Prayer in the Waiting

It has been a while since I've posted.  I have thoroughly enjoyed blogging - writing has been a form of therapy for me during the wait.  It helps me reflect and keep my mind and heart on God's plan for our family. 

There is not much news but I wanted to blog and ask you to continue to pray for our family while we wait in our journey.  Several of you have asked how things are going and when we expect to hear anything or when we expect to move forward in the process.  I can tell you WHOLE HEARTEDLY that I would love to know when I will see my sweet daughter's face - when I will be able to hold her!  But the reality is that we have NO IDEA!  Since we are adopting an older child, not a baby, the expected wait time is entirely unknown.  Like I told my boss "It is like a never-ending pregnancy with no due date!". 

I can guarantee you that the wait will be worth it!  I can also guarantee that we CANNOT walk this journey alone!  We have been leaning on God and also on our amazing friends and family who have offered us love and support.  Please continue to pray for our daughter or children, wherever they might be, until God decides to bring them home!

With God's Love and Blessing

~ The Krohn Family ~

~ THANKFUL ~

Today marks 3 months since we submitted our paperwork  to Ethiopia and officially became DTE(Dossier to Ethiopia).  This date marks the day we officially got in LINE to bring our sweet little girl home!  It has been 8 months since my husband blew me away with the concept of adoption and I can't imagine spending this year ANY differently than we have.  It has been a busy, crazy, eye opening 8 months and I have been thankful for every minute of the journey!

In honor of Thanksgiving this coming week I wanted to take some time to reflect on this last year and all the things I am thankful we have gotten to experience -

~ I AM THANKFUL FOR ~

TEARS OF COMPASSION ~ God's heart breaks for HIS people and I am thankful He has allowed us a glimpse of compassion, tears, and love for HIS people!

HUGS ~ I have LOVED getting great big hugs from my kids each and every day!  I can't wait to GIVE hugs to the kids that God is bringing into our family!

AMAZING DONATIONS ~ We were overwhelmed with donations and support for our yard sale this summer to help raise $ to bring our daughter home!  I can NOT say THANK YOU enough to all the people who donated items, time, blood, and sweat to help us pull off what I believe is the LARGEST yard sale in history!  We made $5800 and I couldn't have done it without all of you!

NEW FRIENDS AND OLD ~ I have been thankful for all the new friends that I have met on our adoption journey!  Being able to chat on yahoo and follow their blogs, I have come to love and appreciate these families as they journey to bring their children home!  I have learned to cheer them on and lift them up in prayer - it makes our wait a little easier when we are able to celebrate with others!  I am SO thankful for the hugs, love, prayer, and support that ALL my friends have given me over the last year.  From a listening ear for me to rant and rave, to a shoulder to cry on when the journey gets overwhelming!  Words cannot express what you mean to me and the joy that I feel when I am around you!  It is truly a BLESSING to have you in my life!

KIDS ~ I have been overwhelmed this year by how AMAZING my kids are!  They are growing up into beautiful creatures of God and their personalities are starting to shine through!  Jarod is getting so grown up and independent and I have had to learn to give him room to make his own decisions.  Noah is a crack up and loves to be the center of it all.  His jokes are hilarious and I love how he makes me laugh!  Sweet Leah is getting so big and isn't my baby anymore, but a young girl growing into her own.  She loves to learn and play with her big brothers.  I love in the evenings when I get cuddle time with any one of my children!  Sweet Naomi has touched my heart in ways I never knew existed - and I have never even met or seen her!  I am excited to see how God unfolds her journey and brings her into our family!

FAMILY ~ I am so very thankful for our family!  Without our families supporting, encouraging, and praying for us - this adoption journey would be MUCH more difficult!  We are blessed with amazing family that has allowed us to grow and make decisions for our family and they are right beside us cheering us on!  Thanks Fam - we would be nothing without you!

UNENDING LOVE ~ I have been made VERY aware of God's unending love over this last year!  He loved me enough, our family enough, to not leave us where we were.  To not leave us in our complacency and comfort.  He loved us enough and our children enough to move our hearts and teach us amazing and new things.  Thank you GOD for moving us closer to your heart!  He's NOT done with US yet!

LIFE-CHANGING LESSONS ~ As I look back over the last year one thing that comes BLAZING to mind is that my LIFE will NEVER be the SAME!  I will never look at my children the same way.  I will never look at $ the same way.  I will never look at the world in the same way.  I have a new passion and vision for HOW we can do GOD's work while here on earth!  I'm not sure where God will take us - but for the first time - I am willing to follow God's still small voice - Wherever that may lead!

"Don't worry about anything, instead pray about everything.  Tell God what you need, THANK Him for all He has done.  If you do this, you will experience God's peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand.  His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ"

~ Philippians 4:6-7 ~

Finding Blessing in the Giving

'Tis the season to shop 'til you drop and eat 'til your button pops off your pants!  It is also the season for giving and reflecting on life, family, friends.   My sweet cousin asked us the other day if we were going to be doing some sort of holiday fundraising or financial awareness for our adoption.  I told her that we are definately doing holidays a litte bit differently this year - scaling back and focusing on family and the world around us.  But - I don't expect everyone to take our approach for the holidays.  Also, I mentioned to her that we have yet to ask outright for financial support.  We know that God is providing for this adoption and we have been so blessed with prayer support and donations for the yard sale.  We've had a hard time asking for financial support when we know times are tough for so many people.

She gently reminded me that around the holiday season we tend to feel compassion and love for those around us and often feel led to reach out and give.  She told me that often people want to give and help support but sometimes they don't know how to help.  She also said that sometimes people feel blessed by being able to give to others.

With these words fresh on my heart and the holidays quickly approaching I am going to give you some advice.  I would love it if each and every one of you spent time this holiday season reflecting on what you have to give to Christ and His Kingdom.  How can you show His love this holiday season? 

Maybe it is taking a meal to the old man who lives up the road who lost his wife this last year.

Maybe it is helping a single mom pack her groceries to her car while she does her best to take care of the screaming children that are hovering around her ankles.

Maybe it is taking your children to a shelter to stand along side them and serve those less fortunate. 

Maybe it is kneeling before God and asking Him how you can better serve His kingdom....scary or not. 

Maybe it is filling a shoebox for a child on the other side of the world or buying presents for an angel that you got from a tree.

Maybe - it is sponsoring a family that is following God's plan to bring some sweet children home from Ethiopia - if this is the case then you can find a link under "Giving" that will direct you to online giving or my email to contact me and I can send you the forms to mail in directly.

Whatever God has planned for you this holiday season - May He bless you in the Giving!

Movin' on DOWN the list - AGAIN

This journey is such an emotional roller coaster.  I felt so incredibly encouraged on my last post.  God gave me moments all throughout the day that made it easy to smile and know He is in charge.  Well, yesterday, the emotions turned.  I found out about 2 families that slipped into the DTE list above us, in our same age range.  One family is new to the chat group, so they've really always been above us in line - we just didn't know about them.  The other family changed their request to be open up through a 3 1/2 yr old girl.  This is the way it goes...this is why we tell ourself that the list is NOT all inclusive...it is not ENTIRELY accurate....and it IS ever-changing!

No matter where my emotions are on the roller coaster - I will choose to still LOOK UP!  God is STILL in CHARGE!  God still knows which little girl is meant for our family and I choose to TRUST Him!  It is easy for my head to know all of these truths - sometimes it is hard for my heart to feel them!

New DTE #s: #6 for a 3 yr old, #3 for a 4 yr old

Looking Up!

Today has been a good day!  God has a way of bringing you just what you need even before you even know that you need it!  I have spent the last couple days crying through Mary Beth Chapman's book Choosing to See.  It is an amazing story about God's grace and faithfulness through the good and the bad!  I can't imagine the pain and the heartache that the Chapman family has gone through and pray that I never have to walk that journey of sorrow.  Their strength and resolve to cling to Christ is amazing.  One of her chapters she talks about taking a walk on the beach.  She is looking down at her feet and feeling heartbroken and confused.  She felt God tell her to look up.  As she did she realized that the clouds had cleared and God had painted a beautiful ocean scene that only the creator of the universe can create.  God was telling her to look up - to keep her eyes on Him and He would give her glimpses of His glory.  I feel like today - God has allowed me to LOOK UP and has encouraged me in unexpected ways!

This afternoon I was able to sit down at my computer and listen in on our adoption agencies monthly conference call that took place yesterday.  As I listened, I heard that there ARE children still in need of families!  There ARE children that need loving homes and Mamas and Daddies to hold them!  Even in the slow downs and quiet God is still at work!  Paperwork - Paperwork - Paperwork....this is the hold up!  I was encouraged more than I have been in a while and felt at peace that there are sweet children that God has planned for some amazing families.  I am SO excited to see how God orchestrates it all for His glory!  Keep praying for these families!  This was my first LOOKING UP of the day!  Thank you God for peace in the waiting!

I got home with my boys to greet daddy and precious Leah!  I pulled in and got the mail which I don't think we'd picked up from the post office all week!  The box was overflowing!  There was a brown manila envelope from the African Children's Choir.  I tore it open-I was excited to see what was inside because a couple weeks ago when we went to their concert we signed up to sponsor a child.  I was a little disappointed when I opened it up and found their promo magazine - the same one we got at the concert.  I flipped it open to some papers in the middle and found a letter addressed to us thanking us for sponsoring a child.  I said - out loud even - "What's with this?  Where is the cute litte picture of the kid we sponsored?"  It was said with disappointment and sadness.  No sooner than the words were out of my mouth, I moved the thank you letter and looked into a set of beautiful brown eyes!  Tears welled up in my eyes as I looked into the face of a handsome young boy who we get the privelege to sponsor and pray for!  He is 8 years old - RIGHT between my boys' ages - and he is in 1st grade - SAME as Noah!  We are encouraged to write to him and he will write back!  I am excited to watch the boys interact and take part in this amazing opportunity.  I ask that you please join us in praying for this young boy who will grow up to be an amazing man of God.  Pray that our family will be blessed through the relationship that we will be able to build with him as he and my boys grow up together!  His name is Mark and he is from Uganda!  This was my second LOOKING UP of the day!  Thank you God for your reminder that children are a blessing!

I put the mail aside and we went out to dinner as a fam before daddy had to head to work.  We had a pleasant dinner visiting and chatting about life.  As we got in the car to come home, I pulled out my phone and got on the yahoo chat group for families adopting from our agency's Ethiopian program.  As the page loaded a wide smile crossed my face and I think I even gasped a little out of surprise.  There had been a family post about receiving a referral today!  It has been so quiet lately and hardly ANY referrals have been given out!  It gets so sad waiting and watching nothing happen!  It doesn't even have to happen for me - even though I can't wait until it does!  It has been such a blessing getting to rejoice and lift up other families in their journey!  Their referral was a breath of fresh air to keep everyone holding on for a little while longer.  This was my third LOOKING UP of the day!  Thank you God for allowing us GLIMPSES of what is to come!

I will continue to do my best to LOOK UP to God for direction, for guidance, for love, for support, for protection, for comfort, for _______ (whatever else I will so desperately need Him for)!

Ephesians

Ephesians is one of my MOST favorite books of the Bible.  It is full of love and grace and encouragement!  As I sat in Sunday school and read through this passage for our lesson - I think it may be a new theme verse for my life.  One of the questions brought up during discussion was,  out of the verses what are you in need of right now in your life!  As I looked over each verse, there was no way to choose - I need all of it!

"When I think of the WISDOM and scope of God's PLAN, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. 

I pray that from His glorious, UNLIMITED resources he will give you MIGHTY inner STRENGTH through his Holy Spirit. 

And I pray that Christ will be more and more at HOME in your HEARTS as you TRUST in Him. 

May your roots go down DEEP into the soil of God's marvelous LOVE.

And may you have the power to UNDERSTAND, as all God's people should, how WIDE, how LONG, how HIGH, and how DEEP his LOVE really is. 

May you experience the LOVE of Christ, though it is SO great you will NEVER fully UNDERSTAND it.

Then you will be FILLED with the fulness of LIFE and POWER that comes from GOD. 

Now GLORY be to GOD!

By HIS mighty POWER at work WITHIN us, HE is ABLE to accomplish INFINITELY more than WE
would ever DARE to ask or HOPE."

Ephesians 3:14-20

Hope this touches your heart in some way this week!

Welcome Fall!

Leaves blowing off trees, pumpkins on the front porch, chili and hot cocoa to warm the soul!  I decided with fall upon us that I would add some warm and neutral colors to the blog!  I also thought that since we may end up with not just our daughter, I should make our blog a little more neutral - sorry purple and pinks!  If we get just Naomi's referral or we get some sisters - I'll girl it back up again!  I felt the water cascading over the rocks was perfect.  Rocks are changed and shaped over time as water flows over their surface, smoothing and molding them into new images.  I am learning early on in this journey that we are the rocks and God is slowly cascading His love over us, molding and shaping us into who He wants us to be.  It isn't always easy - and I know the road ahead of us is going to be difficult and full of bumps and unknowns.  I know that we may feel like we're pushed to the bottom of the stream and forgotten about.  We may feel like we are in the midst of the rapids and getting pushed this way and that with no clear direction.  I also know that our time in the stream is unknown.  God chooses to pluck some out of the water sooner than others and I don't yet know what God has planned for our family.  What I do know is that I will choose to believe and trust in God - when we are at the bottom of the stream or in the midst of the rapids, when we are floating along peacefully taking in the scenery or being tossed about in a storm - I will choose to believe that God is the WATER...He is ALWAYS with us, surrounding us, molding us, comforting us!

Please continue to pray for our family as God is molding and shaping us through our adoptiong journey!

Fun Pumpkin Pics to Add to the Fall Fun!

Leah's Beautiful Butterflies

Noah's Spooky Bats

Jarod's Grinnin' Jack-o-Lantern

Pumpkins All Lit Up

Excited to hopefully have a few more pumpkins to grace our front step next year,

at least one more anyway!