Glad for the Reminder...

I've kind of let (made) myself put "moving to China" on the back burner in my mind. Not because the passion and need to go there has left me...actually quite the opposite! If I could leave to go there right this second, I would! There are many things that need to happen here, with my family, before we can move forward. We are working on it,  and I am trying my best to let things work themselves out and to be patient. I continuously remind myself, "It's God's timing, not mine!"

My researching and investigating of orphanages, and of different areas of China where we could possibly move has slowed down, since there isn't much I can do with the information that I find right now. It became hard to look at the faces of the orphans in China, knowing how badly I want to be there. My kids at home have kept me occupied enough that I was able to find other things to do with my time easily :). Not to mention that we moved, I started homeschooling Jacob, I had a large yard sale... I could go on and on!!

This week I received a reminder of where my passion of wanting to help these orphans comes from, and why I feel so deeply saddened for them. It took me back to one of my favorite quotes....

"Whenever you find tears in your eyes, especially unexpected tears, it is well to pay the closest attention. They are not only telling the secret of who you are, but more often than not of the mystery of where you have come from and are summoning you to where you should go next"
~Frederick Buechener

Those tears came to me this weeks as a read a blog from a friend that has recently brought her 4 year old daughter home from China. Her daughter has been through probably more than they will ever know in those 4 years. Her adjustment to learning to be loved has been hard. Here is a little of what her mom said...

"I’ve often heard, particularly in the adoptee community that adoption is trauma, loss, a primal wound. I understand (intellectually anyway) what they mean but I have to disagree that adoption itself is the cause of this trauma.

Abandonment is trauma.

Lying alone in a crib for 22 hours a day is trauma.

Hunger is trauma.

Not being loved or wanted is trauma.

Physical and sexual abuse is trauma.

No one coming when you cry is trauma.

The things that lead up to adoption are traumatic and painful and can cause life long damage but they should not be lumped broad brush style and called "adoption".

Adoption is healing.

And THANK GOD there is healing occurring in our daughter right now. Everyday great strides are made.

But, it is a struggle.

One that requires our exhaustive (and gladly given) efforts"

                       [You can read her entire blog here... www.fiveofmyown.blogspot.com ]


I was also very moved by several of the people that commented on her post. One mother in particular had adopted a 6 year old girl, and was prepared with flash cards to teach her daughter everything she would need to know to adjust from being in China to coming to a family in the United States. She said this about her experience of the adjustment...

"I didn't know I would have to teach her to cry if she was hurt, teach her to laugh if something was funny, teach her to realize if someone was laughing it wasn't at her, teach her that kindness isn't a weakness, teach her what a mother was, etc. ABC's and 123's were way more advanced than what she needed to learn. She had to learn to be a child, our child and learn that we loved her...more than anything."

These are the reasons why my family will be moving to China. We ALL will be God's hands and feet, and make a difference in the lives of several more of these children who need to know love, and respect. We want to be there to comfort them when they cry, and to teach them to be silly. We will teach them of God's love as well. I am glad for the reminder!!

~Tammy

Why did this one hurt?

Ethan is a sweet little boy that we met while we were at Shepherd's Field. He is an obvious favorite of the workers and volunteers there! When the work day is done, the workers go around to visit the kids and Ethan is always one that gets held :) I fell for him too... he is so cute, and sweet, and cuddly :). He is one of the boys I put in my very first post!

Shepherd's Field is the "foster home" for the kids that are there. The kids are still legally in the custody of their orphanges, and can be taken back at any time. According to a post on facebook last night by Sara, one of the workers at Shepherd's Field... This is what is happening to Ethan this weekend, as well as a little girl (Sharon). Their orphanage is taking them back! Sara received TONS of comments in regards to her post!! "So sad" and "I am praying for their adjustment" posts. When I read her post I immediately got tears in my eyes about this, so I was one of the ones who commented.

I guess the orphange is expanding, and adding local foster families. They don't have enough kids to fill all of the spots, so they are taking the kids that already have homes back. It doesn't make sense to me, but I guess it does to them. At least they will be in foster homes...hopefully.

I know that Ethan has been at Shepherd's Field for at least a year, so since he was a small baby. This is the "home" and "family" that he knows! I worry about how confused he will be, how he will adjust, how will he be treated? I pray for God to watch over both him and Sharon, as the learn to live their new life.

But here's what got me thinking... Why did this one hurt so much? Why did this post on facebook get so many comments? There are THOUSANDS of kids in orphanges in China without forever homes. Why did this happening to this little boy, and Sharon, get so much sympathy? A few hours later, Sara posted this to her facebook wall....

Orphans are easier to ignore before you know their names. They are easier to ignore before you see their faces. It is easier to pretend they're not real before you hold them in your arms. But once you do, everything changes."
~~David Platt


So, so very true.

Please pray for Ethan and Sharon as they move to their new "homes" this weekend...

Ethan

Sharon

Fun China memories

First of all... after writing my letter to the boys' friends yesterday, I've decided not to send it. I feel better just writing it, and reading it to the boys. In the end, it doesn't matter what other people think or say. What matters is that we are following God's plan for our family, and we are in it together. I've told the kids just to tell them that they aren't going to talk about this anymore, and then just change the subject and not try to "defend". We'll see how that goes!

Jonnie and I have been thinking and laughing about a few things that happened on our trip. I decided to share :)

~We were picked up at the airport by a driver, arranged by Shepherd's Field. I guess this guy actually works for them because we saw him a few times throughout the week. Anyway, he picked us up at the airport in a van and we headed down the highway, away from downtown Beijing. There were several vans pulled off the side of the road, and Jonathan even asked me at one point, why. I told him I had no idea. As we drove along... A MAIN HIGHWAY.... OUR driver suddenly pulled his van off the side of the road too, and gets out. Jonathan and I just looked at each other...? The guy walked around to the back of the van..... and takes a leak. On the highway... Lol. Jonathan and I again just looked at each other and started laughing. Welcome to China, Jonathan!! LOL. After we stopped laughing, Jonathan says "I guess that explains all of the other cars pulled off the side of the road too!" :)

~The night that we arrived at Shepherd's Field, one of the girls ordered us dinner from a small Chinese restaurant right down the road. We got broccoli, rice (of course), and a breaded chicken with sweet and sour sauce. Pretty much the same as what you would get here in the US. It was really, really good! The next night there wasn't anyone around to order for us, and we were feeling adventurous :) We decided to walk to the restaurant, with a cheater menu in hand that had their menu written in Chinese, next to English. (On a side note, Shepherd's Field's little dog Stevie went along with us to the restaurant. Loved her!). When we got to the restaurant, the one lady came right over to us. I pointed to what I thought may be the chicken that we had the night before. She laughed and just said, "No". I looked at her and she laughed again. Ok... so I looked again at the menu and pointed to another chicken item I though we may like. She again laughs and says, "No". Jonathan at this point is looking at me, laughing too. I was pretty confused, but no one speaks English to tell us why they don't have any of these things. I start looking again, and she walks over to their freezer, pulls out a plastic bag that appears to have chicken in it and says, "Yes?". "Sure" I say, "yes". She laughs and hands it to the other lady who takes it to the kitchen. We wait, and soon they come back with our meal. We pay and head back to our room. When we pull out our chicken, it is a whole chicken!! Cut up, but all of the pieces are there, including the head. Plus it was cold. We were pretty grossed out! Stevie got that chicken, we ate Easy Mac that we brought from home :)

~After a few days of Chinese food, we decided to have a driver take us to a Pizza Hut that we had seen while on an outing to Wal Mart ;-) Again, we were feeling adventurous! So we walk in, and the lady that met us at the door, and our waitress, obvious know enough English to sit us down and take our order. Most likely not much more than that. I keep reassuring Jonathan, everything will be ok :) We get our menu and there are pictures, and everything that is in Chinese has English right next to it. I figured this will be a piece of cake!! Jonathan of course wanted a pepperoni and sausage pizza. I didn't see that on the menu anywhere, but I did find a delux pizza, and the first 2 toppings listed were pepperoni and sausage. Easy enough. The waitress comes over and I point to the first to toppings, one at a time. She says, "ok" and writes it down. Jonathan looks at me, and I again reassure him it will be fine....

Not too long after we order, our pizza comes out... with everything on it. EVERYTHING. I look at the waitress and say, "NO, no, no.", and push it away. She looks at me concerned. I say, "Pepperoni and Sausage" and she just stares at me like she doesn't understand English! ;-). 2 more times I say, "Pepperoni, sausage" a little slower. Then she says, "Ahhhhh! , One moment!" She walks away, and comes back with........ Parmesan and sauces. You could tell she was all proud that she finally understood! Lol. Jonathan by this time is laughing, but still insisting that he IS NOT GOING TO EAT THIS! Because of him, I continue to try to get her to understand. I ask for the Menu (about 3 times before she gets it). I open to the page that I ordered from. I again point to the pepperoni, then sausage...one at a time. She looks at me very seriously and says, "It's in there!" and points to the pizza. Then she says, "It's ok? Yes?" I look at Jonnie, then her, and say "Yes, thank you" :) We ate the delux pizza... ;-)

Jonathan and Stevie

Chicken Head

Parmesan and Sauces

Delux!!

Time to write some of my thoughts...

The Wall of Hands at Shepherd's Field 

 I have really struggled with what to write about our trip. I'm really not sure why. It was a life changing trip for me, and for Jonathan. I guess I just don't know how to put into words how it made me feel, and where my mind goes from here. I'm going to try...

Let me start by talking about Shepherd's Field, where we stayed. It was started over 10 years ago by an American, Christian couple... Tim and Pam Baker. We got to meet and talk with both of them and they are both great, loving, caring people. Tim talked to me for over an hour the first day we were there. He cautioned me about how hard living in China can be and how isolating it can be. He also talked some about dealing with the nannies, and the orphanages, and how their priorities and standards are different than ours. He then went on to encourage us to follow God's plan for our family. How sometimes it takes a leap of faith to do that, and how we must trust God to lead us. After a very long talk, he prayed with Jonathan and I, as well as a few others on his staff. He prayed for our family, and that doors will be opened for us that no man can close. He then included us in their regular morning prayer for the kids, nannies & staff, then thanked God for everything that they have been given. It was a moment I will never forget, and I am grateful to him for going out of his way to talk with us. He also lined up with another "foster home" in the area that we were able to visit.

The love the Baker's have for their kids in their "Children's Village" is undeniable. They have built an amazing place for these kids, and have removed them for horrible situations. Each child has a home to live in, they have around the clock nannies (they work in shifts, and are the same nannies everyday so there is routine and consistancy), they receive 3 meals a day, school, and a warm bed to sleep in. They are cared for the best that the nannies can do.

But here is where I struggle.. Please understand this is just my opinion after being there for only 5 days. I only saw very little, and I don't know if this was the norm. I also want to say that I 100% support Shepherd's Field and what they are doing for these kids. If I had a child in a China orphanage, I would BEG to have them transfered to Shepherd's Field. It is so much better than the orphanages!They have saved most of these kids, literally!  But...... It isn't perfect. The "Children's Village" is big enough that the Bakers have had to let the Nannies kind of run the place, especially when they aren't there. They have put trust in these nannies, maybe a little too much (again, my opinion). We saw a nanny hit a couple of little kids (This I brought to Tim's attention, and he says he will fire this nanny if he can figure out which one it is), we saw a little boy with his hand tied to his crib rail (This I also brought to their attention, and they let me know that this boy tend to hurt himself so they have to restrain him. I get it, but it was still very sad to see.), we saw babies that spend ALL DAY in their cribs, unless we or another visitor happened to come in to hold them. And this is one of the GREAT Childrens' homes! I could go on and on.

I guess what this taught me is that we are never going to 100% be able to save these children. The only thing that can save them, is being adopted!! At Shepherd's Field they are physically cared for, and like I said before have some sort of "bond" with their nannies. But it isn't a family. They aren't treated like family. They aren't loved like family. They do the best that they can there, but it isn't good enough. These kids need a family!!

That being said I still believe that MY FAMILY can make a difference, and I still KNOW that we are being called to China. God has a plan, and we will continue to follow him. Even if we can only make a difference if a couple of children's lives, it will be worth it!! Jeff and I have a lot of talking and praying to do over the next year or so about where to start. I have some ideas, and I'm doing some of my own research to get a feel for what is needed. Please keep us in your prayers to be able to see clearly where we are being led!

On kind of a seperate subject, my boys are being given a hard time lately by some of their friends about why we are going to be moving to China, and our reasons for adopting from China. Kids can be so cruel! My boys are having to defend why their sisters are their sisters, and why they are "Choosing China over the US".  It has really gotten out of hand in the last week or so, so I decided to write a letter to the parents of these "friends". Like I say in the letter, I guess this is what I signed up for when we became an adoptive family, but really? Other people don't have to DEFEND whey their siblings are their siblings. It is ridiculous! Here is the letter I wrote. Let me know what you think!

I guess the boys have been having some pretty intense discussions on the bus and after school about our family, our daughters that are adopted from China, and our plans to move to China to volunteer in an orphanage. The boys have come home upset and frustrated several times over the last several weeks. It is hurtful to them to have to defend our family, and where their sisters are from. They are their sisters, and they love them like their sisters. They don’t understand why they have to explain why we adopted them and why we didn’t adopt other children from the United States, etc. In my opinion, they shouldn’t have to defend why they are their sisters at all, they just are. But this is what we signed up for when we became and adoptive family. I try to give the kids the answers to the questions that they undoubtedly will be asked, but this has gotten hard for them and they have run out of answers, or the answers they have haven’t been good enough.

I am writing to you because I wanted to give you some information about our family, and what our plans are so that maybe you can help your boys to understand. Please know that I am not upset at any of the kids. Kids, as well as a lot of adults don’t understand. I guess it isn’t even that they don’t understand, they just don’t know all of the details and aren’t well informed. I want the kids to understand, and be informed that we are NOT doing this to “support China”, or to “support the families that are killing or abandoning their children” (These are a couple of the things that have been said to the boys). We are doing this because this is where our passion is. Some people are animal advocates, they rescue dogs or horses, or are involved with the ASPCA, etc. Other  people may work with the homeless, or the elderly, or abused women, etc. Everyone finds their passion (that’s what I would hope at least!), and that is what leads them on their life journey. We have been touched by adoption, and it just happens to be China adoption, so that is where our life journey is leading us.

My husband and I tried foster to adopt in the US. We went through certification for it. For reasons that I don’t feel I need to explain, it just wasn’t for us. We found OUR daughters in China, and our lives have forever been changed because of them. Our family, including the boys, will never be the same. Our youngest daughter had scars from being tied to her crib, she has a flat head from laying on her back for 20 months, before we were allowed to come and adopt her. She didn’t know how to play when we brought her home, she had never held a toy. She didn’t cry when she needed something. Babies in China orphanages quickly learn that their cries will not be responded to, so they stop crying. I can go on and on…  The problem is, there are THOUSANDS of other children still over there.  They need to be held, hugged, and loved. It is one thing to know they are out there, but it is another thing to have seen them. Orphans. They have NO ONE! I personally have been changed as a person after seeing this. This, with the combination with my strong faith in God and my belief that we all have a calling to do something with our God given passions, has led me to KNOWING that I need to help these orphans. Even if it is just a few, I believe my family can make a difference in the life of some of these children.

Our goal is to eventually move to China to help out in some of the orphanages over there. We are doing this for the children, not to help out the country of China. We have a lot of planning to do, and we know it is going to be difficult. I can honestly say that I didn’t expect such a negative outlook to be coming from the boys’ friends. I hope my explanation will help in some way. I want to again say, I am not upset with the boys. They are kids, and I don’t expect them to understand. I do hope that they will understand a little better now, and hopefully will be a little more supportive. This is going to be a tough change for all of my kids. They can use all of the support they can get!

Thanks for listening ;-) If you have any questions, or if you ever need anything at all feel free to call me at anytime!!

Hopefully that gets the point across, nicely :)

And now a few pictures!

~Tammy

One of the homes



Children's Homes

This is what all of the rooms looked like. Packed full with beds
and cribs.

Toby

Jonnie holding one of the boys who was desperate for attention.
I laughed because the boy was a big as him :)

Beth

Back from China!!

We are home, and I think we are pretty much recovered. Jonathan went back to school today, although her wasn't real happy about that ;-)

Let me start off by saying how happy we are to be back together as a whole family again. The kids at home had a bit of a rough time with me being gone, and I am so happy to be back with them again. The next time we go to China, it will be all of us :-)

I've been trying to figure out how to post about our trip, without it ending up being a book. We didn't have internet in our room, so I have a week's worth of things to write about! So much happened, we had so many different experiences, and I want to put it all in writing.  I've decided to pick just random memories that we have, and post about them over the next couple of weeks.

I've decided to make my first post about the most touching part of our trip. The kids that we met there!! Shepherd's Field has a little under 100 kids, and I think by the end of our week we visited with them all. Jonathan and I had our favorites of course ;-) We would visit the kids, hold them, play with them, love them. We enjoyed every minute of it! We have to remember though, these are orphans... they don't have parents! The nannies and the staff at Shepherd's Field are the only constant in their lives. The nannies work in shifts, and although they take care of their physical needs, they don't give them the love that parents would give them. Don't get me wrong, there has to be some attachment there. The nannies work with the kids day in and day out, so I'm sure they care about them. But at the end of their work day, the nannies go home to their families. These children are craving love and acceptance. It was obvious from the moment we walked into the homes. Never having met Jonathan and I before, they would come running to be held and played with. We loved every minute of it of course, but how sad, you know? They want the love of anyone who will give it to them!

The "staff" (talking of those other than the nannies) at Shepherd's Field are very caring people. When they go into the houses, the love they have for the kids is obvious! There are a lot of kids though, and the staff is very busy with other things, so the majority of the attention the kids receive are from the nannies and visitors.

I want to talk about a few of the kids there that really touched us... I'd love to list them all but I don't know how much this post will hold! ;-)

AMITY... She is a 7 month old little girl that had emergency heart surgery a month or so ago. She is so tiny and so sweet! Definitely one of Jonathan's favorites :) The surgery saved her life, but Shepherd's Field has to pay off her medical bill in order to be able to get surgery for other kids that need it. They still owe about $5000 towards her surgery. If you are interested in donating, let me know!

Or Donate Here: http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.causes.com%2Fcauses%2F84078-shepherd-s-field-children-s-village%2Factions%2F1533147&h=uAQHvglAFAQGrGnjx1VOhrul2P5sYdf_7lykZlGgqHfm58Q

LIAM... He is about 11 months old, but is the size of a newborn. He was the first child I held when we got there, and I am in love ;-) He also has a heart condition, as well as a hernia, and will need surgery soon. He is so fragile, but loves to be held!






VIVIENNE.... She is 7 months old and had bowel surgery that was successful. She has crossed-eyes and always had a scowl on her face that makes her so cute :)









NATALIE BRYNE... She is 11 months old, has a heart condition, and sounded so sick! I really worried about her, but was told that they hope to get her in for heart surgery soon!













KENNEDY... This little 5 year old boy is amazing! (And he's silly!)

Kennedy has hydrocephalus, but now has a shunt placed and is doing really well. His head is large because of the hydrocephalus, so learning to hold his head up has been one of his biggest challenges! He receives therapy, and can now crawl and take himself to the bathroom. He is starting to work on pulling himself up to stand too.

Kennedy is so smart. He has learned English just because of the frequent visits from Americans, and it is easy to hold a conversation with him. He also would translate a little bit for us! Kennedy loved playing with Jonathan, but it was also obvious that he was craving a mother's love too. He would play with Jonnie, but would make his way over to me for some hugs and kisses pretty often too. I absolutely love him!!

See a video I took of him here: http://youtu.be/jENkwRomiJs

MIA... I wanted to throw her in here too, because she was Jonathan's absolute favorite! She is being adopted!! Her parents are from Stow, Ohio and they left this morning to go get her to bring her home!! Praise GOD!! :) Follow their journey at www.fiveofmyown.blogspot.com

ETHAN... born with facial and left ear deformity. Such a sweet baby!

MELANIE... born with only partial arms and legs. She was amazing!! She would crawl around so fast, and was very independent!! She also has an adoptive family that will hopefully be bringing her home soon.













CJ... Has an unrepaired cleft palate. Such a cutie!!












NOEL and CHARISSA... Both with Cerebral Palsy. Such happy girls :)

DIANNE... This little one craved attention so badly. She was one of the little ones that just grabbed on to me as soon as I walked in the door, and cried when we left. Heartbreaking!






That is just a few. Like I said, I could go on and on!!

Click here for a video about Shepherd's Field
http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Ft.co%2FIsAD5ztQ&h=zAQHKw30kAQHWOwYF-3i3zJKSkGOlxls72u287LIbxvfDrA

Leaving for China

   We leave for China in just a few hours! I am so excited, and so is Jonathan :) We have both been up most of the night. I've been packing and getting thing ready for Jeff and the kids for the week. Jonathan was up just because he couldn't sleep. .

   As much as I am looking forward to being in China, I am absolutely dreading the plane ride! Plus it has also been very hard, as usual, to say goodbye to the kids staying home, and to give info to Jeff just "in case". We know God will watch over all of us <3

   We will be landing in Beijing, China at 3:40p on Tuesday, China time. That is 2:40a Tuesday morning here. Please pray for a safe and FAST flight! ;-)

   I will write again as soon as possible. I have no idea when that will be though!

~Tammy

Where do I start?!

I definitely should have started this post months ago. I have so many thoughts, that I don't even know where to begin! I'll try to sum it up into a short version of the story :)

I have always been drawn to the orphans of China, obvously since we have adopted from China twice, but I'm talking more than that. They REALLY get to me. I think of those boys and girls in China who don't have parents constantly... When you know about them, yes it is sad. When you actually SEE them, it is hearbreaking!! I had kind of just accepted that I would always be sad for them. I would look at their pictures, pray for them, and be sad for them....

Several months ago, the pastor at our church (Pastor Jim Colledge) was giving a sermon on how we should use our God Given Gifts to serve God. He challenged us to pray, and dig deep within ourselves and figure out what our gift is. Once we figure it out, figure out how to use it!! "Follow God's Will. Your life has purpose! Make a decision and go ALL IN".

I've always known my love for China's orphans was different than others', maybe. But I never thought about that love for them as being a GOD GIVEN GIFT? As I prayed, and tried to push that thought away, it kept coming back to me. I was confused, and a little scared. "How am I supposed to use this gift, if it is a gift? I've adopted already. What..., am I now just supposed to up and move my family to China, to care for the Orphans there?!"  With that thought, I felt peace come over me. I can't even explain it... I immediately knew that was what God has been trying to tell me. That is what he has been preparing me for!

Figuring this out for myself was the easy part...

 Actually, the first talk I had with Jeff, telling him I thought we should move to China went REALLY well too. (Another sign that this is the right thing?). The kids didn't even get upset or nervous about it when I mentioned it to them. They are very excited, and talk about it all of the time. (Of course they question the unknown, but aren't against it in ANY way)

Telling our family has been the hardest. They are all very supportive of the thought behind why we believe this is our calling, and we know they will be 100% supportive along our journey. They do worry about us though. They worry about how the decisions we make now, are going to affect our future. They worry about the kids. They worry about our safety, being half way around the world. They are our family, we expect them to worry! We listen to their concerns, we address their worries and concerns, and we continue to follow God's plan for us. God decides.

I have been drawn to a Christian, American run "Children's Village" just outside of Beijing called Shepherd's Field Children's Village. In just 2 weeks, my middle son (Jonathan) and I will travel there to visit with the director, and of course to give plenty of LOVE to the orphans that live there! I hope to find out if they have any needs for volunteers, and just to find out a little more about how things are run there. I pray this will lead to some answers for me of what I should do next. I'm so excited to start this journey!!

"Ok God, what next?" That is where I am at now... :)

I want to share a few verses and quotes that have given me encouragement as I have started this journey...

~"Your life has purpose"
~"Be who you are. Don't conform to what others expect of you & who others want you to be."
~"Life on the Potter's Wheel: What God (The Potter) is doing in the process of transforming your life, will be life on the Potter's Wheel. There will be pressure, and you will feel it. It will sometimes HURT! But know this.. It is not a matter of how YOU want to be shaped or molded. It is GOD that applies his hand to our lives and he shapes us how HE wants us. When we try to shape our own lives, that is when the pressure comes in. THE BEST THING TO DO IS TO SUBMIT/SURRENDER TO THE HANDS OF THE POTTER!!"
"Following with faith is like having a flashlight in the dark. You walk holding it just 3 feet in front of you so you can see where you are walking, but it is pitch black beyond that. Keep walking and follow the path that God has laid down for you!"

.......All of the above quotes were from sermons given by our pastor, Pastor Jim Colledge.......

Hebrews 11:8 (NIV) By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going"

"Sometimes I want to ask God why he allows povery, famine, and injustice in the world when he could do something about it, but I'm afraid he might just ask me the same question" ~Author unknown

"Whenever you find tears in your eyes, especially unexpected tears, it is well to pay the closest attention. They are not only telling the secret of who you are, but more often than not of the mystery of where you have come from and are summoning you to where you should go next"  ~Frederick Buechener

So this didn't end up being such a short version ;-) This is the beginging of our journey. Only God knows where we will end up....

~Tammy