Distracted..

I've been sitting at my computer since 8:00 trying to write a book report and have written 4 sentences. Can we say distracted?

Let's see, a lot has happened since I last posted. Tomorrow I will be 14 weeks, entering my 2nd trimester! I can't believe it. I'm starting to perk up a bit and the throwing up is finally coming to an end...praise the Lord! Thankfully, I have not had it nearly as bad as others and it was still manageable and didn't keep me from carrying on my daily activities...just had to run and take a few breaks every now and then :) I'm hoping I will start to feel the baby flutter in the coming days/weeks...I can't imagine what it will be like to feel our baby move inside of me, though it is oh so tiny. Each week as we read what is going on with baby it is so amazing to think that from the very beginning God is so intricately involved in every detail, and cares so greatly about every last thing. This week: Baby is about the size of a clenched fist, might be sprouting some hair, and weighs about an ounce. We have a Dr's appointment tomorrow and I'm excited to hear our precious one's heartbeat again.

Oh Canada... This morning as we were singing to the Lord in Worship, the words "Mighty to Save" never hit my heart more (ok maybe one other time, but this morning was pretty powerful too). Our God, the God who sovereignly and graciously chose to adopt Billy and I into His loving arms is the same incredible and mighty God that has a heart and love for the people of Canada, specifically the native people we ministered to in Pincher Creek. He has a plan for Pincher Creek, and has given Billy and I a burden for that place.

Let me back up for a minute: God laid it on our hearts to take a team of our youth at SBF to Canada where Billy has been involved with missionaries for the past several years. This would be a) totally new to SBF to send out a short-term mission team and b) totally new for Billy and I to do anything related to youth ministry. It was a week full of service, growth, heavy hearts for the native people in Canada, learning, and worship. For me, it was absolutely incredible to see my husband's heart for a place that he's always talked about but I've never been able to experience. Over the years of our dating, engagement and marriage relationship I've gotten glimpses of his experiences and his passions for the natives in Canada. But to go with him and to serve with him in that capacity was aaaaamazing.

So the journey begins. Billy and I, along with our awesome youth director, Jarrad Giles, took 9 of our high school SBF students to Canada to serve as camp counselors to middle school native americans for a week of summer camp. On one hand, it was great because we got to stand on the outside and observe, spend quality time with the missionaries that direct the organization, and serve as a support system for our youth team. On the other hand, it was hard not being able to build relationships ourselves with the native students. But God, in all His sovereignty, had such a plan for our youth team and we watched them grow and serve in ways we never imagined. One gal in particular was the youngest of our SBF team - both in age and in her relationship with Christ - and she became the strongest leader of the week. She rose above the typical view of a 14 year old and dedicated her time and heart to loving on these native middle schoolers. One night she was able to share her testimony to the entire camp and it was like hearing the words of the Lord flow out of her mouth. Jarrad, Billy and I stood in amazement and couldn't stop praising the Lord for His good works in her life and the way He chose to use her to speak to the native girls. Many parents have told us that their kids (the ones that were part of our team) are totally different after serving in this capacity. We saw students finally come out of their shells and embrace what God had for them throughout the week, we saw students that were completely overwhelmed with being homesick and by the end of the week they didn't want to leave. We saw our students pour their hearts out to the natives like never before. At the end of the week, 4 girls prayed to receive Christ with their cabin counselor. As one boy was getting in the van to go home at the end of the week, he came up to his counselor and said, "I want to be a Christian." As Jarrad has been teaching the students at SBF, they are capable of going beyond societies expectations for "teens" and living up to do hard things. We were so blessed and priveleged to witness this group of 9 "teenagers" rise up and be leaders for Christ's name. It was beautiful.

What next? Great question. Billy keeps telling me he wants to move to Canada and I can't decide if he's serious or trying to see how I will respond...Probably both :) He has such a heart for these people and when we were there it was obvious he felt at home and felt like he was with his family. We believe God has a future for us and Canada but we're not sure how it will pan out and what it will look like. For me, God took my heart down a different avenue. We had the opportunity to get to know two precious native children, Mailan and Marlena. They are foster children to the missionaries that started the camp. The missionaries have been taking care of them since they were 1 and 2 years old (they have tried to adopt but because they are white, the native people will not allow them to adopt native babies). They have pretty severe FASD but have been loved on and raised in a Christian home for the past 6 years and it is obvious there is fruit of their dedication and sacrifice. After spending the week with them and then watching all the native middle schoolers on the camp, my heart broke for the native babies living on the reservation or those that will be born into it. I have never had a heart for adoption and I always felt like something was wrong with me because I didn't - but I think it is because God was waiting for the right time and people group to introduce me to. I want to take care of those children before they loose their innocence and before they are started down the same exact path of their parents. I want to love on those girls and boys that are born into a life filled with depression, addiction, abuse, and more often than not, suicide. You might be wondering how we could adopt native children if there are laws agains white people adopting them...well, my mom is part Indian which means that there is a percentage of me that is also Indian, meaning I could technically register as a percentage which could qualify us as candidates. I believe God is going to use this to allow us to bring home native children and share the love of Christ with them.

So - all that to say: The trip was incredible. God did amazing things. God has given Billy and I very specific burdens for people groups in Pincher Creek, Canada and we're not sure how that will unfold in the future, and we are ok with that.

I'm learning that maybe I should write more often and then the entries wouldn't be so long :)