To all those people who say, " oh after you have 3 kids, you don't even notice a few more" well they either say that because they are temporarily confused due to the amount of kids they have, or they are lying. Adding 2 more kids to the household has definitely made us notice. Although with the 2 older girls, there is not a dependance on us as parents, to help them with the daily things, like our little kids, there is a dependance for us to plan, love, nurture, and train them up in a way that is right. It says in Proverbs 22:6, "train your child in the way that is right, and they will not depart from it." I sometimes wish there would be additional footnotes or an explanation of certain verses. I often wonder if we have enough time to train our girls up in the way that is right? In reality, we only have 4-5 years until they may leave our home. Is that enough time? In essence, we have to mold them into different people from who they have been their whole life. This is not something that can happen overnight. Think about how hard for us it is to change one area of our life, like giving up something for lent. For 40 days, we try and give up and change one thing, and even that is hard sometimes. Even though this is a better life for them, it is still hard to give up and change everything about the life they once had. I am so thankful that God has placed so many people in our lives to help us "mold" the girls into the people we want them to become. With having so many kids, we are always feeling like, can we give all of them what they need right now. This summer, God has taken over and provided his "earth angels" to help in the "training." The girls have had so many great opportunities to be involved in this summer. They have been to 2 different Christian summer camps, weekly youth group, Sunday school and church every sunday, and they just returned from a 5 day youth event called Impact, where churches from all over the state gather for an outside christian festival. Russie and I both attended this event in high school and we are thankful for the opportunity for them to do it as well. They are also getting the opportunity to travel to South Carolina with my Mom, on Sunday, to do a missions trip. They are excited and anxious for the opportunity to help others. I am blessed beyond words for God to have really provided these enriching opportunities for them this summer. I guess all these opportunities for this girls is maybe "God's crash course" training for them, seeing that we lost so much time with them. On a normal day, you are just thinking about what we are going to do that day, or what needs to be done, but sometimes it hits me, "wow, these girls have to make up for so much lost time" Anslee told me the other day that she wished she could turn back time. I asked her what she meant. She said she wishes she could have been in our family a long time ago so she could have seen the kids when they were babies and watch them grow." I had never really thought about that before. Not only have they missed out on so much as far as their life goes, but they have missed growing up with all of their siblings. I pray that God will keep providing us with "alternative" solutions and feelings to make up for lost time. 
It seems like yesterday that we traveled the same path they are preparing to travel. We went over there knowing God would do great things, and he did. One of which, was the path he paved for The Shawley's and their soon to be daughters. God opened the door for them to Skype and talk to the girls and begin the process. The emotion of that came rushing back tonight as I wrote to Mandy. I have thought about their girls often and remembered their smiles and the sunshine in their hearts. I am so excited to see them again, and to see the Shawley family complete. Please pray for them in the coming weeks as they prepare to travel. They are still in need of financial help in order to travel. Pray that God will provide them with what they need to complete the journey he has called them to do. Please also remember the Raabe's in your prayers as they are preparing to bring home their daughter, Ana as well !!!
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