I am a mail junkie. There you go. Confession just from the very beginning let's get it out there. It's the first thing I do upon arriving home every afternoon. If I am home when the mail lady comes--I go straight out to check it. Some (like the hubs) may call it an addiction. I say it's like getting a mini gift each day. You just never know what you are going to get. I love good mail days.
I love December which makes mail days that much more exciting. It may be the fact that I grew up an Air Force Brat which meant I grew up in a family that mailed Christmas cards and letters each year and we received letters and cards from around the world with updates from friends that my family made from those 18+ years in the service. I still love visiting my parents house at Christmas time and seeing those familiar faces that were a part of my childhood. It's a beautiful thing.
On Monday I opened up our first Christmas card & letter and came completely undone. To be honest I've never had those emotions before over a Christmas card or letter, but inside this letter contained pictures of kids I have grown to love and have a deep place in my heart for. You want to see me come undone---send me a letter from Costa Rica with 16 beautiful faces smiling back at me. Undone, sobbing, blubbering mess.
I was able to pull myself back together knowing that I will see them again come late May. I'm so thankful that my very first mission trip almost 12 years ago sent me to the beautiful country of Costa Rica and now for three years in a row I just keep getting to go back to these beautiful faces. To love on them and hug them. Who knows one day God may open the door for one (or two or three...) to become permanent fixtures in our family, but for now I'll take what I can get and that is a yearly trip to Costa Rica.
So there you go--there's my mail addiction. There's my heart for 16 beautiful Costa Rican children. And here is what is on my heart today that I want to share with you and what I personally would like to do something about. A family that I have come to know and love dearly in our church is raising funds to finalize their adoption of their sweet Elijah. You can read their complete and beautiful story by clicking here...really go read it. Please.
So what would I like to do about it? I wish I had $7000, but I don't. But I do have an etsy shop. I open it from time to time and God uses it to provide for mission trips to Scotland for the hubs and to Costa Rica for me...and/or wherever else in the world Jesus calls us to from year to year. He uses it to provide when my little fam of three just needs a little bit of extra finances (like Christmas time!) and I'm so thankful for the way He has just used it and blessed it. I've opened it up again this year for the holidays and I would like to use it to bless the Koeppen family. A minimum of 20% of all proceeds from my Etsy Shop this season will go towards their fundraising efforts.
I know you are presented with lots of things to give to during this season--but I would like to ask that you would pray about giving towards this sweet family. What a sweet Christmas present this would be to officially make Elijah a Koeppen. Whether you choose to do so through my Etsy Shop or give directly to them--either way is beautiful. Read their story, pray for them.
Adoption. It's a beautiful thing isn't it?
Only 174 days till I can wrap my arms around those 16 babies that have my heart....Labels: adoption, Christmas, Etsy, family
