New Website

There is a new website for our Bartlett Auction!

Please visit www.SSBartlett.org  to get the latest on our Bartlett Fundraiser.

The dinner is May 31st.

Click the brochure to download.

More Auction Items

Here are a few more items that have come in for this Friday!

Indoor Water Feature

Spring Wreath

Malt Shoppe Table

Another quilt

Antique Rocking Chair

Angel Figurine in a Swing

Our auction is this Friday night! If you still want to come and haven't bought tickets, make sure to let us know and you can pay at the door.

Why We Do This

These two handsome boys and their younger sister are why we have this dinner and auction every year.

Our fifth annual fundraiser will benefit the Ellis family from Tennessee. They are in the process of adopting 3 siblings -- 2 boys who are 4 & 5 years old and a little sister who is 2. The whole family will be in Bartlett for our fundraiser on June 1st.

 Our goal this year is $19,000 to help these 3 children join their new family. We need your help so please plan to support this effort in any way you can.

Don't forget to get your form filled out to join us for the dinner.  You can click on the picture below to download one.  Also, if you would like to donate something for our auction, you still have time to get something sent in. Contact me if you are interested (laurastarnes@ymail.com).

New Auction Items

We have a few new pictures of some items being donated!  Check these out!

Owl Quilt

polka paisley pup

Turtle Quilt

Thomas Kincade Reprint - Gorgeous Framing!

A Robbie Bingham original! =)

Smocked Dress

If you would like to donate please feel free to contact me!
Laura Starnes - laurastarnes@ymail.com

Hope You Can Make It!

Here is the sign up and registration for our 2012 Dinner, Auction and Pancake Breakfast!

We hope you can make it.  Just click the picture of the form to download.

After you download, print it, fill it out and get it sent in! 

2012 Sacred Selections Auction & Dinner

Our 5th Annual Dinner and Auction is coming up!

June 1, 2012

We hope you will join us!

This is our save the date postcard...how precious!

We will have the barbecue dinner as usual and of course our auction!

We are currently looking for items to be donated.

This year we are trying to collect items that are hand made.

These things always seem to do best.

If you are able to donated, please email me

laurastarnes{at}ymail{dot}com

We will also have a BAKE SALE this year!  Our tasty homemade desserts that we have each year will now be made To-Go (for a price).

Here is just a few of the goodies that are usually found on our dessert table.

Please check back regularly.  As items come in, we will be posting them here so that you can see what's up for auction.

Let's make our 5th year our best year yet to find sweet babies a home with loving, Godly parents.

An Adoption Story

Sacred Selections,
Our journey towards adoption actually began almost ten years ago. From the day we became husband and wife, we have always wanted to raise godly children in a Christian home. Our plan was to have two children naturally and then adopt a child one day from Korea. However, after seven years of marriage and then two years of trying to conceive, we quickly realized what most of us forget, is that our plan is not always God’s plan. After a lot of praying and placing matters into His magnificent hands, His plan became very clear to us. From this moment, it was obvious that our dream to adopt a child was no longer in the future, but in the present. With the persistent threats to the safety of Koreans and the steady reduction in the Korean international adoption program, we knew that God was leading us down a definitive path. Our Korean adoption process had officially begun.

Once we started down this path, we never looked back except to reflect and to thank God for showing us the way. When we started the process, we had a lot of unanswered questions, such as paperwork, financing the process and the usual mysteries of adoption. With unanswered questions and mysteries comes faith. With faith enters God with the answers. With our biggest concern being finances, Amanda took a job as a nanny and we saved as much money as we possibly could. We also tried to raise as much money as possible with yard sales, cookie sales, etc. Even knowing that God was in control, there was still an obvious shortcoming in our financial need.

Through His marvelous guidance, God brought another Christian couple with a passion for adoption to our local church. This couple, Chad and Becca Ford, provided us with encouragement, understanding hearts, listening ears, plus an awareness and connection to a great organization called Sacred Selections. A few months after applying for a grant, we received a phone call one night from Dana Carrozza. God had answered our prayers and concerns with a grant in the exact amount that filled our ultimate adoption financial need. God is great and without his providence and the Sacred Selections organization, we would not have been able to continue our adoption story any further.

 As the story continues, one day in late October of 2010, Amanda received a phone call from our adoption agency. It was the call that we had been long awaiting. As Amanda was filled with tears of joy, she struggled to breathe as she told me the news. In a rush, we left work and headed to the agency office to find out the details of our baby boy. We could hardly imagine another happier moment as we shuffled through the pictures and the reports telling us all about our new son. The next few months were a long and difficult wait. We kept ourselves busy prepping for the arrival of our son. Two days after Valentine’s Day, we finally met our son at the airport in Atlanta. What an anxious and amazing day all wrapped into one! God’s plan for us had finally unfolded and the journey towards raising our son had begun.

There are so many things to be thankful for through this process…
• Our family and friends who supported us in too many ways to count
• Sacred Selections and the generous donors’ encouragement and financial assistance
• Most importantly, God, for his providence, power and love
With love from our Family,
Joshua, Amanda and Phineas Nettles

2011 Bartlett Benefit Info

As stated in the previous post, the 4th Annual Bartlett Benefit weekend will take place June 10th and 11th this year. The barbecue dinner and auction will be Friday night, June 10th at the Bartlett Municipal Center (5868 Stage Road). As in years past, we will enjoy delicious Memphis-style barbecue and a variety of homemade desserts as well as silent and live auctions. This event will begin at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are available in advance only - $12.50 for children 12 and under and $25.00 for adults.

On Saturday morning, June 11th we will host a golf tournament at Wedgewood Golfers' Club (5206 Tournament Drive, Olive Branch, MS) beginning at 8:00 a.m. with a shotgun start. The entry fee is $125.00 per person and includes range balls, green fee with cart, refreshments during the round, many contests with prizes, post tournament awards, and a steak lunch. Mulligans and red tees may be purchased when you register or at the tournament.

For those who don't golf, Dixie Cafe has generously donated their restaurant in Bartlett to us for a pancake breakfast from 7:30 to 9:00 a.m. on June 11th as well. Tickets are available in advance and at the door for $5.00.

All proceeds from the 2011 Bartlett Benefit go to Sacred Selections. Please see the attached brochure and registration form. Registration forms with entry fees and donations are due by May 27th to Rod and Lisa Waterman. If you have any questions, please email us at sacredselectionsfundraiser@gmail.com.
Also, if you have any ideas for auction items or any items you would like to donate to the auction, email us. We need these turned in by May 27th as well.

 We look forward to seeing all of you in a few short weeks!

4th Annual Benefit Info Announced

It's that time of year again - time for the 4th Annual Sacred Selections Bartlett Benefit! This year's benefit weekend will take place on June 10th and 11th. We are still getting the details figured out and will update the blog as soon as we know everything, but there will be a Barbecue Dinner and Auction on Friday evening, June 10th. A pancake breakfast will take place on Saturday morning, June 11th as well as a golf tournament. Check back for further details, or "like" our Facebook page ("Sacred Selections Annual Benefit in Bartlett, TN) to get all the latest news and updates.

Sacred Selections is a non-profit, privately funded and run organization that helps match children in need with families who will love and care for them. Sacred Selections works from both ends of the adoption process. We seek out children who are in need of loving families and Christian families who want a child to share their love and blessings with. Another big part of Sacred Selection's mission is to help these families with the financial burden of adoption. This is where you come in! Your support and donations will help us fund adoptions for these families! In the past 3 years the Bartlett Benefit has raised $47,000 and helped fund 9 adoptions! We need your help to make this year an even bigger success.

 For more information on Sacred Selections, visit their website at http://www.sacredselections.org. We look forward to seeing everyone the weekend of June 10th and 11th and raising money for this worthy cause! 
 

Week in Orlando!!

Lynda Davenport has graciously donated a 6-night stay in a two bedroom, two bath villa at Vacation Villas at Fantasy World Resort in Orlando, FL for the week of July 23-July 30, 2010!

Vacation Villas at Fantasy World resort is composed of Mediterranean Style, two story villas that sleep 6 people comfortably. All units come fully equipped with full kitchens, washers and dryers, TV and DVD. Ready for your active Central Florida vacation! They are located minutes from Walt Disney World® and area attractions including Sea World®, Universal Studios Florida®, and Downtown Disney®. Resort amenities include 3 swimming pools, lighted tennis courts, basketball courts, a club house, busines center, exercise room, activities room, a bar and grill, and a concierge desk which arranges transportation to and from the area's attractions, as well as discounted tickets to the attractions.

Master bedroom with queen size bed

2nd bedroom with two twin beds

Full size kitchen

Living room with pull out queen sofa bed and eating area

We are so excited to have it available for our LIVE auction this Friday night! Check it out - don't you think it's time YOU took a vacation?

Auction Items

The 3rd Annual Sacred Selections Barbeque Dinner and Auction takes place this coming Friday evening, June 11th, at 6:30 p.m. We are so excited about the wonderful auction items that have been donated. Here is a sampling:

Heirloom hand-smocked linen dress made by Mary Hudson - $200 value

Queen size Grandmother's Flower Garden quilt, hand-pieced and hand-quilted by Robbie Bingham in Steele, Missouri

Peter Rabbit baby quilt valued at $30 and donated by Nancy Phillips of Jackson, TN

Homak security cabinet, may be mounted on top of a gun cabinet or stand alone. Donated by Tim Phillips of Jackson, TN. Valued at $89.

Lil' Banshee Junior Archery Set - A great beginner archery set with an 18 lb. draw compound bow, arm guard, finger tab, target, and two arrows. Valued at $49.99. Also donated by Tim Phillips.

Walls turkey hunting vest with a built-in removable seat for comfort, pockets for turkey calls, game bag, and lots more interior and exterior pockets. $40 value. Also donated by Tim Phillips.

Less Than 2 Weeks Left!!!

We appreciate so many of you sending your registrations in already. Your generosity is overwhelming and we are thrilled to be part of your efforts. This year’s event is shaping up to be another fun-filled huge success with brothers and sisters coming from all around. We will all love hearing the stories from the couples that have received grants from Sacred Selections and, of course, David and Dana Carrozza. So, if you have not passed this great opportunity on to your friends, please do it now so they too can experience the joy of helping christian couples with the expenses of adopting the unwanted babies.

With two great years behind us, it would have been easy to stop for awhile. But, your enthusiasm would just not allow it! You all exhibit the true nature of God’s children when you continuously look for opportunities to help in this scriptural and loving way. We look forward to working with you to help remove the financial barriers of adoption so the babies can get into good christian homes.

For those of you who have not yet sent in registrations or donations, please get those in soon so we can plan accordingly. (see form below) We have extended the deadline through the end of this week!

Looking forward to a great time with all of you!

Hole-in-One Prize -- 2011 Hyundai Sonata!

We want to thank Homer Skelton Hyundai for their generous Hole-in-One prize donation for the golf tournament - a brand new 2011 Hyundai Sonata!


So get your registration forms turned in TODAY for the golf tournament. You don't want to miss this amazing opportunity to contribute to such a worthwhile cause AND get the chance to win a new car!

Houston Benefit

The word has spread, and Bartlett isn't the only area raising money for this awesome cause! If you are planning to be in the Houston area on June 19th or 26th, join Jeff and Darleen Ledbetter for one or both of their planned events. On June 19th a pancake breakfast will be held at Applebee's in Pasadena, TX and on June 26th a reception and auction will be held at Cullen's Restaurant in Houston, TX.

Please go to their webpage for more information and to view the video advertisements for their events.

http://www.jeffanddarleen.com/ss/

T-Minus 29 days...and counting!

The countdown to the 3rd Annual Sacred Selections Bartlett Benefit weekend has begun! If you plan to attend the Barbeque Feast and Auction on Friday night, June 11th and/or participate in the Golf Tournament on Saturday, June 12th, we need to have your registration form and check by MAY 28th - which is only 2 WEEKS AWAY! Just print the form from the previous post and mail it in to the address printed on the form with your payment.

May 28th is also the deadline for any donations you would like to make for the silent and live auctions. We've already received some wonderful items including a handmade afghan, tickets to the zoo, season tickets to University of Memphis football, Kindermusik summer camp, a golf foursome at Spring Creek, and an adorable size 2 hot pink dress with a green frog.

As always, cash donations are always welcome and appreciated!

Thanks so much for supporting Sacred Selections and helping babies to find christian homes.

2010 Benefit Info and Registration Form

The 3rd Annual Sacred Selections Benefit in Bartlett is less than 2 months away! Click the pictures below and print for all the information about this year's activities, from the barbeque dinner and auction to the pancake breakfast and golf tournament. Don't forget to print the registration form and get it mailed in with your donation by MAY 28TH! We can't wait to see everyone this year and see how much money we can raise for this worthy cause!

Save the Date!

It's time to start planning for the 3rd annual Sacred Selections Benefit!

Benefit Weekend Wrap-up!

Truly Amazing! So many of you have shown how generous and loving you are through your unwavering support of Sacred Selections. You have proven that even a slow economy cannot keep faithful christians from helping those in need. After all was tallied and expenses were covered, the latest events provided a total of over $17,300 to the work of Sacred Selections !! That is $5,000 more than 2008! Some of you may have heard that one week after the events, Sacred Selection’s board met and promised funds to a couple in the northwest with more to follow soon. We will be updating the Sacred Selections website with those details (www.sacredselections.org) so visit often and stay in touch.

I also want you to know that your example has set a fire. We have been contacted by several people throughout the country asking how they too can host events to benefit these children and couples. Your example is encouraging to us, the couples in need, and others looking for ways to help!

It is an awesome privilege to work with God’s family and witness the generosity of your hearts. So, while we thank you for your participation in this work, we praise God and give Him the glory for teaching us His ways and providing the opportunity to serve Him by serving others!

Simply Amazing!

WOW! You are not going to believe the number of business donations we have for the auction this year! Plus, we have 9 days still before the Sacred Selections Benefit weekend and we already have 25% more people committed than last year! Included in that number are some very special folks. You will meet both of the couples that we helped last year – the Corleys from Alabama, and the Lankfords from Texas! It will be great to see the fruits of your labor as we pull the money together to help even more!

Thanks to all of you that already sent in your registration forms. We needed to know how many to plan for, but it is not too late if you forgot! Just call or email us to let us know you are planning to attend and we will save you a spot. Everything is really coming together and it promises to be a lot of fun! But remember, if you can’t make it, there are still lots of babies needing your help. Please find a way to send a small donation; even $20 will help to build funds for bringing these couples and babies together.

Thanks for all of the massive support for these babies and couples. God’s people are amazing!

We look forward to seeing you all next week!

Rod & Lisa Waterman
901-380-0819

Another Note from Dana

Support of SACRED SELECTIONS does more than helping fund adoptions for Christians... it places joy, hope and trust in hearts of birthmothers that have been stripped of these blessings.

Over the years David and I have talked with countless birthmothers and they ALL naturally express concern over the family that will adopt their child.

Probably one of their first concerns is if the family can afford the adoption.

Now since SACRED SELECTIONS we have had the privilege of telling the birthmothers of the many, many Christians all around the world who are donating their money and time to help see that their baby will be placed in a Christian home.

I wish you could see and hear their AMAZEMENT that strangers would be helping them and their child for no other reason than to make sure that their baby is safe and loved in a good Christian home!

Often times this example of Christian giving has helped to plant seeds of faith in the birthmothers' empty hearts. Many have attended church services with us....they want to know more about this family of God that cares for them and their child. We make sure that they have Bibles before they leave us and we pray that God will become their light and shine His path for them for the rest of their lives!

Who knows but God what your donation can render, not only in the placement of a child into a loving Christian home, but to the very soul of a young woman floundering in the world searching for love not knowing of the most perfect love that only our Lord can and is so willing to give!

Your giving back to God from the Blessings God gave you will be the most extraordinary and powerful example of God's love that a birthmother may ever witness!

Please keep the birthmothers in your prayers that they choose life and see God's love in us!

Dana Carrozza