Beard Of The Week | Asher Pirtle

It is our absolute joy and privilege to introduce you to this weeks Beard Of The Week boy....

ASHER PIRTLE!

 

A baby beard, you say? Why yes, of course! This is A BEARD FOR A BABY after all, so we can't discriminate against even the littlest of beards. But lest you think he is disqualified for his lack of facial hair, let us take a moment to correct you.... Because the truth is, Asher can grow a better beard than most. See for yourselves, yo.

Exhibit A: The Sharpie Beard. Shirtless and on the pot. He's a real man's man, I tell ya.

 

Exhibit B: The Bubble Beard. For the record, I am just now noticing a trend: Asher seemingly never wears clothes for his pictures. Other Beard Growers, you absolutely may not attempt this.

 

 Still questioning Asher's ability to grow a beard? We didn't think so. His is one of the best!

 

Sadly, we have never met Asher personally, but he and his family are members of our church family down at the Dallas Campus. In fact, Asher and his dad are doing this gig together so from what we can tell, they are both pretty great guys and it has been a joy to have them along for the ride. They are friends of friends and we have heard nothing but amazing things about this duo.  From the pictures alone, we can tell that Asher is one cool kid, and props to his parents for helping him grow the most creative of beards. DJ and I always love the end of the month because we can't wait to see what Asher's beard will look like next! Only three days left until the next big reveal. Get excited, ya'll.

Fun Fact: Asher's birthday is tomorrow and he is turning two! Want to show him some birthday love? Click here to sponsor his beard and help bring our baby home.... you'll essentially be giving Asher a new BFF, which is one of the greatest gifts money can by. Right? 

Stay bearded, folks. 

the hofs

Beard Of The Week | Michael Head

I'm a few days late, but lo and behold here I am with this week's Beard Of The Week...  Michael Head!

 

Michael is one of the original "Stranger Beards" who initially heard about us online. He lives in Silver City, New Mexico and pastors both Indian Hills Baptist Church and Hachita Baptist Church. He loves the Lord, has a beautiful family, and spends lots of time in God's creation...which, FYI, makes us jealous every time he sends in beard pictures because while we are surrounded by concrete, he is surrounded by mountains and desert and all things awesome. See? 

Michael may be states away, but this man is no longer a stranger. He is a brother in Christ and yes, even a facebook friend. In fact, he and his wife Jan are often sending us encouragements via facebook and email and I can tell that they are just plain fun. They are avid ABFAB fans and have taken advantage of social media to help spread the word about our fundraiser. Michael has worked hard to get all of his sponsors in and has had fun doing in.... such a joy for us to witness!

When asked why he wants to grow a beard for us, Michael asked, "How could I not?!" His reasons for growing are threefold:

1. Adoption is a spiritual grace worked in our lives by the heavenly Father through the power of the Spirit in those united to the Son.
2. The adoption of children is a grace that God is working among many of the families in one of his congregations. 
3. He has actively bearded for twenty years. ABFAB inspired his lovely wife to suggest that they find out just how much more awesome his beard growing extravaganzas could get---- and I'd venture to say that it's involvement in bringing our baby home is close to the top!

For the record, Michael's beard is awesome and plays a mean game of pick up sticks. This is only one of the many great reasons why you should sponsor his beard:

Stay bearded,

the hofs

Marissa Cope's Adoption Story

Beard Of The Week | Luke Damoff

We've been a little behind on the Beard Of The Week posts lately, but you guys can all get up off the edge of your seats because it's finally here. We are oh so happy to introduce you to this weeks Beard.... Luke Damoff!

DJ and I have known Luke for several years now. We first met him because we worked with his beautiful (and precious and wise and godly) wife, Sarah, at The Village. She has been a great friend to me and her friendship is one of a kind. So is her husband and so is her marriage. We have really learned a lot from the Damoffs and love them so much! They have given us advice on parenting and finances and faith and have been a source of wisdom and encouragement to us over the years.

So, as you can imagine, Luke is pretty great. He is intelligent and fun and quirky and loves the Lord and is a great husband and father. He is mature and wise beyond his years and DJ and I really respect the way he loves and leads his family.  He knows and loves the Word of God and we like to hear his perspectives on theology and philosphy and life. And, he can grow a pretty mean beard.

On top of all that, Luke has a heart for missions and adoption and lives his life according to firm, biblical conviction. In fact, earlier this year, Luke and Sarah had a birthday party for their daughter Naomi, who was turning 2. Rather than buying her gifts, Luke and Sarah requested that everyone bring a monetary donation that would go towards our adoption. DJ and I were so humbled and blessed by their generosity and were blown away by the Lord's faithful provision when $600 dollars was raised on our behalf at this sweet little girls birthday party. Guys, for an American couple to forgo trinkets and stuff for their child and to request money for someone else is a rare and beautiful thing. We had no words to express our gratitude and were overjoyed at the Lord's provision through them.

Luke was also one of our first Beard Growers to sign up! His registration came as such an encouragement to me in a time when I was questioning if this was a lame fundraiser that would fail miserably and that everyone would laugh at. But Luke was excited and his excitement gave us hope to move forward!  Not only did he want to be involved as a Beard Grower, but he firmly believes that growing a beard and being a father are manly activities worthy of pursuit.  He wrote about his desire to participate in our fundraiser here, so check it out and consider sponsoring him here. Do it, ya'll! You won't regret it. His beard and our baby are great rewards in return for your donation, I promise.

Love,
the hofs

July Recap

Well, friends... we just wrapped up the month of July and are happy to announce a few little updates for ya:

• Total amount raised to date: $14,097.95. Seriously?! We can't even believe it. Praise the Lord!
• The Beard Grower with the most votes for July was {drum roll please}.... DJ Hofmann! He doesn't get a prize, because well... his prize is a baby and it really doesn't get much better than that. On that note, we have decided to take down the voters poll. It wasn't gaining much traction so we'll think of other fun ways to keep you folks involved in all the bearded fun. Ideas are welcome!
• The total amount raised in July was $3171.28 and the three Beard Growers who raised the most funds in that month were Jordan McClinton ($376.98), Mason Huemmer ($257.96) and Matt Tonne ($241.93). These boys each win a bottle of Beard Tonic from Austin Street Apothecary. Congrats, men! Thanks for all your hard work.
• August Incentive: The 3 Beard Growers with the most sponsors will win a personalized beard comb! Help a brotha out by sponsoring them today. Come on, boys! Let's get that competition going strong.
• The Growth Tracker is now up! Be sure to check it out... you won't be disappointed. The beards are getting huge and oh how the mustaches are a'curlin.
• DJ's sister, Amanda, made some fantastic Beard Kits for our guys. Each guy received a packet of goodies to help in their fundraising efforts as well as some cute little things like stickers and fake mustache tattoos. That's right. Check out Beard Grower, Casey Beaver, and his new daughter, Zoey. He definitely put a little mustache tattoo on her and I'm pretty sure you should support him because of it. Check it out... like daughter, like father!

 

• Don't forget to buy your t-shirt! Only 8 days left until we place the order!

We love you guys. Happy August!
the Hofs