Good bye 2014 - Hello 2015

Goodness gracious - another year is wrapping up for people all over the world. In just a few short hours from now we will celebrate the beginning of a new year. And so I thought I would end 2014 with a few photos from our world to yours.

Teddy is now playing club soccer - different team from Tariku but same Club

Soccer - it's apparently ALL we do in the Spring and Fall 

Amazing business opportunities

Photos with Santa - photo courtesy of Karen Halbert Photography

Time with Papa is always time well spent

Disney with Papa Blue

Maybe this should of been our Christmas card this year?  Oh wait I never got the card out!!!

Teddy and his papa blue

Tariku being interviewed for NPR

IF conference in Austin with Jillian and Jess - a true blessing of an opportunity

And when not playing soccer we are on the basketball courts

2nd grade means Leprechaun traps

So proud to be in black for Aris FC

Designing their own golf hole

Hard to believe he is about to begin his 3rd season with this club

Mrs. Clark and Mr. Jim - they made the school world a wee bit easier to navigate

Tariku and Ms. Gatlin (2nd grade)

It's a party when Will is in town and mama is in Ethiopia

 an amazing evening to benefit 147 million orphans and a private screening of Legends of the Knight #wearebatman

Easter 2014

yep a totaled car in the Spring of 2014 

Who cares the water is FREEZING!

Always ready for the next adventure

Off to Uncle Jason's we go

Playing tic tac toe with great-grandma Taeko 

Mama why do Americans think this is fun?  This is just life in Africa! - Tariku

Brothers 

Awards won and parties planned

See a theme?  This boy and his tic tac toe

On the soccer field before 7am - calls for one thing

So happy to see their Amber get married

Summer spent with Kylee

The Christmas gift from Uncle Josh that lives on and on and on

Giggles and all girl

Adventure and Road Trips!

Atlanta GA - Six Flags

A look into the future and look who's driving

Kylee behind the wheel

Cousins and the bestest of friends

One would think they were related by blood - but alas they are not

Summer - welcomed a pool into our yard!!

New friends

Working on their radio voices

Hanging with friends at the radio station

Listening as they remix the Tariku message

Preparing his lines

Ready to go wish America a very happy birthday

Disney day @ Camp Summer Sign

Just over 5 months in this thing 

Halloween

The launch of a non - profit

Wedding help in Santa Fe

Cliff Dwelling in Santa Fe

My little orange boy

So there you have it!!  A look back at 2014 - we are blessed beyond measure and look forward to all that comes in 2015.  From the Hammons House to yours we wish you a very HAPPY NEW YEAR

"Orphan Sunday isn't about charity; it's about the mission of Christ. I pray that every Gospel-transformed congregation will observe Orphan Sunday, calling all Christians to our mandate to image Christ by caring for his little brothers and sisters, the fatherless of the world." -- Dr. Russell Moore, author Adopted for Life

On November 2nd, Christians around the globe will stand together with one goal: to rouse believers with God's call to care for the orphan and what our role is in response.

Does your family, small group or church have plans for Orphan Sunday? There are so many ways that we can honor orphans collectively as the Body of Christ on Orphan Sunday. If you don't have plans or haven't heard of an event near you, here are 4 ways you can engage in this year's Orphan Sunday:

1. Advent for Orphans Calendar -- see explanation below.
2. Orphan's Table -- share a meal eaten by orphans around the world. Gather with family, small group or church for the meal, discussion and prayer.
3. Plan an Orphan Sunday event with a Partnership Package -- easy-to-follow Orphan Sunday event plan, enabling you to partner with an organization to create a simple event!
4. Contact your Regional Orphan Sunday Coordinator with questions, to seek ideas as you plan, or to let them know that you will be holding an event.

Be sure to also check out their other resources which include videos, prayer guides, sermon notes, t-shirts & more! Together, let's stand for the orphan!

To learn more about Orphan Sunday or find an event near you visit OrphanSunday.org.

Get your FREE Advent Calendar & celebrate with purpose! 

See how your family, small group or church can celebrate the anticipate the birth of our Savior in a special way that also shows love to orphans.

Limited supply of Advent for Orphans calendars available! Learn more & order your calendar today at www.lifesongfororphans.org/advent.

Advocate Opportunities w/ Lifesong

Are you having trouble communicating why you have chosen to walk the adoption journey? Or maybe you have tried time and time again to get your church to start an adoption or orphan care ministry, and it just hasn't clicked yet. How do you start and kindly facilitate a conversation that shows God's heart for the orphan and our response as the church?

Host a Coffee Conversation.

Coffee shops tend to create an environment where people connect through conversations over a warm cup of joe or a refreshing iced latte. Recreate this atmosphere by hosting an intentional Coffee Conversation with your church, Sunday school class or small group. Maybe it's a one-on-one meeting with your pastor at a local coffee shop or maybe it's an event with small group. 

Use this kit to help you share about the needs and opportunities to care for orphans with provided discussion questions and scripture references.

How it works:

1. Visit www.lifesongfororphans.org/host-a-coffee-conversation and fill out the form to recieve the Coffee Conversation Toolkit with step-by-step instructions on how to host an event, along with video links, discussion questions and promotional materials.
2. Purchase Gobena Coffee for your event. Visit Gobena Store
3. Use provided materials to promote event.
4. Host event using some or all of the resources provided in toolkit.

Looking for more Advocate Opportunities?
Visit www.lifesongfororphans.org/advocate-opportunities to see more unqiue, tangible ways you can care for orphans!

My orange boy

Greetings ~
Last week I introduced you to Yuri if you didn't read that post here it is for your (Yuri) and I also told you I had so many stories and feelings but I promised I was gonna get them up here to share.  So today I want to share with you about the boy I lovingly refer to as my sweet orange boy.

On our 1st full day in Rwanda we headed outside of Kigali to a city called Bugasera.  We were going to love on a group of school children and also do some home visits with the pastor from the local church.  As the bus pulled up the kids and their parents awaited our descent off the stairs.  Little brown hands grabbed for big white hands all the while saying mazunga mazunga mazunga (white person) as we scattered across the grass with coloring sheets, crayons, stickers and sharpies for nail polish I saw a sweet little boy in orange.  Now you may know that for the past 4 months my left foot has been in a boot from a car accident.  That boot was going to make it a wee bit tricky to sit on the grass and color so I did the next best thing - I took Emily's camera and started shooting.

Mama of the sweet boy in orange made sure at least a dozen times that her son got in front of my lens.  And while I knew he was not a school age child I obliged and shot photo after photo after photo.  When I put the camera down all the sweet orange boy wanted was for me to hold him and again I obliged.  He loves to laugh and to kiss and he sure LOVES to be snuggled.

As our time was coming to a close and as we gathered with all the children and parents to sing and rejoice in all HIS glory - that is when a much bigger than me part of the story came to life.
 
You see my sweet orange boy is Deaf - yes the boy I had snuggled on and kissed, and giggled with - who also loved to lick the inside of your nose if you were not quick enough was in so many ways just like Teddy.  Now when his mama brought him to me and placed him before the camera she had no way of knowing I understood her journey.  You see I had no idea why God had called me to Rwanda this summer and yet within 24hrs on the ground I sat with and laughed with talked with a mama who in some ways shared a common story.  This mama and my sweet orange boy with stay in my heart for the rest of my life.  

May you take a moment today and pray for this warrior mama as she continues to advocate and give her son the best possible life.  May you also pray for my sweet orange boy that he continues to know he is loved and cherished.

Yes my sweet sweet boy you are LOVED

My sweet orange boy - may you always know you are HIS chosen son

Even Brooklyn got in on the love and nose licking

Precious precious mama you are a warrior

This post is part of the Adoption Journey Series. See previous posts, “Adoption: 3 Ways to Prepare for the Journey” & "Adoption: 5 Funding Ideas that Work!". 

You made it. After all the paperwork, emails, phone calls, times of waiting and waiting and waiting, your child is finally forever home. Now what??

Being home together as a family may be all that you envisioned and expected, but most likely, there may be some challenges and adjustments to work through. Whether that be with your child you just brought into your home or your bio kids. Change can be tough, especially when your new forever child has come from a hard place and may have many emotional walls and culture barriers to break down. The good news? You're not in this alone.

Here are a few resources and ideas for families post-adoption...

4 Ways to Thrive Once They're Home

1. Find a Support Group. During the transition, you will need godly friends and family surrounding and encouraging you, telling you, "I get what you're going through...We are praying." If your church does not have an adoption support group, talk to other adoptive families and start your own. Also, check with your adoption agency to see if they can connect you with someone in your area.
2. Attend an Empowered to Connect Conference. Yep, it's that good that we're mentioning it twice. If you can't make a conference before your adoption, find the time to attend after your child is in your home. The insight and wisdom you will receive will encourage you as you parent a child from a hard places.
3. Read Handbook on Thriving as an Adoptive Family. Packed with practical advice and ideas for families with an adopted child, this parenting handbook is unique in that it provides real-life solutions to common challenges. Bible-based and comprehensive, this Focus on the Family resource addresses the special challenges of adopted children and their parents from birth through adulthood.
4. Call iCareAboutOrphans.org's Post Adoption Phone line. This ministry of Focus on the Family offers this service FREE for adoptive families! The phone number is 800-A-FAMILY (232-6459) and is staffed Mon – Fri from 8am – 10pm EST by counselors who have been trained by Dr. Karyn Purvis.

What are some other ways that helped your family THRIVE once your child(ren) were forever home? Please join the conversation by commenting below.

Don't Forget Me ~

Greetings ~
Yes yes yes I know I have a TON to catch you up on and I promise I really am gonna get you all caught up on life here at the Hammons House BUT not today!!  Sorry!!  Today is the 20th day I have been home from Ethiopia and Rwanda almost and entire 3 weeks back in the good ole USA and there are so many stories to tell and so many emotions I still cannot wrap my head around (but I am working on it!!) But today my heart is heavy for a boy I only met but for a brief time in Kigali and his last words to me are what woke me up at 3:30am this morning.  "Please don't forget to pray for me"
I want you to meet Yuri

Yuri is a street boy|child in Kigali, Rwanda and I wanted to give you the best possible definition of what a street kid is in a 3rd world country so I reached out to my dear friend Tiffany Darling with Mercy Branch and here is here explaination "A child who, because of various circumstances, has been forced to make the street his or her home and/or source of survival. Many times, but not always, these children also suffer from being abandoned or orphaned and are therefore living independently of any adult protection or provision." - I only spent a morning with these boys - boys with no parents | no family - boys who are left to tend to themselves - boys with no direction as to their purpose - in other words the often forgotten about group.  And yet these boys will grow to be the next generation and they need our love, our guidance, our patience, they need to know the love of the Father and they are precious in his eyes.  So today 21 days after I have landed back in my sweet little town I want Yuri to know I have NOT forgotten him. I have NOT stopped praying for him.  I have NOT stopped praying for the wonderful mama Daphne who works with these boys on a daily basis showing them love and another way of life.  And while I do not know if I will ever see Yuri face to face again I do know that I will NOT forget him.
My question to you is will you NOT forget him either?  Will you pray for him and the hundreds of thousands of street kids around the world?

“Once our eyes are opened, we can’t pretend we don’t know what to do. God, who weighs our hearts and keeps our souls, knows that we know, and holds us responsible to act.” Proverbs 24:12