We just got back from a whirlwind trip to Iowa! The kiddos and I flew into Cedar Rapids on Wed. to p/u a new (to us) van from my little brother who works for Toyota! (Thanks Kurt!)
As long as we were there, we drove a couple hours West to the Des Moines area to visit my Grandma. Stayed there a couple days and then drove back East a couple hours to CR and visited friends of our from about 9 years ago. When we first met them (Brad and Jenny)Natalie was almost 3, Tayler 14 months old and Jenny had Sebastian who was 2 and Gabriel who was about 9 months old.
It is a VERY long story, but oh such a God thing. (o.k., I just have to say quickly how we met and how totally God it was!) Blair and Jenny met at our apartment complex pool in the spring of 98' and when they exchanged names, Blair recognized the last name...turns out Blair went to Bob Jones and was in the same society or something with Brad's older brother. Small world, huh? God is so AWESOME. So anyway, here we were both longing for Christian friends and bingo....We had them. Jenny was there for Lukes birth...we've been through so much. They are so dear to us.
We moved, they moved, then they moved out of state (to Iowa) and oh, we missed them. Then...WE moved out of state. Then we moved again (to our house) and now they've moved...Ha Ha You get the picture. Jenny and I met at a Beth Moore conference last summer in Indianapolis. Shortly after returning home (to Iowa) God moved in their lives in an amazing way. She and Brad started the adoption process to get a couple little girls from Liberia. Well, they ended up w/4 beautiful little girls to add to their 5 boys they already had.
We had a ball last weekend. Talking over things, life, Faith, God, kids, cooking and cleaning,(of which Jenny and I both agree cooking wouldn't be so bad if you didn't have to clean up afterwards....and we both would love to boycott Laundry.) Dr. Pepper, Rook (who needs rules?), wonderful to go to church with them on Sunday morning and Worship with them. The kids played like they've lived next door for the past 7 years. Pick up where they left off, just like the grown-ups do. Solomon told me he wished we still lived by them (speaking of the apartments he hears his brothers talk about) which I thought was quite funny since he wasn't even born when we both lived there and has no memory of it.
Anway....it is just so AWESOME how in the family of God we are one. We are brothers and sisters in Christ. We are a famliy unit. We laugh, love, heal and mend, cry, comfort, rejoice and delight.....together. Pressing on towards sanctification. Speaking of sanctification....anyone interested? Just read Jenny's emails on her yahoo group that keeps one posted on their family, adoption in Liberia and being more Christ like. You can get there at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Jennysupdates/
Brad-Jenny----We love you and thank you for your hospitality and love.
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