Dunlap Family Adoption

. . . at the whisper of your call.  I’m resting in the promise of these lyrics this morning – knowing what God has called me to and trusting that He has the power to part oceans and cause nations to come to Him.  Surely if He can do those things, He can provide everything I need for today and everything we need for this adoption.  I’m about to go meet Brad and have our Adoption Agreement, Service Plan, etc. notarized so I can mail it to AGCI today . . . exciting!

[Yes, I'm on a bit of a Hillsong kick lately. I just love the depth of the lyrics. And, I like to pretend that my voice is as beautiful as hers when I sing in the car!]

The Show Love benefit concert was Saturday night at Edgehill Studios Cafe.  We had been planning and organizing all of the little details for weeks, and I really hadn’t stopped to think about what it would be like to have a big crowd of people rally around us and give money to go toward something our hearts are so connected to.  I knew the performers would be amazing because we know all of them personally as friends.  I knew the venue would be relaxed and cozy with just the right amount of Nashville funkiness.  I knew the precious pictures from my friend Kaydee would look great on the tables and cause people to visualize what our little ones might look like.  I knew the food and drinks would be yummy and that the volunteers would be great.  I just hadn’t stopped thinking about the details long enough to realize what it would feel like to have people support us like that – some that we don’t even know.

Saturday morning I began to think about the significance of the evening and couldn’t stop thinking about our kids in Africa.  Kids I don’t even know yet but love very much.  I contemplated what it would be like one day to tell them stories of how so many people cared about them before they even knew them, how people sacrificed financially with us to get them home.

The night was great, and the artists who performed certainly did NOT disappoint!  Josh, our worship leader at church, opened up, followed by Sarah Jane, and then Jason and his band rocked the house.  They were all amazing, and I’m inspired by their talent, their love for music, and their hearts.  I’m still touched by the fact that they donated their time and talent to our cause.  I won’t even begin to list the names of those who contributed to making the night a success, but there are many, and you know who you are.  We are grateful for every person who came out, donated items for the silent auction, or supported us from a distance because they were too far away to come!  Thank you!!!

I’ve been following Debra’s blog as she and Ernest fight {and I literally mean FIGHT} to bring their son, Ronel, home from Haiti. Please remember this family in your prayers.  Ronel was scheduled to leave Haiti when Amos and several other kids left, but he was missing some paperwork. Ernest is there right now doing everything in his power to get his son home. Ronel understandably had a really hard time when the other kids were able to leave and he couldn’t.  He thought he was finally going home and was so disappointed.  You can read about it here.  It is very sad.  I just wanted to share so more people could be praying that God would make a way for this precious boy to finally get to the U.S. and be with his family.

I’ve been meaning to share this song for a while.  I have a lot of love for the Ivey family – even though I only know them in blog land.  Aaron wrote this song, and it is beautiful.  It was written for Amos & Story, who were both adopted from Haiti.  Ronel is also in the video.  The second face you see is his, and he can also be seen drawing with chalk toward the end.

{Edited to add: for another great description of Ronel’s situation, go HERE. You can also read about UNICEF’s take on adoption, which I found very interesting.}