Exciting email!

We received an email from Pastor Timothy today!  He said he was happy to hear from us and that he would send us all the details about Isaac soon.  We are overwhelmed and overjoyed! 

Could this be our son? 

                                       (This great picture was taken by my friend Stacy Scott)
                                                                 Isaac is on the right!

We Light a Candle...

I was talking with my boys recently about giving 100%.  I dislike the "let me just do enough to get by" attitude that crops up at times.  It seems to me that I have lectured instructed them repeatedly about always doing their best.  I have used my heavenly Father's words..."Whatever you do... do it as unto the Lord, not men"... and  I have used my earthly father's words, "Anything worth doing, is worth doing right." 

After having one of those conversations with them again I found myself thinking about it long after our school day was finished.  I was rolling in around in my head as I lay down to sleep and again as I showered the next morning. Praying about it I was gently reminded of all the times I also do just enough to get by and fail to give my all.  Repentance is a sweet thing!  My kids have me as their mom and teacher, which is a pretty big disadvantage BUT we all have Jesus as our example which is an even bigger advantage.  Thank GOD!  What would help us all remember? 

Then it came to me... we could light a candle.  So the FIRST thing we do in school each morning is light that candle and put it in the center of the table.  I wrote the familiar phrase "Jesus is the head of this house... the silent observer of every conversation; the invisible host at every meal." on the board.  We talked about remembering that Jesus is right there with us when we are doing our school work too.   There is something sweet about the moment when we light the candle each morning and remember Jesus is worth EVERYTHING and He is right there with us.  He is near.

Isaac

Well, we just got back from a week at the beach.  We had a wonderful and relaxing week of sun and sand.  The best part was the Bible study time with my hubby on the 4th floor porch each morning.  We made a decision while we were at the beach.  A really BIG decision.  I have been home from Uganda for over a month and we have been praying since then about some specific things.  While we were at the beach, God answered us about one of those things in a BIG way. 

While in Lakeside Village on the beautiful banks of Lake Victoria... I met Pastor Timothy.  He is terrific.  He is the pastor in that village and he actually worked with us the whole time we were Uganda.  While in his village I met lots of children, which happened in every village actually!  BUT, in his village I took several pictures of one specific child.  This child captured my heart and I took a few different shots of him throughout that day.  Looking back now, I realize that I did not take multiple shots of any kids except the orphans at the babies home and this particular child.

(Pastor Timothy with his big smile standing on the right)

The next day, after a long day of ministry, I was riding home on the bus beside Pastor Timothy and I showed him the pictures of that child on my camera.  I asked him if he knew that child.  He smiled and said, "Yes, he is one of my orphans."  I was surprised.  Pastor Timothy, like so many of the pastors we met, has biological children and several orphans in his home.  He told me that the child's name is Isaac and that he lives with his family because his parents died of AIDS.  He suggested my husband and I pray about adopting him.  I laughed.  I told him it is too hard, too expensive and takes too long. 

 Kevin and I have been praying about adopting ever since.  At the beach, God confirmed for us that he wants us to step out in faith and adopt.  Is Isaac, our son?  We don't know but God does.  Isaac means "he laughs" and for Abraham who laughed when God told him he would have a son in his old age, the name was a constant reminder of his lack of faith initially.  I laughed too when Timothy suggested we adopt this Isaac and exhibited my own lack of faith.  If Isaac is our son, his name will be a constant reminder to me as well!  So, on September 1, 2011 we sent an email to Pastor Timothy from the porch at the beach.  We anxiously await his reply.  Pray with us for God's will for Isaac....