Franklin Five

Let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. 1 John 3:18

Sunday, February 28, 2010

Fellowship...

One definition of fellowship reads, "A close association of friends or equals sharing similar interests."

An unexpected blessing from our adoption journey has been the encouragement and kinship we've experienced from others who are adopting or have adopted. We have been so blessed to be a part of the African Adoption Fellowship Group. From learning about hair care to travel adventures, it has been so insightful to be a part of that group each month.

We've been inspired by other families that we have known in the past that have adopted. They paved the road for us, set examples of faithfulness and perseverance, and gave us real-life examples of how adoption can make a difference in everyone involved. Those families pray for us, and it means so much.

We're encouraged by families that we are meeting now and getting to know who share our heart's desire to care for the orphan. We had dinner with a family on Friday night who is just a little ahead of us in the adoption process. Our hearts are being knit together by the love we share for a country on the other side of the world. We can talk with them about all of the questions and thoughts that bounce around inside our brains, and they understand and share those struggles and questions.

A group of sweet friends from my Mops group is now meeting monthly to pray for the fatherless and those seeking to help the children with no homes.

Families at my church that are involved with adoption are getting together for an Easter egg hunt in a few weeks.

An old neighbor that I had not talked to in over a year called a few weeks ago to tell me we are both going to have daughters from Ethiopia. Now, I have the joy of helping to plan a shower to celebrate her daughter and how God has blessed their family.

A friend of a friend emailed to ask questions about adoption....another new friendship begins.

I'm so thankful for all of these little blessings, for new relationships, for friends to travel this road with us, for sweet brown faces I see at church who remind me our daughter is waiting for us, for the prayers of others.

Sweet fellowship with families like ours makes this journey a little easier and a lot more fun.

Saturday, February 20, 2010

Singing in the Bathtub

"Jesus loves me"...and the bathtub!

(Be sure to pause the music on the lefthand side so you can hear the boys singing.)