to do that for me; work out all the details so I could teach some Zumba while I am here in Ethiopia. That was something I hadn’t even dreamed of being able to do. But, He knew how much it would bless me. And He loves to give good gifts to His children, doesn’t He?

 

Blessings!

 

Natalie

There are so many firsts that I have missed.

First smile.

First steps.

First words.

First birthday.

But now, every day is full of firsts for us.

Our first time taking the kids out for ice cream.

First night – brushing teeth together for the first time.

First time my kids have ever been on a carousel.

And one of the sweetest firsts so far – our first time going to church together as a family.

Although I am NOT a country music fan, one song seems to say exactly what I feel….”God bless the broken road that led me straight to you.”

I think God states it just a little bit better than Rascal Flatts when He says….

He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away. He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Revelation 21:4-5

I am claiming this for my children. Yes, there will be hard times. Yes, they will have painful memories. But the Lord promises that HE will wipe every tear from their eyes. HE will make all things new!

Blessings!

Natalie

PRAYER REQUESTS/PRAISES

*So thankful that the first few days have gone so well!

*So amazingly thankful that all my kids are good sleepers!

*Pray for Scott as he goes to Harar tomorrow to visit our oldest daughter, Abigail.

*Our embassy paperwork

When we found out who our children were, we started talking about what to do with their names. Do we keep their Ethiopian names? Do we give them American names? If so, what do we want to name them? After much discussion, we decided we would give them new American first names and keep their Ethiopian names as their middle name.

When we saw this little guy’s picture, right away the name Levi came to mind.

Levi Eyob

Doesn’t he look like a Levi? His name means “joined.” Isn’t that just perfect? He is forever joined to our family!

Our middle son we decided to name Micah. Micah means “who is like God.” That is our prayer for him. That he would grow to become more and more like God.

Micah Eba

And then, our daughters. We had only seen one of their pictures. The oldest girl was not “in the system” yet and so we had no picture of her. We chose the name Abigail for our 7-year-old. This means “father’s delight.” And of course, you have all been praying for our oldest daughter Naomi. Naomi means “beautiful, pleasant and delightful.”

We have been calling our children a mixture of their American name and Ethiopian name ever since we got here. And then last week, they finally became Putnams and got to come home with us! And that was when we found out what “Abigail” really wanted. Her first night here, she looked up at me sweetly and in a shy voice asked, “Me Naomi, Mom?”

“You want to be Naomi?” I asked her.

“Yes, Mom. Me Naomi. Please, Mom?”

This girl has endured so much. All she asked was that we call her Naomi. It is the least we can do to let her choose her name if it means so much to her!

So let me introduce you to our daughter Naomi Shukria.

Naomi Shukria

Her older sister, our daughter-in-waiting, will take the name Abigail.

I know you have all been praying for “Naomi” and her paperwork and her adoption. God doesn’t care what you call our oldest daughter. To Him, we are all “beautiful, pleasant, and delightful.” But for now, our plan is to name her Abigail when we finally have the joy of her becoming a part of our family.

Blessings!

Natalie

I am sitting here in bed writing this post surrounded by sleeping children. What a blessed day.

Today we enjoyed the everyday kind of activities that we have never before been able to enjoy as a family. Showers. Teeth brushing. Lotion and kisses. Fresh clean pajamas. Prayers. Bedtime.

You know, for the past year and a half, every night when I tucked in Joel and Hannah I said prayers for them and I said prayers for my children who were halfway around the world.

Tonight we are all under one roof. And for the first time Abigail, Micah and Levi got to hear those prayers.

The Lord bless you and keep you

And make His face to shine upon you

Be gracious unto you

And give you great peace.

This is the same prayer I have said for my children every night of their lives. And now it is the prayer that I will have the gift of praying over Abigail, Micah and Levi.

My oldest - pretending to sleep:)

My poor sick girl

 

 

Abigail - such a tender heart this one has!

Micah all tucked in for the night

 

My little ham - doesn't look very sleepy!

 

Blessings!

 

Natalie

 

PRAYER REQUESTS/PRAISES

 

*Hallelujah we are a family!

 

*Pray for Hannah. She has been sick for 3 days now.

 

*Time to start praying for the embassy paperwork!

 

*Naomi – the only missing Putnam family member.

Wow! Does God ever know how to throw a surprise party!

You all know about that stinking document that we have been waiting on for 20 weeks now. It is still not here! In fact, just last night Scott booked a ticket to fly to Harar so he could go to court himself and try to obtain this document. He was planning on leaving tomorrow.

So today, to celebrate the 4th of July, we planned a field trip with our kiddos. We picked them up and took them to lunch and then to see their first ever movie in a theater! Poor Hannah woke up sick with the stomach flu so I stayed home with her and Scott took all of the other kids out to have fun. Then he dropped them back off at the orphanage and said goodbye…again.

As he was driving home he got a call from our in-country director. She calmly asked how our outing was and if the kids enjoyed themselves. And then she proceeds to say, “I have some good news for you. I met with the judge today and you passed court.”

Oh. My. Word.

Talk about a shock and a surprise and an unexpected blessing!

Turns out that the court still does not have that document. But, today the judge decided that in light of all of our efforts to obtain this document, and because it would be in the best interests of our children, she was going to wave the requirement for the “stinking document” and sign our adoption paperwork.

Just brings to mind this verse again….

The King’s heart is in the hand of the Lord,

Like the rivers of water;

He turns it wherever He wishes. Proverbs 21:1

God is in control! And He thought it would be perfect timing for us to become a family on the 4th of July!

So tomorrow morning we are going to the orphanage to pick up our children for the very last time. They are no longer orphans. They do not belong there anymore! They are now Putnams!

Abigail Shukria Putnam

Micah Eba Putnam

Levi Eyob Putnam

And what of Putnam number 8? Naomi is still in the orphanage in Harar. The government is working on getting her paperwork together to make her eligible for adoption. There is still a lot of prayer that needs to happen to make her a part of our family. But, as God has so many times demonstrated, He can do whatever the heck He wants!

So for now, we celebrate the most exciting 4th of July our family has ever had! We celebrate our freedom – the freedom we have in America and the freedom we have in Christ. And we are enjoying the best surprise party we have ever been a part of! Thank you Jesus!

Our first family picture

Love being a part of this family!

Blessings!

Natalie