these days....

-Today is the one week mark until our Show Hope medical team leaves for China. We've been preparing this trip for so long now and it's exciting that it's almost here! I'm looking forward to seeing how God is going to work in and through this team as they show Hope and are a part of giving life-changing surgeries to these orphans.

-While my family spent Easter in Sanibel, Florida, I was home in PA for work as our trip is one week away, so I went to my friends' house in Virginia for the holiday. It was a great weekend as I met their precious new daughters, Jaden and Eden! The weekend was filled with holding these precious girls and playing with their sissy Story, talking to there older sister Zhana who is currently in the Army in Germany, practicing Spanish with their wonderful nanny Nilda, playing pool, watching ridiculous Youtube videos, taking walks and skipping rocks, riding dirt bikes and quads, having water fights and a bon fire, going to church, and going to the movie theater to watch Soul Surfer (which about half way through the screen went black as the fire alarms blared! Thankfully it was a false alarm, but proof that something out of the ordinary always happens when our families are together!) I am always so encouraged by their family and their love for the Lord, and blessed by their kindness and generosity.

Sunny Easter Sunday! Joni and Eden, me and Jaden

Nilda, me, Stephen, Corey, Ty, Joni, Story, and George

Jaden, Eden, and Story

-As I was pulling in the driveway from work yesterday, I was surprised to see my brother Jon outside! I thought he had to go straight back to school from his Easter break in Sanibel, but he's here for the weekend! It was great to have him keep me company on my evening run and totally keep my pace up! Wish we could go together all the time- I'd be getting to the pace I want a lot faster! :)

-The past two nights we've had the biggest thunder and lighting storms that I've ever experienced- seriously epic. However, my poor dog Ace hates the thunder and I woke up early this morning to a crack of thunder and him jumping onto my bed (which I've never seen him do before) right on my head. Shaking, he curled up under my arm until we both fell asleep again. I totally had this epiphany after this little episode- how many times do I act like Ace did but towards God when something terrifying is going on. I get so scared because I can't see the situation from His perspective. While God has everything under control, I'm terrified of what the "thunder" might do to me. How often do I sell God short for who He really is- the Creator of all of this. Why do I so often lack trust in Him?

-The torrential rains that we've had here in Bear Creek are keeping on my mind the many people who are suffering from the record breaking tornados we've had in this country. I'm praying for all of you who have been affected, that God will bring you comfort in Him during this time of suffering.

-Today my family came home from Sanibel after eight weeks, and so the quiet house all to myself ends and craziness begins :) It was great to have dinner (salmon made by our sweet next door neighbor) with all my younger siblings and nieces and nephews for the first time in a while- I've come to enjoy each time that I'm with my younger siblings like I never have before because these times are becoming fewer and fewer as I know that soon I will be living far away and won't be around to see them grow up so quickly and beautifully as they are. To watch them growing to honor God and become who He is creating them to be is one of the greatest blessings that I have, and one that I took for granted for far too long. They are each a blessing to me in such unique ways and it's my prayer that I can always be a godly example for them to look to, just as my older siblings are to me each in a different way.

After dinner we talked with my brother-in-law Dan about his last trip to Haiti with his new job with Convoy Of Hope- about how much we love our dear friends Ray and Joan Conn who run the Restavek Freedom Foundation and other work the God is doing there.

Meanwhile the kids enjoyed the outdoor weather...

The boys played by the pond

and the girls (and Tristan:) played "olden days" while taking care of the sheep, chickens, and cats (and preparing for our pony to come home) that they missed so much while in Florida!

And now, for some humor to lighten your day, I'm going to leave you with something to watch that I personally think is one of the funniest videos ever made. Click HERE to watch!