Our Journey to Hope!

SHE’S COMING HOME!
Eph. 3:20 Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us,
We are traveling to Bangkok from Nov. 21-Dec. 03!
As many of you know, we have been on a journey to adopt a little girl from Thailand. She was left at the hospital when she was born by a young mother who said she couldn’t care for her. She has spent her entire life in an orphanage for children with disabilities, but attends a special school for children who are blind. God placed the call on our hearts to adopt her after we received an email about her a few years ago.
We praise God that we have reached the end of one part of our journey, and are preparing to make the trip to Bangkok, to bring our daughter home! Though we thought this time would come much sooner, we are thankful that God has been with us throughout the long months of waiting. Thailand is notorious for unexplained delays in the adoption process, and we are not the only family that has experienced such a long wait. In fact, there are 3 other families who have been waiting longer than we have, and they are not ready to travel yet. We continue to pray for them to stay strong as they wait. So, we are so thankful to have Hope home by Christmas!! What a wonderful Christmas present! God is so good!
We chose the name her “Hope” because it means “confident expectation”, and that sums up our prayer for this little girl as she joins our family. We continue to pray that she will have the peace of God as she makes this transition, and that it will be better than we can think or imagine. We pray that God has prepared her heart to know us as her parents just as an infant knows the sounds, smells, and comfort of its parents. We pray for total peace for her, for the boys, and for us as her parents. Most of all we pray for her salvation. We know that God is holding her heart in His hands. We pray that He will draw her to Himself and show her how much He loves her. We pray that you will join us in praying for her and for us as we bring her home.
Throughout this process, God has done wonders for us financially! There has never been a time that we have not had the money to pay a fee when it came due. As we prepare for this trip, it is the most costly part of the process. Airfare is running around $1,600 per ticket, and that is the bulk of the expense we are still trying to cover. We are planning to take Nick with us because we will need his help, and he wants to go. JC doesn’t want to go, and this works out well because we would have concerns about his health due to the smog, and danger of picking up another illness that could complicate his CF.
We have been blessed with the opportunity to raise funds through a matching grant program through a wonderful ministry called Lifesong for Orphans. We have a grant amount of $3,000, which means that every dollar we raise up to $3,000 is matched dollar for dollar. This gives us the opportunity to raise $6,000 for our adoption! All gifts are tax deductable, and every dollar counts! So, please prayerfully consider supporting us and helping us meet our goal!
Below are the details for how to contribute in a tax deductible way.

Lifesong for Orphans (www.lifesongfororphans.org) is a non-profit Christian ministry dedicated to help meet the needs of orphan children around the world, and obey God’s call to “visit the fatherless…in their affliction” (James 1:27).
The number of children worldwide without families to love and care for them is astounding… there are over 1.5 million orphans in Eastern Europe alone!
God tells us in His word He has heard the cry of the orphaned and abandoned children (Psalm 10:17, 18) and He has made a way for them to be cared for – through adoption. As believers, He adopted us into His family through Jesus Christ, and did not leave us as spiritual orphans!
We believe adoption at its core is evangelism--a vital part of the Great Commission is bringing the mission field home. God desires orphans from all nations to be adopted into Christ-honoring families so they may ultimately be adopted into His eternal family through Jesus Christ. God calls us to fulfill James 1:27, “visit the fatherless…” but not all are called to adopt. Some are called to pray, some to give financially, some to go on mission trips, and some to adopt.
Chris and Melissa have sensed God’s call . . . and have joyfully stepped out in faith and obedience to adopt Wanida from Thailand. As you may already know, international adoption can cost around $25,000 and prevents many godly families from adopting. We believe God has raised up the McMann family “for such a time as this…”. Lifesong has partnered with a local adoption ministry close to the McMann’s home called Promise686 (www.promise686.org) to extend an Adoption Matching Grant of $3000. This grant will help raise the funds necessary to complete the adoption of this young girl. This means Promise686 partnered with Lifesong for Orphans will match “dollar-for-dollar” everything the McMann’s raise from their church, family, and friends between now and December 1, 2010, up to $3000. We invite you to support them financially to make this adoption possible. Your gift is tax deductible and you will receive a tax-deductible receipt. *100% of all funds raised will go directly to cover adoption costs--nothing will be taken out for administrative costs.Will you invest financially in the life of this little girl? . . . It will be an investment with eternal return.Questions?: contact Leah at 309-747-4517 or email her at leah@lifesongfororphans.org.
Online donations may be accepted through the Lifesong paypal account: http://www.lifesongfororphans.org/donation.html
Check and Money Orders may be mailed to:
Lifesong for Orphans
PO Box 40 / 202 N. Ford St
Gridley, IL 61744
NOTE:***Please write “MCMANN 1515 ADOPTION” in the memo section of the check, so the funds will be properly credited.***