20 YEARS?!?

It's hard to believe that Mike and I have been married for 20 years! In some ways, it seems longer because I have very few memories without him. We met in fourth grade when his family moved one town over to Williamsburg, Ohio...and the rest, shall we say, is history! We "went together" (what exactly does that mean?!) and dated since eighth grade and were engaged during our first year at Malone College. On our first anniversary, as poor college students, Mike gave me one single long-stem red rose. I remember he said, "It may not seem like much now but imagine when we've been married for 50 years!" Well, each year, he has added one more rose and somehow still manages to surprise me during the week of our anniversary. We have been in many different places to celebrate over the years, but I have to say that this year at CLM will be the most memorable for me.

We had called all the kids to dinner and were ready to pray when Mike announced that everyone needed to go back upstairs to clean up the family room. A few of the kids grumbled but everyone got up and marched back upstairs. About 2 minutes later, Luana came out of the girls' hallway door and started walking towards me with a red rose and a big smile. About the time she reached me at the end of the dining room, the door opened again and out came Geovane with another red rose and an even bigger smile. The lightbulb FINALLY went off in my head when Donei appeared, followed by 16 more of our beautiful children in a slow procession, each with a rose and a huge grin. Of course, the last to appear was Mike with the 20th rose, a hug and a kiss, while everyone clapped and cheered. Not too many dads have enough kids to pull that off! :)

I was overcome with emotion not only because of the love I have for this man that God has blessed me with but also that we were able to share this special moment with the 31 precious children that He has placed in our care. I praise God for Mike and the 20 wonderful years He has given us together.

"I pray our love can be worthy of, the One who gave His life so our love could be." Geoff Moore

Dia dos Pais

Today is Father's Day in Brazil. After our Sunday morning children's service, Janete and Patricia led the younger girls in singing a song to the CLM dads. After lunch, we continued celebrating with cake, gifts, and handmade cards from the kids. The children were given an opportunity to share before we prayed and Geovane thanked Mike, Lobinho, and Jake for being "the dad that I never had." We are thankful for the privilege of being sent out to share the Father's love with each of these precious children.

Bus Stop Face Lift

Life and Death

Last night, Mike found a young man who had been killed by a drunk driver just a few hundred feet from the end of our driveway. He had been taking Meghan and Joacir home when he saw someone laying in the middle of the opposite lane. Several cars in front of them had passed by and hadn't even slowed down. Mike turned around to go back but could tell before he got out of the van that it was too late. This morning, we discovered that it was the 20-year-old son of a couple who has attended our church from time to time. He was a security guard and had been going to work on his bike when he was hit. We found out this morning that he was married and his wife was pregnant. Another disconcerting aspect of this senseless death was that he was robbed of his shoes, cell phone, and bike after he was killed.

When tragedy strikes, we are quickly reminded of how fragile life is; how easy it is to take friends and family for granted. This young man was given no warning that today would be his last; he had no time to say goodbye to loved ones or make amends with those he had offended. Did he have a relationship with Jesus? Was he immediately ushered into the gates of heaven? Although we don't have the answers, these questions can prod us to live each day without regret, each moment knowing that God has a perfect plan for our future. I praise Jesus for the assurance that I am His and my life is in His hands.