Thursday morning I left home for 10 days for the Road to Recovery Tour with Leah Martensen, leaving behind my husband and my 3-month-old baby for the first extended trip since my son was born. Oh my gosh, was that hard! I worried and fretted about it for weeks beforehand, wondering how I was gonna do being away from my sweet little baby boy for so long. I knew my husband would do great, and that my mom would be able to help out too, but I just didn't know how *I* would do with it. I wondered if maybe it was time to quit doing this and just stay home. But I prayed and prayed about it, and I just felt like the Lord was saying, "You still need to go and do this."

So I got on a plane, I flew to Detroit to meet up with Leah, then we drove to Missouri where we had our first gig last night at the recovery group at the Solid Rock Family Church in Jefferson City, MO. And as I stood on the stage and delivered our songs and delivered my testimony, and saw people moved to tears in places, and jumping to their feet with applause, and shouting "Hallelujah!" and "Amen!", and as I heard their stories afterward about how the Lord had touched them, I remembered why it's worth it. It's worth it to leave home, even when it hurts, to follow the path the Lord has for me, to answer the call, because my "light and momentary suffering" can make an eternal difference in someone else's life. So thank you, Solid Rock, for reminding me of that! And thank You, Lord, that You have a way of always proving my fears and worries unfounded--it all works out when I just trust in You. "I tell you the truth," Jesus said to them, "no one who has left home or wife or brothers or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God will fail to receive many times as much in this age and, in the age to come, eternal life." (Luke 18:29-30)

On Easter morning, April 12th, 2009, we welcomed a son into our family, and life will never be the same. My husband and I have always wanted children, but after 12 years of trying and waiting and being told it would never happen, I am thrilled to say that God is faithful to His promises!! For those of you wondering how you missed me being pregnant, well I wasn't. We adopted. I'll be honest, there was a time when I didn't think adoption was for me. But the Lord showed me that He is the one Who puts families together -- no matter how those families come together. I love that adoption is a symbol of what God does for each one of us -- takes someone like me who wasn't in His family and says, "You're my daughter! Welcome home."

So now, life is very different! We were there when Jonathan was born, so we've known him from the first second of his life. I'm so happy that the Lord worked it out that way, because we didn't have to miss anything. But having a newborn in the house definitely changes things. I'm still trying to find the balance -- trying to find a minute to do anything besides making bottles, changing diapers, and holding my sweet little guy to calm him down or get him to sleep -- but I wouldn't trade it for the world. I know this phase of his life will zip by so quickly, and I want to savor every minute of it.

So I know there are so many parents out there -- what's your story? Leave me a comment about your little bundles of joy. God bless you.