On the ground in Honduras!

Everything went so smoothly today from their arrival at the airport in Nashville to touching down in Honduras. We had a lot of communication until they left Houston.  Phil texted me to let me know they landed. We even got to skype for a few minutes tonight to say good night as we were all headed to bed and they were headed to dinner and worship.  I can't wait to hear all the details of their first day. Phil said the airport in Honduras went really well. Enjoy some sweet smiles. Scroll to the bottom to hear the stateside update!!! Tomorrow is their first day in the village. Pray for connections and bless the hands that will serve tomorrow.  You can also follow on FB by searching 147 Million Orphans and/or Hearts2Honduras. 

Skyping before bed time. 

Meeting the team at the airport in Nashville at 4 a.m.

This was a big deal. He's never flown. It was a major fear for him. He has battled fears since he was a little tyke. He's outgrown so many but there are still quite a few that creep in his mind.  

He got the window seat. He told me later that he loved flying in the clouds and seeing everything look so tiny during landing. 

Fear conquered. Flight to Houston successful. Ready for Honduras. 

Stateside.....

So on Monday morning,  I got a call from one of the many entities overseeing DFSS/foster care informing me our home had been randomly selected for a state audit and they would be here Wednesday morning. WHAT?????  Can I just tell you that our home was in no place to be audited?  Someone has been puking around here for the last 2 weeks. Five of our 7 crew to be exact.  Phil or I were up many of these nights cleaning up puke. I walked around with resolve in one hand and clorox wipes in the other. We washed sheets and towels like there were 20 people living here. We had sleeping pallets made on all 3 floors. I couldn't tell if you outlets had covers because the vacuum cleaner had been used just as much.  Did you remember the AC was broken and 2 cars were broken down? During one of these periods, I had no car for several days and you can only imagine what ensued during those days with us all being stuck here.  So as soon as Phil pulled out yesterday, I started cleaning. I cleaned until 10 p.m. I was literally throwing away the last paper towel 30 seconds before the auditor pulled up to our home this morning. Her name was "Mrs. Morrow" (Morrow was my maiden name).  She was all smiles and even offered encouragement. I think we got an At in the auditing world.  She was here 15 minutes. We said good bye and literally crashed!!!  Then we got a wild hair and decided to hit the Duluth Fountains. It was exactly what we needed. I sat on a park bench  chugging Diet Coke and photographing some of the sweetest moments we have had since the puke, car drama, AC malfunctioning and mission trip packing began.   

Carter is probably the most out of sorts. He and Davis share a room and play together all day long.  He's been checking the time all day and asking for updates.  He barely stayed awake to Skype tonight and I think it was just the thing he needed to let go and fall asleep and the 3 books Lily read to him. 

Then there is her.  I am in absolute awe every day how God has created her. She has such a servant heart. She loves helping out with the boys.  Her greatest gift is being able to understand the boys.  All 3 have speech delays and when they are tired, I just sometimes can't figure it out and she cracks the code almost 100% of the time.  

Introducing the little boys to a McCarn family tradition. 

And this was their idea... this was not a photo pose.....

Duluth Fountains!!!

THIS moment is a milestone.  When we met these two 4 1/2 months ago, I think what broke our hearts the most was witnessing the strain in their relationship. After being at the fountains for an hour, Christopher grabbed Xavier's hand and said "let's run!". They giggled and squealed and splashed and laughed. It caught us so off guard that even Lily and Carter said, "Mommy, hurry, grab your camera. Look at the boys."  It's been so humbling to watch the healing taking place in each of them.