Urgent: Please Pray!

*UPDATE* A family has come forward to adopt Davids! (click here for more info)  Praise the Lord!! Our God's hand is mighty indeed and His children are LOVED!

Some of you have already heard this little boy's story and are already active in spreading the word.  But for those who don't know, there is a boy in Latvia who desperately needs a forever family... FAST.

Read is his story here

Could this be part of YOUR story?  

Please READ!  

Please PRAY!  

Please ACT!  

Help Davids find his forever family!

~

Also, today The Christian Alliance for Orphans is having a prayer webinar for Haiti.  Can you believe the earthquake happened a year ago today?  Click on the register button to sign up!

Goodness, it can be overwhelming how much pain is in the world, right?  

There's so much to pray for!  

Today I am thankful that my God hears my prayers... and cares!  

Isn't that amazing?

He has a plan for Davids!  

He has a heart for the people of Haiti!

Today, let us pray... and let us wait expectantly.

Family Friday: the Olsons

Today it's time for...

And this week we're featuring the Olsons!  Take a look at that cutie!  Below is a letter they sent to us.  I love to hear "God stories" like this and feel so blessed to work in a place where it's not an uncommon occurance!

There are no words to thank you enough for helping bring our family together. We believe that God has called us to adoption, however we have had to take a step of faith to trust God with the finances. You are an answer to prayer.

We sent over 400 letters to friends and family asking for help with the finances. We had three responses totaling about $250. We were discouraged. We tried a book sale where we collected over 1500 books from people who wanted to help with donations. We made about $1000 selling those donated books, but that was not as much as we had hoped. We were stuck. We applied at Lifesong for Orphans and felt so blessed to receive a matching grant! We could not believe it, but when we sent a letter about the matching grant, we had over $8,000 come in! Isn't that amazing?! We were blown away.  40% of our adoption costs were raised! We are so grateful!

We are first-time parents and loving it. We started the Ethiopia adoption process in the summer of 2008 through Children's Hope International. We had many disappointments along the way, but are so thrilled to say that we are home with our son! The process for Ethiopia calls for two trips, but we decided to stay the entire time! So we were in Ethiopia for six weeks. We learned about the culture and got some key time with our son.

His name is Zain Sato Olson. Zain is a form of John meaning "Beloved" and "God's Gracious Gift." Sato is his given Ethiopian name meaning "life" or "lush" though there is no literal translation. He was born on May 6, 2010 and became our son on Nov 25, 2010. He is amazing! He already can crawl and pull himself up on things. We had to baby-proof as soon as we got home!!! He babbles all the time and always wants to be involved in the conversation. He has two teeth and seems to be getting more. He is super healthy and growing like crazy!

Again, thank you so much for all you have done for us. We hope that you got a glimpse of the Kingdom impact you have made. God's heart is for adoption and we know that you have reflected this part of His character with your generosity.

Much love,
Erik, Bet, and Zain Olson
http://wechoseyou.blogspot.com

Ephesians 1:3-8 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—  to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us.

Genesis 22:13-14  Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. So Abraham called that place The LORD Will Provide. And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided.”

Thank you, Olsons!  The Lifesong team has counted it a joy to work with you and we are honored to be a part of your story!

Family Christmas looks Different than it Used to

Last week we had our big family Christmas (where my sister, her husband and I had the great privilege of giving Grandma and Grandpa a gift of purpose towards the Lifesong School in Zambia.  They LOVED it!)  

As we do every year, we gathered in a large circle to sing Christmas carols and open gifts.  Let me emphasize, right now, that I don't use the word "large" lightly.  This year's circle was made up of:

2 grandparents,

their 6 children including spouses,

18 grandchildren including their spouses,

39 great-grandchildren (plus one on the way),

and 2 great aunts (sisters of my grandpa).  

So yes, when I say large, I mean LARGE.

And here's the cool part.  As I looked around at those 39 little kiddos I saw 3 Guatamalans, 1 Chinese with Cerebral Palsy, and 3 bi-racial foster kids.  

I thought about how all 7 of these beautiful children could have gone through their lives not knowing real love... being labeled the foster kid, the girl with special needs, the orphan.

Instead their labels include Suhny-love and Laylee-lou.  Instead they are a part of a family Christmas where they can sing and laugh (and sometimes even get a good scolding or two), knowing full well that they are loved... a LOT.

I am so thankful to my grandparents for passing down a legacy of love towards our Heavenly Father, towards our family, and towards others.  I am so thankful that their son, my dad, decided 8 years ago to transfer his title from "business man" to "orphan advocate."  I am so thankful that Lifesong for Orphans has become what it has to not only my family, but other families too.  I am so thankful that my great God, my Daddy set the ultimate example of adoption when He adopted me!

I am so thankful that my family Christmas looks different than it used to.

How about our adoptive families out there... How has your Christmas changed since adoption became a part of your story?

 

Happenings in a Land I'm Missing Today...

Here’s update from Lifesong Ukraine director, Denis Poshelok:

Recently we received many warm scarves and hats for our children at Loubetin Orphanage.  Each scarf and hat was handmade by a group of women from Alabama.  It's getting cold here in Kharkov and these items are a great necessity.  Praise the Lord we now have enough scarves for every child we work with!  Thank you to everyone involved in this work!

A couple months ago we had three additional kids come to our families in Izume.  Two came to Slavik and Natasha (making their total 10 children) and one more came to Voval and Sveyta (giving them 11 in their family).  Three weeks later new furniture (beds, wardrobes, shelves) for Slavik and Natasha's home arrived.  It is good furniture built by our old friend Vladim and is made out of sold wood and veneer.  Kids are so happy to use new beds and mattresses.

Good things are happening in Izume.  As always, we thank our Father for everyone who supports the work at Izume and all of Lifesong Ukraine!"

Last year I got to visit the families in Izume.  Let me tell, you, they are some amazing people.  Slavik and Natasha were in the middle of dealing with 3 children in the hospital with TB and yet Christ still radiated in their lives, even in the midst of great struggle.  My heart is warmed by when I think of them now bringing more children into their home.  So cool!

Thank you, Lifesong staff in Ukraine!  I love and miss you all!  

and maybe I'll see you in 2011... (wink wink, boss.)

It's time to post our winners!

But first...

This weekend was Orphan Sunday.  Many of you took part in events with your church or small groups.  While some of you hosted a major event with speakers and live music, some had an intimate gathering in your home.  Whatever your participation in Orphan Sunday, it is valuable!  Thank you, for taking a stand for orphans around the world!

As for me, I had the blessing of being a part of a small prayer group.  We gathered together Saturday night and talked about ways to serve, experiences we'd had, people and children on our hearts.  And then we prayed.

The cool thing is, this wasn't a huge event.  Just a small group of believers coming together with willing hearts for a cause.  A cause that we believe is at the heart of our Father in Heaven.  And believe me, it was powerful.

So I'm curious.  What did you do this weekend?  Was there something specific that touched you?  Did you have a special program at your church?  What was the response?  Leave us a comment and let us know!  

Alright, and now, since I know you're all just dying to know who our winners are... (i have a video of the LIVE drawing but unfortunately I was unable to load it, so a written announcement will just have to do.)

Give-away #1: Answer this question:

How MANY children has Lifesong helped bring home to date?

the answer is... 1531!

and we had a tie... both guessing 1500, Kim Young and Chris Butler went head to head in a tie-breaking drawing and...

Congratulations Chris!

Give-away #2:

First of all, thank you everyone who participated!  Your comments were great!  

And the winner is...

Congratulations Catalina Booth!

Happy Monday, all, and to our winners: email info@lifesongfororphans.org to get more info on how to receive your new t-shirt!