Psalm 55:22....

Last night we went to bed about 3 a.m. We were able to use Skype to visit with our other son, Carter, from our friends’ house back in Texas. It has been very difficult to be away from him for so long. Throughout this journey we have done our best to keep our eyes on the big picture. We know that God has us here for a reason and that Stasik’s, Carter’s, and our lives will be forever changed because of it. We are so thankful to the supporters we have back home. Although we know we would still be here, it makes it so much easier knowing that the people we work with every day support what we are trying to do. Our church and community have rallied around us and we feel the strength of their prayers pushing us forward; resolute in their belief that we will not ever be doing this alone. To all of our family and friends, we thank you from the depths of our hearts!
After Carter kissed the screen last night and told us goodbye, we really could not hold back our emotions. With so much going on and just the ebb and flow of activities here and at home, it was just natural to just kind of let it all go. So much of it has been overwhelming and sometimes I feel like we are just carrying too much of the burden on our own. We stayed up and talked for a little while and then we both lied down to finally get some much needed sleep. I laid there for a little while and just talked to God. I asked him to help me carry our burdens, to take the worry and anxiety away, and to help me be a strong husband and father to see this whole thing through. I fell into a deep and comfortable sleep knowing that tomorrow’s mountains may not seem so high.

“Help us, Lord, to trust you with everything going on in our life. Lord, release us from our own anxiety and by your Spirit, help us to place our burdens upon you. Please carry for us those things that we cannot” - Amen

After a great night’s sleep for both of us last night, we got up to start our day. I truly felt like I was going to have to take on the arduous task of trying to explain our concerns to the workers. When we arrived, however, it seemed someone had already let them know. When we took Stasik upstairs we wanted to make sure he had been fed. At first we were unsure, but after a few minutes on his back, he spit up a little bit and that let us know he had food in his stomach. With that concern out of the way, we went about our routine of PT exercises, singing nursery rhymes, and playing with toys. He had a lot more energy today. He was able to stand for longer periods of time, but eventually figured out it was just easier to pick his legs up and have us hold him. He tried to crawl a few times, mostly army crawls, and then just rolled over and picked up all of his toys, not knowing which one he actually wanted. A few times he figured out he had fingers and just kept turning his hand over back and forth in amazement. Unlike yesterday, he was very patient waiting for the bottle. He did not seem starved and he kept the entire bottle down for the first time this week. Of course, exhausted toward the end of our time together, he assumed his position in Mama’s lap to get in another quick nap. This is the first time we have walked out of the playroom with really no concerns about what we have seen that day. We know there are still some issues, but it seemed like our prayers were answered. When we took him to his group, the ladies were setting out cups to give the kids another meal. We said our goodbyes and headed back to the exit. As we were walking out we ran into one of his other nannies. She was carrying a large pot full of food. It was as if God did not want to leave any doubt in my mind; as if to say, hey guys I got this! The language barrier was overcome today and I never even had to say a word. Thank you Lord!