First Friday 2-1-08

Michael writing.....

This month the First Friday program was about the red thread that interconnects so many families in the adoption process. We met for dinner as usual, and had about 10 people at La Dolce Vita. When we got to the church we had our usual socializing before three families got up and shared their adoption stories after which anyone with a connection was encouraged to share, and a roll of red yarn was unraveled and stretched around the room.

There were some wesome stories, including a deicision to take a waiting child, only to find out that people who attend First Friday had been to her orphanage, and had not only seen her, had brought back pictures of them playing, only later to discover the forever family was in the house for that First Friday.

Another story included the sponsorship of a child that was not even in an adoption program, and God's provision that not only enabled her forever family to initiate an adoption, but for their adoptive child to be the baby they were sponsoring! How Awesome!

It was an incredible night, as it often is, and it was the last meeting for our friends the Ladmans without their son Micah. They leave in just under two weeks and theyll be back in time for our next meeting. Also, we received an email about our Heartbridge Bed. The First Friday group is sponsoring a bed in an orphans hospital in China, and we'll be getting updates each month about who is in the bed. This month it's a little guy named "Xuan" who is being treated for a club foot. Amy explained it's a simpy correction, and a horrible thing for a kid to be given up over.

Below you'll see some pictures from this month's meeting...

A good crowd, maybe 50-65 this month

Shay Lu helps her mommy with the red thread

Allison and her forever family

Michelle was AWESOME during the program, and the red thread reached her family too.

Tammy and Susan enjoy some social time.

Lanie, Michelle, and their daddies

Lily

Allison

Lanie at dinner (she's a lot more fun when she's not sleepy)

Shay Lu (who has friends in Newsong)