Is there such a thing as a perfect day?

Well maybe not while we're in the flesh, but today....well today was pretty good.

Since we started Rhino, we've missed 8 years of Murray State homecomings. Now this may not mean much to most folks, but every fall this was a major outing for our kids...the parade, the band, the game, Dunker the mascot and Racer 1 circling the track when our team scored. Not to forget M&M peanut wars and roasted in the shell peanuts.

Today was to be different. Today we were home and we got up early and dressed for hopefully crisp fall weather and headed into town for the parade. Not passing up a chance to buy some Krispy Kreme donuts at an intersection, we munched on donuts, chased candy, clapped and cheered the floats and had a completely wonderful time, even though Caleb and Christi weren't able to join us. Oh yes and let's not forget the ever-so-graceful-sl0-mo-deposit-of-me on the sidewalk when Rags (our miniature aussie) decided she needed to protect and defend me from the other 4-legged parade participants.

We came home to an email from Donna at Acres of Hope. I didn't think we would get an orphan's report because we're so early in our process. But there it was along with pictures. I haven't felt much emotion in this journey, but this time it was different. Perhaps it was a combination of things.... One of which a friend posted regarding some lost referrals,

"...it is such a privilege to be a witness to the lives of these children, even if we never meet them. These are orphans, alone, uncared for, forgotten, and yet He has allowed us to be a witness to their lives even if only for a short time. We have given them a sense of belonging, a reason for existing, validated their lives here on earth. And we, in turn, are touched and changed even if only by looking at their pictures and praying for them."

But what brought me to tears was hearing their responses to being told they were being adopted (we didn't even know they had been told yet)

"Learning that he had an adoptive family encouraged Freeman that his dream of having a new family will come true." "She used to ask if adoptive parents had been found for she and her brother. Of course she was thrilled when she found out a family was "sending" for them!"

There was something about realizing that we had been used in bringing a bit of hope to these two children that broke my heart. There are two children who have been given a sense of belonging, a reason for existing, (who feel) validated (in) their lives here on earth. And we're the ones that have been allowed to participate. I say this in the most humble way I can.

After adequate oohhing and aahhing we went back into town for tent city and the game. It was a gorgeous day and we actually got to see a few people that we haven't seen in years. Caleb and Christi joined us for the game and it was simply joyous. We laughed and cheered and clapped Racer 1 on around the track. The band was entertaining as always. We hoped to see "Air Dunker" actually tump over and Hannah won 9 rounds of M&M peanut wars with a red M&M. Even though MSU lost, the game was well fought and decently played, the weather teasingly fall and a spectacular sunset followed us home where we grilled yummy steaks for everybody.

The day was delightful and as we prayed with Abby at bedtime, we thanked God for being allowed this moment in time with our family. Rich, deep, full and fun. I cherish each and every one we are given. They go so fast.

And to end the evening....more pictures of Joyce and Freeman. I'll post those later.

ok...here's a few photos...and comments

FREEMAN AND FRIEND SAMUEL

Freeman is friendly and social, but is closest to his sister, and small group of friends. Though he knows everyone quite well at the orphanage, Freeman is almost always found playing off with a couple his closest friends.



Freeman loves being outside, but is not really into sports. He's active, and likes playing games and being on the playground, but sometimes just wants to sit and cheer his friends on as they play. Unlike a lot of boys, Freeman does not struggle with being too wild or rambunctious. He has a wonderful way of being energetic at the appropriate times. Inside he likes playing with toy cars and balls.

Freeman has a great disposition and is almost always smiling. He's not really outgoing, but he's not shy, and he plays well with other children. Freeman is also very affectionate and loves holding hands and being hugged.

She's very close to her little brother and excited about being adopted.

Joyce is doing well in school and knows her numbers and letters well. She's very good with her penmanship and takes her lessons seriously. Joyce especially enjoys arts and crafts and is very creative.

Joyce is a social girl who is almost always seen playing with other kids. She's close to Freeman, and interacts a lot with him, but the majority of the time she is playing with her girlfriends.

Joyce loves all sorts of activities, indoors and outdoors. She does well in structured activities, but makes up her own games to play when there's nothing else going on. Outdoors Joyce loves the playground and playing house. Her favorite place to be is in the sand building houses and pretend cooking.

Outgoing, energetic, and full of life, Joyce is the type of person who lights up a room and is the life of the party.

Some kind of sticky...

It is a great joy to watch my dear husband try and enjoy new hobbies. He never really had hobbies as a child, in fact for the most part, never even knew that hobbies were available to him. He watched other boys join little league or boy scouts, but never knew it was a choice for him. The last few years he has been branching out....testing the waters per se on a few things. One has been beekeeping. I bought him bees for his birthday two years ago and we had 3 hives delivered a year ago spring. Our first harvest was pretty pitiful and the honey really didn't taste good.

Well, it is that time of year again and Mark has been trying to carve out a day on his calendar to rob the hives before we hit the road again. Today was that day. And if the harvest last year was poor, the harvest this year was rich, real rich in fact. He took about 13 frames out of the 3 hives (leaving almost that many there) and into my kitchen. Now let me interrupt by saying, I really enjoy supporting my husband in his interests and helping where I need to, but today was quite the experience. Mark had told me that our master beekeeper didn't want to extract small amounts of frames and that we needed to do it by hand. So how do you extract honey by hand? First you put on a pair of nylon gloves (the non-powdered kind) and you get several pairs of knee highs (absolutely clean ones, like new from Wal-mart) and you begin chunking up the bits of honeycomb and putting them in the knee highs and then squeezing the honey out. This leaves a chunk of beeswax in the knee high that you dump into a bowl (this will be boiled out later to separate the beeswax from the impurities) and start the process all over again. For almost 6 hours I stood squeezing honey, in fact 3 of us stood for 6 hours squeezing honey filled kneehighs --and when you squeeze honey, well, somehow, everything gets covered in honey...everything. The kitchen floor was mopped 4 TIMES after this adventure. There is honey on phones, appliance handles, chairs, even my purse (which was in the hallway). I feel sticky just walking into the kitchen. Last year, we barely got a quart and a half of honey. This year I have almost 7 gallons of honey on my kitchen table. Every bowl and pan I owned had honey in it at some point today. And is it good!! mmmmm good. But it just might rank in my top 5 grueling experiences of obtaining something. So I told Mark how supportive I was of him and this little hobby and even willing to add to it, but this was the last time I was doing this to my kitchen. Whether it comes as a birthday, anniversary, Christmas or combination gift, I was buying him an extractor this year.

What tops the cake? We just got an email from our master beekeeper congratulating us on our harvest with this line in it..." You are welcome to bring any number of frames to our place and use the extracting unit. I have a special set-up for small amounts, so it is no bother at all to run small crops through the unit. It would take about 30 minutes to extract and strain the number of frames you had...and the kitchen floor would not be sticky. " I think I'll just go to bed now and see if I can keep from sticking to the sheets.

On another note, we got new photos the other day, but I just haven't had a chance to post them. Here's two of them...


FREEMAN: GALATIANS 5:1 It was for freedom that Christ has set us free. Let us not be entangled again to the yoke of bondage.


JOYCE: PSALM 32:11 Be glad in the Lord and Rejoice.

And here we are...

... waiting on this sibling set. There's nothing profound I have to offer. We're waiting to see where God takes this road. I know He will be faithful to His name. And until further notice their names are Freeman and Joyce.

So how did we get from there to here???

Abby was 1 year old when we experienced some major financial happenings. The computer store that Mark had managed for 16 years was sold. There was sufficient hand-writing on the wall to indicate change and 3 months later, that is exactly what happened. Mark came home one day at lunch and that began an incredible journey. Initially he and our son started their own computer business and we decided to begin recording conferences "part-time". Rhino Technologies was born and eventually took over our lives!! Eight years later we travel 35 weekends a year and over 50,000 miles to record speakers at conferences and duplicate them for the attendees. If you've attended a state homeschool conference almost anywhere east of the Mississippi, there's a chance we've crossed paths.

Last November Hannah and Caleb traveled to Liberia with Children Concerned. They spent 2 weeks in some orphanages there. They were perhaps in the most despicable conditions known to man. They brought back desperate stories of needy hurting children. Here's just a couple pictures from then.


These are the faces of Liberia (along with the underscore again). These are the faces that our Hannah carries in her heart. Faces and stories. Stories of orphans without hope, without a future. Faces and stories that pierced our hearts without even being there. We took the step towards yet another journey.

Reinhardt children part 4

And this is Abby (though I don't know why I can't get rid of this underscore). She's 8 and will be 9 in November. Abby is a Child of Faith. She is totally girl and loves to dance, not just ballet but in worship. I'm a relaxed homeschooler, so Abby just "formally" started school this fall. She is amazing. She loves reading and has some of the wisest outlooks on life.

Reinhardt Children part 3

Hannah is our 21 year old. She is a Child of Hope and has had a missionary spirit since she was a young child. The Lord has given her a heart for the needy and language has never been a barrier. She visited orphanages in Liberia in November of 06 and thus began our journey towards adoption. She has a great desire to return but the doors have not opened yet. She loves to sing and play the fiddle, so our home does not lack for music (especially when the others pick up their instruments and join in).







And here is Emilie, our 17 yr old, in a tree in Australia where she spent the summer clearing an airstrip for a missionary with Teen Missions International. Give Emilie a paintball gun, a horse, a mandolin or a chance to spar in karate and she is one happy girl. In fact, the reason this picture is so great is because she is where she loves to be, in a tree. She also volunteers with a horse therapy clinic. Her personality as crazy-tom-boyish as she is, is calm and steady and perfect with horses and handicapped children. She is our child of Joy.