Here are a few shots of the paintings that were donated for the Art Auction (click on each photo to see larger). Photographs do not do these pieces justice; we were so impressed by the caliber of artwork at this year's event. These artists are simply amazing, and we are so grateful for their gift of time and talent to help the children in Ghana.

In no certain order...

The talented Cash Teague painted this piece, which happened to be my personal favorite of the night. (Yes, I am allowed to have a favorite, though I would hang any of these on my wall.)

Cash also donated this beautiful watercolor of a boy on Lake Volta. A man of many talents.

Oil painting by Donita Brooks – beautiful work!

My own piece. Not my favorite I've ever done, but I certainly enjoyed working on it and learned a lot in the process.

Jeff Hankins, a fellow artist from ComChurch put together this piece. Love his graphic style!

My pal Mark Fansler of McKinney painted this incredible piece, our largest at 30"x40". The use of color and texture and blending is absolutely astounding. Angela and I "may have" tried this one out above the fireplace mantle before taking it to the auction!

Randy Brown sent 3 beautiful pieces for the evening all the way from Canyon. This one we actually auctioned off on FB Friday before the event.

Randy's second piece... love the composition here.

... and the third. This watercolor was the painting of the night. The details in the boat, trees, and water are incredible!

Last but not least, the paintings from Ghana. This piece was put together using handprints from the children of Adovepke who will be in our first rescued group of kids this fall.

"Hope" was put together by the Adovepke kids as well as several children of other villages out working on Lake Volta.

What amazing talent! We were so blessed by the generosity of our artists this year and could not have had a successful event without their help. Thank you all for using your gifts for Kingdom things!

Better late than never, I say. It's a good thing keeping up on here isn't part of my job responsibilities!

So, the Art Auction was amazing – successful financially as well as helped us spread the word about the kids in Ghana to many new faces. We keep saying this, but it keeps ringing true: God continues to show up in the work of Mercy Project.

About 160 people attended the event. We auctioned off 10 large paintings and several silent auction items, helping bring our grand total for the evening to around $20,000. Fantastic! We enjoyed having the extra space at Briarcrest Country Club and really enjoyed the ease of set-up on Saturday afternoon, thanks to several great helpers. One of the best parts of the evening was being able to premiere a video made by the talented Brandon Jones that included footage from Lake Volta and the villages where we are working. It's really powerful to be able to show our supporters what the in-country work actually looks like. We were so blessed to have that!

Here are a few shots from the evening:

Welcome table walking in...

Table set-up...

New MP brochure and picture of a trafficked child at each setting...

Incredible wood logo cut-out made by Josh Marion...

Beautiful quilt made by my grandmother for the silent auction...

Photos and info on Ghana...

Introducing staff...

Getting ready to auction those paintings...

Overall, such a rewarding evening. We are supported and encouraged by so many people near and far, and so very grateful for the chance to share and celebrate what the Lord is doing in our lives.