One day til Gotcha Day!

Hello everyone! To all my Kansas City peeps- Congratulations on another KC Royals win! World Series here we come! It’s funny, in the US we don’t have cable so we haven’t been able to watch many of the playoff games, but here in China my hubby has been able to watch all the games! We definitely brought our Royals gear to cheer on our hometown team here in China!

Tomorrow is a VERY exciting day! Our adoption agency calls it Gotcha Day. It is the day where you receive your child. The following day is the “official” adoption day when all the final paperwork is signed, but we consider Gotcha Day to be our adoption day. It is the day we become a forever family with our new child. Zheng Xiao Fu will no longer be an orphan, he will become Samuel Xiaofu Allen. Although his past will always be a part of his story, and his abandonment will be something he will work through his entire life, he will always and forever be a wanted, loved, and desired child. In fact he has almost always been our child, we just did not have the opportunity to spend the first 28 months of life with him.

I find that I am grieving the loss of those months even more than I grieved the loss with Anna. I think it is because I did not meet Anna before her adoption. As soon as we submitted our letter of intent to adopt Anna our hearts were inexplicably bonded to her and she was our daughter. We loved her with an intense love even though we had never met her. I cried on her second birthday, experiencing it in photos but not together with her. If you ask her how old she is she will tell you she is four years old, but if you ask her how many birthdays she has had she will tell you two. She clearly remembers her “Elephant” and “Minnie Mouse” birthday parties and they are extremely special to her. She knows that she was celebrated in a special way on those days. Of course it could be that she was just too young to remember her China birthdays, but I think there is more to it than that. Anna knows that she has a family. She talks about it often. She always wants us to be together as a family. Honestly, if we had not brought the whole family to China this time she would have been devastated. She loves her siblings so much and celebrates being together. She is absolutely thrilled to become a big sister and prays for her little brother Xiao Fu every night. She is prepared to comfort him and love him and she has seen an excellent example of how to do that from her older siblings.

But back to grieving. Adoption, while it is beautiful, amazing and love filled it is essentially about loss. Loss of a mother, father, and possibly siblings. Loss of the love and nurture that should have been part of a child’s early development, and in the case of international adoption-loss of a child’s country and culture. Tomorrow, Samuel Xiaofu will experience the loss of everything he has known about life for the past two years. Yes, he knows we are his family and he is excited to meet us, but there is no way that he is prepared for the loss he will feel when these “strangers” scoop him up, take him to a hotel, and take him away from his friends, his caregivers, his routine- Forever. He is going to grieve. He will be scared, he will cry, he will act in ways that show his grief. And I will be grieving with him. I will grieve that I was not there for all of his “firsts.” I will grieve that I was not there to comfort and hold him when he was scared or hurt. I will grieve that he is grieving. In all the joy that the next few weeks will bring, there will be grief.

The term “Gotcha Day” has gotten some flack lately in the adoption community. Some people call it “Forever Family Day” instead. Personally I think either term is fine, but there is something about the term “Gotcha Day” that in some ways captures the essence of what is happening even better than alternative terms. Some people think it sounds like you are capturing or taking a child. For me it symbolizes that finally in this little boy’s life someone is there for him in a way that he has never experienced before. Someone has “Got Him,” and will never, ever let him go. We will learn his nature, his likes, his dislikes, his anger, his pain, his love. We will do everything in our power to communicate to him that no matter what, we will never abandon him. We will ALWAYS be there for him. We will do whatever it takes to connect with him, to value him, to show him that he is deeply truly loved. We will do this not because of what he can do for us, but because he is our son. We have his back, we will fight for him, we will move mountains for him, and we have “Got Him.”

So as you go about your day today, Sunday October 13, 2014. Would you please pray for little Samuel Xiaofu? Would you pray for our family as we prepare to welcome him into our life, our home, our family? This evening around 9pm Central time (10am Monday morning China time) we will be excitedly waiting in the Zhengzhou Civil Affairs office for the first glimpse our very loved little boy. Fifteen families and fifteen children from our agency will all be in that room. In fact there will be other families from other agencies as well. It will be chaos. There will be tears, wailing, and also smiles. There will be lots and lots of photos and video. Most of all, there will be a lot of love. All of these families have waited months and years to finally hold their children. It is a day that forever changes your life and the life of a precious child. It is Gotcha Day!

If I haven’t already made you cry with this post, here is a beautiful video that captures the essence of what I have tried to describe with words. Watch if you dare, but beware. It could change you, in the best possible way. http://vimeo.com/97464005

click here to watch: Gotcha Day Video

Our China travel adventures begin!

These kids are ready to fly

Hello from China! We made it here and everyone is doing well, but the trip was not without a few hiccups. We knew when we booked our flights that our layovers were a bit short for international travel, but never in our history of travel (and there has been a lot!) have we ever missed a connection. So we opted for the cheapest most direct option. Unfortunately our run has ended and our flight out of Detroit to Seoul was delayed 3 1/2 hours. This put our flight to China leaving at 8:45 and us not arriving at the airport until 9:15. Yes, we missed our connection. Luckily the airline put us up in a nice little hotel inside the airport so we didn't have to get our bags, go through customs, and find a hotel. A Delta rep had our tickets and the hotel reservations ready for us as soon as we got off of the plane. We enjoyed having a bed to rest in and a hot shower in the morning and were able to head to China first thing in the morning.


Funny story- While we were checking in at the Seoul airport hotel a Chinese woman on her way to the US for a wedding was checking in. She didn't speak English and the hotel concierge didn't speak Chinese. You should have seen her face light up when I told her in Chinese that my husband could help her. The concierge was more than a little surprised that we spoke Chinese and we were happy to be able to help the woman out.

In the morning we all woke refreshed and headed to Starbucks for some breakfast and then to our flight. Unfortunately we realized right before we boarded that we were holding tickets and not boarding passes! We went to the check in desk and found out that we were supposed to have checked in at the transfer desk, a LONG way from where we were! Apparently the Delta rep had forgotten to put this vital info on our instructions and we weren't the only passengers in the same situation. A very frantic and upset Korean Air employee got us and our fellow rerouted passenger our boarding passes and notified them to get our luggage on the plane. They actually held the plane for us AND our luggage. Kudos to Korean Air! They definitely lived up to their stellar reputation.

Ready for our final flight. Zhengzhou here we come!

So, in addition to never missing a connecting flight we also have NEVER lost a bag. Well, that has ended as well. At some point one of our bags decided to take a trip to the Philippines. We have been told that it should be delivered at our hotel by tomorrow morning. So K.C. is currently missing his wardrobe and I am makeup free.

All in all it really hasn't been bad and our kids have been amazing travelers. I only heard a couple of complaints when we were waiting the extra 3 1/2 hours in Detroit for our plane to leave. I think the kids were actually glad for the break from flying last night and a bed to sleep in instead.

We have lovely, newly remodeled hotel rooms and even got a free upgrade in one of our rooms to a suite. It is quite the "open" floor plan with glass doors to the toilet and shower and a bathtub front and center. Thankfully our older kids are in a separate room! Not a lot of privacy in this one.

We are so excited to be here and had a wonderful lunch catching up with dear friend that we actually adopted with last time! We received our daughters on the same day in 2012 and this time we will celebrate adopting our sons together as well. What an amazing gift from God!

Samuel- We're coming SOON!

Zoom Zoom

On Monday September 15th we received the news we have been eagerly waiting for- Travel Approval! The following day we received a confirmed Consulate appointment of October 22nd which means that- We will be leaving Thursday October 9th for China and be reunited with Samuel on October 13th! On October 24th we will return to the US and Samuel will become an American citizen!

The last two months were hard, but thankfully the waiting is almost over. We are busy getting everyone's rooms completed. We remodeled 3 kids bedrooms over the past few months so that all the kids were in the correct rooms. Not an easy task! We are just putting the finishing touches on Samuel's room and trying to find cheap furniture for the older boys who gave up their furniture for little brother. IKEA Merriam, KS could not have opened at a more perfect time! The older boys are loving their new IKEA loft bed. Now they need a dresser to put their clothes in!

Eating his dinner
with his family

We received some wonderful pictures this week of Samuel and his friends. We sent him a care package with a book of photos of our family and a video of us telling him how much we love him and can't wait to meet him (in Chinese.) Apparently it was a big hit! One of Anna's nannies saw the video and was so excited to see Anna again. It is going to be such a joy to be reunited with these wonderful women who have loved on and cared for our China Blessings. Samuel was so excited that he wouldn't put our photo down even to eat his dinner.

One video we received brought tears of joy to my eyes! I haven't talked a lot about Samuel's special need. Some of you may not even know that he has a disability. His special need is that he can't bend his elbows. His elbows are able to bend, but there is nerve damage or some problem that causes him not to be able to bend them himself. 

Enjoying his photo book

The doctors really don't have a diagnosis yet because it is a rare issue. When he was an infant his hands and arms were completely stiff. Now under the loving care of the nannies at Swallows Nest he is able to use his hands and wrists but he still can't get his elbows to bend. Of course this poses difficulty in eating and other activities, but in the scheme of special needs we feel that he will be just fine and believe that therapy and adaptive equipment will help him lead a very normal life. We received several photos like the one above showing him feeding himself with a long handled spoon. Just like Anna, he has learned how to just "make things work."

So back to the video. It is a video of him Throwing a Ball! If you can't bend your elbow how can you throw a ball? Well watch as gravity gives him the little bit of help he needs. Here is the link.

http://youtu.be/8LR-UjnawOY 

I am not sure I can express how absolutely thrilled I am to have this precious boy really, finally, permanently become a part of our family and a part of our home. He's going to be loud and active and everything a little boy should be. I love looking in on his bedroom knowing that he will be playing in there soon. I love knowing that God performed a miracle to bring this precious boy into our home. I love knowing that God watched over him for two long years and that I can trust Him to help Samuel and our family to adjust and bond to each other. After two years of praying FOR him every night we will finally be able to pray WITH him. Watching my child grow up in pictures for two years has been one of the most heart wrenching things I have ever had to do as a mother. I had to lay him on the altar just like Jacob did with Isaac and Hannah did with her Samuel. I am so thankful that God has chosen to give him back to me to raise as my own son. He will always belong to God, but on October 13, 2014 I will FINALLY become his mother.

Letter of Approval! Samuel we're coming!

On Thursday July 24th we received the amazing news that our official Letter of Approval (LOA) was on it's way to our adoption agency. We have waited for this day for so very long! On Monday July 28th our agency received the official document and we were able to sign a copy in order to get the ball rolling for the next and last steps in Samuel's adoption. It will take about two months for Samuel's immigration approval to be processed and then we will receive our official Travel Approval. We are so excited to finally welcome Samuel Xiaofu into our family! We plan to travel in mid-October as that is the earliest we will be able to travel due to the October National Holiday in China.

We are busy busy busy preparing our home for Samuel as well as getting all the kids ready for school next

week. Esther starts high school this year, Micah starts middle school, Luke is in 3rd grade, and Anna starts Pre-school. I hope Samuel gets used to his car seat quickly because we will be spending a lot of time in the van driving everyone to and from school and activities! K.C. and I had a fun night out for his birthday last week. He was so sweet and told me he would like for us to go shopping for clothes for Samuel. I am truly blessed by my amazing husband. We had a great time finding cute little boy clothes at the outlet mall. Between that, the clearance rack at Target, and our local consignment store I think we are well prepared for our little guy. Whoever said that shopping for little boy clothes isn't fun apparently has never adopted a two year old boy!

I was telling K.C. last week that I wish that I could be less stressed during these two last months of the adoption. The large part of the waiting is over and we are on the final stretch, but the combination of excitement and so much to get done in a short amount of time feel overwhelming much of the time. I am such a task oriented person and this last leg of the race seems so hard some days. I want to enjoy these next few months and not wish them away or become so stressed that I can't fully engage with my kids and husband. Please pray that God would bring me peace to my spirit. Pray that I would be able to celebrate these next two months instead of dread them. A few days ago K.C. was encouraging me in the fact that when we finally have that little guy in our arms all of this stress will become a memory. Adding a new little one to our family is not without stress, but my gifts are in loving on little ones. It is where I find peace and fulfillment. Having all of my kids finally together is going to be the most amazing feeling. Yes, it won't be easy, but it will be much easier than loving a child for two years and watching him grow up in pictures. Having my heart on the other side of the ocean for nearly two years has been very, very hard.

Recently, we have been attending a Chinese church. I just happened to find it while Anna and I were out for a walk. It is literally just four blocks from our house. This is the first church we have really felt at home in since we returned from China eight years ago, and thankfully they have an English service! The past few months the sermon series has been on Hebrews. A few weeks ago the sermon was on Hebrews 12. I felt like God had set me there in that church for this very purpose and time.

Hebrews 12:1 "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us."

This adoption race has not been easy. Welcoming Anna into our home and learning how to connect with her and care for her many needs has been both wonderful and difficult. Adding to that my love for and desire to adopt Xiao Fu and then the financial and emotional strain of the adoption process has added an intense amount of stress to my life. I know that the sin of worry and control has often entangled me. Please pray that I would finish this part of my race well. It is not easy and I need constant reminders to keep me from falling into Satan's traps. Your prayers over the last month have been so helpful. There have been stressful days and exciting days. After my posts a few months ago sharing my pain with you I have truly been rejuvenated. Thank you for being my "cloud of witnesses." It is so amazing to feel that peace that comes from the prayers of the saints. Thank you for joining me on this amazing journey of adoption. This month marks exactly 4 years since we began the process to adopt Anna. God has taught me so much about Himself in these last four years.I am truly humbled that He has chosen me to love on these precious ones. And I am truly grateful to God for allowing our family to experience the amazing joy that comes from following Him even when it is difficult. 

If you have been thinking about donating to our adoption fund now would be a great time to do it! The bulk of the cost of a China adoption is the travel expenses and they will be due very soon. Our children are busy making and selling dog treats and toys to raise money for their plane tickets, but that will only cover a small portion of what we need to travel together as a family in October. They love their little brother so much and just can't wait to go to China and bring him home. If you would like to join with us in helping bring Samuel home we would be so grateful. Here is the link to our tax-deductible donation site. 

https://www.adopttogether.org/adoptsamuel

A Story of Adoption- by Esther

"Now there’s that money issue. Mom gave us the idea of selling dog treats and toys. I checked the numbers and my jaw dropped. We would have to sell 600 bags of dog treats for $5 each in order to make 3,000 dollars. Then I saw his little face in my mind… Something in me seemed to say, “Let’s get baking!” And we started that afternoon, and went until 7:00 that evening. We haven’t stopped. We’ve got lots of dog treats and tug toys. So, who wants some?"

A Story of Adoption-by Esther

So, when I was four my parents decided to go to China. Well, God decided. My parents were going to move there and share Jesus with the people in our city. So Micah and I were brought into this crazy new world of bikes, pollution, and dumplings. We lived in a little apartment in Zaozhuang, which wasn’t a rich city, but they could make some mean Chinese food. The people there were open to God’s Word and I believe that we changed a lot of lives. They then, in turn, are probably changing the lives of others to this day. When we returned home Micah and I felt out of place. Now we understood everyone, were living in what we believed was a mansion, and had to eat American cuisine. Around that time God gave us a new brother, Luke, who is Micah’s companion and the family cuddler.

Okay, so 6 years later we are all finally getting adjusted to life in this odd place called the U.S., and suddenly God decides it’s time to add a new little one to our family-of course from China! We all wanted a girl, that would even things out for us, and our parents felt that we should adopt a child who had a disability. Then, at the start of my middle school year, we hop on a plane to the place I only had small memories of. I was so excited to finally have a sister. We took around three airplanes to get to Zaozhuang, and as soon as I was on the street I felt… well… at home. The stinky smell, the bikes all around with three people on them, and the sealed bags of chicken feet just felt normal to me. It felt like as soon as we got there we had to leave to get our sister.

Fortunately, China is China anywhere you are. As soon as we got to Zhengzhou, where our little sister is from, we were taken to a room in a large building. There were some toys on the floor, including a giant blow-up horse. The other parents started receiving their little children. We were all just sitting, waiting for little YinHuan to come through those doors. It seemed as if we were the last people, and then we saw her. She had on an outfit we had sent her and was holding a picture of us. She looked terrified as mom picked her up. She cried a lot, but we knew she understood what was going on. She just seemed to fit in perfectly to our family.

A few days later we drove to Swallow’s Nest, the foster home Anna had grown up in. The apartment buildings were old, and had peeling paint. Anna clung to us tightly, perhaps worried we were taking her back. As I walked across the threshold we were greeted by one of the nannies. Kids were being fed some noodles by the nannies. I paid attention mostly to Anna being fed, but my mom was holding a little boy while she was talking to the nannies. She told me about him and I thought that he was cute and all, but Anna and her friends were being cute so I wasn’t really paying attention to him. We left to the sound of one of Anna’s friends crying for her. She knew Anna wasn’t coming back. 

After another week in China we left to go back to America. Life continued on, and we all knew another kid was going to be adopted in a few years. My mom definitely wasn’t going to stop with just one Chinese orphan. I hoped for a sister my age, but my mom was still thinking about that little boy. I only noticed what was going on around Christmas time the next year. I walked in on Mom crying for little Xiaofu. I had no idea that she was so serious about the whole thing. I never thought we’d get him, honestly. A couple months later I started really getting attached to him too, and then the call from Mom came. I was at rehearsal for a play when I heard my phone ring. She told me that I had a new little brother. I felt so excited, and basically told everyone about my new brother, Xiaofu.

Then I faced a huge decision. I was going to either begin my freshman year with a trip to China, or stay at home and go on with life. For a while I decided I wouldn’t go. It was too much work, too much stress, I couldn’t do it. Then a teacher of mine told me not to skip things I would regret my whole life. That’s when I realized, I can’t imagine not being in that room when he walks in. I just can’t. Pictures, and videos, skype, and Facebook posts are nothing compared to being in that room. There’s no missing a moment like that.

Now there’s that money issue. Mom gave us the idea of selling dog treats and toys. I checked the numbers and my jaw dropped. We would have to sell 600 bags of dog treats for $5 each in order to make 3,000 dollars. Then I saw his little face in my mind… Something in me seemed to say, “Let’s get baking!” And we started that afternoon, and went until 7:00 that evening. We haven’t stopped. We’ve got lots of dog treats and tug toys. So who wants some?

There are several ways to order and help us get the word out. 
First we are on Facebook under Xiao Chow Doggie Treats 
https://www.facebook.com/xiaochowdoggietreats?ref_type=bookmark 
You can order there and share our page with your friends. 

Second, we can take credit card orders through Square Up. Just click on the link and order away 

If you don't have dogs, don't like dogs, or just would like to donate we have a tax-deductible site set up at Adopttogether.org/adoptsamuel
The total cost of our trip to China will be around $15,000 so any and all help is great!

Thank you so much- Esther, Micah, Luke, Anna and Samuel

Order Online Order Online

The Power of Prayer

Many years ago, while living in China, we sent out monthly newsletters with specific prayer requests on them to hundreds of people who had agreed to join us in our mission to share the story of Jesus with the people living in our city. Each day had many difficulties, life was very different, and often very hard. What I learned through that time was that there is truly a spiritual realm of darkness that works tirelessly to keep us from the joy, peace, and purpose the Lord has for us. I also learned, that through the power of prayer from believers all over the world, those dark powers could be defeated. Through those monthly newsletters I have a real and complete record of the victories accomplished through prayer. Several years ago my husband gave me a bound book of all of those newsletters. It is one of the most priceless material possessions I own. Because in those pages I can see that prayer is powerful, that God is powerful, and that evil can be overcome.

"Another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the 
golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel's hand." Revelation 8:3-4

My last post, by far, has been the most read post for this blog to date. I know that people all over the world love Anna and are so excited to see her amazing victories over the past year and a half, but mostly what I had shared had been from the positive angle. I didn't share a lot about the daily struggles of toddler adoption, caring for a child with spina bifida, or the exhaustion from all the therapy, doctors appoinments and surgery. She was home, she was amazing, and I didn't think that you needed or wanted to hear that part. What I have learned though is that life is hard for all of us. No matter who you are or what decisions you make in life. This life is just hard. We were made for something better, something holy. We were made for heaven, but right now we have to live on a fallen earth. We are humanity. And people relate to humanity. Don't worry. I'll definitely keep most of my posts on the upbeat side. It's who I am. But I am also human. I hope that through reading my struggles I have been able to show you a side of me that you haven't seen before. Your prayers have been answered so richly. Our 4th of July weekend was so relaxing and refreshing to my spirit, and we even got the added bonus of a spontaneous reunion of old friends last night. But of course, just as I the enemy would have it, I woke up in the middle of the night with a sore neck and sleep did not come after. So thank you dear prayer warriors. Keep it up! I'm not going to let the enemy keep me down, and I am so very thankful that through your prayers and focusing on the Truth I know that even on the hard days. I can have victory.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart. And do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take." Proverbs 2:5-6 NLT

And some days it's hard to just get out of bed

It's difficult for me to even see the computer screen clearly as the tears come frequently right now. I know this will pass and that at some point I will be able to get out of bed, hug my kids, and proceed to cleaning the house and buying groceries for our July 4th festivities. Right now, though, I sit in my bed, wishing I could just go back to blissful sleep and forget that life is sometimes very hard.

"And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise." Philippians 4:8 NLT

My thoughts are not there yet. I am overwhelmed and scared. The enemy has me right where he wants me, down in the depths. Please pray for my spirit to be lightened, that I can fix my eyes on things above not on earthly hardships. For my hope is in the Lord.

Anna's condition continues to remain stable, positive news. But the fact is that her spinal condition is just plain bad. As I looked at the images Monday night I could clearly see that nothing had changed, what I also saw was that her nerves are being pushed to the brink. I knew going into our appointment yesterday that even if the doctor didn't see any sign of things getting worse he was probably going to recommend surgery. That surgery is not an easy one, it is not without risk now or even in the future. She needs to have a shunt put in. Our neurosurgeon is recommending that it be put into her spinal column directly and drain the fluid into a different space away from her nerves. He feels that we could see a great deal of improvement in her physical abilities by getting her nerves under less distress. He is right.

The most difficult part is knowing if his particular remedy is the right one for our child. This is a very big and weighty decision. There are several types of shunts and all come with their own pluses and minuses. Some are less risky to put in but carry more risk for the future. Most will have to be monitored closely and possibly replaced several times. Because of all of these factors we feel that it is wise to get more opinions. That isn't very easy since there are only a few pediatric neurosurgeons in each large city. Thankfully, the Lord knew about this long before we did and placed a person in our life who can help us. In fact we traveled in China together to receive our daughters and are on the same timeline to travel together again to receive our sons this fall. We serve a truly amazing God. He knows what we need and He helps us every step of the way. So instead of travelling to several different cities and trying to get appointments with different specialists, our friend, a neurosurgeon in Michigan is going to help us get some opinions from the pediatric neurosurgeons he works with. If they agree that the procedure our surgeon is suggesting is the best option for Anna's situation then we will most likely do the surgery in mid-August. This is actually great timing since we will most likely be travelling to China in mid-October to bring Samuel home. If the other neurosurgeons feel that this procedure is not the best one for Anna we will have to decide what the best way to proceed is.

As I mentioned before, her condition continues to remain stable. There is no rush except for the fact that it would definitely be easier to get all of this done before we add another little one to our family. I am working on resigning myself to the idea of mid-October travel to China, as late September seems impossible at this time. Due to Chinese holidays in September and the first week in October it looks like our earliest "Gotcha day" will be October 8th.  You know what is crazy? October 8th is Anna's Gotcha day! We were hoping it would be earlier because of much higher hotel rates starting October 15th. We are trusting that God, working through the generosity of friends and family will help us raise the money to cover these increased travel costs. I will post more on how you can help with that next week.

For now, please continue to pray for my heart. Pray that I would be able to focus on what is before me each day and not feel overwhelmed. Pray that I would offer grace and peace to my husband and children even as I feel stretched and weary physically and emotionally. Pray that God would give all of the doctors wisdom as they view Anna's information, and that God would give us peace regarding the timing of the procedure and which procedure will give Anna the best outcome.

I am so thankful to have all of you with me on this journey. When we adopted Anna it was through many tears and much fear. The Lord has blessed us beyond compare by bringing Anna into our lives. Her life has and will be filled with many trials, but also many victories. Our faith will be strengthened and above all, no matter what, we will glorify the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

I want to close today's post with a something I have learned from my brother in law, Travis VandeNoord, a two time cancer survivor. I always enjoy being at his home for prayer before meals because He closes his prayers with a different ending than our typical, "In Jesus name Amen." He knows what means to face a difficult illness, even death, at a very young age.  This is his benediction-

"God is good, all the time, and all the time, God is good"

I believe this with all of my heart and I hope that you do too. I'm getting out of bed now. I'm going to hug my kids, and start my day. Because-"Today is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it!"