This is your child...follow me.

We have had such a whirlwind of a week! We have been through so many emotions and stages of grief and joy... In so many ways this experience has been so humbling and requires such a deep faith and trust in the Father. I was sitting in class at the beginning of the week attempting to concentrate through my emotions, anxiety, fears, excitedness, and longing. I turned to look at the wall to my right, and Luke 9:23 was staring at me, "Take up thy cross and follow Me." Yet, somehow, I read "This is your child, follow Me." Although I had not known it before that moment, it was the first time I accepted, Noel E. as my daughter. God ordained her into our lives. He chose US to be her parents. The reality was overwhelming. Over the week before, I had been grieving her life, her relinquishment, the heart of her birth mother, the time that I have/am missing with her, and through that grief I had somehow missed accepting that this child was given to us from our loving God. She is exactly what He designed for our family. So, we move into a painful wait...

We have completed our referral packet, sent it in, and have had our "next steps" phone call. Now, we wait. Seriously, we wait again. But now the wait has a face, a heart, needs, desire for her forever family, pain, longing...and so much more. We just want to hold her! We want to look in those big brown eyes! We want her to know that she has a family!

So next...our court date. We are praying boldly for our court case to be opened very quickly, and for travel to be just as quick! Please, pray with us to bring Noel E. home.


Blessings- Kindra

A Baby Girl!!!

It is hard to believe that we actually heard the words, "I have a little girl that I want to talk to you about." God certainly rocked our world this week!


We thought all along a little guy would be joining our home. From the beginning, the discrepancies in the boy and girl list had been so wide that we just didn't think a girl was possible. (With God, all things are possible!) All the waiting and delays- all part of His story for our lives, her story as our daughter.

It was almost time for school fall intensives, and Brandon and I had been praying that we could just get the call before I left. Being 9 hours away from one another after waiting more than a year for "the call" was not an idea that we wanted to entertain! Monday came and went...no call. Tuesday, I had agreed to work, but like a bad employee left my cell phone in my scrub pocket "just in case"! The staff and physicians all knew if "Baby Love" started singing from my pocket to expect screaming!

After lunch, I had a baby on the scale when my normal "Mizzou Fightsong" ringtone started sounding. (Go Tigers!) I silenced it and apologized to the mom I was with, thinking nothing of it. I finished my assessment and checked my messages when I was done. IT WAS "B", saying "Kindra, if you have a minute, can you give me a call. I have something I need to discuss with you." AHHH! What! But there was no "Baby Love"! As it turns out, "K" was sick that day, and "B" was calling for her.

I ran, shaking (trembling, really) into the back offices. My friend of 11+ years, Jill, saw the look on my face and started screaming. I redialed the phone, praying that "B" would answer, and she did. Then the famous words..."I have a little GIRL I want to talk to you about." DID YOU SAY GIRL? Jill heard "girl" before it really set in and started screaming and jumping up and down again, alerting my pediatrician (with whom I have worked the past 11+ years) that something was up behind that closed door! She saw the smiles on both of our faces and joined the fun...

Brandon was 5 hours away at one of our facilities, in a board meeting none the less. I had not even asked "B" how old she was, knowing that Bran would want to hear all the details. I called his cell- no answer. I texted- nothing. I finally resigned to call the facility and telling them to get him out of the meeting, NOW. When he answered, I said, "Your a daddy today! It's a GIRL!" He was so excited, and totally did not believe me. "But we were number 1 on the boy list", he said. Then..."Babe, I have to finish this board meeting before we can take the rest of the call. I am in the middle of my presentation." WHAT!? Ok, I have been waiting the past 13 months for this day. Letting you finish your board meeting will be ok. I will live. Work- probably not going to be very productive, but I will try!


Brandon and I heard about our daughter for the first time Tuesday afternoon, October 19, 2010. She is about 5 months old and is so beautiful. Her story is hers to tell, but Bran and I will be forever grateful that God gave us the opportunity to be a part of it. Since he was out of town, we waited almost 6 more hours to open that email to see her beautiful face. Talk about patience! I couldn't wait to open that email, but we had agreed to do it together, no matter what! In the mean time, we had a great time calling our family and close friends. We hadn't even seen her face for the first time, but we knew without a doubt that this was the child that God had chosen for our family, and she is.

The next days were filled with International pediatrician reviews, paperwork, and stars swirling around my head, I am sure. Now, we wait. We are praying for a court date in the next couple months. It will be the longest time of our lives. We cannot wait to hold her in our arms.

Sorry that we cannot share pictures with you. They cannot be posted until she is legally ours and we are home with her. If you see me in person, I would love to share!

Please continue to pray for our daughter, her health and happiness. Pray for her Ethiopian mama. Pray for the special mothers loving her at Hannah's Hope tonight. Pray for the hearts of this mommy and daddy who ache with a need for her to be with us.

We are overjoyed, baby girl. There are so many people waiting for you to come home. Don't be scared. Feel the breeze on your cheeks- it brings sweet kisses from your mommy and daddy.

"You have granted him the desire of his heart and have not withheld the request of his lips." Psalm 21:2





Blessings- Kindra
Mama to Baby E, 5 mos @ HH

High upon the mountain...and on top of the list!

WOW! We are unofficially number 1 for a baby boy and number 2 for a baby girl. Rejoicing on this mountain God has placed us on today!

We are going to see your face anyday, little one! We are going to be mommy and daddy to the child God hand-picked for OUR family!

I want to build a house up on this mountain!

Lift your hands up and Praise the Lord! Psalm 134:2

Blessings- Kindra

October Baby Update

It is hard to believe that we are into our official wait 9 months already, and still have not seen our babies face(s). We continue to meditate on and trust in God's perfect timing, but each day gets harder and harder in our humanness. We love you Baby York. You and your mommy rest deep in our hearts.

3- Boy

4- Girl

7- Siblings

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Galatians 6:9

Blessings- Kindra

One Year Later...

Well, we have hit another adoption milestone...I am still trying to decide if it can be considered an "accomplishment" or not. Saturday marked the one year anniversary of our application approval for our adoption. We had certainly been praying long before that for our children, and waiting on God to give us the "green light" at the same time! If you would have asked me then if I thought we would still be waiting to see their faces, I would have said "I certainly hope not!" But now, although I am certainly praying that we do not see another year go by, I rest assured that our Father has seen their faces, and has the perfect date and circumstance established for one of the most memorable days of our life! I excitedly anticipate and dream about that day, and can't wait to share it with you! Until then, let's eat cake. Any one year celebration needs cake, right?

Blessings- Kindra

The Mercy House

A friend sent me a devotion from Kristen Welch today introducing me to The Mercy House...a maternity home in Kenya that provides an alternative for abortion to Kenyan girls and women living on the streets. The Mercy house provides them with nutrition, housing, prenatal care, counseling, Biblical teaching, and job skills.

Check it out...will God stir your heart for the Mercy House?





Blessings, Kindra

Meeting Martha...

Sometimes God places people in your path when you are least expecting it. That happened when He blessed me today @ Dillards...the Estee counter to be exact. I was doing some shopping for my beautiful niece, Tess', birthday when she stopped me. Proudly sporting one of my adoption t's, she stepped in front of me and said "can I read your shirt?" (Here I was thinking she wanted to spray me with something :)

She exclaimed, "Where did you get this! I LOVE IT! This is where I am from- Ethiopia!" (pointing to the place where it would be in the Africa outline)... Oh my goodness. Seriously!? I went on to excitedly explain our adoption, to which she exclaimed, "You NEED me! You need me to teach you some things about my country and to cook for you- breakfast, dinner, holidays! And, I have two teenagers that would LOVE to babysit!" What?! God- you are amazing.

Our conversation continued excitedly for another 10 minutes. Sweet Martha, that is her name, Martha. She gave me her card, added her home phone number and repeatedly said, "Please, please call me!!" I told her that she could not possibly know what a blessing it was for me to meet her today, to which she responded that it equally blessed her. She is a Christian woman, serving as a volunteer in Children's Ministry at her church (just the icing on the cake...) and has been in the United States for 24 years. It is so important for her to keep her culture alive and to teach her children about it as well. The genuineness of this woman's heart was such that only God could have placed her in my path here today. God- I never cease to be amazed by the blessings you give this undeserving girl...

"My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of Heaven and Earth." Psalm 121:2





Happy Birthday, sweet Tess Noel. You are one of a kind, my love.








Blessings- Kindra