12 Days & Counting

this post was taken from a blog friend and you never know who might see this through another friend of a friend.  please pass it along, share it with everyone you know.  you can tell from the date that it was posted....this sweet boy has 12 days and counting now.  time is running out, but nothing is impossible with god!

december 20, 2010

twenty days is all this handsome young man has left to find his forever family.

just. twenty. days.

and then--he will never have the opportunity to be adopted again.

oh my heart.  i cannot stand the thought.

look how sweet he is....



i cannot even imagine being in his situation.  seeing countless "little kids" leave the orphanage with their mom and dad and wondering, wondering, wondering, if his turn will ever come.

sadly for this young man, time is about to run out.  he has waited for such a long time on waiting child lists--but no one has ever said "yes" to him.  can you imagine being passed over so many times?

absolutely heartbreaking for any young person.

according to the agency that has his file, apart from a history of hep b (just like our girls--very easy special need) he is healthy, smart, and a great thirteen year old kid.

goodness, i just know that his family is out there somewhere.  i know someone will go.  why?  because i believe with all my heart that there is a family for every child who waits.  they just have not found him yet.

unfortunately, there's a catch...

he absolutely must be adopted before his fourteenth birthday in february.  that means that his family must already have a dossier in ch*na.  they must be in the process of adopting another child from this country and are willing to add this boy to their adoption.  or, their dossier is in country and they are waiting on a referral.

one of my favorite lines from the movie, "faith like potatoes" is when angus buchan says, "the condition for a miracle is difficulty, however the condition for a great miracle is not difficulty, but impossibility."

god loves to show his glory through seemingly impossible situations.

it's time to stand a trust the father for a great miracle for this sweet guy.  as time ticks by and things become more and more impossible, i ask myself again, "is anything impossible for the lord god almighty?"

i know the answer all too well.  so do many of you.

nothing is impossible!  nothing at all.  not even this.

please, friends, can you help us to spread the word about this young man?  post him everywhere you possibly can in the hope that his mom and dad will find him soon--before it is too late.  once he turns fourteen he will be considered unavailable for adoption.  he will never know what it feels like to be loved and treasured by parents.  he will remain in the orphanage until he is sixteen...and then...well, who knows?  it is the sad reality of any orphan who ages out of the system.  hopelessness.

twenty days...that's all we have to get the word out there on the internet.  will you please help?  will you pray with us for the great miracle that he so desperately needs this christmas?  will you help to spread the word wherever you can?

i so appreciate your help.  you guys totally rock.

let's give him the best christmas present ever...a family!

if anyone wants more details, reply or leave a comment to this post, or e-mail me at renealynch at yahoo.com and i can put you in touch with the ones you need to talk to  regarding this sweet boy!

Visiting Orphans

WOW!!!  Yep, you read that right!  You can win a FREE mission trip to a country of your choice!  Visiting Orphans is giving away a free trip to one lucky winner, and it could be you!  I have to throw in..... I hope it's me! But hey, anyone that can receive an opportunity to practice "Pure Religion" (James 1:27) would be incredible and we live for nothing more than to serve our Lord.

We've had the chance to serve in missions work in Haiti in 2009 and oh what a blessing it was.  Just when you think you are going to help and serve someone else (which you DO!!) the Lord surprises you and blesses you beyond measure.  Some of you have read my posts before on our trip and you can certainly look through the archives and read them.  But what I can tell you is this:  "Once our eyes have been opened, we can't pretend not to know...." (Proverbs 24:12)  Your life will be forever changed and your heart for the orphan will burst with a desire to better serve our Lord.  You will learn exactly what it means by feeling able to “deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me." (Mark 8:34)  

Please visit their site and enter to receive a chance to win. Click HERE to find out how.  You can also check out MY CRAZY ADOPTION and enter the giveaway that's going on there to receive more chances to win!  Good luck!!!  I'm anxious to see who will be serving with visiting Orphans in 2011!!!

So....where will you decide to go?  El Salvador, Costa Rica, Haiti, Ecuador, Honduras, China, Ghana, Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia, Rwanda, India, Ukraine 

See what Amanda (the girl in charge at VO!) has to say about WHY they are giving away this trip!

Visiting Orphans Heart from Amanda Lawrence on Vimeo.

Orphan Sunday

Our church began Revival today....on Orphan Sunday!  :)  We were blessed with a message from Bro Daron about "Serving"!  How ironic!  Ron let us share a brief message at the end of the service to (hopefully) inspire everyone to continue to recognize that November is National Adoption Month.

Bro. Daron - We're looking forward to a return visit and even more excited to be able to visit their church soon!  

Joy and I were blessed to share and present a message during Children's Moments this morning.  So, that is what I want to share with you today.  Surely, if our children can wrap their minds around what we shared it will sink in with some adults.  ;)  I know it did with several of the adults in our congregation.

We know that God made His world perfect.  He designed it to be just what He wanted, and just what we needed.  Because we know God doesn't make mistakes, right?!  There are enough basic resources such as food and water in our world to feed the entire population of the world.  God has children all over the world and we know He loves us all just the same.  But for some reason all those resources aren't being shared with everyone in the world.  We know we should share, our parents teach us about sharing.  

We talked about how much money a BILLION dollars is.  And of course the kids said, "that's a LOT OF MONEY!"  We explained that it would take 13 billion dollars a year to provide basic nutrition to all the starving people in the world today.  That seems like a lot doesn't it?

But do you know what Amercian Christians spend just on bottled water each year? 

3 BILLION dollars.

American Christians spend 4 BILLION dollars a year on Makeup!  (ugh....we all do it ladies!  Fess up.)

We spend 7 billion on sporting events.  

We spend 11 billion on coffee.

13 billion on our pets.

20 billion on soft drinks.

21 billion on cable TV.

Each time for each statistic we counted out play money for the children (1 dollar was 1 billion) and provided them with an object to represent each thing.  (a bottle of water, a bag of makeup, football, movies for the cable tv, a dog food bag from our puppy at home).

We spend EVEN MORE than all that money put together on eating out each year.....105 BILLION.  (a pizza box and a happy meal container worked wonders).

How much did we need to provide food to the starving people of the world??  ONLY 13 billion.  

If we have so much, why do we give so little?  If we're spending 8 times as much money on just eating out as it would take to feed everyone in the world what is wrong??

The bible tells us in James 1:27 "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself unstained from the world."  We need to learn to look after others and serve the Lord, by serving His people.  ALL of his people, all over the world.  The things that we have that we don't necessarily need represent the world to the children.  

Then we prayed that God would help us to find ways to shine His light in the world by serving others.  By looking after orphans and widows by giving up something that we don't always need and using that money for others.  

Joy and I, Orphan Sunday 2010

I know I enjoyed sharing the message with the children and I know Joy loved our time too.  She made an AWESOME new video that we shared with the congregation at the end of the service and we shared a little bit about JHAM (Joint Heirs Adoption Ministry).  Our orphan advocacy ministry that we began over a year ago is still going strong.  We will continue to advocate for the orphan.  We pray that you will find ways to do the same and serve others for Christ.  

Our biggest cheerleader!  Jia!

 I'll share Joy's video with you very soon!  We will be speaking out (more than normal! lol) the rest of the month to recognize National Adoption Month!  

National Adoption Month

Choose to give HOPE.....

Hope is Fading – Orphan Sunday from Allan Rosenow on Vimeo.

60 Feet

Another way you can serve, check out 60 FEET.  So many children in the world die for diseases and infections they contract by drinking dirty water.  When only 60 feet below the earth's surface is clean, fresh water.  God provided all we need when He made the earth perfect.  It's a shame that we don't know how to utilize it's resources, or those of us that do choose not to share them.  Nathalie chose to begin a ministry in Uganda to help the children and people she discovered on a mission trip. See what they are doing and watch this clip.  Check out their website and choose to serve today by helping with their ministry.

Nathalie from Sixty Feet on Vimeo.

Are you Weird?!

There's absolutely nothing I can say about this..... just watch, and learn.  Please, take the time to watch this video.  If you don't have time now, do it on your lunch break, do it while dinner is in the oven, do it while your kids are playing in the tub and take a mommy (or daddy!) break.  Do it before you go to bed when everyone is tucked in.  There, I've given you four suggestions of when you can do this, so no excuses.....  Be blessed.

So I'm Blunt.....

Get off your butt and start moving your feet!!!  Don't be afraid to take a risk for God.  He gave His all for you, choose to give your all for Him!

Choosing to See

If you love to read, and you love adoption....or better yet, if you love to read about how Christ can change our hearts and our lives and how He works through others, then this book is a must read!!!

Most folks in adoption circles (and many more beyond!) know of and love the Chapman Family.  Read their story about their lives together, their adoptions of their three girls and their loss and the triumph that came from that loss in Mary Beth's book "Choosing to See".

You can also find more information about their orphan ministry and how you can help support orphans in China and around the world at their website SHOW HOPE.  If you are in your adoption journey they also provide grants and funding for families so be sure and check out their site.  It may be that the Chapman family is going to help your family adopt!

Say YES!

Have you said yes yet?  What, what...... are you waiting for?

How does it feel to have no family?  How does it feel to become part of one?  See 6 lives change in two-and-a-half minutes....

Catching Up!

We've been updating facebook regularly and thank everyone for following there, but have been a bit neglectful of the blog!  :)  So we're going to share a few updates and things we've been up to.  Thanks for sticking with us!  Keep watching for more exciting news in the very near future!!!!  =)

Remember the WIPHAN organization that we were supporting with sponsorships and the Warm Up WIPHAN campaign?  Well, here is a thank you from them for those who helped keep them warm during their winter season.  :)  Remember WIPHAN stands for WIdows and orPHANs.

A Warm up Wiphan Thank You! from Wiphan Care Ministries on Vimeo.

Remember you can help children and women in Zambia through WIPHAN by clicking HERE.

Soles 4 Souls

As we continue to advocate for the orphan and the least of these, check out our weekend!  


My girlfriends that co-founded Joint Heirs Adoption Ministry(JHAM) and I sat at our local shoe store on the main street in our little podunk town Saturday (in the pouring rain!) and collected over 650 pairs of shoes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  AWESOME is the only word I can think of to describe our day.

We partnered with Soles4Souls who provided collection boxes and flyers to distribute for our 'cause'.  They are awesome to work with!  The Girl Scouts in your community can become involved to earn merit badges.  (we only had one girl scout show up but it was encouraging and fun to remind her she will be the ONLY girl scout in our area with one of the S4S's badges!  :)  The local shoe store, Brown's Shoe Fit, is a participating business with S4S, and gave each person that donated shoes on Saturday a coupon for $20 off a new pair of shoes!  Pretty awesome! 

We got our schools involved and the kids at my son's school started collected two weeks prior to the drive.  They donated two full boxes of shoes!

Then we also had the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) collect shoes at the middle school and high school in our local town (my kids go to a country school so the pics you see above is the entire 8th grade class my son is in! lol)

It was so much fun to work with the girls all day and we banded shoes together from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m.  Yes, every single pair of those 650+ shoes had to be rubber banded together.  But it was interesting to see just what kind of shoes we got!

Yes, shoes of all kinds!!!  These had never been worn!!!!  (I'm thinkin' that's a good thing!) lol  We figured they might have been bowling shoes.  It was hard to think of how many hundreds of dollars people spend on shoes......  that they never wear.  We had so many people bring shoes that still had tags on them, new soles or were still in boxes.  We as American's are so very spoiled (some are blessed....that's a better word huh?) and don't even know it.  As we banded all those shoes together we thought of where they might end up.  China, Africa, Haiti, Chile, even our own inner city hospitals in Kansas City.  I wonder where they will walk next.  Knowing my shoes have seen the sandy beaches of Hawaii and now they may walk on the rocky ground of Haiti.  One day seeing the sun and having fun, the next day comforting and protecting the feet of a mother who walks miles to bring her child fresh water.

Now that's humbling.

Joy and some of the shoes that people had in boxes.  yep, some people actually save the boxes their shoes come in!  lol  (not me)

Now THOSE are some LOUD shoes! ;)

So....  we made a decision yesterday.  We are responsible for shipping ALL those shoes to a S4S's warehouse where they will be distributed.  Can you imagine the shipping cost of over 650 pairs of shoes?!  Staggering!  We are going on a road trip!  The girls and I decided we are driving the shoes to the main warehouse in Tennessee!  Now, that's going to make for some awesome bloggin' and pictures!  Stay tuned, in the next couple of weeks we're heading out with all those shoes!  Who knows.... we may stop in to say hi to some of you bloggy friends!

That's little Miss Jia (Joy's daughter from China that she brought home forever last summer), the kids were all a big help actually and it was fun to have them around to 'encourage people to stop and share their shoes with us!

Two of Melinda's cuties!  Acel & Meah.  Meah came home forever from China last year too!  I can't tell you how great it feels to work with these girls and do what we do.  Advocating for the orphan and the least of these.  And seeing our kids get involved with us is even more of a blessing!

Me, Melinda & Joy

Joy's mom is always our little angel in disguise too and she was kind enough to buy us all lunch.  Pizza in the trailer (you didn't expect us to sit in the rain all day did you?  ;)  Joy's hubby has a racing trailer that we were able to conduct our shoe drive out of.... nice and dry).  Thanks for the Pizza Mellanie!  But thanks even more for the shoes! :)

Hopefully, we have prevented a lot less of this...

and a lot more of this....

Maybe someday the girls and I can go on one of their distribution trips ourselves and help put all those new shoes on people's feet....

“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.” 

Hebrews 10:24

Won't You Help Us?

The following was shared by the Joint Council on International Children's Services.  We believe this needs to be shared, read and others need to stand up and do what they can to ensure international adoptions continue! The children, God's children, need us!  Please pass this forward or complete the steps to share about your adoption experience!  Thanks and God Bless!

We Are The Truth

 

A Campaign and Call to Action

 

 

The outrageous treatment of Artyem by his adoptive family has rightfully resulted in outrage by the Governments of Russia and the United States and all who care about children.  The tragedy has cast a light on intercountry adoption that says it is not safe, the system failed and adopted children cause insurmountable problems.  The heartbreak of Artyem Saviliev’s abandonment has once again elevated a singular incident to a level which may result in the suspension of intercountry adoption.  Suspending adoption, even temporarily, will only cause thousands of children to suffer the debilitating effects of life in an orphanage.

 

You, the community of adoptees, adoptive parents, adoptive grandparents, child welfare professionals and child advocates know that the outrageous and indefensible actions of one parent are not indicative of how children are treated by adoptive families.  You know that families who encounter difficulties do not simply abandon their child.  You know that help is available, that solutions are found and that families can thrive.  And you know that suspending adoption does not protect children but only subjects them to the depravity of an institution…and an entire life without a family. 

 

You, the adoption community know the truth.  You live the truth.  You are the truth.

 

Join our campaign to bring the truth to light and help children in need find a permanent and safe family.

 

 

What You Can Do

 

1)      Sign the letter to President Medvedev and President Obama: The letter asks both Presidents to ensure that intercountry adoption continues uninterrupted and to aggressively investigate and prosecute anyone involved in the abuse of children.  You can sign anytime, but doing so before Tuesday night would help us get the letters to both Presidents before President Medvedev leaves the U.S.   To sign the letter, click here.

 

2)      We Are The Truth – an adoption blogger day: To ensure the world knows about every successful adoption, on Thursday, April 15, 2010 blog about your adoption or the adoption of someone you know.  It doesn’t matter if your adoption is with Russia, domestic or otherwise international.  Let the world knowyour truth! 

 

 

3)      Tell Your Truth with Video - make sure the world sees, hears and feels the thousands of successful adoptions from Russia by:

1. Send Joint Council your successful Russian adoption video via email to alexa.m@jcics.org. 
   • Video should be a maximum of 3 minutes.
   • A release must be sent to Joint Council or we cannot accept your video. For a copy of the release, click here. 
2. Joint Council will translate the video into Russian and post it on our YouTube Channel. 

 

4)      Tell Your Truth with Words and Photos

1. Send Joint Council your successful Russian adoption story via email to alexa.m@jcics.org.  Send us your stories through:
   • Photos (please do not send more than 10) 
   • Essays (maximum 500 words)
   • A release must be sent to Joint Council or we cannot accept your story and/or pictures.  For a copy of the release, click here. 
2. Joint Council will then compile the stories and pictures, translate them into Russian and post them on our website and/or blog.

 

5)      Share Your Truth

1. Joint Council will post, forward and share your stories via Facebook, Twitter, and blogs.   Joint Council will be updating our YouTube Channel and Facebook page as the stories get compiled and translated, please subscribe to us on YouTube, Twitter and Fan us on Facebook.
2. You do the same by posting on your Facebook, Twitter, blog and website!

 

Want to help more?

• Are you willing to speak to the media about your Russian adoption?  If so, please email betheanswer@jcics.org with the following:
  • Your name(s)
  • City, State of residence
  • Contact Phone Numbers
  • Contact Email
  • Short 4 sentence bio about your adoption
• Do you speak Russian?
  • We are in need of individual volunteers who can help our staff translate the videos and text quickly.   If you are interested in helping, email Joint Council at intern@jcics.org.
• Do you live in the Alexandria, VA area?
  • Joint Council is in need of short term volunteers over the next two weeks, email rebeccah@jcics.org if you would like to volunteer.

Adoption Tax Credit

Awesome News!!!  Taken from the Rainbow Kids adoption website:

Adoption Tax Credit Victory Now a credit and a refund March 01,2010 / Martha Osborne

With the signing of the new health care bill, adoptive parents received some very welcome news. Not only will the adoption tax credit be extended until December 2011, but it has also been increased from $12,170 to $13,170 for adoptions occurring after January 2010. And for the first time, the credit will now be refundable. Families may receive a refund for documented expenses for the adoption of their child. What this mean to adoptive families: The best news: This new tax law means that adoptive parents may apply up to $13,170 of their adoption expenses toward their taxes owed, thereby decreasing the amount owed overall by this amount. However, the news gets even better. For the first time, families may be getting cash back from the IRS for their adoption expenses. That's right, the credit may now be taken as a refund for the first time. In the event that the couple owes less than the tax credit amount stated, they may receive some or all of the balance as a refund on their Federal taxes. The tax credit is important to both international and domestic adoptive families, but it's greatest beneficiaries are the children who will now have permanent families thanks to adoption being more affordable. Many groups and individuals have successfully lobbied to help extend this tax credit beyond its original expiration date of December 2010, and are still seeking to make the tax credit permanent. As we celebrate the extension of the deadline to December 2011, we must also remain vigilant in seeking to make this legislation a lasting gift to the children who wait.

Mocha Club Update!

How cool that we can receive updates on where our sponsorships are going and how they are helping in Africa! Remember THIS POST where we invited you to join with us and Mocha Club to support Orphans in Africa?  Well, now you can see what the guys have been up to for the last three months with the support that they receive through this awesome opportunity!

See what happened on Char & Skiff’s last 10 days in Africa…living in rural Zimbabwe and Ghana, eating local food, and hanging with folks at several Mocha Club projects – the Zimbabwe orphans in Bulawayo, the Grace Orphans and the Grace AIDS project in Sunyani, Ghana…



So, if you haven't done so already.... won't you JOIN US in supporting this ministry in Africa?! It's only $7 per month (the cost of two mochas!) and you receive a FREE t-shirt when you join!  Seriously!  What are you waiting for?!  :)

FREE Food & Water

What an awesome thing to do!  Giving someone free food and water.  There are two great sites that do just that, while playing learning games.  These would be great for your home schooled students or for your child to share at school with their teachers.  Get the whole class involved and see what an impact you can have on the world!!!

A great opportunity to provide food is www.freerice.com 

Pretty great day.... all in all I've donated 136 cups of water and 460 grains of rice in the last 20 minutes.

I dare you to beat my record! ;o)

Just click on the donate now button to start playing.  Here's the link in case my html doesn't work right is www.freepoverty.com

Dressed for HOPE

I LOVE wearing adoption shirts.  Anything to advocate for the orphan!  We're getting ready to make some new ones ourselves, but you MUST check out Kim's new fundraiser for their adoption!  You seriously cannot pass this one up!  Check out her blog HERE and I'd like to tell you not to enter so I can win, but hey.....  it's for the greatest cause I can think of!  Creating bigger families through adoption!  Bringing orphans home to forever families!  So buy as many entries as you can afford!

If you win, you get ALL of this!

AND THIS!!!!

Incredible!!!  Even if I don't win this sweet giveaway I can't wait to see who does!  Congratulations Kim on the coolest fundraiser I've seen to date!  You rock girlfriend!  

Please.... GO!

World Water Day & New Financial Aid!

There are lots of things in the works for JHAM!  We have some exciting events coming up this spring and summer to benefit the orphan and advocate for adoption!  We're so excited to share those things with you in the VERY NEAR future!  We're going to be meeting later this week to get some things in place and start the new season off right!

TODAY..... is World Water Day.  You can 'celebrate' with us and get one of these:

When you buy a water bottle, 15 Africans get clean water. That means fewer women in Africa will have to walk six kilometers to collect water. And because of this, they won’t be carrying the 44 pounds of water that they normally carry on their heads that whole way. Think of what they could do with all the time and energy saved.

That’s not the bottle’s whole impact, though. Now, you can use your “Ripple Effect” water bottle instead of having to buy bottled water. You save money, and fewer plastic bottles end up in landfills, where they can take 1000 years to decompose.  By refilling your water bottle from the tap, you save the energy and resources that otherwise would have been used to manufacture, ship, and dispose of plastic water bottles. With over 50 billion bottles of water being consumed yearly, that’s a lot of energy!

Now consider this: the amount of water used in one flush of a toilet is the same amount as an average person in Africa uses all day for washing, cleaning, cooking, and drinking.

In fact, 311 million Africans lack access to clean drinking water. That’s roughly 45% of the population.Some of you might be thinking this is because there is no water in Africa, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. Only 4% of the total renewable water available in Africa is used yearly due to a lack of wells, pumps, reservoirs, and other irrigation systems.  Shocking statistic, isn’t it?

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

NEXT is a new resource we found for Adoption Funding!  Awesome site!  Awesome folks fighting for the plight of the orphan!  Check them out by clicking the logo and 'about us' link below!  We hope this will be a valuable resource to someone in search of financing to finalize their adoption!  

Mocha Club

Joint Heirs has formed a team with Mocha Club to help with orphan care and vulnerable children in the Darfur area in Africa. You can join us in this endeavor to provide help to the 'least of these' by joining our Mocha Club team by clicking HERE.

By joining the team you donate a mere $7.00 per month to help these children. When you join the Joint Heirs Adoption Ministry Mocha Team you receive a FREE t-shirt also! You can find details on how to obtain your shirt on the Mocha Club site or contact Renea or Joy through the sidebar contact info on this blog to help you! We'd love to have you join us!

This is an excerpt from the Mocha Club site about the project we are sponsoring:

HIV/AIDS, disease, and war have taken the lives of so many parents in Africa, and that has left orphans for us to care for. These orphans have no form of child services or housing, and therefore are left to fend for themselves, often alone in the desert or the bush. In the Darfur area, the number one cause of death was wild hyena attacks, because the orphans had no safe area to sleep at night. They are also extremely vulnerable to slave raiders when they are left alone.

We provide the children with safe housing, protection, and complete care - food, education, spiritual direction, medical care, and vocational training. And this is only the beginning, as our goal is to develop these children into future leaders in their own communities. Join Mocha Club members in caring for the next generation of Africa – children of hope and dreams.

Each month we will be providing updates on exactly where your money is going, we may even be able to include video, podcasts and other blogs showing your efforts in helping! Thank you!

Widows & Orphans - WIPHAN

One of my bloggy friends, Andrea, is wanting to spread the word about their organization called WIPHAN. They are in need of sponsorships and we want to share with everyone we know (or that reads about us!) what you can do to help!

I know first hand what sponsorship can do for a child. We love our sponsored child in Haiti and it's such a blessing to see her and know what we are doing to help change her life and her family's life. But even greater is the blessing she is for our family. We have changed hearts and changed lives because of Smerelda and children like her. We needed Smerelda as much as she needed us. This week I'm going to be sharing nothing but sponsorship blogs and posts! So fasten your seatbelts! It's going to be a bumpy ride! But one you'll enjoy I'm sure!

From Andrea's blog:

Wiphan was started just 3 years ago…and we’ve just had our 501 non-profit status for TWO years. It went from one friend of ours—to our family—to 3 more families…and we had a board! For awhile—it was just us + 450 orphans + 150 widows. We trusted the Lord to provide the thousands of dollars of month we would need to run–and He has always provided. Last year we started our sponsorship program to invite OTHER FAMILIES to join us! I would LOVE to see all TWENTY of our children who still don’t have sponsors sponsored by Friday!

OK—so how can you help?! We need voices! We need others who have hearts for orphans to speak with us! And if you have a blog—well, you have a voice and you probably have lots of readers!!! The MORE people we refer to the Wiphan site…the MORE people will find out about Wiphan and our sponsorship program!

Zambia isn’t really open to adoptions…so for these kids–the only hope is for them to be cared for in country. We have TWO schools and 450 kids—with MANY MORE who would LOVE to be in our program. BUT before we can grow–we need to find sponsors for the children on our list. Many of our children waiting for sponsors are “older children”. Maybe you don’t qualify for adopting an older child–but you could sponsor one!Maybe your budget really is too tight–but you could blog about them and be their voice!

Lent Study - Day 5

Wow.... for those that think God doesn't speak to them all I have to say is, maybe you just aren't listening closely! Today was Sunday, my favorite day of the week! Our family is usually joyful as we get up and prepare to go to church. Coming home, fixing lunch together and joking and laughing, taking afternoon naps, playing games and watching NASCAR. (I'm rolling my eyes, but must include hubbies hobbies right?!) lol

I hadn't read forward to see what today's Lent study was until this evening. I know, I should have, if I'm going to keep this study going I need to be prepared at least a day before and plan accordingly. When I opened my study guide to see what it was.... talk about a moment of awe. God was preparing me for today without me even realizing it.

My hubby and I went out for dinner last night on our date night and I tend to feel a bit guilty overindulging in good food at times. We didn't eat breakfast this morning before church and let me tell you our bellies were both growling mid-way through this mornings sermon!

We looked at one another and spontaneously and at the exact same time said, "I'm hungry!" lol We had just talked about fasting the day before and a friend who had just done a three day fast who is working in Haiti. Discussing our thoughts on how difficult or easy it might be. Then during the sermon it led to fasting. Which of course brought food to our minds even more!

I told my husband that I feel ashamed when I say I'm hungry. Knowing there are soooo many people....children....in the world who are hungrier than I can imagine. I feel ashamed of being overweight and binging on junk food so often.

We get home from church (after an hour drive that should have only taken ten minutes. Can you say SNOW! but that's a post for another time), I started fixing lunch after changing my clothes and we all sat down and ate. I marveled at my children laughing, fighting over the ketchup. Arguing over who gets the last piece of homemade cheesy bread. I'm praying in my mind for all the children who are hungry right now. Right at this very moment dying because their bellies are empty, their bodies are malnourished and starving. Trying not to cry when my family is enjoying the sabbath.

After the kids leave the table I confess to my husband the thoughts of guilt and sadness. How can something that is such a blessing for us be so barren for another. How or why did God decide in his grace to allow my family to be born in America rather than Africa? Rather than Haiti? My heart aches for the ones I want to help, but can't seem to reach. I want to feed the world!

I imagine in another time, if I were born to another generation I would have been in the Peace Corp and would have never looked back. I dream of a day when I can go on missions for weeks... months on end. I often times ask the Lord to break my heart with what breaks His. And sometimes I have to be reminded.... be careful what you wish for. Not that it's a bad thing, but you better be prepared for the helplessness you sometimes feel. The agony it can bring to a Christian heart when you feel you have never done enough.

Wanna know what the Lent lesson was today?

"Think about a day in your life when you were hungry. Really, really hungry."

Yes Lord, I'm listening.......

Every THREE seconds a child dies because he or she was hungry.

That's a hard fact to grasp huh. When my children claim they are hungry, what's for supper? They have no idea what it really means to be hungry. So desperate that you are dying.

--James 1:27

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this:

to look after orphans and widows in their distress

and to keep oneself from

being polluted by the world.

Lent Study - Day 4

Yep, today I'm rich! Filthy....stinkin.....rich! How do you define rich? The dictionary of course defines it by ones worth. Wealth, luxury, social prestige and privilege. My Lent study challenge today....defining RICH.

My definition of rich is far from that. And believe me, it's been a struggle teaching it to our children through the years. Thinking their friends at school are rich because of their big fancy houses, their nice new cars, the gaming systems and countless cell phones (before cell phones were ever so popular). Teaching our children that riches come not from possessions but love. Our love for one another, our love for and from the Lord. Our love of fun and spending time together. I'm rich beyond measure.

My children are healthy. School comes easily to them, there's no struggle in studies or frustration from lack of understanding when it comes to their homework. And believe me I have friends that this is not the case and oh the times I've prayed for their sanity and patience with their children.

My husband and I have our health (for the most part....he claims he's getting old) lol. Up until this past summer when I had a case of the dizzies that turned out to be a side effect from some vitamins, I had never once spent time in the hospital other than to give birth to my children. I'll be 40 this year. I have friends and family that have had numerous health issues, surgeries, taking regular medications.

We've most always been able to pay bills and provide for ourselves with necessities of food and shelter (and yes, even the splurges of cable television, cell phones, etc.).

We are blessed. We have a paper stuck to our refrigerator that, basically summed up, says that we dare not complain about earthly things for our Heavenly Father gave such a great sacrifice for our souls. How dare we complain. Isn't His grace enough? It's more than sufficient! I've always loved reading that over and over. It's been on our fridge for over 10 years.

My riches can be found in my header image. Three children and my wonderful husband. Yes, I think he's pretty wonderful. Even the days when I want to call him ugly names. I know I am his greatest love and am second only to God in his life. I can't ask for more than that.

Don't get me wrong. We've had our share of troubles, misfortune and heartbreak. But overall our lives are blessed.

As I traveled to Haiti and saw people with so little..... no shelter, no food on a regular basis, no clean water....how could they laugh and smile so at times I wondered. Then it dawns on you. Our families are what makes us rich. The exact things I try to teach and instill in my children I was seeing in action. They have the love of God and their families and children. Of course they smile and laugh. But that alone shouldn't keep us from helping to make their lives even richer with the blessings we can share with them.