Family Friday: Dan & Christi

I personally feel extremely blessed to share this Family Friday with you! Dan & Christi are so near to our hearts here at Lifesong for Orphans. Christi came on staff in the fall of 2009 and has been an incredible asset to our team while working with our adoptive families, church partners, and overseeing Lifesong's Communications & Social Media.

Dan & Christi have incredible hearts for the gospel, the orphan, and the glory of our Father God.  

Through a number of events, including a missions trip to Gautamala, they felt God's call to them to begin the process of adoption.  It was exciting for the Lifesong Staff to walk this journey with them and to watch them bring home their precious son last summer from Ethiopia.  Even though we work with adoptive families every day, we were able to experience up close and personal the incredible joy that is found in 'bringing the lonely into families' through their adoption.

But that's not it...God is continuing to work on this family's heart and is sending them back to where this whole spark started: Guatamala.  Dan & Christi will be serving with Eagle's Nest International full-time to follow their heart's desire to serve the orphan, to reach out to a lost community, to bring hope to the hurting, and most of all to bring GLORY to God our Father.

Dan & Christi,

It's been a complete joy to serve at Lifesong for Orphans with you and to see and experience God's spirit working in your familiy. We committ to lift you up in prayer during your time of tranistion and for the work that you will be doing in Gutamala. Praying that God's hand would continue to go before you and prepare your way as you serve Him in obedience. We love you!

Lifesong for Orphans team

To hear more of Dan & Christi's testimony or to follow them on their journey, check out their blog! 

Calling all Bloggers!

We are so blessed each day as we hear what each of you are doing to advocate for the children in your community and around the world! We know that your lives are busy and want to be able to provide a way for YOU to advocate in the midst of your daily lives.

Those of you that are bloggers, we invite you to become apart of the Lifesong Blogger Network to be able to use your blog to advocate for the fatherless.

How does it work?

It's pretty simple... 

• Email info@lifesongfororphans.org telling us, "I want to be a Lifesong Blogger!"
• We will send you an email periodically highlighting stories on our adoptive families, in-country orphan care initiatves, and other ministires we partner with such as Both Hands Foundation and The Forgotten Initiatve.
• Copy & paste the HTML code that we provide in the email onto your blog to share to your readers the needs, the joys, and the praises of working in the fields of the fatherless.
• And...Ta-da...you are a Lifesong Blogger!

To learn more about being a Lifesong Blogger, see past email updates, or to grab a badge for your blog, please visit our website.

Changes & Opportunities - Lifesong Ethiopia

Listen in as we share with you new updates from Lifesong Ethiopia... On November 17th, Lifesong for Orphans received an offer from a generous donor to give a matching donation of up to $130,000 for the new construction projects in Ethiopia.  This match lasted until year end. Thankfully, in 45 days, thanks to many of you, we reached the goal! Praise God! We are thankful to begin on construction on both Phase II in Ziway and the new block in Adami Tulu.  We ask you to please pray with and for us as we begin this large work. Framing up the first foundation hole at ZiwayAdami Tulu Construction Progress Tesfaye - Age 4We are excited to announce the new Adami Tulu website along with Child Sponsorship Program opportunities.  We are thankful 88 of the 189 children have been sponsored.  If you or someone you know is interested in sponsoring a child for $19/month, please visit the website to see the details, pictures, and how you can get involved in sponsoring one of the remaining remaining 101 students.

Summit VIII - Justice & Mercy Flow from the Gospel

The Christian Alliance for Orphans’ annual Summit has become the national hub for what Christianity Today recently called, “the burgeoning Christian orphan care movement.”

Summit VIII on May 3-4, 2012 at Saddleback Church in Southern California is expected to draw 1,800 to 2,000 pastors, grassroots advocates, organizational leaders and church ministry heads. Alongside more than eighty workshops, the unforgettable plenary sessions will include Francis Chan, Rick and Kay Warren, Crawford Lorritts, Dennis Rainey, Steven Curtis Chapman, and other global leaders.

Summit inspires, equips and connects for adoption, foster care and global orphan ministry.

Lifesong for Orphans will be there! Will you? ... Register today!

Visit their website to see schedules, speakers, workshops, and new special features!

Both Hands Celebration

We are rejoicing with Both Hands Foundation as they had their yearly Celebration last month to reflect on last year's success and to look forward to 2012.  Over 130 people attended which included 7 Both Hands adoptive families and 3 widows that have been served through this ministry. We join them in praise for the $20,000 they raised at this special event. 

My favorite moment was looking into the crowd to see so many friends who have sacrificed time, treasure, and talent to make Both Hands a reality and to have them say it’s been worth it! To be able to thank them, recognize them, and challenge them to do more, was a thrill for me. - JT Olson, founder of Both Hands Foundation