Medical Screening

The kids all got medical exams on Saturday. These doctors and staff were wonderful! Madina loved seeing all her friends. She did real well until they had to draw blood. She was squirmy, but pulled through for us. She told the doctor she has pain in her belly sometimes and also her right calf. We will be having x-rays done in the next couple weeks to follow up.

Friday Afternoon at the Lake

On Friday, we were kindly invited out on the Lake with Don and Crystal Hamilton (host family to Kawa). This was both Madina and Kawa’s first time on a boat and in the water. Kawa took to the water very quickly, but my sweet Madina needed some coaxing. She’s so cute because she wants to go in the water, but then chickens out. We did this routine over and over. Eventually she went in the inner-tube and really enjoyed it! What was real interesting for me was that she and Kawa spoke to each other in Farsi. This was the first real conversations I had heard in her tiny voice. It is a beautiful language and I love listening and wondering what they are saying. It was such a fun day and I got lots of pictures if you want to check out the photo gallery to the right. Up until this point Madina had been so incredibly active and I’d begun wondering how I’d keep up with her. Well, when we got home from the lake, she went to bed at 3:00 in the afternoon and slept until 8:00 the next morning when I had to wake her for the medical screening appointment. I think she finally crashed and will be on a more normal schedule now.

First Day Together

Thursday afternoon we took Madina to Target to get some clothes and toys. I hadn't bought much not knowing her size. She picked out a couple super cute outfits and flip flops. This is a girl after my own heart… she gravitated to everything pink, sparkly or glittered! She loves Hello Kitty, Cinderella and Barbie! When we got to the toy section she gasped in disbelief and ran to a huge pile of balls. She couldn’t believe it when we pulled out the pink one and gave it to her. She was still shy at this point and said "thank you" so adoringly. She twirled her arms motioning a jumprope. We of course found a pink one with lights in the handles. Oh, then we got to the "girlie" isle with all the dollies. We told her to pick out something to play with. She picked a Barbie wearing these huge, pink glittered wings, a Disney Princess drawing set and these tiny Cinderella figurines. She was so cute… when we got home she took me up to her room and carefully placed all her new stuff where she wanted it. She is very meticulous and tidy. She folds everything perfectly and smooths out the wrinkles before placing it in the drawer. She took her clothes she came with and hid them in the corner of the closet. She didn’t want them near her new stuff. On our way home from Target we had stopped at the church and introduced her to Billy, Byron, Monica and Teri. Everyone adores her… she always has a smile on her face and I can’t help but hug and kiss her all the time!

Photo Gallery Added

I have a little catching up to do, but for now I just added a photo gallery link to the right. I will write about the fabulous weekend we just had later tonight. Off to the eye doctor appointment for now...

The Arrival

Thursday morning around 2:00 am the kids arrived at Charlotte-Douglas Airport. It was an awesome reception as the kids (all wearing orange and blue) came down the escalator… families cheered and camera flashes were crazy! It was like we were the paparazzi! The kids looked so exhausted, but were all happy to be received into these loving families. They travelled from their respective city to Kabul, Islamabad, Dubai, JFK in NY (with a 10 hour layover), then to Charlotte. We got home around 3:00 am and got to bed about 5:00 am. Madina’s first meal was potato chips and Coke upon request. We gave her a quick tour of the house and showed her the  bathroom and bedroom. I took new pajamas out of the dresser and her face just lit up! She smiled big, gave me a hug and said "thank you" in this sweet tiny voice. My heart just sang. We were told that pajamas are the biggest treat for them. Evidently they sleep in their clothes?

Meet sweet Madina

We were fortunate to have an interpreter come to our home shortly after the kids arrived. We were able to ask questions and find out more about this little sweetie. This is what we know so far…

Madina is 9 years old and in the 4th grade. She lives in Charikar, Parwan Province. This town lies on the road to Kabul in east-central Afghanistan. It is a very mountainous region that still sees violence from the Taliban. There are many suicide bombers in this area and it is a risk every time you leave your home that you may not come back. Since the Taliban’s fall from power, the women have been liberated to some extent. They no longer have to wear the burkhas and can now get an education. The girls however, cannot wear shorts. They wear jeans or pants, but t-shirts are acceptable. The girls are not allowed to play outside. They must go from school to inside the home. Only the boys are allowed to run around and play sports outdoors.

Madina is the oldest of two brothers and a sister. She has both her parents. They don’t have a telephone and have electricity only a few hours each week. Her favorite subjects in school are math and English. She wants to be a teacher when she grows up. She told us she doesn’t like art/crafts or cooking/baking (Oh no! Now what do I do for six weeks… there goes my entire plan!). I think she saw my disappointment and followed up by saying she likes to draw. Her favorite thing to do is run. She says she is very fast! I’m sure she never gets to run because when we showed her our treadmill, we couldn't get her back off!

We don’t think she really comprehends much of what we say because the answer is always "yes". Her English has been limited to: "yes, no, thank you" so far. She is a very polite, happy little girl with the most adorable smile. We just love her! She even wakes up in the morning with a smile. She doesn’t seem to be scared or nervous and told the interpreter that she liked us very much. She calls us Mom and Dad. So far it’s been a struggle finding out what she likes to eat. Either she is very picky or taking advantage of our generosity. She chooses to drink Coke with every meal, even breakfast. Her food of choice... chips—all the time, oh except for the Honey Buns she wants with every meal too! Hmmmm... do you think I’m being played? It was cute at the airport reception… we all got a minute with an interpreter after we got our child. We asked Madina if she was hungry and what she wanted to eat. Her answer was "yes" and "chips". That seemed to be the answer all the kids gave. We think they were served chips on the plane.

Welcome!

A few months ago, Bob Popoff from Lake Norman Children’s Relief came to Huntersville United Methodist Church to graciously speak about a wonderful Christian program that brings children from Afghanistan and Belarus to the United States for needed medical care. Joe and I knew God was calling us to host one of these children. You see, we having been in the process of adopting a baby girl from China for two years now. We more than likely will have another two to four years before we can travel to get her. We never knew how incredibly slow the process has become. We have been waiting so long to be called Mama and Daddy. God has answered our prayers and given us a little girl to love and take care of for six weeks this summer. This blog will serve to document her stay here and be a way to share our experience with family and friends. Our mission is to show her the love of Jesus Christ and give her hope for the future life she has back home in Afghanistan.