Growing Younces: We are still here.

I am sure many of you have given up on me and my blog that is never up to date. It has been almost a full year since I even felt a pull to post anything. Well... I am back if for nothing else than that I don't want to forget this journey God is taking us on.
Quick update...for those of you who don't know we are no longer adopting from Ethiopia. The government there has had lots going on that was slowing adoptions down dramatically. Three years and lots of prayer later God has redirected our path. There is no doubt in my mind God has caring for orphans/foster care children as a long term part of the Younce's story. Where that will take us is the part of the story we are unsure of. Three weeks ago we started foster care/domestic adoption classes. Two weeks ago we were approved for a program called Safe Families. Safe Families is a program to help families through tough times by caring for their children for short amounts of time, in short it is a net to help families keep their kids out of state foster care. Two weeks ago we took in our first set of siblings. It has been hard, sad, fun, and a growing opportunity for all of us. Maddux being the baby of the family took it the hardest, but by the end of the first week the prayers coming from my two children's mouths brought me to tears. They were full of thankfulness, humbleness, and a plead for God to turn their heart from their sin. After just 2 1/2 weeks our Safe Family kids feel like they belong here. Saturday is their last day here and we will all be sad to see them go but will pray for them and their family as they head back to Mom and Dad.
Graci and Maddux are now just two weeks from turning 6 and 8! Last Saturday we dropped them off for their first real trip at Grandma's. They are at Jim's Mom's house in Chicago for her churches VBS. It was good for them even though Graci was a little nervous about being so far from home for so long. They are having a great time and getting to spend time with aunts, uncles, and cousins that they typically only get to see for a short time.

Here on the home front I am doing laundry and getting everyone packed to head out on Saturday for Texas!! On Saturday morning my Mom, Graci, Maddux, and myself will all be driving 13 hours to visit my Moms friend in San Angelo, the next morning the kids and I will head out to drive another 3 hours to my girlfriend Sara's house for the week! I am so looking forward to seeing her, catching up, and relaxing! Jim will stay home to work and get some more work done on the house. Well in a nut shell this is the last six months of our never boring lives!!

This is the Younce/Elliott kids at the Pacific RR tracks. A historical steam engine made a stop in town so we all walked down to take a look and get some lunch. It was fun but very loud and sunny as you can see from this hilarious picture of the kids!