Stories Matter

Yesterday, my family and I found ourselves at a local elementary school’s culture club, presenting about our trip to Ethiopia. Even as I write those words, it kind of blows my mind how God has continued to use our story in unexpected places. When the kids were old enough to understand, we began to talk about taking them back to their birth country when they turned 10. We figured at 10, they would be old enough to be pretty good travelers, but still approach the adventure with a childlike wonder. What we didn’t plan on, was that the year Biruk turned 10 would come on the heels of me taking a brand new job, our family moving to a new state, and buying our very first house, in an economy that felt as though it was tanking! 

I remember talking to my counselor one day and sharing with him that while we had always promised this trip to our kids, it just didn’t seem to make financial sense. After all, last time I checked, Southwest Airlines does not travel to Africa. He said something along the lines of, “There’s never going to be a perfect time. You’ve been telling your kids for years this would happen. You should go.” Not too long after that conversation, I was surprised by a Christmas bonus from work that I didn’t realize I was getting and we were officially in. 

Truth be told, it still felt like a huge stretch financially. But if we’ve learned one thing throughout our adoption journey, it’s that the Lord shows up in the most unexpected ways when it comes to finances (our first adoption was fully funded by donations and the second one was almost fully covered). Fast forward a few months and we started to see God show up in crazy ways.

In June, Biruk decided that he wanted to go to Hershey Park and that he was going to sell lemonade to save for his ticket. We had just had these things called “Italian Sodas,” at church, and I told him, “Maybe you should sell those.” Within two days, he had not only set up his Italian Soda stand, but he had raised enough money for his ticket and now needed a new goal. I flippantly said to him, “How about you try to raise money for your plane ticket to Ethiopia? It’s only going to be like $1200.” He thought about it for a minute and said, “I can totally do that,” and then started setting his stand up a couple of times a week. 

Word got around that he was raising money for his plane ticket and people started showing up to buy sodas. While the sodas cost $2, most people would give him extra or just hand him a $20 bill and say keep the change. Friends and neighbors shared it their social media and then one day the local news picked up our story. They did an online article on his new “business” endeavor and we got to share a little of our adoption story. As soon as it was out, people started sharing that. Before we knew it, the local CBS Philly News came out and did an actual segment on our family. And then we were overwhelmed by the generosity.

Let me tell you about some of the stories. There was the friend of Biruk’s baseball coach who came to buy a $2 soda and paid with a $1000 check. There were the endless Venmo donations that came from strangers who had seen the story, friends and family who had walked with us through our infertility journey 10 years ago, former high school volleyball players that I had coached during our 3 year adoption journey who had watched Biruk finally come home, and then there were the former youth group kids we had Pastored. Kids who were just that when we adopted Biruk…kids. Now in their late 20’s they were sending money with notes of encouragement. One kid who we had taken overseas on a mission trip sent us this note, “I talk about you guys’ story and moments that have been core memories on me all the time. Those memories will forever shape the man I’ve become. They truly helped me in dark times. I love you guys. You will always be family and I would love Biruk to experience what I did that made me fall with travel, especially if it involves his and your family.”

Full circle moments. You never know when they will show up. 

And then there was the phone call. I was driving one day, when a stranger left me a message saying he wanted to meet Biruk and give him money towards his trip. When we called him back, we quickly learned he was an Ethiopian man who had collected over $450 from a group of Ethiopians he played soccer with and wanted to be a part of the journey. A few days later he showed up with a handful of cash and embraced us like we were his family. 

The generosity of others not only humbles you, but deeply connects you. In a matter of three months, Biruk had not only raised $5000 (which by the way was enough to cover all four plane tickets and most of our guest house stay), but had also took us on a journey that reminded us of the impact one story can have. 

That’s just it. Stories matter. Whether it’s stories of joy or heartache, stories of grief or celebrating God’s faithfulness, stories of infertility or adoption, or just the story of an Ethiopian boy selling Italian sodas…we never know whose life it might change. Thanks be to God for authoring the best kinds of stories.