Wordless Wednesday - Mess? Who? Me?

Listening In

A little background: A couple of weeks ago I saw the beginnings of a wasp nest in our garage. I saw a wasp at that time, but haven't seen one since. I must have mentioned it to the kids. This morning, this is what I heard...

M: Simon and Jonah do you want to go out in the garage with me to get my book?

(apparently they know about the wasps nest too)

S: No

M: It will be so fun. We will run out really quick and run back.

J: I don't really want to.

M: God and Jesus will be with you and me and if you get stung it won't be a big deal we can just put some baking soda on it.

S: Is a wasp in the car?

M: Come on, this is your last chance.

And with that she convinced S to go with her, while J watched from the door with encouragement when they returned, "at least you didn't get stung!"

Vanya

I am so excited for you to read this post because in it you will "meet" a kid who I am extremely proud of. My first memories of Vanya are him and Kory singing pop songs like "Beautiful Girl" and some JT song.:)

Today he is a Godly young man with a passion for Christ. Seriously I am so proud of him! Please take 2 minutes to watch the following video and then read on to learn more about this special young man and how God has worked in his life.

“I remember the first time I saw Vanya because there was something different about him. Yes, he was the only black kid in the orphanage, but more than that, there was something about his eyes that intrigued me.

“Vanya is a smart kid.” Denis, our director, told us. “He was abandoned as a newborn. His parents were students at the university and he is very smart.”

I smiled at him and he smiled back. His outgoing personality was evident as he tried his hand at English. I met a lot of kids at that summer camp in 2004, but Vanya is the one I remember."

-Marla Ringger, Orphan Advocate

Vanya, then 13, was just learning the power of Christ’s love in his life. Recently Lifesong for Orphans had started a program at his home in Sachnovsheena Orphanage. And though Vanya resisted the Gospel at first, through the examples of volunteers and staff members, Biblical mentorship, and educational support he began to see Christ’s love in action, and knew this was something he wanted for himself.

Now at 19, Vanya continues to rise above standards and expectations. He lives in one of Lifesong’s Transition Homes in Kharkov, a home designed to support those aging out of the orphanage system, studies English at the local college, translates for Americans who come to visit, and mentors younger boys at the orphanage in the same way the Lifesong staff once mentored him!

We praise God for success stories like Vanya’s and are thankful for our partners who continue to support those like him both financially and in prayer!

Vanya from Lifesong for Orphans on Vimeo.

When the days are long.

One step forward, 4 steps back.

That is how this past week has felt. In some ways it feels like we are back at the beginning, that first hard week.

Realistically it is better.

She is attaching to me, which is good. On the other hand, when Kory gets home from work and I NEED a kiddie break the tears start (more like continue) to flow because she doesn't want Kory.

We've had lots of tears. Her. Me. Sean. Her again.

Sometimes all it takes is for Sean to enter the room.

She is so fragile. I understand that. She has had to deal with more in 2.5 years than many people have to deal with in a lifetime.

But it makes the days long.

I wish I could say I've been the perfect model of love and patience.

I can't.

Some days you might mistake me for the wicked stepmother. I feel like a villain.

Thankfully, other days I feel supernatural doses of love and patience flow my way, spilling over to Suhn and everyone else.

It's a process. A hard process.

I've been told nothing worth having comes easy.

Suhn is SO WORTH HAVING. She is worth the tears and frustrations. And so much more. She is our sweet China baby and she was meant to be a part of our family. Praise God!

I am thankful for the struggle. It is teaching me to love more. The real "love is patient love is kind" type of love. It has shoved my weaknesses into my face forcing me to depend on my Father and give thanks that His mercies are new every morning. Great is His faithfulness.

The days might be long for us right now, but no worries, we are in the good, safe, strong hands of our Savior. By his grace we are working through the hard, relishing the good and looking hopefully toward the days to come.

Wordless Wednesday - Our Full Van

Wordless Wednesday - Take Me Out to the Ball Game

The Two Year Olds are Back!

I faintly remember doing this before, having two two-year olds in the house at one time.

And here we are again.

Sean's reaction to Suhn has been pretty close to what I expected (maybe one of the only things that has come pretty close to what I expected).

He can go from loving on her, petting and cooing, to pushing, hitting and growling in 10 seconds flat.

And Suhn's reaction to Sean?

She thinks he is hilarious. Except when he is taking her toys, getting in her face or hurting her.

To get a gauge on the frequency of Sean's shenanigans allow me to share Suhn's first English two-word phrases. She says them often and thinks she is quite hilarious when she does.

"Sean no" followed by "Sean nice" (think "Sean be nice")

They are probably the two phrases she has heard the most since joining our family.

So I'm back to refereeing two fickle, "mine"-loving, two-year olds.

(Something I never thought I'd do again.)

Two can be a hard age to have a "twin," (especially when you have spent the first years of your life without one). And yet, I have a feeling, a hunch and a prayer that as my babies grow, they are going to be the best of friends.