New arrival

Ok I know it has been like a million years... ok so maybe not that long, but we have been without the internet for around a month, seems like a million years... so much has happened... oh so much. Wow...It is amazing how a broken computer, a move and no internet connection can isolate you from the whole entire world! It is funny, I months ago threw away all our phone books, ok so I think they got recycled, Yes I live in Missoula! and silly me was just thinking I dont need them, I have the internet! I can look it all up Go Google!..... well, boy was I wrong. with no internet those door stops would've come in handy! oh well here I am back from a non restful hiatus. we moved in the begining of January, barely had a Christmas tree! We put up a fake one for like 3 days, all the ornaments were like 3 feet and lower! Yup the little girl decorated it! And I was fine with that, I had boxes to pack! So we are still here in zoo town, just across town. in a LARGER real house. it is soo exciting to have space now, after being stuffed for over a year in a little compartment of an apartment. Everyone has their own room here it is so nice. Speaking of everyone, we became parents again December 20, our "little" Christmas suprise!
So I have been reading a few blogs of friends and lots are about how the new year is a new start and all these resoloutions, and all. well I have a friend who was talking about the road trips of life, she just returned before Christmas, from a 3 month 9000 mile road trip! and how she would've NEVER left the driveway if she'd have known she was going to be gone 3 months,9000 miles, replace all her tires, and puke in a hotel for 3 days because of food poisioning.
How true is this of our lives? again I look back on the last 2 years of my life, we were leaving San Antonio to start a church, we knew if it was God calling, "it wouldn't fail." right?! Wow. We are here now still a struggle day to day, I am not the lady that goes to the mall and makes friends with everyone. So I struggle. we have been drifting here wondering what we are here for. Would we have pulled out of that driveway our home in San Antonio if we knew that this church thing here was not going to work? 2000 miles away we are here, the mountains and snow are beautiful, and to think I disn't know where Montana was 2 short years ago. Comon sense and faith dont always align! I have to admit over the last summer we really were considering moving "home" God didn't let that happen. He has a bigger picture a bigger purpose for our lives. We returned from our looong vacation south, and made the choice to stay here. we set out looking for another place to live as the apartment provided plenty of warmth during the -13 winter we were looking for more room. We also took foster care classes with the State, we have always talked about this, since before we were married. so we took the 18 hours of classes. Tony signed on with Youth for Christ here in town, to start 2 new programs teaching students how to manage money, and a city wide youth program, for smaller churches without youth pastors.This "small" job quickly turned into many 80 hour weeks and way more than He could handle alone. We then decided after only a few short months with the program that we needed to take anouther route. Tony within 2 weeks got a job at a local credit union, and is now employed full time there. (what a huge miricle with this economy the way it is at this time) We also found a house on craigslist that was a 5 bedroom 2 living area home for less than we were paying for the apartment! ( Go God, another miricle and answer to prayer)
So as we waited for the house we spoke about the logistics of having a foster child. our requirements were... 4 or younger nothing too drastic and our 2 kiddos safety comes first. So with this large house we would be able to have plenty of room for a new child and all of our stuff and plenty of space too. soo exciting. so the last noght of our training there was a panel of people who were foster parents for us to ask questions to, and 2 teenagers in the system, to share their experiences with us as potential foster parents. We asked lots of questions, and listened to many answers. You know our heart is for teens, and we wanted to mentaly figure out a way to take them home... yet the first words out of this boys mouth were "I don't believe in God, and don't try to push Your God on me!" This was in his speeech he gave to the class... ok so maybe not, I said a little prayer, and thought nope, never a teenager in my house, Can't do it. Only 4 and younger ! I told myself again. allthough I felt that tug. And now after talking about it Anthony did too. but Only 4 and under! so on the short break we had Anthony invited this kid to his "club" that he was running for YFC at his school that Tuesday during lunch. He never came, but somehow he always poped up in the parking lot or in the office when He was signing in at the school. Just to say "hi" Nothing too out of the ordinary for my dear husband, because this is just the gravitational pull he has to teenagers. What a great gift from God! Not many people have that!
There Was one day that this kid walklled up to Anthony and said to him "I need a foster family before Nov.20, if I dont have one they are sending me to another group home in another city and my life will go to hell, will you be my dad?" ok now thats a little shocking to say the least! Jokingly he responded by saying " you want me to be your daddy?" and then explained he had to pray about it and talk things over with me.
We started to pray diligently it was only 2 weeks till the 20th of Nov! We werent going to move into the new house until the end of Dec, or early January, how would all that work? we contacted the lady who did our classes to seee how to get more info on this kid. it took a long time, I felt, it was taking too long, and that he would be sent away before we could really pray and get an answer, and paperwork, we still weren't licensed, we had no info on him, we needed to know more, we couldn't just jump on this allthough, our hearts were tugged, we are parents of 2 other children, how would this affect them? We knew we couldnt rush. We prayed, and prayed, and prayed. I would pray that God would remove him, If he wasnt suposed to be with us, I prayed that we would see the "red flags" clearly and not try to glaze over what might be a red flag. there were none. God what is going on here! We said NOT over4! and he is 17!!!
December 20 Isaiah came to live with us. He was our "little" Christmas gift we never knew we wanted. He has wanted a family since he was 6 and now almost 11 years later he has one. I think he has convinced himself that he has given up on God, that God did'nt listen to his prayers, but it is very Rare that a 17 year old is ever placed. since they are so close to timing out of the system. This boy has been given a new start. kind of a new perspective to the road trip perspective! The church we came here to start closed its doors 2 weeks ago, we left last April, YFC looked good, and it is ministry, that didn't fit either. If anyone would've told me I would be the mother of a 17 year old, at the age of 30 I Never would've believed them. Ministry is in the "youth group" but no teens living in my "home" not with my young children. God is amazing and in the BIG picture. not exactly what we can see, or even imagine for that fact! He is in the details... he knows... fun facts... we moved here on isaiahs birthday July 11, 2007. funny hu? God is Good! I'm glad we pulled out of the driveway, we are here, yea it is hard, but what an impact, It is all worth it, even if it is just for one teenager (who I swear is giving me more gray daily). Gods ideas are crazy, just be willing to accept the task! He will make it possible.
Wow!