4 years of life with the Twinnettes.

I can hardly believe that these little babies...


Have transformed into these hilarious, girly, dress-up loving, ladies.

These girls are such treasures. They are so full of life and spunk! They currently love: eating, brushing their teeth by themselves, running,

dancing on anything that can be used as a stage, drumming on things, loading the dryer with the clothes from the washer, telling made up jokes, cracking eggs for breakfast, being helpful with anything and everything, changing outfits {12 times a day}, singing, and feeding my fish {...that i was given as a gift for Christmas and is shockingly still alive.}  They love playing pretend games with each other where their pretend names are both "Ella". I don't know how it works, but they both have the same name in every game...somehow it just works for them.




I am so excited to see the women that they are going to become. God has huge plans for them.

They are so fearless. Literally. Nothing will stand in their way.


They are leaders. {They come up with some of the most creative schemes known to mankind. In fact, they come up with schemes that no man has ever even contemplated and they execute them with extreme precision.}

They are innovative. {When its six am and you think you're home alone- but really everyone is just sleeping- go to the neighbor's house. They'll bring you back home and wake up your family for you.}

They ask the hard questions. {"Do you have a baby in your tummy?"}

They speak up when no one else will. {That lady's hair is not good. Mmm. It's crazy."}

They have a profound sense of justice.{ "Kezzie has 4 grapes and I only have 3."}

They are so full of joy.

They are SO full of life! There is more personality wrapped up in these four year old twins than you can even imagine. They keep us on our toes and they bring so much joy to our hearts. 

Keren always has something hilarious to say. Usually about somebody "being a pancake" for doing something she thought was rude.



 Keziah always has a new statement to make with her outfit. Keziah especially loves her shirt with the little pink dog on it, paired with her pink tutu. She is Fancy Nancy personified.

They make an amazing team. They  recently decided that they wanted to try going to some of the things that the boys go to...and then just as quickly decided it wasn't for them. I understand completely. They recently did what I only dreamed of doing as a small child. Jason Bourne style. When they were taken to AWANA for the first {and only} time, they simultaneously decided it was no longer cool. One got the first teacher in a headlock {more or less}, the other kicked the remaining teacher at the door and then they both made the great escape out the door to find my parents. About 6 months later, they wanted to try Sunday School at Church. {they normally sit in the regular service with us.} They lasted about 30 minutes before we heard running in the halls. Keren bolted and got in the elevator, Keziah took the stairs. Someone asked me last week at Taekwondo if that was my sister that came running to the service crying and calling my name. Yes! It was. My very own sister. Right in the middle of a sermon on sanctity of human life/ adoption. I thought it added a nice effect though and sort of brought everything to life. Way to go Kez. They go against the flow. Who cares if the other kids stay in Sunday school? The world is full of those other kids.

{With a little channeling in the right direction...}
These girls are going to change the world.

They've changed my life forever and i'm eternally grateful that God decided these little African Ladies were meant to be my sisters. They have changed my world.

 God has taught me so much about love through them. He has shown me so much about the way He loves us. He loves us with a never stopping, never giving up, bigger than our attitudes towards Him, bigger than our behavior, bigger than everything we could ever do for Him kind of love. This is the love that I have been shown. This is the love that He teaches me how to give. And man, do I love these little boogers.

God has His hand on them. He protected them through so much, and is continuing to do so. He has brought them to our family for a reason and He is going to use them to impact the world for His glory. I just know it.


 Watch out world. Here they come. {Maybe to a Sunday School near you...HA. Just kidding. :) }

Happy Birthday Ladies! I love you more than I could ever tell you. You stole my heart the minute I saw your picture. You are the little sisters I always dreamed of, and so much more.

"For this {these} child{ren !} I prayed, and the LORD has granted me my petition that I made to him."
1 Samuel 1:27

MLK

Today, I took my brothers and sisters to the park. My black brothers and sisters, and my white ones. There were no signs that said some of us had to stay out because of the shade of skin on our bodies. Nobody tried to stop us, nobody called us names. Dr. King's dream was realized a little today in my life. Just a simple act of freedom that I take for granted, was a merely a dream 50 years ago. I am indescribably grateful that Dr. King and so many others deemed it a dream worth fighting for.

I am beyond thankful for the work God has done in so many hearts because of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and others who spoke out for the oppressed, despite persecution. My life in the South with four African siblings would look so much different had they not been so courageous. To think that I could have missed out on most of the biggest blessings of my life due to the amount of melanin in their skin breaks my heart. It's shameful to think that such a thin layer of substance can create so much dissension among those who are meant to be brothers. And yet, despite the depraved nature of man's heart that would choose to see color as a distinction of value, God came for us in love and chose to offer us forgiveness. He brought justice to our sin through His Son, rather than us. What a merciful God.

My heart is full of thankfulness that God has brought us from segregated bus seats and water fountains, to integrated families, government and Churches. Praise God.

(phone pictures from the  glorious park visit this afternoon.)

May we always see the people of this world the way God sees them. May we always look at the heart of a man, rather than the appearance. May we always do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God.
 
 
 

Out with 2010, In with 2011.

2010 was such a beautiful year for me.
Not because everything went according to the way I thought it should have, or because there were only fun times to be had and never any troubles. Quite the contrary. It was a wonderful year for me because it was so completely not the way I thought it would be.

 I feel like I aged about 5 years in 2010, but in the best of ways. God proved Himself to be so faithful to me everysingleday.  I felt God loving me so deeply in the midst of  the chaotic parts. I felt Him guarding my heart and protecting me. I felt Him giving me the courage to stand for Him, and I felt Him nudging me over every proverbial cliff in my life. He gave me the courage to jump, and then caught me every time. This year I fell in love with my Jesus so much more. I began to know Him so much better than I ever have before. He held my hand and walked me through the year with such abundant grace that I .just.couldn't. keep from loving Him.

I wouldn't trade 2010 for all the tea in China.

I am so excited to see what God is going to do in 2011. I am so thankful that even though I have no clue what this year holds, I know the One who holds it... and He is trustworthy. He is not held within the boundaries of our dates or plans. He is the same, year, after year, after year, and He is good. I choose to trust Him with 2011. It'll be an adventure, no doubt.



My New Years Resolutions:

Follow Jesus in faith, wherever He leads me. He knows what's up, even when I don't.

Study God's word more diligently.

Love others fully, even when its not easy.

Engage my culture for the plight of the orphan in ways that I haven't before.

Improve my Spanish skills.

Give sacrificially.

Improve Taekwondo skills.

View others as more important than myself.

Share the Gospel more.

Read more.

Run more.

Help Mom finish writing her book by caring for the Littles.

Serve God wholeheartedly wherever He has me.

A brief overview:

At the start of the year, I was a mere junior in high school that was studying the Industrial Revolution and reading Charles Dickens. I started driving myself places, which was so lovely and convenient. Started preparing a group of young people to go to Uganda in the summer for a missions trip.

God called me to speak up for the orphans He's taken me to meet around the world. Surrendered my freaking-out-heart to His will and watched Him move mountains. I am so grateful for the opportunities He's given me to speak up for His glory and for His heart. What a blessing.

I began to love Taekwondo more and more.

Traveled to Uganda where God spoke volumes to my heart about His world, His people, and His plans for my life. God began preparing my heart to move out of state to work with orphan care ministries.


Got a new brother! God performed 10,000 miracles and Solomon had a 24 hour notice that he was coming to live in America.
No way. I'm still in shock and its January.

Solomon and I went to Precept Ministries International's Boot Camp in TN and had a fantastic time.

Spent all of July and August having friends visit, traveling with friends, traveling with family, and staffing at different camps.

Solomon saw the ocean for the first time ever!

One of the boys' many experiments/ grand ideas/ projects this summer was :



They created a butterfly conservatory in our kitchen and we had butterflies flying everywhere. It was pretty impressive. They would spend hours catching, drawing, reading about, and watching them. I was impressed.
I started my last legitimate semester of high school in the fall! Took classes at SEBTS and learned SO much. I'm so thankful for the time I had there.

Mom went out of town and I had the Littles. The Twinnettes saw Tinkerbell's latest movie and were obsessed with the idea of catching a fairy. Well, late night Target runs can make wishes come true for little girls who put little tissue box houses in gardens. :)


Utter joy! :)

Had fun friends come to town for fall break and met "old" friends in person!




Traveled to TN with Mom and the Twinettes for a girls weekend to work through some plans for the future.








Traveled to Hershey, PA with the family for the Mid-Atlantic Orphan Summit.

Spent such a fun Thanksgiving and Christmas with my whole family.

 I then headed off to Florida for New Years! My sweet friends, Bradley and Kirk, got hitched! It was a blast of a week and their wedding was beautiful...a wedding deserving of its own post. :)


So thankful for 2010 and the memories, lessons, and friends that came with it!

Merry Christmas. Feliz Navidad. Melkam Gena. Happy Birthday to Jesus. Sheng Dan Kuai Le.

The most beautiful story ever written. A Holy God - Creator and judge of the Universe- came to us, an unholy people who chose to reject His love and His perfect ways. He chose to redeem us and make us His children while we were still His enemies and wanted nothing to do with Him. 

 He chose to send His son as a baby into a world full of evil. He chose to come to us, not as a mighty King, but as a baby, born in the most humble of places.

He walked among us, healed us, loved us, taught us. God knew we could not save ourselves. He is Just, and He is Merciful. He chose to pour out His overwhelming wrath of our sin and wickedness upon His one and only Son, so that we might be saved through Him.

Jesus bore God's wrath over my sin so that I could be washed as white as snow. He died for us, but He rose victoriously from death on that glorious third day, conquering sin and death forever. 

Because of Jesus, I have been completely forgiven. God looks at me and sees only the blood of my beautiful Savior who washed me clean, not who I was without Him. Because of Jesus, we can each have a relationship with the Holy God of the universe. Because of Jesus, an unworthy people, can be called children of God, living in victory over sin, and with the promise of eternal life with Him in heaven.

 Because of Jesus, God offers all of us a free gift of Salvation. Of Redemption. Of Peace with Him.

This is the Miracle of Christmas.

Emmanuel: God with us. God with me. Every single day.

                                                                   Mmmm...classic.

   Solomon's first Christmas ornament! We gave it to him via skype last year and it hung on our tree, just desperately hoping that he would be here one day to hang it himself. Praise the Lord, He was here to do it this Christmas!

                                                                           
                                                                      Mmm...even more classic.

For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. - Isaiah 9:6

                                                                   
                                                                                    

               The fireplace has witnessed a few affects of adoption as well.
                          Dear Santa, we need a bigger mantle next year.
                                           Love,
                                              Ellie

                                       Raleigh had it's first White Christmas in 63 years. My heart nearly exploded with joy.

This was about the time she decided she would really like some hot cocoa.

Why yes, we did utilize the Yule Log channel on our TV. Our Christmas tree refused to drink water this year so it probably would burst into flames if we used the real deal. The Yule Log channel was such a wonderful idea.

                                                     My newest brother!

Kiki, African Snow Princess.

                                                      Jackpot Present: A huge Dora the Explorer doll house and castle with 10,345 people.

It was SUCH a beautiful Christmas. It was filled with thanksgiving to the Lord, love, and tons of fun. I am so grateful for Jesus, the most tremendous gift that I, and the world, was ever given. He is my love, my best friend, my redeemer, my everything. {And His birthday is a pretty fun deal around these here parts.}

 
                                                         My sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow.
                                            Oh praise the One, who paid my debt, and raised this life up from the dead!

Photos courtesy of Melissa.