This is the first morning in a month, I have woke up free to blog. The past few weeks have been 100% crazy!! We packed up our home (that was the easy part) but went through a bumpy road to the finish line. Today, we are officially homeless!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I promise to share the rest of the story – Part 2 this week, but wanted to ask you for your prayers. Satan hates what our family is doing and hit us with a last ditch attempt to stop the sell of our home, but God prevailed! This was always God’s miracle and His story, but He never promised us it would be easy. I have so many stories to tell you and catch you up on My Crazy Adoption stuff. Thank you for your prayers, support, and cheers …. we feel your big love!

I wanted to invite you to join our new adventure on my personal facebook . This is the place I can update 24/7 in Ethiopia and Haiti. I pray you can feel a real part of this journey and radically live James 1:27 with our family! Continue Reading

I was having a really tough day about a week after sharing the “adventure” with our kids. This was so big, so new, so scary, so different … moving to Haiti and Ethiopia for a year! We promised Hannah and Michael the freedom to feel exactly what they were feeling … no matter what! Our biggest prayer was not closing their spirits, but encouraging them to trust us and trust what Jesus has asked us to do as a family. That was a big request!

Hannah was watching me like a hawk after we met the new family adopting our dog, Tate. This was actually harder to tell the kids about their dog, than the actual mission adventure. Tate has been a part of our family for five years, but it’s not an option to take him along with us. We are living in a 1,200 sq ft. condo for 6 months during our transition time until November 20th! Tate’s new family is thrilled, but our family … not so thrilled. I went up to her room and laid down on her bed. She looked at me and I started boo hoo’ing … it breakes my heart we have to let our crazy dog go. I think it struck her heart to tenderness, seeing me so sad. I told her I needed a frappuccino and would she drive with me to happy hour at Starbucks.

“Mom, you need a good crying song and a coffee.” Oh my daughter knows me so well!

We jumped in the car and she picked the perfect song for me. Britt Nicole’s “walk on the water” … the song brought me to tears and we started laughing and crying together how crazy her mom really was. I cried all the way to Starbucks, but felt so good and connected to my daughter. I told her when the song finished …

“Hannah, this is THE HARDEST thing we have ever done in our life … but I couldn’t do this without you.”

“I know mom.” Smile.

The next day, I asked her her what was one word that described how she was feeling and one song she was feeling. My daughter expresses her feelings through her music. Her word- relaxed. Her song- What makes you beautiful (One Direction)

Continue Reading

I started writing this post and started crying. I hope I can get through this without making a fool out of myself sitting at Panera. This is the biggest blog announcement I’ve ever made and I’m crazy nervous to share with you. It’s not that I don’t think you’ll fall out of your chair when you read it, but that I won’t do a good job sharing my heart.

We are moving as a family to Haiti starting November 20, 2012!!!!!!!

We thought we had it all planned out. For the past two years, we’ve desired to go on the mission field in Ethiopia. We never wavered asking Him to open the door for us to serve with our brothers and sisters who sacrifice so much in Zoie’s birthplace. We wanted to give back. I even had a dream of our home and outdoor kitchen complete with a wood burning fire. I woke up thinking, “Seriously Jesus, I could totally cook on that.” We definitely had peace about the mission plan, but we didn’t know that God had mapped out a different route on the way to Africa. Our first stop is Haiti!!!!!!!!! Roger has never even been to Haiti, but he fell in love with the bonus gift God placed in our path. It was a blessing we couldn’t resist, it was THE key to the miracle God had already set in motion.

PIGNON, HAITI ADVENTURE: Part 1

We are deeply humbled that the most incredible missionaries, Bill and Campbell have opened their hearts and their home in Pignon to allow us to come and serve as “happy helpers” at Haiti Home of Hope. As you know, I took a Visiting Orphans team to Pignon in January and God broke my heart- literally. I was overwhelmed with the ministry who cares for a community that works 24 hours a day just to live, eat, and survive. I will re-post my stories from Haiti and hopefully (you too) will fall in love with this beautiful little village called Pignon. Hannah and Zoie will spend 2 months with us in Haiti and our son, Michael will join us there for Christmas. Upon graduation he will attend Missouri State University and study broadcast journalism. He’s starting his new adventure.

Reading the Live Dead Journal, one statement jumped out for both, Roger and me. Continue Reading