It's been awhile, eh?

Yeah, like I said, it's been awhile. I have been doing school like a madman and stuff like that. But it's all good. :)  Although, a lot of the time it's hard to focus on that stuff when I just want to sit and think on all that happened on the Ethiopia trip. All the people I met. All the kids that I played with. All the needs. How on earth do you go back to America and resume your daily life? As if nothing's happened? Those people are still there. They are still real. Those kids are not statistics. They're real kids with real laughter, real tears, real smiles. They're just like my little siblings. They're also kids with real needs. Don't get me wrong. The orphanage they are in is the best place that they can be right now. But they need a mommy. They need a daddy. One of the little guys that I really bonded with constantly wanted me to hold him. He would let me know by raising his arms and saying, "Uppa! Uppa! Uppa!" And he was so content to simply sit in my arms. He and all of those other kids are still there. Still without a family. Their faces constantly come to my mind. But above their need for a family, they, like everyone else in the world, need the gospel.

We all inside of us have a need, a hole, a desire for something to satisfy.

Nothing but grace.

Nothing but mercy.

Nothing but Jesus' blood.

Nothing but the gospel can fill us.

And oh does it fill us! Daily, faithfully our Father reminds us of this hope. There is always hope while you draw breath. That includes these kids. It includes every person on this planet.

There is hope for the lost

Hope without cost

Hope for the orphan

Hope for the forgotten

The sound of His Name turns the night to day

Father show Your face

Show Your face

Lift your eyes, lift your eyes

For hope and joy are on the rise

No matter what you've seen, child

No matter where you are

There is always hope

--Rye Bread

Until next time...

    Hello again! This is basically a post to let you all know that I am leaving for Africa tomorrow!!!!! Therefore, I won`t be posting for awhile. :) I`m not really sure how much I can say about the trip in this public setting, so I`ll just say that it`s a mission trip to Ethiopia. Exciting stuff!! I am super pumped! And definitely nervous too. But hey, my God`s bigger than all that. Looking forward to seeing how He`s gonna stretch me, grow me, mold me, and challenge me on this trip. So, anyway, this will be my last post before the big trip and we arrive back home May 6th. So you can probably expect a post sometime after that. Or not. :) Well, until next time...


--Rye Bread

P.S: Just by the way, prayer would be greatly appreciated while we`re there!! Don`t want to be all demanding or anything, but it really would mean a lot! Thanks. :)

Two years??

         So, today, crazily enough, is our 2 year fami-versary!!! Meaning that two years ago today, "Peaches" (6) was brought home from Ethiopia to be part of our family. Officially. And right now all I can think is, "What?!? Two years? Impossible!!" It`s pretty weird. But anyway adoption is super awesome. Knowing where my little sister came from and what she went through at such a young age is pretty incredible. Knowing where she would be now if we hadn`t adopted her. Wow. Praise the Lord that adoption is possible!! And man what an amazing picture of what our heavenly Father has done for us. So yeah. Two years. Still can`t get over it. Peaches is such a blessing in our lives. She keeps us on our toes, that`s for sure. We love you Peaches and we are so thankful that God put you in our family!!!!!

--Rye Bread



Another song...just a cover of a Jon Foreman song this time, if you want to check it out.

House of God, Forever (Cover)

The Plea of a Former Orphan

      Just a couple of days ago we had our re-adoption court hearing for our Peaches. It`s basically the legal process of adoption in the US. As we were in the courtroom, Peaches grew more and more reserved. And as my parents carried her with them up to the witness chairs, she began crying quietly. After the hearing was over, the tears fell more profusely and sobs began to shake her little shoulders. We were wondering, why is she so upset?? Then, snuggled in Sunshine`s arms, she said through her tears, "But--but I wanna stay with you guys." We finally understood. She was scared that this hearing meant that she would be leaving our family. But we explained to her that it was quite the opposite. We continued to console her, saying, "You will always be in our family. We love you. We love you. We love you. You will be in our family forever. That`s why we had to do this." She seemed to understand to some extent and we left the courthouse for some yummy Perkins. Soon, bacon was clenched in her hand, and thus, a smile spread across her face. What an awesome little sister I have. You can read about this in more detail at our family`s blog, here. Have a great weekend!!


--Rye Bread

Wow......

Yup. The title is pretty much what went through my mind when I saw that the last time I posted was January 13th. Pretty sad. So, never fear, I am still alive; although, I`m kind of surprised that I am after having a sinus infection, influenza A, and a stomach virus. But, enough excuses. I`m not really sure what this post is supposed to be about, but I just thought I would let everyone know that I am still aware that I have a blog. I was going to put pictures on the computer, but, I`m too lazy. Perhaps some other time. We went to Ginger`s birthday party a couple weeks ago and it was a blast!! Wisely, we decided to pull an all-nighter. Yeah, never mind about the whole wisely thing. It probably wasn`t the best idea. It doesn`t really mix with influenza very well. But, anyway, another thing is that I am SO excited for a bunch of people from my church (including my dad and sister) to go on a missions trip to Ethiopia!!! It`s gonna be so cool to hear about what God shows them while they`re there. If you want to read more about it, go to room for more, our family`s blog. Oh and I think that you should check out Hebrews 9. Me and my sister agree that it is one of THE coolest chapters. It gives me chills every time I read it. But, yet again, I`m too lazy to post it for you guys. You`ll just have to read it yourself. ;) Sorry for all the random rambling, but, I needed to post something. =) I hope you all had a fantastic Valentine`s Day and I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. :D I will now leave you with this awesome song.











--Rye Bread

Goodbye, 2011... Part 1

     2011 is almost over. A year really isn`t as long as it seems. I hope you all have had a wonderful, Christ-centered year and don`t even try to make a New Year`s Resolution because you probably won`t even be able to keep it. Just kidding, you can if you want but nothing too big. :D :D Anyway, I thought I would post some pictures from our family`s 2011 and I hope you enjoy!!

We went to a couple of weddings including The Big C`s sister`s.

And, Aaron and Anna Nix`s wedding. Yeeaahh, I`m not sure what we were doing.

         One of the most memorable things of the year was when T-bird, me and my parents flew to Ethiopia to meet Peaches for the first time. I`m not sure what that picture is of up there but I thought it looked cool. =)

         That was an amazing, unforgettable trip!! And after waiting about a month we brought our Peaches home. Here are some pictures of that day:

     It`s so amazing to have her in our lives. It was incredible to see God work and time it perfectly. It`s so awesome to look back and see how God worked it out and brought Peaches to our home who is sitting in my lap right now. Wow. Thank you God. Over the summer me, T-bird, and Sunshine went on a mission trip to inner city New Orleans where Hurricane Katrina hit pretty badly. We took pictures, but unfortunately I don`t have access to them right now. Perhaps for another time..... it was an amazing, faith-stretching trip and I really hope we have the opportunity to go again this coming year. Also over the summer we got together with most of my dad`s side of the family at the legendary Johnson Lake. Fun times. However I don`t have time to post any pics so I promise you will get some next part... I hope you have enjoyed these pictures and look out for Part 2!!


--Rye Bread