Operation: England In Full Swing!

Well in the last week we have had our weekend camp with Junior & Senior high - and it was FANTASTIC!!! We studied Spiritual Gifts :) An real eye opener to many, and such a Blessing because those that were here were eager to learn more! Yeah Jesus!!!!

As soon as weekend camp was done.....we started to huge job of wrapping up all those loose ends at home, for the camp, and packing..... Above and below is Abigail taking off a link on what used to be our LONG chain....but now in the pic a few links left.
Can you tell she is a little bit excited????
Ok so I got out all the luggage.....and this is what daddy found a few minutes later as I was busy trying to do work things.........Were they afraid we would forget them?
Or was it a great hiding place???
Or did they just know they are the cutest children in the world????
Or are our children just cute & very silly too????? By the way Abigail.....you are just growing tooo big to fit anymore. Still can't believe she is already 10! Ok....sorry mom moment.
So here is most of our luggage...in the same spot as it was last year when we went to Ethiopia!!!!!!! All packed to the brim with "stuff" for 9 people to go to England for almost 3 weeks. :) It has been 4 years since we have been back.

The last time we went was very hard for us because we were fostering Joshua, Sarah, & Elizabeth, but couldn't take them with us. It was heart wrenching!!! Because we had already made plans really early in the year well before we even knew anything about them.......we carried through, but it still ripped my heart out. They had only lived with us for 3 1/2 months.

What made it worse is they had to stay with a stranger. If you have to leave your children with someone else while they are in the foster care system - it has to be a certified foster home (unless it is a few hours). The only foster family that would do this...we didn't know. So we had planned to visit them with all of our children a few times....to get them comfortable.

Then RITA happened....you know the hurricane right after the one that hit New Orleans- Katrina....well Rita hit our territory- the other side of Lousiana & Texas too! We had to be gone for 2 1/2 weeks...no electricity here at home (and if you have ever been involved in a hurricane- it gets crazy hot right afterwards!!). Trees down all over the place especially the roads, can't get groceries any where nearby, gas is very limited if there is any available....sometimes no water either. So although we were VERY BLESSED to not have damage to our home....we were gone 3 weeks before our trip to England. So the plan of spending time with this other foster family...didn't happen.

We came back from our evacuation....bought a refrigerator (mental note to self to empty it next time - which we have). Cleaned up some of the damage around camp, and had to pack for England and leave in a matter of a few days.

So blast from the past...it was nuts. And coming back after going to England to our 3 babes we had to leave behind (even though they were not ours at the time- we were fostering) was REALLY HARD!!!

All that to say that NOW- we get to go as a family!!!!!!! YEAH!!! Joshua, Sarah, & Elizabeth have never been on a plane before.
In a couple of hours these toy bags for the flight will be filled (I have already put ziploc snack baggies in each with some yummy snacks for the flight). And in case you haven't picked up on it yet- We are Very Excited!!!! We will spend a majority of the time with Mum & Dad (my parents in love). We love their church family, there little village they live in near Norwich. We will spend a couple of days in London as well, and do some road trips I am sure.

We are fortunate that they are renting a 15 passenger for us all :) Easier travel. They are also coordinating to borrow beds, car seats, and have been stock piling on the food. As you can imagin this is a big deal because you know a family of 9 is a lot of prep work! Thank God our family is Wonderful!!!! Their home is not big, but they do have a "cabin" in their yard that has electric heat, bathroom, and enough space for some beds. My father in love is a builder (or US terms a carpenter) so he has put a lot of work into the "cabin" over the last several months in preparation for our stay. Thanks Dad!!!!!
So just a side note....I decided to do something different with the girls' hair....sometimes I get stuck in a rut. So here it is........


Are they cute or what??? Of course my opinion is a bit biased :)

We will be posting from England....so check back for pics from our fun trip!

Although we had really prayed and hoped that we would already have a court date.....God's timing will be perfect, and hey- it would make a great on vacation surprise!!!!

So I better get moving......there is still a lot to do and we leave for Houston (a 3 - 3 1/2 hour drive from here soon). Our plane leaves at 8:35 pm tonight and we arrive in England at 11:25am local time. England is 6 hours ahead of our time zone here in Louisiana.

The flight is 9 hour flight! Pray for us :) We are excited and this is our "normal" so although it seems huge for some, we just think of it as OUR FAMILY!!! Just think of the stares we will get at the airport....he he he he.....I'm laughing just thinking of it! It is a great way to witness to others about God, adoption, and His Love for all of us! :)