Late one evening after the little ones were down to bed, several family members gathered for a game of Pictionary.  The game quickly escalated into peals of laughter and humor. 

Click here to watch.

Adoption is an amazing thing.  It is to take a complete stranger into your family, to treat that stranger as a child and heir, with all the privileges and rights of the family.  There is not a whole lot done on the part of the adoptee, other than a willing acceptance of the gift of adoption.  There is a lot done on the part of the one adopting, which continues forever after.  I think that helps us understand the Bible when it refers to us as being adopted.

It’s been my privilege to watch and stand with my friends the Van Surksums as they have moved through a long adoption process.  It has strengthened them in their faith.  It has brought families together into a common cause.  It has been a delight to see how God has worked through the process. 

May they continue to persevere in the days ahead as they integrate this child into their family.

Here are some final pictures from their arrival home a few days ago.

The welcoming crowd gathers.

The flight schedule is checked (flight 537).

Lining up.

There they are! (in the yellow box).

A bit closer.

The welcoming crowd is spotted.

Here she is: Rachel Hope Van Surksum.

Dad introducing Rachel to some new friends.

Click here for a short video clip of the Van Surksum’s entering the terminal from the plane and spotting their friends gathered to greet them. 

Part of the responsibility of a father is to provide and protect for his family.  One way that is accomplished is by keeping the family vehicles in good working order, which helps provide needed transportation for the family and keeps the means of transportation safe for use.

Another responsibility of a father is to train his son(s) to provide and protect.  Until he leaves home a son ought to be a constant apprentice to his father, learning all he can from him, and a father ought to provide training and experience in as many areas as possible, to best equip that son for the future.  That might require some thought, as in these days we tend to outsource everything and lack many skills ourselves, which handcaps our ability to teach others.

This past weekend my son Matthew and I had the opportunity to replace the brakes on both of the vehicles I own.  This was a good learning experience for him.

Read about a little girl, from a Mom’s Point of View. 

Also, we are beginning a resources page, with articles, spreadsheets, schedules, and the like to be of help to any interested.  Access here or from the side bar under ‘Main’.

Sometimes the busy activities of a day can tire the best of us.

Our friends have returned, bringing with them a beautiful little child.  Rachel is now a part of the Van Surksum family and now a part of our larger family, the local church in which we all worship.

Rachel standing in the middle of her new friends.

More thoughts and pictures coming in Part 2.

As I write this our friends the Van Surksums are boarding a plane heading for Hong Kong.  Next they will travel to Chicago and then Texas.

We anxiously wait for their arrival, and to see their new little one, Rachel. 

To welcome them back,  Kathy and Emily prepared a cake for them.

Read “Too Old to Change,” from a Mom’s Point of View.

What would life be without legos?  Boring indeed!

My son Matthew is into the local wildlife.  This Spring he has been collecting the tadpole eggs from standing water around the property and raising frogs and toads.  Eventually these are released into our garden to control the bug population.  Hmm, maybe an entrepreneurial venture is brewing.

Matthew collecting his specimens.

The finished product a few weeks later.

 Movie clip of releasing toads in the garden.