Summer Fun!!

Psalm 118:1 "Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for His steadfast love endures forever!"

Psalm 18:6 "In my distress I called upon the LORD; to my God I cried for help. From His temple He heard my voice, and my cry to Him reached His ears."

God is good all the time, and all the time, God is good!! After our big news last week, we have just been trying to enjoy every moment we have with Piano Man. We are down to six days left. Every time we discuss it, I get sad. I don't even want to think about next Thursday when we have to bring this boy, who has truly become part of our family, back to the airport to fly across the world to China. A part of my heart will be in China!! As I've been thinking about how hard it is for me to let go, it has reminded me of someone else who had to let His Son go. I can't imagine what God the Father went through when He sent His one and only Son to this earth. He knew what the future held for Him, and so did Jesus, yet they willingly set those feelings aside to save us! I just love how many illustrations God has shown me this summer of His deep love for me.

God truly hears the cries of our hearts! I read my friend Michelle's post about DJ yesterday and it touched me so deeply. DJ asked that his host parents (his ayi and she she - aunt and uncle), if they would pray for an American family to pay $30,000 U.S. to his social welfare center so that he could come live in the United States! How beautiful is that? Just in the short time he has lived with a godly family, he has learned who to turn to. It's a great reminder for all of us to pray first!! God hears our cries and He knew the cry of DJ & Piano Man's hearts, and He is answering those cries. It is humbling to think that God decided to use our family as that answer. 

Please continue to pray for us as we wait "patiently" (I'm working on that), for all the paperwork we need. Right now we are still waiting on our letter from the USCIS to get our fingerprints done. We are working on some fundraising ideas, including a rummage sale, which will be held at the end of September. So, if you live around the Chicago area and are decluttering, let us know!! We can pick up your "junk" for you!

We are also still selling sheets if you are interested. Brushed microfiber sheets come in Twin, Full, Queen, king, and CA King. The cost is $35 for one set or $65 for two. If you don't live within delivery distance, it is a flat $10 for shipping. The sheets come in the colors and dimensions listed below:

Here are some pictures from the last two weeks.

Trip to Bass Pro Shop to see some fish

Watching a thunderstorm move through. He enjoyed watching the lightening, but didn't like the storm.

We attended VBS and he loved the singing and the crafts.

On the train to downtown to see the doctor. He did great as he rode both the Metra and the L.

Our friends, the Oakley Family, gave Piano Man a Spiderman comic book written in Mandarin. He has loved looking through that.

Swimming at the Oakley house after VBS.

At Comprehensive Prosthetics and Orthotics in Chicago. They were amazing and were able to adjust Piano Man's prosthetic limb to fit better. They even ordered him a sleeve that prevents the limb from falling off.

Waiting patiently for the Lego event at the library.

Piano Man has played really well with all of the girls. He loved building marble runs with Micaela.

We had some friends over for pizza. We love the Hogue family!!

Piano Man is very good at picking new things up. The girls showed him how to "knit", and he picked it right up. They also taught him how to make rainbow loom bracelets, and he made a ton...which he later turned into a long strand and it became a whip. 

Trip to the zoo! We invited the girl's friend to come with us. It really wasn't all that bad having 8 kids. Everyone had fun and did very well, even though it was hot.

After the zoo, since we were already downtown, we went to Chinatown for dinner. We stopped and snapped a picture of Piano Man with his zodiac animal (since we all have a picture with our animal). 

At the dragon wall, one of only 3 replicas outside of China.

This boy LOVED the food we allowed him to pick out at the restaurant. There is a dish called Mung Bean Jelly. I have never seen this boy eat so fast! He ate the entire dish of this while at the restaurant. We ended up ordering another dish of it to take home.

Playing at the park, which had a splash pad. I wasn't sure how to handle the water, since he can't get his prosthetic limb wet. He ended up just taking it off and playing in the water. He did great!!

Pictures with friends are always fun!!

While the big kids were off at the neighbor's house, we made the most of our little pool and had fun for hours!!

We introduced Piano Man to slurpies! He enjoyed it.

We introduced him to Costco food - an inexpensive way to "go out to eat" with a  large family. Plus, we get some shopping done.

Piano Man got his teeth cleaned and did great. I was worried that he would have tons of cavities (he had some brown teeth). Turns out he had no cavities and the brown spots were only stains. He was so excited to see his super white teeth when they were done.

Crazy for Jesus

2 Corinthians 5:13-15 "If we are “out of our mind,” as some say, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for Him who died for them and was raised again."

In light of our exciting news on Friday (Our Crazy, New Adventure), we have heard the word "crazy" flying around. The word crazy reminds me of a time about 20 years ago at church. During prayer time, a man, who was visiting with a group of mental patients, stood up and said, "I'm crazy!!! I'm crazy for Jesus!!" The adventure we are embarking on is crazy, but if we were to play it "safe", I think that we would miss out on all that God has in store for us and for the boys. 

As Wayne and I were talking the other night, we started talking about all the different people in the Bible that the world called "crazy". Following Jesus isn't always sensible in the world's eyes (take up your cross and follow me, leave everything behind and follow me, etc). What surprises me though is how many of us as Christians want to play it safe. We did that for years. But you know what? Once we started saying, "Forget safe, what does God's Word say and what does He want us to do?", things got more interesting. When we stopped just being hearers of the word and became doers of the word, God started teaching us so much more. It's amazing to see God work in extraordinary ways when you surrender everything you are and all that you have to Him.

So here are some of the Biblical characters who the world (and some in the church), would call crazy. This list isn't everyone, but just people we quickly thought of during our conversation.


1. Abraham: believing his wife could get pregnant at 90

2. Elijah: wore camel hair and was fed by ravens. He prayed that it wouldn't rain, and it didn't rain for 3 years and 6 months! If that wasn't crazy enough, then he challenges the Baal prophets. Elijah pours water all over his sacrifice and in a trench around it. God not only burned up the offering (as an answer to prayer), but He burnt up the rocks, the water, and everything!!

3. Hosea: was told by God to marry a prostitute and he obeyed (FYI: if you've never studied Hosea, it's a beautiful picture of the redemption story God has for us. 

4. David: he picked up stones and faced a giant believing God would enable him to kill him, and God did!

5. Gideon: God sent all his army home except 300 men to fight men that were as numerous as locusts in the valley. What were their battle tools: trumpet, jar, and torch. Crazy? Yes! 300 men to fight that many men? God was showing him that the battle was God's battle, not his. (Again: an amazing story to read Judges 7)

6. Joshua and Jericho: I'm sure the people in Jericho thought that Joshua and the Israelites were crazy. Marching around the wall every day? Crazy: yes. But they obeyed and God moved.

7. The widow who asked all her neighbors for jars. These jars were then miraculously filled with oil from her little jar. She was able to sell the jars of oil and have the money she needed to keep her sons. I'm sure her neighbors thought she was crazy. What is she going to do with all of these jars??

8. John the Baptist: they thought he was crazy (the educated Pharisees thought he was a nut, though the common man thought he was a prophet). He faithfully fulfilled his purpose in life - to prepare the way for the Messiah!

9. Woman who poured out expensive perfume on Jesus' feet. People thought she was crazy wasting all of that money (years worth of money) on someone's feet. They accused her and said she should have sold it and given it to the poor. I find it interesting that they weren't doing anything, and yet they had lots of "great ideas". How many times to we question people doing things and say, "well, they should have done this," and yet we do nothing?

10. The disciples: left everything (their families, their jobs, their homes) and followed Jesus. Because of their obedience in following and Jesus transforming their lives, our whole world has been turned upside down by the gospel.

These is just a sampling of "crazy" people in the Bible. If we look at their stories, what makes them crazy? Is it because they obey God and take huge steps of faith? Yes! And God shows up in some huge was to not only impact their lives, but the lives of those around them. Is it scary to step out in faith, yes! But I also know that God is on the move and I'd rather be deemed "crazy" by the world and obey God, then to play it "safe" according to the world and miss out on taking part in what God wants to do in and through us!!

We have already seen God move in some miraculous ways in the last 48 hours. As I was walking on the treadmill this morning, the song "10,000 Reasons" came on and I couldn't help but sing with all of my heart to Him. "For all His goodness I will keep on singing!!!" God is faithful and good. He is already showing us in miraculous ways how He can move when we step out in faith. Crazy to the world? Yes. I will take "crazy" and run with it to see God continue to move in and through us. May His name be praised!!!