More life with Beniam...

Easter with the cousins...















































Look what I can do!











Enjoying the beautiful day...

Paean To My Wife

I just want to take a moment to post a sonneted paean (non-pagan) to my delectable wife on this her 28th birthday. We usually don't allow anyone else's eyes to read her annual sonnet, but this one is acceptable for the public because they need to know what a glorious woman she is . . . but you all already knew that. Here she is, sandwiched between two men who are better men because of her.


See how his tender hand coddles his lamb;
See how his tender mother coddles hers.
Her husband's gaze caresses his sweet fam-
ily. Rippling joy concentrically now stirs--
Like ancient liquid stirred with angel pow'r--
The Sheep Gate waters for the crippled soul.
This joyous flood brings beauteous buds to flow'r
And lovely wife loveliness fills to full.
The world, though, exiles women once they gain
A child because it "sucks their beauty dry."
I cannot argue. Words go down the drain.
Mere syllogisms, arguments . . . vain tries.
Your smiling flesh, caressing coffee skin,
Argues enough: Your beauty grows with kin.

Happy Birthday,

Husband

Resurrection Day!

Beniam was baptized with his cousin Asher on Easter Sunday. Chris was also baptized on Easter Sunday 30-some years ago, which made it extra special. Beniam and Asher had cute matching baptism/Easter outfits that we found at the Gap Outlet, and wouldn't you know it, right as the Boy was getting baptized he had the biggest diaper blowout he has ever blessed Mommy with...right through his new pants. Ahh...and so goes life. A dear Ethiopian family that we know (the husband is actually from here) came to Benaim's baptism and the sweet wife said that it is actually good luck in Ethiopia for a baby to "mess his pants" on his baptism day. So there you go. Our day was especially blessed ;)

After the worship service we went to Chris' parents house for food, fellowship, toss across, Easter egg hunts and water gun fights...quite a day. He is risen!

Sonnets and Seder Dinner

Well, I hoped you enjoyed my dear husband's Good Friday sonnet that he posted. He is quite the gifted poet and songwriter. Every year he writes me a "Wifey Birthday Sonnet." My birthday is just around the corner so I am looking forward to my next one. Sorry - can't share it with you - for my eyes only ;)

Every year our church has a Christian Seder Dinner. It is a bit chaotic but so fun. This was Beniam's first Seder. He loved all of the music and dancing and even revealed his louder self to our congregation with many squeals, shouts and peals of laughter (thanks to cousin Isaiah).

The Curse -- A Good Friday Sonnet

A rare post by the husband . . .
So it's a day late, but I thought some might be blessed to receive this on Holy Saturday nonetheless. The idea--and then the sonnet--came to me several years back when I was having a bad attitude during a junior high chapel (during Passion Week). While the speaker was typically going through the litany of Christ's physical sufferings (trying to evoke pity and conversion from junior high kids), God rebuked me with a revelation of the meaning of Christ's crown of thorns. Why "thorns," I thought. The answer lies in "the curse" of Genesis 3 when, after Adam sinned, God cursed the dust of the earth with thorns and thistles. The crown of thorns is symbolic--a very painful one--of Christ bearing the curse for us. The irony of this is how Roman soldiers, in an effort to mock Christ as a sham-Jewish king, basically apply the hidden theology of Genesis by adorning Him with a sham--but supremely meaningful--crown. It's amazing--yet not really--what God, the Author of history, can do through even pagan actors to accomplish His purposes in the world. Blessings to you all this Holy Saturday and have an even greater blessed Resurrection Day tomorrow . . . the day of our dear Beniam's baptism!

--The Curse--

The Curse: Word thunders forth from lips divine
As things both seen and not are hemorrhaging.
Milk-white--dark blood once hot, can't bear the sign--
First-flesh, ashamed, stands stark now trembling.
The Man--delight now drained, our race's head,
His head hung down, drooped in defeated pain--
Now scours the earth, "This thorny curse I dread."
(The ground, thorn-crowned) "Can curse become my gain?"
This question cast a shadow years in length.
It's thund'ring answer: thorns upon high hill.
The tree: it bears the Sign now lacking strength.
Strong Weakness says, "My will . . . to do Your will."
Edenic curse, circumferencing our Head,
The Word: our Curse, He suffers in our stead.
_________________________________________
Genesis 3:17b-18a
Galatians 3:13a
Matthew 27:29a

1 month home!

Our little boy Reno is sleeping so I have some time to finally post. Yes, we have been home for 1 month! I can't believe it. Our trip seems so long ago. I feel like I am already losing memories - thank goodness for video cameras! We actually haven't watched any of our video from our trip. I guess we are just too wrapped in the squirming, grunting, smiling reality that has blessed our home. Thank you Lord! You place the fatherless in homes and give the childless bouncing bundles of Ethiopian joy!

St. Patty's Day Party and more cute pics of the Boy

Ethiopia Adventure Part 2

We arrived in Addis Ababa around 8:30am on Sunday, February 22nd needing a shower and feeling quite delirious. We waited for about 20 minutes to get our Ethiopian visa, changed our 300 dollars for Ethiopian birr, collected our luggage and sailed through the nonexistent customs to meet Robel and the driver from our hotel. We will talk more about Robel later, but he is a super fun, kind, resourceful, faithful saint who was our guide during our time in Addis. On the way to our hotel, we had our first up close glimpse of our son's country, but we were in such a sleep-deprived delirium that I don't remember much.



Robel invited us to go to his church with him and another family that had already arrived, the Chans. Chris decided we should go and he was right, but I confess - I was definitely more in favor of sleep. We met the Chans, William and Shelley, who are from Texas. Great people - we love them! The worship service was glorious and refreshing. I am so glad we went. It is an international church in which over 70 countries are represented. The service was in English, but there were also services in French and Korean, I think. Anyway, it was wonderful to worship with the saints! So funny - we met a gentlemen who used to work as a dean at Monte Vista (this is where Chris works). How "random" is that?

Afterward Robel took us to lunch at a traditional Ethiopian restaurant with the Chans and our driver Alizar (sp?). The lunch was very good - we love Ethiopian food. We went to back our hotel and Chris went straight to sleep until about 10pm and then woke up for good at 2am. I slept intermittenly until about 5am. We went upstairs to the hotel restaurant to have breakfast. The coffee and the morning view of Addis were both amazing. It was such a peaceful, beautiful morning! What a gift from God as we prepared to meet our boy that day. We were still in a daze - it was so unreal that we were in Ethiopia, for one, and that we were there to pick up our son. Our minds couldn't quite wrap themselves around it, even after several cups of glorious Ethiopian coffee.

Below

Ethiopia Adventure Part 1

Chris' parents kindly drove us to San Francisco for the first leg of our journey. Our first flight left SFO at 4:30pm on Friday, February 20th. The very kind manager at the British Airways counter waived our excess baggage fees (thank you for all the prayers) and we were off. We have this terrible habit of staying up way too late the night before big trips, and this one was no exception. We were exhausted (already!), a little apprehensive (at least I was), but ready to pick up our son!





Our flight was, well, we didn't sleep much, but had much to read and watch. We had an 8 hour layover in London (so sad not to stay longer!) where we had a very crazy adventure getting our luggage and 5 rubbermaid tubs via train from Terminal 5 to Terminal 1 at Heathrow. My husband is a champion rubbermaid tub wrestler. We had a very tasty meal with our tubs close at hand - a security officer carrying some sort of automatic gun checked to make sure they were ours and not left behind. He had an encouraging word for us when Chris told him what was inside (baby formula, etc). Back to the meal - I ate chicken tikka masala and Chris had bangers and mash with a very soul-satisfying Belgian beer. And then we waited...and waited..and waited...and Chris slept...and I tried to read. When it was time we prayerfully lugged our tired selves and 9 pieces of luggage to the Ethiopian Airlines counter, praying for another baggage-fee-waiving miracle. Almost. They gave us a discount. Instead of $650 they only charged us $400. Ha! Still, God is good. His plan is perfect.

For now I will end with our first African sunrise (over Sudan . . . for Paul Yana) and our first glimpse of beautiful Ethiopia. We are off to visit the Johnson clan and I have learned by now that a simple 10 minute trip takes much longer to prepare for than it used to. But this is what we joyfully signed up for!

Here we are!

I have been very amiss in updating our blog , but I have a good excuse, right? We are home with our beautiful baby boy Beniam. He is so, so precious and cute and quite the bundle of energy. We can't believe he is finally here, but at the same time, it seems like he has always been here.

I will eventually add posts about our trip, but the little man is awake and ready to play, so that will have to wait. In the meantime, here are some pictures of the newest Reno. God is good!

100th post!

This is our 100th post! 100 posts that represent a loooong journey to picking up our little B-man and making TeamReno a team of 3.

A couple pieces of great news...Beniam gained 3 pounds since our last update. Praise God!

And...We are leaving from SFO next Friday the 20th and will be arriving in Addis Ababa Sunday. A week later, on Saturday the 28th, we will be back home with our sweet boy as new parents!

Introducing Christopher Tarik Beniam Reno!!