Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Gratitude

I wrote this post Oct. 10th, but wanted to wait until November to publish it because it is National Adoption Month.

We would like to express our gratitude to Lois Martino who helped us with our adoption of Lilly. She was recently nominated and won the 2009 Hall of Fame Award for Families Supporting Adoption (FSA). She was so deserving and gave a very humble speech upon accepting the award. She said that she is the lucky one because she knows she is doing what the Lord wants her to do. She is truly amazing.

Adoption touched her life when she adopted her daughter, Lily from Ghana 10 years ago. She has given back 100 fold. She has helped so many children find their families. She has dedicated much of her life, without pay, to help guide families through the adoption process in Ghana. As a result of these adoptions, all of the children at Luckyhill are benefiting with better nutrition, a nearly completed school, dorms, beds, medical care, etc.....things we simply take for granted.

THANK YOU LOIS for bringing "our Lilly" home. We are forever grateful and in your debt.

We would also like to thank Kingsley and Gloria Eshun. They are incredible people who are such great examples of sharing and serving others. They opened a school called King's International school as a business to provide for their family. Many of the children who began attending the school were orphans. So the Eshuns started taking these children into their own home and founded the Luckyhill Children's Home. They house around 20 orphans and have found foster homes for about 60 more within the community.

Kingsley works non-stop helping families facilitate adoptions, running the school, serving in the bishopric, helping anyone who stops by from the community, and I could go on and on and on. Gloria cooks 3 meals a day, including breakfast and lunch for 300 students at the school. She does the laundry, watches the children, does the food shopping, and has dedicated her life to this work as well.

We are so thankful for the kind of care Lilly received while she lived in the Eshun home. She was loved and provided for and this has made her transition into our family much easier for all of us.

THANK YOU KINGSLEY AND GLORIA for everything you do. I know the Lord smiles on your work and will bless you abundantly!!!

3 comments:

FullPlateMom said...

Amen!!! I can never find adequate words to thank the people who brought me my children. When you have bio children, you are the one in control. You don't have to count on anyone other than God to carry you through. When you adopt, it's a little different. You have NO control. Without people like Kingsley and Lois to carry us through, we would have been SO totally lost.

God bless you Kingsley and Lois!
Joe, Becky and the rest of the crew.

Lois said...

You guys are awesome. Thank you for loving ALL of the LH kids. Thank you for carrying me through some rough times too! It makes me tired just reading your description of Kingsley and Gloria's every day life. They are amazing aren't they?
Give Lilly a hug, and see you soon :)

disabilitydiva said...

Beautiful post on adoption!! Loved being a part of the Hall of Fame Banquet I couldn't help but be touched by the event. I really enjoyed Lois' words--inspiring!!