To Friends and Family

We have finished the paperwork that will be submitted to the Embassy which will be 4-6 weeks from when we completed our court date (June 20th).  Join me in prayer that the research and investigation that needs to be done to declare Kena an orphan will be completed quickly without glitches.  In the meantime, I thought I would give you all a heads up about what to expect when we bring her home.  Hopefully we'll be able to bring her home by early October to get her adjusted before all the holiday get-togethers. 

Dear friends and family,

We are so thankful for the outpouring of love and support through this long and arduous adoption journey. Sometimes it’s hard to remember that all the paperwork, fundraising and waiting will have been the easy part in comparison to actually parenting our little girl! As international adoption is not a common occurrence we thought it would be helpful to give you some information on what the next several months will look like for our family.

If you can put yourself in Kena's little shoes for a minute you can imagine how difficult this transition will be for her. She is going with strange people to a new place with different smells, unknown foods, an unrecognizable language and a whole host of stimuli that she has never experienced before. She will be dealing with the pain and uncertainly of being taken from her home and her caregivers for the fourth time in her short life. We will be doing everything we can to ease this transition. This includes "cocooning" for several weeks after she arrives home. This means you won’t see us at church. We won’t be having people over or going out. Time for phone calls and other communication may be limited (although we will read all emails even if we can’t respond right away!) Our other kids will still be going to school and we will provide them opportunities to play at friend’s houses but we will try to keep things very low-key at home. If you come by to drop off a meal or for another reason please leave the kiddos at home or in the car. I know personally that this can be an inconvenience for families but it is important for Kena and we really appreciate it.

David and I will be the only ones who hold or feed Kena for the first several weeks. Children who have spent time in an institutional setting often learn that any adult might be able to meet their needs. With so many different people who have cared for her, Kena has no framework to connect to us as her mommy and daddy. Frankly, she doesn’t really even know what that kind of relationship looks like. By having David and I be the sole ‘need-meeters’ she will begin to see that we are different than the many other caretakers who have come and gone in her life. Please know that we mean no offense if ask you to refrain from holding or hugging her or giving her a snack. These limitations are an important step in helping him to bond to us.

We have always been blessed by the love and kindness that our friends and family have shown to our children. There is, of course, a natural drawing of attention to any new child who joins a family. This is amplified in Kena’s case. After over a year of praying, waiting, and working to bring her home, people’s hearts are invested in this little girl! We want to be careful, however, that Bryce, Stacy, and Jay do not feel an overwhelming displacement by Kena’s arrival. To this end we would encourage you to continue show the same interest in them as you have in the past. They would surely appreciate conversations that don’t center around Kena as they are individuals with their own interests, thoughts and feelings. We know that with your help they will continue to feel loved and secure during this transition.

It is our desire to "share" Kena with you and hope to provide pictures and updates on facebook and our blog as we have time. We appreciate your prayers and thoughts for our family as we make this very dramatic transition. We know that God has led us this far and trust that he will see us through any difficulties that lie ahead.

In Christ,

David and Laura