an opportunity!

Dear friends and family,

In the summer of 2009 the Lord whispered (out of nowhere) in my (Johanna’s) ear HIS WORDS: “You will adopt someday, it’s my plan for you to adopt, Get ready….cause, I am breaking your heart with what breaks mine.” And, it was from that moment on that the Lord grew in my heart and overwhelming love, and compassion for orphans and the fatherless.
“I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you” (John 14:18)

As I tucked this little revelation into my heart and pondered it, I saw the Lord do the same EXACT thing to my children’s hearts and over 1 1/2 years later, in my husband’s heart as well. His heart was seared with the command: “go get your daughter”. It was God’s timing, not mine. I just had to wait, and claim my adoption verse (even, with all my doubts):

Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!”
(Luke 1:45)

I waited, prayed, pleaded and just wondered why the LORD would put this intense desire in my heart but not in my husband’s heart (well, that was what I thought). My husband told me that he would pray, but it would be the LORD who would have to move him…not me. So, I prayed, and tried to shut up and just get out of the way. We even did a bible study on adoption. He then lost his job in Oct. of 2010 and I just laid my desire down. I thought that the Lord would have to make miracles happen if we would ever adopt…HE DIDN’T EVEN HAVE A JOB. Well, God is in the business of doing miracles. And, Brian revealed to me that the Lord struck him with a command to go adopt his daughter. That was in November, and he was still w/o a job. He told us on Christmas morning, and we (all the kids) were crying with joy at the thought of finally starting our journey to our little girl! And, we applied for the agency in January. Oh, and Brian got a job right before Christmas. The Lord blessed his obedience!

Here is something that amazes me! As I looked back on my journal entries, seeing the exact month that the Lord revealed to me His plan for us to adopt…..I SAW IT!!!! I ran to my old wall calendars and I counted back 9 months from Tahlia’s birthday of April 2010. You know what!! She was concieved the summer of 2009. And it was this summer, that the Lord had whispered HIS plan into my ear and gave me a “out of nowhere” desire to adopt. Why did He choose that moment, because the Lord conceived Tahlia in my heart, the SAME EXACT TIME HE WAS CONCIEVING TAHLIA IN HER BIRTH MOM’S BELLY!!!!! At this Brian and I just sat amazed and even more grounded in God’s calling. Our God is so sovereign, He had my little daughter’s life all planned out from the moment she was created. And, we get to be a part of it. WOW. His Love is so great. In fact, He has each of our days planned before any of them came to be.
I never could have, never would have imagined in the summer of 2009 that the Lord would over 2 years later be leading us to our beautiful daughter. He has carried us each step of the way, He has made Himself known. He has worked powerfully through our prayers and the prayers of friends and family!

To think that we could have missed His gentle whisper, His gentle calling. Had we gave in to our fears and doubts about all the unknowns and expenses….we would have missed Tahlia, we would have missed the amazing privilege to GET to be her parents. We would have missed out on being part of God’s plans for Tahlia. We are so blessed.

But, the biggest challenges are the final costs needed to travel to China to bring her home.

Honestly, it’s a little difficult (because of our pride), to make our needs known to the Body of Christ around us, but we also know it’s very Biblical to do so. We appreciate your love and friendship very much and would like you to pray & consider helping us in our adoption. There are two ways you can help:

1. Prayer – Please pray God would tenderly care for Tahlia in China until we are able to bring her home, that God would prepare Isabella, Ethan, Helaina and Ashton for the upcoming changes to our family, and that God will give us wisdom, discernment, and insight as we raise Tahlia to know Jesus Christ.

2. Financial support – Will you please consider making a tax-deductible donation to help us pay the remaining Costs in adoption expenses, to bring Tahlia home?

Our Church (Glasgow church) in partnership with Lifesong (www.lifesongfororphans.org) has graciously given a Matching Grant of $3,000 to help pay the final costs to bring Tahlia home.

If you would like to be a part of God bringing Tahlia to Himself through our family, you can send your tax-deductible gift between now and Jan.4th to the address below. Lifesong is a trusted organization administering the funds on Tahlia’s behalf, and will pay adoption expenses out of funds received.

1. Please make checks payable to: Lifesong. Please preference how the donation might be used by writing preference (Cannelongo #2376 adoption)” in the memo section of your check.

(*Note: In following IRS guidelines, your donation is to Lifesong which retains full discretion and control over its use.)

2. Mail checks to:

Please send checks to:

Attn.: Cannelongo #2376 adoption

Lifesong for Orphans

PO Box 40 / 202 N. Ford St

Gridley, IL 61744

Thank you for investing in the Kingdom through prayer and finances – it will be an investment with an eternal return! (Matt 6:20) Please pray this entire process will glorify God and fulfill His purposes!

In His Grace,

Johanna and Brian CanneLongo, and family

Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction… James 1:27

Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will – Ephesians 1:5