"How beautiful are the feet..."-Romans 10:15

I know that this is a blog that is used to tell our adoption story, to not only allow you to be a part of our journey and to help others in the future with their adoption, but we also want you to sneak-a-peek into our everyday lives as a family in this amazing process.  Our eyes are opened more, I think, since we've been in the process to how children in other countries live and the conditions in which people in third world countries survive in (or don't survive in). I grew up being taught to help the poor, feed the hungry, cloth the needy, go and be the hands and feet of Christ..and I have done those things, Trey and I have both done those things-still do and now are teaching our children those same principles! I think, however it has hit closer to home (if that makes sense) since we've been in the adoption process. Whereas I might have cried once a week for the poor and needy, I find myself crying daily and praying more earnestly (as I am on the computer on a daily basis looking up info on Malawi adoption and come face to face with images a few times a day of the conditions of the poor/oppressed). I'm so thankful for that too! And you might ask, why are you thankful for the fact that you are teary eyed almost every single day? Well, because I never want to be comfortable! I never want to be so complacent with my lifestyle and walk with Christ, that I'm not brokenhearted when I see pictures of tiny faces that look malnourished, when I see images of families scooping water from a waterhole that is also used by animals to urinate in, or hear stories of Christians who are being persecuted daily for their faith in Christ. No, never do I want to grow comfortable with my middle class life...I long for Christ to make me uncomfortable so that He can show me daily where I need to change to be a better believer, where I need to pray more to hear His voice speaking even more than I think I already hear it, where I need to live out my faith more so that those around me see that I continue to live a God honoring life- a life that serves the poor, cares for the needy, and looks after the oppressed!  So, a sneak-peek in the life of me and my family today would leave you "shoeless"...yup, that's right-not speechless, SHOELESS! Once a year, I think now for 4 years, TOMSHOES holds A ONE DAY WITHOUT SHOES "day" to raise awareness for the millions that grow up without shoes and without opportunities. So, no shoes for the day for my little family, and being a stay at home mom it isn't such a big deal (it may seem to you) but I did still have an opportunity to get the word out. Next to posting it on facebook, I went to the gym this morning and had the chance to share why I wasn't wearing my shoes, to this sweet little old man who volunteered to buy me a pair when he saw I wasn't wearing any. How cute! After I shared with him, he said that next year he would love to participate in something like this and wondered why he hadn't heard of this before, because it was such a neat idea. Who new? A man, from a distance, you may have thought was set in his ways and who may have seen me as a "kook", actually was excited about getting involved next year! And I hope by reading this you will be too! As a Christian, it is more than just a movement of people wearing no shoes to make others aware of those who don't have shoes, but about being the feet of Christ. We as believers are called to be the hands and feet of Christ and I feel like this is just another way to do just that. When you tell the reason why you are not wearing shoes, it gives you the perfect opportunity to share the gospel and to make others aware of a greater purpose in life!!!!!

ONE DAY WITHOUT SHOES...WOULD YOU GO ONE DAY WITHOUT?

Romans 10:14-15 -PRAY THAT GOD WOULD MAKE YOU UNCOMFORTABLE!!!!! Pray today and everyday for those who are without shoes, clean drinking water, food, and MOST importantly the WORD of God and the knowledge of saving grace!


side note: Sorry about the delay of adding a way to buy shirts through paypal on the blog. We have had sick kids since late saturday night. So here are the payment instructions: click on the paypal/donate button on the right side of the blog and pay for the shirts that you want to purchase (adding $2/per shirt that we'll have to ship out of amite, la-amite being a free delivery). Then send an email to Ashley: ashley_fuller@live.com and let her know what specific shirts you have ordered (include sizes and colors) & list a mailing address to have the shirts shipped to. If you don't have a paypal account or don't want to start one (which is free by the way), then still send Ashley an email letting her know that you would like to send a check instead for the order. She will then email back the address you can send the check to (so as to not disclose all personal information on the blog). Thank you in advance for your help!

'Glory in His Holy Name...'

As I have said over and over again, we continue to stand in awe of how our GREAT and AWESOME God works!  On Thursday, we had our home study visit (the first of two) with our social worker Kelly. Although she didn't look through our home, which we scrubbed from top to bottom, we still got a lot accomplished on her check list. We've been working diligently the past 3 weeks to get documents in, state clearances sent, paperwork filled out, & papers filed. So, this left just a few things for us to fill out while she was here for 3 1/2 hrs and mainly left the visit to interviews and discussions about family, life, and international adoption. We're doing great so far (as in approvals from state clearances etc.) and we're still working to finish a few last documents she needs to close our home study. She will return, once we move to New Orleans, to assess our home there and to have us sign a few more documents. Then, she will finish her report which is compiled to be our "home study report" which will tell the government here and in Malawi that we are eligible and capable to adopt a child.

 As God has called us all biblically to care for orphans and widows in there time of need (James 1:27), we have felt, as you have read, to bring that conviction to heart and into our home (if that even makes sense). But the process is not a short one nor is a cheap one. And in the home study interviews, our social worker asked many times if we had the support of our family, friends, and church and we said YESSS because we know that we do! That support mainly comes through prayer and encouragement and we are so grateful for that! Another way to support our journey is to buy a T-SHIRT! My father took the design we had in our heads and put it to computer which will intern be put onto a T-SHIRT. We are selling one design in three different shirt colors: black and white for $15 and the red shirts for $18. Local delivery fees are free and any other shipping will be $2. We are excited to be able to use these shirts to allow ya'll to be a part of our journey, but also to one day show our son or daughter that we had a world of prayer warriors that helped bring them HOME!!!

Thank you for loving us and being a part of this amazing journey that God is taking us on!!!!!!


Starting tomorrow, we'll have a way that you can purchase the shirts through paypal. You can also call with orders: Trey's cell # (985) 474-4930 or Ashley's cell # (662) 554-8038