ughhhh.....This video was suppose to be embedded in post below---but Blogger was not cooperating with me. After several attempts and it being way early in the am....I will repost it here. But it would have been soooo much better after introducing it in the middle of my blog below. :) BUT still an amazing song, MercyMe never disappoints.

"Adoption is the Visible Gospel" [John Piper]

So something has been brewing in my head and I've got to let it out in blogland.....

The other day while someone was informing me that they would donate to our adoption auction I typed one thing, backspaced, and then typed another. And for some reason it has been bugging me ever since....

I typed "Thank you for helping us with our cause." Then I deleted 'cause' and typed in its place "adoption journey". Both statements are true---either way they were helping us and either way I am grateful. But the thing is through some of our adoption classes, we were instructed to really think about how we viewed adoption, not as a "cause", not as "saving" someone, not as "helping the needy"---but simply as giving a home to someone who needs it. Again, true statement. But let me tell you something: It is a cause. It is THE cause. The Cause of Christ. 2 cor 5:20. We are called to be ambassadors to the world. Each one of us as believers have the responsibility to contend for the faith (Jude 1-4) and share the HOPE that we have. We are His hands & feet, we are to be His voice and answer His call. That is what we are doing--it is such a crucial cause.

THEN: Just today Chris comes home excited to play a new Mercy Me song. Besides making me cry, it only confirmed my need to write this and what I had been thinking these last few days ok-months)

Granted we are only adopting one child. Just one. Pretty positive (unless God hits us in the head with a brick) that this little girl will be our only adopted child. And at times, reading about others who are sure they are adopting multiple children, or siblings, etc. I think that we are not doing much. But just like the old starfish sermon illustration, it sure does matter to that ONE. And that one has the potential to be anything she wants. Luke 15 tells us how Christ cares about the ONE sheep that He goes out to search for it. She very well may go back to Ethiopia and lead others to Christ. She may be here in Missouri raising her own family and breaking cycles and leading her children to Christ. My other children will leave my nest (at some point) and some of them may go far away as well for the cause of Christ. Perhaps our successful adoption story will encourage others to adopt. I do not know---but God does and for this reason I am no longer going to feel guilty about just one. "Adopting one child won’t change the world; but for that child, the world will change." Because just one matters to God. There is a statistic (that unfortunately I cannot find at this time--but I will keep on searching)---that states that 92% percentage of children will take on the religion of their parents---whether that be Christianity, Muslim, Jewish, etc. That is quite an astounding statistic---basically adoption is evangelistic and Christians need to be adopting---yes, so they can have a forever home but more importantly so that they have an opportunity to have a forever home!

"Horizontal adoption is an earthly expression of a heavenly [&vertical] reality" ---Voddie Baucham. We have said this all along---it is the verse that is on our cool "bring Chloe home" bracelets---Ephesians 1:4-5. Adoption is the perfect picture of what God did for us (i.e. He adopted us!) We pray that our future daughter chooses some day to be doubly adopted and accepts her inheritance as God's princess! 4 God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship. 6 Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” 7 So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir. [Galations 4:4-7]

More reading: http://www.christianexaminer.com/Articles/Articles%20Jan05/Art_Jan05_08.html
An amazing podcast on adoption & proclaiming the gospel (you can download it here---it is about an hour long-but a.m.a.z.i.n.g: http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=113101250246

CHRISTMAS in July!!!

Not only were we recently put on our waiting list in July---we just recieved a big gift today. We have been *trying* to wait patiently to hear whether or not we recieved an adoption assistance grant and Praise the Lord we did! The grant covers half of our next big fee---which is the referral fee. The referral fee needs to be in place so that when we are matched with our daughter....we are able to immediately pay that fee (I think technically we have a week or so---to beg, steal, and borrow). To be completely honest, we need $8,235 (for the next step alone) and we have $4,890---so we are more than half way there. (Some of this is from my awesome brother & friends who have graciously given to close the distance between Chloe and her soon to be new home.) [Thanks Brother Greg for running the distance]. Anyways, PLEASE if you haven't already, go "like" Show Hope on facebook so that they can continue to help others on their adoption journeys. For every "like" donors are donating funds to further their work.

Our next thing to bridge the gap will be our Labor of Love Adoption Auction, where YOU get to fight (out bid) for fun stuff and yet all proceeds goes towards the adoption. This will be in late Aug. thru Labor Day (hence Labor of Love)---If you don't know me---I am a sucker for alliteration. And besides a possible crop (which would just be fun anyways)--I think we are nearing the end of our fundraising efforts---Still check out Sweet Madelynne or our Current Fundraisers Tab. God has been so good! Thank you for following our sentiments. We are so grateful for all the support of friends and family.

A Pretty Penny(ies)

A penny for your thoughts....
A lucky penny.....
Find a penny, pick it up, all day long you'll have good luck.....
A pretty penny....

OR in this case 50 pretty pennies!

We are officially on the "waiting list" at Children's Hope International. What does that mean? The next step is waiting for a referral (a picture of a child needing a forever family, stats, info, etc.) and then we accept that referral. This could be as short as two weeks or two years. There is no way of knowing for certain. I envision it being 6 months or so until we get a referral. However 50 doesn't necessarily mean we will ever be number 1. Those at the top of the list are waiting for sibling groups, or young babies, maybe some are only waiting for boys,etc., there are a few that aren't gender specific. So for example (although I know this is not true), if everyone above us is waiting on a boy or a child under 12 months, then we have a chance of getting a referral faster being that we can and actual expect to be referred a girl toddler. Being on the waiting list also means most of our paper chase is complete. (Can I get a big "AMEN!"?) We are in the "pray!wait!wait!pray!" phase now of the adoption process, and mix in a little "penny pinching" as we continue to try to raise funds. Hopefully more good news will come within the next week or so in that department. When we are offered a referral, then the referral fee and in country fees are due. After that we will have 2/3 of this thing financed and the final 1/3 is travel expenses for the most part. Thank you for praying for us on this journey. Continue to pray for the millions of orphans in this world. Our kiddos are excited to be waiting with us.....They can't wait for their little sister to get here.