Blogging For Lifesong!!

I interrupt our regularly scheduled blog postings to share this!
Imagine living in a house made entirely out of concrete, that heats up like an oven in the hot sun. Imagine a bare lightbulb hanging from the ceiling as your only light.  Imagine having no toilet facilities or running water, but instead getting all your water from a community hand pump.  Imagine having parents who worked in the field, barely able to provide from day to day.  Imagine no hope, growing up in a hope of idolatry and severe poverty.

To Sindhu Babu this kind of life was normal.  It wasn't until he (at age 10) came to Lifesong India that he knew there was something better.  Something far better.
Today, at age 18, Sindhu Babu not only has a hope for a future as he studies to become an electrical engineer... not only does he live in a clean home with clean running water... and not only has he heard the word of God, but in 2003, his parents, who for years worshipped idols, gave their lives to Christ!
Praise God that He continues to replace hope for despair in the nearly six hundred children we work with and their families!
Thank you for your continued prayer and support as we serve children in India!

Fundraiser Update

Wow, I'm way behind on updating....sick, sick, sick last week...'nuff said!

We have 3 WEEKS left on the SAFARI Fundraiser...ONLY 3!!!!!!! We've had two wonderful donors(thanks Amie and Kat!!:)), but we've got a looooong way to go before June 15th!! The goal is $1500...YIKES!

Won't you prayerfully consider helping us bring our Ethiopian princess home??

This fundraiser is specifically for the I600A fees(which are around $1000), so we want to get all we can in by the 15th, so we can send that off(you know it'll take FOREVER to get back;))!

It's only $15 per puzzle piece, and your name will go on the back as a reminder of your love and support in bringing our little girl home!!

And would you just continue to pray for us....pray that the enemy's hand would be bound, that God would be glorified in the waiting, and that HIS provision would ABOUND!!:)

Have a great Monday bloggy friends!!:)

Backing the Blocks!

Advocating for a family today as they stand ready to serve the orphans of Guatemala! They desperately need our HELP!

The following was written by the mom, Amy Block at http://buildingtheblocks.blogspot.com

PLEASE PASS THIS ON!

Children like Victoria...

I wanted to introduce you to someone. Someone who I don’t want to be overlooked in this world.
Someone who I don’t want you to say you didn’t know about.
Someone who I don’t want you to just read about, then click the page and go on with your every day life.
Someone who needs you to know she exists.

I will not leave you as orphans, I will come to you. John 14:18

I believe with all my heart that Jesus keeps his promises. To you, to me and to children like Victoria.

I believe that the very reason He went to the cross, was to take our place and to make a way for us to be adopted into His family- so that we wouldn’t be left as orphans- with no hope. Because we couldn’t do it on our own- and neither can Victoria.

Victoria is one of the newer babies that reside at Eagles Nest orphanage in Guatemala. Victoria is special not because she is missing part of her ear, not because she is having seizures and they don’t know why, not because she is one of the most beautiful babies I have ever seen- but because she is a child of God and her life matters just as much as mine- and just as much as yours.

Victoria’s story is one that has the finger prints of God written all over it because it is a story of hope. Hope for the future, hope for healing and hope of knowing the one who created her.

It is believed Victoria was most likely relinquished by her birth mother because of her special needs. Victoria is missing her left ear and has a partial right ear. After some testing it was discovered that she does have her ear canals but it is still not confirmed whether or not she can hear for sure, although observations suggests that she may not.

Victoria is tiny- weighing in at only 6.8 lbs at age 3 months. Yet despite her special needs, despite her having seizures-she is a fighter. She is beautiful, she has a purpose and she is a child of God.

The other day someone told me they would ‘love to help support the Lords mission work in Guatemala but their money was tied up in other things’. A few minutes later they were talking about the doggie day care they had put their pet into so it wouldn’t be lonely while they were at work. Now, don’t get me wrong- I love dogs and all. But I couldn’t help but to think that often times we have our priorities messed up. And the worst part is, we don’t even see it.

So I’d like to challenge you.

Challenge you to sit down and look over your

checkbook. Nobody else has to know, nobody else has to see- just you and the Lord. And I want to challenge you to be really honest with yourself and be honest with God- because he already knows it anyway. Could you possibly give up eating out once a month and help be a sender instead? Could you forfeit having your nails done? Could you maybe give up a couple trips to Starbucks a week and instead bring hope to children like Victoria? I guarantee you if you invest in His kingdom the reward will be so much greater than any dinner out you have ever eaten. Bold on my part to ask this of you? Perhaps, but I know Victoria is so worth it.

My prayer for Victoria is that while she may not ever hear a word a say to her- she will HEAR the VOICE of God through our actions. Mine and yours. Some as goers and some as senders.

If you’d like to help us bring the love to Jesus to children like Victoria please consider partnering with us through prayer and financial support of just $25 a month.

Prov. 19:17 When you help the poor you are lending to the Lord--and he pays wonderful interest on your loan!

The above post was written by Amy.

SAFARI Puzzle Fundraiser!! Let the Fun Begin!!:)

So, this is it! We begin a new journey to Ethiopia and for the first time, we are FUNDRAISING!!

Honestly, this is VERY uncomfortable for me...I mean, after all, what adoptive parent hasn't heard, "If you're going to adopt, you should have the money to do it!" But, I also know what a blessing it's been to ME to be able to give to other adoptive families as they seek to bring their children home, so I want our families and friends to be able to be a part of our daughter's journey home if they so desire:).

Soooo, if you look over on the left you will see a rundown of the fees we still have left to pay in our adoption. We have taken care of the agency fees, and so our next step is to pay for USCIS(I600A) and our dossier authentication fee.

That's where the African SAFARI puzzle comes in(and I totally stole this idea from another blog;))!!! There are 100 pieces and we are asking for a $15.00 donation for each "piece". In turn, you will have your name written on the back of the puzzle piece as a forever reminder to us and our adopted child, of your participation in helping her come home!! As puzzle pieces are "purchased", we will begin to assemble this bad boy(which by the way, is over 4 FEET long!) and update at least once a week(probably twice) on this blog, with pictures, so you can see our progress toward our goal of $1500. You can purchase as many puzzle pieces as you like, by the way:)! You can purchase through the Paypal button on the left, or you can send a check. Or, if you live in town, just drop me some cold, hard cash....I'm easy.:)

Now, we want to put a time limit on this fundraiser....you know...to light some fires and take the challenge up a notch!;) Soooooo, we are hoping to finish the puzzle by June 15th!!!! YIKES! That's only a 6 WEEKS from now! But we know this is an easy and attainable goal if we have YOUR support!:)

We ask for your continued prayers as we begin this new journey, and as we once again come face to face with an almighty God, who IS our Great Provider!