THE WINNER IS...........(In more ways than one!)

I thoroughly LOVED reading each of your "looking back" moments.  Isn't it good to see that we are not alone in learning lessons from God?  I hope you read through them all.  Each friend has such a testimony.  Thank you to each friend who commented.  I wish I could give each of you one of the necklaces.  But alas, I can only give one.  That winner is...........

                                                               JEN CHASE

Well this would be a good time as any to ask all the rest of you to join Chris & I as we join Trevor & Jen THIS Wednesday night in prayer.  They have a birth mother interview on Thursday in Ethiopia at 7:30 AM, which is 11:30 Wednesday night here and we need to boldy pray that the interview goes smoothly and perhaps there very long wait to bring Bek home will come to a final celebration time on Thursday when they get clearance from our Embassy to GO PICK UP THEIR SON!!!  (Very appropriate for Jen to win this week, as "Faith in God's Timing" has been one of her major lessons in this journey as well)  They became a waiting family December 2010, recieved their referall November 2011 (after 10 1/2 month wait), and hopefully will be picking Bek up June 2012 (7 1/2 months after seeing his gorgeous face). See Bek and read all about their specific prayer requests HERE.


Also, there was actually a referral this past week which is a huge praise, b/c they had come to a complete stand still.  We are now #38, which may be what you thought we were already, but in early spring we had actually climbed the other (wrong) direction and I didn't have the heart to change my number.  So PRAY that more referrals could come THIS week!!  I would love some prayer warriors on Chloe's behalf.  We would love to see who she is!!!!

****Also a huge shout out to The Adopt Shoppe for donating the necklace.  Since then she has printed my adoption verse on one: The Lord will fight for you.  You need only to be still. Exodus 14:14.  So that is my choice and I am just going to go buy myself one.  :)  Hoping for a new number by our 1 year waitiversary in 3 weeks.

11 months & His timing.......(oh and a giveaway)

****This is just one of the newly Vintage Inspired Pendants a lucky blog followe can win.  Details below. ******

Today marks 11 months on the waiting list.  I never thought we would get to this point---besides those that have been/or had been waiting on siblings, most people in the last 2 years had not waited over 10 months with an average of a 6-7 month wait.  But none the less we sit here, I will not lie to you I have been tempted to jump ship and adopt within a different country or a different agency, but our love for Ethiopia has grown in the last year and half and we feel like we bathed the agency decision in prayer as well.  We are not quitting!  PTL there was a referral yesterday (first one in 3+ months).  It was for an older child (8 years) and went to a friend that has been waiting 10 months---so all that to say at this point our number has stayed the same---#38.  Then a friend who has been waiting a month longer than I, posted this yesterday and I felt like it was a good depiction of some of my current feelings. 

God is Working on Your Behalf By Samantha Reed

"Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for him." Isaiah 64:4 (NIV)

An ultimatum from my boss left me no choice but to head into unemployment. I'll never forget the day she asked me to lead an initiative that went against God's Word.

Staying at my job would deny my faith. Leaving would challenge it. Fears clamored. If I quit, I'd be broke. I had no husband, no savings, no additional source of provision.

Day after day I pleaded with God to intervene, to change my boss's mind. But it didn't happen.

She made her decision, which solidified mine: I turned in my two weeks notice.

That was my first step into my journey of joblessness. My mind raced with fears: would I be able to pay rent, find a new job, hold onto hope? Day by day, my financial, spiritual and emotional accounts were depleted. I couldn't see beyond my raw emotions and dreary situation.

God nudged me to send my resume to a ministry. A place I knew rarely hired. Somewhere I didn't know if my gifts could even be used. I doubted they'd accept my application, and pushed aside the thought to apply.

If only I had lifted my eyes away from the despair, I might have realized God was working on my behalf, much like He did for Naomi in the book of Ruth.

You see, at the same time soil churned, seeds nestled underground, and crops waved in the wind, Naomi needed God to intervene. She lamented to her widowed daughters-in-law, Orpah and Ruth:

"Even if I thought there was still hope for me—even if I had a husband tonight and then gave birth to sons— would you wait until they grew up?" (Ruth 1:12b-13a NIV)

Perceived destitution left her feeling desperate. Can you feel it in this widow's words?

Then Naomi told them, "'Return home, my daughters. Why would you come with me?'" (vs. 11a)

It would take time for Naomi to look beyond her dire circumstances and see the divine intervention waiting on her. God had plans of redemption that involved Ruth, the very person Naomi tried to push away. Yet she was so engulfed by her emotions and circumstances, she couldn't fathom how God might provide.

"Call me not Naomi [pleasant]; call me Mara [bitter], for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me." (vs. 20b AMP)

Perhaps your current situation is bitter and dismal. Maybe your journey has been long. You can't see how God is working things out. You don't have the energy to apply for one more job, so you turn down the lead a friend sends you. Your marriage is on the verge of collapse anyhow, so you opt to cancel your counseling appointment. Life in general is bleak, so you withdraw rather than join your sister for dinner.

If you are weary; if the road is too difficult; if you feel destitute financially, emotionally, spiritually; don't miss this—

"So Naomi returned from Moab accompanied by Ruth the Moabite, her daughter-in-law, arriving in Bethlehem as the barley harvest was beginning." (vs. 22 NIV, emphasis added)

Naomi's journey was hard and long. Yet her first step began at the same time soil churned, seeds nestled underground, crops waved in the wind. And when she arrived at her place of redemption, the harvest was beginning; a harvest that was gleaned by Ruth, the very one she had pushed away.

It was in that field that Ruth caught Boaz's attention. Boaz, who was Naomi's kinsmen redeemer, unceremoniously provided above and beyond for both women for the rest of their lives.

Well before I turned in my two weeks notice, the Lord was tilling the heart of my would-be new employer to hire an assistant. He faithfully watered that seed as I was searching for a job. And a new position was created shortly after I applied.

Looking back now, I wish I had chosen to believe and looked expectantly for His faithfulness instead of torturing myself with worry and fear.

Though unseen, God is divinely intervening. If you are walking in what feels like a desperate and destitute place, might I encourage you? Look to the Lord instead of your circumstances today. He's working on your behalf.

Dear Lord, You are faithful. Please direct my thoughts and my steps. Take what doesn't belong—fear, doubt, unbelief—and replace them with hope, trust and joy as I focus on You instead of my circumstances. Thank You for working on my behalf. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

I cannot wait till I hear what my "looking back now" story will be.

THE GIVEAWAY:  You will win ONE vintage inspired necklace from The Adopt Shoppe.

(The custom name necklaces with children/grandchildren is NOT part of the giveaway.  I just wanted to share some of the awesome stuff Kate does over at The Adopt Shoppe.  She is also a fellow adoptive mom, so any support her way goes to bring home her child from Taiwan!)  WIN-WIN!

Up to 5 Entries: 
1) Do you have a "looking back now" moment?  Leave a comment about it.
2) Browse the Vintage Album HERE on facebook and leave a SEPARATE comment about which one you would choose should you win.
3) Like The Adopt Shoppe on Facebook and leave a SEPARATE message saying you did so.
4)  Become a follower of my blog and leave a SEPARATE message saying you did so.
5) Share my blog/giveaway on your own facebook wall and leave a SEPARATE comment saying you did so.

Isn't this just gorgeous????

GIVEAWAY WILL END FRIDAY NIGHT (JUNE 15TH).

Not part of the giveaway, just showing off some awesome stuff.


Keep Praying! 

      

Someone Else's Contest & A Very Good Update.....

No, nothing good like a referral  ( I could be discouraging in that department, but there is other good news to share---so I will be discouraging a different day (just keeping it real!).

What a blessed day we had!  It was our 2nd Annual Love 2 Run 4 Love and it was so good.  We had over 211 registered runners/walkers/kiddos and rasied $3005 for 4 orphans to join their forever family.  Being that we have just a tiny ways to go to being fully funded and our friends (such a PRAISE), The Douglas' who have THREE waiting kids already needing to come home (Read about them HERE) have a bit more to go----we are granting $2500 (3/4) to them and & raised $800 for Chloe----which brings us to 98% fully funded.....just $700 to be 100%.  Now, this can change if we have to wait too much longer, and repeat home studies, fingerprints, etc.  Let's hope that we won't have to do too many repeats.  :/  We truly hope & plan to make this an annual event, each year either benefiting a local family in the midst of the adoption process OR a non-profit (Sparrow Ministries, Lifesong, or ShowHope) that has helped several local families with grants etc.  We received a ShowHope grant and are so grateful!  Bear with me, as we make Love 2 Run 4 Love more "official". Also, please note that the Douglas' worked hard too---they helped make the fundraiser a huge success....so I guess it isn't a grant.  But we are "saying" they are like our first grant recipients should we become all official and such. 

One of our sponsors that helped make our race a success, isn't even a local buisness.  Worthy of the Prize is an online ministry/shop that supports adoption/sports ministries and benefits anybody in their walk with Christ.  They have been super encouraging to me on our journey.  So all that to say.....they are doing a giveaway and preparing an e-book and you can find out all about it at the link below.  Of course, blogging about it gives me more chances to win BEAUTIFUL art (that I am always trying to win on PitterPatterArt).....but it also means you have a chance too.  Don't be too alarmed if I am a bit jealous if you win.  (I will get over it soon). :)

http://worthyoftheprize.blogspot.com/2012/05/blog-celebration-giveaways-find-joy.html

OK---the splurge of the evening was that I bought a baby/toddler comforter tonight.....whether it will go in a crib or on a toddler bed---I do not know.  All I know is that we were wandering aimlessly in Walmart and I came across it (which I occassionally have been searching for the right "bedroom" decor for Chloe).  It has all the colors that are painted in Eden & her room and has flowers (her name means blossom), butterflies (which are painted on the wall and symbolizes new beginnings), and a tree (symbolizing our family tree).  I know you are thinking---SHE IS CRAZY and overthinking a baby blanket.  I might be.  But here is the kicker, embroidered in the comforter is the words "love", "home", "wish" and "dream".  How I wish and dream about our love being home with us.  So I bought it.  :)

Eden's newly painted room when pregnant with Tobe (over 4 years ago!).  I think Chloe's comforter will match perfectly.

                 

Chloe's comforter:  Would you join us in "wishing" her home?  i.e. PRAYING her home!

Yahtzee! (& a Giveaway)

I love the game Yahtzee. Pretty simple, don't have to think too hard, and who doesn't love to get all excited and scream out Yahtzee when you get one? The entire game you are waiting for the dice to fall in your favor, all 5 face up with the same number. Today marks 10 MONTHS waiting for a referral.  Got to be honest, this is hard.   Knowing my friend got her referral at 10 months and she was #13 on the list (and that was a LONG wait at the time) and knowing there are others sitting at 19 months now, is discouraging. For those entering this process knowing they are going to have a long wait is one thing, but to really think-- based off everyone you had seen before you-- that you would get a referral in 4 months or so and still be sitting at #39 is painful. Anyways, it looks like we are in for a long haul.....so I was thinking of doing a giveaway AND explaining some adoption lingo at the same time.

This has been taken from a fellow adoptive mom's post, who wrote this about their adoption (but I personalized it with our names:). You can read the entire post HERE. (Oh yeah, she has a super cool name!) Some of the thoughts also come from the book Adopted for Life by Russell Moore. I highly recommend it for ANYONE.

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We have been fortunate to have taken courses and read books on the topic of adoption. We have learned what language to use when talking about adoption so as to call things what they are make children who have been adopted feel welcome. I want to share this information with you so that you too know some good ways in which to talk about adoption. Here are some things I hope you don't say when you talk about our family:

A.) What not to say: "The Strickland's have an adopted child." Why this isn't the best choice: Adoption is a one-time event that takes place in a kid's life. They shouldn't be referred to as someone's "adopted child" for the rest of their lives. It's like saying of a child who was born via c-section, "This is my c-section child." I don't introduce my 2 boys that way (even though it is true). But it was a one time event and it is over and done with. Now they are healthy and moving on. My child will be adopted - one time. Then the adoption will be complete---and she will be our own. Instead say: "The Stricklands have 4 children."

B.) What not to say: "The Strickland's have 1 adopted child and 3 of their own." Why this isn't the best choice: Our adopted child is our own. If not, whose are they? What message might they hear when someone says this in front of them? We plan on raising all of our children with the same level of love and commitment, regardless if they came to us through birth or adoption.
Instead say: "The Stricklands have 4 children."

C.) What not to say: "The Stricklands have 1 adopted child and 3 natural (or real) children." Why this isn't the best choice: My child who is adopted must have 3 eyes then, to not be natural! I think the word people are looking for there is biological. That is an okay thing for you to say in my book. I someday may have a mix of children who were adopted and biological children. Please don't use "natural" because it implies "unnatural" or "real" because it implies they are "not real."
  Instead say: "The Stricklands have 4 children."

Or, if you must differentiate for some reason, please say "The Stricklands have 1 child who was adopted and 3 biological children." Bottom Line: We want our children differentiated based on their personalities and interests, not by how they came into our family. I would love love LOVE it if someday someone said about us, "Those are the Stricklands. Eden likes piano, Eli likes baseball, Tobe likes art and Chloe likes to run." That would be so cool. ------------------------------------------

There is going to be some obvious differences and that is going to be a journey in and of itself. But they all 4 will be Stricklands. They will be "4 of a Kind". And the value of each of them will be the same---perfect and a child of God and us, The Strickland's.

Now, this is not to say that Chris and I don't want to talk about adoption with you.  In fact, we would love to.  It is not a secret, and we are not ashamed of the fact that we are adopting.  BUT, we don't want our friends and family to speak about our child as "adopted" in front of her.  She needs to know she fully belongs with us and is accepted by us (just like each of our children, by the way) and is part of our family.  God brought our family together, and He chose different ways to do so.  I am so glad he did!

So to mark our wait-aversary.....we will give away the classic game of Yahtzee (still factory sealed).  And when all the stars align, all the dice are rolled in our favor, and God has found us our child---you will hear me scream a whole lot more than YAHTZEE!

How to enter:
1)  Leave a comment about your favorite family board game. (1 entry)
2) Share on facebook and leave a SEPARATE comment saying you did so.  (1 entry)
3)  Become a follower of the blog (or state your already are) and leave a SEPARATE comment saying you did so.  (1 entry)

Winner will be drawn Saturday (5/12/12) a12:12 pm.  (Because I am silly like that).

We have some winners!!!

Enter a lower limit:
Enter an upper limit:
Random Number:

Congratulations to the 13th person to comment on the 9 Month Waitaversary post--- Tyann Marcink!  Tyann wins a free skinny wrap.  I am excited about this as Tyann has been a super supporter of our adoption as a sponsor for our race and auction.  Check out her amazing stuff at Marcink Designs and Little Elephant Company.  She is quite the entrepreneur! 

In other winning news, we had a great day at the Marathon Relay.  It is always fun to see the different shirts that the runners come up with.  One simple shirt said Finishing=Winning.  We finished, so we are all winners!  2 teams---(1 male and 1 female) ran together as couples.  It was so fun to run along with our spouse and to have a fun day with friends.  Chris and I ran the 4th leg (there are some good hills) and Chris' bad knees slowed us down a bit, BUT I am so proud of him for running and not whining. And grateful to the encouragment of our team mates.  The next race for me besides putting on our own Love 2 Run 4 Love 5K will be the Joplin Memorial Run on May 19th.  I will be running my second half marathon along with my little brother (who will smoke me---but that's not what matters right?).

(**Note:  I will post more relay pics when I get a chance and find all the pictures.)
In very fun news, guess who else ran the 4th leg today at the Marathon Relay?  Jen from Biggest Loser (season 11).  I was a fan of her and her dad---so it was so fun to run into her today.  Jay ran leg 1, her brother ran leg 2, a facebook contest winner won leg 3, and she ran leg 4. 

Jen & I posing for a pic before boarding the Metro to
 take us to our relay station.  We both ran the 4th leg!