A wonderful lady named Allana contacted me recently. She has a cloth diaper company called Leetle Hands and Feet. She wants to help raise funds for my upcoming rip to Ethiopia in March!!!! She is doing a give away on her website where she is giving away a Toys R Us giftcard and a Best Buy giftcard!!! All you have to do to enter is donate a minimum of $1. This gets your name in on the drawing ad 100% of what you donate goes towards my vision trip!!! Please check out her page and enter to win!!!!!
Help support my friend Tisha's adoption through our t-shirt sales!!!!
My super friend Tisha (www.myrestingplace.blogspot.com) and her husband Monte are in the process of adopting a son/sons from Uganda. The next few weeks leading up to Christmas I am giving them half of my profits from my t-shirt sales!!!!! This will give them $10 per shirt to go towards their adoption expenses!!!! Please check otu our store and make a purchase!!!!! Our t-shirts are super cute and super comfy!!!! (and I am picky about my t-shirts!) So with every t-shirt purchased you are helping bring home a families child/children from Uganda and you are helping to send me to Ethiopia in March!!!!
T-shirts are $5 off making them $15 instead of $20!!!!!
and we will give a free sticker with each t-shirt purchased!!!!
All proceeds will make it possible for Maggie and I to go to Ethiopia in March. We will be meeting the team that we will be working with when we move to Ethiopia, we are doing a The Little Bee Co. diaper drop, visiting and showing Gods love to the poor, visiting orphanages, and whatever else God places on our path. This will only be possible if we raise 100% of travel expenses. Please check out the store and help make it possible for us to go on this trip.
I was at the point where I wished there was someone to take over Bottom Blessings for me while our family started support raising and moving to Ethiopia. I just didn't know who and I decided that it was time to go ahead and get rid of the last of the diapers and let that be it, the end of my "project". But it kept nagging at me and I really wished I could still keep it going.
I have people contact me every so often that want to take diapers and people who want to donate. I also have the lady that sews the diaper covers for me (which is super awesome!). So I knew that it could really be an ongoing thing and I could locate orphanages for people while living in Ethiopia. Again I just didnt know how this would work or even know anyone who would want to take over the part here in the U.S.
So I had a fellow AGCI mom contact me and say that they were collecting diapers to take to Ethiopia because they were adopting again and would be traveling there in the near future. I had a small amount at that point that I could send her and knew that I had some more coming in the mail that were being donated. But, I remembered an email from a lady named Holly about this diaper company that her and her sister in law, Betsy, had gotten diapers from when they were collecting them during Betsys adoption. It was called envibum and they really helped with there diaper collecting project. So I got on my email, which I barely checked to email her about it. (keep in mind that the email I had gotten from her was months earlier and we had had no contact since) I signed on and I had gotten an email from her!Here is the email..
Hi Christie,
I've been wanting to get in touch with you for a while, but have been busy with a move associated with my husband's job. I've read that you have been busy preparing to relocate to Ethiopia and I am so excited to see what God has planned for you. My sister (betsyandtheboys.blogspot.com) and I were interested in continuing the cloth diaper ministry on a semi regular basis. Possibly doing a drive a couple of times a year. I am connected with the owner of Envibum who helped Betsy and her husband take diapers and covers (at cost) to Ethiopia when they travelled to pick up there daughter and I know she is interested in helping long term.
I don't know how much of a priority the diapers are to you with your new developments?????
I am wondering if you would be interested in receiving the donations once you are in Ethiopia and distributing them to where they are needed.
We have also been curious as to how different orphanages view the diaper donations from a cultural stand point. (Do they view the diapers as a need?)
Please let me know if you are still interested in being involved or if it is a little much with everything else you have going on right now:)
Holly
This was totally a God thing!I told her that yes I would be interested in keeping with the diaper ministry and that we could use the Bottom Blessings name and everything.This was so exciting!!!We have kept in contact since and have been excited about doing this! So back a few weeks ago a friend on Facebook posted about this diaper company called The Little Bee diaper Co. I took a look at their website and was super impressed but what they are doing! Here is a description of what they do on their website -
With every diaper purchased The Little Bee Co. will donate a diaper to an orphan in need. Once enough diapers are collected for each baby of one entire orphanage, a "Diaper Drop" is organized to deliver the diapers and help in assisting the orphanage workers with their transition to modern cloth. The diapers donated are the same diapers we sell. Every baby deserves the same high quality we choose for our own baby! Check out the organizations below to see how your contributions are changing the lives of babies worldwide! With every diaper purchased The Little Bee Co. will donate a diaper to an orphan in need. Once enough diapers are collected for each baby of one entire orphanage, a "Diaper Drop" is organized to deliver the diapers and help in assisting the orphanage workers with their transition to modern cloth. The diapers donated are the same diapers we sell. Every baby deserves the same high quality we choose for our own baby!
I emailed Holly to see if she could contact them to see if we could do a diaper drop or see how we could be involved.This is what she got back…
Holly, Thank you so much for contacting us! I don't even know where to begin with explaining how excited I am to recieve your email. The second I read it my heart swelled with joy and my eyes with tears! It is a long story so please bear with me for rambling but I am simply overwhelmed with how amazing God's orchestrations are!
When my husband and I first began our journey into this mission/business it was actually just a business. I had begun cloth diapering my son and created a diaper that I thought was great and my husband and I set out to start our own "Cloth Diapering Business" It was going to be a boutique style store and there was no thought of using our diapers for a mission at all. One morning during my devotions the Lord spoke to me and told me that this "business" my husband and I were working on was not ours but actually His and that it was not to be a "business" but a "mission" to help babies in need, specifically orphans. I talked it over with my husband and shared what God had laid on my heart and he agreed that the Lord was speaking to him as well! We have both travelled on the mission field and missions are so close to our heart. We also share an intense love for orphan ministry. I have wanted to adopt from the time I was a little girl and my husband has a little sister who is adopted from China. He too has always wanted to adopt. We plan to do so in the future. We had no idea how to incorporate a mission with a cloth diapering business and didn't even know if cloth diapers would be a helpful thing for orphans. I started talking to our friends who are missionaries, thinking back to our previous trips and the diapering conditions we encountered and researching online diaper donations for orphans when came to a blog about a family whose sole ministry was taking diapers to orphans! It was Knowing No Bounds! I read their blog and it was during those moments the Lord said, "This is it! Use the profits you would have recieved to instead donate diapers to orphans in need." I shared the blog with my husband and we awwwed over baby Zek and Adam and Christie's journey to him! I put on my "to do list" to email them just to let them know what we were going to be starting up and that we would love to help them by donating diapers to them....and then life happened. The list was lost, we got overwhelmingly busy really fast, time passed quickly and I soon couldn't remember the name of their blog spot or the email info to contact them. I'm sure I could have sat and tried to find them via google but it always seemed that I was busy with something else.
When I read your email my mom and sister were sitting in my office with me and I literally yelled "THIS IS THEM!" "This is the family that God used to speak to me" I then proceeded to share with them the story I just shared with you! I am amazed that God allowed you to find me when for months, actually nearly a year, I have had on my "To Do" list to contact them!
So all of this to say I am so happy to "like" you on facebook and help spread the word about your mission! I would also love to offer Adam and Christie a spot as one of our "Diaper Drop Donations" We are currently working on one in Xian, China right now and have one scheduled after that for another organization in Uganda. Then we would love to add Knowing No Bounds as our next one! Our first major drop was a donation of 250 diapers to an organization called Serving His Children in Jinja, Uganda. Our China drop is 500 diapers and we would love to help Knowing no Bounds put diapers on all the babies of an entire orphanage they are working with in Ethiopia. Because our donations are based on sales we have no idea when we will have the donation available. As we sell diapers we load up the donation boxes and once we have enough for on organization we move right on to the next. If this is something Knowing No Bounds would be interested in we would love to partner with them or Bottom Blessings or however it works best for you all!
Thank you again so very much for contacting me! God is so good! Thank you for choosing to serve him with your amazing ministry! I look forward to talking with you in the future! Loads of Blessings,
Jona
The Little Bee Co.
My eyes filled with tears and my heart was pounding.It was so amazing how God was working. He is awesome! I have often wondered how much of a difference what I was doing was making.(because I couldn’t witness the difference). Now I am in awe of the difference it is making!!!
Bottom Blessings has been amazing!What started out as a little project to send enough cloth diapers with Adam on his mission trip turned in to sending over 1000 lbs of diapers over so far, plus this!Plus who knows how much more!And how much more it’s going to be.I can’t wait to see all that God has planned for this!
So now we are going to be the next The Little Bee Co. diaper drop when I go on my trip in March!!!And I think I have already located an orphanage to take them to!!!
To top that off Bottom Blessings is going to be a Mission Retailer for The little Bee Co. diapers!!!How this works is
For every diaper you purchase from us a diaper will be donated to Bottom Blessings.
Any profits made from the sell of the diaper will right now go to help fund my trip to Ethiopia in March and once my trip it over the profits will go to mine and Adam’s ministry in Ethiopia and also back into Bottom Blessings for purchasing diapers to donate and any admin costs that may come up.
You can buy the diapers for yourself or as a gift (so for every one you buy one is donated)
You can buy the diapers to be donated (so for every one you buy to donate another one is donated)
I will have a store up and running sometime soon to sell the diapers.I am so super excited about this!!!So keep your eye out for the diaper store!!!!
In the meantime go ahead and check out our super cool shirts to help fund my trip to Ethiopia in March!!! Just click on the store button on the right side of this page!!! or click here... http://ourtriptoethiopia.storenvy.com/
Okay, so many of you know that Maggie and I will be going on a vision/mission trip to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia this March. We have some awesome T-shirts for sale that my awesome husband designed to help raise money for this trip.
To be honest we cannot afford to pay for this trip. But, God has laid this on my heart as something I NEED to do. Our family will be moving there in approx 18 months to start ministering there. This trip will provide will provide me with a time to see what God's vision is for our ministry there and give me a sneak peak as to how ministering and living there will be. It will provide Maggie the opportunity to experience Ethiopia before moving there (this will help with the transition for her and for her 3 younger siblings).
I know that God will provide for this trip and it's with your help that it will be made possible. With Christmas coming up you could buy a shirt or two for loved ones. The shirts will have a story behind them and the receiver will know that their gift not only gave them a shirt to wear, but helped a family with their ministry in Africa. If you mention this post with your order we will throw in 1 of each of our 2 stickers that we have per shirt order.
Please take a look at our store and if you feel a tug to help out then that is fantastic! If you don't then thank you so much for looking.
If at all possible can you post about our family and the mission trip store on your Facebook and your blog?
Most importantly please be praying for our family through this amazing but sometimes a bit scary journey.
Our house was on the market for less then 3 months and sold...this is amazing for several reasons...
In our neighborhood it seems that either houses are just foreclosed or they are for sale FOREVER before either they finally sell or they just take it off the market.
Our realtor told us that what we had to ask was probably too high and we should probably take it off the market and try for sale by owner- so we could ask less. (though what we were asking was $10,000 less than what we paid for it)
we heard that it is pretty much unheard of nowadays that the seller not at least pay some of the closing costs. (and we are not)
So back on September 21st (adams birthday) we had a showing...we got home and a few minutes later got a call from our realtor saying that the people wanted to come back and see it again in 20 minutes...the night before this showing (our 3rd showing in all) I just felt like I should pray through are house. Pray that the people feel at home when they walk in and so on. The morning of the showing the kids were crazy (pretty typical but overly crazy this day) and the morning just seemed to not be going very smoothly and there were times where we couldv'e gotten bent out of shape but we didn't. I just felt like satan was trying to get in a ruin what was going to be happening over the next few weeks. Well they loved the house and we thought we would get an offer. The realtor just felt that what we were asking wasn't what she was seeing in our neighborhood and she said it just wouldn't work. We knew these people loved the house so I prayed. I prayed that if this house was for them that something would change. So almost 3 weeks later we had a showing. We had no clue that it was them coming back. Same thing happened before the showing. It was just crazy and we had to get the house together quickly and again could've totally gotten bent out of shape. We got a call later on that day and got an offer. An offer that would totally work! We accepted. This was back on October 9th. Everything is going well and we will be moving before the 30th of this month.
We know that God has His hand in all of this. When we felt like we should go ahead and put our house on the market we thought it was because it would take a long time to sell it. Never would I have guessed that it would sell so fast. It's all pretty crazy and has put me in a whirlwind! We have been in our house for 8 1/2 years and it's hard leaving.
I know that God is ahead and of and God is behind us all of the way in this journey to Ethiopia. We feel so blessed to be called by Him to do all of this. There are days that we are completely terrified, though. But terrified in a way where we still know that God is behind it and there is a peace. It's so hard to understand. It's just not easy.
Back several months ago I was just flipping through my bible and came across this verse...
"But you will not leave in haste or go in flight; the Lord will go before you, the God of Israel will be your rear guard." Isaiah 52:12
I am taking things as they come and knowing that it is all in God's timing not mine.
We are moving into a 900 sq foot house...there are 6 people in this family...but we know that this is the house that we are supposed to be in. it may seem crazy, but it's what we are supposed to do. It seems super crazy to think about all of us living in this house. I just say it's going to make us a REALLY close family! and hopefully push us to get to Ethiopia even faster! We just pray that support raising goes well next year and we are able to get there sooner than we think.
We are to grateful to be sent on this adventurous journey. There are days, though, that it is super hard.
Would you please continue to pray with us through all of these changes? and begin praying for us as we will begin support raising in the next few months?
Here are some pictures of the kiddos on Halloween (didn't want another post with no pictures) :)
Adam and I began thinking about missions in Africa after reading an article in Relevant Magazine about femocide in the Congo. It moved us and really got our minds racing about “someday” becoming missionaries and moving somewhere in Africa.(This was January 2009)As we were discussing all of it we thought that when the kids grew up that we could do it. Never imaging any time in the near future.
As a few months passed we went to a Chris Tomlin concert and saw a video about orphans in Africa.Previously discussing how someday we would like to adopt we started talking that night about how we should adopt later, like years down the road.We left it at that after that night and didn’t discuss it again until a few weeks later while sitting down for coffee one night after our girls went to bed.We both individually had been feeling God's pull toward adopting right now and from Africa.I had been doing some research online about adoptions and really felt God showing us that this was something we need to do now not later.So we did.We started our adoption from Ethiopia with AGCI in April 2009.We did our homestudy and dossier and got on the waiting list with AGCI June 2009.
On Octobter 7th, 2009 we received our referral for our son who was 3 weeks old at the time.God showed us through these months of waiting that his was right for us, but during that referral phone call he proved to us that this what His will for us.Our son was given the name Adam by his birthmother.This was unknowing who we were or that we were even going to adopt him.He shared the name with his daddy.Super awesome!!!We decided to keep his first name Adam and give him the middle name Ezekial and call him “Zek”.A few weeks after our referral Zek became extremely ill.He was only 6 weeks old and very frail.He was hospitalized in Addis Ababa at the Black Lion Hospital.Just google that name and see the pictures that come up.I did.We were feeling so terrible that our son (whom we had never met) was so sick and so far away.Our hearts ached, our minds raced.Then I go looking up the hospital name and the pictures that popped up made me sick to my stomache.My son is at a hospital like that?We prayed and prayed and prayed.They said that he was going to need surgery and get a tracheotomy (because in an X-ray they saw something blocking his airway).Ugh!!!So, we pray some more… he is transferred to a private hospital, but that process wasn't easy. It took an entire day for the hospital to find an oxygen tank to transfer with him to this new hospital. (Why oxygen? He was having extreme troubles breathing.)So, he arrives at the new hospital, but the doctors do not have the equipment to perform the surgery. Later that day another doctor sees him and doesn’t see any reason for him to have the surgery. Really? What is going on? Well, we just continue to pray, pray, pray and after a few weeks in the hospital he returns to health and is able to go back to Hannahs Hope (AGCIs transition home)!He had been healed!
As if the stress of having a child halfway around the world so sick that we were told a tracheotomy was necessary... we found out that we were pregnant!Then we thought that we were miscarrying and that the pregnancy was not a "viable" pregnancy.After a few weeks we were given an ultrasound to check things out and to make sure things were ok. What was found you ask? They saw a tiny little heartbeat!This 3-4 week period was a roller coaster of a time for our family!My emotions were everywhere!!!We passed court November 12th and traveled to Ethiopia December 12th and met him on December 13th.What an incredible day!It was an experience like no other.We met our son who we had been praying and waiting for.Our visit to Addis was ok.I was so sick and missing my girls so much I just wanted to get home.I told Adam, while standing on the side of the street just outside our hotel “I would never want to become a missionary and move here!”I had made up my mind about that!
The next several months were the hardest time in my life... I was so sick from the pregnancy when we brought Zek home. Not to mention that Zek being the fussiest baby I had every met.It was hard to say the least.Bonding took a lot longer than expected.Not just from Zek but from me as well.6 ½ months after bringing Zek home we brought Emery into the world.Still not bonded as much as I would have liked to have been now I had a new baby.It all rocked my world and it was super hard.
During the 7 or 8 months after bringing Zek home I felt almost fist to fist with God. I wondered where he was when I feel was so low. I did feel Him tell me the whole time "I have big plans for you" "please trust me"...
Over the next few months after Emery was born we got into the swing of things, if you want to say that!Adam and I really started talking more about missions in Ethiopia early September 2010.We began praying about it and God was pulling us towards it.In October 2010 opportunity presented itself for Adam to go on a missions trip to Ethiopia in February 2011.We felt that this would be a good time for him to go and really see if God was indeed leading us there for full-time missions.
Between the time he decided to go and his departure I started collecting cloth diapers for him to take.I wanted him to be able to take enough to diaper twenty or so babies.I began contacting people and got floored by God.Donations started pouring in.Not only was Adam able to take 200 lbs of cloth diapers with him on his trip but I have sent another 800 lbs with other people traveling to Ethiopia!God is absolutely amazing!When He puts something on your heart you better do it and He is going to bless it.We called the project Bottom Blessings.It’s an ongoing project and will continue.
Adam's trip was amazing.We prayed before and during it that God would show him if this is what He wants us to do with our family and when we should do it.He got back and we knew it was the right time.We started really looking into sending agencies for missionaries and prayed about it.I was looking one night and came across CMF.I really loved what they were doing in Ethiopia as I searched their website.I knew that this was going to be at the top of our list of places we wanted to contact.As I searched further I realized that they were in Indianapolis!We contacted them and met with them and really felt pulled there.We officially applied in May 2011.We went through our assessment center in August 2011 and became officially affiliated with CMF (and their Urban Poor ministry in Addis Ababa).We began taking the Perspectives course (http://www.perspectives.org) the day after our assessment center and let me say that this class has rocked our world.It has opened our minds so much more to missions and God's call for it.It has been amazing!We will be doing Launch at the beginning of 2012, which is our support raising training.We will then begin raising support.We will begin talking and speaking with churches, family and friends to raise the financial support we will need to serve in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
There are so many God things that have happened between these times and so many times where we know that Satan is trying to take away His glory.He has caused frustration and confusion a lot.But we have to stand firm and know that this is His will.This is what our lives are supposed to look like.
We are excited to be on this adventure and cannot wait to see all that God has in store for our family!
Two years really flies by...at least this past two years has.
This week two years ago (Oct 7th) we saw the face of a sweet 3 week old baby boy named Adam (the same name as daddy) for the first time. Today 2 years ago I was feeling so anxious to receive the call about our son. Now that baby boy is 2 and such a joy. He has been an awesome blessing to this family in so many ways.
A lot has changed in two years. We went from having two little girls to having two little girls and 2 little boys in a mere 6 months. God has really shown us how much He is in control and that He always knows what is best for us. We feel so blessed that Emery and Zek are so close in age (a little less than 10 months apart). If you would've told me two years ago that I would become pregnant during the last of our adoption of Zek I would've thought you were crazy :) and If you would've told me how much I would enjoy having two baby boys so close in age I would've thought you were even crazier. Because I always thought when people had kids really close in age that they were crazy. My boys are awesome. They are best buds already and love to make each other laugh. I tell Adam how much they were meant for each other. All of our kids are amazing and I love how much joy each and every one of them bring to our family.
Zek has changed us in so many ways. He has opened our minds to so much more. If someone would've told me two years ago that in two years we would be working our way to moving our family to Ethiopia and becoming missionaries I really would've thought you were even crazier. My mind has been opened and the need has been revealed. Our hearts are in Ethiopia.
We are taking this Perspectives course for missions and it is so amazing and has been opening our minds to so much. There is so much in the bible about missions and how if we are Christians that we are called to take His word to the ends of the Earth. Does that mean the ends of the United States???? No the ends of the ENTIRE Earth. In an article we read in class the author said "missions exists because worship doesn't" In other words, the reason God gives us our mission is to bring about obedient, love-filled and life-giving worship among peoples in places where there is none. We are to take His words to those places where people need to hear it. That is why missions exists and why it's God call for people to move to places where people need to hear it. We are all called to do it. Either by supporting missionaries financially and with prayer, moving and becoming the missionary, helping to mobilize missionaries, etc. There's so much to learn in the course and we highly recommend it for anyone who is interested in learning more about missions. I thank God for giving us the passion for Ethiopia and opening our hearts to taking our family there.
We are taking the course until the end of November so we still have so much to take in. It's so overwhelming learning so much and hard to really say all that we have learned. Once the class is over we have a few months to prepare for our Launch with CMF (support raising training) in January and then we are off to start support raising. We will be meeting with friends and family, churches, small groups, etc. We will be busy, but we are so excited to start sharing about our ministry and all of the things that we have learned with everyone we meet with. We hope to be moving in the summer of 2013 to Addis. Right now it seems so far off, but I know that it will be here before we know it.
Maggie and I will be taking our trip to Addis in March. We aren't going with an organization. We are going on our own. It will be a vision/mission trip for us. I plan on spending time with the team (Urban Poor Team) that we will be working with and also spending some time with some other organizations and some people that we know. I know that God is going to show us a lot while we are there. I feel like it is really important for us to go on this trip. When it didn't work out for us to go in October this year I thought for a moment that maybe we just wouldn't go at all until we move. But, I know that it's so important for Maggie to spend some time there and to help me to get a vision for what Adam and I will be doing while living there. It will be important as we share with our supporters. We are fundraising for this trip and have set up an online store with things for sale. We have awesome t-shirts that my amazing husband designed for sale. We have to raise every penny for this trip and will not be able to purchase tickets for the trip until $3000 has been raised. the total cost for the trip will be around $4000. I can't wait to see God work out the details for this trip and for how much He is going to show me on the trip. You can visit our store here. Or you can click on the image on the upper right of the blog page. We are receiving our order of t-shirts this week. 100% of the purchase price of everything goes towards our trip. The holiday season is quickly approaching and the t-shirts and things would be great gifts!!! Make sure you take a look at the store. :)
Please continue to pray for our family as we prepare ourselves and God prepares us to serve in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
This is one thing I learned over this past weekend at our Assessment Center with CMF.
Over this past month I have been praying and thinking so much about the upcoming trip to Ethiopia. I was scared and excited about the trip. I felt like a great opportunity for me to go and felt like God wanted me to go. Well...sometimes Gods plans are just a little different than what we imagined...
The awesome news is we are officially affiliated with CMF!!!! So that means we are OFFICIALLY working our way to move to Ethiopia!!!! After the intense weekend of the Assessment Center we were given a personal development plan. Included in this are a few books to read, a plan for Adam to get his cholesterol down a bit (we have to be healthy missionaries!), and some educational things and training that we will complete before moving. One thing we have to do before we start raising support is take this course called Perspectives. If you click on the name it will take you to their website and you can read more about it. It will teach us more about missions and Gods call to missions. It is a 15 week course...That puts us way into November...Our trip is scheduled for October...This class is required of us...That means that I will not be able to go to Ethiopia in October. BUMMER! To be the best missionary I can be I have to get as much out of this class that I can. I have to focus on this...Missing 2 weeks to go to Ethiopia I feel is not in my best interest.
I am so excited for this class and this journey! I am excited to be living Gods plan. and I have learned so well over this past 2 years that my plan usually isnt exactly His plan! We are taking the ride and following His course. I am planning on a mid to late spring trip to Ethiopia. So yes I am still going and taking Maggie, just not as soon as I had imagined. So we are still fundraising, selling shirts, collecting donations and diapers, etc. We just have a longer time to do it in now! (click on our button on the sidebar to go to our store)
We are super excited about this course that we are taking. We finished the Assessment Center and they gave us the personal development plan and the class was on it...and well the class started the day after we were done with this intense weekend. (last night) So once again, flexibility is the key. We shuffled and found a super babysitter last night. Over the weekend the kids had 9 different people watching them and we didnt want to have to use any of them. My aunt stepped up and watched them for us and they all had a blast. If you know us, then you know finding a babysitter can be a challenging job. But God worked it all out :) A lady at CMF is also going to be babysitting for us during these 15 weeks. and they paid for the class for us. CMF is super awesome and the people are super awesome and will do about anything for you. We LOVE them and highly recommend them to anyone interested in the missions field.
Please pray for us as we are moving our way to all of the fun stuff in His plan for us. We are excited about this class and excited about support raising (and a little scared too!).
This is going to be an awesome journey and we are excited to work our way through it and share it as we go along.
So back a few weeks ago we were called up by CMF (Christian Missionary Fellowship) and asked if we would like to go on a vision trip with them to Ethiopia this October for 13 days. At first I was like "oh wow yes I would be interested and I could take Maggie along with me" then the doubt starting setting in...
wow I will be gone for almost 2 weeks! there is no way I can be away that long...
there is no way I could wean Emery that soon (I always nurse my babies until they are two)-I would be terrible if I did that!
leaving Adam that long with the kids would be really interesting, what would the house look like?, how would he handle trying to work, etc..
I am just not ready to do this...
I can't raise almost $4000 for Maggie and I to go on this trip...there is no way!
What if Maggie or I get sick when we are there?
What if it's just too much for me to handle without Adam?
the list could go on and on...
But I am reminded...I can do all things through Christ who give me strength...Really, me, I can! I still have moments throughout everyday where I am thinking there is no way I can do this. But I pray or just think about it and really I can do this. This will be great! There have been a few things that seem to say "hey you are supposed to go on the trip" -like maggie being on fall break during that time. We homeschool but use a public virtual school so we have to stay with their schedule and I was worried about trying to squeeze in two weeks worth of school work before we leave...but today I found out we will be good to go! There have been other little things that pop up or I think of from time to time that give me a peace about going.
When we first heard of the trip CMF really wanted both Adam and I to go. Well, with the little kiddos and with him not having much vacation time left this year there was no way he could go. I really wanted to go back before moving there and I really wanted Maggie to experience it before we moved there. We felt like this was a great opportunity for us to go. We will be hearing and experiencing first hand what the missionaries living in Addis working with the Urban Poor team are doing. It will be great getting to experience Addis in a whole new way. Visiting as an adoptive parent just isn't the same as going on a mission trip there. My experience traveling there before was even more different because I was 10 weeks pregnant with Emery! I am excited to love on the people and stand in the place where our hearts are. We will spend the majority of our days there with the Urban Poor team, but also will be making a trip to Shashamane to visit our sponsored son, Misganow, who we sponsor through project 61. We are going to spend some time in an orphanage or two, spend some time in Korah (Kore), meet some missionary friends who work with other organizations (like No Ordinary Love Ministries), and I know that other things will pop up and I am anxious to see what God has in store for this!
I am collecting cloth diapers to take with me (if you know of a particular orphanage in need of them let me know). If there's any out there who would like to donate diapers let me know. I want to take as much as possible. I have been so blessed with my cloth diaper project and have already sent over 1000 lbs of cloth diapers to Ethiopia. I think that is pretty amazing!!! What started as a "little" project has become so HUGE! and it will continue as we move to Addis. We are going to be the contact in Ethiopia and a few other mommy's are taking on collecting donations here in the states!!! I am so super excited for this and it is totally a God thing...More on that at a later time...
Besides cloth diaper we are taking donations for things to take to this orphanage ...
childrens clothing for ages 4-14
childrens shoes for ages 4-14
formula
I can't believe how soon we will be in Ethiopia visiting! We have about 9 weeks to raise these funds to go. We are counting on our t-shirts, bumper stickers, Ethiopian goods, flower clips, and donations to fully fund this trip. I know that God can make this happen! so this is where YOU come in...you can visit our store here... http://ourtriptoethiopia.storenvy.com/ and check out our awesome things we are selling (all proceeds go to fund our trip)! There is also a button over on the right of this page that you can click on. There is also a paypal donate button or you can donate through our store if you feel led.
On a slightly different note we will be attending our 3 day Assessment Center this weekend and a 1 day support raising orientation with our sending agency CMF (Christian Missionary Fellowship). We are super excited to "officially" get things up and running to becoming full time missionaries in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia! Please pray for us this weekend as we want clear minds so we can focus fully on the time there. We can't wait to figure out all of the details as far as support raising and our projected time that we will move. We will keep everyone posted as we know more.
Not sure who actually follows this blog anymore considering it hasn't been updated in over 2 months! But, thank you to anyone who is actually reading this.
The last few months have been full of fun stuff. We finished up school with Maggie near the end of June, Maggie had her 7th birthday, Emery had his first birthday, and we have been getting our house ready to put on the market. We have been getting rid of a ton of stuff. It feels really freeing clearing out all of our unnecessary "stuff". Our girls have been great about getting rid of toys. They know that it just gets them closer to moving to Ethiopia. They are so excited to move there. We have been setting things at the curb for free, giving things to thrift stores, and selling things online. and now our house is now officially for sale!
We have also been in a lot of prayer about our upcoming Assessement Center with CMF (Christian Missionary Fellowship). It will take place August 12th - August 15th. Here is a discription of the Assessment Center...
"The three-day Assessment Center (AC) event is designed to provide a comprehensive approach to the selection of qualified cross-cultural workers. Your skills, abilities, and traits will be evaluated and matched with the profile of successful cross-cultural workers. At the end of the AC, you will receive thorough feedback, including a list of strengths and a personal development plan to help with your mental, emotional, and spiritual growth."
We also stay for a day of support raising orientation.
CMF is located just north of us in Indianapolis. When we first were looking into sending agencies I was looking into CMF and loved what they were doing and had no clue that they were located in Indianapolis. Then I found out that they were! It will be great with them so close. Totally a God thing!
We have, with Gods help, found people to take care of the kids all day for those 4 days. It's not easy trying to find sitters for us and it was something I was afraid of, but it's all working out. I will be coming home each evening to be with the kiddos and go back every morning (Adam will be staying at a hotel near CMF). I still nurse Emery so he nurses before naps. These next few weeks we will be teaching him to fall asleep without nursing for naptimes, so that I can be at peace during the day that Emery is ok. This is huge for me, so if there is anyone out there who could pray about this for me and Emery that would be awesome! Also, praying for peace for all of the kids and ourselves during those 4 days.
We are so excited to get started with this journey and would love all the prayers we can get. If you can commit to praying for our family please leave a comment and let us know that you are praying. I will post prayer requests occassionally and post about what's going on with us and the things we are doing.
After the Assessment Center we will either be a recruit or a candidate. If we are a recruit we will be invited back for LAUNCH. -"During this intense and full 3 days of training in Indianapolis, the staff will provide further orientation to CMF, equip you with skills for raising support, and help you develop your support-raising strategy. You will have individual meetings with Leadership Team members regarding your budget, support-raising plan, specific field ministry, communication tools, and additional services available to you. Soon after LAUNCH, you will receive your personal promotional materials (display, printed materials, etc.). Throughout your support raising, your coach will continue to assist you with your specific questions and challenges."
Our prayers are that we get recruit status. If we are candidates we will receive guidance in further preparation for field service, such as training, practical experience, and personal growth. We will need to complete these steps before becoming a Recruit and beginning your support-raising.
Prayer requests:
weaning Emery from nursing before naptime - easy transition for us both
for our whole family and the sitters during our Assessment Center in August
Our house - bring the perfect buyer for our house
also, I have an opportunity to go to Ethiopia in October for 2 weeks with CMF! It is a vision trip that they invited us to take part in. I am totally up for it, but want to take Maggie (our 7 year old) with me. She is excited to experience going before we move there. I have emailed them asking if its ok. If it is (which i am sure it will be) then we will be going! So prayer for raising funds to go and also weaning Emery beforehand. (we are so excited that we will get to go so soon!) - and preparing Adam to take care of the 3 littlest while Maggie and I are gone.
Prayers during the Assessment Center. that we can focus and be at peace. Our desire is to become recruits so we can get to Ethiopia sooner. We know it's all Gods plans, but we pray that this is what happens.
Thanks for all of the prayers! and thanks for following our blog. I promise we will update more often!
Ok, I know this has been such a long time coming and I promise I have valid reasons for the delay... 4 little ones to be exact... but I finally found the time to put together a video recalling the mission trip experience from this past February. Here it is...
It was an incredible journey that we set out on as a team; we came together from all sides of the states to form this close-knit, nearly indescribable bond... the best word I can think to describe our experience at the end of the trip was family.
Dealing with the emotions, experiences has been difficult. Christie and I have talked about it, but it is so hard to grasp unless you are there living the moment. A few highlights from our trip include...
• • • • • • • • • •
DIAPERS!!! :: Delivering 4 tubs of diapers to 3 different orphanages: A government orphanage in Addis [not allowed to give actual name], a private orphanage in Holeta [Debre Berhan] and a Catholic Orphanage in Addis [Kidane Mihret]; and giving away to a few different individuals too (including a few moms in Korah and one of our drivers who had a 2-month old baby girl!
• • • • • • • • • •
GIR-MON!!! :: (I'm not sure if that is how it's spelled, but that's how it sounds) is a 6'3"(ish) blind boy (well, he's 20... but I'm 30 so I can call him a boy). He came up to me while I was standing in the road in between the shelter and the church.... he asked if I had anything to help protect his eyes. [Cue Despicable Me voice..."Lightbulb"] "Marcy has sunglasses!" I thought. So I took him inside where the church is and the two of us sat down on the bench and chatted. He was/is amazing. I know I've said a lot of things on our trip were amazing, but this moment was "it" for me. I found out Marcy had left to help Mercy get new clothes so we were left w/o sunglasses for the time being. Then McKenzie came up and gave him her sunglasses... and they fit him perfectly... and I must say he looked pretty stylin' in them. He sung for me, hugged me, kissed me, told me he loved me, called me his best friend... affection for other men doesn't come the easiest for me, but I can honestly say I fell in love with this boy.
• • • • • • • • • •
SOCCER IN AMBO! :: When we met up with the kids in Ambo we played this huge soccer match. Kids vs. Adults. I have a little footage in my video... but it was a blast. It got pretty intense out there... I was dying for water and so were the kids. I had 2 huge bottles in my bag that were all but gone by the end... I scored a few goals (thanks to awesome assists from Spencer) but the most memorable moment came when a boy came up to steal the ball when I was kicking a goal and I kicked him in the shin. He fell down and got up with a limp... I carried him off the field but he ran right back out there... what a trooper... what a game. (Note: by the end of the day his limp was gone... I felt sooooooooo bad.) Another memorable moment came when I let Helen record with my videocamera and she held it backwards and recorded herself, upside down, for a good 45 seconds... my kids think it is the funniest thing. classic. :)
• • • • • • • • • •
ICE CREAM W/ THE BOYS! :: Every evening we'd get back to the Ethiopian Guest House and a group of boys from the neighborhood would show up looking to play some soccer and to see if we had any candy or anything. Well, about half way through the trip we thought it would be fun to treat them to ice cream... so we walked down to the market and each boy picked one out. Interestingly the two flavors available were: Coffee and Milk.
• • • • • • • • • •
COW STOMACH! :: One of the last evenings we were there the whole group went out for a traditional dinner. I sat next to one of our drivers... Bebe. (Who might I add is amazing!) Once dinner was served him and I dug in... we were the only two (at our table) that had embraced traditional cuisine while we were there. I pointed to this odd looking meat on the platter and asked him what it was. He said "Try it." I said "You go first." So, he ate it. Then, as a man of my word... I took a large hunk of injera, picked up the funky meat and plopped it in my mouth. Just about gagged myself, but I managed to chew it and keep it down. It had the consistency of rubber and the taste of worst gristle you've ever eaten. I asked him what it was, his answer... "Cow stomach." EWW!
• • • • • • • • • •
NATURE PARK! :: Returning to Addis from Ambo we stopped by a nature park where we say some amazing sites. Including a monkey drinking an orange soda. How about that. It was super cute. I took a 6-foot leap across the top of a waterfall and climbed to the top of another waterfall (with about 5 others). At the top we took a trail back about 1/2 mile to a super small village where we helped a lady break sticks that she would later use as kiln and met up with a bunch of kids. Upon returning we saw a lady washing her clothes at the top of the waterfall.
• • • • • • • • • •
SHOES! :: Shoes were another big part of our trip. We took part in a TOMS shoe distribution at a school in Dahley. We were able to bless these children (and a few members of the community) with shoes by removing their current shoes and placing new ones on their feet. The condition of the shoes was saddening... every foot was dirty, but several were cracked and bleeding and many were suffering from different types infections. I washed and sanitized my hands several times that day. :) Another part where shoes played a big impact were the 3 pairs I gave away to kids that lived on the street and needed them. One of the boys I gave a pair to (Ti) had asked my wife for her pair of shoes when we traveled to pick up Zek! He was still there and still needed shoes. I gave him the pair off my feet. I arrived with 4 pairs of shoes... I came home with a pair of flip flops.
• • • • • • • • • •
There are so many more things that I could talk about, those are just the ones that come to my head right now. As more come up I hope to share them with you.
This was an amazing experience and if you are considering a mission trip, I highly recommend it. Loving on the people I came into contact with was so soul-filling. I left nearly on empty, I came home overflowing. Joy is contagious and the people you meet are so joy-filled that you will never want to leave. In fact, based on the conversations I've had since returning home, most of our group feels that way.
This young women named, Ashli moved to Ethiopia last November...
This is from a post on the Ordinary Hero Blog...
"as of recently she has been led to an orphanage that is entrusting her with the care of the children. To protect the kids in the orphanage we will call it Restoration Orphanage, because I think God will restore their lives from the mirey pit and use this place as a place of Restoration in the future for other children. God has handed this place to her for her to step in and help when there are certainly children on death's door. She has gone in and described the needs of these children to me, especially the babies, and it is devastating and heartbreaking! They need care and they need care fast. A few babies have not made it and I believe that is why God has now led Ashli to this place through a connection that I have and is now going to use her to bring these children back to life. It is going to take a lot of work, money, formula, supplies, etc but I know it can be done. AND it can be done by this one young girl.....WITH ALL OUR HELP. Here is an excerpt from her as of yesterday......"
"As I held an orphaned little girl tonight who is 10lbs underweight, I began to sing Jesus Loves Me. She stared in my eyes as I sang and I started thinking about her life. Her last name is X because she has no father, she is malnourished, found in the street, and has a horrible bacterial infection that if went untreated would kill her. As the song was ending her eyes slowly closed as she drifted off to sleep. A peace that passes all understanding was shown through the sweetest smile as she slept. I whispered, "Lord, you are her Father. She does have a name, and you know her by name. You know her life and her destiny. Protect her heart and give her peace." There are 15 other babies with a similar story in this orphanage, and 10 more on the way, and only 3 nannies to care for them. I pray that all who read this would prayerfully consider helping this orphanage financially care for these helpless lives. The nannies LOVE these babies but the funding just isn't there for proper care. You can turn tears of hunger into peaceful nights of sleep, and the longing for someone to just hold you into security and happiness. Will you help an orphan fall asleep in peace tonight? Please contact me if you are interested in helping!"
go here to donate through ordinary hero - click here - make sure you type in "for orphanage aid" in the message box
to read more about ashli and the orphanage and its needs - click here
Please pass this on...Put a link to the Ordinary Hero blog where you can donate on your facebook or blog!!!
Homemade chalkboard that we made over the weekend. The girls love it and Zek thought it was a slide :)
Zek playing in sand...do you see it all over his face? yep he likes to eat sand. I gave up and he can eat it if he wants :)
He likes to eat everything. This is mulch. and no I didnt let him eat this :)
Emery likes to eat sand too! It must be a boy thing.
Aunt Abby (my much younger little sister) stayed the weekend with us. The girls had a blast! (and it gave mommy a break!) :)
One of Hazels favorite things to do
Emery playing
more playing...
First, thanks to everyone who is praying for us as we begin this journey!
We have had a few questions or comments that people have asked or made about us moving to Ethiopia. So I will answer a couple...
When do you move?
After we do our 3 day assessement we will know a better time frame, but we are expecting 12 - 18 months from August.
You are brave...
We by no means feel brave. We feel that this is Gods calling for us and we are simply following Him and he is bringing us peace about it all along the way. There are days when I feel super excited and there are days when I wish God didn't lay it on our hearts. But we want to be fully devoted followers and we know this is the plan He has for us.
Does someone pay you to live there?
We will be fully supported by our church, other churches, family and friends. We will have to raise the support on our own (this is one reason why it will take 12-18 months before we move) We will raise the support from partners that can make it possible for us to work with and teach God's love to the people in Addis. We will know more details on all of this once August rolls around.
I want to challenge anyone who is reading this post who hasnt read the book Radical yet to read it. I just finished it last week and it is awesome!!! It took me over month to finish it because well it just takes me that long. I love reading but finding bits of time between taking care of the kiddos is impossible somedays :) I am currently reading When Helping Hurts. A missionary at CMF gave it to us when we went there a few months back. It is a really great book and very insightful. I have learned lots of stuff already! So I highly recommend it!
So back a few weeks ago I said that our family has HUGE news and I couldn't announce it for a few weeks. We had to make sure that our parents knew before anyone else did!
This stirring in our hearts came long before we decided definitely to adopt and subsided for awhile during our adoption and our transition from 2 kids to 4 (in less than a 7 month span!). August rolls around last year and we feel it again. This longing for Africa. This desire to give it all to God. Whatever he wants for our lifes we will do. We want to be whole hearted followers of Him.
It was a rough year to say the least. Through this rough patch I could feel God saying to me "Christie just trust in my plan, I have big plans for you...give it all to Me..." It took me a long time to focus. To focus on God. Focus on His plan for our life. To creep into giving it all to Him. To fully trust in His plan...
Back to late August/early September... Adam and I both started to feel the tug...
We began to pray and seriously talk about moving our family and becoming missionaries in Ethiopia.
So that is our big news!!!! We have been praying about this for several months and researching and talking. We feel that God is calling us to Ethiopia. In fact we know God is calling us to Ethiopia!
There is a peace about it...a peace that surpasses all understanding. A peace that would not be there if we said "no we aren't moving to Ethiopia." I have prayed this a lot lately - "Philippians 4 - 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
Adam's mission trip really confirmed all that we had been feeling. (he is working on a video of his trip so he will be posting very very soon about the trip)
We have had our up-and-down moments a lot lately. One minute we will be super excited and the next really questioning and really asking for God's peace and it is always there.
I was listening to the radio on the way to take Maggie to school a month or so ago and really praying to God to please give me peace if this is His plan. A lady was talking about her job or something on the radio and she never imagined herself being where she is right now she said but God will put you exactly where he wants you. and I heard "even if it's 8,000 miles away" I know this was God. He was telling me it's ok I have you in my hands even if you are 8,000 miles away from home you will always be in my hands and these are the plans for you and your family. I could go on and on about things I feel God has said to me or songs that I listen to and know that I was supposed to hear that song at that particular moment. There's a Josh Wilson song that I say is my song. It says "Cause I don't want to live like I don't care...I don't want to say another empty prayer...I refuse to sit around and wait for someone else to do what God has called me to do myself... I could choose not to move... but I refuse." (The "I could choose not to move but I refuse" part makes me smile every time I hear it. - I could choose not to move but that's not God's plan) - if you haven't heard the song do a search for it and listen to it or read the full lyrics, it's a good song. (Josh Wilson - I refuse) Or the Matthew West song The Motions. "I don’t wanna go through the motions, I don’t wanna go one more day without Your all consuming passion inside of me. I don’t wanna spend my whole life asking, what if I had given everything instead of going through the motions " Songs speak to me a lot obviously :) I get some good God time listening to the radio in the car!
After lots of prayer and research about a month ago we decided to take steps to begin affiliating with CMF International. We are now getting our application completed, medical exams, psychological evaluations done, and references done. We will be going through a 3-day assessment in August. (The three-day Assessment Center (AC) event is designed to provide a comprehensive approach to the selection of qualified cross-cultural workers. Your skills, abilities, and traits will be evaluated and matched with the profile of successful cross-cultural workers. At the end of the AC, you will receive thorough feedback, including a list of strengths and a personal development plan to help with your mental, emotional, and spiritual growth.) Click here if you want to see all of the steps we will complete. It is a pretty rigorous process, but we are ready to get it started!
We love what they are doing in Addis Ababa. Here is what we will tentatively be doing when we move there. "Our growing urban poor team works in the slums of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia’s capital, through Community Health Evangelism – an integrated ministry using Christ’s example of caring for the whole individual of any community, both physically and spiritually. Ministry focuses on those affected by HIV/AIDS, leprosy, and the orphaned and vulnerable children living on the streets." (taken from CMF website) Here is more about the Urban Poor Ministries click here . Click and read about it. It's pretty awesome and awesome to think that we will be part of this.
We are excited of joining the group of missionaries already working in Addis. We do not know details right now as we are just beginning. We do know that we need lots of prayers right now. Prayers for our decisions we are making, prayers for God's provision, prayers for peace, prayers for God's guidance as we begin this journey...the list could go on :) We know that Satan is going to try to make his way in and we have to stand guard. We have already felt it. We know that everyone we know may not fully understand why we are doing this and may think we are crazy. We are crazy. Crazy for Jesus! Pray that negative comments do not stand in the way of the joy and excitement of all of His plans.
Right now we are asking for people to please commit to praying for our family as we begin this journey and continue to seek God's will.
I am going to try my hardest to keep the blog up-to-date to keep everyone informed of the happenings of our family. If you have any questions feel free to ask. I want everyone who reads our blog to follow along on this journey with us.
