37K in 37days... Stepan Family Adoption

UPDATE: Thanks to so many generous donors, totally cool yard sale hosts & Noonday adoption parties; God has raised $7550 towards there adoption of YuanLi from Ch*na. We are excited that they are able to pay there next fees! If you haven't had a chance to be a part of this story CLICK HERE to DONATE or see below to book your family photo shoot. Let's help get them FULLY FUNDED!!

Hey friends!  Remember when when we introduced you to our friends, the Gully family? Through a few of us blasting their story, God gave this family the finances they needed to legally adopt their 6 girls! Wow!  So, the dreamer dreamer girls are at it again.  One of our own, Sarah Stephan, and her family are adopting a sweet little boy from China.  The cool thing is, we all know this little one. He is already loved & cherished & we need to help this precious family bring their son home!

Oh My goodness! I don't even know where to start.

There is this amazing little man who spent six weeks with us this past summer, who stole our hearts, and showed us what it's like for a child from across the world to come to a new place, experience new things & quickly learn that there are people who love him. We heard about hosting program's from our friends the Patterson's who had hosted 2 little boys. The hubs & I briefly discussed it and thought it would be an amazing way to share the love of Christ with a child. Fast forward.... While attending the Summit Conference in Nashville I walked past a booth for New Horizon's for Children, an international hosting program for orphaned children. As my eyes scanned the 200+ prayer cards I saw one little face, read his bio, text my husband & 20 minutes later we were approved to host this precious little boy. It was cool, it was crazy & it was God. It was such an incredible blessing to our family to be able to love on this little guy and include him as a family member. I HIGHLY recommend hosting. After a fun-filled 6 weeks we traveled as a family to Dallas with a sad little boy, a bag of all his belongings & a stuffed monkey and tearfully watched him wave goodbye to us as he walked through security. My heart could hardly stand the thought of never seeing him again. And now my heart is bursting at the seams as I follow our dear friends who have said YES to adopting him! Eeekk!! He. Has. A . Family. Coming for HIM!

Please consider being a part of this adoption story. This is an amazing family, with amazing hearts & an incredible love for God. Let's get this little man home so he can get the medical care he needs & join his FOREVER Family!

*****CLICK HERE***** 

to read the next chapter of this sweet boys story

and DONATE to the Stepan Family Adoption

You can follow their blog over at:

sarahstepan.com/blog

**If your in the Midland/Odessa area Sarah is an amazing photographer & is doing sessions to help raise money for their adoption.**

Book your session soon
& Get your 
family, senior, baby, spring pics done

PHOTO SESSION CHALLENGE

to schedule email her at: 

sarah@sarahstepan.com

"And anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf is welcoming me 

~Matthew 18:5

Coffee! Coffee! Coffee!

Back after Popular Demand!!! So many of you have asked about getting an Africa Tumbler. 

Starting today we are taking Pre-sale orders for coffee mugs. 

Available in Blue, Olive Green & Silver. (Red is Out of stock) 

Why You NEED one:

1. This is my FAVORITE coffee tumbler. 
2. It's LEAK PROOF!!!! 
3. It keeps the coffee HOT for HOURS!!!!
4. It has AFRICA on it!
5. It makes a great gift!

**All proceeds from this fundraiser go towards our families upcoming move to South Sudan**

To order click on Paypal

$20 each + $7 shipping

*pick up or delivery if Local Midland, TX ~ No shipping

Africa Tumblers 

~ Olive Green ~ BLUE ~ SILVER

*************************Choose Color*****************************

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Olive Green Blue Silver **Pre-sale ordering will end

February 30th**

~ ORDER YOUR'S TODAY!! 

100 Partners ~~~ UPDATE!!!

Hey Ya'll!! Still Here. 
Still Planning & Purging & 
Still Fundraising!!

 We continue to covet your prayers & support of our family. Currently we have 10 $25 monthly partners and we have had several One Time donations that have almost covered our airfare to get all 10 of us there!!! It's such a blessing to have people come alongside us & we are so grateful. 

*If you'd like to partner with us visit our donation page HERE

**UPDATE**

We have 6 of our 100 monthly sponsors!!

Thank You. Thank You. Thank You!

What an amazing start & so great to see people coming along side us both financially & prayerfully. Read more about where we are in the preparing to move process HERE & pray about how you can be a part of our work in South Sudan. 

You can partner with us by clicking on our DONATE button & visiting our tax-deductible donation page HERE.

We are less than 8 7 6 months out from our departure to South Sudan. On July 2nd 10 Harper's will board a plane holding a one-way ticket in our hands. Weird! But totally cool! The time has come for us to buckle down & get our fund raise on!

We're looking for 100 people to pledge $25 per month to help cover our first year expenses in South Sudan. It's tax deductible & we'd love for you to be a part of what God is doing in South Sudan. The Challenge... 100 pledges in 50 days! 

On your mark. Get set! Go!

Delight yourself in the Lord; And He will give you the desires of your heart.

5 

Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, and He will do it. ~Psalm 37:4-5

2013 ~ It's A Wrap!

Goodbye 2013!!! It's Been Real. Real Amazing!!!! Blessed to head into another year with our family, grateful for all God has done & continues to do & beyond excited to see what 2014 holds for us.


January ~ Celebrated  New Years in Rwanda, Ethiopian Christmas in Addis

February ~ Lacey's 18th B-day

March ~ Prepping for Medical Team to Rwanda + Spring Break Fun

April ~ Rwanda Medical Trip + South Sudan with Megan

May ~Lacey Graduates + Abreham's God-sized Fundraiser HERE & HERE

June ~ Church Camp + Sid & Sydnie on Haiti Mission Trip + I started QUITTING Stuff!

July ~ Sid Goes to South Sudan + We Announce our BIG move (Here & Here) + Harper Family Beach Vacation + We host an amazing little boy from China

August ~ A New School Year with College, 10th, 8th, 6th, 4th, 3rd, 3rd, 1st & 1st

September ~ Back to school + Baseball + Soccer + Bishop Taban & AnnGrace visit Midland from South Sudan

October ~ Nashville Trip + Cleveland to see Pop in the hospital

November ~ Celebrating Thanksgiving with family in Cleveland

December ~ Praying for the unrest in South Sudan like crazy + Visiting with brother & his family who live in Saudi Arabia + Christmas + Happy New Year!!


What a year full of fun times, hard times, cool times, exhausting times, and most of all incredible God moments.

Here's to another great year!!!

“And if you faithfully obey the voice of the Lord your God, being careful to do all his commandments that I command you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the voice of the Lord your God. Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the field. Blessed shall be the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground and the fruit of your cattle, the increase of your herds and the young of your flock. Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. ~ Deuteronomy 28:1-68

Find My Family Friday ~ Lisa

Meet Lisa

Lisa is a beautiful girl with Down Syndrome. She is developing well intellectually and is described as a lovely child. She is active and sometimes will amuse her roommates and likes to stay with companions. She loves attention!

*Single moms permitted, only one parent has to travel.

And Lisa Already has $9115 in her Adoption Grant!!!

I can just see this sweet girl with pig tails & big bows twirling around in a pretty dress. 

Could you be her family?

Read More about Lisa

HERE

For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God's Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, "Abba, Father."For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God's children. ~Romans 8:14-16

Merry Christmas from The Harper's

Happy Birthday 

Jesus!

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel ~Isaiah 7:14

This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit.  Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.  But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.  She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."  All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet:  "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"--which means, "God with us."  When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. ~Matthew 1:18-24

Twenty~one

21 years ago today I said "I Do" to this guy... 

We were young & we were in love and we had no idea what an adventure God was gonna take us on. Babe, I love where God has brought us. I love every trial, every struggle, every high & every low that we've been through. I'm grateful that God has used all of those times to train & grow us. I realize we are always still a work in progress, we will always have our crummy days, we will always have our fly-high that was totally cool days & we will ALWAYS have our crazy fun-filled gotta laugh so we don't cry days. I can not imagine anyone I'd rather do life with here on earth than you. I thank God every day that he brought us together. I Love you more than yesterday but not as much as tomorrow, and I am beyond excited to see what God's gonna do next!

Happy 21st Anniversary!!

I Love you!!!

Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor. For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to the one who falls when there is not another to lift him up. Furthermore, if two lie down together they keep warm, but how can one be warm alone? And if one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart. ~Ecclesiastes 4:9-12