Jorge

I posted two long entries on my other blog (Pickle Talks)about how Jorge arrived. You'll have to go there to get the long version. And if you want to see something precious. (Jorge commented on the second entry).

Jorge is the foreign exchange student who stated with us for seven months earlier this year. He's back in Spain now. I'm really excited because I talked to him last night on Skype. It's the first time we've seen and talked to him since he returned to Spain at the beginning of August. He's been great about emailing since he left, but it took awhile for us to get our computers running well enough to attempt an international connection.

When Jorge was here, he'd talk weekly via Skype to his family back home in Spain. We figured we could continue the regular trans-Atlantic calls now that he's home. This way we can keep in touch with him and he can continue to keep his English skills. (His mom and dad were already asking him how he was going to keep his skills up after his return. His dad's interest in his children speaking English is the genesis for Jorge's one year stay in the United States. Right now his older brother is in Germany for a year taking all his college courses in English.)

Anyway, through email we set yesterday as the day and time to talk. I reminded Jonathan and Faith to be home at the scheduled time so they could see and talk to Jorge. It was so funny. At the appointed time I could hear a house full of kids yelling "Jorge, Jorge. When are we going to talk to Jorge?" Not only Jonathan and Faith, but all their friends came rushing into the computer room. I had to supervise moving each one in and out from the camera so Jorge could see who was saying "Hello" to him.

Of course, that's all each of them said. By the end Jorge was laughing (he's always laughing and smiling) "Hello, again."

Then he drew his younger sister, Marta, into his camera view so we could say "Hi" to her. We "met" her and talked to her when Jorge was here. She's as beautiful as he is handsome. I'm praying that her dad will send her to stay with us for a year when she's a teenager.

Anyways, I recently read that I should blog about things I'm passionate about. As I'm sure you can tell, I'm passionate about all "my children." One of the bible verses which as really become significant to me this past year is in Isaiah 54:1-3 ‘Sing, O barren woman, you who never bore a child; burst into song, shout for joy, you who were never in labor; because more are the children of the desolate woman than of her who has a husband, says the LORD. Enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtains wide, do not hold back; lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes. For you will spread out to the right and to the left; our descendants will dispossess nations and settle in their desolate cities."

Of course, the Lord has blessed me with three of my own wonderful children. But I feel like he's given me at least a half dozen more children to love, encourage and pray for. My tent is spread up to West Virginia where my "blond son" is attending his first year of college. My tent is spread out to Spain where my "Mediterranean son" and his older brother and younger sister are living and my tent is spread over my town where several other sons and daughters are still living at home."