With the whole country on lockdown to protect ourselves and others, it seems as though life just came to a screeching and sudden halt and we are all sort of standing around like a deer in headlights as our way of doing life just got turned completely upside down and inside out.
It is hard to stare at this new unfamiliar and dark landscape with no end in sight …..and it is ok to say that “IT IS HARD!”
It is so hard, friends.
Though this situation is unique, our family is no stranger to the feeling of the world collapsing around us. We are no stranger to the wilderness. We are no stranger to the darkness.
But, we are also no stranger to God’s redemptive and rescuing light either!
We have seen the greatest darkness, but we’ve also seen the greatest LIGHT.
Some of you may already know this, but March and April are huge trigger/trauma months for our family. On March 28, 2018, darkness crept into our home, like a thief in the night, and assaulted our Gianna Lilyfaith’s heart and she went into a sudden cardiac arrest. She fought for 3 horrible, and hope-filled weeks until she danced her way into heaven on April 22,2018.
Her greatest miracle became our greatest slaying.
You can read her story here
The flashbacks and memories hit us like speed train, with no mercy, during our world’s most unstable time.
It is hard. It is so very painful.
We walk forward through this month, next month and the rest of our days on this earth with a hole that won’t be filled until heaven and a world that feels terribly turned upside down. We limp forward with a forever ache that screams for Gianna’s hugs and kisses.
But, GOD.
It is Hope that saves us every moment.
It is HOPE that propels us to limp forward. It is because of God’s truth that we stand today and can still smile and feel deep joy along with the great sorrow.
Because we have this HOPE … even when the world is falling apart.
A Living Hope that still breathes and blooms and rises up to the light in a season that feels like an endless night.
Hope is our oxygen when life presses against our chest.
“We have this HOPE as an anchor for our soul, firm and secure.”
(Heb. 6:19)
Hope is what steadies us in this storm of unsurity, no matter the circumstance.
We hate death. But, Death does not win.
We know Gianna lives.
We will see and embrace her again, only because of our Living Hope.
This world is so very broken and we know that disease, death, and destruction do not have the final say.
Amidst the universal suffering of today, He is promising that HE will make all things NEW.
His story is one of victory and restoration!
We have this future, a KNOW-So HOPE…. God is not ever done, until His world is made new!
Eternal Spring is coming, friend!
He is our blazing light in our greatest darkness.
So, where does that leave us?
We live in this never-ending tension between what IS and what WILL BE!
Now more than ever, we live between the reality of an overwhelming darkness on earth, and yet a sure LIGHT that promises to swallow up all that is dark.
“Hope” calls our name today and reminds us that we are safely tucked under His wings for eternity.
We are reminded that God is on the throne and He can bloom life from the depths of our wilderness.
We have this HOPE that chases away fear.
We have this LIGHT that breaks through the weary darkness.
The LORD is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life— of whom shall I be afraid?
Psalm 27:1
…and Here is the BIG REVEAL!!!
Last spring, the Lord called us (after our Gianna went to heaven) to run to her baby sister in China who also needed hope. You can read our journey to Eviemira JunTova here. We had designed and sold T-shirts to help bring her home and to publicly declare that darkness does not win.
These T-shirts held the precious EKG heartbeats of our brave Gianna in the design. Her heartbeat is seen in the sun’s blazing rays, which are literally lighting up the darkness over the mountains.
These shirts became a banner of HOPE in our darkness and a stomping on satan’s head in our wilderness journey.
We were so humbled and hugged by our community around the world as they wore these shirts on Gianna’s heaven anniversary which also came right at Easter time. These shirts were a vessel of provision and a symbol of LIGHT to bring our daughter home! These shirts encouraged ours and so many others’ hearts around the world!
These shirts tell a story of the Resurrection victory.
These shirts tell a promise that darkness does not win!
These shirts declare truth.
Thankfully, we sold hundreds and hundreds of shirts and we have been asked multiple times if we would ever re-launch our store!
As we were brainstorming ways to fundraise for our Live Gia Grow Forever Foundation, it occurred to us that this world needs a bold declaration of LIGHT in the darkness now more than ever!
Because, can there be a better time to wear a promise that propels us to trust and to not fear! Can there be a more important time to shout LIGHT into the darkness?
So……
drumroll……
In honor of our bravest heart warrior, Gianna Lilyfaith, and her forever heartbeats that sing a story of WILD HOPE, we are re-launching our INTO THE LIGHT Store to help fund The LIVE GIA GROW FOREVER FOUNDATION which will continue to bring Hope and fund miracles for orphans from the legacy of her life.
They come in so many awesome colors of LIFE!!
So if you got one last year, now is your chance to get that other color that you were wanting too! (Because we all know how hard it was to choose just one!! ha!)
Will you join us?… Will you join us in declaring a banner of truth that darkness does not have the final say!
As, Psalm 27:1 tells us: Let’s declare light in this dark season of our country and world, whom shall we fear?!
As a village, we can literally light up the world with a bold and beautiful statement of HOPE!
Last Fall (during Giving Tuesday) this community helped us raise enough money to send a sizeable donation to Lilyshouse.net (Gianna’s former China Foster Home) and we were able to give 5 adopting families a “Live Gia Grow Forever” Grant on Gianna’s Birthday on Janurary 10, 2020. Your support has truly grown MORE HOPE for those who need it!
You can read more about our foundation here
‘ We are praying to see these miracles happen again and be able to give more grants, and send another donation to Lily’s House on Gianna’s Heaven day on April 22, 2020 to honor her forever Life. We miss her so very much and the best way we know to face these dark months of March and April is to declare the TRUTH that LIGHT wins! LIFE WINS!
God’s Light of truth has the final say! His light rescues us.
Light tells the story of victorious truth.
Will you please consider helping us fund miracles and also bring light to the darkness of this world bypurchasing a T-shirt!
We can all wear them as a collective anthem to look for Light in this lockdown, a loud anthem to TRUTH in the uncertainty of these times!! A shirt with a reminder to anchor our hearts to the truth that God reigns and He is victorious and darkness cannot hold us down. We are in this together, and together, the light shine brighter!
Because we know that Light literally heals our world!
We will rise up to the light!
Let’s all step into the Light in this lockdown and wear a T-shirt which literally multiplies itself into a hope-giving, mountain-moving miracle!
There are so many beautiful colors to choose from! Many more to choose from in our store!
So, let’s start a movement of HOPE!
Let’s Look to the light in this lockdown!!!
Let’s be light chasers, because a great Light has risen and we can take ahold of it NOW!
OUT OF THE DARKNESS and
INTO THE LIGHT!!!
The store will only be open till April 1 and You can purchase your T-shirts and sweatshirts here! There are many more colors available (and youth too!)
Copy and paste this link below to share to help us multiply even more HOPE and spread even more light!:
https://intothelight.bigcartel.com/
All proceeds will directly benefit THE LIVE GIA GROW FOREVER FOUNDATION!
THANK YOU FOR SPREADING LIGHT AND GROWING HOPE WITH US!
The people living in darkness have seen a great light, and for those living in the land and shadow of death, a light has dawned.”
Matt 4:16
Hope is everything!