Enough LOVE to go around

The Maier family (L to R): Laurel, Mihret, Habtamu, Selam, Siri, Benjamin, Rahel, Annie and Chris. They had thought about it off and on for years.

But adopting a child from Africa seemed complicated, and besides, they simply didn't have the room in their two-bedroom home with a family of five already.

Chris and Annie Maier, he a mental health counselor, and she a registered cardiac nurse, had talked about the possibility of adoption, but when she was for it, he was against it, and vice versa.

They hadn't discussed it for months when the Stanwood couple woke up one morning and shared their dreams. An African mother had come to the door in Chris' dream and had asked him to take her child. Annie on the other hand, was sitting in the airport of a developing country when she looked down and saw that a baby had been placed on the floor beside her.

"That was what really got our attention," said Annie.

That's when adopting a child from Sub-Saharan Africa was no longer a "maybe."

In addition, a recent remodel had considerably enlarged their former 1,100- square-foot country home to accommodate another child.

Ethiopia, situated in the horn of Africa, has a population of more than 85,000,000. They sat down with their three children, Siri, Laurel and Benjamin to discuss it further, and each was supportive of the idea.

So, in January 2006, the Maiers began working with Adopt Advocates International (AAI), an organization that works directly with orphanages in Ethiopia, China, Thailand, Ghana, and Washington state. They received a roster of children living in Ethiopia orphanages, along with their biographies.

"There's a lot of kids waiting for adoption," said Chris.

The plan for adopting one child quickly evolved into three (two girls and one boy): Selam, Habtamu and Mihret, then 13, 9 and 7.

In August of that year, the Maier family boarded a plane bound for Ethiopia, a country in the horn of Africa with a population of more than 85 million, to pick up their three new children.

To finance the adoption, they took out a second mortgage on their home. With legal fees in both countries, medical testing and AAI fees, it came to around $30,000.

Unbeknownst to them, the U.S. government gives generous tax deductions to individuals/couples who adopt, making it possible to be reimbursed for adoption fees incurred over a fiveyear period. Generous tax deductions continue while the child is being raised.

"It's a terrific benefit most Americans don't know about," said Anne.

Meanwhile, as the family of five was getting used to being eight and the new members were settling in, Chris and Annie remained haunted over another child at the orphanage, Rahel, a friendly and pretty 13-yearold girl.

"The hardest part is all the kids you leave behind," said Chris. "There are literally millions of orphans in Sub-Saharan Africa."

However, they could not get Rahel off their minds, and soon managed to adopt her as well.

One bedroom, formerly two before a wall was removed, serves as a fairly spacious dorm-style room for the five girls, and the two boys share another upstairs bedroom. Twoand a-half bathrooms in the home stay pretty busy, Chris said.

Three years down the road, Selam, Habtamu, Mihret and Rahel, who only spoke a few words in English when they arrived, now have picked up the language fluently.

Benjamin, 13, and, Habtamu, 12, said they found it hard to get along at first, but a few fisticuffs helped them work things out.

"It's still a process of learning and sharing,' said Benjamin.

Now, Chris and Annie have felt another calling. They want to adopt an additional girl and boy from Ethiopia around their daughter Mihret's age, who is now 10. The parents of these orphans are among the millions of victims of AIDS in Africa, said Chris.

"We feel God led," he said. "We weren't done yet."

So, to expand their family once more, they first need to expand their home again. Last week the family went to work tearing down a former dilapidated garage to make room for a 700-square-foot addition to accomodate two more bedrooms and a home-school area.

The church they attend, Cedarhome Baptist, is helping raise funds, and others are coming forward to offer at-cost services/supplies or by volunteering labor.

Now Chris needs a framer to tie the structure into the existing home.

"I get my building permit next week," he said. "A real big need right now is a framer. I can do the interiors myself."

No plumbing will be installed, but an electrician would be appreciated later, said Chris.

Meanwhile, the household is abuzz with children doing their assigned chores for the day.

A "wheel of duties" is spun each day. If chores are not kept up, things begin to unfurl fairly quickly, said Annie.

However, if planned activities are canceled due to chores not being done, every child pitches in.

"Oh, this place can get cleaned up in 15 minutes if it means no movie," chuckled Chris.

People interested in helping on the project can contact Chris at (cell) 425- 348-8354 or email, shrinkmaier. one@verizon.net. Tax-deductible contributions can be directed to Cedarhome Baptist Church, 29000 68th Ave. NW, Stanwood, 98292. Be sure to designate the "Maier Project."

Editor Kelly Ruhoff: 629-8066 ext. 106 or