going to Ethiopia to see thee most beautiful angel on earth

Hey.....This is finally it....The big month...what a blessed Christmas and Hanukkah present for all of us.  We will be traveling to Addis on the 28th (arrival)  and will be staying for our court date (30th) and leaving Addis on the 3rd.  I can tell you my mind is racing with all of the imaginations and anticipations that are in front of us as a family.  Adoption is so very different than natural birth...(although I said I felt pregnant in the past).....This is way different....The thoughts of another child calling me "mommy" is more than I can bare.  The hugs  and love .I love Rahwa with a deep maternal love....an ache for her....THIS IS THE FATHER!!!....I am really thankful to the Lord for his abundant showers of blessings that  have been poured down for Rahwa......We will get to meet her brother on this trip(19).  It said in the video that we saw of her recently that he is in University there....I am hopeful that I get to meet anyone who was and is special to her....and that I can share my love with them as well....What a beautiful people Ethiopians are..on the inside.....I can tell you before this experience that I knew very little about Africa......I am embarrassed to say, I never thought about it....and the Lord has been so faithful to bring me into a whole new revelation of his love for the land of Africa as well as the salvation of the people. Becoming involved with the ministry WITH OPEN EYES has been such a blessing in my life....and  I am humbled that he hass called me to pray for Africa.....so intimate.... So all I can say  is WOW...I look forward to sharing all that the Lord shows me and does  my heart as Jim and I make our pilgrammage to our daughters land....Bless it !!!!

waiting for Rahwa

Hello Friends....It has been some time since I posted on the blog but I wanted to share what has been going on in our lives as we have waited for Rahwa Shalom....I would say that they key word in life for us right now is WAITING....Since courts closed in Aug and Sept we were told to "hold tight" for a long summer....with no action....We had missed the court date cut off because they had to research Rahwa's date of birth and they had trouble getting it.......We finally were told that it is Dec 15...so she will be 11 this year.....But just waiting for her birthday took a few months......As Oct approached we expected to hear about our court date to travel...we were told to look at late Nov, early Dec.....so we have been preparing...In the meantime, the Lord allowed 6 of the families that are adopting from Rahwa's orphanage to meet and start a support/prayer group on line....We have seen pix of eachothers kids and they are all together at Operation Rescue Ethiopia..What a blessing......such strong believers all praying for one another and encouraging eachother as we wait......What is so exciting is that although all of us live far from eachother, our kids can keep in contact, if they want to by Skype and by meeting for mini vacations.......God is faithful......Well, yesterday I found out that all of Rahwa's paperwork is STILL NOT COMPLETE......This was surprising to me and Jim and depressinng.....It means we are not even at the point of "court date" and since courts have slowed down we have no idea when travel will be......I am sad but am still trusting God for his appointed times......In the meantime, I have been blessed to be involved in a ministry here in Charlotte that helps encourage beleivers in Africa and spread the Gospel through Moblity(motor bikes)...It is called With Open Eyes...www.withopeneyes.net.......I have been busy with Jewish Ministry and with Prayer Ministry at WOE so I feel full of the Lord and very complete in walking in his timing.......Thank you all for your prayers and encouragement.....For all of the FUNDS!!!! and for being a part of Rahwa's life through prayer and love......we love you  and I will keep you all updated as I hear things..........!!!!  Love, Traci

Preparing for Rahwa

Just thought I would share this morning...First of all ,the word that comes to mind during this stage of adoption is PREPARE....All through the Bible God calls Israel to prepare their hearts for the appointed times (Feasts and Festivals)...Get rid of the sin that so easily ensnares!!!...In the New Covenant God also encourages us as believers to Prepare ye the Way.....Be ready....sober....discerning...prayerful and thankful.....In preparing for Rahwa, Jim and I have had to take a very somber look at ourselves and our household....How are we living?  How are we all connecting as a family?...In watching videos of Ethiopian culture and their faith in Messiah, we felt the Lord open our hearts to repentence and correction.....so without all of the gorey details, we have asked the Lord to help us be a closer family, to take away the things that distract us all from interacting with one another....to PREPARE US AND OUR HOUSEHOLD for Rahwa......Kim posted a good post on her facebook...."I need Africa more than Africa needs me".....This is true.......When I look at Africa...and the poverty,the humilty and the LOVE, I know that American culture has little to offer me in my spirit....I must always be looking at heavenly things....and I NEED ETHIOPIA MORE THAN ETHIOPIA NEEDS ME!.....On another note, we are in need of financial support since this is the last leg of our journey.....If you know anyone who would like to send support to our family please share this need with them.....They can send  personal check to us made out to James Slusarski 9005 Tenby Lane Matthews NC 28104......or if the donation needs to run through a tax deductible organization it can be sent to : Lifesong for Orphans ...202 N Ford Street  Gridley Il 61744....Write in the memo : Slusarski 1860........every little bit is a blessing and helps more than you know......The money that is sent to lifesong will be then sent to our account at WACAP for Orphans.....Thank you friends and God bless us all.....

Pictures of our daughter

 Rahwa (our daughter)

Her silly side:)

Her praying

Her eating

Her smile:)

Rahwa is the one in the dark jacket

Rahwa doing a dance with the other girls.

Posing with the other girls in the orphanage.

Our new addition:) Rahwa Slusarski

WE HAVE BEEN BLESSED!!!! LET ME TELL YOU ABOUT RAHWA

Hello Friends,
Sorry I haven't written more on our blog, but to be honest it has been a time of waiting and "fulfilling our paperwork duty".  A few months ago, when Ethiopia had a slowdown in court dates we started looking at pictures of waiting children. WAITING CHILDREN are older children (over 3 or 4yrs old) that either have physical special needs, neurological issues, other disorders or are older.  We had planned on looking for a "healthy young child/baby with a sibling, initially.  Sometimes these can take a year or longer to match after you finish all of your paperwork.  Anyway, we started looking at pictures of older special needs children and the picture of a beautiful little girl caught my eye.  I had asked the Lord to stir a feeling (leap) in my belly when I saw the child that he had handpicked for us.  I saw these beautiful brown eyes and I inquire about the child.  A few days later a few pictures came to me with medical reports and facts about Rahwa Akeba...She was a full orphan, 10 years old (they really don't know the age there, they approximate), both of her parents died of AIDS in 02,03...She was living in a home in Mekelle Ethiopia, a Christian Home for orphans.  I instantly fell in LOVE....She did have a special need that I needed to research so I spent some time on the computer and asking questions to my social worker.  I told Jim about her and then time ticked on.......we weren't planning on an older child....The issues of language and culture are more primary when adopting a child who is not a baby.  Plus their past trauma.....watching both parents get sick and die.....Some time went by and the slowdown in Ethiopia became less of scare...So, I started thinking about babies and toddlers again and started on with MORE PAPERWORK...(you can't really explain the paperwork...it is unbareable and never ending....or so it feels..)Anyway, in March/April a DVD came in the mail marked "RAHWA"...I wasn't expecting it and might not have prioritized watching it......don't know why except to say time had gone by and I was having "my own plans, again"...Jim was home and so I said, pop it into the computer......Well, that was it...20 picture and a small video of this precious , sweet little girl came up....She introduced herself in English "Hi, my name is Rahwa....and I am 10 years old....as she waved her little hand"....I lost it!!!!!  Fell in complete eternal LOVE.....I knew at that moment that she was ours.....My baby girl .....I am crying even now.....Her medical report was included and with her condition she is in great health......I looked at Jim and I said the lines of a classic Christian wife "What do you think, BABE??????"  Jim needs to digest things...not super spontaneous..the opposite of me.....We kept all of this in prayer "pondered in our heart, little Rahwa"....Within a few days I knew my honey was in it!!!!!!!!!  I wrote to WACAP and inquired more seriously about Rahwa....They gave me the # of a missionary in Kansas that has this orphange in Ethiopia.  Her name  was Pam....I called Pam and said, "My name is Traci, I am calling becuase my family is planning to adopt Rahwa"....she got QUIET.....her answer shocked me "Well, Traci, I do not know who you are but there are a few other people who also are intrested in Rahwa so I do not know how much information I can freely give out.......and now TRACI, THE, WHAT DO I HAVE TO DO TO GET MY GIRL...stepped in....I said, Pam, tell me all about her......Pam visits the orphanage 4 times a year and knows the children....she said that these kids are with a housemother that is a native Ethiopian Christian....that they are being loved so beautifully.....being fed and cared for....being medicated and taught about Jesus.....I couldn't believe that even though I used a secular agency, the Lord had a plan for me to adopt from a Christian orphanage.....she said that they would only adopt her out to a Christian with a confession of faith and pastorial recommendation....I was like.....OKEE DOKEE!!!!  I got off the phone and immediately called my caseworker.....I said "I just talked to Pam and she said there were other families interested in Rahwa.....what can we do to go forward.....IT ALL HAPPENED SO FAST...ON THE PHONE ON THE WAY TO MEG'S LAST SOCCER GAME...."  God has sense of humor!  She called me back and told me they had a meeting at WACAP and they looked at the families considering RAHWA and that we were the closest family to finish the LONG PAPERWORK (called dossier) so they would allow us to me the first family to adopt her.....we needed to change or homestudy.....our homeland security paperwork and add more info regarding how to care for older children (they do require you to do webinars and get all your ducks in a row regarding how you will care for older children)......IN CONCLUSION.......we got out e-mail yesterday confirming that we have accepted RAHWA's referral and now we will go forward with our court date....According to WACAP our file will go to the Ethiopian systemand we could get a court date as soon as AUGUST (AHHHHHHHHHH!)....so, we are in "high gear"....planning to bring our Rahwa Shalom Slusarski home.....We are so thankful for the prayer and love and support from all of our friends.....this has been a rollercoaster.....and this is just the beginning of the ride........Please pray for our connection with her....for her to attach to us as her parents.....for her to feel the love of God through this process....and for God to be glorified in his great love for Orphans.....One last not....I am embarrased to say that I was very uinformed about the AIDS/HIV crisis in Ethiopia....and as I have read and studied about it, I weep......for the poor....and for those who cannot enjoy the abundant blessing of simple medical help that we so feeling have in America......a wonderful summer book I could suggest to learn more about this crisis is "There is no me without You", by Melissa Green........if you want to look up the orphange that Rahwa is in it is http://www.fieldof/ promise.org......Blessings.....I will post pictures as soon as Meg gets up...I am horrible at computers!!!!

an update from the Slu's.....prayer request

Today was a very good day......Kim Ward and I had the opportunity, with our sister in the Lord Ellen Scisciani, to do a presentation at Central Academy Lake Park for the elementary kids....we have already done one for the highschool and middleschoolers....What a blessing to be able to stand before these little ones and teach them eternal truth about God and his love for them.....to share with them about their adoptions into the Messiah and how now they can call God "daddy'...ABBA FATHER....Ellen did a wonderful job making the presentation age appropriate and fun..all the while sharing the beauty of what is the Gospel of God.....Caring for Orphans in their distress......Kim shared about how God laid his love for Orphans on her heart and then I led them in a prayer for those who need a parents love......It is such an honor to be God's messanger in these forums.....Children are powerful in prayer.....My son and daughter have always come home from their chapel services at school with story after story of what they learned from the speakers personal testimony......They would pray for a sick person that they heard about or a missions ministry they learned about.....It is my prayer that this school, Central Academy, will partner with us to help Orphans....what a legacy.......Now on a personal note....please be praying for us and for the Wards.....Ethiopia has had a sudden issue with adoption court cases slowing down by 90% in the last day...This is devastating news for those caught in the system...It means that people who have already accepted their child and are waiting to go over there to the courts are on major hold......The children could be on hold for long periods of time(possibly years...so sad).....this is truly devastating for the families and especially the children who are stuck in orphanages.....We are personally in the very beginning stages so this has effected us, and it could prevent us from adopting from that country......we will definantely be adopting...that is not our issue.....we are asking God to direction us at this point and would appreciate your prayers with agencies (if we need to change) and countries (if we need to change)..Our heart is set on Ethiopia and God can still open the door to work out the courts issues....but only time will tell......Today, we are trusting God for his leading and going forward.........by faith.........When I talked to our Pastor Greg Baker...his comment was "welcome to the wonderful world of adoption"........

PureReligion: What is an Orphan?

PureReligion: What is an Orphan?: "I was just cleaning the house (and it NEEDS it)annd I thought I would share some of the things that the Lord has shown me in the last 6 mont..."

What is an Orphan?

I was just cleaning the house (and it NEEDS it)annd I thought I would share some of the things that the Lord has shown me in the last 6 months about Orphans..the Fatherless and the Poor.....I want to start with saying, I think I am a good Christian and to be honest, a nice person.....But last year at this time, if I saw a TV commercial about the Poor in other countries, I may have watched, felt bad, and changed the channel....meaning, I would care, but didn't know how to express my care in action (other than give periodically and support ministries like World Vision, Missions, etc etc)...This year something happened in my life and in my heart.....God took hold of me and made me MEDITATE on others, specifically Orphans internationally....Now, I thought I got it....I thought I was doing my part by being stirred and supporting good ministries, but I have to be honest, I never felt the burden where I felt I NEEDED to do more.....Well I want to share with my friends and family what happened to me...I didn't ask for it....and I didn't do anything major to change my way of thinking...I feel that God took hold of me and shook me out of my American mindset.....I know that I have been so conditioned by my surroundings that I have become immune to certain kinds of suffering....I do not know if it is possible not to become used to eating when you are hungry, turning up the heat when you are cold....most importantly, giving an antibiotic to my children when they have green runny noses or hacking coughs.....I am used to my culture(and if you don't mind me saying so, I LIKE IT)......Also, I am content with my two kids.....they are great....they are sweet and they are GROWN (somewhat)....I am used to my own ways (naps are fun and NEEDED at this age) I am conditioned to the world of ME....Now, I am not trying to preach, I am hoping to share something that supernaturally happened to me.....The Bible says to testify about what God has done! so, I want to fastfrward, yesterday, I realized that some friends I have knew I was adopting but didn't know the everyday occurances about WHY......I am adopting because God loves the poor.....and He has called me, personally to start feeling his pain about the weak and voiceless......When he did this to me he gave me a deep yearning to "shout it out"....How awkward......I know we all know about our world and how we can't help everyone.....(I used that as an excuse and a truth myself)...But God's word says that he cares about helping ONE.....One at a time.....Just opening my eyes to make a difference.....Here's the deal, when I learned that stats on Orphans Internationally ....I said yes<God, I am here, I am listening........I will do it....now, this is a way different issue than domestic adoption or adopting because of infertility (all wonderful and certainly a blessing to the children and the parents).......But when God calls you to go to another country and go through the process of beurocracy and government paperwork......it can be overwhelming and scary.....like a missions trip and more children all in one......I have had some people "not get" why we have to fundraise for international adoption.....and it's kinda hard to explain it quickly......When God says GO....He sometimes has you trust him for the funding..Some people have the full amount of the resurces needed and they don't need to ask for support.(for us, 28,000 plus 7000 for the sibling....we have to take 2 trips to Ethiopia in 5 weeks which is a huge chunk of the finances needed) ..Now, that doesn't mean that we are not responsible for the choices we make when we adopt,(our family is in process of selling cars and hopefully selling property.applying for grants, no-interest loans and having fundraisers...please pray for us!!!!! it just means that sometimes, we have to be creatvie in how we allow him to raise the funds for us......I hope noone gets insulted when we ask them to support our endeavor , that is not our motive and that would break our hearts.....we just know that we are trusting God....and we are willing to do whatever we can to add these two children to our family.......We know that we can do more for these 2 children than they could ever hope or wish for in their country of Ethiopia....(the stats are overwheming and I will share some of them later)...We can share Christ with them (the most important thing that the Bible tells us to do), we can share our things...food.....home....clothes...(James 2-3 encourages us to to share with those in need) and we can love them....need I say more!!!!!  ....Again, I don't know how we will afford it, but I do trust God to go before us...he always has.....I hope that you can continue to think of us and come along side of us in prayer....PRAYER IS EVERTHING...please pray for our babies as they are in Addas Abba Ethiopia right now!!!!!!  They are alive......and we are coming!!!!!!!!

rejoice in the Lord ...he is good.....his mercy endures forever!

My post is one of thanksgiving.......Today, we began sharing our heart and burden for orphans with the school that is part of our congregation (Central Academy at Lake Park)....It was an honor and a priviledge to talk to teens who love the Lord and to share a word with them about God's love for Orphans....Our friend Ellen, introduced us(the Wards and the Slu's) to the administration there and opened the door for us to speak to the teens about what is really important.......How God has redeemed us.....and ransomed us and given us new life...ADOPTED us into his family.....and how we can now be called sons and daughters of God....Adoption is a big deal to our heavenly father....Some statistics that we shared with them are that there are 143,000 Orphans in the World...if 7% of Chrsitians would adopt there would be NO MORE ORPHANS.......that every 18 seconds another child is orphaned.....LEFT ALONE......that God did not leave us as Orphans but he said he would come to us.......He knows we would not know how to take care of ourselves.....so he is our Heavenly Father and he is with us (Emmanuel)...adopted sons and daughters of the most high!!!!!!!!........We pray that the kids that we spoke to will ponder the statistics and think about what it might be like if they cried and noone came.....they were hungry and no one was there to feed them......thirsty...again, noone.......We are so excited to share this message with others....and to be able to play a part in traveling this road to adopt an ORPHAN OF GOD.....Please continue to pray with us....We are blessed to be able to share this process with you and as you pray for us......pray for the orphans!!!!!  Love, Traci.........Galatians "2:10 "All that we ask is that we should all continue to remember the poor, the very thing I, Paul, was eager to do..."

A Post from Momma......

Hello Friends,

Let's talk a new word "DOSSIER"......This is the gathering of an abundance of information that has to be sent to the Government of the children you are adopting....This is a long process....but a good one..We have recieved sweet notes of encouragement and we appreciate all of the interest that people have shown us on behalf of the poor and God's Orphans(Our children to be).....It's a blessing to see the caring hearts that people have for strangers.....and it has grown my faith in God....We are going to begin our fundraising  very soon with a local Christian school, as the Lord leads.  We have wonderful ideas for raising funds and getting the children in the school involved in caring for Orphans.....and "bringing them home".....I have been doing the Beth Moore study "Daniel" and the Lord has been opening my heart to how very privideged I am...my family is and my children are....We have need of NOTHING...never have(not in the big picture)......She said something wise in her sermon "...Paraphrased "If you have a book (BIBLE or any) and you know how to READ IT...you are RICH!!!!!!!  Most of the world has neither........It made me so sad and so sickened that I take most things for-granted.....Like food and shelter...I am thankful that God is changing my heart to have a more accurate perspective on my blessings  1Tim 6:8 "But if we have food and clothing we will be content with these".......I pray that God will keep showing me what I should focus my heart and attention on!!!!!  Traci

Monday Morning...by Mommy

I just finished reading the blog of my very best friend, Kim, who is also in process to adopt orphans from Ethiopia....Kim and I have been friends for 17 yrs and have done many things in ministy together...We laugh as we grow older and see what the Lord has done in our lives..We were young babies when we met...just married..decorating apartments...big hair...then we had our babies Meghan(now 15) and Emma (almost 16) together and we loved it. We got together daily and had play group..went to the park..shopped at Babies r Us and loved dressing our girls.....When we started our walks with the Lord, he started our path toward holiness together and we went through some times!!!!! God is humerous and sanctification (being changed into Christ's image) is sometimes painful and certainly can cause some stressers in friendship...But Kim and I continued on life's journey together....Back around 10 years ago we started serving together at Church and we began a bonding in the spirit....we realized God had put us together to walk our spiritual walk two by two (as he did with many people in scripture).. We have seen God use us together (although we are so different in the ways we handle things)....God has poured his favor on our unity and our walking with him in service...In this phase of our life, in our forty's, wouldn't you know God has given us both such a tremendous burden for orphans and such a zeal to help them in anyway we can.....Isn't God funny???? Never would I have thought that at 43 I would be in the place I am.....and Kim and I would be talking about cribs and play areas again....We both have wonderful teens and young adults who love the Lord and walk personal walks with the Lord....We are blessed amongst woman (I know , Mary is too.....but so are we).....Some might say  (and have said) "what if you get children from Ethiopia and they are unhealthy????What if they have issues...?? What if ...What if ..What if??????   Kim and I are not "what if , friends"?????   We are friends who pray for one another......laugh at life's ups an downs......cry , too....but only for a little while........God is Good to place people in our lives for all of the seasons he has for us.....to encourage us....to lift up our hands when we are down.....to speak the truth of God's word into our hearts so we can stand firm when when have been shot with an arrow..(we all have them , right)....Thank you Lord......for this day......and for all of the encouragers you have surrounded me with!!!! Especially my Tee Tee...Kimmy!

Trusting God for his financial provision by Mommy

It is hard to trust God sometimes......As we started this journey we knew that we "couldn't afford" to adopt....Money seems to be the "issue of th day" in this economy......Yet, God's word says that he is the provider......He knows what we need before we even ask......Our famly has always experienced God's provision and we have NEVER had much excess.....Just what we need......And so it is with adoption.......We had to do something that was a bit uncomfortable......We had to ask for help......They call it "fundraising"...I call it "awkward" and yet....we understand the blessings that are in store for anyone who helps one of these "little ones" as God calls them...So last week, we sent out letters to all of our family and business associates asking them to help these babies "come home"........In a spiritual way  you are torn.......You can't wait to see God provide and at the same time you hope and "pray" that the people you've sent the letters to don't think you are "out of line" for asking them to give money....I do trust God and his promises...."It is MORE blessed to give than to recieve"........" You will reap what you sow"......."if one's gift is to contribute to the needs of others,let him give generously"....This is the LOVE that God has given us for one another and this is his love for US.....I am looking forward to sharing with all of you how the Lord has supplied this monetary need.....HE WILL DO IT......IT IS HIS WILL AND HIS PROMISE!!!!

from traci....my thoughts for today

It's funny.....when you are pregnant you feel like everybod knows it, even whenyou aren't showing yet....and when you do start showing with your little "bump", like my sister Melissa is, you look so adorable in your little shirts that pop out where your belly is......
But, when the Lord puts adoption on your heart, and you start to meditate on his love for orphans and his heart to heal them and help them, you suddenly feel that same change of pregnancy....except this time you want to shout it from the rooftops......It's unexplainable, but I can actually say that I feel pregnant.....(sometimes it's just bloated (haha)..but it is the anticipation of knowing that you have children somewhere needing you......wanting to get into bed with you and cuddle.....to read a book with......and somehow you feel like everybody knows.....
You feel like your "showing".......Can you tell???? you want to ask.......Can you see something in me that is different......I am going to be a mother, again!!!!!!
That is how I feel when I think of my children in Ethiopia......I can't wait to see there faces......

Jim's thoughts

I can't say that adoption has been on my mind for years. As most men these days my day to day thoughts are mostly on working and getting more wotk for tomorrow. Being able to make the next months bills and hopefully having a little left over for something fun. Over the years Traci has asked me if I was interested in trying to have more children? I would always say," well I'll think about it", and then life would take over and time would go by...... well, your know the rest "I would never get back with an anwser". Then our friends asked us what we thought about adoption and to pray about it. I watched u-tube videos one night and I felt feelings that I hadn't felt in a long time. I sat there watching and heard in my ear " you spend so much time and effort on things that don't amount to anything eternal". This is the moment that I knew that I should do this. Don't get me wrong ,I still have my natural fears about the cost of making it happen. But, I do know that I'm not in charge of this thing called life, BUT GOD IS!!! So we started praying for our new family members. Then days later a name came to me  strongly, "Misha", and that night we met someone that had also chosen that name for thier daugther. We took it as our first sign and so our name has been chosen for our daughter-to-be. Now we are all looking forward to the day that we start recieving the faces behind our dreams.

Orphans of God

Meghan's Words

I am just so excited about the adoption and the news that I am going to have more siblings. Its just amazing to see all the Youtube videos, and put myself in those shoes and be able to think about that happening to my family. Im looking forward to finding out the gender of the children, so I can do all the shopping for them. I can't wait to see their faces for the first time its such an amazing feeling to know that their is someone out their maybe right now that will soon be called a SLUSARSKI:).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4anyzSLX9U&feature=related

What Ethan thinks:

 I am very excited about the adoption. I was very excited and surpised when my parents said that we were going to adopt. I would love to have either a brother or sister or both.

                                                  From,       Ethan Slusarski

traci (momma's) first blog about the adoption

I am so excited to stat blogging our adoption process for all of our friends and family.  We can't explain all of the emotion attached to starting this process.  Since we started all of the paperwork (which is BRUTAL) it is almost like the feeling of being pregnant.......Like you don't like the "pains" but you anticipate the end result and you get a jitter in your stomach....all you mom's know what I am talking about....I have no idea what this year is going to be like but I do know that God is in control and that his timing will be perfect for our family....Thank you all for being supportive and encouraging our family.....I hope this time around to be more "easy going" and to also be more "orderly"....I was a pretty unorganized new mom many years ago and  have come a long way!!!!!  hahaha.....I'll keep you posted as things progress....Our next phase is sending in a form for the VISA's and fingerprinting me and Jim for the FBI check.......Then we start the ball rolling......

Our Family (The Slusarski's)

James, Traci, Meghan, Ethan having our annual mountain dinner together : )

Our Adoption Begins!!!!

January 15, 2011
                 We have just made the decision to adopt from Ethiopia and are going to blog our steps in our journey to bring home our children. It has been several months since we first thought of adding to our family, So we wanted to begin our blog by telling you how we came to this decision. Our best friends were in the process of going through the Foster progam, but have always had the heart to do international adoption. In our conversations with them they asked us if we ever thought about adopting ourselves. We had seen pictures and videos from their previous mission trip to Africa and the countless needs of the Orphans. My wife was quickly on board with the idea, because of her feelings over the years to have more kids. I was reluctant at first to give a quick answer being the provider in the home, and quickly thinking of the added cost it would take. Even through the best explinations on why this was right didn't help me, because I've always been a more visual person. I decided to go to the internet for more information, and found so many videos of families that have felt the same calling. I was swayed immediately watching the encounters of these families holding their children for the first time. I was overwhelmed by the joy of the children and their new parents. I remember after a long night of watching videos of these stories going up to my wife who was asleep in bed and telling her the good news. The next morning I couldn't wait to show her the reason for my willingness to accept the idea that we should expand our family.