Time to think

I have been doing a lot of reflection while here in Ukraine and I wanted to share some thoughts and connect the dots.

First, I'd like to thank my savior Jesus for his grace and forgiveness. And that's what got me thinking. What do I have to be thankful for? Well, I'm thankful for my parents. For being great examples of what marriage should like, for better or worse, and their continued love and support of each other and me and my growing family. I'm thankful for my parents, because without them I don't exist. I'm thankful my parents moved from La Porte, TX to Blacksburg, VA, otherwise I would not have gone to Virginia Tech. I'm thankful for my first boss for giving me a chance that brought me to Richmond, VA, otherwise I would not have met my wife, Lisa.

I'm thankful for Lisa's parents, otherwise Lisa does not exist. I'm thankful for their continued love and support of each other and me and my growing family. Without the support of both sets of grandparents, this trip becomes a lot more stressful and difficult to accomplish. I'm thankful Lisa's prior job moved her to Richmond,VA from Boston, MA, so we could meet on a blind date. I'm thankful for Brad and Kevin for setting us up. I'm thankful Lisa said yes.

I'm thankful for the various jobs I've held that have each taught me new skills, all of which I use in my latest position. I'm thankful Piedmont offered me a job and moved my family To Raleigh, NC. I'm thankful for Keith, my boss, for allowing and supporting us as we go down this path. I'm thankful for my extended family at Piedmont, as quite a few helped make this trip possible. I'm thankful I have a job which affords me the time and resources to make this trip possible.

I'm thankful for Redline United for having the heart and vision of bringing orphans from the other side of the world to Raleigh for a few weeks of family life. I'm thankful for Amanda and Bryan Shumaker for starting Redline United with the sole purpose of serving the orphans of Ukraine. I'm thankful for all the volunteers on their missions trips who have shared letters, love, presents, and most importantly their time.

I'm thankful for my church, Hope Community Church. Without this church, we would not have met the amazing friends we have today. Without this church we would not have heard of hosting an orphan. Without this church, we would not be going through this adoption process. Without this church we would not have opened our hearts to love a child regardless of their background, how they look, what language they speak, or that they were not biologically ours. I'm thankful our pastor had the courage and the faith to move from California back to Raleigh to start this church.

All these people and various paths needed to happen to make this moment in our lives possible. For this I will be eternally grateful.