Life is Full of Surprises

God gave us a heart for orphans- orphans of all shapes and sizes. We were so blessed last week to sell the first 26 pieces of our puzzle! Our home study document is completed and waiting to be checked by our facilitator. We received a long-awaited letter from Ruslan! And we continue to complete various steps so that we can bring these boys home. But life is full of surprises, and we were blessed last Thursday with an opportunity to share God's love with two other children. Because we are a certified foster family, we received a call about two children who needed a place to stay until they can find a more permanent home for them. With less than 24 hours notice, I scrambled to borrow cribs and other baby needs. The boys were away at camp with their Dad, so it was all on my shoulders...until my wonderful mother-in-law stepped in and gave me help. So now we have a house full of baby gear! The puzzle had to be put up high out of reach from the one and a half year old boy. But it's still growing piece by piece. We brought the babies to church with us today and a swarm of people gathered to see their adorable little faces. It's easy to fall in love with a baby. Maybe not so easy to fall in love with a teenager. Adopting older children is an unusual choice. I can't tell you how surprised I am that we are making it. But God pulls your heart where it needs to be. A friend at church asked me today if we were going to fall in love with these little babies and decide to adopt them. The honest truth is that I pray every night for their Mommy to be able to hold them in her arms again. Half my heart is in Ukraine with our sons, ready to love them through their teens and find their place in our family. The other half is with my boys right here. So thankful to love on these babies for now. And let me tell you, the biggest blessing in all of this is watching my boys with these babies. If you've ever considered becoming a foster family but didn't because you were afraid it would take away from your own kids needs- let me just share with you that it has ADDED to their lives, not taken away. I am grateful we've had this opportunity and I plan to do it again someday.