Good Gifts

"The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save.  

He will take great delight in you, 

he will quiet you with his love, 

he will rejoice over you with singing."

Zephaniah 3:17

You know that feeling when you're about to surprise your kids with something they really love?  I don't know about you, but when I know I'm about to bring my kids joy I can hardly contain myself.  I get so excited, looking forward to their reaction- the squeals (or screams) of joy, the huge smiles, the knocking-over-with-force hugs.  The fun things in life are that much more fun when I get to watch my kids enjoy them.  I delight in my children.  Greatly.

Yesterday I learned that no matter if my kids are small or grown, that delight in watching their joy won't end.  The same with our God.  He delights in us, His kids.  He LOVES bringing us joy and giving us good gifts.

So, I'm here in Anaheim for the National Vineyard Conference.  When my dad heard I was heading to Anaheim for this thing and we would be arriving a couple days early, he asked the burning question, "Are you going to Disneyland?"  Well, if you know me at all you know that I absolutely ADORE Disneyland.  I can't even adequately describe to you my love for all things Disneyland.  I love everything about it.  It's my most favorite place ever.  But, we were just given a trip to Disneyland in March and we're trying to pinch every penny to save for our big move, so I didn't think I could justify spending the money for a day in Disneyland.  My dad, delighting in his grown-up daughter simply replied, "Oh, you're going to Disneyland!"  He said if I could find a way to get there he would pay my way to spend the day.  You should have seen the grin on his face when he saw my joy.  Dad's love giving good gifts to their kids.  

So, the question remained, "how would I get to Disneyland?"  I was coming to the conference with our pastor (Lanny), his wife (Anne), and their two grown daughters (Christen and Abby).  I knew I wouldn't have a car, so I would just have to wait and see if it worked out.  We arrived in Anaheim and realized the little condo we are staying in is literally RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET from Disneyland!!!!  Shut the front door!!!  Case closed.  Disneyland was definitely happening on Sunday.  (Plus the wifi password at the condo is "TO DISNEYLAND".  I took that as another sign.)  ;) 

On Saturday night as I prepared for Disney I was super excited, but a tad bummed that I was going by myself.  I mean, don't get me wrong, I could enjoy Disneyland alone- no problem.  But, I did realize it's much more fun to share your joy with someone else.  Annnnddddd the love of parents stepped in again.  Abby, Christen, and I were in the bedroom chatting and Anne walked in and asked the girls "Do you guys want to go to Disneyland with Kim in the morning?"  You should have seen the looks on their faces.  "Ummm OF COURSE!"  Anne let the girls know they would pay for them to go to Disneyland in the morning.  No matter what the age, parents love delighting in their children and giving them good gifts.  (I may, or may not have been jumping on the bed with joy...)

I know you might find it cheesy for me to use Disneyland to talk about the Father God's love for His kids, but if you do, you don't know me well enough, or understand the extent of my love for Disneyland.  :) When we were on Space Mountain I was just laughing- out loud!  I could not believe God gave me that opportunity before we head to Ukraine.  Before heading to Anaheim I actually had quite a bit of nervousness and anxiety about attending the conference.  I felt like "Who am I?  What business do I have attending this conference and chatting with other missions folks?  What makes me think they'll be interested in what we're doing?"  Well, Jed put me in my place about that.  He reminded me again that it's not about us or our abilities.  It's about obedience to The Lord.  All we have to do is say yes and tell our story.  The rest is up to Him!  This has never been about our abilities or lack thereof.  This is about what God is doing and His ability. 

When I was on Space Mountain I felt like God was saying, "Look at what I've given you today!  I am taking care of every single detail.  I love you and I love delighting in you and watching you laugh.  I delight just as much in my children in Ukraine in their cribs.  I'm their Father and I want to give them good gifts.  You don't worry.  No one will stand in my way.  I'm gonna give my babies good gifts and delight over them with singing- and I'm going to love every minute of it.  The joy you feel right now is just a glimpse of the joy that's on its way." Oh my word.  It brought me to tears.  I don't care how cheesy it sounds, God spoke to me on Space Mountain in a big way and I won't be the same.  

Today, wherever you are, whatever you're doing, know that YOUR Father in heaven delights in you.  He loves you.  He rejoices over you with singing.  Maybe things are rough for you.  Maybe you feel like you have nothing to be joyful about.  Maybe you think "Easy for you to say, Kim.  You don't know hardship!"  Maybe I don't know your hardship.  Maybe I've never experienced the pain you've experienced, but I've experienced the delight of the Father- and He is your Father too.   I know His Word is true.  If He can bring joy and delight to children wasting away in cribs, and He promises to do that, He can bring joy and delight to you.  Fix your eyes on Him and allow Him to father you.  This is not about your ability.  This is about God's ability and His great, never-stopping, overflowing, abounding love for you.  I see Him with a big ol' grin on His face.  That grin is for you just as much as it's for me.  

"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." 

James 1:17

We Need Your Stuff!

Summertime is in full swing around here!

You know what that means...

Swimming lessons

Swimming lessons!

Popsicles

Late nights

Ice cream

What happens when you have 4 kids...baby boy gets pink goggles...whatev...

Saturday Market

Church barbecues

Squishy Havalah in swimsuit cuteness

My iced coffee fail...more like coffee flavored ice water.  No bueno.

and last but not least...

GARAGE SALES!!!

Oh yeah baby!  One man's junk is another man's treasure, and all that good stuff.

Want to help support Wide Awake International but you don't have any extra cash?  How about having a garage sale for us?  We all have extra stuff laying around that someone else is just dying to buy, right? 

We are asking you to consider putting on a garage sale for Wide Awake International.  Don't have enough stuff to hold your own garage sale?  Gather a few of your friends, combine your unwanted goods,  stick it out in your yard, and watch the magic happen.  Doesn't that sound fun?  We think so.  Especially if one of your friends brings the coffee and doughnuts.  ;)

If you are local to us and you have goods you'd like to donate, but are not able to host your own sale, please let us know and we can gladly take them off your hands.  We'll be hosting a garage sale on July 27th, and there will be one in South Salem on August 3rd.  

Garage sales are a great way to spread the word about Wide Awake International, and a super great way to get your hands dirty no matter where you live.

So, what do you say?  Are you in?  

*See the "give" tab at the top of this blog to find out how to donate the proceeds of your garage sale to Wide Awake.  Thank you for your tax-deductible donations and your love.  We're feelin' it!  :)

Our Baby

Our hearts are full to bursting!

My view from here

Our Wide Awake event happened on Friday night and I'm not sure I've stopped smiling since.  

Jed and I were talking afterward about how we felt.  The best way I could think to describe my feelings was like one of the feelings you get when you have your first baby.  Of course when Addy was born I thought she was the cutest newborn ever (don't even try to argue with me, I'll win).  But there was a special feeling that filled my heart when other peopled oooo'd and ahhhh'd over her.  I would think she was cute regardless of other opinions, but when other people loved my baby it felt like a different kind of amazing.  "They love my baby!  They think she's something special!"

That's totally how Friday night felt for us, x 100.  

Wide Awake is like our baby.  Wide Awake represents all the forgotten babies on the other side of the world who have captured our hearts.  Of course we think Wide Awake is something special (we better or else we have no business selling all our stuff and moving to Ukraine!), of course we think the plight of the disabled orphans is something big and important, of course we think those faces in our video and our powerpoint are beautiful and valuable, regardless of what others may think.  God put that love in our hearts!  It all comes from Him.

Perty yard

BUT, on Friday night people oooo'd and ahhhh'd over our babies.  People were loving our babies and it felt amazing.  "They love our baby!  They think it's something special!"  :)

When you see people valuing what you value it brings hope.

When you see people sharing your event with all their friends and asking thoughtful questions you feel thankful.  

When you see people driving 3 hours because they love you and they are excited about what God is doing it makes you cry.

We had a fantastic turnout on Friday and we could not be more humbled and thankful.  

Thank you a million times over to every single person who came!

Thank you to those who invited a friend!

Thank you to those of you who gave generously of your time to drive over mountains to get there.

Thank you to those who gave generous donations!  Blown away.  Woohooooooo!

God is so faithful.  His love NEVER fails.  

Happy Father's Day to Jed!  He is seriously amazing.  Yes, I'm biased, and yes, I'm right.

Warm Buses and Warm Hearts...hehehe

It's a well-known fact among my real-life friends and fam that I'm an extra warm-blooded person.  I rarely wear a coat, and Jed constantly bemoans the fact that I'm passing that trait on to our kids.  Who needs a jacket?  They're so bulky!  I'd much rather run from the house to the car to the store and back, than to be suffocated by a bulky jacket.  Don't even get me started on the suffocation factor of scarves.  I get it that they're cute, a little pop of color for an otherwise bland outfit, but am I the only one that can't handle the strangulation?  Just the thought of a turtleneck makes me feel like my airway is about to close.

All that to say, warm weather and lack of airflow is a major downfall to my suitability as a missionary.  If you've ever traveled overseas you know what I mean.  Think warm bus, no windows down, stalled in traffic.  I have to talk myself down from the ledge.  "You actually won't suffocate.  There is air available, just breathe deeply."  

The vent right above my head...doesn't work. 

Where am I going with this?  I have no idea.  I just had to talk it out because as I write this we're on a fairly warm bus headed back to Zhitomir.  I've been sweating for the past 12 days, and so it continues today.  (I'm a Bittner.  We sweat.) Anywayssssss....I just needed you to feel my pain for a sec.  I feel better now.  :)

Now, on to more pleasant topics that don't involve sweat and strangulation.  

This past weekend was loads of fun!  We drove back to Kiev on Friday afternoon with our friend Oleg who happened to be heading that way.  He dropped us at the metro and we headed to the church where they were having a concert to reach the unreached.  We took the metro to the stop we knew was closest to the church and then hopped off.  It's like a 20 minute walk from the metro to the church, and Jed, with his bat-like sense of direction, led us straight there without a hitch.  What a guy.

Jed promptly filled in on the bass and we got to see lots of people we love.  It was a good time.  

After the concert we went home with our friend Sergei.  We had the BEST time staying with Sergei and Alyona.  Seriously.  Being around their kids made us miss our babies something fierce, but we managed.  :)  

Alyona cooked for us and fed us nonstop.  Yum.  Who am I to complain?  Her love language is feeding people, and we're eaters; a match made in heaven.  

On Saturday morning we met Jim and Marianna Peipon (remember Olya and I went with Marianna to visit the baby at the hospital?) at their flat to tag along with them to a picnic.  Fun, fun, fun!  The picnic was for a coalition for children at risk.  Basically, a group of people consisting of Ukrainians, Americans, Russians, and Mexicans, who work with children at risk in various ways around Kiev got together to fellowship and eat together.  They welcomed us with open arms and we had a great time.  It was so fascinating to hear about what others are doing to help kids and how God led them to Ukraine.  We made some new friendships and some good connections.  Who knows what God plans to do with those relationships in the future?  We are open, and excited to find out.  Thank you new friends for making us feel so welcome!  We'll see you again soon with kiddos in tow!

Saturday afternoon and evening we hung out with various friends and laughed a lot.  

Sunday, oh I loved Sunday.  It started out with Alyona feeding us some more delicious food, and ended the same.  Hehe

We headed out to church by taxi after the frantic rusharound of your typical Sunday morning.  It was hilarious to talk (sign/google translate) with Sergei about how Sunday mornings are the same for families all around the world.  "Hurry up!  Eat your breakfast!  Stop hitting your brother please.  Grrrrr."  Then you get to church "Hallelujah...."  Yep.  Sunday morning in Ukraine is just like Sunday morning in Salem.  Why is that?  Hilarious and true.  If your Sunday morning isn't stressful, let me in on your secret. ;) 

After a great time at church we joined our friends in their typical Sunday afternoon hangout.  Everyone takes the marshrutka to our fave: Puzata Hata!  Puzata Hata is a cafeteria-style Ukrainian restaurant.  Delish and cheap with plenty of space for hours of chattin' it up.  As our friend Andrei says "Sunday afternoon is for relationship."

Sunburned...my bad.

After the deliciousness of Puzata Hata we walked for a bit, talking more, till we got to the metro and parted ways.  Sergei and Alyona went to go buy their kids a pet mouse (yep, that's totally not happening at my house) and we went with our friend Elvin to chat more since we won't see him again before we leave Ukraine.  

After that it was home again home again jiggety jig.  Alyona fed us some more, and Jed and Sergei drooled over guitars online- just your typical Sunday night when you live with a musician.  

Anya and I did this:

I give this past weekend two thumbs way up.  We are so blessed to have good friends in Kiev who love us.  The feeling is so mutual.

 

You Can Never Make Enough New Friends!

Well hello there!

I have had such an interesting time here in Zhitomir so far.  As I walk around town I find myself trying to memorize everything I see, like I'll be tested on it later.  Which, I guess I kind of will be tested on it, say, come November?  If I see a nice store I try to lock it into my brain and remember the sign.  If I see a nice park with kids playing I tuck that one away for later.  I take notes in my phone of bus and marshrutka prices, grocery prices and what food you can find where.  Who knows if any of this will really help later on, but it makes me feel better, so don't knock it.

Yesterday morning I woke up with absolutely no idea what we were going to do that day.  (Remember the whole staying awake stewing till 1:00am?  Ahem.)  I woke up at like 7 and called Jed on skype.  

"What are we going to do today?  If we don't make contact with anyone will the day be wasted?"

Jed, being ever wiser than I said "Just go outside, walk and pray.  That's the most important thing you can do."  What a guy.  

So, I headed out the door, headphones on, walking and praying for our new city.  I want to see these people the way God sees them.  I want Him to completely have His way in our lives and in Zhitomir.

I had been walking and praying for a while when my phone rang.  It was Tammy Swailes, one of the contacts I had hoped to make here in Zhitomir!  Okay, funny story: back when I was a kid my parents had a friend named Mary Jill.  I think maybe she was from Alaska, and I'm pretty sure we met at least once. (Hi Mary Jill!) Throughout the years I would hear her name, but I never really knew her.  Anyway, when we started to tell people we were moving to Ukraine, my uncle and my dad told me that Mary Jill was now a missionary in Hungary.  "You should connect with Mary Jill!  Maybe she knows people in Ukraine!"  Hmmm, maybe?  So, at one point we connected with Mary Jill, and when she found out we were going to be living in Zhitomir, sh told us that lo and behold one of her dearest friends lives near, and works in Zhitomir!  Enter Tammy Swailes.  :)

Tammy called me as I was walking and praying and asked if I was up for a coffee.  Hint: I'm always up for a coffee.  So, she swung by, picked me up, we picked up Olya and headed for a place in Zhitomir that Tammy said I needed to know about.  While we drove we tried to figure out how we were connected.  Funny how small the world is and how the foreigner population in Ukraine is even a much tinier world.  I love it!  

Oh my, was Tammy right about me needing to know about the absolute gem she took us to!  Thank you Tammy!!  I am forever indebted.  She took us to "Global UA", basically a huge shopping mall with a ginormous grocery store called "Караван" (Caravan).  It also has a big electronics store, a second hand clothing store, and all the other more expensive type stores that malls usually have.  The second hand will come in handy (haha) since clothes here are so expensive.  We looked around and then had a coffee together.  Tammy has lived here for like 12 years.  Wow!  I just found my how-to-live-in-Zhitomir mentor.  Are you up for it Tammy?  :)  

For Addy, look!

We had the greatest time.  Tammy is so warm and comfortable.  Olya and I both agreed that we are big Tammy fans.  So, thanks Uncle Steve, Dad, and Mary Jill for making that happen!  God is so good to look out for us and bring friendship from the least expected places.  

After coffee Olya and I said good bye to dear Tammy and decided to browse a bit more around the mall to see what we could see.  A few minutes later my phone rang and it was Alla, the second contact I was hoping to meet here in Zhitomir!  At this point I just had to laugh at myself and my pointless worrying.  I'm sure God already had a good chuckle at it.  I would love to say I learned my lesson that God has everything planned out and I don't need to worry, but I have a feeling my learning is just beginning.  :)

Alla is Ukrainian, and she is a part of a small group here called Bible Orphan Ministry (BOM).  BOM does great orphan outreach and I've followed their blog for quite some time.  All this past year I thought they were located in Kiev, but I was really happy to find out they live in Zhitomir!  I had no idea that Zhitomir is kind of a "hub" for orphans with special needs for this region- and even other regions.  Hmmm...curiouser and curiouser... :)  Fascinating that God would plant us here, eh?

Olya and I met the BOM team, Misha, Alla, Nadia, and Oksana at their church and then we set off for an orphanage about 30km away.  Every Friday they visit this orphanage and teach the older kids about Jesus.  The Director loves them and totally allows them to preach the Gospel.  We went on a Tuesday because they were going to do the final class for the kids who are "graduating", or we like to say, aging out.  This week they will leave the orphanage and who knows what their futures hold.  

Three of the kids will go to study at a trade school a ways away.  A few of them have families, but they are pretty poor, so they won't have the opportunity to pursue any studies.  At least one of the boys can't read, so that's not an option for him anyway.  Some will be on their own.  

There are several people we know of who focus ministry on typical kids who are aging out of orphanages.  I always knew this work was important, but never felt a particular passion for it.  I definitely felt a passion for the disabled who age out to mental institutions, but honestly hadn't given a ton of thought to the typically developing teens.  All I needed was to meet some of them face to face and that all changed.

These kids are babies!  They are just babies!  The BOM team gave them gifts of bedding, a cooking pot, a bowl, and a spoon.  The kids were ecstatic.  Such treasures!  

After BOM shared with the kids and gave them gifts they asked me to introduce myself and let the kids know why I was there.  Oh my, how humbling to share just a bit with those precious kids.  How is it that I have the life I have and they have theirs?  How is it that I was raised by parents who loved me and taught me to love?  How is it that I have the choice to move here and care for others, when these kids have no choices?  Why them and not me?

Great gifts mean great responsibilities; greater gifts, greater responsibilities!  

Luke 12:48 (MSG)

Humbling.  Wow.  Praise God for people like Alla, Misha, Nadia, and Oksana who spend their lives equipping these kids who have so few people rooting for them.  Alla told me they make it a point to often tell the kids that Jesus loves them and He created them special.  They are precious to Him.  May that truth dig deep into their hearts and settle there for good.  

After we left the orphanage we went out to eat and chat.  The BOM team got comfy with Olya and I and we had some good laughs.  Eating together does that.  Don't you love a good laugh over dinner?  

Don't buy the serious face.  Misha's a joker :)

So, for a day with absolutely no plans, God managed to fill it up quite nicely!  Ha!

Today I said good bye to Olya (boohoooooo) since she needed to head back to Kiev for work.  I explored Zhitomir, did a thorough investigation of available foods at the big grocery store at the mall (gluten-free pasta!  Who knew?), and skyped with family and friends.  Tomorrow I'll spend the day at MTU and hopefully look at some apartments with the realtor.  

Best news?  Jed is on his way to the airport and tomorrow night he'll be with me!!!!  I am so ready to have him here.  I hope the day passes quickly until he gets here.  :)

That's all I got for today.  Off to bed now, dreaming of my babies at home.  I miss them a ton, but God is so gracious to help all of our hearts.  Thank you family and friends for loving on my babes.  Knowing they are with people who love them dearly keeps this Mama from becoming a hot mess.  THANK YOU!

I'll leave you with a glimpse of the cuteness that is my babies 

(minus Addy and Ez because it took me a minute to figure out how to take a screen shot)

Lucky me.

Blind Date on Sunday

Warning, I'm in a bit of a mood.  Not a bad mood, just a quirky mood.  An I'm-not-sure-what-will-come-out-of-my-mouth (or fingers) mood.  You've been warned.  Now feel free to read on.  :)

Today was loads of fun.  I laughed a lot today.  Don't you love days like that?  

Today I got to go to Kiev Vineyard!  I love that place so much.  Jed was super jealous, and you all should be jealous too because it's a wonderful place to be.  Hehe

Last year when we walked into Kiev Vineyard we felt right at home, and I felt that even more this time.  I feel like I can just "be".  I don't have to be "on".  I don't have to be a certain anything.  I am loved just as I am.  I may not understand a lick of the worship or teaching, but I understand the heart, the passion, the love.  Our hearts beat the same as the other hearts in that room and that's enough.  

     

After church my friends Anya and Sasha walked me to the metro because I had a blind date with an American couple.  Anya and Sasha were pretty afraid to leave me to navigate the metro alone.  What? Me, alone in a city of millions of people I can't communicate with, on the metro, alone?  What's to worry about?  Ha!  I wasn't worried at all.  

They wanted to come along, but I promised I would be fine. After I finally promised to call Sasha when I arrived, they let me go.  I felt so loved!  :)

The metro is a people-watcher's heaven.  Seriously.  Old people, babies, people in a rush, people taking their time, people with flowers, people with guitars, Babushkas with big grocery bags.  I just want to squeeze those cute little grandmas!  They're so stinkin' cute!  

Annnnnd I made the trip without a hitch!  Aren't you all proud of me?  

I met Kevin and Debbie Nelson on my blind date and just had the best time.  I can't say enough.  I love them!  The crazy thing is, I got their info from my friend Kim who's been praying for them for a long time now, but she's never met them.  Jed and I thought we shouldn't turn down any possible connection so we emailed the Nelsons and arranged the date.  Then I was talking with a co-worker at the hospital a week before I left for this trip and she told me she has a cousin in Kiev and I should meet her.  Well, the cousin just happens to be the one and only, Debbie Nelson!  Ha!  Destiny's child I tell ya.

Kevin, Debbie, and I went to my fave restaurant, Puzata Hata, so I was instantly happy.  We proceeded to spend the next almost 3 hours chattin it up about life in Ukraine and what brought us all here.  I can't believe I didn't get a picture of the Nelsons because they are just fabulous.  They are real, funny, wise, and faithful.  God first took them to Russia where they served for several years, and now they've been in Ukraine for the past 8 years.  They gave me advice on everything from prayer support, to visas, to apartment choosing, to appliance voltage, to grocery shopping.

(You all know I was thankful for that one in particular!) 

I would totally consider a second date with Kevin and Debbie.  Too bad it can't be tomorrow!  :)

I managed to make it home to Olya's apartment without getting even close to lost, and came home to an apartment filled with friends.  Success.

Tomorrow Olya and I head to Zhitomir to check out the future Johnson landing place and to meet with a realtor.  It should be quite the adventure.  House Hunters International anyone?  

Good night all!  A special good night to my Mom.  Love you Mom!  Happy Mother's Day!  Here's your present! 

(She wants more pictures of me on the blog, just like I can't get enough pics of my babies while I'm gone.  Once a mommy, always a mommy)  :)

Sunny Walks, Squishy Thighs, and Glimpses of Kingdom

It's already 8:15pm? Where did this day go?

Time truly does fly when you're having fun.

Today I got up and took the metro downtown to meet my dear friend Dasha.  You would all be so proud of me!  I managed the metro all by myself without getting lost or getting too many strange looks.  I'd like to think that since I left my big camera, Hawaiian shirt, and tall white socks with sandals at home that I didn't look too touristy and possibly blended in a bit...probably wishful thinking though.  :)  

Dasha and I had a grand old time.  After spotting each other from across Independence Square and frolicking toward each other with giddy laughter and huge smiles we had made enough of a spectacle of ourselves for me to forget about blending in.  Hehe

We got something tasty to drink and walked all around downtown, catching up and wishing Jed was with us.  It's so amazing how God knits hearts together.  It seriously felt like we'd only been missing each other for a week, not a year!  I love friendships like that and am blessed to have many of them here.  Thank you Jesus!

After my time with Dasha, Olya and I had a super special treat.  We got to spend the afternoon with Marianna, an American missionary who's been living in Kiev with her husband for the past 11 years.  I've been following Jim and Marianna's work for some time now and already had a strong suspicion that we would like each other.  Not only is Marianna a lover of kiddos, and a big coffee fan, but she lives across the ocean from her grandbabies and I've read about her proud Grammy moments from afar.  Since my in-laws live overseas as missionaries too, we've been on the receiving end of faraway "Grammy-Love".  I had a feeling I would like Marianna and I was very right!

Every Friday, when she's able, Marianna visits a hospital right on the edge of Kiev.  In that hospital there is a special room for some very special kids.  It's a room for HIV positive children without parents present to take care of them.  In Ukraine when a child is hospitalized it is the parents' responsibility to provide all non-medical care.  They bring food and supplies from home and take care of their children 24/7.  Where does that leave children who's parents aren't present, or aren't able to care for them?  It leaves them alone.

Marianna visits the children, loves on them, and encourages the staff.  She and Jim have helped make it possible to hire staff to be in that room all day until 5:00pm so the babies and children aren't left alone.  They have a dream now to have staff present in the room 24 hours a day.  It really is needed!  No child should have to be in a hospital alone, with no one to soothe them when they cry or are scared.  I love this work.  

Today there was just one baby in the room.  OMG.  What a cutie!!!  I'm not able to post pics so you'll just have to take my word for it.  I'm not exaggerating on the cuteness.  Picture curly black hair, chocolate skin, longest eyelashes known to man, and sweetest smile I've seen since I left my babies on Tuesday.  Add squeezable thighs and big brown eyes and you have a recipe for perfection.  

We passed baby girl around and I got the honor of feeding her a bottle.  It was such a lovely afternoon.  It was beautiful to hear about the hearts of the staff softening as they see the believers being the hands and feet of Jesus.  

Every life has value, every life was created with purpose and destiny.  Marianna's visits speak volumes to that truth.  "You are such a loved baby!" she said to baby girl.  Amen to that.  Baby girl is precious and valuable, created with purpose and destiny.  As is every child who spends months of their life in that room.  As are the children in this city who lay down in cribs all day, every day.  

Hearts softening, lives being valued, eyes being looked into, all glimpses of His Kingdom coming to earth.  Beautiful, right?

California Dreamin'

We're baaaaaack!

Holy moly we just had the best time ever!  Sunshine + crazy amounts of friend time + yummy food in mass quantities that I didn't have to cook + Happiest Place on Earth = Heaven on earth.  It was seriously amazing.

We started out on Friday afternoon heading down I-5 for way too many hours.  We ended up stopping over in Sacramento (since we're too old to be driving through the night these days.  I don't care how good the book on cd is...it's not keepin' this Mama awake anymore!) in a cheap hotel and caught a few winks of sleep.  Then we were back on the road!  Our kids are such road warriors.  They amaze me with their bladder capacity and road-longevity.  My kids rock.

Saturday afternoon found us at the Delmore's house.  YAY!!!  We spent a couple nights relaxing, chatting, and eating.  It was fabulous.  We love Ryan Delmore's music.  In fact, Ryan and his daughter Kate wrote a song together that inspired the name "Wide Awake".  You can listen to it here.  I love that song and can't go too many days without listening to it.  :)  They are just great people.  Sarah Delmore and I are basically the same person, so of course we got along tremendously well.  Ha!  Kindred spirits indeed.  Thank you Delmores!  We miss you already!

Sweet Kate.  Our girls fell in love!

Monday evening we got to meet with my high school friend James.  It was AWESOME.  James and I were pals back in the day, and now he pastors a church in Pasadena.  A couple months ago James let us know that he'd been following our story and was interested in learning how he could support us on journey.  Oh my word, we were blown away by his faith and encouragement.  James, you have no idea how much we needed to hear the words you spoke to us.  Our faith is built, our hopes are high, and we are encouraged up the wazoo.  Thank you so much for your friendship and support.  I loved seeing you again!

James!

Tuesday we got to meet Mark Fields, the Director of Vineyard Missions.  We go to a Vineyard church and are being sent out as missionaries from our church, so it was really cool to chat with Mark.  We aren't sure how we'll fit into Vineyard Missions as a whole, since it's primarily been all church-planting in the past.  We're excited to see what God has in store!!

Next up....Disneyland!!!!!
What can I say?  I love Disneyland.  I love everything about it.  What made it even better, was that some of our dearest friends ever joined us for our time at Disney.  Disney with friends brings a whole new level of fun to things.  The giggling quota was met each day by about 9:00am.  We shared many laughs, many screams, many waits in line, and many smiles.  It was F-U-N.  With the combo of fast passes and rider swaps, the three big kids got to ride each big ride approximately 9 times.  Holy Pukeville Batman.  They have guts of steel.  Now, prepare for picture overload...
 

After weeks of wanting to "hug Mickey" Seth decided "He's too big!"

BUT, he was definitely willing to hug the Princesses!  :)  He was so proud of his Sleeping Beauty autograph.

 

 

Waiting for the parade

Passed out after a day of Disney

 

Jed working on perfecting his Splash Mountain pose

  

Aaaah...perfect!

Killing time while the big kids went on Space Mountain

My favorite picture of our time  :)   So much happiness!

 Our trip ended with a fantastic time spent with our friend Rick.  He took us out to lunch and loved on us.  It was the perfect ending to the perfect trip.  Thank you Rick!!

Thus ends our amazing gift of a vacation.  We are so thankful.  It was a huge blessing to our family.  

Now back to tackling post-Disney laundry...  :)