Over the past few years, I have had the wonderful privilege of getting to know the staff of Let It Shine Gymnastics, Inc. You may be wondering why exactly I have become so familiar with a gymnastics facility. No . . . I haven’t been training for the Olympics . . . but I just so happened to have married the son of the man who owns Let It Shine Gymnastics. If you know me, then you know that it is a bit comical that I married into a family of talented gymnasts, purely for the reason that I am perhaps the world’s most uncoordinated person. Tanner grew up doing flips, and I grew up with casts on my ankles and elbows from running backwards or simply jumping on a trampoline. So, I guess we are living proof that opposites do, in fact, attract.

I have been welcomed into the Let It Shine family will open arms and am so very thankful for the ministry that they have here in middle Tennessee. Let It Shine is dedicated to teaching children excellent gymnastics in a positive, encouraging, Christ-centered atmosphere! In addition to all the amazing gymnastics that takes place in their facility, they are also dedicated to raising awareness about important causes. And so, my father-in-law and the rest of the Let It Shine family have gladly welcomed the presence of Show Hope at the gym! How cool is this??  They have offered us space in their Pro Shop to sell some of our new Show Hope apparel!! We have hats, necklaces, scarves, tote bags, adult tees, youth tees and toddler tees now available for purchase there. If you live in the middle Tennessee area and are looking for some Show Hope product, then swing by the gym (1892 General George Patton Drive, Franklin, TN) and pick up your favorite tee or tote!

Again, we at Show Hope are so grateful to the entire team at Let It Shine for this amazing opportunity and for their commitment to raise awareness about the global orphan crisis. Many kids and families come into this gym, and it is our hope that they will leave the gym more educated about the millions of children around our world currently growing up without anyone to be there for them, without anyone to take them to a gym to play.

Show Hope is the title sponsor for the upcoming “A Night with the Chapmans” tour. Steven Curtis Chapman and his family embark on a new journey together this fall as they venture out on a 34-city tour.

“We’ve prayed for months that each evening of this tour be an opportunity to ponder important things, and to celebrate the hope we have in Jesus, the great hope I’m so thankful continues to carry us all,” comments Chapman.

Mary Beth Chapman, Show Hope’s president, will join SCC for the first time ever on the tour. She will share her journey as reflected in her book, Choosing To See, co-written with Ellen Vaughn. MBC will open up about how she has wrestled with God even as she has allowed him to write her story–both during times of happiness and those of tragedy. The band Caleb, featuring Caleb and Will Franklin Chapman, will also be participating in this special family tour!

The tour kicks off next week on September 10 in Lancaster, PA and runs through November 21 in Joppa (Baltimore), MD.We look forward to seeing grant families and meeting Show Hope sponsors on the road this fall! For tickets, visit stevencurtischapman.com.

9/10 - Lancaster, PA - American Music Theatre
9/11 - New York, NY - Nokia Theatre
9/12 - Poughkeepsie, NY - Faith Assembly of God
9/16 - Westerville, OH - Grace Brethren Church
9/17 - Cincinnati, OH - Landmark Baptist Temple
9/18 - Willoughby Hills, OH - Willoughby Hills Friend Church
9/23 - Chattanooga, TN - Abba’s House
9/30 - Little Rock, AR - Church at Rock Creek
10/1 - Murray, KY - Lovett Auditorium
10/2 - Ft. Wayne, IN - First Assembly of God
10/3 - Springfield, MO - Remington’s
10/5 - Louisville, KY - Southeast Christian Church
10/7 - Houston, TX - Houston’s First Baptist Church
10/14 - Durham, NC - King’s Park International Church
10/15 - Savannah, GA - Savannah Civic Center
10/16 - Thomasville, GA - Thomasville Municipal Auditorium
10/17 - Ft. Myers, FL - McGregor Baptist Church
10/21 - Holland, MI - Central Wesleyan Church
10/22 - Merrillville, IN - Star Plaza Theatre
10/23 - Elgin, IL - Harvest Bible Chapel
10/24 - Davenport, IA - Adler Theatre
10/28 - Myrtle Beach, SC - Beach Church
10/29 - Jacksonville, FL - First Baptist of Jacksonville
10/30 - Ft. Pierce, FL - Westside Baptist Church
11/11 - Knoxville, TN - Knoxville Civic Auditorium
11/12 - Simpsonville, SC - Brookwood Church
11/13 - Aiken, SC - Millbrook Mountain Baptist Church
11/14 - Birmingham, AL - Shades Mountain Baptist Church
11/18 - Troy, OH - Hobart Arena
11/19 - Cicero, NY - Believer’s Chapel
11/20 - Joppa, MD - Mountain Christian Church
11/21 - Joppa, MD - Mountain Christian Church

We are thrilled to announce Show Hope’s partnership with VeggieTales to show hope to orphans this holiday season. Show Hope is highlighted in the bonus features of the upcoming Christmas DVD, It’s a Meaningful Life. The DVD will be released on October 5, and pre-orders begin this Wednesday, September 1.

We hope that families will watch the Show Hope video in the bonus features and consider joining this movement to care for orphans by participating in Change for Orphans, making a donation to Show Hope, or becoming Show Hope sponsors.

The It’s a Meaningful Life DVD also includes a new song from Steven Curtis Chapman, titled “Meant to Be.” The music video released on Friday, and features several photos and video clips from Show Hope grant recipient families whose children have come home! Consider how your family can help care for orphans in distress this Christmas by watching VeggieTales and becoming involved with Show Hope.

This week, Monday, August 30th through Friday, September 3rd, Steven Curtis and Mary Beth Chapman will be guests on FamilyLife Today. Hundreds of stations will broadcast this intimate and powerful interview. They will be sharing throughout the week on their personal journey through life and adoption, Mary Beth Chapman’s new book, Choosing to SEE, and how God has been at work in their life. Don’t miss it!

Show Hope has also linked arms with Hope for Orphans, a ministry of FamilyLife, and Focus on the Family for the 2010 Cry of the Orphan campaign. Together we are creating a special, one-hour program called Answer the Cry in support of Orphan Sunday. The program features Francis and Lisa Chan, Steven Curtis and Mary Beth Chapman, Mark Shultz, and more! This November 7th is Orphan Sunday, which is an excellent opportunity for you to engage your family, community, friends, or church to care for orphans. Learn more at www.showhope.org/orphansunday. Stay tuned for more information on this special opportunity. This program will be webcast for you to use at your event or church on Orphan Sunday! Learn more at www.cryoftheorphan.org

Today we celebrated the birthday of Show Hope’s social media guru, Melissa Wheatley! Melissa keeps this blog (as well as any number of other things at Show Hope) going strong. As is our office tradition at Show Hope, our birthday celebrations culminate in a fabulous dessert! Today, much to everyone’s delight, Melissa chose to go to Nati*creme, here in Franklin, for her birthday treat!

Naticakes (now expanded to also include Nati*creme) recently worked to raise funds to build a playground for the children at Maria’s Big House of Hope in China. The mission of Naticakes/Nati*creme is to support the Natalie Wynn Carter Foundation through the proceeds of the business. The Natalie Wynn Carter Foundation’s focus is two-fold: 1) to enrich the lives of children through providing spaces for them to play, as well as, 2) to come alongside other organizations that do great work in the lives of children. Having Melissa’s birthday there seemed particularly fitting since 23 years ago today, our sweet friend and co-worker was born in South Korea. Only four short months after her birth, she traveled home to her forever family here in the U.S.

Through my work at Show Hope, I am often reminded how God continues to work on behalf of the more than 140 million waiting children around the world, and encouraged by how so many are joining hands in this movement to care for orphans. Whether you are adding to your family through adoption, becoming a foster parent, setting aside a portion of your business’s profits for orphan care, becoming a Show Hope sponsor, or any number of other ways people are becoming a part of this work, God has given us a unique opportunity to see his kingdom break through in the lives of these children. You can be a part. Join us today…

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.

Over the next week, two dollars from each Family Christian Stores sale of Mary Beth Chapman’s book, Choosing To SEE, will benefit Show Hope! These funds will go toward operating expenses for Maria’s Big House of Hope. Both online and in-store purchases made by next Tuesday, August 17, 2010 will apply.

I am one of the privileged ones who received an advance copy of this book. As an insider who walked alongside them during some of the harder moments life presented to them over the last couple of years, even I found myself turning the pages eager to soak in the golden nuggets of God’s truth that was or has been revealed to them as time has pulled them away from “the abstract painting” that Caleb alluded they were “too close” to see at Maria’s memorial service. You should know, however, that this isn’t a book only for those who have experienced loss. If we are honest with ourselves, many if not all of us can relate to the wrestling that goes on with God sometimes regarding our plans vs. His plans. Mary Beth’s transparency about that is admirable and I am proud of her for being vulnerable. I know she has put tremendous prayer, time and energy into this for God’s glory and Show Hope’s benefit. Ultimately, orphans will benefit. If you had thoughts of buying this book, now would be a perfect time to do so through our friends and long time supporters at Family Christian Stores.

Purchase Choosing to SEE online >

Find a Family Christian Stores location >

Earlier this week, a man stopped by our office to give us a framed scripture.  He works for a small business who sells these unique pieces. He said they heard about Show Hope and wanted to bless us with this gift. Of course I thought to myself, “Well that’s awesome. Thank you!” When he opened up the package, I saw the words “Give in Secret” Matt 6:4. Hmm… That was an interesting choice of a verse to frame. I thought about it a little more and read the full scripture just to see exactly what it says.

3But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

After pondering the gift we were given, I thought how fitting it really is. An organization that is supported by contributions of individuals certainly relies on this verse. Show Hope has hundreds of donors who “Give in Secret” each month. These donors have decided in their hearts to give to orphans, to help make a difference for one child. No one has to know about their giving. They are giving to the Lord’s work. So let me say “Thank you!” to all of our faithful  Show Hope sponsors who give to the needy month after month. May the Lord reward you as he promises to do.

Sunrise from the roof of MBHOH

I have always been an early riser, and perhaps that has played a part in developing my deep love of sunrises.  Just over two years ago, my husband and I moved back to Tennessee with our children.  We had moved here from a neighborhood on the far north side of Chicago called Rogers Park, and the school our children attended was located in the South Loop.  Our school commute required an early morning trek down Lakeshore Drive, and while the distance from our house to school was only 12 miles, the trip took around 45 minutes.  Although this extended time in the car allowed us to practice spelling words and memory verses while we were all held captive by the commute, there was also another upside…

During these early morning commutes, our conversations were often interrupted by a breathtaking sunrise over Lake Michigan.  I always found myself compelled to have the children stop what they were doing to take a moment to share in its beauty.  Like a well rehearsed dance, my children always knew what would come next:  my question to them about what verse the sunrise drew their minds toward.  Upon my question, the children would begin to recite the first two verses of Psalm 19 to me.  Hearing this small section of scripture seemed to be the only sufficient remedy to my heart as it worked to process the beauty and splendor of what was before us:

1 The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

2 Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they display knowledge.

When I visited Maria’s Big House of Hope in March, I had the opportunity to watch the sunrise from the rooftop.  Although its appearance was much different than the sunrises I had enjoyed over Lake Michigan, it communicated a deep and abiding beauty I hadn’t seen before.  This same sun that gloriously worked to claim the day in Chicago was now working to give light to the children at MBHOH now waking to a new day.  I was further reminded of the beauty held within the walls of the building below me…the precious children, each made in God’s image, and in so, declaring God’s glory through their very existence.  With these truths in mind, that sunrise still stands as one of the most beautiful I have ever witnessed.

3 There is no speech or language
where their voice is not heard.

4 Their voice goes out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world.
In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun,

5 which is like a bridegroom coming forth from his pavilion,
like a champion rejoicing to run his course.

6 It rises at one end of the heavens
and makes its circuit to the other;
nothing is hidden from its heat.

7 The law of the LORD is perfect,
reviving the soul.
The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy,
making wise the simple.

8 The precepts of the LORD are right,
giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the LORD are radiant,
giving light to the eyes.

9 The fear of the LORD is pure,
enduring forever.
The ordinances of the LORD are sure
and altogether righteous.

10 They are more precious than gold,
than much pure gold;
they are sweeter than honey,
than honey from the comb.

11 By them is your servant warned;
in keeping them there is great reward.

12 Who can discern his errors?
Forgive my hidden faults.

13 Keep your servant also from willful sins;
may they not rule over me.
Then will I be blameless,
innocent of great transgression.

14 May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be pleasing in your sight,
O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.

When I first heard that there are an estimated 140,000,000 orphans in the world, it seemed like an astounding and shocking number that I couldn’t wrap my mind around. The challenge seems so great that we often give up and decide that we can’t make a real difference. I believe that alone we can do little, but together we can accomplish GREAT things! It is through this desire to become a part of the movement to care for orphans that I learned about Show Hope.

I was a stay-at-home mom who longed to find a place of valuable service to a ministry here in Franklin, Tennessee. I didn’t know what that would to look like, but I knew that God was calling me in the direction of orphan care and adoption. My husband and I were not in the position to adopt at the time, so this would be my way of addressing the orphan crisis in the world. Through much internet research, I found myself on Show Hope’s website, and instantly knew I wanted to help this ministry in any way I could. I contacted Show Hope and they just happened to need volunteers at the time.

As I was entering data into a computer system, as small as that seemed, I knew I was passionate about this cause. Eventually, I was hired, and I feel blessed to be able to serve God through this ministry each day. If everyone contributed in some way, no matter how small or large, we could truly make a difference in the lives of orphans. There are so many different ways to get involved: volunteer your time, go on a mission trip, give financially, adopt, foster, pray, and the list goes on. I urge you not to numbly look at the numbers as statistics, but to let your hearts be stirred and to become a voice for those that do not have one.  I thank God every day for Show Hope and what this ministry is doing in the lives of orphans daily and for letting me play a small but vital role.

“Defend the cause of the weak and the fatherless; Maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed. Deliver the weak and needy from the hand of the wicked.” Psalm 82:3-4