Amazing Things Happen

What a night! Tonight is our Jr. High/middle school program CRASH at church (5th-8th grade). Tonight we talked about coveting and what it means to covet. They learned that the opposite of coveting is contentment and to be content is to give (in a short version of the lesson). They watched a video and after the video Audra (the jr high leader) had me come up front with her and told the kids about the adoption and Mark and I were doing God's will adopting a baby boy from Ethiopia. She told them how we were suppose to go to court on Friday but that is not going to happen due to an investigation,etc. Then she had me go into the middle of the room and all the kids (I would say approximately 100 including adult volunteers) surrounded me (not easy for someone with crowd anxiety) and put their hands on me. Then a 8th grade student, 5th grade student and one of the adult volunteers prayed over me. Of course I was crying and just overwhelmed with the presence of God in these 5th-8th graders. It doesn't stop there....

Before the program started Audra and I were talking about how the older kids over in Ethiopia need things like shoes and basic necessities. We thought that would be a good service project for the kids and something they could relate to. So after they prayed Audra told them that while we were over there we also wanted to help the other kids who we couldn't bring home with us. We are going to collect shoes and Mark and I will deliver them to the Ethiopian kids. We don't care how much we pay in baggage fees we will get them there. The kids were excited and immediately we received almost $30 dollars to buy shoes. That may not seem like a lot but to a jr high kid that is a lot of candy!!! But it doesn't end there....

We went to cluster groups where we break out in groups by boy/girl and grade. Since I was the cluster group leader for the now 6th grade girls last year when we started the whole journey and this year I am the cluster group for the 5th grade girls where we will end the journey, I combined the two and we had a prayer meeting. I started off and we prayed for all the orphans of Ethiopia, one by one the girls took turns praying. Then we prayed for the government and the officials and all investigations to be quick so all the kids could get homes, once again one by one they prayed. Then we prayed for Daniel specifically for his health and happiness and that God would protect him, again one by one as tears started they prayed. Finally one of the other leaders asked them to pray for Mark and I and our families specifically. I have never felt so much love and support as I did in that room of about 40-45 middle school girls. Their prayers were honest and heart felt and sweet and I thank God and praise him for every single one of those girls. As tears were streaming down my face I could not help but smile. I have an amazing God and he put these girls in my life not so I could mentor them but so they could support and love me! They prayed for 25 minutes straight, once again for a middle school student that is huge!

It doesn't stop there, I went to say goodbye to Audra and someone stopped me and told me that for all the shoes the kids collected and we were taking they wanted to pay the baggage fees! Do you believe it! I am so overwhelmed with the love and support and grace of God. I went to CRASH tonight kind of feeling bad, knowing in my heart that Daniel will be home in God's time and I left feeling peace, energy and such amazing love that my heart is bursting.

God is so good and I love being a Jr. High Volunteer!

Thank you God for the amazing people you have put into my life and the trials you put us through. I know this is frustrating to us but I also know that we don't have to worry about it. You have it under control and for that I am so unbelieveably grateful. Am I hurt and sad that we don't know when Daniel will come home? Yes but God I know you are there with him and with all my heart and soul I know you will not leave us to do this on our own. I am so glad that I serve an amazing God like you! Thank you for amazing friends and family and thank you for pushing me to be a jr high volunteer! I love you! Amen