God is Love.

At the center of my family is this amazing love from our Father. Our stronghold and strength that holds us together is this beautiful love. Love that has no limits or end. Love that is irrational and indescribable. Love that goes beyond the depths of our hearts. This fatherly, unconditional love lights the path of His will for our lives. A few years ago, God lit the path of caring for orphans in the hearts of my parents. This little light became a huge flame of passion. This passion brought my little sister, Hope, home by the grace of God. My family was given the amazing opportunity of giving hope to the hopeless in a way that brought us pure joy. Hope is a ball of energy who constantly brightens our day and brings laughter to us. Not only does Hope have a family that loves her so incredibly much, she has the awesome gift of God's sacrifice that she excitedly celebrates this Christmas. She loves the Lord! This child, who was an orphan just a few years ago, is learning about her Heavenly Father everyday. That is the definition of hope.                                          

                                    

Praise the Lord that God didn't stop there with our family. Just a few years after bringing Hope home, God placed Haiti in the hearts of my parents. Sixteen children were given hope! I can't even begin to express the amount of God's handiwork shown in bring Children's Hope together. I can tell you that I don't go a day without thanking Him for it! These kids at Children's Hope have been one of the biggest blessings in my life. God has used them to teach me so much about love, joy, and who He is. Thinking back to the first time I went to Haiti, my life has changed drastically and I couldn't be more thankful. When God put Haiti in my parents' hearts, I had no idea that God would also give me such an incredible passion for serving Him there. Many people have asked me what my favorite thing about Haiti is and I have never known any other answer than "everything". However, this past week, when I was missing Haiti terribly, I realized what my favorite thing was. My absolute favorite thing is sharing with the precious Haitians what the Lord has taught me. I love sharing His love with them through words and actions. I love watching their faces light up when they hear about Him for the first time. I love sharing our knowledge about our Savior and King. I love watching them take what they learn and live it out. There is nothing more joyous than watching His love in action.

  

 Yet again, the Lord didn't stop with our family. We have been in the process of adopting two more children from Moldova. Will (6) and Lena (3) have been in our prayers since this time last year. We thought we would have them home by now, but then again our thoughts mean nothing. We plan to leave after Christmas to Moldova to take another step in bringing them home. Its frustrating knowing that they are without a family when they could be here with us especially for Christmas. How could this be part of God's plan? I was reminded of when God hardened the heart of Pharaoh when the Israelites were ready to leave. With God's great power this resulted in the Israelites escaping and eventually reaching the Promised Land. Along the way, the Israelites had to learn to be dependent on God. No, I'm not saying that God is hardening the hearts of the Moldovan government, but He is in control. I trust in God, because He is who He is, that this time of waiting will result in something amazing. It gives me chills just thinking about God's power and what He has planned for sweet Will and Lena. Love. It all comes back to love. That is what its all about. Hope is a picture of God's love in the form of unchanging hope. Children's Hope is a picture of God's love in the form of joy in taking care of the least of these. Will and Lena are a picture of God's love in the form of His knowledge and power. Jesus' birth is a picture of God's love in the form of sacrifice. Love. God is love. This is what we celebrate during Christmas. Christmas is thanksgiving for His indescribable love sent in the form of a Savior. Thank you God for your amazing love and the joy, hope, peace, and power it brings to its receivers. 1 John 4:7-21