November musings

Watching TV on their cars. Drive-in movie anyone?
They are a little big for these cars, but they look so cute!

So I am lacking in the picture department right now. What have we been up to... I had Caleb's parent-teacher conference today. It makes my heart happy to hear the teacher say, "Caleb is a joy to have in my class." He is doing really well academically and becoming a better leader. Last year he struggled with being a follower when other kids were misbehaving. The teacher said Caleb is realizing that when he does the right thing the other kids tend to follow him. That is an answer to prayer!

Isaac is liking school now. When we ask what the best part of his day is he says, "going to school." Yay! He's been tracing letters at school and talking to us about what letters are at the beginning of words. Isaac and Julia play pretty well together. Isaac definitely tries to boss her around. I hear alot of "Juyia, Juyia do this!" Julia does well at telling him "No!"

Julia still asks questions non-stop. She'll ask me what noises different animals make. It drives her CRAZY when I tell her a certain animal doesn't make noise. Deer, for example. I'll tell her deer are quiet and they don't make noise. She gets so mad and asks repeatedly and more loudly, "What do deer say?!" It's like she can't fathom the concept that something wouldn't make noise or talk. My little verbal daughter. :)

Last weekend Nate and I went to an orphan conference in Chicago. It was put on by Lifesong for Orphans. Lifesong helped our church get an adoption fund started. This was the first conference Nate and I have attended together. The conference highlighted different ways people are caring for orphans. There are so many creative ideas out there! We left the conference feeling slightly overwhelmed at the many ways we can get involved. But, we'll keep praying that God will direct us how to use our gifts/abilities to best help orphans.

Orphan Sunday

This past Sunday was Orphan Sunday. This Sunday was observed in churches across America and across the world. This year our church didn't focus the whole service around orphans, but the pastor gave me about 7 minutes to speak. http://vimeo.com/13048953 This is the video that was shown. I reminded people that many non-Christians care for orphans and do a great job, so how is Christian orphan care different? Our motivation is different. We care for orphans because God mandates it in the Bible, but also because God loved and reached out to us when we were orphans. God reached into our messiness and adopted us. We love because He first loved us. Ultimately we care for orphans to bring glory to God. I also highlighted upcoming events at our church. The deacons told me that the Thanksgiving offering will go towards the church adoption fund. I was floored when I heard that, I hadn't even asked! It's exciting because I think some families will start their own adoption process soon and we'll have some funds to help them. Awesome! In December an international children's choir, His Little Feet, will perform at our church. The choir members are children ages 6-11 yrs old and they come from orphanages in Ethiopia, Honduras, and India. I think these children will amaze people. I'm very excited about the choir!

On Sunday afternoon Nate and I went to an Orphan Sunday event in Holland. The event featured great speakers and a wide array of topics were covered. We felt the event was put together really well. We went to a break-out session about honoring birthparents. The speaker gave some good insights and advice for us to think about.

I love hearing stories about how God moves his people thru Orphan Sunday. If I hear some great stuff, I'll let you know!