Thoughts from a mountain house

We are officially back on the mainland and resting comfortably in our wonderful friends home in the mountains. It is a gorgeous home by the way! Part one of our family vacation was great- a little chilly but good. hightlights from the week included surfing ( riley plus three big kids), playing and hanging out with friends, daily chais ( for me:)), campfires, interpretive programs and our whale watching adventure!We saw humpbacks and a gray whale- but not to be outdone, Rley saw a gray whale WHILE surfing. coolest moment of the trip for him. But the trip was not without it's struggles.In my last post I talked about jumping in with 2 feet. I tried. I really tried. But it seems to be getting harder by the minute. The uncertainty of what we are heading into is tough for me. We both have jobs ( thankful) but as of yet, no place to live and our house hasn't sold. we had 2 almost offers this week and they both fell through. So far. On the adoption front, the delays are looking longer and so As it stands, we will likely have to do our all of our updating in our new province. hard to hear and frustrating. We so want to meet the next little Sexton! But a phrase that I am trying to cling to. " God is good. all the time." This is so hard to remember when life's circumstances seem out of control. Take last night for instance- we were just an hour from our destination ( 11:30pm at nite)-and our tire completely blows out. But in the wisdom of my husbands words- we are all safe, thank goodness we are just minutes outside of kamloops and not going down a mountain pass- I was reminded that God is good. He protects us. I will admit I have had moments of anger, frustration and almost complete shutdown. sometimes it feels like too much. That nothing seems to be working out. I know that this will soon pass and life will continue on. I want so much for it to be the way I planned in my head- but that is not God's way. He says " For I know the plans I have for you..." I need to remember that he has a plan and it does include us answering His call. now I just have to continue to trust His plan. I do hope it comes with resolution to this house stuff and adoption stuff soon though:) haven great evening! will write more complete with pictures about our pacific rim adventure! Blessings, andra

Beginning of Tofino....

July 17th

I officially got carsick today- not to bad mind you, but for a girl who can read in the car and never gets sick it is a feeling I don't often experience. In my defense, I was turned around giving snacks, calming kids down and giving more snacks. But the slightly ill feelings were all worth it for the drive between Port Alberni and Tofino. What a gorgeous drive with mountains and lakes and culminating at the Pacific ocean!
And are we ever going to have a blast this year! The kids got out of the van and started running and haven't stopped....we set up camp, had a quick supper and headed for the beach. A quite cool beach but a beach none the less. And the kids- all 4 of them were into the water no questions asked! They weren't in bathing suits, and I hadn't brought a towel but they didn't care. They loved it! Riley was ready to check out another site- a 14 foot dead shark washed up on the beach a ways down...but I said maybe not tonight. Wanted the kids to sleep....
I was so fun to watch the kids tonight and I was reminded that sometimes , or more than sometimes, we are not always prepared for what life throws at us. But to look at it with a couple of degrees difference and jump right in an go with it and make the most of it- may just be the best way to live. Tomorrow the house we have had an offer on officially goes on the market- meaning we may not get it if our house doesn't sell SOON. But I am trying to just live this week- enjoy vacation and trust that God's plan is best and He will care for us. And I am also praying that our house will sell soon:)
So I am going to jump in with 2 feet this week, maybe see a shark and live life with my family and some awesome friends that are joining us tomorrow!! Until next time...
Blessings,
Candra

road trip...beginning of vaca!!

July 16
we are on our way to Vancouver today- a 10 hour drive through the mountains. With stops, I estimate that it will be about 14 hours so it is a road trip day. I have been looking forward to this day for a while. Being in the vehicle- nowhere to be, just driving throughGod's beautiful creation . I absolutely love the mountains and if I am honest- very excited to live closer to them!! So many good memories and can't wait to make more.
Yesterday was a hard but good day. We left Saskatoon in the morning as and we drove out I cried- we have lived in Saskatoon for almost 13 years- the longest I have lived anywhere - and it is home. So leaving with just our van and no keys for any houses and no phones felt very strange and sad. It has been a place of tremendous blessings, memories and friendships. And we look forward to continuing them as we move.
So we arrived in Calgary in early evening to my brother and sister in law's house- to an amazing meal and homemade ice cream sandwiches! So good... We realized we haven't been west in almost 2 years which is almost unheard of for us. So it was good to be in Calgary, connect with family and then head out this morning. With Starbucks and second cup in hand.

It is sometimes good to just go-as much as I fight it I am relaxed. I have not been relaxed in almost 6 months. Our house is still not sold ( praying for a miracle!), we don't have a place in Camrose yet, all of our earthly possessions are in storage. It has been hard to relax. To enjoy life's moments. To trust. To believe that God is good. All the time.
I realized that yesterday. That amidst the chaos. The uncertainty. God is good. All the time. I finished a book on the road yesterday called Love does by bob Goff. I would highly recommend it. Here is a quote that struck me

"We're part of God's much bigger plan for the whole world.Just like God's son arrived here, so did you. And after Jesus arrived, God whispered to all of humanity..."it's your move." Heaven's been leaning over the rails in the same way ever since you got here, waiting to see what you will do with your life."

So with all the transitions, God has been prodding me with the question "what's your next step?" And I think over the next three weeks of holidays, I will take time to seriously consider this and remember to thank God cause He is good. all the time.

Blessings,
Candra

The run

July 15....

RUN 143
The last 3 days was the 3rd annual RUN 143- an ultramarathon to raise awareness and money for orphans and adoption. We are honored to be able to support 2 baby homes internationally, the adoption support centre here in our province and TWO families who are in the process of adoption.
This crazy idea was birthed in our living room almost 4 years ago by friends of ours who wanted to support us on our journey of adoption. since then and including this year, we have raised over 50000 dollars for families and orphans around the world! It has been a tremendous and overwhelming blessing to see how God has used a crazy idea to not only raise money but the profile of adoption and it impact on many, many people!
This year we had five runners complete the whole run ( 143km) and another 4 who did the whole run through a combination of running & biking. We had four bikers who did the whole distance in a day- double from last year! We had about 20 join for the last 10k and 5k - including my 8 year old and 4 year olds girls....super proud of them! (And I got to do 50 k over the course of the 3 days - 10 k for each of my beautiful kids. ) And about 100 people showed for the BBQ in support of the cause- humbled and amazed. God does big things when you step out and take a risk.
Not only were we successful at what we set out to do but more importantly, relationships were built, conversations were had and the purpose behind what we do was evident. One participant who ran the whole thing said that " this was the best life experience she has ever had & looking forward to seeing everyone again soon!" Another support staff ( who was out for the first time) has already said she will be back next year and has already recruited another runner.
This is significant. People building relationships. God being a part of it. people getting cared for. People being supported, loved and encouraged. And little ones given hope and soon ( hopefully very soon...) a family.

Thanks to everyone who was a part of RUN143 this year. Your willingness to do whatever and be involved is awesome!!!
See you next year...JULY 11-13, 2013!

Blessings,
Candra

Ps. The website www.run143.com is up all year long with PayPal. So if y of feel that this is something you would like to donate to now, or throughout the year, please know that it is always available....

Learning...Part 2

SECOND THING I HAVE LEARNED....
Responding to God's call, however hard it is, is necessary to learn and grow and move forward in the adventure of the life God has set before us

I had a great conversation with a lady at church today about our adoption. She was unaware of our circumstance and had a lot of questions about our adoption, Ethiopia and adopting older children. She was genuinely interested and educated ( being an adoptive mother herself) and one question, I thought was particularly poignant. She asked" so are you adopting older children because it is faster or because you really want an older child?"
Between the lines, the question to me read " is it easier or is there something more?" We believe 100 percent that this adventure is a response to God's call in our lives. The desire to have more children is there ( but wasn't always), our kids are excited about it but there is an undercurrent that is more than just expanding our family. John Piper puts it this way " Adoption is God putting his grace on display most beautifully". It is tangible. It is missional living- i think i may write a post on just this at some point! It is learning more about who God is, through living life with another human being. it is a response.
So I have responded. And have put that response to action, along with my husband and kids. And as many of you now, I will take any chance I get to share my passion about adoption!!!
2012 brought with it many emotions that were unearthed as we responded to God's leading in many areas of our lives. In no particular order-
- finishing building our home that we knew we would not live in
- saying yes to a call to ministry in a new community- which took us away from a gret community
- responding to the diagnosis of a chronic condition with one of our children
- committing to adopting older child(ren)
- responding to my husband's leading and trusting Him as we spent the summer Camping ( it was a blast!)
- responding to God as he gently walking beside us as 4 house offers fell through, not knowing where we going to live 2 weeks before we moved, and then moving into a wonderful friends home for a couple of weeks (as she moved out) before we took possession of our new home.
The key learning point-respond and then trust.
All of this looks a little simpler when written down but life is messy. There are variable factors in everyday life that can either make things easier or harder. But I have learned more, grown more, trusted more and hopefully people have seen a little glimpse of Jesus through me.

Blessings,
Candra

No turning back....

There's been a few things stuck in my mind over the last few days. The most important is probably the lyrics to 'I Have Decided'. The other is a line that is more comical from 'Finding Nemo': just keep swimming, just keep swimming, just keep swimming....

The deal on selling our house fell thru. We're back at square one (if square one means no rental home and no house to move into....)

So... we just started living with one of Candra's sisters and leave the province soon for 2 weeks of camping. Beyond that we have no place to stay! FYI, probably don't joke about that with my bride. Even if the short term flexibility of a nomad life is appealing to you... it's still a bad idea. A blue minivan is not the dream home to raise a family in - although it does have the great summer feature of air conditioning!

Movement is necessary for any living organism, so we are choosing movement instead of stalling, getting stuck or paralysis. Today that means cleaning the rental, putting away Candra's work things (her last day was yesterday), bugging people about Run 143 (in 2 days!!!!) and laughing with my kids.

No turning back!
Riley

Resolution week

It's been a week with a lot of resolutions...

The older kids finished up their school year, said goodbye to their school friends and teachers, and packed up their supplies.  There have definitely been some tears shed.

And 'the littles' had their year end party at daycare and said goodbye to the only weekly babysitter they have ever known (one of our kids thought we were instantly moving to Camrose to live.... I'm glad she was at least excited!).

Our stolen (and recovered) van was officially written off & settled this week.  I am amazed at how many random stupid things keep happening to us beyond the big ones we've shared....  That was the same van that had the tire shredded in -30 weather when Candra was trying to get to the hospital to pick me up from my appendix surgery.  And the same one that has stranded us a few times this year and had the same thing fixed more than once as a result.  I may have secretly thanked God for someone joyriding with it, wrecking every exterior part possible & trying to light it on fire....

Candra began to have her work farewells with colleagues as they begin to go on summer vacation and she's been sharing with all the families she works that she is moving.  She's got 3 working days left before vacation time starts!

Candra also officially accepted a job in Camrose - so no more applying for jobs or worrying about that!

Our run-around car was sold (without advertising).  The '97 neon is not exactly a 'classic ride' and we don't want to try to safety it in another province.  A friend approached us wondering if we would be interested in selling it.  YEP!

I finished up all of the last paperwork/details & am officially finished my employment with the church.

A little thing - but someone is also taking over our cell phone contract (specific to our province).  No penalty buyout fees!

As a partial resolution - we found out that families working with the same country as us are getting adoption referrals (pumped for them)!  Now for the final step of CIC giving the green light...

And....  it looks like our house is SOLD!  2 offers in one night!  The day that we will leave for family vacation (camping!) and give up possession of our rental will also be the day that the new owners should get possession of the build.

So as you can tell, it's been a very full week (along with now packing & lots to finish up at the build).  We generally expect that following God's leading means we should expect opposition & trouble along with it.  After a long & difficult 6+ month fight with life, it's nice to have virtually all the pieces come crashing together in 6 short days.  Finesse is nice, but I can certainly appreciate the 'BAM - here it is' approach of resolutions this past week.

Now for divine help with an adoption referral for a son/daughter, a pastor for the church we just moved  from, confirming our potential home in Camrose and daycare!

Riley