The Forever Family

Those words were written on the desk in the boyz room when they arrived around 1130pm on 11.11.11.   We repeated those words regularly to our boyz in the early days and remind them periodically even to this day. In fact, those words FOREVER FAMILY are to this day still on the desk in Josh room.

Nobody deserved a forever family more than Gideon, Caleb and Josh. We drove from our home in Charlotte to Raleigh, NC to pick the boyz up at a predetermined location selected by the other parents. The hotel meeting was awkward and awful!  The boyz were told just 45 minutes before we arrived that they would no longer be living with the other family. They had 2 small bags and wearing old clothes. When the other father introduced us as they new Mother and Father the boyz look like they were in shock. It was soooooooo sad.

Johanna was with us and after the other parents left we enjoyed a meal together at the hotel. The boyz weren't crying or anything and after a few minutes actually started to talk and laugh a bit. By the time we got home they were all sound asleep.  The Davidson family was forever changed...thanking God for these three blessings.

What? Are you kidding me? We are blogging again.

*Many have asked us about the boyz story and how they are doing now. This will be our attempt to give you a synopsis of their story and a REAL glimpse of the journey we are all on together that we call THE GLORY OF THE IMPOSSIBLE.

On Nov. 4th, 2008 Chris had a discussion with a friend who had previously adopted a child whom Chris prayed for. During that discussion Chris learned that another family who had adopted 3 boys from Ghana two previous years ago no longer wanted the boys (long story). All three were brothers. Their ages were 5, 7 and 11 and their future together was now uncertain. Nobody seem to be stepping up to adopt them and the parents, especially the Mom, wanted them gone yesterday. The woman Chris was talking to asked Chris directly whether we would consider adopting the boys.  What? Are you kidding me?

Interestingly, we had recently been asking ourselves what God wanted us to do with the extra rooms in our house since three of our four children were now grown. The thought was renting them out reasonably to a couple of singles who were looking for a place NOT ADOPTING 3 kids.

 Our fourth child, Johanna Ruth, wanted us to adopt (she was 17 and had graduated from HS) and  regularly showed us pictures of children that needed to be adopted. Chris and I loved kids and felt like parenting is what we did best together.  But we decided we were too old (51)...UNLESS.... God unequivocally brought us a child to adopt. Unequivocally meaning that we both agreed that God was behind us adopting not Johanna.  Well, what about these three boys from Ghana? Johanna didn't bring us pictures of these boys - were these our new three sons?

What? We are way too old. We passed up adopting in Ethiopia at age 45 because we were too old. Johanna had just graduated and quite honestly I was really looking forward to spending more time with my buddy. We had had Joy Michelle when we were 23 and just 2 years into married. Then Danielle Christine two years later and James Kyle two years after that. We took a break for 7 years before having our fourth and "final" child we call "Pinky." Adopt three boys now? We are poor and have been in faith missions all our lives. Be nice to have some margin with our finances to do some of those things we haven't been able to do much of.  I want to fish and golf more. I want to eat out more. I would like to buy a few new things I've put off. I want to travel more with my buddy. I want.... I want...

Every excuse I listed was selfish...every one!  Two days after the question of adopting these three boys was asked of us...WE AGREED! 5 days later Gideon, Caleb and Joshua were in our home. The date was 11.11.11.

Next Blog: The glory of the impossible includes Bogatonga, Ghana.

the 60 hour Camper Scholarship Campaign.....

is down to the final 25 hours. Can you help send an Asian or Africa young boy or girl to one of our dynamic Christ Centered Sports Friends summer camps? It just takes $50 to send one child to a whole week of camp. I PROMISE this will be a LIFE TIME MEMORY FOR HIM OR HER AND MAYBE LIFE TRANSFORMING!

the goal is 125 camper scholarships by 9pm Monday night. We are about half way there right now and would love for you to jump on board. Maybe you can do more than one scholarship and if you can your FREE to do so. A half a cabin is 5 kids ($250) and a full cabin is 10 ($500).

Love to have you jump on board. Oh and there is a MAJOR CHALLENGE going on too...check out my FB page to see what's happening....just entered the CHICK FILA group into the challenge too.

Trying to make FUNraising lots of FUN!

bd

$50......

Sends a young boy or girl to one of our African or Asian Sports Friends Camps during the summer of 2011 where they will experience the LOVE OF GOD like never before. Our residential camp experiences in Ethiopia have greatly enhanced the relationship between our Sports Ministers and so many Muslim youth. Many have been deeply impacted at camp from a spiritual standpoint thanks to the grace & mercy of our Almighty God. I will share several Amazing God stories from past camp experiences starting tomorrow, Saturday morning, at 9am as I launch a campaign to raise 125 camper scholarships at $50. a piece. It will be a 60 hour campaign ending at 9pm Monday evening. We hope to have 2,000 youth attending one of our camps this year in either Ethiopia, Nigeria, Kenya, or Thailand/Asia. Two questions for you: 1. Would you consider sending one or more young people in Africa or Asia to a Sports Friends camp this year? Think about it tonight. If yes, details will be forthcoming in the morning. If you want to make a matching gift or a challenge that can be done as well. 2. Would you consider helping me reach my camp scholarship goal by promoting this giving opportunity in your sphere of influence? I certainly understand if neither is possible, no worries and no pressure. But if you can, then THANKS SO MUCH. I have a little blurb for you that you can use to send out which you can personalize as well. It all starts tomorrow morning at 9am. Thanks everyone for considering this request.

Children

"Children have never been good at listening to their elders, but they have never failed to imitate them." American Writer James Baldwin

A couple weeks ago I traveled to Camp Langano to help with the implementation of our new camp programming format. This required an "advance" time with our staff to prepare for the week of camp. We planned on growing from 40 to 80 boys or girls for each weekly session. Double the pleasure! Double the spiritual impact! And double the importance of risk management as well as time management. All in all the week went much better than could be expected according to our Ethiopian leaders.

One of big takeaways for me from the week was the level of importance of the American guest staff learning how to serve the Ethiopian staff, the relationships between the Ethio and American staff and the love demonstrated by all the leaders to each other first & then to each of the kids.

We can talk all we want about unity, serving, love, leadership and trust but it will be the "real living" examples of each during the week that will make the biggest impact on the kids lives. One boy came up to our leader and shared that because of what he saw in our leadership and heard us teach about he was renouncing his bad behavioral ways (stealing) from this day forward. That's a good first step towards knowing the reason behind our leadership's behavior.

Let's be honest about our struggles and let's live in the light with others (this is totally un-american because we are such people pleasures, outward appearance more important that inward transformation but so many blessings waiting for us when we do i.e. freedom from pretending) so that we can run at camp and in life without those things that so easily entangle us. This will allow us to love more freely and abundantly those whom God puts in our sphere of influence. And remember the children are watching!

The Eagles are launched.....

20 years ago this month the Davidson's (minus Johanna at that point) were led by the Spirit of God to move across country to launch the Charlotte Eagles ministry....Where has the time gone?...thank you to all the fanatistic Russia 91 participants (Bill Shubin/alias Fresno #1) and our contact Carl Dambman....Devo and Johnny V for your amazing camp ministry leadership....and of course the incredible full time staff that joined the ministry that first year starting in the fall, the McKinleys (being number uno), Laurel Hilts, Eric Mills, The West's, the Vermilya's and of course Brad McGlaughlin.

It was the beginning of the Glory of the Impossible! I don't have all the exact stats. but conservative estimates would include over 25,000 campers have come through the ministry. Who will ever forget Devo's green golf ball lunch time joke or his dribbling course at a church in Rochester, NY around head stones (what were you thinking). Hundreds have made decisions for Christ since those first camps in 1991.

The first team tour was to the Soviet Union. On that very first trip (9 more followed and Tom Merchant eventually moved to this country and still lives there doing ministry) 100,000 bibles, New Testaments, and Gospels of John were distributed. So many amazing God stories from this trip including preaching to lots of folks in Moscow Square in front of Lenin's tomb on the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Other incredible youth tours were led by Johnny V and Eric Mills to numerous countries in Europe that impacted so many lives here and there. Amazing trips smuggling bibles into communist countries and the Middle East took place. I even had to make a prayerful decision on whether to move forward with some clinic and camp initiatives in a closed country after being threatened by a terrorist I had never heard of at that time -Osama bin laden! Literally millions have heard the Gospel from our international traveling tours at the fields, halftimes of staduims, on the radio, TV and on the streets. Thank you to all those ho have been faithful to go, pray and support those who went.

The men's professional team was launched in 1993 and have ministered to thousands and thousands locally & in the US, as well as hundreds & hundreds of thousands internationally. 18 years in the USL with a fantastic reputation on and off the field thanks to Tim Donelli, Tom Engstrom, Lee Horton, Mark Steffens, Steve Shak, Graham West and lots of amazing players like John Pain, Keith Dakin, Scott Cook, Clayton, Desmond, Brad (s), Whitey, Todd, Kelly, Mike, Phillipe, Ben, Josh, Jeff, Joey, Jeremy, Jason, Martin, Neil, OB, and on & on I could go. How many people have been impacted in the name of Jesus through the Eagles players in the last 18 years? We will only know when we get to heaven.....Praise God for each player who has come through this ministry.

Mark Steffens is been such a Godly influence on all his players over the years as the team has racked up fair play award after fair play award.

Johanna was born while I was at a USL mtg, doctor said the baby wasn't going to come for another week and Chris urged me to go. I listened to her birth, play by play thanks to Lori West, while I was on a phone in a restaurant. Interestingly, she received the "littlest missionary" tag from Tim Donelli because miraculously 50 plus Bibles were taken from league and team officials as my baby celebration gift (the whole box was taken and because I left the mtgs immediately I wasn't there to see it. But those who didn't get to the bible box in time called on Monday and asked if we could send them one....absolutely amazing! since most didn't even communicate with us in the first couple years because they new we were Christians).

The better looking team was launched in 1998 and have been just as amazing. Thank you GW, Lee, Tiffany, Becky, Karen (s), Tina, Jess, Christie and lots more. So many of these these girls have gone on to be amazing coaches and influencers of others. No doubt females make outstanding Sports Ministers.

So many more stories and people could be mentioned here, but time doesn't permit. God has done an amazing work through these people, it's without a doubt the Glory of the Impossible!

Much more to be done for the cause of Christ locally and to the ends of the earth. To God and God alone be the GLORY!

Johanna to East Africa....

If you would like to consider partnering with Johanna on her desire to minister in East Africa this summer please send her your address at- ethiopinky@sim.org or request the address of SIM or 410 Bridge, the ministries she will be working with this summer, to give a donation. YOU MUST HAVE HER ACCOUNT NUMBERS TO SEND THE MONEY TO THESE AGENCIES DIRECTLY.

THANK YOU.

HER DAD (who is so proud she chooses to use her God given gifts to serve others in need)