the faces that i know

These are the little faces that I am used to seeing.

every.

single.

day.

But in the middle of April, I will be seeing another little face.

He is the face of a 10 year old Ethiopian boy that our family has the joy of taking care of for about a month. We are part of a team of host families that are participating in the Welcoming Angels program.

What will he look like? Will he smile a big ol' smile? Will he have dimples? Will his eyes be bright? Will he be tall or short?

I can't wait to meet him at Dulles Airport. I know my heart will be racing. Racing while waiting.

Because of confidentiality purposes, I will never be able to share a picture of him on my blog. I hope you get to meet him though, and see for yourself this new little face.

R.I.P. my dear Keurig

It was a sad day.

A very sad day for me and Matt. And a sad day indeed for my coffee-mooching friends. You know who you are.

For some reason, the "NOT READY" indictor light kept coming on and after various tricks that Allyson and Becky attempted via google and a fast set of small fingers, our babe was laid to rest for good.

She was good to us for these past 9 months. Ready each morning to deliver us a perfect cup of coffee, our dear Keurig went beyond her call of duty. Matt did not take to her right away, feeling an allegiance to good ol' faithful Mr. Coffee, but after just a few days he was won over. Her dexterity and convenience can make even the strongest of men swoon.

But. She is gone. Something in her heating element broke and she will not do what she was created to do.

And while we are mourning her obvious absence from our kitchen, we look forward to receiving a brand new baby from the company. Gotta give a shout out when a company treats it's customers well and Keurig did not disappoint.

I never took the time to fill out the warranty, I never registered my product online and I don't even have proof of purchase. The customer service was exceptional. I actually spoke to not just one, but two actual human beings (as opposed to computerized voices) and after apologizing, they quickly assured me that they would send me a brand new unit.

Goodbye dear friend.

We wait eagerly for your replacement!

it's official

Our fam' has been approved by American World Adoptions to host a child through their Welcoming Angels program.

Happy Birthday, Stephen! ;-)

This is what we know so far:

- we will be picking up a boy that is around 10 years old from Dulles Airport in April

- he will not speak English. So glad I'm good with the magnadoodle.

- he will be a part of our family for about a month...

- he will get to be here for Easter, and 3 of my 4 children's birthday parties

I wonder:

- if the food here will make him sick

- if our once quiet but now loud home will overwhelm him

- what he will be thinking when he sees Matt dance like MJ

- if he will be homesick and sad

I hope:

- that God provides a family for him

- that our family will be open to this possibility

- that he feels loved and cared for by my family and my church family

- that God uses this time to impact his life with the good news of Jesus

I am:

- excited

- nervous

- anxious, but in a good "I can't wait" sort of way

- thankful

- blown away that we get to do this

It all officially begins on or around April 16th.

Let the adventure begin!

i have been waiting for a book like this

For as long as I can remember, I have been interested in understanding those who struggle with homosexuality. God has given me a real heart for those who feel trapped and even for those who enjoy the homosexual lifestyle and simply don't understand the good news of the gospel.

I remember back in the 90's, sharing the gospel door to door with my local church. Every Thursday a few of us college students along with a few older men, would gather at church, pray, pair up, and head out into the community, filled with nervous zeal for the adventure that awaited us. Of course there were those that refused to talk to us, but surprisingly, many listened and asked questions. We were typically paired up guy/girl for safety purposes but one particular night I was paired up with Becky Fox. Another team was close by in case we ran into any problems. I recall standing on the porch talking to a young man who was a homosexual and listened as he shared his views on how churches had treated him. I don't know what Becky or I said, but I remember feeling sad that his experience with Christians was not a good one.

Anyway - perhaps my interest/heart began then.

Over the years I've looked for books on the subject that sought to accomplish more than state the obvious: according to the Scriptures, homosexuality is a sinful practice and not God's original design for man and women. What about Christians who struggle with this sin? How do we help them? How does this struggle affect them? What can we say or do?

Well, after years of searching, I found an excellent book that handles this subject with integrity, compassion, and sound theology. I first learned of it from Tim Challies' blog.

Author Wesley Hill is a Christian who struggles with same sex attraction. He writes honestly, "from the furnace" of his deepest longings, and makes a connection between his struggles and the good news of the gospel. When this book arrived to my door from amazon, I opened it and read it in literally one sitting. Don't be impressed, it's a small book. But it was that good. It was compelling, well-written, and saturated with the truth of God's word. Hill really brought certain familiar Scripture passages to life as he humbly shares how he is applying God's truth to his own life amidst his own struggles. It's a very "real" book. And I like that.

Thanks to Wesley Hill, I feel better equipped to help those who struggle in this arena. My heart for Jesus and his power to save and heal and the demands of His gospel were made fresh again in my wandering heart.

Buy it. Read it. It's worth it.

"This can be my birthday present, Dad."

This is the sentence that "got" Matt.

Our family is praying about hosting an Ethiopian child for the month of April.

We haven't made a final decision, but it's hard to argue with Stephen's birthday request.

Here's a video that explains what "Welcoming Angels" does and why.

when i grow up....

Isn't this a pretty picture?

Every now and then I sit down and interview my children, asking them what they want to do when they get older.

Here's what I got this morning:

Abbie's (age 9) top three dream jobs:

1- veterinarian

2- dog walker in NYC

3- horse whisperer

Yep, my girl loves animals.

She would absolutely NEVER want to be a math teacher.

Stephen's (age 12) top three dream jobs:

1- filmmaker

2- missionary

3- graphic designer

Yep, and that's my almost teenage son!

He would absolutely NEVER want to be Justin Bieber's assistant.

David's (almost 4) only dream job is "to do school like Abbie and Stephen and get stickers."

I didn't bother asking Jayda; she was too busy throwing toys. Nice....

So that's the scoop on my kids.