Torie's Senior Ball

I keep asking myself, "How can this be?"...Our oldest daughter is now a senior in high school. I know we're not old enough to have a senior..ha.
SouthLake Christian Academy has an annual junior/senior ball (versus the traditional prom). Torie attended accompanied by her dad. She looked like a princess (o.k. I know I'm a little biased but let the pictures speak for themselves!)


Torie and her best friend, Miranda.


Torie with her daddy!

Chenzhou "Sisters"

Sunday we had the privilege of having Sarah Mei's Chenzhou "sisters" over for a cook-out. Sarah Mei, Lilly, and Lainie grew up together, for the 1st 16 months of their lives, in the Chenzhou Children's Welfare Institute in Hunan, CHINA. Despite several thwarted attempts to meet, we were finally successful! We had a great, albeit, busy day with 6 adults and 13 children running around the farm!! We plan on making this an annual event.


Lainie, Lilly and Sarah Mei grow tired of posing for photos:)


Lilly is acting as pilot as she and Sarah Mei zoom around the house. Lainie, wisely, watches from afar.

$5 Friday - Week 3

Praise God!! We raised $1,685.00 ,this week, for Acacia Village!!! Our two week total is $2,075.

Donation Suggestions
Feel free to make donations via the following methods:
$5 weekly
$20 monthly
$65 quarterly
$130 semi-annually
$260 one time
or sponsor a $5 Friday Week for $1,000

Payment can be made via our ChipIn link on the right of the screen or checks can be made payable to Christian World Foundation (write Acacia Village on the memo line)
and mailed to : Phillip & Elaine Horton
7691 Ivey Meadow Ln.
Stanley, NC 28164

Special Thanks to Week 2's $5 Friday Sponsor ($1,000) - Toby & Lora Higgins

Below is a photo of a little girl Phil met while in Ethiopia. She (along with her twin and her twin 10 year old sisters) are waiting to be placed with a loving family. If you know of anyone interested in adding 4 beautiful daughters to their family, have them contact emilyb@cwa.org . She can give you more details.

New 30 Second Video - Hope for the Children

Creative Ways to Fund $5 Friday

Just curious if anyone has thought of a creative way to save $5 to donate to $5 Friday. Following are ideas that 2 contributors are implementing to give to the fundraiser:

One of our close friends is a Mary Kay Consultant. She decided to donate a portion of her weekly proceeds from her Mary Kay sales to Acacia Village!! We are SO grateful!!

Another good friend decided to pack a lunch, on Fridays, instead of going through the drive-thru. She chooses to forego her McChicken Sandwich and uses this as a reminder to pray for the orphans of Ethiopia.

Hats off to you ladies!! Great ideas.

Here are a few ideas I came up with:
Let your children earn money doing family jobs (hate to call them chores...it sounds so disdainful:) )and then donate their earnings to Acacia Village. This is a great way for children to learn to invest in missions work.

Give up one Starbucks coffee a week. (O.k. I know some of you don't have the unenviable habit of drinking the Venti Mocha like I do. If you just drink a regular coffee you might have to give up 2 for the week.)

Order water, at restaurants, instead of tea or a soft drink. That will save at least $5 (can you believe how expensive beverages are in restaurants??)

Please leave a comment on your creative way to give to Acacia Village:)

And now for a few photos:





Just a note...if you're like me, and after viewing the faces of these beautiful children, you are now begging your husband to adopt one of them (and for the record my very wise husband has learned to say "Yes dear, I'll pray about that:)...Phil met these children in January, and they are already placed and waiting for their adoptive families. However, there are many other beautiful children waiting to be adopted and in adoption terms "listed" with Christian World Adoption. If you are interested in adopting from Ethiopia, CWA has a wonderful Hague Accredited Ethiopia Program that placed over 200 children, in U.S. families, just last year. You can find out more information on their adoption programs by visiting their website at www.cwa.org

Just 24 hours to meet our 1st $1,000 goal!!

Thank You!!

Thank you so much for your enthusiastic support and response to our $5 Friday campaign. We've raised $245.00 in just 3 days. Please pray with us that we can meet our 1st goal of $1,000 by this Friday, April 11th.


During his time in Ethiopia, Phil had the pleasure of meeting this little girl. She, her twin sister and her 10 year old twin sisters are waiting to find their "forever family." I love seeing the "faces" of the children who are being helped by Christian World Adoption and CWF.

A word about the Friday $5 Challenge...I have to admit it was with fear and trepidation that I sent out an e-mail, last week, to all 150 contacts in my Yahoo address book. I've never attempted a fundraising effort and was concerned how everyone would respond. I was shocked (and in tears) Friday morning when I opened my in-box and found words of encouragement, not only from friends in the States, but also from friends in China and Africa.!! Several people, whom we e-mailed, forwarded our $5 Friday challenge to their friends, and we began getting donations from people we've never even met! Thank you!!

Now for a few photos...The following photo is of Tomilee Harding, founder of Christian World Adoption and Christian World Foundation, as she took her turn laying the cornerstone of Acacia Village. I love this picture because it captures Tomilee's zeal for what she and her husband, Bob, do..."care for orphans".


And finally, a family photo...We attended a family reunion, in Hardeeville, SC, at the end of March. After almost 11 years of living in North Carolina, we discovered that we are wimps when it comes to heat and humidity. Sarah Mei shared our sentiments as she ate yet another piece of ice in an effort to stay cool. This photo is priceless to me because it shows Sarah Mei's little chubby cheeks. I LOVE toddlers!!


"How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!" I John 3:1a