Adventure...

Exactly one year ago today, we were on a grand adventure...We were in Ethiopia and were just starting our amazing trip. We were just starting to get to know the awesome friends that we would make (Ethiopian friends and fellow adoptive parents who we were blessed to spend the week with).

Oh how I wish I could be sharing the same meal with the same friends tonight. It was so much fun. The excitement that we were all feeling was surreal. We had yet to meet our children and were able to spend the night at a traditional Ethiopian restaurant...we couldn't begin to imagine what was in store for us the next day. It was impossible to describe the feelings we all had- we were all adopting "older" children and we knew that when we woke up the next morning, it was going to be time to meet our children...they were kids-old enough to be aware that we would be coming for them...what were they thinking? Were they as excited as we were?

Our friends, the Harrington's, JT Henderson, and Endres.

Here we are driving through the streets of Addis. We were still a bit shocked at what we were seeing throughout the city of 3 million people...a city that, although obviously impacted by poverty and its harsh realities, is a place where I would love to be today...

"There is a rawness and a wonder to life. Pursue it. Hunt for it. Sell out to get it.

Jesus says the options are clear. On one side there is the voice of safety. You can build a fire in the hearth, stay inside, and stay warm and dry and safe.

Or you can hear the voice of adventure—God’s adventure.

Instead of building a fire in your hearth, build a fire in your heart. Follow God’s impulses. Adopt the child. Move overseas. Teach the class. Change careers. Run for office. Make a difference.

Don’t listen to the whines of those who have settled for a second-rate life and want you to do the same so they won’t feel guilty. Your goal is not to live long; it’s to live.

Sure it isn’t safe, but what is?"

Max Lucado