Tiger

Hey All!

Tiger is a little angel baby, he still does all the newborn stuff, like not sleep during the nights, but he is incredibly sweet and our whole family dearly loves him! Tiger is Jon and I’s first newborn as J & A came to us at 5 months of age.  It is definitely a different game but a sweet one and it’s amazing to see how quickly his little body and mind changes.  About a week ago, he started making a new sound, and it just means, “Hey, I’m over here! Someone better come talk to me!” 

He is four weeks old today. 

He has huge, gorgeous, dark brown eyes and he loves to study faces. 

Babies point to God, the amazing creator. 

Some photos we took while trying to get a passport photo. He is very expressive and I know not smiling on purpose yet, but I pretend they are meant for us. 

“Mama, can you leave my alone? I didn’t sleep all night.”

Ah! He’s cute!  None of these pictures worked though so we had a second session. 

In case the blog is your only connect with us, we also have some other news…

With surprise and joy we announce…

Yep, we are pregnant. Heeehee.  I know, life is such a ride and God makes sure we are never bored.  So glad His thoughts are so high above ours! The boys (We don’t know the gender of the baby in utero, I just think it makes sense to have a boy, so I am referring to “him”), will be about 7 months apart, another set of twins, Irish twins!  :)

I am temporarily referring to this child as “French Fry” because for about 5 weeks, that is all that sounded good to me to eat!  I am over 15 weeks and feeling a lot better, back to fruits and veggies. :) 

We are once again in a spot of being needy. It seems like we live here, dependent on others. We returned to the US for one month and it’s turning into a whole lot longer.  (Lordwilling, we will deliver French Fry in the US, we are tentatively hoping to return to ET between Tiger’s passport and delivery). We returned with a two suitcases. Your generosity, love, celebration with and prayers for our family can never be thanked enough while on this earth! I am praying treasures in heaven for all of you dear people!

There are further details unfolding in our future we will send out soon in a newsletter. I know, how much more news can we handle? If you aren’t on the list and want to be, let me know. amy.gerst@sim.org

August 16th

August 16th is the day our return flight to Ethiopia was scheduled. We are not on that flight and I am not sad to not be sleeping on a plane tonight. :)

Baby Tiger has blessed our lives in so many ways. He is two weeks old today.  Because of his sudden arrival in our family, we will be staying in the US a few months longer than expected.  We are lining up his passport and other documents necessary for his visa.

We don’t have a plan set in stone at this point, but, amazingly enough, the girls’ 1st grade curriculum is mainly in Indiana (math is in Ethiopia).  The girls and I will start homeschool this week. Jon is in Grand Rapids for a training but he has loads of plans and jobs planned. So, while I love having a firmly defined plan for my life, we move forward in faith and praying we have wisdom and clarity for all future steps. We are currently living with my parents but have a gracious offer to stay in an apartment set up for overseas workers.  

A benefit for the extra time is that we have time for dentists, doctor, eye doctor appointments.  This morning, I took the three kids to the dentist, A was the only one with an appointment slot and she had 6 cavities! Not the best start for our appointment spree. 

Now, I know you came for pictures of Tiger. I don’t have any new ones on this computer, but my oh my. He is amazing. He is perfect and daily becoming more alert.  He is also on the nocturnal side, which leads to some exhaustion, but I can’t complain, Jon is immensely helpful in the nights.  While he was gone during training, even Nana took a night shift!   We continue to thank God for this miracle and ask you to continue to pray for his birthmother, a woman very dear to our hearts who is walking deep roads of grief. 

 

Next post will have pictures!  :) 

Our Son

On Tuesday morning, August 2nd,  Jon and I were sleepy-eyed as my dad dropped us off at the airport for the first available non-stop flight to Salt Lake City, Utah. 

When we landed on US soil, just two weeks before (July 19th), we had heard of a birthmother looking for a family and they asked if we wanted to be presented.  We met her over Skype on Thursday (the 21st) and then heard five days later, one week after we had been in the US, in God’s lavish outpouring, this dear birthmother had chosen our crew to be a family for her precious baby, due any day. 

Jeff’s July 31st wedding was beautiful and we were so glad to be a part. On August 1st, we received a phone call in the evening, asking if we could get to Utah, as soon as possible. 

As the plane flew further from Indiana and closer to Utah, I had time to sit and reflect on the many ways God has been moving. When we were in Ethiopia, I was feeling so fear-filled about this adoption, it’s obstacles seemed too many, the paperwork too hard to do without reliable internet, the likelihood of being chosen by a birthmother too low. I told Jon, “I feel like to adopt, you have to fight the universe”. As we talked with friends, I realized I was hoping for a process as clear as the process God had given us with the girls. A burning bush of sorts that made it unmistakably clear this was the step God wanted us to take. 

I told these friends I was willing to step in any direction but felt like I needed to see so clearly this was what God wanted in our family. They encouraged me to move forward in faith, Moses only had a burning bush one time and he moved forward the rest of his life remembering that. 

As the plane neared Utah, I was overcome at God’s over-the-top goodness towards me, a woman with quivering faith, knowing that, even if the adoption didn’t go through and the birthmother changed her mind, without a doubt, this is the direction God wanted us to step. 

 

And there have been a million and 10 ways in between we have seen God pour out abundance, so many of you are praying and we are humbled at His hearing and answering. 

As I write, there is a perfect, seven-pound baby boy, swaddled like a burrito on the hotel bed beside me.  

We have been given a son, wanted by us, chosen by God. 

Meet Tiger (NOT HIS REAL NAME-we are trying to keep his name off of the world wide web. Call me a conspirator). For blog purposes, he is Tiger. ;)

Right now, all he does is sleep, eat a bit and then sleep some more. 

We are overjoyed and can’t wait for you to meet him.  

Thank you so much for your love, prayers and support.