I am both humbled and thrilled to announce the launch of In Defense of the Fatherless. Over the last three years, I have been writing a book about redeeming international adoption and orphan care. Writing this book has been an incredible journey. It is hard to believe I am holding this book in my hands. I spent this weekend at the beach with a...
Our children are not our own. This was the hard truth we learned over the last four years. Early in the process of praying, learning, discerning God's will. Were we called to adopt? We knew we could not have any more babies the old-fashioned way. My pregnancies were too high risk. Just one year earlier, our son Zephaniah was born more than...
Two years ago God called Mark and I to go to Uganda. On paper, we were ready to adopt. We had been working with an adoption agency and waiting for a referral. And then one day in January 2011, God told us to go to Uganda. We bought plane tickets, packed our suitcases and said goodbye to our three little boys....
Wow. I cannot believe a year has gone by. This time last year, I was preparing for my first Noonday Collection Trunk Show. A year later, I've had the opportunity to do nearly 40 trunk shows. I've had the opportunity to share my heart for widows and orphans with hundreds of women in Seattle. I've been been able to encourage...
Something beautiful happened last week in Rwanda. Eighteen years ago, nearly one million people were killed over a period of 100 days in Rwanda. The small African nation was torn apart by genocide. As I flew into Kigali - the capitol of Rwanda - two weeks ago, I imagined the red dirt stained by the blood of mothers, fathers, children. I have...
Ok. I looked at my blog stats this morning. A lot of you have been reading my blog while I've been traveling. Except I haven't been writing anything new. I feel like a bad blogger. At least I have a few good excuses...
I am in the process of writing a book, In Defense of the Fatherless: Redeeming International Adoption and Orphan Care. Here are some answers to questions you may have. Why does there need to be another Christian book about orphans and adoption? In recent years, evangelical Christians have awoken to God’s heart for orphans. In response, thousands of Christian families are considering...
It's almost official. We're like 99% sure we're moving overseas. We think we're getting an offer on our house tomorrow. Mark's interviewing in London on Monday. The reality of everything changing is hitting me. I often feel excited. Sometimes I feel overwhelmed. But mostly, I feel a crazy sense of peace that God is leading. But before I go, there are...
I am a white adoptive mom of a beautiful black daughter adopted from Uganda. This has become a part of my identity. It is something I cannot avoid. It's obvious. Gabrielle and I look like mother and daughter - and at the same time we look nothing like each other. I have a million feelings about this, though I am still struggling...
When my husband and I began our adoption journey two years ago, we knew little about ethical adoption. We wanted another child. We felt God had put adoption on our hearts. We knew there were millions of orphans around the world in need of families. As we read blogs written by adoptive families, we were captivated by the stories of transformation....
I wrote this blog one year ago - and looking back it is amazing what God has done in 12 months! Around this time last year, we felt God calling us to radically change how we were living. And so we did. We sold our house, our cars and more than half our stuff. We moved to London. Mark went back...
Introducing our beautiful daughter, Gabrielle Sarah. Gabrielle Sarah was born on October 16, 2010 weighing about 5 pounds and 8 ounces. We met her on February 3, 2011. When we held her for the first time, we knew right away that God was calling us to be her family. We returned to Uganda six weeks later and Gabrielle Sarah was placed in our arms on...