One More Home

I can remember the popping sound that the tin roof made as the Kenyan sun high above started to heat up the metal. The day was bright and sunny and filled with the excitement of being back on red African dirt, and I was able to push past the reaching fingers of jet lag that were trying to drag me down. I hadn't expected to wake up that Saturday morning and hit the ground running, but when God gives you the opportunity to witness the work He is doing, you don't decline the invitation.  In fact, I always find great delight in the unexpected gifts He has, the ones that aren't on the trip's agenda. That first morning spent in Kenya was just that - a beautiful gift. I followed my guide up the hill towards a school house located at the back corner of the property, my lungs getting their first chance to try and breathe while climbing the elevated hills of Tigoni. Our visit happened to fall on a Saturday when the Neema girls were meeting, and we were getting the chance to s...

When reading about the fatherless, or watching a television segment about orphaned children, oftentimes statistics get thrown into the mix. The number of children in foster care, the percentage of orphans that become the victims of human trafficking, the number of children left parentless due to AIDS. Sometimes it's in the hundreds of thousands, sometimes it even reaches into the millions. It's a lot to take in. Statistics like these are meant to catch our attention, to shock our senses, or in more modern terms, "mind blown." I've used these figures myself, and I'll probably do so again because I'm trying to get whoever I'm speaking with to get the big picture of what I'm sharing. To realize the severity of the global orphan crisis. The problem with these grandiose numbers is that, while they can leave us speechless, they can also leave us feeling overwhelmed. While I want you to come alongside me in caring for the orphans, the problem appears ...

When I packed my bags to head out to Kenya, I had more than a few expectations for the trip. I expected the flights to be long and for jet lag to be a thing to overcome. Praise that God was gracious to give us energy that week, even though we came rolling into Nairobi having gotten little to no sleep and traveling for over 24 hours. I expected to enjoy warmer weather than what I left behind, and it was glorious! Oh, how I miss those sweet days in the sun. I expected to fall in love with some precious faces, and I so very much did. At last count, I think we were ready to bring 5 kids home, but it just wasn't something we could work out in a week's time. What I didn't expect to find was courage, boldness, and awesome lives of inspiration in faces I had never met before I got on the plane to other half of the globe. I love a good story. Case in point, while traveling those many hours in the plane, and thanks to a few sleepless hours during the night, I finished 3 books dur...

In my last post I shared that there were things going on in my little corner of the world. Plans in motion. Exciting times. So much so, I'm having a hard time trying to figure out how to explain what's on my heart. Can I go back in the past a little? Mind taking a glance to days gone by before we shoot forward? Two things stand out to me: First, our family's first attempt at beginning the adoption process. I know I've shared it before, but when we filled out our paperwork the first time, we felt we were answering God's call. But......let me have a little exposed honesty moment with you. I really, really, really wanted to adopt for little old me as well. I wanted the fun and the adventure. I wanted something new and exciting that other people would get excited about as well. Shame on me for feeling this way, but it was like signing up for a special club. Not that this was my complete motivation, but these selfish, pride-producing feelings were there. So, lookin...