Monday,
April 5, 2010
When Kelly and I see all five of our kids together it doesn’t
take long for us to realize that we have been blessed beyond
anything we could have ever imagined. Today we had a wonderful
homecoming and seeing Dave, Matt and Sarah welcome Eli into our
family was one the most joyful times that we’ll ever get to
experience. Once again God has enriched our lives with another
precious gift and we are so thankful to have our beautiful
little Eli home with us.
As is tradition now, Kristine, Sid and Kenz met us at SeaTac
along with Matt and Sarah. They waited patiently as we cleared
customs and processed Eli’s immigration and citizenship
paperwork…and then came the big reveal. The joy and excitement
and tears said it all! Eli seemed very happy to be in the middle
of all of the excitement and the smiles just kept coming…what a
guy. Jordyn was quite tired and cranky towards the end of the 11
hour flight (so who wasn’t?) but that all turned around when she
saw Kristine and all the kids. They smothered her with love and
you could tell by her face that she was relieved and very happy
to be home.
On our drive home, as we dropped into the beautiful Skagit
Valley, it struck me just how different Eli’s life will be as
part of our family here in the United States. There is something
endearing about China with all of the many cultures and
traditions. Maybe it’s just the fact that being in the thick of
things as a foreigner heightens your senses in a way that you
never experience at home, and that’s fun, but I think there’s
more to it than that. One thing is very obvious, these people
love their kids, and the places we saw were full of beautiful
children and smart and progressive teens and young adults just
waiting for their chance to influence a changing China. It’s an
amazing place and we’ll look forward to returning there with
Jordyn and Eli when they are old enough to appreciate it.
The journey that led us to Eli was wonderful in so many ways. We
will never forget how it felt to hold him for the first time or
the feel of his soft skin as we kissed his cheek…and that
smile…unbelievable. Adoption is one of God’s miracles that we
get to see unfold right before our eyes. If He is touching your
heart to bring one of these beautiful children into your family,
allow His plan to happen and you will experience this amazing
miracle first hand. The joy that it will bring to your life is
like nothing else on this earth.
Thanks so much to our wonderful family and friends who followed
along with us. This journey was blessed by your thoughts and
continued prayers as we waited for Eli and especially while we
were in China. We love you guys!
In the Beijing airport we met a guy who was waiting for the same
trip to Seattle that we were on, sort of the rough, tattooed,
Jessie James type. He took one look at our kids and said “man,
you guys are lucky, I mean sure, these kids are lucky, but
you’re really lucky!” You know, some people just have a knack
for telling it like it is.
Love to all of you from the reunited Kinkels,
Phil, Kelly, Dave, Matt, Sarah, Jordyn and Eli
|
Then there was five
Just the guys
Taking a walk with Sissy
Sweet Eli
Now the fun begins! |
