INTRODUCING YOU TO........

I'm numb. It is FINALLY official. After a year and a half, we are legally the parents of our sweet baby girl! 

So with overflowing hearts we would like to introduce you to our new daughter.......

Carys Tsehay Nieuwenhuis

        9 months old

Born: September 27, 2010

Adopted: June 27, 2011 

So how did we come up with her name? Well, it wasn't easy, let me tell you that much! We tossed around many names and couldn't agree on very many.  The day we met her, we were having dinner in Ethiopia when the whole name conversation came back up. The daunting question arose again.....what are we going to name her? It was so hard- she was known as Tsehay to us. That's WHO she was. But we knew we wanted something a little more "American" (Or in this case Welsh) for her first name. Luke brought up the name Carys. I had thrown it out there to him a few times and we liked it, but never gave it much thought. The more I said it, the more I agreed, I loved the name.  I got home and started to do some research on the meaning and that's what sealed the deal. Carys (rhymes with Paris) is a Welsh name and means "LOVE" or "TO BE LOVED". It couldn't have been more appropriate. For her middle name, we knew all along we wanted to keep her given name for that slot.  When we got to the orphanage we quickly realized that she went by "Tsehay" (pronounced Sa-hi).  It was written everywhere and that's what all of the nannies called her. We loved it and decided we would drop the "nesh" to keep things simple. Nesh in Amharic is the female version of something and we already know she's female, so we're good(-: 

We hope to travel back to Ethiopia sometime in the beginning of August to bring her home! Please pray for a smooth transition for this little sweetheart and that God will wrap His arms around her and comfort her.

Much Love,

Luke, Janine, Kai, Aria, Becket & Carys (ahhhh!!!! Cant believe there is a 4th name on there(-:)

Day 4- An adventure in Awassa

Our rickety old boat with an Ethiopian flag on the front

Just when I thought my heart and nerves could take no more, we started another adventure.  We were able to sleep in a little and enjoyed a great breakfast buffet at our hotel. The coffee this time was awesome and I'm absolutely in love with the fresh squeezed pineapple juice.  We loaded into the van with the Scholtens, our driver and Alemu.  They took us to the other side of Lake Awassa.  We drove down this long windy path to the edge of the water where we got out and were escorted over to these rickety old wooden boats.  Alemu found us a lifejacket (mind you it had no working straps), paid the guy a little money and said "see you in awhile!" Say what!? Well, our purpose of this boat ride was to see HIPPOS. I'll admit, I was scared and could have easily opted out of this adventure had I been given the chance. A young boy hopped aboard this rickety old boat and attempted to start the motor SEVERAL times. He paddled back up to shore to get another guy to help him out. He got it started after many tries. By this time, I was not feeling very confident in either the boat or the driver.  Did I mention, we were going HIPPO WATCHING? We got out into the lake and within a few minutes spotted a crowd of hippos. He drives up to them, stops and CUTS the motor. All I could think about was being attacked by these humungous animals and our boat not starting to allow us to escape. We sat there for awhile, took some photos/video and anxiously awaited for him to start the motor again and get us out of there! The good news is that the boat started (he did have an old bucket on board and started scooping out the water that was filling the boat)  but we made it back to shore and were in awe to see so many hippos!

Ummmmm, a little too close for comfort. GET ME OUTTA HERE!

We got off the boat and were immediately immersed into poverty again.  There were helpless kids begging everywhere- we purchased some "hippo teeth" for Kai.  Lord knows how they got them, but the kids trumped the hippos(-:  We fed some peanuts to wild monkeys and Luke even spotted a "patriotic monkey". We laughed for days after that and it was just what we needed to lighten the mood. I'll let him share that story someday(-:

Stinky monkey

We were then driven down to a village on the water.  I threw suckers out the window of the van as if it were a parade, but got scolded by Alemu. Here he had no problem putting us on a boat to see a bunch of hippos-quite possibly one of the world's most dangerous animals- yet he was worried we would be mobbed by kids.  Well, he was sort of right. The second we got out of our van, I was trying to be discreet by dropping them behind my back, but I was indeed surrounded by 50 big brown eyes looking up at me crying out for a sucker in whatever English words they had been taught.  They had absolutely nothing, dressed in rags, no shoes and I'm sure they had never tasted a sucker before in their life.  I couldn't handle it.  I just didn't understand why we were being paraded (literally) through a village, yet had nothing to offer these poor helpless people. This was the beginning of my breakdowns that lasted throughout the day.  I couldn't help but cry. Why God, why? What makes ME so special? We went to lunch at Lewi (which is another new and great authentic resort in the south), sat by the water and got a little sunburned.  The weather has been 70's and beautiful, but when the sun is shining, it gets HOT. SO thankful for the 9000 ft of elevation, otherwise our little white buns would be scorching right now.

Then it was onto Borcha.  This is the "city" that Tsehay's birth family lives in right now.  It was approximately 25 km from Awassa and is considered "country side".  The road we took was the same road that leads to Kenya.  The further South we traveled the more remote and poverty stricken it seemed to get.  Just when I thought that life for these people couldn't get any harder, it did.  We passed mostly naked children, very skinny and clearly miserable and suffering.  We drove for what seemed longer than 25km and finally slowed down.  We pulled down this road and our van stopped.  People were banging on our windows for something, anything.  I'm quite confident that this may have been their first "white person spotting" as well.  Our contact explains to us that this is where our daughter is from.  Luke jumped up (bless his heart) and asked if he could get out and video tape. I am SO glad he had the guts to do that- we will cherish that footage forever.  The kids flocked all around him as he showed them their faces on the video camera.  They just giggled and were so happy to see him.  By this time, I was in the van sobbing.  It was more than I could bear. All I could think of was Tsehay. THIS, right there is where she would be right now if her father didn't make the most courageous decision to find her help and the food he could not provide. SHE very easily could have been one of those skinny little babies on the back of her sister.  It was very sobering to say the least.

A "view" of Borcha

We leave Borcha and start to head back.  All of a sudden, we pull off the side of the road.  Our contact picked a random hut and asked them to give us a tour of their hut and coffee plants.  There were probably 10 adults and 25-35 children.  The little girls grabbed my hands immediately and just looked up and smiled at me.  There was one sweet girl that kept staring at my feet as we walked.  I wasn't sure if it was the shiny croc sandals or the painted toes, but she smiled every time she looked down at them.  If I had known we would be heading back to our hotel after this visit, I totally would have left my shoes. But, fear crept in and God forbid I go barefoot for a day and I kept my shoes. Regret.  I took lots of pictures of them and was using the video camera as a mirror for the kids. They too giggled at the site of their own faces- I'm sure they had never seen their own face before. Can you imagine that? The tiny thatched roof hut held ALL of them. No electricity, no water, in fact, no water even remotely close to them, torn and ragged clothes and flies all over the babies)-:  We saw the amazing coffee plants and tried to talk despite the language barrier. I found smiling, laughing out loud and body language came in handy.  When it came time to leave, I made it clear to our contact that I wanted to leave them with something. I didn't have enough suckers for all 50 people, but I scrounged up every random thing I had in my purse.  He made them all sit along side of the road, we got in the van, he got in, opened the window, yelled to the driver to "GO" and threw the whole bag out the window. The kids AND adults scrambled so fast to get the goodies. I really wish I would have been prepared better for this visit. There were SO many things I had back at the hotel to give them.  I couldn't help but look back as we left them in our dust. Here they were jumping for joy in the road with their goodies yet I felt such deep sorrow. I will NEVER know what it feels like to go without my basic needs being met, yet this is a common occurrence for them. Something as simple as a sucker brought such huge smiles to these people's faces.

Precious, precious kids at the coffee "farm"

Inside their hut. 

Luke showing themselves on video. Nothing but giggles. Too cute. Hindsight, should have brought a mirror. Who would have thought?

Alemu asked them all to line up for a "treat" This doesn't begin to display the crowd we had.

We came back to the hotel, relaxed by the pool and tried talking about the day.  There were no words.  We were both in complete shock and felt so helpless once again that we had met some of the poorest people in this world and had to leave them in the same condition.   Very sad hearts tonight laying in our bed and I'm sure it's going to take months, maybe even years to process what our eyes witnessed in one day.  Come Lord Jesus, come.  This is all so overwhelming to us.

The contrasting view from our pool. Beautiful pool overlooking the lake. Just to the right though is the hard reality of the poor and destitute gathering water with their yellow jugs. Such contrast. So heartbreaking.

Day 3 -We meet your birthfather

Saturday, May 28th, 2011

Another adventure begins....we woke up bright and early after being up until 1am sorting through all of our luggage. I was sad that the ONE tote we were missing was the tote filled with soccer balls and toys for the kids in the South.  On the other hand, I was still praising God for the other 9 pieces that made it in the nick of time last night.  Today was a big day.....we were meeting Tsehay's birth father.

Typical view from the van (Sorry about the quality, they were all taken through the window!)

Huts everywhere....several families share.

Trying to sell some mangos

We woke up around 7am, I showered  misted for the first time since coming to Ethiopia and it felt so good. However, I went to blow dry my hair only to blow the fuse on the dryer. So although today, I was not meant to have greasy hair, I was meant to have it looking nappy(-:  We had a quick breakfast, jumped in the van and headed South to Awassa (where her family is from). I really couldn't believe my eyes.  Let me just say this....all of those World Vision ads and fliers you get, well they are absolutely correct.  I have seen pictures, heard it described in books, but to see it with your own eyes left me with no words.  The entire 5 hrs there, we literally dodged every animal and person imaginable, killed a dog (thanking God is wasn't a human!) and saw the poorest of the poor.  There were children as small as 2 wandering alone.  All I could think about was that being Becket. There were little girls as little as 3 carrying babies on their backs and lugging HUGE water containers. All I could think about was that being Aria.  There were boys with no shoes and dressed in rags playing "futball" with a ball made of compacted trash.  All I could think about was Kai and all the real soccer balls he has.  There were donkey's EVERYWHERE and men & women working in the fields.  Small grass huts & corrugated metal shacks adorned the roads.  Children everywhere with nothing but a stick to play with...we noticed just about every kid carried a stick(-:  As torn as I was, I couldn't shut my eyes.  I felt so very helpless....here we were flying by all of these people in a van ...this went on and on.  My heart ached the whole way there.

We stopped for lunch at a traditional Ethiopian restaurant.  It was a little gem in the midst of complete poverty.  Kids and adults everywhere begging.  This is not like the beggars you see in the U.S. There is no food, no clothes, no homeless shelters, no government programs. Very sad.  The food was ok- I claimed the "vegetarian card" and Luke allowed Alemu to order him some "meat". The meat was extra crispy, dried out sheep. Ick. Traditional coffee was so, so strong and bitter, but a bit tasty in a weird sort of way.  While sitting at the restaurant, we were notified that our birth families had arrived to the orphanage and were waiting for us. ( We traveled with another family who's little girl is from Tsehay's orphanage, so that has a blessing to share this journey with another couple) I started shaking when I heard the news....in just minutes we would speak face to face with Tsehay's birth father.

We drove down a muddy, rocky, dirt path and came to a metal gate.  Our driver honked the horn and the gates opened.  We were at the orphanage where Tsehay was dropped off at and had spent the first 5 months of her life at.  We walked up to see several people on the porch.  I immediately spotted her birth father and my heart raced faster.  Because of the language barrier, all I could do was smile and hug him.  He kissed me twice(-:

This is the sign to Enat in Awassa before you enter down the long dirt road.

Enat Alem in Awassa

It was now time for our "meeting" with him and the Scholten's graciously took pictures and video taped it for us.  I had spent a lot of time preparing questions.....this was our one and only chance to give our daughter a glimpse into her family history and past.  Nothing like a little pressure!  We started by introducing ourselves.  We had brought him a photo album of our family- I think he was a bit "shocked" by our blond kids.  Pretty sure he's never seen anything like it. After a series of questions, we concluded our meeting. We had him video tape a special message for Tsehay and took lots of pictures. We will forever treasure those photos.  He thanked us for adopting her. JUST as we finished up, I mean JUST, it started to pour. God had held off the rain just long enough for us to finish.  I really couldn't believe how perfectly He orchestrated it all.  When it came time for him to leave, he stood in the drive with his hand on his heart and a big smile.  He wouldn't go.  By this time the rain was coming down hard as he looked up to us on the porch with gratitude.  The driver waved for him to get in the van again and away he went.  I just stood there on the balcony blowing kisses and yelling "We love you".  I did everything I could to hold back the tears.  Before I had time to process that meeting, we were whisked off into the orphanage to meet the nannies who had cared for Tsehay.  We went into the "baby room" where babies were lined up in beds. They were just beautiful and so mild mannered.  We had a nice time meeting the nannies and asking lots of questions.  But just as fast as we entered those doors, we were now leaving again.  We dropped the orphanage director off at his home.  Ironically he lived in one of those poor areas that we had seen earlier.

Meeting Milkyas (her birthfather)

Before we knew it, we arrived at our "resort". I really couldn't believe a place like this existed among all of the extreme poverty.  But, I wasn't complaining, it was just what I needed to end this long and exhausting day.  Thank you God for exposing us to the least of these.  We are praying that you will show us how we can be used as YOUR hands and feet.  Thank you for getting us to Awassa SAFELY and please keep us in the palms of your hands tomorrow as we go "Hippo Watching" and start another day of adventure in Africa.  Thank you for showing up in every detail of this trip.  In Jesus Name, Amen.

Inside the room at the Haile Resort

And this is what the poor guard lived in )-:

Not in the clear just yet....

Well, it appears we got a little too excited. After the neurosurgeons HERE in the U.S. reviewed the images of the CT Scan, they concluded that it appears her Metopic suture "may" be closed. This is the only suture the Ethiopian dr.s' didn't write into their "findings". All others are as they should be.  If this is the case, it can lead to Trigonocephaly, which is basically a form of Craniosynostosis. Too many things "up in the air" at this point to conclude anything. Hoping to get more clarification on the her Metopic suture from the Ethiopian doctor. PLEASE CONTINUE TO PRAY! We are standing FIRM! (ok, most of the time(-:)

Another great verse that was shared with us recently:
Romans 15:13: May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Good News!!!!!

Today we received word that they did a CT Scan on Tsehay yesterday. They sent over the vague one page report, but it showed that all sutures that should be open are and the conclusion was that she does not have Craniosynostosis! They also looked at her brain and of course all was well there too.(which we knew already!) I'm still working on getting the actual images for the Neurologist here to look at and read, but he said based on the "reports findings" it was unlikely she had it. We will still have her looked at when she gets to the U.S., but in the meantime we are praising our Lord Jesus Christ for intervening in this situation and are just jumping for joy! Now we can just focus on getting this little peanut home and creating a healthy bond. And is it about time that we declare a name!? I think we're getting close(-:

We can't thank you ENOUGH for your prayers- this is the power of prayer folks! Can I get an AMEN!?

Tsehay

I'm starting to feel peace about our situation and feel like I can share what is going on. A "blogging friend"  put it into perspective for me in this post on spiritual warfare: http://www.babeofmyheart.com/. When she said "Do you think it's any coincidence that EVERY SINGLE TIME we have said yes to something crazy the Lord has asked us to do-that it seemed everything in our lives started going wrong? Do you also think it's a coincidence that EVERY SINGLE TIME we perservered, the LORD was glorified as we STOOD OUR GROUND and continued on the calling ahead of us? The battle is real. And it's NOT with flesh and blood. The best part is that it has already been WON." We will stand FIRM. It's hard for this stubborn girl to just release and trust, but it does help to have that trait when I'm told that I need to stand firm! Now that I realize what is going on here, it's becoming more clear as to how I need to respond.

 Long story short, here's our prayer request. When we were in Ethiopia, we noticed that Tsehay had an odd shaped head. Very symmetrical, but abnormal to us. We asked the nurse several times if this was "normal" and she replied "yes, it's very normal". We wanted to believe that and accepted it as normal. When we got back to the U.S., it was not setting well with either of us and Luke started doing some research. He came to the conclusion that it appeared she had "Craniosynostosis", which is premature closure of the sutures in the skull. If not corrected at an EARLY age, this can lead to suppression of brain growth, developmental delays and an abnormally shaped head. We were certain her brain has not been affected yet....she is SO bright and from having three little ones, she is way ahead of her 8 month old age in gross motor skills and verbally. She is almost walking for crying out loud! Anyways, our neighborhood is filled with wonderful dr's and we started calling up everyone we knew. I took some pictures to our pediatrician on Monday and without telling her what "we" thought it was, she stated that it appeared to be Craniosynostosis and began to explain what we had just researched. The only way to know for sure would be to get a CT Scan. The more she talked the more defeated I had felt. She had already missed the window for the less invasive endoscopic surgery and if indeed this was it, she would have to face a HUGE extensive surgery cutting open her entire skull, ICU for 3 days, hospital for another 7 days, years of follow up and the list goes on. It was more than I could bear. For a baby coming into a strange home, with strange people, who are inflicting great pain upon her, it was the absolute worst scenario for healthy attachment and bonding. After days of crying out to the Lord and feeling thoughts of anger, shock, overwhelming burden, guilt and sadness, I am daily trusting Him to see us & her through.  In the meantime, we were given a Neurosurgeon's name (by our wonderful neighbor) and had a good conversation with him. He said it was too hard to tell from the pictures, and that gave us a little ray of light. The fact that is was not obvious to him made us feel a little better. I then contacted the chief of the Pediatric Neurosurgery Dept. at DeVos Children's hospital (Do we not live in the best town for specialized medical care!? I always said that not realizing we may need to utilize it someday) He viewed the pictures and her history and was not able to come to any conclusions one way or the other either. Again, we were encouraged. They both said the CT Scan will give us the most complete information. Therefore, a CT Scan has been ordered and we are praying that her head is indeed "normal"and that no surgery will be needed.

Paul reminds us the way we need to fight this battle is:
NOT TO DO MORE
NOT TO WORRY
BUT INSTEAD PRAY!

And that's just what we are going to do. Will you please join us?

Quick Insert....

Sorry to not finish the posts of our trip. I have them all in my journal and hope to post them soon. In the meantime, we encountered a few unexpected things while we were gone and I'm too broken to talk about it. All I'm going to say is please pray for Tsehay today and these next few weeks. It was an amazing, emotionally draining and overwhelming trip all in one. We'll keep you posted as we can and please don't feel bad if you've tried contacting me and I haven't called you back. I'm trying to get my heart together and compose myself and it hasn't been easy. I'm sure the lack of sleep doesn't help any.

A dear friend sent me this verse yesterday and we are clinging to it:

"For I am the Lord your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, 'Do not fear. I will help you'"

Thank you for your prayers.