Surgery update

Surgery went great! No problems so far. Activation day is February 19th! We can't wait to see what God is going to do!

Info. on Sena's cochlear implant surgery

I have had several people ask questions about the surgery on Wednesday so I thought I would clarify a little for everyone.

Sena will be going in on Wednesday, Feb. 3rd to get a cochlear implant on her right side. We have determined after much testing that she is profoundly deaf.......she has NO hearing, even with the hearing aids. She may be able to hear some very loud sounds but there is no way to know if she is really hearing them or feeling them. Because of that, we feel like that the cochlear implants are worth the try. We will not know how much, if any, hearing that she will get from them until later. She will go in 2-3 weeks after the surgery to have it turned on and then will have numerous "adjustments" done over the next few months. If it is successful, she will get the second implant 6 months to a year after the first one. She will be having the surgery done in Lubbock and we will stay over night just to be sure that everything is good before we head back to Artesia.

We would appreciate everyone's prayers. We are praying for a miracle for her! However, if she does not gain any hearing from the implant, we know that God is going to use her in a mighty way. Thank you for your support, encouragement and prayers!! Feel free to send me any questions you might have. I would be glad to answer them.

Kristi

Big News!!

Well...I said that we had some big news to share. I had to make sure that we had it on the schedule books before I could share.

Sena is getting cochlear implants!!! We have done much research and praying and decided that this will be a wonderful opportunity for her. We are praying for a miracle but know that anything could happen. We are leaving the results up to God! Her surgery will be on Feb.3 in Lubbock. We will stay overnight just to be sure there are no complications. Please pray for Sena and the family as we walk through this together! Thank you friends!

Help Compassion help Haiti!

Whew!!

Well, the holidays are over and the New Year has come (ready or not!). We had a great time with both sets of grandparents and even Uncle Jeff, Aunt Julie and cousins, Griffin and Alex got to come! Lots of food, lots of laughs and lots of spoiling. Sena loved her very first Christmas as a part of the Paul family. Sena loves to dress up and pretend with stuff we really do every day. She got a play kitchen and a Cozy Coupe car. The other kids really enjoy playing with her and teaching her new things!

We pray that 2010 will be a blessed year for us and for all our friends too! Thank you for praying for us and following us on our journey.

Keep following for some BIG news very soon!!

????Snow!!!!!

We had a snow day here today. Our neck of the woods doesn't usually see snow but it was just beautiful this morning and so much fun to play in!

Long awaited post!

We are here! We are alive! I think we are finally turning the corner and starting to live again. We have had some very hard changes in our lives in the last few months but God has sustained us through it all. Ethiopia was more than we could handle.....a precious little deaf child is more than we can handle.....a move to a new place, with new people is more than we can handle. Fortunately, God can handle all of those things!



We are settling into our house here in New Mexico. We finally have our things and actually put our Christmas tree up extra early this year. We are very excited about the holidays and getting to spend time with our family. Our new church here is more than we could ever ask for. They have embraced us from day one. They have prayed for us, prayed with us, provided meals for us, provided money for us and so many more things. We miss all our friends in Texas but are very thankful that God has moved us to a church that is so supportive and loving!


Sena is doing fabulous!!! When we went to Ethiopia, we experienced something we never expected. We were scared, confused and at the bottom of a very deep hole. We have never felt that desperate before. We cried out to God every day just to get through the day. The day we took Sena from the foster care we thought that there was no way that we could bring her home.....but God provided. Each day was a new day. It has been a looooong, hard road but when we look back, we can't believe where we have come from! Sena is a precious, loving little girl who just needed some guidance and direction. When she came to us, she knew 4 signs....3 of them "self made". By the time we left Ethiopia, she knew about 8 ASL signs. She now knows and understands about 120 signs, is attending special preschool for 2 1/2 hours every day, is wearing hearing aides that help her be more aware of her surroundings, is sitting still and quiet during church every week and is sleeping in her own twin sized bed in a room with Kennedy! She is an amazing little girl that shows us each and every day what unconditional love is! She loves each and every one of us (some more than others! :)). She is very smart and learns very fast. She has her own personal interpreter that attends school with her every day and he also teaches the family sign language two nights a week. We have been so blessed with all the help that we have received here. Thank you to all of you who have prayed for us!! We know that your prayers helped us make it through the last several difficult months. God is faithful!!



The other kids are doing great! They love their new sister like she has always been here. They are a perfect example of the love of Jesus! Brady will be turning 12 soon, which I can't even believe! They all played Upward flag football (except Kennedy, she cheered!) and they are all going to play Upward basketball. The boys are looking forward to the spring when they can get back into baseball and Kennedy can't wait to play soccer. They are very glad that we are finally in our own place and have our things here! They missed their beds and their "stuff"!


I am truly blessed to have such a wonderful family. I could not have made it through the last few months without them, especially Sean. He is and always has been my best friend and has supported me through anything and everything that has come our way in the last 15+ years. I can't wait to see how God uses each and every person in our family for His kingdom!

Please continue to pray for us. God's not through with us yet!