Friday, November 25, 2016

When God Moves

     
       It has been a busy month for us! School is in full swing for the girls and their after school activities have begun. Billy has been working lots of overtime and I have been keeping busy with paperwork, driving the girls everywhere and our normal day to day stuff. I have also been working on some craft items to sell for Christmas and help fill our "Pennies for Ping" jars.
        In the midst of our busyness, God continues to move and speak through those around us. We received a message from the founder of Reece's Rainbow letting us know that a church (somewhat) close to us, had decided to host a walk for Ping. The funds raised would go towards her adoption expenses. We were blown away with this news. Just a few days before I had been wondering how we would ever raise the funds necessary. I kept thinking "We don't know that many people". God showed me how small my faith is at times when this church stepped forward to bless our family. After all, there isn't anyone He doesn't know.
        We didn't know what to expect when we arrived at St. Mary of Sorrow's church. Neither Billy nor I excel in new social situations. I often feel awkward and out of place, but we really wanted to be a part of the walk and meet the people who so graciously organized it. So, we arrived around 8:30am on a Saturday morning and followed signs until we found a hall decorated with Reece's Rainbow posters and tri-folds. There were even flyers with our sweet Ping's picture and a short bio. We were immediately met with warm hugs and offered snacks and drinks. We met so many families who had such passion for the orphans and wanted to help. Many of the families had children and adult children with Down syndrome. We felt an immediate connection with them and soaked up all their advice and encouragement.
        We were blessed just to join this wonderful group of people and encouraged by each person present. The sense of community was strong and the love of Jesus came through each and every person present. When we left, Billy and I were overcome with emotion. These wonderful people whom we had never met before, had hosted a fundraiser for our family, our Ping! They did it with such joy and love. They exuded Christ in every action, every word spoken, and every hug given. We left feeling a call to serve others as we had been served, to show true, unconditional love for others, and to be a blessing to all we are in contact with.
        They raised $1600 which will be placed in our Reece's Rainbow FSP and used for in country fees. While this was a tremendous blessing to our family, the greatest gift was not the money we received, it was the love of Jesus poured out on our family!
Let you light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. Matthew 5:16