AfricAdams: So... I told you I would tell more....

Let me start off by saying that if I was handwriting this, we might be in a bit of trouble, because as K. Hanshaw says, "You haven't really sewn until you've sewn with Julie Adams!" Or maybe, it's more like, "you haven't really sewn until you've watched Julie sew her finger to her machine!" :-) So... typing is a bit slow today and handwriting looks like chicken scratch, but I press on! :-)
This weekend has been awesome!!! (Minus the finger sewing.) The last two days have been one blessing after another. Nate and I have been really blessed by our Sunday School class (but of course we don't call it that... it's a "Connect Group"... a much more "hip" name!) :-) This is a group of people who have been known to step it up and make things happen. Nate and I have been so proud to serve along side these couples! We asked them to sponsor one family for Thanksgiving, and they showed up with enough food to bless three instead!! We asked them to support a local Easter Egg hunt and lunch for 300 kids, and not only did they show up for that event, but they came back a week later after the first egg hunt was rained out! These folks are the real deal and we love learning and growing with them!

I tell you about this awesomeness because I want you to know the kind of people God has put in our lives. Not one of the things we have asked of the class has been for personal gain. Nate and I were the ministry coordinators for our class, and that's what we did, we coordinated ministry opportunities so our class (and families) could get involved and serve our community. But, here we are, in a situation that requires us to ask others for help, which at times feels like it's for personal gain. Nate and I know full well that we cannot walk through this adoption process on our own, and we're learning that we weren't intended to. God is stretching us to accept help and support from those around us, to allow those that care for us to come along side of us and walk this journey together. It is so humbling, to say the least. Almost daily, I am blessed by someone offering to help in any way possible, praying for us, or just asking questions to better understand... I am loving all changes this has created in my heart, although it is at times a difficult and painful stretch! :-)

OK.. so thanks for reading about how wonderful our friends are, now to tell you about the really neat fundraising/ministry opportunity that I mentioned a few weeks ago...
Last night some fabulous ladies came over and gave nearly 6 hours of their Saturday night to help us sew giraffes! Yes, you read that right, we were sewing our fingers, oh no, that was just me... we were cutting, pinning and sewing giraffes into the dark hours of the night... or dare we call it nearly morning??
The giraffes are a neat brainchild of many different people... there were many ideas and suggestions and finally God showed us the direction we should go.
The giraffes are taggie blankets and are multi-purpose 1) to help us remember that there are 147 million orphans in the world and we need to be praying for them, specifically for good health, proper care, and someone to love them and to teach them about Jesus. 2) for every giraffe that is purchased here in the States, Nate and I will take 1 with us to Uganda to place in the hands of an orphan who will sleep in an orphanage tonight. We are praying that these simple giraffe blankets will be a small bright spot in their world. We are also praying over these giraffes and the orphans who will one day hold them in Uganda.
So, for $10 a person will receive 1 blanket as a reminder to pray and 1 will travel to Uganda.
We believe that God has challenged us with making 500 giraffe blankets... which means 250 orphans will be able to have one!! 500 seems super overwhelming to me, but this is where our friends have stepped up once again. With our "sweat shop" last night, we cranked out 34 completed blankets and have 63 more ready to sew. We have friends making plans to work on them on their own, and offering up their mothers, in-laws and friends to cut and sew giraffes! :-) I am touched and completely blessed by others jumping in to help. I could have sworn that I heard God wrong... because there is no way that I would be able to make 500 blankets on my own... but once again He has proven that He will not leave us to walk this path alone!
If you are interested in purchasing a taggie blanket for yourself and an orphan you can contact me through, Facebook, Email (juliebadams9204@gmail.com) or this blog. Send me your name and if you have a preference on a boy or girl giraffe.
(If you need the giraffe mailed to you, please include your address and an extra $2.) If you already have a Paypal account, you can send funds very simply through the button on this page, or you can send us a check, or pay when I see you around town. :-)
If you're unable to sponsor giraffes at this time, we ask for your continued prayers. We know that God is listening and is honoring your requests on our behalf. We appreciate you! Thanks for reading this week's ramblings! :-)

The first group (minus J. Chevalier... I need to photoshop you in! :-) including Ab and Mad

Part group 1 and shift 2

Sorry for this pic... but it was true... a needle straight through my finger... thanks to E. Hunt for capturing the moment! :-)

Hard at work around 11pm! Nate spent the day rangling kids, working on his car, loading and unloading mulch, spreading it, swimming, a little first aide, putting kids to bed, and then wrapped up his evening with a little cut and pin action! What a guy! :-)