But, what impressed me the most was how well-behaved Joshua was while we were there. Their house is not kid-proof (which you expect when a couple doesn't have any kids) but he didn't touch any of their drink cups on the coffee table, their laptop, their TV or electronics, their open dishwasher, or anything that he wasn't supposed to. I was a little concerned at all the possibilities before him, but he was soooo good. He played with his own toys and chatted with them in his own way and was absolutely amazing right through to the time we left. He was also good in the car and was adorable even when we got home and I changed him in his PJ's. Right then Daddy called and I said I was going to read him his story and put him to bed, but Daddy wanted to see him. So, we left him stay up a little longer than usual last night.
When Shawn got home, I asked him about the conference and he told me all about getting ready beforehand with the technical things and then about the speaker, warning me there wasn't a dry eye in the place including himself. Really? I was intrigued. First, I would recommend listening to the podcast from his sermon on Sunday. I listened this morning while Joshua & I played, and he is an incredible speaker (the time literally flew!) with a great message:
Brian and his wife went to Mongolia with their three girls after hearing directly from the Lord that they were to serve in missions there, planting a church where one had never been before. I won't give you too many of the details of how God lead them there, but you'll find out more of their incredible story at the link above. Anyway, from what Shawn told me about his message last night, Brian and his family were facing major opposition and wanted to quit but didn't because they felt called to serve there. His fourth child and first son was the first American to be born in this closed country, and people weren't welcoming them and their church by sounds. A cult had moved in down the street, government restrictions were trying to force them out, and there was division in their church. They felt like they were at the breaking point. Then, on December 23rd or the eve of Christmas Eve when his family of six was walking home one night, his wife and son completely wiped out on the ice. But, they were shown God's grace once again as neither one of them had a scratch on them. That night, their son smiled for the first time. Shawn said there was a picture to go along with his sermon in the powerpoint of this adorable little boy smiling away. Brian's wife said "let's not ruin the moment by taking too many pictures - he's happy and we've all been through a lot. We'll take more tomorrow." So, they enjoyed his smiles and put their son to bed. The next morning, Brian heard his wife screaming in the nursery. Their son died that night of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). This picture still up on the screen was their only picture of their son smiling. Brian was frustrated with God, "why would you take my one and only son?" And then he was reminded again about God's ultimate sacrifice, willingly giving His one and only perfect and holy son on the cross to die...
There was more to the message that Shawn told me about, but we both sat in bed tearfully thinking about our own precious boy, remembering the first time he smiled which was also just before Christmas. And, once again we were thankful for this gift of salvation. Brian's message was about perservering in taking this all-important message into the world. But, last night it was a reminder to us to never take for granted the moments we have. We clutched our little one a little later than usual last night and were happy for the blessing of our growing family.
These pictures are from the night before last. Shawn & Joshua had been playing with his foam blocks, one of our favorites. Joshua loves to stack them up and then knock them all down. He finally understands that the rectangles have to go first and then the triangles! They're also a great way to remind him about colors as we suggest which one goes on the tower next. As we were playing, the Bean got into our armoire and started playing with Daddy's gaming system remote, a no-no. He was caught red-handed! Instead of scolding him, Shawn was trying to distract him to come back to their game. He piled all the blocks around Joshua, who was not taking a hint. Eventually he knocked them over and came back. It was a funny scene. 
There was more to the message that Shawn told me about, but we both sat in bed tearfully thinking about our own precious boy, remembering the first time he smiled which was also just before Christmas. And, once again we were thankful for this gift of salvation. Brian's message was about perservering in taking this all-important message into the world. But, last night it was a reminder to us to never take for granted the moments we have. We clutched our little one a little later than usual last night and were happy for the blessing of our growing family.These pictures are from the night before last. Shawn & Joshua had been playing with his foam blocks, one of our favorites. Joshua loves to stack them up and then knock them all down. He finally understands that the rectangles have to go first and then the triangles! They're also a great way to remind him about colors as we suggest which one goes on the tower next. As we were playing, the Bean got into our armoire and started playing with Daddy's gaming system remote, a no-no. He was caught red-handed! Instead of scolding him, Shawn was trying to distract him to come back to their game. He piled all the blocks around Joshua, who was not taking a hint. Eventually he knocked them over and came back. It was a funny scene. 
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