The kids were THRILLED to get new PJ's. Thanks to all who gave so generously.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Pajama Drive for ACC pictures are here!
Here are the photos from when we delivered the pajamas to the Africa Children's Choir. Two of our pastors from church joined us as well as their wives and my friend who introduced us to Mirembe. You'll see us serving dinner to everyone, the pajamas being passed out, taking the pastors on a tour and the kids performing during their worship and praise time in their new PJ's.
The kids were THRILLED to get new PJ's. Thanks to all who gave so generously.
The kids were THRILLED to get new PJ's. Thanks to all who gave so generously.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
143,000,000 (Million!) Orphans in the World
Wow! That sounds like A LOT! But, can we really comprehend what 143 million orphans looks like? I know it's a lot but I can't get my mind around that number. Or at least I could not until I saw this short 4 minute video.
Please watch.
I just can't even stand it. I feel like my heart is going to burst for these children! In the words of Kay Warren .... I have become seriously disturbed and gloriously ruined. I will NEVER stop trying to help these children. And, I will never feel like I am doing enough.
Oh God! Please help us to do more!
Please watch.
I just can't even stand it. I feel like my heart is going to burst for these children! In the words of Kay Warren .... I have become seriously disturbed and gloriously ruined. I will NEVER stop trying to help these children. And, I will never feel like I am doing enough.
Oh God! Please help us to do more!
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Reflecting on God's Grace
As the last month or so has passed us by, I sit back and wonder at God's grace and mercy.
We've spent the last few weeks searching for a new place for my parents to downsize to, putting their house on the market and selling almost everything they own via Craigslist. God provided the perfect 1 bedroom first floor apartment in the perfect cozy little complex that NEVER has 1 bedroom first floor apartments available. He provided that every last large piece of furniture be sold which in turn provide for some extra "move-in" cash for them. The house is listed with a reputable agency and has already had it's first showing within the first week and was in the prospective buyers top two picks.
Over the past few weeks, we have also been in the middle of a pajama drive for the children of the African Children's Choir. Everyone so graciously donated and we had almost enough PJ's for each child to get two pairs. On June 28th, we took the PJ's, dinner, bubbles and some arts and craft supplies out to the kids. We were also blessed enough to have two of our pastors from church, and their wives, join us. I hope to post pictures of the kids in their new PJ's very soon.
We are also in the midst of kicking off the planning for our Annual Adoption Seminar & Expo to be held September 27th.
And, on top of all of this, we just completed ALL our paperwork for the adoption. We should have agency approval within a week and immigration approval in August. YEAH! Adoption is very much like being pregnant. The paperwork phase is like the 9 months of carrying the child, the referral is like seeing the ultrasound of our child and the first time we actually see them and hold them is like their birthday into our family. Completing the paperwork is a HUGE milestone in the process. Even if it is our third and fourth child it is just as exciting as the first just without all the unknowns.
We have recently learned that some friends of ours who use to attend Providence and helped to start the Adoption & Orphan Care Ministry with us, have recently felt called to adopt from Ethiopia. They too are adopting two children. My heart overflowed with joy and my eyes welled up with tears when they told me.
You see, adopting from Africa is not some trendy thing to do. It's not following in the footsteps of Angelina Jolie or Madonna. It's a true tug at your heart strings for the African people. A true calling to want to be a mother and a father to one of these orphaned children. It does not matter, the color of their skin. Why would these precious children deserve any less to have a mother and a father or OUR love simply because of the color of their skin? Why should we not listen to God's calling (or our heart) to grow our family simply because of the distaste someone else may have for an inter-racial family? It breaks my heart to know that people think and feel this way. I know that what I have heard so far is only the tip of the iceberg and we will experience this much more once we actually become an inter-racial family. Most people's comments are not said out of harm or racism but simply out of a lack of understanding.
I read part of an article called "One Race" on the website http://www.answersingenesis.org/ . The article talks about how we are all ONE race. We are all decendents of Adam and Even and then Noah and his wife. Throughout this time, there was one language and skin color or shades of that color (medium brown), until the Tower of Babel. Then, man was scattered around the earth with different languages imposed upon them when God became angry with mans disobedience in building the Tower of Babel. From that point forward, mans geographic region helped to determine the amount of melanin their skin produced.
Regardless of all this, we are all sons and daughters of God. We were all created in His image. Noone has greater superiority or worth because of the color of their skin. God made us all equal. It is by His love and His grace alone that we may enter the kingdom of Heaven and Heaven will be a rainbow of skin colors. I hope that my family, both by our hearts and skin colors, will be a reflection of Heaven to others.
We've spent the last few weeks searching for a new place for my parents to downsize to, putting their house on the market and selling almost everything they own via Craigslist. God provided the perfect 1 bedroom first floor apartment in the perfect cozy little complex that NEVER has 1 bedroom first floor apartments available. He provided that every last large piece of furniture be sold which in turn provide for some extra "move-in" cash for them. The house is listed with a reputable agency and has already had it's first showing within the first week and was in the prospective buyers top two picks.
Over the past few weeks, we have also been in the middle of a pajama drive for the children of the African Children's Choir. Everyone so graciously donated and we had almost enough PJ's for each child to get two pairs. On June 28th, we took the PJ's, dinner, bubbles and some arts and craft supplies out to the kids. We were also blessed enough to have two of our pastors from church, and their wives, join us. I hope to post pictures of the kids in their new PJ's very soon.
We are also in the midst of kicking off the planning for our Annual Adoption Seminar & Expo to be held September 27th.
And, on top of all of this, we just completed ALL our paperwork for the adoption. We should have agency approval within a week and immigration approval in August. YEAH! Adoption is very much like being pregnant. The paperwork phase is like the 9 months of carrying the child, the referral is like seeing the ultrasound of our child and the first time we actually see them and hold them is like their birthday into our family. Completing the paperwork is a HUGE milestone in the process. Even if it is our third and fourth child it is just as exciting as the first just without all the unknowns.
We have recently learned that some friends of ours who use to attend Providence and helped to start the Adoption & Orphan Care Ministry with us, have recently felt called to adopt from Ethiopia. They too are adopting two children. My heart overflowed with joy and my eyes welled up with tears when they told me.
You see, adopting from Africa is not some trendy thing to do. It's not following in the footsteps of Angelina Jolie or Madonna. It's a true tug at your heart strings for the African people. A true calling to want to be a mother and a father to one of these orphaned children. It does not matter, the color of their skin. Why would these precious children deserve any less to have a mother and a father or OUR love simply because of the color of their skin? Why should we not listen to God's calling (or our heart) to grow our family simply because of the distaste someone else may have for an inter-racial family? It breaks my heart to know that people think and feel this way. I know that what I have heard so far is only the tip of the iceberg and we will experience this much more once we actually become an inter-racial family. Most people's comments are not said out of harm or racism but simply out of a lack of understanding.
I read part of an article called "One Race" on the website http://www.answersingenesis.org/ . The article talks about how we are all ONE race. We are all decendents of Adam and Even and then Noah and his wife. Throughout this time, there was one language and skin color or shades of that color (medium brown), until the Tower of Babel. Then, man was scattered around the earth with different languages imposed upon them when God became angry with mans disobedience in building the Tower of Babel. From that point forward, mans geographic region helped to determine the amount of melanin their skin produced.
Regardless of all this, we are all sons and daughters of God. We were all created in His image. Noone has greater superiority or worth because of the color of their skin. God made us all equal. It is by His love and His grace alone that we may enter the kingdom of Heaven and Heaven will be a rainbow of skin colors. I hope that my family, both by our hearts and skin colors, will be a reflection of Heaven to others.
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