tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-67095381147689710802024-02-22T23:44:19.917-08:00Be The Light ProjectA Pocket Full of Sunshinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11929946828657486605noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6709538114768971080.post-65479948841167081592019-02-27T05:40:00.000-08:002019-02-27T05:40:24.076-08:00Sweet Emmett<span aria-live="polite" class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" style="color: #1c1e21; display: inline; font-family: , , "blinkmacsystemfont" , ".sfnstext-regular" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; outline: none; width: auto;" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption" style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span><br />
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I posted about this precious boy over a year ago, and it breaks my heart to know he's still waiting. You can read all about him below including his latest update from January 2019. And you must check out his videos too! Oh, how I pray his family finds him soon!!</div>
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<i>Emmett is an adorable, obedient, and polite boy, born in June of 2010 with Down syndrome. Emmett has the absolute best smile! He has a great foster family who takes him to all of the orphanage events and activities and he has received education through the One Sky Foundation. Emmett is able to walk, run, and use a spoon to feed himself. He enjoys watching TV, coloring, playing with blocks, and dan<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; font-family: inherit;">cing. Emmett focuses well, is able to follow simple instructions from adults, and listens to conversations well. His caretakers say that he sometimes looks like a little adult when he is walking outside. Emmett knows all the names of his classmates and performs very well in school. </span></i></div>
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<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; font-family: inherit;"><i><br />An advocate met Emmett in May of 2018 and said this about him: "This little boy seemed to be a favorite at the orphanage. The lady that does paperwork at the orphanage knew him very well and he ran up to her as soon as he saw her and they hugged. The teacher bragged about him and I was told his foster mom is very good with him. He lives in a foster family that is very involved with orphanage activities and he often participates in events or field trips. He has had paperwork for years and they seemed surprised he was still waiting. He attends school with One Sky and has always lived with the same foster family. They had a computer touch screen at school and he knew his way around it really well. Another boy was looking for a song and he kept pressing a different button and running away to dance to the song he was choosing. He followed directions well and was obedient to his teacher and polite during class time. They were learning to use a pencil and he had a good grasp. All the kids in his class had Down syndrome and most of them had more delays than him."<br /><br /><br />January 2019 Written Update: Emmett has lived in a foster family at for a long time. He is very used to living with a lot of little kids. He has a very good relationship with the other kids in the house. With the children with similar abilities as him, he loves to play with them and gets really happy and excited to be with them. In other environments, like school, it is apparent that he is closer to the other kids who live in his same family. With the children with more severe disabilities, he will often help his mama and is able to help take care of them. He is outgoing and loves to smile. When he laughs we all think he is very cute. Most of the time his temper is good and he is very willing to cooperate with adults. However, he has his own personality and if a stranger pushes him to do something he is not comfortable with or difficult he can get angry. He can sometimes be impatient. Has some language delays and sometimes he can get anxious if he can’t express himself clearly. With people he knows he doesn’t lose his temper. But if a stranger forces him to do something like for example a performance he won’t be happy. He is very happy and lively most of the time. He likes to hug and kiss familiar people and hear compliments. He can walk by himself. In fact, his sport abilities are not bad. He can even help his mama push other kids on the stroller. He is pretty independent in activities of daily living. Because he has had the opportunity to go out more often, when he is outside he listens well to direction, stays close to the mama or to the teacher. He can basically cooperate, especially if it’s activities of daily life or school that he is used to. He is good at listening to his mama or teacher. He did a great performance for Chinese New Year. He always likes to dance and participate in performances.</i></span></div>
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<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; font-family: inherit;"><i><br /></i><br />VIDEOS:<br /><a data-lynx-mode="origin" data-lynx-uri="https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fvimeo.com%2Fmaaspecialkids%2Fmaa-emmettupdate%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR1Cn4e76Bi4jx_EePz2rqmNUtAysPZSlvZ428joLZQU2_reNG8WWrwpR7M&h=AT0-5YqA9M-UgstQyK8fJhvQva0u7upg1nR3J_ZTP9trAP-y6_6Syj2u2DfIvhavJseM--ou95dKHY_xzfbqn57LL3H_sjq1PGGoera-4dj0VHKswGrW705cqOWD9ihALrd_ce4_pFS-gCw1xZ6xGDNp2UaC" href="https://vimeo.com/maaspecialkids/maa-emmettupdate?fbclid=IwAR1Cn4e76Bi4jx_EePz2rqmNUtAysPZSlvZ428joLZQU2_reNG8WWrwpR7M" rel="nofollow noopener" style="color: #365899; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: inherit;">https://vimeo.com/</span><wbr></wbr><span class="word_break" style="display: inline-block; font-family: inherit;"></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">maaspecialkids/</span><wbr></wbr><span class="word_break" style="display: inline-block; font-family: inherit;"></span>maa-emmettupdate</a> <a data-lynx-mode="origin" data-lynx-uri="https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fvimeo.com%2Fmaaspecialkids%2Fmaa-emmettupdate2%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR1c4ggVa8ypj-kztYSYlTqFsch5oBOg-cCgxZmZBR3-kIWf_tdgIinh2iA&h=AT3TFOZYuk-e5hlt-FUUKJREK-iTSmkemk6jfJnyqUFv5NtCpVFeugj-1YYQH7kTsRx45ex6urrmS78clIFQXEvQmNLx7pIld5K1DzLy3g9WegkXrU0s4AoG-teKqGOGxsyypVKkLMBZwY5s8J9kUqy2X4fr" href="https://vimeo.com/maaspecialkids/maa-emmettupdate2?fbclid=IwAR1c4ggVa8ypj-kztYSYlTqFsch5oBOg-cCgxZmZBR3-kIWf_tdgIinh2iA" rel="nofollow noopener" style="color: #365899; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: inherit;">https://vimeo.com/</span><wbr></wbr><span class="word_break" style="display: inline-block; font-family: inherit;"></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">maaspecialkids/</span><wbr></wbr><span class="word_break" style="display: inline-block; font-family: inherit;"></span>maa-emmettupdate2</a><br /><a data-lynx-mode="origin" data-lynx-uri="https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fvimeo.com%2Fmaaspecialkids%2Fmaa-emmett%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR1XWdDrkUSuK0FuAzBdq890ixZ8fmXznwesKcMlaKFIvObMjayrdK3Apb8&h=AT3SQV4SHPKJi99K_HpEjc4LLpUIWD0qgwzwSde-uS13cud1yK5b1WU5a6uLT-ape236aDQAkFOr6QmQSLjvWFnOcEAvl6K-lGygXfe2uakBKq_py51z7x1wea3DIPdsbouEEE4Z_ct79XrwKPA7_wTh80pj" href="https://vimeo.com/maaspecialkids/maa-emmett?fbclid=IwAR1XWdDrkUSuK0FuAzBdq890ixZ8fmXznwesKcMlaKFIvObMjayrdK3Apb8" rel="nofollow noopener" style="color: #365899; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: inherit;">https://vimeo.com/</span><wbr></wbr><span class="word_break" style="display: inline-block; font-family: inherit;"></span>maaspecialkids/maa-emmett</a><br /><br /><i>There is a $2,000 agency grant for Emmett's adoption with Madison Adoption Associates. Emmett has a Reece's Rainbow account here too: <a data-lynx-mode="origin" href="https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Freecesrainbow.org%2F120060%2Femmett%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR3QvZ72v199sFzGHuOJDH3WHtsmtY5MifDbTueXDBa7s58C2Mgt43YRDNM&h=AT1Dlv8EVfmluuAGr7xT23YADwBsPi94fPfc-6b79LfbNsjFbW-tOD7Yy_UrLDLnzu9Jd2Qx72p1eUotcyYloZCodKfLFenH_cFdbaqcfHRLTDYNLazceM9BuEtfe0ZPrGc3-XnKKxmyDfu46ZyaHqR7sDhH" rel="nofollow noopener" style="color: #365899; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: inherit;">http://reecesrainbow.org/</span><wbr></wbr><span class="word_break" style="display: inline-block; font-family: inherit;"></span>120060/emmett</a><br />Other grants may be available based on the adoptive family's circumstances. Agency grants are awarded as agency fee reductions. MAA also partners with the Brittany's Hope Foundation for matching grants, which are given out twice a year January and July) and to families that are officially matched with a child.<br /><br />Emmett needs a family with an approved home study to be able to move forward with adopting him. If you have an approved home study or a home study in process and are interested in adopting Emmett, please fill out a free PAP Waiting Child Review Form, which can be found here:</i> <a data-lynx-mode="origin" data-lynx-uri="https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fmadison.mysamdb.com%2FSAM%2FFm%2FFamilyInformationSheet_Edt.aspx%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR2cVj91AEEoHIzsTnSTCzVbBywy567gWkR4JdZhYlmZMw7GXE2R2hGX4kA&h=AT1UyHBpd9VUfoO-WeT0k2iu6t2ko_5ExOoHp4Ccgco6tGturkiVQJD2GAg0fwggNh57tzKYSRSa-L_eksE4Q1_DhsRkPgoPDNbpmZMUL1bVozYhO5gGMbvnD473EvpuDLYXAgUyr4LcJKGqijzZfCYDVUFc" href="https://madison.mysamdb.com/SAM/Fm/FamilyInformationSheet_Edt.aspx?fbclid=IwAR2cVj91AEEoHIzsTnSTCzVbBywy567gWkR4JdZhYlmZMw7GXE2R2hGX4kA" rel="nofollow noopener" style="color: #365899; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: inherit;">https://</span><wbr></wbr><span class="word_break" style="display: inline-block; font-family: inherit;"></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">madison.mysamdb.com/SAM/Fm/</span><wbr></wbr><span class="word_break" style="display: inline-block; font-family: inherit;"></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">FamilyInformationSheet_Edt.</span><wbr></wbr><span class="word_break" style="display: inline-block; font-family: inherit;"></span>aspx</a></span></div>
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A Pocket Full of Sunshinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11929946828657486605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6709538114768971080.post-53306205307766575562018-04-09T10:32:00.001-07:002018-04-09T14:54:30.840-07:00The Willis Family<div style="color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, serif, EmojiFont; font-size: 14px; margin: 6px 0px;">
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This month I would like to introduce you to the Willis family. <br />
Michael, Lindsey, Ella, Ben, & Molly...</div>
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They are in the process of adopting from China. I always ask my families to share a little about themselves and their adoption story. Here is what Lindsey had to say about theirs...</div>
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<i>"Michael’s parents adopted his little sister from Russia when she was 18 months old, and he has always talked about wanting to pursue adoption. My grandparents adopted my uncle, and my youth minister and his wife adopted their two boys—adoption was familiar to me, but it was never something I actually considered for my own family.</i></div>
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<i>We started having more friends and friends of friends post blogs and fundraisers as they began their adoption journeys. I read all of them and bought all the t-shirts. Again, I never thought this was something I’d be doing, but I was intrigued. Michael and I would talk about adoption sometimes, but it was never very serious.</i></div>
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<i>We moved to our new house in the summer of 2015, and we started getting to know our neighbors. We met our (now) pastor and his wife, and one of the first things we talked about was how they were getting reading to begin the process to adopt from China. I remember walking home from their house and Michael smiling and saying, “We’re definitely doing this.” I still wasn’t convinced, because it seemed so scary and crazy and just not like something I could ever do! But as I watched these friends go through this process and bring their precious girl home, it became so obvious to me that this was what God had planned<br />for our family.</i></div>
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<i>We started talking to our kids about adoption, and they were ready to go to China! They find things around the house that they tell me we need to save for our “baby” when he/she comes home. They pray often for him/her, and they’re so excited! We all began learning more about adoption and how it is such a CLEAR picture of the gospel. Seeing the families around us love the kids they have adopted has profoundly deepened my understanding of God and His heart for His people.</i></div>
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<i>That’s a TINY part of the story leading up to our decision to pursue adoption. So why are we adopting? Because God loves us. He loves orphans. He is about the business of setting the lonely in families. He has allowed us to begin this journey, and we couldn’t be more grateful. We know that God designed our family before the foundation of the world, and we can’t wait to add one more!</i></div>
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<i>Why China? </i></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif , serif , "emojifont"; font-size: 14px;"><i>Michael spent three months in China teaching ESL after his sophomore year of college, and I currently teach ESL online to kiddos in China. We live right down the street from our pastor and his wife who adopted from China- we had the privilege of watching them go through the entire adoption process and bring sweet Hattie Jane home! Our other friends from church brought their little girl home from China a few months later. Michael attended a seminar where one of the speakers talked about international adoption, and he suggested that one way to choose a country was to choose based on a place you already have a connection with. We definitely have a connection with China, and we can't wait to bring our little one home!" </i></span></div>
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It is my favorite thing to hear how God stirs people's hearts toward adoption, and many times you hear that the wife starts feeling led that direction before the husband. That's how it was in our case, but I loved hearing that Michael was on board before she was. </div>
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For their necklace, the Willis' chose Exodus 14:14, "The Lord will fight for you, you need only BE STILL." I love this verse so much and especially how it relates to their situation. Adoption is not easy. Many times it can seem impossible...the waiting, the finances, the transition, the trauma, etc. BUT God fights for the orphans, and He fights for the families willing to open their hearts and homes to them. That doesn't mean it's not still hard, but it means He's with us every step of the way.</div>
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You can PREORDER this necklace now from <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/bethelightproject">the shop</a>, and it will be delivered in 3-4 weeks. Half of it's proceeds will be donated to the Willis family to help cover their adoption expenses. If you would like to donate further to them, please visit <a href="https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.purecharity.com%2Fwillisfamilyadoption&h=ATOcprd6FZUD-XTzIsB-ltbxjceFF4pbMPm6BRnIgPvCfRfkpTXj2DHziDwKYXn8fzmiIYzCnoIX8-mbX8AqiSE5LzTukyc2Pmc0vZqqBdU_L1BpezOJ4Mo6En1oxbS_BM6ChYdNglc">their fundraising page</a>. Thank you so much for your support!!!</div>
A Pocket Full of Sunshinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11929946828657486605noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6709538114768971080.post-24508759824624815502018-03-08T09:39:00.000-08:002018-03-08T12:51:15.451-08:00Meet the JoysMarch 21st is World Down syndrome day. For those who don't know, Down syndrome is a result of there being a 3rd copy of the 21st chromosome, so the numbers 3/21 are special to those of us in this community. <br />
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In honor of this day, I reached out to the Joy family who I knew were in the process of adopting another child with Down syndrome from China and asked if we could help support them. In the past (and sometimes still) China has deemed children with DS "unadoptable" so I love it when families like the Joys step up, shout their worth, and prove them wrong.<br />
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I asked Marta to share some of their story, and here's what she had to say...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_nIviJokRrlZhlynzc7XAlf_eNAZUiUbnBq67izAP_hEnJsAzPkhsIeb9CKAHgd01B-dZGePPlUAasWSt0WYXOMmPsKQpI8PZzd1Y2td0kAlRdilrH3HP0cN3owwboxN9hiDSXQar6M8/s1600/Joy-family-sm-300x212%25402x.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="423" data-original-width="600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_nIviJokRrlZhlynzc7XAlf_eNAZUiUbnBq67izAP_hEnJsAzPkhsIeb9CKAHgd01B-dZGePPlUAasWSt0WYXOMmPsKQpI8PZzd1Y2td0kAlRdilrH3HP0cN3owwboxN9hiDSXQar6M8/s1600/Joy-family-sm-300x212%25402x.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>"We are Kevin, Marta, Greyson, Kasia and Mila — adopted from China last year. God opened our hearts to Down Syndrome right before we brought our Mila home last year. </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Around the same time we saw Elora's face and fell absolutely in love. We hoped there was a chance she would be ours. We began sponsoring Elora - so that she could receive a life saving heart surgery. Despite the doctors saying Elora was too old and that she was inoperable — thousands prayed and fought for this girl! Donations from followers poured in as Meredith Toering at Morning Star Foundation garnered support. Elora's surgery was a great success. </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>The next hurdle would be getting her orphanage to write her file. WACAP - Elora's agency fought for a year to get her file to be written to - no avail. We waited and waited and finally we sent in a photo of us with Mila to show the orphanage that children with Down Syndrome are loved, wanted and cherished dearly. After 9 months of pleading and prayer we received a phone call --- Elora's file has indeed been prepared! We are so very excited to bring Elora Meredith Joy home! </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Isn't it awesome that because of their persistence and strong love for her, this sweet girl now has a family?! I am just so excited for them!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrXe-NmPY2eu9_hDWgxUkyNFs4lL_56los0BsH2Nl1TwuE9xv8z6Wzbca6vReNOAA2POR7givIIM-qtsqpxZU5zecNGbX39SGXMIXjlkh_ADa_NlJRzlXd7dM8WxY3KCos3tfVBwh6ycQ/s1600/Elora.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="561" data-original-width="374" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrXe-NmPY2eu9_hDWgxUkyNFs4lL_56los0BsH2Nl1TwuE9xv8z6Wzbca6vReNOAA2POR7givIIM-qtsqpxZU5zecNGbX39SGXMIXjlkh_ADa_NlJRzlXd7dM8WxY3KCos3tfVBwh6ycQ/s640/Elora.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Elora means God’s light, so the Joys wanted this included in their necklace. Half of the proceeds from this "Shine Your Light" necklace and any other orders placed this month will be donated to the Joy family to help bring Elora home! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Friends, let's rally around them and help bring her home! Head on over to<a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/bethelightproject"> the shop</a> to place your order! You can follow along with their story on Marta's Instagram <a href="https://www.instagram.com/chosenforjoy/" target="_blank">@chosenforjoy</a>. Also, if you would like to make a further donation, you can do so <a href="https://reecesrainbow.org/121693/sponsorjoy" target="_blank">here</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Hundreds of children with Down syndrome are still waiting for their families to find them. If you happen to feel your heart tugged in this direction, you should visit <a href="http://www.reecesrainbow.org/">www.reecesrainbow.org</a> where you can see the precious faces and profiles of some of these waiting children. And even if not, there are many other ways to be a part of orphan care....you should still go check out this awesome organization! </span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">God bless, and thank you for your support!</span></div>
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A Pocket Full of Sunshinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11929946828657486605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6709538114768971080.post-90103020071446401312018-02-01T07:22:00.001-08:002018-02-05T08:41:54.540-08:00Support The Lintons<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #212121; font-family: , "segoe ui" , "segoe wp" , "tahoma" , "arial" , sans-serif , serif , "emojifont";"><span style="font-size: 15px;">Hello Friends. I hope you have enjoyed the holiday season and are off to a great start this new year. We started ours with lots of sickness along with a surgery, but thankfully we are now on the mend and getting back to business! </span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #212121; font-family: , "segoe ui" , "segoe wp" , "tahoma" , "arial" , sans-serif , serif , "emojifont";"><span style="font-size: 15px;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #212121; font-family: , "segoe ui" , "segoe wp" , "tahoma" , "arial" , sans-serif , serif , "emojifont";"><span style="font-size: 15px;">I'm excited to launch a new fundraiser this month for the Lintons. They are in the process of growing their family through adoption. </span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpDK-UbNbujyGr8WrmEEzA_DaJ04nnH6TaP6MUdNbO4zi4jBHDS2xeMCPS-DLY77vCWc1Sc0Gbuu0N4-R5NV57xEiO3ySskPtLyoel4N4ZOyMkdcdyL5kILxgW8kdT2aojauE1OTRRjek/s1600/thumbnail_IMG_5930.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="927" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpDK-UbNbujyGr8WrmEEzA_DaJ04nnH6TaP6MUdNbO4zi4jBHDS2xeMCPS-DLY77vCWc1Sc0Gbuu0N4-R5NV57xEiO3ySskPtLyoel4N4ZOyMkdcdyL5kILxgW8kdT2aojauE1OTRRjek/s640/thumbnail_IMG_5930.jpg" width="462" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #212121; font-family: , "segoe ui" , "segoe wp" , "tahoma" , "arial" , sans-serif , serif , "emojifont";"><span style="font-size: 15px;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #212121; font-family: , "segoe ui" , "segoe wp" , "tahoma" , "arial" , sans-serif , serif , "emojifont";"><span style="font-size: 15px;">I always ask my families to share a little bit about them, and here is what they had to say.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #212121; font-family: , "segoe ui" , "segoe wp" , "tahoma" , "arial" , sans-serif , serif , "emojifont";"><span style="font-size: 15px;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #212121; font-family: , "segoe ui" , "segoe wp" , "tahoma" , "arial" , sans-serif , serif , "emojifont";"><span style="font-size: 15px;">"Hi! We are Joe and Regan Linton. As far back as when we even began talking about marriage, we knew that adoption was going to be part of our story. Now, after four years of marriage, God has made it clear through His wonderful ways that the time has come to follow through on His plan for our life. We asked God to send us and he has decided to send us all the way to India to find our daughter! We have decided to name her Gracyn Andree and will call her Gray. Y'all, she is already loved by so many. The adoption process is a scary and exciting one but we believe that where there is great love, there are great miracles. We know, because we have seen it already through this process, that Jesus is moving Heaven and Earth for our little girl. We covet your prayers for us and for Gracyn!" </span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4bCoHlq37Gvw6qodxA-wSbhX6emYNq3lYItaeD-00XYiZ5EtspgJQ1lnNsEjLR5xvvtq-xg-1iuXDAqsH7WUgat0mR_ejRPetcTreadAg9bkfDScHXJ_KTPMzi8Qo-9UsVBcCLxjZzVs/s1600/thumbnail_IMG_5938.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4bCoHlq37Gvw6qodxA-wSbhX6emYNq3lYItaeD-00XYiZ5EtspgJQ1lnNsEjLR5xvvtq-xg-1iuXDAqsH7WUgat0mR_ejRPetcTreadAg9bkfDScHXJ_KTPMzi8Qo-9UsVBcCLxjZzVs/s640/thumbnail_IMG_5938.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9O5So7ngAgkSUubPWIcgovAdR7jsduDrcHtWdlidjT7owdchSjiuKbhrmU1E6xKLovjV7n74AGpP4x-utqwuNa9C-B15C9agV0-qtaLfKUtINnpqKdGOh1v5g30HLASNtadeddlGge0w/s1600/thumbnail_IMG_5923.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9O5So7ngAgkSUubPWIcgovAdR7jsduDrcHtWdlidjT7owdchSjiuKbhrmU1E6xKLovjV7n74AGpP4x-utqwuNa9C-B15C9agV0-qtaLfKUtINnpqKdGOh1v5g30HLASNtadeddlGge0w/s640/thumbnail_IMG_5923.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #212121; font-family: , "segoe ui" , "segoe wp" , "tahoma" , "arial" , sans-serif , serif , "emojifont";"><span style="font-size: 15px;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #212121; font-family: , "segoe ui" , "segoe wp" , "tahoma" , "arial" , sans-serif , serif , "emojifont";"><span style="font-size: 15px;">Let's help them bring their sweet girl home! Joe and Regan selected the saying "Trust Without Borders" for their necklace, and they will receive half of the profits for each one that you order. So head on over to <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/bethelightproject">the shop</a> now and help support this precious couple. </span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx4GBSa7WkRqELP_lpa4p2KKmcv_W6JPDL_Skyf_srkwiE3RZwq8bep7iHYjoPF1EeWD7QQntmpj-kaqcPOrSS8AL321R57I7EnUgYbTZIsnLzFaU832mDRRP-Q6JJeAf-tuYgH5CW2WI/s1600/DSC_6968.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1262" data-original-width="1263" height="638" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx4GBSa7WkRqELP_lpa4p2KKmcv_W6JPDL_Skyf_srkwiE3RZwq8bep7iHYjoPF1EeWD7QQntmpj-kaqcPOrSS8AL321R57I7EnUgYbTZIsnLzFaU832mDRRP-Q6JJeAf-tuYgH5CW2WI/s640/DSC_6968.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #212121; font-family: , "segoe ui" , "segoe wp" , "tahoma" , "arial" , sans-serif , serif , "emojifont";"><span style="font-size: 15px;"><br /></span></span></span>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #212121; font-family: , "segoe ui" , "segoe wp" , "tahoma" , "arial" , sans-serif , serif , "emojifont";"><span style="font-size: 15px;">Also, if you would like to make an additional donation you can do so <a href="http://www.bringgrayhome.bigcartel.com/product/bring-gray-home-direct-donation" target="_blank">here.</a> </span></span></span>A Pocket Full of Sunshinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11929946828657486605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6709538114768971080.post-3664845352848052272017-11-13T08:08:00.000-08:002017-11-13T08:08:35.468-08:00Meet EmmettY'all! Look at this sweet smile! This is Emmett, and he is looking for his forever family.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeEHWDjCg1zKzsdCABENgQxc-KW8Yca3LghDm5TVu96wlGent7HIzgKIeLFgqw5MczaYg7DVNmugLQgINyHnPGSJLWog1lHOLXOSzrq686Lz4wv7yY5ygNeu5oVwGgIrnK0Q1nflGBGn0/s1600/Emmett+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="426" data-original-width="320" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeEHWDjCg1zKzsdCABENgQxc-KW8Yca3LghDm5TVu96wlGent7HIzgKIeLFgqw5MczaYg7DVNmugLQgINyHnPGSJLWog1lHOLXOSzrq686Lz4wv7yY5ygNeu5oVwGgIrnK0Q1nflGBGn0/s640/Emmett+copy.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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I recently stumbled upon his profile, and he has stolen my heart! I am going to donate a percentage of all of our sales from now through the end of the year to his adoption grant through <a href="https://reecesrainbow.org/120060/emmett">Reece's Rainbow.</a><br />
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He attends school and is doing very well. He plays well with other kids and follows instructions. He enjoys watching TV and focuses on it well. He is able to follow instructions from adults and listen to their conversations. His caretakers say that he sometimes looks like a little adult when he is walking in the yard. He performs well in school and knows all the names of his classmates. He colors, plays with blocks, and sometimes dances at school. <br />
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Isn't he just precious?! I would love to help his family find them and help them with the funds. Madison Adoption Associates currently has $6000 in agency grants available for his adoption through their agency. You can visit <a href="http://www.madisonadoption.org/waiting-children/">http://www.madisonadoption.org/waiting-children/</a> for more details.A Pocket Full of Sunshinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11929946828657486605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6709538114768971080.post-25958938689438513432017-08-16T08:29:00.001-07:002017-08-16T08:30:26.324-07:00Headed to HannahHey Friends. Thank you to all who supported the Manuel family. They are currently in China and are enjoying loving on their sweet Henry!<br />
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This might be a little confusing, but there is another Manuel family headed out next week to bring home their daughter. I met Katie years ago through social media. We both had sons with Down Syndrome close to the same age. Then, we ended up going through the adoption process close to the same time. Her son, Eli, and my daughter, Hai-Leigh, just happened to be from the SAME CITY in China! Because of her, I was able to reach out to the foster homes that cared for my daughter and ended up with pictures of her from birth to when we brought her home. What a blessing!<br />
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Katie and her husband are about to head back to China to adopt again and are in need of some extra funds before they go. We decided to throw together a quick fundraiser to help them. Here is a little <span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">bit of their story...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><span style="color: black;"><b>"Hi there! We are Michael and Katie Manuel and we are the proud parents to 5 (about to be 6) amazing children. </b><b>Feeling
like our family was complete, but still desiring to make a difference
in the lives of orphans, our family decided to host a special 12 yr old
girl over the Christmas holidays. </b><b>We saw her picture and knew she was special. Her name is Hannah. She is 12 years old and rocks an extra chromosome just like our son, Carter! </b><b>We
had a plan to share her story daily so that the world could see how
amazing she is, and she could find a forever family during her time in
the U.S. Little did we know, she would steal our hearts. From day
one, both our family and this sweet girl made a life changing connection
with each other. </b><b>We also found out that she would be the very first child with Down syndrome to ever be adopted from her orphanage! </b> <b> We are so excited that a life in America is so bright and beautiful and full of opportunity for this sweet girl. </b> <b>We
are trusting the Lord for the provision to bring our daughter back home
as quickly as possible. We will actually be traveling very
soon! Funding another adoption was not the game plan for our family, but
we know the Lord will provide through overtime, fundraising, and
grants. </b><b style="text-indent: 0.25in;">We are beyond thankful for the
opportunity to adopt again, and have our friends, family, and community
rally around us with support and love. Thank you from the bottom of
our hearts!" </b></span></i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="text-indent: 0.25in;"> Y'all, isn't this awesome?! I am so excited for them and am eager to help them out! I have updated the inventory in the shop to what I have in stock. The only necklace that will be a PREORDER is the "LOVE CROSSES OCEANS" China necklace. It only seemed fitting to add it even though it's not in stock. Between now and August 21st, half of the proceeds from all orders will go to this family to help them bring home sweet Hannah. So <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/Bethelightproject?ref=seller-platform-mcnav">head on over to the shop</a> and support this family! Thank you in advance for your purchase with a purpose!!</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "comic sans ms" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="text-indent: 0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "comic sans ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "comic sans ms" , sans-serif;"> </span></span></span></span><b style="text-indent: 0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "comic sans ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "comic sans ms" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><b style="text-indent: 0.25in;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1KToPo-rcFHGOBMqXlWvXrLZHwXvI8qFRHexZX4ED0aRIV5I65bhb4G4FJ0fgN8wSwExic7xz8rcVoVUGwh2OGqe-w8k23zQXv-MWcX1jQUwfrO7emLWhBLiwQMJcWOzWqmcUihHh-X4/s1600/Lin+Xiao+Nan+3+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1KToPo-rcFHGOBMqXlWvXrLZHwXvI8qFRHexZX4ED0aRIV5I65bhb4G4FJ0fgN8wSwExic7xz8rcVoVUGwh2OGqe-w8k23zQXv-MWcX1jQUwfrO7emLWhBLiwQMJcWOzWqmcUihHh-X4/s640/Lin+Xiao+Nan+3+copy.jpg" width="480" /></a></b></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black;"><b style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "abadi mt condensed light" , serif , "emojifont"; font-size: 14pt;"><br />
</span></b></span></span>A Pocket Full of Sunshinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11929946828657486605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6709538114768971080.post-61128127246301859172017-06-20T14:09:00.007-07:002017-06-20T14:14:00.581-07:00Meet the ManuelsY'all, look at this face!!!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-1XYkh5tVmj5R8GorJetVpT7ngjbSf6xDQSyYWw-uGQTiixwqcPPetm8vJ_Qyv57SVnQjdNhLwS6Qer3rqRKG4OCgFcpimm_lEhWtk060Nk9OjhYWhsHeRgNji5N_AFzBkU5GuYiEX-g/s1600/henrybw.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-1XYkh5tVmj5R8GorJetVpT7ngjbSf6xDQSyYWw-uGQTiixwqcPPetm8vJ_Qyv57SVnQjdNhLwS6Qer3rqRKG4OCgFcpimm_lEhWtk060Nk9OjhYWhsHeRgNji5N_AFzBkU5GuYiEX-g/s640/henrybw.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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This is Henry! Isn't he precious?! He has a forever family that hopes to have him in their arms by the end of the summer. They are the Manuels...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbf73PcEur8ltIDCJiw3otuh9PUyDGzO-0ewNsxCCxScxehyC1ULJXwpl3LMfNsj77HMW64_8NdCYALUj8yqh9Gheepqt4HSYK9oa5mOV7LAW078mHRSYP6HYHFZacRoPRYxgYh5RbtkY/s1600/Manuels+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1245" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbf73PcEur8ltIDCJiw3otuh9PUyDGzO-0ewNsxCCxScxehyC1ULJXwpl3LMfNsj77HMW64_8NdCYALUj8yqh9Gheepqt4HSYK9oa5mOV7LAW078mHRSYP6HYHFZacRoPRYxgYh5RbtkY/s640/Manuels+1.jpg" width="498" /></a></div>
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And here is what they had to say about their adoption:<br />
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"An international
adoption was something I've always said that I personally wouldn't do.
Too much paperwork, the expense, the time and energy....but over the
last 3 years, adoption has grown stronger and stronger in the hearts of
all our family members. We hoped if we ignored it, the idea would
just go away (and we prayed it would) Then in September 2016, we
finally surrendered to God's continuous, persistent voice and took the
first step of finding a local in-state adoption agency but all the doors
were closed so we timidly and with extreme caution, checked out an
adoption from China and the doors were thrown wide open. And I can say
that since that time in September, not one obstacle has blocked this
path towards adoption. We were quickly matched in November with a
little boy, Henry Joshua, who will be turning 2 in Fall 2017. And now, we will be traveling in late summer 2017 to pick him up and we can't wait to meet him.<br />
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I chose the quote "Love is Brave" for our necklace, because I feel like my Christian life hasn't been very brave. I have done a
lot of ministry and taken risks, tried new things, traveled to
countries but have never actually stepped out in complete scary faith,
obeying God's voice and done something that didn't really seem to fit
into my plans or make sense. We've seen adoption to be extremely
costly, painful, emotionally taxing to families, so it took us about
three years to really submit and get over our fear and step out in faith
and love, no matter what the cost will be. However, as we have
stepped out in faith, God has come alongside of us and eased our fear
and reassured us every step of the way. I can honestly say that I am
not the same person I was last year at this time. </div>
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Adoption is definitely a huge leap of faith. It is challenging, but so rewarding. We want to help Mindy & John with their remaining adoption costs, so we have designed this "Love is Brave" necklace. Half of its proceeds will be donated to the Manuel family. Would you please consider helping them bring home sweet Henry? Just visit <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/bethelightproject" target="_blank">our shop</a> to make your purchase with a purpose. Thank you so much, and God bless you!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0ymSKKSoOYG5TI_D_lBYcmZxMYMC7JOg1CpGQc3ox_M9W9i5t_TxTMgx3NuBab3jyc-lCNSWQh3KAYm4w_LvbvnY_QDC0IDd-moPY3g4Ug1bq9YYc44kQqTqX2fL7N87rHJFeceldHAQ/s1600/IMG_7579+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0ymSKKSoOYG5TI_D_lBYcmZxMYMC7JOg1CpGQc3ox_M9W9i5t_TxTMgx3NuBab3jyc-lCNSWQh3KAYm4w_LvbvnY_QDC0IDd-moPY3g4Ug1bq9YYc44kQqTqX2fL7N87rHJFeceldHAQ/s640/IMG_7579+copy.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Also, if you would like to further support this family, please visit <a href="https://gracehavenhome.com/give/">www.Gracehavenhome.com</a> and specify that you are giving to John & Mindy Manuel.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisqEIFUyPjNQtOuSN1zPKA0EDUkp8WIFpFL-Ga3gL_aCDxKOH15I2x2NGHN47uUB3o68tBSAJ7ODRte16dqZzALYOY8UXphIdAKNrzTLhMyXgowrwafCx2o_WrzfU1hENC5ymjaQZZMeA/s1600/OP+Update+-+Shi+En+Rui+%2528Ford%2529+-++6-15-2017+%25283%2529+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="943" data-original-width="707" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisqEIFUyPjNQtOuSN1zPKA0EDUkp8WIFpFL-Ga3gL_aCDxKOH15I2x2NGHN47uUB3o68tBSAJ7ODRte16dqZzALYOY8UXphIdAKNrzTLhMyXgowrwafCx2o_WrzfU1hENC5ymjaQZZMeA/s640/OP+Update+-+Shi+En+Rui+%2528Ford%2529+-++6-15-2017+%25283%2529+copy.jpg" width="478" /></a></div>
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A Pocket Full of Sunshinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11929946828657486605noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6709538114768971080.post-7059599712477034892017-05-23T15:04:00.002-07:002017-05-23T15:15:14.924-07:00The Gibson Family FundraiserHello friends! This next fundraiser we are launching is for a cause that is very near and dear to my heart. We want to show support to The Gibsons, a local family whose daughter was diagnosed with a rare brain tumor towards the end of last year.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIFxg29du1iCfC7OBInu_kFiQBime3A0-5-30j_oDU2BZY3FJ-rRoTNhzirOSf3TCbTh4u7EFy7yvcVAd-2O2CHhhUv53mzByWaxFLz1nj5b1cRvd-3w9ZmXGuhB0Jkkg8jIfOqIB5XcU/s1600/DSC_0356+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIFxg29du1iCfC7OBInu_kFiQBime3A0-5-30j_oDU2BZY3FJ-rRoTNhzirOSf3TCbTh4u7EFy7yvcVAd-2O2CHhhUv53mzByWaxFLz1nj5b1cRvd-3w9ZmXGuhB0Jkkg8jIfOqIB5XcU/s640/DSC_0356+copy.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I recently had the privilege of meeting and photographing this sweet family. I was very inspired by them and admire their strength and joy during this time. I asked them to share some of their story, and here is what they had to say...<br />
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"<i>Emilie is our amazing 9 year-old girl and best friend to her big brother, Alex. She began to have headaches over the summer while swimming and we eventually made our way to a neurologist who ordered an MRI.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>On September 9th she had her MRI and within an hour we got the results no parent should ever get and immediately headed up to the hospital. Emilie had a rare brain tumor called a DIPG (Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma).</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>We quickly learned that pediatric brain tumors are now the #1 cancer killers of kids and DIPGs are the worst. 50% of children with DIPGs do not make it 9-12 months past diagnosis. We were lucky in that after a biopsy at University Health in Shreveport, 6 weeks of radiation at St. Jude in Memphis, and 5 weeks of immunotherapy in San Francisco, her tumor shrank around 60%. </i><br />
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<i><br /></i>
<i>In our every three week trips to continue immunotherapy, we try to make the shot experience as painless as possible through crazy hats that Emilie delights in making the entire family wear. Due to this, she has accumulated a large collection and once received a few smiles while wearing a bunny eared hat through airport security.</i><br />
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<i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJYrS_bxGA0q-PhQDoNq3rmufGL3IKL3R8AnxXZrs2k-IKlnEZzIX4XV-PC37UFa0wic1Bo_BsBY2GesolzvZ3Eym7iKmCBPEL6W3_PAVi4Zwwkyg5IgoSgPvoDVqvrugE7lxghrpOdXk/s1600/DSC_0648+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJYrS_bxGA0q-PhQDoNq3rmufGL3IKL3R8AnxXZrs2k-IKlnEZzIX4XV-PC37UFa0wic1Bo_BsBY2GesolzvZ3Eym7iKmCBPEL6W3_PAVi4Zwwkyg5IgoSgPvoDVqvrugE7lxghrpOdXk/s640/DSC_0648+copy.jpg" width="640" /></a></i></div>
<i><br /></i>
<i>San Francisco has become part of our drive to make as many special moments as we can through food trucks, a trip to Alcatraz, and multiple visits to the sea lions, and Emilie never disappoints with her sweet, witty, crazy, and dancing disposition. She has held her brother’s hand all through wizarding at Harry Potter World in Orlando, has thrown the first pitch at Airline High School’s softball game, and has raced in a car simulator at the Bossier sheriff’s station. </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Then there is our everyday life which is filled with friends and family along with her competitive spirit during favorite card and dice games such as Qwixx. </i><br />
<i> A regular week involves mostly school and her greatest passion, swimming, which is where our family motto has evolved: <b>Just Keep Swimming</b>. </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>The shadow of DIPG hangs over our family, but Emilie’s name means “rival,” making her a fighter who will continue to fight. We have all been forever changed by the events in this past year, and we keep moving forward with an additional reminder to “Never Tell Us The Odds” and to come out the other side swinging.</i>" <br />
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The Gibsons are taking life one day at a time and making the best of each moment. Having been through a very similar situation with my own family, I know the financial struggle that can come during a time like this. We want to try and help! I asked them which necklace they would like for me to design for them, and they chose Emilie's motto "Just Keep Swimming".<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1iXz2OdnnAw0NUnw9WApTK0wDqmz9KSQHZGPo9OfK_DsiGC56n7oyzlu-aEAh_7RFp9ligr2zyaSJ1unJeZL-etUiTHLLWvPFy0NbfHiPNz0IfkujVKJZv4Pe3f4oKjEeaR_4ZHqbu6E/s1600/IMG_5358%25281%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1iXz2OdnnAw0NUnw9WApTK0wDqmz9KSQHZGPo9OfK_DsiGC56n7oyzlu-aEAh_7RFp9ligr2zyaSJ1unJeZL-etUiTHLLWvPFy0NbfHiPNz0IfkujVKJZv4Pe3f4oKjEeaR_4ZHqbu6E/s640/IMG_5358%25281%2529.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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This necklace has recently been added to <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/bethelightproject" target="_blank">the shop</a> and is available for PREORDER. From now until June 18th half of all proceeds from not only this necklace, but ALL online sales will be donated to the Gibson family to help with their expenses as they travel back in forth from Louisiana to California. Please consider purchasing a necklace and helping them!<br />
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Also, you can follow their journey on their <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Friends-of-Emilie-Gibson-338302953173924/" target="_blank">Facebook page, "Friends of Emilie Gibson"</a>. If you would like to further support them, you can visit their <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/emilies-cure" target="_blank">Go Fund Me page</a>.<br />
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They have also been inspired to create the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/nwlachildhoodcancer/" target="_blank">NWLA Childhood Cancer Awareness page</a> on Facebook to help other families traveling similar journeys to not feel so alone. <br />
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Thank you so much for your support! Please keep Emilie and her family in your prayers.<br />
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<br />A Pocket Full of Sunshinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11929946828657486605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6709538114768971080.post-54336556145350205912017-03-14T12:06:00.000-07:002017-03-14T12:29:07.552-07:00<div style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">On March 21, we will celebrate World Down Syndrome Day. This is a day to create global awareness for people who rock an extra chromosome. We want to show the world how valuable their lives are and how they are more alike than different!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 17pt;"><span style="font-size: small;">Throughout our journey with Deacon, we have met some amazing people and families in the Down Syndrome community. One of those families is the Job family. This family has recently begun the process of adopting a little girl from China with DS. I reached out to Sasha and asked her to share her story. Here's what she had to say:</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">"We're the Job
family - mom, dad, Annicka, Jericho, Liam, and Zoey! A little bit about
us: we're a little crazy, we laugh a lot, and we love big! </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDLXVA09nhXsgPYa7jAgB8pzv4NxY-VpSrcgmVW9Msf_Upu5esYCLQrwD-I9bSZoxb_K2OW0Qel1Im23pXyrykeV9KHcsxhCz2WrQY4J0Ju_1a8HYruj508OfMEYSNJimDM2HLDVPSNRo/s1600/image3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDLXVA09nhXsgPYa7jAgB8pzv4NxY-VpSrcgmVW9Msf_Upu5esYCLQrwD-I9bSZoxb_K2OW0Qel1Im23pXyrykeV9KHcsxhCz2WrQY4J0Ju_1a8HYruj508OfMEYSNJimDM2HLDVPSNRo/s640/image3.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">In January 2010
Zoey (our fourth biological child) entered the world, complete with a
broken heart and an extra chromosome. (She had a congenital heart
defect and has Down syndrome.) Parenting her has
been life changing in ways we never could have imagined! We get to see
the world through her eyes, and let me tell you - the view is amazing!
Having a child with Down syndrome has opened our eyes and our hearts
... it's been an absolute blessing!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">For years we have
talked about adoption, always thinking it would be a part of our lives
"some day". That day came sooner than expected, when one day in
November I saw sweet "Angel" on <a href="http://reecesrainbow.org/" target="_blank">Reece's Rainbow</a> ... I can't quite explain it, but I knew immediately that I was her
mama!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">"Angel" (or "Little sister", as we affectionately call her - for now) also has Down syndrome and a congenital heart defect!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">It has been
incredible to see God's hand over this journey. He was working on this
before we realized, but looking back we can see it. He put some pieces
together ahead of time. He opened eyes and
hearts. He provided peace as we grappled with how we would come up
with the finances to bring our girl home to us, her family! </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">It was a leap of
faith, we knew we needed to just jump, so we did! What a beautiful
journey it has become, already we have been blown away with support of
all kinds! Prayers lifted for us, many rallying
behind us with love and excitement, participation in our fundraisers,
monetary donations! We are climbing that mountain. The big, scary
financial mountain! There will be stumbles, perhaps even falls - but
we're halfway and that's astounding! We still don't
know how all the finances are going to come together, but we are
trusting God that everything will fall into place!"</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">The Job family has </span><span style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">been working very hard putting
together online auctions and other fundraisers to help bring their daughter home. This month we would like to support
them and try to help lift some of that financial burden. We have just added this "Be the Change You Wish to See in the World." necklace to the shop and from now til the end of March, half of the proceeds from this necklace will be donated to the Jobs. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: ".sfuitext";"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">This family truly is being the change, and you can too by supporting them! So <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/bethelightproject" target="_blank">head on over </a>now and get yours!</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">You can also visit their <a href="http://reecesrainbow.org/117127/sponsorjob" target="_blank">daughter's page on Reece's Rainbow</a> to find out more and donate extra. Thank you so much for your support!! </span></span></div>
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</span></span>A Pocket Full of Sunshinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11929946828657486605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6709538114768971080.post-41467621565024765342017-02-06T18:03:00.003-08:002017-02-06T18:11:10.667-08:00Meet the Forbes<div class="gmail_default">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="background-color: #f6f4ee;">This month I am happy to announce that we are supporting Jacob and Allison Forbes as they begin growing their family through adoption. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="background-color: #f6f4ee;">Allison reached out to me through a mutual friend, and here is what she had to say...</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="background-color: #f6f4ee;">"During
engagement and the early parts of our marriage, Jacob and I loved
dreaming of our future together. We talked of adventures, shared hopes
and dreams, and the desire to start a family someday. Adoption was
always on our radar but we expected that we would have biological
children first. In the midst of our fertility struggles, we talked more
seriously about adoption and God shifted our hearts towards it more and
more. I realized that my deep desire was to be a mother and that
pregnancy wasn’t the only way for that to be possible. We prayed, had a
lot of conversations, sought wise council and did a bunch of research
and came to the decision to pursue adoption right now. We are excited
about this opportunity and feel that adoption reflects the Gospel in a
uniquely beautiful way. We are pursuing an infant, domestic adoption
through Faithful Adoption Consultants. We are open to a little boy or
girl and it will be so fun to see what God blesses us with! Through this
whole process, we are seeking to trust the Lord fully with all of the
pieces and we cling to the promises in these verses:</span></span></div>
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="background-color: #f6f4ee;">Psalm 37:3-7 "</span>Trust in the <span class="m_-1898341979184377563gmail-small-caps" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-caps: small-caps; font-variant-numeric: normal;">Lord</span>, and do good, </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">Delight yourself in the </span><span class="m_-1898341979184377563gmail-small-caps" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "georgia" , serif;">Lord </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">and he will </span><span class="m_-1898341979184377563gmail-crossreference" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "georgia" , serif; line-height: 22px; vertical-align: top;"></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">give you the desires of your heart. </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">Commit your way to the </span><span class="m_-1898341979184377563gmail-small-caps" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "georgia" , serif;">Lord</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">;</span><span class="m_-1898341979184377563gmail-indent-1-breaks" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "georgia" , serif; line-height: 0;"> </span><span class="m_-1898341979184377563gmail-text m_-1898341979184377563gmail-Ps-37-5" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span class="m_-1898341979184377563gmail-crossreference" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 22px; vertical-align: top;"></span>trust in him, and he will act. </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">He will bring forth your righteousness as the light </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">and your justice as </span><span class="m_-1898341979184377563gmail-crossreference" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "georgia" , serif; line-height: 22px; vertical-align: top;"></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">the noonday. </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">Be still before the </span><span class="m_-1898341979184377563gmail-small-caps" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "georgia" , serif;">Lord</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"> and wait patiently for him."</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">You can help this sweet couple by purchasing the "Delight yourself in The Lord" necklace pictured below. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNogtr5XQhEXJHRHjhslhpjn3tPoH5q5eKDV8laayRZZDGvSlYZ2mQN9sIrUHK44-xgZty9hHznH7nkr_qXqu57Xm8nsyiNTyJB5eWu5dFnEFX9YwUwuFIJ2RX0AUAYnQJi3NXbq6JXSc/s1600/image1%25281%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNogtr5XQhEXJHRHjhslhpjn3tPoH5q5eKDV8laayRZZDGvSlYZ2mQN9sIrUHK44-xgZty9hHznH7nkr_qXqu57Xm8nsyiNTyJB5eWu5dFnEFX9YwUwuFIJ2RX0AUAYnQJi3NXbq6JXSc/s640/image1%25281%2529.JPG" width="640" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">Half of the proceeds from this necklace will be donated to the Forbes to help with their remaining $10,000 in adoption fees. <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/Bethelightproject?ref=hdr_shop_menu" target="_blank">Visit the shop </a>to purchase yours and help support this family!</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">You can read more about Jacob and Allison by <a href="http://forbesadoption.weebly.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">visiting </span>their blog</a>. <span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">Also, if you would like to make <span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">a<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">dditional</span> donations, plea<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">se<a href="https://www.youcaring.com/jacob-allison-forbes-667650" target="_blank"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"> </span></span>visit their<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"> <span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">You<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">Caring</span></span> </span></span></span>fundraising page</a>.</span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">Thank you so much for your support!!!</span></span>A Pocket Full of Sunshinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11929946828657486605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6709538114768971080.post-40860536537969983992016-12-01T11:59:00.005-08:002016-12-01T21:49:59.094-08:00Waiting for WillowThis month I would like to introduce you to the Richardson Family.<div><img id="id_29be_a040_f248_9eb7" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6eNxTrAgFifBUPi2LL_5TCiQyVW1G6U5KEYGWmBmsb15hLlDWtLcYrsefPXLMm4t6nWhlhWPrDLrNO7VQHzrUOQIqIa382AhYROOTfZ2octG4EiMUjyn5kq0YdOu13xIPHPyV44hlLe0/" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"> <br><div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; font-size: 12pt;">I connected with Brooke first through an online support group for parents of children with Down Syndrome and then through Instagram. We realized we had lots in common and only lived about three hours apart. Her family is in the process of adopting a little girl from China with Down Syndrome, and we want to help! This month half of the proceeds from all of our sales will be going to this sweet family to help them bring their daughter, Willow, home. I have asked Brooke to share her story with you, and this is what she had to say...</span></div><div>
<div class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"><span class="s3" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); color: black; font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 25.200000762939453px;"><br></span></span></div><div class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"><font face="Arial"><span class="s3" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); color: black; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 25.200000762939453px;">"Hi. This is the Richardson crew and counting. </span></span><span class="s3" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); color: black; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 25.200000762939453px;">My name is Brooke and my husband</span></span><span class="s3" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); color: black; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 25.200000762939453px;">’s name is Tyler. We have 3 children</span></span><span class="s3" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); color: black; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 25.200000762939453px;">; </span></span><span class="s3" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); color: black; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 25.200000762939453px;">Aide</span></span><span class="s3" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); color: black; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 25.200000762939453px;">n</span></span><span class="s3" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); color: black; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 25.200000762939453px;"> (7) Cooper (5) and Libby (2) and we live in our favorite city ever</span></span><span class="s3" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); color: black; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 25.200000762939453px;">, </span></span><span class="s3" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); color: black; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 25.200000762939453px;">McKinney, TX. </span></span><span class="s3" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); color: black; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 25.200000762939453px;"> We are in the process of adopting </span></span><span class="s3" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); color: black; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 25.200000762939453px;">a little girl </span></span><span class="s3" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); color: black; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 25.200000762939453px;">from China and are hoping </span></span><span class="s3" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); color: black; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 25.200000762939453px;">we can wrap our arms around her</span></span><span class="s3" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); color: black; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 25.200000762939453px;"> someti</span></span><span class="s3" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); color: black; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 25.200000762939453px;">me</span></span><span class="s3" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); color: black; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 25.200000762939453px;"> in March or April of 2017.</span></span><span class="s3" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); color: black; line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 25.200000762939453px;"> The wait has been tough but she is so incredibly worth it! </span></span><br></font></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><font face="Arial"><span class="s3" style="line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 25.200000762939453px;">My husband and I prayed about adoption for a while and then God really laid it upon our hearts to adopt a child with special needs. More specifically</span></span><span class="s3" style="line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 25.200000762939453px;">, </span></span><span class="s3" style="line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 25.200000762939453px;">down</span></span><span class="s3" style="line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 25.200000762939453px;"> syndrome. We knew how great the need was in China for children with </span></span><span class="s3" style="line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 25.200000762939453px;">down</span></span><span class="s3" style="line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 25.200000762939453px;">syndrome and we felt confident God was leading us in that direction.</span></span><span class="s3" style="line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 25.200000762939453px;"> </span></span></font></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><font face="Arial"><span class="s3" style="line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 25.200000762939453px;">Back up to Jan</span></span><span class="s3" style="line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 25.200000762939453px;">uary</span></span><span class="s3" style="line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 25.200000762939453px;"> of this year when </span></span><span class="s3" style="line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 25.200000762939453px;">God had pressed upon </span></span><span class="s3" style="line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 25.200000762939453px;">my heart </span></span><span class="s3" style="line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 25.200000762939453px;">the name </span></span><span class="s3" style="line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 25.200000762939453px;">Willow</span></span><span class="s3" style="line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 25.200000762939453px;">. </span></span><span class="s3" style="line-height: 16.799999237060547px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 25.200000762939453px;">I quickly looked up a Willow tree to see what the meaning was. </span></span></font></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><font face="Arial"><span class="s5" style="line-height: 15.600000381469727px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 23.399999618530273px;"> First off, </span></span><span class="s5" style="line-height: 15.600000381469727px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 23.399999618530273px;">its</span></span><span class="s5" style="line-height: 15.600000381469727px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 23.399999618530273px;"> native to China but they are found in many other regions of the world today (including the United States). They are very feminine, pretty and most of all they are extremely strong as they can withstand harsh weather conditions. The branches can bend a great deal and not break. After reading this, I knew our daughters name would be Willow. It was perfect. A beautiful little girl, from China coming to her forever home in the States but leaving everything she has ever known and going through m</span></span><span class="s5" style="line-height: 15.600000381469727px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 23.399999618530273px;">ajor changes and trauma in order to find her forever family.</span></span><span class="s5" style="line-height: 15.600000381469727px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 23.399999618530273px;"> It would most likely be hard on her but she would be strong as she has already been so brave in the life she has lived so far. </span></span></font></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><font face="Arial"><span class="s5" style="line-height: 15.600000381469727px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 23.399999618530273px;">From then on, I dreamed </span></span><span class="s5" style="line-height: 15.600000381469727px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 23.399999618530273px;">of Willow and </span></span><span class="s5" style="line-height: 15.600000381469727px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 23.399999618530273px;">thought about her non-stop. I wondered how old she was or if she was even born yet. </span></span><span class="s5" style="line-height: 15.600000381469727px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 23.399999618530273px;">SO many thoughts about her wondered through my head. </span></span></font></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><font face="Arial"><span class="s5" style="line-height: 15.600000381469727px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 23.399999618530273px;">On July 19, 2016, I was just scrolling through </span></span><span class="s5" style="line-height: 15.600000381469727px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 23.399999618530273px;">facebook</span></span><span class="s5" style="line-height: 15.600000381469727px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 23.399999618530273px;"> one day an</span></span><span class="s5" style="line-height: 15.600000381469727px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 23.399999618530273px;">d</span></span><span class="s5" style="line-height: 15.600000381469727px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 23.399999618530273px;"> I saw the sweetest </span></span><span class="s5" style="line-height: 15.600000381469727px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 23.399999618530273px;">little face of girl who loo</span></span><span class="s5" style="line-height: 15.600000381469727px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 23.399999618530273px;">ked so incredibly familiar</span></span><span class="s5" style="line-height: 15.600000381469727px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 23.399999618530273px;">. In China, they did not refer to her as Willow but as soon as I saw her</span></span><span class="s5" style="line-height: 15.600000381469727px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 23.399999618530273px;">…</span></span><span class="s5" style="line-height: 15.600000381469727px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 23.399999618530273px;">I knew. I will never forget the exact feeling I had </span></span><span class="s5" style="line-height: 15.600000381469727px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 23.399999618530273px;">when I</span></span><span class="s5" style="line-height: 15.600000381469727px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 23.399999618530273px;"> saw her first picture. </span></span><span class="s5" style="line-height: 15.600000381469727px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 23.399999618530273px;">Overwhelmed. Speechless. Tears. E</span></span><span class="s5" style="line-height: 15.600000381469727px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 23.399999618530273px;">xcitement</span></span><span class="s5" style="line-height: 15.600000381469727px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 23.399999618530273px;">. Nerves. </span></span><span class="s5" style="line-height: 15.600000381469727px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 23.399999618530273px;">She was Willow! That was </span></span><span class="s5" style="line-height: 15.600000381469727px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 23.399999618530273px;">her</span></span><span class="s5" style="line-height: 15.600000381469727px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 23.399999618530273px;">! I could feel it so deep inside that she was our daughter. I didn</span></span><span class="s5" style="line-height: 15.600000381469727px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 23.399999618530273px;">’</span></span><span class="s5" style="line-height: 15.600000381469727px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 23.399999618530273px;">t even realize it when I saw her picture, but I learned that she did have </span></span><span class="s5" style="line-height: 15.600000381469727px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 23.399999618530273px;">down</span></span><span class="s5" style="line-height: 15.600000381469727px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 23.399999618530273px;"> syndrome. The more and more I learned </span></span><span class="s5" style="line-height: 15.600000381469727px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 23.399999618530273px;">about </span></span><span class="s5" style="line-height: 15.600000381469727px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 23.399999618530273px;">her,</span></span><span class="s5" style="line-height: 15.600000381469727px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 23.399999618530273px;"> the mo</span></span><span class="s5" style="line-height: 15.600000381469727px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 23.399999618530273px;">re I fell in love. </span></span><span class="s5" style="line-height: 15.600000381469727px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 23.399999618530273px;">She is </span></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6709538114768971080" name="_GoBack"></a><span class="s5" style="line-height: 15.600000381469727px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 23.399999618530273px;">2.5 years old </span></span><span class="s5" style="line-height: 15.600000381469727px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 23.399999618530273px;">although</span></span><span class="s5" style="line-height: 15.600000381469727px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 23.399999618530273px;"> looks much younger. </span></span><span class="s5" style="line-height: 15.600000381469727px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 23.399999618530273px;">It wasn</span></span><span class="s5" style="line-height: 15.600000381469727px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 23.399999618530273px;">’</span></span><span class="s5" style="line-height: 15.600000381469727px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 23.399999618530273px;">t so simple though to just say Yes right then. </span></span></font></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><font face="Arial"><span class="s5" style="line-height: 15.600000381469727px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 23.399999618530273px;">My </span></span><span class="s5" style="line-height: 15.600000381469727px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 23.399999618530273px;">husband</span></span><span class="s5" style="line-height: 15.600000381469727px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 23.399999618530273px;"> Tyler was about to leave on a medical mission trip to Zambia, Africa for a couple weeks so I knew we had to wait till he returned to really discuss and pray about her. </span></span><span class="s5" style="line-height: 15.600000381469727px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 23.399999618530273px;">This was our first adoption and we did not have first hand </span></span><span class="s5" style="line-height: 15.600000381469727px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 23.399999618530273px;">experience</span></span><span class="s5" style="line-height: 15.600000381469727px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 23.399999618530273px;">with </span></span><span class="s5" style="line-height: 15.600000381469727px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 23.399999618530273px;">down</span></span><span class="s5" style="line-height: 15.600000381469727px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 23.399999618530273px;"> syndrome so at this point we were still a little nervous. We still are nervous in some </span></span><span class="s5" style="line-height: 15.600000381469727px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 23.399999618530273px;">regard,</span></span><span class="s5" style="line-height: 15.600000381469727px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 23.399999618530273px;"></span></span><span class="s5" style="line-height: 15.600000381469727px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 23.399999618530273px;">saying</span></span><span class="s5" style="line-height: 15.600000381469727px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 23.399999618530273px;"> yes to a</span></span><span class="s5" style="line-height: 15.600000381469727px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 23.399999618530273px;">doption alone is a huge leap of faith. There are a lot of unknowns. With that said though, we are so incredibly confident that Willow is ours and we are already bursting out the seams with Joy!</span></span></font></span></span></div><div class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"><img id="id_cfe3_4a12_10e_786d" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA2zyp8ruNDqMD5IOtEGAhS2wxsyQjwAaH8Fh4pqSd4GMBshuWnczIYOsUoS9x8DwNXsKD1kI7WcbgObNgOMTNzTaAB6WFw6RV8iyn9aleoO7CZyQHJavyboNRPrckIoYV7RAkv3XOwBY/" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"> <span style="color: black;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><font face="Arial"><span class="s5" style="line-height: 15.600000381469727px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 23.399999618530273px;"><br></span></span></font></span></span></div><div class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"><span class="s5" style="font-family: Arial; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); line-height: 15.600000381469727px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 23.399999618530273px;">Less than a week after Tyler returned home, we sent our Letter of Intent in for her and began our home</span></span><span class="s5" style="font-family: Arial; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); line-height: 15.600000381469727px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 23.399999618530273px;"></span></span><span class="s5" style="font-family: Arial; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); line-height: 15.600000381469727px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 23.399999618530273px;">study. We did everything as quickly as possible and are ecstatic to have our Dossier (all of our adoption paperwork) sent to China. That</span></span><span class="s5" style="font-family: Arial; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); line-height: 15.600000381469727px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 23.399999618530273px;">’</span></span><span class="s5" style="font-family: Arial; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); line-height: 15.600000381469727px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 23.399999618530273px;">s such a huge step to get through. Most of what we can control on our end is over. Now we just pray for the process to keep moving along as quickly and as smoothly as </span></span><span class="s5" style="font-family: Arial; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); line-height: 15.600000381469727px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 23.399999618530273px;">possible</span></span><span class="s5" style="font-family: Arial; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); line-height: 15.600000381469727px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 23.399999618530273px;">. We know God is in Contro</span></span><span class="s5" style="font-family: Arial; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); line-height: 15.600000381469727px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 23.399999618530273px;">l and we trust him through every </span></span><span class="s5" style="font-family: Arial; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); line-height: 15.600000381469727px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 23.399999618530273px;">step of the way. There have been bumps but they just keep making us stronger and more willing to work harder to bring her to her forever family. </span></span><span class="s5" style="font-family: Arial; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); line-height: 15.600000381469727px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 23.399999618530273px;">She deserves to have all the love in the world from a family who will be by her side always. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><font face="Arial"><span class="s5" style="line-height: 15.600000381469727px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 23.399999618530273px;">Our family and friends have been an incredible support system as well</span></span><span class="s5" style="line-height: 15.600000381469727px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 23.399999618530273px;">.</span></span><span class="s5" style="line-height: 15.600000381469727px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 23.399999618530273px;"> </span></span><span class="s5" style="line-height: 15.600000381469727px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 23.399999618530273px;">To others </span></span><span class="s5" style="line-height: 15.600000381469727px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 23.399999618530273px;">whom barely know us</span></span><span class="s5" style="line-height: 15.600000381469727px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 23.399999618530273px;">, I</span></span><span class="s5" style="line-height: 15.600000381469727px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 23.399999618530273px;">’</span></span><span class="s5" style="line-height: 15.600000381469727px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 23.399999618530273px;">m speechless by your generosity and </span></span><span class="s5" style="line-height: 15.600000381469727px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 23.399999618530273px;">encouragement</span></span><span class="s5" style="line-height: 15.600000381469727px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 23.399999618530273px;"> as well. </span></span><span class="s5" style="line-height: 15.600000381469727px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 23.399999618530273px;">Thank you! W</span></span><span class="s5" style="line-height: 15.600000381469727px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 23.399999618530273px;">hat a blessing </span></span><span class="s5" style="line-height: 15.600000381469727px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 23.399999618530273px;">social media </span></span><span class="s5" style="line-height: 15.600000381469727px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 23.399999618530273px;">has been to connect us with other families whom </span></span><span class="s5" style="line-height: 15.600000381469727px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 23.399999618530273px;">have walked these steps before us. We are so grateful for ever</span></span><span class="s5" style="line-height: 15.600000381469727px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 23.399999618530273px;">yone praying for our family. </span></span><span class="s5" style="line-height: 15.600000381469727px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 23.399999618530273px;">The encouragement and prayers are definitely carrying</span></span><span class="s5" style="line-height: 15.600000381469727px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 23.399999618530273px;"> us through. </span></span></font></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><font face="Arial"><span class="s5" style="line-height: 15.600000381469727px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 23.399999618530273px;">To follow more of our journey you can do so at </span></span><span class="s6" style="line-height: 15.600000381469727px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 23.399999618530273px;"><a href="http://www.lovetherichardsonlife@blogspot.com/">www.lovetherichardsonlife@blogspot.com</a> "</span></span></font></span></span></div><div class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"><br></div><div class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">If you would like to be a part of helping this family bring their daughter home, please <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/Bethelightproject" id="id_a99d_5946_e0a7_5b8c" target="_blank">visit our shop</a> We typically only keep available items in stock, but for a short time, we have listed the majority of our necklace designs and are taking PREORDERS. These items will ship on or before December 17th. </div><div class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> </div><div class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">Our necklaces make great inspirational gifts, and what better way to Christmas shop than to make purchases with a purpose! </div><div class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"><br></div><div class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"><img id="id_e22e_4c8d_db1b_eb83" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4P4XKnJ94D994W_vG8iPL2Ew-N5ZbYzQqX22DqSifOkovr6e83cZBPYaMxNK6rUqd_zJLcV7mjH5CmGBYjsUDgWyKTG-sE1iM0CPbx8KE2-VnivcoD5tM9ropueVTOAawlQNzUr0FFSo/" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 353px; height: auto;"> <br></div><div class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"><br></div><div class="s2" style="text-align: center; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">Merry Christmas, Friends!</div><div class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"><br></div><div class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">(**Brooke's local friends and family are invited to come shop her home show on December 11th from 2-4.)</div><div class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"><br></div><div class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"><br></div><div class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span class="s6" style="line-height: 15.600000381469727px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 23.399999618530273px;"><br></span></span></span></span></div><div class="s2" style="line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.301961); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span class="s6" style="line-height: 15.600000381469727px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="line-height: 23.399999618530273px;"><br></span></span></span></span></div>
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</div></div>A Pocket Full of Sunshinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11929946828657486605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6709538114768971080.post-48021717074609895482016-09-08T10:01:00.001-07:002016-09-08T11:33:31.527-07:00Meet the GlasgowsOne of the reasons I love social media is the friends that I have made from all over the country. When you have a child with special needs, having an online community full of people who "get it" makes you feel like you are not alone. I have met so many Moms that have children with Down Syndrome through Instagram, and all of them are amazing. I am so thankful for the relationships we have developed as a result of our precious children. One of those friends is Mollie Glasgow. Mollie is the mother of three beautiful girls and has a precious son named Fox waiting for her in China.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH5hsRo1WyMDnEQgNNBbnIJR_Lc_q16COvJmzUwXMVCww9hAGhql209Sri3X0ZJaZwoU9o3lqMN5HhuYPAcq3sPQvvB0j060k8epMykcFBtDo-BOGavyg30mEMX-V6jeUxlCIJpufOY_k/s1600/IMG_5695-2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH5hsRo1WyMDnEQgNNBbnIJR_Lc_q16COvJmzUwXMVCww9hAGhql209Sri3X0ZJaZwoU9o3lqMN5HhuYPAcq3sPQvvB0j060k8epMykcFBtDo-BOGavyg30mEMX-V6jeUxlCIJpufOY_k/s640/IMG_5695-2.JPG" width="622" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyWjq3z6wvVE9M03LxhyphenhyphenOYYTsP7G1H7dNDknIghJmK2EBDomMiJKDWyCPiAPQFHkP9WEhMccbv6_PF9-20tQXpcnlF1B_BDoMZ_i-1Zt04hxrSOpkc5XjJU61zzBqCfO9wPQUlfbUBZ6c/s1600/IMG_0440-2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="630" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyWjq3z6wvVE9M03LxhyphenhyphenOYYTsP7G1H7dNDknIghJmK2EBDomMiJKDWyCPiAPQFHkP9WEhMccbv6_PF9-20tQXpcnlF1B_BDoMZ_i-1Zt04hxrSOpkc5XjJU61zzBqCfO9wPQUlfbUBZ6c/s640/IMG_0440-2.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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If you follow us on Instagram you have seen his sweet face come across our feed. This month we want to help them raise the remaining funds needed bring Little Fox home. I asked Mollie to share some of her story, and this is what she had to say...<br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;">"We are the Glasgows!
Jarrod, Mollie, Willow, Wren, and Pippa. We are in the process of
adopting our son, Fox, from China. Adoption has always been something
our family has been drawn to. After the birth of our second daughter,
Wren, who was born with Down Syndrome, we felt God specifically calling
us to adopt a child with special needs. In many other countries,
children who are classified as “special needs” are often abandoned,
neglected, and even left to die, simply for having what are considered
to be less-than-ideal health conditions.<br /><br />We began the adoption
process in November of 2015. At that time, we had a 7 month old baby,
debt from medical bills, and zero extra room at our house. A crazy time
to begin the adopting process right!?! BUT we did not choose to adopt
because the timing was perfect, or because we were financially
prepared... we chose to adopt because God’s calling on our lives felt
urgent. God was calling us to trust His plan for our family and join Him
on an incredible and scary journey. We have had zero regret since
saying yes to adoption.<br /><br />Fox was brought into our lives through a
crazy series of events. From the first time we saw his face and heard
his story, we felt God speaking to us that this child is SO WORTHY. Fox
was born with a complex heart condition and has had to fight so many
battles, including two open heart surgeries, in his short two years of
life. Never before have I known someone more worthy of life. More worthy
to be loved. More worthy to have a family. More worthy to have someone
fight for him. More worthy of happiness. Fox is WORTHY and wanted. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">We
feel incredibly honored to be Fox's forever family. We are going to do
everything in our power to give him the life he deserves."</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: small;">Every child is worthy of love and worthy of a family. Let's help Fox get to his! You can do so by purchasing a "Worthy" necklace. They are $25 and will ship within 3 weeks of purchase. Half of the proceeds from this necklace will go to the Glasgow family<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">. They will be traveling to China in the next few months, and <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">these funds will help with their remaining adoption fee</span>s</span>. <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/477522461/worthy-adoption-fundraiser-inspirational?ref=shop_home_active_1" target="_blank">Click here</a> to visit our shop and purchase yours. </span> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMTl8uOEPJJWoIqLKh_qIMabM4zZWiZDbGehYeQNKnwLjIqM5kVxSKjT7OBVlTvOgrE5PrrBAwjJJ23Vqer4usxJAX1-6-SS2cU3_qiW813i5kLfNGpmUiq4yrSkoOJ3OKZu475GuFxHc/s1600/IMG_8850+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMTl8uOEPJJWoIqLKh_qIMabM4zZWiZDbGehYeQNKnwLjIqM5kVxSKjT7OBVlTvOgrE5PrrBAwjJJ23Vqer4usxJAX1-6-SS2cU3_qiW813i5kLfNGpmUiq4yrSkoOJ3OKZu475GuFxHc/s640/IMG_8850+copy.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">You can also visit <a href="http://www.adoptinglittleglo.com/">www.adoptinglittleglo.com</a> for more information and a link to donate more if you wish to do so. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Thank you, and God bless!! </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Andrea</span></span>A Pocket Full of Sunshinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11929946828657486605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6709538114768971080.post-76278717207698257642016-08-07T15:20:00.004-07:002016-08-07T15:20:53.405-07:00The Dickey Family FundraiserThis month, we are selling "He Makes All Things New" t-shirts to support the Dickey family. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii-4qAnDCdwnhUBWQj1QxJZgaGBdh2_l7MYJ9kAdbFW4err9mNXmDRSsoWGjgEwsHm8XMnCeqmZVERFW7ZK918u26JNy-UirTURk1FG-uaFxJB0wtpXNUlA6EuLUN6lJlhvkJfUyp6eLk/s1600/IMG_5992.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii-4qAnDCdwnhUBWQj1QxJZgaGBdh2_l7MYJ9kAdbFW4err9mNXmDRSsoWGjgEwsHm8XMnCeqmZVERFW7ZK918u26JNy-UirTURk1FG-uaFxJB0wtpXNUlA6EuLUN6lJlhvkJfUyp6eLk/s640/IMG_5992.jpg" width="512" /></a></div>
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We knew that Amanda and her family had been through a lot this year, so we reached out and asked her to share their story. Here is what she had to say...<br />
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"JC and I met the summer of 2001, I had just graduated high school and he had just finished his 1st year of college at LA Tech. Neither of us were looking for a relationship at the time, but things fell into place and we have been together ever since. Early on in our relationship we discussed our desire to adopt. Once we were married, in 2003, the desire grew stronger as we struggled for over 2 years with infertility. Little did we know what the Lord would have in store for us at that time. After struggling with infertility we were finally blessed with our 1st child, John, who just turned 9 and shortly after came our daughter, Ava, who is 6. Although our family seemed complete, we still had a desire to adopt, although we didn’t know how or what that would look like for our family. We began to pray about this decision and ask God for his guidance. Shortly after, God began to lead me to the idea of fostering. I didn’t tell JC about it for a while because I thought he would shoot it down. So, one day I worked up the courage and told him how I felt and to my surprise he was completely on the same page! We began taking classes and about a year later had our 1st placement! Even though it is tough at times, fostering is an amazing ministry for our family. <br />
<br />As if beginning this new journey in our lives wasn’t difficult enough, the Lord began testing us. In November 2015 JC’s dad was diagnosed with multiple myeloma. He began chemo and made many trips to the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, FL. He fought hard! Then, in April 2016 we received one of the most devastating phone calls, our home was on fire! We had just left to go to work. By the time we returned, it was in flames. Even though that was a horrific day, the Lord showed Himself faithful to us! We ended up losing about 95% of the content of our home, however, one thing remained intact, a picture that my daughter and I made about a week before that read, “You make all things new.” Rev. 21:5 and it was hanging in the kitchen, which was the beginning source of the fire. I had no idea at the time why that verse stood out to me. Now, looking back, it is perfectly clear! Out of complete devastation and disaster the Lord IS making things new! JC’s dad passed away shortly after the fire and he now has a new body in Christ, our home is being rebuilt, and our family is stronger."<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkwZE57YfqxOSEGbKG0xEDTuOtQt9GrUEZLC3zg0gXM-q0KvYCNj0m2q5FqXBz_1sPQisQSraM6F2NauYOJsJppE-WD4iR0V081u_VNKo1zXRmJud8nfcZeyhgb7iIKSLl0fycxh-vrB0/s1600/Godmakesallthingsnew.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkwZE57YfqxOSEGbKG0xEDTuOtQt9GrUEZLC3zg0gXM-q0KvYCNj0m2q5FqXBz_1sPQisQSraM6F2NauYOJsJppE-WD4iR0V081u_VNKo1zXRmJud8nfcZeyhgb7iIKSLl0fycxh-vrB0/s640/Godmakesallthingsnew.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxmDjMQzOqrfOkGSkMW2JO7It7Lhre26Jf67yd6vQHHSDrn9lT8MRqmLlFGLBpvx6Z8M5mBQ2UOglWQEj4h-qvDbCayNQvEUgZ4N9WvguDVFj2YhpCFA5hW63mjkSi73R-84AXI5u-G8w/s1600/firetrucks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxmDjMQzOqrfOkGSkMW2JO7It7Lhre26Jf67yd6vQHHSDrn9lT8MRqmLlFGLBpvx6Z8M5mBQ2UOglWQEj4h-qvDbCayNQvEUgZ4N9WvguDVFj2YhpCFA5hW63mjkSi73R-84AXI5u-G8w/s640/firetrucks.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSQ5P4NMI4mhtBjYEijgUzyJOrEbwt5V4ignAb4tZ8lgWhvqyy9Gn80DLoyYxf9PG8j9GMNzJQmmvk_S3pxzQCS6mJa57vJ3thSrcEemDDHf_h8x6vZ-Gob26bFUQeqnG55QeeWADu7J0/s1600/fire+damage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSQ5P4NMI4mhtBjYEijgUzyJOrEbwt5V4ignAb4tZ8lgWhvqyy9Gn80DLoyYxf9PG8j9GMNzJQmmvk_S3pxzQCS6mJa57vJ3thSrcEemDDHf_h8x6vZ-Gob26bFUQeqnG55QeeWADu7J0/s640/fire+damage.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
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Wow. We greatly admire this family's strength and faith during such difficult times. Thank goodness He really does make all things new! <br />
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The Dickey's have dedicated their lives to helping others, and we want to give back to them. The proceeds from the sale of this shirt will go towards helping them as they work to rebuild their home. Please <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/470892845/preorder-for-he-makes-all-things-new?ref=shop_home_active_1" target="_blank">click here</a> or select shop in the menu above and purchase yours and support this family! <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL_PgPnj1cYkQhx583ZCwD4Nr1izy4EYx04jSF3Zme8KdxXRwX7R-rXwaUxxlGKsYkvNh7wALn1vhpY0wnz7v0_BwcDH4b82nbUL-tqQGfq_2WePqtQw2bhXT1mNv91kt0Sops3bVEzSM/s1600/HEMAKESBLACKCHARCOAL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL_PgPnj1cYkQhx583ZCwD4Nr1izy4EYx04jSF3Zme8KdxXRwX7R-rXwaUxxlGKsYkvNh7wALn1vhpY0wnz7v0_BwcDH4b82nbUL-tqQGfq_2WePqtQw2bhXT1mNv91kt0Sops3bVEzSM/s640/HEMAKESBLACKCHARCOAL.jpg" width="546" /></a></div>
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**Also, please contact us at <a href="mailto:Contact@bethelightproject.com">Contact@bethelightproject.com</a> if you would like to make additional donations to this family. Thank you!!**<br />
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<br />A Pocket Full of Sunshinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11929946828657486605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6709538114768971080.post-5453787139675522782016-06-02T15:02:00.003-07:002016-06-02T16:09:24.356-07:00Introducing the Hammett FamilyI'm excited to introduce you to the Hammett family. They will be the recipients of our June fundraiser. Brent and Cassie were married in 2006. Brent is a graphic designer and musician. He is the creative director at <a href="http://numanainc.com/" target="_blank">Numana Inc</a>., a hunger relief organization. Cassie is the Founder and Director of The Hub: Urban Ministries and Purchased: Not for Sale. <a href="http://www.thehubministry.com/" target="_blank">The Hub</a> is a Christ-centered, non-profit organization that reaches out to those in poverty, providing them hope, friendships, and community. <a href="http://thehubministry.com/purchased/" target="_blank">Purchased </a>is a ministry designed to locate, love, and motivate women in the sex industry and victims of sex trafficking. They love them like Jesus would, teaching them their worth, and guiding them into full restoration through Christ.<br />
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In 2012, Brent and Cassie adopted their daughter, Liv, from the DR Congo in Africa. Now the Lord has laid it on their hearts to adopt a little girl from China. They will be naming her Esther.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWXLex4nc32O8uE15MrP04LPvSt4WQjkciHda6-R_G_TMuKnLU1ydresuSjHdROwKUGg79pGGco29CGEySjJF4TJzAajbCUICRaszlVtlXsgLJTVHHJAwdH2f_9flcr3GET4l5dXBmD0Y/s1600/IMG_3667.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWXLex4nc32O8uE15MrP04LPvSt4WQjkciHda6-R_G_TMuKnLU1ydresuSjHdROwKUGg79pGGco29CGEySjJF4TJzAajbCUICRaszlVtlXsgLJTVHHJAwdH2f_9flcr3GET4l5dXBmD0Y/s640/IMG_3667.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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If this family doesn't inspire you, I don't know what will! Will you join me in helping them bring their daughter home? We have designed a necklace in honor of Esther. Half of the proceeds from each necklace sold will be donated to The Hammetts. The necklaces are $25 plus shipping and can be purchased by <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/bethelightproject" target="_blank">clicking here </a>or selecting shop from the drop-down menu above.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioF0DXr2aPNwdbeogYwmjlssz3Wv_0sKBsSphwL30nz7WuFXVLDq-MFdzq-DW_ncwPpeWWjx-Gi3NYem97B909obOP2ZbXOEdFNarbmHZJ-FSLIuz4vXTbiixmXQCl_iWopdtEytXmIds/s1600/IMG_3680.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioF0DXr2aPNwdbeogYwmjlssz3Wv_0sKBsSphwL30nz7WuFXVLDq-MFdzq-DW_ncwPpeWWjx-Gi3NYem97B909obOP2ZbXOEdFNarbmHZJ-FSLIuz4vXTbiixmXQCl_iWopdtEytXmIds/s640/IMG_3680.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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If you would like to make additional donations, you can do so by <a href="https://www.purecharity.com/adoptingesther" target="_blank">clicking here</a> to visit their Pure Charity site. Donations made through Pure Charity are tax-deductible and are sent directly to their adoption agency.<br />
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If you would like to follow along on their journey, please visit <a href="https://cassiehammett.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Cassie's Blog</a>. <br />
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Also, if you would like to learn more about, serve with, or donate to The Hub or Purchased, please visit the sites below.<br />
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/goog_294272017"><br /></a>
<a href="http://www.thehubministry.com/">www.thehubministry.com</a><br />
<a href="http://thehubministry.com/purchased/">http://thehubministry.com/purchased/</a>A Pocket Full of Sunshinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11929946828657486605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6709538114768971080.post-62530677580379267702016-05-03T08:30:00.000-07:002016-05-03T08:35:58.226-07:00Headed to HattieOur first family to support is the Wood Family. I have known Jason and Traci for a long time and even had the privilege of photographing their wedding in Las Vegas. I was so excited to hear that they were in the process of adopting a little girl from China. Here is what Traci had to say about their journey...<br />
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"<span class="_5yl5">Jason and I have always discussed adoption from early on in our marriage and it honestly seemed like one of those things we would get to, "one of those days." Well, here we are in those days! In December of this last year (2015), we finally nailed down that this is what we wanted to do. Although one of us may of had to be a little more coaxed into it than the other (you know who you are). I had already felt the Lord leading me to China through different stories and people He had placed in front of me that few months before. And since we are already blessed with our two sweet boys, we knew that a girl would help round out our little family. It honestly has seemed that since the moment we said, "YES!" to the Will of God of this in our life, that He has consistently opened door after door of encouragement, resources, and financial help. Sometimes Jason and I sit and talk about it and find ourselves at a complete loss for words at how amazing it all is! And the crazy thing is is that we have NO idea of exactly what we are doing until we do it! Thankfully, the Lord has given the two of us some unique talents that have helped us along the way (Jason is the organizer, stable one and I am the flit arounder, making mountains out of mole hills). Together we seem to balance out and manage to get things done! We are taking each moment in stride and doing our best to trust God along the way. Our verse that we've chosen to focus on through this journey is the one at the top of the blog, "Behold, I am making ALL things new.." We chose this verse because we believe through this journey the Lord is going to make our family new, our spiritual walk new, and most of all the life of our sweet girl new! Please join us as we continue on this incredible journey and finally get to the day where we get to bring Hattie Jane home with us!"</span><br />
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For only $25, you can help this sweet family bring home their baby girl by purchasing a "He makes all things new." necklace from our Etsy shop. Just <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/Bethelightproject?ref=hdr_shop_menu" target="_blank">click here</a> or select "Shop" from the dropdown menu above to make your purchase. **This necklace is a PREORDER and will be shipped in 3-4 weeks.<br />
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Also, if you would like to provide additional support to this family, please<a href="https://www.purecharity.com/wood-family-adoption-1?aff=kn0wl" target="_blank"> click here</a> to visit their Pure Charity fundraising site where all donations are tax deductible.A Pocket Full of Sunshinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11929946828657486605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6709538114768971080.post-8560532744056634672016-05-02T10:58:00.001-07:002016-05-02T11:00:51.069-07:00Bringing Home Hai-Leigh JoyHey Friends. I know things have been quiet around here, but all for good reason. In November of 2015, we were matched with our precious daughter, Hai-Leigh Joy. She was 8 months old at the time, and this was the first picture we saw of her sweet face.<br />
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From then until the end of December, we worked extremely hard to raise the remaining funds to bring her home...setting up booths at local craft shows, boutiques, and schools. In January, we sold the home we lived in for the past eight years and temporarily moved into a little apartment behind my parents' house until we begin our next chapter. In February, we traveled to China to bring our girl home.<br />
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In March, we had the honor of celebrating her first birthday with her. It was a beautiful occasion but also one filled with many emotions.<br />
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We have spent the last few months getting to know our girl and adjusting to our new normal. She has brought so much joy into our lives, and we feel so incredibly blessed to call her ours.<br />
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However, our hearts are still broken for all of the little ones that we had to leave behind. Sadly, funding can be a huge obstacle for families who are adopting. It is one of the things that slowed down our process, and the fear of the financial burden is something that can cause some families to say no to adoption even when they really want to say yes. However, when we let our faith be bigger than our fear, God works in miraculous ways. I know from experience! He provided a way for us when it seemed absolutely impossible. You would not believe the number of times we received the exact amount we needed when we needed it...even down to closing on our house just before we traveled and being able to use the equity to pay for the remainder of our adoption. Granted, we need to pay back as much of that as we can, but if we hadn't had that money, we would not have been able to bring her home yet. I had heard stories of this before we began the process, but let me tell
you, Friends, to witness it first-hand is an incredible, humbling experience.<br />
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We are currently working to pay back our adoption funds and add to our inventory, but in the mean time, we want to start helping others also. We will begin by selecting different families to support. We will ask them to share their story with us along with a scripture that is near and dear to their hearts. We will design a necklace with that verse to sell and 50% of the proceeds from that necklace will be donated to that family. Our first two families we've chosen are currently in the adoption process, but we are open to helping with other financial needs as well. You can help too by purchasing these necklaces. I don't know about you, but I love a purchase with a purpose!<br />
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Please follow our <a href="http://www.bethelightproject.com/" target="_blank">blog</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/bethelightproject/" target="_blank">Instagram</a>, and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/bethelightproject/" target="_blank">Facebook page</a> for information on these new products and ways you can be involved.<br />
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Also, if you know of a family you would like to nominate for the upcoming months, please share their story and need with us at <a href="mailto:Contact@bethelightproject.com">Contact@bethelightproject.com</a>. While we know we will not be able to financially help everyone of these families, we can definitely lift each one up in prayer.<br />
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Thank you, and God bless!<br />
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Andrea A Pocket Full of Sunshinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11929946828657486605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6709538114768971080.post-20273502634878305522015-06-16T20:58:00.001-07:002015-06-16T20:58:45.257-07:00The Power of Prayer One year ago today, this scene was taking place in my yard...<br />
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Friends, family, and complete strangers gathered together in prayer. Prayer for our Little Boy. They knelt down in our driveway, sang songs of worship, huddled up in his room, and laid hands on his bed as they lifted our sweet Hayden up in prayer. It had been nine long, hard, emotional weeks since he was first diagnosed with his brain tumor and this was the eve of his 3rd and biggest surgery. He had already undergone three difficult rounds of chemotherapy at St. Jude. And as this was talking place back home, we were sitting in an ICU room in Memphis, preparing to hand our son over to the doctors, and trying not to think about the possible complications associated with this surgery...loss of vision, speech, balance, seizures, loss of short-term memory, etc. As terrifying as that was, we were surprisingly overcome with a peace that definitely surpassed all of our understanding. And the next day we witnessed the power of prayer and an absolute miracle. God showed up in a big, big way and answered those prayers! We were told the surgery would last around six to eight hours. They were finished in three. We were told it could be days before he spoke. (The last surgery, we waited 13 hours for his first words.) Friends, within minutes of them allowing us to see him in recovery he spoke the words, "Do you want to see my muscles?" and "Did they got that bobo out of my head?" He was able to speak, but we were speechless. And in awe of God's goodness, grace, and mercy! Hayden recovered miraculously from his surgery, finished three more rounds of chemo, endured six weeks of proton radiation, and is now eight months cancer-free!!!<br />
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We believe wholeheartedly in the power of prayer. We have witnessed it first hand. I'm sharing this with you, because we want you to know the heart behind Be the Light Project. We have gone through some very difficult and dark times, but even during those times, the light of Jesus still shone down on us. He answered prayers, performed miracles, and placed people in our paths that helped us through these times. Our eyes have been opened and our hearts transformed. We now know that life is so much bigger than ourselves and this world that we can so easily get wrapped up in. God used Hayden's brain tumor and <a href="http://a-pocketfullofsunshine.blogspot.com/2013/03/my-own-little-world.html" target="_blank">Deacon's unexpected diagnosis of Down Syndrome</a> to create a fire in our hearts. We have a burning desire to
share the light that we have experienced with others. We still don't know what this looks like. We are constantly praying, talking, and dreaming about what direction this will go. But what we want you to know is that we are not at all about just selling a product and making money. We are about making a difference. And even if we can do nothing else for you, we want to pray for you. We care about you and what you are going through. We want you to share your stories and your heart with us, and we want to love on you. <i>You</i> who have lost a loved one. <i>You</i> who are going through a divorce. <i>You</i> who are battling an illness or have a child who is sick. <i>You</i> who are struggling with addiction. <i>You</i> who are struggling financially. Whatever it is that you are going through, we want you to know that you are not alone. Isaiah 42:10 says, <i>"I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar
paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them
and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I
will not forsake them.</i><span class="p"><i>"</i> Deuteronomy 31:6 says, </span><i>"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them,
for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor
forsake you."</i><span class="p"> Jesus loves you, and He cares about you. And we do too. Will you let us pray for you? Send us an email at <a href="mailto:contact@bethelightproject.com">contact@bethelightproject.com</a> or message us on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/bethelightproject" target="_blank">Facebook</a>. Send a direct message on <a href="https://instagram.com/bethelightproject/" target="_blank">Instagram</a>. Leave a comment. Let us know if there is any way we could help you or how we could lift you up in prayer. It would be our privilege.</span><br />
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<span class="p">God Bless,</span><br />
<span class="p">April</span><span style="color: black;"></span>A Pocket Full of Sunshinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11929946828657486605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6709538114768971080.post-48413667157444706822015-04-11T05:45:00.003-07:002015-04-11T05:48:42.621-07:00Be the Light<div style="text-align: center;">
What does it mean to BE THE LIGHT and why did we choose this name?</div>
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Sadly, the world we live in today is full of tragedy, sin, and darkness. There is not much about this dim dwelling in itself that gives us as a human race much hope. To the contrary, there is our Lord, Jesus Christ, that is our light and salvation. In Him is where we find love, grace, hope, and restoration. Jesus said, "I am the Light of the World. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but have the light of life." (John 8:12) We live in a dark place, but are given light when we choose to follow Jesus.<br />
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The question we had to ask ourselves was...is this enough? Is it enough to just follow and receive the gift of life? It used to be for us. God had to bring us each through separate trials that brought us to places of complete brokenness before we were able to crack down the walls of our old selves and let His light shine through. Be the Light Project's name was inspired by Matthew 5:16 which states, "Let your light so SHINE before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in Heaven." You see, God doesn't just want us to receive His light, he wants us to BE THE LIGHT! It's a daily choice to shine and do good works for His Kingdom. </div>
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We created this little shop in hopes that it would be a means for us to reach out and do something for others when we see a need and also to help fund an adoption. We give it completely over to God and pray that He will be glorified in each decision and product that is made. We are excited to see where He takes it!</div>
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"For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of light. For the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness, and truth." (Ephesians 5:8-9)</div>
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Love, </div>
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Andrea & April </div>
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<br />A Pocket Full of Sunshinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11929946828657486605noreply@blogger.com0