Most expectant parents can be founded decorating nurseries, sharing ultrasound pictures and shopping for baby clothes and toys. Jason and Jessica Cardin of Etowah are worrying whether their new child is sleeping in a warm bed and are trying to raise the funds to get her safely home.

Wednesday, November 9, 2011


Greg Moses - Community Life Editor

The Cardins are in the long, strenuous and expensive process of adopting a little girl, Noelle, from the Democratic Republic of Congo in Africa. While the couple has no control over the adoption process as they await word that they’ve been matched with a child, the Cardins are raising money to bring the child home by giving help to someone else in need: A widow.

On Saturday, Nov. 12, the Cardins –with help from friends and volunteers – will raise money for their adoption by helping Kem Taylor fix up her Etowah home. The project is part of the Both Hands initiative, a Nashville-based non-profit organization that serves widows and orphans by having prospective adoptive families raise money through sponsorships and donations while also offering assistance to widows in need of a helping hand.

“It’s an interesting concept, helping an orphan by helping a widow,”Jessica said, who noted the idea comes from the multiple biblical references to widows and orphans, such as in James 1:27, which advises that “pure religion”is obtained by caring for widows and orphans in their times of need.

For Kem Taylor, that time of need was imminent.

Fourteen years ago, Taylor lost her husband of 17 years to multiple sclerosis. With two school-aged children to care for, she re-entered the workforce by becoming an electrician. After sustaining a serious work-related injury from a fall, Taylor kept working through the pain and difficulty for as long as possible.

Being unable to work since 2005, Taylor has faced several struggles and setbacks while working hard to get back on her feet. In that time, working on her home has been nearly impossible. Some time ago, Taylor contacted the Both Hands organization’s Chattanooga affiliate, but at the time, the group didn’t have anyone working on projects in Etowah.

“I’d about given up on getting any kind of help,”Taylor said. “I was running my wheels bare trying to get help, but I knew the Lord always fills our needs.”

Jessica and Jason were also getting discouraged as they reached the 11-month mark in the adoption process. The couple had applied for a grant through LifeSong, which administers the Both Hands program. LifeSong encouraged the Cardins to do a project in Etowah and subsequently introduced them to Taylor.

“She just lives a couple of blocks from us on our street,”Jessica said. “It’s so amazing. We pass by her house every day and never knew she was there needing our help and that we’d meet her someday and make a friend.”

“When Jason called, it was just in time,”Taylor said.

“We met with Kem and it just immediately felt like this is what we were supposed to do all along,”Jessica said.

Through the Both Hands project, the Cardins and Taylor have both learned that patience is truly a virtue.

“We’re in a fast food society where we think we have to have everything now,”Jessica said. “This has made me remember that everything’s in God’s time, not our time. When you go too fast, you miss things.”

“Once you start getting through the struggles,”Taylor added, “you see the lessons learned.”

The Cardins have put together a team of volunteers, including friends, family members and even a few students from Central High School, where Cardin is on the faculty as a Spanish instructor.

Some of the volunteers have worked to raise money for the Cardins’ adoption –in much the same way golfers and runners are sponsored in fundraiser tournaments –while others are just lending their hand to help someone in need.

From 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, the team will be giving Taylor’s home a new paint job, while also winterizing her house and doing yard work.

“It’ll be a day-long process,”Jessica said.

Donations of materials have been made by Hiwassee Builders Supply, Sherwin-Williams and Lowe’s of Athens.

Anyone interested in helping can contact Jason Cardin at 887-3150.

“Skill isn’t as important as the heart behind it,”Jessica said of volunteering. “We won’t turn anyone away, certainly. If anyone wants to be a part of this, we welcome them to help out.”

For more information on the Cardins’ Both Hands project, or to make a donation toward their adoption, visit their webpage at http://bothhandsfoundation.org/jason-and-jessica-cardin.aspx

You can read more about their personal adoption journey by visiting

http://thecardinscongoadoption.blogspot.com


To learn more about Both Hands, visit www.bothhandsfoundation.org

Email: greg.moses@ dailypostathenian.com

Read full article at www.dailypostathenian.com/dynamic/Lifestyles/Story/178883