Need your family or children's photos done!

My friend Michele Maloney has become quite the photographer and she is so generously offered to take pictures for people as donations toward our adoption.  This is just a few shots she took of Abby at the garage sale.  Abby is not in her finest but the shots are beautiful.  If you want to see one of her latest shoots you can check out another friend of mine, Pamala Wrights blog underthejunipertree.com  The pictures of her beautiful baby girl Lydia are posted throughout her blog.  If you are interested in Michele taking pictures for you watch my blog for directions on how to contact her.

Bearing the Cold, Wind and Rain

We had quite a weekend at our garage sale.  We had a cold front come through and give us freezing wind on Friday, and cold pouring rain on Saturday.  We knew rain was coming Saturday so we planned on putting up a tent.  Here are our hard working friends Pam, Bob, Chandra, Aaron, and Kevin at 7 am putting it up in the rain.  Kevin being from Texas called it a sprinkle....They are amazing and we love them!!!!!!

Brain and Aaron are grilling hot dogs and selling drinks.  It was a great idea and we did pretty well with it.  It also provided a great meal for workers.  I think we will continue this tradition at the future garage sales! 

In addition to rain and wind a tree limb fell on top of our friends van while they were helping run the garage sale.  We are grateful it didn't hit the three ladies that just walked under it the minute before.

We had lots of donations and our friends all worked so hard and we are so blessed to have them.  We earned $675!  We also received a gift from some friends of ours for $400 so we are now to $4745!  Guess what we have made our first goal.  Praise the Lord.  Thank you everyone for your hard work.  Now on to the next goal!

Junk for treasures!

So tomorrow starts a crazy weekend garage sale where friends have been able to clean junk out of their homes and even better raise money to bring home an orphan to us.  An Ethiopian treasure!  It is amazing the junk we collect over the years.  I personally love the feeling of giving up things.  It makes me feel lighter, more mobile and free.  That is why I love garage sales.  And this is why I love Jesus!
About 18 years ago God ripped open my heart and asked me to turn over my junk so that he could give me His amazing treasure.  I think about the 19 year old girl that was exhausted from the same old routine of chasing things in this world to try to satisfy me and always ending up so empty.  I remember so vividly a cool day in San Fransisco, when some new acquaintances of mine took me to the board walk to eat clam chowder in sour doe bread bowls.  Oh how I would kill for one of those tonight!  While we were walking a homeless man asked for money.  The girls I was with went and bought him a hot dog and drink and began to share about this God of theirs.  What happened was that I felt the power of God in them as they shared and he spoke to my heart that he had a treasure for me if I would just lay down my junk.  That night in my hotel I talked with God and gave him my sorrow, my dreams, my fears, my attitudes and ultimately my life.  He gave me a relationship with HIMSELF, This almighty God who spoke heavens into place.  He has given me an amazing ride for the past 18 years.  ( ok I gave up my age) 

If you haven't traided in your junk for Jesus do it now, you will not regret it!!

Giving the Best

Kevin, Abby and I just returned from visiting family in Alabama and Texas.  While we were in Alabama Abby was able to visit with a cousin of hers.  She had such a fun time.  Her cousin gave Abigail a bag of dress up clothes to take home  with her.  When Abigail saw the clothes she thought her cousin was so sweet and she said, "I have something for you too."  She then started searching through her things to find something she could part with to give to her cousin.  She proceeded to pull out her very special princess coloring book/sticker book that I bought her for the trip.  Out of my amazement Abigail gave it to her. 

This is how I feel about many of my dear friends this week and their amazing sacrificail gifts to help us bring home an orphan. 

"And now, brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches.  In the midst of a very severe trail, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity.  For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability.  Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the Lord's people and they exceeded our expectations; They gave themselves first of all to the Lord, and then by the will of God also to us. "  2 Corinthians 8:1-5


This last week we have been so blessed by our church and by friends from our home churches.  I am so excited to see how God has been working in the lives of people to not only give out of their comfort but out of pain as well.  This has been an economically challanging time for so many and for the life of our church as well, and still there have been so many give until it was painful for them. 

When we started going to informational meetings about adoption we thought to ourselves that this was a rediculous amount of money.  We have spent most of our adult life in ministry and having to live so tightly. But Kevin said Jesus paid the ultimate price to give us our heavenly father.  What is this chunk of money to us?    People go to a car lot and make a descision to take home a car for that amount of money. 

I was joking with a friend tonight that there are people with stock in our child.  I hope that is true.  I hope that those who give know that there is a child that is one day going to know just how deep the love of God is through His people and that there was an entire group of his beleivers that worked so hard to rescue them from an orphaned life. 

We have now raised $2900!  Half way to our first goal!  God is good.