Life Unexpected

This past weekend, we had the opportunity to attend the "Together Called Retreat" put on by the Sparrow Fund.  We had heard about this retreat at an adoption summit we had attended and knew that it came highly recommended.  In fact, the girl who told us about it said, "You have to register right when it opens, because it fills up that fast."  We took her advice, registered early, got in, and even talked some of our friends into attending with us. Nate and I have been married for almost 14 years and have never been on a marriage retreat, let alone a marriage retreat for adoptive parents (honestly, all the retreats we attend usually have between 30-50 teenagers present, include getting about an average of 4 hours of sleep a night, and usually require you to live off of insane amounts of caffeine and junk food to survive!).  So honestly...we had no idea what to expect.  When we arrived, we were totally blown away.  For starters, it was held at this incredible ski r

When I was 14 I knew exactly what I wanted to do.  The summer before my sophomore year, while at Teen Camp, I felt God call me to be a Pastor.  At the time I had no idea what saying "yes" to God would look like, but I also knew I couldn't shake what I felt inside of my heart.  Twenty one years later, I couldn't imagine doing anything else with my life.  Despite my fears, my inabilities, my insecurities and my "lack of's," God has shown me that this was what he created me to do. I believe that we were all created to do something in this world.  We aren't here by chance.  In fact, I believe with all of my heart that we hand crafted by our Creator to do something specific here.  No two people are alike.  Nobody is excluded.  Everyone has a role to play in this amazing story God is writing.  Even Doris. The first time I saw Doris, I knew she was someone I wouldn't forget.  She looked like she could have been a brand new 7th grader in my youth m