Merry Christmas 2010

Christmas 2009, in St George Island, FL
Phelix on his Thomas the train, Christmas 2010.
This is us on Christmas Eve at our home 2010. Jamie was on call this year so we stayed in town. Our home was decorated and all done up for the Lutheran Family and Children's Service (LFCS) holiday home tour. We were able to host Jamie's family for Christmas eve at our house for the first time. It was a great evening, a good time had by all.

Having our home on the LFCS Holiday Home tour was a blessing. Yes, it was a lot of work and it was way out of our comfort zone but we feel that it will bear fruit for His kingdom in ways we may not even know this side of heaven. We were able to share about our adoption experience and journey to Phelix and Phisher, and about Room for One More/Hope for One More adoption and foster care ministry/not for profit organization. We shared about Heart for Africa an organization we know to be doing great work in being His hands and feet in Swaziland and Kenya, Africa. And we were able to share about Dig Deep, our clean water well project in rural, southern Ethiopia. It was estimated around 700 people came through our home that day. We were so thankful to meet so many new people and share our family story and passion for helping the least of these in Africa and all orphans and foster children. To God be the glory!

This is not a very good picture of the tree I did in honor of the 150 million orphans in the world. It was emotional to see all of the framed ornaments with photographs of beautiful children all over the world who are orphans. I feel blessed to have had the platform that LFCS provided through the home tour to bring awareness to these children. I did my best with the tree but somehow still felt my 150 photo/ornaments did not really do justice for the 150 million. I just pray He is able to bless and multiply my efforts.