kNOw More Orphans

For Hope and Faith,

I can't remember if I've told you this before, so bare with me as I probably tell you again. (Get used to that, as your Daddy's biggest pet peeve about me is that I repeat myself.)

I am directly descended from two orphans (that I know of).  My grandmother, your great-grand, was an orphan by the age of six due to both of her parents dying. Her father died when she was only about 2 and her mother when she was six.  She was raised by distant relatives as one of their children but was never legally adopted. My father, your Pop, was raised in foster care like you were, but he left foster care at the age of 16 by getting married.  He was orphaned through the poor choices of his parents, and he was also never legally adopted.  However, they were both adopted by our Heavenly Father, through a price paid by Jesus on the cross.

Legally adopting you as our children is very important.  It is important to us, and we feel that it will be important to you.  However, your adoption into God's family is much more important.  This is something that your Daddy and I take very seriously.  We vow to raise you in a Christian home--to teach you about God's love and His Son, not just through his Word, though this is important, but by our actions.  We won't be perfect.  Only one person to walk the Earth ever was perfect, but we will continually strive to live Christ-like and to always remember that God is your true Father and that He has entrusted us with your care while we are on this Earth.  We also promise to continually grow in our Faith and in our lives as Christians and as parents.  To that end, even though we don't get credit for continuing education until our home study is final, we have been attending classes to learn more and grow.  This weekend, we are so blessed to be at the kNOw More Orphans conference in Birmingham, and it has truly been a blessing.  We are looking forward to getting our church more involved in an Orphan Care Ministry because we know this is part of the work God wants us to do with Marriages and Families.  And, I am currently working to arrange for us to attend the Christian Alliance for Orphans conference ( http://www.cafo.org ) in Chicago May 1-2, 2014.  It may be that I go to the meetings while Daddy spends time with the two of you and your brother and then we are all together during conference down time.  Regardless, I know that God has big plans for all of our family to share His love and to care for the most vulnerable among us.  May the love we have for God in our hearts always be reflected in our actions and in the actions of the children whose care He has entrusted to us.

We hope that one day you pass on your love and God's love, too.  May we have many grandchildren, and may at least some of them be born from your hearts.

Love you infinitely,
Mama