Another sleepy girl pic

This girl can sleep anywhere!  Notice the thumb has slipped out--she is down for the count!

40 Day Prayer Guide for Orphan Care

Over the next 40 days leading up to Orphan Sunday, I will be praying for orphan care.  Many times people get scared or uncomfortable when you talk orphan.  They're afraid of what it will mean to them personally. They wonder if they'll be called to adopt.  Maybe.  Maybe not.  But one thing is clear, God's heart is for the orphan.  Many times in the bible He speaks of the least of these, the orphan.  One of the better known scriptures on it is James 1:27--"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."  He also promises to not leave us as orphans (John 14:18).  And He sets the lonely in families.  (Psalm 68:6)  What orphan care will look like for each person and family is different.  The important thing is to value the things that God values, and God values the orphan.  

Please join me over the next 40 days in praying for Orphan Care.  Prayer changes everything.  And praying together is powerful.  In the words of Jesus:

"When two of you get together on anything at all on earth and make a prayer of it, my Father in heaven goes into action. And when two or three of you are together because of me, you can be sure that I'll be there."  Don't you love that--"My Father in heaven goes into action."  What a beautiful picture.




The prayer guide is used with permission from Orphan Sunday.

Introducing a few ways to support SFCV

I've been brainstorming a some new ways to raise money to help support the children at SFCV.  Thinking of my 3 favorite things--children, books and coffee, I've come across 2 ways that you can help raise money by buying things you may already be buying!

The first is Barefoot Books.  They have some of the most adorable books and many are educational!  

The second is JustLoveCoffee!  

Click through to these sites from here and shop--that's all you have to do!  Purchases made through these 2 links will help the children at SFCV!  

Needing a family...

Yang

Yang was born on 7-13-2007. His special need is post operative cleft lip/palate. Yang is a bright and active boy who loves out door activities and animals.

Harry

Harry was born on 7-8-2008. His special need is repaired cleft lip and cleft palate. He is an active boy who loves to play games and play with other children.

These children are on an individual list.

for information, email Xiaoqing Cai:  xqcai@comcast.net

or leave a comment here.

Look at these 2 cuties that need families

These 2 cuties both have limb differences, which are very special to me.  Our Grace's left arm looks just like Matthew's!

Matthew

is  13 months old

And has a limb difference.  He's missing his left forearm.

He looks so cute and cuddly and as sweet as can be!

 Molly

                                                  

Molly has a deformed/incomplete left hand and foot.  

Isn't she just adorable with a huge personality to go with that preciousness!?

These children are on an individual list.

for information, email Xiaoqing Cai:  xqcai@comcast.net

or leave a comment here.

Artwork Auction to benefit SFCV

Take a look at these BEAUTIFUL paintings that were done in China!  They are coming directly from SFCV gift shop.  We are auctioning them off to help raise funds for SFCV.  To place a bid, leave your bid in a comment for me.   

Bidding will end Saturday, September 11, 2010 at 10 pm CST!   So be sure to check back to see who won and to see how much we have raised for SFCV.

Artwork #1 

Size 23.5" x 35.5"

Starting Bid:  $75

Artwork #2

Size 24" x 20"

Starting Bid:  $50

Artwork #3 

Size 24" x 35.5"

Starting bid $75

Artwork #4 

Size 39.5" x 30.5" 

Starting bid: $225

Please share this my site with all your friends!   

THANKS!!!

(If possible, the winner will make their donation directly to SFCV on their website so that the funds will be available to them faster as time is of the essence.  The artwork will come to me rolled.  They are sending me a smaller one with the frame so I'll know how to put them back on a frame.  If you choose to have me send it to you rolled, I will cover shipping.  Otherwise, shipping will be extra.)

(All proceeds will go DIRECTLY to SFCV!)

(I put a starting bid to make sure that we covered the cost of the paintings.)

Fundraiser for SFCV--Sale!

Bracelets $10 each  

*SPECIAL buy 3 get one FREE!*

(pictures 1-4 only)

Jade bracelets

Green jade $15

Yellow (faux) jade $5

These banners are actually made at SFCV and are absolutely adorable!

All the Children of the World $60

Panda Growth Chart $60                                   

Panda Mama and Baby $60

Footprints (also comes in pink) $45

Family  $45

Remember all proceeds go to SFCV!

Our next adoption and SFCV

Many of you know we are trying to adopt Ting Ting.  I was keeping a blog at www.journeytotingting.blogspot.com, but it's too hard keeping up with 2 blogs right now, so I'm just going to post on here for now.

A little background for anyone new to my blog.   We started praying for Ting Ting back in the summer of 2008.  We had just gotten matched with Grace and found out she was a SFCV.  A new online friend was praying over adopting Ting Ting and asked us to pray with them for Ting Ting's family to be made clear.  Because there was no way to know when, if ever, her paperwork would be done, my friend and her family decided to move ahead with another adoption.  We had been praying for her for almost 6 months at this point...for her to feel God's love, for protection, and for her family to find her.  We traveled to get Grace in December of 2008 and I had the joy (LOL) of holding precious Ting Ting and kissing her and hugging her and falling in love with her.  

(Yes, that's her on my lap!)

After coming home, we continued to pray for her, but now the children and I were praying for God to allow US to be her family and for Troy to be on board with us.  Last summer before our vacation, Troy surprised me with a special gift:  (still brings tears to my eyes!)

He agreed that we should pursue adopting her!  We started our paperwork, but we had several holdups with our previous social worker being overworked.  But as it wasn't our first adoption, we had learned that God always has a plan.  Earlier this summer, our social worker suggested we work with a different one.  Our new social worker got our homestudy done in record time and was an amazing person to work with!  During this time, China changed plans again and you had to be logged in to lock a file.  Well we weren't logged in, so we didn't press to have her paperwork started.  

Jumping to today and our prayer request:

We just got back from BLR today and our I800A APPROVAL was in the mail!  So I can now finish certifying everything and then send it off to Cindy at MyChinaDocs to do our authentication in Houston.  Then we can get logged in!  We are close enough now that we are praying that God will "encourage" her originating orphanage to do her adoption paperwork AND that we will be able to find it when it gets to CCAA!

Which leads me to our other orphan prayer request:

Our Ting Ting is at SFCV.   If you're on my email list or a facebook friend, you know that SFCV hit a speedlump a couple weeks ago and needs to raise $70,000 before September 16th.  We are asking everyone to pray for SFCV: for the ayis who left--to have their hearts softened, for the ayis who remain--to keep their eye on the eternal reward and not earthly, for Tim and Pam Baker who have dedicated their lives to caring for orphans, and for the children at SFCV--that they will feel His love and will be protected and cared for through the storm.

And one of my favorite (and yet, saddest) pictures:

Someone sent this older picture to me and imagine my surprise and delight to not only see Ting Ting (with her ADORABLE smile), but if you look in the back right, who should you see?  Our Grace!!   They lived together in the same house during their time there.  Grace calls Ting Ting "my Ting Ting!"  Why is it also a sad picture?  Laila (left) was adopted earlier this year.  Fiona (3rd from left) passed away earlier this year.  And our Grace is at home with us.  It makes me sad to see her friends leaving her behind (of course I'm THRILLED for those that are adopted!)

If you're interested in helping SFCV financially, please check out my most recent posts.  I have an artwork auction and also selling bracelets, etc. to raise money for SFCV--ALL the proceeds go to SFCV!  Donations can also be made at ChinaOrphans under Ways to Give.

I'm linking this up to Linny's Crazy Love Prayer Challenge at A Place called Simplicity!  Pop on over and read some of the other amazing stories and prayer requests and join us tomorrow as we join together with prayer warriors from all over to fast and pray!