Happy Birthday Kira!

As we all know, the seasons of life tend to pass too quickly. The Lord brings loved ones into our lives, yet sometimes He allows us to say goodbye to those who are near and dear to us.

I will never forget the day that we had a cute German girl come live with us for six months. My family was not foreign to hosting students from other countries. Kira was our fifth exchange student to be exact. It didn't take long for me to realize that she was more than just an exchange student, but we would grow to be wonderful friends.

My entire family fell in love with her. She was so fun and easy to be around. She would play games with us (Dutch Blitz and Monopoly were our favorite), help my mom around the house, go with me to Young Group events, and she was great with children. Oh the list could go on, but she was absolutely wonderful to have in our home.

I know it could not have been easy for Kira to have left her family in Germany and come to the States where she would live with two families, two Fiechter families even, that she had never met before. How did she put up with Lynn and Ronda's family for the first 5 months? Well, that still remains a mystery. She sure made it look easy though, and while she may not know it, she taught me so much about trust and courage. Kira became like a cousin to so many, but she felt like a sister to me.

May of 2009, we said goodbye to Kira. I remember feeling sad for a while, but thankful that God had allowed Kira to be a part of our lives for a short span. 

Kira is now going to be a Doctor at the University of Munster. We would always joke that I would be her employee, as a Medical Assistant someday, but due to the fact that she is on the other side of the world, I don't see that happening in the near future. Kira and I try to stay in touch, and she did come back in 2011 for a short visit, but the memories that we have together will linger in my heart forever. 

Kira, your US family wishes you God's blessings on her future, and a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! Thank you for touching our lives. We love and miss you!