Today marks 3 years as a family for me and Eden. 3 amazingly blessed years. For previous milestones like this, I have posted meaningful photos or a cute video to mark our time together. My heart is very heavy to do something different this time. To take the focus off of us and hopefully pay some of our blessings forward.
Eden and I like to say “ADOPTION ROCKS!” And, oh, how it does. I love to immerse myself in other families’ adoption stories – they all “rock” but, in some cases, there are those who stand out as true “rock stars”. One family who has always held that distinction for me is the Olssons. I have become friends over the past couple of years with wife & mom Amy through an Ethiopia adoptive mom Facebook group. I observed with admiration throughout their adoption of baby girl Marra Frehiwet – their tireless efforts to get through the red tape that was even more tedious than usual, and we all celebrated when Amy and her husband, Sten, finally had their precious girl home. When I saw Marra’s photo for the first time, I must admit the first thought that went through my head was “Wow, she is even more beautiful (gasp!) than Eden!” J
Shortly before I left for Ethiopia to bring Eden home, a friend pointed out to me, “Once you are a parent, you will never live another day without fear.” How right he was – the fear is always there, but it kind of stayed in the back of my mind. Until Sunday, May 18th when I logged onto Facebook and read the unfathomable news that the Olssons had lost their beautiful 2-year-old Marra in a tragic accident – an accident that could have happened to any of us parents. It just hit way too close to home and rocked me to my core. Since the accident, the Olssons have continued to demonstrate their rock star status in how they have stayed focused on God for their faith and strength.
On a positive note, they were already in the process of adopting another Ethiopian daughter (Mihret, 9) when this tragedy occurred. And just a couple of weeks ago, they were able to share the news that they learned she has a 12-year-old brother, Samuel, so they are now in the process of adopting him, too! Through such grief and joy at the same time, it has been so amazing to see how God is working through the memory of Marra Freh and this beautiful family.
So, here’s where you come in. To bring these 2 children home is going to require a large sum of money. To honor me and Eden on our 3rd anniversary as a family, would you please consider making a donation to the Olsson family? Whether it be $5 or $50, I can speak from experience that every dollar means a lot. And please say a prayer for healing, peace and growth for this awesome family.
To learn more about the Olssons’ story and make a donation, here is their blog.
MUCH LOVE & THANKS!!
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