Ethiopia bound- at least some of us!

In November, Mike, Micah, Kael, Janika and Elli will be traveling with Childrens Hopechest to Ethiopia to work with children at two care-points, Trees-of Glory and Kind Hearts. While at Kind Hearts, they will get to meet the little boy we have sponsored for a year and a half. They are SOO very excited to be able to make this trip and travel with such a neat group.

Janika and Elli are hoping to do a little music time with the kids, but we don't have a travel guitar. If anyone has one and would let them use it for the trip, we would really appreciate it. Also, we will be collecting school supplies for them to take to the children there. So, if you're in Williston or Sheridan and would like to donate, please contact us and let us know.

This trip is the first of many our family hopes to take. It is so exciting that Micah feels ready to go back to Ethiopia and serve. He is such an awesome young man, who is great with kids. We are proud of him and his desire to give back. God has truly blessed us with teenagers who love to love on others. We are thankful.

Toby Mac, Kutless and my triplets

I typed the following paragraphs a few days ago, but it didn't upload for some reason..Our kids are had the time of their lives at Camp Electric. Right now they are backpacking with Mike, Leah, Micah KIVU style. The little ones and I are spending some more time in the rv
. By the time we get home, we will have been gone for three weeks, all inside a 32 foot RV. We are ready to be home but God has done some amazing things on this trip, especially with our sweet Gabe. He has come alive and is willing to spend that ever so important snuggle and play time with us.

As I'm typing this, Janika, Kael and Elli are watching Toby Mac and Kutless in concert at Camp Electric. (Mike, the other kids and I are in our RV in a KOA campground having our own kind of fun). This camp is a dream come true for them. They spend 5 days being mentored by Christian artists, in their chosen specialty (Elli- voice, Janika -guitar, and Kael- sound board). Each day the kids will join about 900 other Christian kids in worship, then they have break-out sessions with the artists followed by a concert each night. We are so excited to see how God will use this in each of their lives.
This camp was a well deserved thank you to them for rolling with all the punches thrown at them this year. They have learned so much and handled it all with such grace, often with more than we have. If not for their prodding, we wouldn't have stepped out to adopt our newest kids. Now, it is our greatest delight to hear Leah say, "Mom, I didn't understand who God and Jesus were, but Janika tell me at night in our room." Or Micah telling us, "Kael is my best friend." Then, we see Layne snuggling Elli on our way to camp this morning, with a huge smile on her face, as she feels so loved in Elli's arms.

Last year, we were "cautioned" by many that this adoption would not be fair to our triplets--As I watched them celebrate their thirteenth birthday last week, I was so thankful for the life lessons they have learned this year. It hasn't all been easy, but MOST of it has been filled with joy. We have had, and continue to have struggles with one of our newest children, as this child learns to deal with trauma and learns how to attach. E,J, and K have gained a clear understanding of forgiveness and healing and also a hope for this child's complete healing. They've learned to pray first and they've realized just how very close they are to each other. They've learned valuable communication skills as we walk this road of healing together as a family. They've even been exposed to new career options..Janika is now considering being a child psychologist. We know that God works all things for good, for those called according to HIS purpose and we are seeing that played out each day in our home.

Just a sidenote- we knew to expect God to really do amazing things at Camp Electric, as was evident by the amount of things that went wrong on our way to get here...
1. Our transmission had to be replaced on our "new" RV - it only had 16,000 miles.
2. Mike's credit card got compromised and therefore cancelled on day 2.
3. We ended up staying for 3 days in Rapid City, instead of 1, thanks to the transmission issues and it resulted in some LONG driving hours to get here on time.
4. The potty in the RV was out of commission for awhile while Mike was driving.
5. Our child who is struggling, really struggled in Rapid City and we wondered if we were going to be able to make this trip--we decided to press on and this child is doing really well now.
6. Our sweet, old Lab, Nick, got really sick when we were at our cabin for the kids's birthday and we had to say good-bye to him after we had been home a few days and a few days before this trip...It was a sad, sad time for all of us, as he was a great, loyal friend to all of us and helped all of our kids through times of grief.

Janika, Ellison and Kael- I take GREAT JOY in being your Mom. I am so proud of you and especially of your hearts. Happy late 13th! I can't wait to hear your stories!!

Summit Energy Services and a tidal wave

A little over a year ago, we started two big endeavors, the adoption of our newest 4 kids and a new business, Summit Energy Services. I am so proud of the work Mike has done in growing Summit and know that the growth has only come by the grace of God. We are thankful, a year later, that Summit now has 99 employees!! WOW! The new website is up and running, if anyone is interested in checking out what Summit does.

CHECK IT OUT!!

Our newest kids have been home now for almost 11 months. While most of the time, we are running a smooth sailing ship, we did hit a major TIDAL WAVE last week. I hope to blog more about, in an effort, to give other adoptive families some encouragement, but it's too soon. We still have some things to work through. What I can say, though, is that God prepared us and took care of us completely in the midst of some pretty tough stuff. He surrounded us with a support network that is no less than amazing- imagine having a friend I could call and would respond in less than 3 minutes!! Imagine having the ability to hire a "nanny" (thanks, Gretchen) who came the day before the wave hit--imagine having great employees at Summit, so Mike could be at home to support his family. Thank you to all of you who offered support.

We have been reminded of TRUTH by many praying friends. We know the enemy does not want children redeemed. We know he didn't intend for them to be brought up in loving, CHRIST-loving homes. We also know that GOD is bigger than the enemy and His Truth will win. We know that Jesus talks about going after the one lamb, even though 99 stayed with the Shepherd.

Kids do not belong in orphanages!! Even if they appear to be clean and loving, they are still institutions, with people paid to be there- not always people who are there because they love children. Please, church, believe me when I say children are suffering in institutions all over the world- we must do more to protect them. The trauma they suffer, when not in a family environment can be overwhelming. I don't believe it is God's plan at all.

Happy Fathers Day and Happy Anniversary!

Father's Day weekend is so fun at our home. Not only did the kids get to dote on their Daddy, but we got to celebrate our 17th anniversary this weekend!! I am so blessed to call Mike my husband and Daddy to our kids. I know without a doubt that he was meant to be a Daddy to many. Here are a few highlights to our past week:

1. Mike and I got to escape for an early anniversary trip to Regina, Canada last weekend- we had a blast, eating out, sleeping in, ordering room service, going for long walks and taking in a Patsy Cline Theater production. I can't remember a better weekend in all our years together.

2. We bought an RV- an older one with the bunk over the driver's seats- but an RV none the less. And YES- all of the kids fit into it and can sleep into it. We are all looking forward to our big summer trip now. We tested it out by driving it to Minot yesterday and the kids have all slept in it now at least one night. So- all you Nashville friends, we are now ready to see you next month!!!

3. I got to watch my husband mentor Kael and Micah in some home remodeling. He is an amazing, patient teacher when it comes to learning about tools- My boys had such a fun time tearing down walls and working hard side by side with him.

4. I watched, again, in awe, as my husband spent time with each one of his daughters- they are all Daddy's girls (which I am thankful for). I love seeing their faces light up when he tells them how beautiful they are. He is setting the bar high for any young suitors!

5. The kids made a huge breakfast this morning for Mike, as we were out on a walk. He came home to 11 handmade cards, pancakes, bacon and all the fixings-LB even found some fun stars to put up in the living room, she was SO excited to show her Daddy how much she loved him. Breakfast was followed by an awesome family worship time...what a great day!

6. We realized that in less than 2 weeks we will have 4 13 year olds in the house. While some have warned us about the teenage years, we are so excited to watch our kids grow. Even when there are bumps in the road, we wouldn't trade being their parents for any other experience. We are blessed.

For those of you praying specifically for our family, thank you. I heard on KLOVE the other day, that bringing in adopted children is no different than going into the mission field. Most churches support missionaries but few churches come alongside adoptive families. We are blessed to have many Christians in Williston who do come alongside us and an incredible YG aunties group that we can take prayer requests to. While we don't always post prayer requests here, know that any prayers for our family are appreciated. We still have bumps in the road but know God's grace is sufficient in all circumstances. Would we choose these children again? ABSOLUTELY!!!

Two years home with Gavin

This week marks the two year anniversary of Gavin being HOME. It seems like yesterday when we were at the Transition Home and this adorable, skinny, terrified little boy was brought out to us. Gavin really had no idea what was going on, as he didn't speak the same language as the staff in Addis. He just knew that we showed up, covered him with kisses, played with him and gave him things. (His eyesight was so poor, he didn't recognize us from the pictures we had sent). However, as soon as his DADDY put him on his shoulders and ran around with him, Gavin's smile grew...now he is rarely without a smile.

Gavin, I am SO PROUD to be your Mommy. You teach us all so much everyday- like tackling each new task with a smile and a "can do" attitude and always seeing the best in people. My son does not judge people and makes friends with everyone he meets. He doesn't understand the injustices of the world, but hopes one day to play a big part in making some of them right. My boy is STRONG, athletic, FUNNY, smart, a snuggler-- an enormous blessing to all of us. He loves Jesus and hopes to take Jesus' love beyond our small town.

Through Gavin, our hearts and lives have expanded. We now consider his Ethiopian friends' family our family. Because of our love for him, we pursued our next four children. And through him, we get to view the world through the type of lens that Jesus intended..loving other people without any prejudices. Thank you, Gavin for being such a neat boy! We all love you very much!! Thank you God for bringing this precious boy to us!


I will try to post pictures next week- we still haven't transferred any over from the other computer, but I'd love to share my boy's sweet smile with everyone.

Memorial Day- THANK YOU TO THOSE SERVING!!

This Memorial Day Weekend took a little bit of a different twist. It's been pouring rain, which is not conducive to barbecues and camping. However, this is exactly what we needed to explain what the weekend is all about. We have had such fun (and few tears from Mom and Dad) as we describe the sacrifices of so many men and women to ensure our freedoms and freedom for others in the world.

Freedom takes on a whole new meaning when you've lived in another country, one where you were afraid of your neighbors of a different religion, one where because you were orphaned, you were treated like garbage, or one where you feared not having another meal. To be proud to be an American is an understatement for all of our kids.

We have watched Seargent York - love it- A League of Grateful Sons (vision forum documentary on veterans returning to Iwo Jima to tell the stories of the battle to their children and grandchildren) and another Vision Forum documentary on WWII. We have talked about HONOR and what it means to be an honorable man, who believes in women and children first.

We must not forget the sacrifices of those who have served and are currently serving to keep our country what it is. We must remember what it means to be an honorable man, a courageous man, who believes in God's Providence. Thank you to anyone reading who has served our country. I would count it a great honor if one of our sons followed in their Daddy's footsteps and served in our military.

Thank you Mike for teaching our family...thank you for your service, your love of God and country.

More information

Two days ago, I found out that some of our good friends are dealing with people leaving our homechurch because their daughter has HIV. I am still processing through how anyone in this day of technology can be afraid of a child with HIV. If you happen to fall into this category of people, who think that a child with HIV poses a health risk to you or your children, please do some searching-- start with Project Hopeful. They have a wealth of information on HIV, how it's transmitted, how IT'S NOT TRANSMITTED and just how important it is for us, the CHURCH to embrace the little ones affected by this virus.

Over the past 2 years, we have met so many beautiful children, who contracted HIV from their birth moms. If I didn't know from their families that these children had HIV, I would have no way of knowing. These children are like any other child, fun, joyful, full of love and in NEED of love. These children have experienced more loss than we can ever imagine, often seeing their birth families ostracized in their countries of origin.
In countries, outside the US, most people don't have access to the medicines we do here. I can't imagine a mother's grief of passing this virus on to their child, or in their decision making, while they continue to get sicker themselves, of realizing they need to find their child a new family before they die. You see, this is a decision that isn't taken lightly by birth families or by adoptive families. THE CHILD HAD NO CHOICE IN ANY OF THIS. We, however, as Christians, do have a choice in how we respond when we learn a child has HIV.

HIV is not contracted through casual contact, INCLUDING coughing and sneezing, sharing a pencil or a playground ball...there is no way your child could contract HIV at church or school from a child who has HIV. Imagine how God can use a child who came from darkness and fear and was LOVED by the CHURCH for who that child is in God's eyes!! Walking in the light is the beginning of this process. Please people, don't walk in fear...walk in love.

There are millions of orphans waiting for homes...and there are some who have found homes who need to be loved by those in their communities.