Another video.

I feel bad for you blogging buddies that read my blog because you are probably super tired of hearing about orphans. But guess what? I found another video on someone else's blog and I have nobody else to share it with. The video was filmed in Ethiopia at an orphanage called Hannah's Hope, run by the agency called All God's Children (a really neat agency that friends of ours have used). My brothers always make fun of me when I talk about all of the kids I want to adopt when I'm older (and married of course). But after watching videos like this and reading books and blogs how can you not want to adopt 6 kids?!! I'm serious! If the Lord will provide the money I'll adopt as many as I can handle. Anyway, enough of me on my soapbox!! :) It's only 5 minutes but don't watch if you don't want to. I'll never know if you don't. If you're anything like me you'll need your kleenex (i cry easily though so it may not be as emotional for you)!!!

Click the link and go down to the 4th video labeled AGCI Hannah's Hope Ethiopia:

http://www.allgodschildren.org/about/videos/

I hope everyone is having a wonderful week. It's such a busy time of year- school's wrapping up, the lawnmowers are going again, summer plans are being made, and it seems to me that there's just a hint of excitement in the air.

New York City here I come!!

I'm going to New York this summer for an evangelism missions trip!!! Woo hoo!!! I started registering tonight and I'm super excited!!! It's been so cool to see how the Lord has opened the doors for me to go and even how He's grown me already through the preparations. I first decided to go with the expectations that two of my church friends were going as well. When their plans fell through I had to decide if I was still willing to go without them. I really didn't want to go without at least one of them but I knew that the Lord was calling me to this trip. So- I agreed to go. It turns out that both of them are probably going now!! I know that the Lord was using their temporary inability to go as a week of testing for me to see if I trusted Him enough to go alone. I can only imagine the lessons he will teach me there as this trip will be hugely out of my comfort zone!! :) It'll be a great week of personal growth as well as growth in my friendships with the people that go. I covet your prayers as I finish the application process and begin the preparations for the trip!

Humbled

I work at a doctor's office. We see everyone- rich, poor, clean, dirty, polite, rude, happy, and sad people. My biggest struggle in life is probably self-righteousness. I tend to think that I'm more obedient/organized/smarter/etc. than another person and that leads to major pride issues. Today at work we had some frustrating situations and I had a bad attitude. I looked down upon people because they were unorganized, rude, uneducated, and not very presentable. The Lord forced me to search my heart and I found pride and sin there instead of a Christ-like love for the people I serve at my job. My sin is so great- but praise God that it's not greater than the cross!! I had prayed this week that God would show me my sin and He did. Not through my parents, a friend, pastor, or mentor but through our patients!! He works in such mysterious ways to humble us.

Sunny Monday

Those of you who live in my town may wonder why I called it sunny because it certainly has not been sunny today. It's rained nearly all day and it looks very gloomy outside. I woke up in a very bad mood this morning. I was not happy at all when my alarm rang, we didn't have anything except toast to eat for breakfast, there's nothing to look forward to all week or this coming weekend, and I was just complaining. What a bad attitude!!! Thankfully the Lord pricked my conscience and I counted my blessings and was thankful for the wonderful morning that He had given me to enjoy. I had agreed to babysit some kids with my friend Corinne and so I headed over there. I had so much fun. We babysat 8 kids, 4 of them under age three!! (i wish I had a picture to post- they're super cute!!!) 4 of them were also adopted internationally. I marveled again over this miracle of adoption and the precious children that the Lord has so graciously put in these amazing families. The sun was shining in that house, even though it was pouring outside. There was joy and laughter and that's all we need to live our lives. I'm so thankful that I got the opportunity to love on those kids this morning and share, if even for a couple of hours, the joy of these children whom God had set apart to be loved by these families.

Friends and Family

This weekend has been such a blessing. I've had tons of time with both family and friends. On my way home from lunch today I was musing over the past year and how many more friends I have now. I feel incredibly grateful that the Lord has given me these kids to hang out with. I so look forward to our game nights and lunches after church. It would be so lonely if I didn't have them in my life!! They're definitely a bright spot in my week!!! :)

Last night I went over to Spencer's house with a bunch of youth group kids to have a game night in celebration of Ethan coming home from Memphis. It was alot of fun. Then today we went to our favorite Chinese restaraunt for lunch after church. We're supposed to do a thing with our youth group tonight called "Bigger and Better" but at the moment it is raining..... so I hope the sun comes out because we'll be walking around neighborhoods trying to trade items up for something bigger and better. I guess I better bring my umbrella.

I have nothing else to report and my mom is ordering me to go practice my piano. Oh joy!!

My Best Friend

Girl Time!!

Today was a girly day. This morning me, my mom, and aunt went to our church's ladies luncheon. It was a great time of food, fellowship, and encouraging testimonies from women in the church. Then, we were off to get our nails done!! My mom had a gift card to spend so my aunt and I tagged along and got our nails done too. It was my mom's FIRST EVER manicure. My aunt always takes me to have mine done when she comes and this was the first time that my mom has joined us!! It's kind of funny because my mom never paints her nails but I nearly always have mine painted. Anyway, just a funny difference between us. I'm totally girly in that way and she's not. Here's pictures of my aunt and mom from the nail salon:

Next it was time to take my poor dog on a walk. She's been kind of neglected the past few days with us being gone and it's been too rainy for a walk anyway. She was so happy to get out and explore after being cooped up in the house all weekend.

Consumed

There isn't a day that goes by that I don't think of them. Sometimes, it seems as though I can't go a minute. Today is one of those days. Ever since I woke up I haven't been able to get the orphans out of my head. Sometimes I think about Claudia or the other Eagle's Nest kids but sometimes I think about them as a group. The millions of children without parents and my heart aches. I read a new blog this morning and the mother was telling a story about her daughter who they adopted from China. It's long but it sums up my feelings and aching heart for them today:

Isabelle has been here two years now. The nighttime has always been difficult since we first got her. I am sure that her orphanage at night must have been a very scary place to be. She often is so disturbed that she awakens crying out, "I want Momma!" I go in and comfort her and she goes back to sleep. But tonight as I rocked her we had a little talk about China. I asked her if she remembered China? She said, "Yes!" I asked her, "What do you remember?" Isabelle said, "The cribs!" I said, "What did you feel in those cribs?" She said, "LONELY!!!", and she put her hands up by her face and sobbed and sobbed! (She always kept her hands up by her face when we first got her. Her little hands would bar her face as a safety zone.) My heart broke for this baby of mine. She then cried, "I want my Mommy!" I told her with tears in my eyes that I came as quickly as I could. I also told her for the first time that she came out of a tummy of a beautiful lady in China...her own China Mom! She seemed so happy when I told her this. She knew her sister Abigail had come out of my tummy. I told her that her China Mommy loved her so much, but she could not keep her and she knew God would give her to someone very special and that was us!I rocked and rocked my baby that night until she fell asleep, safe in her mother's arms. I wondered where all the other little baby girls from her orphanage were just then. And who would help them heal their broken hearts when there is no mother or father to keep them safe and protect them from the terror of night. No one to comfort or explain to them that God loves them so much that he sent his only Son so they could be safe for all eternity? Jesus' words ring in my ears..."When he saw the crowd around him he had compassion on them for they were harassed and helpless like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples,'The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest field." Is the church so busy with their "ministries" that they can not see the ripe harvest waiting to be brought in? Will the harvest die before it is reaped? Please Lord, send them!!

Oh how that story breaks my heart. Even after two years in an amazingly loving family that sweet girl could still feel the hurt and loneliness. I remember being at Eagle's Nest and too often the precious babies would cry themselves to sleep. I tried to hold two at a time because I couldn't bear to hear them crying and after they'd settled down and fallen back asleep I would gently set them back down in their cribs. As soon as they felt my arms leave their little bodies they would immediately begin crying again. Where are the adoptive families? If one or two out of every 33 Christian families would adopt there wouldn't be any more orphans in the world. There wouldn't be any more babies screaming so hard they start shaking just because they want to be held and loved. So the next time you start thinking about this major problem of the orphans, don't push it out of your mind. We always make ourselves stop thinking about it because it's too painful or we don't want to face the Lord's calling for us regarding it. But please don't do that! When you think of the millions of children, or the the cries of the babies from your mission trip plague you as they do me, ask the Lord if there's a reason He's burdened you with those thoughts today. If you don't find a clear answer then lift up a prayer for them today. Pray that a starving child gets a piece of bread or that a sick one gets some medicine. Or even as simple a thing that a lonely child gets a loving kiss and embrace. How is the Lord calling you even right now to help these children? Or is He preparing your heart for adoption someday in the future? We won't know until we get there, but He's touching each of somehow and I guess today's just one of those days.

Chapel Video

Because of requests from family I'm posting a video of part of the song that I sang in chapel today with some girls. Don't feel like you have to watch the whole thing. I REALLY need to work on my stage presence and so I look really bored while I'm singing. I can't figure out how to look worshipful yet excited but not fake. Anyway, my fellow vocalist friends understand. For those of you who don't, just close your eyes and listen and ignore my solemn face on the screen!! :)

Celeste, Me, and Abby

Edited to add: The video may be too big for this blog. I can't get it to work from this site on my computer. I'll still keep it on here in case but I don't think you'll be able to watch it. Sorry!

This is so weird

I had heard this awhile ago but I just remembered it tonight and felt like sharing it with all of you blogging buddies. This is so weird to think about (these are really only applicable if you're in high school):

• In less than three years we will start attending our own friends' weddings and wedding showers. Some of us may have already started going to some.
• In less than 5 years our friends (and possibly us depending on how old we are) will start raising families!!
• Our future spouse (if God's plan for us is marriage) is out there RIGHT NOW somewhere growing up and making decisions for their future (college, career) that will affect your lives together. If that doesn't make you want to pray for him/her I don't know what will!!!
• If the Lord calls you to adopt, your child's parents are probably already alive, though they may still be young. Hearing that encouraged me so much to pray even now for my future children, for I can't imagine that I wouldn't adopt!!

These are pretty wild statements to process, yet such a good reminder that even though we may be young we are not powerless. We can always pray- there's never a time when prayer is pointless. None of us (unless you've had some amazing revelation from God) :) (I sure haven't!!!) know who our soul mate will be or even if we know them already. But that shouldn't keep us from praying for them. Who knows when they may be having a rough day and could use some prayer?!!!

Another day...

It was another day in my life today. It was a little different because I skipped school and babysat instead. The little boy that I babysat was too cute. I had so much fun.

We also have the privilege of having my aunt and uncle here from New York. They came yesterday and will leave on Sunday. They usually come over summer and Christmas break so this trip feels a little weird because we have our usual hectic life plus guests! I'll post some pics. of their visit sometime (a.k.a. I haven't taken any yet) :)

You're probably really tired of hearing me say this but I'm really looking forward to summer. We had our first meeting for "The Experience" at our church, a new leadership opportunity for high schoolers and so that's going to be one of my "activities" this summer which will go through the end of next school year. We're going to Family Camp again which I'm super excited about and then we're going to Branson with my Dad's family. In July, I'm 99% sure I'm going on the NYC Missions trip as well. So it'll be a full summer but I'm looking forward to hanging out with church kids and having lots of free time to scrapbook!! :)

Tomorrow I'm singing in chapel with 3 Cornerstone girls. It's a beautiful song with 4-part harmony and I pray that the Lord will be glorified.

Sorry for the randomness of this post. I have nothing deep or thought-provoking to say today yet I feel like I could sit with a friend and just talk for hours (apparently I haven't gotten in my 20000 words in for today)

Light at the end of the tunnel..

I am officially in my end of the school year mode. I'm motivated by the beautiful warm weather, the formulation of summer plans, and the shorter lists of assignments for school. I actually chose to do extra math yesterday just so I can get it over with. I am SOOOOO ready for school to be over with and for summer to be here. We made our final decision to switch over to an online school next year and so I'm also in a hurry to finish my school work for this year so we can submit my grades to this new program. It's still homeschooling, just on the computer. I never thought that I would do this type of school but the Lord had other plans!! Hopefully I'll be able to graduate next year! I had thought that it was out of my reach but it looks like I'll be able to if I work hard next year. So we've ordered an ACT prep book and started researching college options. Yikes!!

Enjoy the beautiful weather!! May the Lord bless you today!

Also- I don't know if it's my computer or if everyone's show it but it looks like my previous post has a glitch in the writing! Sorry about that!! I don't know how to fix it.

Hopeful promises....

I am so amazed at how God reminds us of the perfect scripture right when we need it most. I had some great journaling time today (the best way for me to process my emotions). During that time I was reminded of this scripture:



"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."



Jeremiah 29:11-12



Amen!! I feel as though the Lord is declaring, "Dear children!! Do not despair!! I've got it under control! Just take my hand and let me lead you! Seek my face and you will find that I am right here with you. For now and forever more."


This scripture hit home for me because I feel like it has to do with everything that's been going on recently in my life. We've begun the wade through the murky waters of college preparation. In the past weeks we've made lots of decisions for next year. We are unsure what will happen after next year because if everything goes as planned I will be graduating next year. I was getting worried about what to do but the Lord keeps reminding me that His plans are perfect and that He'll show us where to go and what to do. Until then, I just need to trust and seek His face with all my heart.

Prom!!!

Last night was CCA's prom. It was held at the local country club (which was a very nice place and it had good food). They had dinner and a dance, with a DJ. I went with a guy from Cornerstone named Kyle (just as friends). I was SOOOOOOO nervous about going because we didn't really know each other at all, we'd never talked for more than a couple minutes walking down the hallway so I was very concerned about the "awkwardness factor". But, as usual, it really wasn't as bad as I thought and I was glad that I went. I kind of went crazy with the pictures (especially after I started editing them) and couldn't decide which ones to post so I put nearly all of them: :)

And, as promised, a picture of me and Kyle:

I hadn't blogged or even journaled about prom until now and I'm really not sure why not. I can see how God grew me even through a silly dance! I had decided awhile ago that I wasn't going to the dance unless, of course, I was asked. I wasn't going to go again with a group of girls because it really was not fun (i did it last year). I had totally surrendered it to the Lord, and was content with not going. Yet, He chooses in His beautiful grace to bless His children and so I was thankful that He gave me the opportunity to go. It just goes to show that sometimes we need to step back and let Him do the work. So often I try to "help Him along" :) and it can mess things up!! So overall it was a great time of hanging out with friends, getting dressed up, taking pictures, and just having fun. I'm glad that I got to go, especailly since I won't be at Cornerstone at all next year, and that probably means that was my last high school dance!! Especially if I graduate next year.... more on that in my next post.

God rocked the world....

This morning God rocked our world with an earthquake!!! I woke up to use the restroom at 4:34 and when I climbed back in under the covers at 4:36 my bed began shaking. It was my first experience with an earthquake and I was scared!!! But after about 30 seconds everything stopped rattling and I drifted off to sleep again. And the Lord was displaying His power in more ways than one because our friends the Arnolds got news today that they can go get their sweet babe from China! I am SOOOO happy for them and it is so neat to see how the Lord so carefully plans out each one of our lives. If you want to see their blog check it out (at least just go and see the pictures): www.libifaith.blogspot.com

I went to the Gamma Phi circus tonight with Corinne, my first activity in my jam-packed weekend. It was a GREAT show and it brought back so many memories of my previous years of circus summer camp.

Stay tuned for pictures of me from tommorow's prom!!!

It would confuse you.....

I have so many thoughts swirling in my mind I can't sort them out enough to write logically; hence the title of this post. I think yesterday's post sums up my day the best. It hasn't been a bad week, just a crazy busy one with some stressful moments. :) But I keep going back to this song that we sang at worship team today. I thought I'd post the lyrics. Give you some food for thought!

Verse 1
I see the king of glory
Coming on the clouds with fire
The whole earth shakes, the whole earth shakes
I see his love and mercy
Washing over all our sin
The people sing, the people sing

Chorus
Hosanna, hosanna
Hosanna in the highest

Verse 2
I see a generation
Rising up to take the place
With selfless faith, with selfless faith
I see a near revival
Stirring as we pray and seek
We're on our knees, we're on our knees

Bridge
Heal my heart and make it clean
Open up my eyes to the things unseen
Show me how to love like you have loved me
Break my heart for what is yours
Everything I am for your kingdom's cause
As I walk from earth into eternity

A Rollercoaster.

It's just been a rollercoaster of a day. I think that I've experienced every emotion possible- joy, hope, anger, disappointment, confusion, stress, and sadness. Yep, that was my day. A mixture of all those things. No wonder I had a headache tonight!! I just have to keep trusting the seatbelt, God holding my hand tightly, leading me down the path.

So faithful

God is just so faithful. I am absolutely blown away!! As I look back on the past week(s) I just see His fingerprints all over and I am so thankful. I wish I could remember all of the times that He's graciously worked on my behalf or blessed me in little ways but you would probably bore of reading them. So I thought I'd just post a few.... (this is a really really long post. I'm sorry! I kind of used this as my journaling spot tonight so bear with me and skip it if you don't want to read all of my thoughts- i won't be offended!!) :)


The most recent thing I see is that I realized that I hadn't completed all of the necessary book reports for my school. Not only that, but my last report had to be a book that you pick from a list that they gave us at the beginning of the year. Gulp... so I pouted my way over to the file cabinet and pulled out the list, positive that there would be all of these old-fashioned books for smart kids that love old literature. Well I was wrong. There were some of those old classics (i'm sorry Dad, they're just not for me!!) but there were also some good contemporary books. One that caught my eye was by Elisabeth Elliot called "Quest For Love." I'd read her "Passion and Purity" a year or so ago and recalled enjoying it so I decided to try this one. I am so glad that the Lord made that title pop on the page, because this book is SO GOOD. I am learning so much, and I feel like the Lord is speaking to me straight through the pages and the words of Mrs. Elliot. He's pricking my heart in some places and showing me things that I will need later on. The book is a compilation of stories from men and women who have had both successful relationships and failed ones. She takes each story and pulls out these truths using the Word. The main theme so far is what a Godly relationship between a guy and girl looks like. I have been reminded again that the Lord created the man to be the pursuer, and for the girl to respect him and let him lead and initiate. That just doesn't happen in this world and it makes me wonder if there's a guy out there who will follow this!! What if I sit back and wait and nobody comes for me? Well, the Lord just knew that we would wonder and so He gave us these precious words to treasure in our hearts:

My [daughter], if you accept my words

and store up my commands within you,

turning your ear to wisdom

and applying your heart to understanding,

and if you call out for insight

and cry aloud for understanding,

and if you look for it as silver

and search for it as for hidden treasure,

then you will understand the fear of the Lord

and find the knowledge of God.

Proverbs 2:1-5

What a beautiful promise. The other thing that I've been encouraged by in this book is an affirmation of my decision not to date in high school. My parents and I made that decision together and it certainly wasn't easy; but I have no doubt that it's what God wants me to do. My Dad gave me this purity ring to symbolize my promise of purity to my husband and I'll wear it until I replace it with an engagement ring!! My heart breaks when I think of all of the girls my age who have given up that precious gift and now they're broken and wounded. I'm so thankful that the Lord has brought people my way, even people I don't know, like Elisabeth Elliot, to give me encouragement to press on, for there is great reward at the end.

Since that post went alot longer than I thought it would I'll just save the rest for tommorow.

Walk for Life

Hello everybody!!

I am walking in the Walk for Life this year. This event raises funds for the Pregnancy Resource Center here in town. They provide support for mothers who are pregnant, helping them emotionally, physically, and financially. They have a new thing called e-Walk. It's an online way to make pledges. My website is the following:

http://hopeforafuture.ewalk.org/guatemolly10491

You can go to that to make a pledge, if you'd like to. I encourage you to make even a small pledge. And if you don't even know me, I would love to have you make a donation anyway. It doesn't support me, it supports the Center and the furthering of our God's kingdom. I'm just here to help.

Thanks!!

Lazy Sunday Afternoon

I hope you're all having a lazy Sunday afternoon. I certainly am. I've spent the past hour lying on my bed watching random adoption videos and, of course, crying all the way through!! I'll be the biggest emotional wreck EVER when I adopt my own children. It seems like marriage and parenting is a billion years away. Yet, if the Lord wills, it may not be that far off...

Anyway, enough about that. It snowed, sleeted, and rained today. My plan was to wear my really cute spring skirt to church this morning. Scrap that plan! It was 40 degrees outside. Nope. No flip-flops or spring skirt. Maybe next week.

The Lord has been teaching me so much and really challenging me recently. I've had to just let go of some things this week and let him take care of it. Next year is going to be a big one for me. I realized today that if I really wanted to, I could graduate next year and go to college the following year. Yikes! Yet I don't know if that's what He wants for me. It's so hard to know His will. So hard to make decisions that will affect my future forever. So I guess I'll be learning how to listen in this season of life. I do alot of talking and I think that sometimes I don't just sit and listen to the still, small voice of the Lord. He asks us to rest in His will. Such a simple direction, but SO hard to live out.

When Love Takes You In

I saw this video for the first time tonight. It's the music video to Steven Curtis Chapman's "When Love Takes You In"

Go check it out (grab your kleenex) and then read the rest of the post:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=demRHgul2Zk


How sweet is that? Oh how that sums up my heart completely. My greatest dream is to save even one orphan and give them a home. Even me, a 16 year old, count the days until I can bring a sweet one home. My heart just longs to nurture and love and it breaks everytime I think of children who don't have a family. It's a given here in our society to have at least one parent. But in reality, there are children- yes tiny kids- who have nobody. Some are fortunate enough to be in an orphanage, but some are not. Anyway, you get the idea. Sorry to be Miss Raincloud!! I hope that you'll be encouraged to pray for these children.

Have a blessed night.

No Roadmaps

A lesson I learned today:

Go straight for 5.6 miles... turn right on Grove... keep going for another 3.4 miles... on your right you will see a beautiful building... turn right before the building... etc.

Unfortunately, there isn't mapquest or maps for the journey of life. We can't plug in our questions and recieve an answer like this:

Stay right where you are for another 3 months.... join this Bible Study for the rest of the year... apply for this college in April.. study hard for this test... etc.

Nope... no instructions like that. As I pray and study God's word, many of my concerns are about decisions I have to make. Teens my age are faced with TONS of decisions. We have to decide what college to attend and what career we want to do for the rest of our life (therefore deciding our major) all while dealing with grades, friends, family, and the normal things of life. Not to mention making prayerful decisions about jobs, mission trips, dances at school, what to do about dating, etc. Whew!! It's so overwhelming when you think about how the actions I take now are going to affect me the rest of my life.

Yet, I have nothing to worry about. Our God is the giver of Perfect Peace, a peace that surpasses all understanding. As soon as I started stressing about things I would just remind myself that He will give me direction. Through His word and prayer, He reveals truth to us, guiding us in the way of His will. Although He rarely says exactly what to do through His word we can see what is good and right in His eyes, and through that, make wise decisions. So I'm sorry if I bored you but I was excited to be reminded of this and I hope you'll be encouraged too.

I have a blog????

I have been a terrible blogger. I'm sorry...

To catch you up on my exciting (not) life... last week was my first week back from Spring Break. It's encouraging to see how close we are to the end of the school year. Being homeschooled, I am done or nearly done with most of my classes. I'm behind in math, however, so I really need to pick up the pace in that. It's my worst subject and VERY HARD. My Dad doesn't even remember most of the stuff. So that's where I'm at as far as school work goes.

I also applied to our community college for next fall. My plan is to take a Spanish class next year and then depending on how next year goes, perhaps start on some of my general ed. classes to get a boost on college courses. But we'll see where God leads with that.

This weekend has been busy but fun. I hung out with Corinne Friday night, babysat Saturday morning, rearranged and organized my scrapbook room Saturday afternoon, and hung out with church kids Saturday night.

This morning I went to church and then tonight I had youth group. It was a great night because we played Sardines practically the whole time (i know, not very spiritual but part of youth group is fellowship). I laughed ALOT and I just really enjoyed having fun and being goofy. I'm just so thankful that the Lord chose to give me these great people to hang out with. It's just another example of His amazing goodness to His children. He cares for me so much and He knows that I need these friends. I can't imagine what my life would be without Christ Church and without the youth group kids. We've had our rough times but He has been so good to redeem friendships. So I'm just feeling thankful and joyful.

Just don't ask me how I feel at 6:15 tommorow morning when my alarm blares in my ear..... :)

Back to the Grind...

I hope everybody's having a great week. Although I'm not exactly enjoying my school work, it's been a good week so far. I don't have anything exciting to report so I guess I'll just get back to work. Have a happy day!!!

Also- Ethan (teen with cancer) is probably coming home this weekend!! Praise the Lord. Please pray that he wouldn't have any setbacks and that he can return home as planned.