life

Back in the Swing of Things

Posted on September 12, 2018 by Spanky Rouse

It has already been a month since we have returned home from visiting the US. It has been a busy time with lots of activities. We thought that we would just share some of our favorite pics with you.

This was our first Sunday back in our winter attire. It was pretty difficult going from the Southern July summer heat to winter in a matter of a couple days! We went from shorts and flip flops to wearing four layers of clothing inside the house.

We missed our people and I think they missed us too! It was heartwarming coming back to these beautiful smiles!

Many of you may have seen on Instagram and Facebook that Elly had her first dance competition once we returned to South Africa. She did so great! This little performer shines on stage and thrives in a dance group like this. It is a joy to watch her dance!

Grey celebrated his 11th birthday by going to breakfast with dad and spending the day with his friend Matthew. It was a perfect, Grey kind of day. Full of fun, good food and great conversations!

When you pour your life out for someone else it fills you back up in a supernatural way. We love doing life with these people!

Alechia has her 21st birthday! Alechia wanted a masquerade party so we went and got all dressed up for the evening!

First day of School! 2nd Grade, 5th grade, and 8th grade

We would love for you to be praying for:

the kids schooling
the last few months of the resident program. Our heart is for the residents to gain a greater understanding of their identity in Christ and passion for all that God has next for them.
Wisdom
Deeper relationships
for Romero (the young man that lives with us) to have success and influence in his new job.

We would love for you to join us on Instagram and Facebook to see daily adventures, ministry sites, and family activities.

https://www.instagram.com/spankyrouse/

https://www.instagram.com/lararouse/

https://www.facebook.com/spanky.rouse

https://www.facebook.com/lara.rouse.7

https://www.instagram.com/causing_wonder/ – Mac’s Instagram

Everyday ordinary ways we can make a difference

Posted on August 31, 2018 by Spanky Rouse

We have just returned to South Africa from visiting in the US. Over the past few days of traveling I have had questions swirling around in my head. What are you doing? Why are you here? What’s God up to in my life? Who are we having an impact on? All the while, still filling completely confident in our purpose of living this life and being right here right now.

I find myself driving down the road just a few days later with this young lady and begin to hear her story. It is one that is common to hear here but it still never gets easy to hear. I am simply listen to her share while my heart is hurting for her. She says that she never thought she would be able to find a Godly man that would care for her, love her, and treat her rightly. This young lady has a bit of hope through watching me be the kind of husband I am to Lara. “I want someone to treat me and love me like you do for Lara. I think it might be possible now.”

In the midst of her tears and now silence, I hear the Holy Spirit prompting me to speak up. Speak out. Speak love. Speak encouragement. I apologize for what she has gone through in life. I remind her that God has a great plan for her life. I point out ways that He is making something beautiful out of this mess. I remind her that she is a dearly beloved daughter of the King. I tell her that God doesn’t see her as broken or unwanted but quite the opposite. I tell her she is special and deserves the best.

We end the final minutes of our ride with tears and smiles. I then drive home knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt why my family and I are here in this place at this time. In this life, we are (here in South Africa or wherever He leads us) to be available to meet people where they are so that, we can point them to Jesus and the Father’s love for them. We are called to love well, be the encouragement, speak His truth, pray for and with people, care for those in need, disciple, and share Jesus through our everyday ordinary ways.

You may ask, how do we measure success? I would say, let me tell you about a girl I drove home the other day.

Leaving home to head home…

Posted on August 12, 2018August 12, 2018 by Spanky Rouse

It really is an odd feeling to leave the only place we have known as home (CLT) to head home (CPT). We left for the US on July 4^th with feelings, thoughts, and ideas of what it would be like but not really knowing how it would be. This is the first time we have travelled back since leaving last year and the first time our family has lived away from our friends and family for this length of time. Some of us were very excited while others were a little nervous. Would this trip be sad and emotionally heavy or fun with a sense of normalcy??? Our time was surprisingly more wonderful than any of us could have guessed it would be and it was all that we thought it would be and more.

We feel encouraged by the out pouring of love and support we had from our church families! We feel refreshed by our sweet but powerfully impactful times with friends! We feel loved by our wonderful families! We feel greatly supported by our ministry partners! God blessed us with a sweet time in the US! We are beyond thankful for the chance to hug those of you we did and sadden that a month goes by so fast and there just isn’t enough time to see everyone.

During our time, we heard clearly from the Lord on a few topics and gained clarity with questions we were asking ourselves as we processed this past year. This is something we are not taking for granted but taking advantage of to build upon. Just a few things we believe we heard from the Lord on were; be all there where you are, live out of who God has created us to be, invest deeply into people’s lives, and God is already present in the future therefore we don’t have to worry about it.

Thank you for enabling us to take this opportunity to return home to the US! It was meaningful for all five of the Rousehouse to take this trip and we are overly appreciative!!! We are renewed in our calling to be here in South Africa and refreshed in passion for those we get to disciple, mentor, and impact for the Kingdom! We know that God has just started writing this grand story that includes you, the Rousehouse, and the many that will begin to live with passion and purpose here in Africa. We are thankful for this opportunity to have a front row sea

Trip to America 2018, Week 1

Posted on July 13, 2018 by Spanky Rouse

It feels like it has been at least 2 weeks if not a month since we arrived here in the US. It has been one packed week! We have really enjoyed our time a lot and love spending time with so many people that support our family in big ways. It has been exactly what we needed.

We have been keeping a regular diet of Mexican and other foods that taste of home like, Chick-fil-a, Bojanles, hamburgers and hotdogs, pound cake, bbq, and did I say tacos! We will definitely have to go on a serious diet when we get back home in South Africa.

Since landing we have been surrounded by friends, family, and ministry partners. We are reminded just how much we are love and cared for. It is so fun to reconnect with people and it has been a good surprise to laugh a lot and share all that the Lord has been doing in our lives and through us this past year. The generosity that has been poured out on our family is humbling!!!

Elly and her bff, Brinley. They spent 2 days together and loved every minute!

This past Sunday we spent the day with Vision Church. They love us well and gave us an opportunity to share some stories with them. We felt loved and supported well! We are even more grateful for how Vision Church partners with our family and this great mission.

The past few days we have been visiting with Lara’s side of the family. We have gone to the beach, rode on a boat up the Intracoastal Waterway, went shopping for some clothes, and have eaten some good food! All of us have been spoiled and we have enjoyed the rest and relaxation! Tomorrow we head to the beach with Spanky’s family for our annual family vacation (it was named NanaPawlooza a few years ago) with 19 people in one house. It will be a blast I’m sure of!

Found some turtles on the side of the road, so we road them!

Rousehouse, June 2018 “USA here we come!”

Posted on July 3, 2018July 3, 2018 by Spanky Rouse

Summit is over and we are packing to head to the US!

Summit Graduates! Will, Billy, Okue, Jordan, Jannon, and Ashley. Tori is upfront leading the way!

Summit, East Mountain’s 6 week program ended with graduation this past Friday night and it was a wonderful celebration. It was a great group of people and we fell in love with them quickly. During the 6 weeks we had bible classes, spiritual formation exercises, cultural workshops, adventures, and team building activities. We are thrilled by the transformation that took place in the lives of these 6 people. Not only were the 6 students impacted but the rest of us that had a chance to play a role in their lives were blessed greatly. It was a good time and God did great things!

Elly and Micha having fun at the Friday Braai

We leave Wednesday the 4th to head to the US to visit church, family, friends, and ministry partners. We are busy packing bags, planning our time away, and spending time with some of the people we love here. I think we are going to miss these people a lot over the next month but we are very excited to see everyone back home… and eat a lot of MEXICAN food! As we travel this month we would love for you to come along the journey with us by following us on Instagram and Facebook.

https://www.facebook.com/spanky.rouse

https://www.facebook.com/lara.rouse.7

https://www.instagram.com/spankyrouse/

https://www.instagram.com/lararouse/

One of the guys that I have the privilege of discipling is Zach. He is a talented writer, free spirited young man from South Carolina that I love spending time with every week. He is a mess many days much like me, but regularly finds ways to see life through a special lens. I would love for you to travel along with Zach to get the vision for what a regular visit through a township, that many of us often take, through his point of view. Be ready to be wowed by his gift of story telling!

Zach, Lara, Spanky, and Zuzu taking a family pic

Smiley, by Zach

“We were making our way through the tight, winding streets of Kayamandi – Stellenbosch’s premiere township, a living shrine to the injustice cast upon black South Africans during the regime of apartheid. Tin roof shacks spread as far as you can see, one on top of the other, yet their detail and integrity boast of mankind’s ingenuity in the midst of hardship.” To continue reading https://zachinsouthafrica.wordpress.com/2018/07/02/smiley/

Lara, Zuzu, and Alison with Zach photo bombing as usual

Prayers:

PLEASE be praying for our trip back to the US…flights, luggage, children, and good health
PLEASE be praying for good visits with those we will have a chance to see.
PLEASE be praying for new financial and prayer support opportunities. We would love to share our vision and ministry with new people.
PLEASE be praying for rest and renewal for our family.
PLEASE be praying for our residents, mentees, community centre kids and friends here in South Africa

Turned my ankle really bad while playing soccer at the community centre. Feeling better now but still not 100%

Father’s Day

Posted on June 19, 2018June 19, 2018 by Spanky Rouse

This day is always a day of reflection for me and many others. For some it isn’t a light-hearted day and for others it’s a day to celebrate. For me it is one of the best days of the year. I love being a dad more than almost anything!

I was made more aware this year of the father figure I get to be in many people’s lives. Not that I necessarily take on the dad role in others lives but that I get to represent what a Godly, loving, strong, caring man can look like. I know too many people that didn’t have this role modelled well for them but I do believe that everyone wants a dad that will provide, protect, guide, love, and listen well…even if we don’t realise it yet.

I have seen many bad examples of dads and regularly hear of stories that break my heart of fathers who neglect their sons and daughters. I would bet that these men didn’t have someone that showed them what a dad was suppose to be either. I believe that as a Christian one of the greatest missions we can have in life as men is to reflect the heart of God. The starting block or greatest platform we have for this is being a dad. I am determined to change the future for some.

I am reminded today that I have 3 kids that mean more to me than anything and I’m excited that I get to pour into them so that they know Jesus and their purpose in life. I am also reminded today of the many that we now call family. We get the opportunity to shape and invest in others in a way like no one else has ever done for them. I get to be that fatherly example that they need and want. I get to love and care for them like no man has ever done for them. I get to show them Jesus.

My mission in life is to love, care for, serve and point people to Jesus. My starting line for changing the world begins with my children. My next step is to be that example of a Godly man and dad to those God gives us. This is not a job or a “have to”. This is my pleasure and one of my greatest opportunities!

Like arrows in the hands of a warrior
are children born in one’s youth.

Psalms 127:4

It’s been a good “season”

Posted on May 17, 2018May 17, 2018 by Spanky Rouse

Winter is coming here in South Africa. The cool autumn mornings, changing leaves, and much needed rain are a nice surprise for our family. It also feels very odd for us to be in the middle of Autumn during May. May is a sweet time for Lara and me. Tomorrow, May 18^th we celebrate our 16 year anniversary! To celebrate went away for a few days to a small village just over the mountains from where we live. It was a nice time to get away, talk, reconnect, drink a lot of coffee, enjoy the amazing views, eat lots of yummy food, slow down, relax, and stay in an old Dutch cottage with chickens walking around. Our favorite thing was, hands down, the Mexican churros with chocolate sauce to dip at the local pub!!! We went twice just for the churros.

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Grey and Elly have officially finished up school for the year! They are still reading through the bible, working on math, and practicing guitar and dance. Mac is almost done and is working very hard to finish up over the next week or two.

Summit is East Mountain’s 6 week summer intensive internship that runs from the end of May through the first of July. Summit is a relational learning experience, filled with adventure and intentional community living. This year we have 2 young American guys, 1 Zimbabwean, and 3 South Africans that will be going through the program with us. Lara and I are serving on the leadership team for Summit and will be involved in many of the weekly activities. We are hopeful that the Lord will use us during this time to bless and equip these young leaders for missional work as well as deepen their relationship with the Jesus over these next 6 weeks.

We have continued to enjoy our children at the community centre! We have been able to recruit some of our resident interns to help connect with the teenagers in the community better through dance, small groups, and sports. It is encouraging to see the deeper relationships and greater influences the Lord has given us with the community! We also love the affection and hugs we get when we see them at church, in the community, or at the centre.

We have bought our flights to the return home for a visit this July. It’s not been a full year since we arrived here in South Africa, but our original plan before the whole visa debacle was that we would travel back to visit our families during July. Since that is what everyone had planned on we decided July would be best. We will be in the US for most of the month of July but traveling around a lot. We are looking forward to are seeing family and friends, Mexican food, and long hot showers that last more than 2 minutes! Things we will miss while we are gone for this month will be our church here, friends, our children at the community centre, our mentee’s, and braais. We are thankful we have all of those things to come back to though!

Answers to Prayer:

We have been feeling much better since our last update. Praise the Lord we haven’t had any stomach issues since we asked all of you to be praying. Thank you for praying!
We have seen the Lord’s favor with the families at the community centre.
Tickets are purchased for the US. They were very costly but we were thankful for the funds to purchse them.
It’s been raining more regularly!
God is moving in our lives and in the lives of those we get to invest in!!!

Prayer:

Summit: Our schedule over the next 6 weeks will be very full, the 6 young leaders coming, our family’s schedule, and weekly balance.
Planning for our trip to the US and a vehicle to borrow during this time
Keep praying for the children and families at the community centre: opened hearts to the Lord, better grades at school, and a willingness to come to church with us starting in June.
Rain, we still in need of much more rain this winter to counter balance the draught we have been in during the summer months.
That we can keep our focus on what is most important, wisdom to make the best decisions, and hearts full of love for the people God puts in our paths.
That we will have a deeper since of God’s presence and power in our lives

Investing in people

Posted on April 24, 2018April 24, 2018 by Spanky Rouse

“The measure of your life is not in the money you made but in the people you shaped.” – African Proverb

Mentorship…This is what we believe will change the world. I believe Jesus knew this to be true and that is why He commanded us to go into all the world making disciples (Matthew 28:19). One life pouring into another creates a recipe for life change and empowerment. We are not born with all that we need to be the best we can be, so God gives us other people to speak into our lives.

Lara and I are really enjoying the opportunities we have to mentor some of the young people at East Mountain! Each week we are learning just how impactful these relationships can be. We spend time encouraging them, helping them to see all that God has created them to be, the potential they have, while enjoying loving the heck out of them. We try to imagine the difference this season will make in their lives and it gets us excited!!!

Some days we laugh a lot and have fun. Some days we talk about difficult things and cry. Somedays we lay down the law and then take them for ice cream. Somedays they join us for a family day at the beach or we braai together for dinner. Everyday we intentionally pour into them! Out of our cup into theirs.

“Mentoring is a brain to pick, an ear to listen, and a push in the right direction.” — John Crosby

We would like for you to meet two of the awesome people we get to spend time with this year. Zach and Zuzu.

Zach is an American that is living here for the year and is going through our East Mountain leadership development program. He is a student at Clemson University, is learning the guitar, loves the outdoors, is everyone’s best friend immediately, and knows how to have fun. We have a blast together and regularly point each other to Jesus. My dream for Zach is that he will know more fully by the end of this year who God says he is…His chosen, the one He delights in, significant, capable, qualified, special, wonderfully made, and so much more!

“Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.” — The Bible

Zuzu (Vazela) is a young lady from Port Elizabeth which is 7 hours east of Cape Town. She is also a part of the East Mountain leadership development program for the year. I tell Lara all the time that Zuzu is a young South African version of herself. She is fun, sassy, and scared of no one. Zuzu is such a blessing to us and has such a heart for God! Her hopes are to possibly go on to nursing school after this year and Lara is definitely one of her biggest cheerleaders. She also gives the best hugs!

“One of the greatest values of mentors is the ability to see ahead what others cannot see and to help them navigate a course to their destination.” — John C. Maxwell

Will you please pray for these two? Pray that this year will be a time that will forever shape and direct their journey as they walk with the Father.

Family update, 6 Months!!!

Posted on April 5, 2018April 5, 2018 by Spanky Rouse

Look! This place is amazing! (Cape Point Lookout)

We are thankful and excited to have made it to the 6 month mark! The first 6 months in some ways were easier than we had thought, but in ways we hadn’t imagined it was tougher than we anticipated. Lara and I regularly try to take the “temperature” of the children and ourselves to evaluate how we are doing. We try to get away and take a walk or a drive, go have a coffee, or chat while sitting outside on our patio. These times have been some of the most powerful/intimate/challenging/fulfilling/helpful moments for Lara and I.

These past few months have been emotionally, spiritually, and mentally challenging for us, but also have allowed us to create some of the most beautiful memories that will be cherished for a lifetime. This time has reminded me that I am deeply thankful for my wife!!! It’s been a dream of mine, since I was 14 years old to be a missionary, but I had no idea how crucial it was going to be to have this woman on the journey with me.

Young man drinking his coffee

He is a nut!

Some of our community centre kids

Zach and mine mentor session included some waves

Children, Update:

They love playing with his hair!

How did our baby get to be so big!?

Mac is doing well! Out of the 3 of them he is the one that has surprised us the most. He is truly thriving and that is an enormous gift to us as parents. His first year of online school with Liberty University is coming to a close shortly and he has been challenged but done well with it. The Lord has been good to Mac by providing him with some great friends, and lots of them! We walk into church and people run to Mac. He has truly been loved well. Mac is taller than his mom, his shoe size is bigger than mine, his voice gets deeper and deeper, his hair is longer than ever, and his joy is still as contagious as always. Mac is really loving life in South Africa.

Bobby the African goat

Grey picking with the big boys at the Friday Braai

Grey has enjoyed many of the new facets of life here in South Africa. He loves going shoeless (everywhere), minimizing the number of showers he has to take every week, learning some Afrikaans words and phrases, and having a slower pace of life in our weekly schedule (Africa life is slower and more relational than we are accustom too in America). Grey started learning how to play the guitar and is doing pretty well so far. Homeschooling has been a great fit for Grey and he should be finishing up in the next week or so for the year. One area that Grey has struggled with more with than the other two is finding some close friends that he can regularly spend time with. He seems to be growing in his relationship with Jesus and understanding on the bible which is exciting to see. He is still the most loving little guy and loves those around him well.

Twins at the outdoor movie

Show off!

Elly is a “mini me” of Lara, therefore she has no issues with finding a friend no matter where we go. Elly walks into a room and immediately has a new sidekick to hang out with. She has a great group of girls at church, dance class, and within our East Mountain community that she enjoys a lot. Elly also loves having older girls around that act like big sisters. Being a social butterfly we are grateful for all of the relational connections for her. She has learned how to read (English) as well as she can count to 29 in Afrikaans! Elly also really enjoyed getting her nail polish collection from Nana and Marla last month. Her nail colors change daily.

Alechia has just finished her first term at University! It was a challenge for her but she did well and is enjoying it. She is taking 7 classes so her schedule is full and some classes are difficult but she is learning a lot. She is thankful for all of your prayers! We have enjoyed spending some extra time with her while she has been on fall break.

Romero’s first Sunday playing drums

Romero at the salon with Elly and Olivia

Romero is doing well! He has begun to work more with the church we attend. He is serving in the young adults ministry, the youth group, and with one of the pastors here. He also auditioned for the worship band and made it as a regular drummer! It was really exciting to see him excel in something he loves and is naturally gifted in. Romero is also busy leading at some Christian camps in the area during the school break. It is a blessing to have him be a part of our life and family (I think he likes it too :))

Breakfast and laughter at our favourite spot called Pajamas and Jam

Thankfulness:

We love serving with our church at the community centre! Great things are happening through the relationships we are building there. Read more here…We love these kids so much!
Homeschool is almost done for the year and Lara and the kids have done really well with it.
We love mentoring! We also love the young people that we have the opportunity to pour into.
IT RAINED!!! This week it rained for 2 straight days at our house and it was wonderful! Day Zero (April 2018) is the day that Cape Town was supposed to run out of water but it has now been pushed back until sometime next year! Praise the Lord!
We love our church, Life Church! Great connection, wonderful people, and life-giving ministries! It feels like home!

Prayer:

We have all been sick on the regular. Lara and Elly have had a head cold, chest cold, and snots for over 5 weeks. All of us have had stomach issues regularly for a few months. It comes and goes and is super frustrating. We aren’t sure if it is our bodies getting use to the water here or something else. PLEASE pray for healing!
Pray for the Helder Valley Community Centre families and for the Lord to give us favor with them.
Join us in praying about buying airline tickets to come to visit in July.
Pray for us to have deep relationships, big impact, fruitful ministries, and life-giving opportunities.
Please pray for these young leaders we get to mentor and invest in. Pray that they will get a full glimpse of who God has created them to be and what God has called them to do with their lives.
Pray for Lara and me as we are figuring out some new roles within East Mountain that will allow us to have a greater opportunity to love, serve, care for, and point people to Jesus.
Pray that we will find a language helper soon. We don’t “need” to learn Afrikaans but we think it would be very helpful to get a little understanding.

Oh my goodness, we love these kids so much!

Posted on March 9, 2018March 9, 2018 by Spanky Rouse

Oh my goodness, we love these kids so much! It’s definitely not always an easy, but we have yet to leave there without smiles on our faces and a full heart.

Antonio and Andrew making funny faces for the camera

In moving to South Africa, Lara and I knew we would quickly become busy with different roles and ministries but one of our top priorities was finding a way for our family to serve together. Serving at Helder Valley Community Centre has been exactly the kind of place our family wanted to get connected with. Every time we show up and kids run to each of us, jump into our arms, and squeeze our necks so tight we know we are exactly where we need to be!

A couple of our little Muslim friends that love to eat candy and laugh

If you were to come and observe what is going on one afternoon it would probably just look like all we do is play games, eat snacks, read children’s bible stories, do art projects, tutor and help with homework, dance, listen to music and have fun. Well, that is exactly what we do! In doing just that, we [As you, who support this work and pray for us please know that we are including you in all of the “we” statements here. PLEASE don’t miss that! You are making a lasting difference here.] are able to provide some consistency in these kids lives. We are helping them improve in reading and math. We are teaching them the Bible! We are providing them with a opportunity to laugh in the midst of the reality that, life is a struggle and “I am not sure how are we going to survive today”. We give them one on one attention that you can so vividly see they hunger for. We are giving them love. We are offering them hope, life, and a better future. Together, we [Jesus, You and the Rousehouse] are transforming a community through this small group of children!

Marlyn, and East Mountain resident is teaching dance classes each week. This is one of their favourite activities!

Lesnique, Chloe and Elly playing spot it

Grey and Siyavule talking about what they are going to draw from the bible story that we just read about.

“The greatest legacy one can pass on to one’s children and grandchildren is not money or other material things accumulated in one’s life, but rather a legacy of character and faith.”
— Billy Graham, evangelist

“It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.”
— Frederick Douglass, abolitionist and statesman

“Children are great imitators. So give them something great to imitate.”
— Anonymous

“If I could relive my life, I would devote my entire ministry to reaching children for God!”
— Dwight L. Moody, evangelist

“Hugs can do great amounts of good, especially for children.”
— Diana, Princess of Wales

And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me. — Jesus, Matthew 18:5

¹³People were bringing little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them, but the disciples rebuked them. ¹⁴When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. ¹⁵Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” ¹⁶And he took the children in his arms, placed his hands on them and blessed them. – Jesus, Mark 10:13-16

Lesnique is one of my special girls that seems to be tough but really just wants some attention and to be loved on. She always needs a hug!

Jesus is going to do a great work through our small investment in the lives of these children! This could be the start of a whole new life for these kids and their families. Our family is praying that this entire community will be made new and that the doors to their hearts will be opened wide to all that God has stored up for them. Our dreams are that: families will start to follow Jesus, kids will get a better education and more opportunities in life, there will be less abuse, more joy, better attitudes, faithful dads, healthier lives, freedom from addictions, and a hope filled future for the generations to come. Big dreams for a Big God!

Jenga and the Rouse boys are a favorite around the centre!

Naam is a little sister of one of our kids that has started to come hang out with us. She loves Grey!

Today we have the opportunity to show them that God is always with them, that Jesus loves them, and that they have some friends that care for them. That is a legacy that will last and a life worth living!

From Spanky, Lara, Mac, Grey and Elly we want to say thank you for playing such an important role in this great mission and in our lives!

Smiley, by Zach

Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are children born in one’s youth.

Psalms 127:4

Oh my goodness, we love these kids so much! It’s definitely not always an easy, but we have yet to leave there without smiles on our faces and a full heart.

Like arrows in the hands of a warrior
are children born in one’s youth.