Onward to...

India! Jeff will be finished with his studies in December, and as we prayed and talked about our future, India seemed to be the thing that kept coming up. My sister, Amanda went to India to work at a boys orphanage nestled in the foothills of the Himalayas last January-May. Whenever she'd send us emails with stories, my eyes welled up with tears. I thought of how much we have that we take for granted, and how she's giving her life to these little boys who have nothing, but in some ways they have everything! They have very little in the way of material goods, but Amanda has told us how thankful and joyful they are. Amanda said, "This is not a sacrifice for me. I want to be here. There's no place else I'd rather be." She's inspired us...to go. We decided this was a great time to dive in as a family and serve these boys. We have no house to sell, no job, no ties. Amanda is going to be there with us, so we'll get to serve alongside her.

So these little ones will be our new family in January. We are so excited. I believe that this time will not be wasted, but that God has so much He wants to accomplish in our lives and through us as we love on those boys. Our kids talk about the children at the orphanage, and Emma says, "We're going to be their mommies and daddies." I have to correct her and say, "You're going to be the SISTER." :)

I'm excited about the simplicity of life there. I'll have 3 different sari outfits, and that's it. No scurry to keep up with the latest fashions and trends. I wonder what this is going to do for our family for the rest of our lives. We'll be forever marked by India.

"Calcuttas are everywhere if only we have eyes to see. Find your Calcutta."

-Mother Theresa