My husband and I are the proud parents of five children: one birth son and four who we adopted. Would I adopt children that were born drug addicted, mentally challenged, children with ADHD and Fetal Alcohol Disorder? And, knowing what I know now, I say yes.

We would like to thank all of you who voted for Nightlight in the Chase Community Giving Campaign. The votes have been counted, and Nightlight did not finish in the top 100.

Nightlight is collecting photos from our adoptive families for an online Christmas Card Family Album.

I’m writing to let you know that we have learned of an infant boy waiting for adoption from China on the special needs list. He is 10 months old and has cleft lip and palate.

Merry Christmas! If you would like to have your Christmas photo shared, please send us an email (KathrynD@nightlight.org) granting your permission to put the photo on our web site, along with your digital photo.

This morning, Nightlight passed the 700 votes mark in the Chase Community Giving Campaign that I blogged about 2 days ago.

Testimony of Bones Anthony, a Ugandan Christian orphaned as an infant. When my twin brother and I were 3 months old, our mother came home very drunk and wanting to commit suicide. She took the pair of us, her youngest kids, and headed for the river. Fortunately, other people followed her and rescued us.

You can help Nightlight compete to win a $25,000 donation from Chase Bank – simply by voting for us on Facebook!

From Hope to Reality’s design now reflects the design of Nightlight Christian Adoption’s main website.

Grace Community Church, pastored by John MacArthur, is hosting an “Adoption: For Life” conference this week. Nightlight’s Mary Madison will be speaking 10:30-11:20am on Domestic Adoption. More details and registration are available at Grace Community’s event website. (Registration is $20/person, or $25/couple.)

The journal First Things has published a marvelous article entitled “Conscience, Courage, and Children With Down Syndrome” by the archbishop of Denver, Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M Cap. Here are some excerpts, with a couple comments from me at the end.

Carolina Hope for Orphans is organizing a Christmas Tour for Ukrainian Orphans; the children will be in the States from December 26 to January 9, and host families in South Carolina (or anywhere within a 2-hour driving distance of Greenville, SC) are needed.

Thanks to those who participated in our book giveaway contest. We’ll be sending free copies of Launching an Orphans Ministry in Your Church to these people.

Promotional video for Hope for Orphans’ Your Church and the Orphan all-day workshop on October 17.

Our friends at Hope for Orphans have graciously given us 25 copies of Launching an Orphans Ministry in Your Church to giveaway!

Nightlight is helping to spearhead the all-day workshop, Your Church and the Orphan. The goal of the workshop is to provide church members with the necessary information and tools to explore how your church can effectively minister to orphans and waiting children.

Don’t forget about Together for Adoption’s upcoming conference (I’ve posted about this previously). Our SC Director Laura Godwin will be teaching in one of the break-out sessions. Additionally, there’s a CD-giveaway going on over at Together for Adoption through September 14.

Prospective adoptive families who have been screened use words and photos to give expectant mothers considering placement a glimpse into their lives. These profiles are posted online.

On September 9 at noon ET, Nightlight is conducting an online educational webinar about special needs adoptions from Taiwan and China.

This no-cost luncheon is to give you, the churches’ leaders, the courage and vision to challenge your congregations to take part in an orphan ministry. With your encouragement, your members can attend the all-day workshop on Saturday, October 17th.