The Kids

About Rachael:  Rachael continues to adjust to family life and her personal relationships.  She loves her friends!  And this girl… can make a friend anywhere.  Rachael’s dream is to become an actress and looks for opportunities to participate in childrens’ dramas.  She keeps us on our toes and can keep up with the crazy antics of her 3 older brothers.  Her next birthday will bring her to 11 years old (July 2014) and she is showing interest in all things pre-teen.  Going back to her country of birth, Zambia, has been an exciting thought for Rachael.  She is curious about her beginnings and looks forward to seeing all the people and places that brought her to us.  She enjoys playing soccer, her favorite color is blue, and she loves eating pizza, without the cheese…of course!  Church is still one of her favorite places to go and she participates in everything.  This high-energy, fun-loving, confident and social girl, will always have friends and we are looking forward to watching her growth and development take her to new places!

About Will:  Will still thrives in the great outdoors and we have said many times that he is made for Africa.  Will is all boy and aims for daring stunts and trying new things.  He is high-energy, creative and funny and he keeps us all entertained with his crazy questions and off-the-wall comments!  He still says his favorite color is the rainbow and loves extreme sports.  He wants to snowboard, try the luge (that sled that flies down the hill in the winter Olympics… yikes!) and right now he is working on learning how to juggle.  Will’s favorite food is Mom’s French Dip sandwiches.  Yum!  And at 13 years old (June 2014), he says he has his future all planned out… something in the medical field, and a mechanic.  He continues to grapple with deep, challenging questions as his faith continues to grow.  He loves missions work and is already thinking about his own mission trips in the future.  He is hoping to attend Rift Valley Academy (RVA) with his brothers next year.  We admire this tough, yet sensitive, silly yet deep-thinking, energetic and courageous guy and know that God will do great things in him as he grows into a man after HIS own heart.

About Luke:  15 years old (May 2014) and on his way to manhood!  Luke still enjoys his
skateboard and he and his friends spend hours outside practicing their skills.  He is currently a freshman attending RVA and is thriving in school…excellent grades, top-notch friends, and well-adjusted to his new life at school.  A math-minded guy, he sees himself in a numbers-related profession, personal finance and money management has always interested Luke.  Luke is generous and kind and we often “catch” him ministering to others with his kindness.  Someday, Luke would like to try Scuba diving and has a goal of learning Cantonese.  He is independent, reliable and mature for his age and Luke would never say no to bacon!  Luke has been a Christian for some years now and considers carefully his faith with challenging questions.  His faith becomes even more evident as he shares the love of Christ with compassion and concern for those around him.

And last but not least… Matthew!  Oh my word… 18! (May 2014)  Matthew is thriving in his new surroundings.  His new life at school (RVA) has been a great fit and we are thrilled to see him shine.  Excellent grades and active involvement spell success and we are looking forward to what lies ahead.  Matthew has always had a love for music and he is passionate about creating and producing.  He has his sights on studying in the music field as he considers universities in the US.  As a by-product of his international experience, he would say that yaki-udon is his favorite dish… a perfect example of how Matthew is always trying new things.  He is an out-of-the-box thinker, and challenges the status-quo.  Matthew is extremely popular among friends and I believe that this is because he accepts others as they are and his relaxed, flexible personality allows for a variety of relationships.  Someday Matthew would like to try sky-diving, but for now he loves Scuba-diving (I am thankful for that!).  This young man’s faith is profound and deep and quite honestly, he sometimes stuns me with his growth and maturity in this area.  Matthew’s Christian values makes him a leader among friends and we are excited to see what’s next in his future, for surely it is bright!

 

The following notes on each of the kids were written in 2011.  I thought I’d leave them here so we can all see how they have grown and changed!

 

About Rachael:  As you can see from her beautiful photo, she is adopted.  She came to us in 2007 from Zambia.  She is adjusting to her new life beautifully.  She loves gymnastics, music, and the crazy outdoor play of keeping up with her brothers.  She will turn 8 in July (2011).  If you asked her a few pointed questions you would learn that her favorite color is black, her favorite food is pancakes and she wants to be an artist when she grows up.  Whatever she ultimately decides to do, we are confident that this energetic, outgoing, courageous girl will be a success!  Rachael is still learning about the Lord and loves to sing praise songs at the top of her voice!  Church is one of her favorite places to go and we rejoice at all her learning and growing as one of God’s little ones.

About Will:  This kid is built for missions!  Even since he was little, his heart’s desire has been to build little toys from wood and take them to poor children far away.  As our 3rd son, he has learned to make his mark…he is rambunctious, energetic, driven and daring.  He is an extreme sports-man…loves the thrill of flying down the slope on a board or scaling tall mountains.  Despite all this dare-devil activity, Will is actually very creative and sensitive; he is “tuned in” with his relationships and is very aware of the needs of those around him.  Will’s next birthday will bring him to 10 years old (June 2011).  He knows his food too…his favorite meal is his Dad’s smoked bar-b-que ribs!  He aims to be an inventor when he grows up (those of us who know him realize how much this suits him!) and his favorite color is the rainbow.  Will loves the Lord and often asks deep, difficult questions about his faith.  He has a heart for those who need Jesus and looks forward to sharing his love with the children on the farm.

About Luke:  As a newly turned 12 year old, (May 2011) Luke is cutting edge, hip and playful.  With many friends and top-notch skateboarding skills, Luke fits into any crowd and is loved by everyone.  He is our 2nd son and incredibly loving, kind and generous.  He is the one who always has gum or candy in his pocket, but not because he eats it all…he gives most of it away!  He shares everything and ministers to all who are around him with his kindness.  Luke is a brilliant student too…he seems to excel in all of his subjects.  This kid can read an entire novel in an afternoon!  His favorite meal is French Dip sandwiches (a specialty of his mom, by the way), loves the color blue and hopes to be a Marine someday.  He is super active with organized sports, outdoor play and his skateboard.  He is independent and reliable.  Luke is a follower of Christ and shares his love of Christ through his service to others and compassion for the needy.

And of course, Matthew:  Wow!  Matthew is driving a car!  At 15, (May 2011) My oldest is well on his way to manhood.  Matthew has been a Christian for several years now and has grown to be an invested servant of the church.  He has completed a couple of his own mission trips (Mexico, Costa Rica) and often serves with the children’s department along with playing guitar for the youth group services.  He is passionate about his guitar and hopes to someday write music.  Matthew also has an interest in all things military and enjoys reading about tactics, armory and special operations.  He recently learned he loves swimming as a sport.  Matthew is very popular with many friends.  He is a member of a Bible quizzing team with our church and the friendships built as a result of the team are life-long.  Matthew is flexible, he quickly accepts others, (despite their quirks!) and has a relaxed, easy-going personality.  He is loved by many and his sense of humor will light up any room.  He is brave, he is the first to try new things, he can think “outside the box,” he is smart, he loves people, and more than anything…Matthew is a good friend.