Never Say Never....Here We Go Again! :)

Today has been an action packed today....full of making decisions.  I was doing my regular routine of checking email when I noticed that there was an email from the foreign exchange program that we had gone through last year.   They had sent us a profile and asked if we would consider hosting again.  We didn't have time to discuss it as I had to run to the store and do some other chores.  When we were getting ready to leave, the local representative that places students in homes, showed up unannounced.  Skeeter and I hadn't had even a chance to talk about anything and I was sure she would be looking for some information....she was ready to do a house tour on the spot.  Oy!  She did mention that we could be what they call a Welcome family, where we could keep the student for 8 weeks, and then our commitment would be done if we chose to be finished.  Then they would look for another host family.  Us being a Welcome family would enable the student to at least continue with her plans to study and get her over here to get started with school on time.  Since we had a pretty rough experience the last time, we are thankful for this 8 week period if things don't work out.  Apparently she had been "matched' with another family but for some reason, they had changed their mind.  Finally, Skeeter, Anne and I were able to discuss this, and although we had mostly come to a decision already, it was during this discussion that the head lady from the agency called us to talk about this placement.  Why on earth were they on "top" of us like that?  Apparently this dear girl is set to fly into Wichita next Friday.   Our family feels peace about this student so we are now expecting a girl from West Africa, to come next Friday to live with us for the next 8 weeks.  If, however, we can financially afford to continue, and the situation is a good match for all involved, we can choose to continue hosting for the rest of the school year.

Please be in prayer for us as we continue making preparations for our "African Princess" to come and join us.  Adia is beyond thrilled to have another "brown" person come and stay with us and Anne is excited to be able to share her room with someone close to her age.

As for the prayer request we had a couple of weeks ago, regarding a meeting Skeeter was having.....here is the update on that.  Skeeter attended a job fair that night as he was exploring the possibility of getting another job.  That night he had a little bit of an interview and then was told he would be contacted within the next week or so if they wanted further information.  This past week, he went in for a formal interview, and even though he could have gotten this job, he did not feel peace about taking it.  So for now, we will continue pressing on with where he is now.

God's Blessings

Thank you so much for praying last week as we were involved with VBS at our church.   A couple of things that touched my heart the most about VBS are:

hearing from a parent whose child came home from VBS and starting asking questions about sin 

AND

seeing people in my "crew of helpers" see the need of a hurting little boy and reach out to him by giving him "new to him" pairs of shoes.  This boy is one that most people might "forget" about as he was needy of attention but the crew saw that his shoes were literally falling apart and felt the need to show him the love of Jesus.  How amazing of an encouragement for me to see the teenagers show they care about others!  I pray that through this act of kindness that this boy will come to know Jesus as his Savior.

We have also been blessed through the donations of clothes.  Last week, Adia was given some clothes.  Anne was given some clothes this week.   Jaydon was also given some shoes and clothes last week as well.  Jonathan had been gifted some clothes about a year ago and a lot of those still fit.  Between the donations and some good deals at the consignment sale, we are mostly ready for school!  Yay!!  Praise the Lord for how He continues to take care of us.

Thankfully, Jonathan's eye is doing very well and isn't red or sensitive to light anymore.

We have some additional prayer requests to share with you.  Skeeter found out last week that he will need to change to second shift for at least a couple of weeks to help get them caught back up on their work.  We pray for adjustment in this change in our schedule.  He starts this new schedule today!

This month, I am on call for jury duty.  With Skeeter's change in schedule and me trying to get the kids to enrollment for school, eye doctor appointments and orthodontist appointments, I am hoping that this time around I will "be passed by"! :)

The next prayer request can get kind of complicated so I will do my best to keep it simple.  Jaydon's birth mom, Mommy D, has worked with 2 different social workers since we have known her.  The one social worker contacted us back in March to ask us if we'd consider adopting another one of Mommy D's babies (she ended up not being pregnant??).  She has also kept us up to date with how Mommy D is doing.  I am sad to say, this dear lady continues to search and is not getting the help she needs.  My heart goes out to her and I continue to pray for a miracle in her life.  Yesterday, the other social worker contacted me to let me know that Mommy D is pregnant and wanted to know if we'd like to be in touch with the adoptive family when she is matched.  Of course, I said yes!  Then I contacted the other social worker who had been keeping me up to date to see if she knew that Mommy D was expecting.  Needless to say, without going into details...there are some legal issues brewing in this situation.  Please pray that all will be resolved in a Christ like manner.  If Mommy D is indeed pregnant we pray for the safety and health of the baby and that the Lord would be already working in the hearts of the baby's adoptive family.   Supposedly she is due with the baby in November????

Thanks for praying!