Transition # 2

He's back and he's had a rough day/morning/night.

Mom is in the clink.

Cutest mom ever (seriously)

The image of a modern day mom at work. She's so good ... feeding, emailing, bringing home the bacon ... ahhh life is good :)

Week of Blessings

This has been a good week. First, an update on Zackary, our most recent addition. The courts have determined that his parents aren't ready to have him at home, so he'll be with us awhile longer. There is a hearing at the end of this month in which more decisions will be made about whether or not he will be going home soon. In the meantime, we've been enjoying him immensely. He's a very good baby and grows cuter and cuter every day. Here are some recent pics.

This week we were also blessed financially when we received 3 unexpected refund checks in the mail. We weren't expecting any of them. And one was the exact amount of the state tax bill we have due at the end of this month. Another one was a large refund check on our mortgage, which covers our bills for almost an entire month. God has just been providing for us in ways that we had never even imagined. So in spite of Miles' recent job loss, we've been able to meet all of our financial obligations. I (Brenda) also started my new part-time job this week and am excited about it. I still can't believe I truly get to work from home.

On a personal note . . . I just have to share what God did in my small group last night. My co-leader and I decided to do a special night for the H.S. girls small group that we lead. Since it was Valentines Day, we focused on (imagine this) . . . . LOVE!! But our focus was God's love for us, especially as it was demonstrated by Christ's sacrifice on the cross. I won't share all the details of what we did last night, but I wanted to share 2 highlights. Rychelle and I washed the feet of each of the young ladies. just as Christ served his disciples on the night of the Last Supper as an act of love toward them. We had some worship music playing while we did it, and encouraged the girls to just focus on what God has done for them. It was such an intimate time with them and it moved me to tears to see the reaction of these girls. One girl who has wandered away from God a little bit this year just broke down in sobs as Rychelle washed her feet. It was very touching. We also took communion together. But we had set the elements up on my dining room table and told the girls to take communion when they were ready. We had given them each a piece of paper in which we encouraged them to write down any sins they needed to confess, and then told them to rip the paper before they took communion, to symbolize God's forgiveness of their sins. Again we played some worship music as each of the girls spent time with God. At one point I looked up and saw one girl on her knees sobbing, another raising her hands in response to the words of the song that was playing, and another on her knees, holding the communion elements in her hand as she poured out her heart to God. It was such a wonderful night in which God truly met us here, and walls were torn down in some of the girls' hearts. I am so looking forward to our upcoming trip to Washington, D.C., where we will get to serve God together. I just know that God is preparing the hearts of each of us for this experience together.

He is so faithful and provides for us in ways we could never imagine.

It's a boy!

Today we picked up a 2 day old newborn boy from the hospital. His status is still to be determined, but we are enjoying him for now. I'm not going to write much because there's still lots to do tonight.

Snow, Super Bowl and Answered Prayer

Over the last week, North Idaho has seen one snow shower after another. All the kids around here are happy because they got 3 snow days last week, which means no school. The snow just keeps piling up, because until Saturday it hasn't been warm enough for any melting. We have snow berms in our neighborhood that are probably 15 feet high. These pictures were taken after 2 days of warm-up, so some of it has melted. I actually started wondering if it's possible to accumulate so much snow that there is no longer anywhere else to put it!!

On Sunday we had a Super Bowl party with some of the high school students from our small groups. We had a great time and ate way to much "football food" (translation: junk food). During half-time, the girls really got into the Tom Petty performance and were singing along to "Free Falling." I was just glad to be able to gloat to Miles because I was rooting for the Giants, and he was the lone Patriots fan at the party!!

Now about answered prayer . . . on Friday I received a job offer and accepted it. I will be an adoption recruiter for a program called Wendy's Wonderful Kids. It's a program that works with foster kids who are 10 years and older, trying to get them connected with adoptive parents. It is a perfect position for me because not only is it something I'm passionate about, but it is a part-time position from home. The main office is in Boise, so I'm totally autonomous in North Idaho, and get to set up a home office rather than having to go to a different location to work. It's something I can do while we have foster kids, and I get to gain a better understanding of the adoption process. I got the job mostly due to a glowing recommendation I received from the adoptions supervisor. She used to be the supervisor on both Jordyn's and Tyler's cases before she moved to the adoptions unit, so when she saw my name on the list of job candidates, she contacted the coordinator for Wendy's Wonderful Kids in Boise and personally recommended me. Wow! I'm so thankful for that and for the way God opened these doors for me. I also found out that the 2 adoption workers in Coeur d'Alene are 2 of the most wonderful social workers we've dealt with so far. I couldn't ask for a better gig! It will keep me busy in between foster kid placements, but will allow me flexibility when we do have kids. God is so amazing in how He works things out for us.

Miles' last day at Slacker, the S.D. company he was working for, was last Friday. So please pray for him as he works on expanding his business, Tower Cam USA. He is selling aerial photography systems and setting up a training manual. God has totally been providing for us just as a need arises. What a wonderful thing to just watch as we surrender to Him and learn that He knows our needs better than we do. He sees and He provides -- Jehovah Jireh!