Favorites Friday

In light of yesterday's sad and tragic news about the loss of little Maria, Steven Curtis Chapman's gorgeous youngest daughter, I am posting today's Favorites Friday as a sort of tribute. This family has done so much for the plight of orphans all around the world, and we owe a huge debt of gratitude to their mission. In fact, their family story has played a huge role in our journey to China for our own daughter.

My Favorite Songs During The Adoption Journey

• Cinderella - by Steven Curtis Chapman, this is the quintessential Daddy Daughter love song. I will never be able to listen to this song again without a tear and a prayer for this precious family.
• He Knows My Name - the Lord recently gave me this song, by Tommy Walker, to pray over Aidan during this journey. It's likely that it will be some time before she can sing it for herself so I am lifting this promise to Our Father in her stead.
• All I Really Want for Christmas - also by Steven Curtis Chapman. The Boss bought me the cd the year we started our official journey and paper chase and there have been many days that this song haunts my heart as I wait for my girl.
• He Reigns - when our former church started using this song by the Newsboys in regular worship services, I was a wreck! For months after Baby BlueEyes was born, I had this sense in my spirit that we weren't "done" and that the Lord still had an "Aidan" to be birthed in my heart. This song helped me hang in there till HIS timing was right to start the process.
• He Ain't The Leavin' Kind - this declaration of the great faithfulness of our God by Rascal Flatts serves to remind me that although our daughter will have been left by her biological family, He is bringing her to a family that will never leave her. And that our foremost goal in loving and parenting her will be to model the faithfulness of our Father, that she might learn for herself of the True Love that will never leave her.

Please, join us in continuing to pray for the Chapman family. Their grief and pain is incomprehensible to us. But it's not to our Father. He well knows the pain of their loss. He well knows the agony of their hearts.

Father God, be close to this precious family in these horrific days.
Guard their hearts and their minds against any attempt
of the enemy to scar or wound them further.
Give them strength and endurance to face the days ahead.
Give them the comfort that only you can give,
by the ministry of your Holy Spirit.
We intercede on their behalf - be near to them, Oh God!

If you feel led to give a gift in honor of little Maria,
the family is requesting donations be made
to Maria's Miracle Fund through
Shaohannah's Hope, their not-for-profit ministry
that funds adoptions, both domestically
and internationally, and cares for the orphans of the world.