A New Name

Angelo has been home for over four months now, and while we all have some growing to do, one thing is clear: he is a Hogue.  You can see it in the carefree way he shrugs his shoulders like his dad, the way he helps with chores around the house, the way his eyes sparkle when he has a good belly laugh. We are family...and it's beginning to show. 

As of today, our son has a name that reflects his new identity as part of our family. Today, former orphan, Surafel, officially became Angelo Adama Hogue. 

When we are first matched with our son almost one year ago, we learned his Ethiopian name, Surafel, meant angel. Right away we felt his name should be Angelo (and he has been Angelo - in our hearts - for the last year!) His middle name - Adama - honors the place of his birth.

For Angelo, he officially became part of our family in October. Though we had not spent much time together (in fact it would be another month until he lived with us) he was in fact our son. But since then he is beginning to see, little by little, what being in a family really means. Even when he didn't feel it, and often pushed us away (because true family love is foreign and suspicious to those who haven't yet experienced its richness) we loved him. Now we are starting to see signs of familial love pulsing through his veins like buds before the flower. He is blooming.     And now, he has a new name - but this is just an outward sign of an inward reality. He is ours, and we are his.

Not much unlike God's family.

Justification - declared to be God's child

Sanctification - growing in the family likeness

Baptism - an outward sign of an inner reality

May God give grace for us to resemble His character more and more.