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There’s no dull day here at the promise house! We are learning so much. We’ve been on duty by ourselves for several days now and have survived! Not only have we survived but things are going pretty well. We’ve had some tough situations . . . and at moments wondered if we could really do this. But we know that God has called us here. And we know that he will give us the strength, wisdom, discipline, maturity, discernment to do what needs to get done.

Oh yeah, this morning I set a loaf of bread on fire. We freeze bread and this morning I was defrosting a loaf. I forgot about the twisty thing having metal in it. Turns out that metal gets really hot really fast in a microwave and it set the bag on fire!!

We are now officially houseparents at the Promise House. And life is starting to get very interesting . . .

We moved into the Promise House on Monday. I also started a couple seminary classes Monday as well. Our apartment is stacked from floor to ceiling with cardboard boxes. It seems like a pretty big task getting all that stuff in it’s spot . . . but we’re making some headway on it. At the same time Sophia has gotten really sicker. She was fighting a little cold all last week, but we thought she was about past it. But now the fever has come and the mucus is flowing like milk and honey (but not near as tasty)!

Meanwhile, we’re learning what it means to be houseparents. We take our first solo flight tomorrow. Keri, the other houseparent is going to get to take a few days off. Tomorrow will be her first day off since Thanksgiving.

Right now there are three girls here. There is a new one coming tomorrow. Despite the stress of getting a house in order and a sick baby, we have enjoyed our first few days here and have learned a lot.

And there is a lot to learn! . . . cleaning schedules, chores, laundry schedules, water, breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack, thermometers, computers, alarm systems, etc., etc.

But really, it’s all about creating an environment where these girls can feel safe, taken care of, and loved. It’s about giving them opportunities to learn basic life skills and how to care for a baby. But most of all, it’s about creating a home where they can experience the love, grace, power, wrath, holiness, purity, passion of Jesus through relationships.

For example, “Rejoice” told me tonight that she didn’t need friends. She didn’t want friends. That she was her own friend. I’d probably say the same thing if my mom had abandoned me and then I had jumped from foster family to foster family for years. At the Promise House it’s our job to make it ok to be vulnerable . . . to let someone in and be friends.n

We’re about to head to Arkansas’ best kept secret: EL DORADO!

We’re meeting up with our best friends from OBU. We’ll spend the weekend with them and then move into Promise House Monday.

A little late, I know. But we’ve celebrated Christmas with our families in the past week, so we’re still in the holiday spirit.

My parents got us a running stroller so that Sophia can go along with us on our runs. It’s a pretty sweet ride!

Craziest thing. Yesterday, Amanda and I went into a little mexican grocery store in Clarksville to get a Latin fix and there were 2 Peruvians in there!! It was awesome.

Sophia is kind of sick. I guess it’s the mixture of the freezing temperatures and brand new germs that have her coughing a lot. We’re gonna take her to the doctor today if we can get this insurance thing figured out!

We’re not going into the Promise House blindly. We understand that this job is going to be very very difficult. There is nothing messier in life than relationships with people . . . and we’re about to jump into some pretty complicated lives.

But . . . we’re excited!! Amanda and I both have a strange desire to be mixed up in people’s lives. And truthfully we want to be mixed up in complicated lives. We want to share life with people who are confused about who they are and who God is. We want to be mixed up in lives like that because God has given us a love for folks like that. And we truly believe that Jesus can use us to draw them closer to him.

I have this really cool photo of Amanda. She is holding a little boy named David. He was an orphan in Mexico that we met about 5 or 6 years ago. This kid was begging for someone to let him be a part of their family. And truthfully, Amanda and I would probably take him in right now if we could. I know, I know . . . that’s not practical! There are all kinds of reasons not to get involved with people like that: they might be emotionally unstable, they’ll cause problems, they cost money, they take time, they might be dangerous, they might not love you back . . . and the list goes on.

I guess to us, it doesn’t matter. Jesus said love the least of ‘em. And, for us, that means getting involved . . . getting into the nitty gritty of relationship.

That’s why we’re excited.

For most of our family, they are meeting Sophia for the first time. It’s amazing what a new life does. Sophia is just taking it all in. She’s also getting some pretty cool presents along the way!

Here’s a picture of Sophia and her Great-Grandma and her cousin in Crossett, AR.

Amanda’s brother and sister-in-law are coming to meet Sophia for the first time today here in Cabot.

As followers of Jesus Christ, our lives are built around him. We go where he shows us. We do what he asks of us. So, as our time in Peru drew to an end we began asking ourselves “What’s the next step?”. Then, we starting asking Jesus “What’s the next step?”.

It’s really hard to be patient. It’s also hard to keep the proper focus and perspective. A part of us really wanted to make a decision about a job based on salary, geogpraphy, fit, etc., etc. . . . We had to constatly remind ourselves that Jesus had something for us.

So we waited. We sent out resumes. We made it known we were coming home and that we need a job!! We waited and waited . . . and heard nothing.

I often reminded myself and Amanda that it would “come together” . . . meaning that Jesus would make it really clear where we were to go and what we were to do.

Finally, he did! A good friend emailed us about the possibility of becoming houseparents at the Promise House. Initially, it seemed out of the question. It wasn’t really what we were looking for. It wasn’t in a city with a seminary. The job itself seemed very daunting!

But then, as we started talking to each other and Jesus about it, a strange thing happened. Both Amanda’s and my heart changed. We got excited about stepping into that role as houseparents. It quickly became clear that it was “coming together.” And from then on, it was all open doors and affirmation.

So, here we are. We’ll move into the Promise House in about a week and begin that next phase in our journey with Jesus. And we are SO excited.

We visited the home and met the girls a few days ago. Yesterday, two of the girls had their babies.

He has guided us this far . . . and we are certain that he will continue to draw us close to him and lead us through life. That’s the great thing . . . our focus is being close to him. We don’t have to worry about all the other stuff (new houses, cars, retirement, clothes, food, etc. etc.). . . he knows what we need, and he’s never failed in providing it.

After three flights and a lot of miles . . . we’re finally back in Arkansas. Our time in Peru was absolutely amazing. God taught us more than we can wrap our mind around right now. So, we’re thankful. We are transitioning back into life in the U.S. with grateful hearts. God has been so good and blessed us every step of the way.

Our next step is the Promise House. Although we will be very limited as to what we can share and say about the girls at the Promise House, we’ll be sharing our experiences, struggles, and lives here on this blog. Stay tuned!

We arrived to Little Rock early this afternoon! We are enjoying time with family and sweet tea!!!!

Here we sit . . . in the Lima airport. I paid three dollars for 2 hours worth of wirless internet because our plane is delayed!

Amanda is trying to get caught up on some of the rest that we missed out on this week. It has been absolutely crazy! But, here we are . . . about to fly home.

However, we first have to navigate 5 airports with lots of luggage and squirmy 5 month old. We’ll see how it goes.

We’re worn out . . . but at the same time, we’re thankful. God has been so good to us. He has blessed us more than we could ever deserve. So, we’re leaving Lima giving thanks to Jesus. For walking with us every step of the way.