Grandpa's Visit #1

We had a really great two week visit from Grandpa, in which he got to experience a little more of our country then last time. The culture shock factor on the second trip was much less and even his willingness to try various local foods was greatly increased.

We started the trip off in Mumbai, where he flew into. He treated us to a 3 day stay at his favorite hotel, where we met friends he had made on his last trip. (Including the real Denzel Washington, who looks a little skinnier than I remember him in his movies).

We enjoyed lots of swimming, good food, site-seeing, the beach, and a local "ferry" ride in a surreal fishermen village in the middle of a mega city.

Here are a few pictures from the first leg of his trip.

I

At The Gateway to India. I'm guessing Jackson said something funny.

Love Lavished

The Lord shows His love for us in many ways. His payment for our sins, His unending patience towards us, His mercy towards us by which family and country we were born into...and like every good Father, He shows His love with gifts sometimes. Man, have we felt loved this week!

Not only did I have my earthly father here with me, lavishing his sweet gifts on my kids and me, but the whole week we have received daily updates of how the Lord's been leading friends and family to give sweet gifts towards our adoption costs! My heart is so full it is about to burst! I can't 'thank you' all enough, nor can I thank Him enough for His goodness towards His children.

Adoption expenses can stress the most laid-back person out to the max! It's a lot of money and while sometimes it doesn't seem fare or right, it kind of makes sense. Everything worth having has a high cost. Giving birth to your children costs you physically, financially, emotionally. Becoming a parent no matter the form your child enters your family- is costly. And it's oh so worth it! But we serve a God who has storehouses full of all the resources we need! And yet, instead of raining it down from heaven, He tends to use His children to be the givers of what is truly His, so they too can experience the blessings of the Father.

When I see my sons give their money (which I gave them) to a beggar on the street, or take some pizza (which I bought him) to a hungry child with her face planted up against the glass window...the child is blessed, my son is joyful, and I am a proud parent. In my prayers of thanksgiving that are overflowing right now, I'm praying for all you "givers", that you would feel joyful and blessed by God to have been used to show His love towards us.  

Give1Save1 Africa

It's our turn!! This week we are being featured on Give1Save1Africa!!

Give1Save1 is a really great blog that advocates an adoptive family a week, and asks it's readers to donate $1 to the family of the week. They also promote different fair trade goods and other fun stuff for good causes. I love this idea and support, and I plan on continuing to support other adoptive families in this simple yet powerful way.

If you haven't already, go to Give1Save1 and watch our video! I had a hard time deciding what to do because there are so many great ideas out there, but we chose to make our video for our future child. We hope he/she will cherish it one day. I wanted to make something that showed our life before our child joins the Klen clan and how excited we all are. I've carried babies physically and now I carry this child in my heart, and the same excitement, fears, anticipation, and love are inside me...ready to burst! We cannot wait to meet our newest little Klein!

If you've made it to our blog today because you saw us on Give1Save1, thanks for stopping by! Please read our Our Family  page to find out more about who we are and our Adoption Journey page to learn more about how God has led us to adopt from the Congo. We anticipate receiving a referral and taking our first trip to the Congo in the next couple months. We lack about $7,000 to make our adoption happen, and the majority of that will be needed when it's time to accept our referral. So thank you for considering us for your $1 donation!

Thank you Give1Save1 and their contributors!! For all you do to help families bring home their children and for the lives you are forever changing!

Adoption Is...

Adoption is...

Exciting

Work

Waiting

Painful

Grieving

Thankfulness

Hopeful

Sacrificial

Giving

Refining

Humbling

Patience

Trusting 

Anticipation

Dreaming

Receiving

BEAUTIFUL!

It amazes me how God has created us with such complex minds and souls that we can feel so many emotions all at one time. This list is sort of chronological, but also cyclical of what I've felt and know I'll feel throughout this process. When we say "we're adopting", so many people respond something to the effect of "wow! That is such a good thing of you to do" (it's particularly uncommon in India). But the truth is, adoption is about Receiving, more than giving. The birth family is giving us their child. God has given us and is giving us the financial means to adopt. Our agency and their staff in Congo are giving so much of their lives to serve orphans. God is giving us the awesome responsibility to parent another one of His precious children. We are being given a huge opportunity for refining our character, not only in the waiting, but in the future parenting of our child. We are Receivers more than Givers. But isn't that how it always is with the Lord? We can never give enough of ourselves to out-do Him. He is always the best GIVER. The perfect Father who lavishes us with all we need. It's humbling, as reflection on His love always is. All we can do is be faithful, hopeful, trusting, and grateful to the One who has adopted us.