Here is what you've been waiting for...

Thank you for praying. Nothing is too little or too big for our God! Enjoy the pictures...








I am having a hard time finding the words to express what God is doing here in Uganda. I get to be a part of God's plan, I get to see miracles first hand, I get to see God's incredible creation in another part of the world, I get to be with children that God has grafted into my heart. Why me? I am humbled that God can use me to further is name, to make Him famous throughout the world. I am so encouraged to hear how God has touched so many lives through this adoption journey. It spurs me on. God is so intimately involved in every little detail, it is all for His glory, and yet I benefit with this unsurmountable joy. Thank you for joining us and experiencing alongside us what God is doing. He is real, He is alive, He is faithful and good, righteous, sovereign, and He loves us. We are in the palm of His hand. We are the apple of his eye. We are in an incubator of his love. Yesterday, Lacey and I walked a long ways and it was very hot. We had sweat rolling down our faces and our backs, we got sunburned and were so thirsty. When we would stop, we would look for shade. And I thought, when we are walking with Jesus, we are hidden in the shadow of his wing. How peaceful, refreshing, and comforting is that? I love my Lord so much. There is no greater joy than to walk faithfully, obediently and willingly with Him. As Jaden would say, He rocks! There is no one like our God.

Being with Katie and Christopher is so natural. They fit in my arms like a puzzle piece. I am counting down the days till we are reunited as one complete family. Jaden, Kellen, and Sage are going to make excellent big bothers and a big sister. Christopher loves looking at pictures of Jaden, Kellen and Sage. He points over and over and over at them. He never grows tired of seeing their picture. I am praying that God puts Jaden, Kellen, and Sage in Christopher and Katie's mind and heart, that when they finally see each other in person, it would be as if they have known each other their entire lives. Please begin praying, even now, for our reunion as a family. What a glorious day that will be!

I originally thought that I had a judge named Margaret. All the other families have had her. I just found out the other day that I actually have Judge Eldad. He is the only judge that has issued a verbal ruling immediately following the hearing, and it has happened only once. And guess what??? That is exactly what we have been praying for. We are praying that when I am in that court room, the judge would know that I have been with Jesus. That Eldad would sense something different about me and the children. That he would see God's fingerprints all over us. A verse in Acts has been the overlying theme of our trip. We pray this verse over us all the time. It is Acts 4:13 and it says, "When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus." Every person we come into contact with, we pray they would know we have been with Jesus. This is so cool...because we have been asked over and over again, when we have just talked to someone for the first time very briefly, they say, "Are you a Christian?" This is asked when we are wearing no crosses and we have not mentioned anything about God. It has happened so many times in the airport, on the plane, in town...it is incredible...people are noticing something different about us...we bear the mark of Jesus on us! Praise be to God.

I want to try and paint a picture of the people of Uganda. They are very hard working and beautiful people. It is very common to see people carrying baskets of fruit on their head, jerry cans of water, or even 100 kilos of beans--that is a huge bag that weighs over 200 lbs in which they carry on their shoulders. The boda boda drivers (a boda is a bicycle) work very hard driving us from one place to another. They have to pedal uphill with us and our heavy backpacks, you can see the sweat on the back of their shirts and on their faces, yet they do it as if effortlessly and joyfully. When I am riding on a boda, I find myself praying for the driver that God would give him strength, endurance and refreshment. They work so hard. All for the mere price of 30 cents. It is fun to tip them with sweeties--suckers, tootsie rolls, and other candy. We see children walking to and from school with no shoes, yet they have the most beautiful smile. Yesterday as Lacey and I were walking to Amani Baby cottage, we passed a man that asked to talk to us. He said he had a bad foot and needed a specific medicine. His foot was indeed swollen and tight and causing the skin to split, creating an infection. I think being in America has made us grow skeptical of people asking for money, not trusting their story or their motives, and we found ourselves applying this same stereotype to him. But Lacey and I agreed to help him. He understood we had to go to Amani first, but we would be back to help him. As Lacey and I walked away we realized that we both had had the exact same verse running through our head during that time... Matthew 25:35-40 "For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me. Then the righteous will answer him, Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you? The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'" When we left Amani we could no longer find this man, but we believe we will see him again today some time. Be praying that if we are supposed to help him, God would put him in our path.

We are having so much fun being the bearer of gifts. Thank you to everyone that packed our suitcases and wallets full to bless the people of Uganda. We will be posting another blog soon with stories and pictures about our meeting the needs of these people through the generosity of others. It is very important to be praying about who we are to bless. There are so many people here that there is no way to meet everyone's need. God knows who needs what and when. We want God to hand select the people we are to give to, who we are to encourage, and with whom we are to share the Gospel. We want God to be preparing the hearts of his people. (By the way, we got to share the Gospel with our muslim driver the other day--we had 7 hours together. Be praying that the seeds we planted would begin to take root. As of now, he is not interested in being 'born again' but he is very willing to talk).

We are having a wonderful time. Lacey and I have thought back to those times we gave our husbands a hard time for taking a weekend here or there to go hunting, and we dreamed of having a weekend for 'girl time'.... We are finally experiencing it to the fullest...and it is much longer than just a weekend! Thank you to our husbands who love us so much and are doing a terrific job!

Jaden, I miss you and wish you were here. I have seen so many children that you would have fun playing soccer with. There are trees to climb, butterflies and dragonflies to chase and catch. I bet you would have fun riding on the back of a boda boda and you could do it without holding on! I love you Sweetie!

Kellen, My punkin', I miss your hugs, you twirling my hair, and cozying with you. I wish you were here to love on all the babies. You are so good with little children and they would love you. You would have fun teaching the kids how to play with bubbles and playdoh, and passing out all the gifts. You are a mighty warrior.

Sage, my Princess Dora, I love you! I wish you were here to play CandyLand and puzzles with all the children here. They have never played games like that before. You would love playing with Christopher and Katie outside, pushing them in the swing or pushing them around in their little car/trike. I miss you and can't wait to see you. Keep praying for Mommy!

P.S. I am sure there will be some surprises for you all in my suitcase when I get home...but isn't Christopher and Katie the best surprise ever?!?!