Sunday Snapshot: I'm Wrecked!

The injustices of this world totally wreck me. 

If the videos below don't wreck you as well, I don't know what will. Please take the time to click on the link below, then find the links for "The Boy From Baby House 41".

http://askingwithfaith.blogspot.com/2011/09/boy-from-baby-house-41.html

I don't even have words... other than something NEEDS to be done!

And something can be done! 

At least for one little boy living in these conditions.

Alex is in the same situation that the boy in the video was. He just got transfered to an institution, because He just turned 5! How horrible! 

Just imagine this precious boy being bedridden (or tied to a bed) for the rest of his life! All the joy that he is showing in these pictures will be whipped away after a few months or so. His mind will stop all together, and eventually he will just rot away.  

The baby houses are bad enough then they go to "hell" (as the video described the it). 

There is still hope for Alex!! 
He can still be adopted!

Please check out this birthday giveaway for Alex.

And this grant fund for Alex. This will be given to the family that decides to adopt him! Every little bit helps!

Changes...

Sometimes, changes can be good. 

A lot of things have changed in my life over the past few months. I recently graduated from college, I'm currently looking for a job, and I'm thinking/planning for my future.

After losing my job (and graduating) back in August, I really began to think about my future life goals. I have known for a while now that God is leading me into missions, and it seemed like a good time to look into my options. I looked into one organization in particular that God had brought to my mind. After giving it a lot of thought and going back and forth trying to make a decision, I could not get it out of my head that I was supposed to follow through with IT. So, even though IT didn't work out for this year, it looks like next year (September 2012) is when IT will happen, or should I say, begin! 

I am so very excited!! 
And of course, a little nervous!

Sorry guys, I'm not giving any more details until I know for sure that IT is going to happen, (I'm in the application process now).

Stay tuned to find out more. 

(Those who do know please don't give anything away, thanks!)

In the meantime though, please pray that God will work out all the details (big and small)! 
I know He will if it's the right step for me at this time. 
Thanks friends!

And...
just for fun, 
here's a little hint:

Haha! Yup, that's all! :)

Sunday Snapshot: China's Treasures

Meet Josiah:

A precious 5 year old boy

That can be described as: "Active, loving, smart, and joyful"

He lives at Shepherd's Field Children's Village in China, and his paperwork was finally completed this week 

He has been waiting all his life for a family to call his own

Josiah is a special needs orphan with a complex heart condition, but has received surgery.

This precious boy needs a mommy and daddy (and possibly siblings) to love him the rest of his life.

Could he be your son?...Or sibling?...Or cousin?...Or neighbor?

If you are (or someone you know is) interested in adopting Josiah please contact me so that I can give you further information on how to get started.

Also, meet Josiah's friend 

Jacob-Jai:

An absolutely adorable 5 year old boy

Who also lives at Shepherd's Field Children's Village in China

Jacob-Jai (or JJ) can be described as: "Handsome, smart, artistic, and fun"

He was born with club feet, but has received corrective surgery

This precious boy has been waiting 5 years for a family. There has been a lot of interest but it wasn't until just recently that his adoption paperwork was completed.

So now he just needs a family to step up and start the process. 

Are you (or someone you know) interested in adopting JJ? 

If so, contact me and I will get you in touch with his orphanage.

These two precious 5 year olds were created by God and are in His hands. But, they need a family! 

JJ (left) and Josiah (right)

Will you consider providing them with a family? Or join me in prayer for these amazing boys? God has a plan for their lives and He knows what their future holds.

Please spread the word to your friends and family members!

Let's get these boys a home!

I'll leave you with this quote:

"“My friends, adoption is redemption. It’s costly, exhausting, expensive, and outrageous. Buying back lives costs so much. When God set out to redeem us, it killed Him.”

- Derek Loux

*Pictures by Sara

Giveaway for Hopeful Adoption

Check out this amazing giveaway! 

(Link at the bottom of post)

SO many awesome prizes!  

This boy, named Alex, lives in Eastern Europe and will soon turn 5 years old. In his case turning one year older is actually devastating, instead of being a happy occasion. You see, Alex is a special needs orphan (He has CP).

When these children turn 5 they are placed in an institution and bedridden 

for the. rest. of. their. lives!! :( 

Imagine yourself in that situation. Wow!

I am so heartbroken!

The only hope for Alex (and the many other children like him) is a family. 

So what this giveaway is doing is advocating and raising funds for Alex's adoption fund.

This way a family who is interested in him will be given these funds to go towards their adoption of Alex! 

How great! Adoption can be expensive, but this will hopefully help the family to make that leap of faith anyway. Because Alex is worth it.

So go here, and follow the instructions to enter the giveaway:

http://i-really-should-be-cleaning.blogspot.com/2011/09/birthday-giveaway-for-alex.html

Sunday Snapshot: Little Blessings

For those of you who don't know, this is William.

I sponsored him through The Phillip Hayden Foundation for 2 years. He was adopted in March of this year and I was able to go meet him at his new home soon after. It was such an amazing blessing to get to finally hold him in my arms and take in his precious personality. 

Now that you have the background info, I can continue. :)

The other day I got a special package in the mail, and of course I knew right away what it was.

A letter from William!!! I was so excited to open it!

What a blessing it was to read what this special little boy had to say. 

Yeah,  I know he's not old enough to actually write the letter, but still.

I sent him the little umbrella (that he's holding in the picture) with a note I sent a while back.

So, it sounds like he liked it. Hehe!

I am overjoyed that God has allowed me to receive these little blessings from one of his precious children!

William thanks so much for the letter! 

When I was visiting William and his family back in May I was able to spend some precious time with William's big sister, Liberty. She is such a sweet and funny girl, and of course a great big sister! She was also adopted from China, so I feel like she and William have a special bond.

Liberty also wrote me a letter in response to the one I sent to her. 

I just loved it!

And to top it all off they sent me two little homemade ladybugs!

Aren't they cute?

I can't wait to see what God has in store for these two precious little ones! They were brought together as siblings for a reason! I love you guys!

True Religion

‎"James 1:27 tells us to keep ourselves unstained by the world. How do we do that? By going near the needs of orphans and widows, caring for them and meeting their needs. In doing so, we are transformed by the heart of God and we begin to understand how God cares for us." -Dennis Rainey



True Religion from Christian Alliance for Orphans on Vimeo.

Sunday Snapshot: Giving and Serving

A while back I began reading Radical by David Platt. Wow! What an amazing book. No, not one that makes you feel good about yourself, but one that is full of convicting thoughts and powerful stories of ordinary people radically living out the gospel. 

One thing that really stood out to me while reading this book was a question that David tells about the time he was preparing to go on a mission trip overseas. Someone responded with this question: 

"Why don't you just send the three thousand dollars? Wouldn't that be a better use of the money? Think of how far that money could go." 

I was asked this very question before my trip to Uganda last year. I wrestled with that question, and didn't really have an answer to respond with. And like David, I also asked myself this question:  "Was I wasting these funds in order to go?"


David didn't have an answer to this question either, until he was already there:

I continued wrestling with that question until I got to Sudan. There I had a conversation with Andrew that shed some light on the situation...
"Do you want to know how you can tell who a true brother is? A true brother comes to be with you in your time of need."

When I read this part of the book it was all finally beginning to come together. But it got even better! He goes on to say:

When God chose to bring salvation to you and me he did not send gold or silver, cash or check, he sent HIMSELF, His son.


How will I ever show the Gospel to the world if all I ever send is my money? 


Was I really show shallow to think that my money is the answer to the needs in the world? If we are going to accomplish the global purpose of God it will not be primarily through giving our money, as important as that is, it will happen primarily through giving ourselves. This is what the gospel represents and it's what the gospel requires. 

Think about that for a minute! How true is that? 


Maybe instead of giving, God is calling you (and me) to GO and SERVE!?!

I think YES!

*Pictures from Uganda 2010 trip