Singing Praises-Announcing the Referral of our littlest Angel!!!

I have so much inner excitement, I can't even begin to type. We are thrilled, no beyond thrilled to announce that we have accepted the referral for our little girl. Her name is Helen, which means beautiful light. She is!! We don't have the exacts on her yet, as we have not received her profile yet, but here is what we know. She is approximately 15 months to 2 years old and is from a province called Shashemene, which is the true origin of Regae music. She is half Ethiopian, half French Dutch and is absolutely precious with the most beautfiul brown curly hair. I can't wait to get my hands on it and play with it!!! We are told she is shy but very sweet. Because she is not officially ours until we make it through court we can not post her picture yet, but here is a sneak peak of her gorgeous locks!! We can't wait for Sof to hear the great news so he will have time to hang out with his little sister until we can get there. We are hoping to get a court date soon and so we believe if all goes well, Greg, Blake and I will travel over to ET some time in July to bring both Sof and Helen home. To think our journey to complete our family is almost reality overwhelmes me with joy!! Father God your plans and timing in our life is so much sweeter than I could have ever imagined. Singing praises and glory to you don't even begin to express my joy and gratitude for all the blessings you have bestowed upon our family!

Psalm 9: 1-2

I will praise You, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will show forth all marvelous works and wonderful deeds! I will rejoice in You and be in high spirits; I will sing praise to Your name O Most High!!

Angels All Around

Today marked the 1 year anniversary of my mother's passing. I have spent a lot of time this last year allowing myself to miss her and to try to stay connected to her by wearing her favorite perfumes, cooking dishes that she taught me and sharing many memories of her with our kids. Today I choose to be quiet, for the first time in my life, about what the day marked and what was on my heart.
Once again, I am blown away by the awareness that children have of the spiritual world that is all around us. Caitlin and I were on our way to the grocery store today when we she said "Mommy, look at the sky (the sun was shining through the clouds creating beautiful rays) it's your mommies spirit shining down from heaven." Usually we say when we see the sun's rays that they are God's light shining down on us, but today out of the blue with no guidance she uttered differently. It was all I could do not to wreck the car by the tears that were now streaming down my face, all I could say is "yes baby you are so right!"
It is such a gift to be able to see your creations with such simplicity and clarity; the ongoing connection between heaven and earth. I believe it is always there, it's just as adults we get so near sighted to this world. Father God, I am so grateful for the gift of your constant connection that is with us. To know that heaven and earth are not so far apart. Help us to see this world through children's eyes and help us to shed our focus from ourselves to the beauty that is all around us. I do believe there are angels among us and all around us. I look at 4 each morning as I look into my childrens' eyes.

Our 15th Wedding Anniversary!!!

WOOHOO!!! Praising God, today is our 15th Wedding Anniversary!!! Wow, 15 years and I am proud to say still going strong!! When I think of who we were 15 years ago, as we exchanged our vows, so new to love and what the committment of marriage stands for, I feel so much more committed today. I understand just what those vows truly signify. We have been tested by the fires many times during the last 15 years and have witnessed many who have held on during difficult times, to those who let their marriages go. We have defintely been on our knees at times praying for God's guidance to keep us together. With every challenge that has come our way we have been blessed to have the union of our marriage made stronger and been brought closer as one; as God intended us to be. Every day I wake up giving thanks to the Lord for creating such an amazing man of God to share my life with. The depth of my love, respect and admiration for this man I call my husband grows more profoundly with each year.
As a father tending to skinned knees, sharing manly tasks with the boys like cutting down branches, dancing with our little girl, praising them for jobs well done, to disciplining them so they may become great godly driven adults. I am awed!!!
As a husband, he is my best friend, my trusted spiritual council, my playmate, my partner; tender, respectful, competitive, and affectionate. He takes my breath away!!!
As the man of God, he is solid in his foundation, quiet in his faith, patient and deliberate in his action, calm in the storm, and walks humbly yet boldly in the ways of the Lord. That is what makes him our family's spiratual leader!!
By knowing and experiencing my love with Greg, it is knowing and experiencing the love of our Lord. I am so grateful for the 15 years we have shared as one and I look forward to sharing many more 15 year celebrations with him. I rejoice in our union and I pray for God's hand to continue to bind our relationship bringing us closer to eachother and to the one who has created us.

Calling All Prayer Warriors!! Help!!!

So here is the latest status of our referral.... We have been matched but..... due to some major power outages in Addis Ababa they can't e-mail, copy, scan, etc the file to our coordinator here in the states. We were told the power outages are from the fact there are 4 milion people in the city using approx. 200 mega watts of electricty and the power company can only handle 150 mega watts. In the past they have used hydro power to compensate, but unfortunately Ethiopia has been experiencing a major drought this year. Meaning no power for most of the city. They estimate this to be the case for up to 2-3 months. Yikes!! What this means for us, I am not sure other than at this point we can't even get the profile and therefore can't truly receive a referral, therefore we can't accept a referral to set up court dates etc. This has got me a little rattled to say the least. I feel the enemy is coming down strong! Yes it makes me sad we cannot get a referral until whenever, but more the fact that all those children and people that live in the city, what it means for them to be without power for the next two months. To think of peoples livelihoods being affected, the safety, the health of the children knowing that they will have to stay in the orphanages even longer. We are so fortunate to live in a country that does not have to worry about those type of things happening. Can you imagine. I understand that Ethiopia is not as dependant on electricity as we are, but I am sure this will negatively affect many.
So I am calling out to all my prayer warriors out there to help me pray for Ethiopia, the situation, the people and for there to be a quick resolution to the power outages. For God to put a hedge of protection over all of his people during this difficult time watching over them keeping them safe and making sure their needs are met. That our Mighty Heavenly Father who can do anything, will, for the sake of what is right and good for his people!! I pray that all those affected find refuge, shelter, peace and comfort in our Lord. Trusting that he is with them and will not forsake them! Father God, I lift this prayer up to you, in Jesus name, Amen!!
Psalm 91: 1-4
Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. This I declare of the Lord. He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I am trusting him. For he will rescue you from every trap and protect you from the fatal plaque. he will shield you with his wings. He will shelter you with his feathers. His faithfulness promises are your armor and protection.
Verse 11: For He will give His angels charge over you to accompany and defend and preserve you in all your ways.

Another Round Please!!

Yesterday, Greg and I had a date lunch giving us the one on one time which we were long overdue for! In addition, to the lunch we shared at LaFogada (one of our favorite local mexican restaurants), we went down to the local health and immunization department to take our first round of shots for when we travel this summer. Not the shots, or liquid lunches we used to take over lunch together in our earlier, pre-kid days. Boy are we growing up! So after much discussion with the man at the desk, we decided to get the full gammit: Meningococcal, Hep A&B, Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis), Yellow Fever, and Typhoid. Little did I know that the man at the desk was also the "shot Nazi". I think he was a bit of a masochist for he was way too happy at the idea of us getting them all. And seem to enjoy even more the grimaces of pain on our faces as he administered each one. By far, that was the most expensive round of shots we have ever shared. But then again, tomorrow will be our 15th anniversary, so guess what we got for eachother. Yes shots, and we will have the great pleasure of sharing a second round in a month. It is still under debate which type of shots are more painful. Oh the things we do for love!

Be Still and Know..........

Still no word on the referral for our little girl, so we are taking refuge in the fact we must be still and know that God is in control!! Knowing and trusting his plans and timing for our family are glorious and beyond our own!!

Phillipians 4:6
Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God.

Feathers From Heaven

As my father put it so well, it was as if the angels were having a pillow fight up in heaven. I never knew snow could be so amazingly soft. So radically different than the sleet/hail we call snow here in good ole SA. Sad to say the kids first words were "mommy, the snow here doesn't hurt like at home. It feels and looks like feathers!"

Ahhhh 6 days in Keystone!!! Another milestone for the Mott clan. We have talked about taking the kids skiing for the last few years but never actually did it. So with the coming of our 2 additions this summer we felt we better squeeze it in before then.

This was definitely one of the best vacations we have ever taken as a family. The weather was perfect; sunny in the day and snowing at night. The ski conditions were perfect; nice and powdery, especially since it was at the end of the season. The ski runs were just right; not too hard and not too easy, and the condo was a dream.

From making hundreds of snow angels and snow balls to skiing the whole day we all had a blast. Never once hearing "this stinks, I wonna go home". We skied all 4 days. The kids did amazing considering they had never even seen snow before! Just 1 day of lessons and they were off flying, literally flying down the mountain. Reagan our extreme jumper, Blake our mogle maniac and Caitlin the queen of speed.

It was an absolute perfect vacation. If I had put in my request to God I could not have asked for more. I am always astounded at God's goodness and blessings in our lives. We defintely have our struggles like everyone, but sometimes it seems too good to be true. And I know it all comes from Him! This was one of those life moments you just want to freeze time and yet we have so much more to look forward to. Father, I am so grateful for your constant love, wonders, and experiences that you have created and planned out for us to enjoy. I embrace them fully and am constant certainty that it all comes from you. Thank you father God for watching over us, keeping us safe and in the moment allowing us to be in sync to experience such a wonderous time together!!

Psalm 23:5 "My cup overflows with blessings"

Psalm 145:2 "Every day (with new reasons) will I bless You (affectionately and gratefully praise You); yes, I will praise Your name forever and ever."- Amen!!!

So here is what we know of about our precious son Sofonyas

Just look at that face~ Is it not beautiful. His smile which we are told he is always wearing, is as bright as the sun. What a smile to wake up to. I can't wait!!!

Name: Sofonyas Melesse (first and middle name, last name .....) Mott

Date of Birth: November 12, 1999

Place of Birth: Tigray Province

Siblings: None known

Tigray is a northern province in Ethiopia. Total population is 4.3mil, 81.2% are rural inhabitants. 95% are Orthodox Christians. It is a beautiful mountainous terrain occupied mostly by herders.

We also just learned that he doesn't know as much English as we originally thought, not that that matters. Blake, Reagan and Caitlin are eager to teach him, so I am sure he will learn quickly. We even purchased a software program "Amharic the EZ way", to learn his native tongue as well. It's not an easy language, but we are having fun trying!!

Galations 5:6 "For when we place our faith in Christ Jesus, who we are. What is important is faith expressing itself in love."

Hallelujah!! It is official Sofonyas is now a Mott!!!

We are so exicted beyond words to be able to share him. So here is a picture of our precious new addition Sofonyas Mott............

Praise God!!! Father God thank you for giving us this amazing opportunity and blessing of being able to bring this beautiful child of God into our family. Please watch over him and keep him safe and filled with our love and yours until the day we bring him home.

Ephesians 1:5 "His unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. And this gave him great pleasure."