Bringing Home Elias

Gotcha Day for Elias James...

2011-04-14T04:18:00.000-07:00

‎2 Years Ago today Elias James came out of a life of loneliness and entered what many orphaned children around the globe would call an unthinkable dream.
We became Elias' forever family on April 14th 2009.
He has changed our entire perspective on life, bringing joy and tons of laughter into everyday. God has given us the gift of sunshine in Elias' sweet being. I am so incredibly honored to be his Mommy.

America World Seminar....

2011-03-23T06:11:00.001-07:00

I will be holding an America World Adoption Seminar this Saturday at 11am.

Grace Community Church

2839 Route 94

Washingtonville, NY 10992

I would love for you to stop by if you are interested in hearing what God says about adoption or if you have been thinking about it at all. Or perhaps you have adopted with America World, live in the area and want to testify to how good God is when he calls us to adopt.

To Register, click here.

And let me know if you would like more information on America World Adoption. I would love to tell you more about who we are and how God is working.

Let's bond, shall we...

2011-01-04T10:14:00.001-08:00

I want to take a moment to talk about something that a lot of adoptive parents struggle with and many are afraid to admit. Bonding issues. I have had them with all 3 of my kids. All in completely different ways. And I am at the point where I have accepted that I just take a while. Having said that, while I am going through it, i still feel shame and guilt.

Bonding is different for everyone. I hear stories of so many moms who, whether by birth or adoption, fall madly in love with their children the moment they are in their arms and never have an issue. Take Mary Beth Chapman for example. In her book Choosing to See, she talks about that very thing, while discussing another topic completely.

"I saw it. The second she was placed in my arms, I would have fought to the death to protect her. I loved her with everything inside of me."

Now, let me clarify something. I have never felt love so strong as I do for my children. I too, would die to protect them. But for me in the beginning, I had to become familiar with who it was I was protecting. Who it was that I traveled the spanse of the globe to claim and name as my own and protect forever. God had designed that each of my children would be mine from the moment the universe was created. He knew each of us as Kobys and he would bring us together in this destiny that is our story. But He also knew that it would take me a little while to bond.

It was a decision i had to make at first. As Aimee was plopped into my arms in that stuffy little smoke filled office in the far reaches of south central China, screaming bloody murder and clawing to get away from me as she watched her foster father leave forever, I had to make a decision. "I will love this child. No matter what we go through together, in the end it will make us stronger. It will make us mother and daughter. Forever." I at times had to remind myself of that. Eric had to remind me of that as she (and I) continued to cry for the duration of our trip, overwhelmed by the stress of so many factors. But we would get there. That even though things seem a bit off balance for me now, they will one day just click. And there we will be. Her and I....truly bonded forever.

I remember the moment it happened with Elias most clearly. To be honest it was when we were in China. When I left, I loved him. I knew he was my son. He made me laugh and smile more than any little boy on this earth. He was yummy to hug and sweet to rock to sleep at night. But when I saw him on ichat, so far from me, so out of my reach, I realized at that moment that I loved him madly. Did you get that? I REALIZED it. I had had those feelings all along. But they just clicked at that moment. It was like a light bulb went off in my head and God said to me, "See Heather, I told you. I made every hair on his head and when I did I knew you were the mommy he needed. No one else could love him that much. Right there. You see it? That much...You love him that much. Take it in, let it warm you to the core."

And you know what?! Today is that day for me with Aimee. My light bulb went off and there we were. She and I, and it was beautiful.

Sometimes we need to just be honest with ourselves. Everyone is different and our feelings and struggles are all legitimate. It doesn't make you less of a mother because you struggle. Heck if that were true we'd all be done for.

We also need to remember that love is not just a feeling. My mother always used to remind me that love is a responsibility. It is work, and tears, and defeat. But it is also play, and joy, and triumph. And those are things we need to remind ourselves of. Those are the things that make great memories. And those are the things that allow us to be honest in times of struggle.

I am so proud of where God is bringing me as a mom with my family. If it weren't for him we surely wouldn't be where we are now. And we do have far to go. I have a son in Haiti as far as I am concerned and I know God is concerned. But for some reason he has us at this place. In an untraditional set up. Me loving him from afar, but still able to care for him through the love of others. That is the way it must be for now. But I will not stop until we are where he wants us to be. Because our journey ends when we die. My pastor said that once, and I have never forgotten. We don't get to retire from being his hands and feet. We must press on, no matter how we feel or hurt, or tire.

And that is the story of us. And my story for today as I enjoy my light bulb moment.

A Gift for Christmas...

2010-12-16T13:52:00.000-08:00

As we approach this amazing holiday of hope, and the birth of our redemption, there is so much to celebrate. No matter where we are in life, we are better off than the vast majority of those living in poverty and bondage in other parts of the world. And while stories of Santa and his elves make us feel jolly inside and out with the giving of gifts, cookies, shopping etc.; it is important that we remember what true joy really is. It is the hope of eternal life through God's son, who was born to this earth with a willingness to die for us. That is the only joy worth celebrating in my book.

I try amidst the clamor of our world to make my children realize that there is nothing important this Christmas season, or any season for that matter, but Jesus. He is our gift, our joy, our hope. And no man in a red suit can supply that for us. No one should outshine Jesus. He is my redeemer, the light of my life. He is the reason i am who i am today. And I am FAR from where i should be. But He is bringing me there a little at a time. Through my hardships, I find joy in him.

So, though i do love all the other fun stuff Christmas has to offer, I love the specials on TV and the decorations wherever i go. I have to be sure though to keep coming back to what has given me that joy. I have to remember that I have done nothing to earn it on my own. It was a gift. A gift that all started one starry night in a stable, when amidst sheep and sweet donkeys, our redeemer was born of a virgin named Mary. That is not just a fun story to read before bed. It is the truth of our salvation. Jesus' birth was the beginning of our great hope.

May you find that true peace in the gift of redemption this Christmas. It is the best gift you will ever get!

Merry Christmas from the Koby family.

And if you do not know our great redeemer, we would love to introduce you!

A Christmas of Hope to the World...

2010-12-06T20:03:00.000-08:00

We are to be His hands and feet...showing Jesus to the world.

Our one true HOPE!

Merry Christmas, World Vision Style.

AWAA Calendar 2011...

2010-12-01T11:19:00.000-08:00

Great news! Aimee, Julianna, and Elias made the cover of our adoption agency's calendar for 2011. So exciting!

Here is the link...

America World Adoption Agency Calendar Sneak Peek

If you would like information on our agency, America World Adoptions, please feel free to reach out to us. We have been honored to complete 3 adoptions with their help. They were consistent, professional, and with us every step of the way both here in the US during the paper process as well as in country.

The highlight of America World for us is the faith behind their work. They have a heart for God and orphans. That is what they are all about. They pray as a staff daily and I know they have prayed specifically for our family a number of times through our journeys. That means so much to us, that we were more than just a client, but a partner in fulfilling God's plan for our lives.

www.awaa.org

A New Season...

2010-09-15T14:58:00.000-07:00

As i walked outside this morning something wonderful happened...i saw my breath as it steamed up into the air of dawn. It was a perfect morning. One that seemed to usher in one of my favorite seasons, Autumn. I must admit, my least favorite season is the summer! I just am not a hot weather girl. My idea of a wonderful vacation is a road trip up to New England as the leaves burst into an array of colors.

There are just so many great things that come with the fall season that have to do with family. So i have decided to compile a list of the top 20 things i love to do in the fall (you will find many have to do with food. I find it funny that so many of the joys in my life revolve around food. My mother nurtured that in me. LOL)...

1. Collect leaves with Juli and make crafts with them.

2. Bake a Pumpkin Pie

3. Have a bon fire in the back yard and toast marshmallows.

4. Our church ladies retreat at America's Keswick.

5. Run through a local corn maze.

6. Go pumpkin picking.

7. Carve our pumpkins.

8. Make homemade Applesauce (my recipe below)

9. Apple picking

10. Bake an Apple Pie

11. Halloween at Aunt Lora's.

12. Thanksgiving here at our house with our family.

13. The start of all our favorite fall shows.

14. School festivities that as a mom i love to participate in.

15. Fall scented candles in the house!!!!!

16. Making caramel apples with those silly wrappers that come in the box in the grocery store.

17. FOOTBALL Season!!!

18. Getting to wear hoodie sweatshirts with jeans.

19. The smell of fire places in the air.

20. Local harvest festivals. They have a great one at Quiet Valley Historical Farm in Pa.

Here is my recipe for apple sauce.

Easy Homemade Chunky Apple Sauce:

(Thanks Karen I.)

*8 apples, peeled, cored and cut into chunks or slices.

*1 tsp. cinnamon

*1/2 cup water

*1/2 to 1 cup sugar

Combine all ingredients in a crock pot and cook on low for 8 to 10 hrs.

This recipe is so easy and yummy! You will love it. My kids do!

Milestones...

2010-09-07T17:54:00.000-07:00

We all make them, experience them etc. We all have so many memories surrounding great milestones, in our lives, the lives of those we love, even the history of our nation. Markers of where we are and where we are going

My daughter hits a milestone in the morning. Her first day of kindergarten. I know every mom goes through it. The blubbering as your child walks onto that bus and drives off into their future, leaving their toddlers years officially behind.

Amidst the sadness there is such triumph though. I think so often of my kids' lives and try to put them into perspective. There is a song Juli and i love because it begins with this music that sounds like a chinese music box playing. And we used to listen to it as we prepared to travel to China for Aimee and giggle about how lucky we were that we were going to see the Orient!!!

But the song has such an awesome message. It is called "Forgiven" by Sanctus Real. Sometimes when i listen to that song I am actually brought to my knees. When i think of all that was done for me on the cross. Completely forgiven. But the one set of lyrics that stood out to me went like this...

"When I don't fit in, and I don't feel like i belong anywhere

When i don't measure up to much in this life,

I'm a treasure in the arms of Christ."

This verse puts every piece of my kids' lives into perspective for me. My children could have been nothing more than a statistic... 3 of the 145 million orphans around the globe. According to the majority of the world, orphans don't measure up to very much. They often live in institutions where they are fed, bathed, taught to go potty etc. in mass groups. Often they don't get much personal interaction from their caregivers, maybe not because they don't want to but because there are just too many.

My 3 amazing, beautiful children could have grown up forgotten by this world, measuring up to what others may have not seen as very much in this life. But to God, they are his treasures. When they weren't being held by people, they were treasures in his arms. And because of his love, we were brought together to be this family that now can celebrate their milestones. Just like tomorrow for Juli.

So, while i am sad tonight that we are taking this step tomorrow and leaving her baby years behind, I rejoice that because of a divine plan, my daughter will make this and many more milestones in her life. And so will all the children who were once orphans but are no longer.

Wow! God is so good!

"Who am I oh sovereign Lord, and who is my family that you have brought us this far?!"

2 Samuel 7:18

Responsibility...

2010-09-04T19:17:00.000-07:00

Do you ever sit back and wonder if you are doing all you can? I don't mean when it comes to cleaning the house or socializing. I mean when it comes to humanity.

I ask myself this almost daily and I cannot seem to ever say yes. I sit down and think about all the things that require people to stand up and make a difference...

1. 145 million orphans globally (UNICEF 2008)

2. Genocide and displacement in Darfur

3. Haiti's millions of people who are still homeless following the earthquake

4. The HIV epidemic in Africa

5. The millions of people world wide who cannot freely worship Jesus Christ and are persecuted for doing so.

These are only a few.

And when i sit and look at this list a few things come to my mind.

First i feel helpless. As a mom who spends her days changing poopy diapers and watching elmo while practicing piano with my daughter i cannot help but feel helpless and often useless in this crazy world that we live in. I at times fight the question of my purpose here. Yet i know that God has called me to be this mom right now.

I look at that orphan statistic and again, though i know i am doing what i have been called for this season to do, there are still so many more children in this world who deserve, no, have the right to a mother and father.

Then i look at the government. I pay taxes to a government who is squandering it all away over greed and useless politics when they could be using the wealth and freedom we have to help others when they are in desperate need. How often do people around the world pray for the United States to come and help them when they are in the midst of a tragedy. I think we would be surprised to know this answer.

And i cannot help but wonder if God cries. I know he knows everything that has, and will happen on this earth from the beginning of time until eternity is here. But still, when i think that God loves us more than we can fathom.... when my daughter is hurting I am torn up inside. And he is our father, imagine the grief he must experience when he sees the vast amount of suffering we endure and even cause one another.

But, he is faithful. No matter how things seem to be, he is faithful. And he will be victorious at the end of this earth. His plan is grand and will overcome the sufferings we face here.

But i still am brought back to my responsibility. I need to examine if i am holding up my end so to speak. The blessings i have... am i showing my gratitude for them?

I love the new song out by Matt Maher called Hold us Together when he says,

"love will hold us together, make us a shelter to weather the storm. And I'll be my brother's keeper so the whole world will know that were not alone."

I want the whole world to see how we as Christians hold one another together with the strength of Christ as our support. I have experienced that support; my Christian family holding me together. It is an amazing feeling. And I have seen it and been a part of holding others together when i traveled to Haiti with Dayspring. That was mind blowing. I want to be and do and see more of that. On a global scale. And I am going to pray that more people will see the difference they can make. I just hope that more people will answer the call.

I can serve as a mom in so many ways. We all can serve right where we are in so many ways. We just need to step out in faith and take that leap for Christ and his kingdom and his suffering world. And i want to step out...here I am...send me...please.

My Son...

2010-09-01T20:00:00.000-07:00

So, Elias is at stage in his life where he lacks any form of self control. He is TERRIBLY TWO!

I daily get so frustrated with him. He respects no boundaries i set for him, no matter how i try to impress them upon him. And he so enjoys pushing the limits.

The other day he kept turning on the water in the tub in my bathroom while i was putting my make up on. Finally after trying all angles, i put him outside the bathroom door and said "do not pass this door way." Well, he stood their and inched his toe forward just enough to get it past that door way. Then he would giggle hysterically to himself almost falling on the floor he thought he was so funny. On a side note, he thinks he is the absolute funniest person on the planet. And I have to say he is quite a laugh grabber!

Long story short...every time he gets me angry with him for his behavior, I find myself saying, "You are so lucky that you are so stinkin' adorable." And he TOTALLY is. And that is what gets me by most of the time.

So, with that said, I have decided to encourage myself as another tough day has ended with some proof. That he is super cute!

Mostly Funnies of Elias...

Valuable Possesion...

2010-08-26T05:18:00.000-07:00

This morning i was sitting in my office checking my email and i heard Juli yelling at Elias and calling me. This is not unusual. Elias spends most of his day getting into trouble. I am told that is just what boys do.

Well, this morning when she called me i actually went over to the family room to fix the situation. You see Elias was writing with a pen in my Bible. Do you have a Bible that is so important to you? To all of us our Bible should be one of our most treasured possessions. In many countries a Bible is their most treasured possession. In fact in countries like China where i recently visited, people are not free to read the Bible or gather to talk about it in Bible studies or churches. So, if someone has one, they often only have parts of it and they often keep it hidden as a precious treasure. If it is found, they can go to prison and often times endure torture.

The Bible tells us to hide his word...in our hearts. Psalm 119:11 says "I have hidden your word in my heart that i might not sin against you."

I also think of Corrie Ten Boom and her sister. These were christian women who lived through the Holocaust in German occupied Netherlands. They hid jews from the Nazis in their home and eventually got caught. They were sent to a concentration camp for their illegal actions. I remember that towards the end of their sentence in the camp, her sister dies. But before this, these ladies orally discussed and taught one another the Bible. When they didn't have this treasure on paper, they had it hidden in their hearts. Amazing.

Then i think of the recent movie which i loved, "The Book of Eli". Long story short, everyone thinks this man has a rare and valuable Bible in his possession. It is thought to be the last one on earth. But in the end we see that he himself is the Bible. For he has memorized ever verse from cover to cover.

And so i am brought back to my precious treasure. My Bible that was on my coffee table that Elias was writing in. It is just a book, not some relic of holiness or anything. If it is destroyed, God will not punish me. But to me it is precious. It was my mother's Bible you see and she died in 2000. And i at one point thought i had lost it and could not find one like it anywhere. It has such a great concordance and references in it. And i have highlighted all my favorite verses and written little notes throughout. But i really need to spend more time hiding this treasure in my heart. So that i am in constant communion with God. If I have his word in my heart, I will remember it in my conscience. I will be more likely think before i act in a way unpleasing to him. And His spirit will guide me through whatever i am struggling with using this word spoken right from God's lips.

Do you realize the value of your Bible? Is it hidden in your heart or just a pretty decoration on your book shelf? Get it down and mark it up a little...you won't regret it.

The Koby Family has grown!

2010-08-25T06:19:00.000-07:00

God has richly blessed us with these 3 amazing children... Thank you my Father in Heaven.

"Who am I oh sovereign Lord, and who is my family that you have brought us this far?" 2 Samuel 7:18

Family...

2010-07-19T21:38:00.000-07:00

Comes in all colors, from every corner of the world. That is how it is in our family. And that is how it is in the family of God.

I LOVE my family...both of them!

Packing

2010-07-19T04:29:00.000-07:00

Always a struggle for me. I never know what to wear or what others will be wearing so i feel like it is such an overwhelming task. When i went to Haiti, at first i was frustrated that we had to always wear skirts. Mostly because i had NO skirts...I just don't wear them. But in the end it was so easy to pack everything because the weather was always HOT and i could only choose skirts. Simple living...It was beautiful.

I have borrowed a friend's travel guide on China but it is a bit old. Does anyone have any recommendations on a good guide book? This one was Lonely Planet. It was good so i may just go get a newer version of that. I was going to just use this one but so much has changed in China, that i found the guide book showed places that are no longer there etc.

And packing for Aimee is the hardest part. I can only really guess her size at this point. And so i need to bring enough clothes for roughly 2 weeks and in multiple sizes just on case some don't fit. And it all has to fit in our bags because we are only bringing 1 each due to our in country flights... Ugh!

Well, the one thing i know i will not leave behind is my Bible. God has carried me around the world so many times for His great purpose, and he will carry me yet again to a new unknown place. He is always gracious in His patience with us. He always shows us His love in other places by the amazing people we meet who want nothing more than to serve him. And He carries us through the tough first moments as parents to a toddler who's world has just been turned upside down. I need all the help i can get with that one.

So many people can't wait as soon as they get there to meet their kids and take them to their hotels with them. And not that i don't want to...I cannot wait for Aimee to be a Koby. But the moment i have that new child in my arms and the chaos begins, i just want to get out of Dodge so to speak. Our experience with Juli first taught me this lesson. In Russia, after you go to court, you have a ten day waiting period where you stay in the hotel and go back and forth to visit your child. As new parents to this experience we were so saddened by this...every time we would go visit her we had to leave her behind. But then the day came when we would just visit her for the last time. Our lives changed forever in that moment and i am not talking changed as every new parent does. We were suddenly in possession of a child who was terrified of her surroundings, only knew us, understood nothing we said, screamed ALL night long if we weren't holding her...and at times we would put her down just for a couple of minutes and she would scream so loud that at one point we heard footsteps coming to our door of the hotel. Now being in a country like Russia where many people think Americans adopt children for their organs, we did not want any trouble. So hold her we did....for 6 more days and all the way home on the airplane as she screamed and others moved their seats in disgust.

Therefore, i now think the policy should be in every country that you get your kid as you board your plane home. LOL But it is not and so we will see what this new venture brings for the Kobys. God is good...ALL the time!

Traveling...

2010-07-05T15:24:00.001-07:00

Well, we finally know we are heading to China! Aimee Grace is coming home on August 5, 2010 forever to be a Koby!

We are so excited to meet her, especially Juli. She said she wants to get matching Chinese outfits for them to wear. I think she is going to be surprised by how much like Elias she will be. Steeling her toys, smacking her, following her around pestering her. But she will discover that for herself. I just hope she doesn't have her expectations that high. I have been trying to prepare her for her reality check.

In the meantime, we are getting Aimee's room already. I decided to paint it red and cream with white chair rail. It is so pretty...very Asian. It will be perfect for all the little collectibles i will buy to decorate with.

I am above all amazed that i will be traveling to the Orient. It has in my mind for so long been such a place of wonder and beauty. I know i will not be going outside of any cities, and i am disappointed in this, but just to go to that part of the world will be such an amazing experience. I have had the privilege of traveling to so many countries in my lifetime, England, Israel, Jordan, Russia, Ethiopia, Dubai, Haiti... but i never did imagine i would get to China. I don't know why. Perhaps it is because as a child it was always considered the farthest place on earth. The place your parents would always joke that you should try to dig to when you were at the beach.

I love to watch Bizarre Foods with Andre Zimmern. It is a great show. You learn so much about other cultures and the truly bizarre, often gross foods they eat and consider delicacies. I one episode, he traveled to China. And i do not remember too much about it because it was quite some time ago, but one of the foods he ate was a seahorse on a stick. Weird foods like this were sold on the side of the road from carts. And there were all kinds of odd things on sticks too, not just seahorses. So, i was telling Juli about this and she insists she will eat a seahorse while we are there. And i do not doubt it either.

Lazarus...

2010-06-23T04:46:00.000-07:00

Have you ever really looked deeply into the story of Lazarus in the Bible? It is so amazing. I was doing my devotions yesterday and they were focused on this story in the book of John.

It teaches so many things.

Patience. When Lazarus was dying, his sisters, Mary and Martha sent word to Jesus in hopes that he would come and heal him. But He didn't. I would have expected Jesus to rush on the scene, like a super hero to save the day. I mean that is how we as Americans tend to live life isn't it? Instant gratification. When i pray for something i hope desperately for God to hear me and answer...right then. But most of the time, He doesn't. In the book of John 11:6 it says "Yet when he heard that Lazarus was sick, He stayed where He was for 2 more days." I can see so much of how God works in that verse. No pressure. He just knows everything is in place and the reason behind it. He has no need to rush. But when Jesus finally gets to Mary and Martha's house, they are totally like i would have been...frustrated and filled with worry. Martha runs out to meet Jesus and says to him, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." That would so be me. But she is still faithful, continuing, "But i know that even now God will give you whatever you ask."...And he did!

As Jesus walked to the tomb, He wept. That is one the most profound verses in the Bible to me. God, wept. He loved Lazarus his friend so much, that even though he knew he was going to heal him, his humanity caused him to actually weep with sadness over death. Reading this, we know that he feels our pain in the sadness of loss on this earth.

But i love picturing what happened next. I see him gathering himself back...straightening his shoulders with authority, then he prays the most amazing prayer. He says in verse 41, "Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me..." And with great strength in his voice i picture him calling..."Lazarus, come out!"...and he did. Can you picture the mouths of all the people standing there? Their jaws dropped to the floor in amazement? How some of them probably became faithful followers of him right there in that moment! God is sooo amazing. Why do i doubt him?

Yet in my daily life, i will often, lose faith, doubt, worry, and or fear the unknown. But, why? I know that the God of the universe that performed miracle after miracle has me in the palm of His hand. He has always cared for me and always will.

I love the verses of the new Chris Tomlin song, Our God.

Water you turned wine

Opened the eyes of the blind

There's no one like you

None like you.

Into the darkness you shine

Out of the ashes we rise

There's no one like you

None like you

Our God is greater, our God is stronger

God you are higher than any other

Our God is healer, awesome in power

Our God.

If you'd like to read the devotion that i read on Waiting Patiently, just click this link.

Johnny Stone this morning on Star 99.1 fm declared today national no fear day. He was not serious totally. But he challenged everyone to go forth into this day without fear, trusting that we are in the hands of a mighty God. How appropriate for my recent reading. So, i will go forth today, putting all fear aside. Knowing there is no reason to fear.

Psalm 27:13 & 14 say, "I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord: be strong, and take heart and wait for the Lord."

Bringing Up Girls

2010-06-13T04:40:00.001-07:00

I recently began reading the book Bringing Up Girls, by James Dobson. What an amazing insight into the minds and hearts of girls. I never knew for example what an impact Daddy's have on their daughters. Don't get me wrong. I knew they were super crucial. I grew up without one and reaped the consequences of it for a very long time. But i never saw just how deep that need for a Daddy and his approval goes. But now that i know, when i watch Juli with Eric i see so much more. It is amazing!

This is what the book has to say about Daddy's and their influence on their daughters. This excerpt is actually taken from another book called Strong Father, Strong Daughters, by Dr. Meg Meeker.

I have watched daughters talk to father. When you come into the room, they change. Everything about them changes: their eyes, their mouths, their gestures, their body language. Daughters are never luke warm in the presence of their fathers. They might take their mothers for granted, but not you. They light up - or they cry. They watch you intensely. They hang on your words. They hope for you attention and they wait for it in frustration - or in despair. They need a gesture of approval, a nod of encouragement, or even simple eye contact to let them know you care and are willing to help.

When she's in your company, your daughter tries harder to excel. When you teach her, she learns more rapidly. When you guide her she gains confidence. If you full understood just how profoundly you could influence your daughter's life, you would be terrified, overwhelmed, or even both.

If you have a little girl, you should really pick up this book. I think it will change how you think about raising a daughter.

Pictures of Haiti

2010-05-11T06:54:00.001-07:00

Here are just a few pictures of my amazing trip to Haiti...

My Journey to Haiti

2010-05-06T17:02:00.000-07:00

A few weeks back i had the amazing privelege of going to Haiti to serve. It was an experience unlike any other.

I have to admit i wondered along the way if it was really what i was supposed to do. I mean i have 2 kids at home and it is far from easy to just up and leave for a whole week. But though i felt doubt along the way God took care of everything. He gave me amazing people who stepped up and took care of my children during the day while Eric was at work. And then there were people who cooked for my family while i was gone. And of course there were the people who prayed for my family and i the entire trip. Never doubt the power of prayer...I have seen it demonstrated too many times to push aside.

Haiti has a beauty to it unlike any other. The skies are almost always blue. The rains come hard in the evenings and they are warm and cool all at the same time. The people are amazingly beautiful despite their hardship and the sweltering heat on a daily basis. The children are happy and have so much love to give that at times it overwhelms you.

But then there is also the sadness. The first realization I had of the state of Haiti was when i looked out to the mountains. I did notice that they had no trees, but i just thought perhaps that was how they were. Until i was informed that they have over many years been completely deforrested. So much so that you could see the massive errosion from the hurricanes that beat them down yearly. This gave me a realization of their situation. They have almost no natural resources, they import just about everything including now wood from the Domincan Republic.

Then there was the tragedy of the earthquake. A people already struggling through their everyday now faced such intense devastation. Why must they suffer so.

The tent cities that we saw were a far cry from the state of the art tent cities we see on TV on the news channels. They are entire towns made of sticks and sheets sitting in massive pools of water, filling higher every day because it is the rainy season. In this water the people as well as sometimes their livestock live. Too sad for words really.

But in the midst of this sadness and tragedy i got to spend a week with a group of people that God has a shield of protection over. They are the people of Light and Peace Mission and My Father's House Orphanage. The people in these communities were fed, clothed, together, and praising God for how he cared for them as they worshipped under a tent in the heat of the day. Their praises were unending...literally. We attended a prayer service; one of many that last for 4 to 6 hours.

So my prayer today is with Haiti...for the people that suffer daily, living in pure desperation. But thanking God for the example of their faith. I learned so much from this trip. True faith is exemplified not through people of plenty, but through people of need. Those who live everyday completely dependent on God to carry them to the next.

I will post more pictures of my journey tomorrow.

2010-05-01T05:57:00.000-07:00

Aimee Grace Koby, or baby Aimee as Juli calls her, was born October 3, 2008 in Guiyang City, China.

Guiyang City is nestled along the Nanming River in the south central part of China, in a province called Guizhou. It is from what i have read and heard from others who know China, a beautiful, more remote, and poor area (except for the capital) of China, consisting of mostly farmers.

We are so excited to travel there. Our Journey will take us to almost every corner of China too! We will begin by flying into Beijing, seeing the Great Wall, and the Forbidden City, etc. Then we will fly to Guiyang, where we will meet Aimee for the first time! We will also see some local history so that we can document Aimee's culture for her.

Our next flight will be to Guangzhou, a little further south, closer to the coast. Here we will visit the American Embassy to get Aimee's passport etc. And from here we will begin our journey back home with Aimee in tow.

I have to admit, i am a bit torn about it all. While i am excited to see China, and super excited to bring home Aimee, all that flying is a bit daunting. We have done it all so many times. It is starting to get old. Especially the way home. On the way there, I am always so excited, ready for our newest adventure. I say to myself that this time i am going to be a pro, ready for anything. But once it is all happening, the jet lag, the drastic difference in our surroundings, the constant watchfulness of everything Juli does from what she is eating, to who she is looking at etc. the energy needed, to just go constantly to keep up with all the details that need to be attended to with paperwork etc. And finally there is Aimee. The moment we have been waiting for for, well with this adoption, we have been waiting for 3 years!!!! What a great moment that will be. But everything will change once again in that moment. How will she like us? Will she be happy go lucky, or will she be terrified? Will she fit into any of the clothes we brought? Will she eat our food? Will she be ok with the fact that we speak so differently than anything she has ever heard before? And how long will it take for her to adjust? Better yet, how long will it take for me to adjust?!

When all the dust settles and we are home, i will be able to answer all these questions. Of course, that will take time, as i am just now answering some of these questions for Elias and it has been over a year. These questions that at the moment consume my thinking. Because our whole existence for the next year, rides on all these factors. Through it all however, i know that God is in control. He has composed every moment into a symphony that is our lives. I just hope i choose to play my instrument in a way that will glorify Him.

Catching Up

2010-05-01T05:52:00.000-07:00

As i read a few emails of friends over the past few weeks and months, so many of them asked if i will be blogging on our next journey. At first i said to myself, "I really don't have time to do this with 2 kids." But then i came to the conclusion that it might be a bit selfish to say that. Aimee deserves a blog too. LOL So, today i will begin attempting to blog that last portion of our journey to China.

Child Ambassador

2009-09-21T05:32:00.000-07:00

I wanted to take a moment to talk about a new "mission" In my life. As many of you already know, Eric, Juli, and I had the life changing opportunity to meet and spend the day with our World Vision Sponsor child Habtamu. As a family, we had been supporting Habtamu and his family monthly as well as praying for him constantly for some time. So, we truly had a big place in our hearts for him. We also had been communicating through letters and pictures. Juli even thought we were going to be taking him home with us as another brother. You can view pictures of our day with him if you go back to older posts on this blog.

Meeting him in person was one of the most amazing days of our lives. I think anyone who has had the rare privilege of meeting a sponsor child will tell you they feel the same.

When we came home from Ethiopia, my good friend Sharon gave me a book as a gift called "The Hole in Our Gospel". I have spoken on this blog about it. It was recently written by Richard Stearns, the President of World Vision. This book has changed my life forever. And now Eric is reading it and feeling the same. In fact, I don't think i have spoken to one person who has read it and then said..."oh yeah, it was a nice book i guess."

Too make a long story short, (too late) I have come to the conclusion that there is much to be done in the parts of our World that are suffering. I personally feel that i live in this luxurious world, where I can eat whenever i want, have a multitude of drinks to choose from, and can find contentment in my long day. But this is far from true for millions upon millions of people on the other side of our world. They are starving, thirsty, and sick, and HOPE is a word they cannot even comprehend the definition of.

But, we as a family have helped one boy and his family in their time of need. And the reward to everyone involved has been a thousand fold. Therefore, I have join a group of about 500 people in the U.S. who volunteer for World Vision as Child Ambassadors. What that means is that I have chosen to be a voice for the children suffering in other parts of the world, here in our homeland. I am responsible for finding sponsors for children just like Habtamu who will change the lives of a child and in turn, his family and his village forever. I think basically, I have decided to help to define HOPE for the suffering in a tangible way.

If you would like to know more about the rewarding experience of sponsoring a child through World Vision, let me know! I would love to help you learn more.

Photo Shoot...

2009-09-15T12:50:00.000-07:00

Well, I have been terrible at blogging lately. I seem to be bad at everything computer related. I think i just have too many kids and pets. Oh well.

Until i get back on the ball, here are some great pics of the kids on the lawn that I took this morning. They came out so great!

Enjoy!

Let my Heart be broken...

2009-08-15T17:25:00.000-07:00

Our first book club meeting on "The Hole in Our Gospel" went so wonderfully!

In the Prologue to this book, which is all we had to read this week, Richard Sterns told the story of Richard, an orphan in Rakai, Uganda who's parents both died of AIDS. He cares for his 2 brothers on his own. Other than his siblings...Richard was all alone in the world. I cannot even fathom that. What if my daughter was left to care for Elias by herself. Surely they would both die.

Stearns talks about how until that moment in his life, he had lived in this perfect little bubble of life here in the U.S. But there, as it starred him in the face, he could not get away...he even stated how amazing it was how this suffering had the same name as he did...Richard.

I love this section of pages 7 thru 11...

"Rakai was what God wanted me to see. My sadness that day was replaced with repentance... Twelve million orphans (due to AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa) and no one noticed? But what sickened me most was this question: Where was the church? Surely the church should have been caring for these "orphans and widows in their distress" (James 1:27). "

The prologue itself was filled with so much to think about. Now i have read the whole book already, but this reread and study is really making me look at it again and let it sink in even more. This is what I really needed. The famous quote from this book is what i long for... The founder of World Vision, Bob Pierce once said "Let my heart be broken by the things that break the heart of God".

So, for our challenge this week which was given to us in the study guide, "we were to skip a weekly trip to the grocery store and donate the money to a local food bank. During this week, we are to only eat what is left in the pantry or fridge. By the end of the week, choices are often limited and our family may get a feel for what it is like to have few food choices."

Now, for me and a couple of others this was not too big a challenge because i have so much food stored away in my house that we could probably eat for a month without really noticing much more than the sweet snacks missing. So, some of us decided instead to vow not to go out to eat for a week with our families, friends...etc. This, for me at least, is a sacrifice in that I really am a foodie and love the times when we get to eat out and i can spare myself of the effort of making dinner every night. So far, Eric has mentioned going out twice this week during my challenge. Oh how i wanted to give in!!! But i guess instead, we will have to tally the cost of those 2 dinners and take our challenge seriously.

I totally challenge you to do this. It makes you think. How blessed am i?! Thank you God, I don't know why i am but i am and i must step up to the plate.

Until next week, here is another video to share. This really impacted me! Enjoy...

Beginning our Book Club...

2009-08-11T12:08:00.000-07:00

Ok, so i have put this blog off for way too long. But in some senses i have not much to write at the moment as Elias is doing great, and so is Juli and as for China, we still WAIT.

But i have come to the realization that many of the things in my life have required waiting and so it will be again and again for me. And that is ok, because in the end God always comes through with flying colors. His timing is ALWAYS perfect.

On Thursday we begin our book club here at my house on The Hole in Our Gospel, by Richard Sterns. He is the President of the U.S. branch of World Vision and his book has changed my life and the perspective i carry of it.

So, i figured what better way to add to my blog than to follow along with our book club and write a little synopsis of it as i go along each week. Hopefully, if you have not read this book, these blog entries will encourage you to. And even if you have absolutely no intention of ever reading it, i hope you can get a feel for what Sterns is trying to get across to all of us...that God has given us, the world's wealthy, the responsibility for taking care of our neighbors, the poor and destitute of this earth. And if we could understand our part, we all as small pieces can eradicate poverty altogether. And by wealthy he means all of us because we as Americans, no matter what class of income we are in are still among the world's richest.

But there is so much more to it than that. Sterns tells us why it is our responsibility and what poverty actually is and does and how hope can be the driving force for someone struggling in this world... Give them a little hope and you can change their whole life. The thought that i could be the one to help give them that hope humbles me greatly.

Bob Pierce, the founder of World Vision once said, "Let my heart be broken by the things that break the heart of God" And he found them in the poor and suffering of our world.

Here is a video that can be found on the Hole in our Gospel website. It speaks volumes to the meaning of this whole book... see you again Thursday afternoon!

Getting Adjusted

2009-06-12T20:54:00.000-07:00

Well, getting adjusted into a new home can be quite a challenge for a child. I know this well because Juli struggled for months when we first came home from Russia. I tried with everything in my power to prepare myself for the struggles that Elias might face when we came home from Ethiopia.

The funny part is that i didn't prepare myself with the proper perspective. It seems that I'm the one who has been doing all the adjusting this time around. Elias is and has pretty much since the day we stepped on the airplane been as happy as a clam. He just does not stop smiling, laughing, or trying to make someone else laugh.

Now don't get me wrong...he has had a couple of struggles. Mostly with not ever wanting to be away from me. But we have come to find great ways to combat that little love he carries for me. Hint, hint...he loves his bottle more!!! LOL

So the adjusting it seems has been a struggle on my end. I am just plain not used to 2 kids, 2 dogs, 3 cats, and 2 fish. And go figure all Juli can talk about is when we can go to China for baby Aimee...I think to myself everytime she mentions it..."please Lord, not yet".

It is coming to me though, and i guess as i get older change just takes a bit longer. And isn't it funny how I could feel so overwhelmed by one child and now i look back and say what was i thinking... The days it is just Juli and I for whatever reason, we are super on the ball! Crazy, this life.

Elias though is making great strides in his new life with us. He has begun to say words such as "hi", "by Juli", "auntie" and "Daddy". And he took his first steps recently as well! I do have to hold his hands, but he takes about 4 steps at a time! It is so cute. He is so proud of himself. Juli tried to video tape it for me while i held his hands, but I'm afraid her perspective was not focused on his feet, rather his face, so you can't really see the steps being taken, just the celebration following. It was fun for the 2 of us to share in that. We were sad though that Eric was at work for such an event.

I think sometimes of how God sees us the way we see our children. Our spiritual journey is long and hard at times. But each little step we take makes Him so proud of us. He wants nothing more than for His children to grow and flourish in His image.

Well, Elias turned one year old on the 23rd of June and loved every minute of it. We sang to him with a little ice cream cake and then he and Juli dove right in face first. Here is the funny video.

Enjoy!

Pure Love...

2009-06-08T09:14:00.000-07:00

This is a video of some of the children we left behind in Ethiopia....

Each of them needs a mother and father's pure love to carry them through life.

My heart breaks with that thought. Such a taken for granted possession... a mom and dad.

Elias' Welcome Home Party

2009-05-31T21:24:00.000-07:00

Here is a slide show of the great pics from Elias' welcome home party. We had such a great time!

And the weather was beautiful that day! Thank you to all who came to help us celebrate. We love you so dearly!

Swingin' Away

2009-05-26T18:38:00.000-07:00

Juli and Mac, Sun Bathin'

2009-05-26T17:43:00.000-07:00

Meeting Elias

2009-05-04T19:01:00.000-07:00

Here is our video of the day we met Elias... April 13, 2009

The Beautiful Country of Ethiopia & It's People

2009-04-30T19:14:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of Ethiopia and it's people. They were so amazing these people!

I can't possible describe every moment of our trip especially because right now I have NO time. But i wish i could. Every moment was a memory forever set in my heart. I did not feel this love for Russia when we were there to adopt Juli. But for some reason I feel as though i left a little piece of my heart in Addis Ababa Ethiopia. And I know in my heart that Addis Ababa has not seen the last of the Kobys!

A view of the city of Addis Ababa from our hotel.

Juli is wearing a palm crown because it was Palm Sunday while we were there and we were climbing Mount Entoto. At the top of this mountain was a church. Hundreds of people walk it by foot carrying piles of wood.

We finally reached the top of Mount Entoto. The altitude made this climb incredibly hard for me especially since we did not have a carriage for Juli so we had to carry her much of the way!

Juli waving her palms for Jesus...she learned all about Palm Sunday in church just the week before we left so this was a special occasion for her.
Homes built in the mountains of Entoto.
Juli and a little Ethiopian girl sizing each other up. Juli had just given her a lollipop.

Juli sitting in an actual throne that once belonged to a king in Ethiopia. We were at the museum at St. George Cathedral
St. George, the Patron Saint of Ethiopia.

St. George's Cathedral.
The Leper Hospital's marketplace.
Rush hour, Ethiopian style.

Beautiful Eyes.

The joyful people who sold their wares at the Leper Hospital.

A group of woman who were marching Mount Entoto singing John 3:16 in Amharic, the language of Ethiopia. It was such a beautiful sound.
Eric kicking a little Fuze Ball butt in Ethiopia.

This man weaved this beautiful scarf that i purchased and was glad to take a pic with me to remember him by.

Pictures of our visit with Habtamu, his Dad and World Vision

2009-04-23T17:56:00.001-07:00

Here are pictures of our day with Habtamu. Below is a post describing how amazing the day was for us.

Juli just glowed all day.

Habtamu and his Dad with us.

In the car shopping for his family. He just starred at us all day, he was so cute.

At lunch at Bole with World Vision staff / translators. We needed 2! One from English to Amharic the language of Ethiopia and then one from Amharic to the dialect of their village. There are hundreds of languages in Ethiopia which is one of the things that makes it hard to connect with people of remote areas.

Ethiopia hot, Coca Cola cool!

Juli and Habtamu sharing a motorcycle ride in the arcade.

Habtamu with the cross Eric gave him around his neck.
Saying goodbye!

World Vision Visit...

2009-04-22T18:54:00.000-07:00

An experience like no other. That is how i would describe our visit with Habtamu, our World Vision sponsor child. He was so shy. I think the entire day the only word i ever heard him say and only because I forced him to say it was "slinky". We brought one for each of the kids in his family and I know he has never seen one of those before. I think that day for him may have been more amazing than it even was for me.

Imagine if you lived in a small village your entire life. You never left it and cities with stores etc. are something you had only learned about in school. That was what Habtamu's life was like. Until April 10th, 2009 that is. He and his father were brought on a 2 days journey to the city of Addis Ababa to meet Eric, Juli, and I. World Vision paid for all of this journey. It was so wonderful of them. We were able to spend the whole day with him. First we helped him open his gifts that we had brought. These included clothes, a soccer ball, lots of candy, a few slinkys, a kite, tons of school supplies, and of course a Yankees hat. Then we went outside to play a little soccer. Juli got hit once pretty hard by a ball he kicked. LOL She took it like a bog girl though.

Oh how funny she was with him. She could get close enough to him. Constantly wanting to sit by him or jumping into a picture with him. They could not even speak the same language yet they had little ways of communicating. It was so beautiful to me. To see my daughter love that boy as i did. We talked about him for so long i think she really felt she already knew him.

We also took he and his father shopping for some things for the family. We purchased for them... some pants, a coat for dad, material for mom so she could have some traditional clothes made, a backpack for Habtamu for school, and blankets for their home (i so wonder what that looks like). Then we took them out for lunch and to an arcade. You should have seen him and his dad trying to play the game were you pretend to drive the car in a car race. It was hilarious. And after the game was over, they just sat there still pretending to play. So cute. What a great day!

We were also told that the family's ox died in December so as soon as we got home we called World Vision to purchase and ox for them and to sponsor the two other siblings in the family that are not sponsored yet.

Saying goodbye was the hardest. Though we could not speak with each other, before we left Eric went up to Habtamu and his dad and took his cross off of his neck and put it around Habtamu's. Then he tried to tell him in the best way he could that Jesus loves him and to keep him in his heart. And when he said the name Jesus, they all knew exactly what he was talking about. And Eric said that Habtamu was crying a little when he gave him that necklace.

Then, we waved good bye and that was it...one of the days we had waited for for so long was over. And I miss that little boy. I love him as if he were my own child. I wish he were :) He was just so cute and sweet. Below are some pictures of that day. Don't mind the way I look, it was my first day in Africa. LOL Enjoy!

Full Circle

2009-04-20T17:30:00.000-07:00

As our journey for Elias comes to an end. I am extremely humbled. In the next few days I will try to catch up on documenting our experience in Africa. It was so extremely hard to even get onto the internet there so I have to "back blog" so to speak. But there is so much to tell that I could write a book, so instead I will try to enter as much of it as i can here.

Humility is a funny thing. I feel in myself it can turn on and off in the blink of an eye. Not by my choosing of course because above all things one of the most strived for virtues in life for me as a Christian is humility. But because of the humanness i suffer from, especially as an American. It is so easy to feel as though we deserve something as Americans. I felt more this way in Dubai as i watched people come and go demanding things and expressing their lack of humility. But when it came to Ethiopia God humbled me to the point where there were times I wanted to fall to my knees and grieve. Grieve for the sadness some of these people live with every day. And grieve because I live this life that to most people in Africa would be a fairy tale come true. A life they could NEVER even imagine in their wildest dreams. And why did i get the gift of being an American? The gift of being able to express who I am and live freely, worshiping the way I choose without discrimination. Experiencing things like foods, travels, lifestyles that others will never even get to see on tv. I still wrestle with the answer to that question. Why me? I am SO BLESSED. If you want to have something to thank God for, go to Africa. You won't doubt Him anymore.

So, as this journey comes full circle and I see the result of all my prayers, tears, joys, trials... I am truly joyous. For I have been given a son that is amazing. He is so full of joy, laughing and smiling almost constantly. And I have experienced a place where God truly is. He loves the people of Ethiopia. I feel it in the air there. And I see all my prayers answered. First the prayer for a son. Second, the prayer that I would conduct myself with grace through the great trials i would face. And I think though at times i struggled, i did that with His help. Thirdly, that we would make this journey with safety, especially when it came to Julianna. She was perfect. There was something about her on this trip that changed. She became so much more mature. It's like God placed it in her heart what He needed her to do and she just did it. I think in the 2 weeks that we were away, she cried maybe 2 times if that...seriously! She just went along for the ride, and NEVER faltered. It was something to see.

So, in the end, we are blessed. To have seen the works of the almighty God that created our son for us. I wish each of you were there to experience it with me.

Pics of Day 2...Dubai

2009-04-08T17:52:00.001-07:00

2009-04-07T22:54:00.000-07:00

Ok, so i was right. Juli now wants to be a belly dancer for halloween. We had such an amazing time last night! We learned so many crazy things about Dubai. First their biggest sport is camel racing. And until 2 years ago they used 5 and 6 year old children from India and Pakistan as jockeys. Why from Indian and Pakistan? Because their parents would sell them for cheap. So sad. Well, a couple of years ago human rights activists succefully got them to stop using children and now...get this, they use remote controls for them!!!!!! A man drives next to them in a car with a remote control and directs the camel. The catch is that when the race is over a person needs to catch up with the camel and pull on his reigns to stop him because the remote control does not have a stopping mechanism. Otherwise the camel will just keep running on and on and on. LOL So nuts.

So, the safari was great! Our driver was from Africa and picked us up at our hotel around 3:30pm and we drove about 45 minutes to a desert conservation park getting to see so much of Dubai along the way.

When we go there, we got out for a rest while they took some of the air out of our tires to make the car ready for the sand. Then we got back in and off we went... It was an awesome experience. Of course, toward the end Juli started to get a bit sick so the driver was kind enough to take it a bit easy.

We stopped once to watch the sunset over the desert and were told if you walked about 2 hours through the desert, we would be in another country of Oman.

Once we were done, we were taken to a traditional bedouin camp in the desert. It was one of the coolest things I have EVER experienced. I felt like i was in Bible times.

We sat at tables on the ground on pillows and ate a traditional Arabian style BBQ dinner, and wine and Juli and I got Henna drawings on ourselves. We took camel rides and Juli got to kiss one! She loved the camels! There were so many! They even haad a section where you could go smoke their tobacco from the golden urns and It was flavored of Apple they said. I guess there are over 25 flavors of tobacco here. Off course we weren't very interested in this, but I was neet to watch. It reminded me of that caterpillar from Alice in wonderland who smoked (or steamed as Juli would say). In fact, had to tell her to be quiet because as we were walking by at one point she yelled out at the top of her lungs..."you shouldn't steam, It's not good for you." Crack up she is.

Well, the finale of the evening was the belly dancer of course. She was from Russia we were told which made her even more intriguing to Juli. She did a whole number and then was looking for an audience participant. Juli put her hand in the air and she got picked. You should have seen her shake it! She loved every minute of that night and so did we! It was a great family night.

The next day we headed to the pools again. It was a fun day in the sun until i sliced my foot open on a chair and had to go to the clinic here. They could not put stitches in it because it was in between my toes, so they just bandaged it up and I have to keep it clean and open. That is just perfect...clean and open in Ethiopia. We'll see how that goes. Luckily I had a tetanus shot and have an antibiotic with me just in case.

In a few hours we get up to head to the airport and off to Ethiopia. We Take off at 8:30am Dubai time. It is a 4 hour flight. We spend the day just getting settled and going to bed early.

Friday we meet Habtamu!!!!! Our World Vision child. We are so excited. We'll take lots of pictures!

Good Night U.S.A.

Love, Heather, Eric, and Juli

Pics of Day 1

2009-04-07T03:38:00.001-07:00

Dubai

2009-04-07T00:41:00.000-07:00

Here in Dubai it is 11:45am and Julianna is still sleeping. She awoke last night around 2:30am...woke us all up and we were up playing and eating snacks for about an hour and a half. Her jet lag i guess.

Our flight was steady and as comfortable as 13 hours in one seat can be. We were able to snag the bulk head because since not all the arm rests go up there, people didn't want that section. They want 3 seats in a row that can become a couch to lay across. Our main concern was Juli sleeping, so about half way in, we make a bed for her on the floor at our feet using her sleeping bag which we brought (thank you for this AWESOME idea Marianna). She slept for about 4 hours there so that was a true blessing. The flight attendants were so sweet. They took pictures of her and gave her 5 puppets and a sack of toys to play with. They were sooooo nice. Emirates all the way!!! And Kyla and Bobbie you were right... they feed you constantly!

Once we landed, we discovered that one of our bags full of donations broke open during transit so we had to go take it to "costumer service" and they gave us a whole new suitcase! No charge!

Again...Go Emirates!

Finally, to the Hotel, delivered (Aunt Lora you'll love this) in a BMW 7 series car. The hotel is beautiful. There are pics below. Our room overlooks the Arabian Sea and the Burj al Arab Hotel which looks like a giant sail sitting out in the sea.

Once we got settled into our room. Juli wanted to go right to the Wild Wadi Waterpark which is part of our hotel. So, that is what we did...exhausted of course. Because Eric and I did not sleep but more than about 20 minutes on the plane. It was such fun though and all the water in the waterpark was sooo warm and salt water. Interesting.

Juli went down a lot of water slides and we went on one big family slide too which was so much fun!!!

Once we got back to the room we took naps for about 3 hours before getting up to go to dinner. We got dressed and went down to one of the 25 restaurants in our hotel. This one was italian and close to our lobby. It was so funny to see their version of an Italian restaurant. The food was good, but not what we are used to.

After that we walked along the beach and took some pictures. Juli wanted Miss Arrie to know that we saw a green parrot flying around wild!!!! And he was as noisy and talkative as her birds and Pops was. So funny.

After this we scheduled a desert safari for tonight! We are going to ride through the desert in a 4 wheel drive vehicle and then BBQ traditional Arabian style in the desert, get to ride Camels, and watch a belly dance show. I can see Juli after she watches that. We are all in so much trouble. How much do you want bet she will want to be a belly dancer for halloween for the next 3 months. LOL

Well, today we are heading to the beach. So much fun! We'll tell you how the safari was!

Talk to you all soon!

Love, Eric, Heather, and Juli

Preparations...

2009-04-04T06:30:00.000-07:00

Well, as we get ready to go here are some pics.

First, me trying to use the baby sling. Karen, is this right? I used Juli's Baby Bethany. I wish a real baby was this light.
A Picture of some of the donations. The medical supplies couldn't even fit in the picture. LOL

Can the Great Eric the Magician get them all into 2 bags under 50 pounds each? And we still have all our stuff plus things for our World Vision boy and his family!
He mastered the food and medications...

And he did it Tada!!!!! 2 bags. You pet lovers will get a kick out of this... he brings the bags to the vet to weigh them on the dog scale to make sure they are not over 50 pounds! LOL The nurses there think it is so funny.

Our total number is...

8 - bags

3 - carry ons

1 - Eric's computer

1 - 4 year old

and 1 stroller...

(and a partridge in a pear tree)

Think we can handle it? We'll find out i guess.

Tomorrow morning and we're off!!!!!!!!!!

I will post again before we go to tell you what we are doing!

a verse...

2009-04-01T14:00:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to share this verse today because He did this for Juli and Elias, and many more orphans this week in Ethiopia! We are traveling with 8 other families!

God sets the lonely in families... Psalm 68:6a

Welcoming an Orphan

2009-03-31T12:28:00.000-07:00

As our family embarks on the final leg or our journey to bring home our son, i have a mission for you.

Elias was once called an orphan by the world. But he is no longer. We are now honored to call him our son. And Juli is super happy to call him her baby brother.

But there are millions upon millions of children in this world who remain orphans. Exactly, there are 210 million according to UNICEF. I cannot even fathom that number.

A friend of ours who was our family coordinator during Juli's adoption told us about an amazing organization that she volunteers with. It is an orphan hosting program called New Horizons. It is amazing. You can sponsor an orphan from Latvia, Russia, or Ukraine to come live with you for the summer. And while they are here, perhaps you or someone you know will find it in their heart to adopt them.

Please, watch the video below. I hope God is calling you to look into this today. There is not much time, so really think about it. You can have a life changing effect on a child by doing this. They will actually see what it is like to have a family. I know i take that for granted, but i guarantee they don't.

Reflection Time

2009-03-26T13:11:00.000-07:00

As i look back at yesterday i am overwhelmed by so many things.

First by my own ability to feel so emotionally exhausted. I have never experienced that quite that way before. I was sooooo tired at the end of the day. Really, i was shot by 3pm. I remember just wanting to go to bed so badly. It was like jet lag. Guess i'll be feeling that soon as well....wonderful.

I was also amazed at my friends. The overwhelming number of well wishes. The reaction of my girlfriends who were with me at Bible Study when i got the call. The hug from Holly when i saw her. It all felt so wonderful and i felt so amazingly loved.

I just knew at that moment how many people were in this with us. It was very humbling.

I now feel such relief and weight lifted off of my heart. And it has been replaced with pure joy. Nothing can go wrong today. It is my day of rejoicing. Truly.

I also went to the grocery store today to get nonperishable packable foods to bring for Juli. I went a bit crazy and get this... I'm not even done yet! I think i outdid myself...what do you think? LOL

HE IS OUR SON!!!!!

2009-03-24T21:16:00.000-07:00

Our God is Good!

Bundle of Nerves...

2009-03-24T15:41:00.000-07:00

That is what i am right now. Here is what i am thinking...

Again 1 Samuel 12:16 says, "Now then, stand and see this great thing which the Lord is about to do before your eyes." I see it! The future of our family all together. Made up of a rainbow of colors and cultures that is united in one major way...we will be a forever family that God brought together uniquely and for a great purpose. That is the great thing I see.

Tonight while we sleep the fate of our son will be decided in an Ethiopian court room. If we pass, we will hopefully travel in the next few weeks to bring him home. If we do not, our process, and wait, could go on for days, weeks, even months. But God knows this fate and will tackle every obstacle for us.

So, no matter the outcome tomorrow, our family will still be united in God's time, with His plan. I am confident of this. But i do ask for your prayers. That we will have a peace that surpasses understanding. That we will see the future even if it does not begin tomorrow. That we will be strong and courageous and hopeful for what lies ahead.

Thank you everyone for your prayers and support and encouragement throughout this LONG process in our lives.

We, the Kobys, are eternally grateful.

Day 2...

2009-03-24T00:26:00.000-07:00

Is it day 2, really? I don't know if it should be 2 or 1 since on Wednesday we will find out the result. Oh well, that is why i am posting the picture of many numbers.

I right now just feel so privileged to be where I am. The God of mercy loves us so much.

This verse was given on our Adoption Agency's blog tonight...

"Now then stand and see this great thing which the Lord is about to do before your eyes."

1 Samuel 12:16

I do see it. Some of it anyway. Because i know He has so much more in store for me yet! I can't help but be amazed at the wonders of His hand and what He has done in my life. My beautiful daughter and the great gift that she is to us amazes me. Where He has brought me from and where I am going. And I know what is ahead is even more beautiful. Whether it will always be happy or sometimes sad. It is all beautiful because it is part of His plan for us.

Our friends on our adoption Yahoo group have court as i write this and Kristen had the most beautiful thing to say regarding their court decision. She said "You all give me so much courage and hope. Whether our hearts break tomorrow or leap like they have never leapt before, this much we can be sure of: the ground beneath us will be solid, and His peace will guard our minds and our hearts as we live in Christ Jesus."

Isn't that so well put?! I am thankful for those words. And i am thankful for the courage and hope i have from my good friends and family. I feel it constantly.

God is so good and He has the perfect plan in the perfect timing.

I am at peace for tomorrow. Still worried of course, but at peace.

One more entry ahead...the verdict.

Ethiopian Feast

2009-03-23T11:11:00.000-07:00

On Friday night we went out to dinner with our great friends Kyla, Bobby, and their new son David Shashigo. They recently came home with him from Ethiopia and he is just a peach!

The interesting part is that we went to an Ethiopian restaurant.

The food was actually very good. I ordered the shrimp tibs. Now, they do have tibs in Ethiopia, but i doubt since it is a land locked, third world country that they will have shrimp. I just couldn't help myself though. I love shrimp. And so did Juli. We'll see how she likes the food when we are actually there. I imagine this will be one of our biggest issues. Therefore i intend to bring TONS of dried food that can be made there for her such as oatmeal, Mac and cheese, Ramen noodles. It should be interesting.

Day 3...

2009-03-22T20:06:00.000-07:00

Day 3, wow!

Actually we have heard that we should know the decision of our case on Wednesday sometime. As soon as they know, they will call us. So, i think i am going to try to stay up much of Tuesday night praying. While we sleep Tuesday our case will be heard.

I don't even want to leave the house wednesday...I am afraid that i will break down in public if we don't pass. LOL Reality keeps me from living my fears out though! Good thing.

I am nervous, but confident in knowing God's time is the right time. He so knows ours and Elias' needs. I must trust that.

Keep us in prayer please! And have a great sunny day. Here the weather is gorgeous and mild. Maybe we'll walk down to see daddy for lunch. That will keep my mind off of it.

Day 4...

2009-03-21T20:20:00.000-07:00

Ok, day 4 sounds dramatically close! And it is!!!!

I am so nervous. I am trying now to figure out if that means they will actually be in court for us the night of the 24th while we are sleeping or not. I just asked for clarification on that. That would make it even closer really. I was thinking we would not find out the result until the 26th. So, we'll see.

It seems as though we are pretty on track to travel if we pass court on time. So, so far the 4th looks good... PRAY without ceasing.

Day 5...

2009-03-21T00:00:00.000-07:00

And I am so encouraged. Hanging out with good friends can really uplift you.

Not much input other than that. I am so amazed at how good it is to have great friends who you know will be there through thick and thin. I have so many great friends like that.

How would i survive without them.

We are now in full preparation swing. Trying to get things together for our trip. If all goes well with court we only have 2 weeks until we leave from Saturday. That is crazy. It has for so long felt so far away and now it is so close i can taste it...the pressure that is. So much to do, so little time.

Good pressure i guess. Just a few more weeks until i meet my son. Wow! My SON!!!!!

I can't wait for you all to meet him either. He is gorgeous. His eyes sparkle like the moon. His cheeks look so kissable. His hair is so curly and soft looking. His legs are so small and frail. He is precious, beautiful, sweet. And he has a ton of family and friends to love him here. How lucky...how blessed.

Day 6...

2009-03-20T06:11:00.000-07:00

I guess today is just another day. I will try to get through it the best i can. I am excited to go out with our good friends Kyla and Bobby tonight! They have the cutest sweetheart from Ethiopia! And we are going to an Ethiopian restaurant. How fun! I will let you know what Juli thinks...they don't have a kid's menu. I guess she needs to try ET food sometime soon. She is a picky eater as most of us know. Unless it is full of sugar, then she will eat all of it right up.

My verse for today is "I thank my God every time I remember you." Philippians 1:3 Paul said this in a letter he wrote to the people Philipi.... i'm pretty sure, forgive me if i got any of those details wrong. But my point is that I am so thankful for my friends. You have held my head up during this trying time and i am so grateful. Thank you. And tonight I get to celebrate with 3 of my favorite people. We will celebrate the wonder of the culture our son will come from with the little boy who will be his kindred brother. I just know they are going to be the best of friends!

Make it a great day!

One Beautiful Heifer.

2009-03-19T15:02:00.000-07:00

I received the best picture today. This is our sponsor child Habtamu. He lives a 2 day's journey outside of Addis Ababa Ethiopia where we will be going for Elias.

We gave him this cow in the picture for Christmas. Look at that smile. Who would have thought that a cow could bring such joy to a child! In his letter he told us that "she is one beautiful heifer" and that his family is excited because they will be able to have fresh milk as soon as it is big enough to have a baby. So cool. Oh how i love this child.

A skinny cow for a skinny kid. They are precious.

Thank you God that we are able to bring joy like that to someone. Especially someone as cute as him!

We can't wait to meet him in April. I will have to give him the biggest hug. I hope he won't mind. :)

Day 7...

2009-03-18T21:45:00.000-07:00

Seven days until court! I can't believe it. We have waited so long for this event to take place in our lives. Really, we have been waiting over 2 years now. Not with the Ethiopia program but China.

I can't help but think of that. Especially because Juli will not let me. No matter how many times i mention Elias and her coming brother, she has to remind me of baby Aimee, her one day coming sister. Must be a girl thing. She is all about that you know.

But she is right. My heart has been in China since the day we decided to adopt our family. One day God will bring me there. And i will not give up until i get to hold her in my arms. Though that could be many more years of waiting. An estimated 5 to 6 they say it could get to. PATIENCE.

Right now however as i keep reminding my sweet daughter, we have a boy to celebrate! And I am so excited! 7 more days until i can reveal how beautiful he is to the world.

Mighty prayer, mighty prayers.

"Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer." Romans 12:12

Lord, may i be all of these things. With the coming of this day, no matter the outcome, may i show patience and joy. And may i above all remain faithful to the one i adore; you my Father in heaven.

DAY 8...

2009-03-18T10:39:00.000-07:00

Today, Day 8 in our count down to court.

I still have nerves going a mile a minute about this coming day. So please pray for that. I can't seem to shake them.

My verses for the day...

Mark 9:37, "Whoever receives one of these little children in My name receives me."

Psalm 37:4 "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart."

God is in charge, and knows the desires of our hearts long before we do. He knows this adoption is right now the greatest desire of my heart. He knows that He has given us this destiny. He knows that you, our friends have been given to us as friends to carry us through in prayer. And I couldn't ask for better ones.

I long for the day I can post Elias' picture on this blog. That is all i want to do right now. So simple, but it will mean he is mine forever!!!!!

Get me to that day Lord. And all the families that are waiting with me...get them to that day too. In your name I ask this for it is the desire of my heart to raise this child to be a mighty man of faith in you. Thank you for your goodness. Thank you for your grace. Thank you for the blessing of adoption.

Day 9...

2009-03-17T13:45:00.000-07:00

At day 9 I have sadness in my heart. Today 2 families out of 4 did not pass court. That is not the sad part though...

There is a family that desperately needs our prayers. And I know my friends are mighty prayer warriors! They are the Semlow family and i can't go into great detail but i can say that the story of their children is amazing and they NEED our prayer. This family will have had their referral for 6 months on March 27th. And there is no end in sight. They have hit a stand still in this process as of right now. They have been so hopeful and joyful during this time. I am amazed at the example that they have been to me.

Please remember them. I am putting their family's name up on my window and every night at dinner we are going to pray for them as a family...all of them.

As for Day 9... praying for them is priority right now. Especially that they feel the comfort of God and His grace during this GREAT trial.

Thank you my friends. I am posting their blog so you can meet their family and know them more personally.

The Semlow family's adoption blog.

Day 10...

2009-03-16T16:45:00.000-07:00

Today is Day 10 on our 10 day count down to court.

Tonight i really feel God is showing me that i need to just trust him whatever this outcome may be.

John 1:16,17 "From the fullness of His grace we have all received one blessing after another. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ."

He has so abundantly blessed my life. I have no reason to doubt him and his goodness. And even if He does choose to have me wait longer, i must be joyful in that. Please pray tonight that I will be joyful whatever the outcome. That the Kobys will trust God and his goodness in our lives. Thank Him for His grace, and the freedom of salvation and peace that we have been given by Him.

Day 9 here I come!...

Juli's Indian Dance

2009-03-15T20:51:00.000-07:00

This new video of Juli brought me to tears.

She said the other day that she wants to be an indian when she grows up.

Here she is doing her "indian" dance wearing Native American clothes, dancing to Indian music from the Slum Dog Millionaire sound track.

Count Down to Court

2009-03-15T17:06:00.000-07:00

Ten days until our court date starting tomorrow. So i want to invite you all to pray us through these ten days ahead.

Each day i will post a verse that i am focusing on. Court day will be a tough one for us as 30% of families do not pass on the first try. This has nothing to do with us, but everything to do with the authorities in Ethiopia and how the Judge sees our case and all the details of it. We know that God is in control of all things and He will allow His plan to unfold as He wishes and knows best.

So, please check back every day for us and keep us in prayer. For 1 Corinthians 5:4 says, "when we are assembled in the name of our Lord Jesus i am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present."

Delays, Delays, Delays

2009-03-12T15:09:00.000-07:00

Isn't that what adoption is all about?! Waiting?! Well, in case you aren't sure...it is. If you are looking to depend on God more in your life. Adopt! He is my strength today.

We discovered that there are 2 changes in the adoption process effective April 1st in Ethiopia. First, adoption agencies will no longer be given weekly consulate appointment days. Due to limited staff, each agency will get one day every other week to obtain visas for our children.

Second, the Consulate is also now going to require TB testing for all children prior to issuing a visa. This becomes effective March 23rd.

Both of these things could increase our wait to travel by 1 to 3 weeks.

Our agency AWAA said that the announcement was just made several hours ago. So they need more time...potentially a week or two to understand the full impact for us.

UGH!!!

But, it is His time. Not mine. So i look back to the verse in Habakuk 2:3...read the post on the waiting game.

Someone posted this verse on our Yahoo group and i love it...

"Listen to me O Jacob, Israel, whom I have called: I AM HE; I am the first and I am the last. My OWN HAND laid the foundations of the earth, and my right hand spread out the heavens."

If i can trust anyone...it is He who did all that!

Sir CrackerJax...

2009-03-11T10:54:00.000-07:00

Ok, so this post is not about our adoption at all! But i do have to take a moment to thank the good Lord for my lack of memory. That is right my friends. For once i am thankful for my forgetfulness.

First off i will mention that Juli and I have finalized our 3 legged dog's name...finally. Thanks to our friend Miss Arrie, his name is officially Sir CrackerJax. How cute is that?! The name he had when we rescued him was and has been Sir Jax. But Arrie called him cracker jax today and it has stuck. Especially since Mac's unofficial full name is Mac-a-roni. Now they are both named after a food product. LOL (Auntie, you should love this name! One of your favorite snack foods.)

Ok, so back to the forgetfulness thing. I'm surprised i remembered...

Well, the other day i took Sir CrackerJax to the vet and while i was there i mentioned that i had forgotten to give him his Heart Worm Preventative pill for the past 3 months. Now up here in the cold north that is usually not a big deal, but they like to take a blood test anyway before we put him back on it just as a precaution. So they did this.

He has Heart Worm!!!!! I was shocked. Thinking i was the cause because i had forgotten to give him the meds. That he somehow got that dreadful mosquito bite on one of those randomly warm days we have had this winter season. I felt terrible! My poor boy, he has already been through so much. Well, as it turns out, he got bit at least 6 months ago. It takes about 6 months for the disease to show up in a blood test and he had been tested back in September. So... I didn't do it! That was the first relief for me. Secondly, if i had not forgotten to give him the pill, he would have gone another 6 months at least before getting the test again as they do it annually at best. This means the disease would have been getting worse over that time and eventually he would have begun to show symptoms which is not good.

Now we will be able to treat it right away in stage one. Where he hopefully will heal easily and quickly. Thank God for these events. I just love this big guy so much and want him to thrive in his new life with us. So that he does not hurt ever again. (He was not treated well by his previous owners and was taken from them. They are also the reason he has only 3 legs.)

The treatment will be tough. He needs a series of injections in his back that will cause soreness. And his activity level must be very low...no excitment! Otherwise the worms could travel through his blood stream and cause a clot. Deadly!

Well, God is a good God and He is taking good care of His little creature Sir CrackerJax. We are so grateful for him.

Have a great day!

"Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young - a place near your altar, O Lord Almighty, my King and my God." Psalm 84:3

The Waiting Game...

2009-03-10T17:07:00.000-07:00

Time. It is so fickle. As i sit here at my computer pondering what today was all about i just think that perhaps we are too caught up in time. Being a History teacher, i have thought many times about how different time is today than it was in the past. We schedule things by the minute these days. I was watching a documentary on Thomas Jefferson the other day and it talked about his wife's struggle with depression. She lived on their gorgeous estate at Monticello all alone so much of the time. Two of her daughters and one son all died as infants. Though in today's time, Thomas would have easily made the day's drive from Philadelphia to Virginia. In her time, life went about 3 miles an hour tops. Therefore it took about a week to travel that distance. He didn't make it home much during the revolutionary period in our history. So sad. He helped master our entire nation, but could not master his family's happiness.

My point is that every day waiting for our court date seems like 20. I have so much to get done in so little time and yet it seems like it will be forever. I am torn as i can't decide if time is my friend or my enemy in this situation.

All in all though, it is in God's hands. However long, however short it may be. Look how long God waited to give Sara Isaac. Look how long it took the Israelites to get to the promised land. Look how long Noah was stuck on that smelly boat with just his family, hundreds of animals and LOTS of poop. Maybe God is trying to teach me something in His time. I guess the faster i learn, the faster the time will go.

"But these things I plan won't happen right away. Slowly, steadily, surely, the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled. If it seems slow, be patient! For it will surely take place. It will not be late by a single day." Habakkuk 2:3

A Walk to Beautiful

2009-02-27T05:39:00.000-08:00

I know in my heart that adoption makes a difference in the lives of my children... a big one. But i don't often realize how big. Just going through every day life i forget to think about how different Juli's life would be if she were still in Russia. I highly doubt she would think she was a princess. That is for sure. In an orphanage there is probably little room for thinking of such a life.

I watched a documentary last night called A Walk to Beautiful. It was amazing. It was about Ethiopian women who suffer from Fistula, a condition brought on by a life of hard labor and child birth. After this happens to them they are shunned from their village like they are worthless.

At first it made me wonder why God had not called me to adopt a little girl from Ethiopia. I mean there are at least 100,000 women suffering from this life right now in ET alone. And probably every African nation has a population who does. But then after Eric and i were talking we thought perhaps it will be that we are called back there again in the future or to some other African nation. To do something to help, adoption or not. (Although adoption is a big possibility knowing my addiction to it) :)

So, i looked into it and we are going to try to visit this Fistula hospital while we are there. Perhaps collect some donations for it. Oh how excited that makes me. It costs only $450 to give a woman a bed and surgery to heal her forever. To completely change her life. That is amazing. I cannot wait for this journey. It will be so full and rich with knowledge and the love of God for His people around the world. I want His heart. A heart for all the suffering throughout the world. Those people, like the women in this documentary, who have no voice. The orphan, the widow, the suffering.

I want a bigger heart. One that aches for them like God's heart must ache for His suffering children. And a heart that rejoices as they see God's great glory in healing and love.

Working out our Faith

2009-02-19T06:23:00.000-08:00

Today we have a visit to the nursing home planned. It is so funny how little things always make me frustrated about having to go each month. Yet when i get there, it is such an amazing experience just to help these people who have no one experience true joy for an hour.

We really take so many things for granted in this life we lead. Just yesterday in our ladies Bible study, which is on the book of James, we were discussing this. And i must really take things for granted because this morning as i am trying to prepare our verses and readings for today's visit, i come across this devotional from the Daily Bread website. I see that God wanted me to read and focus on this today. I thought i would share it with you too.

"No one can be saved by doing good works. On the other hand, the apostle James taught that faith without works is useless. (James 2:20) To illustrate, he pointed out that faith alone won't feed a hungry person. Only faith that takes action will. (vv. 15-16)

How timely this message is! Right now much of our world is suffering a bellyache from not enough food, while countless others have a bellyache from to much.

Tragically, we who have enough to eat often "bellyache" about our food being too done, too tough, too sweet, too cold, too bland. Then we complain about the dirty dishes that our food creates. A poem from one of my cookbooks turns such ingratitude on its head. Pauline Davis wrote:

Thank God for dirty dishes, they have a story to tell.

While others may be hungry, we are eating very well.

With home, health, and happiness, I shouldn't want to fuss.

By this great stack of evidence, God's been very good to us!

Oh, that we might be grateful, for gratitude is vital to a working faith. People without gratitude seldom care about having a working faith. But believers who are deeply thankful for God's blessings long to share those blessings with others.

Make sure your faith is useful, not useless. And don't neglect the needy, both spiritually and physically, around the world -- around the corner!" Joanie Yoder... Our Daily Bread

I am going to try to be more active in my faith today. I have heard say that faith, though according to Webster is a noun, it should really be a verb. Because faith is something you need to actively preserve everyday.

Orphans & Potato Chips

2009-02-08T20:42:00.001-08:00

Did you know there are over 4 million orphans worldwide?! I have also read that if 1 out of every 7 Christians across the globe adopted just one child, there would be NONE!

What an amazing fact! Well, that makes about 25 people in our church. I really have to get on that. Look out my friends at Grace Bible Chapel. LOL But when you really think about it, we are called to care for them according to James 1:27. Now if you are like Eric and I when you get to the place where you adopt one, you will not be able to stop. I have a saying... Adoption is like eating potato chips. You can't have just one. You'll want the whole bag.

I am slowly filling my bag with the potato chips of life. And boy is it good! God is so good.

Tonight I am home without Julianna because i have to have some oral surgery tomorrow so my great family stepped in to take her for the night. But as i sit here and miss her terribly...and i do mean terribly...all i can think of is how special she is to me. How having her in my life has changed me. How loving Julianna is the best gift God has given me apart from my salvation and my husband of course. If i for a moment had not heard his calling toward adoption i might have missed it. I might have missed out on missing her tonight. I can't imagine the pain of that.

I am so glad i listened.... Are you listening?

I love the words to this song by Steven Curtis Chapman. I had it on repeat all the way to Siberia in 2006...

"I saw the face of Jesus, in a little orphan girl.

She was standing in a corner on the other side of the world.

And I heard the voice of Jesus, gently whisper to my heart.

Didn't you say you wanted to find me. Well here I am. Here you are.

So, what now? What will you do, now that you found me?

What now? What will you do with this treasure you've found?"

Here is the Link if you would like to listen...

What Now

Thank you Father for my Julianna, what a magnificent gift she is to me and my soul!

Tentative Travel Dates!!!!!

2009-02-06T17:27:00.000-08:00

Today was the day we received word that we have tentative travel dates to Ethiopia to bring our son home! What an amazing feeling it is! When Eric called to tell me, I started to cry. It just began to feel real for me i think.

We do have one more major hurdle to cross yet and that is court! That date is at the end of March and until that date passes, everything else will be a bit unsure. That is why they call the dates tentative. But our Lord is holding us in the palm of His hand. Caring for our every need. He is strong, mighty to save and He will be faithful to complete this good work He has began for us!

Thank you everyone for all your prayers, support, advice, well wishes etc. I can't even tell you how blessed we are to know so many amazing people.

On that note, our good friends are in Ethiopia right now for their son and stopped by Elias' orphanage to pay him a little visit. They said he is small, and sweet, and he fell asleep in Kyla's arms. How amazing! She also said that she told him that his mommy, daddy, and big sister Juli were coming to get him very soon. And that his best friend (their son) is in the same city right now and they will meet each other soon. I am eternally grateful to them for their friendship and love. And am so excited that they now have their son forever in their arms.

Why we are Adopting from Africa...

2009-01-30T05:22:00.000-08:00

I found this video. I need to share it. It reminds me of one of the verses that is so important to me. Isaiah 1:17. I know i have shared this verse before, but of course with my life it always is on my heart and keeps applying itself in my life. It goes like this..."Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the cause of orphans. Fight for the rights of widows." (the video link is at the bottom of this post)

We have a sponsor child in Ethiopia through World Vision. His name is

Habtamu. He and his family have a chance because World Vision is there and we are sponsoring him monthly. If you go on their site you will see all the wonderful things they are doing all over the world.

In fact, when we travel to ET to bring Elias home we will get the chance to meet and spend the day with him and his family!!!! Wow, that is going to be an amazing experience. This whole trip will be.

I am reminded of Habtamu and even more so of my little Elias when i watch this video. We are called by God to help those in need. And even if you do not believe in the God i treasure or think He is everything He is to me, when you see this video you will still understand where I am coming from.

I MUST WARN YOU THOUGH!!!! This VIDEO is NOT easy to watch! Be sure to watch the whole thing because it does have a happy ending. It is about this little boy below and his sisters. And they are pictured above with the man who made the movie as well. Make sure you take a good look at them today!!!!

At first i thought it was terrible to show this, then came to realize that this is what humanity is all about. Sharing in each others sorrows and struggles and helping where we can, however we can. And look at these pictures and see these kids now. This is a reason to watch and cry. Then get up and make a difference!

These people made a difference. Adoption makes a difference in the life of a child. To think that this could be what became of Elias, or Habtamu. I love them both so much. That thought makes me shudder with sadness.

Today perhaps you can think of ways to that you can make a difference in the life of a child who has no hope. Some are big ways, some are small. But they all give HOPE. I am listing some organizations that we support in one way or another and hope that you might scan over them to see what they are doing for the cause of the oppressed.

World Vision

Shaohannah's Hope

Visiting Orphans

An Orphan's Ticket Home

(RED)

The San Damiano Foundation

Here is the video... PLEASE remember the WARNING...

The Fragrant Spirit of Life

Good Friends Traveling!!!

2009-01-28T16:53:00.000-08:00

It seems like the month of January cannot go any slower for me. As i long for the month of February to go by so March can come and we can have court, I just feel like i can't shake January. Ugh!! I feel like we received our referral for Elias a year ago. Why does time do that to us? When we want it to go slow and savor the moment, it flies by like you could almost have missed it. But when we are looking to something in the future that we are eager for it just crawls. Time is a teaser!

So, in the meantime i am trying to fill my life with things to keep me busy. For some reason i have a lot of free time it seems this past week or so. Not that it is free time per say, but it just isn't hectic enough to go fast. The crazier my life, the quicker it flies by.

So, i am looking to this coming week when good friends of ours will be traveling to Ethiopia to pick up their son. I will be praying for them each day as they have a great prayer list of needs to pray for. And I will be praying for their first moments with their son.

Their is nothing more important than those very first moments. They are remembered forever.

I think back of the day we entered the Orphanage that Julianna was in and how i was trying to prepare myself for what i would feel. It was so surreal. I wanted so badly to cry my heart out, but the pressure of the moment kept me from doing that. The nerves of feeling watched by the people in charge, the worry that once they gave her to me i wouldn't even know what to do with her. These things flooded my mind and it was almost too much for me. Thus when we walked into the room, set our things down and turned around to see Juli being carried in to us, I didn't shed a single tear. Eric balled his eyes out, but me... nothing. Then i proceeded to feel guilty that i couldn't cry. Oh my the feelings. But to look back on them gives me such joy.

This time i know so much more. I have no fear, it seems to me so familiar. When i look at Elias' pictures, in his eyes i see the son i have waited for and long for right now, so badly. And when i get there, i know i will not see anyone else but him. And i am going to cry like a baby with pure joy. I am so grateful that i have done this before, that i know now what do and to expect. I wish i could have had that comfort with Juli. It makes me wonder if mothers who give birth for the first time feel this way at all. Do you feel nervous about what to do or how to feel or who is watching? Is the second time more comfortable knowing what to expect?

As for my friends Kyla and Bobby, i am going to pray that God will give them the comfort and ease that their hearts need to really take in the moment. Someone told me before i got married, that on my wedding day i needed to just stop and look around. See all the people who came to celebrate with me and just take in that moment so i wouldn't let it pass me by too quickly. I took that great advice and am so glad i did. And i am praying that for Kyla and Bobby, that they will remember to just stop and take in the very first moment with their son so it doesn't just pass them by like time wants to when we want it to stop for us.

On another note, while they are there they are going to pay my little Elias a visit! They will bring him a few things and give him some love sent from me. I am so thankful for that. Lots of pictures, and lots of TLC. I am going to compile a small list of things i hope she can ask or look at for me. Like, take a pic of his feet! And what size clothes is he wearing? Oh, i am so grateful they are going to take time out of their busy trip to visit my boy. Those are good friends! I am blessed which amazing friends.

Bread.

2009-01-26T20:12:00.000-08:00

Today i got a new bread machine for myself because i have been wanting one for quite some time and Heather V. inspired me with her amazing pizza the other night.

But, as i watched it do it's thing making my bread i began to realize how much we are just like a loaf of bread. Sounds silly but think about it... God takes all the things that happen in our lives. The big ones. The small ones. The good tasting ones. The bad tasting ones. And he needs us for what seems like forever. molding and shaping us and giving us love and care and warmth. And as He does, we begin to grow. To form into something beautiful only because of Him. Without all the work of His hand, we would be just a clump of all those things that happen. But those of us who have found Him are now reformed. A new creation. We can look back and say, "wow! Look what He made of me. I thought i would wind up one way, but God had a bigger plan. A more beautiful plan. One that made me something i never could have been on my own."

He is amazing. I thank Him for His goodness and His grace.

Babies, Babies, Babies...

2009-01-25T20:19:00.000-08:00

Today i had the opportunity to volunteer with my cousin Holly at Hudson Cradle. Let me tell you, if you love babies, DO THIS!!!!!! What a way to serve according to James 1:27... looking afters orphans in their distress.

I got to spend 3 hours with babies who had many special needs and we got to hold them and play with them. And Holly even got to feed one of them! It was amazing.

You can sign up to volunteer at www.hudsoncradle.org or www.jerseycares.org. They only take 3 people at a time so space fills quickly. But if you love babies...sharon & arrie LOL...do it! You will feel so blessed.

They also have a wish list of things that they need. It is posted here. If you want to donate any of these things you can either arrange to bring them right to them or i will take them there for you. So, bring them to me!

Reflecting on my time there; i have found that since getting our referral for Elias i can't hold too many babies. I never used to be that way. Even when we were adopting Juli. But for some reason, this little boy is really wrenching my heart. I just have to HOLD BABIES!!!! It makes me think of him and how wonderful that day i get to hold him will be. Oh how i long for that day...Common' April!

Court Date!

2009-01-23T11:42:00.000-08:00

Well today was a day for us here in the Koby home. We have a court date! It is in March and that is all i can say but we are so excited for this day to come! It seems so far off but time will go by faster than we think.

For those of you who may not know, a court date is assigned to a family a couple weeks after you get a referral (or a baby/child and all it's information). For Ethiopia, you do not need to be present at the court date so our agency's representatives will go for us and we will sit home and pray!

If we pass court on that day, we will hopefully get tentative travel dates for a few weeks after.

Come on March!!!!!!

But these things i plan won't happen right away. Slowly, steadily, surely, the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled. If it seems slow, be patient! For it will surely take place. It will not be late by a single day. - Habakkuk 2:3

His Unfailing Love

2009-01-22T20:11:00.000-08:00

I have had a heavy hear the past 2 days. There have been some concerns for our sweet Elias. That is really all I can say. I wish i could share more. But really the important thing is that God knows these things in great detail.

Do you ever wonder if sometimes God is just calling on you to trust Him? Have you gone through a struggle that aches your heart, but for some reason you still know beyond all that grief that God, our Savior will take care of it? He just wants to be sure you will trust Him through it. That is me the past few days.

I know that God will provide the glorious perfection that is His plan for me. But I still feel that need to grieve. I guess that is the way it is supposed to be.

I have come to the point in that sadness over my situation however, where God has told me it is enough. He gave me my time to feel what i needed to feel. I think perhaps He did allow it just so i could know really how much I love this baby boy. WOW. So much.

But now... "I trust in your unfailing love, my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord for He has been good to me." Psalm 13:5&6

"My lips will shout for joy when i sing praise to you - I whom you have redeemed." Psalm 71:23

He will meet all my needs for He has a plan for me which will give me hope and a future. (Jer. 29:11) And so in this i rejoice. So few people really know what it means to have a Savior to trust in. To know that you know that the ruler of the universe is holding you in the palm of His hand. I am greatly blessed.

If you don't know that today, i encourage you to seek it. Seek it with all your heart. He won't let you down. I promise. As i write on my Facebook in the section that asks my religious views, "My God is mighty...let me introduce you!" I'd love to. :)

Defending Orphans...

2009-01-18T20:26:00.000-08:00

There are two verses of scripture that consistently strike my heart whenever i read them.

"Learn to do good.

Seek Justice.

Help the oppressed.

Defend the cause of ORPHANS.

Fight for the rights of WIDOWS."

Isaiah 1:17

" Religion that God our father sees as pure and faultless is this: to look after ORPHANS and WIDOWS in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." James 1:27

Have you ever wondered what your calling in life would be? Thought that maybe you weren't hearing God, or God wasn't hearing you? Wanted to do something amazing for Him like Beth Moore or Elizabeth Elliot, yet you were just here in this ordinary life. I used to feel that way. Funny though, I'm still here in this ordinary life and i feel 100% content in how he is using me.

I think that is where we need to be...content with however he chooses to use us. Somehow God has given me over the years a heart for 2 of the things that are most important to Him. Orphans and Widows. And He has given me the privilege of helping both in my small way. Wow... that amazes me. That God in His hugeness is using me and my smallness to show people His heart.

Widows...

I lead a nursing home ministry out of our church and it is one of the things that God gave me when i really didn't want it. You see He told someone else to tell me I should do it. And God, knowing that i have a very hard time saying no to things, knew that i would say yes to this person's persistent personality and just do it. So i started it. Now with each visit people are changed by the wonderful people i serve with in that ministry. And 2 years later it is one of the true joys of my heart.

Orphans...

I wanted to have a biological child in the beginning. Mostly just so i could go through the whole pregnancy thing like other cute woman walking around with little bellies and cute clothes. But God never really gave me a true desire to give birth. Nor did He give that desire very strongly to Eric. You see He had a plan for us. One night at a concert He opened our eyes to adoption and we never looked back. Now if you ask either of us, we will tell you flat out that we hope God's plan of adoption for us never ends. We hope that He will give us all of our children this way. It is the desire of our hearts.

Now i speak at seminars and in schools about how wonderful and important adoption is. I tell them Juli's story. And soon i will tell them Elias' story. Oh how i am longing for the day i can tell people his whole beautiful story!

Are either of the things that God has given me to serve Him with huge? Not to most of the world. In fact to some of the world the elderly are not important at all. But to me they are HUGE. And to god they are HUGE. And so I in my smallness have been given 2 life verses. 2 life songs. I didn't go searching for either of them. They are true gifts given to me by my father in heaven. And they are far better than any material thing this life has to offer.

If you are looking for something fulfilling in your life... Ask God. He has a great one hidden in your heart that He wants to show you.

By the way, the picture above was taken in Juli's orphanage in Siberia. This was the toddler room where the 2 and 3 year olds lived. Aren't they precious?

It was a Cold day for Lemon Meringue Pie

2009-01-17T13:45:00.000-08:00

I just got home from a great day with my little family, which won't be so little for long. :) We took a drive today to one of the restaurants that i used to go to with my mom when she was alive. She had always had this knack for finding odd yet great places to eat. I think it is partly why i LOVE to eat out and am such a foody. The place we chose for today was Elias Cole in Colesville, NJ. It is a little hole in the wall place that looks as if Hansel and Gretel once resided there. The food is pretty good, but the highlight for me was 2 fold. They have sandwiches on home made bread and serve the best lemon meringue pie i have ever had. We had decided to go there the other day when Juli and i were watching a kids show on TV and they were talking about lemon meringue pie. She had never heard of it and so i told her we would go to the place that makes the best! I also thought it would be fun to go since the name of the place is "Elias" Cole. LOL

Well, after having been out on a great day i came home and Eric has been out salting the driveway which is becoming quite slippery in the later hours of the day. So, of course i am again thinking about the weather. Wondering what the actual temperature was today, i flip over too my Mac's (not my dog, my computer) dashboard and look onto my weather widget. Today was 13 degrees. But what is funny about my dashboard is that i have 4 weather widgets on here, with a clock to match each. These four clocks represent the 4 places in the world that are most important to me. You see they say home is where your heart is. Well, my heart is or has been in 4 different parts of the earth. One for where myself and my little family is living right now, New Jersey U.S.A. One for Krasnoyarsk, Russia where Julianna Faith is from. One for Addis Ababa, Ethiopia where Elias James is right now. And one for Beijing, China where our little Aimee Grace will come from in a year or two from now. So i have the weather and a clock for each place. Curious to know? Well...

New Jersey is @ 8:00 pm,12 degrees

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia is @ 4:00 am, 54 degrees

Krasnoyarsk, Russia is @ 8:00 am, 0 degrees (yes i did mean zero)

Beijing, China is @ 9:00 am 18 degrees

Hmmmm, Ethiopia sounds so nice right now. Think i'll go there soon for a little trip. What do you think?

Oh and by the way, yes i did watch 20/20 last night and see that an Ethiopia air ways jet crashed in the Indian Ocean killing 125 people in 1996 after being high jacked. Did you?! They mentioned it while talking about the Hudson river crash. Ok, I'm gonna go pray some more now. Because like i mentioned in the post on 25 crazy facts about us Kobys, I HATE TO FLY!

Have a Great Night!

You think it was cold today...

2009-01-16T20:27:00.000-08:00

Today was very cold! I was chilled the entire day through. I even used the butt warmer in my car seat which i usually hate because it's a little too toasty for me. But just a thought...as i mentioned below in my list of random Koby facts. When we were in Krasnoyarsk, Siberia (pictured above from our hotel room) to adopt Julianna, the temperature was 45 degrees below ZERO! Eric swears it was even lower than that. As we drove to the airport to leave back toward Moscow, the car began to stall because the diesel fuel was actually freezing. And they have an average of 4 hours of daylight in the winter months.

So, though i sit here at my desk with a chill in me. I remember a couple things. First, it is always colder somewhere else. And i remember how the people there, though it was freezing outside kept the inside a steady 75 to 80 degrees. So, body odor was always in the air somewhere. I think i will just put on a sweater and deal with it. Ahh the memories.

Good Night.

So, About us Koby's...

2009-01-16T17:30:00.000-08:00

Well, I was reading Patsy Clairmont's blog today at the suggestion of my awesome girlfriend Sharon and she had on there a list of random things about herself. Now don't get me wrong, mine will be no where near as exciting. But i thought i would create a crazy list of random things about us Kobys; Eric, Juli, and myself.

So, here goes...

1. I will only eat popcorn when it is mixed with Goobers.

2. We have a 3 legged dog. (Jax is pictured above during nap time)

3. I make wedding cakes as a "side thing".

4. Juli makes our dog Mac sit with her while she sits on the potty so she can have someone to talk to.

5. Eric proposed to me at a country line dancing bar.

6. The only bottled drink i will drink is Lipton Raspberry Iced Tea.

7. I tend to talk to myself but pretend i am talking to my dogs.

8. We put up 4.5 Christmas trees every year.

9. We feed the deer in our back yard carrots and apples.

10. At night i share my bed with my husband, 2 very big dogs, and 3 cats. I don't get much room.

11. Eric bites his nails.

12. My childhood nickname was Bunkie Doodle given to me by my aunt.

13. Eric and I hate the sand.

14. Juli's favorite food is ribs.

15. Juli and I eat our macaroni and cheese with a dollop of applesauce in the middle.

16. Juli is 100% Siberian, Russian.

17. We have traveled to a far end of the earth where the temperature is 45 below.

18. Our dog Mac will will throw a ball back to you while playing catch.

19. I have a fear of flying. Yet God has taken my life half way across the world for my daughter.

20. My cat had anxiety and licked himself bald once, except for his head, feet, and a mohawk down his back.

21. Michael Crichton is my favorite author.

22. I love my new minivan so much that i could sleep in it.

23. As a child i had a pony of my own named Princess.

24. Eric loves Kentucky Derby Pie.

25. I LOVE Desserts.

26. My 2 favorite shows are LOST and Murder She Wrote. LOL

Wow...to be able to have such a rich life that I can enjoy these simple things. I am amazed. The funniest part of it is that many of these things often drive me crazy, either about myself or one of the "others". LOL Yet when i sit and compile this list, they are all so a part of who i am and what my life is. I wouldn't trade my life for the world any day. God gave me everything and just what i need.

Poopy Diapers and the Letter J

2009-01-15T20:27:00.000-08:00

Today was a great day for Julianna. She talked about bringing Elias into our family a lot today! She even said that though she will not change a poopy diaper, she will bring it to the garbage can for mommy as long as she uses one hand to hold her nose!

We had dinner at the home of our wonderful friends the Thieringer's tonight. They gave Juli some special gifts. When she came home from Russia, they gave her this beautiful "J" that was adorned with pink ribbons and paint to hang on her door. So, this gift was a "J" for each holiday of Halloween, Easter, and Christmas!!!! She loved them. But When Arrie asked her if she should make a special "E" for Elias' door. She said no. I guess that is a gift that Juli sees as especially hers.

I today heard an excerpt during my Ladies' Bible coffee clutch from the book we are reading, I Second That Emotion, by Patsy Clairmont. It went like this, "...we're in East Africa. Members of the World Vision team, who assist children in 3rd world countries, introduced Rebecca to us. She had six children in her care. Three are hers and three belonged to her daughter, who is buried behind Rebecca's hut, a victim of AIDS. She is buried next to her sister, who died from AIDS the year before.

Rebecca's husband deserted his family, so the full responsibility rests on her shoulders. Her mud hut is empty, except for an unvented fire pit, sticks, a few thin throw rugs, a couple of blankets, and some hollowed gourds.

From all i saw and heard, Rebecca's life had been severe, and her losses were continuing as she had just received word that her youngest grandchild, who is 3 years old, has AIDS and tuberculosis."

I will continue the purpose of this excerpt in a moment, but first i have to say that as this was read, tears came down my face. They came to me because i thought of Elias' mother. The one who gave birth to him. I felt such sadness for her. Was she in a situation just like this Rebecca and knew that if she kept him, his life would be one of struggle and sadness? How i grieve for this woman. I wish i could help her, tell her that i will love that little boy like no other. But instead i can only pray that God will reveal himself to her and show her His love and that He has an amazing purpose for her little baby's life. Oh how i wish and pray that for her.

But, back to the book. What was amazing about this woman was this... " Rebecca's life deserves a pity party. I would volunteer to throw it for her, but i didn't see even a trace of self pity from Rebecca. Instead, she didn't so much as release a note of Whine. In fact, she exuded joy. And if you've never seen the North Star's brilliance on a cloudless night, you would experience it on Rebecca's face every time she spoke the name 'Jesus'....We asked Rebecca what we could do for her, and she said, "I need nothing. I will pray for you." ...That's what it means to leave a legacy for for one's children and grandchildren. Demonstrate your faith in the midst of hardships."

I pray that i will leave a legacy like that for my family. One that is themed with faithfulness to the God who has ALWAYS been faithful to me.

A New Blogger...

2009-01-14T20:22:00.000-08:00

Well, as today is week and 3 days since we received our referral for a sweet baby boy from Ethiopia, i thought it was high time i began blogging our journey. Not being much of a writer, this task is not going to come easy to me. But i have come to see that just about every adoptive family has a blog so i will now jump on the bandwagon as well.

Our journey toward this adoption has been some 10 months n the making. And we have a few more to go.

Our baby boy is gorgeous! Of course the details must remain with us for now, but we cannot wait until he is officially our sweetie and we can share him with the world.

So, our travel plans begin, as we contemplate how we will get there and what we will do.

And now we wait for a court date! Please Lord, bring it soon!

When we received our referral, immediately the Lord put this verse into my mind from lamentations 3:21-23... Yet this i call to mind and therefore i have hope: because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed. For His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

He is faithful even when we are not. I must admit, i have doubted His plan for our lives throughout this journey man times. But He still came through!...Great is your faithfulness my God.

This is the story of our Adoption from Ethiopia

2009-01-14T18:55:00.000-08:00

We're the Koby family, Eric, Heather, and Julianna. We will soon be traveling to Ethiopia to bring home a sweet baby boy whom we will name Elias James.

God has richly blessed our family through the gift of adoption and we are eternally grateful to Him who holds us in the palm of His hand.

We hope you enjoy joining us on this amazing journey.

Religion that God our father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after widows and ORPHANS in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world...James 1:27