We had another amazing year of CHLB (Church Has Left the Building) yesterday. One day each year our entire church goes out into the community to do a plethora of service projects of every shape and size. Each year the planning, financing, and time commitment that goes into this one day is overwhelming. We go to serve and in return we are blessed by the very people we have chosen to show God's compassion to. It is a one of a kind experience and has become more explosive each year.
Last year, if you recall from my blog, we went to the Krause center to reach out to a group of overlooked teens. This year our hearts guided us to
Family-to-Family, an adoption agency in Richmond. Our goal was simple, do something special for a group of self-less women who are doing something special for millions of families around the world. We spent 2 hours with the women, eating, talking, and crafting. It was a day like no other. They were so grateful for the fellowship and personalized crafts that our unbelievably creative friend, Shatawn, put together. Here a few pics I snapped pre and post all of the fun.
The Raffle Prizes
The Food
The Crafts
(pls excuse the flowers- started wilting today)
The most surprising part of the day for me was the curiosity that each of the women had, about us, our church, our life stories, and just life in general. I truly believe that adoption brings incredible people together for an incredible cause. Adoption is something very near and dear to my heart. There are many people in my life that have been touched through the adoption process, and rather than do my normal blah Monday post, I thought this would be a great opportunity to share the amazing adoption stories that my friends and family have experienced. Please remember that these stories, told through my own words, could never fully explain the actual events to the extent that they deserve to be told. If words fall short, please understand, they are merely my words that do so.
Starting with my amazing mother. Fifty-five years ago my mother was born in San Antonio, Texas to a young, unmarried woman. Meanwhile in Jacksonville, Texas an older couple was struggling to have children of their own. After several miscarriages and the unfortunate loss of their own child, the Christian couple decided to adopt. Adopted by an Air Force Pilot, Texas A&M Alumni, World War II Vet, and successful lawyer who taught my mother the true values of life and the righteous path to eternity, my mother is the independent, successful, caring Christian woman that she is today because God gave the gift of adoption to her and to my grandparents. She now serves others as a school nurse and has done so for the last thirty years of her life. She has instilled the same values in her children and for that I am grateful. It is fair to say that I am the person that I am today because my mother was adopted. God used adoption as a means to share his grace with our family. Thanks be to God.
Almost 8 years ago, my best friend called me in a panic. How would she tell her parents? How was this going to change her life forever? Could she give it the life it deserved? It was still early, did she even have to tell anyone? The questions flooded her mind. I was almost in as much shock as she was. She wasn't even 18 years old yet. I promised to keep it a secret. I vowed to not tell a soul. Then, I told her she had options, and not the kind she was considering. Once the initial shock wore off, she began to consider her options. She decided to tell a few key people in her life, her parents and her boyfriend. The reception was not welcoming. The automatic response was that she had A choice, not choices, but one specific choice. One which I stood very firm on and told her she had many other options, not just that one. When she finally sided with me, and logically decided she was not capable of providing for a child at that stage in her life, adoption was the obvious choice. The thought of letting go of the child completely was a harsh reality for her, though, and a road block for her decision. What happened next was what I considered as "something heavenly". Her aunt and uncle, unbeknownst to her, were looking to adopt but could not afford it. The connection was made, the papers were signed, and all of the details fell into place. The relationship and bond between their families has never been stronger and all involved were changed forever. Thanks be to God.
And more recently we have had several friends adopt as well. Through their own family, like
Lauren Saruk adopting her little sister's baby, through CPS, like our friends Jen and Vance, and finally a few have gone through various private agencies across the U.S. Thanks be to God.
It is so refreshing to have been able to see these personal experiences in the adoption process from each vantage point. And through each perspective, God's presence has remained distinct and undeniable. I can only hope and pray that the women I was blessed to meet yesterday will have the same life changing experience that so many before them have had. They deserve the chance to change and the opportunity to share in God's grace. Thanks be to God.
