Life changing stories are still out there. All we have to do is find them. And tell them.  

 

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This fall I am going to do just that. In October I am traveling with a team to a Chinese orphanage in the city where two of my children lived before coming home to their forever family. The purpose of our team's trip is multifaceted. While in China we will play and interact with children who desperately need attention, serve the overworked and understaffed orphanage personnel, and work to build relationships with local administrators.

 

We will also learn the stories of these precious children.

 

This is so important because telling a child's story is a wonderful way to advocate for them, and when our team gets back to America we will become storytellers for these children. Many of the children in this orphanage have special needs that can be intimidating to families who are considering adopting them.  Instead of leaving potential adoptive families to learn about a child through dry medical records, we will tell them vivid stories of all these children can do, the way they laugh, and the potential in their eyes. Having spent several days at the orphanage our team will be able to talk with families and give them insight into these children that could never be ascertained by simply reviewing the child's written records.

 

Similar mission teams in the past have changed lives by helping to bring children and families together. Our goal is to do this too.  

 

We will speak hopefully and truthfully about these children, and pray that the right family, story, and child will come together to make a forever family.

 

I would so much appreciate your support for this trip. Please pray for Jenny and our children during my time in China. Please pray that I would be brought closer to God through this trip. Please pray for the children and orphanage staff to be blessed through our efforts. Please pray for courage for families who are considering adopting a child with special needs. Please pray for God's truth to shine through our stories.

 

Also if you would like to partner with us financially, we would be very grateful. We are trying to raise $3,800 for the trip and have set up this Pure Charity account for any who are interested in giving to the cause.

 

If you have any questions about the trip, please give me a call or send me an email. I'd love to tell you a story.

 

Sincerely,

 

Jacob LaBahn