Year in Review, 2013

I have stayed so busy through the Holidays that I really haven't spent much time yet reflecting on 2013.  So, here are the highlights and lowlights...

After opening the Hong Kong program through Lifeline just before Christmas 2012, January and February were very busy months at work.

Me in Hong Kong with one of the amazing
social workers at Mother's Choice, Janice.

It was so fun to approve applications for our very first Hong Kong families. What a joy it has been to walk alongside them throughout this past year!
(You know who you are!!) 

Having an active role in bringing children into their forever families is so rewarding!

Me, Connor (with his tongue out!), Cameron and Cooper alongside
 two very precious adoptive mamas, Amy & Connie!

On the home front was a whirlwind of last minute adoption fundraising and international travel as we brought our newest sons, Connor and Cooper home in March.

Connor's Gotcha Day!
March 11, 2013

Cooper's Gotcha Day
March 13, 2013

It is mind-boggling to me that they will have been home a year in 3 short months!

The Spring all but vanished from view in the "adjustment period" for our new family of 7!

I did take a quick trip to TN last Spring to attend the 2013 Annual Orphan Summit in Brentwood.

It was an amazing time!

My first SUMMIT!  I was a little excited to be there!

My precious SC friends helping our comrade, Dan Cruver, set up for his meeting. 

Dr. Karen Purvis
up close and personal

We had fun taking "Ipad Jess" around the conference
with us since she couldn't be there in person.

David Platt and me!
Will never forget his preaching that night, it was so great!

Watch out, Charlie's Angels!
Why yes, that IS Nicole C. Mullen and me!

The incomparable Dave Wood with me and Sharon Lyon!

Adeye Salem and me!
Such a precious lady, Christ follower, adoptive mama and orphan advocate!

The Summer of 2013 was hot. 

Very hot! 

Our best summer activity was when all 5 boys joined Agape do Karate!  They have done so well and we just love the Christ-honoring, family atmosphere there!

Connor, age 14, on test day!

Tommy, age 9, on test day.

Sadly, my most prominent memory of this past summer was the day that my littlest, Cooper, wanted to learn to ride a bike. 

Hard as I tried, I really couldn't do justice to this simple request. Try as I might to ignore the truth, I had gained so much weight throughout the course of the previous two years, eye-ball deep in one adoption after another, that I couldn't handle the taxing task of running behind my child's bike in June!

I tried. I did. I wanted to be "that mom" that could hang with her kids.  But, sadly, these good intentions practically caused a heat stroke. 

I wish I could say that this was the wake up call that I needed, but it wasn't. No, I blamed my troubles on the heat in Charleston. It was just too hot to be bike riding, right?  

The weeks that followed were filled with busyness and other excuses why I didn't have "time" to help Cooper learn to ride that bike. 

The whole summer came and went and my 10 year old was the only one of our 5 boys who could not ride a bike. #momfail! 

July was the month when Colin and I traveled to Long Island, NY to help rebuild homes damaged earlier in the year by Super Storm Sandy.

What an amazing trip that was!  Colin and I had some good time bonding and we did a LOT of work. 

Of course, it happened to be the hottest week in July NY has seen in years, but who noticed?

I stayed on this porch most of the week because I couldn't handle the direct sunlight, but it was a blessing to serve and we had a marvelous time!

August brought a new home for our family, a hand wrapped gift straight from the Lord!

Much work was ahead, but it was one of those "chores" that changed things in our home.

In September, as we were having our big "move day" weekend coming up, Tom and Colin (without my knowledge) decided to move a refrigerator over to the new house. This proved to be a "stress test" of sorts for Tom's heart, a test that he failed!

Within a half hour, I learned that he was having chest pains and off to health first we went!  Fast forward and Tom is in an ambulance, and on his way to the Cardiac Care unit at our local hospital, and immediately scheduled for a heart cath.

In the midst of all that chaos, I had the privilege of assisting in Lifeline SC's very first domestic adoptive placement!
 (Let's agree that it was a hectic month!)

Even the excitement of our annual Lifeline Staff Retreat held each October was not enough to get me to pay attention to my health though.

While nothing could truly take away the joy of being with my co-laborers in ministry for three days (I LOVE those people!), it was tough to be there, a year after my last trip and be even heavier and more unhealthy than before.

But that was the beginning of the end. 

(The end of my unhealthy life, that is!)

I didn't even know it at the time. 

Just 2 weeks after returning home from that annual trip, I learned about Isagenix!  I wasn't certain if I'd ever really learn how to eat and maintain a healthy lifestyle. I wasn't sure I wanted to badly enough. But that was mainly because I still thought that "healthy" meant "depriving". 

That's where I was so wrong!

November was my first month of truly healthy eating- probably ever!

It was also the month three of our boys were baptized! What a special day this was for our family!

Cameron 

Cooper

Tommy

We also had a wonderful visit over the Thanksgiving holiday from Tom's oldest daughter, Krisha and her family.

So, despite the way that 2013 started, it ended Soooo much better!

The kids are adjusting well.

God provided us with a new house for our growing family.

Tom caught his heart issues just in time and is doing well.

The Lord has blessed our SC office with some amazing staff!

And I am healthier and having more fun with all the craziness that comes with being the only female in our home than ever before! 

PS... I can chase a bike now!

Thank you, Isagenix! 
I can't wait to see what the Lord has planned for our family in 2014!

Pass it on! NO MORE MOUNTAIN!

It's time for a HUGE ANNOUNCEMENT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Are you ready!?!?!?!?!

(drum roll please...)

We are FULLY FUNDED for Connor & Cooper's adoptions!!!!!!!!!!!!!

YES!!!! IT IS TRUE!!!!

Our amazing and incredible God brought in $38,000 in just 4 months time to fund the adoptions that were HIS IDEA in the first place!!! HALLELUJAH!!!!

But...

there's more!

WHAT?!?!?!

 

Listen to this amazing story:

BELOW IS DIRECT FROM MY NEW FRIEND, AMY SHAW
....let her share with you what God has laid on our hearts...

Amy writing now:

"My crazy awesome friend Chasity Cole is also adopting. We adopted in Uganda together back in the summer of 2011. She called me last week to let me know that God had performed a miracle and they were fully funded.

She wanted to help me with funding.

So she invented and pulled off a MOST AMAZING auction. (see previous post!!)

Then, today Tuesday February 26, 2013 God brought the rest of our necessary money in and we now share the status, "Fully funded."

I have a sweet friend, Angie Rylands, who is also adopting as well. (go figure!) This family is adopting TWO children at once from China. (VERY EXPENSIVE!) The two children are older boys...the ones who often get overlooked. A 9 year old boy and a boy who is about to age out (almost turning 14.)

Side note: In China, children are allowed to live in orphanages until they are 14. Upon their 14th birthday they are moved along in life. They are put out on to the streets. If they have any kind of special need, this is a death wish. Sexual slavery, drugs, street life awaits. 15% commit suicide. Most have no education or job skills. At age FOURTEEN. This is a desperate situation.

So, anyway...back to the Rylands...they have been raising a CRAZY amount of money to go and bring these boys home. I often thought, "wow, glad that's not MY amount..." And today...they saw God move mountains as well...

...their number went from $30,000 left on December 1st to $17,000 on January 1st to $12,900 on February 1st...and yesterday their need was $7,778 And today...with our full funding we were blessed to be part of polishing off their need and now they join us as:

FULLY FUNDED!!!!

And this leads us to another family, the Smiths, who are in dire need of funds. They were in China last August adopting and fell in love with this sweet girl: 

Guan Ya

They knew that God had her for their family and they worked their tails off to return to China to bring her home. One problem...she ages out on March 8th!! They leave in THREE DAYS to go bring her home before she ages out...so Angie and I thought we would help THEM raise their final funds!! 

God has blessed each of us: Chasity, us, the Rylands...now it's time to bless the Smiths!!

But wait!!!

SCREEECH!!!

They are now only $200 odd dollars away from ALSO BEING FULLY FUNDED!!!!!

So I was telling Niki, "We are going to blow that outta the park!" And she said, "Nope! Got someone on it! Go find someone else!!"

HA!!! LOVE IT!!

So...we now issue out a challenge from ALL of us:

CHASITY, ANGIE, NIKI and MYSELF:

We want you to help us get Jennifer's daughter home!!!

Jennifer has traveled to China multiple times and has ministered to many orphans over her trips. There is one orphanage especially founded for children with Brittle Bone Disease. There is one very special child who has captured Jennifer's heart in a way unlike any other orphan ever has. 

Jesus whispered, "She is yours."

So along with some red tape that none of us can do anything about...Jennifer needs funding to be able to travel to get this sweet child and attend to her medical and spiritual needs.

Now one of the most AMAZING things is that Jennifer is the CEO of the non-profit ministry Into the Field that exists to serve as servants around the corner and around the world. A huge passion is loving orphans home. Once Jennifer's adoption is FULLY FUNDED then monies will be available for other adoptive families in grants! In other words: IT KEEPS ON GIVING!!! TOO COOL!!

So go here and keep the momentum rolling! Donate to her Razoo link on the sidebar! $15,000 is the number to hit! Ready...set...GO!!!

Join with us as we link arms as a body of Christ to help MORE ORPHANS HOME!!! LINK UP!!

What Mountain?

Boy, friends! 

I have to brag on our God tonight!

 

 

He is moving an enormous financial mountain so effortlessly! 

 

On December 1st, that mountain was $30,000 tall.

 

On January 1st, it was $17,000 tall

 

 

On February 1st, the mountain was $12,900 tall

 

 

 

With each passing month, God provided.

 

With each bill that came due, God provided.

 

Now, we are looking at a number that, before our experience with adoption, would have seemed like  a very large number. 

 

But now?

 

Now, it is just a number. 

Another obstacle that God will remove from our path because nothing is going to stand in the way of us bringing these boys into the home that God has chosen for them.

 

 

We leave in 9 days.

9 short days.

 

I would LOVE for the March 1st mountain to be ZERO!

 

We are super close y'all!

Keep an eye on that thermometer. 

I will continue to update it with each new donation.

If you would like to be a part of our sons' stories, you can donate via our donate button on the left.

 

We are grateful to all who have come alongside us on this journey with constant and faithful prayers, encouragement and financial support.

 

Tom & Angie

 

 

 



Labor Pains

The time has finally come--

The Labor Pains have begun.

Adoption Labor, that is.

That's right!  This morning we were notified that our Consulate appointment has been confirmed!

This is the final piece of the puzzle before we book travel.



Cameron and I, along with my Mother, will be leaving on March 6th.

We are thrilled and slightly manic that we will be heading to Asia 2 weeks from TOMORROW!

After a quick stop over in Hong Kong to meet with some partners there, 

we will move on to Chongqing to meet our son Connor on 3/11.  

We will expedite his adoption, finalize the following morning, and then hop on another plane and head to Changsha.  

It is here where we will meet our son, Cooper on 3/13.  

That is not a lot of time to adjust from one child to the other, so we will be very grateful for all your prayers for physical and emotional strength.

So, as we work quickly to make all the arrangements, would you cover our family with prayer?

Please pray:

• for financial provision (currently need $9,189 very, very soon)
• for logistical details such as flights and hotels
• that my brother in law can secure reduced rate hotels for us in HK & CQ
• for Tom as he manages the household and cares for Tommy and Colin in my absence. Please pray for physical strength for him while I am away.
• for the boys staying home, especially Tommy that he would stay busy and not miss mom too much. 
• for a peace in the hearts of our two newest sons as they embrace this new life. 
• for health a travel mercy for our whole crew as we move from place to place.

THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

As we prepare to travel, it seems only fitting to leave you with this...

"Goin' Back to China"