I heard this song on the radio this past week and thought immediately of my trips to Africa. The entire song is over on the fertility blog, but here are the words that struck me:

And there won't be snow in Africa this Christmas time. The greatest gift they'll get this year is life Where nothing ever grows No rain or rivers flow Do they know it's Christmas time at all?

Feed the world Let them know... more

Today marks the first day of Kwanzaa, a holiday designed to honor African-American heritage.

In 1966 Ron Karenga, now Dr. Maulana Karenga, created Kwanzaa while in California, as the leader of the black nationalist United Slaves Organization (also known as the "US Organization"). Dr. Karenga searched for ways to bring African-Americans together as a community. Karenga combined aspects of several different harvest celebrations, such as those of the Ashanti and those of the Zulu, to form the basis of Kwanzaa. The name Kwanzaa derives... more

Is Christmas in the US too commericialized? One writer in Africa thinks so. I stumbled across an article published in the “Financial Gazette” out of Zimbabwe that claims that “the Christmas story has become the largest marketing gimmick.” It is titled “The Marketing of Christmas!” and can be found here.

At one point in the article, author Ken Mufuka writes:

Some of my researchers came up with the idea that the US is one vast market, waiting for clever merchants to exploit. . . Now add the idea that parents must show their love for their children by buying them toys, you have added the toy manufacturers... more

Zambia is a very religious, heavily Christian country. There is very little commercialism there, but an emphasis on the religious aspect. Many churches in Zambia have nativity plays and a crib in the church. One or two days before Christmas, Zambians like to go caroling around the local streets for charity.

On Christmas day, children are encouraged to bring a present to church for children who are in hospital or might not get a present because they are less fortunate. After church, on Christmas day, it is a custom that all the children go to one house and all the adults go to another house to have a party and to eat! I was privileged to attend a wedding in Zambia in September and... more

International adoption in Zambia is a relatively new process. Like many countries in Africa, it has a long tradition of families reaching out to care for those in need. That’s as it should be, of course. Apparently, they don’t even have a word for “adoption” in Zambia, but they certainly understand the concept. I can’t tell you how many times I heard “I have 3 children, but am raising 10", or numbers like that. In fact, people would ask how many children I had and I quickly learned to say “3 living but we are raising X". They didn’t even bat an eye. In fact, several people - government workers included - complimented us on our family size and expressed the hope that we would be able... more

Are you a shopper? I’m not - I’d much rather be home, especially in cold, snowy weather. However, I just got back from an all-day shopping excursion with Marie (age 16).

We started with breakfast, then went and had our hair done (cut, styled and lightened!). From there, we wandered around the mall while she shopped for jewelry and clothes. She is such a girly girl! I actually really dislike shopping, but that girl could go all day! While we shopped, she talked - another benefit to time-out with Mom. Some was the normal chit-chat, but she got pretty deep sometimes. She told me she never wants to be a mother. I asked why and she said that although children are cute as babies,... more

Congratulations! You're thinking about adding to your family via adoption and Africa is calling to you. That's great! It can be an overwhelming prospect, but just remember, thousands of US families are adopting from all over the world every year. Here are some things for you to think about as you make your decision.

•If you are married, how does your spouse feel? It’s perfectly normal to have one partner (usually the mom) more excited and gung-ho than the other - at least at the beginning! •What age child are you hoping to adopt? Newborn? Toddler? Preschooler? School-age? Are you open to a sibling group with more than one age? More than one non-related child? •What... more

Amanda is 10 and came to us as an domestic infant adoption, done privately. In fact, I think she was one of the first kids “placed” because of the Internet, way back in 1996! She was a "meth baby", but seemingly has had very few long-lasting effects. We are grateful to that! She was our seventh child, but our first infant adoption and I took so many pictures of her that my mother commented that you would think we had NO other kids, looking at the photo albums for that first year! Matthew is also 10 and came at age 21 months from Vladivostok,... more

Hi there! I am so excited to start blogging about two of my passions - adoptions and Africa! I am quite open about our family, both challenges and blessings, and have a bunch of kids who keep me on my toes! Let me introduce us: Lee (Sr), the Dad and my dh. We’ve been married for over 20 years. Joy - that’s me. Mom and midwife and love both! Lee (Jr), our oldest. He is 19 and serving a mission for our church in England. He traveled to Kenya with me in Jan 2006 to do humanitarian work and came to Ethiopia in 2004 when we went... more