Our little guy is 7-months old today! Its hard to believe that we've had his referral for nearly two months now. Its been a while since I've filled you in on where we are in terms of "the process", so I thought I would give you an update.
This is the good news....
All of our paperwork is in Ethiopia - Done!
All of Kad's paperwork is gathered and complete - Done!
Our complete file is submitted to the courts - Done!
...so what are we waiting on?
We're waiting for the courts to assign us a court date which will be our first trip to Ethiopia. We're PRAYING that date is in early June so if there are any problems, we have some time to get them corrected before the courts close for the rainy season in August and September. Once we pass court, we wait for Kad's birth certificate and passport to be issued and then we return to Ethiopia for our embassy interview to get Kad a U.S. visa. There's really no way to know how long all of that will take (I've stopped trying to guess on time-lines!).
Right now we're just praying that he gets healthy and that we're able to have him home by his first birthday!
4/26/11
4/25/11
World Malaria Day
Today is officially World Malaria Day and we have been overwhelmed by the response to our plea for bed-nets! In just under one week, you all have donated a total of: $732
...which will purchase 61 bed nets
...which will save 244 people from ever suffering from malaria!!
And, the checks keep coming in! We still need funds for 39 nets, so keep them coming! We still have a few fundraising ideas to debut, so I'm confident that we'll have all 100 nets in Ethiopia before the rainy season hits.
Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who said, "Yes...this is personal for me too!" and responded with your prayers and donations. Two of my favorite memories this week was when our littlest supporters handed me their donations and said the following:
Adi (21 months): "'pport Kad"
Samuel (3 yrs): "Nets for Kad...where is he?"
....oh, Samuel, how I wish he was home to play with you!
I love these little future world-changers!!
Malaria will forever be a part of our family story, but because of your support, that is not the case for 61 families in rural Ethiopia. I just can't wait to tell Kad one day about all of you here fighting malaria while he was in Ethiopia fighting too!
...which will purchase 61 bed nets
...which will save 244 people from ever suffering from malaria!!
And, the checks keep coming in! We still need funds for 39 nets, so keep them coming! We still have a few fundraising ideas to debut, so I'm confident that we'll have all 100 nets in Ethiopia before the rainy season hits.
Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who said, "Yes...this is personal for me too!" and responded with your prayers and donations. Two of my favorite memories this week was when our littlest supporters handed me their donations and said the following:
Adi (21 months): "'pport Kad"
Samuel (3 yrs): "Nets for Kad...where is he?"
....oh, Samuel, how I wish he was home to play with you!
I love these little future world-changers!!
Malaria will forever be a part of our family story, but because of your support, that is not the case for 61 families in rural Ethiopia. I just can't wait to tell Kad one day about all of you here fighting malaria while he was in Ethiopia fighting too!
4/22/11
Deadliest Predator
the Top Ten deadliest predators in the world are:
10.) Poison Dart Frogs -- Kill 200 people / year
9.) Cape Buffalo -- Kill 270 people / year
8.) Box Jellyfish -- Kill 300 people / year
7.) Polar Bears -- Kill 450 people / year
6.) Elephants -- Kill 500 people / year
5.) Saltwater Crocodiles -- Kill 800 people / year
4.) African Lions -- Kill 950 people / year
3.) Asian Cobras -- Kill 2,700 people / year
2.) Hippos -- Kill 12,000 people / year
1.) MOSQUITOES -- Kill 1,095,000 people / year
Mosquitoes kill more people each year than all other animals COMBINED!
NOBODY should die from a mosquito bite, but this is the tragic reality for more than 3,000 people EVERY DAY. Our generation has the power and the resources to eliminate malaria FOREVER....the question is, do we have the compassion?
For a lot of you, the answer has been YES! In three days, we've raised: $480.00
.....which will buy 40 bed nets
.....which will save 160 LIVES!!!!
We're 40% to our goal and WE NEED YOUR HELP to purchase the remaining 60 bed nets!
10.) Poison Dart Frogs -- Kill 200 people / year
9.) Cape Buffalo -- Kill 270 people / year
8.) Box Jellyfish -- Kill 300 people / year
7.) Polar Bears -- Kill 450 people / year
6.) Elephants -- Kill 500 people / year
5.) Saltwater Crocodiles -- Kill 800 people / year
4.) African Lions -- Kill 950 people / year
3.) Asian Cobras -- Kill 2,700 people / year
2.) Hippos -- Kill 12,000 people / year
1.) MOSQUITOES -- Kill 1,095,000 people / year
Mosquitoes kill more people each year than all other animals COMBINED!
NOBODY should die from a mosquito bite, but this is the tragic reality for more than 3,000 people EVERY DAY. Our generation has the power and the resources to eliminate malaria FOREVER....the question is, do we have the compassion?
For a lot of you, the answer has been YES! In three days, we've raised: $480.00
.....which will buy 40 bed nets
.....which will save 160 LIVES!!!!
We're 40% to our goal and WE NEED YOUR HELP to purchase the remaining 60 bed nets!
4/19/11
Watch and ACT...
We've been so blessed by the kind words and support we've received so far in our campaign to raise funds for 100 insecticide treated bed-nets.
In one day, $124 was contributed in on-line donations and an additional $12 donated in person for a one-day total of $136! That's just over 11 bed nets -- 11 FAMILIES that will never suffer from malaria. Those of you who contributed today have literally SAVED LIVES.... THANK YOU!!
We still have a long way to go to blanket an ENTIRE village in bed nets, so my prayer is that you will watch this video and be moved to ACT:
You can donate on-line by using the Chip-In link in the sidebar of this page, or you can donate by cash or check by emailing us at Nets4Kad@hotmail.com and we'll arrange payment.
Please prayerfully consider partnering with us in the effort to save lives in Africa!
In one day, $124 was contributed in on-line donations and an additional $12 donated in person for a one-day total of $136! That's just over 11 bed nets -- 11 FAMILIES that will never suffer from malaria. Those of you who contributed today have literally SAVED LIVES.... THANK YOU!!
We still have a long way to go to blanket an ENTIRE village in bed nets, so my prayer is that you will watch this video and be moved to ACT:
You can donate on-line by using the Chip-In link in the sidebar of this page, or you can donate by cash or check by emailing us at Nets4Kad@hotmail.com and we'll arrange payment.
Please prayerfully consider partnering with us in the effort to save lives in Africa!
4/18/11
Malaria No More
One week from today, April 25th, is World Malaria Day. Some good friends have been helping me plan an event to educate people in our community about this horrible disease and to advocate for the MILLIONS of people around the world that suffer needlessly each year.
The main goal for our event was to raise enough funds to blanket an entire village in Ethiopia with life saving bed nets. We were going to have displays, show an incredible video, and Mike and I were going to share a little more of Kad's story and the impact Malaria has had already on our family.
Unfortunately, we found out over the weekend that the facility we had planned on using feels that this isn't the right time to focus on malaria advocacy.
Well...we're just going to have to disagree. We are confident that NOW is exactly the time to advocate for malaria...because the families who need these nets simply don't have a "later".
This is a quote from Richard Sterns, the CEO of World Vision in his book "The Hole in the Gospel":
"Our problem is that the plight of suffering children in a far off land simply hasn't gotten personal for us. We may hear about them with sorrow, but we haven't really been able to look at them as if they were our own children. If we could, then we would surly grieve more deeply in our spirits. We would weep for their parents and we would respond with far greater urgency."
That sums up so well how Mike and I are feeling. We're "grieving deeply in our spirits" because this IS PERSONAL for us. When we think of the children going to sleep tonight completely vulnerable to a deadly infection we think of our sweet little boy, and we know we have to act NOW on behalf of those children!
With little time to find another venue, there will be no organized event next Monday for World Malaria Day. Instead, we're going to be posting malaria facts & stories throughout this week in hopes that YOU will help us meet our goal of providing 100 bed nets to a village in Ethiopia!
PLEASE donate by using the Chip-In link in the sidebar or emailing us at Nets4Kad@hotmail.com...$12.00 will save a family of four for four years! Spread the word to family, friends, co-workers, neighbors, complete strangers, and please leave us a comment or send us an email letting us know that its PERSONAL for you too and that you're with us in this fight to make MALARIA NO MORE!
The main goal for our event was to raise enough funds to blanket an entire village in Ethiopia with life saving bed nets. We were going to have displays, show an incredible video, and Mike and I were going to share a little more of Kad's story and the impact Malaria has had already on our family.
Unfortunately, we found out over the weekend that the facility we had planned on using feels that this isn't the right time to focus on malaria advocacy.
Well...we're just going to have to disagree. We are confident that NOW is exactly the time to advocate for malaria...because the families who need these nets simply don't have a "later".
This is a quote from Richard Sterns, the CEO of World Vision in his book "The Hole in the Gospel":
"Our problem is that the plight of suffering children in a far off land simply hasn't gotten personal for us. We may hear about them with sorrow, but we haven't really been able to look at them as if they were our own children. If we could, then we would surly grieve more deeply in our spirits. We would weep for their parents and we would respond with far greater urgency."
That sums up so well how Mike and I are feeling. We're "grieving deeply in our spirits" because this IS PERSONAL for us. When we think of the children going to sleep tonight completely vulnerable to a deadly infection we think of our sweet little boy, and we know we have to act NOW on behalf of those children!
With little time to find another venue, there will be no organized event next Monday for World Malaria Day. Instead, we're going to be posting malaria facts & stories throughout this week in hopes that YOU will help us meet our goal of providing 100 bed nets to a village in Ethiopia!
PLEASE donate by using the Chip-In link in the sidebar or emailing us at Nets4Kad@hotmail.com...$12.00 will save a family of four for four years! Spread the word to family, friends, co-workers, neighbors, complete strangers, and please leave us a comment or send us an email letting us know that its PERSONAL for you too and that you're with us in this fight to make MALARIA NO MORE!
4/8/11
April Update
Each month, we will receive updates on Kad while he waits to come home. These monthly updates are a BIG deal, all of us waiting parents jump for joy when the updates come through. Why, you ask?? Well..because they not only contain an updated assessment on the child's development, but they have UPDATED PICTURES!! Several families received their April updates earlier this week, but nothing for us. I refreshed my email inbox about a million times on Monday and Tuesday in hopes that one would come through, but nothing....
I realized Wednesday that because Kad has been in the hospital so much this past month, the social workers in Ethiopia probably weren't able to get his update completed. I finally just accepted it and counted April out for us.
Guess what...I WAS WRONG!! We got our first update on Kad since our referral, and it was WONDERFUL! I love reading through the social worker's comments on what he's doing and what he likes. My favorite comment in this month's update is that he likes to take naps after eating his meals. This comment was followed by a picture of Kad kicked back, eyes all sleepy, holding a bottle in his hands. He is just ADORABLE!
He's doing so much better! These are his stats now:
Age: 6-months
Weight: 14.32 lbs
Length: 26.37"
We're just so, so blessed! Hopefully, only a couple more monthly updates until we're taking pictures of him ourselves!!
I realized Wednesday that because Kad has been in the hospital so much this past month, the social workers in Ethiopia probably weren't able to get his update completed. I finally just accepted it and counted April out for us.
Guess what...I WAS WRONG!! We got our first update on Kad since our referral, and it was WONDERFUL! I love reading through the social worker's comments on what he's doing and what he likes. My favorite comment in this month's update is that he likes to take naps after eating his meals. This comment was followed by a picture of Kad kicked back, eyes all sleepy, holding a bottle in his hands. He is just ADORABLE!
He's doing so much better! These are his stats now:
Age: 6-months
Weight: 14.32 lbs
Length: 26.37"
We're just so, so blessed! Hopefully, only a couple more monthly updates until we're taking pictures of him ourselves!!
4/5/11
The Name
Mike and I honestly didn't discuss names for our child prior to getting our referral. We had our heart set on keeping our child's given Ethiopian name if at all possible. When we got our referral and saw "B's name in writing for the first time, we knew it would be a very difficult name for him to grow up with. You see...its six syllables long and VERY unique. However, his name is beautiful and it has a very significant meaning for us and for his birth family.
I can't share publicly what his Ethiopian name is, but I can tell you that its translated meaning is "Through the Lord's Will". Through this entire process, we have prayed that we wanted to get our referral, "but only if its the Lord's Will". We said this prayer so much that Hebrews 10:36 became a verse that I would cling to when the waiting was difficult:
You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of the Lord, you will receive what he has promised. Hebrews 10:36
Needless to say, his name was further affirmation that this is exactly the child God had hand picked before time began to be our son. So...we just couldn't imagine changing it. Instead, we have decided to keep his Ethiopian name but we will shorten it to make it easier for him to grow up with and for others to pronounce. So, we are happy to share that Baby "B"s official name will be:
KAD WILLIAMS
We aren't able to share yet what his middle name will be, as it is also a very important name to his family in Ethiopia and we need to wait until after court to make that public. I can tell you that its translation also has a connection to our family...so amazing!
We just can't wait to have our little family of three together under one roof...Michael, Krista & Kad....sounds pretty perfect, huh?
I can't share publicly what his Ethiopian name is, but I can tell you that its translated meaning is "Through the Lord's Will". Through this entire process, we have prayed that we wanted to get our referral, "but only if its the Lord's Will". We said this prayer so much that Hebrews 10:36 became a verse that I would cling to when the waiting was difficult:
You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of the Lord, you will receive what he has promised. Hebrews 10:36
Needless to say, his name was further affirmation that this is exactly the child God had hand picked before time began to be our son. So...we just couldn't imagine changing it. Instead, we have decided to keep his Ethiopian name but we will shorten it to make it easier for him to grow up with and for others to pronounce. So, we are happy to share that Baby "B"s official name will be:
KAD WILLIAMS
We aren't able to share yet what his middle name will be, as it is also a very important name to his family in Ethiopia and we need to wait until after court to make that public. I can tell you that its translation also has a connection to our family...so amazing!
We just can't wait to have our little family of three together under one roof...Michael, Krista & Kad....sounds pretty perfect, huh?
4/4/11
Update on "B"...and some good news!
So many of you have asked how our little guy is doing since his diagnosis. Thank you for your love and prayers! We are happy to report that he is doing much, much better. He has finished his IV malaria treatment and is now taking oral malaria medication. He is also off all of the IV antibiotics, so no more needles for our little boy! In his last update, the doctor said that Baby "B" was happy and smiling....I would be smiling too if I had multiple IVs removed after a week!
It still just infuriates me to think that for $6, Baby "B" could have had a bed net that would have prevented him from ever getting infected and suffering for the past month, but we are so blessed that he was able to get the treatment he needed before his malaria progressed to what the doctor referred to as "the point of no return". He has now been fever-free for 48 hours and is well on his way to recovery.
As if this wasn't exciting enough, we received more wonderful news today. All of "B"s documents have been gathered, and our file was formally submitted to the Ethiopian courts today!! On Friday, we were told that this may not happen until July, so this was VERY unexpected and the first time ANYTHING in this process has happened "ahead of schedule" for us! It was so good to hear this news after such an emotionally difficult week.
So, what's next? Well....in two to four weeks we will find out our actual court date which they are estimating to be in late June or early July. That means that in about twelve weeks we will be in Ethiopia with sweet Baby "B" in our arms!!
PRAISING, PRAISING, PRAISING GOD!
It still just infuriates me to think that for $6, Baby "B" could have had a bed net that would have prevented him from ever getting infected and suffering for the past month, but we are so blessed that he was able to get the treatment he needed before his malaria progressed to what the doctor referred to as "the point of no return". He has now been fever-free for 48 hours and is well on his way to recovery.
As if this wasn't exciting enough, we received more wonderful news today. All of "B"s documents have been gathered, and our file was formally submitted to the Ethiopian courts today!! On Friday, we were told that this may not happen until July, so this was VERY unexpected and the first time ANYTHING in this process has happened "ahead of schedule" for us! It was so good to hear this news after such an emotionally difficult week.
So, what's next? Well....in two to four weeks we will find out our actual court date which they are estimating to be in late June or early July. That means that in about twelve weeks we will be in Ethiopia with sweet Baby "B" in our arms!!
PRAISING, PRAISING, PRAISING GOD!
4/1/11
Making it Personal
Every 45 seconds a child in Africa dies of Malaria
Children under 5 account for 85% of malaria deaths
91% of all malaria deaths occur in Africa
Malaria was eradicated in the US in 1951
Malaria is PREVENTABLE
These statistics became very personal this week. Sweet Baby "B" was hospitalized on Sunday and we got the official diagnosis...malaria. All of a sudden malaria wasn't a sad statistic or a cause to donate to....this is OUR SON. Now its personal and I'm mad. I'm mad for all of the mothers in Africa who watch their children become infected with an illness that they can't get treatment for. I'm mad for all of the doctors at clinics who watch patients walk through the door looking for medicine that can't be found. I'm mad for all of the children who go to sleep at night wondering if that is the night they'll get the mosquito bite that seals their fate. I'm mad -- and I want to make you mad too!
Baby "B" was blessed to be at an orphanage who has nannies who are educated and experienced. They recognized his need for care and took him immediately. Because he is in the process of being adopted, he was admitted to a private hospital with a great doctor who had the resources and medication to diagnose and begin treatment. Not only that, but as he's being treated he has an army of people on both sides of the world PRAYING that his little body is able to fight!
We praise God that "B" had all of these factors in his favor, but that's simply not the case for one child...someone else's Baby "B"...every 45 seconds. We truly believe that God has made this personal to make us mad and to make us ACT.
As Baby "B" fights Malaria, we're going to fight to! April 25th is World Malaria Day, so mark your calendars and check back for details.
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