A Mother of One...a Role Model to Many...Elias comes to live with us

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Before we were even married, we had the child discussion, as a good couple SHOULD.  Mike told me that ONE child was all he wanted.  He wanted to give 100% of his heart (beside what he had for me) to one child.  So that's what was decided, and that's what we did.  17 years later I have the most amazing young woman a mother could ever hope for.  Madison's heart is for Jesus, her love for life is contagious, and her welcoming spirit shows she is a friend to anyone.  In Kids Club (for better or worse) I am a Godly woman role model for many of the impressionable young people. What does it mean to be a woman, a wife, a mother, and a Christian?

     God decided that at 45 (me) and 44 (Mike) years old, we would become the temporary home/family for a sweet young Honduran boy.  Little Elias is 2 1/2 years old, and has lived the last 7 months of his life with our teammates, the Clows.  Elias's mom is not able to care for him, so the Clow's took him into their home and made him a part of their lives.  They got a Honduran passport for him, and did everything they could to get a visa for him to go with them on their 6 month furlough.  However, the U.S. Embassy decided that Elias did not meet the requirements for a visitor visa, so Elias (unbeknownst to him) was left without a home.  That's when Mike approached me and asked if we would consider fostering him while the Clow's were in the U.S.  I immediately agreed.

    I am NOT his mother, and do NOT pretend to be.  I am NOT his aunt, his grandmother, or any other family member.  What God has asked me to be is a strong female role model in his life to show him love, stability, pray with him, change his diaper, feed him, and teach him the alphabet.  In other words,  to provide a temporary Godly home and give him the nurturing his biological mother struggles to give.  

     So pray for us.  Pray for little Elias who once again is going to a different living situation.  Pray that we can somehow balance life with a little boy, a 17 year old daughter, our full-time ministry, and a healthy marriage.  We love this little boy so much, and are excited to have him become a part of our life, if only for a season.  Through it all, I hope to glorify God and His little creation named Elias.  I pray that I can continue to be a good wife, mother, full-time nurse, Masters Degree student, and administrator of a clinic.  I look forward to the next 6 month and what God will show us, how He will grow us, and how He will give us exactly what we need when we need it.  The fruit of the Spirit is exactly what God gives to us, and what I hope to show to this little guy:  love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.