If Home Is Where Your Heart Is. . . .

(Picture from last year.) Well, we're off to El Nido (the Philippines). . .or annual trip with some wonderful families who have become friends over the past four years! I never thought that Lionel would not be with us. I can't wait to see what God has in store instead!!! Also, a HUGE congrats to the Blackwell family! They passed court today in Ethiopia and they will get to travel to bring home their daughter, Rae, in just a couple of weeks! We are SO excited! Rae is Gabby's age and we cannot wait to hug her neck! You can check out her pictures if you go to www.bringscouthome.blogspot.com! She's a doll! And for those of you in our Adoption Fellowship Group, we will be meeting in February: same date (second Thursday of the month), same time (7-8) and same place (the Braner's house). Hopefully the Blackwells and the Neals will be in Ethiopia! We'll miss you!!! Please pray that we come home to FANTASTIC news about a GENERIC approval letter waiting for us i...

Again, I am floored by the prayers of my children. I love to hear them pray for Lionel and to pray for the government of Rwanda. Hays prayed not only for the adoption issues, but he prayed for Lionel to learn a lot in school this week. I love listening to Maggie pray. She is so fervent and so sincere. Her prayers are so genuine and they lack doubt. That may sound weird. . .that they lack doubt. But sometimes as I pray, I find myself fighting with doubt as I pray my requests. Maggie doesn't struggle with that. She prays so fervently every night to bring Lionel home. It is so beautiful and I find myself floored and in tears during her prayers. I am so humbled by her faith and her passion! I find myself thanking God for the words she is speaking to Him as I agree with her in her prayers to bring our boy home! Maggie is so dear. As you lift our family up this week and as you lift up the government and the people in decision making places, please also lift up the Blackwell fa...

http://aplacecalledsimplicity.blogspot.com/ I don't personally know this family, but I know they must be amazing. They have ten children and many are adopted--they just recently returned from Uganda with two. They live in Durango, so I hope to meet them this summer!!! Anyway, their home burned to the ground yesterday morning. Everyone was home, and they are all fine! Praise the Lord!!!

This is where Lionel stays with Isaac and Sunday (2 boys from New Hope) and eleven other boys! The bag on each bed is every the child has at school and the bucket is required to be brought to the school by the children for bathing. The simplicity of life. It isn't a bad thing!

Well, Lionel is off to boarding school for the first time. He is at Sonrise school about two hours northwest of Kigali. It is a wonderful place for him to be and I am so thankful that he is having that opportunity! I have a feeling in my gut that him being at Sonrise may even make it easier for the adoption to work out. Regardless of that, he is getting a wonderful education. Sonrise's goal is to educate the future leaders of Rwanda. He is in a "dorm room" with 14 boys and a nanny. If you have time, there is a lengthy blog entry about his first day on "Team Rwanda," one of the blogs to the right. It is kind of fun if you have a few minutes. Please keep praying! Here is the link to Sonrise: http://www.mustardseedproject.org/section.asp?secID=7