Plans in their hearts

Every night, Harriet and I give a speech to the audience of people who come to see our choir's performance. At the end of the speech, Harriet tells the people that we would like them to meet our children by name and hear the plans that are inside their hearts and not only hear them, but believe with us that God has placed them there. The children join us on stage as she says those words and although I hear them every night, it wasn't until a few nights ago that they really hit my heart. As Faith and Brian led the choir up on stage, I looked at Faith and realized that in her heart, God has a plan. Right now, she wants to be a musician. Maybe that's what she'll be, maybe God will develop something else, something that is deeper in her heart than she realizes yet, but in her heart is a God-breathed plan, a dream. My call for this year is to help my children see that God has a plan for their lives and to give them some tools to help that dream become a reality. That realization gives me more that just a warm feeling - it gives me a purpose. God's plan for me right now is to love those children, help them to discover their potential, and give them some resources to draw from as they grow and learn. Such a remarkable challenge, but such a beautiful gift.

Tackles and Trucks

We had the best playtime today with the children. My host has a great big backyard and had all the host families over for a bbq. I played so hard, I got grass stains on my jeans and even on my elbows. It was the best kind of playtime. A lot of really soft grass, basketball nets, and a jungle gym - and nowhere for the children to go. Not once did I stop to count to see if they were all there. I just played. We wrestled, tackled and did cart wheels, played chase and trucks. I asked Reagan if he had a good time and he looked up at me with his chubby cheeks and big smile and said, "yes, Auntie. I played trucks from the start to the finish." That was almost 90 minutes of dump truck time. We don't get that very often. I think that was just what we needed. I'm even just a little bit sore from all the wrestling, but that's alright. It's a good reminder of a good day and why I need to do it more often.

Things that have become "normal"

Tonight, Amy and I watched a movie on my laptop sitting in a jacuzzi (using subtitles because the jets were too loud) at a host home (which, remember, were strangers before Sunday night...and really, still are) while we drank all natural mango juice (which by the way, gave me heartburn. That's sucks cause it's so good). Weird. Then we asked the host to take a picture. Weirder.

The funny part is - we thought it was pretty normal. That's what six months on the road will do to you.