Wherever You Are...

...my love will find you.

I wanted you more
than you will ever know,
so I sent love to follow
wherever you go.

It's high as you wish it.
It's quick as an elf.
You'll never outgrow it...
it stretches itself!

So climb any mountain...
climb up to the sky!
My love will find you.
My love can fly!

Make a big splash!
Go out on a limb!
My love will find you.
My love can swim!

It never gets lost,
never fades,
never ends...

if you're working...
or playing...
or sitting with friends.

You can dance 'til you're dizzy...
paint 'til you're blue...
There's no place, not one,
that my love can't find you.

And if someday you're lonely,
or someday you're sad,
or you strike out at baseball,
or think you've been bad...

just lift up your face,
feel the wind in your hair.
That's me, my sweet boy,
my love is right there.

In the green of the grass...
in the smell of the sea...
in the clouds floating by...
at the top of the tree...
in the sound crickets make
at the end of the day...

"You are loved. You are loved.
You are loved," they all say.

My love is so high,
and so wide and so deep,
it's always right there,
even when you're asleep.

So hold your head high
and don't be afraid
to march to the front
of your own parade.

If you're still my small boy
or you're all the way grown,
my promise to you
is you're never alone.

You are my angel,
my darling, my star...
and my love will find you,
wherever you are.

"Wherever You Are My Love Will Find You"
by Nancy Tillman

This book was given to us today as a gift...there are not enough words to say how blessed and full our hearts are today because of this unexpected gift.

Thinking, praying, hoping and dreaming for a little boy in Ethiopia today, and everyday...thinking about him and what he might be doing right now; praying for peace and strength for him and his family; hoping that his faith and his heart is strong enough and big enough to let us in; and dreaming...dreaming of the plans the Lord has for him. "'For I know the plans that I have for you', declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'" Jeremiah 29:11

Thank you for the words that my heart is feeling but didn't know how to say it for a little boy...a world away. If I knew who it was from, I'd give you a hug...and you would know my heart skipped a beat when I read it.

Thank you. And I love you.

Em

And Then There Was...

May, 2011...
I thought about skipping over May, but it's not every day that a girl turns 30!!! Yep, that's right... Amy turned the big 3-0! Wow...hmm...well, that's umm...how do I say it...sheesh...ugh...very exciting?! Yes, that's it...E-X-C-I-T-I-N-G! Oh boy, that's right...then so did...I...welllllllll, at least I have some of the BEST girlfriends to celebrate it with! :) So LOVED spending time with some of my favorite friends! And yes, the cake was BeaUtiFuL!!!!!

I know, I know..."Em, get in a picture or two will ya?!"...but cmon, I didn't want anyone feeling left out. Ha.

Only person missing was my other half...Amy, you were missed (just like every other day of my life...but... I think we might've made up for it the next weekend...uhhhh am I right?! I think I remember something about Starbucks, shopping, another Starbucks, movies, possibly yet another Starbucks, mexican food, oh and one last Starbucks...) Now if I only had a pic of us...

June, 2011...

10 years...married and lovin' every minute of it! God had our family planned since the beginning of time and we are incredibly blessed.

"Every word of God is pure: He is as a shield unto them that put their trust in Him...remove far from me vanity and lies; give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me; lest I be full, and deny Thee, and say 'Who is the Lord?' or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain." Proverbs 30:5,8-9

July, 2011...

Five amazing, godly girls said YES to the Lord and went with Ordinary Hero on a mission trip to Ethiopia. A-M-A-Z-I-N-G.

Rachel's blog is "Love for Orphans" http://rhauter.blogspot.com/.

Ashley's blog is "Stepping Out" http://steppingoutblog.blogspot.com/.

Chris's blog is "Go Where He Sends You" http://gowherehesendsyou.blogspot.com/.

Holli and Lisa also put together a video from their trip...it's inspiring. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKMKxBJ__iY&feature=share

"She that findeth her life shall lose it; and she that loseth her life for My sake shall find it...and whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, she shall in no wise lose her reward." Matthew 10: 39,42

OH FINALLY! August, 2011...

Then came the best, sweetest, greatest re-united event of the century...we went to visit Kris, Sara, Ava and Camden in Texas...you'll have to see it for yourself:http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10150397180434816

We had such a great time...the kids had their best friends back, Sara and I were in heaven (shopping, talking, decorating, talking, sewing (ok, Sara was sewing), eating, driving looking for a Krispy Kreme, talking some more...ahhhh, soooo FUN!) and the guys, well, spent most of their time at Bass Pro and the shooting range, ha...and then we had to say goodbye (sniff, sniff)...but we CANNOT wait to see you at Christmas!!!!!! The kids are gonna flip! :)

September, 2011...

Of course, there's the PUMPKIN FESTIVAL!!!! Oh my! What a blast!

From seeing the pure excitement on our kids' faces, to the cotton candy and pork chop sandwiches; face painting and the parade; to the infamous Pharoah ride...this year, we were down one of our "usual" girls that sit at the last row (Ava, we needed you) so this year it was Bryce's turn to go with us. I have to say, it wasn't as fear-filled as last year (with Ava screaming bloody murder and Liv yelling "Jesus! Save me!) but it was close. :) Rach, I might be getting too old for this...I actually thought I was going to get sick. Ha! Can't wait for next year!!! :)

Onto October, 2011...

It feels like my nephew Titus was JUST born...how in the world is he ready to turn 1?!?! Do you see those blue eyes...I couldn't wait for my best friend to have a little boy...an d now she knows how it feels to have a mama's boy! (This is only the beginning...ahhhh, I love it! :)

He is so, so sweet! Olivia thought Titus should have been entered into the Pumpkin Festival Baby Contest...he totally would have won! How did Becca NOT enter him?! (I know Liv, I know!) :)

And to end October with an incredible blessing, the fresh/soph girls core group from our church had a fundraiser to benefit four families (us included) from our church that have started the adoption process. They helped raise $1,000 to put towards all of our families' adoptions!!! What an INCREDIBLY HUGE BLESSING...our hearts are touched and eternally grateful! These girls (and their amazing leaders) have helped change the world for one and I'm praying it makes a lasting impression in their hearts forever, too.

"Therefore, my beloved 'sisters' be steadfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as you know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord." I Corinthians 15:58

November is here and I'm thinking there just might be a CRAZY GOOD post comin' up...

It's about time...for an update!!! :)

Instead of a list of reasons (ok, ok, excuses) why the last post was in NOVEMBER (seriously?!), how about a recap since then??? Here it goes...

In November, 2010...
We were one of the top families to win the t-shirt fundraiser with Ordinary Hero!!! Thanks to our amazing family and friends, our total amount raised was $1,040 which was sent straight to our adopting agency, Celebrate Children International, to put towards our adoption fees. We are so thankful and truly blessed!!!!
And I just have to mention, November was the month that started the 30th birthdays for all of us girls and our fabulous "girls night out's"...Abby...your husband really outdid himself!!! :) And we loved every second of it! Ha! :) Limo, Holli (surprise!), shopping (Ab was quite the model), Starbucks (something crazy that day, like buy one, get one free that day...don't know how Jeff pulled that off...impressive), pedi's, dinner (Abby, your mom is the best!)...and all with the best girls ever! Such a F-U-N day!

In December, 2010...
An AMAZING memory was made...we helped welcome home an unbelievably sweet little girl from Bulgaria...Mahaela JoMae Hauter...who joined Bill and Shell's family. There really are no words to describe meeting her for the first time...and seeing her with her forever family.
Mahaela http://animoto.com/play/z0rg7fWjRu6MEj7pqjaN5A?utm_content=challenger

Also in December, were two of my-most-favorite-girls-in-the-world birthdays!!!! My BESTEST friend Becca's 30th birthday...(Bec, you look like you're 21...GORGEOUS!!! and you gotta love Sadie in this pic! cmon Sae! just one more picture...please??!!) and my ADORABLE little niece Violet's 1st birthday...she is absolutely the sweetest thing and oh my, is she beautiful...just like her mother. (This was a pic from the invitation...Vi doesn't normally sit around sneaking candy...like her mother.) Then came Christmas...it's just the BEST! In January, 2011...Happy New Year!!!! Ummm...well...hmm...not sure anything OVERLY exciting happened in January...or February...huh, March? I can't remember back that far so...let's just move on to April. :)

In April, 2011...Our church held an event called "Light the Fire"...to raise awareness of the fatherless and orphaned children in our surrounding community and around the world. The night was surrounded with A LOT of prayer and trusting that God would be glorified and touch the hearts of the people attending...and move us from compassion...to action. It was a night to remember. It was inspiring. It brought hope to what looks like hopeless situations. I know my heart was deeply, deeply touched and knew God was doing the same to others...our verse for the night was Isaiah 58:10, "If you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday." Inspiring, movitating, life-changing words...only with Jesus...otherwise it's all in vain.
Vicki from Vgallery (http://www.vgallery.net/) was amazing. She and her husband have a beautiful daughter, adopted from Nepal. Her blog is http://www.nimajade.com/. She let us borrow some of her photography...beautiful little ones...without families...without a home...without the love of a dad and a mom...waiting for someone to say yes...
We asked our church family at Cornerstone for donations of shoes...to send with a team going to Ethiopia...all the shoes were lined up...to show a FRACTION of the children in need...there are more than 145 million orphans worldwide...44,000 new orphans every day...every 90 seconds an orphan dies from starvation...60 million orphans go to bed hungry every night...every 2 seconds another child becomes an orphan...THEY need US...but more than that, they need the love of Jesus. Our guest speaker was Kelly Putty, from Ordinary Hero. She lives in Tennessee and has 6 kids; 5 biologically and 1 by adoption. Her story is inspiring...and that is what she lives to do...to inspire people to CHANGE THE WORLD FOR ONE. Her love for the Lord and her heart for the needy is awesome. Ordinary Hero's blog is http://www.ordinaryheroblog.blogspot.com/ and their website is http://www.ordinaryhero.org/. We also had Jami Kaeb speak...she has an AMAZING testimony of daily trusting the Lord. She shared about their journey in the foster care system and she has started The Forgotten Initiative, an incredible outreach to the surrounding communities. It's all about showing Christ's love! Beautiful! Her blog is http://www.lifewithapersonalgod.blogspot.com/.
Of course we wanted Shelley to get up there! :) She shared about a hosting program called "New Horizons for Children"...an international Christian orphan hosting program devoted to sharing the love of Jesus and the love of a family...http://www.newhorizonsforchildren.org/. Shell's blog is http://www.hauterhappenings.blogspot.com/. Love, love, love her!!!!!! :)

Phil Cooper, from our church, also spoke. James 1:27 "Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble; and to keep oneself unspotted from the world." Taking care of the fatherless and the widows is a command; it's not an option. It's not about having an opinion or a preference...it's a commandment. Whether it's through adoption, foster care, sponsorship, or taking care of the needy and helpless...whether it's in Africa or Bulgaria...China or Columbia...Peoria or Chicago...on the other side of the world or across the street...this is where God's heart is. Jesus was moved with compassion...shouldn't we be?Everyone took a candle...to show that everyone can CHANGE THE WORLD FOR ONE...who will be your one?It may a boy like this one...a child waiting for a family to call his own. "God sets the lonely in families." Psalm 68:6We had delicious coffee from Africa...Gobena coffee... http://www.gobena.org/. An amazing story to how this got started by the Leman family...http://www.solidrck.blogspot.com/."Then the King will say to those on His right hand, 'Come, you blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.' Then the righteous will answer Him saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?' And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me'." Matthew 25:34-40

ONLY 3 DAYS LEFT!!!!!!!
Go to www.ordinaryheroblog.blogspot.com to order a t-shirt (scroll down on the right hand side to view the t-shirts).

$10 of every shirt goes towards our family's adoption!!!

If we are in the TOP 3 of the most t-shirts sold, ORDINARY HERO WILL DOUBLE OUR AMOUNT!!!

(DON'T FORGET: add "Hauter family adoption" when paying)

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Who doesn't LOVE a sweet Tee???

Click here for a quick look at the t-shirts available to order...you'll LOVE them!

18 Days Left...to say YES!!!

We have an amazing opportunity to raise funds for our adoption through Ordinary Hero. Ordinary Hero Foundation is a non-profit, child advocacy organization. Their mission is to inspire and empower ordinary people to make an extraordinary difference in the life of a child in need. (To read "their story" click here).

During the month of November, OH is donating 1oo% of ALL t-shirt profits to families in the process of adopting. T-shirts are $20 and for every t-shirt sold, $10 is donated to the family! So you spend $10 on an amazing "Change the World for One" tee and the other $10 goes straight to us, to help change the world for our little one.

And it gets even more exciting...Ordinary Hero is going to MATCH the amount given to the top three families who have the highest t-shirt sales!!! (So let's say 50 t-shirts are bought, $500 goes towards our adoption...and if we fall in the top three, then that doubles to $1,000!)

"For the needy shall not always be forgotten: the expectation of the poor shall not perish for ever." Psalm 9:18


If you would like to purchase an Ordinary Hero t-shirt, click here.
(Mens/womens and kids/infants tees available.)

IMPORTANT: We receive $10 for every shirt that has "Hauter" added to the memo line when you pay. Look for the "add special instructions to the seller" ad. Click on the blue "Ad" and put our name "Hauter or Steve Hauter" so we are credited for the shirts. (It can be hard to see the sentence if you're not looking for it. It mostly appears under the address portion.)


THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING US AS WE START OUR JOURNEY TO
BRING OUR LITTLE BOY HOME!!!

How Can We Not Give It Away So Freely?

"You live among the least of these, the weary and the weak...and it would be a tragedy for me to turn away. All my needs You have supplied; when I was dead, You gave me life...how could I not give it away so freely?"

We are moved from compassion to action.

We've said "Yes!" to His command to care for the orphan...and so we begin our heart's journey to Ethiopia...

Will you join us as we "change the world for one"?????

STAY TUNED...