It's NOT about money

When Chris and I went to China to adopt Ellie, it was to say the least, an interesting experience. Here I was having the mother of all panic attacks 24/7, and poor Chris trying to hold it together in a foreign country, with a new child and a hot mess of a wife.

When we got to Guangzhou, the second leg of our trip, we met an amazing woman who was adopting an older girl. She had brought along her daughter Sophie who had been adopted from China as well and was deaf. Sophie was a pistol, frequently signing "it's not fair" to her mom, just like a typical preteen would. We got to know Maryanne and her daughters during those days in China and we learned that Maryanne and her husband were already in process for another child, a six year old boy who had lost his eyes to retinal blastoma. Maryanne had such a great sense of humor, and we all hit it off immediately. I remember standing in the lobby of the hotel waiting on our group to walk to dinner for our final night in China when she told us the story how of how they were already in process to come back. She talked about saving every penny and how God had blessed them at just the right moments when a fee was due. I was so in awe of her and at that point I couldn't EVER imagine myself standing on China soil again! Oh what I didn't know then!  Chris told her he wanted her address so he could send her a donation when we returned home.

Then suddenly Chris told me he would be back soon and went back to our hotel room. It seemed like it took forever for Chris to return. I remember thinking something horrible had somehow happened to him imagining all kinds of horrific things. Remember, I was continually freaking out! When he finally came back he handed Maryanne some money and said he just didn't want to forget when we got home and life got hectic.

Over the next two years Maryann was a great source of support and her and I were able to chat a couple times on the phone. Chris and I rejoiced when Vincent came home.

Walking back from dinner with Maryanne
Photo credit: Sarah Gee Photography

Today I woke up with this in my inbox:

"Three years ago, almost to the week, the two of you handed me $$$ towards our adoption of Vincent. Here is is, back to you, with more to come as I can. Thanks for opening your hearts again to another child. The visually impaired children are so close to my heart, and I am grateful to you for hearing their cry for a family. And, of course, I love the name Sophie! If she is anything like our Sophie, I have just two words "Good luck!" HA! Love you guys!"

I share this story to illustrate how incredible God has been in our journeys to adopt our children and how He has blessed our life.

I want to expand on our car decal campaign. We are not doing this to "make money" or "get rich". I am sure some are wondering why a family who's husband has a pension and a new job would be asking for money? We aren't. We are asking you to partner with us, to be blessed along with us in our journey.This is why we chose the car decal. 

A Christian radio station in St. Louis has car decals and it is now very common to see them when we go to the grocery store, out to eat, or just stopped at a stoplight. It unites strangers. We know we are a part of something bigger. We are a part of His kingdom. My hope is to someday be able to tell Sophie how much she was loved, prayed for and thought about long before she came home. My hope is to someday be driving and point out to her "look, there is someone who loved you and didn't even know you." 

This is why we have not set any type of price for our decals. They did cost us to purchase them, but we want everyone to be comfortable with what they desire to give and the decal is our gift back to you. 

Here are the instructions again so you don't have to click back through the blog posts.

It's simple.

You decide how many you want.

You decide how much you'd like to give.

We will mail you your car decals.They measure 4 inches by 6 inches.

Apply them to your car and share our story.

You can use the PayPal button in the upper right-hand corner of the blog, or email me for other options.

*On mobile devices you must scroll down and click on "view web version" of the blog to see the PayPal button*

To God by all the Glory!