NICOLE O’MEARA . . . Congratulations!!!

Thanks to everyone who participated & thanks to Krista with Noonday Collection for the opportunity to promote such a great organization!

Be sure to remember Krista when purchasing Christmas gifts, too!

She and her family will be returning to the U.S. this weekend with their new son!

CONGRATULATIONS Box family of four!

                          

If you’re not familiar with Noonday Collection, you should be!  They’re a great organization, and their products are BEAUTIFUL!  Here’s why Krista says she wanted to be involved with them:

I am an ambassador for Noonday because I want to make a difference. I love that I can use fashion to help meet the needs of the poor and the oppressed. Noonday makes it possible for women to use their purchasing power to help vulnerable populations.

You KNOW you want to win that gift certificate! All you have to do is leave a comment below to be officially entered for the giveaway. To be entered twice, post a link on Facebook or Twitter as well & let me know you did so.  The winner will be chosen on Wednesday, November 2nd at 9PM CST and will be notified via email.

Good luck!

                          

I’m excited to now be the proud owner of one of THESE beauties, and my sweet, sweet Riley bought me a lovely green bangle kind of like this one (on sale for $4) with his own money.  He totally snuck around and did it behind my back, wrote me the sweetest card, and hid it under the bed.  He was going to give it to me at Christmas, but he just couldn’t wait!  I seriously might wear it every single day.  Aside from my wedding rings, it might be the most special piece of jewelry I own!  He also bought one of these for himself with the money he had been saving.  (I had shown the boys some of the videos of the artisans making the goods, and they were SO interested in the process and the people.)

If you’re ever looking for a great organization to support, definitely check out their online store (they even have free shipping!).  Also, if you’re interested in hosting a house party like we did, I would highly recommend it!  Lindsey & Kate are actually traveling across the country doing them & we were Day 2 of an 8 week tour.

                          

Well……we’re hosting a RETCo House Party at our home in Midtown THIS Tuesday, October 25th!  If you’re in the Memphis area, feel free to stop by any time from 6:00-9:00 PM and peruse their amazing products.  You can even get some early Christmas shopping done!

I truly believe in this organization & all they represent and work for.  All of their products are made by artisans they know personally – people they’ve spent time with and have an ongoing relationship with.  Every item is handmade, uniquely hand-crafted, and 100% direct trade.

Please stop by and support artisans on the other side of the world & have something beautiful for yourself or a great gift for a friend or family member (email me or leave a comment & I’ll send you our address).  If you can’t make it or don’t live near Memphis, you can visit their website and order online.  They even have free shipping!

                          

I shared that Yohannes has a living birth mother here on the blog before I fully thought through whether that was appropriate for me to share in this way or not.  And it’s true.  There is a beautiful woman in northern Ethiopia that he belonged to first.  I can’t tell you how much I’d love to know more about her story and what led to her decision, but I do know that some of the circumstances in her life have been hard – much harder than I can even begin to imagine.  She made a decision that was heart-wrenching, and I honor and respect her decision.  I’m so thankful that we have pictures of her, and Yohannes remembers her well.  I believe she was a great mom who loved him very much.  I have meticulously taken notes of everything he’s shared in case he forgets those memories one day.  In my heart, I hope he’ll never, ever forget her.

I’ve struggled with his – now our – story because I often wonder if she would have been forced to make such a decision had someone walked beside her and helped her.  I may never know because all we have are bits and pieces of the story.  What I DO know is that this struggle has given me a passion for not only adoption, but family preservation as well.  I came across THIS POST by Shaun Groves a few days ago, and here’s what he said when their case worker asked what he thought about birth parents:

“I’ll always be second best…at best. And that makes me very sad.”

Sad for birth parents who couldn’t afford to feed their child, take them to a doctor, send them to school.

How brave. How sacrificial to let go of your flesh and blood so that she may have life. No greater love.

But how sickeningly sad that any parent faces this choice.

There was some controversy in the comments about that statement – “second best…at best” – but I instantly understood where he was coming from.  When my little boy remembers his mom in Ethiopia and tears well up in his eyes because he misses her, I GET IT.  It makes me so sad for him.  I know he’s happy here, but he now carries a story that includes a lot of loss and pain and confusion.  It’s a lot for such a little boy to have experienced in such a short amount of time.  There have been times when I sat and quietly cried with him as I held him while he grieved.  Those moments are few and far between, but they change you and give you perspective.  In a perfect world his family would have remained intact and had all the things they needed.  Unfortunately this world is broken, and we will strive to be the best “second best” we can be for him.

These thoughts lead me to something else Shaun said in that blog post that I’d ask you to consider:

My family’s adoption adventure has changed my perspective on what it is Compassion and you and I are doing together. This isn’t just “holistic child development.” This is orphan prevention.

Lightening the financial burden a family feels by paying a child’s school fees. Educating a child so that she may be better employed than her parents, so that her own children will not live in extreme poverty. Providing proper nutrition for children so that they do not develop costly medical conditions. How many children have been able to stay with biological parents because of child sponsorship? This is giving children the best we can.

The best for a child is to be raised by a loving mom and dad. In their culture. Their language. Their family.

As someone who believes in adoption AND family preservation if at all possible, I agree with him that sponsoring a child is often truly orphan prevention.  And that’s why I’m excited about advocating for children through Compassion.  I desperately want to be a voice for children in need AND play a role in helping keep families together.  It’s a deep, burning passion that God’s given me that I couldn’t escape if I wanted to.

I’ve shared these two children with you before HERE, and I’m still in need of finding sponsors for them by JULY 29th.
(UPDATE: Georgina now has a sponsor!  Thank you, Buoniconti family!)

If you’ve ever felt led to play a hugely significant role in the life a child in need and haven’t acted on that, I’d like to encourage you to sponsor Juan or Georgina.  Your $38 a month could literally change a life and give hope where hope is hard to find.  Please email me using the contact link above or leave a comment below & I’ll be happy to give you more information.

I’ll leave you with a quote that has impacted me recently from a great book I’ve read:

And as I held her hand and prayed for her, God revealed to me a profound truth – that I was the answer to Octaviana’s prayer.  Eight thousand miles from my home in Seattle, 14,000 feet up in the Andes Mountains, she had cried out to God for help, and He had sent me.  God had sent me to help her.  He had sent me to comfort her in her suffering, and He had sent me to be Christ’s love to her.  She had prayed and I was God’s answer.  I would be God’s miracle in her life. – Richard Stears, The Hole in Our Gospel

                          

Watch this story about Juan David Dominguez Galvez and decide for yourself.

                          

Your tax-deductible contribution of just $38 a month connects your child with a loving, church-based Child Sponsorship Program that provides:

We’ve had the privilege of sponsoring Umalu in Uganda for two years, and getting letters and pictures from him is a huge gift to our whole family.  I even hope to travel to Uganda to meet him and his family one day!

As a Compassion advocate I now have the opportunity to help connect children across the world with sponsors, and I’m very excited to introduce you to the first two children I’m advocating for:

Meet Juan Esteban Prieto Romero . . . such a handsome little boy!

He’s five years old (DOB January 5, 2006) and lives in Colombia with his father, mother, and 3 siblings.  They live in the mountainous community of Villas Del Tejar.  He enjoys soccer, running, playing group games, attends church activities regularly, and is in preschool.  Your sponsorship will allow the staff of CDI Nido De Aguilas to provide Juan with Bible studies, medical assistance, parasite treatments, self-esteem workshops, sports, musical activities and school support.  The center staff will also provide parents’ school for Juan’s parents.  If you’re interested in sponsoring Juan, please leave a comment below or email me using the contact link above.

Next I’d like to introduce you to Georgina Asmah who lives in Ghana.

She will be five years old on July 15th, so you could give her the best birthday gift ever! Georgina lives in the coastal community of Komenda with her father, mother, and seven siblings.  Playing group games is her favorite activity, and she also attends church activities and Bible classes regularly.  Sponsorship will allow the staff of Komenda Wesley Child Development Center to provide Georgina with Bible studies, health screening, malaria prevention education, field trips, tuition, educational materials, and handiwork skills training.  If you’re interested in sponsoring Georgina, please leave a comment below or email me using the contact link above.

                          

And because I appreciate good packaging, I even photographed the cute bag it came in . . .

Red Earth is affiliated with Global Support Mission, and this is how they work:

Everything we buy is 100% handmade. None of our products are mass produced. Each one is unique and special. Every item is purchased 100% Direct Trade. That means we buy all our products from the person who made it. We personally go to their shops and houses to place orders. We see the process of how everything is made and get to know them personally. We sit down with each artisan and agree upon a fair price for every item and pay in full for every order upon completion. Each purchase you make is 100% Life Changing, because our profits make a difference. We buy more product, cover our operating expenses and then give all of our net profit to further the work of Global Support Mission. Thank you for taking the time to hear our story. We hope you buy some stuff. Our friends who make it take pride in their work and we take pride in selling it!

A big thank you to Travis, Maggie, Kerbi and the rest of Global Support Mission & Red Earth Trading Co. for working hard to provide hope and change lives!  If you’re looking for great gifts or something unique for yourself, be sure to shop in their online store HERE.

                          

They are a Christ-centered, child-focused, church-based organization committed to integrity, and I am honored and excited to officially be part of their Advocate Network now!

These verses have been on my heart a lot lately, and being a child advocate provides a great opportunity to put them to action:

“Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute.  Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.” – Proverbs 31:8-9

Over the next week I’ll be highlighting various aspects of Compassion’s ministry and letting you know how you can be involved.  Stay tuned!

                          

Goodies for some sweet kids in Haiti that I can’t wait to meet! . . .

Look at all of this fun stuff!  (And even a cute little Dora sticker, which Yohannes was pretty excited about) . . .

I was completely giddy seeing all of this stuff spread out on our dining room table.  Brad came home, and I met him outside to tell him all about what I’d just opened.

I can’t tell you just how much this sweet note meant to me.  It wasn’t because it had anything to do with me.  It’s because I am so stinkin’ excited to see the Church come together to care for these sweet kids who are so close to God’s heart.  The crazy thing is that I’ve never even met the people who sent this stuff.  They were just made aware of the need by reading about it here on the blog and stepped up to do their part.  I am overwhelmed today with how God provides for His children!

Another friend (who I only know in blog world) sent this card and a check for me to purchase supplies to take to Haiti.  I was blown away when I opened the card and saw their generosity.  Seriously blown away.  And I was recently impacted by the quote on the card & wrote it in my journal about a month ago . . . just an added blessing!

Thank you so much, dear friends, for your generosity and for taking the initiative to join what God’s doing in Haiti.  And if you have no idea what I’m talking about, check out THIS POST (be sure to watch the video) and then check out THIS ONE, too.  There’s still time to be involved!