Emergency Prayers for Josie!

It's late and there is a fire in my bones. Burning on behalf of a precious little life. She needs our prayers, and this is something you don't want to miss out on.

This is sweet precious baby Josie. She is not even 6 months old yet. She is the precious child of some villagers that we love out in a very rural area of China.
Josie is the 2nd born child to my friends. They are permitted to have more than one child because they are an ethnic minority. However, soon after Josie was born, it was discovered she was sick. Desperately sick. 
Her mother and father have nothing. Zero money. They are subsistence farmers. A sick child has no hope in their midst. Their plan was breaking their hearts in half: they had to just wait for her to die.
But my BFF in China, J and her husband R, said NO! They knew that God was calling them to use this desperate situation to shine the love of Jesus to the village. They personally took on the health costs of little Josie. They took her to two cities, two expensive hospitals and paid for all the expenses: travel, food, surgeries, doctors. It was more expense than they had ever seen in their own lives. They took out debt against their home, borrowed from people they work with and are STILL in the hole paying for baby Josie's healthcare. She told me through tears: "this is the hardest thing I have ever been through."
But this did not stop them. They loved ENDLESSLY. They saw opportunity for the light of Jesus to SHINE in that dark village through the life of this child. They had more than 10 people staying in their apartment while it was going on. It was a massive effort to feed and keep everyone emotionally going. The extended family has a faith, but it is not in the Almighty Living God. They bow down to wooden statues and feel deep anguish in their mindless routines.
Josie was mid treatment when I met her last month. (This was a few days before we went to Gable's orphanage and adopted him.) She had come "out of the woods" as we like to say and was looking amazingly good. Her surgery to put a shunt into her brain was successful. (You can see where they did that on the side of her head.)

You can see how Josie connected with me as I held her. She locked eyes with me. I KNEW she was a special gift of God. I prayed over her that the darkness of the village would be broken by the power of Christ's light because of this baby. 
After we left, the family returned to the hospital for a check up. Josie was doing great! The deeply grateful family returned to their mountain village with her. Life went back to normal. Her parents strapped her to their back and headed back out to the fields to work. 
But something went very wrong.
After only 8 days of hearing that she was all better, Josie became violently ill. Her fever soared. She could no longer eat/drink. (She is exclusively nursing still.) Everyone in the village was crestfallen. They knew there was no hope. 
Surely not now.
Everything had already been given. The debt incurred on my beloved J and husband R is still enormous. How could her parents ask for help again?
They didn't.
They simply sent word that they were going to let her die.
(I'm sorry...can YOU IMAGINE!?!??! We are soooooooooo blessed in our culture to have healthcare insurance! What if WE had to look at our critically ill daughter and merely resign to watch her die? This shakes me to my core.)
J and R said they would not stand by while their niece died. They insisted she be brought out of the village. They took her once again to the local hospital for treatment. In 3 days, they spent a massive amount of money. 
And she's getting worse.
Liver infection. Pulmonary infection. Baby Josie is dying before their eyes.
Church, we need to RISE UP AND PRAY.
This is a picture of Josie taken a few days ago in the smaller hospital. You can see she is losing weight and the sparkle of life in her eyes is dimming.

Even now as I am posting, she is on her way to the larger city for the best possible treatment available to her. J is begging for prayers on Josie's behalf. Prayers that she will survive the long journey.
Pray for Josie that she would not only arrive safely to the larger hospital in the big city but that GOD WOULD HEAL HER COMPLETELY.
We need a miracle, friends.
We want this village to come to the joy of knowing Christ, and we believe with J and R that Josie is going to usher in this faith.
I wanted to ask for people to fast and pray for Josie, and even while writing this a friend messaged me and said she had already planned a 3 day fast and would focus her prayers on Josie. She doesn't even know ANYTHING about this situation yet! How I rejoice! 
God is calling prayer warriors to join in this story. Join in and fight for Josie's life. Pray for total healing. Pray that no more debt is incurred. Pray that the family will receive their beloved daughter back, whole. Pray that the village will see once and for all that JESUS IS ABLE. 
Shine the light by praying for Josie.
(It would be most encouraging to my friends J & R if you commented here or on my Facebook or Instagram that you are joining in the prayer battle! She cannot access any social media, so I will merely tell her numbers. I told her I would gather hundreds to pray. DO NOT LET ME DOWN!! If you choose to share this, let's use the hashtag #prayforjosie!)

It's GO Time!!!

My dear bloggy friends,
How awesome it is to be writing again! I deeply apologize for my long hiatus! It has been unbelievably busy around here. (I can barely keep up with it all myself!)
TODAY we leave to bring home our little "caboose" Gable Philip YiJun!! 

We will be calling him "Jun Jun" as he is currently known as we first meet and then transition over to using his American name. (Just so you know who we are talking about...and that we didn't get a different child!)
We have been able to successfully expedite his adoption case due to his medical condition. We will be able to get him home and immediately to the oncologist for beginning assessments of his condition. We will just roll with it from there.
Many people have asked if we have any Love endlessly notecards left...and although we were once sold out, we now have a LIMITED QUANTITY available once again!! YAY!!! We also have a few sets of "Gable's Oil" sets (a specially prepared dipping oil for breads using Sichuan peppercorns that are native to Gable's province and an "Upper Crust" dipping plate with a package of Love endlessly notecards!) There are a few Love endlessly necklaces waiting in the hands of Upper Crust too, if you are local and would like to pick up one. (And if I'm allowed to say it, these necklaces are MY ABSOLUTE FAVORITE!!) Any of these would make fabulous Mother's Day gifts AND you will help us bring Gable home!!
To reserve any of these aforementioned items, please send an email to: uppercrust@centurylink.net .

Please DO be praying for our safety, the children who are staying behind, their caregivers, and our little Gable. We have been told that he is especially connected with his "aiyi" (auntie/orphanage worker) there and that the day we meet him may be very difficult for all of us. There is simply no way to prepare a 2 year old for all that is about to sweep through his life. Pray that love is felt and that he feels safe with us. We will get him Monday April 20th at 2:30 pm local time. (That will be 2:30 am on Monday morning for Eastern coast people!)
We are so grateful for your encouragement, love and support as we follow God's lead in our lives!

Love Endlessly the Sterling Silver Necklace!

I couldn't be more excited!!!

I'm absolutely bursting with JOY to show you what we've been working on for several months behind the scenes!

If you remember, we were frantically working on fundraising for Esty's adoption...and I got this crazy, nutso idea to PAINT CANVASES to auction off as a fundraiser.
I was scared.
I'd never done that before.
But I stepped forward in fear and trembling and painted. The auction?  
It totally blew me away. We made more money than I could have ever imagined off 20 paintings.
If that didn't shock me, what happened next certainly did. 
One particular painting, Love endlessly, went crazy. As people bid on it, they asked for t shirts of it. Those went into a 3rd printing for Valentine's day last year. Then, at the prompting of a sweet friend, we had blank notecards created to fundraise for Gable.

And THAT has gone amazingly well...being for sale in a local floral shop as well as a bakery taking it and creating AWESOME bundles with her baked creations...all to help bring our Gable home. (And a fabulous local shipping company is donating their services to make shipping these bundles around the country possible too!) WOW!!! We are so stinking blessed. Thank You, sweet Lord.
And now, my dear friend who owns Mountain Girl Silver (we've never met in person, but when a woman has 10 baby name disks...you start to stand out as a customer! ;)) has done something else absolutely astonishing.
I asked her if she would be interested in using the wording "love endlessly" for a pendant that we could fundraise with. Her answer blew me completely away.
Listen to this: she requested vector art of the original painting and asked if she could take it to HER art department and to create a CUSTOM stamp from my design. She paid for this entirely. Otherwise, there would be no possible way to have that handwritten cursive "endlessly" stamped into silver. Then, she pitched an idea back to me...
Let's use these awesome necklaces not only to fundraise for Gable...but let's create a permanent part of Mountain Girl Silver where we use this design to help fundraise for OTHER adoptive families working to bring their children home. (More about this program to come!) *giggle*
I. Was. Speechless.
And then, I cried.
(I think often how MUCH I would have missed out on if I had shied away from that first painting auction!)

So as it stands tonight (launch day!) you can purchase these AWESOME necklaces of love endlessly directly from my blog.  Click here!! After the final page is ready over at MGS, you can purchase directly from there. 
Just a note about her products: they are TOP NOTCH. That's why I went to her. I have loved her work for years and years. All of her pieces are solid sterling silver. Her chains are incredibly strong and she is top quality. So these are individually hand stamped on her "La Vintage" pendant and if you buy BEFORE FRIDAY February 6, 2015 you will receive yours in time for Valentine's Day! :)
So, sweet ones, if you want to help Gable home (and dudes...we are MEDICALLY EXPEDITING HIM HOME SOON) then order yourself or your loved ones a necklace!!! You will be part of something BIG!!!
Love endlessly,
Amy

Love Endlessly Notecards...Bringing Gable Home!

These are busy days as we all prepare for the holidays. It's a challenge to hold our to do lists at bay in order to quiet our hearts to prepare for the season, don't you think? I find my mind filled up (especially as I'm trying to sleep at night!) with ways to earn funds to bring Gable home.
I'm so thrilled to say that our Mercy shirts for Gable were very well received and we sold 80 shirts with 101 former orphans listed on the back of them! So happy! Can't wait to see all those names on the back! GOD IS SO GOOD!
I had a wonderful event at the Burr House...a local open house where I took art and other crafts and sold them for Gable's adoption. I  was able to earn another $700+ for sweet boy's adoption fund! WOO HOOOOOOO!!
I'm so excited to share with you yet another product for you to help earn funds for Gable's adoption.
Remember that Love endlessly painting I made for Esty's adoption auction? Well...we now have it in notecards!

These are excellent quality, printed on heavy card stock and ready for you to write your own personal message to whomever you choose! 

Remember the thrill of getting an actual LETTER in the mail?? You can give this joy to others now...on the Love endlessly cards! And you can feel like a rock star because your purchase helps bring sweet Gable home so we can love on him endlessly!

Packs of notecards and white envelopes are NOW FOR SALE!! You can order these using the "SHOP" tab above or by clicking HERE. Each 8-pack sells for $15. You can also pick up cards at The Weeping Willow florist in Pettisville, if you are local.
These are perfect gifts for teachers, post carriers, hair dressers or any one you need a small gift for!
Thank you so much for supporting sweet Gable!

Hey Valentine, Love Endlessly!

So many of you supported our adoption process of all THREE of our treasures from afar.
HOW WE THANK YOU.
We could never have brought them home without you.
And we OH HOW WE treasure having them in our arms!!!!
So many of you ordered our most recent shirts…the "Love endlessly" ones that spawned from a painting I made for the art auction. 
We did not order extras, and many people saw them and wanted to order!
Well, we've got a little surprise for you: THEY ARE BACK!!!

This time, we are doing a solid red heart with all white print. These will be available in tees and hoodies in your choice of grey or pink.

Think love.
Think Valentine's Day!

We are also using different shirts. These will be printed on heavy Gildan sweatshirt hoodies; unisex Gildan "softstyle" for grey tees (a relaxed fit that is soft…the same as our Chosen shirts); a junior fit women's style on pink (so these run small…order 1-2 sizes up for comfort) and youth sizes for both tees and hoodies!
With all this snow this year, you can't have enough hoodies!! (At least we can't around here!) The youth hoodies are available in both colors but in sizes medium (10-12) and large (12-14).
The funds will go to alleviate our debt from Esty's emergency hospital stays in Guangzhou. After that amount is raised we will donate all our profits to our fabulous friends, the Coles, who are embarking upon yet another {surprise!} adoption…the biological sibling to their most recent adopted Ava!!
Go here to order yours!! 
Love endlessly!!

Hijacked! Limited Edition Love Endlessly

Hello fellow friends of Amy, her wonderful husband Brian, and family! I've hijacked their blog for the afternoon.
Don't worry, I'll use my new found powers only for good, not evil. I have the privilege of doing this because of a beautifully thoughtful gift another friend gave me today.
Take a look at what my friend Hannah made me.

It's gorgeous, isn't it? You want one, don't you?
Here are the details. On the front side you see the Love endlessly painting design with the tiniest bit of vintage Scripture peeking around the edges. On the back side the vintage Scripture is in full view. The pendant measure 1.5" square.  It has a beautiful antiqued finish and is encased in glass. It comes on a beautiful 32" ball-chain. (can be trimmed shorter)
These will be available TODAY ONLY for a $25 donation to Esty's fund. Here's your way to pay! *Put your address in the notes section so I will know where to mail your order.* Shipping is included in price.

Keep Loving Endlessly,

Chasity

WE GOT OUR TRAVEL APPROVAL!!!! (FINAL CALL for Love Endlessly shirts!)

As stated before, we will only offer our Love Endlessly shirts through TONIGHT!!!

Please consider snagging yourself or those you love (or all of you!!) a hoodie or long/short sleeve tee!! The art on the shirts comes from the art auction we did last week (was that THIS WEEK!?!?!):

The surprise blessing of this shirt is making the difference between still needing to fundraise and being FULLY FUNDED for Esty's adoption!  Please click the above tab on the top right to order…or click HERE to go straight to the ordering page. 
THANK YOU!!!! We are ALMOST there, Esty! Hang on!!!!!

Art Auction Surprises…

Hillsong United has a song called "Oceans" that sings how the Spirit calls us out upon the waters…"the great unknown, where feet may fail."
This is how accepting the challenge to paint 20 canvases and then (gulp) put them out there to be auctioned felt to me.
I prayed like crazy and then slid my toe out into the great, vast waters of the unknown. Boxes of blank canvases sat at my feet on the left, bottles of paint on my right.
And taking His hand, I began.
Now, after the first day of the auction…I am in utter shock.
Not only have you sweet friends and family bid on each painting…the first day's total is over $1,000!!
WHAT?!?!?!??!
…Hillsong sings, "Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders, let me walk upon the water, wherever you would call me…"
And so, I'm walking...
It's been scary, and then downright humbling and tear-inducing.
Then the surprise of all: everyone seems to want a hoodie/t shirt in one of the designs!
Seriously, I am so blown away.
Through all of this, Esty is coming home! 
We begin the Travel Approval wait tomorrow! This approval is the final thumbs up before we buy our tickets and GO!
This wait can take up to 4 weeks. But recently I saw a family get theirs in FIVE DAYS. (double gulp!)
I thought I would share the paintings here that can be bid on through MONDAY NIGHT. If you see something you like, please jump on over to the Facebook group to add your bid!

This is the design we are working on putting into a hoodie/T shirt. If you are interested, comment below or let me know on Facebook!