need to clean the kitchen...but...would rather blog

One year ago, today, we received news from our agency that we had passed court: our request to adopt Micah was granted by the Ethiopian courts. Many of you remember how agonizing Feb 2009 was for Vince and me.
To read my court posts from Feb 2009 click here.
This was one of my favorite posts to reminisce...God is, indeed, this faithful:
2.12.2009
from Psalm 49,
Why Should I Fear in Times of Trouble?

verse 3..."My mouth shall speak wisdom"-- even when the outcome of my circumstances is undetermined, and even when the desires of my heart are delayed, I will seek to make sense of it all only by God's wisdom

..."the meditation of my heart shall be understanding"-- I will only be satisfied to view my life through God's eyes...I will rest in God's promises

verse 4..."I will incline my ear to a proverb"-- I will only seek God's counsel and God's comfort, instead of being driven to despair by man's opinion and hopelessness

..."I will solve my riddle to the music of the lyre."-- I will chose 'thankfulness' at all times; I will sing and dance as my Heavenly Father sanctifies my faith, because His love is perfect

verse 5..."Why should I fear in times of trouble?" I shouldn't. I am loved by the Father, redeemed by His Son, and protected by His Holy Spirit

It took 4 attempts for our agency and Micah's orphanage to provide all documentation requested by the ET judge who presided over our case. It seemed like with every court date, what the judge originally requested was suddenly insufficient, so she'd ask for something else. In hind-sight we are beyond grateful for this judge's thoroughness, because there is now (or ever) no question about the legitimacy surrounding Micah's orphan-status or adoption. This is especially important to us, in-light of accusations about fraudulent adoptions with another agency. I have confidence in the integrity of our agency, the US Consulate in Ethiopia, and the Ethiopian courts. Each of these agencies conducts independent investigations into each orphan's case.

News about our second adoption is slow-coming. We are still in the home study process -- we are currently waiting for our AL background checks to be completed. Once that part is complete, the process should speed up significantly. We'll have one, last home visit with our social worker, and complete other random paper work.
At this point, I'm not sure what we will do about our existing I-171H approval. It's due to expire in May, so we need to either request an extension, or, apply to open a new case. Our current I-171H will permit us to bring one child home from Ethiopia...but...we are prayerfully considering changing our request to two children. (Boy, will we really need to sell ALOT of t-shirts).

FOR THE LOVE OF MANKIND t-shirts

Help us send our adoption application to Ethiopia,

and support Kind Hearts in Addis Ababa!

UPDATE 2/15/2010:
A big THANK YOU to everyone who pre-ordered Project Martins t-shirts!! We were able to place a BIG order, so we have plenty available for the rest of you!!! I think they might go fast, so order your's today!!!

T-SHIRTS ARE HERE!!!

Project Martin adoption t-shirts!!

"For The Love of Mankind"
How precious is your steadfast love, O God!

The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings- Ps 36:7

$25 suggested donation

($1 from every t-shirt sold will be donated to

Kind Hearts in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to help

build a playground and bridge for the children at the facility)

The t-shirt is a men's sized slim-fit.
Here's what we have (sizes are men's slim-fit):

GREEN
size medium

TAHITI
size medium & large

INDIGO BLUE (dark)
size small, medium & large

WHITE
size small & medium

(t-shirts designed by Jamie Jo Braner at www.annifororphans.com

Celebration CARDS are here!!!!

Vince & I had been trying to think of something special for those you who have expressed interest in helping us bring Baby Judah home--and we thought this was a fantastic idea!

Celebration donation cards!!

Although I cannot take credit for the concept, I would be remiss if I didn't tell you from where I borrowed the idea! Click here to visit the blog of this adoptive family who is so generously sharing their blog (and ideas) to help other adoptive families raise money!
(BTW, I'm more than happy to give any adoptive family a pdf for any of the cards below, for your own adoption)

So what is a Celebration Card??

It's an opportunity for you to make a difference in the life of an orphan, and, show your gratitude to friends/family on special occasions. Below are some samples of cards that I've designed to be used for any occasion...birthday, Mother's Day, Father's Day, Easter, anniversary...

I will include on the card the person's/family name that your donation has been given in honor of, and mail it to them! The 4x6 photo announcement is mounted on complementing card stock and placed in matching envelopes. (you can click on images to enlarge)

C A R D # 1


C A R D # 2


C A R D # 3

C A R D #4

C A R D # 5

You can make a donation by clicking on our Chipin button (top, right). Our Chipin account uses PayPal, and allows you to provide a shipping address and special notes to name the honoree, occasion and card selection. Or, if you'd prefer to make a donation by check you can email me at

alisafmartin (at) yahoo (dot) com

Judah??

Judah - Let Yah (Yahweh) Be Praised.

So you've probably picked-up on the *Baby Judah* thing by now. Some of you may have even wondered if there is a little person already named Judah that we've been matched with--but the answer is no.

With our first Ethiopian adoption Micah was our *Baby Martin*, so I felt our next little person needs their own identity...so, Baby Judah it is.

The name Judah may stick permanently, or, maybe not. Guess we'll wait to make that decision when we see his/her sweet little face.