An Open Letter: ‘Thank You, Show Hope’

My birthday this year goes down in history as one of the BEST so far! We spent the morning home schooling with my girls. It was calm and productive, which in my world right now is a huge success.

Then we were off to volunteer. Yep, you heard that right. Volunteer. I’m not really a party person, so when I heard there was an opportunity to volunteer for a Show Hope event on my birthday, well, sign us up!

We went to the Steven Curtis Chapman concert and spent the entire evening handing out support packets for Show Hope’s Care Centers in China. We got to share our story with others, encourage orphan care ministry, and meet so many beautiful people. Oh, how full and blessed my heart felt.

The Songs and Stories tour was amazing! It was an intimate time of personal stories from the artists and some of the best worship I have ever been a part of. Truly a night to remember forever. Three things stuck out to me from this amazing birthday:

I got to watch my family worship together.

Watching my whole family singing, smiling, lifting their arms in praise, and worshiping our amazing Creator together brought tears to my eyes and a smile that just wouldn’t stop.

I received amazing news.

I received a text from a friend of mine saying their gorgeous daughter, who they have been in the process of adopting for years, is now cleared to come home from Haiti. To rejoice with this mom that her baby girl will be in her arms soon is truly a gift like no other.

We were surprised with backstage passes at the end of the evening.

Seriously! We were blessed to meet Brandon Heath, Mac Powell, Steven Curtis Chapman, and his wife Mary Beth. Ever since we received our Show Hope Adoption Aid grant, I have dreamed of thanking the Chapmans. Well, my dream came true! And it was on my birthday. I got to look Steven and Mary Beth in the eyes and say a very heartfelt and teary “thank you.” I told them thank you for helping us bring our son home, and thank you for believing in our family and our call to adopt. That confirmation got us through so many hard times. We will be forever grateful for the Chapmans and their dedication to waiting children, and forever grateful to be a part of the Show Hope family!

God blessed my birthday and I still just can’t stop smiling!

Being part of the Show Hope family means more to us than I can put into words. When I opened our grant letter back in 2014, a wave of tears came over me that just wouldn’t stop. It was confirmation and an answer to our specific prayer for community. A huge burden was lifted regarding finances, but even more than that, it was the first time in our adoption journey that someone believed in us and our call to adopt. We felt isolated and alone on this journey and then came this beautiful letter. Show Hope believed in us. To us, they were saying, “You got this, now go.”

I will never be able to express how much that meant to us. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

— Amy, Show Hope Adoption Aid grant recipient