Adoption, baptism, singing, and other updates

I have a lot of updating to do!!!

1. We have decided to go the domestic route for adoption. Likely, it will take the form of fostering to adopt. There will be lots of training to go through, etc., so please pray for us!

2. Jack and I just got back yesterday from Virginia. We went to see Caitlyn get baptized, which was wonderful! Jesus said, "believe and be baptized." Caitlyn came to believe last year, and she followed it up with being baptized this Tuesday. It was wonderful. She had shared her testimony with the church a while back, and it is obvious that she has touched many lives. I'm so proud of her for taking this step of obedience!! She has now declared publicly that she belongs to Jesus and that she believes in Him as her savior. It was a very happy occasion! :)

3. Please pray for Bo and his job.

4. At the baptism the other day, the worship leader sang a song that he'd written, and some of the lyrics were "whisper in their ear, Lord, how much they matter." It really spoke to me. At the risk of sounding whiny, I have to admit that, for much of my life, I have felt like I don't matter much. That song was a nice reminder that I do matter to God--and if I matter to Him, well, that is everything! I mean, come on! He's the creator of the universe for goodness' sake!

5. Also at the baptism, during worship, we sang the song "Here I am to Worship." As we began to sing the chorus, all of a sudden the sweetest voice could be heard next to me, singing in the sweetest Ethiopian accent I've ever heard. Temima was singing:

"Here I am to worship

Here I am to bow down

Here I am to say that you're my God."

Casey and I both were overcome by hearing her sing that song. It was the sweetest thing I've ever heard!

6. "This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin."

1 John 1:5-7

7. Jack is really happy to be home. He keeps running to his toys, so excited it's as if they're brand new! It's very sweet.

8. Incidentally, today is also my 25th birthday.