Christmas in Waiting

^{12 "}This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.  ¹³ Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, ¹⁴ Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”  Luke 2:12-14

It was with great joy and celebration that we came together with our families and celebrated that glorious day the baby Savior was born.  As I read the words of Luke 2:13, and picture the "great company of the heavenly host", I can only imagine what a glorious and grand celebration it was.  The sounds of praise must have been that which would bring you to your knees in praise and adoration.  A gift beyond measure, given for us, from the "God in the highest heaven".  A REASON TO CELEBRATE in BLESSED JOY!

We love to celebrate and our celebration looked a little bit like this:

Spunky Cousin Time 

Loving Time with Grandpas and Grandmas and Fun Family

Siblings and a Dog

In all of the joy and celebration, it was another Christmas, another holiday without our babe, without "Uggie".  Every tradition and celebration, is one in which we long for "Uggie" to be there with us.  We envision what it will be like and yearn for the days we will be together.  Whether or not we are physically together, "Uggie" is part of our family, and so we celebrate with "Uggie", in our hearts.  

And for Christmas, Uggie Received: 

Can't wait until "Uggie" tears into those presents all by him/herself!!!!  That will be a glorious sight!

Our Hearts This Christmas

Another video, I know.....

Music speaks to me in such a rich way - it shares such a clear story of our hearts.  And this one....this is a very accurate picture of our hearts this Christmas.....

Beauty.Of.Adoption.

Please take a couple of minutes and get a glimpse into the beauty of adoption through this wonderful adoptive family.

Beautiful.

New Film Premiere - I Like Adoption. from ILikeGiving.com on Vimeo.

Winter Snow

An American Thanksgiving Celebration with a Splash of Ugandan Flare

^"15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. ¹⁶ Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. ¹⁷ And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." 

 -Colossians 3:15-17

We often take for granted how richly blessed we are.  God has allowed us to experience a life of plenty - a life with great food, and much of it.  A life with a plentiful and warm home, and means in which to design and detail.  We have indeed been blessed with much.  

This year was like many, we gathered together with family and celebrated the great blessings in our lives - all which have been given to us not of ourselves, but from the One who created all that we are and have - the one who sustains and upholds us, with or without material things.  In gratitude for all that He IS and all that He provides, we feasted in American Celebration, however, this year we added some small elements of Ugandan flare.....

Scrumptious Appetizers

Beverage Central

The Table Set for Thanksgiving Feasting

 And for a spice of Uganda, we were elated to add a few elements that arrived to us straight from Uganda!  Our beautiful friend and Ugandan missionary, Carolyn Smellie, brought these pieces of Uganda to us - such a treasure....

Ugandan Salad Utensils 

Ugandan Apron - Specially Made by Carolyn Smellie

You can learn more about how God is using Carolyn in Uganda by visiting her blog here.    

We are thankful for a God who does not measure our value or worth on what or how much we have. Our brothers and sisters around the world are loved and valued equally in the eyes of God.  

This brings us great peace because we can KNOW that God is in Uganda, upholding Uggie!  It is our prayer that as we celebrate our American Thanksgiving 2013, we will celebrate with Uggie AT OUR TABLE - adding the most beautiful piece of Ugandan flare to our American Thanksgiving celebration we could ever dream of!!!

Set Your DVRs

Extreme Makeover Home Edition has brought tears to many of our eyes, as we watch lives transformed for American families across the nation.  The show amazes us with the creativity and gifts of Ty Pennington and his team.

Set your DVR's to record the episode on November 26!  The featured family is an adoptive family from AGCI - All God's Children International - our agency!

Tune in to see how this family is serving their community, to learn more about how AGCI has played a role, and see how adoption has changed their lives!!!!

I hope you will check it out!

Extreme Makeover Home Edition

When:  November 26, 2012

Time:  8pm CST

Station:  ABC

Orphan Sunday

"Defend the cause of the fatherless". Isaiah 1:17

Orphan Sunday, a day created by the Christian Alliance for Orphans to bring awareness of the significant need for care for millions of orphans and foster children around the globe, is today.  The Christian Alliance for Orphans says, "on Orphan Sunday, Christians stand for the orphan. We are a people called to defend the fatherless…to care for the child that has no family…to visit orphans in their distress.".    

We are not all called to adopt or foster, but God does ask us all to participate in caring for the orphan and widow.  Will you join us today in learning about ways you might find a way to care for an orphan?  There are so many ways to do so, and so many resources in which to become involved.  Today can be the day to further educate yourself on how you might get involved.  A child's life can be changed for the better.

If you have interest in learning more about how you and/or your family can get involved, you can start by checking out the website for The Christian Alliance for Orphans.