National Adoption Day Comes to Harris County Family Court

I had the most amazing day today. Thanks to our newly formed orphan and adoption ministry, 1:17, and our participation in a larger alliance of churches in Houston for adoption, I got the chance to help out with a huge celebration of adoption today. Today in the Harris County family court system we celebrated National Adoption Day by throwing a huge party for about 46 kids being welcomed into forever families. Here's the story as shown on the local news tonight. You can see me in one shot wielding my camera in the background, since my main job was...of course...photography!

 
I can't wait to share more photos from the day, but the court has to go through them all to make sure they are ok for publishing. It was barely controlled chaos in our party room...a converted courtroom filled with waiting families, crafts, food, gifts, clowns and Santa! Then in two courtrooms on the same floor we had concurrently running dockets full of adoption consummations. I got the chance to witness about ten of these, and to take the first official family photo in the courtroom with the presiding judge. There were tears of joy and hugs all around. And that totally works for me!