“After having five biological children, Amber and I wanted to fulfill our dreams of bringing a child into our family through adoption. It came up because Amber’s sister was adopted as an infant and it was something that she always wanted to do. We had previously pursued domestic adoption, but we pulled our application when we became pregnant with our twins. As we began to talk about adoption again, we decided to turn our focus toward international adoption and we kept coming back to one of the poorest countries with some of the greatest needs-Ethiopia.

“Our daughter Seble (pronounced Seb-lah) was referred to us when she was just five and a half weeks old. When she came under the care of the orphanage, she weighed less than five pounds.  She was ill, dehydrated and sick enough that we wondered if she would survive. Thankfully, through the excellent care she began to receive, her health began to improve and we were able to move forward with her adoption.

“Adoption is truly a journey and it is made by taking one step at a time. We faced a couple different obstacles along the way-one being financial. We did several different fundraisers including: Christmas tree sales, adoption t-shirt sales, coin drives, cookie sales, and a silent auction night. However, we were thrown off guard in May 2010, when the Ethiopian government changed the requirements for appearing in court, therefore requiring two trips to Ethiopia instead of the one trip we had planned on. This added several thousand more dollars to the total that we were trying to raise.

“The generous grant from Show Hope, which we were so thankful to get, lessened the burden we faced financially. We came up with the money and made the two trips, the second of which was to bring Seble home in January 2011. We will forever be grateful to every person that contributed to help bring Seble home, including the Show Hope sponsors who give their finances every month to help other families adopt. You will never know this side of heaven how much your gift has meant to us, and how our life has changed since we got the gift of this beautiful baby girl in our lives! Thank you!”

-Adam Stutzman

“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

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

Get to know some of the babies at Maria’s Big House of Hope in this month’s recap video! We also just uploaded two new videos to give you a sneak peek into the daily lives of Jessica and Naomi, who are both seen playing in the recap video.

Watch Jessica’s new video > – Jessica learns how to say the English word “eyes” in Kindergarten and in the process, takes the opportunity to entertain her teacher as well as visitors to her classroom.

Watch Naomi’s new video > – Naomi not only feels grown up by being able to help Caitlin with an errand at MBHOH, but she also has the chance to learn a valuable lesson that will serve her in the future:   cell phones and indoor sunglasses are not a very workable combination….but how does a girl choose?

Nashville’s News Channel 5 aired this special feature on Show Hope’s adoption aid and orphan care work tonight. The video segment features special interviews with the Chapmans and the testimony of the Wright family, who received a Show Hope adoption aid grant.

Read the full story at News Channel 5 >

Become a Show Hope sponsor to make more miracles possible >

Have you ever wished you could spend a day with other like-minded orphan advocates? Sometimes those of us who are passionate about adoption and orphan care feel that many people just “don’t get it.” It’s clear that churches, organizations, and individuals need a way to share their perspectives and unite their ministries to reach and help children in need. The good news is that as an answer to that need, the Christian Alliance For Orphans was created in 2008, which now includes over 80 member organizations such as Show Hope, Focus on the Family, and Hope for Orphans (a ministry of Family Life), and many others. The Alliance is a beautiful picture of “the church unified, serving the fatherless in both word and deed, bearing poignant testimony to the character of our God.”

My Show Hope co-workers and I just returned from this year’s Orphan Care Summit VII, held in Louisville, Kentucky, at Southeast Christian Church. For two days I had the pleasure of meeting many adoptive parents, some who thanked me for their Show Hope grant and eagerly showed me adorable photos of their children. I worshiped and learned from more than a thousand other people who share my love for the fatherless.

I especially benefited from hearing from highly respected Christian leaders, authors, artists, and professionals in the field as they shared their insights: Brian Fikkert, author of When Helping Hurts; Karyn Purvis, author of The Connected Child; Sara Groves, singer and songwriter; Carolyn Twietmeyer, Project Hopeful to name a only a few. But one of the most important messages for me personally came from Jedd Medefind, President of the Christian Alliance For Orphans.

Jedd made these challenging statements about caring for orphans-
It is not about taking up another cause. A gospel-fueled love for orphans entails:

1. When the going gets tough, duty, guilt, and enthusiasm are not enough. We need to be people connected to the Source.

2. When we choose to love orphans, when we open our homes, when we break into our safety accounts to give, we are forced to give up our false gods…gods of convenience, selfishness, pride.

3. We must reflect the story of how we have been adopted and taken into God’s family.

I’m grateful for the new ministry partners I met this weekend and time to spend with my heavenly Father. My prayer is that each of us will celebrate our spiritual adoption as we draw near to the heart of God and offer love and hope to the “least of these.” I hope you will join me in attending the Christian Alliance For Orphans Summit VIII at Saddleback Church in California May 2-3, 2012.

“When we look at our little girl, we cannot believe how incredibly blessed we are to have her. Our journey to Ava Bokyung was full of so many twists and turns, valleys and mountaintops that sometimes we have to pinch ourselves to make sure she isn’t a dream! Our trip to Seoul to bring our daughter home really started when we were married in December 1996. At the time we were more concerned with our careers as Christian school teachers and earning our graduate degrees than raising children. In time those desires began to change.

“One by one, God started to take away all other options except the one He wanted for us. It’s easy to look at our story and think international adoption was our Plan B or even our Plan C. In fact, it was really always a desire of ours. By the summer of 2009, a number of people – none of whom know each other – indicated that adopting from Korea may be a good choice for our family. I’m happy to say that our counsel was correct!

“Once we settled on South Korea, God moved things along quickly. No sooner did we have the initial home study done and paperwork filed than we had a referral for a beautiful baby girl. Five months after receiving our referral, we boarded a plane for a trip that changed our lives forever. We traveled to Seoul to become parents, but now we realize that God used us to provide a loving home for a child who desperately needed one. God truly has been good to us! We cannot thank the Show Hope sponsors enough for your help. In our mind, international adoption was something that rich people do, and we are not rich. It was only because of generous assistance from Show Hope and others that our dream was able to become a reality. Thank you for your part in bringing Ava home to be a part of our forever family!”

-Craig and Celeste Dunlap

Over twenty medical professionals from Geisinger Medical Center set out to travel over 7,000 miles carrying over 900 pounds of supplies to help change the life of fifteen orphans in four days.  I am pleased to report that this mission was indeed accomplished. It would not be truthful if I said that it was completely smooth sailing and stress free, but considering the environment this team delivered with minimal hiccups.

There is always a story behind the story, but the truth is each team member gets to be a part of the story that is unfolding for these orphans.  One month old hydrocephalus babies with new shunts and two year old cleft babies with new smiles.  I am proud of this team for believing in a vision and investing their own time and resources to travel half way around the world to practice ‘pure religion’ (James :127).  Thanks to all who supported, followed and prayed for this team and a special thanks to my wife Kerry who stood in Joyces kitchen in China three years ago and believed that God was asking her to be an instrument to get Geisinger teams to perform at MBHOH.

God is faithful!  “The one who calls you is faithful and He will do it.”  1 Thessalonians 5:24

It wouldn’t be a true mission trip if it didn’t have  a curveball or two thrown our way, not to mention the emotional ups and downs like a roller coaster ride as the team leaders work through decisions in detail.  We woke up yesterday to generator noise which meant only one thing..a power outage.  The weather has been sketchy all week which was fine since the mission work was inside, but it caught us off guard needless to say as it was not something we expected.  We knew it is always a far off possibility but why now?  When would it come back on?  Would it come back on? - were the questions that immediately came to mind.  The thoughts were out of control, we only had four days to fit in every case that we could so any delay in our schedule would throw off our plan.  We felt powerless in every way imaginable.  However, it is just like God to bring to bare a moment to remind us of our limitations and how powerless we really were in our own human frailty in our own strength.  I said earlier in the week during our morning devotion time that “apart from him we could do nothing”(John 15:5) but I didn’t think it would be taught to us in a real practical way!  Without electricity, we really couldn’t do anything!  At any rate, by God’s Grace, the power came back on within 30 minutes of the first case and we barely skipped a beat.  Three more repairs are DONE and in the books.  Great job team.

“I am using an example from everyday life because of your human limitations. Just as you used to offer yourselves as slaves to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer yourselves as slaves to righteousness leading to holiness.” Romans 6:19

Being around Steven a lot over the last nine years, I have a front row seat to watch someone who God has gifted in writing and music. I have often said that he makes it look easy. I suppose the combination of working in your giftings and answering the call to channel those giftings “according to His good will and purpose” results in making things look easy when in fact, they are not. It also results in excellence of output or work. However, when you distill it down we can call it whatever but biblically I believe it is called “fruit of labor”. Its characteristics have the appearance of making things look easy and excellent in its output.

Friends, this Geisinger Medical team is filled with people who are excellent at what they do and they make it look easy. Today three more lives where changed with surgical repair. No details have been left unturned and it is quite impressive to witness. Even more impressive to me, however is their compassion for these kids.  This environment brings to surface the raw and authentic motivation as to why one would choose healthcare as a vocation.  It has been refreshing to listen to mealtime conversations about how much they care for these kids and observe their pursuit of them even after post op care.  It is infectious to say the least.

“Truly I tell you, whatever ou did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.”  Matthew 25:40