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
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Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Pictures of our daughter
Rahwa (our daughter) Her silly side:)Her praying Her eating Her smile:)Rahwa is the one in the dark jacketRahwa 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!!!!
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!!!!
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