More

To arrive at my blog I have to click on More.  More is a word that I am experiencing in life, in my relationship with Jesus, in other relationships.

More GRACE.
More JOY.
More peace.
More fun.
More understanding.
More confidence.
More depth in relationships.

John 10:10 says, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy;  I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full!"

More from God = Full, Abundant Life

God has full, abundant life for all who call Him Father.  For all of us who believe in His Son Jesus, He has amazing gifts that He generously and lavishly pours out on us.

These gifts may come in disguise - hard eucharisteos.  There are hard things that He allows into our lives to get us to the point of dependence and the ability to receive.  Things that force our independent eyes off ourselves (our strength and abilities) to look at Him.  He is our Master, our Creator.  The One who made us LOVES us and has the very best plans for our lives.

Jeremiah 29:11, "For I know the plans I have for you, plans to give you a hope and a future, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you."

He alone is Wise and Able and All Good.

Hard Eucharisteos.  Ann Voskamp's book, One Thousand Gifts, has brought about transformation in my life.  I should say that the work God is doing in my heart through His message in her book is bringing about transformation in my life.  Ann talks about Eucharisteo - thanksgiving.  It is easy to be open-handed to gifts that we want.  It is difficult to receive the hard gifts that we would never ask for.  But He gives us the grace to live even through the hard.  When we return thanks for whatever He allows to come in to teach us, stretch us and grow us - He gives us JOY.  Full, abundant JOY!  This is where real living takes place.  This is how we can get filled up by Him.  So full that we overflow onto those around us.  Letting His light shine through us because we can't contain it.
That is His design.

Saying YES to Jesus is never a foolish risk!

Our Hard Eucharisteos (to name a few):
miscarriage
asperger's syndrome
ocd
adhd
epilepsy
anxiety
depression
the loss of David's sweet dad, Charley

I can say Thank You God for each of these things now.  He has brought (or is currently bringing) healing in each of these areas.  We've given them to Him and we've said YES LORD trusting our trustworthy God to work in our lives through them.  He REDEEMS.  He HEALS. He MAKES ALL THINGS NEW.  He BRINGS JOY in the MORNING.  He gives HOPE.  He is the AUTHOR and PERFECTOR of our FAITH...

All GLORY to HIM who sits on the THRONE!  Who daily gives us manna.

Each morning I surrender my day to Him with my hands open to what He wants to give me. (I didn't get here on my own.  He has had to work hard and long on this girl). I want to receive all of the gifts He has for me, the easy ones and the hards ones.  And I give THANKS because He is good in all things.  He has proven Himself over and over.

These are the things we are currently holding out to Him to receive His work, His will: (Would you pray with us?)
Our Adoption  of one or 2 precious children from Ethiopia
ADHD & OCD
Anxiety & Irritability
Future plans to move to a home more fitting for 6 children/2 adults
A job for Tobi
Continued success for Health Facilities Group (David co-owns)

We trust God with our future because He is completely TRUSTWORTHY!

Would you let me know what you are trusting God for right now? Just leave a comment. I will pray for you.  And if you are struggling with anxiety/depression...know that I am already praying for you.  It's a silent struggle for many Christian women and I am familiar with this kind of pain.  You seek Him and He will deliver you.  Thank Him for whatever you can today...that's the beginning.

Pumpkin Patchin'

Mikaela's instagram picture of our teens on the haystacks.

Saturday was a cold and gray day but we had so much fun together at Walter's Pumpkin Patch (a few miles north of El Dorado).

Walter's is different than any other Pumpkin Patch we've been to.  We took the kids every year when they were little but we've haven't been in several years which made it even more fun.  I wasn't sure what our teens would think about going to a Pumpkin Patch but they loved it.  Their smiles and laughter blessed my soul :) They didn't even fuss at me for making them look at the camera (David's phone) multiple times!

Aaron, Natalie, Mikaela and Jordan

David and me - one of our better photos - jk!

The sibling loveness warmed me right up.

Oh my silly boys!  Jordan nearly tipped his pony  all the way forward.

We had to chuckle at these 2 who kept butting each other out of the trough.   Just being "kids."

Aaron, Natalie, Jordan (mid-air) me and Mikaela on the Bouncing Pillow.

David (normally a very attractive man) couldn't wait until  I served up the lunch I packed so...
This was taken somewhere in the Corn Maze.

This is just so stinkin' cute of Mikaela, I couldn't resist adding it.

David enjoyed holding his girls up in the air on the tractor seated teeter totter.

Our boys warming themselves by the fire.  They were the die-hards who actually  completed the Farm Scene Investigation/Corn Maze.  So proud!

Beautiful white pumpkin I found and brought home - it's on  the mantel now, looking lovely.

This was a great family road trip.  If you live anywhere near El Dorado Kansas, I highly recommend it.  It was worth the $10 each - better than a movie in my book.  Ok, there were some additional costs but still so worth it.  We'll go again.  As our time there went on I kept thinking that our Ethiopian kids will love this too.  Hoping they will be with us next Fall!

I love my family!

   I love my sweet family!  David and Jordan (19) went to visit the KU campus today.  Fun road trip for them.  It was a nice cool fall day to be there.  They talked with people in admissions and in the film department.  Jordan has finished his training for the Kansas Air National Guard and is currently working full time on base.  In the Spring he will attend Wichita State and then off to KU in the Fall.  He's so ready!  One of our pastors is starting a church in Lawrence. Knowing that Jordan will have a church there gives us peace.  God covers all the bases!

   Two of our 4 teens were sick this past week but not today.  They all made it to school today :) Well the 3 that are still in school. I did some returns and grocery shopping for my next fundraiser - a Bake Sale.  My friend and her daughter joined my girls and me for Chick-Fil-A  and then came over to our house.  The girls watched movies and Les and I baked A Lot of cookies.   and ate a few too.  Cranberry/Walnut/Oatmeal, Snickerdoodle, Pumpkin Snickerdoodle and Butterscotch/Chocolate Chip.  Oh my! It was much more fun to bake with Les than to do it all myself.  Amish proverb, "Many hands make light work."  It's so true.  Aaron just hung out with the computer because he was terribly outnumbered by girls!  Sorry Aaron.  He'll go with the guys to visit KU in the Spring since he's a Junior.  

   Tomorrow morning we will take a mini road trip to the El Dorado area - Walter's Pumpkin Patch here we come!  Expect too many pictures on my next post!  

   Thanks for stopping by! 

Crisp, Cool, Beautiful Fall!

   Welcome to my blog.  I love Fall!  It is my favorite season.  The leaves turning that crimson red, vibrant orange, warm yellow and still some bright green.   I like them so much that we've decorated our home in those colors. I can enjoy a rainy day but the cool, sunny days with bright blue skies....Lovely! Pumpkins of all sizes on porches, big, full chrysanthemums, fall wreaths hanging on doors.  I love the sound of crunching crisp leaves under my feet and I'm opening myself up to enjoying a little football - the announcer's voices, the cheers of faithful fans.  The aroma of pumpkin, cranberries and cinnamon, ooooooooo.  And, of course, the flavors that go along with those scents.  I can now pull on jeans and long sleeved shirts.  I love to sit on my back porch swing with a blanket and a good book or The Good Book.  All of it brightens my spirit!  I'm so thankful for this season.

   Our adoption has been on my mind so much lately.  Fundraising  brings out different emotions - feeling awkward to ask for help in raising money but feeling so grateful for all the support and encouragement we've been given. So amazed to see how God is providing.  I know adoption is about more than the family adopting and the children being adopted.  God brings so many people into the process to give, pray, teach, encourage, help and talk to.  He's brought kindred spirits into my life through adoption blogs.  We're adopting children who are 4-7yrs 11mo. old.  In the adoption world they are considered as "older."  I read blogs about families who are raising adopted children who have issues somewhat unique to this age range.  Our experiences in foster parenting have also contributed to the learning process.  I believe that God draws this team together to help prepare us and change us but also to do great things in the hearts of our support team.  He doesn't do anything without having a good purpose, whether we are in the giving or in the receiving.  Each gives us the priviledge of being a part of His plans, His movement, His body, His kingdom!

   Our Ethiopian children are also on my mind, all the time.  We are praying that God will bind our hearts together even now.  We don't have referrals yet so we haven't seen their faces and we don't know the details of their lives.  We ask God to heal their hearts, provide for all their physical needs, and to love them through their caregivers and little friends.  Asking Him to let them know they have a family.  God knows who they are and when they will join us.  He knows their future and He has great plans for them.  All of this gives me hope and such peace.  He may give us children that challenge our parenting skills like never before but hasn't He always given all we need for each challenge He allows us to face.  Hasn't He grown all of us in and through the struggles?  He is faithful, period.  That won't change.  That won't change!

   I'm excited about these children becoming a part of our family.  I'm reminded by young children that come into our home through foster care what joy their perspectives on life can bring.  How they simplify things and make a big deal out of the small, seemingly unimportant stuff of life.  In spite of hard times they laugh so full and so often.  It all makes me back up and take it all in.  They seem to take life at a slower pace and notice details and joys I tend to overlook like bugs, sticks, mud, long time swinging and hopping and touching everything.  You know I'm a kid person, always have been.  God's given me this gift to help me see and experience Him more.  It's about them and it's about what He wants to give me and teach me.  I know our Ethiopian kids are delightful too and I can't wait to meet them!!!  His timing is perfect, His timing is perfect, His timing is perfect... My timing is not.  I'd take them today but we still have so much to learn :)

Thanks for visiting and I hope you'll come back.  God bless, Tobi

We are Winners!

Yay!  We won the $500 grant from Ordinary Hero!!!  We sold over $1600 in merchandise which gave us $653 in commission.  Together that makes $1,153 for our adoption.  OH will send a check to America World and it will be put into an account for us!  I am so thankful for God's provision once again and for Ordinary Hero for their huge gift!
Brenda Fleming is the winner of the Starbuck's Gift Card drawing!!!
A BIG THANKS to all of you who prayed or purchased or shared our posts on Facebook!  You have greatly blessed us!
We will continue to keep the Ordinary Hero fundraising going so go shop again if you'd like :)  We are so please with the quality of our shirts.  It will be fun seeing you and your kids wearing OH t-shirts!  :)

I also want to say thanks to Candace Allenbach and Darlene Seibert who've recently donated children's clothing (very nice clothing too) for foster children and our Ethiopian kids!  THANK YOU!

Whew!  Now I need to focus some time on my house!  Do I have a witness?