URGENT PRAYER REQUEST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

OK... I don't ask for these things often... but today we really need a miracle. LUCAS needs a miracle. He is a little boy in Guatemala in the same hogar as Sara. He is being adopted by my friend Jane. She is already adopting his sister - and we have had good news that she will be coming home very soon. But today there was an abandonment hearing for this sweet little boy... and the Family Court Judge did not make a ruling. It seems that the Judge is considering having him moved from this hogar... and put elsewhere. THIS WOULD BE SO DEVASTATING FOR HIM. Primarily, it would be an emotionally devastating thing, as everyone he knows and loves is in this hogar. He would be losing everyone. But he also has a medical condition... and he really needs to be coming HOME! Please everyone, say a prayer tonight for them... I know that Jane is absolutely devastated - and would certainly appreciate the support of prayer. I cannot imagine the terror that she is facing... and the confusion that this sweet boy and his sister must be going through. He is such a sweet boy - with such a captivating smile. He won my heart during our visit. Thank you for your prayers!!!

McCaleb's Big Day

McCaleb turned THREE on Thursday! I cannot believe it... where does the time go?? We met Tim over at McCaleb's all-time favorite Birthday place... Chuck-E-Cheese. We had pizza, played games, won tickets... and then headed out to the movies. Keeping with the "rodent" theme of the day... we went to see Ratatouille. It was SO CUTE! The kids really enjoyed it - with the exception of the shotgun-toting Grandma that tried to kill the rats... there was a lot of screaming and eye covering during that part. After the movie we headed over to Target... then Dicks... then Wal-Mart...until McCaleb finally found a bicycle that he thought was just perfect. Wouldn't you know... it was also the most expensive one. But this bike has a water bottle with it (always important) and it is the same color as Mamoo's car. (Also very important.) It really is a cool bike. As we were getting close to home - it began to look like rain. McCaleb was in a panic - his bike was in the back of Tim's truck, and he did NOT want it to get rained on. He even called Daddy to say - HURRY!!!! Too bad, little Buddy...we had us a HAIL STORM! It took two tries to get to the house - trees were down on either side of our driveway... and we had to wait for Tim and the guys across the road to get a chainsaw and cut us a path. Then we all had to get towels and dry off the most coveted bicycle. It was very cute. The kids were fascinated with the hail. I have to admit - it always stumps me. 95 degrees outside - and little chunks of ice are falling from the sky. All in all - it was a wonderful day to celebrate a very special boy!

Hope For The Flowers

Mom read to us when we were growing up. Actually, she even read to us when we were GROWN. One of my favorite books growing up (and there were many...I am a book buff) was Hope For The Flowers. When I was little, I thought it was a cute story about two little furry caterpillars. As I got older, I began to understand the real meaning of the book. The struggle of the caterpillar - who has trouble becoming what he really is... a beautiful butterfly. It's a wonderful book, that I have already read to the girls two or three times. (Once at a single sitting... they really LOVE the story.) And it truly is a beautiful story. I thought of the book this morning as I was driving Ali to her first day of Kindergarten. A usually chatty ride to town - was a little more somber today. She was a little nervous, a little uncertain. We even had the company of Briana with us... and still the car was unusually quiet. It could be that perhaps Rachel was realizing for the first time that Ali wouldn't be with her all day, as she has been the past 3 1/2 years. It could also be that I was sad - thinking of the journey that Ali and I have been on with each other during those three years. Or the realization of knowing that for the first time we have been in a good place for over a year... and not wanting to lose that ground that we have gained. It was a quiet ride... but she was very big, very brave and very serious. She marched into school and went to her room, and began to find a seat. Briana was snapping pictures, and Tim had Rachel and McCaleb with him... so I walked over to her to give her a hug good-bye. She never acted as if she would cry... but I could sense that she was a little nervous. (Briana on the other hand was hugging Mrs. McBrayer and chatty with her son. Briana had Mrs. McBrayer when she was in Kindergarten at Lexington Christian Academy!) I told her that she would do great, that she was going to have so much fun, and how proud we were of her! We all hugged her and kissed her - and walked away.

Three O'clock could not come fast enough today! Boy, had she grown! ;) She was exhausted!!!! But that didn't stop her from chatting non-stop for the next FOUR hours. I think she told us every minute detail of her day at least five times... and she recounted not only what they did, but what each person said, what the rules were, and how nervous she was this morning.

In the back of the book, it says... "It takes a lot of butterflies to make a world full of flowers..." I agree. Change is hard... and remember, I don't like change. I hope that I can teach Ali to be better about it than I am. And as for my little girl? Well...I think that Ali is well on her way to becoming a beautiful butterfly!

"We Are The Town Of God"

I wanted to write a little about our last night in Guatemala... and the blessings that we received! As I mentioned... we went to church with Hugo. 3 1/2 years ago we met Hugo Mancilla when we were adopting the girls. He was a blessing, an angel, and such a comfort to have when we were having so many problems with our "prior" agency and our "prior" attorney. I still don't know if he realizes now just what a blessing he was to our family. When Ali was on her 6th hour of crying uncontrollably and we could not get her to calm down for bed, Hugo appeared at our hotel door... and carried her around, singing a Spanish lullaby to her and holding her until she went to sleep. For a new Momma that was just about inconsolable as well... he was a GOD-SEND. We spoke of him often... and made plans to get in touch with him when we returned to Guatemala City. Fast-forward to 15 months ago. We called Hugo to let him know that we were going to be back in Guatemala City... and could he take care of us once again. When we saw him... it was such a joy! It was funny, though. There was something so different about him... yet so familiar. During our conversation Hugo told us how he had found the Lord... and what a difference God had made in his life. It was stunning how much he had changed... but yet how very much the same he still was. He invited our family, along with the Blanford's, to go to church with him on Sunday. We went - and it was a remarkable experience! The service itself was held in a tiny location - on the outskirts of Zone 5 - down the side of a mountain. We had to drive his tax (with all 7 of us) down switch-back roads that looked more like cracked and broken sidewalks. More than once we could hear the under carriage of his car drag the concrete. The area was sheer poverty. Most of the children had on clothing that didn't fit... in many many layers... and most did not have shoes on - or they were mismatched - or had the front cut away since their feet had grown. But they came to church, walking along the sides of this road, many carrying the younger ones, many helping the older... they came walking to this church for a blessing from God. And what a blessing it was. Hugo told us that the church began with 15 - 20 people. The Sunday that we went 1 1/2 years ago... there were more than 150 adults... and about 40 children. The service lasted about 2 hours... but it seemed to be over before we knew it... and what a blessing we received. It didn't matter that they worshipped in a different language than us... and it didn't matter that they worshipped in a different WAY than us... it was all the same God that we were praying to, the same God that we were reading about, and the same God that was filling our hearts! It was amazing! So this visit, when we saw Hugo, we immediately asked about the church. Their congregation has grown to about 400... and they had a new location. They are saving for a new building... and the blessings continue to flow! Even after being broken into and having all their equipment stolen - God provided a new location, better security and new music equipment! They are still in a very poor area of Zone 5 - but they are now at the top of the mountain instead of being half way down the side. We asked if this kept people from continuing to attend - but he said that no, they walked, just the same as before. He also said that the turn-out was a little low on Wednesday Nights... but he invited us to the service so we could see the new location. (Just a little FYI - here in the states, typically the crowd on Sunday or Wednesday nights is about 10% of the Sunday morning crowd. So we anticipated about 40 people.) The new location is a converted Car Garage - that has a few leaks, and a few other imperfections... but they are dedicated people that have worked very hard to serve their God! What an amazing service! It had been 15 months since we had seen many of these people... but their love of the Lord had not diminished at all. If anything it was stronger now... and the blessings of this service far surpassed anything that we have experienced in the past 15 months! What amazing things God can do when His people are committed to following His Will... and not their own! WHAT A BLESSING... and we only had to travel 3,500 miles to receive it! :)

We asked Hugo the name of his church... and he smiled proudly and said - "We Are The Town of God". How appropriate for these humble people committed to serving their God. And how many people were at this Wednesday Night Service??? We lost count at 170... Praise God!