Bring Baby Hope Home!

I have been friends with Angie for a few years now, and she has interpreted for several of my seminary classes at Beeson Divinity School. She is one of the most awesome people I’ve known in my life, and God has implanted something wonderful in her family’s heart!

Angie shared with me last summer at a ministry conference in New Orleans sponsored by the Fund for Theological Education that her family is seriously contemplating and praying about adopting a child from China. To make a long story short, God has led Angie and her husband over the past few months to a particular girl named Qian Yi or “Baby Hope” (see the picture above). Her brown eyes is what captivated the hearts of Angie and her husband (admit it – she does looks adorable!), and she has a bilateral cleft lip and palate, a condition that can be easily resolved through a surgical procedure. Angie shared with me that there are several reasons why she has the cleft palate and lips condition: the Eustachian tubes was not properly formed in her ears and her lips and palate was not developed properly. After an evaluation, she might have an surgery to have the tubes inserted in her ears so she can hear again. Moreover, she might never be able to talk clearly (even after the procedure), so the family will be teaching Hope sign language once she arrives in America.

The Williamson family at this point is ready to bring Hope home, but they need to raise some funds to be able to do this. And they came up with a nifty idea that entails serving a widow for one entire day!

On February 11, I will be joining the Williamson family (Lord willing) to serve Bernice, a deaf widow in Birmingham. She is 73 years old and was married to a man for 28 years until he passed away from cancer in 1995. In addition, Bernice’s house was damaged by a tree on April 27, 2011 as a result of the infamous F5 tornado that ripped through parts of Alabama. She was asleep when the tree fell on a part of her house, and she is thankful that she is still alive today. She has gone through a lot in the past few years, and this house is currently in a serious state of disrepair. Her insurance company has refused to cover a portion of damages from this storm.

And here’s where things get interesting! The Williamson family need to raise $30,000 to cover the anticipated adoption costs to bring Hope home, and they have developed an unique partnership with the Lifesong for Orphans and Both Hands organizations. The family will spend an entire day along with their friends serving Bernice by, for example, fixing up her house. It is similar to a charity golf outing, but instead of golf, they are raising money through sponsors while they are serving Bernice. I think this is awesome because this imitates the spirit of James 1:27?


How can I help bring Baby Hope home?

Anyone is welcome to join and help the Williamson family out on Feb 11th, but I know most of you probably are not in the area that day. However, there are two things you can do to make a difference:

1. Make a tax deductible donation to help reduce the adoption costs for the Williamson family. 100% of the money you donate will go toward bringing Hope home. Look at page 2 of the support letter found at the bottom of this post for more information on how to contribute, but the money needs to be raised by March 3, 2012!
2. Dedicate a portion of your time on the day leading up to and on February 11th toward praying for the Williamson family. Also, pray that Bernice will see and experience Christ’s love through this service project. Finally, pray that those serving the widow will serve with a cheerful heart and willing spirit, and that the Lord will receive the glory that He deserves from all of us.

Click on the pictures below to read their support letter for Baby Hope. Also be sure to check out and follow the Baby Hope blog!

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