for if they fall...the one will Lift Up his Companion

Today, I desire to join together with you all to give life to Galatians 6:2 which says bear one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ.

Stefanie at Ni Hao Y'all and I have teamed up to let you all know about a dear friend of ours, as today we feel led to write on her behalf. Annie, a mother of five, literally has a heart as big as the sky...and a love for her Lord to match it.

While traveling to bring home an incredible special needs little girl from China four years ago, Annie's heart, like many of ours, was broken for the precious children who were left behind. Upon her return home, Annie began the work of faithfully advocating for these children. For the past several years, she has worked diligently on behalf of these children, eventually running a website called Wonderful Waiting Kids devoted to finding homes for older, special needs children... children who far too often miss their chance to have a forever family of their own and, sadly, age out of the system. This was not a paid job, just a work grown out of Annie's love for the children. She recently began to do advocacy work for Lifeline Children's Services where she works to place children who have more severe special needs. Annie has helped to bring many little ones and their families together and nothing thrills her heart more than to see these little ones come home!



If you stop over to Annie's blog, you can read the story of her own dear, spunky little Lizzy, who came home from China in 2008 and today, after somewhere in the vicinity of 18 clubfoot castings, is a soccer star in her own rite, making her daddy burst with pride coaching her!

Annie feels adoption as a deep calling on her life and while she's been searching for homes for these children, she has longed to bring another little one home herself. However, Annie and her husband have struggled through job loss and some tough times these past few years and have not been able to do so. I know her heart was torn. After a long wait, they have been thrilled to finally accept the referral of another waiting little girl, a little girl with cerebral palsy. You can read her story here:

Our Precious New Face

After accepting her referral, they made the painful decision to put their home on the market in an effort to down-size. So last week found them about ankle-deep in the paper chase for their newest daughter.


...and last week...

Annie's husband lost his job.

She wrote this week, "We know that God is working for us and that He loves us."
and

"We will wait with Joy."


but a lack of funds could keep them from getting their daughter home.

We've decided we can't let that happen. Annie has done so much for so many and this little one, like so many others, needs a home and needs a momma like Annie to love her.

So we have dedicated this post to lifting up our sister and helping to bear her heart's burden. We are asking you to join with us in giving towards bringing this little one home to her family. I firmly believe that if the church ever decides to apply the old saying "many hands make light work" to orphan care...orphans will be settling into forever families right and left.

For those of you unfamiliar with China adoptions, they cost somewhere in the vicinity of $30,000.00, with China being one of the least expensive programs. Let's band together and spread that sum among a huge family of believers.

Please join with us in making this precious little girl's trip home to her family "light work."

If you'd like your donation to be tax deductible, you can write "Hamlin Adoption" in the memo section of your check and mail it to:

Journey Together Ministries
2197 Sandy Point Lane
Mt. Pleasant, SC 29466

(Or you can donate by going to Annie's blog...just go to Annie's site at Cornbreadandchopsticks.blogspot.com. There is another donate button in the upper right hand corner of her home page.)

And thank you for partnering with us. My 16 year old son wears a bracelet in honor of his little sister that says, "Orphaned no more." Let's all pull together to make this little one orphaned no more.

Ecclesiastes 4:10 says, "Two are better than one...for if they fall, the one will lift up his companion.