Sad News...

Today we learned the very sad news about Steven Curtis Chapman's 5 year old daughter, Maria, who was adopted from China and is the Chapman's youngest daughter. (For those of you who are unfamiliar, Steven Curtis Chapman is a Christian recording artist and the founder of Shaohannah's Hope, a foundation that provides grants for families who wish to adopt but do not have the financial resources to do so). Maria was killed yesterday in a tragic accident in the family's driveway, when she was accidentally hit by the SUV that her older brother was driving. Click here for the story.

My heart is saddened at the loss of a child, at the pain that her older brother will carry, and for this family as they grieve for their youngest daughter. I am also eternally grateful to this amazing couple who have done so much for international adoption. Back in November 2004, Jason and I attended a seminar sponsored by America World, our adoption agency. We watched a video that Steven and Mary Beth Chapman put together about adoption being God's Plan A, not Plan B. This video was instrumental in helping us make our decision to pursue adoption, and we are thankful to have seen it at just the right time and place.

We would ask you to join with us in praying for the Chapman family. Life is so precious---we have certainly been reminded of that after the events of the past several weeks all over the world. Thankfully, we have a God that cares about the details of our lives, and loves us because we are His. We are thankful. We are blessed.

Love,
Alissa