Making Memories

A quick post today to say that:

 I kinda fell off the grid for a couple days because I have been sick...ear infection, fever, sinus infection... sick, but thank goodness not contagious!
I gotta say that yesterday I felt my absolute worst. I spent most of the day on the couch watching the baby girls run wild, and enjoying watching their daddy try to keep up with them.
Amidst the yuck there was quite a bit of lovely, and I just have to tell you about it.

#1- I was awakened yesterday morning with a sweet , sweet wake up call. My little Saryn planted a great, big, slobbery kiss right on my lips then said in the sweetest voice ever..."Momma!"

#2- I had the sheer joy of observing as Nick changed Meryn's dirty diaper. One minute she was laying all nice and still on the changing pad for him, the next she was up and off, giggling as she darted away with her still dirty little behind moving as fast as it possibly could go... Nick chasing after her yelling, "I've got a runner!!!."

#3- The girls are starting to get over their fear of Baxter, or as they like to call him "Oolay". I sure would like to know what Oolay means, but anyhoo! They were so funny with him yesterday, all grinning and giggling and wanting him to come up to them, but as soon as he got close they would start barking at him. There is no way to do this justice by writing about it. Trust me. It is funny business!

#4- Right before bedtime last night I was cuddled up tight with the girls when Saryn gave me a big smooch, and for the very first time said "I love you!".

Big Hugs, and Goodnight to you all:)

I will leave you with this little smidge of adorableness:

Lessons I've learned in Africa...

Hey guys and gals, it's Millie. I thought I'd share a few of the things I've realized or been reminded of while we have been back here in Ethiopia:

1) It takes a village: The people here understand that we need each other. They accept relying on, and helping out your neighbor as a natural way of life. The people here are so humble. When they greet each other in the street, they do not give a nod, a wave, a "hey". They stop, hug, hold hands, look each other in the eye, and say, "is everything okay with you?" Then it's crazy...the person being asked is actually honest about whatever is going on,and the person askingstops and listens. There is a comraderie here, community here, that is palpable.

2) Twin telepathy is very real. These silly girls pass their silent messages back and forth constantly. It is generally something like, "hey, you grab that glass coke bottle off the table to distract them while I dump all the potting soil out of this plant over here."

3) The eyes are the window to the soul. I didnt realize how closed off and guarded we Americans are until I came here, and had conversation after conversation with locals who "have their windows flung wide open"...gladly making themselves vulnerable in order to connect with you.

4) Sweet Basils has nothing on the pasta salad I ate for lunch yesterday. Fresh cut grbeans, sweet carrot slices, freshly grated cheese, and who knows what spices and oil. All I can say is mmm...mmm... good!

5) Hair is hair...that's right folks. It's no big deal. Sure, I'll have to try all kinds of things to figure out what's best for the texture of my sweet baby girls little locks. Kinda like figuring out what to do with my gift of curly hair after I gave birth to my precious Ave Ave.Having had super straight, thick, fine hair all my life, I remember looking in the mirror ,and thinking what in the world am I gonna do with this mane? So, no need to fret... no big mystery here...  lots of practice, good advice, and common sense will do the trick!

6) Even our buddy Yoftahe in Ethiopia, knew that Chris Daughtry should have won American Idol.

7) These girls are clearly Wiginton kids. No doubt about it. We have yet to find a breakfast food they do not devour.... and if it has maple syrup on it...Oh snap...it iS on!

 

8) One of our new friends here lived in the states for a while to complete his high school and college education. The other day he starts telling us that one of the things he remembers most about his time in America was a music video he saw"about women with great big behinds". I say, "Baby Got Back?" He says, "Yes, Yes, that is it!" Wow... really...SHEESH. I could just feel my heart swelling with pride. Everyone...sing with me now..."and I'm proud to be an American where at least I know..." well you get the point ;)

9) I am going to have to invest in turtlenecks (or something) as not one single piece of clothing I own is decent with two 2 year olds hanging off of me. This is a burden I will gladly bear in order to get lots and lots of sweet love from the little "stickers".

10) Every girl knows who her "Poppa" is even it takes her 6 days to admit it, and even if you've been calling him Daddy ever since you picked them up. 

Now We Are Six!

What an exciting day it has been! There is nothing sweeter than hearing the words "all clear, congratulations." After what has seemed like a decade of pregnancy, the rush of relief ,and pure joy cannot be explained in words. Our appointment at the embassy was short and sweet. We arrived to a waiting room full of people ,but after about 10 minutes we were called to a window amongst a long wall full of windows. The official there asked us several questions about the girls, and about their birthmom. She explained all the paperwork we will be receiving then stamped the documents and congratulated us on the newest members of the Wiginton tribe :) Early on in this process Philippians 1:6 became my theme. "Being confident of this, that He who began this good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." He put it before my eyes, I read it....I cherished it...I rested in it. Little did I know that at certain points I would cling to it as if to save my life...and many times i felt as though it did. It reminded me of who I am. That I was not the one to start this good work, and it was not up to me to complete it. while I was incredibly aware that I was not capable of changing whatever circumstance came up. It also reminded me of who He is, and who He has always been..My Daddy had it, it was His not mine.He is MORE than able, and He is always faithful. Everytime we hit an unexpected turn, every challenge we faced, He would send a messenger to say something like, "I read this scripture and you were on my heart...I felt impressed to share it with you...I'm not sure why but, He who started this good work will see it through to completion." It was my longtime friend Amanda, my sweet Lindsey, it was the verse of the day on Bible Gateway, It was the message in the pulpit, it was my precious Jena, my long distance heart tie of a friend Lisa, my Jenn, my Keri...everywhere I turned there were couriers coming down into the valley to remind me of what He had spoken to me so clearly. So hear we are kissing our babies, and singing Jesus Loves Me. I can tell you about His faithfulness In my life for as long as you can listen. He is so good, even when things seem impossible. He always has a plan and a purpose, and there is absolutely nothing that can stop Him from carrying out His will for your life.... and to think, this is justthe beginning:)

Our first few days with the girls

The first few days with the girls have been absolutely overwhelming! They have attached to Millie like they've been with her for years, and with each day they seem to be opening up to me a little more.They are used to being around females pretty much exclusively so them trusting and opening up to me is a real challenge for them, but it will certainly come. We would certainly appreciate your prayers that the fears and reservations will ease up.  We haven't done a whole lot the last couple days except to just visit a few places around town. We are concentrated on having lots and lots of family time right now. Tomorrow is our appointment with the Embassy, 9:00am here. So we are praying that everything will be quick and easy.

We are CLEARED!!!

   We are cleared!  Well that's what the email said from the US Embassy.  It's the email we've been waiting for for over a year now.  Right now it seems so surreal, like I can't really believe it's FINALLY here.  We have our flights booked, our guest house reserved and all our travel arrangements made. We leave Wed., May 30 from Atlanta and will be back Fri., June 8.  Please pray that the girls will warm right back up to us. There are going to be so many changes for their little hearts and minds to adjust to. Imagine what it would be like to leave everything you know...to lose all sense of familiarity, and to have to acclimate to a whole new way of life. Think about what it would be like to have to embrace a culture so different from what you are used to.....and I mean COMPLETELY different ... now imagine that you cannot understand what anyone is saying or ask questions because you do not even speak the same language as everyone around you. That is what our little love bugs will be facing. Please pray specifically for our flight home. They've only ridden in a car twice (to our knowledge) and that was a challenge for them, so a plane is definitely going to be a new experience for sure, and twenty-seven hours in flight is a long time for anybody!!!
     Please join us in praying that their transition will be the best that it can be. We are not being unrealistic... we know there will be obstacles to face... but we would be foolish not to "make our requests known to God." We know full well the power of prayer, as we watch Him work miracles in our lives over and over and over again. We are reminded time and time again about the importance of prayer through out scripture. If that was not enough it is, but if it wasn't we know that Jesus Himself.. the blameless, spotless lamb of God wrapped in human flesh, chose to spend His time just prior to His crucifixion talking to His heavenly Father. I can't think of a more ringing endorsement this side of heaven!!!
    Now all there is left to do is a few final touches to the girl's room, to pack our bags of donations, and load up all we'll need for the trip. If I can ask one more request of you, please pray for Alex and Avery while we are gone. This is by far the longest we have ever been away from them, and I can tell that they are both feeling a little anxious already. For all of you guys here in Muscle Shoals, love on our babies good for us please!

For everyone that has been a part of bringing our girls home... we are so thankful for you....and....it's finally happened... it's finally here... they're coming home!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Love to you all,
Millie & Nick

                             

and we're almost there...almost there.

   So we started this journey officially last April. There were Home Study interrogations  interviews. There were mounds and mounds of forms. There were federal police clearances. There were classes to take, papers to be notarized, books to be read, and on and on and on. Then on a Wednesday night there was a "transition plan" call that rocked our world, and set us clearly on the path to the twin baby girls He had chosen to be a part of our family. It didn't seem to matter that they were just brought up casually in that conversation. It didn't deter us one bit that we were told there would more than likely be NO WAY that their paper work would be done in time for our referral. Then on that blessed day in December we receive the call we had been waiting on for so long.... "Mr. Wiginton... you know those twin girls that I mentioned back on your conference call? They are ready for referral, and we need to know if you guys are open to adopting twins." ARE WE OPEN TO ADOPTING TWINS??? Ummm, let us pray about that ;)

And then came these.....

Be still my heart....

and then today after months of waiting, and waiting, and waiting some more.... We get the email we have been waiting on. The girls birth parent interview is scheduled for this coming Monday at 1:00pm (that would be around 5 a.m. here)! This is the last step for us in getting cleared by the Embassy and getting our appointment to go get our girls! We are sooo excited and so covet your prayers that the interview will go well for their birth mom, and that the Embassy gets all the information they need to clear us to come get them. We will update as soon as we hear something from the interview!

Half of my heart...

A few of the things I miss about Ethiopia:

  The weather: If ever there was perfection in weather this would be it. Every day was warm and sunny with a nice crisp breeze. Everywhere we went people would say, "I'm sure you are burning up!" We were quick to say that we love, love, love, the beautiful weather and the high temps with ZERO humidity. Folks in Alabama can hardly imagine sunshine without the stickiness of high humidity. It was wonderful!

    

  The Buna a.k.a. coffee: Everywhere you go in Ethiopia they offer you coffee. It is the birthplace of coffee, and dates back to at least the ninth century, so it is a very big deal. They drink it so strong that it is straight up black (not a chance you will see the bottom of the cup until it is completely empty:). It is so, so, so good. I'm not sure that its goodness is as much about the coffee itself as it is about the hospitality it represents. These people embody the words gracious host. They are the very definition of it. 

The Food: As soon as this girl can make it to Birmingham she WILL be adding Berbere to her spice cabinet. If you know me well you know that when it comes to food, "the spicier the better", and oh my, do they do it up right in Ethiopia. The meal pictured below is quite possibly the most delectable meal I have ever eaten. If you order fried chicken dry style in ET, this is what you get.




As you can imagine, in a climate like this, the fruit is absolutely out of this world. We had fresh mangos and bananas every single day for breakfast.

The People:  Nick and I fell in love with Ethiopia. 

We fell in love with it's people: People who understand how to love their neighbor as themselves, People who jump at the chance to serve you, People who greet you not just with a Selam (hello) but quickly follow it with Dehna Neh? (how are you?... and then slow down to listen because they really do want to make sure all is well with you), People who greet each other with a hug and kisses and often stand holding hands as they speak.

Of all the things that moved me about the people of Ethiopia, the thing that stood out to me the most were their eyes. When conversing it was like I was looking into their souls. It was as if they were giving me a gift... no false pretenses, no self protective barriers, no illusions, just honesty, warmth, vulnerability. To speak with them would be as if you were having two conversations at once. One with your words, and one with your heart. I wish that I could better convey it, but some things are just too holy, too sacred for words.

Abdissa & Biniam of Children's House International:)

Markos- Cab driver extraordinaire ,and one of the friendliest people you will ever meet.

Zerihun- He was our guide to Adama, and what a blessing he was! We felt an instant connection to him. He was the first evangelical believer in his village , and endured much persecution for years. Now he is pastor of a church in that very same village ,and is praying that the Lord would bless them with more full time ministers and the funding and opportunity to buy land there to build a church. It is extremely hard for an evangelical to obtain land from the government to build a church. He has seen many victories there in his village, and asked us to partner with him in prayer. Will you join us in praying for Zerihun, his church Tede Kale Hiwot Church, and the people in his village Tede?

This guy was the guard at our guest house, and he would absolutely break his neck to try to help you.
 I don't think he stopped smiling the entire time we were there. I loved being outside during our stay because the weather was so beautiful. I eventually had to limit how often I went out, because if he saw me come outside he would jump up out of his guard shack, and come running with his chair. He couldn't bear to sit if I was having to stand.
Bless his heart, he's dressed in polyester from head to toe, in the heat, grinning from ear to ear because he had the opportunity to honor me in that way.

...and then there's Nigatu. A guy we met on the street who works locally at a school for sponsored children. He thanked us for coming to Ethiopia, and told us that he had much to learn from us. We had so much more to learn from him. We were able to talk, and share with him, and I really can't explain our exchange as anything other than holy. I thank God for Nigatu ,and what He did in my heart as a result of our conversation.

Tezera- Just typing her name causes my heart to well up. Thank you Jesus for Tezera. I have never known someone to serve so selflessly, love so deeply, or sacrifice so greatly for those the Lord has entrusted to her care. She puts her heart and soul into her work in Adama, and it is easy to see why she is so beloved to those who have the privilege of knowing her. I would greatly appreciate it if you would join us in praying Psalm 41:1-3 over her as she is recovering from a recent surgery. She actually sent me this scripture to bless me, but the Holy Spirit led me to pray it over her.

Psalm 41:1-3

 ¹ How blessed is he who considers the helpless;
The LORD will deliver him in a day of trouble.
² The LORD will protect him and keep him alive,
And he shall be called blessed upon the earth;
And do not give him over to the desire of his enemies.
³ The LORD will sustain him upon his sickbed; 

In his illness, You restore him to health.

Oh yeah.... and then there are these two ;) 

I most definitely miss them the most. Quite actually, not a moment goes by that I am not missing those little faces, longing to hold them in my arms, and kiss their sweet little noggins. Hold on little angels, we're coming soon!!!!!!