A Day of Firsts

Today was full of first:

We have had an amazing day full of many emotions. We started off the
day with the visit of a lifetime. We went to the iorphan care homes
to visit the children. As we pulled up we were greeted by 15 precious
babies completely naked basking in the sun. It was one of the most
precious sights we have ever seen.

We then made our way into the room where "baby ethi" was. We prepared
ourselves for not much reaction because she is very reserved. But
were we wrong. After a few minutes she bounded over to Marla twice
and not long after she was allowing Kylee to carry her around. It was
a priceless morning.

We then re-grouped and had lunch with 10 other famlies who were
visiting their babies.

After lunch our afternoon was filed with visiting two incredible
places. The first was a hospital dedicated to leoprasy patients.
Here they train the people and allow them to make a living. We saw
women with nothing more than a few finger numbs knitting and
croqueting.

After the hospital we went to a place where silk farm. We got to
experience the entire process from the silk worm creating cacoons to
the finished silk products. Kylee had to have a scarf.

We then closed up our eveing by hanging our at our guest house. The
children love playing with the drivers. Oh how they are a God-send.

A long but unforgetable day.

Not the start we had planned for!

Today is the day that we start our physical journey to Ethiopia. Our hearts have been the for some time now. But things have not started off as we had hoped or planned for. I have been very sick for the past few days leaving Marla to do all the packing. But the worse part is Marcus. He has been very sick. We had to call our doctor early this morning. What a blessing our doctors have been. Our doctor meet us at the clinic to check Marcus over one more time. Marcus has developed a bronchial infection. We have load up on medicines and are just hoping and praying he can handle to plane ride. If you run across this post please pray for Marcus' health.

But now we are at the airport and waiting to board our plane to Ethiopia.

It is hard to believe this day is finally here.

Soli de Gloria!

What our Ethiopian Adoption IS and ISN'T

I have been thinking about this post for a while and feel that it is time to put these thoughts down.

Over the past 8 years we have had many conversations with others about adoption and orphan care. So this post is simply to publicly say what we feel ADOPTION IS AND ISN'T.

So let's begin with the positive:

IS or DOES:

• A God given passion and a biblical command. (James 1:27)
• Makes us aware of God's love for us. (John 14:18)
• A lengthy process that has taught our family many things about ourselves.
• Brings our prejudices to the surface so they can be confessed. (Colossians 3:11)
• Allows us to be a part of something that is greater than ourselves.
• Teaches us that we are not the center of our own universes.
• Confronts us in that we are not in control. (Isaiah 55:8)
• Allows our children to grow up by experiencing God's creativity in each of us.

Now for what Adoption ISN'T or DOES NOT DO:

• Adoption does not make us special or better than anyone.
• Does not make our adopted children more blessed than others' biological children.
• Isn't an opportunity to be the "Great White Saviors" for children all over the world. Jesus is the Savior.
• Does not make us more caring and loving than other parents, in fact, we could not have adopted without the help of others.
• Adopting from a foreign country is not saying those children are more deserving than children in the US and vise versa.

YOU CAN HELP - "BE MY VALENTINE."

VALENTINE'S DAY is a special day for our family. On February 14, 2003, Marla and I stood in a San Antonio courthouse and pledged our love, devotion, and support for our precious little girl - Kylee. Now 8 years later we are getting close to seeing our third child, "Princess Ethi," in person.

Next Friday, January 28 we will begin our trip (all 4 of us and Aunt Cha) to once again appear in court. Only this time it will be in Ethiopia.

This will be the 1st of two trips we will take to be able to bring "Princess Ethi" home. We are still in need of funds and here is a great way for you to be a part of our journey.

A fellow adoptive family from Oklahoma is selling shirts for Valentine's Day. Every shirt that they sale $10 will go towards a family that is adopting. If you purchase a shirt please tag "Kuykendall" in the order line. This will make great gifts, spread the awareness on the importance of adoption and help us bring "Princess Ethi" home.

If you have any questions, please let us know.

www.africaboundandrews.blogspot.com

Praying, Planning, Packing & Panicking

We are at home tonight and it is hard to believe that we are going to be boarding a plane in less than 3 weeks to start our physical journey to Ethiopia. You can probably imagine all the emotions that are invading us right now.

We are busy creating our list and checking it twice as well as adding to it daily.

Along the way we hope to be able to update everyone about our journey. And we hope to be able to share pictures of our new little girl soon.

Honestly, this is not easy and we have many concerns we are taking before our Sovereign Creator, Sustainer, and Lord.

We covet your prayers! Listed are a few areas of uncertainty that lend themselves to create anxious hearts.

• Will we forget something that we need?
• How will our youngest (16 month old) do on the 18 hour plane ride?
• Will our stomachs and digestive tracks remain friendly?
• How will our new little girl respond to us?
• How will we feel when we get to see our little girl face to face?
• Will we love the coffee as much as we hope we do?
• How will we handle leaving Ethiopia without our new princess?

And these are just to name a few.

On the flip side are hearts are soaring with excitement to see what God is doing and will continue to do! To Him be honor and Glory!!!

It is time to pack a few more things.