Reckless Abandon 2010!!

"Africa -
Once you see it, you will never be able to un-see it,
and once you see it, you will be responsible for it,
and for the self it reveals back to you."
Shauna Niequist

Most of you know this is primarily a blog dedicated to chronicling our adoption journey. It does, however, also provide an outlet for me to talk about my thoughts and daily family life. I hope you don't mind if I tangent a bit today and tell you about something else exciting going on in my family's life!

Our friends, the Shubins, who we met this summer, were a huge part of how God directed our family to adopt from Ethiopia. Dave and Erica have been planning for months to lead a mission trip to Ethiopia, a country that has left a mark on their hearts and souls. We at LifeBridge Church got excited when we heard their heart for this country, because we are excited to see how God will use our church to impact a country halfway around the world. As our young church plant grows, we are prayerfully considering how God will use us for global impact. This mission trip will help us discover how we can be used and shape that connection.

I knew immediately that I wanted to be a part of that process for our church. There is so much need in the world, and we as a church need direction and guidance and wisdom as we seek the specific areas and projects we will partner with long-term. I want to be a part of that discovery and development. Therefore I am planning to go, Lord willing, using funds from my direct sales business and local fundraising efforts.

Joe and I also determined, through much prayer, that we would like to begin passing on this value and opportunity to our children. After discussing it with our kids, we all decided to allow Nathan and Hannah to go on this trip as well. They are currently fundraising to cover their expenses.

Sooo....tomorrow is a Facebook-athon to raise money for our team. Here's how it will work:

Thursday December 17,2009 from 12:00am-11:59pm we're asking that you donate your facebook status (or write a blog post) to our cause. I'll have a paypal button up on our mission trip blog as well as this blog, all you have to do is copy and paste the info below. In other words spread the word and let the Lord work as He will in the hearts of His people.

Reckless Abandon Ethiopia - to unrestrained give of oneself without caution for the cause of another. Will you send us to Ethiopia to help build a chicken house? To sing and play with sweet orphan babes? To play soccer with the street kids? To be Jesus with skin on to those we meet? To show love in a tangible way. If everyone on my friends list donated $5 we'd be fully funded. Will you consider donating? Every dollar helps. http://recklessabandon2010.blogspot.com - Thank you for your support, check back often for updates!

For more info on our facebook-athon, go to Erica's blog here. For more details on our mission trip to Ethiopia, visit our missions blog here.

Thank you for helping us spread the word! We appreciate your prayers and support!