Peru!

So, in all my excitement about Corrie, I haven't spent much time talking about other exciting things in our family...one of which is that our Cassandra left in May to spend two years (at least) in Peru, where she is volunteering in a children's home.  She is loving those kids, and she truly amazes us with her ability to adapt the way she has. We are so proud of her, and the children there are absolutely precious. I will post more about that when I have more time, but my hubby was able to go visit her this past week, and he came home today!  Here are some of my favorite pictures from his time there...

 He knows how to do some balloon animals, but they ALL wanted swords!  "Espada!  Espada!"  They would say. :)

 

 And this is why they wanted swords.  :)

 

 There really aren't many bald men where they live!

 

 And they don't really have much facial hair there, either. :)

 

 This little girl stole his heart.  Wish we could bring her home.

 

 

 At church.  I love this picture because it reminds me of a picture I have of him with our own boys when they were little.  These boys need daddies, too. There aren't any men at the children's home. 

 

 And there is our girl!!!  She loves those kids with all her heart. 

 

Another sweet little boy.  Love those dimples!

 

 

I will tell you more about Cassandra and her adventures in Peru soon.  I am so happy that Scott was able to go and visit her, and spend some time being a daddy for those kids.  Please pray for them!  They are not able to be adopted, and many have biological families not far away, but in almost all of these cases, the families were neglectful or worse.  I am thankful that God has put Cassandra there, at least for a while. 

My passion

I will let you in on a little secret about me if you don't know me already. I am passionate about a few things. You will probably hear me talk about each of those in time, but today I will tell you that my biggest passion of all is caring for orphans. I have loved children since the time I was practically still a child myself. And once I started really realizing that there are children out there--real flesh and blood kids like our friends' kids. Like our own kids--with no parents, living in institutions or with foster families that don't really care for them like true parents, well, that thought pretty much consumes me. Puppies need homes, yes. Yes, we should recycle, save the earth, yadda yadda, name the cause. But in my opinion there is just nothing sadder than the thought of a child with no parents.


So, if you are anything like me, and feel the need to DO SOMETHING about helping a child find his family, there are so many things we can do!


One of those things is helping a family who wants to adopt raise the funds they need, which is typically a pretty astronomical amount, especially in international adoptions. I know a family who is getting ready to adopt their second child from China--a precious angel they are naming Elaina. They are having a fundraiser on July 6, and it's the kind I like because it involves buying some really cute things a generous friend donated from her Etsy shop that do not cost a lot of money! If lots of us order on that one day, it will really help them! Please take a look at this link and it will give you more details. http://http//purposedrivenfamily.blogspot.com/2010/06/july-6th-one-day-fundraiser-event-for.html


Thank you! And please spread the word since my blog is brand new. : )


Here at our house we had one awesome day. Sarah seriously smiled and laughed all day long. It doesn't take anything when she is in a mood like she was in today. Every single thing is funny. She is such a hoot! She also ate like a horse. Gotta love that appetite stimulant she's on! Ben had a great day too. He loves having so much time with Mom and Dad pretty much to himself. And we love having time to spend with him one on one too. So thankful for this beautiful day! Tomorrow camp will be done, but the boys will be staying up at camp with Grandma and Grandpa for a few more days while Sarah's blood cell counts are way down. Please pray with us that she does not have to end up in the hospital with an infection this week. Thank you!