Double Digits!

Happy 10th birthday to my sweet Mary Ellen, otherwise known as "Meme" or "Love Lump." I can't believe we have been entrusted to raise such a precious jewel. She truly lives up to the meaning of her name...."Light of Mercy." I learn what it means to "love large" by watching her each day. Meme, you are beautiful inside and out. We are so proud of the young girl you have become and love what God is doing in you life. We love you more than you know! Happy birthday, love lump. May your love and devotion for the Lord grow stronger with each year.

Sweet Faces

Oh, how our girls are growing and maturing....... It is amazing to see how these sweet faces are changing with each year. Unbelievable!

3 Bags in 2 days

There is a really cool organization in our area that has a heart for the homeless. A group of young girls decided that they wanted to make a difference in the lives of the less fortunate in our area. This conversation was motivated by an encounter with a homeless man and a chocolate chip cookie. One of the girls, Chloe, ran in to a gentleman and was moved with compassion for his current situation. She decided that the least she could do was buy him a cookie and acknowledge his presence with a gentle "hello." The man was completely taken with such kindness from this young girl. This encounter changed the course of Chloe's life, as well as some of her friends. These girls wanted to do more than walk by some in need. They desired to have a plan for the next time they ran across someone that needed a little extra help. Perspective and a heart for giving spurred on this organization called, "3 Bags in 2 Days." You guessed it, the name speaks for itself. They passed out the very first 3 bags ( care bags filled with basic necessities) in 2 days. It has been a little over a year since this all began and it is growing by leaps and bounds. It has been eye opening to all of us to understand even more of what is going on all around us. We decided it would be beneficial to get our kids at the Well Communities involved, as well. After all, it was a one beautiful example of how to love your neighbor. The kids were able to hear this story and assemble 40 care bags. These bags included the basic necessities such as : toiletries, socks, gloves, cereal bars, water, chap stick, wipes, etc. The children were shocked to learn that the average age of homelessness is only 9 years old! Unbelievable! To Chloe and her friends at 3 Bags.....thank you for letting us be apart of your ministry. You all are such a great example to our community!

Lucky # 7

Tomorrow will mark our 7th month of waiting. Maybe we'll get lucky.....come on referral!

Rescue and Redemption

Tonight we participated in "Orphan Sunday." For those of you who don't know, Orphan Sunday is a day the "church" has set aside to advocate for the orphans. It's the brutal awareness of what is the reality of over 160 million children both near and far. It is heart breaking, it is gutt wrenching in so many ways. This is what keeps me up at night! Circumstances this week have stirred my heart to pray more than ever. Let me share.....Scott and I started our week off with the 8-10 hours of Hague Training that is required before we travel to Ethiopia. This was a bold reminder of what these children have faced and often what it will take to heal their hearts. That brought me to my knees real quick! "God, you are the true healer. Please show me how to love and nurture my children as you would." As the week progressed, Scott began to prepare for his trip to Haiti, while wondering if his group was going to be able to travel due to the hurricane. Thankfully, the team was able to fly out as scheduled and landed safely in Haiti. This week they will be doing many things within the city and country side. Tomorrow they are heading to the orphanages to love and play with children. In fact, a friend of mine (Emily) will be meeting a Compassion Child that she and her family sponsor each month. How exciting! Engaging with a Compassion Ministry is one of many ways to help aid the Orphan Crisis. In fact, it literally keeps those kids from becoming orphans themselves. The team will also be setting up medical clinics and providing help and aid where needed. While visiting the tent cities, they hope to hand out whistles to women and children to use when in danger. You can't even imagine what goes on after dark. "Father, I know this completely breaks your heart. Please, please be the protector of these children." Last night, I was able to join a group of local families for dinner. These are families who have either adopted or are in the process of adoption. It was therapeutic to share in our commonalities. It was fun to share in the process, to dream of what is to come, and to pick the brains of those who have completed the adoption process. We have such a great community of people who are walking this road either through adoption or foster care. "Lord, I am so thankful that we are not alone in this. Thank you that you have given me local support, a community." I returned home to a sick child with over 101 fever. After giving her the care of TLC and medicine, I tucked her in a soft, cozy bed. I quietly prayed, " Father, thank you that I have medicine to give my child when she is sick. My heart aches for those babies who are burning with fever and have no means of relief, shelter, or loving arms to hold them. Please, please comfort them tonight." Tonight at Well Communities, we focused on several layers of adoption. We entered into moments of brokenness as we heard stories and watched videos of the realities of these children. It's too much! " Lord, what can I do, what can I do? Please show me how to be the hands and feet to the broken. Please stir the hearts of your earthly children to act." Some sweet friends of ours, Seth and Joy Primm are in the process of adopting a baby girl from Ethiopia. They have such great hearts and are completely talented! They have created a album to help with their adoption process, as well as advocate for the orphan. It is a MUST HAVE!!!! As they sang, there was not a dry eye in the house. The words of the song "Come Home Beautiful" spoke to my heart and will certainly speak to yours. Click on "this beautiful life" (under my blog list) to order one today! Lastly, we celebrate! We celebrated with the dedication of Sosi Elle Rusch. Sosi has been home from Ethiopia for 9 months now. A girl who was once untrusting and who never smiled, is now full of life and personality. We rejoice that she is no longer an orphan, but is part of a loving family who adores her more than you'll know. What a beautiful story! It sounds all too familiar.....without our Heavenly Father, we are all fatherless. Thankfully through Jesus, we have become adopted sons and daughters of the King. "Heavenly Father, my heart is forever grateful that You chose to extend Your love to more than just "Your own Son. " Wow! Now, that is rescue and redemption!

# 6

Yesterday marked our six month of "waiting". Time is slowly, but surely ticking away! I would really love for this process to be a bit shorter! Of course, I have a timeline of how things would look if it were up to me. However, I know I can't see the big picture. So I will rest in the Lord and try to be patient. I am reminded of Proverbs 16:9..."In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps."

"Show Some Love"

We are so excited that our shirts are in! It's so easy- you can click the size and color on the left side to order. We will gladly deliver your "T'" or ship it, if necessary. In selling these shirts, we desire not only to raise funds to compensate the new travel laws in Ethiopia, but to tell several stories. The story of our son who represents 1 of over 160 million orphans, along with the beautiful story of adoptioin. When thinking through the design of our shirts, I was reminded of an image that I see daily. Last year, one daughter painted a picture of the Ethiopian flag for one my Christmas presents. I have proudly displayed it on my kitchen counter, along with the sweet faces of my girls. This serves as a reminder that soon the flag will be replaced with the face of our son, when he joins our family. What a great day that will be! Our shirts were also inspired from the very simple, yet powerful command "LOVE." The front of the shirts display this word written in the Amharic Ethiopian language. Jesus is our ultimate example of this love. He lived it out and gave it #1 and #2 ranking in commands. LOVE GOD AND LOVE PEOPLE. "Show Some Love" is scripted on the back as a reminder that we have the opportunity to demonstrate love to those both near and far. We can be the voice for those who cannot speak for themselves. Of course, the color choices of red, kelly, gold, and aqua symbolize the colors in the Ethiopian flag. A heritage that will always be on our hearts. We dream of a sea of Ethiopian colors at the airport, when he meets all of you for the first time. This thought brings tears to my eyes! We truly appreciate your support and covet your prayers. YOU MAKE THE DIFFERENCE!