How God called one man

by Joy Casey

*Awel was a student of the Quran for six years, devouring every teaching of the faith he and his family held dear. He became a prayer leader at the mosque, singing and leading prayers five times a day at the prescribed times. Awel was engaged to be married and the families were planning their wedding; his future looked secure and promising.

Visiting a nearby town, he knelt under a tree to pray at the prescribed time not noticing the Christian church nestled behind the tree. The joyful singing of the church choir interrupted his prayers and he could not help but listen to the message being sung declaring that Jesus Christ is alive, giving life to everyone who believes. At first he was shocked to hear women singing in the choir with men, but the music was compelling and touched his very soul and he began to weep. Even after the choir stopped singing, the words of the song lingered, and to his bewilderment and consternation he could not stop crying. Ethiopian men do not sit publically under a tree and cry, and he entertained the idea that maybe he was losing his mind.

He was shaken to the core of his being, but eventually gained his composure and headed back to his village and career, but the songs never left him and he gradually became dissatisfied and unfulfilled in his ritual prayers. As hard as he tried to dismiss the words to the songs, they continued to haunt him and piqued his desire to know more about Isa (Jesus). He contemplated leaving his position as a prayer leader at the mosque, knowing that quitting would jeopardize his marriage plans and could even threaten his personal well-being. Being unable to shake the message in the songs, Awel made the decision to go back to the town where he heard the singing and ask someone to tell him more about this life with Jesus. The Christians knew he was a mosque leader and thought his queries were a trap to get close to the church in order to do harm and initially they would not talk to him. However, later a few men from the Christian fellowship came to him and taught him and it was not long before he became a confirmed believer in Jesus Christ.

When his fiance’s father learned about his conversion he was very angry and forbid his daughter to marry him. His own father went before the mosque leadership and said that since his son became kafir he should die. Two men from the mosque came to Awel to confirm that he had turned from the faith of his fathers and to try and talk some sense to him, but after Awel shared with them about his new life in Jesus Christ, they, too, became believers!

There was strong persecution against him and he was forced to leave his family and town. Against her father’s wishes, his fiancé followed him and they were married in a Christian church. Awel felt a definite call on his life to share the gospel but knew he needed mentoring and Bible education. God ordained a divine appointment for him to meet Pastor Zerihun who took him under his wing and discipled him and nurtured the gifts God placed in Awel.



Pastor Zerihun trains and leads the evangelists who work alongside YWAM and Watch & Pray (a ministry partner) to bring hope to areas of Ethiopia that have never heard the Good News of Jesus Christ. After spending years under the tutelage of Pastor Zerihun and pastoring several church plants, Awel, his wife and three children feel God is leading them back to their roots to share with their family and friends the amazing grace that Jesus freely gives. This particular area of Ethiopia is an unreached group of people, and with Awel’s help we are laying a strong foundation for future evangelism there.


 
Meeting Awel and listening to his story significantly impacted me, as have other evangelists I have come to know working in this very difficult mission field. I was particularly intrigued by how God used music to penetrate Awel’s heart and mind. At the end of our time together, Awel stood and lifted his hands to God and sang a beautiful song of praise to his Lord and Savior. I could not understand the words of the song, but its haunting melody and the spirit of the singer drew me into the arms of Jesus. All I could think of was how wonderful it will be in heaven when we can sing together with one mind, one spirit, and one language. I am certain that Awel’s impromptu song of praise offered in the company of a few insignificant people, brought intense joy to the heart of God.
 
*names have been changed

Moving Off Center {a re-post}

One reason I am so glad that God allowed me to go to Ethiopia is because of the perspective it continually gives me.

If I'm tired of the rain and wish summer (or should I say spring?) would finally get here to the Northwest, I think about the ones who live and work out in the weather.

If I get stressed out about having people over because my carpet needs cleaning or my window coverings are embarrassingly outdated, I remember this woman who opened her little home (hovel?) to complete strangers and felt so honored we would visit.

(Her coffee cups don't match.)

If I stand in front of my closet crammed with clothes feeling tired of wearing the same thing all the time, it's not unusual for me to think of these children.

When I start feeling sorry for myself in any way, I want to think of our staff in Ethiopia who are serving Christ so joyfully and yet have almost nothing of the world's 'nice' things. They have dirt floors. They cook outside. There are never leftovers.

I didn't have to go to Africa to get this perspective. I know God's word and I know (in my head) that life's really not all about me.

I know this.

But I'm so grateful to have these faces of 'the least of these' in my heart. I want to remember them and quickly confess my tendancy to think that I'm at the center. To crucify my crown-wearing Self that keeps trying to sit up on the throne and to take my spot at His feet instead.

Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God... Since God chose you to be the holy people He loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.
                      Colossians 3:1-3,12 NLT

The only lasting cure for fear

Today we're sharing a very good article written by Annie McClellan, an adoptive mom and a trainer for Empowered to Connect.  It's called 

Fear is poison.  What is the antidote?

The more we learn about our kids, the more we realize how fear-driven they can be...  The fear is real and paralyzing in that moment.  Suggesting that we don’t believe he has anything to be afraid of communicates that we don’t really understand him or have empathy for him.  This will reduce his ability to trust us, decreasing the likelihood that he will come to us for help the next time he’s afraid.

Read the whole article here on the Tapestry blog.

To our adoptive moms

To celebrate all of our adoptive moms, we’re sharing a great letter posted by Kathy Lynn Harris, expressing so beautifully what adoptive moms experience and what resides in their hearts.  It’s called…

Dear Moms of Adopted Children

We highly esteem each of you!  We know that God smiles on you, honoring His promise to give you everything you need do this job.  2 Peter 1:3

Whether you are home with your child or still waiting for that day...

Happy Mother’s Day!

Are We Dealing With Sensory Issues?

For most kids, sensory integration (how the brain receives and processes information from all our senses but particularly the sense of touch, sense of body movement and sense of body position) happens as a result of normal development.  For some adopted children, this process is interrupted and can result in a wide range of behaviors.  Sensory integration disorder is common in children who have lived in an orphanage for more than a year.  These ‘out of sync’ children have learned not to trust the information their bodies provide so they can experience anxiety, poor school performance, difficulty listening and sensory-seeking stimulation to feel better.  They will either magnify or minimize input from their senses.   

Typically, a child with sensory integrative disorder will show more than one of these signs.

• Overly sensitive to touch, movement, sights, smells or sounds (ie. tags in clothes, seams in socks, textures in eating, strong odors)
• Under-reactive to sensory stimulation (body whirling or crashing, don’t react to pain)
• Activity level that is unusually high or unusually low
• Coordination problems (poor balance or motor coordination, an odd gait when walking)
• Delays in speech, language, motor skills, or academic achievement
• Poor organization of behavior (impulsive, distractible, frustrated, aggressive)
• Poor self concept (may appear lazy, bored, or unmotivated)
                                                                                          Harriet McCarthy

Everyone has sensory processing issues (you may have read the list above and thought, ‘I am a bit impulsive or unmotivated myself!’) but they become an issue when they interfere with normal daily life functions.  A professional therapist should always be consulted when you suspect your child has significant struggles in these areas and there are many wonderful OT’s with experience in sensory processing issues.

There are also many things you can do at home to help your child regulate their senses and feel comfortable.  Many adoptive parents whose children struggle with sensory issues have shared ideas they’ve received from professionals and have used at home.  Here are a few:

15 Quick Sensory Activities from Hands on Moms

Sensory Activities for Kids (on Pinterest)

Home Activities for Children with Sensory Processing Disorder

Articles by Professionals on Sensory Issues in Children

---

Shameless plug:  An excellent OT in the Seattle/Tacoma area specializing in sensory processing issues is Sally Carman, OTR/L at the Center for Therapeutic Intervention in Gig Harbor, WA.  Sally, an adoptive mother of two, has been a contributing instructor at each of our International Adoption Training weekends, providing valuable input on attachment, bonding and sensory processing issues in adopted children.

A Joyful Testimony

by Joy Casey
written in Ethiopia 5-3-13

As I sat gazing at the acacia trees dotted across the savannah with round mud huts scattered here and there, I marveled once again that I, Joy Thompson Casey, raised in Cordova, Alaska, was heading toward a village tucked out of the way from most everybody’s sight but God’s. I guess I will never cease at marveling at God’s grace in my life and how amazed I am to serve and love Jesus doing what I am doing.


I have been in traffic jams before, but never one caused by a herd of camels! Yep, today I was up close to at least 100 camels trotting right down the middle of the road with no intention of moving to the side to let the cars pass. We finally inched around them when their herders directed them off the road down a dusty path. It was fascinating to see these exotic creatures so close.

I am traveling with two new friends from a large church in southern California. Marc and Tegra Little are troopers and a total delight to travel with. They are spending the week with me to learn the scope of Adoption Ministry’s outreaches in Ethiopia. Marc thinks on a grand scale and has provided inspiration to contemplate solutions with a more global approach.
 

Already Tegra is hoping to form a mission team from her church for next year. Tegra’s thoughtful insights and compassionate heart will leave a deposit in my spirit that God will use to expand my understanding of many things. I am so blessed to be able to get to know these two incredible people.

Our first day was spent visiting all of Adoption Ministry 1:27 project areas in Addis, and joyful testimonies were given of God’s provision through people in the U.S. who have “adopted” a family in Ethiopia. I am so encouraged when I see lives often radically changed with this help!
 

Today, we had such a great time in the village of Gutumuma with the evangelists. Easter in Ethiopia is this coming Sunday and the twenty kindergarten children were on break, so it was a time to concentrate on the evangelists only.
 

Marc brought an excellent word and lovely Tegra also shared God’s heart with the men eager to hear. Streams of Mercy (Wick Nease) visited the evangelists last month and noticed that these men had need of shoes.
 

 

He sent money to buy each of them a pair of shoes, and they were taken to the next large town to pick out the shoes they wanted and today they were formally presented with brand new shoes! Thank you, Streams of Mercy!!
 

The evangelists have been covering many, many miles on bicycles bought for them several years ago, and the bikes have literally been driven into the ground. I am so grateful to everyone who purchased a bike for these men as they have been a useful tool in sharing the gospel in this part of the world. But the time has come to replace them.
 

Two faithful donors made it possible to purchase sturdier dirt bikes so the missionaries can continue sharing the gospel and making disciples in very remote places.
 

It was an honor to give each man a spanking new bike because I bear witness to the fruit of their untiring labors. In addition to the 200+ families serving Jesus in Gutumuma, over the past five months 85 new converts are being nurtured in two new villages where the evangelists have been sent. These villages are religious strongholds so this report is indeed good news!

Trauma in adopted children

Many behaviors that adopted children exhibit aren’t recognized for what they are – a result of trauma.  After you're home with your child, it's easy to forget their past. Stop to ask yourself:  Does my child have trauma in his or her history?  Could that be the source of some of the behaviors we're dealing with?

Trauma is any stressful event which is prolonged, overwhelming or unpredictable.  Without even considering the child’s past, the transition away from what has been familiar into a family fits all three of those descriptors.  Add to that all of the potential parts of his or her history that may or may not be known (abandonment, inconsistent or nonexistent care, abuse, malnutrition, etc..) and we know that every adopted child has experienced some degree of trauma. 


A child’s emotional development is disrupted by trauma and that interrupts his ability to tolerate stress.  “Stress is recognized to be the one primary key to unlocking traumatic memories. Unfortunately for both the adopted child and family, the experience of most traumas in the child’s life is that the traumatic experiences typically occur in the context of human relationships. From that point forward, stress in the midst of a relationship will create a traumatic re-experiencing for the child, leading the child to feel threatened, fearful, and overwhelmed in an environment which otherwise may not be threatening to other people.”  Bryan Post, PhD



Behaviors like defiance, eating issues, lying, tantrums and non-stop talking can easily be labeled as typical age-related actions but in adopted children, they are more likely to be symptoms of trauma.  How an adoptive parent recognizes the source of these behaviors and plans very intentional steps for healing will make a world of difference in your child’s life and in your family.

Here is a very insightful flip chart which identifies many of the results of trauma, showing how the brain processes it and how this affects attachment.

Trauma Flip Chart
by Janina Fisher, PhD

Also be sure to read Dr. Post’s excellent article:

10 Keys to Healing Trauma in the Adopted Child

Perhaps most importantly, don't hesitate to seek the help of a professional experienced in adoption-related issues.