I was reminded lately that I need to keep up on my blog. But it will have to wait a bit longer... because I AM GOING TO HAITI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
God blessed us with an unexpected financial blessing, so I am going with Todd to visit. Thursday through Tuesday. And I can't wait!!!!!!!!
The kids know Todd is coming but won't they be surprised when I am there too? Ohhhh I am so excited to see my babies again, to hold them and love on them!
No, Jonas will not be coming home with us. Unfortunatly it will be a little longer. I'm trying not to think about it and just enjoy my time with them. It has been a year and six months since I last saw them. And Todd hasn't been there since Dec of 2006! He has never met Ellie. So this is long over due for the both of us. Fun, fun, fun!!!
I will post about our trip, yes with pictures, when we get back!
Hugs, Kristina
33 comments:
Can't wait to meet you on Thursday!
Woo hoo...we're goin' to Haiti! i can't wait to meet you both.
Yippee! That's such wonderful news. I can't even imagine what's going through your head right now. If you get there with a matching outfit, I'll be impressed! :-) Much love to you guys!
Yay! Be careful and take pictures :)
I am sooooooooooooo excited for the both of you!!! Enjoy your time with your precious children & please give my darlins a hug from their mama.
When I heard you were going too, I practically jumped for joy! Have a wonderful, wonderful time with your kids and Todd!!! Can't wait to hear your stories about it when you get back :-)
Congratulations! Have a wonderful visit!
This Thursday, like tomorrow? Or next Thursday? Either way, that's great news. I'm so glad you don't have to wait any longer.
OH, we are soooo excited for you both!!! This is so awesome....have a great trip and we can't wait to see the pictures when you return! We will be praying for you:)
God Bless!!!!!!!!!!!!!
How wonderful!! I am probably simply out of the loop, but what is the hold up to bring them home? 2 years?!
Kris, I may not understand completely, but it seems to me that since you dont have the adoptions paid off and you cant bring them home till you have paid for them...then you would see the extra money as a blessing to get the adoptions paid for. From what I have heard it is very expensive to travel and could cost you up tp 2,500 for you and todd to both go..how do you justify asking for money to put toward Ellies homecoming but spend all this money on travel when it looks on your blog you still want people to donate 2,600$ ?
Notice I am not asking this anonomously and am willing to take the heat for asking a very important question.
i'm pretty sure they'll look happier than they do in this picture!
I have to agree with Jen. Why is the money not going to finalize your adoptions? I am continually amazed at the audacity of those who ask for money to pay for their adoptions, but to ask for the money and then take a trip? That makes absolutely no sense.
How exciting!!! I am so Happy for you. I can't even imagine going that long without seeing my babies. Praying for a safe trip.
i'm sorry, i don't know either jen or sarah, but i think it is not our job to criticize how others spend their money. i would think that if anyone seriously felt led to confront someone on their spending habits, a blog is not the right forum for that confrontation. i would also speculate that perhaps neither one of these women have known the pain of being separated from their children. nor do i think either of them has seen the incredible transformation in a child, an orphaned child, who has spent time with his/her adoptive parent.
what a blessing this time will be for your family!
I have a beautiful Haitian son in which the journey to get home was both long and arduous. I longed for his homecoming and every day he was not here was harder than the one before. I know what it is like to wait...my point is that if the funds to bring your children home are scarce, it is your responsibility to manage them well. Of course visiting the child is wonderful and beneficial but bringing them home forever is the goal.
Kristina,
I am so happy that I got to see you this morning. Your spirit was more glowing and at peace than I have seen in a long time. Have a great time, and cherish each moment you have to spend with them. Praying you and Todd and get Ellie's DHS appointment taken care of this week and that she will quickly enter IBESR! Looking forward to lots of wonderful stories and pictures....
Love ya!
I agree with Angela whole heartedly. She is very happy about this trip & I am very happy for her.
Angela as well as other who assume I must be cold hearted, I am sure it is beneficial to go visit kids that could assume they have been forgotten. I am all for adoptive parents getting to visit, as long as they are not financially exausted and constantly seeking help for money woes. The point of international adoption is to get them to the states for a better life than they could ever have where they are. That just wont happen if you dont have the money. And I am sure some can testify that even once they had the adoptions paid for...unexpected fees suddenly surface. All this needs to be taken into concideration for every decision you make with your money or other peoples money when your promising to save kids from a hard life. Lets say they finish all the paper work in the next month and Jonas and Ellie could go home...are Todd and Kris going to have to still pay off the adoptions and still raise enough funds to pay for the all their plane tickets on short notice. I am not trying to be mean, I want to see decisions made with the money raised to go toward the goal of getting them home. For all the kids wanting to be saved...getting them here as quickly as possible. If my opinion is only welcome when its comforting then I will assume the same is true of my money and time.
What good can come from criticizing our brothers and sisters. We need to lift each other up in prayer. We get enough tearing down from the world. Only Kristina and Todd know what God wants them to do. Maybe those children are longing to see their parents and they need them. Our father would not deny them of their needs. I understand your concerns. However, we serve a great big God who can meet all of our needs. I truly believe with all of my heart that this couple has spent time with the Lord before just jumping on a plane. If they felt that the Lord wanted Kristina to stay home...then she would be home.
As Kristina's brother, I visit this blog often to see what is going on in her life and with the adoptions. Until now, I have never felt compelled to post.
First, I think Jen and Sarah raise very valid points and questions. Are those points and questions appropriate for a public blog where syntax, intent, and inflection are impossible to discern and for all eyes to see? I say no, but it is not for me to decide what and when others post. In my opinion, those questions are best left to a phone call or personal vist. At least a personal email, though the same lack of intent is known with this as well.
Second, does Kristina owe Jen or Sarah (or anyone else) an explanation? In the simplest terms: no. However, as a practical matter, when asking others for their time, money, prayers, counseling, etc., an explanation is often appropriate, warranted, and courteous to give. In the end, whether an explanation is given will be up to Kristina and Todd. Similarly,it is up to those being asked for help to decide whether they want to help with "no strings" attached, or if they want to help and want strings attached. Anyone can provide support in any way they see fit. Money, prayers, lending a hand or ear, providing support, asking tough questions: these are all valid gifts to the adoption cause. We cannot assume that because the message was "negative" that the message was given without love and thoughtful consideration.
Lastly, without knowing the totality of the circumstances, no one can (or should) pass judgment or get upset. Does anyone know under what circumstances the financial gift was given? What if the gift was given with the explicit directions that "This money is for you to visit your kids. Do not spend it on anything else."? Does anyone know that this was not the case? Would the same questions have been raised? I highly doubt it.
Regardless of what the money was earmarked for the priority should be given to getting the kids home and not going for a visit. For some reason in the adoption world it is ok to ask for money to adopt children, can you imagine if we did the same in the non adoption world..."hi guys, my husband and I want to have a baby. Can you guys all chip in pay for my medical care because we just don't have the funds". It would be absurd. But I digress...
Regardless of how the money was given and regardless of how the giver allocated the money to be spent, the responsible thing to do would be to save it to bring the child home. I am sure that if someone was generous enough to donate they would be equally as generous in how the money was spent.
What is going to happen when the child is ready and the funds are not there? Do you then ask for more money?
If you are going to depend on others to pay your way then a level of transparency is warranted if not expected.
Lisa, Mom to 3 Haitian girls.
You would really defy the wishes of someone generous enough to give you money for a specific purpose? That is remarkable.
If someone gave the gift and said it is for a visit and nothing else and if the visit was not promised they were not going to give the money, what is one to do? Say they cannot make that promise and that the donor should keep the money and NOT make the visit? Unlikely. I understand that this scenario may be somewhat farfetched, but it is a hypothetical and nothing more.
The point of my comment is that you and I do not know the circumstances of what is going on. To pass judgment or wag our fingers in contempt not knowing the details is presumptious and unfair.
I AGREE that the question is valid and that the funds are probably better saved for the costs rather than for travel. I am also FULLY aware that I do not know the circumstances surrounding the details of the gift. Until I know the details, I will show restraint and keep my ire to myself. And even if my ire is raised, it will not be in a public forum.
I think *defy* is pretty melodramatic term but I would explain the situation to them and ask for an ok to spend the money in a different way. I would think anyone would be ok with that.
I am also sure that the reason the wife is going is because her husband is and that makes it even more senseless. If one parent is already going to visit then the logic behind the importance of parental visits cannot be justified, since one is already going.
Let's use our heads for a bit here. People with not enough money to adopt should not adopt. It is not rocket science. Kids are expensive and if you cannot take a few years and save the money you should not be adopting! I am so incredibly sick of the constant money pleas from the Haitian adoption world. It is not God providing for you, it is us!!
jen, i apologize! in no way did i mean to infer that you are cold hearted. just the opposite! i believe that as kristina's sister in Christ, you have every right, in fact are obligated to be her accountability! if you see a pattern of misuse or a lack of diligence in your sister's life, it is absolutely right of you to bring the matter up, to call her out!
however, i don't think calling her out on her blog is the best way to go about dealing with the problem. i don't think being critical in front of an undisclosed audience is the answer.
in matthew 18, Christ gives us a simple outline to follow; first we go to our sister ourselves then, if she doesn't hear you, take one or two more with you.
please understand, i do not want to say that it is wrong of you to ask your question, jen. it's just that now we are all talking about someone else's business (we who don't even know each other) like it's gossip.
i don't think it glorifies the Lord.
http://70030.netministry.com/articles_view.asp?articleid=33634&columnid=3803
Copy and paste this. It is a good reminder!!
Angela...get out of my head! :o) You keep posting exactly what I was going to say :o)
OK, I know you have Internet access! Are you having a blast? I am dying to know!
ok. so while you all decide to banter back and forth about how Kristina and I should deal with our lives and how God leads us. I am asking that you all just stop. Thank you to all who love us unconditionally and have stepped up to defend us. You know how much you mean to us and we love you all dearly. Jenny - I am not offended by the fact that you posed the question, but we have known each other long enough that you should have addressed this a different way. To those of you I do not know and have never met Kristina or I and have no other connection to us other than a blog. Please kindly move on with your lives and find some new drama to create. Now so that I can clear this up and hope to stop the chaos that should have never been created. This money WAS given to me for the single purpose of my wife going with me to haiti so that both of our childrn in Haiti could have time with both their parents. As for the begging people for money. I have worked my butt off to make the extra money to bring these children home. God called us to Haiti, and called us to adopt and my God will complete them in His time and in whatever way He see fit. The only reason the dollar donation was started in the first place was because we were having people come to us and ask how they could help or give. I am not a begger and will not allow anyones opinion to define me or my family. I clearly see now just why so many people who are real in their live and keep a blog, stop. This should never have gotten to this point. I makes me sad to think that in a world where we are to be Christ like examples that we would spend so much of our precious time wasted here debating something that in the grand picture of life is so small.
Congratulations! I am not jealous. No. really. I'm not. :P Ok, maybe a bit :)
Have a wonderful time!!!!!!
LID 3-13-06 for Olivia in China and waiting for Philippe and Patricia in Haiti
flipflopfleet.blogspot.com
Kristina, Glad you finally got to post your big news for everyone!!! I can't wait to see photos and I hope you have a safe trip!
Post a Comment