I have received emails asking about my kids from time to time, so I thought I'd spend a little time catching you up on how they are all doing.  This morning, I'll share about Olivia since she is home and I have photographed her recently.

Olivia is definitely a teenage girl!

If she wrote her own update, she would not hesitate to say that she is both sweet and moody rolled into one!

She reminds me of Paul in so many ways.....

Passionate about sharing God with her friends, knowing the kind of life God longs for her to live, yet often doing the very things she doesn't want to do.

I admire so much Olivia's ability  to regroup and move on, though. I was a teenage girl who could hang on to my moodiness for days, and I guess now is as good a time as any to say, "Thank you, mom and dad, for the grace you extended often to your daughter who could shut down and stay shut down indefinitely."

Olivia is going to give soccer a try this spring, so I think she is both excited and nervous.

She is hoping for at least one big snow this winter.  So far, we have had a Kentucky April for the month of November...rain, rain, and more rain.

Olivia still plans to be a pediatrician when she grows up.  This has been her dream ever since she stopped talking about being a "petnevarian," which is what she always called a veterinarian as a little girl.  Olivia is an animal lover to the core.  She can bathe three dogs in one afternoon and groom them all while humming every minute.  Here she is with Dash.

Olivia is full of questions.

She wrote Tim a note during church yesterday asking about communion.

She is a deep thinker and keeps us on our toes..........challenged, inspired, and busy every day.

Nick and Olivia were big buddies, and I know she misses him as much as we do; but she presses on with the faith of Abraham.  I am thankful for our gift from India.  If you've considered adoption but been afraid, I am nudging you today to consider blessing your life and the life of a child who needs a home by stepping out and researching this option.

We went through Holt International, and they were wonderful!

I remember the night we decided to move forward.

Tim said, "If we bought a new car and made payments, five years from now we would have a used car.  But if we used that same money to adopt a little girl, five years from now I know we wouldn't regret it."

And he was right!

God handpicked Olivia for us from an orphanage full of beautiful children and it was love at first sight.

I've always wondered if one day Olivia might decide to return to India to help others know about God.

When she was four she looked at me one afternoon and out of the blue said,

"When I grow up, I am going to go back to India and tell people about God, and Jesus, and Spirit."

My heart was filled with both joy and fear.

Then without pausing, she looked at me with a very serious face and asked, "What is Spirit?"

I had to laugh and remember that there are a lot of years of learning ahead of Olivia before she might really think about heading across the ocean to share God's love.....

Until then, I am cherishing every moment, thankful that God allowed us to share Him with her.

"Therefore know that the Lord your God, He is God,

the faithful God Who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations

of those who love Him and keep His commandments."

Deuteronomy 7:9

Olivia has a classmate who is in the hospital right now on a ventilator.

Her name is Amber Ripberger.  She and her family need your prayers.

If you would like to send her an e-card, I know her mom would be touched by love from all over the world.  Be sure to add where you are from to your note.  This will make Amber smile when she can.

Here is the link to the hospital:

http://www.cabellhuntington.org/features/ecards/?doAction=ShowCategories

Also, Charlotte is still struggling and need of prayer as they await a bone marrow transplant.

Martha's first round of chemo resulted in a very, very rough week of pain.

I know that God hears your prayers and answers in ways we may not see or understand until Heaven.

Thank you for being prayer warriors for those you do not know and those you do.

I love you all so much.

If you happen to be the reader from Iceland, I would love to talk to you.  I have a friend whose daughter will be traveling there, and she needs a contact when she arrives.  You can email me at tammynischan@yahoo.com.

Praying now for all of you,