Encouragement in the Lord

Last night Ray and I were asked to speak at a youth discipleship group. Some of the leaders have a heart for adoption and were extremely concerned when they heard of the dire need the orphanage in Ethiopia has in regards to a lack of formula for the babies. At the end of our talk the group was informed that we will be taking as much formula to Ethiopia as they want to fund. By the end of the night we were blessed with $807.00!! We were blown away by the generosity in the room. Kids were handing me wadded up twenty dollar bills. A couple of young men gave somewhere around two hundred dollars.
Today I went to Costco and purchased 85 cans of formula. A woman who was shopping was curious about what it was for and I explained how we are going to Ethiopia to pick up our baby and did not want to go there without food for the ones left behind. She was so touched that as I was leaving the store she came up to me and gave me all her cash, about $17.00. I was so shocked that a total stranger would care about the kids I care about; I got tears in my eyes and we hugged. As I was about to start to load the formula in my car the same woman's husband and son came and insisted they would load all the product for me. Then the man dug into his pocket and handed me another $20.00! He gave me the biggest hug and told me they must have driven all the way from Idaho just to help me today. I was speechless, but not too surprised because it is clear that God loves these babies and wants them to eat. I told him that it is very possible that he just saved a child's life and he said,"I hope so." As they left I went back into the store to purchase the four more canister's of formula they had just funded. The word's from the Bible came to my mind..."True religion is this: that you take care of widows and orphans in their distress and keep ones self from being polluted by the world."
Tonight some of my kids helped my vacuum pack the formula into sealed bags so we could fit it all into the suitcases. Here are a few pics to show you the result of this unexpected blessing!! I can't wait to give it to the workers in Ethiopia, and I hope it encourages them in the Lord as much as it has encouraged me.