This is our friend, Abdullahim. He is our local street cleaner that I have been sharing lunch with for many months now. He is from Bangladesh. He misses his wife and daughter back in Bangladesh. The other day I was going through some old magazines to give away and I stumbled upon this Christianity Today on the bottom of the pile. I looked at it and had chills. This image of Jesus looked just like my friend Abdullahim to me. I stared at for a long time thinking about what God was showing me in this. you may not see any resemblance, but I think it wasn't necessarily about that. I believe it was God showing me who I was sharing cold water with and God revealing to me to not lose hope. Today I said to the children "Say Masalaama (goodbye) to Abdullahim." He spoke in Hindi to our housekeeper, Francisca, "Ma'am remembers my name!" I did not get the translation until he had smiled broadly. I assured him that I indeed remembered his name, in fact I may never forget him and pray for him and his family for the rest of my days. Please pray for Abdullahim and his family. Pray that I will be able to show Christ's love to him. God is working even in Kuwait, may he alone be glorified!!!

MATTHEW 10:40-42

40 He who receives you receives me, and he who receives me receives the one who sent me. 41 Anyone who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet's reward, and anyone who receives a righteous man because he is a righteous man will receive a righteous man's reward. 42 And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward.

Hello and Happy Thanksgiving! What a blessed holiday we had. We went out to spend the holiday with our friends near Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Matt, Kimberly, Jonah, Gracia and Benjamin, THANK YOU so much for opening your home to us and for the wonderful day!!!

We met Matt and Kimberly in Uganda when we went to bring Timmy home. In the brief time (ten days) I was with them we had formed a great bond. Little did we know how through the tribulation of both of our adoptions that we would become much closer. Like in most things in life, adversity reveals character. I am here to attest that this family is of the highest character and without both of them we probably wouldn't have been able to bring the kids home. Kelly and Matt lived in a guest house together, after Kimberly and I went back home, for over a month while fighting and clawing for the small victories as far the adoption of our son and their daughter. Imagine two big bald white guys walking the streets of Kampala each day with a Ugandan baby. The locals must have had a hard time not staring. MUZUNGU (Lugandan term for White), was often shouted at them as they were out and about. I don't think Matt misses hearing that term and would probably prefer never to hear it again. There are actually T-shirts with printing reading "My Name Is Not MUZUNGU" that one can purchase.

Here is the picture of their beautiful daughter, Gracia and our sweet mini man, Timmy. These two are two of the cutest Ugandan Americans ever!

Matt and Kimberly have a farm in Lancaster County, PA. Matt offered to take us on a hayride and the kids had a great time. We fed their goats, donkey and we attempted to feed their Holstein calf to no avail, he prefers his bottle. But Luke was able to pitch a corn ear in his pen and I think it was the highlight of his trip.

We stayed a t place called The Red Caboose Motel in Ronks, PA. It was a blast! They have forty train caboose' all outfitted like camping trailers, we spent two nights in the red caboose with Southern painted on the side. Right next door is the National Miniature Train Museum. We visited that the day after Thanksgiving. It was great the kids were allowed to push many buttons to animate different parts of the miniature trains displayed.

We also ate breakfast in The Little Red Caboose Motel's dining car. We watched buggy after buggy "klip klop" by on the road while eating. The dining car even shakes to give the illusion of riding the rails. What a fun time and great holiday! Thank you to Matt and Kimberly and their sweet kids for sharing the holiday with us! We love you and we are so glad to have met you in Africa. What a blessing to see you in your element in Pennsylvania. Please come and visit us anytime, we will keep the guest room open for you. Matt, I promise we won't even call you, MUZUNGU : )

We are once again preparing to leave D.C. and we HOPE to be flying out the middle of next week. It is a Muslim holiday, so the Kuwaiti Embassy is closed. Please pray for everything to come through and for us to get the visas early next week. As I look at these photos I am so thankful to God for the gift of friendship. What are you thankful for?

Hello All! I miss my friend, Saskia. She and I had become very close by the end of my time in Muskegon. We went to the same church for years. Our friendship blossomed last year about this time. Why didn't God bring us together sooner? She is very similar to me in many ways. She has a great sense of humor and I love that in people. People who take themselves too seriously are well, serious. I am rarely serious. If I am serious my kids and Kelly know the change by just my tone of voice.

Saskia, was and is a true friend to me. She is someone who I look up to literally and figuratively. She is amazingly talented, a great cook, a veracious reader, a self sacrificing mother, an encouraging wife, and a best bosom friend. In Anne of Green Gables, Anne and her close friend Diana are "Bosom Friends". The kind of friend you can share secrets with and know they are safe. The kind of friend who sees you at your craziest and still loves you. The kind of friend who values the same things you do. The kind of friend that also challenges you to think outside of the sub culture you were born into. The kind of friend who shares the same God. Saskia sent me this in the mail today for a birthday gift. I couldn't hold it together I cried like a baby. Thanks, Saskia!!!!!! You will always hold a special place in my heart, right next to your famous NACHOS! Saskia you and your family are always welcome to visit us anytime you want. Come to Kuwait and we'll paint the town red! Well maybe not red, it is a conservative country after all. Maybe we could paint the town a nice shade of pale pink while sporting our Burquinis and Crocs. Are you game? Love and miss you~

Hello All! Can you believe it, two date nights with my cute husband in one week. It could not have happened at a better time as we have one major thing right now that is consuming most of our free waking time. This "thing" is our BIG secret and it has to stay that way for now. But you can read about the secret in my previous posts here and here.

Moving on, back to the two dates. We went with our friends Saskia and Dean Kendziera to dinner and a concert last Friday night. Saskia has become one of my best friends and I am so glad God brought us together!!! She is blessed with an amazing sense of humor and I dearly love to laugh, so we became fast friends : )

We actually had a sitter, THANKS MARY, come and babysit for our wild bunch. It was a fun time and we are so thankful for time together to laugh with our friends. We also learned some amazing dance moves that we will have to share on youtube on a later date. Or maybe not!!!

On Wednesday night we will be going "Up North" to Ludington, MI to hear my favorite Bluegrass sisters perform, The Peasall Sisters. I have loved their music for years and they are coming to Michigan, YAHOO! It is so nice to have time away, to recharge and think about how blessed I truly am. On Wednesday we have a close friend coming over to babysit. They adore "Mrs. Ambrose", she works with Kelly in his clinic, she is his nurse. She has been a blessing to our family for all the years Kelly has worked with her. Thank you so much, Barb!!!!!

I am glad summer is here, time to listen to good music, laugh with good friends and spend time with the love of my life. On July 17th Kelly and I met eleven years ago in an exam room in Lansing, MI. Eleven years later I am still praising God for that "chance" meeting and for the amazing man he blessed me with in my husband. Who knew that eleven years later we would be blessed to celebrate twice in one week!!!! I love you Kelly, my best friend~

Hello All!!! Today I am excited to report that our friends, Tim and Hannah, are officially full time missionaries. They just recently arrived on the 'Africa Mercy', Mercy Ships largest and only hospital ship. Please pray for them as they will be serving the Lord in West Africa for two years!!!!! I couldn't be more thrilled for them today. I am so glad we met them in Texas in August of 2007 at Mercy Ships International Operations Center. God is so amazing to bring people together in what we could have thought was a "random" meeting. Nothing is a coincidence with our God. They are the kind of friends that bless everyone just with their presence : ) We love you guys and we are praying for you!!!! Praising Him for you both~ Crystal and The Bunch

Hello All! Here is Hope and her first "girlfriend". I can't get over how they look so similar. They could easily be sisters, but one is a year old and the other is eight months. It is so sweet to watch babies eye one another and engage the other. Let's see who can tell me is Hope on the left or the right? HINT: Scroll down and compare Hope's picture from the other day : ) Love, Crystal

Hello All! I wanted to update the bathroom progress. Our friends Clayton and Kristie are updating our three bathrooms for us. They have done an AMAZING job!! Can you believe the first three photos on this post used to be the pink tile nightmare here.

Kristie did all the decorating and our master bath is now a beach cottage retreat. I even have candles, sand and shells. Oh, such luxury :) I LOVE IT!! The last couple pictures are of the half bath on the main level of our home. They updated that as well. It is so warm and fresh. That bath had carpet in it. Let's just say carpet in a bathroom is just plain wrong. Now it has nice, easy clean tile. Thanks Clayton and Kristie!!! More to come- Crystal

Hello All! I am excited to share that our close friends, Clayton and Kristie have taken on the enormous task of updating our bathrooms. I am thrilled!!! They are awesome and so good at it. Clayton is tiling our master bath as I type this and Kristie is off shopping for more things that are needed to pull it altogether. Our master bath has the laundry room right next to it, so it is a master/laundry combination. Clayton and Kristie fix and flip homes, so they have much expertise in this arena. Kristie is also a wonderful interior designer!! I have attached photos of the "Before". They are currently working on our master bath and laundry room which are combined. The PINK tiles are gone : ) I will continue to update the progress as time goes on. Thanks Clayton and Kristie, you are the best!!!!! Have a great weekend!!! Crystal

Hello All! I hope you are all enjoying spring as much as we are. We have spent so much time outside lately that I have almost forgotten the long, cold days of winter. As I reflect on Mother's Day this weekend I am humbled by the fact that I have all I have ever wanted and prayed for, a loving and gracious husband, four great kids and miles of sandy beach behind my house. I am honored to be a " Mommy" and I thank God for each child he has placed in my care. But, I have those days. Days when I think I am failing them, days when I question how we are raising our kids and what we need to change, and days when out of discouragement I feel like I am the only mother who lashes out in anger and impatience. Today I had my DEAR friend Cathy to share with and I thank God for her encouragement and the lovely bouquet of tulips she cut from her garden for me. As Christians we are made for community with fellow Christians. Community with other Christians gives us encouragement, accountability, love and connection on a deeper level. I thank God for Cathy and her family. Our lives are similar in many ways. She is just such a blessing to me! Today she was a true friend to me and for that connection I thank God!! Cathy, thank you for your love and the beautiful tulips. You have touched my heart and lifted my spirit. We stay at home mother's need this connection as at times you can feel so isolated. I thank God I have this connection and closeness with Cathy. Happy Mother's Day to all the mom's out there in blogger land, and especially Cathy : ) You are a God send and a GREAT MOMMY : ) Please enjoy all the pictures of my four cuties, they in all their splendor are my pride and joy. The picture of Faith is destined to be a classic. I have a photo of her taken minutes after birth with the same expression. Can't you just feel her pain : ) So please take a minute and peek at the fruits of my labor, my kids. Love, Crystal