no ordinary girl

I am so very blessed to know some pretty amazing people! And my dear friend, Karen, is one of those amazing people!

I met her in 2004, and have had the opportunity to watch God morph her from a quiet chrysalis into a beautiful butterfly, not afraid to take flight.

Several years ago, Karen was over-weight. But she grew tired of all the baggage that came with the extra weight (including how it hindered her physically and emotionally from serving God completely).

So...205-pounds lighter, she took her first mission trip to Manzanillo, MX. She hasn't slowed down since.

And now, this once shy woman is departing on the 30th (with a group of strangers) to minister to the fatherless in Uganda and Ethiopia. Her first trip without the security of her church-family. Her first trip to Africa.

Way to go, Karen! We are so proud of you!!!

You are our hero!

You are a world-changer!!

Blessed Christmas Morning!

Our first family-of-three-celebration of our Dear Savior's birth!

For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Isa 9:6

Richest blessings...grace and peace...
to you and your family on this most blessed day!

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,
who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,
but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.
And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Phil 2:5-11

Celebration CARDS are here!!!!

Vince & I had been trying to think of something special for those you who have expressed interest in helping us bring Baby Judah home--and we thought this was a fantastic idea!

Celebration donation cards!!

Although I cannot take credit for the concept, I would be remiss if I didn't tell you from where I borrowed the idea! Click here to visit the blog of this adoptive family who is so generously sharing their blog (and ideas) to help other adoptive families raise money!
(BTW, I'm more than happy to give any adoptive family a pdf for any of the cards below, for your own adoption)

So what is a Celebration Card??

It's an opportunity for you to make a difference in the life of an orphan, and, show your gratitude to friends/family on special occasions. Below are some samples of cards that I've designed to be used for any occasion...birthday, Mother's Day, Father's Day, Easter, anniversary...

I will include on the card the person's/family name that your donation has been given in honor of, and mail it to them! The 4x6 photo announcement is mounted on complementing card stock and placed in matching envelopes. (you can click on images to enlarge)

C A R D # 1


C A R D # 2


C A R D # 3

C A R D #4

C A R D # 5

You can make a donation by clicking on our Chipin button (top, right). Our Chipin account uses PayPal, and allows you to provide a shipping address and special notes to name the honoree, occasion and card selection. Or, if you'd prefer to make a donation by check you can email me at

alisafmartin (at) yahoo (dot) com

Judah??

Judah - Let Yah (Yahweh) Be Praised.

So you've probably picked-up on the *Baby Judah* thing by now. Some of you may have even wondered if there is a little person already named Judah that we've been matched with--but the answer is no.

With our first Ethiopian adoption Micah was our *Baby Martin*, so I felt our next little person needs their own identity...so, Baby Judah it is.

The name Judah may stick permanently, or, maybe not. Guess we'll wait to make that decision when we see his/her sweet little face.

Oh, the things we do!

Sunday we took a whirl-wind trip to Nashville to have dinner with a group (a big group) of adoptive families who live in TN or near by. Three hours there, and three hours home...just to hang out with new and old friends for about 2 hours. Crazy, but so worth it!! We look forward to meeting up with them again soon! All the families are in various stages of Ethiopian adoptions -- so, of course we met for dinner at an Ethiopian Restaurant!

Here's the blog for the Nashville fellowship group...you can see more pics & more blogs.

This is Rachel! She lived in Ethiopia for about a year and managed our agency's transition home.

Unfortunately, she moved back to the states in Feb '09 --

we picked Micah up in Mar '09 --

so although she cared for Micah we weren't able to meet her.

But, surprise! We met her Sun night!

This is Rachel with Micah in Ethiopia exactly one year ago -- WOW, or what!!!

Traditional Ethiopian coffee ceremony! Best coffee in the world!!

d e c e m b e r

just for fun!

http://www.mycrazyadoption.com/

Follow the link to check-out a great blog about life, children and adoption...
...and, enter a super-easy contest to win some cool stuff!!

Kari is a dear friend of our's from Branson, MO...so, show your love!!!