Find My Family Friday ~ Mindy

What A Beautiful Young Lady.

MEET Mindy

Mindy is a beautiful 13 year old girl with an incredible spirit! She was abandoned at age 6, but in spite of that, she has an optimistic and thankful heart. She likes to sing and hum throughout her day, she is honest and accepts correction well. She has good judgment, has a great thirst for knowledge, good understanding and excellent study habits. She attends school in the orphanage. She is talkative and friendly, and a good communicator. She has moderate cerebral palsy and requires a wheelchair to get around, but her speech is clear and she is working hard on her English.

Mindy needs a family to be in country and adopt her PRIOR to her birthday

 in DECEMBER 2013!

What a sweet, strong lady. She would make an amazing daughter!!!

 Click HERE to find out more about Mindy!

Restoration Farm

Restoration: a restoring to an unimpaired or improved condition

I love what this local ministry is doing right here in our own community. Check out this amazing ministry & see how God is using two people who said YES to Him. This couple stepped out in faith & took the road they knew would stretch them & God continues to show up in a mighty way. So totally cool to see God's hand on all they are doing. See what Restoration Farm is all about & how you might come alongside them.

Restoration Farm:
is a personal, intimate ministry that helps restore the lives of single 
moms and their children who are needing a fresh new start after coming out of tough places 
or other ministries like Teen Challenge or Mission Messiah. 

Their Mission:

The mission of Restoration Farm is to provide Christ-centered transitional housing to women and their children and restore hope by meeting their spiritual, emotional, and physical needs while equipping them for a self-sufficient future. 

How They Do This?

• Affordable Housing
• Spiritual Mentoring
• Financial Counseling & Budgeting
• Restoration Farm Family Dinners
• Training in Boundaries Nutrition, Parenting and Housekeeping

Some of Their Needs...

• Gently Used and New clothes for women and children
• Basic Toiletries/Cleaning Supplies for new tenants getting started
• Godly women who would want to meet with the women weekly as a mentor/accountability partner
• Financial supporters
• Volunteers to babysit for the women who have children so they can enjoy time alone once a month
• Service team to help build a swing set/play area for the children
• Committee to help with future fundraisers 
• Prayer as we plan for the future
• Prayer as we consider who to ask to serve as a Restoration Farm Board Member
• Prayer as we continue to plan for Restoration Farms future
• Prayer for continual Godly wisdom in this ministry and those that serve along side us 

**********************************************************************************************

God's Story:

A little under 2 years ago, my husband and I decided to walk through a house that was for sale. One that was our "dream house" kind of house. It was really just out of curiosity. Never did we imagine that God was about to change our lives in a big way. Through this one, seemingly unimportant moment, God began to speak to us and He showed us two roads we could take. The road that is wide, comfortable, quiet and safe or the narrow road that is sometimes rocky and filled with trials but also full of His blessings. My husband and I began to feel a calling to buy this piece of property that our church owned and turn it into a place of refuge and restoration for single moms and anyone else that God might bring to us. He gave us this scripture found in Isaiah 58: 7, 12...

"Share your food with the hungry, and give shelter to the homeless. Give clothes to those who need them, and do not hide from relatives who need your help. Some of you will rebuild the deserted ruins of your cities. Then you will be known as a rebuilder of walls and a restorer of homes." 

This is how Restoration Farm was born. It all happened so quickly. We sold our house we loved, bought this farm,  and within 2 months we already had a single mom and 3 kids living in one of the two apartments out here at the farm. 

Our prayer is that this place would be a place of refuge, safety, love, encouragement and growth for the people that stay here. Our biggest prayer is that they leave here well-equipped to face the world and have learned to trust in God with all their heart, soul, mind and strength! 

Our short-term goals right now are to turn our garage into another apartment and to build a swing set and playground for all the children that live here to play on. We know that God will come through. He is so faithful and his plans are always bigger and more beautiful than we could ever have imagined. 

~Camron and Jami Stotts

Don't miss out on an opportunity to support the work of Restoration Farms. Check out their Instasale TONIGHT on Instagram~follow @lilliesofthefield & LIKE their Facebook page

“...be known as a rebuilder of walls and a restorer

of homes.” Isaiah 58:12

Build Your Kingdom Here

I first heard this song the week that God confirmed our families move to South Sudan. I can't express to you how every single time I hear this song I. Stop! I can not do anything else but listen to the lyrics. It reminds me that I am here to share Christ with others, to lay down my life & to share how God is our Hope & Prize! He created me & you for so much more & I refuse to waste this tiny piece of my life here on earth on myself. It's about bringing Him glory in Every. Single. Thing! No matter where God has placed you in this world He wants you to start a revival. He wants to see His captives set free. And He wants to use Us! We. Are. The. Church. & We. Are. The. Hope ON EARTH!

BUILD YOUR KINGDOM HERE!

Come set Your rule and reign
In our hearts again
Increase in us we pray
Unveil why we're made
Come set our hearts ablaze with hope
Like wildfire in our very souls
Holy Spirit come invade us now
We are Your Church
We need Your power
In us

We seek Your kingdom first
We hunger and we thirst
Refuse to waste our lives
For You're our joy and prize
To see the captive hearts released
The hurt; the sick; the poor at peace
We lay down our lives for Heaven's cause
We are Your church
We pray revive
This Earth

Build Your kingdom here
Let the darkness fear
Show Your mighty hand
Heal our streets and land
Set Your church on fire
Win this nation back
Change the atmosphere
Build Your kingdom here
We pray

Unleash Your kingdom's power
Reaching the near and far
No force of hell can stop
Your beauty changing hearts
You made us for much more than this
Awake the kingdom seed in us
Fill us with the strength and love of Christ
We are Your church
We are the hope 
On Earth

"And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation." 

~Mark 16:15

Hope Lives Here {Josiah's House}

Josiah’s House is the extended heartbeat of Grace Chapel in Leiper’s Fork, Tennessee, and is named in honor of Josiah Berger, the son of Grace Chapel’s Pastor, Steve Berger, and his wife, Sarah. Josiah unexpectedly went to Heaven in 2009 at the age of 19 and is now more alive than ever! Josiah’s love for missions and his enthusiasm for life continue to inspire those desiring to pour hope into the lives of these amazing boys.

 

Their Mission:
Josiah's House ministers to boys living in destitute circumstances in the Dominican Republic. Our mission is to give each child the love and security of a Christ-centered family and teach them values founded on the Word of God. We offer these often overlooked boys a quality, Christian education and critical life skills that will carry them through adulthood and point them solely to Jesus Christ, their Savior and Redeemer.

This ministry is dear to my heart. Josiah touched so many lives while on this earth & lived life with so much joy. His legacy is one of strength & honor and we as a family were honored to know him & we love his sweet family & their passion for loving and serving God..

Read more about Josiah's House and how they are impacting lives in the Dominican Republic.

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. ~2 Corinthians 4:16

Find My Family Friday ~ URGENT!!

This little guy NEEDS A FAMILY ASAP!!!!!

Urgent!! This precious one 

HAS 16 DAYS TO FIND A FAMILY!!!! 

He is from Eastern Europe and will be too old to adopt on October 7th, 2013. This child is 15 years old, he is worthy & priceless & should not live out his days in an institution. 

Please share!! Let's do this!! Please email: traci@projecthopeful.org.

From a missionary who visited with him recently:  “Brenton is a sweet little guy who doesn’t look anything like a 15 year old. I thought he was more like 7 or 8, and he’s the size of a very young child. He is nonverbal but he loves affection. He would scoot himself over to me and grab my hand and hold it very tightly. It was actually hard to take my hand away from him because his grip is so strong. He wanted to be in close physical contact, and he would wiggle his way onto my lap. When he is riding in his wheelchair outside, he flaps his hands around in a very distinctive way. This boy is a real cuddle-bug!”

**Interested families with a completed home study(or nearly complete) can file with USCIS and still have 6 months to submit your dossier, travel, and complete the adoption.**

"I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you." ~John 14:18

Blessed with Friends

So yesterday I was honored to be able to share over at Gloriously Ruined. It was so great to be able to share a little piece of what God has done in my heart. But I just had a share a a little bit more... 

When God moved us back to Texas after 13 years in Nashville, even though I knew it was where God wanted us, It. Was. Hard. It was amazing to be around family and see them on a regular basis (and still is) but for a long time I went through a grieving process. We had left the place where we had started our life together, we had left the place were 6 of our babies were born, & we had left a church family that we loved fiercely! It felt good to be in Texas but I felt so disconnected. Through nursing school I found some beautiful friends that I'll treasure forever. My study buddies, my cry on your shoulder how will we ever graduate friends that helped me get through school with a hubs, 6 kids & a baby in my belly. What a blessing those ladies were. I realize now that those friends were sent by God at just the right moment to give me just what I needed. I am forever grateful for that. Soon school was over, we drifted our separate ways & I again reached out to my besties in Nashville. I called them to share the daily stuff, what God was doing, what God was not doing (LOL), and schemed with them on how I was gonna get my family back there! I mean that must be where we are suppose to be since my heart yearned for it so. Not! God had planted us here in a dusty west Texas town and He was not ready to reveal to me why. {More on that later}

One day 2 years ago I realized that this is where God has me, this is where He is using me, this is where He wants to grow me. I realized that God wanted me to seek Him more, that He was my Bestie, and that I needed to quit seeking after earthly friends to fill a void. So that is exactly what I did. I began seeking Him like crazy, Learning more about who He is, and relying on Him for EVERYTHING! And.... Just. Like. That. God began strategically placing amazing friends right in front of me. Like minded friends. Friends who dream big, love like Jesus, and support Every. Single. Crazy. thing I do. Friends who make me laugh, tell me when I'm bout to fall of the edge & who send me back to Jesus when I stray. I'm not sure how I deserved such amazing girls, but I love everyone of them & I am thankful that God sought me out when I felt like I had no friends to share life with. I have a list of 14 women I pray for daily. 4 of my Nashville Peeps & 10 of my Texas Peeps. Seriously! One amazing friend would have been a blessings, but No. God gave me a list of friends to fill every area of my life. He gave me an abundance, more than I ever expected & more than I deserved. Grateful today. Filled with joy, peace & contentment.

Oh... and God's reveal was obviously that he needed us here to grow us, equip us & connect us with other people that He was preparing to move across the big pond to evangelize, educated & love on the people of South Sudan. Who Knew? Only God. 

Here's to another grand adventure led by an Almighty God who loves me unconditionally & desires to use me regardless of my inabilities. Can't wait to meet new friends on another continent & share how Jesus has changed me!

"Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us" ~Ephesians 3:20

Respire Haiti ~ Sponsor's Needed

In many countries children with special needs are often seen as a burden, ignored or hidden away. Sadly Haiti is one of those countries. These beautiful children do not get the attention, therapy or education they need. For some, their family's attempt to place them in school is unsuccessful as their needs are greater and teachers are unable to address those needs  sufficiently. In this particular situation God showed up BIG time! And because of this sweet little girls face, because of this little girls story, & because of this little girls hope to be accepted & educated... 5 children are now blessed to have 2 teachers to teach them!!!

These Children NEED Sponsors!!!

"Idynka" ~Down Syndrome

"Bebe" ~ Hearing Impaired

"Sonson" ~ Developmental Delay

"Dawin" ~ Developmental Delay

"Elizabeth" ~ Developmental Delay

"Child" sponsorship is 
$250/year or $21/month

*****************************************************************************

These Teacher's Need Sponsors!

Without "Teacher" Sponsors there will be no school for these 5 children. Please considering investing in the lives of these children & teachers by sponsoring a teacher in whatever way you can.

"Alta"

 Alta is married with 3 children. She has 9 years experience working as a kindergarten teacher. She brings joy & experience to the Special Needs Classroom.

"Ruth"

Ruth is in her early twenties. She lives in Gressier near Bellevue Mountain. She has a younger brother & sister that attend Repire Haiti Christian School

"Teacher" sponsorship

**We are looking for at least 6 people to sponsor these 2 teachers at $50/month or 12 people at $25/month** 

This is just the beginning for these 5 children, and who knows how many more children God will bring. But for now we need 4 children sponsors to help these little ones Go. To. School & 6-12 teacher sponsors. If you feel lead to be apart of rewriting a precious child's story, and want to sponsor one of these children or teachers please email us at harpersallin@gmail.com

**Read more about Respire Haiti HERE

“The Spirit of God has made me, and the BREATH of the Almighty gives 
me life.” Job 33:4

*Photo Credits to Amanda Truxillo

Three Years Ago Today...

These two faces that God lead us to became Harper's forever!!!! Court went smoothly & these two faces had no idea how there lives were about to change. And... weeks later as we settled in at HOME, "We" had no idea how much these two would change our lives as well. So glad we said YES to God, and headed down the adoption road. Such an incredible journey with such an amazing ending. Two orphans no more, forever in a family, & forever loved!

We Love You Charlie & Levi!!!

Happy Adoption Day!!!!!

Read Our Journey to these two crazies!!!

choosingcharlie.blogspot.com

Clean Water = Saved Lives

For years I've read about the lack of clean water in other countries. I knew it was a BIG problem. I had fasted from everything but water & donated what I would have spent on soda, coffee, etc. I'd read about different organizations that's primary mission is to drill clean water wells. I had even thought about signing up for a 5K to help fund water wells. It wasn't until I made multiple trips to other countries; Haiti, Rwanda, Ethiopia; that I really realized what a HUGE problem the lack of clean water is. While in those countries I bought an abundance of water bottles. Drank the bottled water, brushed my teeth with the water & even wasted some of the water; while all around me people were drinking the visibly dirty water. Then I started hearing stories & meeting real people. I started to see that many children primarily girls were spending 6-8 hrs a day walking for dirty water that would likely definitely make them sick. These girls were basically walking a 5K 3 times a day with a 50lb Jerry can on their head. I started seeing sick people in clinics that were literally dying from water borne diseases. Mama's are literally losing their babies & Babies are losing their mama's. It is heartbreaking. In South Sudan, 80% of the people in hospitals & clinics are suffering from water borne illnesses and many of them die. Drilling a water well not only brings clean water to thousands of people, it brings communities together, it is a visible way to show the Love of Christ, and it gives them Hope. This is something we can all be a part of, and it can make such a huge impact. There have been so many people having amazing fundraisers to help fund water wells. What are your fun ideas? How can you get your children involved? And your community involved? Here's how our good friend Stephen Elder made a difference and raised over $6000!!!!

Check out Water IS Basic 
& see how you can make a difference

What a day looks like for so many around the world

RU: "Water is Life"

Water:The Second Enemy

"He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, 'From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water." ~John 7:38

Kid's & Short-term mission trips

I often get asked questions about taking kids on short-term mission trips. This is just me sharing my heart on short term trip's and why fear should not play a role in taking your kids along. Hopefully some of your questions will be answered, you will be encouraged & God will shed some light on why families SHOULD take their children on short term trips. If you are unsure or fearful of taking them remember that God is not the Father of fear.

For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control ~2 Tim 1:7

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” ~Joshua 1:9

Fear is by far the biggest obstacle when it comes to taking your kids on Short term mission trips (STM's) So many unknowns; will it be overwhelming for my kids, is there clean water, where will we sleep, is the travel too long, what if they get sick, what if, what if, what if.... Many of these questions there are answers to and the answers will vary depending on where you are traveling to. Whether you are headed to another state or another country these are all legitimate questions. For us we felt without a doubt that God wanted them to go with us & I personally had to pray through the fear. And yes their were parts of the trip that were hard, and parts that were boring & parts that were emotional. But. It. Was. All. Good!!! Good for their hearts, good for their relationship with God, & good for those that they encountered.

We found with our little's, that the STM's resulted in our children learning at an early age a deeper compassion for others & a sense of generosity that can so easily be lost in our society. Children are Completely. Capable. of grasping the cultural differences, seeing the real heart issues of those they encounter & knowing that Jesus is the answer for those issues. They 'Get it!" they really do. What a great way to teach our children that 'they ARE the church.'

We personally experienced our children playing soccer, jumping rope, & sitting and holding hands with children that didn't even speak the same language. Our children came out of their shells and allowed God to use them in ways we had never seen. It was such a joy to watch them be Jesus to other children, to lead worship songs, to organize soccer teams & to share there feelings and thoughts in a room of adult team members. Seriously this mama heart was a wreck!

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. ~James 1:27

"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, ~Matthew 28:19

***Short-term mission trips without a doubt will have LONG-term effects on your children.*** 
It is a decision you will never regret!

Train up a child in the way he should go, Even when he is old he will not depart from it. ~Proverbs 22:6