Back Home at the Hines

Hey there...well we spent a week at Jimmy Hughes children's home and what a week it was. We started out the first day in tears ready to come home feeling like it was completely uncomfortable and we were being slaves and ended the week in tears trying to leave the place. It's amazing how God works isn't it? He can change the contents of a heart within minutes and the snap of His holy fingers. It still amazes me that we learn the most in some of the hardest places. Logically it doesn't make much sense that difficult yields some of the most joyful memories if we're speaking of true sink deep down into your heart lasts for a lifetime through all circumstances kind of "joy."

It felt good to walk back through these doors at this home though too. They have been tremendously kind and it was neat how in a weeks time we were able to walk back in here after a week of being gone and feel a genuine ahhhhh at how comfortable it now feels here with them in such a short amount of time. That's all God!!! Gena is home now and so we got to visit with her for a while tonight and that was nice. Felt like in a few minutes of conversation like we'd known her forever and that we will be fast friends. Good to have another gal in this house with all the boys. :):)

Have so many stories to tell you and will certainly tell them soon but for tonight I am truly pooped and need to get some rest. We were up every single morning at 4:45 and went solid until like 9 or 9:30 at night. To these rookie momma's we are DONE IN!! :):)

Learned so much and lost more pieces of my heart. Imagine that. Fell in love with a 3 year old little boy named Bryan. If I could have signed a piece of paper to raise that child for life I would have done it in an instant. By the time the week was over I had taught him how to say "Love ya" and my hug tank is completely full thanks to his precious little brown arms that were faithful to run up to me at least ten times a day and squeeze me tight. He just came to the home several months ago. His mother is a gang banger and he spent the first 2 years of his life living in the prison with her. He is beautiful and I will post a picture here for you to see. Needless to say, I will be going back regularly to visit him.

Ok more stories another day...love to all! I miss you guys. Keep praying us up. We are well aware after this week that it's going to take an ARMY of prayer warriors and an abundance of God's strength to do this thing with excellence. We're counting on your prayers! We completely trust God to be our strength! Think we're in for an excellent journey!