"I love you, Daddy" We have taught Elizabeth the sign for I love you. Last night, Daddy signed I love you while she was taking a bath. This is the response he got back. Doesn't it make your heart melt? This picture is for you, Daddy. It's a belated FAther's Day gift.




We finally had our 6 month homestudy review that China requires. WE have one more homestudy to complete at 1 year, then I believe that we are officially done. It was a very easy process. The kids entertained Elizabeth while Mark and I answered all the questions. We had a wonderful social worker. Elizabeth was a ham through the whole process. The next step is to readopt her in the states. It is not a requirement but highly recommended. I hope to complete that process in the next month or so.

Yesterday, I took Elizabeth to have 2 more shots. The poor little thing. She knew what was coming and just clung to me. ... only to let out piercing screams in my ear when they poked her. Talk about breaking a mothers heart. I know the shots are best for her, but I hate having to give them to her. I guess that is somewhat what God has to do for us. Sometimes the things that hurt are the things that are best for us. I just hate having to hold her down for someone else to hurt her. The amazing thing for me was that as we walked away from the nurse, with tears down my little girls face, she managed to wave a sweet goodbye to the nurse. It was precious. A few hours later she was whimpering anytime we moved her. Then I noticed that she wouldn't put any pressure on her leg when I tried to put her down. As I started checking her leg out, I realized that she was whimpering even when I touched her calf (the shot was in the thigh). I've never had a child react to a shot that way. She had begun a fever of 100.00. After the episode with the seisure, I get a little nervous with fevers! I called the doctor. They assured me that her reaction was common. So, I gave her tylenol and spent some time in prayer. She is doing great today (I think... she is still asleep).

The girls have ventured to West Virginia with the youth group. They are in for 3 days of excitement. It will be the time of their lives (excluding the trip to China). For me... it will be 3 days of agony. Today, one will go repelling off of a cliff while the other will explores a cave. Tomorrow the roles will be reversed Then on Thursday they will both go white water rafting. Ok, I know that it sounds fun. In fact, I have gone on this trip 4 times as a youth leader. I loved the trip. But... this time, it is my children who are going. Ugh! As a teen, I think that experiencing this trip would have been the highlight of my childhood. But now, as a parent, it is my nightmere. I know the power of that river. I never had the chance to repel. When we went, we did a high ropes course instead. So, I really do not know what that feels like. And I know the intense challenges of the cave, especially in some of the very, very, very tight places that the group experiences. I know the exhileration of experiencing each of these things. I know the challenges and I certainly know the dangers. I was thrown out of the boat twice, and I experienced the intense power of the waves. It was the scariest thing I had ever done in my life, yet the most exciting. To feel your body being tossed around and watch the boat within reach, knowing that your life depends on getting into that boat is crazy. I realized during those trips that you can not control the river. No matter how beautiful and fun it is, it comes down to the fact that the river is a power of its own and has no respect for anyone. At the same time, I was able to experience God in a new way, to feel His power and to realize that He is the one controlling it. It is that experience that I want my kids to have, but it is that experience that sends fear running through me. As a parent, I know that I have to trust God in all things that my kids do. They are in His hands. So this week, I am having to let go and completely place them in the palm of His hands. It's funny how often I think I have given them over to God only to realize that I hold on to the tightly, wanting to control their life on my own. It is not me who protects them, it is not me who guides them, it is not me who has given them life... they are God's. He has just given me the awesome privilidge of loving them and raising them. Wow, what a joy.

So, as you go through this week, I ask that you pray that my children and all the teens that are on this trip will experience God. That they will be challenged to a point that they realize that they need God, to learn to trust Him completely and to see His face and His hand in thier lives. I want them to come home having seen God in a way they never imagined. Pray that each is protected and that no harm will come to any of them. I have a peace about them going, but I know that in my heart of hearts, their is a tremendous amount of fear. So, please pray for me, that I will experience God in a new way too.