Upon meeting the Jacksons, you quickly learn their unconditional love for their son. Bruk was born in Ethiopia, and Drew and Cassie were finally able to bring him home when he was 14 months old. I say “finally” because the Jacksons knew for a very long time they wanted to adopt. In fact, they knew they’d adopt long before they even knew each other’s names.

“We both had strong feelings about adoption even before we got married – we didn’t need to wait for the other person to come around to our way of thinking,” Drew shared.

Adopting a child from Ethiopia meant many hurdles for the Jackson family. Travel to and from the country for required court dates was an added expense, and it would have been easy for even the most optimistic of families to lose hope.

“We were reminded of God’s provision,” the Jacksons shared. “He has never left us without and this adoption was a magnification of that truth.”

As with many couples, the Jacksons were brought closer together during the adoption process. Their relationship grew stronger as they navigated the tumultuous journey of bringing their son home.

“We had to trust God together and be patient with each other on the hard days more than we ever have in our marriage,” they shared. This was especially important that first time they visited Ethiopia, met and bonded with their son, and then had to make the difficult journey home without him as they awaited their next court date. “We didn’t realize that it would physically hurt,” she said.

It was in those moments of pain that the Jacksons leaned into God’s Word. It was a supernatural encouragement during their moments of longing and hopelessness. It was in God’s Word that they re-learned the story of adoption, not only for their son but for themselves.

“We learned about the amazing parallel between us adopting Bruk and God’s infinite love and mercy to adopt undeserving people like us into his family forever.”

Show Hope became a pivotal piece in their son’s adoption. While money came in from family and friends, it was Show Hope’s contribution that sealed the deal of their adoption becoming a reality. They received an adoption aid grant from Show Hope, and were blessed shortly thereafter when they were chosen as a  featured family in Show Hope’s ”I Heart Adoption” Facebook promotion. As friends, family, and people they had never met banded together to “like” and share their story, the Jacksons were able to secure the final funding  needed to bring their son home.

“The grant from Show Hope was a beautiful chapter in the story of God’s provision for the adoption of our son.”

As many families know too well, the adoption process is long and hard. It’s oftentimes lonely, but as the Jacksons can attest, it’s well worth the wait.

“It’s sometimes hard to trust that God’s timing is benevolent,” they shared. “But when the waiting is over, we get to look back and praise him for what He has done.”

Help make more adoption miracles like this possible. Become a Show Hope sponsor today!

First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes the baby in the baby carriage.

It’s a cute, old rhyme, but most families know that the journey is never so simple.

Happily married and ready to start a family, Paul and Monika Allen were met with heartache in 2009 when their first child was stillborn. It was a devastating loss that led to a time of deep grieving and prayer. As they mourned, they were reminded of their desire to adopt. Even before they were a couple, both had a desire to adopt a child from a very early age. Paul grew up with siblings who were adopted, and they had spent their entire adult lives working with at-risk children, volunteering with ministries, and dreaming of a large family.

In the fall of 2011, Monika began to feel God urging her to prepare for motherhood. Though confused and unsure, the Allens began preparing for a baby as best as they could.

They started praying for their child, wherever he/she was, with faith that it would be the child that God might have for them to parent. They found a social worker and began saving money and researching grants. They completed a home study and filed paperwork. Adoption seemed like an impossible task, with its mounds of paperwork and bills, but the Allens found solace in setting and reaching the tangible goals, the things that were possible.

As they researched, any organization involved with bringing children into Christian families was on their radar, which is how they first heard of Show Hope. Monika remembers their grant application as straightforward and organized. The couple also took to social media. They began sharing their story on Facebook and through Monika’s blog, and eventually were able to share their story through Show Hope’s “I Heart Adoption” Facebook promotion last fall to help Show Hope raise additional adoption aid funding.

“It was fun helping an organization that had helped us,” Monika said.

People they didn’t even know began to give financially to help bring their child home. They found that friends, family, and even strangers were eager to participate in their journey. With assistance from Show Hope, other grants, and help from friends and family, they were able to finalize the adoption without going into debt.

Paperwork wasn’t all that they did during this preparation period. Monika made it a point to celebrate milestones in their adoption process. Instead of capturing shots of a growing belly, the couple took photos of getting fingerprinted for background checks and when they installed their first car-seat.

Then, in May 2012, about nine months after beginning to prepare for a baby, they received word that a birth mother in Texas has chosen them as parents. Their baby boy was born in July.

“[Through this process,] I learned how generous people are and how many people love adoption. The financial side of adoption seemed impossible — I often wonder if our social worker thought we were a little nuts! But I’m so glad we didn’t wait until all the money was in the bank before we got started,” Monika said. “If we had done that, I wouldn’t have my beautiful son right now.”

The few months since bringing baby Cole home have been a whirlwind for the Allens. As new parents, they’re adjusting to late-night feedings, lack of sleep, and juggling schedules. And as newly adoptive parents, they’re still processing the miracle that took place early last year, in their own hearts and in Cole’s adoption.

“Overall, the experience deepened our hope, our trust, and our love,” Monika said. “Both in God and for each other. It feels very vulnerable to put yourself out there, hoping that someone will choose you as a worthy parent.”

Trust and love, two fruits the Allens have gleaned from their adoption process. Each step along the way has been taken cautiously but faithfully, and the reward has been great.

“Ever since we brought our son home, my heart and soul have felt more alive than ever before,” Monika said. “I love being a mom and my husband loves being a dad. The deepest cry of our hearts has been heard and answered in the most wonderful way possible. Not a day has gone by where we haven’t thanked God for the gift of our son.”

As we were beginning the process of our third adoption in 2011, we pondered what special needs were “off the table,” so to speak. These would be “needs” we were convinced we couldn’t handle in a child.

Tops on the list: congenital heart disease.

Years earlier, we traveled in China to bring home our son, James, who was born with a cleft lip and palate. At that time in 2008 that was more than we thought we could (or really wanted) to handle. But truth be told, it was imminently doable (in God’s strength). Yet given that, we believed we had stretched as far as we were willing or able to stretch. And we were firmly convinced of that until we saw Hudson’s picture and heard his story in 2011.

Then in a way that we cannot explain everything changed. It had to be God.

Hudson came home in May 2012.

Unless you saw Hudson at our neighborhood pool and saw the uneven scar running the length of his chest or you were around when he gets winded and noticed a blueness under his finger nails, you wouldn’t have a clue that he was born with only one ventricle and already had two heart surgeries while waiting for us in China.

Since he came home, Hudson has had a battery of medical tests, including a heart catheterization, at our local children’s hospital. Doctors have given him the green light for his third heart surgery, the Fontan procedure, in April.

We’re not looking forward to it, in the way one would anticipate a beach vacation, but we are eager for Hudson’s health to get this next surgery complete. Our pediatrician told us Hudson will be a “new boy” after this surgery. We can hardly imagine that; he is already a little dynamo unto himself!

It’s all much bigger than us. If we focus too much on Hudson’s medical condition, we are easily overwhelmed. But then, all of our children–bio and adopted–have issues that they must contend with that can be overwhelming if you spend all your time focusing on them.

God has used each of our children to teach us it is wise to take one day at a time, although our nature is to lie awake at night and fret over things that are not in our control (Matthew 6:34). It really all comes down to trust.

For us now it is simply doing what comes next. For each test or surgery that Hudson has, there is a different (specialized) cardiologist. They are working together to give him the best care available. We know this and are confident he would not be on track for this level of care if he were still in an orphanage.

In the same way that not every one is called to adopt (but God expects us all to be involved), it’s unreasonable to expect every family to choose to grow by adopting a CHD child. Yet on this side of Hudson’s adoption, we couldn’t imagine it any other way. It is an option well worth considering.

Hudson is an intelligent, brave little boy. I can’t imagine any other child as my youngest son. His physical heart might not be whole but his heart for life is as full as it can be. Through Hudson, we know the fullness of God’s love for us just a little bit more. We are blessed.

-Dwayne and Marla Hastings

You can help a child like Hudson receive life-saving surgeries and medical care. Click here to help fund a heart surgery!

Have you adopted a child with CHD? Leave us a comment with your best advice for other families considering bringing home a child with CHD.

Hi! My name is Cecille, and I want to share with you a little story about a big issue – Helping the orphans of this world.

The Lord placed the desire to adopt in my heart in my twenties and sadly, many years later I’ve not yet adopted. However, I’ve discovered a wonderful way that I can do something to help orphans…Show Hope’s Advocates program! Last year, I trained for and competed in running races while earning sponsorship pledges from people. My two daughters and I raised more than $800 for Show Hope by running! We created our own sponsor sheets and found many people who were supportive and eager to help us.

The race I entered and completed was the Missoula Half-Marathon which took place last summer. It was so much FUN, and the kids had a blast too! I have always loved to run, and it has been truly amazing to find ways to combine my passion for running with my passion for helping orphans come home to forever families.

I encourage you to find a sport or other activity you love and create a way to use it to help waiting children! Most importantly, I give all the glory to my Lord and Savior, Christ Jesus. Thank you Show Hope for all that you do and for letting me be a part of it!

Sincerely,
Cecille Gillette

January is the perfect time to create a New Year’s resolution and set goals that give back for 2013! Whether you’re getting into shape to run a marathon, or taking up a  creative new hobby, we encourage you to become a Show Hope Advocate and set goals that transform the lives of orphans today!

My husband and I are empty nesters and all of our children came home for Christmas last year. Due to various living situations, we were just excited we could be together as a family for the holiday. About that time, the Show Hope Gift Catalog came in the mail reminding us again of the millions of children with no one to call family. While none of us have an abundance of money, we knew that if we gave as a family our dollars could go further than if we gave separately.

Shopping the Show Hope Gifts of Hope catalog was a special way we could help during the Christmas season. We decided to incorporate it as part of our celebration together. We  hid a special ornament on the tree, and the person who found it got the privilege of choosing the country our financial gift would go to in order to help orphans. We collected each person’s contribution and then we wrote just one check to mail in with our country of choice marked.

I would encourage all families to participate in something like this, even if your kids are young. Being together as a family is a blessing we take for granted, especially during the holidays. Letting everyone participate brings awareness to the orphan crisis and helps keep our focus on the reason we celebrate Christmas in the first place.

-Jill Jones

Purchase a gift from the Gifts of Hope catalog today >

Do you have a story of how your family celebrated Christmas by giving a Gift of Hope? Leave us a comment and your story could be featured as a future Show Hope blog post!

Today’s guest blogger, Cheryl J., is the administrator for the Middle Tennessee Orphan Alliance and one of the leaders of the Brentwood Baptist Orphan Care Ministry.

It’s almost impossible to put into words how you feel after a big conference, isn’t it? Whatever words you choose, the Empowered to Connect conference in Nashville was a huge success! There were more than 900 people in attendance to learn more about the principles taught by Dr. Karyn Purvis and lived out daily by Michael and Amy Monroe. Almost everyone who walked into the conference had a different story, a different reason for attending, a different need or heartache. But the common thread as all left the conference was hope.

As we listened to Dr. Purvis break down the science into meaningful and helpful guidelines, we heard that cognitive behavior therapy is not enough; we have to heal through relationship on all levels: body, soul and spirit. Hope.

We heard that bad behavior is seldom a reflection on the parents or caregivers but rather a consequence of the child’s history. Hope.

We learned that if a child spent any time in an orphanage or abusive situation, they were met with hundreds if not thousands of “no’s” by their needs not being met, but we can overcome this by giving a “yes” as much as possible. Hope.

When our children ask for something, they are usually not being needy; they are seeking relationship and connection. Hope.

Parents and caregivers can teach through play and repetitive scripts but seldom get anywhere with force or sermons. Hope.

Just to hear Dr. Purvis say that a child’s preciousness is never up for grabs means that every child IS precious. Hope.

The biggest hope, I think, comes from knowing we are not alone on this journey. So, where do we go from here? If you live in the Nashville area, there are two classes being offered by the Middle Tennessee Orphan Alliance to help you connect with other families, dig deeper into the principles introduced at the conference and continue to find building blocks that will equip you to connect with your children and deepen relationships that will last a lifetime. Come join us for there IS hope! Like the Middle Tennessee Orphan Alliance on Facebook to keep updated when additional classes and events become available.

Journey to Hope
Sunday 10:45 – noon
Join this group as they dig deeper into Dr. Karyn Purvis’ book, The Connected Child.
Location: Christ Community Church (Franklin)
More Info: Terri Coley

Empowered to Connect – Insights & Gifts
Sunday 5:00 – 6:30pm (begins October 16)
A 6-week look into “7 Insights and 7 Gifts to Equip Those Who Are Adopting or Fostering Children.” This video series was developed in partnership with the Texas Christian University Institute of Child Development and features a discussion guide for each topic. Childcare will be available for children through fifth grade by reservation only.
Location: Brentwood Baptist, Room 2004A
More info: Orphan Care Ministry

-Cheryl J.

Question: What was your biggest takeaway from the conference? Have you experienced successes through implementing these connecting strategies in your family? Leave us a comment and let us know about your experience.

Join us in 2012 for the Empowered to Connect Conference in Dallas or Denver. Register Here >

Anticipating an amazing week at Maria’s Big House of Hope (MBHOH), the Christ Presbyterian Academy student team began their adventure with a bang. The staff and students teamed up for an unforgettable 4^th of July celebration as all of the babies and their nannies were gathered together according to their respected floors and paraded around the front of the building. The CPA students decorated their new friends with face-paint, streamers, bubbles, and balloons to help highlight the fun! Cake and popsicles were the delicious finishing touch for a truly patriotic party. Once bed-time arrived for the children, the Kemp Dental group joined the students for an evening barbecue on the rooftop of MBHOH. It was a quintessential 4^th of July cookout involving grilled cheeseburgers, watermelons, and a classic Chinese original – fireworks!

Bonding with the children has been a priority held by everyone on the CPA team. Immediately, connections were made between the students and their temporary “housemates.” The rooms of MBHOH have been constantly occupied by the CPA team as they lovingly held, hugged, and high-fived their new and precious friends. In an attempt to provide an extra treat for a few of the children, the students took the initiative to creatively set-up a movie night showing Disney’s “Finding Nemo.” Each student has capitalized on every moment to engage with and care for some of God’s most beloved treasures. As a result, it has been remarkable to see God utilize the obedience of a willing group of students from across the world to love on a special corner of His creation. Lives on both ends have been subsequently changed as the hearts and minds of the students are stirred by their unique experiences here at MBHOH.

“As we returned home to Australia after the first Show Hope sponsor team to Maria’s Big House of Hope last year, we were keen to continue raising awareness about orphan care. We proposed the idea of a return trip with an Australian team. How blessed we are that the idea has actually happened!

“Our team is made up of 12 Aussies who arrived a few days ago. We have conquered the ancient stair master- The Great Wall, eaten incredibly yummy cuisine, experienced some local culture and have met beautiful little children. As we returned to MBHOH, we have been excited to reconnect with children who stole our hearts a year ago and excited to see the progress they’ve made in their health, development, and personalities. It has also been a privilege to watch the other team members grow in their understanding of God’s heart for orphans and to see them open their hearts to change. We look forward to experiencing more as we continue to listen to God, and choose to be obedient to His call.”

-Felicity and Merryn

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“Earlier in the year, I didn’t expect to be on this trip. We couldn’t afford for both me and Merryn (my wife) to come, I didn’t feel both of us could leave our three children, I had just started in a new job… and, if I’m honest, I was full of fear about the thought of it all.

“But God steadily worked to overcome all of those issues. Through the gracious provision of others, God made the way clear for me to come. Not only that, but He eased my fears, so that even as we then struggled to get our visas, I had a peace that we would get here and that everything would be okay.

“Even after all of that,  I still came not really expecting God to do anything to my heart. After all, the trip was about God stirring other people’s hearts to the plight of orphans; my role (as I saw it) was to support Merryn as she led the trip with Felicity, to help care for the team and to hopefully offer encouragement to the staff here. While I didn’t expect God to move my heart, He did! The past few days have been intense as the world wide orphan crisis has taken on a face – many faces actually, as I’ve spent time in different rooms interacting with different children – and the statistics and the word ‘orphan’ now have real meaning and significance to me.

“It has not been an easy experience for me as helplessness, doubt, and questions fill my heart. But faith has also filled my heart, because I have been reminded of Genesis 18:25. Abraham asks, “Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?” Though it would be so easy to just see the injustice and ‘wrongness’ of so many children without parents to love them in this world, the eyes of my heart have also been lifted heavenward. Though I don’t know ‘why,’ I have a settled confidence that their heavenly Father, the Judge of all the earth, will do only what is right. And that gives me hope.”

-Matt

We are very excited that Maria’s Big House of Hope will be opening soon, and we wanted to give you a chance to see it for yourself. Here’s a sneak peak of the home pre-grand opening, check it out! This amazing home will help care for over 120 special needs children every month. It’s a huge project, but God has been so faithful to provide the funding to build it, and people are stepping up every day to become Show Hope sponsors to help care for orphans every month as well as sponsor adoption to put orphans in families. Enjoy this slideshow!

The Show Hope Blog is up and running!  Be sure to check back here regularly for pictures, videos, updates and much, much more!

Link to it, save it in your favorites, email all your friends about it, comment, trackback, twitter, blog, facebook or whatever else you do to get the word out!  Together, we can change the world for orphans!