confessions in randomness....

Hmm.....I keep thinking that bugs are biting me, but it happens to be the softest breeze tickling arm hairs individually as I sit on the "porch" at the mk's house. I can't help but throw open the sliding doors every morning and every evening. It's one of the most exciting parts about being here this weekend!

And let me just tell you-Brazil has cicadas. They don't hum.......it's more of a siron sound-really weird-only in the daytime and really bad after 12pm.

Currently I'm reading through Exodus, Psalm, Isaiah, Luke, and Hebrews. I've read through Genesis, S of S, Proverbs, Esther, Ecclesiastes, Job, Matthew, Mark, Nehemiah, and maybe a couple more-I don't have my checklist handy. There's not really any order to how I'm reading them-just that I am and I think I really like this method as odd as it might seem to others....

I'm really lovin' Hebrews right now....I mean really, really. I was inspired by this book last fall as I attended some of Ashland Avenue's College Outreach Services, then Piper preached about "going outside the camp" at T4G(for some reason I took notes in my Bible margins-so I see it frequently), and this week, a "homeland" verse caught my attention to which I quickly shuffled it into the mix of my daily chapter reading.


Last week we went to the....


Zoo :) No one loves the zoo more than my students...I'm convinced.

This week, we're going to learn about Jesus Calming the Storm, letters I and D, counting and graphing, and Families. I'm really excited about the Family Unit in Social Studies. We have such a diverse population and some cool "make ups" of families even in my class of 5. I'm most excited about one student that is adopted. :) I have a little story for this bit of information: Every Tuesday is "Bring A Book Day". This is even more popular than show and tell in my class! I get some books in French (they love that I "read" the pictures), some in Spanish, English-whatever. Last week Caleb brought in a book called I Love You Like Crazy Cakes by Rose Lewis. I didn't know what it was about, but I was bawling by the end. I mean-full out tears and almost sobbing through the words. Through each page-Caleb said, "That's me." "That's the airplane my mommy and daddy came on." Oh-and I cried even harder. They laughed and begged me to read the book again. I said absolutely not. I knew I could not make it through again. My heart is inclined to orphans and to adoption. The White's in London, KY are huge inspirations as well as the Caldwell's (whom I've been following since their first adoption announcement). As I read that book, I cried because I know so many orphans are receiving homes. My best friend, Mary, and I have been supporting a foundation called "Holt International" for almost 2 years. So far, we've supported three children during their "middle ground" (the time between orphanage and the actual picking up for adoption). We rejoice in each letter that we receive saying that "Joshua's" been adopted and now we would like to introduce you to " ". We love it. Maybe my heart is inclined so that one day I will financially support an adoption as a wife and a mother. Who knows?! Maybe I will always love and support orphans from afar. James 1:27 will keep me going either way, "Religion that is pure and undefiled before God is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction and to keep oneself unstained from the world."
And-the conviction sets in.....because as I love the first component-what am I doing about the other two........