Wanna come along for the ride?

That cheesy starfish story. Have you heard it? Dave and I heard it years ago and thought it was cute but didn't give it much thought. 

It's over there on the righthand side of the blog if you want to read it.

Four years ago, after deciding to add our youngest son, Reese, to our family, we were looking at each other like deer in the highlights, "Are we really going to be parents to FIVE children?" Then Dave brought up the starfish story. "We will make a difference for that ONE." 

Reese's referral picture. It will always be my favorite. When Dave saw it, he said, 

"Well, he must be a cool kid, he likes cake. Like father, like son.

The enormity of the world's problems make me want to crawl in a hole. Orphans? Slave trade? Violence? The economy? Health problems? It makes me want to close my eyes tight, plug my ears, and say, "Lalalalalala".

But then nothing changes. More orphans. More slaves. More violence. More money problems. More health problems. Or... we can start to make a difference one small starfish at a time. 

The older I get, the more I realize the way to make a difference is baby steps, one small move at a time, a little time here, a little money there, a little help here, a little prayer there. 

The middle schoolers in our town raised $900 in QUARTERS. A quarter here and a quarter there. The starfish way works! 

The last time I had a blog was when we were on our way to bring our baby home. Our family and friends have always been there for us, supporting our adoption of Reese and our love of his country and the beautiful children and families there. It only seems appropriate that we bring you along to see the impact you've made on Children of the Promise and Haiti. 

We leave tomorrow morning with a team of 15 friends and family for Haiti. We would love for you to follow our adventure. Hopefully this time, it won't involve being detained by the Haitian police. :)

 Up next: The Impact and Difference You've Already Made