the three finishers!
Ilsa - one happy finisher!
Ilsa again :)
Maddie and I off for the second leg of the race- the 10 mile bike :)
Eli- Jonah- Luke: cousins!!
Ian with his new cousin Ally and his new auntie Kelly :)
Ilsa finishing the last leg of the race!
Me getting out of the swim...I don't look happy but I AM!!
the family!
Ian and his family and my parents :)
the Trinona/Thooft canoe!
Maddie finishing the swim leg!
Mads :)
Eli and his cousin Jonah :)
Ian and I
My sister Chris and niece Anha :)
Me and my sisters!
sister shot
Hey Family!
Ian and his family and my parents :)
the Trinona/Thooft canoe!
Maddie finishing the swim leg!
Mads :)
Eli and his cousin Jonah :)
Ian and I
My sister Chris and niece Anha :)
Me and my sisters!
sister shot
Hey Family!
We got a phone call the other day from one of our very first international students- Sudhir. He has had some trouble with his visa this year- some long story about not finishing a test and not getting accepted back into the university and being in Nepal for a visit and coming back....he made it back in, but our university did not accept him back. So he moved to Pittsburgh and began the re-application process. He had nothing to eat. So he prayed to our God, because we had been telling him how much God loved him and wanted to provide for him. He said, "I know your God is real, and I give praise to Him, because when I had no food or money, I asked Him to get me through. And He did. And I know you guys were praying for me a lot, and He got me through. And I give the praise to your God because He did this for me."
WOW!!! This is one of our Hindu friends, giving praise to the living God. Since that hard time, he has been accepted to St. Cloud State- and the university in Pittsburgh. He is planning to come back to MN and attend St. Cloud. While we are so sad to lose him here at BSU, at least he will be close, and we will connect him with our chi alpha family there. What a wonderful story!! We are so encouraged.....you live your life in front of these guys, take them in, feed them, love them, listen, hug on them, speak the truth- all while doing our best not to just preach at them but honor them as people we enjoy even as Hindus :) - and fruit comes. God is just faithful, and he honors our loving his sheep. We've known Sudhir for three years. He hasn't prayed a "sinners prayer" or renounced Hinduism- but he is on a path to knowing the True God. We love this process!
A personal praise- we finished the Trinona Triathlon! Ilsa, Maddie, and I (Michelle) ran it last Sunday. 1/4 mile swim, 10mile bike, and 3.1 mile run. Ilsa won 2nd in her age division, and Maddie and I finished under the time we were hoping to finish. I had a blast. We all did! I couldn't wipe the silly grin off my face for the whole thing!! My son Ian and his adoptive family were reunited with his birth family- both my parents and their spouses spent time together in the same place for the first time in 35 years. It was a beautiful thing. And on top of all of that, I won a We-no-nah Canoe. Every time I see it sitting outside I remember the faithfulness of God- I had to write a note on facebook telling why I thought I should win the canoe- and while "should" isnt' a word I would choose- I wrote of Ian's adoption and the reunion all commencing around the triathlon. They chose my entry, and I won this amazing canoe. Pictures are all from this weekend- enjoy!!
Thank you so much family for your continued support! You're amazing and we love you!!
Us Thoofts
