“It is hard to imagine our lives without Aubrie, our little princess from Korea. Our son, who is 23 months older, absolutely adores her. Aubrie brings us unmeasurable joy. I learned many things in the adoption journey.

I have wanted to adopt since I was a child. I was surprised at how adoption parallels a pregnancy in many ways. The waiting is a different kind of labor. I realized in new ways God’s passion for the fatherless as I saw Him bend over backward over and over again to bring in the finances needed to bring our little girl home. I discovered it was more challenging than I expected and more rewarding than I had dreamed. Adoption is no doubt a miracle. Thank you to all of the Show Hope sponsors who allowed themselves to be used by God in our journey!”

-Heather Dickinson

It’s hard to believe the kids are already back in school and that summer will soon be coming to an end, but this means that the Empowered to Connect Conference, scheduled for September 10-11 here in Nashville, TN, is quickly approaching! Show Hope is excited to be hosting this conference, and we are thrilled with the response thus far. At this time, we have registrations representing 19 states, with adoptive families and orphan advocates coming in from as far away as the states of Washington and Massachusetts, with many more in between.

It is truly a privilege for Show Hope to host this event. Since its founding, Show Hope has provided grants to more than 2500 families who have adopted children from 45 countries around the world, including the United States. It is a joy to receive the testimonies and pictures of these precious children, knowing that God provided the means for us to be a small part in their homecoming. Yet, when a child comes home, the family’s journey is really just beginning.

The presentation by Dr. Karyn Purvis, and ministry leaders Michael and Amy Monroe, includes invaluable tools and resources to adoptive or foster families, professionals and church ministry leaders alike. I am particularly excited about the breakout sessions for church ministries. The body of Christ is a critical piece of the support structure for adoptive and foster families, throughout the adoption process and beyond. Families need a safe place to come and be “real.” They need a place to share their joys and setbacks; a place to be loved, encouraged, equipped, and empowered.

If you have an adoption and orphan care ministry in your church or are praying about starting one, do consider attending this conference! Click here to read a letter from Michael and Amy Monroe encouraging church ministries to be a part of this special event.

“Even before we were married, Sean and I knew we wanted to adopt a baby regardless of whether or not God gave us biological children. Several years after we were married, we were blessed with two biological children, Elijah and Jadon. When we were ready to grow our family again, we felt a leaning from the Lord that we should do so by adoption. We prayed and asked God to point our hearts in the right direction and provide.

“After our dossier was submitted to Ethiopia, we began waiting for our baby girl. When we received a referral for a 5-week-old girl, we began to cry tears of joy…they told us her story, and we were awestruck that God would entrust us with this baby. Even her name, Bethlehem, was a reminder of Bethlehem Baptist Church, where we first met multi-racial families with adopted children and began deeply desiring for our family to resemble them. We later decided to name our daughter Mercy Bethlehem, because “Mercy”  reflects the character of God in adopting us.

“The week that we found out we were receiving a Show Hope adoption aid grant was very humbling to us. God was showing us all along the way that He was the provider! As we have walked this road of adoption, we have been reminded of God’s pursuit of us, His undying love, and His matchless mercy.

“All of the months of waiting, the tears of longing, the fears when she was sick, the questions about what she was like…it all fell into place as God took us across the globe to meet our daughter. When they placed Mercy in my arms I felt like I had always been with her. She just fit!! Thank you, Show Hope sponsors, for being faithful to God and serving our family by helping make our dream of adoption a reality.”

-Dana Cordell

“One of the most important things we learned on our adoption journey is that it is all in God’s hands and we must trust Him every step of the way. Eight months after we began our process, we completed all of our paperwork and were ready to send everything to Ethiopia. However, two days before we were going to send it off, we realized we had to start fresh with a different agency because of ethical concerns that were raised with the first agency. We were frustrated with the need to switch agencies, as we expected a long wait and additional paperwork as a result.  Looking back, God used the switch to direct us to the little girl that He intended for us, and we are so very glad that we listened to Him.

“As we started our adoption journey, we had no idea how we were going to be able to pay for our adoption, but we were confident we needed to be obedient to what God was calling us to do. I remember saying to a friend at one point, ‘At the end of this, we’re either going to look really stupid or really faithful.’

“The morning of Dec. 14th, we received a call from our new adoption agency saying that we had not passed court in Ethiopia that day. It was a very difficult day, as we knew that meant a delay for us. After that call, I walked out to the mailbox and found the letter from Show Hope saying that we had been awarded a grant. God was so gracious and His timing was amazing! It was just the encouragement we needed at that moment.

“God has been so faithful. We received 2 grants, one of which came from Show Hope, held amazing garage sales, saved, and recently found out we’ll be able to use the adoption tax credit! I am thrilled to share that our adoption is paid in full!

“When we finally got to meet Erkinesh in Ethiopia, she was a shy, sweet and scared little girl. We spent the week together in Addis Ababa, then flew home. The past four months have been difficult, but not without joy! We are daily seeing progress and have so much hope. We believe that now is the time for healing.

“We are so thankful for the Show Hope sponsors who helped to make our adoption possible! We are thankful for your willingness to give to families that you don’t even know, and especially thankful for your love for orphans. We have been so blessed by your generosity and your love. Thank you so very much!”

-Sharon Bonnett

Show Hope is partnering with Empowered To Connect to bring the Empowered To Connect Conference to Nashville, Tennessee. This two day conference focuses on equipping families, churches and professionals to bring hope and healing to adopted and foster children. Hosted at Covenant Presbyterian Church by longtime Show Hope board members and friends of the Chapmans, Dan and Terri Coley, the conference will take place during September 10-11, 2010.

The Empowered to Connect Conference features two tracks with sessions and workshops led by Dr. Karyn Purvis and Michael and Amy Monroe. Dr. Karyn Purvis, co-author of The Connected Child, will share her research, tips and strategies for easing post-adoption family life. All participants are highly encouraged to attend sessions on both days. Professionals are eligible to receive CEU credit for their participation in the conference. Early bird registration takes place through August 11.

For more information about the conference and conference registration, please visit showhope.org/connect

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“My husband Michael and I had been in the wait to adopt an infant boy from Colombia for 2 and a half years when I saw her — Melisa Joy was a beautiful little girl with spina bifida on a waiting child list. I gazed at her picture for three months without telling anyone, even my husband, because ‘we wanted a boy.’ One day, during a regular check-in call, our adoption coordinator brought up the possibility of adopting Melisa. She had no idea that I had already been thinking about this child! That night, I talked about it with my husband, and just a few weeks later we were on our way to Colombia to adopt our special little girl.

“It would have been much longer than those four and a half weeks if it was not for Show Hope sponsors. Because our adoption moved along so quickly after years of waiting, we did not have enough money. However, due to the gracious people who donate to Show Hope and the grant that was given to us, we were able to quickly travel to Colombia to bring our daughter home. She is doing wonderfully! Thank you to Show Hope and Show Hope sponsors. Our family is blessed because of your faithfulness to give.”

-Sarah Lowenberg

When Randy and Delia Burns began their adoption journey, they thought domestic adoption was the right choice for their family. However, when Delia met a young, pregnant Guatemalan girl through her job as a translator, things began falling into place for the couple to adopt this child. Sadly, this tiny baby girl was born prematurely and Elena Grace went to be with the Lord just a few months after her birth.

After a time of mourning, Randy and Delia began to find hope in beginning the adoption process again. This time, they knew they wanted to pursue adoption from Guatemala. They received a referral for a 5-month-old girl whose young mother was unable to care for her.

For the Burns, it was love at first sight! Their quick work in completing their dossier meant their paperwork was ready just before the submission deadline to adopt from Guatemala. As they neared the time when they would meet Sophia, the Burns realized that while they already had plenty of love to share with their daughter, there were still several adoption expenses for which they did not have the financial resources. It was the encouragement and funds of a Show Hope adoption aid grant that provided vital assistance for them to bring Sophia Hope into their forever family. Randy shares,

“We would like to thank all of the Show Hope sponsors. Adoption can be very expensive, and some people would never be able to afford it without such assistance. You helped us bring Sophia home, and for that we are eternally grateful.”

Mark and Amy Mays were able to welcome home precious Andrew from Russia, thanks to the help of Show Hope sponsors who help provide waiting orphans with loving families.

“Amy and I have been teaching our girls Abby and Lydia that God loves all people of the world. They were delighted when we told them we were asking God to allow us to be a forever family for a 2 year-old boy from Moscow, Russia. As we thought about our family over the years, Amy had always prayed for visions of what our family should be, and I prayed about what our family should do. Our prayers were answered in unison when we decided to become a forever family for Andrew.

“We are so thankful to Show Hope sponsors! We are humbled and honored that there are people committed to helping families pursue the call of adoption that God has laid on their hearts. Friends and family saw God providing and because of that, were even more motivated to play a part in our adoption journey. Thank you!”

Motte and Beth Brown had always talked about adopting, even before having their first two children biologically.  During their lengthy process to adopt from China, Motte and Beth soon became convinced that they were actually being called to pursue a sibling group from Ethiopia while continuing to wait for a match from China. They were quickly matched with two Ethiopian siblings between the ages of five and eight. Two weeks later, however, they were astounded when their agency called to inform them that this was actually a sibling group of four and that twin infant siblings had just been found. If they wished to continue with the adoption of these two children, they would have to adopt all four siblings together.

The Browns went through weeks of praying and seeking the counsel of people in their church, and while they were a bit scared and unsure of how they would fund this adoption, they decided to move ahead and accept the placement of all four children. Two families, who each had adopted sibling groups, were of particular inspiration to the couple. The Browns recall,

“There was really nothing extraordinary about these two families or their circumstances that uniquely qualified them to adopt a sibling group…I suspect that mainly, they were just willing. These families prove to everyone around them that children are a blessing from the Lord and that adoption is close to God’s heart. We realized that despite our fears and feelings of inadequacy as parents, God was calling us to this - to lay down our lives for these orphans; and to trust Him to be our provider.

“Before we even began applying for grants, we knew God would raise up his saints to cover the expenses to adopt four orphans from Ethiopia. And by far, our biggest gift came from Show Hope. It is our great privilege to be able to thank you,  Show Hope sponsors, for helping give our adopted children a new chance at life and for giving us a new family.”

This is the adoption story of the Carla Breeding. Carla received a Show Hope adoption aid grant during her journey of adoption, made possible by Show Hope sponsors.

“She reached out her little left hand and grabbed my neck. I was prepared for tears, a need for soothing, but she seemed to be soothing me instead. I never wanted to move my cheek from the top of her head. Eventually, I made my way to a mirror across the room so I could see her face without moving her. In the hotel room where we  spent our first days together, I made a bottle for her and sang, ‘God is so Good’, adding ‘God made us a family’ as our own made-for-the-occasion verse. We were a family. Finally. Those precious first hours together quickly turned into days, weeks, years of learning and loving each other, not as in a fairy tale, but in the work and love that intertwine in building a real family, with the ebb and flow of frustration and ecstasy.

“Two years later, when she had grown to be a chubby toddler, we received into our hands and hearts the tiniest, most active baby I had ever seen. Our second little one wouldn’t have any of this snuggling like her older sister… she wanted to experience every adventure as quickly as possible. We soaked up slobbery kisses until months later she finally allowed me to hold her in that snuggly way. She finally let me in. When a rough patch comes, I say to the girls, ‘We are a family. All three of us. God took something that could have been bad, and made it into something better than we could imagine. We are family forever and ever! Always! There is nothing that could ever happen that would make us NOT a family.‘

“And now, as life is lived in the typical routine of church, visits to the public library, ballet lessons, basketball teams, gymnastics, lunch boxes and school. There is also the not-so-typical routine of explaining that not all babies come from the airport but some from a hospital, annual reunion trips with those who began their lives together in the same orphanage, and culture camp. I understand that my life truly began when those little fingers first grabbed my neck and never let go. It’s the three of us—a beautiful family built in a miraculous way through adoption.”