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so many blessings along the way

What a beautiful and blessed few days we have had!  Summit9 was truly amazing.  Anthony and I sat in workshops which encouraged us and listened to speakers in main sessions who reminded us time and time again that this mission–this passion which burns in our hearts for the orphan–is the gospel!

A time of refreshing.

I shared pictures on Facebook throughout the week, but if you don’t follow along there, I will share them here too.

Harper had the best time.  She must have hugged 50,000 people (only a slight exaggeration!).

Our workshop was a true blessing for Anthony and me.  We had a far greater attendance than we were expecting and had a wonderful time sharing our hearts.  We roped the Patterson family in at the last minute to be a part of our forum–definitely a God-thing! Their experiences in loving and losing a precious daughter after such a short time home moved many to tears. And my dear friends, the Twietmeyers and Davises shared with raw emotion and laid it all on the table for the sake of those who still wait.  I am so very thankful for each of these families’ hearts and the incredible lengths they have striven for to advocate and share the truth about special-needs adoption.  What an honor it is to call them all friends!

Waiting for everyone to arrive.

The Christian Alliance for Orphans outdid themselves this year.  What a blessing it was to have so much more to highlight the plight of special-needs children around the world!  If there is one thing that I came away even more convinced of it’s that those who step out in faith to bring these precious children home are longing for support, encouragement, and others to come alongside them as they journey a road that can sometimes be very lonely.  It was such a beautiful thing seeing many come together and connect in what I know will be lifelong friendships.

That’s my clever girl!

The most memorable part of the week was definitely meeting the people we know of only through the Internet, and reconnecting with many who we have known for years.

Many went from online friends to friends in real life.

No, I’m really not that tall! Added height thanks to a pair of wedge shoes.

Many, many incredible people who are chasing after the things of God when it comes to the orphan!

They’re running their races with perseverance–no matter where that takes them or what God asks them to do.

They’re people of passion.

And they get it!

They understand this call, this command, this requirement to CARE–no matter how that looks.

They understand that this gospel in which we believe is so, so much more than going to church every Sunday, sitting in a pew, singing a few good tunes, hearing an encouraging message, going home, only to do the exact same thing the next week.  It’s so very much more.  It’s doing, being, going, giving, and saying yes–even when it makes absolutely no sense to the world.

They’re my heroes in the faith!  

Thank you every single person who came and introduced themselves, hugged us, and got a Harper-squish.  What a privilege it was to hear your hearts and your stories, to see pictures of your beautiful ones already home or waiting to come home!  Thank you for encouraging our hearts as we continue on in the things of the Lord.  We feel strengthened and encouraged by the faith of those whom we met and more determined than ever before to shout it from the tallest mountain…

EVERY SINGLE CHILD IS WORTH FIGHTING FOR!

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