The Joy of Reading!

One thing that has really blessed me during our adoption process is reading!! At first I read general books about adoption - the transition of the children, the adjustments of families, the health concerns, etc.

But what I have loved the most is reading novels about China and now Ethiopia. I have mostly read biographical novels. About China I devoured "Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China" by Jung Chang. It is a long book beginning in the time of the Grandmother's life and tells the stories of three women from three generations and all that they lived through in the history of China. So fascinating and heart-breaking. I learned so much about China and it's women.

"The Lost Daughters of China" by Karin Evans is a very popular book for people adopting from China. It tells the authors story of her adoption as well as some of the back ground in the the orphan crisis in China. It was very helpful for me to read someone's story in detail. The ups and downs and everything in between!

Now, of course, I am diving in to books about Ethiopia. I started with, "Without You There is No Me"by Melissa Faye Greene. This is an amazing true story of a woman in Ethiopia who lost her own daughter and in the face of deep depression began bringin orphaned children in to her home. This evolved in to one of the first orphanages in Ethiopia to take in children with HIV/AIDS. It is a beautiful story filled with hope and heartbreak.

I just finished a book called, "The Hospital by the River" by Catherine Hamlin. I learned more about the recent history of Ethiopia through the story of this Australian ob/gyn and her husband (also an ob/gyn) who lived most of their lives in Addis Ababa curing thousands of women from childbirth injuries which left them incontinent - and therefore alienated from their communities. Theirs is a powerful story of their love for the Lord and the mother's of Ethiopia. There is also a DVD documentary on their work called, "A Walk to Beautiful"!!

Yesterday I ordered three more books, "From Ashes to Africa" by Josh Bottomly - a story of their Ethiopian adoption, "Fields of the Fatherless" by Tom Davis - a book about the world's orphans and God's heart for adoption, and "Black Baby, White Hands" by Jaiya John - a black man adopted by a white family and his story... I'll let you know what I think of them.

Just thought I would share these precious stories because they have really helped me learn so much about the world, what God is doing, and how I can pray! Happy Reading!