A Return To Liberia

After Thanksgiving, Matt along with 14 others, returned to Liberia to answer a call God had put on Matt's heart while we were there in 2011.  While we were there preparing to bring Onah and Marie home, our hearts couldn't help but be torn as we saw the house our children knew as 'home' for so long, fall apart.  We were so excited to start a new chapter with our children in their forever home, but knew the future of the children we would leave behind was not as bright.

While there, Matt would walk the house and grounds looking at so much that needed to be fixed.  Many nights he'd lay awake in our hotel journaling of projects that needed fixing, and wondering what God was brewing.

After many months of wrestling and praying about what was on his heart, he began to plan a construction trip to bring hope to those children still waiting for their forever families.

The plan...plumbing (fix the septic and pipes that were leaking into the yard), electric (correctly wire the house and hook it to the city's now working electricity), playground (build a structure for the children to be able to play on), roof (replace the roof that had several holes and had been leaking on the children's bedrooms), and fixing up the house (paint, replace cabinets, doors, etc...)  While there it was made possible for them to also fix the drainage off the house using a gutter system so the rain did not flood the front yard, removing/sealing up the gate entrance in order to make a new entrance so the vehicle could pull into the compound, putting a new roof on the worker's house, putting in ceiling fans for air circulation, and hooking running water into the house.  Not to mention, the team took several supplies for the children with CP!  A walker which Nanu used alot getting around!  She was independently mobile for the first time!  A stander which could place the children on and raise them up so they could see the world around them and not just experience it from a crib.  Awesome!

Matt as well as several other team members made mention that they went to fix a broken home, but left fixing so much more...lives.

The favorite memory that I think many took away from the trip was seeing the children play on the playground for the first time.  "Words could not describe what it was like seeing their faces" I can only imagine!

Matt shared with me a conversation he had with Oretha about trying to get it all done in this trip.  I can just hear her sweet voice as she told him, "oh Matthew...you'll be back...you'll be back."  Several members from the team are already planning the next mission.  Can't wait to see how God uses them to take care of His children!  Makes my heart smile!

Looks who's 2 (3 months ago!)

As I began to post our Christmas photos I realized I never posted pictures of Izzy's 2nd birthday!  In my defense we didn't really have a big party for Izzy.  She's not at the age where she really cares about it yet, so we figured why spend the money?  We just spent the day enjoying things we knew she liked...horses and outdoors.

The birthday girl!

Princess Marie is 4

It's taken a while to post...Marie's 4th birthday was her dream come true.  PRINCESS!!!  It was pretty fun planning too :)  Here are some memories of her special day with friends...

 Colten protecting the princess before the party.  We had to be creative, he wasn't going to be apart of a princess party! :)

 Grandma making a candy bracelet! (caught!)

 Everyone getting their 'beauty' on before the search for our jewels!

 Somebody got lip gloss for her birthday...haha

 Kissing frogs...didn't find a prince! (Matt was ok with that!)

 On the hunt for jewels...

 Yes...he's getting his nails painted!

 Marie and her cake...

Making a wish!

My princess is 4!  So thankful to be celebrating with her!

In A Pit With A Lion On A Snowy Day

Maybe it's the cold weather creeping in or the fact that I had underlined so many parts of this book but I decided to pick up the book "In A Pit With A Lion On A Snowy Day" (Yes that's the real title!) and read it again.
A couple years ago during a dark time in my life a wonderful friend suggested I read this book.  I went out in search for it and began reading the pages only to find that the words brought healing to my heart. We had just moved to Lexington, Matt had just started a new job, I was pregnant with Izzy, Colten was starting kindergarten, we had no home, no family close, I left my closest friends behind, we were still on our journey to bring home Onah and Marie (which looked like it was coming to an end as there was talk of shutting down the orphanage), and I was losing hope.  I felt like I was in a pit with a lion on a snowy day, but what I didn't expect after reading the first few pages was the fact that this story originated from a man, Benaiah, in 2 Samuel 23:2-21 who CHASED the lion (yes, he wasn't being chased, he chose to chase a lion) into a snowy pit and in that pit walked away defeating the lion.  Needless to say, I learned how to defeat 'my lions'.
I saw it laying on the shelf the other day and remembered many of the things I took away from it, and thought to myself, "Now that I'm in a different season of my life, I wonder what it would be like reading that book again with a different perspective.  So I am...

While reading today something new stuck out to me that didn't stick out before...
Ephesians 2:10 says, "We are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."  
If you've ever gotten an email from me you know this is one of my favorite verses, maybe that's why I just skipped over it before in the book, but the author goes on to pick this verse apart...
"The word 'prepared' derives from an ancient custom of sending servants ahead of a king to secure safe passage.  But God turns the tables.  The King of Kings goes in advance of His servants and prepares the road ahead for us.  Now here's the catch:  Sometimes His itinerary entails coming face to face with a lion in a pit on a snowy day.  But when you find yourself in those challenging circumstances, you need to know that God is ordering your footsteps.  You can have a sense of destiny because you know that God has considered every contingency in your life, and He always has your best interest at heart.  And that sense of destiny, rooted in the sovereignty of God, helps you pray the unthinkable and attempt the impossible."

Looking back things always appear more clearer...I can see where God was directing my footsteps and giving me what I needed at exactly the right time.  He gave me a bundle full of joy (Isabella) when I needed that kind of joy in my life.  He was preparing me for the chaos that he knew would ensue when my life got flipped from 1-4 in 1 year :)  (anyone would need training for that! haha).  Not to mention, providing financially when the odds were stacked against us  In the moment I was hiding and afraid of 'my lions', instead of chasing them and tapping into the sovereignty of God; in the midst of what seemed like hopelessness, I wasn't praying the unthinkable or attempting the impossible, I was merely trying to stay above water.  But the Truth is... the bigger we make God, the smaller our 'lions' become.  

God's word is so true...
 "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds,  because you know that the testing of your faith  produces perseverance.   Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." James 1:2-4

Through our trials we learn form our mistakes become more Christ-like, and I want to be the type of Christ-follower who chases my lions knowing My God has my back.  My prayer is I never cower to my fears again, yet turn to the one who can give me strength to fight and defeat the odds stacked against me, because that is when His Glory truly shines through us!  And after all isn't that our sole purpose on this earth?

Ormond Beach

We took our first family vacation as a family of six!  There was a lot of luggage, a long drive, but SO worth it!  
We decided to go to Ormond Beach in Florida.  Colten really wanted to go to the ocean again, and Onah and Marie had only been to the ocean once in Liberia and Izzy never had, so it was the perfect choice!
It was a week of no expectations, no stress, no agenda, lots of rest and relaxation...then reality hit...WE HAD TO GO HOME!  haha  Every good thing must come to an end right?!
My favorite quote from Matt was on the way down, I believe we were in 3 hours of our vacation and Colten had asked if he could have some kind of candy or something and Matt said, "We are on vacation, the answer is YES!  All week YES"  I think he wanted to eat his words the next day!  There were lots of 'wants'.
A few highlights from our trip...
--All the kids were buried in the sand at one point and could not move.
--Colten learned how to body surf and skim board.
--A new family member...Ormond Slider Lee...the turtle
--Betty's pies...yummmmm
--Hershey's Ice Cream...double yummmm
--Discovery Center Marina and seeing the dolphins
--Cable...the kids were excited to watch 'real cartoons' in the hotel
--New friends...one couple found a sand dollar for our kids on the beach, and one of the hotel employees "Nancy" was our adopted Grandma for the week!
--Herding Onah into the hotel while he's sleep-walking (I've never laughed so hard!)
--Putt-Putt with the pirates!
--Walks on the beach collecting shells
--The kids loved sitting in the hot tub like all the 'old people' :)
--Izzy learned if she flashed a smile at the lady working the front desk she'd get a sucker!
--Catching fish for the pelicans with a net
--naps on the beach
--football in the pool

So many more things to mention, but let's face it...you've stopped reading and have scrolled down to find the pictures :) haha  So here they are....

And here is why Matt drives during the day and I take the night shift!...

All week while on vacation Marie says at least twice a day, "Mommy, I wanna go home!"  
When we finally pull into the drive I say, "Marie...we're home!"  She says..."That was fun!  Mommy I wanna go to the beach!"  ugh, such a girl! :)

Izzy...Spoiled?...Yep!

Now that Onah and Marie are in school part of the day Izzy and I have alot of time together just the two of us.  I enjoy the time with her so much but I must admit she's getting a bit spoiled by all the attention!

 We visit daddy often for lunch...

 No having to 'share' mommy with Marie...I think this is what she loves the best :)

 I did make her pick up a part time job!  You have to earn your way around this house!

 Of course she likes to play with Marie's toys while she's at school...no one to stop her :)

Oh and then there's the shopping!  She tried on these boots and said, "I sparkle mommy" haha!  Telling her we weren't buying them and making her put them back about broke her heart!