The Truth of Orphan Care (Little Silver Necklace)

I originally planned on posting tonight about even more adoptive families that we are lovin' on and praying for here at S4TS (pretty amazing to think there are even more families to pray and advocate for after my last mammoth post!). But then I had a spontaneous bout of inspiration to talk about another big topic in the world of Orphan Advocacy, and thus, those families will be coming to you later in the week :)  In the meantime though, if you want updates on the families previously mentioned, all of them are pretty proficient bloggers too, so you can check their personal blogs for any updates you might fancy.

As I've been sprucing up the pages on our little website here, I filed things into a mental list of "most improvement needed" to "fine as they are." That list went something like (in order from most in need of sprucing to least) The Charities We Love page (a year overdue), Our Orphan Loves (most of the kids on there now have families! YAY!), Donate! (same deal as Our Orphan Loves- most of the families on there were home and most of the Orphans now have a Family Sponsorship Page we need to link!), Children we are Praying Home (like the last two, most kids are HOME at this point!), and Our Graduates (Gotta have a page FOR those families and their new additions who are home!). Somewhere at the bottom of that list was the Team page, which didn't need anything done to it, and the Our Story page- same deal.

So I thought.

As I read the summary I had given of this blog's humble roots on the Our Story page, trying to read it as if I had just come across this site, I didn't feel very convinced that I'd want to discern a missionary lifestyle or advocate for Orphans by the time I was done reading. It all felt a little...cliche. Not personal enough. Not enough passion.

Not enough truth.

Part of that is the fact that I will always be my own harshest critic. I can always see little caveats in my writing, my pictures, everything. On one hand that's proven to be a good thing as I always try to put 100% into anything I do. On the other hand, I admit I can drive myself nuts sometimes with it.

But I decided to change the way I described S4TS' "story" anyway.


One thing I often see in both my writing  and sometimes in the writings of fellow Orphan advocates is the struggle to find a balance between giving appeal to the journey we've embarked on as Orphan advocates and/or adoptive families and giving the reality of how hard it can be. Because how often do the majority of us (myself included) want to be completely honest about the tough stuff in Orphan Care? The fact that sometimes, Orphan Care and Adoption can be like working in a field? One day you're breaking your back planting seeds and turning soil, wondering if what you're doing will amount to anything, and then there are days where you get to reap  and feast upon the delicious fruits of your labor? In the same ways with Orphan Care, there are some days where you feel totally alone and like you're accomplishing NOTHING,  and then there are the days where everyone supports you in what you're doing and you see change happening to the point you tremble with excitement.

Convincing other people who have never adopted before, been on a mission trip, or experienced Orphan care in the plethora of ways it can be seen is hard. Living a lifestyle of self-sacrifice is both counter to what most cultural influences would have us believe and counters what we ourselves want sometimes. Living in a way that requires endless amounts of emotional and physical energy, that never guarantees the nicest house, the nicest car, and a daily Starbucks run sounds pretty hard to most people.

But I am yet to see a sacrifice that does not render beauty at some point in the future.

As I have thought and dwelt on how best to summarize Orphan Care, I see it most simply understood by looking at a beautiful little silver necklace I got about a week ago:

 This is one of the Carrington Necklaces supporting the Burman Family's adoption of their two new sons, Kelten and Teagan. When I first heard the Burman's were doing a necklace fundraiser I was ecstatic! I instantly decided to spend a portion of the spending money I had to help this family bring their two boys home, and hey, getting a gorgeous, hand-made necklace wasn't a bad thing either! :) I chose a style that had the inscription "Pray~Advocate~Adopt" around the outline with a brownish-lavender pearl in the middle.

After I had sent in my order, though, it took a few days for the necklace to make it over halfway across the U.S of A. Waiting was tough- I wanted my Carrington Necklace (Which I now where proudly just about anywhere I go)! But on the day it arrived, I pulled out the beautiful little  piece of jewelery from its plastic pouch and it all seemed worth it. The money spent, the time waited, had all been for a better cause: so that two boys in Eastern Europe can come home to a loving family, and I can tell their story to all of the people around me who see the charm around my neck and ask about it.

That is the Truth of Orphan Care. It requires sacrifice after sacrifice you might not think is easy or fun at the time. It will take your time, your energy, and the reactions you get when you tell people about it will range from "WOW, that's AMAZING!" to "Good for you" to "Why on earth would you want to dedicate all your time and energy to that?" But in the end, the fruits of your labors, just like that silver necklace, is not only worth the time and energy you put in, but will teach you life lessons that will change you forever, and will tell a far more beautiful story than you could have ever imagined.

A Little Update

Hey Everybody!

Hope our weeks all started off smoothly ;) Anyway, just wanted to update you all that while my usual posts about Orphan Care, Adoptive Families, Special Needs, etc., are down the pipe a little later this week, I have updated the Our Orphans Love Page, the Our Graduates Page, and the Charities Page (something I've been meaning to do for over a year......) Along with posting posts, we will continue to update these pages over the next few weeks as well! Until then, Enjoy, and SPEAK FOR THE SILENT!

 (And as always, this wouldn't be a proper post without putting Russel and Ilya in it ;) )

An Army of Families (Prayers for Many)

If there was one thing taking months off of blogging did, it was give me a boatload of new families in the adoption process to advocate for when I finally made the time for it again. At this point, most of the families  I meet I either met through other adoptive families who are or have gone through the process, or it's families who have adopted before adopting again! :D So without further ado, let's start down the loooooooong list of families who have stepped out in faith to answer the Call of God found in James 1:27, Proverbs 31:8, and so many other verses in Scripture.

First up is the Ochs Family, who you'll recognize if you read my account of my trip to Texas. Marj and Ryan (Mr. and Mrs. Ochs) are a fantastic couple with two great little kiddos, Colvin and Georgia, and are in the process for Elvira from Reece's Rainbow. They are standing before a judge to petition for Ella to be theirs RIGHT NOW, so PRAY PRAY PRAY if you read this before Thursday Morning! Continue to keep them in your prayers over the next month too, as they wait out their 30-day waiting period and head back to Eastern Europe one last time to finally bring Ella home. The link to their blog is here. 

Next is the Burman Family, also a family from the RR community I got to meet whilst in Texas and who I now love to pieces! Few of you who have been in the Reece's Rainbow community over the last year will forget two HUGE stories that went viral amongst us- Carrington, a 10-pound 4 year old literally on death's door when the Burman's brought her home, and the other story being that of Pleven, one of Bulgaria's Orphanage facilities and the horrid conditions that were found there- 10-pound, 2-year-old sized 12-year-olds, etc. Having gotten to meet Shelly, Carrington, and the entire Burman Bunch, I can tell you they really are an amazing family and that Carrington is a living miracle, having gone from death's door to a happy, smiley, raspberry-blowing little lovey. It's no secret that the Burman's have brought home and saved 5 kids in all from Eastern Europe, along with having their two biological kids Madelaine and Ethan. Earlier this year, Shelly and Brian (Mr. Burman) felt called to bring home two boys from Pleven- Teagan (4 years old) and Kelten (12 years old). Shelly and Maddie have already embarked on their first trip (with the awesome Sousa-Brown Family), and are now anxiously awaiting a court date. In the mean time, they are holding an Etsy fundraiser with their friend Joy selling "Carrignton Necklaces" (necklaces originally sold to raise funds for Carrington) for the boys! You can get them in 4 different styles, and hey, a gorgeous necklace that reminds you of an amazing family with an amazing call, helping them ACHIEVE that call, is pretty awesome in my eyes ;) their blog link for Kelten and Teagan is HERE and the fundraiser link is HERE. Make sure in the message space to say what style you want and which family you want the proceeds to go to!

The next Family I want to re-introduce to you is the Rogers Family, who you may remember I mentioned in a few posts like this where I advocated for multiple families who have supported us and we support in return! At the time that  I was advocating for them, they were bringing home two sweet peas, Oscar and Christine, now Clare and Malachi. Needless to say, these two have blossomed.

Now, the Rogers are going back for two older children! Bernadette (a 16 year old with Down Syndrome who will be re-named Jessica) and Mason (9 yrs old, DS)!

Their blog is HERE, and, as luck would have it, they're doing a Carrington Necklace fundraiser too! So following the link above in the Burman's section, if you say you'd like the money to go to the Rogers family, it'll go to their Family Sponsorship Page! Or maybe buy one for you and one for a friend and give each family some love ;)

The next family is the Lindquist family adopting Ethan, who we've mentioned multiple times as they are huge supporters of ours and are reaching the end of their process! Please keep them in prayer as they do one last garage sale and get ready to travel to BRING ETHAN HOME!!!!! Their blog is HERE. You can find their FSP in our "Children we are Praying Home" page, as on top of their estimated garage sale profits they need 2400 extra $$$.

Next up is the Whiteaker Family, another long-time supporter and friends of ours! They are waiting for travel dates to finally pick up Mr. Danny/Colton, but are also awaiting the arrival of their first BABY!!!!! Looks like Colton's gonna be a big brother a little while after he gets home! :) Their blog is HERE.Please continue to pray for them as they prepare now for not one, but TWO little boys!!!!

Next is another family we've mentioned before- the Anderson family, adopting two little girls (outside Reece's Rainbow) from South America! Right now our compatriots over at Rainbow of Hope/4Girls4Christ are running a fundraiser to help this family with the funds they will need to hopefully  travel in the next few months!!! The link to the Anderson's blog is HERE and the 4G4C fundraiser is HERE. Just for clarity, the Faith Trust and Pixie Dust chip-in is the one for the Anderson's ;)

Next is the Schwenzer Family, who adopted Julia and Aaron from my sister Julia's orphanage shortly after we brought our Julia home! They are going back for Marina, also from the Orphanage that my Julia, their Julia, and Aaron are from! Please, as with all of these families, keep them in your prayers. I had the chance to meet them this January (along with reuniting with the Hinzes), and I so hope I can see them again once Marina's home! Their blog is HERE.

The next family that I'd like to introduce for the first time is the Breen Family, who I met up at Pathfinders/Cooperstown this summer at the RR Reunion! Missy and Bill adopted Vlado about a year ago, and are now traveling back to get another little boy! Feel free to follow their blog and keep them in your prayers!!!!!

From Left to Right- Andrea Roberts (!!!), Missy (Mrs. Breen) and Vlado, Bill (Mr. Breen)

We now have three families to round out this post: two new, one of whom has made multiple appearances on the blog .

First of the new three are the Jenks Family, adopting Sydney and Lucien from the same region as the Schwenzers! The Jenks family currently have 4 children and are so beyond excited to bring home these two adorable children! Right now, though, less than a month from possibly travelling, they are TEN GRAND short. Thus, time is short to help them raise a titanic sum of money. But God has done great things for those families in adoption processes before, He can do it again! If you go HERE and purchase one of these pendants (meant to be Mother's Day gifts) and mention the Jenks family in your order, 50% of the proceeds will go towards their adoption!

The other new family I'd like to introduce is the Shpak family, adopting Shannon from Reece's Rainbow! I can't even begin to articulate the strength this family has and the amount of callings they are following selflessly at once, so I'm merely going to state the fact that they're AMAZING, and then link the blog for their adoption of Shannon HERE (Mr. Shpak has just met her, TOTAL cutie)  and their domestic adoption process of a little boy named Ethan, a process which has asked for so much time, energy and faith, all of which the Shpak's have kept and are keeping. Keep this family safe, Father as they continue to walk with you, in their own words, "knee-deep in adoption!"

Finally, we are continuing to plug our beloved Spitz family in their fundraising for Lyla. The stakes have been upped, however, members of the family and friends have started taking challenges to raise money faster. The Basile family kicked it off with Mrs. Basile taking a pie to the face when they raised 10 grand, then the Spitzes took it into their own field when Dave (Mr. Spitz) got a stylish mohawk and makeup treatment ala the littles (quite the artistic piece if you ask me) and now- well, Conor and Nick (the big bros of the bunch) have agreed to dress in teenage girl apparel once the fund hits 12K. Good grief- talk about LOVE! Needless to say, all 3 Spitz men will be getting medals of honor from yours truly when I hopefully see them this summer. If not, well, there's always the postal service ;) Their fundraising continues to rise to titanic proportions at the blog linked HERE. They are also frantically raising the money needed to finish their dossier so they can send it out to USCIS and become one step closer to going to GET LYLA! You can see that over HERE.

Well, that just about wraps it for this group of families! We are, as always, praying for them hard and anxiously awaiting all of them to be home with their beautiful children! In the mean time, please continue to pray for our precious Russ and Ilya, and that THEY can be in one of these posts soon!

Strongest Love

I once said to a friend that no task worth achieving is within easy reach. I find that so many times God calls us to do things beyond our own strength, or what we perceive to be "out of our comfort zone" or "more than we can do" so we A) learn to rely on Him more and B) see nothing is out of reach so long as we rely on God. Orphan Advocacy/Adoption/Missionary Work is definitely in that category. You can't do it alone. You need help from not only God but also from those around you that share the call and the conviction. But on an even further level, I have come to admire some in the world of advocating for Orphans who love deeper, work harder, and never let their personal comfort zone set the boundaries for where that love goes.

And this post is a salute to some of the greatest examples of that that I've seen in my life.

I've had this post forming in my mind for quite some time, and wasn't sure quite when or where would be the best time to share such deep emotions and personal emotions. But through the timing and working of the Lord, many things have happened in the past few months that bring you the post you are reading now.

I admit one of the first things that repelled me from Orphan Advocacy when I first stumbled across it was the emotional roller coaster you must willingly ride day after day. How could you possibly love and work tirelessly for someone a thousand miles away, whose life was totally out of your hands? I could only find the answer through Faith, Hope, and Prayer. But even then, there was fear. What if something went wrong in that child's life? What if there really was nothing I can do for that person? What if the path's not always clear as to how I can help them? What then do I do?

While I still don't think I could answer that question completely, God has used so many people around me to show that we can and are meant to love till it hurts, just like He did. One of the earliest examples of that was Tori's love of her dear Carmencita in Peru. Only being able to see her a couple times a year, unable to find a family for her because she is not available for adoption, Tori did everything in her power and then some to give Carmencita the love and life she deserved. Despite all of the barriers put in front of her, all the things that easily could have discouraged someone else, she pushed aside her personal comfort zone and any obstacles in her path, all in the name of love. Love for one beautiful girl with Cerebral Palsey in Peru.

I saw it again in the way the Hinz family grieved but continued to love Nikita, the little boy they originally committed to along with Mr. Dusty (they committed to Sonya later). Despite never meeting him in person, never getting the opportunity to hold his little hand or snuggle him, he is their son. They celebrate his birthday, call him their own, even though he never "officially" got to be part of their family, He is in their hearts. A perfect example of embracing the toughest circumstances adoption can throw at you and make it something beautiful beyond what my words or anyone else's can do justice.

All through this time, however, there was another example of this, one whose story is nothing short of its own little fairy tale.

The Spitz Family, adoptive family of Michael (now Gavin) and Mariya (now Isabelle/Bellie) from Reece's Rainbow, originally began on a path to a different little girl: Lyla/Lilianna, blessed with Down Syndrome. Remember her?

   It was their adoption of Lyla that originally brought my family and theirs into contact. We cheered for Lyla as they cheered for our Jenny/Julia. But I'll never forget the day I found out things had gone wrong. So, SO wrong. Lyla was on death's door in the hospital, unadoptable until further notice, if she stayed alive. It was then that they adopted their sweet Belle, who I got to meet this summer, pictured below with awesome big sister Taylor:

Shortly before our little gathering in Cooperstown NY, though, they had decided God was calling them to adopt again. At that time, there was NO word on Lyla. No idea where she was. Regardless, this amazing family continued to love her as their own, forever grateful to the little girl across the sea that had indirectly brought them to their soon-to-be two little Ukrainian cutie-pies.

But then, there was another day I'll never forget: the day Lyla came back. On Reece's Rainbow. Out of nowhere. At that point, though, they were committed to mr. Gavin, and could not bear either the thought of leaving Gavin or Lyla. Thus they continued to love her and pray for a family to step forward.

Fast-forward a few months. Summer and Dave go to meet Gavin (who, by the way, is in the same Orphanage as Lyla). Needless to say, Gavin's a cute, adventurous little guy they love with all of their hearts. But then Summer did something on the second trip that would have left me in a puddle, no, a LAKE, on the floor: she asked to MEET Lyla. Meet Lyla. At that point all she'd be able to do is snuggle her and say there was a family on the way for her (YAY!), nothing else. Regardless of her own emotions, Summer met Lyla. and snapped a beautiful, timeless portrait of a beautiful little girl:

Fast forward another couple months: I was in Texas one morning checking messages on my phone to see if there was anything urgent, as I wasn't on Facebook, my e-mail or blogger all that much. There was an e-mail alert regarding a message from my mom. Reading down a few lines, all I could read was "Caleb, I have some sad news: Lyla lost-." What came after the "lost" didn't fit into the text message, but it didn't need to. I knew the next two words were "her family." That day riding around in the car I thought about the situation at hand. Writing long, passionate blog posts was out of the question until I left Texas as I barely had any time for Internet at all, so that left prayer. I prayed for the Spitzes as they grieved the loss of this family and for the little girl in Eastern Europe who had no idea of all the prayers and tears being poured out for her. I prayed that somehow this would all work out. By the time I was in the airport leaving for Texas, my mom had called us to say that through some God-given miracles, Lyla was going to become a Spitz.

The Spitzes announced their happy news publicly about a week later, to a TON of supportive people willing to help any way they could. As things stand now, people are fundraising and advocating this family like all get-out. To see all of this happening really is a reminder that, when a beautiful cause comes along, good people doing good deeds do still exist that can and will help. That good still abides in this world.

More than that, it is a reminder for me of that Strongest Love. A love that endured heartbreak and joy time and time again, that prayed endlessly, that crossed oceans and personal boundaries and any obstacle in between because of one little girl. One little girl who is WORTH IT.

Right now, one of those fundraising groups I mentioned before is doing a 3rd Genreation iPad giveaway to help the Spitzes raise funds for sweetest Lyla. So get on over there and donate, share, support any way you can! The link is right HERE. Help these last two days of fundraisng (today also happens to be Summer's Birthday!) be the BEST day of them all!

So, to one of the little babes we prayed for for months, and to one of the families that's prayed for US and our ministry since it's genesis, here's to you and your amazingly willing hearts. May God Bless you on this amazing journey!

Our Two Little Buddies

As Speaking for the Silent has developed over the last year and a half, we have advocated for children in many different ways: child of the week, children from different countries or orphanages, etc. Our most recent method of operation, however, was putting two or three of the children we felt most drawn to and putting them into a collage we shared on an almost post-by-post basis. Our most recent collage was our three musketeers, Brigita, Lilianna/Lyla and Ilya P.

I am extremely happy to say both Brigita and Lyla/Lilianna have families, both of whom I know. Brigita's mom Dee has been fund raising and working to bring her home for the past couple months, and Lyla's story....well, that's a post soon to come ;)

But that still leaves our little dude. Ilya P. Mr. McCutesy. Little guy's still hanging around on the waiting lists for a family, and we are praying that this changes soon, because it MUST.

But in the name of camaraderie and trying to pray for/advocate for more than one little guy at the same time, we've given little Illya a buddy: meet Russell!

Ain't he just adorable? Look at those CHEEKS! anyway, Ilya and Russ are a couple years apart, with Ilya in '06 (6 yrs old) and Russ a teeny 2 1/2! The picture of Ilya is probably pretty outdated. God knows where he is or what physical/emotional/developmental state he's in at this point. As for Russ, and updated picture shows him as looking pretty good-

Regardless, both of these little guys need homes. They need families. They need love. Ilya's already lost 6 years of it. Russel is still so small and hasn't had to feel that heartache, that loneliness yet.

Thus, these are our two little buddies. Until they are both in the arms of their Forever Fams, they're going to get the 5-star advocating treatment. Mentioned in every post, here, Facebook, and elsewhere. We might even dip our toes in the fundraising water and try to do some of that for them!

Welcome to the S4TS family, Russ and Ilya. Here's to your future families, and that they come for you soon.

Resurrection (Preparing for Action)

It feels good to be blogging again. While I'm regretful to have missed the months I did, I feel beyond blessed to have gotten the opportunities I have, from going to Texas, to meeting Adoptive Families through other avenues of communication in those months where I was not as loud for The Least Of These as I should have been.

So now that the story of my Texas adventure has been told, it's time to get back to what the name of this blog/ministry states that I/we do: Speak for the Silent.

At the end of this month, I will be hopefully launching a large attempt to help my fellow advocators raise their voices higher, as well as raise my own voice for those little angels I feel drawn to shout for. During that time, we will be advocating, partnering with other advocates, sharing more encouraging stories, and making our first attempts at fundraising.

As I/we prepare to begin this project together, I am going to ask each and every one of you to Speak for the Silent in your own way: share our page/mission or that of a similar organization with someone who might not have ever considered Orphan Care. Blast the message of James 1:27, Proverbs 31:8, and so many other Bible Verses from the rooftops. Together, we can make this happen, make it a success. To draw attention and compassion to the Orphans we so love here at S4TS, the families that are stepping forward in faith to adopt them, and the other advocates after the same mission as us.

I hope you have all had a very happy, healthy, blessed Easter Sunday. Just as Christ has risen from the grave today, let today mark a new breath of life coursing through not only this blog, but in the life of every orphan, adoptive family, and advocate around the world.

An Opportunity Part 6/Finale: Free to Love (This is not Goodbye)

Monday, March 12th, was the last day me and Dad would be spending in beautiful Dallas Texas.The yucky rain that had pervaded Saturday and most of Sunday fell away to blue skies and sunshine, with temps in the high 70's. It was gorgeous. We spent our morning with Marj and the kids, enjoying our last bit of relaxation and visiting time together before me and dad were off to visit the wonderful Burman family that evening and then leave early Tuesday morning. I was more than happy to have some quiet with a family that had turned from acquaintances to family for me in less than a week before I was thrust back into life back home. Poor Colvin was still feeling under the weather, but he took it like a trooper and we all had a fun morning playing together one last time.

       Lil' Georgia :)

                               

For lunch, the Ochs took me and Dad into a gorgeous little Southern Home Cookin' restaurant called Babes in a local shopping square. The area itself feels like a modernized set from an old western movie, with little shops, restaurants and salons lining both sides of the street, with little porches and awnings and such. It was gorgeous.

The Restaurant itself, Babe's, is a restaurant that specializes in Fried Chicken and Chicken-Fried steak (for any of you who don't know what I'm talking about, it's a Steak in breading like fried chicken) with all the important sides, like your mash potatoes, hot biscuits (with butter and honey of course), etc etc. My mouth is already watering just reminiscing ;D Needless to say, it was DELICIOUS. And I officially became part southern.

    Babe's

After we got back form lunch, I got ready to head out with Dad to meet the lovely Burman family at their home. I first met Shelly (Mrs. Burman) when I was assembling the slideshow presentation the Lindquist Family put together for their adoption of Ethan. I got to talk with Mrs. Burman here and there, exchanging a couple e-mails back and forth. While I can't remember who it was, someone along the way reminded me as I was planning my trip that they were in the DFW area. As soon as I thought of it, however, I remembered that Shelly and the Burman's eldest daughter, Madelaine, would be traveling to Eastern Europe to meet the two handsome boys they are working to adopt, Kelten and Teagan. Still wanting to let them know they were in my thoughts and prayers, though, I sent Shelly a message saying that while I'd be in Texas if they were around and available, giving them the dates I'd be open to meeting up. Shelly responded saying that they would be home the night of the 11th, and would be more than happy to have me and my Dad over on the 12th for a visit before I left. From there on, I realized just how truly amazing this family was/is- inviting two guests they'd never met before over for a visit the day after they returned from a week-long mission trip to Europe! I don't know how they do it, but it's a pretty amazing thing to see :)

After about an hour of driving amidst some interesting traffic, we arrived at the Burman's to a living room full of smiling faces waving and looking up at the two new people who had just arrived. For the next couple hours, we enjoyed dinner and plenty of conversation with this amazing family and their 7 awesome kiddos.

Just for Maddie- "Carrginton's Like a Tiger!" pose ;)

And one extra bonus: a little video of Princess Carrington herself :)



The Burman's are one great family, and I am beyond happy I got to spend the time I did getting to know them and their story.

As we were heading home, I could feel the pangs of sorrow from a happy journey ending driving into me. So in stead I thought back on the trip and all it had entailed, affected me, changed me, moved me, opened my eyes, my heart, opened up new opportunities, etc. Had I known the song at the time, I probably would have thought of Aaron Shust's "We Are Free," a song talking about opportunities to overcome our weaknesses and become more than we ever thought we could be by being Christ's hands and feet to people.




When we got back to the Ochs' that night we said goodnight and goodbye to the toddlers and enjoyed one last night of conversation and quiet time with Marj and Ryan. It was so bittersweet, as it felt like part of the happy routine my days had fallen into, but with the knowledge it would be a while before it happened again. We said our goodbyes that night as well, as me and Dad would be heading out around quarter to 7 the next morning to get into DFW Airport on time.

Going to bed that night was hard. There was a part of me that was eager to get home and reunite with mi familia. There was another part of me that did not want to leave the new family I had found here. Alas, teleportation devices to bring one group to the other aren't in existence yet ;) I went to sleep that night thankful for the times I had enjoyed, saddened that they had come and gone, ready to head back to NY, and eager to come back again to Texas soon.

~*~

Tuesday morning me and Dad got ready in the most silence as possible in the hopes we wouldn't wake anyone early. We finished packing and got everything into the car, where the dew was still fresh on everything around us. Looking back, the song "This is not Goodbye" from Sidewalk Prophets plays in my head as we pulled away one last time.

"This is not Goodbye
I know we’ll meet again
So let your life begin
‘Cause this is not goodbye
It’s just “I love you” to take with you
Until you’re home again"

They say home is where the heart is.  If that really is true, as I believe it is, I've come to realize home doesn't have to be a house you live in for X amount of days/months/years, Or one certain place you call your "hometown." It's wherever you feel loved. Wherever the people that you love are. It's wherever you see God working. Where you know He's using you for some greater purpose. With that conclusion, I've come to realize my home isn't just in Rhinebeck New York. It's in Rhinebeck New York, as well as the Dallas/Forth Worth area of Texas. It's in Camp Veritas. It's in Northeast Ukraine. It's with every adoptive family that has ever called me a friend. It's in my church, and every place Christians gather across the world. 

Home is where the Heart is. 

 "But lay your treasures up in Heaven,  where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

Matthew 6:20-21