Meet the Rest of the Family

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote a post, here, that introduced you to the older half of our family.  Today, I would like to introduce you to the younger half.

Benjamin (15) ... This young man has a servant's heart like I have never seen in a teenager.  I KNOW God has amazing stuff planned for his life.  Ben loves to run track and cross country, and he LOVES to do photography.  He is about to get two business licenses, to start his own businesses.  One will be a photography business, and he already has his first "shoot" lined up.  The other will be a lawn care business, which he also has work lined up for.  Ben is a hard-working, money-saving teen.  Just after his 15th birthday, he had saved enough money to buy a $1,000 Nikon D80 camera.

Hosanna (12) ... This young lady jumped from "little kid" to "big kid" in the course of one month last spring.  As the 3rd youngest of 10 bio. kids, she had always been a "little one".  However, less than a month after bringing home 3 "littler" kids from Ghana, both of the at-home big sisters left (for Germany and Argentina).  Suddenly, Hosanna was the oldest girl at home, and she was sharing her bedroom with two little sisters.  Then, after Jeremiah headed to Jordan, Hosanna became the 3rd "big kid" at home, rather than the 3rd youngest.  She stepped into the role of "big kid" very well, taking on much responsibility with the little ones and becoming an amazing Mama's Helper.  This little lady can put on a full meal deal for all 10 of us at home ... no problem.

Jacob (13) ...  While Jacob is a few months older than Hosanna, age-wise, he is definitely one of the "little kids" still.  Not only is he very small for his age, but he has not yet caught up emotionally, academically or spiritually, either.  However ... Jacob has come a long way since arriving here a year ago.  Jacob is a hard worker, and he enjoys helping Ben on some of his lawn jobs.  Jacob wants to learn, even though it is very difficult for him.  And, Jacob loves to color and draw.

Sarah (10) ... is a very hard worker, and is always willing to help around the house.  She has learned much from Hosanna this year.  Sarah has a very gentle spirit, and gets along well with everyone.  She is an amazing artist, with much talent for drawing.  Sarah, too, has learned so much this year, and we look forward to helping her continue to mature in every area.

Josiah (8) ...  is a sensitive young man, a deep thinker and a deep feeler.  Josiah has always loved artwork, so he has really enjoyed having Sarah to work alongside.  While Josiah can play quietly by himself for hours (building with Legos), he is also a very outside, athletic little guy.  He loves to run, ride his bike, rollerblade, and build things in the backyard.

Rachel (7) ... is either very happy or very sad.  You never have to wonder how Rachel is feeling.  Overall, she is a fun and bubbly little girl, who LOVES her "virtual twin" Elijah.  They are two peas in a pod ... full of life, energetic, and fearless.  Rachel thinks she can do anything any of her older siblings can do, and she is not afraid to try.

Elijah (7) ... is cute, cuddly, fun, bubbly, goofy, fearless, and athletic.  Elijah loves to play strategy board games (the ones meant for the 10 and above age group).  He plays Settlers of Catan, Chess, The Farming Game.  He also loves to play outside whenever the weather permits.  And, "E" as he is often called, is our most computer savvy kid under age 15.  Seriously, he was surfing the web when he was two years old.  Elijah is also a very deep thinker when it comes to spiritual issues, and we have great conversations with him about our pastor's sermons each week.  Elijah came face to face with God, twice, while he was in a coma when he was 3.  So, he had a taste of heaven, and wants to learn all he can about the Lord.

I hope you have enjoyed getting to know our family a little better through these posts.  If you'd like to know more, I encourage you to hop on over to my ministry website:  http://ajourneyoffaith.net where you can visit our family page, find out more about each of us, and view a family slide show.