Sweet times as a parent...

Yesterday when we came home from church Isaac asked me if he could talk to me alone.

Given the past few days I was afraid he was hurting again but that was not it. THAT seems to be normal now, thankfully!!

With tears in his eyes he said he wanted to be baptized. So I asked why he wanted to be baptized and he reminded me of a time when he was 4 and he and his sister were talking. He was asking her how to become a Christian. She called me in the room and Isaac and I talked about sin. We talked about how our sin separates us from a Holy and perfect God. And that because God loves us He didn't want to be separated from us so He sent Jesus. And Jesus took the punishment, death, for our sin so we wouldn't have to. But because Jesus was God's Son He didn't stay dead so we can overcome death and sin too.

At 4 I really didn't think he understood because of how he responded and talked but he insisted he wanted to become a Christian so I prayed to Jesus with him. I never wrote down the day or anything but he has gone back to that day ever since to say he is a follower of Jesus, a Christian.

So yesterday he did the same only he was very broken over his sin, not any one sin in particular, just his sin. He was also broken over the fact that he wanted to be baptized to show he is a Christian.

After we looked at several Bible verses together and talked about them, we prayed together. It was such a sweet time (in my bathroom... seems to be the place of choice for alone time with mom!)

He told his sisters, then his daddy on the phone (who was gone working another storm duty stint for work)... Isaac is getting very excited and we are excited for him.

Here is one of my favorite verses that He and I talked about-

"But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: while we were still sinners Christ died for us." Romans 5:8

Please also pray for Joy, I have a feeling this is going to spur her understanding of the gospel forward. She is close... since being in China she doesn't ask 5 times a day "Is God real?" "How do you know Jesus is real?" Being in China really did what I prayed and hoped it would. Kind of intertwined two very different lives and helped show her God's working in both of those lives, her life.

Last night she came downstairs after being tucked in and said she wanted to call her Nai Nai today to tell her about "Jesus and heaven and stuff." So we'll do that but as I left her room I told her that whenever she is thinking about these things and Nai Nai that she can always pray, asking God to show Himself to Nai Nai. That Nai Nai will watch the movie and read the Bible we left her. To that Joy said, "I already did!" Sweet girl. She has so much being processed in that mind of hers. I am overcome with the losses she has experienced at times but also by the courage God has given her. And her acceptance of us as her forever, permanent, always be yer mama and baba family.

As always sweet and exciting times in our house! Thank you Jesus for working in our lives in ways I couldn't even imagine or dream!