Rock Hill

I would like for you to take a minute to read here about the community of Rock Hill in Monrovia, Liberia. Acres of Hope just dedicated two new wells for the people in Rock Hill. Many people ask us why we are adopting internationally. These are the conditions in Liberia, I don't think we even like to think that some where in the world people live like this. Once you make your mind and your heart pay attention, I don't know how you could walk away. I can only imagine what our time in Liberia will be like and how it will change us forever.

Just to keep you up to speed on the progress with adoptions in Liberia...here's another update we received. By the way, the hearing that was supposed to take place on September 8th did not take place.

12 September 2008

Dear Families and Friends of Acres of Hope,

I was able to speak with Patty a bit late last night and she was very positive about recent developments in Liberia , subsequent to the meeting with the President's representatives.

The legislature has reminded the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare that adoptions are to take place under the old law, which remains in effect until the new one is in place. They urged the Ministry to find a way to continue processing adoptions efficiently and without fraud or abuse.

The Ministry responded by attending to the case histories of the special needs children in the Acres of Hope Liberia Adoption Program. These cases are expected to move swiftly and smoothly from this point forward, with other cases following soon.

Please persevere in prayer for all of this. As always, updates will be published here as news is available.

The garage sale was a HUGE success! Thank you so much to everyone that donated items, we had so much stuff. About 20 families donated... you can only imagine what my parents garage, driveway and yard looked like. It was a lot of work, but worth it. The final count hasn't been made yet, but it looks like we brought in about $1,000! I can't thank my parents enough for hosting this fund raiser. They worked very hard to make this a success, and sacrificed the use of their garage for the last month! My mom has some pictures of the sale and the boy's lemonade stand. My favorite part of the weekend was when Trey found a bell in one of the boxes and took it to driveway with him. He started ringing it and shouting, "Who wants brownies, cookies or lemonade" at the top of his little lungs. No one could resist him.

Also, we have another update regarding the adoption legislation in Liberia...

3 September 2008

Dear Families and Friends of Acres of Hope,

It is with great anticipation that we announce that the final public hearing on the Liberian Child Act (which includes the new international adoption policies) is scheduled to be held this Monday, 8 September. This will be the final opportunity for the Liberian public to make their voices heard regarding the new Act prior to its ratification. It is incumbent on every one of us to pray for this historic meeting as we have already been praying for the Act. Please join in prayer that children will be truly protected by the Act, that Satan and his schemes to hurt them will crumble, that truth and ethics will be the victors, and that God’s will will be done in the final days of this process.