Swimming in the deep end!

Hi friends!

Whew! Life has been SO busy and full for me since I blogged last! We've received 5 babies in the past 3 weeks and we have quite a few that we are getting ready to meet their forever families in the next few weeks ahead. I am still in training with Beth for one more official day and then on the 20th I step in to her ginormous (figuratively speaking, of course) shoes as Children's Director for Door of Hope. Beth, Sara (our new Social Worker) and I have been buzzing around town trying to meet all of Beth's connections, learn new skills and decipher sometimes sticky protocol. I've had the chance to do a few of the medical runs that I'd not yet had the chance to walk through and I'm trying to soak up all the info from Beth that I can. I swear that girl can spout off the names of people, medications, towns and procedures faster than my pen can write down sometimes. I know I have TONS to learn but come Monday I'll be swimming in the deep end.

I recently downloaded one of Amy Carmichael's devotional books entitled "I Come Quietly to Meet You" and it has been such a refreshing piece of encouragement for me. The last few weeks have been so full that I've felt a bit dried out and slightly spread thin. Yesterday's entry reminded me that my Father never rebukes me for being wounded by weariness or fear or anything else! Instead His Word reminds my heart again and again that He is near, He is able and He will be present for me to lean upon, even when I'm wiped out and weary. I pray that you will rest upon His strength today and be refreshed with hope and joy.

Thank you for your prayers for me and our babies here at DOH. Thanks to the mercy of our Father everyone has been well and thus far winter has been kind to us as far as illness goes. Please be praying that we are supernaturally protected from illness this winter and that we don't have to have any babies admitted to the hospital. Please pray that I would have supernatural anointing as I step into this new role as Children's Director. I'm praying that I will be attentive to the Holy Spirit as I care for the 37 littles in my care. That I will have a mother's heart and knowledge about each one and for each of their needs. Pray that I will have wisdom beyond my years and experience as I seek to care for them when they are sick or hurting. That I will be able to juggle all of the administrative details with skill and the ability to put my relationships with Jesus, the Aunties, Volunteers, Staff and babies first. Above all else, please pray that I will do all of these things in the Father's strength and not my own, bringing His name glory above all other things!

In other, very exciting non-baby related news: my dear friends Allison and Megan will soon be making the journey across the sea to come and visit me! I am beyond excited to have them here and show them all that my last few months of life have included. Please pray that their journey here is safe and our time will be perfectly balanced with babies, sightseeing, work and fun! I'm sure to have bunches of pictures to show you come the end of July! Thank you for all of your love, prayers, support and encouragement as I serve here at DOH. I miss you more than words can say!!! Love you much! Here are some fun pics for you to enjoy:

It's been getting pretty chilly here in Jo-berg, so this is how I spend the last few minutes before I hop into bed...

My biggest Starfish hanging out in the garden play area, rocking some sunglasses from a birthday party we had earlier that day

Posing with our tinniest flower in our Small Baby garden at BH1

Part of my job is to take pictures for our adoption agency to help them match our babies with their forever families. Most photo shoots have about 30 pictures that look like this one and 4 or 5 redeemable ones. I never knew taking good pictures of littles was so difficult!

Here is a fun pic of me and my roomies out on the town for dinner. We were looking for karaoke but the pub where it used to be at is now the home of a really cool, unfortunately karaoke-free bookstore!

One of our bigger new arrivals, sleeping soundly...

Our tiniest new arrival, sleeping happily...

...after I made her furious when I had the audacity to weigh, measure and bathe her during her admission process! She is feisty for someone so tiny!

Me cuddling my Jackson. Seriously, he is the biggest 4 month old, ever!

Me and Mr. P during his admission...but don't be fooled he's got a set of pipes, too! P.S. can you see the new scar I'm sporting near my thumb? I love using my hot water bottle but it can come at a price! I burnt myself about 5 weeks ago and that's my little reminder to be careful when filling one up...