Paperwork

Almost all of the homestudy paperwork is finished and copied. We are only lacking one medical form. This packet should be in the mail by the end of the week. Our adoption training starts next Tuesday. This really makes it seem real. We have a lot of obstacles to jump over between now and the end of the year. We will have to raise around $5,000 by December. We are praying and believing God us concerning this. I know that the cost of your adoption is our biggest hurdle. I also know that God is bigger than our need and since He is in this He will provide. Mom and I are praying and waiting, no one is stressed by the process. We are taking it one step at a time, believing for miracles along the way. We are also praying for you.

Love,
Daddy

He Created All

Acts 17:26a "From one man he created all the nations throughout the whole earth. " With any international adoption journey there will be those who question bring a child of a different race into your home. Some will have legitimate concerns others are just hateful. For most adopted children it is very uncomfortable to be thrown into a family where you look, speak, and eat differently.

In our case, you our Filipino child, will be thrown into a world of WHITE. Mom and I want you to know that we will do everything we can to protect you and train in you in God's view of race. God did not create one race to be better and another to be worse. He created us all. We all came from the same fathers, both God the father and Adam the first man. We are all set apart for God's glory. I take joy in diversity. It is wonderful to come into a church each week where we are surrounded by families from the Philippines, Liberia, Ghana, Japan, India, and others. Our church is a celebration of God's love for diverse people. I like to think of it as a snap shot of heaven here in earth.

The writer of Hebrews refers to the great cloud of witnesses. In that cloud men and women from every race, tribe, language, and nation will be present. With the help of our Filipino family we will give you the opportunity to connect to your native culture. Everything we do for you, as with our other kids, will be done out of God's love and our for you.

Love Daddy

Expecting Great Things

Romans 8:15 "So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you have received God's Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, "Abba, Father". NLT

God is incredibly moving in I and your mom's hearts, as well as our church. He is doing great things. There is so much expectation right now in seeing what God will accomplish in and through us. You are a part of that. Mom and I are so excited to see you for the first time and to love you. We are excited to see what God will do in your life. God is calling you to us and to our church family. You will be loved, cared for, nurtured, and trained in the ways of God.

God has adopted me into his family, just as mom and I will adopt you. We have received his Spirit. Have no fear God is in control of all of our lives.

Love Daddy

God is Directing

God has been very active in our lives since I last wrote. He is amazingly and wonderfully putting some many things in place. Mission 127 is becoming a daily adventure. Since receiving District approval we have starting planning the web site, the next adoption/orphan care seminar, and our first orphan missions trip. I think it will not take long before Mission 127 will be rocking and rolling toward God's goal. We have also made our first contact to determine if we can become a national approved ministry.

In the midst of all of this your adoption continues to move forward. It is so time consuming. Waiting for this appointment or that paper work to come in. Today mom and I will be going for our Psych exams. Mom has her doctors appointment by the end of the month, then all the homestudy paperwork will be completed. From there we move on to the Dossier and fundraising...oh the fundraising. I have started an online store on Amazon.com to help raise some money. Several people have donated items to help.

We pray for you everyday, that you are being cared for and loved. We pray you have enough to eat and clothes to wear. We also pray for your caregivers.

It will be a joy when we have our gotcha day.

Love Daddy

Feeling Better

It has been a few days since I have written anything. Last week proved to be very eventful in our lives. Monday night I wound up in the ER having heart irregularities. When we left the ER mom had a flat tire. Fun. Friday I went to see the cardiologist. He checked my heart and found no dangerous issues. I just have an irregular heartbeat that is not dangerous to me and can be treated with medicine. That night was on my way to a Bats game and I got a flat tire. Uncle Chris commented that we must be doing something right to have the devil attacking us so much.

Now that I am feeling better, mom and I are moving forward on paperwork and interviews, etc. God is really speaking to us about Adoption/Orphan ministry and the need to establish something within the Assemblies of God. I do not know how or when all of this will play out, but I am very excited to see what God does through us as we move forward in His timing.

We love you very much and pray for your soon arrival.

Love Daddy

"I Will Come To You"

Son or Daughter,

God's Word speaks often of the plight of Orphans. You have been separated from your parents for one reason or another. This has been a traumatic experience for you. When you come to us there will be a period of adjustment and a time for us to prove that we are here for you. God loves you so much. Jesus, our Saviour, says in John 14:18 "No, I will not abandon you as orphans-I will come to you." Here Jesus is speaking of His return, but it also emphasizes His love for you as an orphan. Mom and I make the same promise to you. We will not abandon you. When you come into our home you will be our child, just as Natalie and Micah are our children. You will be loved and prayed over. We also promise that we will come to you. I don't know when, but soon we will come. We can't wait to hold you for the first time.

God loves you and so do we!

Love Daddy

We Must Do Something

Statistics say that adoption in the United States peaked in 2004. Since that time the number has almost been cut in half, 22,990 in 2004 to 12,753 in 2009. 77% of Americans claim to be Christian. UNICEF estimated that in 2006 there were 143,000,000 orphans in the world. There are 309,000,000 people in the US. That means that 238,000,000 identify themselves as Christan. If 1/3 of these (79,000,000) Christians families would adopt one child the number of orphans in the world would drop by half. I understand not all are called to adopt. I also know that if God has not called you to adopt, don't do it. These numbers just give you an idea of the need that exists.

God may not be calling you to adopt, but He is calling all of us to do something. Our hearts desire is to not only adopt but be able to establish an adoption fund for others that need help. What is God calling you to do?

To you who is waiting for us to be your parents,
I am asking our family and friends to pray with us for you and our adoption journey. There are many hills for us to clime over. We are seriously praying about who you will be and if God is leading us to pick you as a waiting child or if God is calling us to let the Philippine government "pick you". Either way you are God's selection for us. Soon we will begin our homestudy and fundraising. If we select you as a waiting child we will have to have all of the money raised within a year rather than 2-3 years. As with all things in mommy and daddy's lives you are in God's hands. What He wills, will come to pass.

We love you more each day.

Love Daddy