Me - Root for Georgia???

After watching this video - I just might have to!

Loss and the Adoption Process

Is it possible to "attach and bond" to a picture? Yes - well, sort of... I still remember the first day that we saw James' picture. While we didn't want to get our hopes up, we knew from that moment that he was our son. Seven months later, we were united with him. We first saw Xiaoli's picture on a blog. Several months later we met her in her orphanage. However, at that point, her file had not even left her orphanage and had to be sent to Beijing and then to an adoption agency. Through a miraculous series of events, almost two years after first seeing her picture, we were united with her. We had attached through the pictures of both of our children before we ever even met either one. Those who have never been through this process have a difficult time really relating to the attachment that can take place through a picture of a child somewhere on the other side of the world. It's not really the picture that we were bonding with - we were bonding to our children through the picture.

(Those are the first two pictures that we saw of James and Xiaoli.)

Unfortunatly, some good friends of ours have had to deal with losing two children after receiving their pictures and referrals but not being able to complete the adoptions. We ask you to lift Zach and Leanne up in prayer as they deal with this second loss. Click here to see more about their story.

Caleb Binh Jenkins

TaeKwonDo

James and Xiaoli started TaeKwonDo last week and last night they received their first stripe. They were happy to model for this picture.

It is at times like this that I look at them and think - their lives could have been so very different. Our first wish was this - that they would have never been abandonded. However, they were. We will never know what was going through the minds of their parents. We do know that raising a deaf child in China is not easy. It is a huge sacrifice. If their parents were migrant farmers, they probably felt like they were doing something that was in the best interest of their children.

The second thought I have is this: what would my life be like without them right now. God has taught me so much over the past three years. It is truly hard to put it into words.

So for now - be careful not to sneak up on one of these two! You just might get a karate kick to the ankle!

Biltmore Baptist Church

More and more, I am seeing Southern Baptist Churches begin Orphan Care and Adoption Ministries. This is an exciting move as these churches are beginning to see this type of ministry as "Missional". This past weekend I was in Asheville, NC at Biltmore Baptist Church as a part of their Global Celebration. They have a new Orphan Care and Adoption Ministry that is just really getting off of the ground. I was able to speak with several of their team members and they are certainly on the right track.

Monday morning I met with some folks from First Baptist Church of Hendersonville. They too are just getting their ministry started. Once again, they are seeing this as missional and are wanting to be intentional about their approach to this ministry.

We are continuing to create tools at Bethany for churches to use as they begin to implement their orphan care and adoption ministries. You can see more at www.bethany.org/champions.