Since September 16, 2006, Doug and I have had a dream. For four long years he has been writing something in our hearts that was beyond just the adoption of our little girl from China that hit American soil on that day. For four long years, my precious husband would arrive home from work on random days with new visions of what h/we "thought" this dream would look like. As a strategic planner at heart, he had some awesome flow charts, graphs and "plans" of an orphan ministry we hoped to present to "a" church that was being birthed in his heart. I too felt rumblings of something more but we could never quite grasp what that entailed. We did know one thing, now that we had seen, we were responsible ... responsible to act!
The Lord continued to expand our horizons and our responsibilities once we got home. Each time he brought opportunity to be used by him, we have said "YES"! We have had the privilege of serving as Texas Associates for America World for 3.5 years now. We love this role as it gives us the opportunity to not only advocate adoption and orphan care through their "Orphans Ticket Home" initiative, but also to advocate for an agency that serves HIM first. What an honor! It is so rewarding to visit with families about adoption and watch the Lord break down walls of fear and even sometimes disappointment in their lives to bring them to a place of knowing he is calling them. In the process, some of those very families have become like family to us! Isn't it true, he calls us and we think we will "Bless" others only to discover that we are the ones who are blown away by the blessings!!
Next, the Lord added the opportunity for us to serve on the Board of Visiting Orphans. We LOVE this ministry! As a missions sending agency devoted to orphan care, Visiting Orphans sends in teams to over 13 countries throughout the year. This year, the goal of 50 trips blows my mind. God is doing huge things through Visiting Orphans and getting to watch and be a part in any way is and has been incredible!
In February I was blessed to go on one of the trips into Ethiopia for 12 days. I was blessed beyond belief by amazing team leaders and 29 other teammates who in all intensive purposes became family! We we went into new territory, we loved big, and we were completely wrecked in the process.
Once again, the Lord broke me down further. It's easy for one to say "163 million orphans", but when they each becomes a face, with a name and a story, something bigger happens. Our longings, our flow charts and our "plans" took on identity's! I came home a mess! I also came home with a family that extends across our country that I love more than I could ever dream! I watched 30 strangers from different churches and backgrounds be "THE" church.
It dawned on me, throughout these four years, the Lord has also done something bigger than giving us opportunities ... he has given us a community! Through each opportunity and each adoption, he has knit together a community that extends beyond "our" church walls. During these four years he has shown me that caring for the orphan isn't about "a" church but instead "his" church.. and indeed, the community we have grown to love is "the" church. Through my time with AWAA he has birthed an adoption community here that extends far beyond that "one" agency. Through my time with VO, he has shown me that he can create a team of 30 .. who don't even know each other, don't attend the same "church" and join them together for his purpose. 30 people became the church over those 12 days and we were blown away!
So, now the Lord has opened another door and we are SO excited about this opportunity because we feel it allows this very community we love to do what we do best ... simply love (as my awesome team leader would say!)
On June 17th, we will be launching a "CarePoint" sponsorship in Awassa, Ethiopia. Through Doug's coffee company, Ground to Cup Coffee, we are partnering with Children's HopeChest to take on the awesome task of getting 250 plus children sponsored and pouring into a community by gathering and encouraging our community to BE the church! This sponsorship of this community will not only provide an education, food and discipleship for each child that is sponsored but also we will build into the community at large. We will get to send in teams 1-3 times a year. We will get to love on the very children we are writing to and praying for. We will get to watch and be a part of something the Lord is up to in this community! We will get to be "the" church by loving community on community!
Our vision and our goal is to gather our community and be "the" church. It makes no difference where you live, where you serve, and what body of believers you serve with on Sunday mornings. This community is being knit together because of a few common things; we love the Lord, we love orphans, we know we have been called to care for the least of these, and we are ready to act.
I am praying right now for every person and family that is to be a part of this awesome community! Is it you?
We will be following up with details on how you from afar can sponsor a child and join us in this community from wherever you are! In the meantime, write down June 17th on your calendar as we are throwing a huge launch event and we want you to join us this night! Amazing worship by Billy and Cindy Foote, dinner and Children's HopeChest will cast the vision for how we will care for this community!
It is FREE! One request, you have to reserve your seat so we can be sure we have yummy dinner for everyone that night.
Register here: "No Double Yellow Line Event" - click "The Event"
Seating is limited, so don't wait!
Community Bible Church
6:00 - 8:30
Featuring Cindy Foote's new EP release "No Double Yellow Line", when adoption collides with music!
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