Happy Birthday Sissy!!!

We have had 2 very special days around here....yesterday Sis got baptized at church! She felt God nudging her to make this public declaration of her faith in
Jesus about a month ago and yesterday was the big day!

Look who had a front and center seat ;)  Kaylee Grace didn't want to miss any of it!

Baptism is our public declaration of our faith in Jesus.
It's a picture of how we as Christians die to our old selves....

And are made new and given eternal LIFE in Him!!!

Miss Ashely read her testimony :)

I accepted Jesus to be my Lord and Savior on April 13, 2006 with my mom and my brother. I never really had a real relationship with him until recently. I always went to church because it was just what my family did every Sunday morning. I would go and pay attention and answer every question asked to me. In May 2011 my dad came home from work and showed us a picture of his client who had just adopted from Africa and asked us if we wanted to adopt. My brothers were all in and my mom and I said NO.  A few weeks later my mom felt the Lord put it on her heart but I was still a no. About 2 months later I had felt the Lord put it on my heart. We started the adoption process for a special needs little girl in China. My faith grew a lot in this process. When we brought her home on March 20th 2013 she just started making leaps and bounds, miracle after miracle. I started realizing that I needed Jesus more than I thought, He was more than just a Sunday morning hour deal... He was my life. I realized the depth of my sin and how He could save me and forgive me. My favorite verses are Proverbs 31:8, “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute.” and James 1:27, “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress” because they both remind me of my little sister and how one day when I am old enough I want to adopt.

 And TODAY is Sissy's 13th Birthday!!! How could it be that our sweet girl is already 13??!!

We celebrated with dinner out as a family :)

And with Grandpa and Nana and Papa :)

Happy Birthday to our TEENAGER!!! You are and always have been such a JOY to have as our daughter. We are so proud of the young woman that Jesus is growing you in to. It has been a delight to watch your faith deepen and become your own over this last year and a half. We know that the plans that He has for you are so far beyond anything we could ever ask or imagine! Your heart for the fatherless has encouraged and challenged us to seek Jesus more and be open to all that He has...His Ways are so far beyond our ways ~ and you are blessed with eyes to see that. Sis, the Bible tells us that when we give up our lives, we find true life. We watch you do that more and more everyday with your little sister (and all the other orphans that you advocate for!). Thank you for following Jesus towards the least of these ;)  "I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints and His incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of His mighty strength which He exerted when He rose Christ from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the Heavenly realms." Ephesians 1:18,19