Reaching One Child...

As you may already know, Wendy and I have begun the process of adopting a child from the country of Haiti. Our family is very excited about this endeavor and wanted to let you know a little about our process and plans. First, I want you to know that we feel a clear call from the Lord to do our part in fulfilling God’s command to look after orphan children; as given in James 1: 27:

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

This a call that Wendy and I have taken very seriously, and know beyond any doubt that He is calling us to open our home and family to an orphan child. In this way, the Lord will use us to change the life and future of one child. More importantly, there will be a pathway presented to this child to come to know Jesus as her Lord, which otherwise may not have happened. That possibility excites me to no end!

I want to introduce you to our future daughter. Florena is a happy, healthy 4 year old child of color in Port Au Prince, Haiti. Her mother made the difficult decision to release her to the orphanage there after realizing she was not equipped to care for Florena. Haiti is a terribly poor nation, with rampant disease and malnutrition among its people. Haiti is, in fact, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere with 75% of the population living below poverty level (as determined by World Bank). Unemployment is about 60%, and the literacy rate is about 55%. One in five children will die before their 5th birthday from malnutrition or disease. Out of this kind of difficulty, the Lord will use us to save Florena.

First and foremost, Wendy and I ask for your prayers. As the mountain of paperwork grows and the documents gather, pray that the Lord will help us keep our focus on the goal; to get Florena home. Please begin to pray specifically for Florena as significant changes are imminent. We are not diluted about the adjustment that our family will have to make nor about the effort it will take to make Florena feel comfortable as a part of our family. These are big changes for us and for her, so please join us in praying for her.

The process of adopting internationally is, of course, an expensive one. Wendy and I have sold one vehicle to free up some money for these expenses, but we realize that we cannot handle all of these ourselves. We have partnered with an organization called Kingdom Kids Adoption Ministries, whose mission it is to help adoptive families raise funds to adopt children out of difficult circumstances. Through this ministry, individuals can make tax deductible donations to specific adoptive families to help lessen the cost for the family. In this way, you can partner with us in changing Florena’s life for the better. You will have the blessing of knowing that your help contributed to providing Florena with a loving family (with great sisters and an awesome brother), a warm home, and the opportunity to meet Jesus in a saving way. I absolutely hate to ask my friends and family for this kind of help, so I would just ask that you pray about involving yourself with us in this ministry. If you feel it would be a blessing to you, please make a contribution; rest assured it will be a blessing to us.

We will keep all of our contributors up to date on our process by email and provide you with a photo of our completed family once we get Florena home. If you are interested in helping us out and have any questions please call us at home or email us. Also, the Kingdom Kids staff is available to you Monday to Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. (Pacific Time.) Please contact them at (509) 465-3520 or email them at Ministry@KingdomKidsAdoption.org. Their website is www.KingdomKidsAdoption.org. Donations should be sent directly to Kingdom Kids at 1417 N Lincoln St, Spokane, WA, 99201.

If you decide to assist us in our fundraising and wish to do so by check please DO NOT include our names anywhere on the check. Internal Revenue Service regulations do not allow for a tax-deductible donation to have any name other than the tax-exempt organization written on it. Please enclose a note with your check to indicate that you wish your donation to go toward our grant. Thank you so much.

In Christ Alone,

David and Wendy Peyton

817/453-9682

david.peyton@firstmansfield.com

wrpeyton@sbcglobal.net