Another shift

Well, the 5 weeks have come and gone.

We took Dima back to the airport Thursday morning and he has returned to Latvia. The last few weeks with him were great! We were blessed to have very few challenges. Over the next few weeks we'll likely be filling in on how things are since he has returned home and what the future holds for Dima and our family, but for now we'll focus on the events of the last few weeks.

King and Dima paddling on the creek.

The weekend after our last post, we traveled to Ahoskie, NC to visit King's parents and sister on the family farm. Dima was treated to the standard breakfast of Dutch pancakes (crepes) on Saturday and Sunday morning prepared by Patsy (King's mom). YUM! After breakfast Saturday we loaded up canoes and kayaks to paddle on the creek. We also took a break to do a little swimming and escape from the heat! Needless to say, Dima had a blast with both. Later that afternoon, we had a small get-together for more people to meet Dima. He was a little shy and overwhelmed at first, but once we got into the pool, he opened up some more.

On our way back to Charlotte, we took a quick detour through Chapel Hill so Dima could see "our university." We drove through the main part of campus and had dinner and dessert on Franklin St. In case you didn't hear, we were able to quickly convince Dima that UNC was the best school to cheer for, especially once he learned that Michael Jordan attended.

Dima completed all of his dental visits with flying colors. He was nervous during the first one when he got one cavity filled and one tooth pulled. Once he realized that the pain was not what he had experienced in Latvia, he was more relaxed and was one of the most confident patients going into his second visit. We would like to give a special shout out to Dr. Julianne Colvin for donating her time and services to take care of Dima's teeth. When we told Dima that Dr. Colvin had donated everything, he was amazed that a complete stranger would do that. We were able to explain that she was a Christian like us (she actually plays the keyboard at our church) and in response to Jesus loving her so much, she wanted to share the love of Christ with him in this way. He was even more surprised when we told him that his eye doctor, Dr. Amanda Barker donated her services for the same reason. Thanks you both for everything!

During Dima's final weekend in America, Casey's parents came down for another visit. We went bowling on Saturday and he had a great time, even though it wasn't nearly as easy as Wii bowling. :) Saturday night we had one final get-together for friends in the area who had not been able to meet him. It truly was a blessing for people who have been supporting us prayerfully and financially to be able to interact with him, even if it was only for a short period of time.

The Sunday night before his departure was the first time we started to see some anxiety from him towards returning home. This was still relatively mild, but it was clear that he did not want to go back to Latvia. We tried to make it easier by reminding him about the people he knows back in Latvia. This was a minor comfort, but did seem to help a little getting through the last days. The final few days were spent getting last minute items, including a few small gifts for children back in Lativa who were unable to come to the US for the summer. We also squeezed in Star Wars, Episode I, the only Star Wars movie he had not seen since being in America (he LOVES Star Wars!). Wednesday night we had dinner with the Burgesses, the family that Casey has been nannying for this summer and who have also grown close to Dima. They gave him a few cards and his own Carolina Hurricanes jersey, with his nickname G-MAN printed on the back.  He LOVED it! After dinner we stopped to develop pictures of the summer to send home with him and then packed up everything. Not surprisingly, all three of us got a little emotional during this process. However, even through the emotion we were able to share about God's love for us and to use this opportunity to teach about Him and His plans.  We were able to explain that while none of us knows what the future holds that God, as our Creator knows everything about us-and did before we were even born!  We encouraged Dima to pray when he needs comfort and to seek out God's will.  This became especially important at the airport!

Thursday we woke up early to meet with other families at 7 AM at Charlotte-Douglas. We checked him in (his filled-to-the-brim bag weighed in at exactly 49 lbs!) and had about an hour to hang out before the kids and chaperones went through security. While we were talking during the last hour, Dima looked around and said, "There's Marks!" Marks is Dima's best friend and one of his roommates in Latvia. We knew Marks had been hosted as well, but Dima was adamant that he was in Los Angleles. It turns out that not only had he been in Greenville, SC all summer, but Marks' host family sat with us at our table during training before they arrived! Once we said our final good byes, the two friends connected immediately and went through security together. This was a blessing in so many ways because the boys were able to reconnect and help each other through this somewhat difficult good-bye and transition back home.

Slightly before boarding, Dima looked at Casey and said that this was a bad day.  We used this opportunity to say that this was not a bad day, but rather a day given to us by God.  We told him that all days are blessed and that each day we should take our concerns to the Lord.  This was yet again another opportunity to teach Dima about prayer.  We told him that God cares about every little thing in his life and wants him to talk to Him about them!  We encouraged him to pray about wanting to return to America one day, but also explained that God can say yes, no, or not now when we make requests before Him.  Dima connected with this and agreed that praying about his desire to return to America was a good thing.  Right before it was time to go, we all fought back tears and gave our final hugs and said our last words.  When Casey put her hands around his face and told him that we would miss him and enjoyed having him here, she also added in a we'll be praying for you and a "We love you."  His response, "And I you." 

So there's a brief summary of the last few weeks. We're still definitely processing our thoughts, emotions, and where to go from here, so your prayers are still appreciated. We also pray for Dima to become re-acclimated to life in Latvia, to continue to read his Bible and pray, and that we will be able to contact him frequently.  We are still waiting for information on the best way to stay connected, but have been assured that we will be able to do so.

Thank you all for your support and encouragement this summer, we certainly couldn't have done it without you-and GOD! He has been amazing and is continuing to teach us throughout this process. 

As we mentioned earlier, we'll still be making updates on special moments throughout the hosting process and using this space to let you know how God is working in our lives and the lives of those around us, so keep following our blog! 

Update in pictures

Here's another quick update in pictures.  Most of them are from Tuesday night when we roasted marshmallows in our backyard.  This week is his first of two trips back to the dentist; 1 to get two cavities filled and 1 to get a baby tooth removed.  The second trip will be next week, so be sure to pray for those.

And now for the pictures!

Playing Jenga (thanks, Elizabeth!).  He is very good at it!

Enjoying Japanese food with King.  So much fun!

What a goof!

Just to let you know that he can be pure kid.

King and Dima made it out to watch a Charlotte Eagles soccer game and had a great time, even in the rain!

Even with damp clothes, he was all smiles at the end of the game!

Showing that he knows what to do when it comes to marshmallows and a camera!

First taste...

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm (and a little smoke from the fire)!

Do I have something on my face?

In case you needed to learn how its done.

I don't think I've seen a bigger grin on his face than in this picture.

Goin' for the straight-off-the-stick method...

Maybe not...

YUM!!!!

Week 2

Whew!  It's hard to believe that it's already been two weeks with our young visitor, and there's so much to tell!  Last weekend we traveled to Richmond, VA to visit with Casey's parents.  Friday night, Casey's parents hosted a get-together for their friends who have supported us in this endeavor.  All things considered, it went very well.  Not to our surprise, Dmitrijs was very quiet but was very willing to meet everyone.  We did provide an escape for him from potentially being overwhelmed by having the Wii set up so the kids could play while the adults chatted.  After the party was over and we went through our nightly routine, we learned that Dmitrijs actually prefers to be called "Dima" (the 'D' in this case sounds like the 'dg' in "edge," so if you say "Gima," you get close enough).  According to him, Dima is a shortened version of Dmitrijs, similar to Bob being a shortened version of Robert.  It has taken some effort to make the switch in our heads, but after a week of the "corrected" name, it has set in pretty well now.

Saturday Dima proved once again that sleeping is not a problem for him!  Thirteen hours after going to bed, he graced us with his presence around 11 AM!  We spent the rest of the morning and early part of the afternoon at home, but spent the rest of the afternoon at a local Putt-Putt, where he was able to play 2 rounds of Putt-Putt, drive a go-kart, and get COMPLETELY soaked on the bumper boats.  He had a blast and everyone came home very tired and hungry.  As a result, Dima got to show off his eating capabilities when he consumed a 1/2 pound hamburger, 2 hotdogs, and tater tots for dinner.  We clearly cannot be accused of starving this kid!

Dima enjoying Cheetos during a break from Putt-Putt.

Sunday we went to church where the sermon was on The Story.  Check it out at http://knowthestory.net/.  What an awesome sermon for Dima (and us!)!  Casey sat through the service with her phone trying to translate each of the points of the sermon.  He seemed to understand and later said he knew this story.  After church we had a great lunch at Outback.  As we've mentioned, we learned that Dima was not your typical Latvian boy since he LOVES spicy food.  However, the Bloomin' Onion didn't quite suite his taste buds!  All in all, Dima had a wonderful time getting to know Casey's parents and her brother, Kyle.  Just before we headed home Sunday, Kyle was able to display his guitar skills which greatly impressed Dima.  In fact, Dima was so impressed he later did an impression of Kyle while doing an "air guitar jump" at the pool.  Check out the video (he is saying "I am star, Kyle!").

On the way home we started singing "Dima, Dima, bo-bima, banana-fanna fo-fima...etc." and Dima was so amused!  He had never heard this name game song before and had us singing it slow and fast and taking turns and on and on!  He tried to follow us to learn it and eventually he just got ridiculously silly.  Check out those videos as well!

This week was Dima's first week being on our regular schedule with King heading to work M-F and Casey and Dima going to her nannying job.  He definitely did not like the requirement of getting up at 7 AM and did give Casey a little bit of whining in the process.  To counter this, we quickly made the adjustment of getting ready for bed earlier in the evening.  So far, Dima has spent many hours swimming (no disappointments there), watched a few movies (including Cars 2), and played games.  He enjoys spending time with the other two children and has really started teasing and playing with them more over the past two days. 

Casey took a daring step by taking all of the kids to Carowinds today.  They spent most of the day in the water park since Dima stated that he did not like roller coasters.  However, at the end of the day, Dima agreed to try riding one roller coaster.  Much to Casey's surprise, he chose Thunder Road, one of the wooden roller coasters at the park that is really rickety.  Despite his initial hesitation, Dima loved the ride and hopes to come back to ride more in the future.  In fact, at the end of the day he said that the roller coaster was the best part of his day!

Perhaps the most exciting update is regarding Dima learning to pray.  So far we have introduced two steps of praying: thanking God and making requests.  He has gradually grown comfortable with these concepts and has prayed out loud with his four times (in English!!).  We plan to teach him about the qualities and names of God this coming week and introduce the concept of praising God and giving adoration during prayer. 

All in all we have been very busy, but we are having THE BEST TIME!  This has been nothing short of life changing and every day is filled with challenges and numerous joys!  Please continue to pray for and with us.  The next three weeks will continue to be a significant opportunity for us to minister to Dima and teach him about his Heavenly Father that has chosen him and loved him unconditionally despite his past experiences with family.  Pray that he will understand what we share with him and that he will believe it.  Additionally, pray for us as we continue to grow SO attached and know that we are unable to adopt Dima.  We pray each day that God give us peace about his future and wisdom about how to maintain a relationship with him when he returns to Latvia.  We are both committed to doing as much as we can for as long as we are able to continue to love and invest in Dima.  We appreciate the prayers and support.  Thank you!

Some pics and a video.

Okay, this post will be very brief, but hopefully you'll get a quick glimpse.  Hopefully we'll be able to put something with more detail soon.  For now, a brief summary since Saturday, a few pictures, and a video will have to do.

On Sunday afternoon, we spent a little time with Aija (pronounced, I-ya) one of the chaperones from Latvia.  Dmitrijs was able to speak some Russian and Aija ensured that she had everything that he needed.  After we dropped Aija off at her host family's house, we braved the grocery store and were able to learn some of his favorite foods (peppers are a BIG fav!).  For the 4th of July, we went to a different YMCA that has a waterpark.  Needless to say, he had a BLAST there, especially when King was able to teach him how to go down the waterslide faster by laying on his back.  For fireworks, we let him choose between the National Whitewater Center which had live music before the fireworks or Charlotte Motor Speedway for one of their Summer Shootout Series races.  He chose the Speedway and had a great time!

He went to the dentist today and did great!  They did find 2 cavities and a baby tooth that needs to be pulled, but he does not seem frightened about the process (though he certainly isn't excited about it).

Last night we started reading Bible stories with him.  Since we could not find Latvian materials earlier, Casey picked up some children's Bible story books, and we used Google Translate to get the stories in Latvian.  As we were getting started, Casey challenged him to read the first English paragraph out loud (which he did rather well!), and then said she would read the second English paragraph.  However, she got a bit more than she bargained for.  After she read the second paragraph and we moved to the Latvian paragraph, Dmitrijs pointed to the paragraph, then Casey and said, "You read."  This has produced many, MANY laughs (see the video below)!

Okay, so that was longer than what we originally intended it to be, but here are the pictures and video!

Dmitrijs playing with Merlin on his first day.

Jumping into the pool (also on the first day)

Fireworks from the Speedway on the 4th

We told you we've seen his grin big smile since he's been here!

King and Dmitrijs at the Speedway

Day One

The start of the first day was full of nervous energy!  To start, Dmitrijs (the true spelling of his name) slept almost 13 hours.  We were worried about when to wake him up, how much to let him sleep, and whether he was just sitting in his room waiting for someone to tell him it was time to come out!  Eventually, he did come out on his own and came down for a pancake breakfast.  He enjoyed the pancakes and really liked the syrup!  After breakfast we headed to a farmer's market  to attempt to find out what foods he likes.  This was probably not the best idea.  The farmer's market was PACKED yesterday and we think it overwhelmed him.  It was also painfully hot!  So, after picking up a few things here and there, including some sunglasses for Dmitrijs, we headed back to the house.

Back at the house we introduced him to the Wii.  He chose to try Mario Kart (one of our favorites), but it can be a little frustrating when you're just learning the remote and all of the special symbols and things.  Plus, it is really difficult to explain when you don't speak the same language.  We kept pausing the game to try to explain things, but Dmitrijs was just interested in figuring it out.  For instance, in the hallway we have nightlights that turn on and off automatically depending on how much they sense sunlight.  During the day the nightlights are usually off even though there are no windows in the hall.  However, when you walk by them they frequently turn on.  When Dmitrijs noticed this he experimented walking back and forth in front of the light and then trying to take giant steps over the light and even jump around it!!  It was hysterical to watch and loads of fun!  Plus, we learned that he is a quick learner.

After Wii, we all went to the YMCA to enjoy the pool.  Dmitrijs is an excellent swimmer and was open to some feedback on his skills and willing to learn new things, too!  By the end of the day we had played several rounds of monkey in the middle, dived for numerous diving sticks and torpedoes, sprayed each other with noodles and water guns, and even practiced jumping and diving in the deep end (something he said he "didn't like to do" at the beginning)!  While at the pool Dmitrijs was excited to show us his flips underwater.  Casey started counting how many he could do and when he came up after four she made a big deal about how great it was that he could do that many in a row.  His response was his first English sentence to us, "My record is 12."  We were told by the chaperone that he knows some English and is continuing to learn it, but that full sentence was amazing!  We teased him about knowing more English than he's letting on, but he keeps insisting that he really doesn't know much.  We think he understands much more than he says and that as he gets more comfortable that he will try to use his language skills more often.  We also learned that he prefers Russian to Latvian, which differs from information we were previously given, but is somewhat of a blessing.  It is MUCH easier to find Russian resources than Latvian!

Anyway, after the pool, we came home and showered.  Then we had some dinner, spaghetti, which he enjoyed and said he'd never eaten before.  Then we played Wii Sports Resort.  He LOVED fencing!  Giggled the whole time and sighed when he got "knocked off the platform."  He also enjoyed the table tennis game.

Then it was time for ice cream and a round of Yikers, which he won multiple times--without us letting him win!  Then we played a round of Spot It and he taught us some Latvian and Russian words and we had him practice some English words.

After the game we came upstairs and played with Merlin (our youngest and funniest cat!) who has really taken a liking to Dmitrijs.  They enjoy each other while Dmitrijs waves a cat toy with the feather on the end all around his room and Merlin flops and jumps around trying to attack it.  It is great fun, loads of laughs, and an excellent ice breaker.

Before bed we all wrote in a journal about our day.  In Dmitrijs' journal he said that he felt happy and good.  He said that his favorite parts of the day were playing games and going to the pool and that he would like to do them again.  We wrote pretty much the same thing!  After journal, we showed him the Latvian Bible (generously sent to us by an anonymous source that we still haven't discovered!) and the children's Bible story books that we have translated to Latvian.  He said he was tired and didn't want to read tonight, so we said that was OK, but we would read tomorrow.  He nodded in understanding.  Before bed we prayed together.  He is getting used to this routine, but it is obviously foreign to him.  We are looking for advice on how to better include Dmitrijs in our prayer times, as this is one place when the language barrier seems to be more of an issue.  Comments are appreciated with suggestions on how to do this better!

All in all, our first day was AMAZING.  We are excited about the next five weeks and are hoping that he will continue to gain trust in us and open up.  Thank you for praying for and encouraging us!  If you live in the area and are interested in getting together send us a message.  We know we won't be able to see everyone, but we will certainly try to do what we can, based of course on how he is feeling.  Anyway, we are looking forward to day 2!  Updates again soon!!

Heeeeerrrrreeeee's Dimitry!!!!

He's finally here!  Dimitry arrived yesterday around 6:45 and was completely exhausted!  Now, many of you may be thinking, "Wasn't he supposed to get here close to midnight Thursday?"  Yes he was.  Dimitry (and MANY other host children) were delayed in Poland due to some mechanical issues on the plane.  Once they fixed the problem, the plan left 5 hours after its scheduled departure.  As a result, families around Denver, Chicago, D.C., and Charlotte had to wait one more day for their host child.

The picture above was taken shortly after he met us, so I'm sure he was more than a little overwhelmed at the time.  He was very quiet on the way home, despite our best intentions to engage him.  We've also quickly seen how imperfect Google Translator is as we've shown him a translated sentence or question, only to get a quizzical stare as a reply.  Fortunately, we have seen him smile a few times.  Once we got home, we showed him around and introduced him to Luna and Merlin.  This produced smile number 1!  He enjoyed petting them, and we're pretty sure he'll like playing with Merlin.  Once we showed him his room (which produced another small grin), we had an ice cream sundae celebration!  This brought another big smile!

While we were having ice cream, we played Yikers, a game we picked up to play with him.  Basically, you have 10 magnets and the goal is to play all of your magnets first.  The tricky part is that if the magnets come together, you have to pick them up and place them back in your hand.  Dimitry picked up the concept pretty quickly, but we're not sure how much he likes it.

After ice cream, Dimitry was ready to get cleaned up and rest after all his travels.  King gave him a brief orientation of American bathroom procedures and how to work the shower.  Once he got cleaned up, he was ready for bed.  We prayed with him and said goodnight at around 9 PM.

We're not completely sure what's in store for today, but we are planning on going to the farmer's market and possibly a park with his soccer ball!

Please keep praying; one of our concerns at the moment is that we don't have other children to engage him.  Kids have a way of getting other kids to let their guards down when they are otherwise intimidated by adults.  Also, because we don't have other kids all attention is on him.  We're working on not putting him on the spot too much, but aren't sure we're succeeding.  We have been praying about this (and trying not to stress about it).   If you are in the area with children and would like to meet up, let us know!  =)

Thanks for praying. 

OH MY and The "A" Word

So, we're about 24 hours away from meeting Dimitry (if all goes well with his Visa and travels!).  He should be boarding his first flight around midnight tonight and then continue his travels for about 24 hours before we pick him up tomorrow night at Charlotte Douglas.  Please pray for him and safety for his travels as well as the other children being hosted through New Horizons around the country. 

We have so many mixed emotions right now.  We are nervous and scared--wondering how crazy we are!  We are getting excited as well. =)  We have many things planned while he's here and are hoping that he will be able to do them once he gets adjusted.  Thinking about this makes us happy, but we're already starting to feel the sadness of knowing we'll have to say good-bye.  Please, please, pray for this.  Pray that while he is here that we will be able to show him love and kindness with our whole hearts, and teach him about God and yet, be able to let him go after five weeks.  Dimitry will be prepared to say good-bye as he has been told that this is a "vacation" a break from the orphanage and an opportunity to get out of "work camp."  We, however, already feel pain knowing that we can't do more to permanently change the physical conditions in which he lives.  Some comfort comes from the understanding that we are working to teach him about a Heavenly Father that cares for his eternal needs and salvation and that we may have an opportunity to impact these aspects of his life.  Again, please pray for us and our emotions and perspectives throughout this experience.

Now for a piece of business...The "A" Word...ADOPTION!  As we previously stated in an earlier post, we are not eligible to adopt Dimitry.  Latvian law doesn't allow adoptions unless the adopting parents are 18 years older than the child...we are not.  However, this doesn't mean that he may not be adopted by someone he meets during his time here.  While he is here he will meet many people and families and it may be part of God's perfect plan for him to meet his adoptive family through us.  However, it may not be.  For this reason we must warn you not to use the "A" word in front of Dimitry.  While the children know little if any English, we have been warned that as orphans they are very aware of the word adoption.  Some even know that other children hosted on American programs are sometimes adopted by their host families.  For this reason, if you are ever around us with Dimitry PLEASE refrain from using the word adoption or asking any questions about his current living situation (in the orphanage), history/past family, or anything related to these topics.  We appreciate your awareness and your careful use of language around him.

Thank you for your prayers and continued support.  Even this week, we have been so moved by the overflowing amount of messages, cards, texts, and goods for Dimitry that we have received.  We feel so blessed and hope that those who have been a part of this process have and will continue to be blessed by being a part of this experience.  

Four Days...

Only four days remain until Dimitry arrives in America.  Four days until our home goes from two adults and two cats to two cats, one 11 year old boy, and two "adults" wondering what the heck they're doing.  Four days until an orphan treks from his institutional setting that he calls home to a foreign country where he doesn't know the language, doesn't know the two people who have invited him into their home, and doesn't know which stories of life in America are true.  Four days until God changes our lives forever.

Dimitry's room for the summer.

It's hard to believe that the time is already here.  We've been on this journey for over a year and now the reality is here, sinking in deeper and deeper with each day (and sometimes every hour and minute).  We are simultaneously excited and nervous.  The past few days we've been panicked, reassured, panicked again, and determined to have everything ready for Dimitry when he gets here.  We've used this weekend to get his room prepared and tried to furnish it with items that someone his age will enjoy.  We've also added a few items to help him learn some basic English words and aid in communication. Many items in our house are now labeled in English and Latvian (thank you Google Translator!).  There are still a few things that we'll be wrapping up in the next few days, but things are mostly good to go!

We know that this is a short update, but we wanted to post something since everything is getting very close!  Please pray for Dimitry's travel, especially that all legal stuff (mainly his Visa) is solidified, and our final preparations.  We also want to say a special thanks to the Bleavins family, who reassured us over the weekend after discussing their hosting experience last summer (their blog can be found here)!

Yard Sale and a Day in the Life...

This past weekend Casey's parents hosted a yard sale to raise additional funds to support us while Dimitry is here.  It was a huge success and we raised exactly the amount that God intended for us to have!  Beyond the money, many people were able to pitch in and get involved which makes this much more than just our missions opportunity!  King's mom picked up donations from her friends and drove them up to Richmond and many of Casey's parent's friends donated items as well.  Casey's mom, dad, and brother really went all out in giving their time and resources to pick up items and advertise the sale for weeks-even months!-prior to the big event.  We are SO thankful for everyone who got involved and hope that you each feel like you are a part of what's going on here!  Thank you!

We also wanted to clarify something.  In our last post we mentioned that we had reached our initial fundraising goal, so some of you may be wondering why we are continuing to fundraise.  While we have an idea of what it will cost to host Dimitry and that is where we set our goal, there are many uncertainties.  We aren't sure what his eye, dental, or other medical needs are and what it will cost to provide for those needs while he is here.  For this reason we are continuing to raise funds and seek donations.  So, what happens if we have money left over?  We can use these funds in three different ways:  1) save it for another future hosting, 2) put it towards a potential adoption in the future, or 3) use it for a scholarship for a child to be hosted by another family through New Horizons.  Rest assured--all funds raised will go toward orphan care!

While we were at the hosting training a couple of weeks ago we learned about the typical day in the life of an orphan from Ukraine, Russia, or Latvia (Dimitry is from Latvia).  This helps us to better understand the differences between where Dimitry is coming from and what he will be experiencing here with us.  It was also enlightening as it helped to explain some behaviors we may see from him that are not typical for his age, based on American societal standards.  So, for the remainder of this post we will share with you what a day for Dimitry is probably like...

Dimitry probably wakes up in a room with about ten other children that smells of bodily waste.  The doors to their rooms are locked at night, and they are unable to leave for any reason.  As a result, most children relieve themselves in their beds since they cannot go to the bathroom.  Once the doors are unlocked, Dimitry and his roommates will join the other 240 orphans for breakfast.  Here he will likely have something very bland to eat or possibly just bread and water.

After breakfast the children go to school.  The teacher for their class will likely not be very effective since teaching in an orphanage is not a desirable position for a teacher in this country.  Even the smartest children are likely two or three grade-levels behind in at least one, if not all, subjects.  Dimitry and the other orphans will have a break in the middle of the day for lunch, where they will have bland food again.  School will end at about 2:30 and the children may be given a snack.  This is followed by a two hour "nap time," when Dimitry will be sent back to his room and locked in again with his roommates for 2 hours.  During this time it is unlikely that the children sleep, but they aren't permitted any toys, supplies, or school work.

After nap time, he may have about an hour and a half of free time, which is the only time of the day Dimitry will get to spend outside.  However, "outside" is limited to the outdoor areas of the orphanage, so it is not very extensive.  Not only are the grounds limited, but so are the outdoor toys and games as well.  After free time, Dimitry and the other orphans will come back inside for dinner, followed by homework until bedtime at 8 PM.

As you can see, his day is very structured, and he has little freedom to make decisions for himself.  In fact, his clothes will likely be chosen for him every day and will be based on what is available by the time it is his turn.  All items in the orphanages become community property-including clothing and shoes.  The only time that Dimitry will get to pick his own clothes is if he has laundry duty.  On those occasions, he will have "first dibs" on the clean clothes. 

So that's what a day in his life may look like.  We want to emphasize that while this is the run down that was shared with us at our training for orphans from these countries (Russia, Ukraine, and Latvia), it may not be exactly what his life is like.  However, we were assured that it would not vary much from the details we shared above. 

As you can see, Dimitry's life is very structured.  We're in the process of figuring out a general daily schedule so he's not in completely overwhelmed by all of the down time, but he will definitely get to experience more freedom than he has become accustomed to.

Please continue to pray for us as the day he arrives is quickly approaching (2.5 weeks!!!!!)  Thank you so much for all of your prayers and support.  We are truly grateful!

*Update-we have had a suitcase, hat, gloves, two summer shirts, a pair of shorts, a pair of swimming trunks, and underwear either donated or spoken for by friends who have committed to provide these items upon his arrival.  Please see our last post if you would like to contribute toward his needs.  THANKS!

Blessings

In the time that has passed since our last post we have been blessed beyond measure!!!  We would like to share our story of God's provision.  We have reached our financial fundraising goal through the generosity of friends and family, and in some cases their friends and family!  It has been amazing to see how God is using our journey as an opportunity to share Him with others.  Each time we tell the story of what we're doing and why we're doing it is an chance to share Christ.  In addition, the testament we have for the way God has provided for us throughout this process has taught us to trust in Him and reminded us that we are not in control of this--or anything else in our lives!  Sharing this story with others is also a way of telling others about the nature of God.  Beyond financial giving for hosting expenses, we have been surprised by friends who threw a party and requested that attendees bring items to assist us with hosting this summer.  We ended up with toys, gift cards, and home supplies that will definitely be used and needed when Dimitry visits this summer!  Through demonstrations of this sort of giving we have been humbled and reminded that we are not on this mission alone!  Many people are invested in bringing Dimitry to America and pouring God's love into him!  It is also incredibly encouraging to us, as we are sometimes overwhelmed by the commitment we've made for the summer.  Beyond financial contributions and gifts, we have received emails, cards, and in-person messages of love and support.  We are SO blessed that God has put each of you in our lives for a distinct purpose at this time to support us in a unique way.  THANK YOU!

On a different note, we attended our "orphan hosting training" yesterday.  While the training reviewed some things that we already know (either from our social work background or from friends that have hosted before), we learned many new things about how orphans in each of these countries lives, what they typically eat and do, what hosting looks like for them, what to expect when they're here, and so many other background details that help to give us perspective.  We plan to update the blog more frequently in the coming weeks to share this information with you in snippets...it can be kind of overwhelming all at one time!

So, for today we would like to share what we know about Dimitry's visit to the states.  He will be arriving on June 30th and departing on August 4th.  We are almost 100% positive that he will be flying in and out of Charlotte (which is also a major blessing!  We were initially told he may be flying into Atlanta or D.C.).  As part of our preparation for hosting, we had to write a letter to Dimitry that included pictures and information about us.  We were under the impression that he would receive that as soon as his hosting was official, but we learned yesterday that he will likely never know anything about us until he is on the plane!!  He will also likely not even know that he is coming to America until the day before he begins his travels!!  This blows our minds--Casey would never be able to handle this!  Again, knowing this gives us some perspective and allows us to adjust our expectations for his arrival in America...it also challenges us to live in a way that puts more trust in God and His plans and to, once again, relinquish some control!  His journey from Latvia to America will last between 20-35 hours.  He will almost definitely have to take a bus to a train to a plane, and then take at least two planes (likely three) before he arrives at the airport where we will receive him.  What a journey for this little one!  We have been warned that he may have a breakdown in the airport (who wouldn't!).  This may be the result of exhaustion, fear, anxiety, or just a mix of emotions as the reality of the unknown sets in.

Once here we were told to prepare for a five week cycle that looks like this:

Week 1:  We should expect him to be introverted and shy.  He will likely be in culture and language shock.  Additionally, he has lived with many other children in a highly structured environment where routine is the rule.  In our home, with no other children and a pretty free flowing structure, he may feel panicked.  During this week we need to work to establish routines.  This will probably be difficult for us, as this week will be very different based on our schedules...this should be a prayer request!

Week 2:  Testing week!  We were told that as he gets more adjusted we can expect him to challenge our authority and test boundaries.  During this time we were told it is incredibly important to "be a parent" and set firm boundaries and both positive and negative consequences.  While we understand and thoroughly believe this-we've never had to do it in a home setting...again, this is a prayer request!

Weeks 3 & 4: This is when we should really see a glimpse of his true personality.  He should be relaxed and more open during this time.  We are looking forward to these weeks!

Week 5:  As we have learned from our schooling, kids withdrawal to protect themselves and put up walls for self-preservation.  We were told to expect Dimitry to to this during his last week with us as he begins to realize that he is heading back to Latvia.

So, what happens after week 5?  Well, we learned that it is not possible for us to adopt Dimitry, even if we feel strongly that we want to.  While we didn't pursue this hosting to adopt him, it was in the back of our minds that if we felt like we were supposed to that we would.  However, God has already answered that for us.  In Latvia, you have to be 18 years older than the child you are adopting.  Casey is only 27 years old and he is 11 (he had a birthday since out last post!); King is also not quite 18 years older.  Therefore, we legally are unable to adopt Dimitry.  However, while he is here it is our goal to teach him about a loving God and a Christian family.  We hope to bless him in this way.  After he returns we hope to maintain a relationship with him through the internet and good ol' snail mail.

As the date quickly approaches we continue to have many prayer requests and needs.  Thank you for continuing to intercede on our behalf and for blessing us with your prayers, encouragement, and other means of support.

Prayer Request:

• That Dimitry's VISA will be approved for him to travel to the states
• That his journey will be safe and as quick as possible
• That we will be good "parents" for him while he is here
• That we will be strong representatives for Christ and share God's love with Dimitry; that our example will be Godly
• For Dimitry's physical, psychological, and emotional safety as he will likely be faced with many challenges while visiting us
• The yard sale Casey's parents are hosting will be successful and will be an opportunity to share this story and the story of Christ with even more people
• That other needs (listed below) will continue to be provided for as we prepare for Dimitry's arrival

Needs:

• A dentist willing to donate any and all needed services (this will likely include dental exam, x-rays, and fillings); we have a lead on a dentist who may be able to help, but we need to follow up and in the meantime are willing to take suggestions from anyone who may know of a dentist who can help
• An optometrist willing to donate any and all needed services; again we have a lead on someone, but nothing solid and are taking suggestions

The following needs are requirements that we MUST send home with the child.  They can be second-hand, but must be in good condition.  They must not be brand-name as this could cause bullies to harass him when he returns home.  We learned that most items he returns with will become community property.  If you are able to donate any of these items we would GREATLY appreciate it; or if you would like to give gift cards to stores like Target or Wal-mart that would be excellent as well!

• One 26-28 inch rolling suitcase (we would like this to be new)
• One large backpack (we would also like this to be new)
• Tennis shoes/sneakers (we plan to purchase these for him after we measure his feet and would like for these to be new as well)
• 4 pairs of dark colored athletic socks (boys prefer the dark colors in Latvia)
• 4 pairs boxer underwear
• Hygiene products
• One hand towel and wash cloth set-NO large towels do to lack of dryer space
• One dressy outfit
• 2-3 winter outfits and 2-3 summer outfits (we don't know his size, so if you have second hand clothes for boys ages 8-12 we would gladly take it off your hands to have him try on and then either return remaining items or donate them to someone else on your behalf)
• One bathing suit
• One winter coat
• One scarf
• One set of gloves
• One winter hat
• A small photo album
• A journal
• Board games that he can take back home; this actually may be better if it is the travel sized games and we were told repeatedly that the children in the orphanages love UNO and other card games
• Other toys that don't require batteries (such as sports equipment); we were already given a frisbee and a football. He LOVES soccer so any soccer equipment, especially shin guards, are recommended and appreciated
• Small items for children who didn't get to attend the trip; items such as silly bands, beaded jewelry, or small items that can be found as Christian bookstores, like bookmarks and beads are recommended

O.K.  So, we hope we didn't overwhelm you!  The funny this is that we still have SO much to share.  In the meantime we hope that this gives you enough information to pray and consider until our next update!

Thank you for reading this blog and for loving us.  Your support, is the greatest blessing and source of encouragement.  And, since we believe it is God who prompts you to support us, we ultimately praise Him for giving us all we need to do His work.

Thank you!  We pray you will also be blessed this week!

A Step Back and Three Steps Forward

Quite a bit has happened since our last update!  As we mentioned, we had a child "on hold" and were waiting for our application to process.  We also noted that we had little control over the general situation, which proved to be so true in the waiting process.  Sadly, the boy that we told you about was moved to the "unhostable" category and will not be staying with us over the summer.  He was moved the same foster home as his younger sister (which we believe is a good thing) and did not handle the transition very well (read: lots of outbursts).  While we were disappointed with this news, we both understood that his reaction was pretty normal for someone in his circumstances.  Now we pray that he begins to transition well and can solidify a relationship with his sister.

Despite this setback, we actually can update this post joyfully!  We are now officially hosting a child this summer!  Once we were informed of the situation, we went back to the listing of available children and selected another child to host.  Since our application, paperwork, and background check were already cleared for the previous child, moving from "on hold" to "hosted" moved much faster!  Now, on to the details!  Dimitry is a 10 year-old boy from Latvia.  He loves cats and likes dogs too, which is great for us since we have two cats at our house and we'll be around dogs and cats when we visit King's parents.  He likes to play and enjoys sports, especially hockey (anyone know if the Carolina Hurricanes or Charlotte Checkers do any scrimmages or practices over the summer?).  We will still have a bit of a language barrier, since he primarily speaks Latvian, but between translators from New Horizons and friends in town who have adopted Latvian children, we think we'll be okay (though prayers in this area are encouraged!)  We're very, very excited about this next step and continue to pray that we'll continue to prepare for his arrival this summer.

We also want to let everyone know about an opportunity to help us raise funds for this summer.  Casey's parents have been gracious enough to host a yard sale at their home outside of Richmond, VA on June 4.  If you or anyone you know is interested in stopping by or helping out, please let us know and we'll get you the details!  We'll add more info as the date gets closer!

Also, we're still fundraising and looking for doctors, dentists, and optometrists in our area who may be willing to donate their services.  If you would like to donate, please use the link on the right hand side of the blog page.  If you know of any health providers who may be willing to help us out, please send us their information.

Thanks for your continued prayers and support.  =)

On Hold

We did it!  We (finally) completed the extended application for the hosting program.  Finding the time to pull it together in just a weeks time was challenging, but we decided to spend Friday night relaxing at home and knocked out the rest of the application.  We sent it off on Saturday morning and it should arrive in GA today or tomorrow.  Thank you to those of you who agreed to be references, fill out recommendations, or join our team of prayer partners.  We are appreciative-and VERY excited!

So, what was with the rush to get this application done in a week?  Well, we decided to make a move and put a child on hold!  We aren't revealing too many of the details at this time because it is still unofficial.  However, we feel comfortable in telling you that he is a young man of nine years old and he is in an orphanage in Latvia.  He has a sister who is two years old who will not be coming to America, as she is too young for the hosting program.  Please pray for this boy and his little sister.  We aren't certain that he will be placed with us, but we are certain that he has been brought to our attention for a reason. 

Along with this excitement we are starting to get anxious (Casey more than King...is anyone surprised by this?!).  As the reality of what we're committing to do sets in, we feel overwhelmed by the potential barriers and the lack of control we have over the situation.  We feel limited in our abilities in so many ways.  For instance, this child speaks Latvian and Russian, but no English.  The challenge of communication is something that we will have to work to overcome.  The issue of discipline is another; while Casey has plenty of teaching experience and King works with at-risk youth on a daily basis, we've never raised our own child.  We don't have established boundaries and expectations around what is acceptable for children in our home.  Then there is the issue of attachment; this child and his sister are cleared for adoption in Latvia.  While we did not decide to host this summer with the intentional end of adoption, neither of us can deny that this thought is looming in the back of our minds.  Once we start down this path, many other feelings and thoughts take over (and then Casey really starts to panic!). 

Thankfully, over the past week as we have shared our thoughts and feelings with friends and accountability partners, we have been reminded to STOP!, take a deep breath, and get through one challenge at a time.  This has been the best reminder over the past week!  Realizing that even if we think we can control elements of the situation, we ultimately have no control over the outcome of this experience.  We are doing this for God, because He calls us to care for the children in this world without parents to guide them and teach them about His nature. 

Luckily, we also have friends in the area who have adopted children from other countries, and several that have hosted and/or adopted through the New Horizons program that can help us along the way.  One way that we plan to prepare for this opportunity is to meet with families in our area who have hosted and gain their expertise.  We hope that gaining their perspective will ease some of our anxieties and give us ideas for systems we can put in place to make the visit more enjoyable for everyone involved!

If you're keeping us in your prayers, please consider the following requests:

• That our application will be received, reviewed, and accepted.
• That this boy and his sister will learn of Christ's love and one day become Christians.
• That the child we are supposed to host will come prepared to our home, ready and willing to hear about and receive Christ.
• That we will cast our anxiety on Him; that we will not be concerned for the future or what challenges may be ahead, but that we will depend on God to bring us through this journey one step at a time.
• Casey's parents are planning to host a yard sale to raise funds for hosting; pray that we can solidify a date and that the event goes smoothly.  Along with raising funds we plan to use this time to share about the hosting program and it's Christian focus at the sale.
• Continued support: financially, emotionally, and spiritually. 

Thank you for keeping us in your prayers and for continuing to follow our updates.  We hope to have some good news to share with you regarding the child we will be hosting this summer soon.

Moving Right Along...

We attended an informational dinner at our church last week for families who were interested in hosting.  We were able to speak with a family who has hosted in the past and were able to get a better idea of what to expect.

After this meeting, we were able to look at pictures and a brief bio of the children available for hosting.  (If you would like to look at the pictures yourself, go here.  You will have to fill out some basic information and New Horizons will email you a link.)  We did have one child chosen, but in the process of getting things clarified, he had already been connected to another family.  =(  While this was sad, we are remembering that God is at work in this and already has a child in mind that will be a good match for our home.

So, what happens next?  Thankfully, we've already been able to raise enough funds to meet our minimum deposit.  We are also currently working on our full application (we've already completed a pre-application) that is due before we can officially host.  It has been a bit of a time consuming process, but we are steadily moving through it. 

Please pray for us as we continue through the next step in the process.  We have specific prayer needs listed below:

• Time managment in order to complete the requirements for hosting (application, house inspection, etc.)
• Selecting the child to host and ease with this process
• For the child!  We have been praying for this child since we first decided to host.  We don't know who will be with us yet, but we do know that God is at work in this process.  We pray that the child he has chosen for us will have a positive experience, that we will have a positive impact on his/her life, and for his/her salvation. 

Thank you for joining us in prayer.  Support in this way is SO meaningful.  If you are interested in joining with us as an "official" prayer partner, please get in touch with us as we need to include a list of prayer partners in our application.  We appreciate your prayers!

By the Numbers

This week we wanted to give you some statistics about orphans, foster care, and adoption focusing on our home state of North Carolina, the United States, and the world. 

North Carolina:

In 2003 (most recent data available to the public), there were 9,534 North Carolinian children in foster care.

At the end of FY 2003,  3,097 children were still in foster care and waiting to be adopted; only 1,296 were adopted during the year.

 United States:

In 2009, 423,773 American children were in foster care.  69,947 parents of these children had their parental rights terminated (this number only includes situations in which all parents have lost parental rights).

The average stay for a child in foster care is just over 2 years (26.7 months); each child will likely have at least two foster home placements each year.

Foster children in the US have higher rates of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD; 15.1% compared to 4.5% in the general population), conduct disorder (20.7% compared to 7.0%), major depressive disorder (19.0% compared to 11.9%), and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD; 13.4% compared to 5.2%).

Over 25% of the homeless population in the US spent a part of their childhood in foster care.

Only 54% of foster children graduate high school and only 10.8% will receive at least a BA (compared to 24.4% of the general population).

World:

Every 2.2 seconds a child loses a parent somewhere in the world.

Every day 5,760 more children in the world become orphans.

Unicef estimates that 153 million children were orphaned in 2009 (which does NOT include children who have been abandoned).  16.6 million became orphans due to HIV/AIDS; 14.9 million of these children lived in Africa.*

Each day 38,493 orphans age out of care.

In Russia and the Ukraine, studies have shown that 10% – 15% of these children commit suicide before they reach age eighteen.

These studies also show that 60% of the girls become prostitutes and 70% of the boys become hardened criminals.

Another Russian study reported that of the 15,000 orphans aging out of state-run institutions every year, 10% committed suicide, 5,000 were unemployed, 6,000 were homeless and 3,000 were in prison within three years.

  *These numbers do not include all countries due to lack of reporting.

  

We aren't listing these facts to make anyone feel guilty or more compelled to support us financially.  We share them to draw your attention to the problem and the long-term consequences associated with being an orphan who is never united with a forever home.  We feel so blessed to have been raised in Christian homes with two parents (for a total of four!) that loved us more than we can ever express.  To share even an ounce of what we've been blessed to have with an orphan may have an impact that we'll never fully know.

Thanks for joining with us on this journey!

Free Download

So, we found out about this a week or so ago and kept meaning to post it and forgot.  One of our recommended books, Adopted for Life, is available as a free audio download (here) for the month of February.  If you like listening to books or need something to fill the time on long commutes/trips, we strongly encourage you check this out!

All part of the process

We're going to piggy-back off of the last post about what we're doing and tell you a little about the process.  As we write this, a team from New Horizons for Children is currently traveling to orphanages in Latvia, Ukraine, and Russia to identify children appropriate for the hosting program.  During this time, we'll continue to fundraise and complete our "long application" (we complete a short, pre-application already).  Once the New Horizons for Children team returns to the US, they will post pictures and a brief bio of the children available to host for the summer.  Once we have a $750 deposit, we'll submit our long application and choose a child we're interested in hosting (if they have the pictures up).  This locks us in for hosting that particular child.

We realized last week that we didn't include information about the child that could be staying with us.  This child could be anywhere from 6-17 years old and be a boy or a girl.  They also could be from any of the three countries.  However, we will likely try to host a child from Latvia because two families in the area hosted girls from Latvia last summer and are currently in the process of adopting these girls.

It is also likely that we will host an "unadoptable child".  So, what is an "unadoptable child"?  In Latvia, Ukraine, and Russia, not all children in orphanages are technically orphans.  They still have parents or other family members that live near them, but for whatever reason cannot financially care for them.  In this situation, children in the mentioned countries can stay at an orphanage so they at least receive enough care to have their basic needs met, but are still legally connected to the family.  We currently plan to host one of these children for the summer because while we know that God wants us to adopt, we know we're not yet in that place.  It is SO hard to be patient and wait for God's timing.  However, we know that hosting one of these children is our mission for now.  While with us, this child will be exposed to God's love and learn what it means to have a Heavenly Father.  Additionally, we hope to maintain a relationship with the child we host beyond the summer. 

Hopefully this addresses some of the questions you have about what we're doing.  We continue to hope and pray for support from our friends and family.  If you can afford to give financially (any amount!) we greatly appreciate it!  We can not do this without your giving.  If you feel compelled, click here to donate.  Be sure to indicate that the you want the money to go to King and Casey Jones.  If you do not indicate this, the money does not go into our account.

Thank you for reading and learning more about this exciting mission!  We appreciate your interest and all types of support.

So, What's Really Going on Here?

When we tell someone (family, friends, colleagues, classmates, etc.) that we are planning on hosting an orphan next summer, questions almost always follow.  What do you mean by "hosting an orphan"?  Where is the orphan from?  How old is he/she?  Is he/she actually living with you?  How long are you hosting?  Why do orphans need hosting?  We've started to expect these questions, so we also want to answer those questions here in case you're reading this and aren't able to catch up with us regularly because you're somewhere far away like California, Alaska, or Australia (there's at least one of you in those example locations! =) )  

Question #1 (What do you mean by "hosting an orphan"?) is a great place to start, not only because it's the first question, but because answering that question will answer other questions in the process.  Hosting is pretty much what it sounds like; this summer an orphan (or if we raise enough funds, a sibling group) from either Latvia, Russia, or Ukraine will stay in our home for 4-5 weeks, typically the last week in June through the end of July.  While they're here we will take them to a local doctor and dentist (and optometrist if necessary) to receive care that would not be readily available to them in their home country.  We will also provide for all of their basic needs, including food, clothes, hygiene products, etc.  Additionally, our goal is to be able to purchase items (coats, scarves, etc.) that the orphan(s) can take home with them. 

So that's the basic gist of what we'll be doing.  Now, some of you may be thinking, "Hey guys, isn't this unfair to the kid(s)?  I mean, you're taking them out of the orphanages, shipping them off to America where they'll get this great experience, and then send them right back to where they came from!  Couldn't some people consider that torture?"  The short answer is, "Yes, that could be torture."  In fact, that was one of our concerns when we first heard about the program.  However, answering another question will hopefully explain why it isn't so in this case.  That question is, "Why do orphans need hosting in the first place?"  As we mentioned in the previous post, many orphanages in Eastern Europe close for a period of time during the summer and around Christmas.  What we didn't mention was where the orphans go while the orphanages close.  At these times, the children are sent away to camp.  What's the big deal about this?  Unfortunately, "camp" for these children does not equate to days filled with making arts and crafts, swimming in a pool/lake/river/ocean, or singing songs by the campfire.  For a child living in an Eastern European orphanage, "camp" means days filled with work, and often times, abuse.  Once we learned about this reality, the "torture" of going to the US when the orphanages close didn't seem so bad after all.  In fact, our mind shifted from "this is something we might want to do" to "this is something we're definitely going to do!" 

Hopefully this cleared up some questions that you may have had.  If you still have questions, we'd be glad to answer them.  Just leave a comment below (it can even be anonymous) and we'll either send you an answer back or work it into a future post.  In the mean time, don't forget to check out New Horizons for Children.

If you'd like to donate and support us in our goal of raising $4,000 go here and click on the donate button (don't forget to indicate that the funds are for King and Casey Jones so that your donation makes it to us).    We are grateful for all financial support as well as prayers and encouragement.  Thank you!

Welcome!

We're glad you stopped by to check out our blog!  If you're reading this, you've likely come into contact with one of us, and we wanted to share more with you about where God is leading us in our lives.  For the past several years God has been calling us to serve Him through missions, and we have been prayerfully considering what He has in store for us.  As you may already know, we also have a passion for children.  In the process of looking for ways to combine our calling with our passion, James 1:27 was brought to our attention through conversations, sermons, and opportunities.  The New Living Translation interprets that passage as, "Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you."  This led us to the title and web address of this blog.  Due to our human nature, we know we cannot succeed in fully accomplishing "pure religion" as defined in James 1:27, but we want to pursue it by caring for orphans.  

The first step in this process for us is to host a child or sibling group from an Eastern European orphanage this summer (2011) when the orphanages in these countries close for the summer.  We are partnering with New Horizons for Children, an organization that seeks to connect children in these orphanages with Christian families in the United States during summer and Christmas breaks.  The next step in our process with them is raising $4,000 to cover the costs associated with bringing the child to the US and helping the child/children get any medical attention (physical, dental checkup, etc.) that they may need.  If you would be interested in helping us in our fundraising efforts, please go here and click on the "Donate" button.  This will connect you to New Horizons' PayPal account.  There you can donate using your own PayPal account or credit card.  Just be sure to indicate that the funds go to King and Casey Jones so it goes to the right place.   

If you're unable to support us financially, we would GREATLY appreciate your support through prayer and encouragement.  This is the beginning of a life-long journey to pursue the command of James 1:27 and any support that is offered to us is an enormous blessing.  

Thanks for checking out the blog and we look forward to keeping you updated!


Starting the Pursuit,


King and Casey

PS - If you have a Gmail/Google account and check other blogs regularly, we would highly recommend using Google Reader.  It will automatically let you know  when each blog is updated, rather than checking each individual blog, and its easy to use.