Shadles in Addis!

We'd like to thank everyone on behalf of the Shadle's for your prayers! They have arrived safely in Ethiopia and are beginning the process of settling in. We have been able to talk to them on the phone a few times and were so encouraged to hear their voices! Please continue to lift them up in prayer as they are making an exciting but difficult transition. Please pray specifically for their kids, Kayla and Aaron, as they adjust to life in Ethiopia. We'll keep you posted...

We'd like you to meet our bundle of joy...

Introducing...

On June 15, Amanda and I left our home in Raleigh, NC and headed toward the Midwest knowing that when we returned our lives would never be the same again. At one time I imagined writing those words only in reference to us leaving for Ethiopia, and not the life-changing event that has quickly come before us. Our Ethiopia departure will be here soon enough, but for now I am trying to find time to catch my breath. What has specifically taken place in the last six months could only be orchestrated by God and for that I am in complete awe! The way this chapter of our lives is being written is not how I would have imagined it. Considering my lack of faith at times, I would have written it differently because often we think we know how our lives will unfold only to see God change the story line. Six months ago we were praying for God to show us a glimpse of His plan and now we are sitting here looking at a beautiful baby boy whom we would have never known if God hadn’t taken our precious Ava home. On June 22, 7 pound 12 ounce Jackson Zane Dyson was delivered by c-section, and by God’s grace we have the awesome opportunity to adopt him into our family. I pray every day that we will be parents who point Jackson to the Savior and help him see that God has a unique plan for his life. Six months ago I would have never dreamed of this experience and now I spend my days thinking about countless things in regards to Jackson and the faithfulness of God.

Some of those things I think about are temporal while others are of more eternal significance. Often I think about how our lives are going to be different as we drive home in a few weeks with a little guy in the back seat and how I long for that moment and will soak up every second I can. I think about Amanda being the wonderful mother that I know she will be and how excited I am to see her hold him close to her and rock him gently back and forth. I think about what it will be like for Jackson to grow up knowing that his birth mother loved him enough to find a family that would be able to raise him and provide for him. I also think about Jackson growing up in Ethiopia and the amazing opportunities he will have to learn about the world and just how big it is. There are so many things I have pondered in the last several weeks, most of which I never would have thought would be a part of this chapter in our lives. If you asked me a couple of years ago, this wouldn’t have been how I would have written this portion of our story. Thankfully though, I am not the one writing it, and honestly, I wouldn’t want it any other way.