Crazy Amazing

        On Friday, December 27, I had one of the coolest opportunities to share what The Lord has done in my life. I got to speak at a youth conference, called Connect, in Tennessee. I was interviewed by the one and only, Troy Amster, in front of 5,000 people about my experiences in Haiti. Leading up to this, when people would ask me if I was nervous, I would just say "Not yet." I had spent so much time praying about this time that it would glorify God to His greatest worth. I had spent time praying about getting myself out of the way because I knew I would be tempted to make this at least a little bit about me. And I had spent time praying about receiving peace for myself so I could efficiently share all of the great works of our amazing God. And oh did He answer all these prayers. It was incredible time of sharing and God  completely took away all nerves or anxieties. I felt perfectly at peace and so close to God while in front of 5,000 people, which I have to say is a pretty amazing feat. It was a unique act of worship really. Afterwards, I got to share more in individual conversations with those interested in missions. I got to share stories with people who had been to Haiti. I thought to myself, this has got to be a little like what heaven will be, sharing what The Lord has done in Haiti and how great He is with so much joy and excitement. I saw immediate results of God at work. So many learned about Children's Hope and sacrificial love for God in action through missions at this conference. It was such a blessing to be apart of it.

The Sunday after the Connect Conference, we left for Moldova. Many long hours later, I got to meet my precious little brother and sister. We met Lena first but only got to spend a short time with her. She is so sweet and loving, but we can already tell she is going to be a strong willed one. She is also a chunk, compared to Hope at least. After meeting Lena, we went to see Will. He is a firecracker and also very loving. He and Hope are about the same height but Will weighs a little less. 

We spent the week in Moldova. We got to visit Will everyday, but we weren't able to see Lena for the rest of the time which kind of drove me crazy. When we spent time with Will, it was just us and him. Our time with Will was nothing but special moments filled with laughter. We brought him fruit and candy and he chowed it down only after sharing with everyone in the room. We played with different toys and balls. We started working on his English. He showed off some of his silly dance moves and hilarious facial expressions. So to say the least, it was difficult not to fall in love with Will and Lena instantly. This, of course, made saying goodbye very hard. We are counting down the days to bring these special ones home. It was also very difficult telling my mom and Hope goodbye. They will be in Moldova for five more weeks and they most definitely need as many prayers as possible. Moldova isn't the happiest, brightest place in the world so my mom is already longing for sunshine. Pray for peace and comfort for them in this time of being away. And pray for Will and Lena, to prepare them for becoming a part of our family and ultimately learning to love The Lord with great joy. It excites me to think about what The Lord has planned for their lives already. I can't wait to see how God will use them to expand His kingdom. We do realize how crazy it sounds to bring two children, who don't speak our language or know our culture, home to live with us. We also know that God works in crazy ways. Crazy, amazing ways. Therefore, we are leaving it up to Him and trusting Him throughout this process. Thank you so much for all your prayers!!

"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."-Matthew 6:21

Delight yourself in The Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.- Psalm 37:4