Room For One More

Tonight I'm laying in my new King Size bed that the kind folks of Nebraska Furniture Mart delivered today. Overindulgence? More out of necessity really. In a few weeks our little Ukrainian orphan, Aiden Joseph will be in our arms and most likely in our bed for awhile. Of course that means that Elia, will want to get in on the action as well, and rightfully so. I find myself still hugging the same 8 inches however, knowing that I might as well not get use to a lot of new sleeping space. I have asked Trace to lay sideways and kick me in the head a few times and elbow me real good so I get used to sleeping through the pain. I remember when Nick (our 16 year old) was all we had. He went through a phase where he would come into our room lay on the floor next to my side of the bed and make me hold his hand while he slept. Funny how that seems just like yesterday.

Anyway, it's amazing how small a queen size bed looks once you have a king. Tay has our former bed now, and looking at him in it makes me wonder how Trace and I ever managed. So if I still hold on to my 8 inches of space, I figure we can get 2 (maybe 3) little ones in here with us, which brings me to the main reason I am posting this entry tonight.

Tonight as I post this entry, my brother Derek is on his was home from Ukraine with his 3 boys. He and his wife Renee are bringing these little ones into a life that they could have never dreamed even existed. These little guys had never had solid food to eat, had never been outside of the orphanage, and have not known the consolation of human touch when they are uspset.

If you were to walk through this orphanage (the same one where Aiden is waiting for us), you would see children playing with very few toys, some boys dressed in girls clothes and vica versa; and you would most likley see cribs holding sometimes up to 11 children in just one. This just seems so outrageous to me and I can't wrap my mind around this reality, so it got me thinking a few weeks ago about trying to save just one more.

I mentioned this to Trace, and we both agreed to pray about this and if God provided the extra $4,680 we would need to bring another child home we will. Isabelle keeps having dreams about another orphan. Although we are exhausted from this whole process, this is heavy on our hearts.

Guys, I have spent most of my life over-indulging in so many things that I am ashamed of. My past struggles and addictions hold on to my belt loop with both hands digging in trying desperately not to let go. The fact of the matter is that at 39, I'm changing and the things I use to think were so important just are not- stuff like making it in music , recording an album and being in ministry or being in any kind of leadership position again. Tonight I lay on this huge bed with Elia and we laughed ourselves silly. We told each other secrets and rolled around like 2 crazy people. Tonight I did one of the few things I know in this life that actually counts. I loved my kids and I loved 'em real good.

So though my heart is heavy that I can't rescue all of the children in that Ukrainian orphanage I figure I can rescue just one more. I think Aiden knows we are coming. My mom got to hold him and play with him this week. If I know her, I am sure she whispered in his ear at some point, "Hang on little buddy your Momma and Poppa are coming for you real soon."

Please pray with us about bringing another little one home while we are in the Ukraine. The costs are significantly less to bringing home 2. Though it makes things tighter for us in this kings size bed, our home, our vehicle, as well as our wallet, the little pressure we may feel does not even compare to the pressure these little ones are experiencing. I figure if I ever make a mistake in over-indulging this is a good one to make.

Here's Derek with Aiden a few weeks ago.