...And On We Go

As you all know, life is busy!  So much has happened since I last updated our Blog. The snow has melted—the long, rough winter which felt endless is now a memory. In fact, today we went for a jog on the beautiful Rock Island Trail on a perfect 75 degree day! We are so thankful for the change of seasons that remind us of God’s grace and mercy to His creation.

Our niece, Nora Jean Kitibwa Mitchell was brown on February 16^th. She was born by an emergency C-section, which was not anticipated. Although she was tiny and had some feeding issues she is now doing much better! She is beautiful and we can’t wait to meet her in person.

 

“Baby Tour” trip to CA was a total success. Although it was quick, and we missed visiting a few people this time around, we were thankful to catch up with friends and to meet many of their precious little ones. My dear friend Sandi and her husband Allan were sent off to the mission field in the Philippines, so I was thankful to see them one last time, say goodbye, and to meet their new baby, Noah, before they left. Josh was able to celebrate with his long-time friend Steve, as he married his bride, Katie. The wedding was beautiful! 

 We’ve seen the Lord answer specific prayer—providing me with a car and a steady job. For the last several months I’ve been working as an aid in a Pre-K class at Peoria Christian School. What a blessing it’s been! The school year came to an end over a week ago, so I’m on summer break. I’ve already celebrated by taking the train to Chicago for the day with two of my sweet girl friends.

In just a few days we are leaving for summer camp with the high school group. Josh has put a lot of time and effort into planning camp for about 180 attendees. We expect God to do great things! Camp also marks one year since we moved to Illinois and just over two years of marriage. We’ve enjoyed looking back on the past year and recalling how God has guided and lead and answered prayer so graciously. 

The past several months have also brought some trials to our family, but again, God’s hand is evident and we trust His plan as things continue to unfold. Josh’s dad was experiencing pain in his chest when exercising and the doctors thought there was a blockage that could require open heart surgery. After an angiogram, they discovered there was no blockage, but he was born with a heart “defect.” He is now on a beta-blocker medication to keep his heart rate down—this will help avoid a heart attack.

My brother-in-law is currently in the states in Indiana. He became so ill in Uganda, he was forced to return. He his in the hospital with malaria and is still fighting with his autoimmune issues. Please pray that my sister can work out some visa/passport issues so the family can all reunite in the states. (The rest of the family is still stuck in Uganda).

Just yesterday I turned in all of our paperwork to become foster/adoptive parents. It’s already been a long journey which has barely begun, but we are excited to see what ministry opportunities God will bring about through this new open door—hopefully we will be parents soon!

Time is too short to fully express all the Lord is doing and teaching us. I hope to Blog more often so I can avoid the “update” style—filling in many details in a short time. I’d much rather Blog more often and be able to share our hearts. Hopefully I’ll be able to give you all the low-down when we get back from camp. Until then, thanks for praying!