It's been over 10 years since we made the decision
for my health, quality of life and marriage, to go ahead with a much needed
total hysterectomy. As a result, we can't have our own tall, skinny, short,
blue eyed, curly hair, double jointed, toothy, dimple faced, square jawed – biological
child.

For whatever reason, I thought much about this while on the last few trips and wanted to share more with you.  We've never regretted this decision. We have been
and continue to be blessed by being "childless" couple. Yes, having children is
one of the greatest blessings and gifts! But there is something beautiful about
being "childless".

We are portable, we are "free" to come and go. We
have much love to share with many. 13 years of youth ministry and 3+ years of
working with AIM's Ambassador program and in our travels we have expanded our
families larger than ever possible had we had children of our own.

In our recent 3 trips over the last 2 months, oddly
enough, we've had more compassion and desire to hold and love these children
than ever before. Our hearts break for them.

There's Omar, a parentless 11 years old in Peru.
The teenage girl in Swaziland whose name I can ‘t pronounce. She has no mother
or father. Then recently while visiting a girl's orphanage in Bolivia, there
was the little girl who melted in my arms when I picked her up and Silvana, a
girl who has disabilities who clung to Don.  All of which are pictured below.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What's greater? Adopting and pouring life long into
a few? OR Staying portable and pouring into many for brief periods of time?

Neither. Right? Or both? We don't know.

No, we are not adopting at this time. Will we? Who
knows?