July 2014 e-Newsletter

Here's the email newsletter we send out every once and a blue moon! I wanted to post this one to our blog as well as it gives you pretty good idea of what we're expecting for this summer. Thanks for reading, caring, and praying -- as always. photo: Five brothers united through international adoption. View this email in your browser

Changsha summer: Life rolls on meaningful as ever, yet much sweatier   Jonathon's adoption, a testimony of God's love Thank you for your prayers and supportive words as Jonathon transitioned from our home to his adoptive family on June 9th. He is very happy and bonding with Daddy, Mommy, two big brothers, two big sisters and two dogs in a country home near Charlotte, NC. While his family was in Changsha we had breakfast together. It was painful seeing my "Chu Chu" (Jon's Chinese name) become their Jonathon, but Drew and I are at peace just as Jonathon is at peace. Jon's parents said, "You are not losing Jonathon, you are gaining all of us, now we are just one big family." I like that. Titus and Mike felt it too, but they also received grace to adjust peacefully.   Faith at Drew's work place Drew spent most of June in Portland, OR working on projects with a company team and living in one house all together. Some of these co-workers also share Christian faith and met for prayer. Around the dinner table everyone shared about dating and marriage experience. Drew appreciates being free to dialogue about spirituality and matters of the heart at work.   What we'll be doing in July and August, simplified - Drew works full time. Kids conclude Chinese preschool mid-July, only to matriculate at Mom's English Home Kindergarten. - Drew still needs to knock out his MBA thesis! (dread...) - Rach is at Butterfly Children's Hospice twice a week helping maintain quality care for the children. - Rach meets weekly with two different friends for mentorship in Christian faith, and weekly Moms' group. - Sunday mornings we gather with Chinese church. There is much we value about this community -- friendship, worship, growth. Every week we teach a basic Bible class for students. July 14-25 my days will be consumed by teaching at the annual summer youth camp. - Sunday afternoons we meet with another family for Bible study, prayer and a kicked-back merry time around the table. - Swimming pool, obviously. - Dreaming about buying an apartment whilst attempting to maintain contentedness, and trying to make wise financial decisions. - Drew and I hope to do a weekend mountain hike with a fun engaged couple who we'd like to mentor. - In August we'll spend a week at the beach together with another best-friend family from Changsha. - Drew (violin), Rach (guitar) and our buddy Noah (mandolin, dobro) may play a show or two of our original music.   You might reference the above list as you pray! Your encouragement and support makes a great difference. Thank you. Whew. Right now I'm just thinking. Seasons go whizzing by and sometimes we forget to stop and remember who we are, to whom we belong, why we live, where we're going, what matters, what lasts forever. Let's order our summer plans around the answers to these essential questions. Wishing you all the very best, Drew & Rachel Titus and Mike

Jonathon's adoptive mother, my new friend. Read the account here. Check out the new gadgets Drew & team launched in June. (Some of you techies might want to get in on this deal.)