Hi there from Guatemala!!! 

I’m so excited to be right here!  For the previous few years, our church has despatched a gaggle of teenagers and youth leaders to a distant space there to serve with a ministry for youths and youngsters. Most of the mothers will deliver their youngsters to those occasions after which simply stick round, so it’s been on the guts of our church management to ship some mothers to simply be with these mothers and assist them really feel seen, to wish for them, and encourage with them. So, I’m right here with 3 different mothers from our church getting to do this for the subsequent week. I’m so grateful and humbled to be right here!

It is a bucket record expertise for me. A lot of you realize David was adopted and he was born domestically, however he’s Guatemalan. I’ve such a coronary heart for his mother and ever since we adopted him I’ve needed to journey to Guatemala and see the place his household is from. Getting to do this together with attending to minister to the ladies right here within the nation the place he’s from is such an unimaginable expertise! 

Keep tuned for subsequent week when I’ll share ALL about my journey — and you’ll want to comply with alongside on Instagram. I’m sharing each day updates of our time right here. It has been AMAZING!

Earlier than I left dwelling, we celebrated TWO birthdays in our household this week!! 

Pleased 4th birthday to my child boy, Micah! You’re the sweetest reward to our dwelling and a relentless supply of laughter, kisses, and hugs!

You usually run as much as me and hug me and say, “I really like you, mama!” And it melts my coronary heart!

I’ve liked watching you step into new issues this yr — going to preschool, getting potty-trained, studying your ABC’s and primary addition, studying so many songs and verses and poems! You will have an insatiable love for studying and an unimaginable reminiscence, too. I really like that you’re hiding God’s Phrase in your coronary heart from an early age and have such a want to honor the Lord along with your life. 

Watching you will have such kindness for David and the way you’re all the time looking for him and defending him makes me fiercely proud. God knew he wanted you as a brother and advocate. I’ve additionally been so touched to see you take care of the candy child woman we’re babysitting for each week! You can provide her a bottle totally by your self now and you’ve got such a nurturing coronary heart for her.

You’re so liked by all of your siblings and the enjoyment you deliver to them is so candy to look at! 

You ask me usually to inform you about what your identify means and I really like reminding you that you’re a tangible reminder to us of “Who’s like God?” We’re so humbly grateful for the surprising and shock reward of your life. 

We love you a lot, Micah Timothy Paine!! ❤️❤️

(See extra images in my birthday publish to Micah on Instagram!)

And, pleased nineteenth birthday, Kaitlynn! I’ve LOVED watching you step into your giftings so clearly this yr as you’ve gone to cosmetology college. 

You picked up the abilities so rapidly (as I used to be positive you’d!) and have turn into such an unimaginable stylist and colorist! I really like that you’ll simply spur-of-the-moment give somebody highlights in our kitchen (with their permission!) on a random weekday evening! I’m so excited to look at you graduate and get a job at a salon come September!

I’m fairly spoiled to have you ever continually instructing me the best way to do my hair higher and what merchandise to make use of for it. Plus, I’ve gotten so many blowouts from you this yr — which have been the most effective! It’s unimaginable to have a live-in stylist for all issues garments and hair and extra!

You will have such a candy relationship along with your youthful siblings and I really like that you’re all the time going out of your option to spend time with them and make them really feel seen and particular. 

You’ve additionally been such a assist as we’ve been watching child woman + you’ve spent numerous hours babysitting for our household and others. 

This yr I’ve additionally seen you stroll by way of some difficult conditions with such maturity and style. I’m so happy with the lady you’re turning into and the way a lot you take care of others and have such a compassionate coronary heart — particularly for individuals who are struggling. 

You deliver magnificence and laughter and pleasure to our lives and are such a present to our dwelling! I can’t wait to see what this subsequent yr holds for you! I really like you! 💕

(See extra images in my birthday publish to Kaitlynn on Instagram!)

Associated to teenage parenting, I bought this query this week: 

Good morning. I’ve adopted you for years. Do you will have any Christian books you’d suggest for folks on coping with the transition to parenting younger adults? My solely miracle child this facet of heaven turned 18 and graduated this spring. He takes a niche yr and might be residing with us till he goes to Bible faculty subsequent yr. We homeschooled all through, he has all the time been so easy-going, and we’ve got a really robust bond. However I’m actually scuffling with this transition and I don’t know the way to do that with grace and steadiness, and the place and what limits are applicable, letting go, and in addition — my coronary heart is breaking. We struggled with infertility and whereas I’m past phrases grateful for him, I by no means needed an solely baby. It’s citing a whole lot of BIG emotions. Thanks.

I’m so grateful for this query. First off, I believe you need to acknowledge the grief that you’re strolling by way of. That is grief! You’re shifting into a brand new transition and there’s quite a bit that you simply’re forsaking that you simply need to grieve. 

But in addition there’s quite a bit to look ahead to! So I’d simply encourage you to permit your self area to grieve but in addition search for the presents and the goodness. You don’t need your baby to really feel like, “mother isn’t excited with me about what’s to return.”  So be excited with them and provides your self area to grieve. 

And in addition, I’d suggest you ask your self, what is that this opening up for you that you simply may not have had area for earlier than? If you happen to nonetheless have a coronary heart to nurture, are there youngsters, different ladies, or another person God is looking you to take that vitality and pour into with that intuition that He has given you to nurture. I’d simply actually pray about that and ask Him what’s that subsequent season for you and what’s He calling you into? 

I consider one of many best presents we can provide our youngsters is to slowly allow them to go as they develop up. To empower them with an increasing number of accountability and possession for his or her life and to show them the best way to ask for assist as an alternative of all the time assuming they want our assist. Give your youngsters applicable alternatives to make errors and fail when they’re nonetheless beneath your roof so that you could stroll with them by way of failure and challenges and setbacks.

If we all the time clear a path for our youngsters and maintain all the things for them in order that they don’t need to wrestle, we’re doing them an enormous disservice as a result of we aren’t giving them the flexibility to construct the muscle wanted to have wings to fly.

So whether or not they’re 8 or 18, be asking: “What can I let my baby take possession of/be chargeable for that they’re nearly prepared to take action?” After which begin giving them the possession and the encouragement in that path.

Encourage them to ask for assist once they want it, however once they do ask for assist, see if there’s a query you could possibly ask them to encourage them to downside resolve.

I believe a whole lot of mothers wrestle to let their youngsters be adults and attempt to overprotect and micromanage as a result of they unknowingly are frightened of the longer term and of their baby rising up. Their id is just too tightly wound of their baby. They usually create dysfunctional and codependent relationships with their youngsters within the identify of making an attempt to “preserve them secure” or “defending” them. This strategy of slowly letting go, letting your self grieve these adjustments, after which selecting to be excited for them and profiting from your individual new alternatives will enable you and your baby as you step into every new life stage.

We regularly see most what we search for. Search for the great, the attractive, the presents and also you’ll possible discover so many round you! ❤️

Might we’ve got eyes to see the goodness of God within the midst of the mundane. 💕

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