Off to Mexico....

Kellen took off at 3:00 am this morning for a 7:00am flight to Morelia, Mexico. There are 18 kids from his youth group going, and they will be staying in the dorms of a Bible school while there. The first two days there they will be working at an orphanage, followed by two days building walls for a church that currently meets in a tent, then two days of street ministry. Lastly, they will spend a day touring the city. Please pray for good health, safety, team unity, and boldness.

Kellen did call this morning to say they landed at LAX safely, and were ready to board for the next leg of their trip. Here is a picture of his sisters saying goodbye to him last night. This was shot after repeated attempts and being licked. Kaia did not want him to go on a plane, stating "He can't go, I love him." So sweet.

On another note, the play tunnels we purchased for the Choayang Orphanage arrived yesterday, so we had to test out their durability on our kids! I'm pleased to say they passed the test with flying colors, but now I am even more worried about staying under our luggage weight limit...

What about old dogs?

So whoever said old dogs can't learn new tricks was wrong. For only the second time in 20 wedding anniversaries, I received flowers from my husband today! And boy, were they gorgeous. This is the 3rd year in a row we've been apart on our anniversary. The past two years have been due to wrestling camp, but this year Mike is away at a math conference. Since we're going to China next week, we aren't getting each other presents, so this added to my surprise. I didn't even hear the doorbell, but the girls, who were to be napping, came and told me someone was at the door. Boy, was I pleasantly surprised to see the flower lady (what a fun job that would be). Mike knows me so well now, he even remembered that one of my all-time favorite flowers is the Star Gazer Lilly, so this bouquet is stock full of them. Trust me, that skill doesn't come easy for him, which makes me appreciate his effort that much more. Too bad the pictures on the screen are not scratch-n-sniff, because my house sure smells yummy right now!


I love you Michael!

Don't forget...

We are in full swing of summer here, although someone forgot to tell the weather here. We have set a record of the coolest June since the 1800's, which with an already mild climate here, is too cold. Throw in a little rain and wind, and wallah, it feels like fall. Enough already!

But in the midst of all the fun and busy-work we've been doing around the house, I can't forget those in China, still living in tents due to the earthquake, with no end in sight. It's summer there too, but what do they get to do to distract them from their trials? So that I don't forget about them, I regularly read Melody Zhang's blog called Hope Song. Here's her profile from her website:

As a reporter for a national Chinese magazine, Melody Zhang met Dwyatt Gantt. The two began finding Chinese orphans homes in the US. It was the beginning of Children’s Hope International – one of the largest adoption and development aid agencies worldwide.

In 1993, Melody moved to CHI's permanent headquarters in St. Louis to spearhead the formation of CHI Foundation. Melody has since returned to Beijing to expand humanitarian projects in her native homeland, joined by her husband and three adopted teenagers and two biological daughters, ages 2 and 4.

Melody is in the trenches of the hardest hit areas of the earthquake. I invite you to follow along, so that you don't forget either. She has many plans as to how to help the locals, but she needs our prayers and finances.

On a related note, our mission trip to China is less than two weeks away, and Kellen leaves this Friday for Morelia, Mexico on his mission trip. I will post more as those trips draw nearer.

Ode to Dad....

So yesterday was Father's Day, and I thought I would write an ode to the two special dads in my life, but being I'm no good at poetry, that didn't happen! Instead, I'll say a simple thank-you to my Heavenly Father who has blessed me with a wonderful, caring Dad who has always given his time and love for me, and also for a stupendous husband, heart-of-gold father to our four children. Why in the world did I get so fortunate? I think this is part of the reason I am so passionate about the orphans around the world. I want everyone to experience the love of a father that my children and I have both had. And by the way, when God commands us to "care for the orphans and widows," (James 1:27), He was speaking to the men too!


Here's my dad and mom with some of their grandkids this past Easter.


We took Mike to the zoo yesterday to celebrate, and the day did not disappoint anyone!

Weekend of Tears

I can't remember the last time I have cried so much as I have this weekend. And not just me; Mike too! After church today he told someone he thought he was PMSing:)

These cries weren't all bad though, just a lot to handle in a row. Friday night we sat down and watched Bella, a movie highly recommended to us. Well I recommend it too, just have a kleenex box nearby.

Saturday afternoon we spent at a Memorial for a friend, Laura, who passed away following a year-long battle with brain cancer. She was a strong advocate for the autistic children in our area, having two autistic kids of her own. To the end, she lived her life to glorify the Lord, something I hope I can emulate.

Lastly, in church today, pastor showed a video featuring a cross country runner named Ben Comen. The young man exemplifies perseverance, as he endures running despite having cerebral palsy and always finishing last. The video takes awhile to download, and is around seven minutes long, but when you find the time, it is worth it. He was featured on ESPN, and it is truly inspiring.

"I brave!"

The girls have one more week of swimming lessons and are having a grand time. It is amazing to see how far Jaelyn has come in these past four weeks. Jaelyn loves to be in the water, that is, if we are in the kiddie pool, but the big pool, which is where lessons take place, are another thing. The first night Jaelyn had a death grip on the teacher's neck every time she took Jaelyn off the steps, and there were even some tears. Now Jaelyn will make strokes on her tummy and back while out in the deep water with her teacher. She still won't put her head under water, and is hesitant to jump off the side, but as she keeps telling us after lessons, "I brave!" On the other hand, Kaia, as usual, has no fear of the water. She is very busy at the swimming lessons, dunking her head underwater and jumping off the sides. We found a great product, ear band-it, to keep the water out of her ears, as she had been complaining about her ears hurting. She goes back to the ENT in July to possibly get her tubes taken out, but for now we have no concerns.

Just had to post this video. Watch Kaia jump in the water four times to Jaelyn's one. Evidently Jaelyn trust one teacher more than the other:)