What I've Been Up To

Fall is almost here! Although it may not feel like it yet here in Oklahoma (the temps have still been in the low to mid 90's!), but it has been cooling down at night and in the mornings, which has been wonderful! There is something so refreshing about sitting on my porch on a cool morning with coffee in hand, preparing for the day.

 

Once in a while, I need to reflect on all that has happened in the last year. I am continually blown away by all that the Lord has done! It has not been easy but has been so worth it. I am so thankful for the four months I had in New York with my family last summer/fall after moving back to the U.S. Once my job fell into place, the pace of life picked up immensely! That was one thing that the Lord kept laying on my heart last summer and He sure was right!

 

My summer started off on June 19th, when I hopped back on a plane and flew back to the other side of the world for two weeks to co-lead Dillon's family tour. What a blast! If you missed my posts from that trip, you can find them in the archives for June and July. I landed back on U.S. soil on the 4th of July and then hit the ground running, again. Kiah spent a week with me here and then mid July, we flew to NY for me to spend 10 days with my family.

 

I am so thankful that I was able to spend time with my two nephews and meet my new niece!

 

 

Meeting Quinlan Grace for the first time, what a sweetheart! I love where I live but it is hard being so far away from family and watching these sweet kids grow up.

 

Sleeping angel. As much as I love my nephews, so exciting to add another little girl to this family!

 

My Mom, Kiah, and I thought we'd give my sister-in-law, a little beak, and took my nephews to the local park to run off some energy.

I love this picture of Landon. Once he was up on the monkey bars, he wasn't quite so sure!

 

Who knew that it would be so hard to get one good picture with these two silly boys. See the outtakes below...

 

 

 

Back to Oklahoma the end of July and right back into the swing of things at work. My newest role is Program Director of our Open Options program. This is a program that is unique to Dillon and I absolutely love it! Many families may have a country in mind when they start the adoption process, but others know that they want to adopt, just don't know where from! This program is a way for them to start the paperwork process, but not make a decision right away. There are a few ways that a family can decide on a country.

 

a) They can make a choice on their own and officially switch.

 

b) They can wait until we receive referrals and if we have a child that would be a good match for them, then they would switch.

 

I only have about 9 families in the program right now, but hoping that it will grow in the coming months. Here is a short informational video we filmed for our website. I can't say that I am too thrilled watching myself, but it does tell you more about the program.

Happy Saturday!

Wordless Wednesday: Ready for Summer

Day 22 of Thankfulness: Seasons

I am thankful for seasons.

I didn't realize how blessed I was to grow up in a climate where I could experience all four seasons until now when I'm in a climate where we don't. I just love the different seasons.

The freshness and excitement of new life in the spring.

 The smell of freshly cut grass, swimming, and being outdoors barefoot on a beautiful summer day.

The vibrant colors and crispness in the air when fall (my favorite season and the one I have missed the most) arrives.

And yes, even the freezing cold weather and snow covered roads in the winter. Now I could live in an area where snow doesn't last quite as long as NY but last year just didn't feel like Christmas with the warm temperatures and lack of snow in southern China.

Yes, I absolutely love the seasons. I have no idea where I am going to end up when I leave China, but I hope it's an area where there are seasons. Nothing quite like the changing of the seasons.

Will You Help?

 I have a pretty awesome brother.

Okay, actually I am blessed with FIVE pretty awesome brothers.

Each amazing and gifted in their own way.

But they do all have one thing in common.

They ALL love to tease me.

Ok, but that is not the point of this blog post.

Meet my brother, Asa. He is the "middle child" and just finished up his junior year of college.
Asa has such a love for Jesus and a desire to share Him with others.
He also loves baseball.

He has an amazing opportunity this summer to not just play baseball but also to do local outreach and discipleship.

Where you might ask?

In ALASKA!

Asa will be playing with Athletes in Action, which is ministry branch of Cru (Campus Crusade for Christ).

AIA (Athletes in Action) is part of of the sports ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ. Through baseball, clinics, and local outreach, the AIA team will be sharing the message of hope through Jesus Christ in the Anchorage, Alaska area this summer. 

 Want to get to know Asa a little bit?

You can check out his blog here.

Just like me, Asa needs to raise all of his own support for the 2 months he will spend in Alaska.

Thankfully he needs a lot less than me!

Alaska is a place of depression, poverty, and in need of Jesus Christ and the hope He offers.

Are you interested in being a part of an amazing ministry opportunity?

You can give here.

I know it would mean the world to him!
Thank you!