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. 

A Marathon

This is my brother Wayne. Which by the way I do not have permission to post a picture of. I thought it better to ask forgiveness than permission! In high school they called him "Captain Billy Boogie." Why you ask? Because he was such a fast runner. He was a legend. I don't know how many of you grew up with an older sibling being a legend, but it is tough. Somehow you are always looked at with hope that just maybe you could be a legend like them too.
So my first day of Algebra my freshman year I had the Football and Track couch as a teacher. He is calling role and he gets to my name. He calls out Dawnell Hall.....pause....."not Captain Billy Boogie Hall?" I reply with, "who is captain billy boogie?" He asks me if I was Wayne Hall's sister as he was approaching my desk. He asks me to stand up as he gives me a look over and then asks me if I run? I tell him I don't think I am capable of becoming much on a track but he insists I come on out to run for him.

Fast forward...WHY I showed up for track practice is beyond me. All the coaches are there with their time watches to see what "captain Billy boogie Jr's sister could do" I have to say I was quite a let down. I was not horrible but definitely not a first placer! However, I found myself a place as a sprinter and a shot and disk thrower. One thing I never became was a distance runner. If the run went beyond a mile I was throwing up.
　
Much of what God calls us to takes some sort of running. Sometimes it is a sprint and others it is a marathon. We see in 1 Cor. 9: 24-27 that Paul refers to our Christian life as a run for the final prize. I have learned however that life can be broke up into segments of that race. It seems early in my walk with God he gave me sprints and as I mature in my relationship with Him the runs gets longer and longer.

I Corinthians 9:24-27 says, "Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize."

It has been hard to write for awhile because quite honestly my heart is heavy and my head is swimming. There have been so many things lately that have cast so much doubt to weather or not this is ever going to be a reality. If the raising of $30,000 dollars were not enough, we have been hearing rumors about a major slow down in Ethiopian adoptions. We have heard that what was a 9-12 month process could become substantially longer. Although we are happy that Ethiopia wants to make adoption in their country protected we mourn thinking that so many orphans may have to live in orphanages for so long of their life. We also feel so nervous not knowing what the process will look like for us. As for now it looks like I have to run as if I am in a sprint but train as if I am in a marathon. I am running hard to work toward the financial goal and yet preparing my heart for a long wait. I am asking God to give me endurance of faith and hope so that I have the attitude he wants me too for the long haul. We have so many friends we want to thank for running with us.

Thank you Michelle Mills Hernandez

I just wanted to say thank you to Michelle Hernandez and all your friends for the awsome Mary Kay party you did.  Your awsome..awsome...awsome!  I also want to encourage any friends out there that are wanting to help but have been nervous about the book parties.   All of the book parties have gone well without too much trouble and you would be suprised who would love to have an excuse to pamper themselves with makeup.  Some friends just took a couple books to work and let co-workers look through them.  Some friends just had family order.  Just email me at juneh7@hotmail.com and let me know if you would like to try a party and I will send you everything you need. 

Possible!

Have you ever seen the Tetons? These are them! They are stunning! Have you ever been before an amazing mountain and wondered how you were going to make it up? Kevin, his brother and I once thought we would go on a mountain bike ride up a trail in the Rocky Mountains in Colorado. We weren't 10 minutes on our journey until I regreted my decision. Tears fell and mean words were given before accomplishing that ride. It didn't help that Kevin was quoting scripture at me for encouragment. The only thing it encouraged me to do was get mad! It was Kevin's brother that rode up the mountain and came back to tell us that we were not far from the top that gave encouragent. I needed a scout to tell me I could make it.

For years I thought of adoption but thought it was an impossible task. How could we ever come up with that kind of money? I know my God has compassion on orphans and if I had my Fathers heart I would too, but I didn't know my part in his plan. Psalm 10:17-18 says, "You hear oh Lord the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listed to their cry, defending the fatherless and the oppressed, in order that man, who is of the earth, may terrify no more."

I know it is asked of us to care for the orphans of the world.
"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this; to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep onself from being polluted by the world." James 1:27

What I needed was a scout. I have found that in many blogs. I have read many families who had nothing but who have brought orphans home to live with them. They trusted God with this task and I can too. What I needed to be reminded of was that when it is God's task, He is responsible to provide for it. He has provided Kevin with a job that is flexible for overtime. He has provided friends that are walking along side us in our fundraising and my Father in heaven has truely encouraged me. "For every animal of the forest is mine and the cattle on a thousand hills." Psalm 50:10 This is possible!

Im so encouraged by some great friends and their hard work to help us get our feet off the ground. Our first Mary Kay Book party was given by our friend Brian Maloney. Yes, men can sell makeup! He did awesome and we are so thankful for him. Also big thank you to Kim Heim for her party with her family. We have had friends sending gifts and buying our bracelets as well. We have now reached $1100. We are 1/4 of the way to our first goal. Praise God!