Article

The Beaufort Gazette published an article about adoption in today's paper....click on the links to read.

http://www.beaufortgazette.com/lifestyles/lifetimes/story/616742.html
http://www.beaufortgazette.com/lifestyles/lifetimes/story/616744.html

Video from Orphan's Ticket Home Event

This is my first attempt at making a video....the quote should be on the last slide but for some reason it is not....enjoy:)

LIVING A FAITH THAT BLEEDS

I'm in the process of reading REd Letters by Tom Davis. It is a powerful book that leaves me a bit overwhelmed yet energized to keep my focus on the millions of orphans worldwide, specifically in Africa. In the book, Tom discusses living a faith that bleeds...he asks "what if all Christians lived the REd letter words in the bible - Jesus' words." "Learning to live a faith that is so real, it bleeds Jesus."

If every Christian did this, what a different world we would live in. Millions of orphans would have a chance in this world, a chance to having a family and a loving home. I know i've been sitting in my chair far to long, focused on myself and the needs of my family alone. I pray the rest of my life will be focused more on how my family can help others - especially those who currently don't have a voice or hope for a future. Jesus said "when you give to the least of these, you give to me".

If you are looking for a book to spur you on in life - to live the life Christ calls us to live then please read this book.

S

Click here to learn more about an Orphan's Ticket Home.

An Orphan's Ticket Home

The event last Saturday was a huge success. The evening raised $14K!!! We are overwhelmed by the generosity of the Beaufort community to support this cause. Thank you to everyone who attended and helped out with the evening. I will post pictures soon.

The Beaufort Gazette is going to run an article about the event in the Sunday paper...make sure to check it out!

A Message of Hope

A Special Message from FamilyLife, Focus on the Family & Shaohannah's Hope
A special message from FamilyLife, Focus on the Family, and Shaohannah's HopeThe Orphan Crisis130 million orphans...It's a huge number. If you allow yourself to grapple with it, you may become saddened, angry, or numb. You may find yourself wanting to do something but unsure of how you can address a problem so overwhelming. There's good news. Orphans have been on God's heart since the beginning. Our Heavenly Father has not only demonstrated His love for the fatherless, but He has also made it clear that His people are to share in His concern as well. For the third straight year, FamilyLife, Focus on the Family, Shaohannah's Hope, and others are joining voices to share the good news that God has a plan for the more than 130 million orphans living in our world... and His plan is you. What You Can DoTake a few minutes today and pray for these little ones that God loves so dearly. Pray also that you will be open to God's leading. Now visit CryOfTheOrphan.org and click on Get Involved to receive a personalized list of resources and ways to help based on your interests. Become a part of God's plan for the orphan today. Be sure to tune in to a week of very special radio broadcasts on Focus on the Family and FamilyLife the week of November 17-21. Join the millions of believers whose lives have been transformed by caring for the least of these...

COUNT DOWN

We are in count down mode for the Orphan's Ticket Home event. We are less than 3 weeks away!! If you are planning to attend, wish we hope you are :), please let us know by sending us an email to thejacksons@awaa.org. You can pay at the door but we really need everyone to RSVP so we can plan accordingly with food & drinks.


A HUGE thank you to our host committee members who have helped out tremendously with getting silent auction items, creating the invitation list, and in many other countless ways. You guys are the best!


We've also decided to do a raffle for smaller items donated. If you know of any businesses that might like to donate a small gift certificate or item, please let us know!


We are really excited about what we as a community can do to help raise money for thousands of children who may otherwise never have a family. There are so many great causes out there and we appreciate your support for what has become a very personal and passionate cause for us.


If you have any questions or want to reserve tickets via phone, please call Sara at 812-9696.



With Love,

Sara & Tom

BUY TICKETS NOW!!

You can now buy tickets for the Orphans Ticket Home event in Beaufort at http://www.awaa.org/events/orphanstickethome.aspx. We will be sending out invitations soon but here are a few more details: Hargray and McNair Law Firm are corporate sponors and we have some great silent auction items lined up including, a joggling board by Just for Fun Playsets, spa packages, off-shore fishing charter, custom outdoor playhouse, custom ink wash of your home, gym membership and personal training sessions and many more fun items. It will be a great place to do some Christmas shopping! We hope you all can come and bring friends. Your presence WILL save lives!

Orphans Ticket Home Event

Tom and I are organizing a fundraiser in partnership with our adoption agency, AWAA, to benefit An Orphans Ticket Home campaign. This campaign was started as a result of the recent decline in international adoption world wide due to the ever changing environment of international adoption and the U.S. recession. This and the fact that there are already over 143 million orphans in the world. The campaign's goal is to raise $1,000,000 and the funds will impact the lives of 5,229 children.

There are four initiatives of this campaign:

1. Working to give children the identity and paperwork needed to place them into the adoption system.
2. Creating an exchange program that will give older children the opportunity to come and spend time with a family in the states and thus increasing their chances of finding a home.
3. Opening transitional homes in Ethiopia that will give us the opportunity to better care for the orphans being adopted into American families.
4. Developing new adoption programs in Vietnam, India, Brazil and Bolivia.

To learn more about this campaign please visit www.awaa.org/orphanstickethome.

Our event will take place on Sat, Nov 8th at the Beaufort Yacht & Sailing Club at 7pm. The evening will include yummy food, drinks & live music by Eric Daubert. A silent auction will also be held. (There will be a TV for those die-hard football fans too!)

PLEASE mark your calendars!! We hope you will join us for a fun evening and help to make a difference in the lives of these children. Also, please spread the word to your friends, family, co-workers, etc.! We will be sending out invites in a few months and info on purchasing tickets.

Lastly, we are looking for donations for the silent auction as well as corporate sponsors. If you know of anyone who might be interested in supporting this cause please let me know. America World is a not-profit agency and all contributions are tax deductible. We would greatly appreciate any leads!

Our dossier is on it's way!

Our dossier has been Fed Exed to Ethiopia!!! So our DTE ("date to Ethiopia") date is officially 6/13/2008. Our agency has just updated expected time frames for receiving referrals from this date to 7 to 9 months for both boys and girls. The travel time after referral has been increased to 2 to 3 months. So we are probably looking at another year till we'll travel. Whatever the timing may be, we are thrilled to have this part of the process complete and know it is in God's hands.

We're Approved

We received approval from AWAA, American World Adoption Agency, our adoption agency. Now the paperchase and home study begin...

We are very excited about using AWAA. They are a Christian agency and their mission is as follows: AWAA is committed to helping America's families and the world's orphans experience the love of God in Jesus through the "Spirit of adoption." We are a Christ centered organization that values the right of every child to have a family and believes adoption is a God ordained way to build a family. America World is also devoted to actively supporting orphan awareness ministries and hopes to spread the Spirit of ad

I dare to believe that the luckless will get lucky someday in you.You won't let them down: orphans won't be orphans forever. Psalm 10:14 .

So true

Adoption is not about finding children for families, it's about finding families for children ~Joyce Maguire Pavao

Q&A

We've had lots of questions regarding our decision to adopt so we decided to post a little Q&A to help answer some of them.

WHY ADOPT?

We have always wanted a big family and felt a strong desire to adopt even before we married and had Liv and Syd. And now after being blessed with two amazing girls, we feel it is God's desire for us to take this leap of faith and adopt the next addition to our family.

"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows' in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." James 1:27

"Learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow." Isaiah 1:17

"And whoever welcomes a little child like this in My name, welcomes Me." Matthew 18:5

WHY ETHIOPIA?

The number of orphans in Ethiopia is astounding. Plain and simple. Children (0-17 years) orphaned due to all causes, in 2005, is estimated at 4,800,000. Many other sites bring this current number closer to 6 million, which makes sense because this is only a 2005 estimate.

To break that down you would have to take all the kids under 18 in New York, Massachusetts and the District of Columbia - remove their parents and then you would have the number of children who are orphans in Ethiopia.

Tom and I both feel strongly that God has chosen Africa as the birthplace of our son. When we read the staggering stats about orphans there and look at pictures of these sweet, adorable children we feel a connection.


ON BECOMING A TRANSRACIAL FAMILY...

We believe all children are children of God and deserve to have a loving family no matter the color of their skin. The Lord views us equally, and as such we should view one another with love and affection in the same manner that He loves us. We are no different than the people of Africa other than we have been blessed tremendously by being born in the United States, we have unlimited access to food and healthcare, as well as numerous blessings we overlook in our daily lives. Our family will be enriched tremendously by the joy that this child will bring us. We look forward to the opportunity to further show all of our children that Christ's love for us is transcendent. While we understand that we will have many obstacles ahead, we believe that the Lord has equipped us to handle them.

"Neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:39


HOW LONG IS THE PROCESS?

Our agency typically has a wait time of 5-7 months for infant boy referrals once the dossier is in Ethiopia. We are hoping to have our dossier complete by end of May and then officially be on the waiting list. Once we receive a referral it will be another 6 weeks or so till we travel to meet him.

HOW OLD WILL YOUR SON BE WHEN HE ARRIVES HOME?

We have requested an infant boy up to 10 months old.

WHAT ABOUT HEALTH ISSUES ASSOCIATED WITH AFRICA?

The Children are tested for AIDS at the clinic recommend by the U.S. Embassy in Ethiopia as they enter the orphange. They are tested again just before leaving Ethiopia. All children are tested for Hepatitis B, venereal disease, and screened for TB. He will be given routine medical exams and immunizations. We will also have our child checked out here in Beaufort as soon as we get back and he will be given all the necessary immunizations again.

We have been blessed with two healthy children. We pray our third will be equally as healthy but realize only the Lord knows our destiny. All we can do is pray and put our faith and trust in Him.

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." Romans 15:13