From Ashes to Africa

Just finished reading the book "From Ashes to Africa" by Josh and Amy Bottomly.  The book is a candid view of the Bottomly's struggle with infertility and their journey to adoption from Ethiopia.  The book is written in a beautiful narrative where both Josh and Amy take turns telling different parts of their story, from their own point of view.  The writing is very descriptive and well done.  One of Josh's comments in the book is that in order to write purposefully, an author needs to "cut open a vein."  Josh and Amy do this many times in the book as they share the details of the pain of infertility and the joy that they found through adoption.

The Bottomlys also share their heart on many difficult points of international adoption.  In their meeting with Silas' birth mom Hermela, they share the pain of a mother who is unable to care for her birth-child as she says goodbye to Silas Tesfamariam, they share of saying goodbye to Silas' grandmother, of saying goodbye to Silas' country.  They share their feelings that this broken world often results in many difficult and painful situations woven together through the loving touch of the hand of God.  They share that in this world of infertility and abject poverty, the whole creation groans (Rom 8:22) longing for healing and leaving us to know that we are not meant to "feel at peace in our skin."  In the chapter where they meet Silas' birth-mom Hermela, Amy reflects upon their meeting and their departure and writes,

Part of me felt the rightness of adoption, the rightness of God fulfilling a dream of ours, the rightness of God meeting a need of Hermela's, and the rightness of Hermela's courage and sacrifice.  The other part of me felt the wrongness of adoption, the wrongness of broken families, and the wrongness of abject poverty.  Reflecting back on the times I had complained about my struggles with infertility or I had expressed anger toward God for my life's unfairness, I now felt remorseful and ashamed for what I had though and felt, how it all paled in comparison to Hermela's plight, along with the hundreds of thousands of others like Hermela who struggled every day just to survive.

Since the 2007 adoption of Silas, the Bottomlys have also adopted a beautiful little girl from Ethiopia named Olive.  You can catch up with their story at their blog .....Ethiopia or bust.....

If you've ever struggled with the thoughts of how infertility and adoption can exist in God's "Plan A" for our lives, this is a good read!