A few more Grey Hairs

It's official, we have another "LICENSED" driver in the home.

PD took his driver's test yesterday and passed with flying colors. I will have to admit, I am excited for him and it is so fun to see them grow up. Now, don't tell him I am excited he passed cause that means now I have to share my car - Yikes! He truly is a very good driver and I really don't have any worries about him at all - it's the other yahoo's out there who aren't as careful.

Home Sweet Home

Well, this about sums up how I am doing today!!! PD made it home last night successfully from Nicaragua and can I just say how good it is to have him home. So...how was the trip???

First, flushing toilet paper down the toilet is a luxury he had to do without for 2 weeks.
Second, taking a hot shower...he almost forgot what that felt like as they only had cold, colder, coldest options.
Third, jellyfish stings aren't really that bad, right?
Lastly, sleeping in your own bed - ahhh priceless! (oh believe me there is so much more, but you can only get so much out of a 16 year old young man at 11:30pm).

Until later...

Another Nicaragua Update

Today's update revealed that a few more were feeling under the weather and guess what? One of them was mine! Do you know how hard it is to know your child is not feeling well and yet 1000's of miles away. My heart longs to be there to help take care of him, yet after all he is 16 now right?!?

Anyways, today they had the privilege of delivering a keyboard (piano) to a young man who is living in one of the orphanages down there. When they arrived at the house, the young man wasn't home yet so they decided to stick around to wait for him. When he arrived home and saw the team and the gift they had delivered he immediately sat down and began to play a Beethoven piece. What an incredibly tender moment this was, eliciting the tears of several team members and what a special time this was for all.



Tomorrow they travel back to Grenada and will perform several drama skits they've prepared in the Town Square where 1000's of people pass by each day.

Nicaragua Update

Well, today is traveling day for the team. However we didn't make it to traveling day without a cost. Yesterday morning 5 more team members came down ill, apparently it didn't have anything to do with the water but rather a virus that was in the air and had/has plagued many of the locals as well as the group that was before our team. UGH! I have been on my knees tons praying for these guys. And God is so incredibly amazing. The team woke this morning and all (yes I said ALL) of them headed to church services. There were a few that were very weak but Praise God they are unified as a team today, on the Lord's day.

(Cathedral in Grenada, Nicaragua)

They are traveling about 60-80 miles south of Managua to arrive at their next destination, Arms of Love Children's Home in Jinotepe, Nicaragua. But...along the way they were scheduled to stop in Grenada (which has been equated to a mini Italy, according to team members who went on the 2006 trip) which is a coastal town with tons of history. It is the oldest city in America, founded in 1524.

(Cathedral in Jinotepe, {prounounced hinotepay} Nicaragua )


I will say it has been difficult not being able to communicate personally with PD! I long to speak to him and find out how he's doing, how his heart is weathering all that God has placed before him. I've heard snippets of some of the activities they've been doing and want to know so much more. Yesterday he had the honor of sharing his testimony to 40+ local Nicaraguan teens in the town where 2/3rds of the team put on a "youth group" for them and I heard he did amazing. Boy, I would like to have a recording of that. I couldn't be more proud of him.

PD~I love you more than life itself. I am so excited you chose to follow this journey that God placed before you. I pray you hear, see, feel all that God has for you.

Pedicures and Fortunes

About two weeks ago, when the consensus was that we 'might' get our referral in July I made a pedicure appointment for this morning in hopes of it being a time of total complete Celebration!!! I explained it to my hubby that 'if' we got our referral in July it would be a "Woohoo I am so excited" pedicure and if we failed to be matched it would then be a "sympathy - pick me up" pedicure.

I'll let you guess which one it was.

So, with PD gone to Nicaragua, the rest of the family headed out for dinner tonight for Chinese and this was the fortune I received in my cookie

I'm not one to put a whole lot of weight into fortunes from cookies, but we will see what kind of truth this one may hold.

***update on Nicaragua ~ we received word that our youth pastor has taken ill with an intestinal infection with what they think had to do with the water. Apparently yesterday they worked with a lot of dirt and when they washed their hands afterward, they suspect he didn't have his hands completely dry before touching face/mouth. He was up all night sick with fever and other yuk I won't mention. Prayers are needed for BJ as he's had to miss one of the biggest high-lights of the trip today. Also prayer for the rest of the team to remain strong and healthy. The rest of them are having a great time and doing very well.

Another Year and Another Country

Yesterday one of my babies turned 16! Wow, I can hardly believe time has gone by so fast. To my dear sweet 'PD', I am so incredibly proud of what an incredible fine young man you are becoming. I look forward to the many years to come!

And if turning 16 wasn't enough, this morning at 4:15am we headed to the airport to put PD on a plane for Nicaragua for his first missions trip. I am so excited for him and his team (17 of them) for this amazing journey that they have chosen to take. God Bless you all and our prayers are with you! We'll see you in a few weeks.

Just a Bit Outside

Here's a few Baseball terms that sum up where we are with the latest batch of referrals:

Just a Bit Outside

Swing and a Miss

Ball 4...Take Your Base

YOUR OUT!!!

What we are really looking for is a HOMERUN.

So, as you can see, we missed it yet again (what were we really thinking anyways right?!) The CCAA officially matched all families who were logged in to January 25, 2006, so with our LID being January 27th, can we hope - yet once again - for an August referral??? You be the judge!