#Miller6Pack

(Gemma's hands, made by Gracie)

November 3 was Orphan Sunday. We asked our pastor if we could share the news about our current adoption as well as some information about the worldwide orphan crisis. Simon made a slideshow for us to share with our church. It is beautiful. You can see it  here. Another video that circulated during the days prior to Orphan Sunday was this one . It broke my heart. I can't stand thinking of children who are hopeless. Watch it and be wrecked for these orphans. A third video that touched my heart was this one. Children should not have to feel "worthy" of being adopted. No child should EVER have to feel that way. The translator who breaks down at the end...that's how we ALL should feel about these precious orphans waiting for families. Some of them will never know the love of a family. Lord Jesus, please break our hearts for what breaks yours.

Every fall we trek up to Green Bluff--a farming community a little over an hour away from our home. There, we do all kind of cool "autumn" things.  Like eat pumpkins donuts.  Ride miniature ponies. Meet the Pumpkin Princess. Get our faces painted. See how much we've grown. Go on fun rides and attractions. Get our obligatory family-in-the-pumpkin-path picture taken. And make sure my mom gets her annual "harvest" display set up.

In a crowded city in the middle of China, on a steaming hot September day in 2004, we met the daughter that God had chosen for us to adopt for the very first time. (The joke is that all the dads in the group, even though they had let the moms go up in the only working elevator to see the babies first, actually got to see the babies first because the babies came later than expected, and all the moms were already upstairs waiting for them.) Before we even knew her or saw her picture, we loved her. But these photos sealed the deal! Her name was written upon our hearts the day we first saw her picture. Her name was sealed upon our hearts the moment we first saw her in person. Oh what joy! Words cannot express, Gracie Faye, what a privilege, what a joy, what a marvel it is being your parents! God has indeed "set the lonely in families" and "turned mourning into dancing." Happy Gotcha Day, Gracie Faye! We love you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! "...

SM- OK, I'm still trying to find my "niche" for where to post this blog. I'm also trying to blog to share thoughts and feelings, rather than treat it like each post must be a well-polished, finished product. So this will be my first attempt at a "just blog it" type entry. This week, while loading up the car to take my daughters to school, I had a thought. Hey, the girls are big enough, they can put their backpacks at their feet in the car and just get out on their own when I drop them off rather than the usual stop, get out, get their bags from the back hatch and off they go. My initial feeling was that it would be easier and quicker. But then it hit me, in that "back to school" nostalgia sort of way. You know, that feeling you get when your kids are starting another school year already, and Summer zoomed by, and they seem so grown up. I needed that moment, in more ways than one. So I decided to put the backpacks in the back, in our traditional s...

2 years ago today, we met this little girl for the first time. Except she wasn't this little--she had spent the first 4 years of her life in a Children's Welfare Institute.  This CWI--her home. The other children and nannies--her family. We knew she would be scared to be taken away from her home and family to join ours on that day 2 years ago. And she was. Very scared. Yet in the midst of her grief, within a few short hours, we saw the Lord knitting us together as a family. We saw the Lord bring beauty from ashes and joy from mourning. From a fearful little girl to one who says "I lub you, mom" multiple times a day. From a scared little girl to one who loves playing with her sister. From a grieving little girl to one who likes to show off her silly tricks. We are so thankful the Lord chose Gemma to be part of our family. Our lives were/are transformed because of this little girl. We can't wait to...