Adoption Auction for a friend....

Our friends Jennifer & Trevor who have been such an encouragement to us at the beginning of our adoption journey are having an Adoption Auction in 1 WEEK!!! They are opening their home to a sibling group from Ethiopia and are already on the waiting list with the same agency that we are using, Children's Hope International. They are such a Godly couple and example of what it means to live life abudantly in the name of Jesus. If you like to shop online anyway for cute crafty items or jewelry and such, please visit their blog and check out the items that will be up for bid. Just in time for Valentine's Day!!!

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Here is a winter slideshow. Even though winter is not over, I shall go ahead and post in hopes that it will get over sooner than later. lol. I really have been an awful mom on the upteen snow days we've had. Not very creative and a lack of energy for playing outside with the kids in the snow. ( I HATE playing in the snow...so I put it off as long as I can. Not sure when this Hate occurred , being that I distinctly remember enjoying it as a child--but just like your taste buds can change, I guess so can your seasonal playtime preferences)...so I got real excited when a fellow MOPS mom shared about snowcream. I had not heard of it before Friday. And lo and behold, I had all the ingredients to mix together in my house (very rare). It only has 3 ingredeints plus the snow, so I guess that might not be as impressive as it initially sounded. Anyways, I let the kids help me with the measuring and mixing and we made a HUGE bowl of snowcream and it was delicous. Eden shared that "from now on this is a new family tradition!" We were having lots of fun. Eden said "Dig in!" and so we did. A bit later Eli shouted "NECK FREEZE!!!" and then he said "Heart Freeze!" He is such a funny kid. Anyways snowcream was a big hit in my house and a tradition I don't mind, because it brings the snow inside where it is warm & cozy---where I like it.

I'm No Marathon Runner......or Am I?

Being that this is a family blog....I gave Chris permission to post posts if he so desired...he finally did so. (I love him & am proud to be his wife by the way!!!)

A marathon runner? No, not me. Running 26.2 miles (in a row) seems quite daunting. Although I have a few friends who have done this numerous times and enjoy it immensely, I’m not sure I will ever be up for the challenge of a run like a marathon…or am I actually running in about 4 of them as we speak?
I have struggled with being at healthy weight for years.(Insert "Fatter Than I Want To Be" by Shack) About 15 years ago, I was at a weight I wish I was at now. It has taken me 15 years to get to the unhealthy point I am right now. I have made some strides toward getting healthier in the last few years but sometimes it seems as if I’m going two steps forward and one step back. It is progress none the less, but not as fast as I would wish. Why should I be discouraged when the solution doesn’t happen over night? It took me 15 years to get here so it might take me some time to turn it around. It isn’t a sprint, it is a marathon run. I’m in it for the long haul, the long run.
I have been married to my wife for almost 12 years. She is beautiful, amazing, and my best friend. We currently have 3 kids, true blue blessings from God. I love my family. But there are times when Amber and I just aren’t connecting, the kids are running us a little ragged, and family life seems a bit crazy. We also just recently jumped in head first into the world of international adoption. Something we have prayed about for literally years. We are excited but know there are many hurdles to clear before we have a beautiful baby girl from Ethiopia in our arms. (Insert the song “Jesus Loves the Little Children” here) Even with all the excitement, it sometimes seems overwhelming; the time, the money, the unknown. I have to remember, I’m in it for the long haul, the long run. It is not a sprint in time like a few bad days, weeks, months or even a few tough years. I want to glorify God in my marriage, be the best husband I can be, show Jesus to my kids and help bring them to a saving relationship with Him. My family life is a marathon run.
Being a part of ministry is a blessing. Being able to help people come to Jesus, care for people, and help lead them in worship is great! There are times when, believe it or not, discouragement sets in. Church attendance was down one week, offering seemed a bit low, no one showed up for the event we planned, and someone is calling to let me know my choice of songs wasn’t quite their cup of tea. The church is in it for the long haul, not the short sprint from week to week. I want to be a part of what God is doing in the life of those who are in my community. None of us is perfect; we are all growing and learning, and running a marathon in ministry.
The most important race I am in is a race to eternity. New life in Christ is a race. I have to set my life and my mind on the things that are eternal and stay focused. I can get tripped up with all kinds of worldly distractions, my own sin issues, feeling discouraged or tired, but I keep running. (Insert 33miles song, “Today” here) Paul said in Hebrews 12:1-3 “Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we'd better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we're in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he's there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls!” (The Message) I got a feeling that if I am running THIS race focused, and on target, the other races will come along nicely.
A marathon runner? Hmmm….maybe I am. Maybe we would all do well to remember that life is a journey not a destination (insert NewFire song, “Journey” here). Let’s start and keep running!
(Sorry for all the song references, my life sometimes seems best played out in a musical)

Just so you know....

OK---I had a late night trying to "fix" my blog. Someone at my age should not be up till the wee hours of the morning, but alas I finally think my blog is updated. I wanted to clarify what it means to be "APPROVED" and to let you know what our next steps will be. To be APPROVED basically means Chris & I are good candidates for adoption (we can adopt), and that our agency, Children's Hope International (here in STL) has our back and will help us along the way to become an offical adopting family. It was exciting and surprising to be approved in 2 SHORT days!!! I have provided an Adoption Timeline above so that you can see where we are at and how far we have to go. The next few months will be a lot of document collecting, fundraising, and hopefully getting the home study completed. Once that is completed we will be able to apply for some grants/adoption loans and then reevaluate where we are at.

Some other answers to frequently asked questions: We were able to request gender, and we are requesting a little girl anyhwere under 30 months, but there will be a year difference between Tobe & her (so depending on how fast we get the paperwork done---might affect the age of the referral we will get). We will have to travel to Ethiopia two times....first for the court date, and then 5-6 weeks later to bring her home. ( I am already sure that will be the toughest part, is when 1/4 of our hearts will be left in Ethiopia). We will probably use some part of her Ehtiopian name, whether that means middle name or given name we do not know. However, a nick name or the name we will give her (and the name that my children pray for at this time) will be Chloe [which means "blooming"]. I think where my kids are it is good to give them a tangible name to pray for, rather than some little girl somewhere across the world. We DO NOT have a child matched to us, and that probably won't happen for perhaps a year.....but we are praying for her none the less. (Kind of like when you pray for your child's future mate---when you have no idea who they are). I am happy to answer other questions (IF I have an answer) if you got 'em.

Also I didn't get called in for an interview :(. I can only assume that means God has a better job out there for me. Please continue to pray for that matter, I will say that I do want to work in my field (Education)---and may just be a full time substitute....but even that requires some strategic planning with Tobe not in school and Eli only half day.....so it may be focus on the document collecting and then hope for a job in the fall!!!! Thanks for listening to my sentiments.

New Year's Revolution

Happy New Year!!!! This morning while sleeping in after New Year's Eve festivities, my daughter ran into my bedroom telling me about Joy FM (our local Christian radio)and their New Year's Revolution challenge. She said "we are to think of something that we can do that will please God." Eden (7 years old)is so passionate about listening to Joy FM and I LOVE it!!!Well we in the Strickland household have already been thinking about that for months (some of us for years) now. A Revolution can be defined in many different ways....one being a drastic change. Well as of today, Chris & I with the excitement of our 3 kids have started the journey of adopting a little girl from Ehtiopia. We are sending off our application bright and early Monday morning (not realizing the post office wasn't open today--lol). This will be a long process, an expensive process, but also a FAITH filled process for us. We are excited about helping one of God's loved ones and how we can be a blessing to her as well as she be a blessing to us. We ask that you would pray for us on this journey. And we hope to keep everyone updated on this blog. Our first prayer request is for a teaching/sub job for myself. If I was to have a job and we continued to live off Chris' salary--it would make for a good way to pay for this adoption. There is one immediate job opening that I am qualified for, so please pray that I can get an interview and all goes well.

So in a way we are "expecting" and our family is growing in more ways than one. 2011 should be an exciting year! We appreciate our friends & family so much!