Memorial Day Weekend

Ok, it is now officially the un-official start of the Summer of Hope.  Slowly we are making headway in the attic (plan is to have it painted by the end of the weekend) and then it is on to finding a mattress for her bed and perhaps a dresser/nightstand.  We are finding that the "things" we need for Daniela's visit with us are easily falling into place.

We enjoy reading about the excitement of the other hosting families as the arrival date fast approaches.  We can empathize with them as they face hurdles and rejoice with them as they work past those speed-bumps.  We continue to pray for strength and guidance on our journey with God.  Several of our friends and families and mere acquaintances join with us in spirit and financially.

Our prayer support network continues to grow.  Our love for a young woman, whom we have never met, continues to grow as well.  Our family is waiting with arms and hearts wide open for her arrival to America.  It feels like she's already there. God bless.

Little by Little

Today we lined up Daniela's visit to the dentist.  We've already lined up her eye exam.  Between the two of them it will be less than $100. Thanks to God.

We continue to make headway on her bedroom (I ran the new electric and Eileen is repainting).  We have an American flag and a Latvian flag for decorations.  More will be added soon.  We will make sure that the Latvian flag is flying along with the American flag for when she arrives on June 27th!

Friends, church and family continue to support our efforts financially and, more importantly, in prayer.  God continues to confirm that this is our mission ... to love and serve orphans.  Frankly, we couldn't be happier and more assured of His will.

Thank you to all the hosting families from NHFC and the staff at NHFC.  You all have been such a blessing to us.

38 Days Until the Latvian Invasion

This is the first of many posts about our adventure for the Summer of 2013.  Eileen, Peter and I are hosting a young woman, an orphan, from Latvia for five weeks this summer.  We are both terrified and excited all at the same time.  We don't know very much about her except that she is 17, her name is Daniela and she is studying cosmetology in Latvia.  Here is a photo of her:

What we do know are several things: we are thrilled to be hosting her; we believe that this is God's will for us to be hosting her; and, we KNOW that we will be forever changed by this experience.

We have been actively fundraising for several months now and things are going well on that front.  We have also been connecting with other families across the country who are hosting other orphans through the same organization, New Horizons for Children.  The meeting of other families of like spirit, heart and mission has been a blessing to us as we prepare for Daniela's arrival.

We have just completed our training for the summer this weekend.  Lots of information coupled with lots of questions made for a very exciting time.  Several of the families in our regions are planning a day with our guests at Hershey park (note: I will not be the one going on the roller coaster)!