Not much longer...

The sixteen children and two interpreters from Afghanistan will be arriving here in Jacksonville in just 10 or 11 days…that’s tough to believe. It is even tougher to believe that Sahar will soon be living under our roof…a girl none of us have ever met, from an orphanage in a foreign country – wow. Caroline is so excited about Sahar’s arrival – it’s almost all she talks about these days – she’s memorized the names and photos of all the 16 children who are coming. Personally, I am both excited and nervous – excited about beginning this adventure, but nervous about the unknown. William, our “in the moment/free-spirited” child, knows Sahar is coming soon and occasionally asks questions. Chris has been shown pictures of Sahar and looks at the pictures when he hears her name.

Today, Caroline and I spoke about Solace for the Children at both the early and late services at our church. I could not have been any prouder of Caroline – she spoke so confidently – her passion for this experience was so obvious.

For those of you who share Rhodes College connections with Sara and me, you may recall Chris Emanuel from the class of 1992 – Chris was a senior at Rhodes when Sara and I were freshmen. For a few years now, Chris has been a pediatrician here in Jacksonville, and we are very blessed that Chris has been our pediatrician since we moved here in 2003. Chris is playing a major role in the Solace program, serving as one of the lead pediatricians for the Afghan children. We are so thankful to Chris and his colleagues at Baptist Pediatrics-San Jose for being so quick to embrace Solace.

The children will arrive in Jacksonville next week on June 2 or 3 – each host family will be meeting their assigned child at the airport when the group arrives, accompanied by the two interpreters. Angie Cosper, the Jacksonville program coordinator, is currently finalizing all of the arrangements. On the subject of Angie…

Angie and Chip Cosper were, with the exception of my work colleagues, some of our first friends in Jacksonville when we arrived here over seven years ago. For those who don’t know the Cospers, they are some of the most open-hearted, giving people you will ever meet. They are the type of friends who are inevitably there in your time of greatest need. It is because of the Cospers that Jacksonville has gotten one of the first branches of the Solace for the Children program. Angie formed a relationship with Patsy Wilson, the Solace founder, when Angie and family hosted “Fakahria”, a young Afghan girl here last year, when Fakharia required major heart surgery. Fakharia is returning to Jacksonville next week for the summer program, and will be staying with the Cospers again.

I imagine some readers are anxious for me to place a picture of Sahar on the blog – as I previously mentioned, pictures of the Afghan children are somewhat of a sensitive issue. Regardless, with Angie’s and Patsy’s permission, I will likely post of a picture of Sahar once she has arrived at our home.

Please keep the prayers and positive thoughts coming our way, as we prepare for experience.

Bryan