Follow Us Back to Taiwan

In less than 48 hours, Janie and I will be in the air for our second journey to Taiwan in less than a year. Two trips. Same purpose...bring home a son. It's surreal to think that exactly a year ago it was just Janie and me. Now we have two sons?!? I honestly can't remember what we did before Chase. Children are one of the rare things in life that once you have them you can't remember how you got along before you had them (your driver's license and your first cell phone are two others).

Ever since, November 4 and we learned about Chase's little brother, Jackson, we have been preparing to welcome him into our family. It's been fun teaching Chase what is about to happen but you have to wonder what is going through his eighteen-month, sponge-like mind.

We ask him, "Where's Jackson?" He points to the picture hanging on the kitchen bulletin board. Ask him, "Where will Jackson sleep?" He will guide you past his bedroom, to the end of the hallway, where Jackson's cowboy-themed room anxiously awaits its resident. Janie just bought Chase a shirt that loudly declares, "I'm the Big Brother!" He will be a good one.

I am so grateful to God for the way he is building our family. Flying across an ocean and landing on an island sounds like a TV show not how one adds members to his family. But it sure works for us.

Just like last time, we invite you to stow away in our suitcases and join us for our journey. In our limited access to technology we will be updating everyone via the following ways:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/mattmehaffey & www.facebook.com/janiemehaffey

Twitter: www.twitter.com/mattmehaffey

And of course, right here on the blog.

Your prayers are all we ask in return.

My Boy

When did Chase become a a little boy? Driving home from work today, I made up my mind that I would take him to the park so Janie could have a break (aka prepare dinner, some break huh?).  So he hopped on his 3-wheeler, which he is still too little to peddle but he loves to ride it and let mom and dad push, and we were off on our brief excursion.  We stopped by the pond to say "Hello" to Chase's friends (the ducks) and then across the street to the neighborhood park.

He headed straight for the slide.  The first step up the slide is a tall one and I bent down to give him a boost like I have done many times only to find out I was no longer needed for assistance.  He was at the top in no time.

At the top of the slide there's a bar that runs across directly over his head.  Without even a thought, he lunged forward, shot his arms up, grabbed the bar and began swinging himself back and forth like his hero Curious George (the sticker on his forehead is even from George).  The kid has some serious upper body strength!  We may very well be watching him in the 2028 Olympics as he brings home the gold in men's gymnastics.

When it was time to head home I noticed a tree that would be great for climbing and I boosted him up to a little nook about five feet from the ground where he could get a good footing.  It was like I unlocked a whole other world for him to explore.  He just wanted to stay there looking up, his little brain soaking everything in.  He pointed up and grunted a word that I deciphered as, "Up."

I'm glad I remembered to take a shot from my cell phone of the first of many trees he will climb in his life.  Chase is ALL BOY and I wouldn't have it any other way.

First Court Date

Just got word that April 22 at 11:00 a.m. (April 21, 11 p.m. our time) is the first of two court dates for us to adopt Jackson.  We do not travel for this one but we will for the next.  The second one usually occurs about three weeks after the first.

This is the day Jackson's birth mom (who is also Chase's) will tell the judge she is legally putting this child up for adoption. The picture is the exact courthouse where this will take place.  Ted Skiles (founder of The Home of God's Love) took us there when we went to adopt Chase.

Janie and I pray for this young woman often and are so grateful that she courageously gave birth to these two amazing, young boys.  We are also going to take this opportunity to write her a letter and have it translated and delivered to her by Ted on the court date.  We want to express our gratitude and let her know Chase and Jackson are going to be well loved and cared for.

R-1 Visa Approved!

Thanks to everyone who has taken up the 30DayPray Challenge for Zeca and his family because I am thrilled to announce that our prayers were answered.  It didn't even take 30 days to get the answer we were hoping for! I spoke with Zeca and Gabia on Skype this afternoon and they are overjoyed at the news.  Their daughter, Talita, is getting married at the end of April and then they will be making the move to the Pembroke Pines area.

It feels like The Pursuit just won the 1st pick in the NBA lottery.  Men like Zeca are a rare find and God knows we need more men of integrity like him in South Florida.

Please keep them in your prayers as they make their transition to the U.S. and for the many lost people in South Florida they will help find their way back to God.

Action Jackson

Alright, I know I am their dad and all but could our sons be any cuter? This latest pic, from The Home of God's Love shows Jackson sporting his 70's look.  He's in desperate need of facial hair so he can grow some mutton chops.

30DayPray for Zeca

Nearly two years ago I met my dear friends from Brazil, Zeca and Gabia Sales (and their amazing daughters).  Their love for God and people far from Him left an indelible impression on me.  Their desire to help Portuguese-speaking people far from God in Miami and the vision of The Pursuit was a perfect fit.  So we began the process of getting an R-1 Visa for them to come to the States.

I didn't know what we were getting ourselves into.

Apparently there has been a ton of fraud by fly-by-night non-profits who only founded their ghost organizations as a front to bring people illegally to the U.S.  The USCIS has been cracking down on this and the fact that we are a new church, and a non-denominational one at that, has actually hurt us.  It makes sense.  They can't just call up our denominational headquarters to see if we are legit because there isn't one.  So here we are two years later and we still do not have an answer.

To be frank, I would have given up a year ago had God not kept showing how he was working while we were waiting:

• a Christ-follower in the Pembroke Pines area who knows of Zeca and Gabia has offered them a house to live in when they get here FOR FREE!
• generous Christian Churches in Florida (Tomoka in Ormond Beach and Northeast in Kissimmee) and Brazil have continued their faithful financial support for Zeca.
• we were connected with two fantastic immigration attorneys in Chicago who worked many pro-bono hours on our behalf.
• and most recently we were introduced to another immigration attorney (this one local) who has connections inside the USCIS and has begun pushing hard to get the case resolved.

Finally, we are getting somewhere. Last week, I was called by an immigration officer who said we would receive an answer within 30 Days.

I am asking everyone to pray for 30 days so that we can finally bring them to South Florida and that they will be rewarded for their patience and faithfulness.  There is no question in my mind that they will be worth the wait!

Invite to The Pursuit Downtown Miami

To promote the launch of The Pursuit Downtown Miami we have sent out invites to everyone who lives in and around the area.  We've had a great response so far from people who have received them in Miami Beach, Coconut Grove & the Downtown area.  My favorite comment came from someone who said, "Finally a church is coming into Downtown instead of leaving!" Pray for those residents who are receiving the cards.  Pray specifically, that God will move them to take action and be a part of what He is doing to make this city great.

Launch Sunday is only 3 days away!

Happy Chinese New Year

It's ridiculous that my blog has been wishing everyone Merry Christmas for the past month and a half.  I'm definitely getting the itch to post more frequently again and it's a good thing too cause there are some very exciting things that would be a shame for you to miss out on. So I guess that's my Chinese New Year resolution.  More blog posts.  So here's to the Year of the Tiger.

Merry Christmas

To think, exactly one year ago today we got the phone call that changed our life forever.  Now we have TWO sons (Jackson not pictured cause he's still in Taiwan).  We are so grateful to God for all the blessings our family has experienced in 2009.

Have a Merry Christmas!

Why I'm Dusting Off My Bike

Last time we went to Taiwan to adopt Chase, my friend Ben Williams (who has adopted two lovely young ladies from The Home of God's Love), warned me that Ted Skiles would invite me to join him on his routine 25 mile, morning bike ride through the mountains.  He was right.  I declined each day but I wasn't the only loser (I'm talking about you, Darren Dunaway.  If I'm going down, you're going down with me.)  Mind you, I was 30 lbs. heavier and it is Miami-HOT in the summertime in Taiwan. When we learned we were going back to adopt Chase's little bro, Jackson, I told Janie, "I'm going to be ready for Ted this time!"  I blame that little outburst on the adrenaline shooting through my veins.  Note:  You shouldn't believe anything a guy says in the 24 hours after he learns he is going to have another son.  Give the testosterone time to work its way out of the system.  

Janie apparently hasn't learned that yet since she just bought me a gift certificate to get my bike tuned up for training.

Actually, I'm really looking forward to it.  Ted is a hero of mine and I'll do whatever it takes to get to spend more time learning from him.

Our Mini-Cooper

Two new pictures of Jackson Cooper Mehaffey in my email inbox this morning made my day.  I can't believe how much more he looks like Chase.  Right now it's looking like the earliest we will get to Taiwan to bring him home will be March.

Introducing Jackson Cooper Mehaffey

Here is the first picture of many to come of our new son.  He definitely has Chase's nose and full head of hair. And let's just be clear that we named him "Jackson" in  honor of Janie's dad (Jack), and not Yankee great "Mr. October" Reggie Jackson.  But I don't think it's a coincidence that Jackson was born in October and now the Yankees are World Series Champs!

Taiwan Adoption the Sequel

Our world was rocked last night. I think my heart skipped a beat when I checked the caller ID on my iPhone and saw a very familiar phone number from Taiwan.  Ted Skiles, founder of The Home of God's Love, (a Christ-centered orphanage through whom we adopted our son, Chase from earlier this year) was calling with some completely out-of-the-blue news.

He told us Chase's birth mom had recently given birth to another baby boy, put him up for adoption and that the little guy is now residing at THOGL.  Since he is Chase's little brother, Ted asked us if we would be willing to be his parents too (which is the easiest question we've been asked since Ted asked us last Christmas if we wanted Chase)!  I'm not sure reality has fully soaked in yet but we are so thankful to God and everyone at Ray of Hope and THOGL who are being used by Him in huge ways.

This has caught us so off guard we do not have a name for him yet!  We're kicking around some ideas and will post later what we decide.  Can you believe that Janie vetoed my "Fabio" suggestion?  The process of adopting Chase was one of the best experiences of our lives and we loved sharing it with everyone as it happened through this blog, Facebook and Twitter.  So buckle up with us and enjoy the ride cause here we go again.

Habakkuk - When God Seems Unfair

We are kicking off a new series at The Pursuit on November 1. We will be studying the book of Habakkuk which wrestles through many questions we still ask today.

Ever get the feeling God isnʼt fair? Ever wonder why bad people seem to get away with taking advantage of the weak? Ever been curious why there is so much injustice, war and suffering in the world?

We see tragedy everyday. Discover how an Old Testament prophet can inspire a modern day faith in Godʼs Promises.

Sunday, November 1 Habakkuk (pt. 1) Title: Where Are You, God?

Sunday, November 8 Habakkuk (pt. 2) Title: In the Dip

Sunday, November 15 Habakkuk (pt. 3) Title: Climbing Out of the Dip

(much love to lifechurch.tv for the killer resources!)

SOAP Bible Study Works for Me (for now)

I'm not usually one who likes to do anything systematically.  I like to forge my own way through.  But lately I have felt my quiet time (someone needs to come up with a better name for this ... sounds like punishment) has become stale.  I show up but I'm not fully present.  Ever been there?

And then I remembered a simple practice that Dr. Wayne Cordeiro, Senior Pastor at New Home Christian Fellowship in Oahu, taught at the Exponential Conference in Orlando a couple years ago.  He called it SOAP (for Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer). I remember writing it down in my Moleskine and thinking, "I will never use this.  Acrostics are SO 1980s."

What can I say, I was desperate so I gave it a shot.  Each morning with my freshly brewed cup of coffee I have been doing the following:

Talk to God, saying something like, "God, I'm showing up again. Give me Your insight into your Word and give me something fresh that I can apply today even if it stretches me."

Then I would read through a chapter of a book (this week I've been in Habakkuk & Titus) and every time at least one verse jumped out at me.  I then wrote those verses down in my Moleskine journal.  Here is my walk thru the SOAP method from 10.19.09 (Monday):

[S] Habakkuk 1:5 "For I am doing a work in your days that you would not believe if told." - GOD

[O] Habakkuk sees the wickedness all around him and it seems as if God is allowing it to flourish. From Habakkuk's perspective God is sitting idly by but God tells him He is doing a work that wouldn't even be believed if he was told.

[A] God is God and I am not. He sits on the throne and the entire universe bows to His authority.  He is just.  Nothing goes on

without  His knowing.  Even if we can't see it in the moment we can trust that He is going to be a just God.  I can concern myself with things I cannot control or I can focus on loving & obeying God.  The choice is mine.

[P] This one is between me and God.  But believe me this is something I needed this week.

Truth be told I will probably drop the SOAP method (yeah I went there) eventually when it gets stale.  And I'll try something else for awhile.  That's how I am wired.  But for now it's exactly what I needed to fuel up.

Proverbs 22:6

"Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it."

Proven Wi$dom For All of Us

Here in South Florida, we all know someone who has been ravaged by the recent economic crisis. The words "foreclosure," "bankruptcy," "loan-modification" and "bail-out" are now a part of everyone's vernacular.

We all could use some proven wisdom these days.

That wisdom is closer than you might think. In the month of September, both locations of The Pursuit Christian Church (Pembroke Pines & Century Village) will be going through a series featuring financial expert and New York Times bestselling author, Dave Ramsey (via video). You are invited to join us as he shares timeless advice that brings proven results.  Now is the time to learn how to take control of your financial future and launch a personal economic revolution during this upcoming series.

Click here for more details.

Putting Your Rep on the Line

So Michael Vick is a Philadelphia Eagle now. Vick is excited. PETA is outraged. And Philly fans are well, Philly fans.

To me the most intriguing part of this saga is Tony Dungy. Here is one of the most admired men in all of sports, going before Michael Vick, putting his own integrity and reputation on the line. Listen to Head Coach of the Eagles, Andy Reid, who admits that Dungy's vote of confidence in Vick is a key factor to why he is now on the roster.

Not to get all Biblical on you, but this reminds me of the relationship between Barnabas and Saul. Saul, a man who went from executing Christ-followers to becoming one, tries to see the leaders of the early church in Jerusalem. They want nothing to do with him. What if this is a trick? What if he relapses? What if...?

Along comes Barnabas who has this Dungy-like reputation among the disciples, who sees something in Saul and isn't afraid to get his hands dirty. He builds a relationship with Saul and goes before the church leaders on Saul's behalf (see Acts 9:26-27). Saul, later known as Paul, goes on to become one of the most influential Christians whose letters make up almost half of the New Testament.

As a follower of Jesus, I am rooting for Michael Vick. If anyone should be a fan of grace, redemption and second chances it ought to be a people who receive all of those gifts in limitless amounts from Jesus. Maybe we shouldn't be so quick to write people off for past mistakes and instead walk with them and point them to the new work that only Jesus can do in them.

Back to School

This past weekend, The Pursuit was at its best. Led by some of our amazing servant leaders we collected school supplies for the foster kids at Children's Harbor in Pembroke Pines.  The result was a few hundred book bags stuffed full of goodies for school.

We are convinced that God has blessed us and in turn we are to pour out that blessing on others around us.

Then on Sunday we celebrated by doing the other thing that our church is really good at.  We partied.

[vimeo http://vimeo.com/5877181]

Adoption in Retrospect pt. 2

Many people have asked us about our experience with international adoption. I've heard so many horror stories of shady dealings with government officials and awful living conditions in orphanages. We had completely the opposite experience. The Home of God's Love, the place Chase spent his first 8 months of life, is appropriately named. We are so grateful Ted and Bev Skiles followed God's call on their lives to move to Taiwan to care for kids who were abandoned by their birth parents.

Ted has become a personal hero of mine. The guy is in his 60's, bikes 20 miles thru the mountains every morning, is incredibly generous, learned to be fluent in Mandarin Chinese, and has a faith in God that I crave for myself. We were at the home for 5 days and I am not sure I ever saw the guy sit down. Rumor has it that he actually sleeps. One day he took us to the breath-taking Taroko Gorge and we hiked one trail that was about 10-15 miles. He left us in the dust. Ridiculous.

We met so many amazing people at THOGL and miss them very much.  Hopefully one day, we will be able to go back so Chase can see his home away from home again.

On a side note, below is a video of Chase and his buddy, Micah.  They were the two oldest baby boys at the home and loved to play together.  Micah's parents live in Colorado so hopefully one day they can come and visit us in Miami for the beaches and we can visit them and teach Chase to ski!

[vimeo http://vimeo.com/5738892]