Hi all! We have had a busy life the last couple of weeks! Yesterday we had the kids dedication! It turned out really well. Josh, Matt, Kevin, and I all read verses and dad shared a short testimony. I think Jason loved being up front! The whole family came to our church and it was really cool! We were so big between grandparents, siblings that moved out, my neice, my nephew, and us that we took up two rows of seats!
Tatiana, Josh, Matt, Jason, and Ashley are taking swimming lessons on Monday nights. Tonight is the last night and I think they will all be very sad. They all loved it! It was a new thing for Jason, Tatiana, and Ashley. They have all done really well.
Jason is already reading!!! he can read three letter words now and he loves that he is in "the yellow box"(our reading program is in multiple boxes which are all different colors). Tatiana is now almost done with her letters! She has less than ten left! She proudly shows me the one she passes when she passes it. Tatiana can't wait to finish. She counts how many she has left every time she passes one! Luke is getting there but is not as far as Tatiana. He will be there soon though!
They are using so much English now! Especially Luke and Tatiana. I will walk by Luke and hear a pharse like "look at it" or "that is mine" and it is so cute! They understand almost everything now but aren't speaking it all. Most of it they can say and it is so much easier for us!
At dinner we go in a circle of whose turn it is to pray. When it is one of the Colombian kids, you will hear something like this. "Dear Jesus, Thank you for Mommy, thank you for Daddy, thank you for Brianne, thank you for Kaitlyn, thank you for Josh, thank you for Matthew, thank you for Jason, thank you for Tatiana, thank you for Ashley, thank you for Luke, thank you for amigos, thank you abeulo y abeula, thank you for otros hermanos y hermana, thank you for food, amen. We love it! It is so cute! Sometimes they add other things but that is the normal stuff they put in it. They also like to mention friends by name. They say "thank you for otros hermanos y hermana" because they didn't know the names at first and now it is habit to say otros hermanos y hermana.
The kids are thriving and we can't imagine life without them! We love them so much! It has been five months as of Saturday. I can't believe it has been that long! We have come so far since the first couple of weeks!
Why "Eight Is Not Enough"?
When we were younger, there was a television sitcom that was called "Eight is Enough". The television watching world was entertained with the thought of a family with eight children. Most of us were shocked at the prospect of such a large family- myself included! Then ever so slowly, God began to work on our hearts, until we surrendered to Him all of our lives- yes even gave Him sovereign control over the size of our family and He has blessed us immeasurably, with eight biological children. Each of these children have been an amazing gift to us and we cherish each of them. And we praised God for them and felt to ourselves "eight is enough" - at least for a time.
Then God began to stir our hearts. It was as if He spoke to say to us "these 8 precious children I have given to you, but what have you given to my orphans in return?" A burden began to build on our hearts to adopt. We knew that for us God still had other plans for us as parents if we would be faithful to His calling- that eight is not enough. And so, we followed this call to adopted and He has continued to blessed us through adoption. First a sibling group of three from Soacha, Colombia. They joined our family in November, 2008. In May 2010, we adopted twin infants from Texas. In September of 2012 we were privileged to return to Colombia and adopt a sibling group of two from Cali. At this time, we anxiously wait for our travel date to depart for China where a very special girl and boy wait for their forever family. By the time they all reach adulthood, we will have had the amazing privilege to be parents of children in our home for a half century. Our life is full beyond measure, beyond our wildest expectations, yes even beyond anything we could have ever hoped. Truly, eight is not enough. As of late we have wondered if God's plan for us as parents all along was not for eight children, but rather eight plus eight. Our heavenly Father knows and His word assures us "I know the plans I have made for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you." We trust He knows the number of His children He wants us to love and to nurture on His behalf, and whether that is eight or eighty times eight we stand ready and say speak Lord, your servants are listening and are prepared to be father and mother to your fatherless on earth.
Then God began to stir our hearts. It was as if He spoke to say to us "these 8 precious children I have given to you, but what have you given to my orphans in return?" A burden began to build on our hearts to adopt. We knew that for us God still had other plans for us as parents if we would be faithful to His calling- that eight is not enough. And so, we followed this call to adopted and He has continued to blessed us through adoption. First a sibling group of three from Soacha, Colombia. They joined our family in November, 2008. In May 2010, we adopted twin infants from Texas. In September of 2012 we were privileged to return to Colombia and adopt a sibling group of two from Cali. At this time, we anxiously wait for our travel date to depart for China where a very special girl and boy wait for their forever family. By the time they all reach adulthood, we will have had the amazing privilege to be parents of children in our home for a half century. Our life is full beyond measure, beyond our wildest expectations, yes even beyond anything we could have ever hoped. Truly, eight is not enough. As of late we have wondered if God's plan for us as parents all along was not for eight children, but rather eight plus eight. Our heavenly Father knows and His word assures us "I know the plans I have made for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you." We trust He knows the number of His children He wants us to love and to nurture on His behalf, and whether that is eight or eighty times eight we stand ready and say speak Lord, your servants are listening and are prepared to be father and mother to your fatherless on earth.
Monday, April 27, 2009
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