I am Mephibosheth

It's a chapter in the Bible I'd read before, but honestly, had never given it much thought. And then I read a story this morning, written by my friend Keri as she shared their (first) adoption story on The Adoption Journey. And she opened my eyes to Mephibosheth, and what David did for him. (2 Peter 9)

Not only did Keri remind me of this Biblical story, but she also opened my eyes to the reality that as a child of God, I am Mephibosheth. I did not come to God in a pristine state. I came to Him as a total mess, and yet He wrapped His arms around me and invited me into His family. He does this for each and every person that accepts salvation through His Son, Jesus.

Let me tell you a little about the Mason family. Keri and I co-lead One.27, the orphan care ministry at our church. In the roughly 2 years since the ministry began, we have gotten to know each other well. I consider her a close friend and I am so thankful that God brought our families together. She teaches Daniel's kindergarten class at church, and is so good with him. Her daughter Eden is one Daniel's favorite friends. And her husband Gene is a talented man that truly uses his gifts of communication and visual arts/graphic design for God's glory. (Remember the How He Loves video? Yeah, Gene did that. Just one of so many things he does at our church to present the Gospel in a true and relevant way.)

I encourage you to visit The Adoption Journey and read about Mephibosheth & the Mason family HERE.

Then, I ask you to prayerfully consider joining the Mason family on their next adoption journey. They are in the process of bringing another precious daughter home from China, and hope to travel in late summer. You can visit their blog HERE.

They have been graciously granted a $5,000 Lifesong for Orphans matching grant. That means between now and March 28, LfO will match all donations made to their adoption fund, up to $5,000! Gifts are tax deductible and can be made via check or online.

As Christians, we are not all called to adopt. But James 1:27 does call all of us to care for orphans. There are many ways to do that: through adoption, foster care, prayer, missions trips - and through financial support of others.

Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you. ~James 1:27

Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation. ~Psalm 68:5

Becoming Aware: AGAIN



I've told you before about the Ankerich family (here). They're such sweet friends. And now that their oldest daughter has married my brother-in-law - well, they're pretty much family, too!

Last year, they completed their second adoption from China, bringing home ShayleeJoy. I remember talking with Sharon not long after they got home. And I remember her telling me that unless God hit them with a lightning bolt, that was their last time to go to China.

Well, would you like to see pictures of their lightning bolt? :)

Meet Will!
God made it very clear to Scott & Sharon that they were to have a son, and that this little guy was the one. And so they said Yes.

Two adoptions so close together are never easy - and especially from a financial standpoint. But the family is stepping out in faith, believing that when God leads, He also provides.

Sharon has re-opened the auction blog (http://ajoyfulheartshay.blogspot.com/). She has lots of really cute items on there, so go check it out. All items are donated, so all proceeds go directly to bringing Will home.

They have a fundraiser going with Wild Olive Tees (here). When you go to the website, you can choose from 11 different tees. Then use the family code Ankerich0611, and they get credit for your purchase!

And Savannah, my sister-in-law, is also doing a fun giveaway on her blog - check it out HERE.

This is an easy way for you to live out James 1:27! First, please pray for the Ankerich family. And then, consider participating in at least one of the 3 options above to help them bring Will home!

My Sister, and Her New Brother

I'm super excited to have a new sister! Growing up I always wanted a sister. While I didn't ever have one as a child, my wish came true 15 years ago when my brother married one of my friends! And now I'm thrilled to have another sister. Savannah is about as sweet as they come, and I couldn't be happier for her and Josh!

As you may or may not know, Savannah has 4 sisters: 2 biological and 2 born in China.

And Savannah also has a brother. He's still in China right now, and her parents are working hard to bring him home this year.

And that's where you can help! Savannah's mom Sharon has just set up an auction blog to raise money for their adoption. Lots of great items will soon be posted - most donated by sweet friends and family - and all proceeds will help bring Will home.
Click on the button below to check out the auctions (items will be added regularly so check back often!). And do your part to help Will come home to his forever family!

Prayers Needed

Would you please take a moment to pray for a sweet family in Ukraine right now, facing some major difficulties in their adoption journey? I'm not able to share details right now, but the Lord knows the need.

Help the Mason family

Here's a great way to get some really cute Christmas ornaments AND support a family's adoption efforts, all at the same time!

Our friends Gene & Keri are seeking to adopt a child from China. They adopted their sweet daughter Eden from China in 2007, not long before we adopted William. Keri and I become friends while working together on orphan care ministry at our church. We are excited for them as they seek the child that God intends for their family!

They are holding an ornament fundraiser right now. Please visit their site and check out these adorable ornaments. And be sure to watch the video of Eden at the bottom of their site - so cute! Just click on the button below.

Sympathy versus Empathy

Since coming home with our newest little blessing, we've gotten lots of smiles and nods and "We're praying for you" from friends & family. We appreciate the sentiments, and definitely appreciate the prayers!

But if you haven't walked in our shoes, you can't fully understand what we've experienced or are experiencing. We can try to explain it, but words don't do justice to the reality of it all. (I can say this because as prepared as we thought we were for each adoption, reality made us realize we weren't!)

That's why it is so refreshing and encouraging to connect with others who have experienced the day-in-day-out trials and triumphs of non-infant adoption.

I'm extremely thankful that we got to connect with other families while we were in Ukraine this time around. We didn't really get that the first time around. But as I've said so many times, God knows what we need, when we need it.

I'm especially thankful for the Loraine family. We met them on our first day in Ukraine back in June. We had ice cream with them the day before we left Kyiv to travel to Daniel's city. And we had dinner with them twice before coming home. They saw our pre-Daniel excitement, and our post-Daniel exhaustion. They know us in a way that few do!

So it was great to get to talk to Erin this past weekend. We chatted for probably an hour & a half, and could have gone on for hours longer I'm sure. We compared stories and kept it real. Erin is such an encouragement to me - someone I can be honest with about our struggles, and someone who will truly celebrate with me in our victories, however big or small. I pray that I do the same for her!

God knows what - and who - we need, at exactly the right time. I'm so thankful for our special adoption friends!

Larry & Erin, we thank God for both of you!!

Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God. Philippians 1:3