My son's smile :)

On Friday, April 27th I (Kathy) received an e-mail stating there was an error in our court document so it would have to be pushed back through court. Tears immediately began to sting my eyes. This is such a huge, emotional roller coaster. It's like you take 1 step forward and 10 steps back. I know the final outcome will be completely worth the wait. But, you get right on the brink of thinking you are about to travel to meet your child, and something seems to always happen to knock you back indefinitely. As I resolved myself not to cry, because I was at work. I re-read the e-mail and prepared to call Rob to let him know-knowing full well the tears would come freely when he picked up the phone. However, just before I dialed, I read the bottom of the e-mail and noticed the e-mail stated what orphanage Emmanuel is at. Before calling Rob, I sent a quick text to a friend in Knoxville to let her know where he is. Immediately, I received a reply that said "call me". Long story short, this friend knows our son. She had seen him and it all clicked once I told her where he was. She connected us with his caregiver. Suddenly, we had well over 30 photos of our son and quickly met other volunteers at his orphanage that know him. It had to be the best moment of this whole process! We have pictures of our son smiling, dancing, laughing, playing and cuddling. Our hearts overflowed with even more love than we already felt for him. The news we received last Friday, "I know your son", along with the pictures that followed have carried us all week-and will probably continue to do so. We discovered he knows English and speaks it very well. This will make our communication so much easier. He has bonded well with at least three caregivers-this will make our bonding much easier. He loves to dance! Jessica is thrilled as she too loves to dance-she's already learning one of the dances he knows so she can do it with him. He loves peanut butter-that's my boy! I know something I can feed him occasionally. He's funny and keeps everyone laughing-thrills all of our hearts. And last but not least, he loves to cuddle and be tickled-something Shannon and Rob are so excited over! All of this makes me think of Jesus. When you read the bible and understand what Jesus went through on earth-rejection, humiliation, being unloved by His own and in the end death, it's hard not to feel the sting of those tears. But if you wait just a few minutes...there's more to the story! 

Jesus is alive and well. As you read His story, you see that He longs for a relationship with you!! You aren't alone and don't have to be afraid because He has bonded with so many before you. They can be your support, they can help you through. Even though He's not right here to touch you when you feel like you can't hear Him, He's there. His Word can paint a beautiful picture for you to look at and read over and over so that you know Him intimately. Today, I want you to know that I know God's Son. Rob and I can tell you all about Him-I want you to know of His love, see His gentle ways, recognize His face and have a relationship with Him. He's waiting and He's holding out His arms waiting for you to run into them. And, when you do, God's Son will smile. :)



Shannon's first Prom

This past weekend Shannon also attended her first prom.  Shannon was escorted by Cade Jones.  Yes, Dad does approve! He is a great guy and treats Shannon with lots of respect.

Jessica - almost done...saying good-bye to good friends. 
Jessica will almost through with her junior year! Hard to believe.  This will be a tough week because she has to say good-bye to two great friends MJ (next to her) and Micheal.  They have been fantastic friends to her and taught her so much about life and how to love the nations right where you are.  MJ is from Haiti, and Michael is from Uganda.  We love you guys and will miss you!!

Rachel and Susan - your awesome!