Blessed and Amazed

"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows."

James 1:17

If I keep waiting until my thoughts are clear and I have nothing more pressing to do, I will let another month pass without writing and drop the blog altogether. Since this is one of my creative outlets, I will pick up as if it I never missed a day!

We have had many wonderful things happen over the past month. I will start off by offering praise to God for the amazing way He is providing for the Uganda mission trip in July!!!  Though I have faith, I would not be real and transparent if I did not admit that I was tempted to second guess myself in early March.

As of today, however, God has provided through more than 20 friends and family members---$2675!!! Even as I type the numbers, I am still in awe and slight disbelief. My plane ticket will be purchased on May 22 and I will know the balance due at that time (approximately $525). The Lord is so faithful and good!

With the trip cost almost "checked off," I am excited about being able to shift focus to my favorite part of the trip--supplies and necessities for the orphanages!!!  My first conference call with the mission team is tomorrow night. While I am looking forward to "meeting" the others during the call, I hope to learn more about what we can bring to the orphans and their caregivers. My hope is that my checked bags will bring 100 lbs of formula, medicine, diapers, clothes, etc. I will post as soon as I find out!!!

Other exiting (if not old) news is the advancement of Katie's Destination Imagination team from state to DI Globals! Thankfully, for us, Globals is held in Knoxville, TN. Thom and I (beginning in March) are the coaches for the team. We will travel with Katie and the 6 other team members at the end of May. They will compete against other teams from across the US and around the world. We are proud of them and look forward to guiding them through this experience!

David is enjoying baseball once again this Spring. Tonight at church he was asked to list his gifts. He named art, running, and baseball. It is a blessing to see him express confidence in the gifts God has given him!

Spending time with family when the days get a little crazy is of most importance. One Sunday afternoon we took time to fly kites together as a family. What a relaxing day!

On Easter weekend, we traveled to SC to spend time with Mimi & Papa and my brother's family. The weekend went fast, but we really enjoyed spending time with them and celebrating the resurrection of Christ!

"This is how God showed his love among us: He sent His one and only Son into the world that we might live through him." 1 John 4:9