The Newspaper did an article on us and bringing home Seble

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Stuzmans journey to Ethiopia to Bring Daughter Home
December 2010 Posted in People
By Kristine Thomas

Evergreen Elementary School sixth-grade student Jacob Stutzman hasn’t bombarded his parents with requests for Christmas presents.

After visiting Ethiopia with his parents, Adam and Amber in November, Jacob returned to Silverton grateful for everything he has.

He knows his family’s most precious gift will arrive on Dec. 30 when his parents and grandmother, Karen Fields, return from Ethiopia with his baby sister, Seble.

As Adam and Amber counted down the days to their return to Ethiopia to finally bring Seble home, they are astonished and amazed this part of their journey is concluding.

In January 2008, Adam and Amber applied to adopt a baby girl through All God’s Children, a nonprofit Christian agency in Portland. They waited patiently for news a child had been selected for them as they held numerous fundraisers.

In November, Adam, Amber and Jacob traveled to Ethiopia to meet, Seble, which means “harvest.” They were ecstatic to meet the 5-month-old girl that previously they had only seen in photographs.

And they were deeply moved by seeing the poverty in Ethiopia, one of the poorest countries in the world. The annual per capita income is less than $160 with 47 percent of the population living below the poverty rate.

Memories of people living at the dump and children roaming the streets make their hearts ache. Knowing they can’t help every child, they are determined to do what they can to help one.

“I don’t see how you can’t go there and not be changed,” Amber said. “Seeing all those children at the orphanage made my heart break. It makes me want to do something.”

Even if a family can’t adopt a child, Adam and Amber encourage them to do what they can to help a child.

“We saw so much hopelessness,” Amber said. “There are many organizations that for just $30 a month, you could help change a person’s life there.”

As Adam and Amber prepare to travel to Ethiopia on Dec. 24, they packed six suitcases and two totes with gifts for Solomon, his wife and two sons. Solomon was their taxi driver trying to make ends meet the best he can in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia.

They also packed clothing for the orphanage, “Hannah’s Hope,” where Seble lives.

“As excited as I am to go get our baby girl, I am very excited also to see Solomon and his family’s faces when they see their stuff,” Amber wrote on the family’s blog, adamandamberstutzman.blogspot.com.

They are bringing toiletries, shoes, clothes, jackets, food, and toys as well as school supplies and money for Solomon’s sons to go to school.

Amber’s thankful for her friends and family who donated several gifts.

“This is what Christmas is all about and I can’t wait,” Amber wrote. “It is so much better than a regular Christmas gift. But of course, the best Christmas gift is getting to see our baby and actually bring her home to start the New Year off in a great way-what a new beginning and we are beyond blessed and so grateful to God for his precious gift of her.”

Legally, Seble was a Stutzman when they passed court on Nov. 19. Adam and Amber have an appointment with the U.S. Embassy in Addis on Dec. 27 to receive Seble’s final paperwork, returning to Portland Dec. 30.

“It’s surreal we are near the finish line,” Amber said. “We finally get to bring her home.”

Time and time again, Adam and Amber have been asked why they wanted to adopt a child when they have five children, Jacob, 12; Cassidy and Zachary, 8; Noah, 7 and Logan, 5.

Their answer is simple – they have plenty of love to give, so why not? And they knew somewhere in the world there was a child needing their love.

That’s really where this story begins.

Stenciled on their kitchen wall are the words “All because two people fell in love.”

Amber always knew she wanted to adopt a child, even when she began dating Adam in high school. He went to Silverton High School and she to Salem Academy. Within the first year of their courtship, she asked Adam how he felt about adoption. She was 16 years old, he was 17.

“My sister was adopted so that’s what inspired me to want to adopt a child,” Amber said. “I always knew if I never adopted a child, I would regret it.”

Photographs are posted on the family’s blog of Adam, Amber and Jacob holding Seble. Their eyes twinkle and their smiles are infectious as they marvel at Seble.

“It’s so amazing to look at her little face and realize that’s your daughter,” Adam said.

“She’s a serious but mellow and happy baby,” Amber added. “You can just see the wheels turning.”

As Adam and Amber look back on every step that has led them to become Seble’s parents, they can see “God’s hand” in their journey.

Seble was found at a church and brought to the nearby police station. When officials tried to determine her birth date, they agreed on June 11, which, unbeknownst to them, happens to be Adam and Amber’s wedding anniversary.

As Amber reflects on the last two years, she is grateful for having experienced two miracles - one of giving birth to her own children and the other of adopting a child.

“Adoption is completely out of your hands,” she said. “I really believe Seble was made for our family. It’s been amazing to see all the pieces of her story come together and finally have her home. It’s like we have been handed a gift that we had nothing to do with. We believe Seble was created for our family. God just knew she was meant for us.”