Three Angels...An Amazing Place!

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God's love & light is clearly seen within the walls & through the grounds of Three Angels. There may not be much in wordly things, but God's love & grace is enough & abounds there! I thank all of you who are apart of Three Angels! You are a huge blessing to many!

UPDATE!

Just wanted to let you know that they have heard from Caleb's birthmother & her DHS appointment is scheduled for Tuesday August 7th. Please pray that she shows up when she is suppose to & does what she needs to do. Thanks so much!

Little People...

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More Shining Stars...

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Shining Stars...

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Phoebe's Turn!

I still have a lot to say about our Haiti trip & our children but I thought it was time to give Phoebe the spot light. While we were in Haiti she spent the week with her Uncle Darrell (Randy's brother), her Aunt Sandra & her two cousins Hannah & Olivia. She had lots of fun!

Please pray for Caleb's birthmother...

I got word today that she did not show up for her DHS appointment & they do not know where she is. Thanks in advance for your prayers!

Our beautiful Haitian children...

I didn't realize until we got home that I didn't get a picture with all of us together so this will have to do for now. Hopefully someone in our group got a family shot for us.

Our baby boy...

I was going to torture you & not post this picture until tomorrow but I know many of you are waiting to see a new picture of Caleb so here it is. He is the sweetest baby! He's very laid back. When he's hungry or needs something he does this "hehehehe" softly & then increases in volume & speed if you don't respond quick enough for him. He loves to be cuddled. I miss feeding him & even changing his diapers. I love you Caleb!

My Shakira...

Shakira was waiting outside for us & was jumping up & down when she saw us. She was held by Randy first but bonded quickly to both of us although she doesn't like mamma telling her "No." She is a beautiful child with lots of potential. We went to Haiti knowing that she had "delays" but didn't really know what that meant. Although we won't know for sure until she gets to the US & is tested by our pediatrician, she does exhibit signs of what I would call mild autism. I must admit we weren't "prepared" for something like that but we know that God is in control & He will use Shakira for His glory. She also has something wrong with her right foot (I think it's her right :o) but my physical therapist friend said that can be corrected with some orthotics & therapy. She does talk some & seems to be able to say more in English than Creole. She very quickly learned the few signs that I showed her...especially "more." She went around calling out for "mamma & papa" & did say " I love you mamma" & then showered me with what I call "guppy" kisses.

The first one...

When we arrived at the orphanage Saturday most of the kids whose parents were on this trip were waiting outside for us. The first one I saw was Samara & she was immediately handed to me. I thought this was appropriate since she was the first one that God chose to reveal to us to adopt from the orphanage. Of course I don't have pictures of those moments because I was holding her & sobbing uncontrollably. Randy was holding Shakira or Caleb...I can't remember which one. All I know is that all the waiting to finally hold Samara in my arms was over & I just cried like a big baby. She just looked at me first. She was probably thinking..."What in the world is wrong with her?" but it didn't take long for her to become almost permanently attached to my hip. She bonded with me very quickly...Randy not so much...but after a couple of days she warmed up to him & was letting him hold her & she was calling him "Papa." I can't wait for the day that she is home & is running around the house & calling out "Mama & Papa." She is beautiful & sharp as a tack. I have nick named her "Phoebe JR" because they are a lot a like.

HOME...

at last. We pulled into our garage at 1:20am this morning. And of course as soon as we got in the door Phoebe decides to wake up & wants to do her normal bed time routine...I have to confess that I was "not" in the mood for it & she quickly decided it would be best to do it herself & let mommy & daddy go to bed. I think she fell asleep about 5 minutes after we got into bed so that was good. Randy is getting ready to down load pictures now so I should be able to post some soon.

We're almost home...

Hi Everyone! Although I miss my kids dearly, it is good to be back in the U.S...the land of flushing toliets & warm running water,....& a/c :o) We are still in Florida & are ready to be back home. We fly out of Fort Myers tomorrow evening & land in St. Louis. Then we have a 3 hour drive home which should put us home around 1am Tuesday morning. Phoebe has Kid's Day Out Tuesday morning but the chances of her going are pretty slim at this point. She really misses home & I'm sure she's not going to want to get out of bed early to leave it.

I'll have to wait until we get home to post pictures of our trip. There were several things that stood out to me regarding our trip.
1) It's hard to describe Haiti. The best description I have is "Words can't describe it & pictures don't do it justice." It's definetely something you have to experience for yourself.
2) Despite their circumstances...the people are very resilient. They make the most of what they have.
3) I have 3 beautiful children. I savored every moment with them. I learned different things about each one. I miss them dearly & leaving them there was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do.
4) The people involved with Three Angels & St. Joseph's are amazing & I am truly blessed to have met these people.
5) Sometimes you have to experience great pain before you are showered with an amazing abundance of joy.

Get ready kids because we're on our way!

We leave for Flordia tomorrow & depart from Miami to Haiti on Saturday morning. We will return to Miami on Friday July 20th & then stay at my brother in law's house in Ft. Myers until Monday evening & will get back to IN around 1am Tuesday the 24th. Please pray for us while we are gone. Thanks!

Kathy Eden...

Okay...after struggling for a search for a new signature name for blogging I have finally settled on Kathy Eden. I tried Kathy #1 & didn't like it because it may come across as me sounding "superior" to any other Kathy's. I then tried Edenbound which is the title of my blog but then thought it may be too vague for some people. Then I tried IN Kathy but when I posted it showed up as in kathy which seemed "strange" to me. So then I settled on Kathy Eden...Eden being my middle name because although I have met a lot of Kathy's in my life time...I've never met another Kathy Eden, so for now, that's what I'm sticking with. Whach ya think?

Look...I'm growing!

No, not my beautiful children but the youngest member of our feline family. Cali is approx. 6 weeks old now & she seems to be doing really well. I'll take her to the vet when we return from our trip.

The Purpose of Life...

This is from a devotion that Randy & I did this morning. It's from Max Lucado's "Grace For The Moment" devotion book. Although I know the "real" purpose of life, sometimes I get side tracked by the immediate things going on in my life such as now with the adoptions. I know that's not my purpose for living but the things that are required to make it happen require me to put a lot of time & energy into it. It is during these times that I need to remind myself that this is another journery in the journey of life to serve & praise my Lord.
"Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, & all your mind."
Matthew 22:37
Mine deep enough in every heart & you'll find it: a longing for meaning, a quest for purpose. As surely as a child breathes, he will someday wonder, "What is the purpose of my life?"
Some search for meaning in a career. "My purpose is to be a dentist." Fine vocation but hardly a justification for existence. They opt to be a human "doing" rather than a human "being." Who they are is what they do; consquently they do a lot. They work many hours because if they don't work, they don't have an identity.
For others, who they are is what they have. They find meaning in a new car or a new house or new clothes. These people are great for the economy & rough on the budget because they are always seeking meaning in something they own...Some try sports, entertainment, cults, sex, you name it. All mirages in the desert of purpose...
Shouldn't we face the truth? If we don't acknowledge God, we are flotsam in the universe. (Kathy translation of flotsam in this example: we are like worthless chaff blowing in the wind)

So what's your purpose???

Please pray hard & fast!!!

On the advice of a friend who has been through this before, she told me to contact the DHS officer today to inquire about the status of Caleb's I 171h that we need before we leave for Haiti. I am SO thankful that I did! I found out that the lady who approves these forms is out on leave & she had not approved Caleb's before leaving. So I spoke with a super nice lady who is filling in for her & she is going to try to do whatever she can to help us out. Please pray that she will be able to get it approved for us before our scheduled DHS appointment next week. Thank you so much!!!

You got to be kidding!!!

Okay...I've spent most of the weekend struggling with packing our supply bags. Randy & I have to bring 200 pounds of supplies for the orphanage. A) That's a lot of things B) That's a lot of things to pack in duffle bags. So I have packed, unpacked, repacked, unpacked, & repacked some more! I think I finally got the bags filled how they need to be. So I should be happy right? Ugh, NO! Now the really fun part begins. I have to pack a carry on...you know...those really small suitcases that I usually pack just tolietries in...with almost everything I am going to need for a week in Haiti. You got to be kidding! The people who made this rule obviously haven't seen how I pack when I go on a trip! Please pray that I can carefully cram everything I need into a itsy, bitsy carry on. And then pray that I can do it again for Randy's carry on. Thanks!

My Shaki...I love her soooooo much!

7 Days!!!

I can't believe it! We only have 6 days until we're in Florida & 7 until we're in Haiti! After all this time we are finally going to meet our children. It was the end of January when we decided to adopt Samara. Hopefully she has been "patiently" waiting for us. I know Shakira is waiting for us & I can't wait to see the look on her face when she sees us for the first time. I get teary eyed just thinking about it. I will probably cry the whole time that I'm there. I can't wait to hold Caleb in my arms. I know it's going to be very hard to leave at the end of the week. Please pray for all of us. Thanks!

Emma...

is our cat that you never see. She's very shy & hides as soon as she "thinks" some one other than her owners are approaching the house. She is really starting to warm up to Cali & they were playing with each other this morning. Sass however keeps hissing at Cali.

Happy Fourth of July!

"GOD BLESS OUR NATIVE LAND"
#497 from the Blue Lutheran Worship

God bless our native land, Firm may it ever stand
Through storm & night, When the wild tempests rave, Ruler of
wind & wave, Do thou our country save By thy great might.

So shall our prayers arise to God above the skies,
On whom we wait. Thou who art ever nigh, Guarding with
watchful eye, To thee alound we cry: God save the state!

I'm sleepy...

From Staff Nurse to H.I.S...

Randy refused to let me take his picture this morning like I wanted to. He said, "You are not taking my picture & putting it on your blog." Well, that's exactly why I wanted to take it so since I couldn't post it in on my blog...I didn't take his picture.

Today Randy starts a new job. He is going from wearing scrubs, direct patient care, & a variable schedule to wearing dress clothes & a tie, no direct patient care, & a set "normal" schedule M-F with no weekends & holidays. Please pray for him as he transtitions into his new job. We are both very excited about this new position because it will be the first job he has had where he will be able to utilize all of his degrees: math, computer science, nursing, & Masters in Health Sciences. His offical title now is a Health Informatics Specialist (H.I.S).

Even though I don't have a picture to show you, I must say that he looked very handsome this morning as he walked out the door in his neatly ironed navy blue dress pants, blue checked shirt, & red tie. :o)