Greetings from the Dahl Family...
That is about to grow by TWO MORE! What?!? Is probably what you are asking- and NO, we are NOT pregnant! We are however, in the process of adopting two kids from Ghana, Africa! They are siblings, with one being a five-year-old boy, and the other being his nine-year-old sister....
We know. This probably sounds beyond crazy. Are we doing this because we feel the 'need' for more kids? No. Are we doing this because we think we're great parents who have it all together? No. Are we doing this because we think we can afford it? Certainly not. We are doing this because we believe it is what God is asking of us at this time...
"Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless;
maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed.
Rescue the weak and needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked."
Psalms 82:3-4
Over the past several months God has been doing a mighty work in our hearts. It began with a powerful series at church called 'Revolutionary Faith', that was all about putting your faith into action. It continued when we read a life-changing book called 'The Hole In Our Gospel' by Richard Stearns, president of World Vision. It has really been a compilation of several things woven together that all seemed to be pointing to the same thing. One of the defining moments of this process was when we were sitting in church on Father's Day. The message that week was entitled "Father of the Fatherless", and during the service a video was shown about the 'Drawn from Water' Orphanage in Ethiopia. As the video played and the plight of these precious children began to pierce our hearts, we began to weep. We couldn't seem to stop. As tears streamed down our faces, the main line from the song that was playing grabbed our hearts and would not let go....
"Now that I have seen, I am responsible."
That line would haunt us for the next several weeks. (We invite you to watch the 5 minute video at the end of this post... We're pretty sure you'll understand where we're coming from if you do!) We began to pray. We knew God wanted us to do something, but we weren't exactly sure what it was. A few weeks went by, and we continued to pray. Then, one night Aumony attended a dance production called "The Least of These" that was a fundraiser for several different ministries- one of them being a particular orphanage in Ghana, where numerous families from our church have adopted. Her heart was stirred once again. As the evening was coming to an end, a short video about the orphanage was shown. At the end of the video, pictures of children who are currently 'waiting' to find their 'forever families' were put up on the screen. As soon as she saw the picture of these two children, it all became very clear. It was as if God was holding these two before her and asking....
"What are you willing to do for me?"
Well, long story short...we have been moved to action. Now that we know their story, we cannot turn away from these two that God has placed before us. Our hearts were burdened to the point of breaking, and we knew that nothing would ever be the same. Within a couple of weeks we had filled out our application for adoption and received approval from the Director of the orphanage in Ghana.
Now the real work begins....we are beginning our home study, filling out piles of paperwork, and starting to raise the necessary funds (approximately $20,000)! Because we were not planning to adopt at this time, we have NO money saved to pay for this process. Surprisingly, we have felt totally at peace about our decision, and have complete faith that God will provide exactly what we need, when we need it... Our kids are super excited, and the heart of compassion that we have seen developing within each one as we have talked and prayed about this together, has confirmed our decision on numerous occasions...
So, how can you help???
Pray
Please pray that God would count us worthy of His calling, fulfill every act prompted by our faith, and that the name of our Lord Jesus would be glorified! Pray that His hand would guide each step of this long, difficult process; that He would provide exactly what we need-spiritually, physically, emotionally, and financially-exactly when we need it; and pray that the sweet children waiting half-a-world-away would know that they are loved-even as they wait. We could not begin to face the challenges ahead without your faithful prayers!
Give
With your help, we will need to pay approximately $20,000 in expenses & fees over the next couple months in order to complete the adoption process and bring these two precious children home to their 'forever family'. Please prayerfully consider if you are able to help in this way. Donations of ANY amount are greatly appreciated (!) and can be sent directly to us, or to Beacon House*. Thank you in advance for your ongoing prayer and financial support! We are so grateful for your generosity and love!
There are currently 143 MILLION orphans in the world. Each with a face, and a name. We cannot help them all, but we can help ONE.....or TWO....and to them,
it makes ALL THE DIFFERENCE!
In His Service,
The Dahl Family-
Steve & Aumony, Kyleah, Kayden, Karson, & Kenadi
"Religion that God our Father accepts as
pure and faultless is this:
to look after orphans and widows in their distress..." James 1:27
*If you would like to make a tax deductible donation, please make your check payable to Beacon House. Please include a note (not on the check) that indicates that you are sending a donation for the Dahl Family's Adoption Fund, and mail it to Scott Danner c/o Beacon House at 7343 Ridge Rd. Lexington, NC 27295.
