Oh What a Night!

On Thursday night, I had the great pleasure of dressing up a bit, and heading out for a date with this handsome young man.

We went to the University of Tennesse campus and made our way to Thompson Boling Arena which is where the UT men and women play basketball. However, it didn't look at all like a basketball court; it looked like this:
We were there for this event:

And it was a wonderful night! Mike and Beth Hamilton sponsored the event to "get the word out" about the orphan/HIV-AIDS/clean water crisises in Africa. 750 people gathered and enjoyed a yummy dinner and exceptional entertainment all to benefit Africa. God was glorified as the Watoto Children's Choir from Uganda sang His praises. They were such a blessing to us and we purchased their CD and have about worn it out already! Beckett and I enjoyed listening to them sing and watching them dance! We also got to enjoy our second chance to hear Steven Curtis Chapman perform. Beckett and I attended his concert in Myrtle Beach, SC about a year and a half ago. SCC is not only an amazing singer and songwriter, but he is an inspiring speaker as he is able to share his experience regarding the blessing of adoption, as well as his family's experience of walking through the valley of the shadow of death after the tragic death of his youngest adopted daughter. The hope that he has in God and is still able to sing and proclaim after such a tragedy is incredible!

We heard about the amazing work that Blood:Water Mission is doing in Marsabit, Kenya and in many places throughout Africa. If you have a minute, watch the video clip on that link to find out about their work. We also heard about Show Hope which is the foundation that Steven Curtis Chapman and his wife, Mary Beth, began in order to help with scholarship funds for families who want to adopt and need some financial assistance. They awarded an un-suspecting family with their $5,000 scholarship for their adoption from Ethiopia. If that wasn't cool enough, Mike announced at the end of the evening that an anonymous donor had offered to pay the remaining $10,000 for that couple to bring their child home from ET! Wow! Obviously, this was a fundraiser for these two programs, and well over $100,000 was raised for each organization that night! God really blessed the efforts of everyone involved and it was a huge blessing to be able to be a part of such a special evening. And it helped, too, that I was with one of my favorite guys! :)