What A Week!!!

Wayne and I started thinking recently, and we realized that our immediately family has never been anywhere just the four of us. We have not lacked vacations, but we have always been with family or people have been with us. So, we snuck away to the river for a few days this week. It. Was. Wonderful. We are very aware now that it has to be a necessity for us. I hope we can get away one more time before we add our newest bundle to the family. 

Then we headed to Nana and Pappy's for the weekend to celebrate the 4th!  We went to a water park for the first time, and that won't be the last either. :)

And of course there were fireworks!

And finally, a VERY successful Noonday show!  I love the heart behind this company!

Until next time, blessings to you!!

Let's talk about our friends in India.

Want to know how Noonday is positively affecting the lives of our artisans in India?  Let's ask Radha, Ruby and Sunita...

With 1.2 billion people, India is the second largest populated country in the world.  Although India has the world's third largest economy, they still practice the caste system which causes some to be really rich while others are in extreme poverty.  Women are very much discouraged from working outside of the home, and many times they are left feeling they can't help with their family's economic status.  Noonday is helping to change this.

If that doesn't get you excited enough, let me show you some of the goods!!!  Love this first statement necklace, and the earrings at the bottom are a go to of mine. 

 

 

To see more of the impact Noonday is making in the lives of our artisans all over the world visit:

 

http://crystalpeoples.noondaycollection.com/impact

Looking for a way to help the least of these?

  "When you satisfy the needs of the oppressed, your night will become like the noonday."

Isaiah 58:10

 

 

God wired me a little different.  When it comes to people who are living in poverty, I physically hurt for them.  This goes back to when I was a kid.  My dad says often that he couldn't pass a homeless person without me crying hysterically asking him to go get them some food.  And he always did.

 

As I got older, I went on several mission trips to Mexico and one to Dominican Republic.  I was face to face with "the least of these."  My heart ached.  In Mexico we would build these one room houses to replace the cardboard boxes these precious people were living in.

 

 

 

The kids would always run up to us, and they would want to look and see what was in our bags.  They would ask you for anything, and I would give them anything I could.  One little boy who couldn't have been older than three asked if he could have my rain suit.  Since I was on my third trip to Mexico at the time, and we had never seen rain on our trips, I gladly gave it to him.  I kid you not, later that afternoon it started pouring rain.  Everyone else had their suits on working, and I was just dripping.  A friend of mine saw the little boy running down the dirt road in the rain with his new rain suit that was way too big on with the biggest smile on his face.  I would get soaked every day for that.

 

The passion for the oppressed has never died in me.  Many of you know we are adopting a little girl from China.  Throughout this process, I wanted to do more.  I knew I needed to do more, but I wasn't quite sure of what that would be.  Wayne and I have talked about many things, but there was never one solid thing we felt The Lord saying to do right now.  Right now we are working on getting our daughter home.

 

I get lost in blog land occasionally.  Especially in adoption blogs.  I came across one one day, and I learned about a company called Noonday Collection.  The more I read and the more I researched, the more I fell in love with this company and what it stood for.  It exists to raise people out of poverty all over the world, and to help with the orphan crisis.  The number one reason for orphans is poverty, not the death of parents.  You help with poverty, you help with the orphan crisis.  It's a win / win in my book.

 

 

 

 

On top of Noonday Collection being GORGEOUS (seriously, I have never loved jewelry and accessories this much!), it is making a HUGE impact.  Through ambassadors (like myself) creating a marketplace for the artisans, people all over the world are being raised out of poverty.  It's incredible.

 

Take Caleb, one of our artisans in Uganda...

 

 

Here are a few of the items he and the artisans there make.

 

 

Some of my absolute favorites of Noonday are these statement necklaces made by our Ugandan artisans like Caleb and Doreen.

 

 

 

Pretty incredible huh?  And all we have to do is buy gorgeous accessories like these.

 

 

 

I'm going to do a little series introducing you to some of our artisans.  I started with Uganda today.  I think India might be next.  I am in love, y'all.

 



 

crystalpeoples.noondaycollection.com/

Adoption Support Letter

We are getting ready to send out our adoption support letter.  I thought I would share it here if there is anyone interested who may not be on our mailing list.

Dear Friends and Family,

Many of you know The Lord has so very clearly called us to expand our family through adoption.  We have had many sleepless nights wondering exactly how this was going to happen.  This is something we can definitely not do on our own, and we have both really struggled with the idea of fundraising.  So much so that the letter you are reading right now has been written for the last four months.  The Lord has reminded us time and time again that this is His plan for our family, and we are going to have to choose whether or not we step out in complete faith and trust Him.

         In February we fully stepped out of the boat.  After over a year of searching for The Lord’s will and direction this adoption would take place, we found our little Faith.  Many mountains have been moved over the last several months for her to be ours.

 

         So where are we now?  We finished up our homestudy last week, and we are waiting for the final copy.  We are working on our dossier (which is paperwork that is sent over to China) and immigration paperwork.

         God has us in a place where we are completely dependant on Him.  An international adoption is VERY expensive.  There are a lot of people involved in the process of bringing a child to a new home, and these people do not work for free.  When you add it all up, including traveling fees, it’s around $34, 000.  Loans for adoption are pretty much nonexistent, and we quite humbly admit that we do not have these funds at our disposal.  We are doing everything we can to earn extra money and save ever extra penny we have.  If you would like to help, we have a fundraising site up and running for anyone who would like to donate directly to our adoption account.  (http://www.youcaring.com/adoption-fundraiser/peoples-family-adoption/152274)

         Our biggest dream with this adoption is to get her home and teach her of the love of Jesus, something she would likely never learn about in China.  The passage that comes to mind often when we think of the journey to get her is

“Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them.  Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it?  And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home.  Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’  I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.”

                                                               Luke 15:4-7

We wholeheartedly believe her one little soul means the world to our heavenly Father.  We will do whatever it takes to follow His Will for us to bring her home.  We can’t wait to get to His one little lost sheep and shower her with the love of a family and the love of Jesus!

         Because the people of China have such poor health coverage, many infants are abandoned by their birth parents in hopes they will be found and then get the medical help they need through government ran orphanages and eventually adoption.  We believe this is what happened with Faith.  She has several medical needs that need immediate attention, and we Praise God she had life saving heart surgery a little over a year ago.  She has several surgeries and medical visits ahead of her, but they will not happen until she is home in the U.S.

         From what we have been able to share in this letter, we hope we portray the God sized journey we are on.  If you could help us bring this little girl home with any size donation (every single penny adds up!), we would never be able to thank you enough.  If you can’t at this time, we really do understand!  We covet your prayers just as much!  We need our fellow believers to lift us up, along with our new addition, any time you think of us.

         Thank you so much for your time and prayers!  We have a website that we will be updating hopefully on a consistent basis.  We would love for you to follow along our faith journey to get Faith!  (www.sightrestored.blogspot.com)

 

Blessings to You and Yours!

Wayne and Crystal Peoples

        

 

“Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me.”

                                                                        Mark 9:37

“A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling.  God sets the lonely in families.”

                                                                        Psalm 68:5-6

A Little More Info

We were in line at the bank this week, and as I'm telling the teller that we needed two suckers, this sweet hearted boy started passionately saying, "three mama, three!!!  We have to get one to save for Faith!"  She isn't even here yet, and she is already very much a part of our every day lives. We all love her so much.  It's crazy how much our family loves her already when we haven't even met her. Only God can do that. 

We got an update on our girl. It said a lot of the same things, but it did assure us that she isn't in any apparent pain from her scoliosis. It also said she does not need heart surgery right now. She isn't even on her cardiac medication anymore. We also got a few new pictures and TWO videos. We have watched those sweet videos over a hundred times I know. She can walk and get around pretty well!  It is pretty obvious she doesn't have stereo hearing and she will turn where she can hear with her good ear.  All in all, she is absolutely precious, and we still can't believe she's ours!  We are anxious to get her home and get her the help she so desperately needs!

Also, I need to add, she is a chunk!  She is 7 months younger than Grant, already weighs the same as he does, and she's 6 inches shorter (mostly because of the scoliosis).  It's nice seeing that you know she's being taken care of. Her foster mom still gives her a milk bottle in the middle of the night!!

Whoever doesn't believe in love at first sight has never seen their child for the first time. Whether through adoption or birth.  It's crazy how similar the emotions are. 

As far as the process goes, we are finishing our homestudy. It has been a pretty smooth process. We are fundraising like crazy still. We just finished up another fishing tournament that went pretty well.  If all goes perfectly (hahaha) we could have her in our arms in December - 20 months after starting our process!!!

He Is Risen

"Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who 

have not seen and yet have believed."

John 20:29

I believe!  I believe!

"This is how the birth of Jesus came about:  His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit."

Matthew 1:18

I believe!  I believe!

"What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called Christ?'  Pilate asked.

They all answered 'Crucify him!'

'Why?  What crime has he committed?' Asked Pilate.

But they shouted all the louder, 'Crucify him!'

When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that instead an uproar was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd.

'I am innocent of this man's blood,' he said.  'It is your responsibility!'

Matthew 27: 22-24

I believe!  I believe!  He was perfectly innocent in every way, yet died a horrible death for the sins of the world.  That is love.  The greatest act of love in all of history.  And he did it for my sins.  I believe!

"Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, 

Jesus said, 'I am thirsty.'

A jar of  wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it,

put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus' lips.

When he had received the drink, Jesus said, 

'It is finished.'

With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit."

John 19: 28-30

I believe!  I believe!

"At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.

The earth shook and the rocks split.....

When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake

and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed,

'Surely he was the Son of God!'"

Matthew 27: 51, 54

I believe!  I believe!

"The angel said to the women, 'Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus,

who was crucified.  He is not here; he was risen, just as he said.

Come and see the place where he lay.  Then go quickly and tell his disciples:

'He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee.

There you will see him.  Now I have told you.'"

Matthew 28: 5-7

I believe!  I believe!

"When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, 'Simon, son of John, 

do you truly love me more than these?'

'Yes Lord,' he said, 'you know that I love you.'

Jesus said, 'Feed my lambs.'

Again Jesus said, 'Simon, son of John, do you truly love me?'

He answered, 'Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.'

Jesus said, 'Take care of my sheep."

The third time he said to him, 'Simon son of John, do you love me?'

Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him a third time, 'Do you love me?'

He said, 'Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.'

Jesus said, 'Feed my sheep."

John 21: 15-17

Do we love Jesus?  Really love Jesus?

I love Easter.  I love celebrating His resurrection and everything He did for us.  Praying that I can show Him more and more that I really do love Him.