Tomorrow ~ $500 Gift Card!!!

Tomorrow, Saturday, December 1 we draw for this little nugget.
Thank you to all who have given.
We have raised slightly more than the cost of the card.
Every dollar beyond 500 helps bring Khloie home!

You may use the Chip-In on the sidebar titled Khloie Coming Home, or email me for other options!
Ends Saturday, December 1
A $10 donation gets you 1 shot
A $20 donation gets you 3 shots, etc.
A share on FB or your blog gets you an additional shot.
If you share, please leave a comment or email me.

LID!!!

Our dossier was logged into the CCWCA (or whatever it's called today) on 11/27.
I'm wondering about LOA by New Year's?!?
Seriously, Letter of Acceptance has come anywhere from 26 to 100+ days from LID...
Oh my goodness, hang on baby girl!!!

5 days to $500!

Wow, I glanced away from my laundry basket a moment and realized that THIS SATURDAY is December 1!  And that's the day we draw for the $500 Wal-Mart gift card!

We have a small issue - so far we haven't even paid for the gift card.
But I'm not in a panic.
I'm not stressed out.
Although we are a family who has had to fundraise from day one, I don't get anxious over the number on the Chip-In.
We are so grateful to those who give.
We are completely dependent upon the Father.
And every dollar belongs to Him!
It's not yours; it's not ours.
It's His!
And He loves our girl.
He will provide for her to come home.
How do I know?
HE IS FAITHFUL!
He provided over $47,000 for our last two Treasures to come home - in 9 months!  Through fundraising, grants and gifts.
He provided $50,000 for our Treasures #7 and 8 to come home, including a $21,000 spaghetti dinner a week before TA!
It's nothing we did.  It's all HIM!
Thank you for journeying with us.
Thank you for praying.
Thank you for spreading the word.
Thank you for giving.

'Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,' says the Lord Almighty, 'and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it." 

Malachi 3:10

Here's the scoop:

You may use the Chip-In on the sidebar titled Khloie Coming Home, or email me for other options!
Ends Saturday, December 1
A $10 donation gets you 1 shot
A $20 donation gets you 3 shots, etc.
A share on FB or your blog gets you an additional shot.
If you share, please leave a comment or email me.

Thank you for helping us bring our girl home.
To God be the glory!!!

And Today We Gave Thanks

We thank the Father for the redemptive work He has done and the transforming work He continues to do.

We celebrated with family.

We also celebrated life.

The miraculous life of Kasidi Joy.

Today she turned 3.

Her beginning makes us weep.
Her life makes us rejoice.
Thank you, FATHER!

Thanks and Joy

May your day be filled with thanksgiving and joy!

Thankful for Tees!

Y'all have purchased 60 Wild Olive Tees on our behalf!

60!!!

These tees make beautiful Christmas gifts *hint* :)

$10 per tee sold goes to our adoption agency toward our travel fees...

...and there's still time!

There are over 30 adoption fundraiser tees to choose from.

Just go here...

Make your selection, and please use our family code when you check out: JOHNSON704

To Him be the glory!!!!

Audio Adrenaline - Kings & Queens

I love this song!

The Face of HIE

What a frightening diagnosis.

What a beautiful face!

Khloie's medical diagnoses include HIE ~ hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy ~  (reduced cerebral blood flow or perinatal asphyxia), so we’ll be on the fast track once Khloie comes home.  She will need to see a team of specialists regarding her brain, heart and vision.

From my limited understanding, basically her brain was starved of oxygen and blood in utero.
  
The morbidity and mortality rate is high for infants with HIE, but 10% are healthy with very little central nervous system deficit.  

One possible complication is pupil/eye involvement, and it appears Khloie has strabismus.

Another possible complication is heart involvement.  Khloie is diagnosed with CHD (presumably congenital heart defect)  and ASD ~ atrial septal defect.

ASD  is a birth defect of the heart in which there is a hole in the wall (septum) that divides the upper chambers of the heart (atria).  There may be reduced myocardial contractility, severe hypotension, passive cardiac dilatation, and tricuspid regurgitation.

It appears Khloie has a shunt and her heart is functioning normally.

So much uncertainty.

Yet so very sure!

We fell in love with Baby Girl the moment we saw her picture.

We ordered further tests.

We received documentation.

But we had already decided…

It didn’t matter what the tests showed.

She is our daughter.

We are not educated on medical needs of the heart or brain.
But we know the experts, and our daughter will receive the very best care.

We don’t have the funds required to bring her home.
But we know the Provider, and He owns the cattle on a thousand hills!

Will you please join us in prayer?

We are praying that China will grant our LOA quickly so Khloie can get the medical care she needs.

And we are thanking the Lord in advance that He will supply ALL the funds necessary to get her home quickly!

I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.  

John 14:18

Adoption Journey Project - 8 Adoption Facts That Will Surprise You

This video is slightly more than a minute long, but I pray it lasts a lifetime in our hearts and causes us to act!

$500 Wal-Mart Gift Card!

From today till December 1 we will have a giveaway opportunity for a $500 Wal-Mart gift card!

You could use it for your own shopping, or maybe you'd give it to a family in need, as two of our winners have done!

It's a win/win!

For just $10 you can enter to win, and you can help us bring Khloie home.  Win/win!!!

Our next set of agency fees will be due when we receive LOA, so that is what we are raising funds for.
God is faithful!!!

Here's how it goes:
You may use the Chip-In on the sidebar titled Khloie Coming Home, or email me for other options!
Runs from November 8 to December 1
A $10 donation gets you 1 shot
A $20 donation gets you 3 shots, etc.
A share on FB or your blog gets you an additional shot.
And I almost forgot, to sweeten the deal, anyone who donates $50 or more gets an adorable pair of squeaky shoes from our new selection!
If you share, please leave a comment or email me.

Thank you for helping us bring our girl home.
To God be the glory!!!

The Prodigal?

Today I am reminded of Jesus’ parable of the prodigal son.  I'm sure some will think this is a simplistic view.  But have we forgotten Who is in charge?

Today we are proclaiming that we need to pray for our nation.

Yes, prayer changes something ~ it changes us!

Were we praying yesterday?  Last week?  Last month?

If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.  2 Chronicles 7:14

It seems that somewhere along the way we stopped fearing God and started chasing the American Dream.  We started serving ourselves and turning our backs on unity and the principles that our nation was founded upon.

Now things aren’t going so well.  The American Dream is allusive, ever-changing, always outside our grasp.  And even when it is seized, many recipients still admit they are ‘missing something.’

Our Heavenly Father never changes.

The state of our nation is no surprise to Him.  

For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.  Colossians 1:16

And if we believe His Holy Word, then we must know that nothing catches Him off guard, and there is a reason for everything.

We know that all things work together for good to those who love God… Romans 8:28

After all, He put the human race in charge, right?  And since we aren't perfect, well...

We certainly have choices and freedoms that others do not.  We can choose to complain... or to act.

I believe He will use whatever He has to in order to get our attention.

We know from Scripture that God will never leave nor forsake us!  If we have never really relied on Him, maybe it's time we start.  And if we have been running away from Him, maybe it’s time we turn back to Him?

Luke 15:11-32 ~ Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons.  The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’  So he divided his property between them.
Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living.  After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. ..
So he got up and went to his father.  But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.
The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.  I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’…
But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick!  Bring the best robe and put it on him.  Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.  Bring the fattened calf and kill it.  Let’s have a feast and celebrate.   For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’  So they began to celebrate…

The older brother became angry and refused to go in.  So his father went out and pleaded with him…
‘My son, the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours.  But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’”

Maybe it’s time we become alive again.  What if we were to humble ourselves and run into the open arms of our Father?

Lord, if I desire change, let change begin in me.

We Interrupt this Regularly Scheduled Election Day...

to announce we are:

Yes, our three month's worth of documents, affectionately known as the Dossier, is on its way To China at this moment!

Hang on, Sweet Baby Girl, Mommy and Daddy are working our way to you!

What Makes Us Cry?

Have you ever experienced something that forever changed you?

Attended the funeral of someone who didn’t know Jesus?

Known someone killed by a drunk driver?

Known of a child who was abused or neglected?

Heard the silent cries of infants and children bound and institutionalized?

Walked among people so impoverished they ate from the dump site?

Sat with a widow so lonely she can’t bear another day?

Spoken to the prisoner who cried out to Jesus?

Ministered to the missionary who surrendered it all?

No doubt, these circumstances make us cry.  Or look away.

But what else will we do?

While looking away eases our discomfort and crying cleanses our spirit, neither of these responses does anything for those mentioned above.  What will we do FOR THEM?

“If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself…” (Luke 9:23)

What is my desire?  My ‘self’ or my God?

I desire what I love, and I love what I desire, right?

I can speak of love and desiring Jesus all day long, but my actions are the proof.

If a man shuts his ears to the cry of the poor, he too will cry out and not be answered.  (Proverbs 21:13)

If I am truly a follower of Christ, a believer, one who has been redeemed…is crying over hard things enough?

If you say, “But we knew nothing about this,” does not he who weighs the heart perceive it?  Does not he who guards your life know it?  (Proverbs 24:12)

How long will we turn away and pretend we don’t see the hurting?  I will be held accountable for the things I should have done.

If we are willing to step into the dark places, we can’t help but come away changed.

But change can be so uncomfortable.  And lonely.  And heartbreaking.  And different.

And breathtaking. And refreshing.  And passionate.  And rewarding.  And joyful. 

Will I cry or will I act?

How Did Your Church Recognize Orphan Sunday?

November is Adoption Awareness Month, and yesterday was Orphan Sunday!
Sadly, we did not corporately recognize the day.
See, to speak of the orphan is invasive.  It's disturbing.  

Some are tired of hearing about it and even think that to adopt 'may be for you, but it's not for me.'   I'm certainly glad my Heavenly Father didn't decide to give up on adoption before He saved me.

People don't much like to acknowledge there is a crisis that is OUR problem.  Yes, if we are a follower of Christ, it is our problem.

Oh, but we are so busy.  We don't have time to think about the millions of children around the world who deserve love and hope.  So, let's not be bothered by the truth.

After all, we have our own problems, right?
Which place will we celebrate Thanksgiving?
Which car will we drive to work?
Which new outfit will we wear today?
Which restaurant will we eat at tonight?

My friend Adeye has posted about the need for awareness, and you can read it here.
I contend that if we claim to follow Christ and believe God's Word, this is indeed our problem.

Please tell me how your church either recognized Orphan Sunday or is planning to do so.

Whirlwind Week Recap

So many of you were praying for Kennah's surgery on Wednesday, and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts!  On Tuesday afternoon Dr. Smith's office asked us to arrived at 7 am in the event the big case ahead of us would cancel.  If it didn't cancel, we would sit and wait till 1 pm.  Our prayers were answered, and Kennah went into surgery at 8 am!

Dr. Smith and his team successfully performed the pharyngeal flap and z-plasty to her lip and nose.

The girl is a rock star!

We are staying ahead of her pain, but she rarely acts like it bothers her, and she doesn't complain about her liquid/soft diet.

We were discharged from ICU at 9:30 am Thursday, and she's recovering in the chaos that we call home.

I can hardly believe that Thanksgiving is around the corner!
We have so very much to be thankful for!