Update On Our Adoption

We are excited to announce that our dossier has been translated and is currently in China waiting for the final approval! Yippie! Once we get the final approval we will then be given our travel dates! We were told that all of this could still take several months, but we are SO excited to be this much closer! Please pray for God's timing for the approval and travel arrangements.

Help Joseph Find a Home

This past week we found out about a 15 year old boy who desperately needs a family to adopt him. We had heard that he would soon be aging out of his orphanage; however, we didn't know how soon. Today we were informed that he will turn 16 in 4 days. For many children turning 16 is a joyful occasion. However, for Joseph, turning 16 means that he will be kicked out of the orphanage he is currently in, and will never know the love of a family. Our hearts break for this precious child. We ask that you please join us in prayer these next 4 days as we try to spread the word about Joseph. Please pray that God will raise up a family this week to give Joseph a home. You can learn more about Joseph by visiting the following link: http://reecesrainbow.org/56711/joseph

Prayer for Boston, Texas and China

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God." - 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

This week our world has been rocked by tragedies around the globe. Our thoughts and prayers go out to everyone who have been effected by these events. We pray that God will provide comfort and peace during this time of turmoil. Please join us in prayer for the individuals and families around the world who are suffering tonight because of the disasters that took place this week. If you would like to volunteer or donate to support the victims, please contact Samaritans Purse at http://www.samaritanspurse.org/ or the American Red Cross Association at: http://www.redcross.org/

A Community with a Heart

" Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear" -Isaiah 65:24

We recently went home for Easter, and were overjoyed by the news we received. We were informed that our friends and family were working together to try to raise $1,000 for our adoption. This news couldn't have come at a better time. The week before Easter we were informed that the money from Show Hope had not yet arrived, and that we needed to pay a minimum of $458 towards our dossier, otherwise our adoption could get held up again. The remainder of the dossier could be paid when the money from Show Hope arrived; however, this particular amount was due immediately. That week we prayed, and we were amazed that God answered our prayer that weekend. The best part was that God had orchestrated this before the money was ever due. Our friends and family had been hard at work and had already raised about half of their goal of $1,000, which allowed us to go ahead and pay off the $458 fee. Our hearts were overjoyed that so many people had been working behind the scenes to help out. As we looked over the list of names of the people who donated, it brought tears to our eyes. Once again, God's timing was perfect, and once again we were amazed at the generosity and love of the body of Christ. To take it a step further, God melted our hearts even more when we saw two $2 donations. We were informed that two little kids gave two dollars each towards our adoption. Two dollars is a lot of money for a child, and yet they willing gave it away to help another child find a home. It reminded us of the widow in Mark 12 who gave two copper coins. "Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, "Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others." - Mark 12:43. The widow gave everything she had to the Lord. It is our hope that we will be like the widow, like these two children, and like the people whose names were on this list. That we will always give sacrificially to the work of Christ, counting it not a financial loss, but always a gain for the kingdom of God. Thank you to everyone whose names were on those lists, and to every team leader who helped coordinate this. You not only helped us financially, but you also reminded us that great things happen when we give generously to the Lord and his work. Thank you for making this the most heartfelt Easter we have ever had.

Hope Does Not Disappoint

"And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us." - Romans 5:5

We've mentioned before that this verse has meant so much to us during this adoption process. Our adoption journey has been filled with lots of hiccups, but also a lot of blessings. God has used this process to test our faith, and to remind us that hope does not disappoint. As our time frame continued to get pushed back, we held tighter to this verse, and to God's promise to work all things together for good. Because hope has been the theme of our adoption, we eventually decided to make Hope our daughter's middle name. It is our prayer that God will fill her life with hope. It is because of God's grace, and your encouragement and support, that we know the hope we have will not disappoint us. We also pray that as God continues to fill us with hope, that he will also fill everyone involved in our adoption process with hope as well. We wanted to leave you with some encouraging hope-filled quotes as your go about your weekend. May God fill you to overflowing with his love and mercies, which are new every single day!

"Hope is faith holding out its hand in the dark." - Barbara Johnson

"But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint." - Isaiah 40: 31

"The same God who empowered Samson, Gideon, and Paul seeks to empower my life and your life, because God hasn't changed." - Bill Hybels