Thank you, Matthew West...

I can now put down my paper and pencil and quit trying to write a song about orphans!! I hope everyone will take a minute to watch/listen to this video. It encompasses so much of how I am feeling these days, actually since July 3, 2007, when my sweet Lindsey Fu was placed in my arms. And it is reiterated everyday when her sweet smile and disappearing eyes look up at me and she calls me "my own mommy".

ONE LESS...what can you do to help there be ONE LESS orphan in the world?

One Less by Matthew West (The Story Behind The Song) from emicmg on Vimeo.

Thanks, Amy, from Filled with Praise, for sharing this...It made my day!

Ibuprofen, please!

It is with much relief that I am writing this post! My confidence in being able to complete this triathlon was waining this week and I was really getting nervous. The support from my family and friends was terrific....I woke to this Friday morning:

Four sweet signs, some energy chews and a Softee memory foam cover for my bike seat (nothing says LOVE like a padded cushion...a gift that keeps on giving).

After lunch we loaded up all the fishing gear and racing gear and headed out to my parent's house.

I do own other shirts besides my "got love?" shirt...I just don't wear them!!

After a restless night my dad, Tim and I woke up early to meet my training partner and dear friend, Michele. I couldn't have done this without her. We have been meeting between 5:30 and 6:00 AM all summer long to train for this

We got to the State Park around 6:45. It was a beautiful morning, but was suppose to get really hot...not good!

My dad and Tim, being triathlon veterans, helped us get our gear set up in the transition area and get our race markings.

Tim and Michele registered as Minus 1 Project Team. Tim did the swim.

It was great to be there together. We had some prerace jitter laughs. I had never worn a swim cap before and it took the three of us and a braid to get all my unruly hair inside it!!

And so we all headed down to the lake to wait for our start time. My dad, Tim and I all had different start times but happen to see one another during the course.

And so I finished...three and a half hours after I started. It was much harder than I had anticipated, especially the run.

In completion, I am very glad that it is over, but am thankful to have had set a high goal for myself. Thankful to those of you who have supported me through your prayers and donations. Thankful for the friendship with Michele that dragged me out of the bed. Thankful for a husband who encouraged and supported me along the way. Thankful for a mom who jumps at every chance to watch my kiddos so that Tim and I can do these adventures together. Thankful for an earthly father who is an inspiration to so many, but especially to me. (He finished and was first in his age group!)

And thankful to my heavenly Father who gave me the purpose and meaning behind this goal....

I'm eating BREAD tonight!!!

My race went really well. It was tougher than I thought it would be. I finished, not-so-strong, in about 3 and a half hours! I will post more details and pictures.........

but for now, I am going to go eat dinner w/ bread!!

~not that I am a health nut by any means, I just choose to normally skip the bread (carb) items, so I can double on the sweets!! I'll eat (and sleep) well tonight!

The Simplest Fundraiser

No secret here... we are in the midst of some fundraising to raise the money we need to bring our child home from Korea. I have been asked several times about fundraising ideas...so I want to share one of the easiest ones we have done (and it works, too)!

In the spring, once we had started the paperwork for this adoption, we came up with the idea of a Minus 1 Project money jar. Here it is on our kitchen counter:

"So, how does it eventually look like this?", you ask.

The Minus 1 Project money jar gets filled (or close to it) by several means:

* spare change found around the house and van,

* a sweet friend, who despite hard financial times, puts in a certain amount the beginning of each month,

* a running buddy who stops, abruptly I might add, to snag shining coins in the morning dark (she did find a 5 dollar bill once),

* a tenderhearted 10 year old who sold handmade bracelets,

* a teenage neighbor cleaning out her car,

*left over birthday money that had yet to be spent,

* household items and toys sold on craigslist,

*etc..

We have been so blessed to see our money jar emptied, then filled! We are simply obeying God's word to "care for the orphan" in the way our family has been called and He is providing. We still have a ways to go, but if there is one lesson to take from this post, from our journey, it is that He is faithful!

If you haven't yet, be sure to read about the girl's sweetest fundraiser here. And please don't forget about our "got love?" items and my triathlon....all, 100%, every penny goes to our adoption fund!

A huge, heartfelt THANK YOU to all of you who have purchased and donated! We couldn't do it without you!!

The letters are sent....no turning back!

This past week I sent out "my official sponsorship request" letters. Here is an excerpt:

"In brainstorming other fundraising ideas, I thought of races I had gone to that showcased different causes for runners to raise money for. I began to pray about this idea. I have always wanted to do a triathlon. I could think of no better motivation to wake up before dawn to swim, bike and/or run than to help pay the ransom for my son or daughter.

Would you please consider joining the Apisa triathlon team? We would love for you to be a part of bringing our child home. "

So please consider this YOUR "official sponsorship request"! Will you please consider joining other family and friends in sponsoring me--any amount is appreciated!!! (You can use the donate button on the sidebar.)

I am signed up for the Big Lick triathlon on Sept. 25. It is an olympic distance race which is comprised of a one mile swim, 26 mile bike and a 6.2 mile run~~~YIKES!!

I am looking forward to a week of tapering, which means less exercise and more sleep!! Be sure to check back next Sunday for some fabulous postrace pictures....maybe! :)

Author Unknown

"An adopted child is not an unwanted child; to the contrary. They are a child who was searched for, prayed for, cried for, begged for; received by arms that ached, making empty hearts full. Love is meant to be shared!"

got love?

I think I can, I think I can...

This was my motto on Friday night as my screened in porch looked like this:

We had a yard sale Saturday. We received donations from about 15 different families in our neighborhood and church. (A huge thank you to all who donated! We certainly couldn't have made much money on our own!) Our yard soon looked like this:

By about 8:30 AM this is how I felt:

Our shoppers had a good laugh at Lindsey sound asleep in the front doorway. Tim and I concluded that yard sales are a lot of work, but are a sure way to make money! So if you are a fundraising family....ask for donations and have a yard sale before the weather gets too cold.

Last night before bed, Ethan said he was excited for the first Sunday school class. With my tired brain, filled with price tags and treasures, I said, "Oh, yeah, fun...goodnight!" This morning on the way to church I reminded him what he said and that last week was actually the first class.

He said,"Not my class...your and dad's adoption class. I can't wait to see who is going to adopt next, besides the Hughes and Hilts." I love that he is anticipating other families responding to the needs of the fatherless! I agree with Ethan, I can't wait to see other families start their own adoption journey. The Lord knows and maybe it will be YOU!!

Move Up Sunday

For our homeschooling family, Move Up Sunday is the closest event we have to "back to school". On Move Up Sunday the children at our church move to their new class. It usual involves a new room, teacher(s) and kids. My gang was very excited to get to church Sunday. We were very pleased with the girls' excitement that was fueled by their brothers!

This was an especially momentous Sunday for the girls. They haven't been regular church attendees due to Lucy's asthma that is triggered by viruses. We are praying for her lungs and immune system to be mature enough this year to withstand the cold and flu season!!

Tim and I are so excited to be teaming up with another couple to lead the "If You Were Mine" Bible Study by Family Life this fall.

So...here's to a new season of homeschooling and Sunday school class. Looking forward to the changing of seasons and yearning for the changing in hearts toward the things and children of God.

A borrowed blog post

Recently, Unicef concluded that there are indeed 163 million orphans in the world today. 163 million children marked for death by satan unless a complacent world chooses to stop turning the other way and pretending that they aren't there.

This is our generation's opportunity to stop a holocaust.
Lord have mercy on us if we don't.

What is happening to orphans right now as I write?

They are hungry.
They are eating trash.
They are chased away from the trash.
They are naked.
They are exhausted from running scared all the time.
They are tied up.
They live without shelter.
They live in fear of being abducted.
They live in fear of being eaten by wild animals.
They are raped.
They are prostituted.
They are beaten---in unimaginable ways.
They witness their friends being sold.
They live in fear being sold themselves.
They are forced to lie.
They steal out of necessity.
They are burned.
They are bruised.

Sometimes they wish they were never born.
They feel invisible.
They wonder why God doesn't like them.

They are crying out to the Lord because of their oppressor. Isaiah19:20

And in a world where one third of the population claims to be Christian--- there needs to be no one left behind.
We know better.

This was borrowed from Tracey's blog: Unveiled Faces...such a powerful post that has left me thinking... What do you think?

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY