Friday, April 27, 2012

Living In Miracles: the Joy of a Broken Heart


Take a moment and consider this picture.

What you are looking at is an orphan that was abandoned, premature, and without hope on the side of a road. She was left to die. Her family could not keep her. They were desperate and shattered with fear and heartbreak. A son was necessary for the survival of them all, and they had a daughter. These people were not monsters... they were simply pressed to the edge of the abyss. I send prayers to them daily that God can comfort their souls that their daughter is loved.

No matter what part of the world we are from... we all want the same thing. We want to be loved. We want to be a part of something bigger than ourselves. We want to have a future. We want to believe that this life means SOMETHING. 

~Our Story of Adoption!~


Our daughters were once orphans, and now they are a part of our family. Aleksandra Elise... she has the name her birth mother gave her before she made the choice to give her up in hope of a better life-- Aleksandra. Her middle name, Elise... is taken from my Great Grandmother's name Elsie.

Sterling Mei, translated from the chinese means, "precious little sister," and she is exactly that to her older brother and sister. She is indeed precious. We prayed intensely and gave our faith steps as we waited for 6 years. God knew what he was doing. Even before she was born, He was shaping our lives to be ready for her. We have no doubt that her life is forever meant to be a part of ours. She is 100% Shepherd.

Caleb Thomas. Our first-born. Our son. I dreamed his name one night and awoke knowing that it was right. Thomas... the disciple that demanded that he experience Jesus for himself. He placed his hand in the wound of the arisen Christ's side... he traced his fingers along the nail wound in Jesus' hands. He was not a doubter, he was the one who was bold enough to touch the risen messiah! And Caleb... one of Joshua's most trusted men. He was brave, and he helped lead the way to the promised land.


This is our family.

We are brought together by the power of adoption and miracle of birth. Our salvation comes through the same path... God has reconciled to him through a re-birth of salvation and adopted us as His sons and daughters. As we hold our daughters in our arms and feel the power of their love, we know that this is the same fierce grip that surrounds us as we are held in the embrace of God.

This is true religion. This is simple truth. We only seek to embrace others as God has embraced us. We pledge the remainder of our lives in this endeavor. Succeed or fail... it does not matter. We seek the embrace of God.

We are fully faith-based. What we do will require your assistance. We ask that you become a part of who we are. We need you. Yes...YOU. I am personally asking you to walk with us. Be a part of this story.

~Our Specific Mission!~


We are part of a tremendous organization, Catalyst Resources International that shares this same goal. Kellie and I have given up all that we have to make this happen because our experience with adoption and the power of God's love simply compels us to do so. 


We are pre-approved to work with the Guatemalan court system to take in abandoned infants within our own home and facilitate adoptions with their forever families. While in country last week I heard of the plight of a baby girl who was found alone and abandoned to die in the garbage.


We go to Guatemala to open our hearts, our arms, and our home to abandoned girls. We go to bring them in to live with us as we find their forever homes. 


In addition to this, Kellie will be volunteering with the local school, and I will be working with short-term mission teams from the states to offer relief, build homes, feed, and take the message of the gospel to people living in indigenous mountain villages.  I will also be serving with a local church, Journey Church Guatemala that is an English speaking congregation made up of missionaries, teachers, those in country for business, as well as Guatemalans! I will even have some preaching assignments!

We are not turning back. This is our life's work. The furniture you see in the picture above has been sold. Our home has been leased. We now live in my parents' basement as we pay off our debts and envision the day our 10 suitcases rest on Guatemalan soil. Our lives are forever changed by the power of faith reconciled with action!

~Be Missionaries with us as Partners!~


We have faith that God will provide to us the funding necessary. We have decided to place 100% of our education, our talents, and our time into helping these children. And we need your financial support to fund us. 

You will never regret the dollars you send to support this cause. We will send you pictures, videos, and updates of the faces you change. And... you can personally correspond with the lives you touch. You can even come and hold the children who were once without hope... who now have a future, thanks to you.

This is our chance to make a difference with our days. This is your moment that has been presented. These are those "least of these" to whom we can extend love and hope. 

We invite you to be our partner as together we become the hands and feet of God. Children suffer unbelievably, and yet we can help them so easily!


Nuts and bolts... reality time. Here is what we need.

1 at $10,000

2 at $5,000 = $10K


5 at $2,000 = $10K

10 at $1,000 = ($84/month) $10K

20 at $500 ($42/month) = $10K

30 at $360 ($30/month) = $10K

40 at $240 ($21/month) = $10K

Grand Total: $70,000/year

You can begin giving today through our mission agency's website by clicking the link: <<Commission To Every Nation>>





Your donation is fully tax-deductible and can be made securely on-line, or follow the steps for mailing in a personal check.


We ask that you allow yourself to come on the journey. This is God's work and His vision. He will provide the funds. You are His instrument. This is true religion.

We will be moving to Guatemala by June of 2013, and we are collecting funds now. We will be able to leave as soon as we are fully funded.

WE ALL LONG TO BE EMBRACED. YOU CAN PROVIDE THOSE ARMS.


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.

Everything that we are, every step that we have taken... has led us to this place. This is our forever. We can hardly wait to get there!




2 comments:

  1. I entered our pledge on the site tonight. We are going to call about setting up a monthly check mail-in to prevent any unnecessary charges for the Organization representing you guys. If that isn't possible we will do an Electronic Transfer. We are excited about partnering with the Shepherds on their journey! :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Your giving has already been a huge blessing that has helped us continue to push to get there as soon as possible! We are now looking at June rather than July! We also feel deeply your prayers and support. Thank you, we are brought to tears every time we consider your great compassion and generosity. Together we will forever change lives that were once without hope and are now held by hands that reach to God.

    ReplyDelete