Future of Forestry's #1 Fans

Our kids adore their Uncle Eric (my younger brother) and though they haven't been able to go to one of his concerts in a while, they are his most avid fans :). It's hard to tell from the pict, but they're all wearing their custom made Future of Forestry band shirts. They probably don't appreciate the quality of Eric's music, but they sure do love their Uncle! Eric just finished his Christmas EP and will be doing a Christmas tour soon. So if you're interested in some great Christmas music, you can check it out at http://www.futureofforestry.com .

Rite of Passage

Hard to believe that our little baby boy has reached that time in his life, but Tuesday it was official - he has a Brace Face! Here's a before and after picture. Poor little guy is wincing from the pain and surviving on a diet of yogurt, soup and applesauce. One plus is these days you get to pick the colors, so he picked red, blue, yellow and green!

Gotcha Day - Nov. 17, 1985

My mom recently brought over a big box of all my childhood photos. My kids have enjoyed going through them, as have I. The photos above were ones I was particularly looking for because they were of a very significant event in my life. One that I remember so vividly that it is permanently engraved in my mind. They're not pictures of me with Kari (can you tell by the cool hairstyle and enormous glasses?). They're actually pictures of me holding Cheryl, my baby sister, the moment she arrived from Korea exactly 23 years ago - Cheryl's Gotcha Day. (Gotcha Day is a term adoptees and their families use for the day the child is "gotten" by his/her forever family.) It's probably the moment that adoption became such a beautiful reality for me. One in which the Lord used to help determine for me that adoption was something I wanted to do (Lord willing, of course!). November 17, 1985 Cheryl arrived after a long flight from Korea to our waiting arms. Mine to be exact, as I was the one who was able to scoop her up first. Not sure why my parents let me do that :) - maybe I was pushing and shoving ahead of everyone else?

Cheryl's had several more significant "Gotcha Days" since the day she joined the Owyoung family. Probably the most significant was the day God got a hold of her heart and she gave her heart to Christ at age four, being adopted into the family of God. The other was most recently when she was "gotten" by Mr. Michael Moore. Cheryl was married this past October just over a month ago. I gave this sappy speech, and meant every word of it. I think it was an especially touching time for me because not only was this very special baby sister of mine getting married, but I had also just returned from China ten days before with another beautiful daughter of my own. I could see the full picture. God has been so good as to allow us to adopt two delightful girls, a hope we have had for many years. I too am so thankful the Lord gave me a husband who was willing to share the vision to build our family through adoption - it was something we dreamed of before we were married. Cheryl has grown from this cute chubby smiling baby into a God-fearing woman and God has blessed her with a husband who also loves and fears God. I can only hope that my daughters too will follow in her footsteps. Happy Gotcha Day Cheryl! I love you!

Micaiah and Boppy

With Micaiah being an 8 year old boy with 3 younger sisters, Mike and my dad have been very purposeful in trying to invest some extra time in him. Micaiah began calling my dad "Boppy" before he was one when he was just learning to talk. Micaiah couldn't say "Grampy" so he called him "Boppy". The name "Boppy" stuck and now continues with all my kids (and the kids at Pathway Bible Church!). Boppy took Micaiah to a civil war reenactment this past weekend. Micaiah really enjoys history, so this was right up his alley. In addition, there were plenty of loud noises, cannons and guns :) - what 8 year old boy wouldn't love that? They both had a great time together. The night before, Micaiah made sure we charged the batteries for his camera (he and Mimi share our old digital camera). These are a few of the photos he took. Micaiah is so blessed to have his grandparents involved in his life.

Some thoughts on the elections

Everyone's posting a blog on their thoughts on the election, so I figured I'd do that too :). This blog is supposed to be of photos of my kids, so I'll include one of those just to keep w/ the theme. This election really does have to do a lot w/ my kids. This is the first presidential election that Micaiah and Mimi actually know somewhat of what is going on and will probably be the first one they remember. Not only that, it is a monumental time in history with the election of our nation's first African American president. I'm sure they'll remember.

Honestly though, I sometimes fear the direction our nation is going. Not so much for myself, but more for my children. Yet in fear, I am reminded to return to the Scriptures to gain a right perspective on this world around me. Hopefully, if I can keep a Biblical worldview, I can encourage my children to think likewise, even though many of those who surround us lives otherwise. I'm no theologian and surely not a pastor, so what I write are just some of the passages that have encouraged me over the past month or so as I've read my Bible. Maybe I'm not writing this so much for you, but more to get my thoughts straight myself :).

Whether the result of the elections was Obama or McCain, I have to rest in the knowledge that no matter who the people of this country voted for, God is still Sovereignly in control. It is He who puts leaders in the positions they're in.

• Romans 13:1 "For there is not authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God".
• Proverbs 21:1 "The kings heart is like channels of water in the hand of the Lord; He turns it wherever He wishes."
• The first six chapters of the book of Daniel have been a great encouragement to me as well. Reading the whole book puts all those Bible Stories we heard as kids into context. Daniel lived righteously through the reigning of many different kings and kingdoms - and he often was not treated well because of it! But Daniel knew it was God who allowed these men to rule. "It is He who changes the times and the epochs; He removes kings and establishes kings;" (Daniel 2:21).

Regardless of what happens to the US in years to come, I have to remember that my citizenship is in heaven, not here on earth. Philippians 3:17-21 "For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ . . . " Though I love my country and want the best for it, when I try to take a more eternal perspective, heaven is my home, not here. My hope is in Christ, not in one man or another. 1 Peter is one of my favorite books of the Bible, and 1:13 always encourages me to keep a right perspective in this life. "Therefore, gird your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ." Daily I have to ask myself, where am I fixing my hope?

Finally, I'm reminded in 1 Timothy 2:1-4 to PRAY. "First of all, then I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, in order that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity." I think I often discount the fact that prayer does anything, but that's because my view of God is way, way too small. If anything, I should act in obedience to the Scriptures by praying for our nations leaders.