A Year Ago this Week

Several days ago, Nate and I were reflecting that a year ago this past week we submitted our application to our agency to start the adoption process and were approved the day before Thanksgiving. As we were reflecting on that along with what Nate chose to speak on last Sunday at our church, the video I'd like to share today, just seemed to fit together. I'll get to the video in a moment, but wanted to share a little about Nate's sermon last Sunday, that in some ways ties into today's video clip.

The sermon topic last Sunday was taken from the book of Nehemiah and illustrated how when Nehemiah took on the project of rebuilding the wall, it took many individuals linking arms together for a joint purpose to get the job done. Though one could certainly take a number of great truths from the story of Nehemiah (vision, prayer, joining together as the body of Christ to accomplish a common purpose to name a few) Nate's message focused on the importance of the body of Christ, when it comes to accomplishing ministry locally, regionally, and globally as a church. Oftentimes we see so many large, daunting needs in our local communities, in the lives of families within our churches, and even large scale needs around the world that we may just choose to buy into the belief "I can't really make a difference as the need is so great". 

The truth is- alone you may only be able to change one life, but by linking arms together with others in the church, together we accomplish greater things and can have larger-scale impact than through what we may be able to do as an individual. As we've been studying through this book of the Bible as a church, our church body has grasped the importance of this truth and in the past several weeks, we were able to see a large number of needy families in our community adopted for Thanksgiving this week, by providing a Thanksgiving meal to them on Thursday. Our church also partnered with a ministry to help provide disaster relief items for those affected by Hurricane Sandy in the Northeast. Together, more lives were impacted than if we had tried to do it alone.

This is part of the calling of the church and it's always incredible to see the church becoming what it was meant to be- a place of restoration, healing and hope for those who are hurting; yet, reaching out to meet the needs of others around us.

I'd like to share the incredible video below by Dr. Karyn Purvis who highlights this very idea of how the church can make a profound impact as the body of Christ- TOGETHER. She highlights how the church and those in it aren't supposed to be perfect and people's lives will oftentimes get messy. Her comment towards the end of the clip from her meeting with Congressional leaders is quite impactful-

"This problem is too big for our government, we need the church". 

I can speak both on a personal level as well as on a professional level through my work on how much I highly recommend Karyn's resources for those who have children from foster backgrounds, adoptive backgrounds, or children who have come from "hard places"- a term she has coined. Her ministry and years of expertise in working with children who come from these backgrounds are invaluable. If you do any work with children or are a family looking into foster care or adoption and aren't familiar with her resources,  I highly recommend them to you. I would also highly encourage you to consider attending one of her conferences if you are able. You will gain valuable resources and learn so much that will help you better work and minister to children from different backgrounds.

Please click the link below to watch this powerful video.

Thoughts on Black Friday

On the day after Thanksgiving, there might be a few words that immediately come to your mind…

Black Friday (which this year we actually chose to avoid)

Crazy Shoppers
"I ate too much"

Lack of Sleep because you stayed up all night to get that “that amazing deal”

Thanksgiving Day Leftovers
"I ate too much"

 The Start of Christmas Movies on TV

Getting out the Christmas Decorations

Listening to the First Songs of the Christmas Season
Did I mention eating too much?

 For me, personally, Thanksgiving leftovers might be one of the first things that comes to my mind the day after Thanksgiving.  I must say I am a very big fan of Thanksgiving leftovers (well, quite honestly I enjoy leftovers any time really) However, in enjoying “my Thanksgiving” for a few more days, I know that what is on my table is not the same in other parts of the world. We so quickly hurry Thanksgiving day along and can so easily get caught up in the hustle and bustle of Black Friday and the commercialism of Christmas that we fail to spend time to truly reflect on the things for which we truly should be thankful for- one of which can simply be the food we put on our table.

Let me explain what I mean and expound on a thought that most likely many of us have rarely considered when we sit down to enjoy our leftovers after Thanksgiving Day.

Consider this- the orphan’s table.

Now, you are probably wondering what exactly I mean by this, but let me take a moment to expound and give you a wonderful resource for your children, youth groups, small groups, and families- one that will help to teach a simple truth of gratefulness and will impact you and your family far greater than “just words”. 

I’m sure that many of us have never paused to think about what an “Orphan’s Table” looks like the day of Thanksgiving, the day after Thanksgiving, or in general every day.  For most of us, we have an abundance of food, but for street children or orphans, many have little more than a simple meal of porridge or rice in many cases. My first observation of this came when I traveled to work in India. The photo below will be forever etched in my mind as staff at this orphanage, home to more than 600 children, took out large metal buckets of food to dish out to the children. Each child sat on the concrete floor and ate their meal out of a metal pan while flies flew all around. This is basically what they ate every day with very little deviation.

Oh the days before digital photos were the norm - :)

I think about our table yesterday during Thanksgiving (minus food, of course, as you can see below)

and I think what a great contrast the above photo taken in India looks like in comparison to what our Thanksgiving table looked like yesterday. Yet, this is the reality of what life is like for many children and adults around the world from day to day both in our own country and around the world.

It has been said:

Experiences Impact us far Greater than Words.

I can honestly say that these seven words hold an incredible amount of truth. You can certainly hear someone talk about any topic they choose, but until you experience it yourself they are but "words" to most of us. I would encourage you to check out the incredible resource and link below that comes from Christian Alliance for Orphans (which the organization I work for is a part of)  as it explains how you can have an “Orphan’s Table” event or host one with your family, children, or church.

An Orphan's Table

Orphan's Table Prayer & Discussion Guide

It’s quite a simple idea, but one that can be so impactful. Here’s how it works:

In order to focus on what a meal might look like in other parts of the world, gather your family, children, friends, or small group and create a very sparse setting where your entire group will eat a very minimal meal together (one that would be commonly shared by orphans around the world- i.e.- rice or Gruel ) and during the meal discuss the issue of orphans around the world, and center on Scripture and a time of prayer for orphans.  It will certainly stir up thoughts and spur conversation towards the things that we take for granted and for which we should be thankful. We hope you will find these resources to be helpful to your family or to your church.

For those of you who are curious, here are a few testimonies from other churches, youth groups, and families who have participated together in “An Orphan’s Table” on Orphan Sunday and throughout the month of November:

“The best part of our experience was hearing the children praying for orphans.  Praying that they will get a hug before bed, praying they might get to eat some watermelon or pizza and listening to them talk about how good their lives are and wanting the same for children without families. Hopefully we planted seeds for a lifetime.”

“We had the most incredible orphan’s table experience with our own children.  They were so worried about being hungry, as we fasted before we ate the lunch, and did not eat again until later that night.  We were really able to see the light bulb come on in their hearts and minds as they put themselves in the place of children all around the world who are hungry.  The verses and questions that went along with our evening were amazing."

“We hosted 'The Orphan’s Table' for 30 teens.  We started by talking about inconveniences they may have experienced this past week.  They shared experiences such as the pencil sharpener at school being full, the pizza being cold at lunch, people driving too slowly on the road, etc.  We then talked about the inconveniences that orphans face and that we were going to partake in a typical orphan meal.  They were asked to line up and walk through the kitchen to get their meal, and then take it to the garage to eat.  They sat on flattened cardboard boxes, with plastic bowls and drank water out of “dirty” cups.  It was silent as the girls looked at the food and it dawned on them what real inconveniences might truly look like.”

If you’ve ever hosted or participated in a similar event, we’d love to hear from you! 

Our Big Thanksgiving Announcement

Thanksgiving... 

(and Day 22 of National Adoption Month)

A day set aside to look back over the year and all that God has done in our lives. In our reflection, our minds went back to a year ago today, when we announced to part of our family that we were adopting from China. (we wanted to make this announcement in person last year, so we shared with Nate's family on Thanksgiving day and my family the following weekend)  The day before Thanksgiving last year, we received a call from our adoption agency that our application had been approved to adopt from the China program. It was somewhat surreal just hearing them tell us we were approved to begin moving forward. (even though we knew we met the requirements, there was still that feeling of "I just want to be sure they approve us") We didn't want to announce it to our families until we at least had the "green light" from our agency.

I remember both Nate and I being so fidgety (or maybe it was just me) during Thanksgiving dinner last year knowing we had a big announcement to make, but just trying to figure out when the "timing was right". Certainly, I don't know what it feels like to be pregnant and 'keep the news a secret", but I think the way we both felt this time last year having kept something this big a secret for several months, we were ready to tell someone. When you know something that's as big as this it's so hard not to "slip up" and say something on accident in day to day conversation, so we just knew the sooner we could get through the next few weeks of sharing with family- and then our friends- the better.  To make this special announcement, we had planned it all out as we had wanted to purchase books for our parents to give to them with the "announcement" inside with a note that said:

 "Please read to me when I arrive from China and come and visit you- Love Baby Rockey"  

Truthfully, we weren't even sure our families would actually "get it" so we decided to add one more little item into the book hoping it would clarify what message we were trying to get across. [obviously those within the China adoption community are all too familiar with this commonly used photo (albeit a little over-used), but even still- we decided to print it off and attach it to the book hoping that along with our above note and further explanation in a short letter, it would get the point across without confusion.

Just to be clear, this is not real and was not a picture of "our child in China" 

Well, no matter how much planning you do to try to make something work out the way you sometimes want, it doesn't always turn out the way you intend. We had purchased the same book for both sets of parents in advance ( a book about a little girl being adopted from China) and were having it shipped to Nate's parent's home; however, we got a call the day before Thanksgiving that something had occurred with the shipping and the books would not be arriving and both of us were just a bit disappointed and frustrated as we had purchased an actual "child's storybook" that has an adoption message in it- and thought it would be perfect. So we cancelled our order, and here is what transpired.

We were in a scramble to find a book for "our announcement" so we spent time online and on the phone trying to track down this particular book we had previously ordered and had only a few hours before everything would close for Thanksgiving. We wanted to try and find this book or at least one that was 'adoption themed' for a child. (in case you are wondering- there are scores of children's books written for domestic and international adopted children to help them learn about adoption or that have adoption related themes- another post for another time) 

Let's just say we went from store to store striking out each time and of course because we were out of town and weren't familiar with anything around us, we thought what any good book junkie would think " if I can't find it here, Barnes & Noble should have something that would work." (well, that was our logic anyway) So several hours later, we went with "Plan B" and went to a nearby town (since we were slightly in the middle of no where) to look for another option. 

Much to our dismay, even Barnes & Noble didn't quite come through for us on this one. 

SO............what did we do you ask?

We opted for a children's book about different countries (though sadly, China was not actually in the book- we figured this "global children's book" would still do the trick, so we put it together and prepped everything for "our announcement". After Thanksgiving dinner, while we were all sitting around in the living room, we decided to make our little announcement.

Safe to say, there was a lot of excitement in the air, a lot of shocked faces (and a few confused ones, to which we had to clearly explain what was going on) and one very excited "Aunt-to-be" who lives in Asia and was excited about having a Chinese niece. It was certainly a fun ending to Thanksgiving last year.

So fast forward to this year's Thanksgiving-- in lieu of being new homeowners, we hosted Thanksgiving at our home and part of Nate's family and part of mine were able to join us this year. It was a full day of food, laughter, conversation, and thankful hearts.

To our other family who couldn't be with us this year:

 You were missed. We hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving Day.

To our soon to be daughter halfway around the world:

 We don't yet know who you are or when you will arrive, but we hope next Thanksgiving you will be sitting at our big long table enjoying your "first Thanksgiving"(and we'll be sure your uncle doesn't eat all of the mashed potatoes so that you can have some)

At the close of this Thanksgiving day, we have much to be thankful for.  We could all sit here for hours and list the things we can be thankful for and the ways in which God has so richly blessed us, but at the close of this day, I'll just list a few:

I'm Thankful for:

A wonderful husband... 

who loves and supports me more than I'll ever comprehend. Who sees me for who I am and loves me despite me "being me" sometimes. Who has such a giving heart and passion for life and people- AND who still willingly helps me hang 'another thing' on the wall because I can't do it by myself. [this last one is just for you in honor of 

being two months- post move :)]

Loving Parents & Family...

who joined us today as well as those who could not be with us. We are blessed to have such wonderful family in our lives and are always thankful for each of them and how they each mean something different to each of us in different ways. We wouldn't be where we are today without each of them.

Precious Grandparents...

that though they may be getting up in years, they never cease to amaze me sometimes with their witty comments or what they are still able to do. Though my grandfathers are no longer living, it is special to have two grandmothers that are living and to have the privilege of knowing Nate's grandfather and grandmother as well. I'm thankful for each of my grandparents (both those who have passed and those who are still with us) and their godly examples throughout my life. I'm thankful for a grandfather who served in the military and gave me the freedoms that I enjoy today. 

Today's Technology...

Let me explain on this one, but I must say that I'm also thankful that we have incredible technology today which allowed me to see my cute little grandma "Facetime" on the Iphone with my sister in TX today. She may not have understood how it works, but the reaction--Priceless.

A Wonderful Church Family...

who we are blessed to have the opportunity to serve alongside.

My Freedom...

and the opportunity to live in a free nation that, at present, allows religious freedoms. May we never forget that our "freedom" was not free for another.

God's Abundance in My Life...

and all that we have so richly been given by His hand. We have a home this year that He has provided for us while many around the world don't have. I have a job that allows me to work with incredible people, an incredible ministry, and place precious children into adoptive families.  

Though this list could continue on, both Nate and I close this day with thankful hearts and hope that each of you found something in your day today for which to be thankful. From our home to yours- Happy Thanksgiving.

Vote - But Don't forget Prayer

On the eve of this all important election, I wanted to share the following important email that came to us today from the pastor of our previous church where we attended and served in before we left to help start the church we currently are a part of. He is a very influential pastor of a large church and I believe he hit the mark in asking his church and believers to pray very specifically for some important areas that will affect our country and Christians around our nation. I believe his words were worth sharing with you as a way to direct your prayer time tomorrow.  Though our vote is important, our prayers are equally as important. As you prepare to vote, please remember throughout the day to pray for our nation. Here is his email and how you can be praying for the election and for America: As we look forward to the very important elections tomorrow, I want to call believers to pray. As 1 Timothy 2:1 says: "I urge that entreaties and prayers be made on behalf of...kings and all who are in authority." In light of this, I would like to suggest that we pray for the following:      1. For the election itself--that God's perfect plan will be accomplished for our nation and its government officials at every level. 2. For our next president (whoever he may be)--that (1) he will realize that his position was obtained by God's choice; (2) that he will recognize his personal inadequacy for the task and cast himself upon God for wisdom, knowledge, and courage; (3) that he will passionately forsake his own political ambitions and strive with all his heart to do what is truly best for America and all Americans; (4) that he will reverse the destructive inroads that humanism and atheism have made into our society in favor of a morality and society based on the teachings of God's Word; and (5) he will courageously restore America to a place of moral, just, and economic leadership in our world. 3. For the US House and Senate--that godly men and women, with godly agendas and not selfish ones, will be elected from every state in America, and that they will not allow those godly agendas to be corrupted by the Washington political scene, but will stand strong for the Lord. 4. For local and state elections--that, here too, men and women of morality and righteousness will be placed in office, who will strengthen the moral and godly backbone of American society across our land. 5. For Christians in America--that we will get to the polls and vote, and that our godly presence at the ballot box will be felt in the results of this election. Prayer "Dear Father, as Your people, we lift up our beloved nation to You today. We know that You have a sovereign plan for our nation, and we submit to that plan. Moreover, we know that, as a society, we have forsaken Your laws and allowed sin to deeply invade our culture. Today, as Your children in Christ, we turn to You in repentance and humility--and we ask for mercy for America. We ask that, in Your mercy, You would forgive our sin as a nation and restore us to a godly path, and that the results of the election tomorrow will massively reflect Your merciful intervention for America. We lay America at Your feet, Father, and beg for Your help to rescue this land that we love. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen."

More Than Words

Today is Orphan Sunday, so don't tune this post out immediately. Generally I'm not one to write in the manner you will soon read, but if you have been following our blog for any length of time, you know that most posts are usually light-hearted, funny (well, maybe to some of you), and informative most of the time.  Today is a little different though- I'm going to challenge you before you read this, that if you have time to Facebook, watch a football game, read a book, or spend 30 minutes watching a sitcom or doing something that is not impacting eternity in any way, please consider giving a few minutes of your time this week to watch this impactful short video from a pastor in Africa. You will thank me for it.

I'm going to be honest, I had been waiting to see this video for a few weeks now once it was released, but almost missed such a blessing by not sitting down for a few quiet minutes today to hear this story about other believers halfway around the world. I'm so glad that I did. What I would have missed if I hadn't. 

If you can't watch it today, add this video as a part of one of your devotional times this week.  Just a warning though, if you are a believer you will...

... BE REMINDED in an inspirational and fresh way who God our Father is 
... BE CHALLENGED by other believers around the world
... FEEL CONVICTED (trust me, I don't like this one either)
... AND REALIZE that we take our faith and how we serve Christ for granted here in the U.S. 

This video is such an inspiring video, but equally convicting as it reminds us why James said- don't just say you have faith, put it your faith into action as a demonstration of what Christ did for you. If you have ever been to any country in Africa, you know that African believers know how to have church. They have seen situations that many us will never truly be able to wrap our finite minds around and through difficulties, the believers in these countries have become so much stronger in their faith. Their faith and the way in which they live it out can truly can be such an example to our "American church". (this is where the convicting part comes in today)

If you've been following the last several days, you are aware that today is Orphan Sunday around the world. Now I'm sure that many of you that may be reading this have never heard of this Sunday, but I would encourage you to read the last several days of posts for some general information, as today's powerful video captures the story of where Orphan Sunday first began and why it was started. As you will see, the orphan Sunday movement was started out of a small African church in Zambia, where the local church saw the vast need in their own town and in their own church body, to minister to those who were being orphaned and widowed due to AIDS. (Personal stories are shared by both the pastor, his members, and such sweet stories and challenges are given throughout. It's not "only" about orphans) 

I promise you that it will be 30 minutes better spent watching this than watching your favorite TV show or a re-run of a sitcom. (ok, so a few of you just now completely stopped reading didn't you? Yes, it's a 30 minute video, but will feel more like 5)

Click HERE to be inspired, touched, and to see your heavenly Father and the church around the world in such a beautiful way. It's not just about orphans or one Sunday a year, but rather how we as Christians in the local church should be willing to serve the Lord every week in numerous ways out of gratitude for what He so willingly did for us.

Famous Faces

Today is Day #3 of National Adoption Month, and as we would all agree, there are many well known names and familiar faces involved in calling forward people and churches to care for the fatherless. It is not a new topic and certainly, there are many pastors, authors, music artists, and advocates that are passionate about orphans and have become a global voice in this area. Rather than me posting a whole lot the next few days, I'm going to let a few familiar faces share why they are passionate about orphan care, foster care, and adoption. I know that they will inspire and challenge each of us.

Today I'm going to highlight Pastor Francis Chan, author of several books including Crazy Love and Forgotten God. If you haven't checked these two books out, I highly recommend doing so. These two books aren't about orphan care or adoption, but both are great and impactful reads that will challenge you in a new and fresh way.

A Short Thought from Francis Chan.....

Orphan Sunday

Orphan Sunday.

" Learn to do good. Seek Justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the orphan. Fight for the rights of widows."

Isaiah 1:16-17

"Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves. Speak up for the rights of those who are unfortunate."

Proverbs 31:8

If you are like many individuals, you might not be familiar with this day or even know what it is about, so let me take a moment to let you in on what God is doing in the hearts of people and churches around the world each year. Actually, don't take my word on it, but rather read what Others are saying (pastors, ministry leaders, etc.) about this annual event.

 This coming Sunday, November 4th, is a very special day set aside by hundreds of churches worldwide as believers around the world gather in their churches to focus on a day of prayer for orphans as well as educating and challenging the local church to be the "hands and feet" of Christ in this Biblical mandate. (which- let's be honest, is very easy to look beyond and ignore throughout Scripture) Though there is so much one could say on this topic, I believe this very short video says it better than I or any other person could say it, so I'll let this video speak for itself. 

(I promise if you click below, it is a very professional video, even though the way it saves to our blog right now doesn't look very professional. I'm not sure why it formats it this way - sorry about that)

{WARNING: you might want to grab yourself a tissue & be prepared for adorable faces}

On Orphan Sunday In the U.S., churches take time to highlight the needs in their local communities for foster parents, adoption, orphan advocacy projects, and give tangible ways that everyone can be involved to meet these great needs as well as reflect on Scripture's picture of how we were all orphans, but as believers have now been adopted by our heavenly Father. This Sunday is not just for adults either, as there are some great resources that have been put together by Christian Alliance for Orphans (CAFO) to aid churches in educating children of all ages as well as youth groups about the global issue of orphans around the world and giving practical ways to teach them what it would be like to be an orphan somewhere in the world. 

So where & why did Orphan Sunday Start?

(excerpt below from CAFO)

The seeds of this united Orphan Sunday come as a gift from the Church in Africa. While attending a church service in Zambia, an American visitor was struck by the local pastor’s passionate call to care for orphans in the local community, which had been ravaged by AIDS and poverty. Members of this church faced deep needs themselves. However, as the service ended, one after another stepped forward with money, food and other goods-some even taking off their own shoes and placing them in the offering for orphans. The visitor, Gary Schneider, was so impacted that he began to help Zambian leaders coordinate Orphan Sunday efforts across Zambia.

These efforts spread to the U.S. in 2003 with help from Every Orphan’s Hope and other organizations. The Christian Alliance for Orphans honors the church in Zambia for the gift of Orphan Sunday and it is their prayer that the church all over the world may be as faithful as our Zambian bothers and sisters in Christ to reflect God’s heart for the orphan, both near and far.

For me personally, I find it fascinating to see the wide variety of events happening this weekend in churches globally who have chosen to set aside this Sunday to focus on the fatherless. If you check out the link above you will find a listing of numerous churches around the world (though of course not all events are listed there) who are joining their hearts together in praying for the orphan and doing something to make a difference.  Here is a Prayer Guide that has been created to help families and churches focus on specific thoughts related to orphans (both locally and globally), the church, and other related topics; however, you could certainly use this guide at any time of the year.

I know a number of you reading this are involved in churches in different parts of the world. What is great about Orphan Sunday is that you and your church can create this any Sunday of the year. (there just happen to be more churches that join together on this one set aside day and a global simulcast is also aired at 6pm as a focused time to educate and join in global corporate prayer for children both in foster care in the U.S. and orphans around the world) There are so many creative ways that you as an individual can educate your church, your community, or your family on this topic, so feel free to review the links provided today to see how you can get involved.

God is doing some amazing things around the world in the area of orphan care, foster care, and adoption- but the bigger question is:

How will you personally choose to get in on what He is doing around the world? 

It's Adoption Month!

There's certainly no disguising by today's blog post title what this month is--so if you aren't aware, November has been designated in the U.S. as National Adoption Month. It's fun for us to reflect back to a year ago, as this was the month in 2011 when we applied to our agency to adopt and began letting everyone in on this little secret.

However, this month is about much more than adoption. Some of you may read this and immediately dismiss this post thinking "this has nothing to do with me", but I challenge you to continue reading. It has everything to do with you because this month is more than just adoption focus; it is a month that people throughout our nation- numerous ministries, adoption and foster care agencies, and churches around the world, have set aside time to educate others and follow the Biblical mandate (more details on this topic later) to focus on the needs of orphans globally and those in our foster care system here in the U.S. 

Now you might be reading this and think an orphan means a child somewhere in another part of the world who no longer has parents. While this can be partly true, even though there are millions of orphans around our globe that do not have a family, there are an estimated 400,000-500,000 children in our own U.S. foster care system who are also in need of a loving forever family. Though our family has personally chosen to adopt internationally, we still understand there is a great need all around the world, including the U.S., and recognize that God directs each family differently in this area. We encourage you to click below to learn more about:

Foster & Orphan Statistics

During the month of November, we want to highlight some very practical and helpful information and provide you with some incredible resources that will not only educate you, but will challenge your faith in a greater way. (which just might frighten a few of you out there- so get ready-- we just might make you wiggle a little bit and feel a little God-given tension, which last I checked was actually a good thing) We plan to highlight some of the following areas this month:

• Ministries and organizations doing some great things for orphans & foster care
• Books that everyone should read to both educate and challege you in living out your faith
• Practical resources for families, as well as churches, to educate children and youth on their level to understand what it is like to be an orphan
• Financial Resources for helping fund your adoption 
• Prayer resources, so that you can be praying specifically in these areas
• Radio broadcasts and podcasts this month focusing on adoption, orphans, foster care, and adoption stories
• Fun and inspiring videos that we think you will enjoy. (we will start today off with one of them)

We will also have some guests who have previously adopted, be our "guests" this month in posting their stories on our blog, so we think you'll enjoy what they have to say. (and don't worry, I'll mix in some fun reads as well of course- as we certainly can't be serious the entire time) I believe that you will find this next month of posts will be of interest to you if you fall into one or more of the following categories below:

    You love children and youth & believe that God loves them more than you do

    You want to do something to live out your faith practically

    You are a family who is in the process of adopting

    You are a family who has previously adopted 

    You are considering adopting (maybe this year or  who knows-5 years from now)

    You know someone adopting

    You are interested in foster care 

    You are interested in learning more about orphans both in the U.S. and globally

    You are breathing (ok, so basically this includes everyone reading this, right?)

So, to kick of this first day of National Adoption Month (and it counts as it's still November 1 in parts of the U.S. still)  here is a video we thought we'd share. I have to admit, I almost didn't use it because the author of it didn't spell a word right in the beginning of the video; however, I decided to look beyond that minor detail and focus on what was really important- the message.  Click below and enjoy this video compliments of resources provided by Christian Alliance for Orphans. 

Happy National Adoption Month!