Show Hope

We've always been big fans of Steven & MaryBeth Chapman. I listened to his music off and on over the years. Their living testimony as they walked the tragic road of losing a daughter (MaryBeth has an amazing book about it) still causes me to stand in awe of their bold honesty and endless faith.  And I still recall listening to a radio show where they were interviewing people who had received grants to help them complete their adoption. We were just starting the process to adopt Loe and I cried through every story! I'm still touched every time I listen to "When Love Takes You In".  While we didn't receive a grant from Show Hope, we have friends who just received one for $5,000! We are rejoicing with them!

When we were at the Empowered To Connect conference last weekend - Show Hope had a table out with their cool bracelets and shirts for sale. This organization not only helps families adopt, but also has a huge ministry to orphans - so we are thrilled to support it. Here are the girls wearing their shirts. I really like the "i show hope" ones the big girls have on. They do "show hope" as people see them in our family, as they love on their new baby sister, as they follow Jesus! He gives us all hope! And pretty much anytime they play with baby dolls - they are either running an adoption agency or an orphanage - so I think they are in training to follow James 1:27 when they are older! (Loe is already begging Trevor and I to adopt another child!)

Our agency, Embraced By Grace, has the Tabitha Fund - which helps our families adopt. There are so many grant foundations and organizations that help adoptive families. I can't recount how many times I have had people tell me that they would consider adoption if it wasn't so expensive. Yes, all of that paperwork along with the legal process both here and in the state or country you are adopting from, as well as travel adds up. But, if God has called your family to adoption...HE WILL PROVIDE. No question about it! We borrowed, saved, did fundraising and have received grants and loans to complete our three adoptions. Don't let the financial part scare you away! Pray about it and take a step of faith...see what He will do!

A visit with the His Little Feet choir

So today started out with a quick batch of whoopie pies. Oh yum. (We went with the "that's the best frosting I've ever had" as the filling. Definitely worth the few extra steps.) These had been on my mind since I saw them on PW's site a few days ago and the girls just watched Bobby Flay's showdown on whoopie pies. Our reasons for baking them were mostly selfish. We wanted to enjoy some, but we also wanted to bless the precious kids (and amazing staff) of the His Little Feet choir and have a chance to visit a bit.  (I blogged a little about last year's choir here.) We are blessed to feel a bit like these are "our" kids because we pray for God to bring them here each year.  When they aren't on tour - they are here on the Ellerslie campus and we get to see them at church and we try to attend at least one other concert as well. Today David Wooten, from Embraced By Grace in Florida is out for some meetings regarding our Colorado branch opening (hopefully SOON!). He had a chance to tour the Ellerslie campus and meet HLF as well as meet with Trevor and some various pastors in the area. So, we tagged along this morning. :)

Let me just say that these kids are PRECIOUS! Oh. My. Word. I don't think I've ever been around them without crying. I bawl through every concert and just hugging on them and seeing them brings tears. 

We were privileged to have our own little impromptu concert. The girls and I know many of the songs - as we listen to their CDs in the car. Such powerful music.  We sang along! :)

God works through this ministry as they travel around the country each year. Last year all of the kiddos were from Haiti. This year there are some from Ethiopia and some from Honduras. 

They put on amazing concerts for churches all over the US. They are the faces and voices representing millions of orphans and vulnerable children all around the world - and they show us first hand how precious they are to Jesus and to us. 

At each concert you are not only blessed with their beautiful songs, but you are also given a chance to give to HLF and help them continue to make a difference in the lives of these kids and many, many more. You can sponsor a child from Compassion - they have packets there at each concert. We have sponsored a little sweetie in India for years through Compassion and picked up a teenager in Haiti at a HLF concert last year. The video they show at the concert is powerful.

You can take a trip to visit orphans through this organization.  And HLF also encourages people to look into adopting one of the millions of waiting orphans around the world. Mike and Christa are the founders of the choir and though they give EVERY ounce of credit to the Lord. They truly are amazing. They love these kids deeply, they serve and serve and serve some more. They put on a powerful show.  (Christa joins in for a song and has a gorgeous voice!)

 After our little concert we stepped outside for a few pics. Vivi was wanting a bottle - so not really in the mood for a photo shoot at that moment. But, we tried anyway! Things are just starting to get green in Colorado - so still a bit dry and brown in the background. But, the Ellerslie campus is beautiful all year along!

Our girls get to see the kids at church and Kiddo Night when they are on campus. They connect with a few kids and its so precious to see a little friendship sprout - even just in a few visits together. (Loe is bummed we didn't think to wear our HLF shirts so we all could have matched!)

Here is David surrounded by kiddos!

 

 Vivi was fussing, but perked up a bit when she realized she could play with Tsion's beautiful hair! The kids all seemed to think that was pretty funny.

LOVE that smile! She is a darling girl with a fun sense of humor!

Christa talked us into joining the group for a few pics.  What a sweet bunch of kids!

Couldn't resist just a few more quick pics - even with tears! Two beauties!

Detcho asked if he could hold her! What a cutie pie!

Gracia also wanted a turn. Sweet girly! Vivi was definitely done at this point. 

Loe and Gracia are the same age and are SO adorable together!

Melt.

They got to go climb onto the bus with them - just for fun. Loe thinks it would be an absolute blast to go on tour with the choir! They probably would have a blast - but I think I would miss her a bit! (When Ren heard us talking about this - she informed me that she would like to stay with me forever and never, ever be apart!) I melted again. :) Truly - I am so blessed with these kids!

The kids leave tomorrow for the last leg of their tour towards the west. They will be back home again in June and will have some concerts around the area before they go back to their home countries. Check the schedule and if you can make it to a concert - DO IT! So worth an evening of your time and you will be blessed - I promise you that! 

We love you kiddos - and we'll be praying for you the next few months. Can't wait to see you again!

Donate $8 and help bring Miss J home!

Donate $8! Help bring Miss J home to her forever family!

PLEASE SHARE THIS PAGE LINK!!!  



*** UPDATE ***

We serve an awesome and amazing God! And I so love Him and the body of Christ - who was willing to be a part of the process of helping this sweetie come home to her family! 

Total donations so far:  $6,286

WOOOOHOOOOOOO!!!

I am going to leave the link up for a while in case anyone else is moved to give. I know the longer they wait for travel approval and the closer we get to spring/summer the higher the cost of airline tickets. And they still desire to take their boys along if possible.

 May God heap blessings upon you all as you have blessed our dear friends! 
THANK-YOU!!!!!!!!! 

( We can't show her sweet face until they pass court. We are also being VERY discreet about using her name or her family's name so we do not jeopardize her adoption in any way.  )

There is a little girl who has spent her whole life - 8 years in an orphanage in Eastern Europe. She is beautiful. She is blind and she needs a forever family. Her name is Miss J. We have dear friends who are longing to welcome Miss J into their family as their precious daughter. They have saved and worked hard at fundraising. They made the first of two required trips to Eastern Europe and are now down to needing about $6,000 to complete her adoption and go bring her home.

Mr. & Mrs. W were resistant to this idea at first - because they imagined that the people who could donate would have already done that earlier in the process. They have no desire to pester anyone. But, I nagged and convinced them :) that from my point of view in situations like theirs many people would be THRILLED to be able to really help Miss J come home by sending only $8!

So many times I have come across situations where an adoptive family is thousands from their goal and since I am not in a position to send thousands - I pray for them and move on. But...if each of Mr. & Mrs. W's Facebook friends ( and anyone else who happens upon my blog or shares this link ) is able and willing to donate $8 ( or more ) - not only would they reach their goal of $6,000 - but they could have enough to bring their two sons on their trip to Eastern Europe. ( These boys have been praying for their sister for a year and REALLY hope to go along to get her! ) If the donations come in higher than these two goals - the rest could help cover the medical and therapy expenses they will incur when they bring her home.

To donate your $8 (or more) click here:

( Please note that your donation will not be tax deductible. If you are interested in making a large donation that is tax deductible - please  email me for a separate donation page link. )


Along with donating would you join us in praying for the W family?

Here is Miss J's waiting forever family!

• For Miss J to have peace as she waits for her forever family and for a smooth transition. 
• For safe travels when they bring her home.
• For wisdom as they diligently work towards a healthy attachment with Miss J ( This process can be extra challenging when adopting an older child with special needs .) And for all of us who love them to be supportive of that process no matter what that looks like.
• For God to provide for their every need: financial, emotional, physical and spiritual. 

We have been the recipient of many financial gifts from the body of Christ in each of our 3 adoptions and believe me when I say this is one of the greatest gifts you can give! Adoption is an amazing, challenging miracle of a process and when we step forward in faith to bring one of these little ones into our family the financial barriers can seem at times - insurmountable. But...OUR GOD IS BIG! And He opens wide the doors of those who are following Him. We are blessed to witness the W family's heart for Jesus, for furthering His kingdom and for adoption. 

If you have any questions or problems with donating - please email me at: kidsareablessing@gmail.com

Please feel free to share this link!

May you be blessed as you bless the W family!
Lisa

Interview

We continue to be blessed by the heart of the students at Ellerslie. They have been so interested and supportive of our adoption. One of the past students is a contributor on a blog called Parakletos, which means advocate. They asked to interview us about our adoption story. We were honored to share. Theirs is a blog worth supporting as they seek support and prayer for orphans and adoption.

Thank you

It's Thanksgiving and the perfect time to reflect on all God is and all He has blessed us with. I have spent the past month listing something - sometimes many somethings on facebook that I am grateful for. I love reading what others are blessed with as well. Speaking of blessings...this adoption, this miracle that brought Vivi into our arms, our family, our lives forever...was not something we did on our own. God used many, many people to support us in so many ways. I kept various lists so we could send thank-you notes - a list of people who donated items to our yard sale last summer, a list of people who donated directly towards our adoption fees, a list of people who gave us fun gifts at our baby shower, a list of people who brought meals and cleaned our house and helped with our kids. (Note to self...keep everything in ONE notebook and not various little notebooks, sticky notes, backs of receipts or someone's coloring page AND remember where that notebook is!)  We hosted a dinner to thank those that helped with the girls when we were in Florida. I so wish we could host another one and invite every single person who helped us bring Vivi home, but we'd have to rent a giant dining hall to make that work! So here we are a year after we began this journey and our sweet Vivi has been home for almost 3 months! (HOW did that go by so quickly?!) and I've honestly misplaced a list or two and just feel ridiculously late in sending out thank-you notes. I have had several people tell me to not even worry about it - they wouldn't want me spending the time on it. I have attempted to thank many people through email and fb.

Yet, we still don't feel like we've even begun to express just how grateful we are for the amazing group of people God has placed around us. Adoption is a curious journey. It really does take a village - a village of people who we are blessed to call friends and family. Our 'village' was committed to praying not only for us and our adoption - but for our birth mom and sweet baby - long before we were matched. Prayer is by far the most powerful tool we have. God moves through those prayers in a serious way. Adoption is without a doubt part of God's plan - He designed it, He points out adoption stories in the scriptures, He commands us to look after orphans and He adopted us. So...when one ventures down this path - HE IS IN IT.

I remember a few times during our first adoption that I wished we just had every penny in the bank - ready to pay every fee and travel expense. It sure seemed like that would make an already challenging process so much less...well  - challenging. But, then as we have moved through three different adoption experiences and watched God work in different ways to bring our girls home to us - it became very evident that He had a plan and purpose in how each one came to pass. Not only does He do a work in our hearts, stretching our faith (by leaps and bounds!), and lavishing His provision on us, but He also uses the body of Christ to work together in adoption. Since He commands us ALL to care for orphans - He challenges some to become a forever family, and others He uses to support those families. Support can come in a variety of ways - the most obvious being financial, but equally important is prayer, meals, coffee, childcare and house cleaning. I really cherished those God placed around me that just asked how things were going and remained interested and supportive no matter how long the adoption took, no matter how many obstacles seemed to rise up before us, no matter how crazy it seemed. That was invaluable to us.

So...on this Thanksgiving Day...I look back and remember exactly 7 years ago when we took a break from packing to eat some turkey with family. Then the four of us made our way through a busy airport that weekend to get on a plane bound for Guangdong, China. We were going to bring home Eloise HuanFen - our 13 month old little darling. Then I recall quite clearly the emotional and amazing trip I made alone to bring home our sweet 8 month old Renice QingYang from Hunan, China. And now we can add to our memories an incredible, filled-with-answers-to-prayer, journey to Florida where we met our precious Vivienne Sade and her dear birth mom. Where we spent 2 weeks on a second honeymoon of sorts adoring Jesus, each other and our newest little miracle.

Some people say we are crazy to start over again and spend our years raising kids again when in just a few short months our youngest son by birth, Hunter, will graduate from high school. Some people rejoice to see that day when their kids are finally grown up and gone. Yes...we rejoice that God has given us two rather amazing boys who have become young men. But...my heart aches to think of them both moving on at some point. I will enjoy watching them continue to grow in Christ and hurt for them when the hard parts of life come along. And I WILL miss them tremendously!

However, instead of looking ahead longingly at being empty nesters...we are so spoiled by the Lord that we get to join Him in raising up 3 beautiful daughters. (And whomever else He blesses us with!) Yep - we're a bit more tired this time, but also have a bit more wisdom. We have a bit less energy - but still have more then enough lap space and time for snuggles and stories. We may not be taking cruises and long trips to Mexico - but we got trips to China and tropical Florida! We don't have brand new cars and all the finest clothes - but we have a used minivan filled with love and laughter and the most precious voices singing praise songs to Jesus. We don't spend Saturdays in a quiet house remembering the fun days when the kids were still little...we have a king-sized bed that quickly fills up with 3 little cherubs in footy pjs who climb in for a snuggle and asked what adventures the day will hold. We don't have quiet, empty bedrooms where only dust and memories remain...we have rooms filled with kids and toys and books and artwork.  And for that...I could not be more thankful...for the kids, not the dust. ;)

So...to all of you who have helped us in ANY way at all in our adoptions...thank you. Thank you. Thank you. We pray that God will pour out heaps of blessings on you in return. And if we could ask just one more favor from you...please keep praying for us. For strength and energy. For hearts that remain focused on these blessings. For financial provision to raise them up. For God's plans in each of their lives to be revealed. For God to use us mightily in the adoption world. For all of those experiencing crisis pregnancies to choose life. For the millions and millions and millions of orphans to find forever families as others step forward to say yes to the Lord's calling, to the challenge of adoption, to a precious child.

"Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power
and the glory and the majesty and the splendor,
for everything in heaven and earth is yours.
Yours, O LORD, is the kingdom;
you are exalted as head over all. Wealth and honor come from you;
you are the ruler of all things.
In your hands are strength and power
to exalt and give strength to all.
Now, our God, we give you thanks,
and praise your glorious name." 

         1 Chronicles 29:11-13