Amazing Grace and a Safe Haven: First Time Ever I Saw Your Face: The Day I Met My Daughters

This video is of our first precious moments meeting Katriel and Louise. I wish it had been a longer video, but we were the only family there and Brian was eager to hold a baby, too, so he had to turn off the camera. I thought about editing it, adding a title page, maybe some music to underscore the whole thing. But it is sweet and simple and speaks for itself. Besides, when in the world would I find time to do all that! I did include a few still shots from our meeting as well.

The woman I am hugging at the beginning of the video has been the foster mama to all five of my Congolese children and one of the greatest blessings in my life. She has nursed my children back to health, fed them hundreds of bottles, and held them in loving arms. She has instilled in them the greatest gift a foster parent can ever give a child, the ability to love and be loved.

After you watch the video, pop on over to my friend Stori's blog for a very inspiring challenge. Her kids have decided to eat beans and rice for dinner every night for the rest of this month and send what they would have spent on meals to Forgo.It to support the Our Family in Africa Orphanage Project. You can read more about the "Our Family Orphanage" here. Their donation of $196 in grocery money gets doubled and becomes $392 through a matching funds donor.

Our Family in Africa made our family possible. They insured that Katriel and Louise, along with Haven, Manny, and JoJo, got to grown up in a family instead in an orphanage. They provided medical care when each of my kids contracted malaria. They gave them the chance to live past the age of 5 years old. They gave me the opportunity to love and raise 5 of the most adorable kids ever. I mean really, have you seen my kids. They are so stinkin' cool! I am crazy in love with everyone of them. And I owe their lives to Our Family in Africa and their amazing foster family!