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Most of you know that Mark and I have had a heart for adoption since before we married. I can remember distinct conversations about the possibility of adopting regardless of whether we were able to have our own children. The vision of a blended family was desirable to us because of the spiritual significance of it reflecting the diverse family of God. We understand ourselves as the wild olive shoots Paul speaks of in Romans 11 that, by faith and through Jesus, have been grafted in among the other branches to be nourished by the rich root. We are thankful to God for extending such a generous and compassionate heart toward us. And we give him glory for our rich inheritance as his children. Adoption is part of God’s long history of redemption, a story that has become our story. As people created in his image, we not only rejoice in the ways we are already like him, but we strive to become increasingly shaped in his image. With this in mind, our family desires to imitate the way God loves…at least the best way we know how! One way we are doing this is by opening our hearts and home to those who don’t know the love of parents or the grace of God.
It was over six years ago that we started the process to adopt our Lydia Jane. After five years in our family and home, we can confidently and honestly proclaim that we feel as if God knit her into our family as if she was born of us. I find that amazing! My sister Julie says it’s strange to even refer to Lydia Jane as being adopted. We agree! And how cool is it that Mark’s adopted daughter looks more like him than his biological daughter? God must know the significance this will bring.
 Our family is excited to announce that we are once again beginning the adoption process. It’s been almost five years that our hearts began turning toward Uganda. We have fallen in love with the people and place that God brought us to. We have been transformed by our daily experience of sharing life with Ugandans. We honestly rejoice in the fact that we will now have a piece of Africa knit into our family forever. Initially, we thought Tom fulfilled that role! And indeed he does. We truly recognize him as part of us, but we simply desire to keep on growing!
This past month we visited an orphanage in Kampala and during the visit we identified a baby boy that we hope will join our family. His name is John Paul -- quite appropriate for our family full of Johns and Pauls. John Paul was abandoned in the rain and found on February 2, 2009. He was taken to Nsambya Babies Home where the nurse determined he was about five days old. For the past three months the women at this home have cared for him well.
 The adoption process in Uganda we have begun is new and somewhat unpredictable. So we seek your prayers as we make our hearts vulnerable to this baby and the process it takes to bring him home. There is always the possibility that the courts will not grant us the opportunity for a final adoption. We are prepared for this, but confident that if God intends John Paul to be a Manry he will make the way.
The adoption of John Paul has altered our future plans slightly. We were planning to leave Uganda this December and move to England for a three-month residency in Sheffield for Mark’s PhD. However, the method in which we are adopting requires us to finalize the adoption in America, rather than Uganda. So, the plan now is to move back to Michigan in December, finalize the adoption, and complete the three months in England a bit later in 2010.
So here we come! We have begun our final run here in Uganda, which stirs up a whole lot of mixed emotions. These last months have us focusing on work and soaking up all the team life and Ugandan life we can. As always, we seek your prayers.
These pictures of John Paul were taken today when we visited him with the Bobos. We are thrilled to have Paul and Julie and the children here with us - a visit we have eagerly anticipated for three years!
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Lori's Closet 
