We don't like "goodbyes"

 

So, this is our sweet "L" with my twin sis, who gave up her day to meet us at the airport and help us say goodbye to L. 

Oh, how I hate goodbyes!!!  I know they are a necessary part of life, but they are so so hard! As a family, we fall fast and love hard. I don't think we know how to love just a little bit. We give our whole hearts...especially if you come live with us for 1/4 of the year. So, goodbyes are pretty rough for us.

This goodbye was a little different though.       First of all, God rearranged our schedule so that our kids had to be out of town with a church commitment the same weekend we had to take L to the airport. Although it knew that would be sad, we all felt it would be best. There is a transition that takes place at the airport (when then kids from Ukraine pull away from their host families and bond with the kids they came with instead), that was heart breaking for our kids last time. They didn't want to say goodbye, and L seemed anxious to get away from us (which we are learning may not have been the case, but it has to be that way for transitioning). This is NOT a part of the journey we were looking forward to. So, God took care of that.  

So thankful that the "goodbyes" happened at home-in private-just the 6 of us-with a lot of love on both sides.  It was crazy hard to see L crying and sad to say goodbye (which didn't happen the 1st time as I mentioned ) but we were so pleased that the love and sad parting was mutual.

We had such a precious prayer time the night before L left, with all 5 of us praying over her, and then all of us crying (even her). While crying is obviously not fun, it is healthy at times and to see L's heart touched by our prayers was beautiful. We got to cry and hug each other for a bit then tried to make some jokes to lighten it up. 

Then all 3 girls cuddled up together, in the same bed, for the last night. It overwhelmed my soul to hear them giggling together and soaking up each moment. I am so so proud of my kids! They have sacrificed so much for us to have L, and have only a few times felt weary from the journey. They have poured so much love into this sweet and broken young lady. 

Fast forwarding to the next day, our kids hugged L goodbye (with more tears) and headed off to their events, while my Prince Charming and I took her to the airport.  I had the amazing privilege of sitting in the back seat and doing "L"'a makeup (yes, she is only 13  but in her culture it's very normal to wear makeup at an early age...and she was nervous about seeing her friends again). I was happy to help ease the transition with a bit of makeup!

Then Allen and I took the opportunity to let L know how much we love her and encourage her to read her Bible and follow Jesus when she gets home...and pray over her..,one. Last. Time.  I tried not to make it awkward by crying yet again. 

At the airport, running a bit late, we reassured her once again that she is beautiful (she was so excited and nervous to see her Ukranian friends- hoping that she looked good enough to fit in).  We said our goodbyes...on the escalator...right before we approached her friends, knowing it would be too hard after that. 

Checked her in, then just waited around...praying in our hearts for her and all the other kids and host families whose hearts were breaking in the goodbye process. The final goodbye came about an hour later, right before they went through security... Stole one more hug, and one more quick photo together, then waved goodbye! Be still my heart! Did I mention that I HATE goodbyes!  😢 

It's in those moments that I am so thankful I am a child of a great big God who can comfort all of us at once, care for and protect each of us, hear all our prayers and yet never feel overwhelmed. What an amazing God!!

I love that his "heart is touched by our grief" and He never thinks us silly for crying too much. Lord knows I've done more than my share the last few days.

So, another chapter over! We will just continue to love our "L" from afar and stay connected as best as we can.  

Although goodbyes are so hard for us, there's no way we'd trade the painful goodbyes because then we wouldn't have had the opportunity to pour all we've got and all we are into our L. 

God's Amazing Grace!!

What an amazing year! We have had so many amazing adventures this past year (2015)!  One of the greatest adventures has been hosting a young girl ("L") who is an orphan from the Ukraine. We hosted her over the summer for 12 weeks (in between our adventures out West), then again at Christmas for 4 weeks. 

Not sure how to put into words how incredible it has been! While it has been beyond hard (emotionally and physically) at times, the blessings far outweighs the tough moments. It has been so much fun watching "L" experience new things & learn new things, but watching our immediate and extended family, along with precious friends love on her has tugged at a place in my heart that I didn't know was there.  Watching them give her grace and mercy and keep loving her when she was being difficult was so like Christ! Each time, I just knew it was Jesus shining through them. The abundant, gracious merciful love of our Lord & Savior!  We have friends who also hosted who had shirts made that say "Love needs no translation", and how true that is!!

My sweet girls loving on "L"...they call each othe "sisters forever"! ❤️

In addition. This journey has been such a "sweet surrender"! Surrender is never easy, but so worth it later. There were so many moments that we knew that if this sweet girl was going to experience grace and love (Even in her brokenness), it would have to be coming from God, through us. God reminded me many times of my brokenness, my rejection of Him, my mess, and how He loved me (still does) through it. I  am so undeserving of His grace, yet he lavishes it so freely...sometimes through my children, my husband, my friends and amazing family.

"Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me".

How thankful we are for this opportunity to love on this precious child, and for the reminder of God's grace through this journey.

Exploding with joy!

Our Sweet girl from the Ukraine ("L")

Oh where to begin? A new journey yet again! 

After a wonderful summer (on our trip out West with the kids), and then saying goodbye to L at the end of August (which was one of the most difficult things we've ever done together as a family), then beginning another year of homeschooling, we are now in a new season!  One of my favorite...celebrating Christ's birth. It's a joyful time for our family, a season we all love dearly, but God has brought us a bit of extra joy this season!  After hosting "L" this summer, we knew there would be a possibility of hosting her again during the Winter, but we weren't sure of the opportunity.  Finally, the opportunity presented itself and after much prayer, family meetings, and consideration, we decided to open our hearts and homes to her yet again.  We knew though that we did not have the finances to pay her way her (which is part of the hosting process). Surrending our hearts and homes to the Lord, we believed if it was His will, he would provide.  And of course He did! 

What a sweet, sweet blessing when others give their hard-earned money to bless your family and someone they don't know very well (or at all).  We are always overwhelmed by the generosity of others.  What an abundant God we serve!  So, God provided the finances, and we have been busy preparing our hearts and home for our sweet "L", yet again. 

Today was the big day...she arrived at the Atlanta airport, with the rest of the kids from 2 orphanages that were going to be hosted.  I can't help but grin like a little kid on Christmas morning, as I type this!  My heart is so full!  I have really been unable to process all of it this time around...until today.  We have been so busy with schooling and life, then preparing for her return, that it didn't really sink in that we were doing this again until I began to see planes landing in Atlanta.  I'll admit it...I then got  a bit giddy!

As we waited at the International Arrival Terminal for the kids, we weren't sure what to expect.  Does she know we are hosting her again? Will she be happy about it? Will she be excited to see us? Will she hug us in return (not always a guarantee with orphans, especially teenage orphans - they are much more guarded)?  We told ourselves and the kids to not expect excitement and not expect our love to be returned (because that's just how it is sometimes).  We kept reminding ourselves that "Christ died for us...while we were yet sinners".  He didn't wait for us to be "loveable" and "perfect" in order to love us and sacrifice for us.  We are to love others, whether they receive it or not.  Much to our DELIGHT, she was overjoyed to see us!  Our sweet children ran through the ropes to greet her...and the love was returned! Oh praise Jesus!  What joy that brought this protective mama's heart.  It seemed we picked up right where we left off.  How grateful we are!

On the drive home, I watched my kids watching her play a video game, and the silly grins on their faces were absolutely priceless! There's no amount of money in the world that could have bought that happiness. The love in their hearts was just oozing out of their smiles and their precious eyes!  You could just see how much they all missed her and how overjoyed they were that she is with us for a few short weeks (4 weeks, to be exact).  Looking back (on the way home) and seeing her rest peacefully in our car, made me so grateful that God allowed us to have her again.  I couldn't stand the thought of her "starting over" with another family, learning to trust all over again, maybe feeling rejected by us, having another family have to learn her likes and dislikes, etc...or even worse, the thought of her still being in a cold orphanage this time of year, without a family to love, and a warm bed to sleep in.  My heart breaks thinking of it.

There have been times I have wondered, "Did we make the right decision doing this again?" After all, it was so, so hard last time (in the midst of it, and especially at the end). Our hearts were so torn apart saying goodbye to her at the end of summer, and she was "rejecting" our love (or so it felt, but I'm sure it was simply a coping mechanism).  It was so difficult to see my sweet children's hearts being torn in two...giving goodbye hugs and having them sloughed off.  Once again though, we were reminded of the rejection our sweet Jesus endured for us and from us.  So thankful He didn't give up on us.  So, God has given me such wonderful confirmation tonight that 'Yes! We are being obedient to His call in hosting her yet again'.  He opened the door, and we simply walked through it.  Then we are the ones who are blessed with JOY UNSPEAKABLE!  Only my God can do that!!

We know there may be some tough days these next 4 weeks.  There may be days we don't all like each other, and days we are crazy frustrated, and days that we want to love on her and she needs space (did I mention that we fall hard and fast? LOL).  But today is not one of those days! Today, we are all delighted to be together again, and all 5 of us are madly in love with her and oh-so-thankful for this opportunity to love on her for 4 more weeks!

Teach us to love the way you love us, O Lord!  May "L" feel the love of Christ while she is here, and may it transform her spirit and make her want more of you.  Thank you, Lord for exploding our hearts with joy and love!

States await...

Oh my goodness!  This is even more fun than I imagined it would be! Traveling across the country with my sweet husband and precious children has proved to be such an amazing adventure so far! Yesterday, we traveled to the Alamo in Texas! That was an education all on its own! Then you throw in the drive, the geography, reading about each state and site we pass...just Lovin this education we are all getting together! Not a textbook in the world that could provide this!

Here are my sweet angels at the Alamo!  

Next, we explored the Riverwalk in San Antonio. We all enjoyed that very much but realized we should have looked at map first so we would have known where to eat, BEFORE we wore ourselves out walking and got crazy hungry!  We finally found a Fudruckers...not really on the riverwalk, but available and no wait. It met the requirements!  That ended day 2 for us!  Sleep was welcomed by all that night!  Other states were waiting...next day would bring new adventures...in New Mexico!

Adventuring in the good ole USA

Since my last post, so much has happened that it would take days to catch up, so I will try to summarize. We have been greatly enjoying "L" from Ukraine this summer. She has been such a sweet addition to our family!  We love watching her learn English, and speak her language as well. I love the way her mouth turns up into a smile when she pronounces certain words in Ukranian. She has amazed us at every new adventure. She is a master in the kitchen, can beat us all at Uno, and has not been at all fazed by our adventures, on-the-go lifestyle!  We haves loved having her along with us each step of the way. We have however had to let her stay with her sister for a few weeks while we travel the USA with our kids...a trip we have had planned since long before we know "L" would be with us. Although we will miss her terribly these next few weeks, we are enjoying some much needed R&R and bonding time...in the car...for 109

Hours!

4th of July fun! "L" is in the middle.

She loved the fireworks!  Our firstborn decided to go for the silly pose.

Life has been very busy, but never too busy to sneak in a kiss with my Prince Charming. 

Our newest adventure is taking us out West, crossing through 14 states! The adventure of a lifetime...something we have always wanted to do with our children. So, here we are...driving through Louisiana! Last night we crossed through Florida, Alabama, Mississippi and then we finally stopped in Louisiana! 

As we passed the USS Alabama in Mobile, it brought back sweet memories of visiting it as a young child. It is as huge as I remembered it to be!

Then we drove just to the North of New Orleans and passed my paternal grandparents' home town, St. Bernard Parish. Oh, how I miss my Grammy!  She went to be with Jesus early this year, and there have been so many moments we have all longed to pick up the phone and have her pray with us. That lady shore did love her Jesus!  She rained down Heaven when she prayed. 

Ok, back from the trip down memory lane. 😋.  God blessed us with a wonderful little suite in St. Tammany Parish, and now we are back on the road again! SAN ANTONIO BOUND!!! Watch out alamo here we come!

For now, I will leave you with a gorgeous view of the Pensecola Bay in Florida. What a sweet reminder of all the blessings God has in store for us on this trip!

Hope you enjoy!

A TIME FOR EVERYTHING...

A time to weep, a time to laugh, a time to mourn, a time to dance...a time to begin blogging in...Yes!  That is the time...a time to blog again!  Oh, how I have missed it!  Different seasons require more or less time, but this season certainly requires sharing what the Lord is doing!

We have recently begun a new adventure in our family!  After struggling through last year, which included many deaths in the family, and fighting a cancer battle with my Mom (AKA: Nana)...which was victorious, we are celebrating big this year by hosting an orphan from the Ukraine!  What better way to celebrate God's goodness to us than sharing our home and His love with another.

The new adventure began only 6 days ago (July 12th), but it seems she has been part of our lives and hearts much longer.  We began praying about this journey and for this sweet young lady (we'll call her "L") several months ago, when the opportunity was presented to us.  We knew that if this was God's plan for our lives, He would provide in an abundant way!  Well, of course he did. The first steps were raising funds to get her here and filling out a good bit of paperwork, then came the welcome letter we had to send her, and preparing our home...the exciting part!  The girls decided she had to bunk with them, so they could stay up late being silly!  So after several months of praying, paperwork, and planning, we finally got to go get our girl!

We waited and waited at the airport...not quite sure how long it would take them to get through customs.  Finally the moment came, when all the kids walked through that entrance, and all of us waiting (several families) rejoiced with exceeding great joy!  We just knew we were going to wrap this young girl in a huge bear hug and she wouldn't know us from Adam.  Yep! That's pretty much how it happened, although she was quite sweet about it.  After greetings and photos, we were ready to get her home.  A big awkward, as none of us are proficient in Ukranian or Russian, and she speaks no English.  Um, how do you say "Do you have to go to the bathroom? Are you hungry?" Oh my! We sure had a lot to learn.

Fortunately, someone wisely told us to download a translator app on our phones. What a lifesaver that has been!  We put it to good use right away, asking her questions and making sure she was comfortable.  My sweet girls wanting to be sure she had what she needed, translated to her "We brought  a pillow and blanket for when you get sick tired." Oops.  Okay, so some things get lost in translation. We are learning slowly. We were immediately in awe of this young girls talent!  She caught on quickly to maneuvering the iphone to watch cartoons, and then the girls taught her how to crochet, which she did with ease! Absolutely incredible.  I thought to myself, 'Oh, she is going to fit in perfectly!'...and she has! What a wonderful blessing it is to be on this journey!

Stay tuned for more...

Pictured L-R: "M" (who is L's sister and staying with another family), L, Hope, Me, TJ, Beka

GIRLS NIGHT OUT (plus Daddy Warbucks)

We are having quite the adventure in the Atlanta area this weekend. We have been visiting our newest nephew/cousin, Brody.  He was born 2 weeks ago, but his family was very sick, so we were unable to visit sooner.  He is so worth the wait though. He is so beautiful & peaceful.  The hardest part of the visit thus far is sharing him. Although we are a family that shares often (nicely, most of the time), we do not like sharing our babies…but we do J

So…when were were supposed to visit a few weeks back, my amazing husband promised his punkin & sunshine that we would take them to the American Girl store (they had saved up quite a bit of money for this).  So, we had to make good on that promise (even  though it meant leaving the “baby” for a little while).   Well, the reward of making the trip (about 1 ½ hrs. from where we were staying), was priceless.   It was the first time our girls had experienced this.  The look of excitement & wonder on their faces was so beautiful.  It made our hearts so full to be able to take them & show them love in this way.  After spending hours just “browsing” in the store, they picked out their doll that they each wanted to buy with their own money.  Our punkin (the middle child) was giddy about it & picked hers off the shelf with a thrill in her heart.  Our sunshine  however (the oldest child)…she inspected each doll (which all looked the same to us) until she found the "most perfect one"…with hair & dress in perfect order (mind you, they are all in boxes &  have never been touched).  But she is quite meticulous & very good with details.

We then took them to the food court of the mall to get dinner & a milkshake (to share), then visited pottery barn kids & Disney store (all the cool stores we don’t have near home).  Although we spent ridiculously little money on our girls, we were amazed at their delight & joy.  It made me wish I had the entire world to give to them.  But I love how they appreciate the small things, because they don't have the whole world!…How blessed I am.

Watching my beautiful angels made me long to be easy to please.  It makes it so much more joyful for the giver!

Last but not least, I don’t know how to begin to describe my girls’ amazing Daddy (Daddy Warbucks)!  He endured hours of “girl shopping”, carrying bright red Am. Girl bags, squeals of delight, etc….all with a smile & gentle, quiet spirit (which is so characteristic of him).  He has always been something special, but like cheese & wine…He just gets better with age!

These are the moments that I need to be reminded of on the weary parenting days!Children are reward from the Lord. Ps. 127:3