Update: Yesterday, my site was hacked, causing all kind of weirdness – no one could order a CD, for instance. Coincidence? Nah. But the ever-brilliant Ben Stewart leapt to action, took the site down for a while, got under the hood and fixed it. All better. Take that, hackers. Thanks for your patience, faithful readers.

We thought we had six months to a year before finally adopting siblings from Ethiopia. But then, last week, our agency called and asked if we could take in a 4 year-old boy from another country in need of immediate placement. We said yes and yesterday we brought him home.

The story of how he came to us is truly remarkable but won’t be told here. We also won’t be posting his picture or his name anywhere either. This is no ordinary adoption.

He’s not officially our son yet. There is much work to be done by many wise and compassionate people on both sides of an ocean.

Here’s what I can tell you. And this is important.

We need your prayers. They work!

We have an amazing little boy in our house, filling it with laughter and new words and lots of legos. But he has given up a great deal to join our family. And from every member of our newly enlarged family, a new level of compassion and patience is now required. There is so much joy in our house today but… The process of grafting our lives together has just begun and will naturally be difficult for him – and all of us – at times. Pray us through please?

Also.

This album we’re releasing August 30th – Third World Symphony – is now more than a regular old album. It is perhaps one of the most elaborate adoption fundraisers ever!

See, because we thought we had another six months to a year of this adoption process, we had budgeted accordingly. And because this child needs stability and routine very much right now, I will likely be canceling appearances for the next couple weeks or more – not ideal financially but the best for him. Now, we don’t know, but it is highly likely that we will need adoption funds much sooner than we’d anticipated – and possibly more than we’d originally thought too.

So, we’re not asking for donations. We’re not having a garage sale. (Yet.) We’re simply asking that you continue to champion this record, Third World Symphony, across the internet and in the real world too. It won’t be in stores. It won’t be on the radio. So, you are our marketing strategy…and now you are our adoption fundraising team. There’s not a better one in the world!

Listen to the album below or at soundcloud.com. And pre-order the CD today at shaungroves.com/store or buy from iTunes starting August 30th, 2011.

As always, we are so thankful as a family for your love, encouragement and prayers. “Thank you” just isn’t enough. But thank you.

-Shaun
(And the rest of the Groves Family)

Third World Symphony by shaungroves

Third World Symphony by shaungroves