Sometimes it's fun to....

 dress up the puppy :)

So Loved

  Wild Olive tees are some of the absolute cutest t-shirts ever. The fact that each one has a Bible verse on it is simply amazing. But the new So Loved shirt? Is possibly even more amazing still! 100% of the proceeds from purchases of this shirt will go to fund life-saving heart surgeries for orphans in China! Take a minute to check out Wild Olive and the So Loved tee... Consider showing the orphans that they are SO LOVED by you that you will help to fund the surgeries that will literally save their lives.   

Beach Fun!

One little girl

Many of you are probably familiar with the statistics of there being 143 million orphans around the world. It's an overwhelming statistic, but knowing about just one seems different to me. So today, let me introduce you to one little girl. 

 Her name I won't share publicly on here, but I want to tell you about her. She is six years old and lives in an orphanage in China. She has had families express interest in her before, but nothing has stuck. She continues to wait and to wait for a family of her own. When she was younger, she had a spinal surgery and during that surgery, something was done wrong which led to her having incontinence. She has complete movement of her legs and is able to walk just fine. However, at the orphanage, she often has kidney infections which has led to her kidneys beginning to fail. She may be in need of a kidney transplant in order to save her life! I do not know all of the details in depth, but I do know that she deserves a family and desperately needs someone to step forward for her!

Will you join me in praying for and advocating for her in the search for her own forever family?

When I was first asked to advocate for this little girl, part of me wanted to say, but what can I do? And thinking about it, that is a good point to bring up. I cannot do much. I can't even adopt yet. And I can't force others to adopt her. To love her. To make her their own. I cannot do any of those things. I can't secure for her a better future or a better life, or even the medical care she needs. I simply can't. But, He can.

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13

On my own, I know I can't do much. And I know that my advocating will not do much for this little girl on the other side of the world... on my own. But with Him, miracles are performed. He brings the dead to life. He transforms the sinner's life. He gives salvation and a new life. He has planned each and every one of our lives and knows every thought we will have and every step we will tread. He knows how many hairs are on our heads. So do you think He has a plan for this little girl's life too? I know that He does. And right now, that plan for her life is intersecting with His plan for mine. And now that you are reading this, it is intersecting with His plan for yours.

Once our eyes are opened, we can't pretend we don't know what to do. God, who weighs our hearts and keeps our souls, knows that we know and holds us responsible to act. Proverbs 24:12

I urge you to take the next seven and a half minutes of your day right now and watch this video. It's not too long and I think it's worth it.

In the video, there is a four year old little boy in Liberia who is starving to death and needs someone to reach out to him. Pastor Eric Ludy in the video says, "What if that were my son? What if that were Hudson?"... 

There are over 143 million orphans around the world today. And this one little girl is just one of them. It would be easy to say a need is too hard to overcome or that you are not the one to step forward... but, that leaves me thinking, what if this one little girl was my Chayah? What if she was my Sarah? ...Now I would do anything I had to to bring this one little girl home. What if she were your child?
I don't want to live with indifference to this one little girl's life. I don't want to be able to sleep at night knowing that there are children, like this little girl, suffering and that I am not doing whatever I can do to help. I know that she is on the other side of the world, not in my own backyard, and that makes it easier to ignore, easier to forget.. But, I don't want to. God does not forget about those in need and continue on with what is easy. If He did, He would not have sent His son to die for us to save us. I want to be His hands and His feet, reaching those in need, like this one little girl. She needs a family; will you join with me to help her find her home?

Email me at: bound4meimei@yahoo.com or asingleton2@cougars.ccis.edu for more info.

Celebrating Chayah

 July 16th marks Chayah's 9th Birthday! I can hardly believe that she is already 9... I remember when I was 9, and I remember feeling about the same as I do now, 10 years later. She is growing up so fast, but I am so proud of her! She is amazing, beautiful, smart, and funny and I simply adore her! I don't know what I would do without my Chay Chay.. She's my girl! So today Chayah, Happy Birthday to YOU!

  

 This year I wasn't able to be home to celebrate with my Chayah. I was a few states away instead. And even though I did get to celebrate with her a few days early, I still missed getting to see the birthday girl on the big day. Chrissy and I did manage to take the annual birthday photo shoot of our girl still though, just a few days early instead... and wow!! My NINE year old is absolutely stunning and her beauty definitely shines through her pictures.

  

 Not only is my Chayah beautiful on the outside though, but she is beautiful on the inside! Chayah is incredibly sweet, caring, and thoughtful, and she loves (and I mean loves) to help in any way she ever can! Chayah, I love that about you and am so proud of you for your willingness to always put others first!

  

 

I am continually amazed by you, Chayah, and I am so blessed to have you in my life!

Everyone who meets you instantly loves you! 

And I have no doubt that each person you meet is blessed by knowing you!

Your smile, your laughter, and your joy is contagious! I know that God has some big plans for your life, Chay, and I can't wait to see them continue to unfold!

 

 You, my Chayah, are an incredible blessing to me and to our family. We all love you!!

 

I am so happy that for this third year, you are HOME celebrating your birthday. For the first six years of your life, I know you didn't get to have a birthday. So, just like you told me, this is really your "third birthday".. and for this "third birthday", I am so happy that we have you in our arms and that you are home with us to celebrate another year.

So today, my sweet Chayah, I hope you had a wonderful and absolutely fabulous day celebrating YOU and nine years of your life! I am so thankful that God placed you in my life! Every day as your big sister is an incredible blessing and I am so happy that God chose me to have you in my life. I love you Chay Chay!!

 Posing beautifully... {above}

  

 Trying to hold back a smile... :)

  

A real "Chayah-smile"!

 and giggles, too! :)

God has made us what we are. He has created us in Christ Jesus to live lives filled with good works that he has prepared for us to do.  

Ephesians 2:10

我 們 原 是 他 的 工 作 ， 在 基 督 耶 穌 裡 造 成 的 ， 為 要 叫 我 們 行 善 ， 就 是 神 所 預 備 叫 我 們 行 的 。

以 弗 所 書 2:10