The kids

I realized it has been quite a while since there was an update on our kids.

SM, the longest term and the second oldest resident is doing well. She is keeping her blood sugar numbers under control and seems to be doing well in school. She only has a few more hours of behind the wheel driving before she completes her drivers education. She will start an indepedent living class soon and then hopefully will get a job in April. She is also going to compete in a solo choir competion in February.

KR, the oldest resident, will be joining SM in the class and a job as well. She too is almost done with drivers ed. School was a struggle for her last semester, but I think we were able to plan for somethings with the school this semester and she will be able to do much better. She is really excited about going on her band trip to the gulf coast area in April, too.

LF, a sophomore, is doing really well. She has had some family struggles that might have really caused other kids to loose control of their behavior, but she has handled them with so much grace, poise and control, I know that God has really been able to change this young lady this past year. She too is competing in the solo choir competition and I think she is also going to be part of an ensemble at the same competion. She is about the age to start drivers ed and would like to get a job, but there are very few job opening for a fifteen year old in Amarillo.

PS, another sophomore, is not doing so well. She has had many behavioral problems lately and we are not sure how it will all play out. She is struggling in school as well. There is not really anything going on behind the scenes for her that would be contributing factors, so it is difficutl to know how to help her.

MB, is also struggling right now. Again, there are some family dynamics that are contributing to her behavior and at ten years old, she does not really have the coping skill to handle them any other way. While she understands that some of her behavior is not acceptable and she accepts consequences for them, she does not understand how to change those behaviors. In school, her behavior is much better than it was last year, but her grades have dropped through out the school year. I am concerned some about her reading comprehension, but the school is working very hard with her. She has done well in the cheerleading class we put her in though and she really seems to enjoy it. She has new roommate (a new resident I will discuss in a minute) and that has been a much more difficult transition that we anticipated.

MB's new roommate, JR, is also ten, but is in one grade higher than MB. She seems to be an excellent student and overall, we are excited that she is here. She has a younger brother on campus and that is what brought her to us. She seems to fit in well enough with the girls to be okay, but she is limit testing and that is always a difficult thing to deal with. She attempts to be sneaky, but that has not worked out well for her and she found herself, I think, in more trouble than she is used to being in. I think after the transition is complete and she figures out that she will not get away with the stuff she is trying, she will be fine here.

Well, there are the kids. Of course, there is alway so much more I wish I could share, but I can't. To say the least, they all need prayers more than anything else and I now my faithful readers (all three of you) will pray for them. Please include in your prayers, one of our administators, Lecia, and her family. It seems that no matter what she does, she just can't get a break. This past weekend, her on campus house was burned to the ground and they lost everything they had. Fortunately, we had a place on campus they were able to move into and as always, the donors helped get her back on her feet. This situation may end up causing some problems in that the duplex she moved into was supposed to be relief houseparent housing and we are in need of a relief houseparents, but now we have no way to house them. But, I know God will work it to His glory no matter what, so I am resting in that promise.

Okay, you have other things to do besides read this amazing blog of mine, so I will let you go. Thanks for checking in on us.