Butterflies in my belly!

Hello Loved Ones~
What a day today has been! Chad and I were both GLUED to our yahoo group today. Though my agency denies it, referrals tend to come towards the end of the month. When we woke up this morning there were only 7 referrals this month when there are usually 10.

Well, let me tell you, it has been a day in referral land! Three families received referrals today, 2 for infant boys and 1 for an infant girl. The air was electric in the yahoo group! I couldn't type "congratulations" fast enough!

So, the big news! WE ARE 2ND (that's right, my friends) on the list for a baby boy. On top of this, I just happened to speak with our family coordinator today and did my best to pump her for information. She conveyed to me that there are a "couple of referrals expected next week." ONE OF THESE COULD BE OURS!!!!!!

We can't express how excited, nervous, thankful, apprehensive, etc. we are. To know that we are so close is...well...I don't really know how to describe it! We're really hoping to hear next week so please keep us in your prayers.

Oh, I don't think I am going to be able to sleep a wink tonight!!

Kim

UPDATE-GOD IS GREAT!

Hey All,
This has been a tough week for our yahoo group as there were no referrals last week and this week has also been extremely quiet. The general tone of the chat group was pretty down in the dumps. While we continually tried to comfort each other with jokes, prayers, encouragements, etc., we were all still feeling the waiting blues!

Well, I think God must be reading our posts because today, minutes ago, a family received a referral for a little boy around 6 months old. We are so happy for this family and excited to hear news of their little one.

What does this mean for us? Well, as far as we know, WE'RE SIXTH ON THE LIST FOR A BOY!!!!

Please continue to pray for us as we wait and for all of the children in the transition home. We are getting so close, ya'll!

GOD IS SO GREAT!

What Can You Do?

Hey All~
Yesterday was an very slow day for all of us in the Ethiopia program and the Kulp family in particular! After some bad news regarding a friend's health, the death of a child in our neighborhood, and no referrals, I went to bed quite discouraged about what God is doing here on earth and in my life. I was beginning to question whether we have the stamina to endure all that God has planned for us in the future both related to and outside of this adoption.

And then I read this in Isaiah Chapter 1-

17 "Learn to do right!

Seek justice,

encourage the oppressed.

Defend the cause of the fatherless,

plead the case of the widow.
18 "Come now, let us reason together,"

says the LORD.

"Though your sins are like scarlet,

they shall be as white as snow;

though they are red as crimson,

they shall be like wool."

God gently reminded me that we are heeding a call that he makes not once, not twice, but 60 times in His word- to defend the cause of the fatherless. I was encouraged, not from a place of pride, but from a place of reverence and thankfulness. I am TRULY thankful that God chose us for the cause of adoption.

And then it occurred to me that, yet again, I was thinking only of myself! God's word applies to us all. God chose us ALL for this cause.

If you want to find out more about this cause and how you can get involved, click the "Red Letters Campaign" link to the right of the screen. But I warn you, you better be prepared to be moved and motivated!

Much Love,

Kim

A Million Questions and No Answers.

Hey All,
Well, much to my chagrin, it's been completely quiet as referrals go in the past week. So, I don't have much to report in that area. We're still 7 or 8 on the list as far as we know.

I can tell you that Chad has begun to stud out the basement (no, he is not filling it with young firefighters!) so that we can move forward with finishing Jackson-Kellan-Micah-David's room. We've decided not to decorate until we have a picture in our hands. The wait is hard enough, staring at a fully decorated nursery might just push me over the edge. ;0)

I found the cutest robeez for him this weekend and didn't buy them as a wise friend reminded me that we don't know how old he will be yet. THAT IS KILLING ME. The wait I can handle. But not knowing what he will look like, how old he will be, how long he has been at the orphanage, etc. is really tough.

I want to do what all expecting mother's do, buy clothing and books, decorate, etc. But, I can't as I am bound (hog-tied, really) by my lack of knowledge. I am beginning to get a headache from all of the questions swirling around in my head about him; his size, his age, his eyes, his health...the list goes on and on.

I am trying to repeat the verse "For I know the plans I have for you..." in my head as a comfort, as an answer for all of my questions. It's difficult but we must rest in the fact that Our Father knows the answers to all of our questions and will reveal them in His timing.

So, I'm still waiting, but trying harder now not to have as many questions.

Kim

This is why...

Chad and I are constantly saying the words "when" and "why." It seems as though we can't go 2 minutes without asking, or being asked, questions about the adoption. When will we hear? When will we go to Africa? Why does it cost so much? Why is it so hard? Why is it taking so long? When is God going to intervene and create real change for these children? WHY?????

I confess that, though I pray daily for our son in Ethiopia, I have stopped asking God these questions because I am tired of not getting an answer in the form I want (let's be honest, through a referral!!!) and because asking is a constant reminder that I am NOT in control.

So, when I run across something beautiful that reminds me of WHY we chose to adopt from Ethiopia (as opposed to domestic adoption like our adoption of Devon which is MUCH easier), I feel God speaking to me. You see, though I have stopped asking these questions through prayer, they are still written on my heart. And my God reads hearts!

I was really inspired today by this quote that I saw on another waiting family's blog (Thanks Vince and Alisa Martin!) This is why, y'all. This is why.

"Who was going t0 raise twelve million children? That's what I suddenly wanted to know...Who was teaching twelve million children how to swim? Who was signing twelve million permission slips for school field trips? Who packed twelve million lunches? ...Who will tell twelve million bedtime stories? ...Twelve million birthday parties? Who will wake in the night to eighteen million nightmares? Who will offer grief counseling to twelve, fifteen, eighteen, thirty-six million children? Who will help them avoid lives of servitude or prostitution? Who will pass on to them the traditions of culture and religion, of history and government, of craft or profession? Who will help them grow up, choose the right person to marry, find work and learn how to parent their own children? Well, as it turns out, no one. or very few. There aren't enough adults to go around."

Who?????
And I heard the voice of the Lord saying,
“Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?”
Then I said,
“Here am I! Send me.”

From Melissa Faye Greene's "There Is No Me Without You"

Sad News

Today a family within our agency lost their little girl in Ethiopia to pneumonia. Our heart breaks for them as they are grieving the loss of a child they were never able to hold. Please pray for this family and for all of the children in the transition home as a nasty respiratory virus is being passed around. I don't always understand His ways, but God is God and I am man...

The UPDATE

Here's the first update.

So, based on my recent participation in a yahoo chat devoted to our adoption program, I believe we are 6th or 7th on the list waiting for an infant boy referral. What does this mean? Well, as there are generally 5 infant boy referrals each month, we hope to hear regarding or child next month some time. We would then get in line for a court date and travel date, both of which would be in the fall. Our FERVENT prayer is that we travel and are home by Christmas. Please continue to pray for us as we wait. We have tolerated our waiting season quite well, considering the many bumps, hurdles, changes, etc. The last few weeks are often the hardest as we see more referrals come in and as our name moves closer and closer to the top.

We'll keep you posted!

Hello Friends, Family, and Onlookers!

This is my first entry…oohs and ahhs please. ;0) Why did we start this blog you might be asking (certainly it’s not because I have extra time on my hands!). Well, there are two reasons really. The first reason is that we wanted to be able to communicate information related to our adoption to friends and family without the endless emails. Second, it’s a great way to connect with those within the adoption community that we don’t know yet. I have secretly been jealous of all of the beautiful blogs that I have been reading for many months during our "waiting season."

So, here we go!

Now, why “The Mountain View?” Well, many of you might recognize the line “you have to walk the rocks to see the mountain view” from one of my favorite Caedmon’s Call songs. This has proved true time and time again in our lives. God has brought us through the rocks of tragedy, disappointment, frustration, and general discontentedness repeatedly only to reveal to us a mountain view that is more beautiful and sanctifying than we could have imagined. In each journey, he has also revealed the agonizing beauty and necessity of each rock.

So, our family is continually trying to keep our focus on the mountain view ahead while praising and thanking God for the rocks at our feet!
More is forthcoming, I promise!