One Year Ago: July 28, 2010

One year ago tomorrow my family and I embarked on one of the most incredible journeys ever...traveling 8,000 miles to China to finally bring home our little girl. I can get emotional really easy when I think about how amazing God is, how he has blessed us, molded us in ways that only He could do, how He continues to teach us through the eyes of our children, and how He has used and is using our 38-week-old son Kyler, who never lived outside my womb, for His glory! If you would have asked me in high school what I thought my life would be like almost 20 years later, I would have never guessed this. Mine was always the fairytale story living happily ever after. Certainly I have learned life is hard at times and not always happy. But I am thankful that the joy of the Lord is my strength even through the storms of this life.

What a year this has been!! August 2nd will be our Gotcha Day, the day we held our princess in our arms for the first time. Kylie has taught us so much about how to live. She gives it her all no matter what she is doing! She has survivor skills from being a former orphan that makes me sad that any child should have those. She is learning a lot about the love of Jesus at home and church. We can see God working in her heart by hearing her pray. She looks up to her big brother Karsten and he absolutely adores her. It has blessed our hearts this last year seeing Karsten playing out his role as a big brother. He waited six years to do that.


I have been a Christ follower for 13 years now. I am still learning everyday about what it means to follow Jesus. Following Jesus is the best journey you will ever take. I didn't say it's easy by no means, but God will take you places that you would never expect. This is what this life is all about, being the hands and feet of Jesus. We were created for His glory, to do His will, abandoning our desires to yield to His. I was born a child of wrath, now I am His daughter. I was an orphan, but He rescued me out of darkness and into His marvelous light. God gives each of us special gifts to use for Him. We all have a calling. The last three years God slowly began planting a seed deep in my heart for orphan awareness. That is what I was learning while we were waiting 4 1/2 years for Kylie. God does not waste time. It was a long time for us to wait, but He used that long wait to prick our hearts for something more. My family and I have a passion for orphans. I know that there will always be orphans in the world, but that doesn't justify to not do something. If we just help ONE. It may not be adoption and that's okay because God doesn't call everyone to adopt. However, He does call every believer to care for orphans. Jesus demonstrated His love for us, therefore we need to do the same for others. I am humbled and grateful to be a child of the King of kings. Everything I am, have, and do is all because of Jesus Christ my Savior. May He be exalted in each of our lives!

Recent picture of Kylie


Karsten and Kylie the day after we returned from China