We are Together Called

This weekend we re-"treated" ourselves to our first adoption retreat.  Not just our first, but most people's first actually.

Why?

Because, until this past weekend, there were no retreats like this on the east coast.  So we can now cross off our bucket list that we attended the first annual "Together Called" sponsored by The Sparrow Fund.  Mark and Kelly, founders of The Sparrow Fund, might be our new favorite people ever.  We hope they make like Spock and "Live long and prosper."

You can help make that happen by doing one simple thing.  Giving them lots of money.  Actually, give them all your money so that they can continue to give grants to adopting families and host more fantastic events like "Together Called".  I guess if I'm petitioning you to ruin your financial future for this I should probably share why this retreat was so good.

Gladly.

The retreat was held at a quaint, cozy, and lost-in-time kinda place in Leola.  Our rooms were great, and the abundance of food was great too.  Even greater was the people.  Over 60 couples gathered together spanning as far as New Hampshire all the way to Utah.  All because of adoption.  I love that.

We all had our unique stories, but we had something really big in common together.  We've met the orphan crisis face-to-face, and collectively have said, "You are not greater than the Love we bring."  Between all the families present we had over 180 children (186 I think?), and 108 of them were former orphans from all over the world.

During the retreat we were treated to good food, prizes, fellowship, amazing speakers, and most importantly - time together.

That's a rarity in our house these days with two needy children pining for us constantly.  But we were able to actually sit down and talk and enjoy each other's company uninterrupted.  We realized that we still like each other a whole lot (which is a very good thing), and that we need this feeling to not be drowned in the work of parenthood.  With that we are committed to making changes that will keep our marriage strong in the midst of daily life.  We need it, and our children need it.

With this statement we know that Satan will try to shut the notion down quickly, but we are ready for the challenge.

On a side note.  We've been pretty committed to being an open book about our adoption journey.  We haven't really strived to be the best writers on the internet (we met a woman who might be that person this weekend though), we don't want to be some big blog that everyone feels like they have to read.  We just want to be honest about what we go through without looking like picture perfect people.  We want people to know that adoption is hard work and scary.  But it is worth it, and it is necessary.

So I share our difficulty maintaining our marriage for a few reasons.  Firstly, so you can pray for us, we need still need it even though we are able to hold our two children in our arms.  Secondly, it's normal to go through these difficulties and not bad either as long as you address them properly.

Back to the retreat.  This morning we ended the weekend with a small and quaint Bible study with about a dozen other couples.  The rest had to leave earlier.  The Bible study was very simple and actually summarizes what I take away from this weekend pretty well.  Here are some of the verses we talked about, and my thoughts on them.

Phil 1:6 - being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

2: 1-2 - Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind.

2:17 - But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you.

3:12-14 - Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at me goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.  Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it.  But one thing I do:  Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

We have never been with so many other people who share our greatest passion before.  It filled our cup hearing how our struggles with over coming the orphan inside our daughter are shared with so many other people.  It didn't make the problem itself better at all, but helps us knowing that we are not the only ones dealing with this same thing.  More importantly, God did not finish his good work in our daughter be bringing her home to us.  He isn't finished with her yet, and we can't wait to see what he does with her in the years to come.

Thanks for reading, and Blessings to you all.

P.S.  Please do consider making a donation to the Sparrow Fund.  They are doing great work, and are deserving of any amount you are able to give.  http://www.sparrow-fund.org/

To Love the Least of These

As life goes on for us I'm noticing more clearly how big the orphan crisis is in this world.  It started in high school when Jen and I did missions work with orphans living at an AIDS camp in Nassau.  Their desperate cry for a family was so apparent that they called us "mom" and "dad".  We tragically lost contact with the children, they were aged out of the orphanage into who knows were, their picture is still up in our house.  They will forever be a strong reminder of how much the least of these need us.  

Since that time we have been constantly inspired to stay involved in orphan care through incredible organizations like Show Hope, Love146, International Justice Mission, and Watoto.  It was no surprise to our family and close friends when we pursued adoption ourselves.

Being in Congo gave me my biggest taste of the orphan crisis yet.  The images I saw at two of the orphanages there will forever be burned into my mind.  Seeing the children lined up against the wall in the dark room we were sitting as they stared back at me with such a lifeless gaze was uncomfortable to say the least.  I still wonder how much love and time it would take to bring those children back to life.  The power of a family is immense, and I encourage all who are reading this to realize how much you have needed being a part of a family.

Going through the adoption process was exciting in many ways for us.  Seeing how so many strangers responded to our story and supported us through our fund raising efforts.  We raised a ton of money, and we are all so thankful for those who were a part of that.  It helped remind us how big of a task we were called to do.  We are still reminded even today how big of a task this is.  Aside from living life with an adopted child, we have met many people who are themselves in the process of adopting.  We even spent time Skype-ing with a couple last night who are starting the process of adoption.  To see the energy they had for this was great, and we are looking forward to seeing where adoption takes them.

Adoption is the medicine that an orphan needs to be made well.  We know this to be true from our own experience with Agape (it's a rough process, but it is working).  Our desire has always been that God would use our story to inspire others to be involved with caring for orphans as well.  He is also using so many other families in the same way.

We've been listening to a song that describes my thoughts on this well.  The band Audio Adrenaline, back from an almost seven year hiatus, has returned with a new lead singer and a new album being released next month.  Audio Adrenaline founded an orphanage in Haiti named "The Hands and Feet Project" inspired from one of their biggest hit songs "Hands and Feet".  Even though the band holds only one original member it still carries the original passion for mission work, and more specifically orphan ministry.  The album has not been released yet, but you can stream it online once if you pre-buy it.  I can tell you for sure that you will enjoy it immensely.  For fans of Christian music from the 90's, the new lead singer is Kevin Max of dcTalk.  He has returned to the scene shedding his bad boy image while keeping the edgy sound his unique voice holds.  Below am sharing the music video for the single Kings & Queens.  A new favorite of mine.  Welcome back kmax.