*Meet* The Family

On January 10th, after much prayer and patience, Manuela and Kristi joined our family as our first foster placement. This biological brother and sister have brought much change to our family and daily routine. Read on to see a little profile on each of us and ways in which you can pray!

Manuela - 8

Manuela's birthday happened to fall 3 days after coming into our home. We threw together a quick party and celebrated this milestone. Her two older sisters who she hadn't seen for almost a year were able to attend as well! She is in second grade and loves singing, coloring and playing outside. From what we have been able to determine, the orphanage was very closed off from the outside world and free play was not a part of the children's lives.

How to Pray for Manuela

• Pray for Manuela's understanding of Jesus to grow deep and wide!
• As a classic older sister, she struggles with tattling on the younger ones.
• We would love for Manuela to develop a love for reading.
• Pray for the concept of emotional vulnerability to take root.

Kristi - 6

Kristi entered the orphanage at the age of 1 and has been left with many behavioral indicators of this trauma. After a year in 1st grade, he is only able to consistently identify the letter A and the numbers 1 and 2. He also has significant speech delays, but has started speech therapy since joining our family. He is incredibly loving and full of joy, and amazed by the smallest things.

How to Pray for Kristi

• Kristi's speech struggles are our biggest prayer request, he is not able to verbalize his emotions and feelings, which end up presenting themselves in negative behaviors.
• Pray that Kristi would come to understand how much the Lord values him, and that his self-confidence would abound.
• Kristi's academic performance is at a serious deficit, as well as his motivation to learn and apply himself.

Arabella - 4

Arabella will turn 5 this month! She loves arts, crafts, dancing, and playing with friends. Her Albanian is amazing after a few months of public Kindergarten. After Manuela and Kristi's arrival, she began to struggle with going to kindergarten and being away from us in the mornings. We made the decision to pull her out and to focus on quality time at home. She cares so well for her new siblings and is adapting wonderfully.

How to Pray for Arabella

• Pray for Arabella's adjustment to new dynamics in the home, going from oldest to "middle" child.
• Arabella has long struggled with a fight against fear, pray that she would find rest in Jesus and that we would know how to help her.
• Arabella loves to learn and do "homework", may this continue for life!

Leo - 2

Not-so-little Leo will be 3 at the end of August. His father's love for motorcycles is in his blood and it is all he wants for his birthday. He is such a lover, and his hugs are the best. Leo struggled the most with the arrival of Kristi and the dynamic changes in the home. We are doing our best to show him that he will always be our special Lion.

How to Pray for Leo

• We want to teach Leo early to identify and communicate his feelings, and to know that God cares about how he feels.
• His Albanian is growing by leaps and bounds. Pray that this continues.
• Pray that Leo's love for Jesus grows day by day.

Tommy

Tommy is a busy, faithful worker and father. He has been working steadily on our home as projects start to diminish, yet seem to never end. He has a reputation for doing amazing work and is sought out by many for help with their projects. Welcoming two new children has not been easy, but he has drawn closer to The Lord and his mentors.

How to Pray for Tommy

• Tommy bears the responsibility for our finances, pray for continued wisdom and guidance as we add two new mouths.
• We have had an ongoing issue with Military debt. They have taken significantly more than we owed and we cannot find a good way to resolve the issue. We likely will need to find a lawyer who can help with this.
• Pray for fortitude in parenting two children with trauma, while protecting our biological children.

Arianna

I have been so thankful for my husband and my God as we have started this new chapter. Without the ability to lean on them, this journey would look much different. Additionally, the slew of visitors that we have had over this season of great change has been just what my soul needs. I am still working toward opening the social work/mental health center in Korce. We continue to meet roadblocks on the legal side, but are excited to host our first training seminar at the end of June!

How to Pray for Arianna

• I need to grow in grace and the ability to apply the proverb, "a gentle answer turns away wrath."
• I am trying to figure out a routine for laundry, cleaning, cooking, and work.
• Pray that we could open the Sparrow Center soon and be a resource and light to this community.
• I want to homeschool Arabella and Leo, but I feel overwhelmed by curriculum choices. Pray for wisdom as we decide how to start this journey.