Lazy Blogger

It's true of me!!! I am going to try to be better :)

Why have I not been blogging? Busy, busy, busy... Okay I know you are saying that is a pitiful excuse because we're all busy. And you're right - that isn't a good excuse - I just can't think of a better one right now! I'll let you know when I come up with something! We have been doing lots of fun stuff - here's the latest...

Allee and I are mountain climbers! Yep - we climbed to the top of Enchanted Rock in Fredricksburg. It is this huge rock hill made from granite. There is very little foliage after you get past the bottom because there is no dirt and it becomes too hot in the summer. There were interesting little caves and creveases in the rocks that we climbed through and explored. At the top you could so far and the little people and cars down below looked like toys. It was awesome - if you haven't been, be sure to go. But unless you are really ready for a sweaty challenge avoid it in the summer - I hear the granite really heats up and you are blasted with heat from above and below - kind of like the beach but without the water.

Anyways, it was a fun day to enjoy a beautiful part of creation and to just sit back in awe of a little part of what God made. But as we were reminded in church this morning - as beautiful as days like these lately have been - this is just the created - we can only imagine the Creator's beauty and wonder. There is a refreshment that comes from a some exercise and from being outdoors and taking time to notice little wonders like lichens and mosses and fairy shrimp eggs (I think that's what they were called). I am thankful Allee and I could enjoy it all together.

THREE CHIEFS

Well we learned a bit more about each other and teamwork this past week. At Allee's school each child does a major project about anything they choose. The child chooses the project and then the family works on it together. Allee chose to learn about her grandparents' dairy farm. We spent some time at the dairy last semester learning about the milking process, the care of the cows, what is done with the milk, the history of dairying, and so much more. We even got to watch and video a calf being born. To make it even more exciting, the calf was huge, got stuck, and Tommy (Zach's dad) had to help deliver the calf. We weren't sure if it was alive at first and then were so overjoyed to see that the little calf was just fine! It was such a fun weekend in Sulphur Springs.



After a little more research and gathering materials, it became time to assemble the information onto the poster. Well, this is when we discovered (I should say rediscovered because we have known this for a long time!) that we are all a bit on the headstrong side. To those of you who know us well - you know that is a bit of an understatement :) And we all three had different ideas of how and what to present. It was comical seeing our personalities come out... I had to just walk away and tell myself "It's her project!" Zach helped a lot too but Allee did the majority of it herself. She did a great job! So we learned a lot about dairy farming and a little about teamwork and personalities as well :)



1 Peter 5:5 "Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for "God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble."




Grandparents Day was this past Friday and we had such a great time looking at all the students' projects. I learned a great deal from the projects and loved seeing their varying interests. Benjamin was awed by some of the electricity projects that a few older boys chose! And the ceremony was truly a blessing for grandparents and for parents. We are so thankful for the wonderful, supportive grandparents our children (and us too of course) are blessed to have. What incredible things they teach our children and what love they share with them.



We are also so grateful for this school at this point in our lives - God was faithful to lead us to it this year, and we have been blessed to watch our children grow mentally and spiritually this year.

Brrr...

Okay it is COLD and WET for us in Texas - not a fun combination. We are just not used to this weather and I can't say I like it... I know this is nothing compared to many places - but at least in some places there are fun things to do related to the cold - like snow instead of rain! All right - I'm done complaining. On the other hand, we've had good excuses for hot chocolate, lots of card games and reading books :)

We are actually choosing to go to much colder conditions in March!! We are so excited to go skiing (with the kids - even Ben gets to go) in Colorado for spring break with my parents and my sister's family - Allee and Jadon can't wait. When we took them for the first time last year, Jadon began campaigning that maybe God was telling us to move to Colorado forever and Allee began saying that she might find a college in Colorado. So I guess they don't mind the cold at all! We are going to drive 18 hours to get there so that should be an adventure all in itself :) Am I really smiling about 18 hours both ways in the car - I may have a different emotion halfway home...

On another note, I am so proud of Allee. I have watched her start a very challenging new school this year with all new friends (who have all known each other for many years). She took it on like she does most things in life - with courage and hard work and an incredibly positive attitude. She worked so hard when the homework was new and different last semester and even made honor roll the first trimester. And she did it all without hardly a word of complaint. Sometimes I was more overwhelmed than she was and she would just tell me "It's not that much Mom" It was a lot at first and she inspired me with her attitude. Now she's got the hang of it. She is gifted with being super smart but more importantly she just is a hard worker and doesn't get discouraged easily. Anyways, I was just thinking about what a gift my sweet girl is... she is such a joy to us!

A Few Updates

We did get news from our agency that Nastya made it back her home and with ALL her belongings! Thank you for praying. We have all missed her greatly this past week. It is hard because we have not yet found a way to call and don't have any contact with her. We have put together our first care package and hope to send it next week but even something like that we are still learning what you do to go about mailing to Ukraine (affordably :)). We are very excited to have connected with a missionary group that visits her orphanage I think weekly, and we may be able to send things through them. What a blessing to have these missionaries working with these kids and to be able to see the effect they have had on this child. Everytime Nastya talked about them while she was here, she would just light up and it was clear from things she said and wrote that she truly knows that God loves her and prays to Him on her own initiative. It is wonderful that these people have poured love and hope into the lives of children who have so few who care about them. And so neat to see that while Nastya may not fully understand why they do what they do, she does feel love from them and believes that God loves her.


In the other news - we have just been busy playing catch-up with work and school and basic housework (piles were taking over and those who know me well know that is bad...:-o ) We are getting back into the daily routine after a great break from school and more structure. It was a nice break but good to be back into the "groove".


It is also a time of reflecting and praying for God to lead us to what He wants in this. We trust Him. This time with Nastya has changed us in some fundamental ways... we are trying to take some time to process it all... We have become more grateful for the incredible blessings we have been given - our family and extended family top the list. Of course we are always grateful for the people in our lives, but it deepens the reality that it is a blessing and a gift and we can't take these people and this time for granted. We do know that we are blessed beyond what we can comprehend and don't want to miss the joys of each day!

On Her Way to Ukraine...

Tonight we put the sweet girl who we have come to love deeply on a plane to New York and then to Ukraine. They said it would be hard - I had no idea it would be this hard. A week ago it would have been hard - now it was nearly impossible. I cling to knowing that God loves her more than we do, that He is with her, that He goes before her and before us.

This past week has been so precious. We hit some emotional roadblocks with her about halfway through last week. Things had been going great and then seemed to get more difficult last Tuesday or so. I think she was unsure about whether she could trust that we really loved her, and we still felt a bit distant although comfortable with her. Then this past Friday - after the t.v. filming - somehow (several close friends were praying I know - thank you!) things turned around and she really let down her guard. She began to open up to us emotionally. It's hard to explain how we could know that when we couldn't talk with her, but we have found that words are not as necessary as we might have previously thought and that body language and actions and a few attempted words in another language can speak volumes. This past weekend and this week have been especially precious and we are thankful for each moment. We have come to love her so much and it is difficult not to think of her as our daughter. But God is in control and we know that He is able to do all things and that He is good and loving. So we trust that His plans are perfect for our family and for Nastya. We pray that He would give us grace to trust Him and to clearly see His plan in each step.

Today and yesterday Nastya was very specific about what she wanted to do. And she was clear that she did not want Allee to go to school but to stay home with her - they have had soooo much fun together. It was bittersweet to see her relishing each moment. She had a glorious time riding her bike at my mom and dad's, feeding the horses one last time, taking a long bath (two actually), fishing for minnows with a net (the reason for the 2nd bath), and getting her back scratched. She also ate as much fruit as she could hold and plenty of sausage :) She kept asking to take back food to Ukraine and we sent a little on the plane, but of course she couldn't really take much with her. We hope to send a care package soon.

Please pray specifically for Nastya's belongings as she travels back to Ukraine. She loves her baby doll and her photos and several other items. She had been asking for photos and was delighted this morning to receive a book full of tons of pictures of all her adventures and favorite moments. We packed a suitcase of clothes and things too. Pray that she is able to keep up with her carry-on backpack and that her checked bag will make it intact to her orphanage.

Well, that's about it. We go to bed tonight incredibly grateful for this precious time that we have all had together. Thank you to each and every one who have been praying for us and encouraging during this time. It has been all the more special and fun to be able to share it with you.

Jeremiah 29:11 "For For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD , "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."

Famous!

Well we made tv today! Or at least our pictures did :) But Nastya and the other four kids all were on live television along with our friends Becca and Craig Hill and our translator - Laura. San Antonio Living had them all on their show today to raise awareness about orphans and the possibilities to help. Oprah, Good Morning America - here we come! It was a great time for the kids, and the adults really enjoyed seeing a tv station at work. If you want to watch the show just go to http://www.woai.com/ and click on "SA Living" (one of the headings at the top) Then look down and click on "watch SA Living" and ours is, of course, Ukraine Orphans. Afterwards, we all enjoyed a nice lunch and encouraging conversation by the River Walk. There have been so many blessings through this time, but one of the biggest has been the precious friendships we have made with these other host families. These ladies have encouraged me and prayed for me and it is incredibly comforting to all be in this together. It is so wonderful to be able to talk with ladies who have such a strong faith and who are right in the middle of the same joys, fears, struggles, and hopes. And they are just fun to hang out with too!

Where Do We Go From Here?

Great Question! For those of you that we have not been blessed to talk with in detail about this experience, I hope to somehow capture some of our thoughts, prayers, hopes, revelations, a little of what God has done thus far through this time.

Knowing Nastya has already changed us all a great deal in our thinking and in our perspective about life. We have absolutely loved having her here. It has not all been easy, but it has certainly been full of love and joy. If she is blessed by us even one iota as much as she has blessed us, then I know her heart is full. It has been so amazing to see this timid, pale, exhausted child blossom into such a loving, outgoing, radiant, happy little girl. Our days have been filled with running and playing outdoors, loving on the pets, riding bikes (did I mention she did this for the first time and learned in about 24 hours?!), riding horses, and just more normal stuff - cooking, cleaning, watching movies, playing games, and just being together. We have all fallen in love with this child and are already grieving that she has to return in a short time. We are praying and asking God to faithfully reveal His perfect plan for our family. We know that His plan is absolutely perfect and He promises to reveal it to us. It is such a strange place to be in. Before Nastya walked off the plane, orphans were just people that others worried about, just stories I've read about in countless books and blogs, just the lives children lived before they were adopted by friends we know, just statistics that were hard to comprehend. So many, such sadness. But now there is one. One who is in our home. One whom we have grown to love and care for deeply. What does that mean?


We know that God brought this child here for this time. We also know that in the past when we have been faced with huge decisions, we have diligently sought the Lord to give us direction. Every time He has been incredibly faithful to lead us in the paths He has for our family. Would He forsake us now? No. I can rest in that assurance. I know He says to me, "Call to Me and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things that you do not know" Jeremiah 33:3. And He says that He is our Protector, our Saviour, our Shepherd, our Strength, and that His grace is sufficient for us. I rest in this truth. I know that God has protected us from some stupid, bull-headed decisions in the past - such grace! He has saved me when I did not deserve it - He called me to Himself. I was the one who was lost in my own sinfulness and did not even know I needed to be saved, and He dramatically got my attention and caused me to know His lovingkindness and His grace and to know Him personally. To call Him Father. To call Him Lord. To call Him Saviour. You ask - why is all this relevant now? Well it is relevant because the Lord did not walk away from my mess and He did not think I was too risky or too imperfect or too messed up to bother with saving. No - He loved me when I was disobedient and didn't really care what He thought. And it is relevant because I want (only by the grace of God), to do whatever His will is. I wholeheartedly believe that we would all choose His plan for our lives if we could see the whole picture from His perspective. I believe that He loves me perfectly, that He is wholly good, that He is omniscient, and that He is able to all things. So I know I can trust Him to not only have a perfect plan but to reveal that plan. And I know that I can trust Him to give me the grace and the strength to do whatever He calls me to do. Last, I know that He does call me to lay down my life just as Jesus modeled. I struggle with that and this has caused me to see my own selfisness. Selfishness, you say, but you are hosting an orphan...how could you be selfish?! Oh but I am! I have seen my own selfishness more clearly this week than I have in a long time! I am and when I think about our future and the changes adopting this child may bring, I think about selfish things. I think about ease of life, vacations (with and without my children), not having the financial burden of another child, etc, etc, etc. Oh and how I don't want to see that selfishness, but it is there and I just pray and ask God to give me the grace (undeserved) to have His love and His joy. I believe there is joy in sacrifice and servitude. I have been blessed to experience that joy this week. And please don't think I'm saying that vactions and different pleasures in life are bad - they are great and I hope to have a lot of them!! But I don't want to love them so much that they drive my life. But again, God is faithful and gives the grace to love when it is easy and when it is hard, because He gives us His love.

So all that to say, it is summed up much better in God's own words, and this has become a regular prayer of mine this week.

Colossians 1:9-11 "For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy"

Really read this verse above - it is such awesome, peaceful truth. We ask you to pray with us that this would be true in our lives! In all this, I have said I believe all that I have said above before now, but wow - this time with Nastya and considering adopting her along with all the fears, concerns, unknowns, sacrifices and possible obstacles involved in that decision - we really have to decide to trust God, to trust this truth, to rest in His love and power. It is a unique time and we look forward to seeing His plan revealed one step at a time.

Wow! It's hard to know where to start - I am waaay behind again in keeping up with the blog. It's been a little crazy with Christmas and being at my parents' and learning Ukrainian :) I could write a post with all the following titles:

"Nastya Meets, Rides, and Loves Horses"

"We're Famous!!" (we made the front page of our local paper and will soon be on tv!!!)

"Nastya Learns To Ride a Bike for the First Time!"

"Determination", "Strong Will", "Loving, Sweet Spirit", "Fearless"

"Christmas Joys"

"Many Questions...", "Lost In Translation",

and my current favorite from today - "Ukrainian Girl Meets Texas Cactus!!!"


Well, in my mind I have written the blog entries that go with each of these blog titles - they are all amazing stories. But I don't think I have the time to write them all! I'm too busy with the next adventure right now. And I desperately need sleep!

Hopefully tomorrow I will have more time to elaborate. In the meantime, thank you for your prayers. And thank you to our family for you love and support. God has poured out grace on us all through this and we are blessed by the assurance that He will continue to do so and will lead us the paths He has for us. Glory goes to Him - great things He has done and will continue to do. If you are led to, continue to pray especially for wisdom for us and that we will clearly hear His voice in decisions and grace to love this child with His everlasting love.

Happy 6th Birthday to My Sweet Boy

It is hard to believe that my sweet Jadon can be six!! Well not hard when I see how big he is and most of all how mature and kind and loving he is. I LOVE this boy! I thank God for him - he brings me so much joy and I am so thankful that I have the privilege and awesome responsibility of being his mom. We celebrated with cake and ice cream and singing. Then he opened his favorite gift of all - a bb gun. He has been asking for one since he was around four and is so proud to be old enough to have a "real" gun now. He and his Daddy practiced shooting targets all afternoon and had a great time. He is learning all about responisibility and caution and gun safety and just having a blast putting holes through targets!

I love Jadon's heartbeat - he has had such compassion and love for Nastya, kindness to Allee and Benjamin, and a desire to obey us and to obey the Lord. He is a gentle, sweet boy and it has been wonderful to watch him grow and mature this year. Thank you Lord for creating Jadon just the way You have and placing him in our family!

A Picture At Last!

We're still having technical difficulties but we took this one on Allee's camera. How cute is she ?!? More pictures later! The other lady in the picture is Laura (Larissa in Ukraine - our translator. We are so thankful for her!

Today Allee had a lesson in learning Russian/Ukrainian and Nastya learned English. Laura is sweet to so patiently teach them! Allee is cracking me up because she is trying to say everything in Ukraine but mixes it up all the time and she also puts some type of Ukrainian accent into her English :) Too funny! Only Allee... :) But communication is getting better.

Nastya just still seems pretty reserved with us - I guess that is expected - when I hug her she is so hesitant to hug back. I think she's just unsure of us still because she is very affectionate with Laura and they only met on the airplane here. But she is obviously very verbal and it really upsets her when she can't communicate. So of course she is more comfortable with Laura because they can talk. If any of you reading who have done this - any advice is welcome!!! But overall I think it's going well and Nastya seems very happy to be here.