Christmas Offering

Last Sunday just before the service began, the pastor of our church here called me over and asked if we'd be home in the afternoon. Said he was going to stop by. "What for?" I thought.

Around 4:30 in the afternoon I saw him walk across our lawn and scrambled to shove Jake's LEGOs into their box and grab the cardboard creation he had made off of the sofa so he would have somewhere to sit.

He came in got right to the point. "How are things going with the adoption fundraising? How far do you still have to go?" We shared how well we had done to date but that we were about $16,000 from finished. He spoke of prior years when the church raised money for Kiev and Haiti. He felt they were in a good place with their Haiti fundraising as they were about to send them a sizable check towards a project down there. "I was thinking," he said, "about using our annual Christmas offering to help you reach your goal to bring Johanna home." Stunned. Humbled yet again that God would use His people to help us fulfill Lourdes's dying wish and bring Johanna home. Still well up EVERY time I think about how absolutely right this is.

We arrived at church yesterday to see these flyers on the seats. I was a little taken aback as Advent has not yet begun.

Tim, the kids and I will each have a Sunday during Advent to speak to the congregation about Johanna and our journey to meet her, love her and make her a Chittenden.

If our family crosses your mind during any Sundays in Advent, could we ask you to pray for whichever one of us is speaking? That God would give us the words HE wants the congregation to hear. That we can hold back the tears that come so easily when we speak about Johanna and this journey. Thanks! It would really mean a lot to us!