Vlad is hosted!

I have a wonderful update!  I received an email this morning that there is a family that wants to host Vlad.  They're actually an adoptive family and so they already have a home study and are ready to go.  Praise the Lord!  So awesome!

It caught me off-guard a little, receiving that email.  With the deadline fast approaching, I really thought we would be hosting Vlad this summer.  We were given the option to put him "on hold" to be hosted by us or to leave donations up as a grant for other families that might want to host.  Matt and I decided to do the latter, because we're not exactly in teenager-mode yet here and so we wanted to leave it open in case another family came forward.  If God was going to have us host Vlad, then we knew in the end we'd be hosting Vlad.

It's been a pretty incredible week and a half for me.  Feeling so called to Vlad.  Being completely open now, we had actually thought there was a good chance we could end up adopting him.  If this summer had ended up being a good fit, how could we not?  And what a step that was, to even embrace that option mentally.  These aren't the things you plan.  But they're the things God sometimes does--or commands you to do.

So I had to unravel these tentative mental "plans" after receiving this morning's email.  You know, when you're preparing yourself for an outcome and then realize it has changed.  But it's so good!  I'm so excited for Vlad!  And I pray this family just might be his family or that he might just meet his family or that regardless, he have a really great summer, and that he knows how very valuable he is.

So thank you all for the many prayers and also to those that gave!  I'm going to leave the ChipIn open for just a little longer and anything else that comes in will go toward a grant for this 12 and 13 year old sister and brother.  This is the third year that they are available for hosting, but they have not yet been chosen.  Also, this year all of the other kids from their orphanage that are available for hosting already have families.  So please join me in praying for them.