PACKING FOR HAITI

Not our suitcases...playground equipment and food!

Today we (along with our niece and nephews) joined the Kids Around the World team to load the contents of the container to be shipped to Haiti for the upcoming trip. Once again, one of our favorite things about Kids Around the World is that the whole family can participate and they are WELCOMED to. What a blessing to see even our littlest ones serving the Lord in this way!

 

Noble has such a servant heart. It was a gift today to see just the very start of what I pray is a life of serving others with God's love and a joyful heart. It inspires me to see what God has done in his little life already...and his testimony is only beginning.

 

 

These girls have muscles...and willing hearts. They can do ANYTHING God calls them to do!

 

 

I love this guy...I'm so happy to see him going on his first mission trip. :)

 

 

I think it's so cool that these donated playgrounds from the US are being recycled in other countries where they can bring joy and play along with the gospel message to kids who otherwise have so much less than we do here.

 

 

In America, we "need" new, improved equipment for our kids to play on, but how sweet to know that these removed playgrounds can fill a special gap in needy places, bringing with them so much more.

 

 

 

My girl...I just know the Lord is going use Aida in mighty ways!

 

 

The kids had a great time working hard. I couldn't love anything more than participating together with them in such things!

 

 

We say, give kids the opportunity to serve and they'll serve. Give them the opportunity to go and they'll go. Give them opportunity and stand amazed at just how far God will take them with it!

 

"Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity." 1

 Timothy 4:12

 

WWW.KIDSAROUNDTHEWORLD.ORG

WWW.RESPIREHAITI.ORG 

REMEMBERING KEITH GREEN

Last night we were singing songs around a bonfire when out of the blue Olia and Nova starting belting out, in unison,

Keith Green's Easter Song...I was stunned for a minute.

It was like the moment in Ratatouille when food critic, Anton Ego, takes one bite of his childhood memoir casserole dish and immediately gets transported back in time through all the emotions and sensations and nostalgia of home life past...

that's what a Keith Green song does for me. Instant transportation.

I've sat in on the kids' Easter service singing practice this past month, but at the time, they weren't practicing this particular song. What a surprise last night for me! Together, we sang the Easter Song over and over and over and then eventually went inside sometime after 9pm. I got out the laptop and we all gathered around, watching clip after clip of Keith Green music and testimony.

Even this morning, I'm still flooded with emotion as I recall the power behind the music of my childhood experience. My family was musical. My dad was a worship leader. My brother is too. We always had music in our home and Keith Green was on high rotation. Looking back into his story as an adult and reading of him and his ministry for the first time with grown up eyes and heart, I have to say he still inspires me...maybe more now than ever.

In all honesty, because of the loss of my mom when I was a teenager and my dad also now being in heaven with the Lord, the emotions of Keith Green's music and the ties it rekindles to my childhood are nearly too much to bear. It's overwhelming the flooding my heart feels as I listen and remember.

What strikes me most is how I recall as a young child feeling the lyrics so deeply in my heart, believing them, and desiring others to know Jesus the same way that I would literally ask friends to listen to the record player in my room, being sure to highlight the most important words. Remembering these things gives me joy as I think of my own children and the beauty of childhood salvation.

"O God, from my youth you have taught me, and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds."

Psalm 71:17

It's not uncommon for childhood salvation to be questioned, but truly, it is precious. The innocence of the kind of faith Jesus spoke so highly of, childlike faith, is very real and not to be undermined.

Ah, how we adults can complicate things so, when faith in Jesus is actually meant to be simple.

"And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven."

Matthew 18:2-4

Passion and boldness and intense, unashamed love for Jesus...that's what Keith Green stood for. That's what I want to stand for. I have to admit the fact that he was a hippy of sorts (after all, it was the 70's) still resonates with me. (I think I'll always be a bit of a hippy, no matter the decade I find myself in.) But, mostly, as I listen to his music, intent upon hearing the words from the Word, I'm moved. It wasn't the length of Keith Green's life that mattered, it was what he did with the time that he was given...

and his legacy lives on.

I cannot wait to see our kids up on stage this coming Easter Sunday singing out this special Easter Song!

"But the angel said to the women, 'Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified.

He is not here, for he has risen, as he said.'"

Matthew 28:5-6

 

RETROSPECT

It's quite the peculiar thing. As my thoughts wandered off today, rabbit trails led me down memory lane and I reminisced through the origins of our adoption story. I marvel in retrospect at how astonishingly intricate and creative God is.

There are multiple key factors and I remember them precisely, all of which point to God's beautiful, sovereign plan. There are so many tiny details, I couldn't possibly document them all, but I follow them back in my mind.

It's amazing, in retrospect, to realize brief and even mundane encounters actually added up eventually to the introduction of beloved family members I now call son and daughter.

Alone in the middle of one of the poorest and most difficult places in all of the world, God plucked out, chose, ordained, and lovingly placed precious children in our hearts and in our home so very far away. He makes the world seem small.

I remember the friend who introduced herself to me one day at church. That was years ago now, but God had intentions for our meeting. She, in her efforts and kindness for yet another friend's adoption years after our introduction, was selling necklaces...the necklace that led us to Africa. So, trailing backwards, what if her friend wasn't adopting? There would be no fundraiser. And what if Katie Davis hadn't started Amazima? No necklaces to sell. And what if she hadn't gone on that first mission trip to Uganda?

No Amazima...Do you see where this is heading?

Retrospect.

I travel back in time to 2008. I remember the day distinctly. I was sick, REALLY sick in my pregnancy with Nova when the Chapmans lost Maria. I remember sitting at the computer, crying, praying for them, burdened by their pain. I watched video after video of Maria Sue's life and my heart was softened for the first time to the idea of adoption...for us.

 

How had I missed it before?!

 

And what if the Chapman's hadn't adopted Maria in the first place? And what if Steven Curtis Chapman hadn't taken that trip to China where he met her for the first time?

And what if he hadn't gone back for her? And what if I hadn't been watching those videos?

Retrospect.

It's a tapestry, so detailed and ornate, confusing from the backside, but elaborate and calculated on the frontside. No human mind could conceive of all that God has planned. No one can fathom the depths of His creativity and boundless orchestrations.

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." Isaiah 55:8-9

I can remember as if it were yesterday, the feeling that we had met the woman who would help us find our children in the Congo. Unfortunately, at the time, she wasn't feeling it quite the same. Her ministry was no longer facilitating adoptions. I look back now and marvel at the timing of it all...how God led us to begin our adoption at Lifeline Children's Services instead, no doubt for plans He has for the future. (I suppose we'll have to wait for retrospect yet to come in order to get to the end of that story.) In the mean time, I'm amazed that questions from Lifeline led me to email OFA once again and follow up with one last question, "Do you happen to know of any little ones at this time who are in need of a home?"

Expecting a no or less, perhaps no reply at all, I throw my hands in the air and just say, "Yes, you are God!" because the reply from that email was so much more than what we expected. That email which stated, "As a matter of fact, I do," was our Noble. And what if he hadn't showed up at the orphanage at that time? And what if I hadn't asked the question?

And what if we weren't with Lifeline who prompted the question to be asked in the first place? What if?

Retrospect.

Primed and ready. Waiting for a second child, the email arrived with the question we never expected. We were waiting for another little boy, but God knew. He had all the days of our India planned and He would get us to her. In retrospect, it's amazing to realize that the Lord prompted us to begin our adoption process at the very time that He was creating India to come into the world. He knew the timing, but we had no idea.

Retrospect.

It amazes me to reflect upon all that God has done, knowing full well that He is still writing His story now. The Jesus Storybook Bible is a great children's resource which points to the retrospect of the Old Testament, preparing the way for Jesus. All of God's Word and His story from the beginning of time is leading us to the end of His story...another new beginning in and of itself.

Today is retrospect in the making, belonging to the future. We can't see what lies ahead, but God has it planned best. He sees the whole illumination. We follow Him by faith and trust that His plans are good and we look forward with excitement to the days we'll encounter down the road, days filled with revelations of backside tapestry retrospect.

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope."

Jeremiah 29:11

PREPARING FOR EASTER

The shops are filled to the brim with turquoise, green, and pink. Baskets, bunnies, and bundles of candy line isles as the masses prepare for Easter.

And yet, this bunny visitor, who offers these days such extravagant gifts as $20 DVDs marketed specifically for grass-filled wicker, has really nothing to do with Easter.

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. " 1 Peter 1:3

This morning I've marveled that God has orchestrated my regular Bible reading to situate me in Matthew as the celebration of Jesus' death and resurrection draws near. How awesome to read the voice of Jesus. I hang on every word. What did He say to do? How did He live? What were His warnings and instructions? I'm listening...as if I've never read such familiar words before.

As we prepare our hearts for Easter, I have to admit I'm less motivated with each year that passes to fill baskets with chocolate eggs and Peeps. Might I still do that this year? It's possible...for the sake of tradition and old fashioned fun, but it's not where our treasure lies. As we discussed this, one of my sweet daughters (not wanting to do away with our basket tradition all together) suggested we fill them with crosses and things that represent Jesus. I told her I thought that was a great idea! :)

I'm reminded that traditions like Christmas trees and Easter baskets aren't wrong or bad and they can certainly create fond memories that knit hearts to home in nostalgic and childlike ways as the seasons turn and years go by. We just need to remain focused on the true reasons we go to such lengths to celebrate and keep our hearts intently focused on Jesus (the Reason for the seasons).

Just like anything else, for us, it's important to stop and ask ourselves why we do what we do. What's the motive? Where are our heart's priorities? Preparing for Easter is an opportunity to do such things.

“For God so loved the world,

that he gave his only Son,

that whoever believes in him

should not perish but have eternal life."

John 3:16

We love music and have some special Easter songs we've focused on lately. I'll share a couple here with versions that are "easier" to watch and hone in on the life impacting lyrics, but also I've been moved by the more graphic video versions of these songs which reflect footage from the film, The Passion of the Christ. They're worth watching as well in preparation for the season we celebrate. The visualization of what Jesus, perfect and sinless, bore on our behalf hurts my heart so much that I can't often watch, but I want to remember...and Easter asks that of me.



(Alive, Natalie Grant)

 

 

 (Hero, Abandon)

 

"Who has believed what he has heard from us?
  And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?
 For he grew up before him like a young plant,
  and like a root out of dry ground;
 he had no form or majesty that we should look at him,
  and no beauty that we should desire him.
 He was despised and rejected by men;
  a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief;
 and as one from whom men hide their faces
  he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
 Surely he has borne our griefs
  and carried our sorrows;
 yet we esteemed him stricken,
  smitten by God, and afflicted.
 But he was pierced for our transgressions;
  he was crushed for our iniquities;
 upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
  and with his wounds we are healed.
 All we like sheep have gone astray;
  we have turned—every one—to his own way;
 and the LORD has laid on him
  the iniquity of us all.
 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,
  yet he opened not his mouth;
 like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,
  and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent,
  so he opened not his mouth.
 By oppression and judgment he was taken away;
  and as for his generation, who considered
 that he was cut off out of the land of the living,
  stricken for the transgression of my people?
 And they made his grave with the wicked
  and with a rich man in his death,
 although he had done no violence,
  and there was no deceit in his mouth.
 Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him;
  he has put him to grief;
 when his soul makes an offering for guilt,
  he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days;
 the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.
 Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied;
 by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant,
  make many to be accounted righteous,
  and he shall bear their iniquities.
 Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many,
  and he shall divide the spoil with the strong,
 because he poured out his soul to death
  and was numbered with the transgressors;
 yet he bore the sin of many,
  and makes intercession for the transgressors."
Isaiah 53

THE MINISTRY OF PARENTHOOD

It was a fun couple of days with 11 kids in tow! The cousins all had such a great time together and we miss them around here.

Joy's surgery was a success and she is back home now and recovering in loving arms. She has 2 more surgeries to go, poor girl, but she is a trooper and also very blessed to be getting the medical care she needs.

I remember back before Noble and India came home, we had 2 sets of 2 little girls stay with us on 2 separate occasions. I got the chance to practice lining up 8 plates, 8 cups, 8 snacks...and I loved it. It felt right.

I've always desired a big family (though I NEVER thought we would adopt!) and jokingly we've said from the beginning of our marriage that we would probably end up with 10 kids. It's funny how close to 10 we've gotten and it still feels very "normal".

I LOVE the love and blessings and even the challenges involved in raising each one. I LOVE the potential wrapped up in each individual life. I LOVE the relationships and friendships we share. I just really enjoy them, even when it's hard work (and every day it is!). I cherish this season of them all being little and home. Surely a new season will arrive in due time when my ducklings will fly off to their God-ordained missions in life and I'll cheer for them as they do. I'm their biggest fan.

As a mom, I think of Jesus' ministry with His 12 disciples. He focused on them. He invested in them. He abided with them in a unique and precious fellowship. Jesus ministered to the masses, but He intimately bonded with, spent Quantity Time with, intentionally taught, trained, and became yoked with His 12.

I think of my family like that. I think of us as a band of disciples. We're all following the Teacher, Jesus, and He has placed us, the parents, in charge of rearing our little pupils. With His help and grace, I pray that we can disciple our children's hearts well. Even when we fail them (which we will daily), I know that He never will. He loves us and He loves them and His plans are always good.

I can't think of any better way to minister here on earth in this season of child rearing than to invest our time, efforts, and prayer in the ministry of parenthood. It's a very large task, but the One who blessed us with each child we love is faithful and I know He will guide us all as we submit ourselves to His lead.

"Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." Isaiah 41:10

So, who knows...maybe one day we'll have our 10, 11, a dozen (?!) kids in tow should that be God's will. Only He knows the plans He has for us and we're following His lead every single step of the way, trusting that He knows best, and seeking Him first on this journey through the ministry of parenthood.

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart." Jeremiah 29:11-13

"Children are a gift from the LORD; they are a reward from him." Psalm 127:3

[The Ministry of Motherhood by Sally Clarkson offers wonderful encouragement on this topic. I would recommend any book by the Clarksons at Whole Heart Ministries. They have spurred me on through these parenting years, for which I am grateful.]

PRAYERS FOR JOY

Today is the day that my sweet little niece, Joy, will begin a road of surgery and recovery to repair her hip displasia. I think back to the days when my sister and her family prayed and waited to adopt a child with special needs. It all seemed so hypothetical back then.

Living life with a child/children who were once solitary and are now in loving homes and families has taught me just how non-hypothetical the situation really is for orphan children all around the world. Precious, innocent, alone little ones need people who are willing to be Jesus' hands and feet. He is looking to us to wrap our arms and love and resources and families around children just like Joy. He knows them each by name and even the hairs on their head are numbered (Matthew 10:30).

There are individual, unique, treasures within each child in need and it doesn't feel very hypothetical anymore...it now feels poignantly personal.

"Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, at your altars, O LORD of hosts, my King and my God." Psalm 84:3

Joy was once in an orphanage. Today, she is abundantly loved and cherished and being helped physically by doctors and a mommy and daddy and siblings who have given their lives to care for her. I watch my sister and her family give and give to this child and wait to give more of themselves to Linda too...and I'm joyful.

"God settles the solitary in a home." Psalm 68:6

One less. Two less. How vast the number of children deserving and in need of loving homes and some of them surgery. How few the number of families that bridge the gap.

"And [Jesus] said to them, 'The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.'" Luke 10:2

And so we pray. We pray for families for lonely children in our own community, country, and around the globe. We pray for those who would step into an empty space that awaits a willing participant to let Jesus' love pour out through them. We pray for children who remain alone, knowing that God has never left them and He never will. He's promised that...no matter what our circumstances.

"For [God] has said, 'I will never leave you nor forsake you.'" Hebrews 13:5

Today, as Joy undergoes major surgery and months of recovery including a wheelchair and body casting, we begin a new process of prayer for her and her family. Will you join us?

God is abundantly able to do all things well and He loves Joy. He loves her family and He holds them in the palm of His sovereign, wise, and loving hand. We trust Him.

"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." Ephesians 3:20-21

BIRTHDAY BOY

Although he was always perfectly content stealing Nova's princess bike and helmet with every chance he could find...

 

...and he SO wants to do everything the big kids are up to (which includes distracting Noble in order to hijack his bike too)...we figured a big boy bike was the perfect birthday gift for Boden.

Everybody wins! :)

We ALL adore our Boden and thank God for everything about him. He gives us ample opportunities to practice patience :) and he melts us hourly with his sweetness. Literally, I think it would be impossible to cherish him more. How has my baby gotten so BIG??

 

His smile makes us smile. His joy is contagious.

 

 

His heart is golden. He always makes us laugh!

 

He's a bit of a loose cannon (but we're working on that!) and he can do it himself...just so you know.

 

He's all boy and a bright light in our home and family. Boden is extremely treasured and I hope he feels it every time he smushes his doughy little cheeks into arms who love him dearly.



Thank you, Lord, for Boden and for blessing our lives with such an outstanding loving-spirited family member. Please guide us as we rear his passionate personality and strive to teach him all about you. By your grace, may he know you and love you with his whole heart and use his life for your great purposes. 

May he be your hands and feet as he shares the Good News and loves people with your love.

Thank you, Lord, for blessing my life and so many lives with our beloved Boden.

 

"How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news.”

Isaiah 52:7

HE KNOWS, CARES, LISTENS, PROVIDES

"Your Father knows what you need before you ask him."

and...

"He cares for you."

so...

"Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness,

and all these things will be added to you."

and...

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything

by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving

let your requests be made known to God."

for...

"My God will supply every need of yours

according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus."

Matthew 6:8, 1 Peter 5:7, Matthew 6:33, Philippians 4:6, 19

BROTHERS

Their personalities compliment. They're inseparable, partners in crime, constant playmates, double trouble, best friends...brothers.

It would be impossible to love these two any more than we do!

"Behold, how good and pleasant it is when

brothers dwell in unity!" Psalm 133:1

RAINY DAYS

Traditions knit hearts together and draw family members into the heart of home life. They can be big deal things of course, but I find that the small stuff warms the soul of our family most.

It's illegal to get out of your PJs on a rainy day in our house, so yesterday + today = PJs and puzzles and pancakes and pull-out-sofa-bed-movie-night snuggling...traditions.

Our new puzzle scheme using bulletin boards helps us to easily move our 1000 pieces out of the way for meals or take our project upstairs at night. Hometown Collection puzzles have our attention for the moment and it's been fun building up our inventory. I'll remember these days with fondness.

 

Rainy day PJs, puzzles, and chai tea, french onion soup, steamed milk, cinnamon rolls, and a Little House on the Prairie marathon. It doesn't get much cozier or slower than this.

"In the season of the spring rain...from the Lord who makes the storm clouds...he will give them showers of rain."

Zechariah 10:1

HIS GRACE

In my life, I've experienced more loss and pain than I'd have liked. Naturally, it's a normal human response to avoid discomfort. Such loss, such pain...it can produce fear: Fear of more pain, more loss. Fear that my loved ones would feel pain, feel loss. Nobody wants that, and yet, in the words of Spurgeon:

"If none of God's saints were poor and tried, we should not know half so well the consolations of divine grace. When we find the wanderer who has nowhere to lay his head who still can say, "I will trust in the Lord," or when we see the pauper starving on bread and water who still glories in Jesus, when we see the bereaved widow overwhelmed in affliction and yet having faith in Christ--oh, what honor it reflects on the Gospel.

God's grace is illustrated and magnified in the poverty and trials of believers. Saints bear up under every discouragement, believing that all things work together for their good, and that out of apparent evils a real blessing shall ultimately spring--that their God will either work a deliverance for them speedily or most assuredly support them in the trouble, as long as He is pleased to keep them in it. This patience of the saints proves the power of divine grace.

There is a lighthouse out at sea: It is a calm night--I cannot tell whether the edifice is firm. The tempest must rage about it, and then I shall know whether it will stand. So with the Spirit's work: If it were not on many occasions surrounded with tempestuous waters, we would not know that it was true and strong; if the winds did not blow upon it, we would not know how firm and secure it was. The masterworks of God are those men who stand in the midst of difficulties steadfast, unmovable-

 

Calm mid the bewildering cry,

Confident of victory.

The one who would glorify his God must be prepared to meet with many trials. No one can be illustrious before the Lord unless his conflicts are many. If, then, yours is a much-tried path, rejoice in it, because you will be better able to display the all-sufficient grace of God. As for His failing you, never dream of it--hate the thought. The God who has been sufficient until now should be trusted to the end."

Morning and Evening, Charles H. Spurgeon revised by Alistair Begg

So, although I battle my fleshly responses to the pains of my past and ask to be freed from the trappings that remain in their wake, I take heart in knowing that God has designed our lives on earth to include the experience of sorrow. He has actually employed our afflictions to lead us to Him. And, when they do, our faith and joy IN HIM (not in our circumstances) shine brightly of His all sufficient grace. Hallelujah!

(Click the link and sing it out...Take Heart!)

"I have told you these things,

so that in me you may have peace.

In this world you will have trouble.

But take heart! I have overcome the world."

John 16:33

 

"Yet I will rejoice in the Lord;
I will take joy in the God of my salvation.
God, the Lord, is my strength."

Habakkuk 3:18-19

 

(My Grace Is Sufficient by Shane and Shane)

 

 "A thorn was given me in the flesh...

Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this,

that it should leave me. But he said to me,

'My grace is sufficient for you,

for my power is made perfect in weakness.'

Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses,

so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses,

insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities.

For when I am weak, then I am strong."
 2 Corinthians 12:7-10

RESPIRE HAITI

God does wonderful things when we submit our lives and our plans to His will.

The story of Respire Haiti is one such example.

This is the ministry that Kids Around The World is partnering with for the upcoming mission trip Brodie

and the kids are participating in and I'm so excited for them to experience firsthand what God

has done through one young girl who followed Him into the unknown.

I'm praying that the living example Megan is modeling with her life will spark a flame in the hearts of my family. I'm praying that God will fan that flame to ignite a wild fire in all of our hearts and others through this journey. Mostly, I'm praying for His will to be done, whatever that looks like, through this outreach so that He can be praised for His steadfast love and faithfulness. He is good.

WWW.RESPIREHAITI.ORG

 

"For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it."
Matthew 16:25

"Whoever is kind to the needy honors God."
Proverbs 14:31

SO BIG!

Look who's getting SO big these days...

Our sweet, sweet India has 2 big girl teeth, babbles, crawls, pulls herself up, cruises, and even dances. What a BIG girl!

At 8 months old, India is tender, easy going, affectionate, cuddly, happy, shy, as sweet as sweet gets, and absolutely a mama's girl!

We LOVE our India...affectionately called Inders more commonly by her many doting siblings. This is one little girl who is definitely not lacking in the attention department. In fact, it's hard to keep the many adoring hands off the poor girl long enough for her to explore on her own. :)

It's hard to imagine we might have missed our precious India Soul, but God knew just what He was doing when He blessed our life with hers...and so, we praise Him for knowing best!

"Praise the Lord! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens! Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his excellent greatness!" Psalm 150:1-2