Anson Martin

Please pray for this young family who is bearing a very heavy cross. Anson Martin, father of 3, has Stage 4 colon cancer. They are praying for a miracle. Check out the website and please keep him and his wife and three young kiddos in your prayers.

Picture of the Day

G(R)8 booty, ma'am.

Love is...

letting your wife use the new iPod so that she can work out to her Michael Jackson tunes.
(Thanks, John). :)

Is not man's life on earth a drudgery? Are not his days those of a hireling?

The words of Job's sorrow and grief profoundly capture the horrible situation of a young family in the Dallas area. Matt and Vanny Stocco endured the worst possible suffering a parent could face--the death of their children. After 11 months of grieving, Vanny died in the same pool that took her children's life. Please pray for the repose of her soul and especially for her husband, Matt, who has lost everything in less than a year.

All who call upon me I will answer; I will be with them in distress; I will deliver them and give them honor. Psalm 91:15

Summer Reading List

This summer as we near the end of the clearance process for foster care, my reading list is heavy with books on the subject. One that we just bought is called "Maybe Days." Reviewers of the book recommended reading this book to each child when they come into your home. Because many of the answers to foster kids' questions are unknown, they get a lot of "Maybes." This book helps kids cope with the unknowns of their placement and time away from their birth family.

The book at the top of my list is authored by a young woman named Ashley Rhodes-Courter who spent 9 years in the system and was adopted at the age of twelve. Before being adopted, she and her brother endured numerous placements which meant uprooting just as they were getting used to a home. While with one family, the children endured mental and physical abuse. Once when Ashley was ill, she vomitted on the floor. Her foster 'mother' pushed her face in it as if Ashley were a dog needing a lesson. We didn't even do that to our dog!

Hearing Ashley's story and seeing this poised, educated, lovely, and triumphant young woman opened my heart and eyes to the possibility of eventually fostering older kids. She is living proof that the human spirit can triumph with love, patience and dedication. If you have five and a half minutes, take a look at her appearance on Good Morning America.

One of my new favorite quotes (which I hope to paint on the wall of our children's room) comes from Christopher Robin who said to Pooh, "Promise me you'll always remember: You're braver than you believe, stronger than you seem and smarter than you think."

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Today is Mom C's birthday! We are so grateful for your life and for the blessings we've received from you being in our lives. God bless you this year and always. I could not have asked for a more loving mom-in-law and friend. We love you very much. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

Update

Well, May has gone by and I should give a brief update of some of the happenings in the Campbell home. We spent Mother's day with John's family and my mom. The guys made dinner and as usual, it was a fun and peaceful time at Jim and Sue's house.


My dad was home for a bit of time before he had to leave again on June 1. We got to have two dinners with him while Mom was in St. Louis. He took care of Jill for us when we took a day trip to Mt. St. Helens. That was amazing! We hope to hike to the rim of the crater this summer. I will post pictures of that here.


We've been getting back to working out seriously these last couple of weeks which has been tiring but leaves me feeling so much better! John got me a great book about lifting and has workouts which utilize several muscle groups rather than ones that just isolate muscles (like bicep curls).


Some exciting news for us is that by mid-July, we should be foster care licensed! Our licensor, Betzy, came to our house last Thursday for a walk through. She checked for the requirements of a foster home--fire extinguisher, potty chair, meds locked up, etc. We had most of the things we needed, but figured we'd get the list from her so that we weren't just guessing on some things. This week we plan to get our finger prints taken, and I need a TB test. Jill girl is up to date on her shots and was quite entertaining during the walk through. John was talking to Betzy in another part of the house when Jill started ringing the bell on the back door to go outside. Betzy got a kick out of that and planned to tell people back at the office about the bell ringing dog. :)


On Sunday we picked up a very nice crib and changing table/dresser which I found on Craigslist. It's a great set and was only $70!


After that we headed down the road to Bothell to visit John's grandpa, Bernard Dion. He had some medical emergencies recently and is now living with Annette and Don, John's aunt and uncle. Grandpa Dion will be 96 in July! He is so sweet and is ready to go whenever God calls him. It was so good to sit and talk with him for the afternoon and evening. He was telling us about his parents and siblings and about things back in the day. We look forward to seeing Grandpa next week or so.