UPDATED Adoption Video of Both Adoptions

Tuesday, January 06, 2009

Nashville

We had the great opportunity to spend the first weekend of the year in Nashville, TN (Mount Juliet to be exact). I was invited by the New Hope Baptist Church to speak in their morning services as they were ready to begin their new Orphan Care and Adoption Ministry. It was a great weekend. We made many new friends and had a very memorable experience at the church service.

At the end of the second service, the pastor asked for the Miller's (the host family for the event) to come and stand at the front of the worship center with their four kids (3 adopted and 1 bio). Then he asked all adoptive families to come to the front. About 4 other families came down. It looked like the waiting room of the United Nations - it was beautiful. The one moment that really stood out to me was a couple who was joined by their adopted daughter who is a teenager. She had been sitting with the other youth during the service so she had to walk from the other side of the auditorium to get to her parents. When she got to them, she embraced her mom and dad the entire time and all were weeping. Even the pastor had a hard time trying to close out the service. It was truly a special moment for them, for us, and for the entire church.

Another highlight of the trip was getting to know the Miller and Heaton families. Kelly and Lisa Heaton have a heart for the orphan and are helping organize the ministry. Lee and Jana (as mentioned above) are adoptive parents. Lee (who goes by Lee Thomas Miller in the industry) is a country song writer. His latest number one songs are Your Gonna Miss This and Still a Guy (two of my favorites). He was able to give us a backstage look into Music Row on Saturday night. That was a great treat! I thought a lot about the song Whose Gonna Fill Their Shoes by George Jones. (yes... I am still a redneck and I still love country music!)

This weekend I will be preaching in Heath, Ohio at the church of one of my best friends in the Ministry, Noel Dear. I am really excited that Jared will be traveling with me and he and I will be getting some special time together.

2 comments:

Karen said...

Wish I could have been there for that service!! Hope you all are well!

Curtis and Amy said...

I wish I had been there for that service too!! I am tearing up now just reading it!!! How awesome!!!