For Valentine's Day we went to see Steven Curtis Chapman perform in concert at Champion Baptist Church in north Houston. The concert was good - a mix of songs old and new from his 16 albums - but the most inspiring part of the evening was hearing about his ministry.
Years ago, when his three biological children were already in their teen years, Steven and his wife decided to adopt a little girl from China. The experience touched their lives so much that they adopted two more little girls from China. After talking to others about their life changing experience, they discovered that many other families also wanted to adopt but did not have the financial resources to do so.
With guidance from above, they decided to start a ministry dedicated to raising money to help families on their journey to adoption. They have been very successful in their endeavors and tonight alone raised $16,000. A local Houston family was called on stage at the end of the evening and was given a check for $4,000 toward their adoption costs. It was really neat to witness.
With adoption having been such a personal part of my own life, I know first-hand how life-changing and beautiful it really is. To briefly be a part of the ministry that gives deserving families across the country an amazing opportunity to change the lives of orphans was a great way to celebrate love on Valentine's Day.
To learn more about this organization, check out http://www.shaohannahshope.org.
This is one of Steven Curtis Chapman's new songs called "Cinderella." I've fallen in love with this song even though I don't have children yet. In this video clip, he tells the story of how he came up with the idea for the song (it's the same story we heard him tell at our concert) and I guarantee you will want a tissue box nearby when you hear the story and the song.
