Next Steps (China Part 11)

I just want to warn you this post is probably going to be anticlimactic. 

I've just poured out the impact this trip has had on my life, and then I'm supposed to wrap it up with a profound ending.

Well, hate to break it to you, but my conclusions are always the worst.

However, I do want to do my best to encourage and spur you on.

 If you want to know more about the trip or just hear about it in person, please just ask! I'll probably be that annoying person who can't stop talking about it anyway. Not because of anything I've done, but just because of how the Lord has broken me and given me a new heart for Him and His children.

If adoption is on your heart, I would love to pray with you about it and point you toward some wonderful resources I know of! Even if you are like me and are just a twenty-something student, it's never too early to start praying that God would prepare your heart. And you can always pave the way for others.

While neither one of my girls from camp are able to be adopted at this time, other children at camp are. Currently I'm waiting on some pictures of a precious little boy in an Asian orphanage who would love a home. While I don't necessarily expect one of you to adopt him, I want you to have a name and a face in your mind and heart. Please advocate for these kids who don't have a voice! I can't stop dreaming about my kids and I would love for them to find their forever home.

Don't just advocate for these kids, lift them up to the Lord in prayer. By name. Look at their faces and intercede on their behalf. Ask God to shower them in blessings and love. Ask for them to come to know Him. Ask for Him to accomplish the impossible and supernatural. And then believe that He can do all of those things.

Sometimes donating money seems like such an easy answer. However, good orphanages remain able to provide love and care for so many children because of God's provisions to them especially through donations. Please ask me if you want me to direct you to some wonderful organizations who are in need of financial support. You can even help me sponsor my kids if that's on your heart.

I know going across the globe is not exactly something that most people do on a whim. Shoot, I'd love to just pack my bags and go wherever I please whenever I'd like. However, I would really encourage you to consider volunteering at camp next summer. I would be more than happy to tell you about the organization we went through as well as connect you with other people on the trip so you can hear their experiences. This trip changed my life in a way no other mission trip has. If you haven't already picked up on it, this trip is hard, but rejoice in your obedience to the commands laid out for us Acts 1:8, James 1:27, Isaiah 1:17, Psalm 82:3... I promise there are more.

This is the video from our camp week and city. They showed it to the entire group the last night of camp and it was so precious to see the kids smile and squeal when they saw themselves!

Thank you so much for taking this journey with me. Your prayers and encouragement while I was overseas was more of a blessing than you'll ever know. Thanks for accompanying me on this process of grief and joy, and also letting me be vulnerable before you. I hope the Lord worked in you through this trip, too.