Heading Back to Haiti

“Through Jesus then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge His name. Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.” Hebrews 13:15-16 ESV

Becky and Max 

As many of you already know, we just returned from our mission trip to Haiti. It was my second trip, John’s first. We ministered through a partnership with Haiti Outreach Ministries (HOM). Our focus this trip was on completing work for the new high school that is set to open in September. We also had the opportunity to minister to the girls at House of Hope, a local girls orphanage. One of the unexpected blessings of this trip was being able to minister to a 2-week old baby girl named Abigaèlle and her family. She was not nursing well and her mother was struggling to produce enough milk for her to survive. Her mother had been in labor for three days. She was given an episiotomy to help her deliver. She was discharged from the hospital 7 hours later. She walked home. It was heartbreaking, but out of that heartbreak, a new vision was born. 

Baby Abigaelle

Another team will be returning to Haiti, November 14-21. We are planning to offer 2 seminars to each of the 3 church campuses of HOM. The first will be to girls and women ages 14-20 and will offer Biblical discipleship on purity and the sanctity of marriage, as well as education on pregnancy prevention. The second will be for pregnant mothers and mothers of children 2 years old and younger. We plan to offer prenatal vitamins, postpartum pads, and cloth diapers. In addition, we will be educating mothers about lactation, nutrition, postpartum care, and newborn care.

  

John working at House of Hope

John will return to House of Hope. Over the years, teams have come in and done lots of work, but when the week is over sometimes there are loose ends or projects that just didn’t quite reach completion. John and the other men on our team plan to work on bringing completion to those projects. Once they do that the orphanage will be a more efficient and secure place for the girls to live.

Visiting Haiti has opened our eyes to the extreme poverty that is essentially, in our backyard. But it has also opened our eyes to the church globally and the beauty of joining with them to do God’s work. While there are plenty of times in Haiti that I am broken and burdened by what I see, there are equally times that I am overcome with joy and hope. The people are filled with a contagious joy that seems impossible in their circumstances. It is incredibly humbling.

There are several opportunities for you to support this mission, if the Lord has so burdened your heart.

1. PRAY, with us and for us. I will be the first to admit that I am often guilty of planning and preparing away (Martha) and forget to pray. But what good am I if I am not drawing close to the Lord in prayer.

2. Donations - we need prenatal vitamins, cloth pads, and cloth diapers. You can bring those items to Cornerstone Baptist Church at 8947 Albemarle Rd, Charlotte, NC or contact me and I will coordinate pick-up.

3. Financial support. John and I will need a total of $2000 to cover airfare and lodging expenses. With this trip only 4 months away it gives us very little time to save that money ourselves. We are trusting that the Lord will provide all that we need. If you would like to donate to us, please consider using PayPal (jkiser13@att.net) or email us and I will send you our mailing address. If you would prefer to support the ministry expenses or for your donations to be tax-deductible, please donate to Cornerstone Baptist Church (use the online giving button in the top right corner).

4. Ask us to come speak to your church. As I’m certain you can tell, we feel pretty passionately about this ;). We would love to tell you more about the ministries that HOM provides to the Haitian people and how you can participate in the mission.

Finally, if you've read this far, thank you! Please let us know if you are interested in continuing to receive updates as we prepare to minister in Haiti! 

And may the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:7

The Happy Idiot

"At my first defense no one came to stand by me, but all deserted me. May it not be charged against them! But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion’s mouth. The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen." 2 Timothy 4:16-18

"The nations rage, the kingdoms totter; He utters his voice, the earth melts. The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah  Come, behold the works of the Lord, how He has brought desolations on the earth. He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; He burns the chariots with fire. ‘Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!’ The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah" Psalm 46:6-11

Sometimes I miss things, really incredibly (should be obvious) kinds of things - and then when I see it, I feel like an idiot. Like a really happy idiot though, because now I see and now I’m not an idiot, at least about this one thing. In today’s readings, I had one of those moments. I must have read that “be still and know that I am God” passage hundreds of times. I’m a control freak (please try to contain your shock). People often quote this verse to me to help me gain perspective, and I try, really I do. But it has always felt so passive to me and I struggle with that. I want to be in charge, I want to handle things, I want to do, not to be, especially in the thick of things. I can handle being still and quiet when things are calm and life is being compliant with my plan (yeah, I know). But when life is hard and messy, I want to fight! And anyone that knows me, knows that I love a good fight. But as I read the scripture from Psalms again, in its full context, I was blown away! That “be still” passage is right in the middle of the battle! He speaks and the earth melts, He snaps our weapons like twigs, He burns our defenses with fire, because HE is the Lord of Hosts! He is the VICTOR! He is our SAVIOR! It’s not a meek exhortation to be still and sit quietly, it’s a command from the THE COMMANDER to sit down and shut up while Daddy goes to war! But don’t run and hide, stay right here, by my side and watch how the Lord of Hosts wins a fight. I think that is how Paul was able to forgive his deserters, he didn’t need them. Now, I know that I’m hard-pressed to forgive people when I feel like they should have been by my side, but really, do I need anyone else? Paul was able to see that. He knew the forgiveness that the Lord had afforded him. The sins committed against him paled in comparison! Forgiveness is easier for me when I remember my own sin, when I force myself to remember the cost of my own redemption. Paul saw it so clearly, the Lord of Hosts fighting, the God of all grace and mercy pouring out forgiveness. Lord, help me to see clearly!!

#shereadstruth #SRT #happyidiot

Was It Enough?

This is not coherent or eloquent, but they are my current thoughts on the matter.  Was it enough? - the question that keeps rattling around in my brain.  The short answer is, of course, no.  Of course, 5 weeks wasn’t enough time.  Of course, we couldn’t love him enough to fill all the holes in his heart.  But I promise we tried!  I hope it’s enough to last him until he comes home.  I’ve been oscillating between anger and sadness since I saw him that last time at the airport.  He was so brave to come all this way by himself, knowing no English.  And yet as we said goodbye and hugged our last I saw a boy who had been hardened by the system for years, begin to silently cry.  He tried so hard to wave and smile and tell us he loved us, but he had to look away when it was too much.  The sadness is crushing.  The kind of sadness that makes you wonder how the world can continue to move while you stand there total immobilized by your own grief.  But then comes the anger and the frustration – why did I let so many little things bother me?  I should have stayed up later, I should have been more patient!  When packing his bags to go I found one of L.J.’s toys.  I asked him if L.J. had given it to him, he said, “no, but he has 4.”  I told him we would ask L.J. in the morning, but it is not okay to steal.  I knew L.J. would probably give it to him, so no worries.  But I forgot to ask!  I forgot!!  Why didn’t I just give him the stupid toy!?!  What kind of person am I?!?  I am so angry with myself for not doing more!  And now I’m sad again.  I know we said all along, this is just a hosting program, and it is.  I know we said that our goals were to love him and show him what family is, and we did.  I know we said that this would be painful in the end, but we would be obedient anyway, and it is.  But, is so much more than I could have ever imagined.  I just want to hold him again, to see him, to hear his laugh, to protect him, to love him.  Please pray for him – pray for his safety, pray for his health, pray for God to guard his heart and pray for him to come HOME!  My brother spoke some of the most comforting words to me this morning, he said, “Becky, I will stop at nothing to bring him home!”  Lord, please work quickly, this Momma’s heart is begging You!

Less than a Week

We have less than a week before we put our host son on a plane back to Ukraine.  I really don't want to talk about it, but I must prepare for it.  Many of you have asked if there is anything else we need, so I made an updated list.  I left the full list and just struck through the items already donated because I wanted you all to see how blessed we've been.  There were a total of 4 items that we purchased ourselves.  My sincerest gratitude to all of you who helped us along in this!  I was telling the cashier at the grocery store this week, that we have spent more on groceries this month than we did on our mortgage!  But thanks to the many kind souls that donated gift cards and money, we didn't break the bank ;) 

A Little Brag

We've been working with Roman on his anger management skills.  We talked with a translator about how all families fight and everyone gets angry, but how we choose to handle it makes a big difference.  We tried to give him some healthy options for managing his anger and frustration.  He has done so well!!  He put all of our suggestions to use and will come tell me when he needs some space.  He has also learned to forgive more quickly.  I am so proud of him!  This week we are working on sportsmanship.  He is so competitive!  Bless his heart.  But it's really hard on L.J.  I almost just let it go, but decided while on the phone with a Russian-speaking friend to address it.  He said he would try, but he really likes to win ;)  Welcome to the club, buddy!  But, I've already noticed a difference.  And I am so proud of how hard he is working.
I need to brag a little on my crew as well.  L.J. has been so generous, sharing practically everything he has.  Roman wanted one of his stuffed animals, but I told him that we would need to ask L.J. first.  L.J. took several days to decide and I made sure he understood that he would not be "loaning" it.  Finally today he decided that Roman could take it back to Ukraine with him.  I am so proud of him.
Finally, I need your prayers during this last week.  He's pointed to the calendar several times and made a sad face and said, "bye-bye".  Y'all this is killing me.  I am trying to keep it together, for his sake, but more often than not I suck at that.  He starts patting my back saying, "it's okay, it's okay".  Yup, I'm awful.  So, like I said, please pray.  Pray for the time we have left, pray for our departure day (next Thursday), and pray for my kids.  It tears me up that poor Gabe is going to lose one of favorite people in the world and I have no way of preparing him for it.  Sad Mommy time :(  Thanks everyone!

Musician in the Making?

I knew that Roman wanted to learn how to play guitar and even had a friend let us borrow one, but it somehow just never made it onto our agenda.  Until today.  He is so tickled with himself and I think he demonstrates an amazing amount of potential.  For someone who has never had a lesson in his life, I think it sounds beautiful!  But maybe that's just because of the way he smiles when he plays and all I hear is my own little love song. 

Have Some Good News to Share!!!

So excited to share this with you!  Thank you all so much for praying with us!  Please remember that you MUST NOT mention this to Roman.  But please continue to pray for all of us!!

Read the story here: Giving a Child a Place to Call Home

Some Days It's a Struggle

I think it's been over a week since I last blogged.  Part of the reason is because I've been so completely worn out by the end of day, which lately has been later and later.  The other reason is because I'm really not sure what to say.  I don't want to sound like I am complaining or that Roman is a "bad" kid, but some days are just really hard!  Most of Roman's social skills are counter-productive and self-serving.  I find it difficult to remain patient and gracious when he is so demanding and selfish.  We are working hard on manners and forgiveness, but it is work and we are not always successful.  I try to remember that he just does not know any better.  I know God has called us to this mission and I know He will work in us and through us, but it is hard not to get discouraged some days.  On a more hopeful note, he does really well with sharing.  There are very few things that he won't offer to share, even without being asked.  He is also a little homesick, he misses his friends and his country.  I think that is all very reasonable and understandable.  We did have a friend come over and translate for us so he would understand that all families fight and have problems, but we also love and forgive.  We explained that he would probably be upset again, but if he lost his temper, there would be consequences.  We explained the consequences and that he should apologize.  He understood and explained a few feelings he was having, which is definite progress.  Please pray with us!

Prayer Requests:

• that he would learn to trust us
• that he would learn mercy and kindness
• that we would have love abundantly

Lake Day

Last Sunday we went to the Grack's for a day at the Lake with some other host families.  We all had a great time.  We ate, played ball, swam, and went out on the speed boat.  Items of note: we went all the way to Salisbury to get my parents boat, only to find that it wouldn't run :(  Turns out when my Mom took it to the shop, one of the pontoons was almost full of water.  Such a blessing that it wouldn't run that day!  Also, I have never been on a speedboat and in all likelihood will never be on one again.  I haven't screamed that much since I gave birth!  Actually that's an exaggeration, I didn't scream that much giving birth.  But, Roman and the chaperones, Olga & Ivita, thought it was hysterical!  It was nice to be able to talk with them also.  Ivita's English is pretty good, but Olga probably knows as much English as I know Russian.  But she did give me an "A" for effort, while trying to communicate with her and Roman.  It was very nice to be able to spend some time with the other host families as well, to share stories and strategies, to encourage one another.  So a big "Thank You" to the Grack's for hosting and to all the other host families for making it such a wonderful day!  By the time we got the boat back to my Mom's and then made it home it was almost midnight (OUCH!).  Made for a bumpy Monday, but we'd do it all over again if we could!

Racing!

 If there is one thing I've learned about Roman, its that he LOVES fast cars.  My brother had the wonderful idea to take him to The Pit in Mooresville.  He had a blast!  We hope to make it back one more time before he has to go back to Ukraine.

Finally Some Perspective

For days now we've been in the throws of boundary testing, lots of pouting and sulking.  I've been having such a hard time with it.  I began doubting my parenting abilities, my sanity, my calling .. I had no confidence in what we were doing.  A couple of things happened today that have really helped.  First, the Lord graciously reminded me that this is His plan for our lives and I am to be obedient in the good and the bad, the easy and the hard.  I've been so focused on behavior modifications and language barriers that I had forgotten that this is first and foremost a mission.  Second, I talked with some other host Moms that had some really wonderful insight and some kind words of wisdom.  Third, I waited.  Most of you know, this is not my strong suit.  I prefer to run at things full speed.  If there is an issue, we air it out and deal with it.  But Roman does not have the same conflict resolution skills.  So I waited for him to decide it was time.  He doesn't get to be in control of much, but he is allowed the dignity to process his emotions in his own time.  This is hard for me, I really have to fight the urge to try to make him talk to me.  About half way through the day today I could tell he was starting to come around, so I took advantage and used that time to reassure him.  He was a little uneasy when John got home, but the first thing John said when he got home was, "come here boy I didn't get my hug this morning!" and all was well.  We went to church tonight and he helped us prepare for VBS next week.  He loves being at church with us.  I am so happy that our church family has been so kind to him and welcomed him in as one of their own.  He seems to feel very safe there and I can't tell you how wonderful that makes me feel!  Tonight we tried something new with our devotion/prayer time.  We got Roman's Russian/English parallel Bible out and found the passage for him to follow along while John read the story to our kids.  It went so much better, I can't believe we didn't think of doing it sooner!  I wish I could mention all the people by name that have helped us so far, but I want you to know that I am so, so grateful that so many of you have chosen to participate in this mission with us.  We have been given clothes, shoes, groceries, garden goodies, gift cards, and money.  But most of all you have shared your love, thank you!

Prayer requests:

• Continued prayers for wisdom & discernment
• for Roman to learn to trust us to love him, nurture him, & forgive him
• for Roman and Olivia Jane - they struggle the most with not understanding each other
• for our Russian/Roman's English

Sharing

We are still in the throws of a LOT of boundary testing, so please continue to pray for all of us.  I do want to share a very sweet moment though.  Roman and I went to the grocery store on Friday and while we were there we picked out a book for each of the kids.  Roman got he and L.J. matching Pokemon books.  L.J. has practically slept with his since.  Well last night, Roman took L.J. over to the computer and told him, "I give you".  I don't know why he chose to give L.J. both books, but we were all so amazed!  He really enjoys our times at church also.  Our friend, Alex came with us today to translate and answer any questions he had.  We have a busy week ahead of us so I hope I can keep up.  Many thanks to my brother & Tiffany, Linda, & Donna for all the help with clothes and shoes. 

So blessed

New sunglasses!  He's so cool!

Today was such a good day!  Today was a Nana day.  I love Nana days.  For those of you new to my world, Nana days are when Nana comes to my house and watches ALL my kids so that I can run errands in peace or grab lunch with a friend.  Today was a little different, since Roman would need to stay with me, but it was still very nice!!  Before Nana arrived though, Roman and I went over the schedule for our day and I must say I think that really helped him.  Certainly it must be unsettling to never know what is going on or what is coming next, so I hope to do this with him from now on.  After Nana arrived, Roman and I met up with my Mom for lunch and then got his haircut.  Before we went home we had to stop at the grocery store (yes, AGAIN)!  I thought grocery shopping with small kids was tough, but with a 15 yr. old, holy cow.  My hats off to all you Mamas out there that are already in the throws of this stage.  It was good for both of us to have some time to spend together without interruptions.  He loves to laugh and to make me laugh.  He did very well when I explained, as best I could, that we would not be buying certain things, because they are not healthy.  We got home and he unloaded the groceries, all by himself, without being asked and helped me put them away!  I am so proud of him!!  We were finally able to get in touch with a friend to help us translate a few things that I hope will help, mostly issues with cultural manners.  I went to check the mail and found an anonymous gift card to Harris Teeter.  Thank you!  Thank you!  Thank you!!!  I appreciate the help, but am so encouraged to know that we are not in this alone!  Your prayers and encouragement are vital!  Thank you, so, so much!  We have our first meeting with the folks from NHFC tomorrow at the park and I'm looking forward to seeing the other families and the chaperones! 

Prayer requests:

• wisdom in setting and enforcing boundaries
• that he would be more and more open to receiving love
• the language barrier
• please keep praying for his "forever family"

Testing, testing, and more testing ...

a pick-up soccer game with the kids!

I’ve hesitated to write much the past few days.  Week two is apparently all about testing boundaries.  The language barrier is really tough when you are trying to communicate subtleties.  I want so desperately to tell him how proud I am of him and how well he is doing.  Of course, I also want to say, “for the love, child, please stop slamming every door in the house!”  To celebrate the 4^th, we went to the pool in the morning (many thanks to Ms. Dawn!!)  and then to a cookout that evening.  We all had a blast at the pool.  Roman must be part fish, he loves to swim and dive and play squirt guns and float and swim some more!  L.J. learned to dive (with a mask on), Bailey learned to swim (with her floaties on), and Olivia must’ve drug Ms. Dawn around 50 laps in the shallow end “practicing” her swimming.  Gabe loved the water, but possibly Ms. Dawn’s chocolate cookies more ;)  We went home and took a quick power nap, then headed for our SS cookout.  We have some good friends that speak fluent Russian that were there as well.  It was nice to be able to communicate with Roman without the language barrier.  One of the sweetest things that has happened so far, is when he kept asking when we were going to go home so, I asked him if he was bored or tired.  He said he didn’t understand the question, so I said why do you want to go home?  He looked at me like I was crazy and said, “because it’s home and I like it there.”  I know it sounds silly, but I really needed to hear that!  Today felt like a marathon of testing, both from Roman and the rest of my brood, so to say that I’m exhausted would be an understatement!  But God has been faithful to carry us through.  Please continue to pray with us!!

So tired!

Driving Uncle Kenny's lawn mower!!

Sorry y'all, I am beat.  He's been asking to drive my car for 2 days.  I keep telling him no, but he keeps asking.  Hoping this helps ;)  He and L.J. did much better today too!  They played way too much Mario Kart!  But Roman was letting L.J. win some too, which is very sweet of him.  Roman got to meet my brother and sister-in-law at dinner tonight.  He finally got the headaches everyone has been warning me about, so Tiffany went and picked him up some ibuprofen.  He actually got back out of the van to go hug them as we were leaving, which was really surprising, but very heart-warming!  Keep praying!!

Breakthrough!

I wish I knew what happened, what changed, but I’m so happy it did.  Yesterday was the first morning Roman actually slept in, we had to wake him up to get ready for church.  I was a little skittish about how he would react to church, but really excited about introducing him to our church family.  He did really well, was very quiet and a little bored, but he was respectful and that is all I can ask.  When we got home some new friends met us at the house to bring us a Russian/English parallel Bible.  They were such a blessing!!  Tanya and her husband both speak Russian, so it was nice to be able to ask Roman a few things directly and get a reliable translation.  We came inside, ate lunch, and put the kids down for naps.  That’s when it happened, he went and picked up his English cards and brought them to me.  We practiced English/Russian for over an hour.  He laughed at my Russian, a LOT!  He laughed, y’all, I mean really full belly laughed.  I was so scared to get off the couch, to do anything else, that it might scare him back into his shell.  But once the kids were up, there was no choice.  Amazingly, he didn’t.  He continued to effervesce!  It was truly wonderful.  Of course, one of the first English things he said that we could understand was “oh, sh*t”.  John and I stopped and did a double take and then he said it again (playing Mario Kart), so we had to explain to him that is not appropriate.  We had to try really hard not to laugh because it’s just so funny with his accent.  He continued to play and talk and joke.  I wish I could explain just how tickled we are with this little breakthrough.  Now I know there will still be issues that come up, but for now I will rejoice in this victory and I hope that you will celebrate with us!  

Prayer requests:

• We really want to take him to the beach while he’s here.  Please pray for the Lord’s provision, because I’m pretty sure my food budget is going to double while he’s here.  We still have a huge need for clothes, as well.
• Pray for the kids, especially L.J.  He is used to being the oldest and therefore having privileges the others do not.  Now the shoe is on the other foot and he’s feeling a little lost.  John and I are both talking with him a lot and assuring him that he will always be our first born and that our love for him never changes.
• Pray that John and I remember to devote ourselves first to God, then to one another, and then to our kids – this is harder than it sounds.
• Pray that Gabe would sleep again!  I know this sounds silly, but sleep deprivation takes its toll on a Momma.
• Pray for our language skills, my Russian and his English.
• Pray for wisdom and discernment.

Making progress

Today was much better (just like all the people at NHFC said it would be).  We've figured out what works for us, language wise.  We've done better about communicating our expectations and he seems happier knowing what we expect.  God love him he is so cold-natured, even in this crazy heat, he would rather be outside.  He is opening up more and more, especially with the kids.  He and L.J. are having the most trouble, mostly because L.J. is self-appointed head of household, bossy, used to being the oldest ;)  I tried to tell Roman that L.J. was jealous.  He said "jealous means love".  I guess it does, in way.  I hope he knows how much we all love him already!  Bailey is the most reserved with him still, but he doesn't press her so I know she'll come around.  Olivia loves him and wants him to hold her, which I don't think he is used to, but he does it anyway.  He ignored Gabe for the most part until today.  I was working on laundry when Gabe started crying, before I could stop what I was doing Roman had picked him up and was bringing him to me.  But Gabe was happy enough with Roman so I sent them off to play so I could finish up.  John was wrestling with the kids today and I tried to encourage Roman to jump in, but he said no.  Of course it wasn't a firm no, about a minute into he was piled in there with the rest of them.  It is so wonderful to hear him laugh!  We took him to the Farmer's Market this morning, it helped to let him pick out some things to eat.  He told me he didn't really like tomatoes, but I bought them anyways since my kids LOVE them.  Apparently he doesn't like Ukrainian tomatoes, because he helped devour 2 pints of Sungold tomatoes at lunch.  Funny new discovery, ranch is the new ketchup.  Speaking of food, y'all I may go broke feeding this kid.  He ate 2 hot dogs, 5 hamburgers, grilled squash, and baked beans for dinner!!!!  He would have eaten a sixth hamburger but Bailey snatched it up before he could get to it.  I would also like to say a HUGE thank you to everyone who has offered us help, support, encouragement, and prayers!  It means so much to us that we are not on this journey alone.  Please continue to pray that he would be more and more open to receive love and affection, that he will not become too focused on "stuff", and that his heart will be open to the gospel.  We are taking him with us to church tomorrow, part of me wants to shelter him like I would a newborn baby, but I know that I can't so please just be patient with me if I'm not my normal social self.

So much for expectations ...

I was so excited, as most of you know, about Roman (pronounced ro-MAHN) coming to live with us for 5 weeks that I might have overlooked a few of the issues we might experience.  Luckily reality has this way of kicking you in the teeth.  Let me be clear, I still love him and I would do it all over again in a second!  But, either because of lack of time or lack of attention I just didn't quite get to the reality part on my own.  First, he speaks NO English.  Which I knew going into this, but I was assured that "Google translate" would be my best friend.  Well guess what - Roman is a horrible speller (first John-ism).  Google has a lot of fun with us.  Second, he is really nosy I mean curious ;) He has gone through just about everything we own.  Third, I didn't realize what a pushover I would be to a 15 year old boy.  He asks, I say no, then he says "Pleez" - with the face (you know the face, the one you can't say no to, I thought they outgrew that face).  Which brings us to my next issue, he is 15!!  Why didn't any of you tell me that a 15 yr. old boy would have nothing in common with the rest of our family?!?  I was told, by those fibbers at NHFC (j/k), that he will play on the computer, play video games, watch movies, and help clean the house.  Nope not my kid.  He only knows very basic computer skills, doesn't like t.v. at all, will play a little Wii, but he'd rather be outside ALL.THE.TIME (second John-ism).  Do y'all know how hot it is?  He keeps asking me when we're going to the ocean.  Whenever I get a spare 4 hours to drive you there Dude!  He will clean up when asked (third John-ism) and he washes himself and keeps his room neat, which is more than I can say for my own kids at the moment.  Which brings me to my final point - he is really good with the kids.  He is patient and kind and generous and protective (fourth John-ism).  John and I sat together, hiding in the kids room with that what-did-we-get-overselves-into look on our faces trying to troubleshoot when he reached out and grabbed my hands and prayed.  You see at the end of the day, this journey is an act of faith and obedience.  So we lay all of our worries and stresses and fears at His feet and trust in His plan and His provision.  Please continue to pray with us and for us.

Current needs for Roman

• Shorts, sz. 12/14 for everyday and for church
• Shirts, sz. 12/14 a few more t-shirts, but more for church
• Sunglasses
• Black socks
• Music - we have an mp3 player, but we need more music and a new set of earbuds
• Backpack
• Rolling Suitcase (MUST be 26-28", but does not have to be new)

He's on his way ...

This is Roman.  He is 15 years old and he lives in an orphanage in Ukraine.  And right now, he is on his way to OUR HOUSE!!!!  This has all happened so fast, so many of you have only caught bits and pieces of the story, so hopefully this will catch everyone up.  About two weeks ago I looked at John and said, "we need a summer project".  John said, "what we need is a break, we've been going nonstop since last year practically."  He's right, but one of the things we didn't want to take a break from was ministry.  Most of the areas of ministry we had been working in were slowing down or stopping for the summer, even relationships we'd been cultivating seemed to want to "take a break".  I'd been seeing facebook posts from my friends, Jenna & Kim, about an orphan hosting program, so I checked it out.  It would be for 5 weeks (almost exactly the amount of time our other ministries were taking off) and there was only one child who still needed a host family.  I ran it by my mother-in-law first and told her I was going to be asking John about it that night.  She said, "Well, I'll listen for the scream.  Then I'll know you've told him."  She was right though, I fully expected to get another, "have you lost your mind?" type response from John.  Or even the more reasonable, "we need to rest and recuperate, let's just enjoy the break."  And he'd wouldn't have been wrong either way.  But you see I had already looked at his face.  His name was Vlad, he is 12 years old and he lives in Latvia.  He was no longer a statistic, not just another random number in a stream of seemingly endless figures we are bombarded with daily.  I looked at his face and I crumbled - I was committed.  So I had to ask, I just had to!  Oh and did I mention that the almost $3000 it costs to bring them over would be our responsibility (and that we'd only have 2 weeks to raise those funds).  I was sure that this fact alone would cause the above mentioned responses from my sweet husband.  But then a miracle happened.  He said yes!  I called my friend Jenna to let her know that we would be willing to host this summer.  She was so excited for us!  She directed me to the online pre-application and said she would contact the director and let me know something soon.  She called me back the next morning to let me know that another family had called about an hour before we did.  I tried not to be upset, I tried not to be disappointed, but it was too late.  Don't get me wrong I was happy for Vlad, but a little part of me was just sad.  That night I sat down at the computer and was trying to decide whether I would even bother with the pre-application.  We had already decided that we would try to host in the winter, so I went ahead with the application that night.  The next day Jenna called back to let me know that another child was available and she sent me his picture.  His name was Roman, he is 15 and he lives in Ukraine.  Something had happened with his previous host family and now he needed a new one.  So, I looked at his picture and we said yes, again!!  Now this situation was a little different, since he was already picked by a host family, they had already raised all of his funds.  He was also 3 years older.  Once these kids turn 16 they are no longer eligible for adoption (we'll get back to this later), so this does matter.  It also matters since all of my kids are still young.  Jenna called me back that night to say that the director was going to try to place him with a different family, since they were adoption ready and he would be aging out quickly.  Again, I understood and I want what is best for these kids, but I was pretty bummed.  I prayed for this boy and for this other family, practically half the night.  In the mean time another child had come available, so Jenna called again to see if we were still interested (and at this point promised that things never happen like this).  So she sent me another picture.  I didn't like this kid as much (just being honest here), but I just didn't feel as drawn to him as I did Roman.  But we said yes, again!  It seemed like forever, but Jenna called me back only hours later to tell me that the other family could not host Roman, so we would need to choose.  I flipped out a little bit at this point.  I can't choose - are you kidding me?  Who stays and who goes?  How cruel!  My heart instantly wanted to choose both, but the Holy Spirit checked my motives quickly.  We were not being called to save the world, we already have a Savior, we were only being called to host one boy for 5 weeks, that is all.  Just be obedient to what I have asked, I felt Him leading.  So I called John at work and we both decided that our hearts were set on Roman.  I made the call to Jenna.  Not even two hours later another family had stepped up to host the other boy.  I wanted to cry I was so happy!!  Since then we have been working practically non-stop trying to fill out all the paperwork and prepare for Roman's arrival.  I have prayed for a boy I have never met.  I have bragged to everyone I know about how sweet he looks.  And I truly love a little boy I have never met.  I have cried just thinking about having to put him back on a plane to Ukraine.  But he must go home at the end of the 5 weeks.  New Horizons is only a hosting program, they do NOT handle adoptions.  But here's the kicker, one of the hopes of the program is that while here, the children will find their "forever family".  That family can then pursue adoption through an adoption agency, which New Horizons can help you find (one that works well in the Eastern European countries).  Roman doesn't have much time and I pray that he will find his "forever family" while here.  I need to caution everyone though, that you must not mention adoption to him or around him.  You will not only jeopardize the hosting program, but also possibly jeopardize his adoption as well.  International adoptions are tricky and I am not an expert, so I trust the people that are and I will enforce this rule!  Thank you so much for reading our story so far.  I will update more when Roman arrives.  If you are interested in adoption and would like to meet him, just let me know and I will send you the information to schedule a visit.  Please join me in praying for Roman, for his time here in America, for his "forever family", for him to be open to all the love our family has to give and for him to learn how much our God loves him!

See, we aren't the only crazy ones ...