Interesting Question...

Twice today, K-man has been going through his usual long list of questions that he likes to ask. Today, it went something like this...

"What is Mr. C?"
We answered, "Mr. C is my brother."
"What is Poppy?"
"Poppy is my dad."
...and on and on we went until it came out...twice...

"...and what am I?"

At this point, we've heard this twice today. Both times, we've asked, "Well what do you think?" and we've tried to laugh and joke about it, not really knowing how to answer his question appropriately. I'll have to leave you hanging tonight, but I thought it was an interesting insight into some big questions with which his heart is wrestling. I'll let you know if it comes up again and how we choose to handle it. Any insight from other foster moms out there? Speaking in terms of "friend" seems inappropriate, but so does speaking in terms of "my child" or "my son"...even temporarily. Thoughts?

I stand amazed.

Thank you all for praying. I cannot say it enough. I have so few words today...I'm utterly speechless. K-man woke up happy, as usual, this morning, and we went over what we were going to do over and over and over...

"We're going to brush our teeth, get dressed, eat breakfast, get in the car, drive to the big church, check in at the computer, go say hi to the fish, you'll go to your class, I'll go to my class, B-boy will go to his class, and after no time-outs in class, we'll get in our car and go to the library, come home, eat lunch, and make some cookies to take to our friend who is hurt!"

K-man LOVES these kinds of step-by-step explanations of the day. He'll recite them over and over.

We got to the church, and the computer wasn't quite ready for us, so I filled out forms for each of the boys while K-man said hi to the fish and proceeded to say, "Hi" to everyone else he saw. My dear friend at the desk told us his teachers names and told us that Mrs. Betty LOVES huge. We happily walked to his classroom, peeked inside (he was the first one there), and said hi to his 2 teachers. Mrs. Betty was sitting at the table, and I was dumbfounded as I watched K-man run into the classroom and throw his arms around Mrs. Betty, whom he had never met in his life. I stood in the doorway for a minute, waiting for him to come back and say bye, but he never did! He sat in Mrs. Betty's lap, played with the toys she showed him, and GIGGLED WITH GLEE!!

I closed the door and walked away...literally speechless. When I picked him up, he RAN into my arms and told me all about how Jesus stopped the storm by saying, "Quiet...Be Still." Then, we went to visit some of my other friends in the church. He gave hugs to everyone, sang songs, told jokes, shouted "Roll Tide!" Haha...I was almost tearful as I watched...didn't quite know whether to laugh or cry!!

What an amazing day we have had, and I must give credit where credit is due - to the God of the universe, who is both infinitely powerful and intimately concerned about the things with which our hearts wrestle. If you've not seen a miracle unfold before your eyes lately, I hope you'll be able to stand in awe with me at the mighty, loving God we serve. Hallelujah!

"Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly 

than all that we ask or think, 

according to the power at work within us, 

to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus 

throughout all generations, 

forever and ever. Amen."

Ephesians 3:20-21

Rejoicing!!

Just wanted to quickly post a most wonderful week (for the most part)! Our first week of "classes" is almost over, and K-man has made MAJOR improvements. We've been able to reward him and praise him every time we've picked him up this week, and I couldn't be more excited. The only thing that makes me MORE excited is hearing him pray about it and talk about God giving him a "nice heart." Tomorrow will be the real test, when I take him to a class full of teachers and students he does not know yet. If you think of us, please pray! 9:45am! If we have a good day, we're going to the library afterward, and then we're going to make some cookies for a friend who is hurt (K-man's idea :)

At church tonight, I sat back and marveled as K-man ran up to people he hardly knew, hugging them, saying hi, giving high fives, totally abandoning his brother in his stroller, squealing with delight! Then, we picked him up from class and he said excitedly, "God's laws are perfect! And they're in the Bible!" (We read about the Ten Commandments tonight since he kept talking about God's laws, and he was so excited as we read.) Later, we were walking by a poster in the church about global missions. He asked about the pictures and about the big map of the world. He was captivated as my husband talked to him about the world and showed him where we live. "K-man, who created the world?" I asked. Without hesitation, he said very seriously, "God."

I just can hardly contain my joy as I sit back and watch these things...what a delight!!!! As we go forward, I would ask for prayer in presenting the gospel to this little man. It doesn't seem as though they will go home after court on January 23rd, but stranger things have happened. Regardless, they will most likely not be with us very long. We are trusting in the Lord's timing and trying to teach K-man the Truth of scripture at His pace, trusting that seeds will be planted and take root at some point. Just pray for opportunities and wisdom in presenting the gospel. Pray that we will be vessels, ready and willing to speak His Truth - not getting ahead of God, but not being lazy either.

One other prayer request is for the boys' visitation schedule. Their weekly visit was canceled unexpectedly on Tuesday (quite aggravating, because I had to call and find out for myself). We found out today that there have been some issues and we will be changing transportation/visitation providers. This may set visitation back a week or two. K-man really thrives on those visits. Since the canceled visit on Tuesday (that he didn't even know was happening), he has asked at least three times if he can go see his momma...highly unusual for him. He's also woken up from 2 naps in tears, which he could not explain, and he's just had several strange behaviors that have cropped up. Pray for his tender heart. Pray for a speedy process in working out visitation schedules. Pray that our new transporters will be as kind and well-equipped as our previous ones...we're sad to see them go. Pray that, if nothing else, K-man and B-boy will be able to visit with their brothers soon. Continue to pray for their mom, that the Holy Spirit will move in her life, humbling her, redeeming her, and giving her the grace, mercy, and strength she needs to transform.

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, 

so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope."

Romans 15:13

Here's hoping for another positive blog post tomorrow after 10:45am!!

Brothers

Brief update! First, let me say a huge thank you to all who have been praying over K-man's separation anxiety! The battle is not totally behind us, but we have several HUGE victories under our belts now. For those who might be interested in helpful hints, here's what has really worked for us:

• Role play: We role play going to church with his toys, cars, stuffed animals, nativity set, etc. all of the time now. It was fascinating to watch his reaction come out even when pretending. In the beginning, he always asks if his stuffed animal can go to my class instead of his...haha. The more we've played, the more he's gotten used to the idea.
• Talking it up - constantly: We talk about going to class and how fun it's going to be ALL THE TIME...for at least 2 days beforehand. Knowing what's coming has really helped a lot.
• Rewards: OK, so I don't love bribing, but in this emegency situation, having a reward system has really helped K-man cope with his mixed emotions and make good choices. We lean on quality time rewards. One of our most effective was going to the library after class, checking out a movie, and going home to snuggle on the couch with popcorn while we watched as a family.
• Security objects: Each time I leave him, I leave him with something "valuable" to me. Sometimes, I wear a cheap bracelet and I take it off and give it to him. If I'm not taking my car, I'll give him my keys to put in his pocket. It's been such a good tool for me to teach him that when I say I'm coming back, I'm really coming back. He LOVES this, holds onto it for dear life, and it's the first thing he looks for when he sees me at the door.
• Prayer, prayer, prayer: I pray about this. My husband prays about this. Our friends and family pray about this, and we pray with K-man all the time about this...asking God to give K-man a "nice heart" because we know that God is the only one who can make our heart nice...thanking God for being with us wherever we go. I can't even begin to tell you the fruit we've seen from praying with K-man...what an overwhelming blessing.

Enough of that...just please continue to pray with us about this issue. Yes, it's somewhat normal 3-year-old behavior, but in his case, we can see that it is a reflection of a deeper heart issue - he is not sure who loves him and who doesn't. He's not convinced that we are going to do what we say we're going to do, and he's not confident in the Lord's presence with him and love for him.

In other news, I had the privilege of meeting B-boy and K-man's 2 older brothers the other day (D and N). They all had to have developmental evaluations (normal protocol), and DFACS doesn't provide transportation for that. I was a bit nervous as we walked into the room. I was interested to see how the other boys treated me, and I was interested to see how K-man treated me in light of the fact that his brothers were there. When we entered the waiting room, I instantly heard a 9-year-old voice yell with glee, "[K-MAN]" and then I saw his 6-year-old brother come bounding over to him. The 9-year-old immedaitely came to see B-boy...everyone was hugging each other, kissing each other, laughing, and being extremely loud...haha! I went into the waiting room playroom with B-boy and sat on the floor with the boys. Watching from a distance, I made several observations.

First, I immediately saw K-man working through some confusing emotions seeing me in the same place as his 2 brothers. It was like worlds colliding, I know, and for a little while, he didn't really know what to do with it all.

Second, all of a sudden, I realized why K-man has difficulty playing by himself. He never has to!! He has grown up in a family of 4 loud, playful boys. No wonder it's foreign to him when he doesn't have someone to interact with.

Third, I couldn't help but laugh as I saw reflections of K-man in each of his brothers. The things they would say, the way they acted...just tickled me to death as I watched and listened!

Fourth, I was so struck by the kind spirit of each of these boys. I had a great conversation with the 9-year-old. They were all helpful, kind, generous...just sweet boys. It's so nice to have faces in my mind as I pray for them now. Please join me in praying for them - that they are in a good home, and that they are being loved and cared for, but most importantly, that they are being introduced to the saving grace of Jesus. If not now, that they will be one day. Who knows...maybe K-man will introduce them when they all go home :)

After about 15 or 20 minutes of playing with his brothers and not really knowing how to interact with me, K-man surprised me by plopping down in my lap with a story. He was affectionate and loving, and we and all of his brothers sat and read stories. It was a sweet time that I have been so thankful for since that day.

I don't know what the Lord is up to in this particular case, but he continues to reveal to us that He is doing mighty, mighty work...even in the midst of those days that seem to drag on forever with seemingly no fruit. Pray that we would be steadfast and motivated by nothing else other than to glorify God in all that we do.

Roller coaster

We continue to have wonderful days followed by not-so-wonderful days. Fortunately, wonderful days far outnumber the bad ones. A few interesting developments...

K-man has stumbled a couple of times and called me mommy. He quickly corrects himself. I've told him once that it would ok if he wanted to call me mommy, but for now we're sticking with Mrs. _________. He's starting to be quite the snuggler, hugger, and kisser from time to time. It's such sweet time, but it's typically followed by some evident confusion on his part. We've also entered into some pretty severe separation anxiety on K-man's part. Deep down, we know this is a good sign that he's developing a sense of attachment that he desperately needs. On the other hand, I'm really struggling as I anticipate what life might look like next week when I will need to drop him off in child care several times a week to teach classes, go to Bible Study, and go to church. PLEASE pray for this transition next week. We have some strategies in place, and we're praying like crazy, but I really covet your prayers for K-man to be able to trust that I will, indeed, come back to get him when I am finished and that God is with him wherever he goes.

Around Christmas time, K-man started feeling a lot of home-sickness for his momma. It's been heartbreaking to watch or to hear the crying over the monitor in his room. It's been even worse as we've started to see him act out in response to the confusing emotions he can't seem to articulate. We're constantly having to think through our response to outbursts. Do we punish? Do we comfort? This definitely keeps us on our toes, but the fruit from our discipline has been neat to watch. The Lord is definitely guiding the process.

Christmas day was a beautiful, beautiful thing. We definitely came face to face with the challenge of balancing Christ and the materialism and fantasy of the Christmas season, but all-in-all, we had a great Christmas, and K-man has a far deeper understanding of Jesus' birth. I can hardly even put into words the excitement we have when we hear him talk about Jesus, knowing that he had never even heard the name a month ago.

On our drive to visit my family, I downloaded this "Seeds of Praise" CD and we listened to it in the background as we drove. Much to my surprise, in the midst of a typical never-ending conversation with K-man, he stopped and asked what they were singing about. We were listening to "The Mouth." the lyrics were...

"Out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks." 

Matthew 12:34

The Lord has used that verse so many times to speak to K-man's heart. At random times in the day, he will talk about our explanation, and when disciplining, it's been an amazing conversation tool. I can't say enough good things about this CD and the fruit we have seen.

Perhaps what we were most worried about was K-man's response to the hordes of people we were going to visit on Christmas day. I prayed over that like crazy, and I know many of you did as well! The Lord worked some kind of miracle. We had no issues all day!! We're talking about a 12-hour day of traveling and visiting with strangers...all this for a child who regularly closes up and occasionally erupts with anger when new people are around. We were shocked at how great the day went. In the end, K-man treated our family like his family. He joked with them, gave big hugs, played football in his very own football helmet (compliments of my brother...an amazing gift...again, it's such a shame that I can't post pictures). We abandoned all hope of good nutrition, so no food battles...haha...it was just such a sweet day - one that surely ministered to these boys and one that encouraged my husband and I as well.

So...prayer requests...

• Please, please pray for K-man's separation anxiety. Pray that the Lord would give my husband and I wisdom in how to handle it. Pray that the Lord would give K-man confidence in our love for him and, ultimately, in God's love for him. Specifically, pray for the "classes" that he'll be attending on Monday mornings, Wednesday mornings, and Thursday mornings. You can also pray for his classes at church on Sunday mornings and on Wednesday nights.
• Pray for K-man's anger in general. All of a sudden, he seems to get angry as a default response to frustration. Please pray that we would be able to guide his heart to a more appropriate response. Pray that we would know when to be stern and when to be gentle. It's been such a hard balance.
• Pray for my attachment with B-boy. For some reason, it's just not coming very easily. I assume that a lot of it is just the fact that I've been busy attaching to K-man, but either way...it's uncomfortable. I would appreciate your prayers.
• Pray for their mom and 2 brothers. Pray boldly that their momma will come to know the Lord and that He will breathe new life into her.
• Pray over their next court date, set for January 24th - wisdom for all people involved, especially the judge.
• Pray for their case manager, who has not been very responsive thus far.
• Pray that the Lord would continue to sustain us. It is so easy to lose sight of the gospel work going on and get tired of the drudgery. Pray that He would provide frequent opportunities (as He always has) for my husband and I to re-energize and rekindle our passion for His work in these little lives for which we care.

Merry Christmas!

Again, I sadly don't have a lot of time to post, but I wanted to thank everyone profusely for your prayers regarding our Christmas travel plans! As of 2pm today, we FINALLY have permission to travel to see my family with the boys. We are all thrilled, but we have much to do before we head out tomorrow. Nothing like the last minute :) As we all prepare for Christmas, I want to share some really special moments we've had with K-man recently.

He's begun to pray, and pray often.  We realize that mostly he is parroting what he hears, but it's been interesting to watch the Holy Spirit slowly connect the dots regarding when to pray, what to pray about, and how to pray. Tonight, I asked him if he wanted to start and I would finish. I offered this, because usually he really wants to pray and then he'll say, "Dear God..." and all will be silent. Tonight, he took me by surprise when he said, "Dear God, we just thank you for (and he mentioned everyone in his family by name as well as my name and my husband's), and we just thank you for loving us and thank you for your son, Jesus. In your name we pray. Amen." I kid you not. That is what came out of the child's mouth. I had nothing to add, so I just chimed in, "Amen!" and gave him a huge hug as my heart was so full.

Speaking of prayer, a few nights ago, B-boy was exceptionally fussy. As always, K-man wanted to be right by my side through it all. I was trying to calm B-boy down when I felt a tap on my leg and heard K-man whisper, "Mrs. __________, Mrs. ______________!! I have an idea. Let's pray for B-boy." He held out his tiny hands, and we knelt down beside the crib and prayed. I wish I could say that B-boy instantly stopped crying, and it was an amazing miracle...haha...that was not the case, but again, I am in awe as I watch the Holy Spirit at work in K-man's heart, connecting new dots every day.

The other day, my husband's uncle was ringing the Salvation Army bell at Wal-mart, so we took K-man to "help." All morning, we talked with him about the money people put in the big red bucket. We told him how some people don't have food to eat, beds to sleep in, clothes to wear, or toys to play with, and we told him that we were going to give some of the money God had given us and use it to help other people have food, clothes, etc. Somehow, through the ensuing 3-year-old interrogation, this turned into K-man giving money so that some other kids could have peanut butter sandwiches (his favorite), because otherwise they would never get them. We rolled with it, put 4 quarters in his wallet and headed to Wal-mart. As we rode in the car, K-man started to ask questions that indicated he was starting to understand the idea that this was going to be a bit of a sacrifice. "I'm not going to have any money left in my wallet?" Ultimately, the realization hit home, "I'm not going to share." We were prepared not to force the issue, but we kept encouraging him to see how good it was to share and to give to others in need. We were quite surprised when K-man walked right up to the red bucket, pulled out his 4 quarters and dropped them in. We were so proud of him, but then he proceeded to open his wallet further and pulled out the one dollar bill he had been holding onto since his first visit with his brothers. He struggled to pull it out, but then without hesitation, he dropped it in the bucket. I have never heard him complain. Even when he saw things in the store that he wanted, I never heard him complain about giving his dollar bill away. I don't live under the illusion that he deeply understood what he was doing, but on some level, he did. He even talked on the way home about how "those kids are going to have a peanut butter sandwich." In a small way, this was a very big act of generosity for this little man.

On the same theme of generosity, we took a trip to the dollar store to let K-man shop for gifts. We explained all day that on Christmas, we give gifts to the people we love. We've been really trying to teach that lately as he's been receiving gifts. "What does this mean, K-man?" "It means they love me." "That's right." Anyway, he again, had a slight internal struggle on the way to the store. He wasn't quite sure about buying everyone else presents and none for himself, but we pressed on. When we got to the store, I showed him all of the toys and all of the Christmas aisles, and then I asked, "Who's someone you love, K-man?" The kid who often replies, "I don't know," was very thoughtful and one-by-one, very meticulously chose presents for me, my husband, my brother who visited recently, his brothers, his momma, and his grandma. Again, despite the several things he saw that he wanted, he never threw a fit and was really delighted about the idea of giving gifts this year.

B-boy has had his share of fun moments recently as well. A pretty regular occurrence these days, B-boy will be lying on his back, flip to his tummy, get up on all fours and rock violently forward and backward, looking back occasionally and giggling (just to make sure we're all watching this exciting new skill). He's going to be another Zizi...I can just see it...a speedy, busy crawler any day now, and I'm not sure I'm ready for it!! As if things are not exciting enough over here!

Attachment with these boys is coming quickly. I sincerely miss them both when they are away, and my heart is full to overflowing when they are around. We are so looking forward to Christmas. Please pray that we would continue to be intentional and that receiving presents would only point K-man even more toward our love for him which ultimately comes from God's love for us. Please also pray that K-man would not be overwhelmed by the number of family members he will be meeting on Christmas day. Sometimes this can prove a bit troubling for him. Pray that he will be well-prepared and will become acclimated quickly.

"And this is eternal life, 

that they know you the only true God, 

and Jesus Christ whom you have sent."

John 17:3

Merry Christmas!!

Joy...J-O-Y

...a very appropriate word we've been learning this week with K-man.

As I'm sure you suspect, quite a lot has transpired since my last post. My husband and I find ourselves in a very different place than we were a few weeks ago - a much better place. I almost tear up tonight as I am finally able to write about the indescribable joy we have been given in our new little family.

First, let me try to reflect on our first few rough weeks and see if there is any wisdom I can share having come through this difficult spell (which is not to say that it's over, but it's certainly in a lull at this point).

1. Take care of yourself, and be honest about your emotions. As guilty as I felt at times about my ugly selfishness, I am so thankful for the time I had to get away and take time to gain perspective on the situation. I wish I had given myself even more grace in those first few weeks.
2. Accept the help of others...gladly!! I cannot even begin to express my gratitude for my family and many, many dear friends who literally pulled me through the last few weeks. If you're wondering how to help a friend or family member who is in this transition, find a way to fold yourself into their life! I was mostly craving distraction - craving adult friends to come hang out with me, craving play dates for K-man, just craving time with friends and other moms of whom I could ask the million questions I had!
3. Grace, grace, grace. So you don't have dinner on the table. So you don't have a squeaky clean house. So you aren't able to get to the laundry. So you don't look your best. Life will not look like this forever! You will find a new normal, but it will take time. We're still a work in progress over here after almost a month, but we're doing much, much better.
4. Pray for the fruit of the Spirit. And have others pray for you. I have, daily, had to ask the Holy Spirit to produce this in me - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.
5. Have somewhere to go...or at least have some kind of structured activity. The first few weeks, especially, were very difficult to endure when sitting at home, playing the same games, counting down the minutes to nap time, sensing the walls closing in around me and these two boys. I have had far better days now that we have begun making memories each day, and I've learned that that doesn't take much with a 3-year-old (at least not this 3-year-old)! Some days we go to the church down the street and look at the Christmas trees. Some days we ride around in the car spotting American flags. Some days we bake cookies and take them to someone...anyone...haha. It helps to get out and do something.
6. Give grace to the kids. My spirit was in panic mode at the beginning. Now that I'm getting to know K-man on a really deep level, I'm able to see such a distinct difference between his behavior in the beginning and his behavior now. Intellectually, we knew that he is being affected by his circumstance, but I think we still failed to give him the grace that we should have when he acted out in the beginning. The Lord was sovereign through it all, but deep down, I think we were blinded by his occasional outburst in the beginning - often failing to search out what was truly in his heart and give grace where needed.
7. Pray hard, and give it time. In the end, three weeks is such a tiny blip on the radar...especially when reflecting on eternity, but in the midst of it all, ever minute seems to last an eternity. How humbling it is to see what little faith we had...having great difficulty waiting patiently on the Lord for just three weeks! And now, here we are, falling in love with these boys minute by minute.

Our most recent obstacle has been canceled visitation. This is something we heard a lot about in training but haven't seen much in action. It's been especially difficult for two reasons. First, in the beginning, those visitation times were a lifeline for me...4 hours to myself?? Yes, please!!! Hope of those 4 hours was shamefully my supreme concern for a while in the beginning. Second, a canceled visit not only ruined my (ever-so-important) plans, they more importantly shattered the emotional well-being of the three-year-old living under my care. 

Unfortunately, we usually haven't found out about the canceled visits until a few minutes before the boys were supposed to be picked up. Often, this has came after I preparing K-man all morning for his visit with mom in the afternoon...sometimes writing cards for her, drawing pictures, picking out our best outfit. Usually, I have been able to just let him wake up from his nap like normal, and we've been able to gloss over it and do something fun instead. Unfortunately, this past Sunday he had a visit with mom scheduled that was canceled while we were in the car on our way to meet the transporter. I looked in the backseat and broke the news, "K-man, I am really sad to have to tell you this, but you're not going to see your momma this morning after all." K-man (previously joking around), looked serious and said, "But I want to." No matter what I said, that was his response over and over. 

When we got to the church, we were laughing and joking all the way inside. He held the door for me and B-boy. B-Boy and I proceeded down the aisle of the sanctuary, and I turned around to find that K-man was not following. He had stopped in the foyer. Assuming that he was still playing games, I went to get him. Sadly, as I got closer to him, I saw tears streaming down his face. I scooped him up and held him in my lap for several minutes. When he calmed down, I asked, "What's wrong, sweet boy?" to which he replied, "I miss my mommy." By the end of the morning, he was his usual self again, but he's made some strange comments since then. I can't even begin to imagine what is going on in his little heart these days. He has been rapidly learning truths like, "God made me," "God loves me," "God made everyone and everything," "God is with me wherever I go," and he's begun to really get into the idea of praying and talking to God. Please pray that the Lord would help him over the course of his life to connect the dots and make sense of the fact that even when he feels unloved and alone, God treasures him and walks with him.

I'll close with a few of many things that are beginning to bring joy these days:

• completely random hugs and kisses from K-man, and the occasional "I love you."
• regular belly laughter from B-boy and the most adorable crooked smile you've ever seen!
• B-boy started sleeping through the night after about 4 nights with us, and has never gone back...HUGE praise!!
• We're starting to really understand K-man's little language, which is fun, because it's often not intuitive.
• K-man will now regularly call us to prayer. Tonight, he even bowed his head, folded his hands, and started, "Dear God, thank you for B-boy, my momma, [and a bunch of names I can't type here, but just a sweet, sweet list to hear]."
• Tonight, my husband had to run to the store in the middle of bath time to pick up some lotion and be back before prayers and bed time. K-man had a hard time understanding that he would be back to tuck him in and was looking really, really concerned about the whole thing. I was chuckling and reassuring him that he would be back and not to worry when all of a sudden, K-man looked at me with very serious eyes and said, "but I love Mr. ________." I about lost it.

And here is where it is tempting to equate the Lord's faithfulness with pleasant days. On the contrary, my husband and I have a deeper faith than ever before, and it is thanks to our most difficult days these past few weeks. The Lord has been faithful and loving to point out our hidden selfishness that was much easier to hide when life was mostly all about us, and He has been faithful to show us His amazing grace in the sacrifice of His Son that covers all of it...humbling, to say the least.

This is shaping up to be one of my longest posts ever, so I'll stop here and TRY to post more regularly in the future. Here are a few specifics to pray for us:

• Pray for visits to be more predictable, and pray for wisdom as we determine how to mediate situations when they are canceled.
• I've been praying about how I might show radical love to K-man and B-boy's momma. Pray that the Lord would give me some clear direction there.
• Pray that I would not be complacent, but that I would take every opportunity to pour the gospel into K-man and B-boy's lives.
• Pray that our Christmas travel plans would be approved. We're still waiting on a final verdict, and I've been told troubling news that their biological mom might have the final say on this (and she's not our biggest fan).

"Trust in the LORD, and do good; 

dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.

Delight yourself in the LORD,

and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him, and he will act.

He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, 

and your justice as the noonday.

Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him."

Psalm 37:3-7a