Tuesday, October 25, 2011

A great weekend at T4A!

How to recap an amazing weekend spent at Together for Adoption?  Well, it won’t be with amazing photos because almost all of mine are blurry - wrong camera setting??  Sorry about these!

Liane, Miles, Debi and I flew to Phoenix on last Thursday.  We left changing leaves and brisk air for desert cactus and temps in the 90’s.  It really felt like we had landed in a foreign land!  But we soon joined hundreds of other ministry-minded folks who love adoption and are passionate about orphan care around the world.

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We got our exhibit set up that afternoon and met our partners at Into the Streets of Ethiopia, Tulio and Kara Portilla, who were also setting up a display table where they sold lots of jewelry, t-shirts and scarves with the proceeds going toward formula for the babies in our orphanages. 

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Bright and early on Friday morning we began meeting so many people – some who are also ministering in Ethiopia, some who work in other countries and many who are or have adopted internationally or through the foster-care system.  I even met a woman who told me she was born in Dembidollo (a town in western Ethiopia near the Sudanese border where YWAM has an orphanage)!  Her parents were missionaries in Ethiopia and she spent most of her young life there.  Another young Ethiopian man working with Food for the Hungry told me his father lives in Dembidollo.  A small world indeed!

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We heard really insightful messages in the general sessions.  The main thing I came away with from these times was that God’s incredible grace has been given to us for the purpose of extending it lavishly to others.  There is no patting ourselves on the back for this obedience – any trace of self or ‘works’ in our motivation must be dealt with.  It’s all His work – the resources, the strength to obey, the motivation and the glory.

298872_2079631190457_1235347405_31882097_1724704191_nBecky and Kristen Tober-Halvorson
We had the opportunity to meet face to face for the first time with several of our YWAM families who live in Arizona – what a blessing that was for me!  (Hi Dane and Lori, Ryan and Tracy, Dawn and Kristen!)  I talk to our families from all over the United States on the phone and via email but believe me when I say it’s a treat to give a hug in person!  A few even brought their kids adopted from Ethiopia.  To see those little faces in 3D was amazing.  Thanks to all of you who visited us!

1 comment:

Rachel Sarah said...

Sounds like a fabulous time with the Lord orchestrating some great connections. And, I see the cutest little boy in the world is peeking right over shoulder in that last pic. :)

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