First hand experience

This week, our kids are enjoying the blessing of being at Camp Geneva (www.CampGeneva.org if you don't know of the place - it ROCKS!) and Dave & I are slowing down and enjoying some time in Holland, Michigan together. One of the best things we did this week was have lunch with a couple who adopted from Ethiopia almost a year ago. We had many questions for them, and thankfully, they were more than willing to answer them all. They helped define some of the things we didn't quite understand yet and shared openly about their experience. One of the neatest things they did was bring some of their pictures from when they traveled to Ethiopia. WOW!! This made us more excited than ever! There is so much imagining and wondering about what to expect - and of course, everyone's experience will be different, but it helped to see one of AAI's orphanages there, helped to see the place where we would stay, helped to be assured that they felt safe while they were there, helped to hear them speak of many famlilies who didn't know how God would make their adoption possible, but He did! We continue to feel more called than ever to this journey and more excited to see how God is going to work.

We have found ourselves this week thinking about next summer - and how different our lives could be by then. Now, we can't say that we don't have worries or apprehensions - we have plenty of those - but we are ready for this ride of ups and downs, blessings and trustings, and God's faithfulness through it all. Let's ride!

Beginning the Jansen expansion......

Yes - you read that right! The Jansen's are expanding! We have recently begun the journey of adopting our child from Ethiopia - a child that God already knows the name of and has waiting to come home to this home. We are very excited, full of wonder, and overwhelmed with the fears of finances, more responsibilities, changes and all sorts of other things. But - God has shown us again and again and again, that when we follow His call, He is in the details. So then, we have chosen to move forward in faith, expectantly looking forward to all that God is going to do! We already know it's GOOD!

For more information on how we came to this decision, please pour yourself a cup of iced tea or coffee, and listen to what we recently shared with our congregation: www.centerpointfamily.info and click on "sermon archive" to the right. Then click on "How Real is Your Religion" for 5-30-10.

As a family (along with our awesome small group) we will be hosting a pancake breakfast fundraiser at CenterPoint Church on Saturday, July 31st. If you live in Central Ohio, will you please consider joining us and help us start raising the funds necessary to bring our child home?