2020

Randy and I have entered the Home Study phase of the adoption! The first step in the Home Study process is a study of our hearts. We were asked to write a personal statement about our motivation for adoption. This was a powerful exercise, challenging us to look deep into our hearts and our histories, to uncover a story that God has been weaving all along. This is our story. OUR ADOPTION STORY My (Katie) mother was a kindergarten teacher for 25 years. During that time she often shared her concern for the children that she taught, and how her heart made her want to bring many of them home to experience the love and care that every child deserved. This planted a seed in my heart at an early age for the many children in the world whose biological parents can’t take care of them. When I became an adult myself, a few months shy of graduating from college (March 2002), I became pregnant. I always assumed I would have children of my own, and was thrilled at the prospect of becomin...

July was a month of goodbyes for me. Some goodbyes were harder than others. Some were expected and others came out of the blue. Some I handled well and others not so much.  Goodbyes are never easy. They often come with regret, with longing for the past, with wondering if you've made the right decision.  One goodbye that Randy and I have been discussing for a while now is letting go of the motorhome we inherited when his mother died in November of 2017. While it is sad to let that piece of her legacy go, that sense of adventure and exploration and discovery, it was a necessary next step.  The money we got from selling the motorhome will help us continue progressing in the adoption process, and show that we are committed to providing a stable environment for the boys. (The adoption lady wasn't impressed that we have had 6 different addresses in the 5 years we have been together, and many more months with no address at all. And while it was an incredibly fun and...

If you’ve ever looked at a U.S. map, you know that we had to drive through Nevada to get to California from Utah , but we were on a mission for the first time in weeks: to get to our oldest granddaughter’s graduation. (You know Trinitie already. She was on Leg 1 of this journey with us, giving a thumbs-up while Randy changed our flat tire.) So we blazed through Nevada in one day, only stopping for a good night’s rest (perhaps the best of the entire trip so far!) alongside the beautiful Walker Lake, (which appears to be free to campers all along its perimeter... yay!). It was such an honor to see Trinitie walk with her class, receive her handshake and diploma, and toss her mortar-board into the air. It brought back a flood of memories of my own high school graduation day, 20 years ago (20 years!). I remember my dad handing me my diploma (not too many people get to experience that huge honor!), my valedictorian speech (it had something to do with snowflakes--I got the ide...

Our travels are starting to get confusing, even to us. How did we ever come up with this crazy plan? We partially blame (and definitely thank!) Randy's mom. When she died in November , she left her motor home to Randy and his brothers in her will. As we thought about leaving Mexico and how to honor Mom, it just felt right to go out on the open road. So, on leg 1 of this journey, we stopped in Pie Town, New Mexico, to fill the motor home with the belongings we would want to take with us (including Mom's ashes) for the RV portion of our journey. And now, a month later, we were heading back to Pie Town. We flew Allegiant Airlines from Stockton to Phoenix because it was several hundred dollars cheaper than anything else we could find. We know Allegiant has been in the news lately for safety concerns, but we've flown them several times, and put our granddaughters on their flights as well, and have always had positive experiences. (Incidentally, our flights from Ohio to...

We finally arrived in New Vienna, Ohio, on Tuesday, April 17. 17 days after leaving Mexico. It was a quiet homecoming. Dad was in town, bringing home his combine which had been in the shop. And Mom was napping. But Jovi's joyous face held all of Randy's and my attention. She was dumped off by a stranger here 12 years ago, and she's delighted to call it home ever since. It was obvious by her galloping across the lawn that she remembered, from her paws to her soul, that this was her happy place. We unloaded a few things, started a load of laundry, took a walk down the lane and soon were greeted by my parents. Later that evening my older brother and his family joined us. And just like when we spent time with my younger brother in Texas, we were delighted to have children around (though we are still adjusting to the fact that they can understand us when we speak!). Even though it has been busy, the week has been relaxing. And I see why Randy has so longed to move h...

Maybe it's just Randy and me, but we tend to wait until the last minute to pack our bags, and take on a ton of other projects (that we've been putting off) at the same time. Sure, I'll write a book this month. Sure, Randy will put in a new water heater for you. Of course we have time to take the girls out for pizza and the boys out for a dune buggy ride and have a slumber party with all 21 of them while buying last minute souvenirs and squeezing in a 30-minute massage. If you are a procrastinator like us, you get it. And you get why I'm playing a little "catch-up" and "I don't have time for a lengthy blog or photos" today. So here goes: my next 3 donations went to Habitat for Humanity , Baldwin Wallace University and GreySave . *** 40-40-40 ... Day 28: Habitat for Humanity When Randy and I let our friends know that we would be leaving San Felipe next week and traveling east, our friends Dave and Pam responded, "We'll be in Lo...

I'm so excited that my brother and sister-in-law, Roy & Suzanne, are heading to Ecuador in April! I spent an incredible 10 days in Ecuador when I was in college and absolutely fell in love with the people, the scenery, standing on the equator and strolling through the neighborhood markets. I know they will have an even more rewarding experience, because they are getting to meet Emilia, the child they sponsor through Compassion International. Randy and I spent time in Oregon with Roy & Sue right before we moved to Mexico. During that time they loaned me their copy of "Too Small To Ignore," by Wess Strafford, founder of Compassion International. It wasn't the easiest book to read, because Strafford went through many challenges during his boyhood in Africa that were painful to recount, but it was an honest telling that showed why he felt such a conviction to start this organization. Compassion International has been endorsed by many organizations and...

Yesterday I made my donation to Modern Day . Modern Day is for people like Randy and me who feel called to serve in missions but aren't affiliated with any particular organization. When you go on your own, like we did, you are responsible for all of your finances, communication, connections, and spiritual support. When an organization sends you, they help with all of these pieces of the puzzle. Modern Day provides the same support that those sending organizations do. In fact, some sending organizations have started using Modern Day to help them too! One of my favorite parts of this organization are the video resources they provide, that offer tips and support for common missionary struggles: marriage in missions, rest in missions, safety in missions, finances in missions, guilt in missions (this one is HUGE!). These videos are all free and are right there on their website, so if you know a missionary (whether they are already on the field or are preparing to go or are praying...

(Normally Sundays are a "rest day" from Lent, but today is serving as a makeup day for missing Thursday .) This week I gave money to my kindergarten kids who were raising money for the Red Cross . They brought home these adorable "purses" and offered to trade me a sticker for a donation. I gave 10 pesos (a little over 50 cents) and their little eyes lit up with joy. (Of course they then wanted to take a trip to the local market, but luckily it isn't so easy to get the money out once you put it in!) I figured since I had already donated a little, I might as well donate a few dollars more! Clara Barton founded the Red Cross in 1881 in the United States, but the Red Cross now exists in nearly 200 countries. In our little town in Mexico, volunteers from the Red Cross visit all of the area schools and provide free vaccinations for the children. While researching the Red Cross, I discovered that they are among the first relief responders to natural disaste...

I'm giving $40 to 40 different ministries for the 40 days of Lent. Today is only day 5 and I'm already worn out! There is so much need in the world... and so many individuals and organizations doing so much good... it's exhausting! But Galatians 6:9 says: Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.  Another version says, "at just the right time we will reap a harvest." And yet another says, "you will be rewarded when the time is right." I don't know what God is thinking with this 40-40-40 adventure he has me on, but I do know that he is the mastermind behind it, therefore only good can come out of it. As long as I don't give up! As I fight against weariness, and consider that today is President's Day, I naturally think about how exhausting it must be to work in Washington. To constantly be under a microscope. To have the weight of the entire nation on your shoulders....

Happy Valentine's Day! Happy Ash Wednesday! Happy first day of Lent! Today is DAY 1 of my 40-40-40 challenge. Of all the ministries in the entire world, there was ONE that I was 100% sure that I wanted to focus on for the first day of Lent. Shawn and Katrina McConaughey Shawn and Katrina McConaughey were recently called to serve in the Africa Ministries Office of Friends United Meeting , and are raising funds to get them to Kisumu, Kenya. If your religious affiliation isn't Quaker, you probably don't know about Friends United Meeting or the Africa Ministries Office, but trust me when I tell you that they do amazing work through schools, hospitals, evangelism, theological training, conflict resolution and more.  Shawn and Katrina share this about their call to serve: After 30 years of ministry among Friends in the Pacific Northwest, we are pulling up roots and joining in on what God is doing among Friends in East Africa! Friends United Meeting (FUM...

I've been thinking about "40" for the last several months. I turned 38 this week, which is just a stone's throw from 40, and I find myself super excited about it. Crazy, right?! But I'm so excited about spending the next two years becoming the kind of person I want to be on my 40th birthday. With that number 40 on my mind, it flows naturally into thoughts on Lent. The season of Lent -- the 40+ days leading up to Easter -- has made a HUGE impact on my life. In 2013, for the first time ever really participating in this part of the liturgical calendar, I felt God nudging me to read the ENTIRE Bible in 40 days. I didn't quite make it, needing another month or so to finish my reading (let's face it: Numbers and Chronicles are HARD to get through!), but I didn't give up. I remained faithful to the finish. And met God along the way. In 2014, God again called me to something grand: walking across Spain . Again, I didn't quite make it in 40 days,...

2017. My word of the year was "compartir." To share. All year I've pretty much felt like I was failing at this. No better at sharing than my 3-year-olds. (Someone seriously needs to put the kibosh on the phrase "terrible twos." Twos are like peaches and cream compared to threes!) Sure, I had bursts of inspiration. And I have gotten better at sharing some things. But I'm still not great. At least not in the way I have been defining "to share." When I look back at the year, the one thing I see the most is how much time I've spent on my knees in prayer. Prayer for family. For my marriage. My kids. Prayer for God's will in my life. Which makes me wonder... What if, in directing me to share this year, God wasn't talking about candy or toys, bags of beans or cute t-shirts, money with those in need or even prayer requests with my friends? What if God wanted me to share... with HIM? In which case spending so ...