Family Blessings

Our extended family has been blessed tremendously through our children. Both of my brothers have large families so we have always enjoyed sharing the joys and humors of our children as they have grown up. Family gatherings would not be the same without the joyful noises and constant activities of the young people around us.
Over the past few years, our family has also experienced many blessings through international adoptions. My brother Donald and his wife Tamera adopted their 

youngest daughter, Rachael, from China. She is a beautiful girl, now six years old. Rachael brings such spirit and joy to our family, it is hard to imagine not having her in our lives to love and bring smiles to everyone’s faces. My cousins in Massachusetts that I visited last weekend have also experienced the joys of adoption. Nancy adopted her daughter Alisa from El Salvador and Mary Beth and Doug adopted their daughter Polina from Russia. I had a wonderful time with both of them last weekend; they are truly lights in our family’s lives.
Every exchange of love reminds me of the great blessings from God that these girls are to our family. It is easy to see that my family members were called to adopt, what an incredible act of grace! As noted in Mark 9:36-37, Jesus taught His disciples that whoever welcomes a child into their lives also welcomes Him. Countless delights and blessings have certainly followed for our family, as these children were welcomed and embraced. All of the world’s children deserve to grow up in a home with a family that will love and care for them. I am so fortunate to be a part of a family involved in the ministry of international adoption, as these children are a daily reminder of God’s love and eternal goodness.