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.

National Adoption Month

Choose to give HOPE.....

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

† Orphan Sunday

Mark your calendars!!!! November 8th is Orphan Sunday and JHAM will be hosting an open house to share information with our community and surrounding area to raise awareness of the orphan crisis!

We will have presentations from various organizations, informational packets from adoption agencies, speakers that range from agency reps to seasoned adoptive parents. We will even have profiles of waiting children that are available for adoption! You never know when a little face in a photo will steal your heart away! :o)

Date: November 8, 2009
Time: 2:00 - 4:00 p.m.
Location: Grundy County Senior Center
Trenton, Missouri

Please come, share your foster/adoptive experience with others, or if you are interested in adoption pick up some information and contact numbers for those who can get your started on your journey to a new family with one of God's children. We look forward to meeting you!

† What Now?

† AB's

What are AB's you ask? Adoptive Bloggers! I thought it would be a great idea to share once a week a new blogging family and their journey with adoption. I've yet to find anyone who said they regretted their decision to follow the call of their Lord in expanding their family. Not one who said they wish they wouldn't have done it. :) So, for those of you still sitting on the fence maybe there will be stories of encouragement or maybe just the smile of a certain child that melts your heart into submission. Encouraging, promising, loving, inspiring....that's what these blogs are to me. I hope you enjoy them too. Since we're just starting out, you definitely need at least a couple of places to surf right? So I'm sharing three new sites this week. Enjoy!

• Our first is No Matter What. Visit the Neil family and their two daughters from China. They are in the process of adopting their third daughter. Awesome blog, beautiful girls! Great photography! Someday I wish I could meet all these wonderful people.

• Take your next click on over to Longing for Lucy Lane and visit the Johnson Family. This is one of my personal favorites. I visit Kristi's blog daily and their daughter Lucy Lane from Africa is so stinkin' cute and you will just fall in love with their family that includes 4 biological children as well. Her sisters have adopted from Africa also and her older sister Kelly is a huge advocate for orphans and adoption also. You'll find many awesome links in her sidebar.

• Next, head on over to Building Blocks and visit Todd and Amy. They have 7 children. To quote Amy, "4 the regular old way, 2 adopted internationally from Guatemala, 1 adopted through the foster system." Beautiful family and Amy has developed a fund called Pass It Forward Adoption. Her family has an 'adoption jar' that they put extra money into as well as take donations and pass it forward to other families needing funding during their adoption process. You're gonna love this blog too.

I hope these families will inspire you. It helps to see others I think and their life experiences. Knowing you can adopt weather you have no children yet, have small children, or a whole house full. God will bless you when you follow Him. Wherever you are in your journey to adoption, we pray for you today. Happy Monday!

Advocating....
Renea