The perfect Father's Day Gift...

No, the perfect Father's Day gift was not a box of crayons, although they are quite pretty, aren't they? (Siggies, what does that picture make you think of? You know you're singin' it.)

Well, even though we didn't get Mark a "box of 64", he has officially proclaimed that 64 is his new favorite number! Why? Because we made it to 64!

I am completely amazed that, because of YOU, we now have ALL 64 children sponsored for medical exams....and it was all done in 10 days!! That is unbelievable!!

We are so excited to be able to update everyone as we travel to see these sweet children, and as their medical care begins! So, keep checking the blog in the next few weeks to see more of what your generosity has done.

Meanwhile, Mark is reporting this to be the best Father's Day gift he could have ever received.

And, speaking of Father's Day, I have to give a little love to the best daddy in all the world. As I told him in his card this year, Father's Day looks different this year than we ever imagined it would.

I still remember so vividly when we heard that Chase was a boy. I remember our tears and our prayers that day---that we would raise him to make a difference and be a leader. Every time I would be overwhelmed with the woes of pregnancy or the idea of having four children under our roof, Mark would always say (as he rubbed my belly), "But, he's going to change the world! I know it!"

Little did we know how true that would be---or how differently that would look in our lives---only a few months later. Chase Allen has already changed the world for the better. He has made this mommy and daddy more intentional, more loving, more passionate about what really matters. And, he has changed the world through all God is doing now.

Most of all, this Father's Day, I am struck with the thought that Chase has been given the MOST amazing Daddy in the world. Mark, you have sought ways to "change the world" in Chase's honor for the last nine months. And, you are leaving the most amazing legacy for our precious baby boy. You are truly an amazing father in every way. As we wait to bring our next little one into our family, I love watching your heart open up yet again to loving your children so fully, whether they are here with us now, or whether they are remembered or longed for in our hearts. THANK YOU for the daddy you are--to all FIVE of our precious ones. I'm so blessed to be doing this parent thing alongside you.

Here are the three girls who adore you most. You continue to encourage them to be leaders for the Lord and change the world too. They are following in your big and passionate footsteps, and I couldn't be prouder.

We were so excited to spend Father's Day with all the special dads in our lives, and as I looked through the pictures, I was so proud of the fathers I am surrounded by.

My sweet dad, with all of his littles:

And, all of his bigs:

My sweet grandfather, Papa Roy:

And, Popsy (John), Mark's Dad:

All of you honor, encourage, serve, and love your family with such fire and passion, and we are blessed for it.

Happy Father's Day to you all. Thanks for making ours so full. And, thanks for making 64 children healthier and happier too!

FIFTY!

We hit 50 sponsorships yesterday!! Fourteen more to go. And, there's STILL time to bless your dad with a gift like this for tomorrow. A gift that will bring new life, and better health, for a child across the world.

Thank you all for this amazing support for these kids! We made it to FIFTY!!

News Flash {& Father's Day}!

Big news over here! We have 44 medical sponsorships for these sweet kids!!

Only TWENTY more to go! Please consider taking this opportunity to bless a child with necessary medical screenings! We're SO close! Click HERE to read more about what we're doing in Ghana, or click "donate" on the right side of the blog to be one of the last TWENTY $125 sponsorships!!

And, a sweet friend, Ashley just gave me this idea, when she decided to give this as a gift. What a perfect Father's Day gift this would be! You could sponsor a child in your dad's honor, let me know where to send it, and I can send a beautiful card with the children's picture on it, that says "A donation has been made in your honor..." (Or, I can also send an email version of the same thing, if you need it quicker!) What a great way to honor our fathers!!

I can't wait to see what the number will be by the end of this week?! I dream of the big 6-4 at the top of the next blog entry. :)

In other {family} news,

Our oldest sweet girl is somehow big enough to be doing this with her friends:

She left for New Beginnings Christian Camp on Tuesday, and we are missing her so much around here.

Tuesday night, Carlie said "How many days until Saturday? I'm really ready for Kendyll to be home!" We all feel the same way.

But, I'm also so glad that she'll get to have such a wonderful week with friends, learning more about the Lord, and making hot and sweaty camp memories all week!

Thanks to ALL of you who have helped us with the Countdown to 64!! May we finish strong with the last 20!!

A Ghana Weekend!

It's been a Ghana celebration weekend at our house.

First, we've been CELEBRATING because we now have twenty-six children who will have their entire medical screening paid for! THANK YOU so much to those of you who have already jumped right in.

That leaves 38 more precious smiling faces like these:

And, about 31 days. That is a pretty good ratio! We can surely get at least one child {or maybe two} sponsored a day! Thanks so much for making it happen. (If it's the first time you're hearing about this, click HERE to find out more!)

I know we'll get all 64 kids taken care of...because these smiles...

are just too hard to resist!

And, speaking of smiles, those of you who have sponsored a child for the one time medical screening costs, will be receiving your child's bios and pictures in the next two days. They will come from Touch A Life. So, if you have not left an email address for us, and would like a bio, please email your contact info to us at: mark@hischase.org!

Now, more about our Ghana weekend:

Saturday, our family spent the day shopping for our Compassion kids. We are pretty much giddy that we get to go visit our Touch A Life kids AND our Compassion kids on this same trip! Edwina, Freda, and Abigail all share birthdays with our three girls...and all live near Accra, Ghana, where we will be.

So, we're getting to spend a day with these three girls and hopefully their families! And, of course, we are bringing them a backpack full of goodies...clothes, shoes, art supplies, jumpropes, bubbles, candy...so fun!

Our girls had such a fun time shopping for each of their little friends, and I just love watching them have such joy over giving to these sweet ones, who they have written back and forth with and have prayed for.

Then, Sunday has also been a "Ghana day" because the Ghanaian soccer team played in the World Cup....and WON!

We all painted our faces and watched the game together this morning. {I may have been reading my Family Circle magazines while "watching". But, don't tell.}

We were very excited to watch the underdog Ghana team win, and will be cheering them on to the end! Just watching their proud fans in the stands made me smile. They were decked out in Ghanaian colors and spirit from head to toe. And, by the way, that is where you can really see some good victory dancin'! And, of course, these three fans made me smile too with their self-painted flags:

So, we hope to have many more Ghana celebrations around here! Two more World Cup games this week, and MANY more medical sponsorships on the way! GO GHANA!

35 Days and 64 Children

UPDATE as of Friday afternoon! Eighteen children have already been sponsored for medical screenings! Only 46 more to go! Donate today by clicking on the His Chase link on our sidebar.

In 35 days, we will be landing in Ghana. I can only imagine what our hearts will feel, as we meet the children of Touch A Life, who we have been longing to love on for months. We can't wait to share this experience with each of you...because so many of you have been a part of this for us, through your love, encouragement, prayers, and generosity toward building Chase's Place.

We continue to be overwhelmed by the love poured out for these children---and for our son. We dreamt of a house to be built to honor Chase, and in turn, bless these children. And, you answered with $40,000 dollars already raised. Lives are being changed because of you.

We then asked for medical supplies, arts and crafts supplies, and even books and shoes for the children. And, many of you answered with an abundant offering of each. Children will be blessed with a fun week of VBS--learning and growing in the Lord because of you.

Now, we are here again---humbly presenting another opportunity to help these kids. And, we know you will answer, as you have before, with generosity, love, and support.

In recent months, Touch A Life has increased its commitment to these children's medical needs, with the goal of taking care of these children with the most advanced medical provisions available. In short, they have committed to giving these children nothing but the best...nothing less than we would give our own children here.

As He always does, God was ahead of all of us in this. He was already beginning to prepare the way for this to happen, through our good friend, Brad Gautney, of Global Health Innovations. Mark and I were able to help join these two amazing ministries, and are now excited to be in Ghana during the launch of the Summer Health Assessment and Planning Fair for the Touch a Life kids!

These children have come from hard places, and have endured more physical strain than their bodies were created to handle. And, on top of that, they live in a third world country. The care they will be receiving now includes:

• Screenings and detailed lab work to detect illnesses, contracted diseases, parasites, malaria, and a host of other health issues specific to a third world country.
• In-depth treatment plans, individualized for the best care of each child's specific needs.
• Electronic medical records
• Connections with local medical facilities in Ghana to provide ongoing treatment, based on individual treatment plans.

So...if you've been wondering how you can help, now's your chance!

$125 can change the life--and SAVE the life--of a child. And, not just any child. A child who we will meet and know and love in just 35 days.

So, would you be willing---with your spouse, your children, or a small group of friends---to sponsor a child's medical assessment for a one time payment of $125?

If you do, this child will be blessed forever by it. And, this is the great part. You will get to "meet" the child you have sponsored for this medical event! You will be able to see this child's sweet smiling face through a bio sent to you. You will know the little boy or girl who you have helped. And, you will be able to pray for this child by name, as they continue to get the medical care that they need!

We have 64 children to sponsor, and 35 days. If you'd like to join in, donate to His Chase by clicking on our "donate" button at the top of our blog. We will keep a running total of the number of children helped, and will update you all on the progression as the days go by.

THANK YOU in advance for joining us, once again, on behalf of these children. To see more about who you're helping, watch this video, just released by the Touch a Life Foundation. I can't say enough how amazing Pam and this foundation is. They are doing amazing work. We are so very grateful to be a small part in all of this, and look forward to watching the way God uses all of this for His glory.

Touch a Life - How Far We've Come from laura crawford on Vimeo.

You can also meet Brad Gautney here, and see a little more about his passion for helping children in third world countries survive and thrive.

Global Health Innovations - What We Do from Global Health Innovations on Vimeo.

***If you have any questions about this summer's medical program, or would like more information about Touch a Life or Global Health Innovations, please email us at: mark@hischase.org or chelsea@hischase.org!

Chase's Story...God's Story

If you're just joining the blog, thank you for taking the time to read about our sweet precious son, Chase Allen Jacobs, who saw the face of God before He was born on this earth. Due to a blood clot in his umbilical cord, Chase passed away at 35 weeks in utero. We delivered our baby boy on September 30, 2009, and have been spending each day since then following the Lord's plan for His glory to be revealed through Chase's legacy.

To read more of our story, follow the links below:

The Lord has Provided

One Week Ago

Our Story

Celebrating Baby Chase

I've Been Handed a Megaphone

October 15th

God Moments

Things That Make Me Happy

One Month...And Lots of Thoughts

World Series Game One

Gifts of Love

Worshipping with Friends

Friday Feelings

Sweet Words

Scattered Thanksgiving Thoughts

Two Months

Three Months

School is Out!

WOO HOO!!

As you can tell by Kendyll's pose, we are all very excited to have summer upon us. Our first week off of the school routine has been very fun...parks and swimming pool visits, painting, cooking, slumber parties, family walks, and free time! (Now, if I could just teach my kids to sleep in later.)

Even with early mornings, it still feels so great to be free!

Really, this post is a bit late, since Kendyll got out over a week ago. But, here is her end-of -school pictures.

The day before her summertime officially started, we spent the whole afternoon at the park in celebration.

We got Zoe's for lunch (one of our favorite treats) and IZZE drinks (the girls' favorites) for our picnic.

Carlie and Kendyll were the photographers for the day, and although there are 100 pictures or more, I will just share a few. :)

They got pictures of trees, grass, flowers, swans, and ducks...

And, a few of their sisters and mom too.

The next morning was Kendyll's Fine Arts Day presentation, where she played the part of Annie Oakley. I love my little cowgirl. And, she did such a good job with her lines.

The play was a walk through US history, and every second grader was a different character. It was very cute.

At the end of the program, the entire lower school sang 6 hymns they have learned this year. I was crying so hard through the whole thing. First, to hear their sweet voices singing these amazing words....then, to think about how this school year began---pregnant with Chase, full of expectation for adding him to our family. Oh, how much more those words mean to me now than they did before...and then, the tears were streaming because we love this school so much for what they teach our girls. Even with all the blessings of this wonderful school, though, we have made the big decision to teach the girls at home next year. (more about that later). So, of course my tears came easily at saying goodbye to such an amazing group of kids, families, and teachers.

Speaking of teachers, I'm convinced that Kendyll's teacher is truly an angel on earth. This was her last year of teaching, so we feel even more grateful that we were the last to have the sweet blessing of her wisdom and gentle guidance.

Just to tell you a little bit about her amazing heart and commitment to knowing her students so fully, this is just a small part of what she wrote on Kendyll's report card, in reference to Kendyll's character:

Kendyll leads by example by making wise choices that would honor her Lord. Clearly He is central in Kendyll's heart by her joyful countenance. Anxious for nothing, her confidence rests in the Source of all peace. Kendyll possesses a "kingdom vision" for life. She observes the needs and interests of others above her own. Kendyll desires to accomplish great things in His name. She is a true daughter of the King! Kendyll is a gracious child and has been a special blessing to me."

Oh my goodness, those words are so sweet to me. She knows and loves Kendyll so deeply, just like all of her other students, and I know that God handpicked her for us this year...when we needed it most.

So...as I said before, we're going from this absolute sweetness:

To, Kendyll's new teacher, Mommy:

Wow, what big shoes to fill. I know I won't come close, but I'm looking forward to giving it my best shot. So, we're officially a homeschooling family! I have already bought my curriculum (thanks, Mom, for helping me!!) and have begun making my plans, and we are all very excited! In fact, I'm not sure that I'll live up to the level of excitement the girls have about this idea! They can't wait to start. I sure hope that lasts!

Obviously, we have many reasons for making this decision, all of which I might explain in some other post. For now, we are just enjoying planning for our days together, where we get to learn as a family, spend time playing and having fun, and do not spend hours in the car or "on the run". We're ready for a slower pace and time together.

Meanwhile, we're MOST of all ready for summer fun! So, a very Happy Summer to you all. :)