Courage. Love him. Proud of him.

This is a little veer off our adoption adventure and into a daily adventure that we have in our home. And I wanted to shine a light on one of my kids in particular. And as I say I that, I should shine a light on my other three kids at home as well. They are supportive of him, they hold his hand when he needs, they pray for him, they feel sad for him and celebrate when things go great. So before I share any more I want to shine a light on ALL of them. They love each other and are GREAT brothers and sisters.....So,

We are almost finished our holidays for the summer - I am sitting at our friend's house in the mountains just outside of Vernon and am so thankful for the time we have been able to spend the six of us. God definitely knew what He was doing when timelines were being created this summer - so we could still get away as a family. The kids needed time with us. We needed to reconnect with them. And now we are all looking forward to getting home. All of our kids always thrive when we go camping but one in particular shows us more of himself every time we go. And that is our oldest son (well, soon to be second oldest- but for now, our oldest son:). He doesn't ask for screen time, he loves getting out in the woods, biking around the campground, helping his dad with the campfire, and basically just hanging out. He doesn't like to be scheduled so this is a great trip for him (especially when I can keep my love for scheduling and organizing at bay:).

He is one of the most easygoing kids I know when he can be himself.

Sure he has his moments but every kids does. Every person does. But the thing that strikes me this while about him is is daily courage and flexibility. As many of you you know, but some don't- he was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes about 18 months ago. It seems like a lifetime ago. But now it is life. For him and for all of us. It does not define who he is but it is part of who he is. A few months ago, we decided to pursue an insulin pump...We were so grateful to have my insurance cover it and we have slowly been learning more each day about it, how it impacts our son and how to make it work for him. He is only 8, yet he does math like he is an adult, counts carbs EVERY time he eats, tests his blood sugars 8-10 times a day, and gives himself his insulin through his pump. I am thankful for the fact that we only have to give him one needle every 3 days...a far cry from the three a day he used to have.  He is one of the most courageous young men I know and I am proud of him each day. And I am proud to be his mom. I would take  this disease away in an INSTANT if I could. He hates having it - and i don't blame him. I hate that he has it. But everyday, he becomes a little more confident..and we become a little more confident. And we keep living life.

Over the last two weeks, we have been on family vacation and vacation means little to no routine. And with little to no routine often comes a bit of chaos to our food routine. From treats to not eating on time to lots of exercise, it totally changes the typical day in his life - which changes his insulin needs. And guess what - HE KNOCKED IT OUT OF THE PARK!! His blood sugar numbers were the best they have been in a long time and he was in his element. His stress was low, he was with his family and loving the outdoors.

All this to say that his diabetes is being well managed and we don't try to make a big deal about it but live life with it. I I thank God for these kinds of days...We encourage him to talk about it and explain it to friends - which he does amazingly well. We all eat the same and there is rarely a time where he is singled out solely due to his diagnosis. And we give and take...which I hope and pray allows him to continue to be the super awesome boy he is as he daily walks with this lifelong challenge.

I pray for my son daily. I pray for a cure. And in the meantime, I thank God for creating my son to be who He is and to flourish and overcome the obstacles that are before him.

Blessings,
Candra

provision

We made it through July...A year ago we were getting ready to move provinces and I specifically remember Riley telling me that next year at this time, things will calmer and we can relax:) I should have known better:)!! This July was full. Full of good things but full. We started off the month with my parents coming down for a week to help us get started on some renovations to our home to get ready for an additional three children. We still have a lot to do but it was a tremendous help and a really good start. We then headed to Saskatoon to coordinate and participate in RUN 143. God is so good and we raised and significant amount of money for orphan care and adoption! It was during this time that we found out about our family court date and started making arrangments to travel. SO the next week I worked, made lists and packed at night. Thanks so some gracious help from my Camrose friends I was able to sneak out at night to do most of my shopping! Riley was already going to be overseas for work so we met up in London and you know the rest of the story about our trip to Ethiopia. So July became just about as full as last year. But God’s hand was in all of it. The timing of things could not have worked out better. We were able to fit everything in that we were committed too. And our court date happened before court closure...Our agency director made a comment that we must have had a lot of people praying for us because the paperwork that needed to come through did (and much faster than first anticipated:) God’s provision. 

A big thing in the international adoption world is finances. It is quite costly to adopt overseas. And it stops many people from even considering it. This is because there are fees for agencies, lawyers, paperwork processing, flights, in country accommodations etc. We went into this adoption eyes wide open to these costs and felt from the very beginning that God would provide. We felt that it was important to steward our money with wisdom and first look at what we had and how we could save differently. During the last year, we have both had opportunities for additional employement (me- more hours for my job and for Riley- some additional weekend preaching). We have seen this not just as more work but as an opportunity to steward more of our money to giving and adoption. And I reminded myself of that a lot when I was at work and not at home with my kiddos:) We have had some very generous surprises and support as well.  And at the end of July, a wonderful friend of ours put her body on the line to run an ultramarathon to raise financial support for our family. As part of this, 4 children in BC (from a family we have never met) also wanted to help out and the kids ran 143 laps each over three days to raise money for us as well. There are really no words to express our gratitude and thankfulness. We are so excited to be a part of something, in which people can come together and support something tangible for His sake. And we pray that our story will somehow give hope and a realness to those considering expanding their family through adoption. 

I write all this not to boast or be prideful, but to encourage and express that God’s provision is there. We were fully ready for the long haul of covering the cost of the adoption. And there is still some of that. BUT, God is full of surprises! The last part of our journey to bring the boys home will happen in about 5-8 weeks. And then it will be the beginning of a likely difficult, but absolutely worth it, journey to blend our family.

So know that, no matter the circumstances- God's provision is very real. It may not necessarily come in the form you would prefer, but I have learned and continue to learn to look for, recognize and be thankful for how He cares for me and our family!

blessings,

Candra