and these couples are the reason why......

I believe that God started putting Ethiopia on my heart. Matt and I both believe that God has called our family to adoption. Matt was very open to adoption even in our dating when I expressed my desire to adopt one day. Even a neater story is that Matt's mother was an orphan and ward of the state, adopted when she was 6 months old. But that is her story and she can share it with you someday. We started considering adoption and praying casually about it just 2 years ago. Beautifully, God planted Africa on my heart many years ago and when I was reading adoption blogs, I was drawn to a particular couple who adopted their daugther from Ethiopia. Everything about their story drew my heart. They had a biological child and 2 adopted children. After reading their blog for awhile, I found this other couple and instantly started following their story and I even bought a book that they wrote. And thus began the connection to Ethiopia. Over the months as Matt and I have read blogs and watched Gotcha videos, we have seen what a beautiful love story adoption is. Our first and foremost love story is with our Creator who has crafted us in His amazing plan and adopted us as his children. He didn't leave us as orphans. It is with this truth and assurance as His children that we see earthly adoption of children as part of his plan and something that we should be joyfully doing. There are over 4.6 million orphans in Ethiopia alone and we are excited to see what God is going to do in our lives with bringing one or two into our family.

We don't know when, how or where right now but we do know that the Lord has given Matt and I a passion for this. Please pray with us as we wait for his leading. And without further ado, please view the videos below to see the couples that first put Ethiopia and her people in my heart!

The first family is the Lehman family:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bR-1yN__fZo

The second family is the Bottomly family:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpkT8nWPDPM

Urgent Call for Prayer

Dear friends,

It is with a heavy heart and even fear right now at this point that I ask for your prayers. Please pray for my Mom, Janie McCallie. In June she had her right kidney removed because there was a cancerous tumor. She had an amazing doctor who removed it swiftly and efficiently. Almost two weeks ago she went in for a follow up screening and had several cat scans. Everything looked great in the liver and organs surrounding it. Then the doctor noticed there was a notch on her hip bone that looked suspicious so they wanted her to have a Petscan which would test tissues and cells and all sorts of things. She got her results today. Doctor told her that there are two spots of cancer that are called "renal carcinoma" that are sitting on her hip bone and one on her pelvis. He told her that she would go to oncology next Thursday to begin treatment and that there was a new chemo medicine that has proven successful. Please, Please be praying for healing and strength for my Mom as she approaches her appointment next week and finds out what the treatment will look like. My Mom is so strong, but she is shocked right now and we just all need your prayers.

praying for a miracle

God is Good and God is Great

All I have to do is look at this child and see God's faithfulness

UNBELIEVABLE

I am at work and my Mom just told me that when she and SA were leaving Costco, that SA asked for a hot dog. Mom casually said that I bought her one and took the skin off it and she ate the whole thing. Ok, the whole thing? Mom, Costco hot dogs are foot long. "yeah, she ate the whole thing without bread"..... Oh boy. Tonight she gets fruits and veggies!