Happy Birthday... or However You Say It

We finally received our host children's insurance cards and personal information. This will be helpful for setting up dental and eye appointments for them. By the way... if you happen to know an eye doctor who will donate some free exams, let me know!

We didn't really know their exact ages until we saw those cards. They will be 12 and 10 by the time we meet them. What's crazy is that the little boy's birthday is the exact day he travels to America! By the way, I feel like I need a name for him, so I can talk about him more. We're not allowed to post the kids' names... but an initial might be confusing... because his name starts with an initial that is technically a word. I'm going to call him "Iceman" for a while... and hope that urban dictionary hasn't skewed my memories of Maverick's buddy in the movie, Top Gun, by using that name to now discuss some new, horrific teen lingo.

Moving on... Iceman turns 10 next week. He will wake up excruciatingly early on his birthday... or maybe not even go to sleep that night. He will travel a couple of hours to the international airport in his country. He will board that plane, have a 2 hour layover, and then land in Texas nearly 20 hours later. He'll make his way through customs, with the other orphans and the chaperones. Then, he'll meet his new Texan host family, with at least 9 more hours left on his birthday.

Will his host family give him a big, hearty Texan birthday celebration welcome? Yeehaw! {I say that while envisioning big hair, denim and a bedazzled poster with balloons and streamers} 

This is where I am puzzled. We have been told how exhausted and scared these kids will be. We do not want to frighten them. We are told they will most likely have issues with American food. I wanted to take it slow... going all organic, natural, no-sugar for a week or so. Where does a birthday cake fit into all that? HOWEVER, as an orphan advocate for so many years the one thing I have ALWAYS said is, "These kids don't even get a birthday cake on their birthday!" And, here I am. I have an orphan, staying in my house, on his birthday. Let me rephrase... I probably have an exhausted, potentially nauseated, scared orphan staying with us on his birthday. 

Perhaps we give him a card that says we want to celebrate his birthday next weekend? {a couple days after he arrives?}

I think we'll start with a sign at the airport that says "Happy Birthday" {Iceman} in his language. I have looked at the translation and I can barely say it. Let's just say that it isn't two words! It's long. It's more than twice as long as in English. It's even longer than Turkish! I've always been in awe of how long Turkish words are. I have looked at it for two days and am struggling. I hear it, yet feel like Joey in that crazy episode of Friends where Phoebe was trying to teach him French. 

DAWBSXZIT FDATEEHKGAK DREGZEDZ DUNOFOLO, ICEMAN!

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. James 1:5