Every 15 SECONDS!

Every 15 SECONDS, another child becomes an AIDS orphan in Africa
Every DAY 5,760 more children become orphans
Every YEAR 2,102,400 more children become orphans (in Africa alone)
143,000,000 Orphans in the world today spend an average of 10 years in an orphanage or foster home
Approximately 250,000 children are adopted annually, but…
Every YEAR 14,050,000 children still grow up as orphans and AGE OUT of the system
Every DAY 38,493 children AGE OUT
Every 2.2 SECONDS, another orphan child AGES OUT with no family to belong to and no place to call home
In Ukraine and Russia 10% -15% of children who age out of an orphanage commit suicide before age 18.
60% of the girls are lured into prostitution. 70% of the boys become hardened criminals.

Many of these children accept job offers that ultimately result in their being sold as slaves. Millions of girls
are sex slaves today, simply because they were unfortunate enough to grow up as orphans.
Courtesy of the Home For Good Foundation

Our shirts are in...

Our shirts are in... and they look AMAZING!  I'm super excited!  We are selling them for $20 each.  If you would like to place an order, you can use the donate button to the right.  Don't forget to leave me a note with your size (adult Small - XXL).  Also, if they need to be shipped, please add a few dollars to cover the shipping costs.  Thank you so much!

bare feet, giggles, and sticky licorice kisses!

Today I am so Thankful for

my family

good friends

our church

your amazing support and encouraging words

and for bare feet, giggles, and sticky licorice kisses!

The Starfish

There was an old writer that used to go to the beach in the mornings and walk, sometimes for hours, in search of inspiration for his writing.  On one such occasion he was taking his walk and as he looked down the beach he saw a human figure moving like a dancer. 

The old man smiled to himself at the vision of someone dancing with the sunrise and continued on his way, curiosity having got the better of him. As he came closer he saw that it was a young man and he was not dancing at all.  He was reaching down to the shore, picking up something and very gently throwing it into the ocean.

As the old man got closer he called out, "Good morning! What are you doing?"

The young man paused, looked up and replied, "Throwing starfish into the ocean."

"I can see that, but WHY?"

"The sun is up and the tide is going out. If I don't throw them in they'll die."

 The boy stated this so matter-of-factly that the old man was taken aback at first, wondering if there was some logic he was missing.  He said quietly, "young man, don't you realize that there are miles and miles of beach and thousands of starfish all along it? You can't possibly make a difference!"

The young man listened politely then bent down, picked up another starfish and threw it into the sea, past the breaking waves.  He turned to the old man with a smile and said,

There was an old writer that used to go to the beach in the mornings and walk, sometimes for hours, in search of inspiration for his writing.  On one such occasion he was taking his walk and as he looked down the beach he saw a human figure moving like a dancer.

 

The old man smiled to himself at the vision of someone dancing with the sunrise and continued on his way, curiosity having got the better of him. As he came closer he saw that it was a young man and he was not dancing at all.  He was reaching down to the shore, picking up something and very gently throwing it into the ocean.

 

 As the old man got closer he called out, "Good morning! What are you doing?"

 

 The young man paused and replied, "Throwing starfish into the ocean."

 

 "I can see that, but WHY?"

 

 "The sun is up and the tide is going out. If I don't throw them in they'll die."   The boy stated this so matter-of-factly that the old man was taken aback at first, wondering if there was some logic he was missing.  He said quietly, "young man, don't you realize that there are miles and miles of beach and thousands of starfish all along it? You can't possibly make a difference!"

 

 The young man listened politely then bent down, picked up another starfish and threw it into the sea, past the breaking waves.  He turned to the old man with a smile and said,

 

 "it made a difference for that one."

 Based on "The Star Thrower" by Loren Eiseley

Holding My Hand

“Break my heart for what breaks yours.”  This prayer has changed my life.  My heart is broken and my eyes were opened to the orphan crisis.  Who would ask for a broken heart?  It HURTS!  It has challenged me and it has forced me out of my comfort zone.  It has been difficult…but, BEAUTIFUL!  Along this journey, I have learned so much about the heart of God that I would not have known otherwise.  I have learned that there is a difference in believing in God and having a personal relationship with him.  I have learned that God can use anyone… even me! 

The more I learned, the more I ached to adopt…. But, it seemed impossible.  There were many things that seemed to stand in our way.  In March of this year, a friend loaned me the book "Choosing to SEE" by Mary Beth Chapman.  While I was lying in bed reading, my 3 year old son crawled up and cuddled in next to me.  I told him that he had to lay there quietly because I was really into this book!   Sawyer kept pulling on my arm, trying to get my attention... again, I told him to be quiet.  In the book, the Chapman family was releasing balloons in memory of their daughter Maria.  As they let go of the balloons, one of the kids looked down to see a ladybug on her hand.  Since Maria had always loved ladybugs, they saw this as a sign from God.  As I was reading, I began to ask myself if I am open to SEE God's plan for me.  I was specifically questioning adoption.  I began to pray.  I needed a sign… a giant, neon, flashing sign!  My son continued to pull at my arm.  I finally put the book down and looked at him.  He smiled at me, pointed at the ceiling, and said, "Look mom, a ladybug!!!  I think she's looking for her momma".   Yes, directly above my head, a ladybug was crawling on the ceiling!   So, I was sure … but, Mike was not.  My heart hurt!

The following Sunday, we listened to two men give their testimonies at church.  They were visiting that day and were on their way to Colombia to start an orphanage.  The first man started his testimony with James 1:27.  My tears began to fall.  This verse was everywhere lately!  I could relate so much to everything he was saying.  I looked over to Mike and he was wiping away his tears.  Mike doesn't cry... this was huge!   These men explained that they are nothing special.  That they are holding on tight to God's hand and he is leading them.  Things that had seemed impossible were made possible by trusting God!  I thought about everything that had happened in our life over the past year and I was overwhelmed by God's love and faithfulness!  Instead of going directly into the sermon, our pastor decided to take some time to pray. He said that he felt God was working in the hearts of some of the congregation.  Maybe he saw me crying… I don't know.  With our heads down and our eyes closed, he asked that if God is moving you to take action, raise your hand.  WE did!  This was us, taking our first steps together on our adoption journey! 

God has shown me that, with him, nothing is impossible!  We have taken a leap of faith and applied to adopt through a special needs program in China.  I still get scared.  Not everyone is supportive.  We don’t know how we will pay for it.  I have to remind myself everyday that God is in control.  I struggle… but, when I look back at what God has done in our life, I can’t help but get excited to see what happens next!  I’m so thankful that God is holding my hand through it all!