God has shown His remarkable faithfulness on behalf of the world’s waiting children over these past ten years. Over the 10 days leading up to our 10 Year Anniversary Celebration in Nashville on May 25-26, I’ll be sharing ten moment that stand out to me from our beginning years:

1. Going National

When Show Hope began in 2003, we knew we needed to reach as many people as possible so that we could restore the love of a family to orphans in distress. God opened the doors to sponsor Steven Curtis Chapman’s 2004 All Things New Tour with Casting Crowns and Chris Tomlin, allowing us to reach hundreds of thousands of people across the country. That tour catapulted us onto the national stage and set us up for the remarkable growth we’ve experienced.

Steven Curtis Chapman and Casting Crowns will once again be teaming up (along with Andrew Peterson, Laura Story, Audio Adrenaline, and Geoff Moore) for our 10 year Anniversary Concert! Purchase tickets today>>>

UPDATE – JANUARY 4  - Read the official Save the Adoption Tax Credit working group press release here. 

Good news to start off the year 2013! In light of the uncertainty of our nation’s fiscal situation, I am excited to announce that the Adoption Tax Credit that was due to expire at the end of 2012 was voted to be a permanent part of the tax code at $10,000 or more, as it was in 2001.

More than ten years ago my wife Kerry, the first staffer for the Adoption Caucus and the founding Executive Director of the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute, worked with our lawmakers to grow the Adoption Tax Credit. Now, years later, we invested time and energy in advocating through Show Hope and alongside many other key organizations (including my wife’s former company now 8 years removed) to make sure it did not fall through the cracks.

There were many aspects of the Adoption Tax Credit that we advocated for, and one of those was 100% “ refund-ability” (regardless of whether or not you owed taxes). Unfortunately, that component did not make the package. We are disappointed that this benefit didn’t make the package. However, considering the state of reform our government is currently in, we rejoice in the good news that this important issue was not forgotten!

Keep up-to-date on the status of the adoption tax credit and frequently asked questions by clicking here.

Show Hope receives around 1,000 Adoption Aid applications every year.

I suspect you still get junk mail at home just like I do. But once in a while, something special comes along, like a card from a loved one or an invitation to a wedding. The envelope is usually a different size and the address is handwritten so it is compelling to tear open. Now imagine what an invitation from God would look like coming through the mail – unimaginable right!?

Over the years, the Chapmans and I have had many discussions about the needs of the 140 million+ orphans worldwide. It is an overwhelming number, and we would be foolish to think that we could solve the problem at large. Because of this, our conversations quickly move to God’s invitation to join His story in the lives of the orphans we are called to help through Show Hope.

The stories shared by Show Hope grant families and from our Care Centers are remarkable. There are likely thousands more children who God has called us to reach, and we continue to prayerfully consider how we can move our mission forward to help more orphans find permanent, loving families.

While we celebrate the hundreds of Adoption Aid grants we have given out this year, we pray that God will help us with the hundreds more we turn away each year due to a lack of funds. While we celebrate what the Lord has done through our Student Initiatives, we ask Him to multiply this fruit by providing the funding needed to reach even more students.

As Steven Curtis often says, “May you prayerfully consider how God might be ‘inviting’ you to be our partner.” In Show Hope’s communications and blogs, you will find a beautiful account of stories scripted by God showing us how He is loving children through the generosity of you and your fellow sojourners. God is inviting us to join the journey anew.

Both of these things are true – “Every good thing that we have has come from above (James 1:17), and “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35). I believe God will bless you beyond your imagination as you generously and joyfully give from what He has entrusted to you to support this work to care for orphans through Show Hope.

Thank you for sharing your heart, time and resources with the ministry of Show Hope!

Scott Hasenbalg

All over the world, including here in the United States, millions of orphans are waiting, longing for a forever family to take them home. However, adoption can cost between $10,000, and $45,000, and many families with room in their hearts and homes are unable to overcome the financial barriers. Show Hope recognizes this need to help defray the expenses of adoption and get children into forever families. The United States Adoption Tax Credit currently provides up $12,650 to adoptive families. However, the Adoption Tax Credit is set to expire at the end of 2012. If Congress does not act, the size and applicability of this tax credit will shrink dramatically.

If the adoption tax credit helped you or someone you know to adopt a child, or if it could help you in the future to adopt a child, please call your House Representative today and urge that he or she cosponsor the bipartisan bill H.R. 4373, the Making Adoption Affordable Act. You can reach your Representative by calling the U.S. Capitol Operator at 202-225-3121 and asking for your Representative’s office. If you don’t know your Representative’s name, click here and enter your zip code in the box provided.

As you call your Representative, consider sharing these messages:
• I am a constituent in your district and the adoption tax credit is important to me because…
• I urge the Representative to become a co-sponsor of The Making Adoption Affordable Act, H.R. 4373.
• If Congress does not act – the credit as we now know it – will expire in December 2012.
• H.R. 4373 is bipartisan and it supports all types of adoptions (domestic private, foster care, and international adoptions).
• This tax credit has made adoption a more viable option for many parents who might not otherwise have been able to afford adoption, allowing them to provide children with loving, permanent families.
• Thank you for your support of H.R. 4373.

If you want to learn more about the adoption tax credit go to adoptiontaxcredit.org
And “like” the Save the Adoption Tax Credit Facebook page

Thank you for taking a few minutes to make this important phone call!

Stevey Joy, Shaohannah, and Maria Chapman

Four years ago today Maria Sue Chapman went to be with Jesus. While we continue to grieve this loss, we also have great hope as we see God’s hand working redemption from this loss. I am reminded of Caleb Chapman’s analogy that walking through this tragedy is much like trying to understand a great impressionist’s painting; clarity often comes only from a distance. The empty bed in the Chapman home has been remade into countless beds at Maria’s Big House of Hope. Children who were once unknown not only find healing, but also the hope of a forever family through adoption. This is part of the beauty that the true Artist has crafted out of these ashes.

Adoption is God’s handiwork and we can rejoice that we have been adopted eternally (John 14:18) while we seek to give greater hope, love, and care to the world’s most vulnerable children who have yet to experience adoption in the physical sense. Maria’s legacy lives on and is evident through stories like Isaac’s. Today we not only remember sweet Maria Sue but we rejoice in where she is and where we will be thanks to the redeeming handiwork of the One who holds all creation in His sure hands. Thank you for your continued support of the Chapman family and Show Hope.

Lulu, Rafiya, and Brielle at MBHOH

By now the excitement of Christmas is wearing off a bit and hopefully is fading into a wonderful memory for all. As we turn our attention to crossing the threshold into a new year, before we do, join me in rejoicing in what we have been able to accomplish as the body of Christ in 2011. Whether you are a donor, an adoptive parent, a volunteer, a missionary, on staff at SH, a board member, an influential voice, a partner, one of our prayer warriors, or a vendor, I am grateful for the part that you played that resulted in life change for hundreds of orphaned children (now former orphans) in our country and around the globe. Your steps of obedience to play your part as one of the cast of characters in the life story of these kids that we have been a part of strengthen us as an organization. At times, you may have felt like an “extra” or a “stand in” but the stories of change are epic and the impact is beyond us. God’s plans are bigger and better than ours and while I don’t have time to recount all the miracles of 2011, below are a few headlines to recap.

Adoption Aid: In November, we surpassed our 3,000 adoption assistant financial grant helping qualified families adopt children from over 50 countries! Wow, I remember when we hit three hundred and I thought “someday there will be an extra 0 at the end and we will hit 3,000.” Dare we dream 30,000 someday (will need your help if you have major donor capacity ☺ )
Outlook 2012: The number of applications still outpace our funding and the volume of applications are projected to be similar to this past year so join us in one of our greatest joys which is to help fund forever families.
Read more blogs about Adoption Aid >

Show Hope Special Care Centers: We launched two more special care centers in China adding more than 75 orphans with special needs to our care. Obviously another full year of care at MBHOH for over 130 orphaned children and some of the greatest miracles to recap is that it is our understanding over a dozen children (as far as we know…maybe more) have been adopted by families who have been cared for at MBHOH. That is what I call a major circle of blessing and the main thrust in our purpose of our Show Hope Special Care Centers – for children to be put in a greater position to be adopted.
Outlook 2012: Possibly a couple more care centers in the Henan province! Stay tuned.
Read more blogs about Show Hope Special Care Centers >

Pre/Post Adoption & Empowered to Connect Conferences: We are grateful to have organized two conferences in 2011 which brought roughly 1300 people including hurting families, counselors and church partners. Furthermore, we implemented FREE resources for our adoption aid applicants to educate them about some of the prospective challenges ahead of them to better equip them with this life breathing information.
Outlook 2012: more free resources for applicants, the addition of a third ETC conference and a prospective new strategic initiative for training purposes. (Stand by)
Register today for 2012 Empowered to Connect Conferences >

Short-Term Trips: Roughly 200 people from around the country and different groups step foot into MBHOH this past year. Two additional surgical teams to make it three (from 1 team the previous year) unique medical trips to provide life changing surgery for 35 orphans combined throughout the year. Additionally, we had a dental team work on our nannies and several student and donor teams bring their energy and passion to Luoyang, China!
Outlook 2012: Another full year of trips!!
Complete the 2012 trips application >

The Movement Club: Our first Movement event took place in Nashville earlier this year as the catalyst towards a dozen or so Movement Clubs in high schools being launched in the Nashville region. Various service projects were executed and we begin to move into a National Launch phase with a new website just recently going live and now other clubs being formed throughout the country. We are excited for students to go beyond themselves and separate themselves as leaders in their school and community. Students can’t adopt, but lets not underestimate their passion to care for orphans today as we invest into them to become the adoptive families of tomorrow.
Outlook 2012: Watch out College students, Show Hope is coming to a campus near you!!
View video updates from The Movement Club >

Awareness and Events: Year 2 of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella was incredible! The orphan cause was lifted on high in Nashville community through this theatrical performance with Class A Broadway actors and actresses, not to mention Class A directors, local sponsors and supporters. Nothing like a unique event to piggy back a cause!
Outlook 2012: Tickets on Sale now!

SCC Concerts: “I came to one of Steven’s concerts three years ago and as a result of that night, my wife and I have gone on to adopt three children.” – Show Hope Volunteer
Enough said! Don’t miss an SCC concert this coming year as we have seen the Lord use his voice and platform for God’s purposes. Thank you to all the 400+ volunteers
Outlook 2012: Saddle Up, SCC is at it again in February. Purchase tickets today >

Cry of the Orphan Media Blitz: Year 5. Thank you Focus on the Family, Family Life’s Hope for Orphans and our new partner, James Fund (Family Christian Stores) for another successful year. We reached over 20,000,000 impressions with our combined media voice and roughly 250,000 people viewed the “Answer the Cry” video in support of Orphan Sunday.
Outlook 2012: Discussions have begun already for next year.

Well, those were just a few headlines and we are forever grateful for your role in making life change a reality in 2011 for hundreds of orphans and as you can tell by the outlook comments for 2012, we need you to join us in the endeavors that He has called us to do moving forward.

If you are a donor considering a year end gift, or planning your giving for 2012 you are necessary; if you are prospective adoptive parent praying or contemplating adoption, you are necessary; if you are a volunteer seeking to volunteer for the orphan cause, you are necessary. To steal a line from our media blitz campaign, “You are God’s plan for the orphan.” Don’t let the enemy deceive you to think you are not!! Just like we learned in the parable of the lost sheep, for if even one comes into the family we should rejoice. Your steps of obedience TODAY, set in motion forever life change for someone tomorrow! Thank you for a joyful and adventurous 2011; may your pursuit of God and obedience to Him bear great fruit for His Kingdom in 2012.

There is a lot going on at Show Hope! Short-term trip teams are coming and going, we have festivals to participate in, events to plan, campaigns to organize and grants to decide upon just to name a few. We get a flurry of web inquiries on occasion asking us, as a team, to pray for a specific circumstance, not to mention the importance of praying for each other considering the ‘weariness’ that can transpire on the this battlefield. Organizationally, prayer is a priority for us but more so than that, it is a privilege and we take those inquiries and requests seriously.

I have often heard that those of us who labor in this field of ministry to orphans have a target on our back(s) so prayer is vital knowing our victory is in Christ Jesus and the battle is won on our knees. When I am not in our office or on the road with Steven or in China or visiting a partner, I am in my home office and connect with the team for meetings through video conferencing. (Technology is a beautiful thing!) Part of my role is to set our course as an organization and one of my favorite things to do is to set our course upward to the Lord….even through cyberspace.

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” Ephesians 6:12

Typically the days leading up to an anniversary of something tragic brings forth some anxiety due mainly to the anticipation of emotion that is evoked when you “remember the day.”  For the Chapmans and the Show Hope family, we find ourselves in an emotional state beyond what any of us could have anticipated because of yet another tragedy.  Donna Daniel, Show Hope’s newest board member, and her husband Dan, tragically lost their 17 year old son Michael on Wednesday evening due to a skateboarding accident.  Our heart goes out to Dan and Donna and the rest of their family. No words that we have can console what you are experiencing.

As I spoke to Mary Beth throughout the week to receive updates on Michael’s status until he went to be with Jesus, she kept referencing the scripture “comfort those experiencing any trouble with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”  (2 Corinthians 1:4)

Three years ago today, Maria Sue Chapman went to be with Jesus.  Considering I spent a number of days at Maria’s Big House of Hope a little over a week ago, I was reminded of her legacy and often thought of her.  I became more mindful of where she is now, and as a result I find myself more grateful for the work on the cross that assures us of our undeserving but rightful place in heaven.  Life is indeed a vapor and there is suffering going on around us, and even perhaps for many of you reading this blog, but the reality is we have a greater destination heavenward thanks to the ransom Christ paid for us, death on the cross.

“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:21