Junods back in Texas and pool party

The Junods flew back in the first full week in June right after Justin finished Warrior Prince camp.

We had the privilege of picking them up at the airport along with the LaRoveres.  We headed to Lupes, where we realized the sand pits are being replaced at all locations.  Say what?  So instead the random guy with an alligator gar was the highlight of the night. 

Saturday pregnant Jackie and her husband Mark were true servants hosting a bunch of friends from old to honor the Junods being back in time.  Makes. me. want. a pool.

 It was a gorgeous day for everyone to swim.  And yes, I could take canon ball photos all day.

I offered to bring the cookie cake, and wanted to get a big one.  Well, I picked it up and not much icing was on there.  Greatly disappointed.  So they added some birds.  Yes, birds.  Still not as much icing as I would prefer.  But let's give them grace and say thank you for making our delicious dessert.

Thanks to Wendi for the next few photos.  She's good to have around when Shani decides to get lazy with the camera.

At the end of the night the kids were lined up watching a show.  We were one of the first to leave as we had to head out bright and early the next morning for Starburst golf tournament in Waco the next day.  

The summer of Junods had only just begun....

Summer ramblings

We have been doing a lot of traveling this summer.  A lot of packing, driving/flying, unpacking, washing lots of laundry, then repeat.  It's been fun doing things and seeing people we don't do as often.  It's also getting a little tiresome, as staying around H-town for the next couple months sounds very appealing.  Though both Justin and I were getting spoiled having Daddy around all the time.

We are about halfway through our adoption classes.  The only ones we have left are all day Saturday classes.  Due to the exciting (yawn) amount of information we keep getting, Derek wants us to take turns and not spend the entire month of weekends in a classroom with no breaks.  So it may take a couple more months to finish but we are not worried.

My cousin, Grant, is starting to eat solids and move around the hospital in Ft. Worth.  We are still praying that his liver stops draining so the tubes can be removed and he can come to Houston for rehab.  His sister gets married in almost a month, so it would be nice for the whole family to be in one place again.  Thank you for all your prayers and checking in with me.  May the Lord be glorified through my family.

The blog will slowly catch itself up.  Hopefully by Christmas I will have finished summer.  :-)  We had something every single week/weekend for three months straight.  Makes for 1000s of photos, an editing system that has been quirky lately, and not a lot of energy left to be on the computer.

The verse I have been memorizing the past week is Acts 4:29-30.  "Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness.  Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders trough the name of your holy servant Jesus." (emphasis mine)

We had Peter Swann sub for our Sunday school class and he talked about how he prays these verses for his family everyday.  Sure enough the first day I started memorizing this was in Chicago over Labor Day for a family wedding.  I was walking and bumped into a neighbor who said something in passing.  I smiled, but then I got the familiar sensation when I can feel the Spirit leading me to do something.   I went back, made friends, and eventually told her why I came back along with the scripture to speak boldly to her.  I told he that the Lord loved her enough to show His goodness through something like a stranger walking by.  We saw each other the next day and continued the conversation.  She didn't agree with me, but she listened.  Oh Lord, open her eyes.

On the flight home we got our tickets split up.  Derek made a passing comment and I smiled and joked that maybe I was supposed to witness to somebody.  Sure enough, I was sitting next to someone who didn't buy into the gospel and a Jew.  Ha!  Sense of humor, Lord.  We chatted theology, morality, and most importantly the cross.

I challenge you to pray that prayer and see who the Lord leads your way.  I do a prayer journal daily and anyone I talk to I ask how I can pray for them.  Sometimes they balk and I reply that if their life is perfect then that's fine.  They then smile and say of course not.   But I need something to pray for.  At Marshall's today another cash register employee came over and asked if I could pray for her as well.  So many widows out there.  So many people hurting.  We need to be the hands and feet of Jesus.

 This nice pilot let Justin get in the cockpit.  He was also a believer from Houston. 

Justin and I have gotten tickled singing the belly button song from Veggie Tales (on the Little Joe video, JT's personal fave).  I start in on the rap and say Belly Button.  And then Justin reply, "Uh, Huh".  It's funny to us.  We did it all after lunch today.  We might try to make a video.

Justin told me he liked my hair yesterday I got it highlighted.  He told me it made me look bigger.  Awesome.

Justin is five and now upgraded to a much bigger bike.  A hand-me-down thanks to the Rasplickas.  It's a mountain/dirt bike and he looks so big boy in it. 

He has asked me every day this week when we are going to adopt kids.  And can we adopt 5 so we can have 6 kids like the Browns.

Can't think of anything else to ramble about.  Off to continue pushing through June with the posts. 

#1 Warrior Prince Academy '11

Warrior Prince year 2.  Loved it, especially since they changed the curriculum to talk about spiritual gifts.   We were in class with all sorts of buddies - Luke, Jake, Wes, and John.  Justin loved every minute of it.

We took turns keeping some of our friends during the week.  We tried chubby bunny with marshmallows.

They didn't think it was as funny as I did.

Maybe the marshmallows were too big.

Or maybe there were just too many marshmallows.

On Friday there is a Royal Ceremony that the parents attend.  First up were the ladies and Hannah Ashy.

Then it was time for the fellas.

Justin waving to his momma (right behind the blue cross sign).

Love all the music from the week.  Purposeful and helps remind the boys of some of God's truths.

Put on the armor of God, and you will win the battle!

Mighty roar

Justin with Avery.

Daddy got to come to the event as well.

With our fearsome foursome. 

Loved being able to be around friends all week.  Loved learning about love joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, kindness, gentleness, and self control (Gal 5:22).  Such great reminders for active little boys!

147 million orphans shower

I wish I threw more showers like the one we had already scheduled for Ashley 2 weeks after they returned from Ethiopia.  We hosted a 147 million orphans shower in order to bring awareness of the orphan crisis and to feed children in Uganda.

Jesus says, "...whatever you did for the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me". 
Matt. 25:40

The Browns setting the example for the rest of us by loving the least of these.

We wanted everyone to come find out how they could play a part in changing the life of an orphan.


I had some mighty hostesses who basically brought all the food and left me to clean my house.

We gave away these shirts by coding a sticker on some of the nametags people were wearing.

We had 147 cookies made from Memorial Bakery and attached the website card to each one for people to look into the ministry further.

Very quick put together gallery from photos from the airport.

Half of the jewelry and apparel purchases go to support one of 8 ministries that 147 million orphans supports.

Yay for hostesses that bring all the food!  They blessed all of us with their cooking.

Joel Skaggs put together a video of all the photos from the airport arrival that we put on the computer.

We had computers set up to make a donation in lieu of a gift.  147 sent a video that we played on repeat with photos from Uganda.  The computers were completely full the entire time.  We were all stunned at how generous everyone was.

Mariana made magnetic prayer cards for every one to take to put on their fridge. 

This was the first time all the guests stayed in my small entry way for a good 30 minutes.  It was quite comical but endearing at the same time.

People making purchases.

We had a sweet prayer time as we prayed through the prayer card over Ashley and her family.

These ladies lead us all by example...on our knees...

Hostesses minus Devon - Mariana, Emily, Erica, Ashley, me, & Kasey.  We all got to sport out 147 million orphans attire.

On the donations website we raised $1863!  Ashley chose for
the money to benefit an HIV/AIDS orphanage in Jinja, Uganda.  More
information can be found at  www.africaourownhome.org/

On the merchandise website, 50% of the proceeds were donated to feed one
child for 53 weeks, or one year.

Praise the Lord for kingdom minded ministries.  Praise the Lord for obedience like the Browns.  Cheers to all the families continuing to follow in this same obedience.  For His Glory!

My cousin Grant

My sweet cousin Grant.  The best manners around.  Loves him some burnt orange.  Always great to encourage the other cousins to go to church with him. 

Some of you know he was recently in a hit-and-run accident that has left him in very critical condition due to a ruptured liver among his internal injuries.   The Lord in His Goodness had a med student find him and call my uncle Tim.  Got him to a hospital and has had the best surgeon operate on him 4 times in the last week.  My aunt and uncle didn't know the severity of it all until they were almost in Ft. Worth, enabling them to drive in sane conditions.  Grant continues to be in critical condition but daily the reports get better.  My cousin Valerie is a better writer than I and wrote a sweet report here.  Please continue to pray for healing from the Healer Himself.  That lives would be changed.  For His Glory!

Browns return with their newest two

The Browns and their Ethiopian adoption.  What a testimony to the Lord's goodness!  How the Lord weaved His majesty to show His Glory.


We went from a prayer vigil on Sunday evening praying for mountains to be moved in the final leg of paperwork of Edil's (and Eyob's) journey to the states.  Something that had not been done before in Ethiopia.  The Browns went on a flight to Ethiopia and came home on that same trip, versus 6-8 weeks later, with their new children.

Monday morning we got the phone call that they were coming home.  That afternoon we were at the Hughes' house with the Wetherells making homecoming signs.  Mariana the teacher had the kids set up to make their own signs.

I came dressed as if we were going to get dirty from painting.  Lucky for everyone that wasn't the case.

Love this family that Mariana drew~

The kids loved looking at everything on the signs we made.

The following morning, on May 24th, 60 some-odd people gathered at Houston's Intercontintental E terminal to welcome the Browns home.  We somehow met up with half of our Logos class in the parking garage.

Justin was showing Braden the egg-head family he made of the Browns.  Egg stickers, stick bodies.  I loved watching his heart pour into his project. 

All the signs.  All the love pouring out from everyone as the excitement was building.

So fun to be a part of the masses.  If you ever have a chance to be a part of a orphan's homecoming, you will be richly blessed.

Some of the fellas that were able to take off work to be a part of the celebration.  Lantz was a servant in keeping our Sunday School class abreast of all the current happenings of all the details.

And then they came through the sliding doors.  I was behind the camera lens the entire time, so when I edited the photos later I once again encountered a new emotion while experiencing the day all over again.  It was beautiful - and it will be so much better in heaven!

The Brown kids meeting their new siblings.

How deep the Father's love for us. 

The new family!

Eyob had never seen balloons before.  Or playgrounds.  Or an airplane. 

Some of the Logos ladies present that day.  I love our class for being so committed in sharing in each others joys together.

Kennedy is such a great big sister!  Since this day Edil's little body has healed in so many ways, as well as she is walking and smiling huge smiles!

Me and Ashley & Edil.

We have already made so many memories with Edil Ainsley and Eyob Titus this summer.  Looking forward to many more!  Derek and I were both so moved by this day, which helped stirred us on to desire siblings to adopt.  Praise the Lord for the Browns who walk in obedience to what the Lord calls them to do.