Created for Care news...

It's been awhile since we posted here...BUT the retreat countdown is ON so from here on out we'll be posting WEEKLY updates full of retreat info, speaker introductions and adoption articles that will bless you as you prepare to come. IF you are one of those mommas on the wait list...HANG TIGHT! With almost 500 moms at each retreat who are adoption moms--we always have a ton of cancellations and usually make it entirely through the wait list by retreat time! We have about 120 moms on each list--but this time last year we did too--and we totally worked through the list as moms got travel dates, referrals, etc closer to retreat time. Trusting again that the Lord makes a way for EVERY mom on the wait list to come.

IF you are one of those moms who gets travel dates, a referral or finds out for some reason you will not be able to come--just email Christy at createdforcare@gmail.com. Christy will email the next waiting mom, facilitate your refund and help the new mom sign up for the classes she would like to take, country table she wants to sit at on country night and get all her personal info. It's important for any cancellations and sells to go through Christy so we can get name tag info, personal info and everything that new momma will need to have an amazing weekend at the retreat! (Thank y'all so much for running your cancellations through C4C--it truly makes it SO much easier to stick to a system when we're run by volunteers who already have a system in place. Thank you!)

If you haven't already booked your room, DO SO NOW! Last year, we ran out of rooms and had to start using the lodges nearby--so if you haven't already booked your room--get on it this week and you'll be set! (If you do cancel your coming--don't forget to cancel your room reservation too! If you have roommates--and you need to fill your spot--go on our Facebook page as there are moms there always looking to connect for roommates and such!)

FLYING IN?? If you want to split car rentals--be sure to connect with other moms on Facebook also landing at the same time. We rented a car last year through priceline.com for under well under $100 for the weekend...I think it was around $60! So...if you split that 4 ways--that will make things super cheap for transport to and from the airport!

GET EXCITED! January (and March!) will be here before you know it!!! If you have any questions at all, please email us through the website at www.createdforcare.org. Can't wait to see each of you so very soon!

Blessings!

Andrea and the C4C team

March Retreat Breakouts...AN UPDATE!

***We have TWEAKED and even ADDED a few breakouts for the March 2012 C4C Retreat! Please read below to learn more about each breakout that will be offered. We do ask that you ONLY attend the breakout sessions that you sign up for as we are assigning rooms by number of attendees and some rooms at the resort will only hold certain numbers. If you want to keep the same breakouts you registered for--please go ahead and sign up for them again to help us keep all the registration forms in one place! We apologize for any inconvenience and thank you for taking the time to sign up again!

***ALSO Breakout Session leader bios to follow for you to get to know some of the C4C team before the weekend!

Friday, March 23, 2012 Breakout Session - 4:00 - 5:30pm

African American Haircare with African American Hair Stylist Nisia Murray and her lovely Regan & adoptive mom Erica Shubin. (Come learn about different hair textures, hair products and simple styles) Get ready to laugh and be entertained by Nisia--and of course...there will be time for lots of Q&A at the end!

Photography 101 with professional photographers Shannon Holden and Tammy Dugger. Come learn and be inspired by Shannon of Shannon Holden Photography and her sidekick Tammy Dugger. Shannon’s work is published in boutiques, catalogs, online publications and “Professional Photographer” magazine. Tammy, a former professional photographer, will be tag-teaming this session with Shannon.

Adoption Mom Panel - Join in the fun as we ask questions about how these moms prepared, adjusted and pressed helping them thrive throughout the years of adjusting as a growing adoption family. When you sign up, if you choose to attend this session you can submit a few questions you would like to have answered too! Join us as Andrea Young (C4C mom and “Babe of My Heart” blog) asks our panel of adoption moms with Gwen Oatsvall (147 Million Orphans Mom), Beth Templeton (Hope at Home), Amy Monroe (Empowered to Connect/Tapestry), Aimee Powell (Third Day wife & adoptive mom), Shelly Owens (Sixty Feet & “Good to be Crazy” blog), Cris Peters (C4C Breakout Session Leader)

Creative Quiet Time - It's time to change our minds and routines for our quiet times with God.With the physical and emotional demands of parenting, not to mention the lack of alone time, how can we satisfy our spiritual needs? The Good News is that God has a plan to meet all your needs and it's all about His love and desire to be with you. Come hear and experience new ways to increase your personal intimacy with the Lord and share some of your discoveries, too! (Jenni Means)

Support 101 - Are you attending this year’s Created for Care retreat with your friend or family member simply to support them on this new journey in their life? IF SO--then this breakout session is for YOU! Come here from April Carlock and other adoption family support as they share ways you can better support your friend or family member adopting before, during and after they’re home! Come here as they confess what they wish they would have done, what they know they did well and how you can be a greater support to helping other families thrive after they are home! This is ALSO a calling--and a very important role that you, too, can play and educate others in also!

FUNdraising Your Adoption - Come be inspired in different ways to fund your adoption! Join Kelly Putty of Ordinary Hero as she shares unique and fun ways to raise money for your adoption AND how Ordinary Hero can also help. Kelly will be sharing how their organization supports adoptions through grants and learn about the other ministries also at C4C are available to help you too!


Saturday, March 24, 2012 Breakout Session 2 1:30 - 3:00pm

Holistic Orphan Care: Becoming an Orphan Advocate Right Where You Are. Just like the lyrics of Sara Groves' song, "I saw what I saw and I can't forget it", so many of us want to know- now what? What do we do now that we know? And how do we truly carry out the call of James 1:27 to serve orphans in their distress? Join adoption moms and other ministry leaders who have begun ministries modeled after that call as we discuss ways that empower, rehabilitate and provide relief to orphans around the world. We will discuss holistic models, how-tos of international ministry and ministry through your home church. Led by Kara Portillo of Into The Streets of Ethiopia, April Carlock of Wiphan Care Ministries and Traci Weldie of Safe Families

News about HIV & Orphans and Realistic Expectations in Adoption -Dr. Susan Hillis, HIV research scientist, will be sharing news about HIV concerning orphans in today’s world. Then hear from adoption mom Amy Levy and hear her personal journey of saying yes to HIV adoption--a stories that will encourage you and bless you as an every day family followed the Lord on this beautiful journey of adoption.

“Identity, Adoption and Racism: What America taught me about me” - This interactive session will help individuals explore what it means to be a person of color and be an adoptee in America, and how both impact one’s identity. This session will be both interactive and informative and develop a greater awareness of the challenging and sensitive reality for those who may look a little different from the average American. Join Carissa Woodwyk as she shares and teaches from her personal experience as a Korean-born adoptee.

Yes, you CAN do this! Encouraging and Equipping Moms for Post-Adoption Success - We wait and wait--and then we bring our new one home, many times findig ourselves tired, feeling unequipped and not connected to our child. Come be encouraged by Cris Peters with practical steps and ways to get through the first days, weeks and months--and ultimately create a strong foundation for your family to grow together on.

Adoption from the Inside Out - Empowered to Connect Session 1 -One of the most often overlooked aspects of the adoption and foster care journey is the need for parents to turn the focus on themselves in terms of dealing with their own past hurts and losses, looking honestly and realistically at their motivations and expectations and learning what it means to be “fully present” with their children. “Adoption from the Inside Out” — is necessary if parents are to help their children experience healing and transformation. This process requires that parents be willing to look back and make sense of their own past, look forward and honestly examine their motivations and expectations, in order to be free in each and every moment to be “fully emotionally present” with their children to help them heal and become all that God has created them to be. (Amy Monroe with Empowered to Connect)

The Joys and Challenges of Parenting a Child with Special Needs - This breakout session is led by two moms with two very different but amazing special needs adoption journeys. Come be encouraged and inspired from Gwen Oatsvall and Teresa Grimes--how their journeys began, how the unexpected has changed their families and how blessed they feel as they continue to trust the Lord through this ever-changing and miraculous journey. (Practical Q&A time at the end)

Nurturing Your Marriage There is no greater blessing we can give our children than a strong marriage. And yet many of us find that the ongoing issues of adoption can sometimes actually diminish intimacy and communication with our husbands. In this session we will be encouraged as wives and women to love our husbands well amidst the competing demands of mothering. (Beth Templeton)


Saturday, 3/24/2012 Breakout Session 3 3:30 - 5:00pm

Attachment & Practical Realities of Connecting While Correcting - Empowered to Connect Session 2 - Adoptive and foster parents realize that connection is essential to help their children develop trust, heal, and grow. But they know that correction (i.e., discipline) is also important. This session will focus on practical insights and strategies for parents who want to better understand the “how and why” of connecting and correcting. Using a variety of everyday situations for parents of children of all ages, this session will illustrate the principles and strategies developed and taught by Dr. Karyn Purvis, co-author of The Connected Child. (Amy Monroe) [This session follows the 1st Empowered to Connect session well--but they also stand alone. We do recommend buying the track to both of these sessions if you are a pre-adoption family and are unable to attend both sessions. ]

Adoption in the U.S. - Domestic Adoption , Open Adoption, Foster Care & Foster-to-Adopt with Aimee Powell, Jennifer Schiltz and Angie Gue. - Aimee Powell (wife to Mac Powell of Third Day) will share their family’s journey in domestic adoption. Jennifer Schiltz will be sharing her journey through foster care and fostering to adopt. Angie Gue, an adoptive mom, with three very beautiful open adoptions will be sharing insight on how to trust the Lord through the twists and turns in open adoption--and how beautiful it really can be. This session will also talk about needs in the US--as well as different domestic topics including open adoption, foster care and foster-to-adopt.

Helping Your Child Know and Experience God with Jenni Means and Andrea Young - Our heart's desire as mothers is to see our children walking full of faith in a love relationship with God. We will explore ways to create anatmosphere and culture where it is natural for our children to encounter Jesus, to know their Heavenly Father, and be sensitive to the Holy Spirit. We will learn ways to help us hear God as parents and to help our children hear the voice of God for themselves. This is a real key to break the orphan spirit and come fully into our identity as sons and daughters of the Lord. The second part of the session will focus on practical things you can do with your children to encourage them in their walks with the Lord. If you are in the middle of a time of WAITING--what better way to spend this time before new transitions begin than pressing into Jesus together.

“I Drive a Bus”: Thriving as a Growing Family - Get ready to laugh and enjoy this session with some of our favorite bus-driving adoption mommas and how they thrive as they grow. Come hear how they not only survive but thrive as a growing family. The laundry, the homework, sports, date night (really--a date night?!), romance (really--that too?), connecting with each child and loving their mommy callings. You are in for a real treat and this session--just might be OFF the record with these ladies giving you information they’d never blog about;-) (147 mom Gwen Oatsvall, Third Day wife and mom Shannon Anderson, Andria Parker, Amie Swaddling (www.lovethemhome.com) & Colleen Jobe from Wild Olive (www.myuglycouch.com)

Parenting In Grace - What does the Good News of God's Unmerited Favor look like in our homes? How does it affect and inform how we parent? Does an understanding of the difference between Law and Grace cause us to parent differently than our worldly neighbors? Let's take a look at how we can love our precious children according to the gospel, bringing forth LIFE into every area of these lives entrusted to our care. This session is led by Beth Templeton of “Hope at Home”.

Practical Advice for Parents in Wisdom and Revelation - An interview with Shelly Owens and Susan Hillis on practical parenting your biological and adopted children. This interview session was a no-brainer for us after we heard how Shelly was impacted from a mommy/coffee interview with practical parenting with Susan Hillis. So impactful--we want to share it with each of you! We so often hear teaching on how to deeply love and connect with our children. In this session, the day-to-day is painted for you--giving you practical nuggets learned from this mom of 10 to take home and apply right now with your family.

Fasten Your Sweet Belt: Older Child Adoption Adopting an older child comes with its distinct challenges but equally rewarding joys. If God is calling you to older children who wait, don’t be afraid! This session will explore the unique aspects of cleaving an older child into your family. Using personal stories and testimonials from older adoptees, we will discuss what it is like for the adoptee and the parents. Come learn what a beautiful miracle can happen when you open your home and heart to an older child who has prayed for you to come. Jodi is the author of "Fasten Your Sweet Belt: 10 Things You Need to Know About Older Child Adoption."

Hanging Tough: Seeking God in a Difficult Season with Traci Weldie - As pre-adoptive moms we hear all about things like RAD, FASD, PTSD, ODD, ADHD and our heads swirl. And while we prepare by reading and talking to other moms, we really never think OUR chosen child that God has clearly led us to will have any of these. But then, you realize he does. Now what? Where do we turn? How do we get through this? Come hear from fellow adoptive moms who are living with RAD, ODD, PTSD, ADHD and listen to their stories of encouragement and hope.


***We will send out the NEW REGISTRATION LINK to each attendee this weekend--so check your inbox! IF YOU DO NOT RECEIVE IT--AND you are already registered for the MARCH retreat--you may go ahead and let us know your choices by filling out the FORM AT THIS LINK.

We are SO excited to serve you amazing mommas in March and can't WAIT to meet so many of you very soon!

Blessings!

Andrea & the C4C team!

March retreaters...IT'S PICTURE TIME!

For those of you who have attended a Created for Care retreat, you know we LOVE kicking off the weekend celebrating what the Lord has done and is going to do in our adoption journeys. It is always so encouraging to see family after family---truly a STORY behind EVERY picture!!!

If you are signed up to attend the MARCH 2012 retreat--we would LOVE to celebrate your family with you and what the Lord has done and is doing in it! We are requesting 3 portrait categories:

1. WAITING FAMILIES: Please send in a picture that shows your family "waiting" for your next little one/s, pictures of your family in the adoption process or something fun that represents your family's wait (maybe your family holding wait list numbers).

2. GOTCHA DAY/FAMILY DAY If you are already home with your child, send us that picture that still melts your heart of you finally together at last! It can be at the orphanage, an airport homecoming, your family all together once home or the first moment you met your precious one.

3. FINALLY ALL TOGETHER/FAMILY PORTRAITS If you have found the time to finally capture your family all together, please send us your favorite picture of your whole crew! It does NOT have to be a professional picture--just your family all together will be perfect!

Please send no more than 2 pictures--so pick your favorites and email them before March 1, 2012 to createdforcare@gmail.com AND please mark the subject "PICTURES"

If you have any questions please let us know! We will show the slideshow at the retreat--and of course we'll post it here later to for you to share with your friends and family!

Blessings to you all!!!

P.S. If you have NOT booked your room yet--do so TODAY!!! We heard it through the grapevine that there are ONLY 20 rooms left at the resort!!! We will be posting nearby hotels as another option but hopefully everyone has booked their rooms. IF NOT--please do so today!

And this is how we roll...

From the very beginning of Created for Care, we said we have stepped out to serve based on what we see around us (the need)--and then opened our hands to say "Thy will be done" giving the Lord complete freedom to change anything and everything whenever He pleases. SO--in September 2010 when I felt we should step out in faith and plan a retreat for 25 and 250 registered...we rolled with it.

THEN in September 2011, remembering how there was a wait list ("making a decisions based on what we see")--we decided we'd plan on stretching ourselves to serve more. Instead of 250 we'd plan for 430. Sure it'd take longer to fill up--but we were sure it would. AND it did fill up--in about 9 hours. I felt we were extended enough, but after a week and seeing 200 on a wait list, we opened our hands and said we would do anything He called us to--so the March 2012 retreat was planned...and with great purpose.

We coined the phrase "Well, the Lord just wants to do something big with those March retreaters". And He does...

A week prior to the January retreat, I received an encouraging email from the co-author of "Before You Were Mine" about the work the Lord is doing at Created for Care. We began dialoguing--and the more I heard Carissa's story--the more I felt certain she should join us at the following year's retreats in 2013. Actually...the more I heard her story--I WISHED she could be at the January and March retreats--but with the January retreat just days away...of course we knew that was impossible.

After the January retreat--we reflected and agreed to stick with our plan--REPEAT EVERYTHING TO KEEP THINGS AS SIMPLE AND SEAMLESS AS POSSIBLE. But...have you ever noticed that when you follow the Lord (especially in the adoption world) nothing ever seems to be seamless or simply...but oh my--it's beautiful.

I began to pray over the main session talks--and having someone like Carissa share her perspective pressed on my heart deeper than ever. You see, it's Carissa's story that really Created for Care is the heart behind. You see, Carissa is from Korea. She was adopted at the age of 5 months into a pastor's home in Michigan. Although she might describe herself as a "good adoptee", secretly she grieved her losses while her parents constantly celebrated her precious life. During this process of growing up as a transracial adoptee--looking different than her family and trying to understand her story--she also began to hear things that were not true...lies that many adopted children believe. Carissa wrestled with who she was--but ultimately she realized what the lies were...simply lies. And the truths--were absolutely beautiful. She WAS wanted. She WAS worth fighting for. AND ultimately her heavenly Father delights in her just the way she is.

Her story is beauty from ashes. And for those of you coming in March--this mom...now a family counselor helping others heal...is a beautiful testimony of what God can do.

I felt the urge to ask her to come in March anyway...

YES--this would mean changing all the sessions around. Yes--this would mean not repeating everything. YES--this would mean more work. BUT...obviously the trio (me, Christy and April) at Created for Care have been cook with that from the beginning as our hands remain open. So...we asked her...

And she was booked.

She would be speaking at another event on the other side of the country that weekend.

I was bummed--but I told her I was going to pray ANY WAY. And I did. I prayed for His will to be done and to make a way if it was His will for her to come. I'm not sure about much--but when the Lord presses something on my heart I'm pretty sure He wants it...so I prayed and asked Him to show me what we were supposed to do.

I shared with Carissa I felt like she was supposed to come (at the risk of sounding crazy) and I asked was there ANY way she could even come for just ONE night. She said she'd see, but really it would be very hard...but we both committed to pray together.

And just days later--Carissa contacted me to let me know that the event had all of the sudden been CANCELLED.

I'm pleased and overjoyed to share with you that Carissa will be joining us to share at the March 2012 Created for Care retreat!!! He is the God that puts things on our hearts for a purpose--He is the God that answers prayers--and by golly, He'll cancel things to make things happen if He wants to. I was't crazy for asking after all. And I'm so glad I did! She will be facilitating a panel of adult adoptees and then sharing her personal story...full of God's grace, love and glory.

How thankful I am to be on this journey...to remain with open hands in order to serve these women coming. I love how creative our God is...that He loves these women at the retreats so much--He wants to make EACH retreat unique just for them. I thought *I* was in for a repeat...but I think I need to go ahead and suck it up and realize that the Lord has just called me to a wild ride where Created for Care is involved. This is just how we roll...we can promise one thing--but our disclosure is our hands are open and we roll with whatever He brings our way! He loves each of you THAT much to make things unique and special...to be faithful to lead and guide and He desires to lead and guide you personally and carefully--as you keep your hands always open to Him.

We are excited to see many of you in March! And for you January retreaters...don't think we don't love you...we will do everything we can to record this for you all if we are able to! Because I have a feeling this is one thing you don't want to miss!

Blessings!

Andrea & the C4C team

Created for Care Slideshow...

We always start the retreat off with pictures of families attending the retreat that have been emailed to us. (If you are coming to the March retreat--we'll post here the email instructions for pictures soon!) I just LOVE starting our weekend out with this. This year, I described it as AN OFFERING to the Lord for all that He has done in our children and in our families.

So...sit back--and celebrate His goodness with us.

EACH of these pictures--tells a beautiful story. A story of a family being called...a story of a child needing a family...a story of a family stepping out in faith--and waiting--and longing...and willing to do anything to get their precious one home...a story how the Lord brings all things together--and makes every part of the journey WORTH it. Celebrate with us...all that He has done in the families represented at January's Created for Care 2012 retreat...



Looking forward to celebrating again in March with another beautiful stack of pictures. How amazing it is to follow His plans for our future!!! Thankful for the journey...

Blessings to each of you as you trust in His faithfulness.

Date with God {bringing C4C home}

One of the things we get SO MUCH feedback on from the Created for Care retreats are the Date with God times. Different stations are set up for moms to go to where they can pray and reflect in different areas. It's hard to explain--but trust me...if you come to a retreat--the first thing you will want to do after you register is to make sure you sign up for a "Date with God" time for your weekend!

After last year's retreat--there were days I desperately needed a quite time yet my kids were under my feet. Instead of withering away and letting frustration of needing REST and QUIET compound--I just took my littles with me, and I would recreate one of the Date with God sessions right here in our home. Modeling my time with the Lord and even how to have creative quiet time not only stilled my heart--but it is amazing to watch your kids rest with you. We even have had play dates where we invited our friends to join us in the fun!

There are so many nuggets I feel the Lord has given me through other moms at Created for Care called to serve with us...older moms who have gone before us...and this is just one of the many sweet things I have taken from the retreats and brought home...



Such a beautiful reminder of raising our children at His altar. "Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young--a place near your altar, O LORD Almighty, my King and my God." Psalm 84:3 Raising our children near His altar means BRINGING THEM WITH US to sit at His feet even from the time they are tiny birds...this is the place He wants us to build our nest...from the very beginning.

May He give you creativity how to bring your children with you as you come to Him...

Sole Hope needs your vote! {Be a voice for the voiceless}

You can help Sole Hope further the mission to provide jobs & shoes to orphans and widows right now and it won't cost you a cent! Sole Hope has been selected as one of 30 charities in the running for a $50K grant!

A large portion of this money will assist in the construction of a building at WIPHAN to be used by the widows in the shoe making program. This building will free up more classroom space for the school and also allow the Sole Hope ladies not to have to pack up and move sewing machines and suitcases of material everyday!

Please go to http://www.cultivatewines.com/cause/4856/ and vote!! It takes no more than 15 seconds and it would mean SO MUCH! VOTE DAILY & SHARE!!

Transformed from Orphan to Son...

Tonight at Bible study, I was sharing with a dear friend who is waiting (as patiently as one can wait) to bring home a son from Ethiopia. It blesses me to see her want to absorb anything she can to prepare to bring home her long awaited for child, and tonight we were talking about how the transformation of orphan to being a loved child doesn't happen over night. I thought brining home a 1 year old would be quite different--I mean, he was too little to know he was an orphan...right? Boy was I wrong.

I will never forget the weeks of night terrors, changing bassinet sheeting in the middle of the night from drenching sweats or his having to touch my cheeks throughout the night for fear I might go away. I remember the months of wondering how long it might last--and although we've been home almost 2 years, there are still times I have to be sensitive where unfamiliarities are involved that quickly trigger fears or panic in my sweet boys spirit. I have seen leaps and bonds of growth and truly--I know he now FEELS like a son although I have felt he was mine from the day I saw his picture.

I held back tears tonight as I read the children "The Velveteen Rabbit...remembering how this transformation was NOT easy for any of us:

“What is REAL?" asked the Velveteen Rabbit one day... "Does it mean having things that buzz inside you and a stick-out handle?"

"Real isn't how you are made," said the Skin Horse. "It's a thing that happens to you. When [someone] loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real."

"Does it hurt?" asked the Rabbit.

"Sometimes," said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. "When you are Real you don't mind being hurt."

"Does it happen all at once, like being wound up," he asked, "or bit by bit?"

"It doesn't happen all at once," said the Skin Horse. "You become. It takes a long time. That's why it doesn't often happen to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept."

"Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand... once you are Real you can't become unreal again. It lasts for always.” [Margery Williams Bianco, The Velveteen Rabbit]

Now--what struck me as I read this tonight is that the Skin Horse told the Velveteen Rabbit this truth that he would and could become real (a beloved son in our case). He would hope for this. He would dream of this. BUT--when it finally happened...he wasn't too sure...

That night, and for many nights after, the Velveteen Rabbit slept in the Boy's bed. At first he found it rather uncomfortable, for the Boy hugged him very tight, and sometimes he rolled over on him, and sometimes he pushed him so far under the pillow that the Rabbit could scarcely breathe. And he missed, too, those long moonlight hours in the nursery, when all the house was silent, and his talks with the Skin Horse."

I'm not sure I even remember ever reading this part of the story until now. And it struck a cord with me tonight remembering how at first--our sweet son wasn't sure about being loved. I would rock him, and he would push me away. I'd sing sweetly to him, and he'd laugh and slap me over and over in the face. I'd take his hand and softly rub it on my cheek and say "gentle" over and over and over. Many times, I too, wanted to cry. Because this kind of love wasn't something I was used to. Loving some one who wasn't sure he even wanted to be loved by another person who for all he knew might leave him. Just as the Rabbit missed the Skin Horse--our children may come to us and miss even the orphanage--and the hugs, the songs, the little kisses on the cheek and whispers of "I love you" are just too much and uncomfortable at first.

But as time goes on in this story--Rabbit grows to like being loved. And in his being loved--Rabbit feels alive...and REAL. He was "so happy that he never noticed how his beautiful velveteen fur was getting shabbier and shabbier, and his tail coming unsewn, and all the pink rubbed off his nowise where the boy had kissed him."

As I read tonight--I realized that Isaac wasn't the only transformed in this process. I, too, felt my fur getting rubbed off and as if maybe I was getting shabbier and shabbier. Our lives all of the sudden stopped and I realized that my new son not only needed me to slow down to connect with him--but so did my biological children too. I struggled with what the rest of the world thought--did others look in during those difficult first months and think we were crazy? And yes--maybe we are--because we actually want to do this all over again. Because in the process of seeing the Lord transform an orphan to a son--He transformed us. He showed us what really matters in this world, and in this process we have let many things go and held dear to others that now we realize are most important.

He has used this transformation process to make us REAL too...and there is beautiful fruit from any shabbiness you might see in my life. If you are in the wait or newly home with your child...or even just in the thick of the beautiful, yet hard transformation from orphan to child--know you are not alone. He will give you strength. And all the hard work in loving this child will forever be worth it.

Blessings to you from Created for Care. Praying for you as you follow Him in the journey.

Finally...our blog!

We've been so busy planning retreats--that we are just now getting around to posting a blog! PLEASE SHARE THIS BLOG link with anyone you know has gone OR is going to a retreat OR any family adopting, who has adopted or is considering anything from an adoption ministry a their church to just supporting a friend who is adopting!

We will be sharing RETREAT NEWS, upcoming adoption related events AND we will also have our session leaders and breakout leaders share each month here also! We will also post little videos throughout the year to encourage our Created for Care mommas--so be sure to sign up to follow the blog--AND you may even want to subscribe by email so you don't miss our weekly posts! We'll do our best to keep you in the know of other adoption related news and events throughout the year--but more importantly we want to encourage you throughout the year in between reteats!

We just finished our FIRST retreat of 2012--and it was AMAZING. Can't WAIT to update y'all. AND while we intended for March to be an EXACT repeat--we have some pretty cool things we are tweaking...I guess the Lord likes to keep the C4C crew on our toes and we are SO excited (about to POP excited!)for the March retreat. As always, we see His hand working through the details--and we are so honored to be called to serve YOU.

We've added a few breakouts--so while you can see the breakouts posted below (copied and pasted some previous posts from our old blog) we'll be sending out a NEW BREAKOUT sign up for ALL our March retreat attendees just in case you want to change a few things when you see the ones we've added...or since signing up you want to change something that better fits where you are right now.

We'll post the new link HERE--as well as the changes next week--and we'll also send that out through our Created for Care newsletter. If you are unsure if you receive the newsletter, you can sign up for that on the website--OR you can just follow here on the blog as we'll always post any updates here first!

Blessings to you all...and so thankful for how the Lord has provided for us in one another. May You see His hand working throughout your each and every day!

Much love,

Andrea and the C4C crew!

Breakout sessions for 2012!

YAY!!! I'm super excited to share that the C4C 2012 Breakout Sessions are ready to share!!! Here's the low down on the session topics on the weekend! It's going to be SO refreshing...SO much fun...and just SO good to worship with so many of you in 2012!!! I'm once again anticipating what the Lord wants to do during this next retreat! Get excited!!! It's going to be AMAZING!

***Friday sessions will not be recorded. If you can’t decide--all Saturday breakouts will be recorded and available for purchase.

Friday, 01/27/2012 Breakout Session 1 4:30 - 5:30pm

Pick one of the breakouts to attend following registration & Check-In on Friday...

Blogger Panel sharing Using Your Blog as Ministry with Lovelyn (Moments with Love), Missy (It’s Almost Naptime), Kristi (We love our Lucy), Lara (The Farmers Wife Tells All), Gwen and Suzanne (147 Million Orphans)

African American Haircare with African American Hair Stylist Nisia Murray and her lovely Regan assisting (Come learn about different hair textures, hair products and simple styles) Get ready to laugh and be entertained by Nisia--and of course...there will be time for lots of Q&A at the end!

Photography 101 with professional photographers Shannon Holden and Tammy Dugger. Come learn and be inspired by Shannon of Shannon Holden Photography and her sidekick Tammy Dugger. Shannon’s work is published in boutiques, catalogs, online publications and “Professional Photographer” magazine. Tammy, a former professional photographer, will be tag-teaming this session with Shannon. For mom’s who don’t have time to take photography classes--this will be a real treat!

Creative Quiet Time - It's time to change our minds and routines for our quiet times with God.With the physical and emotional demands of parenting, not to mention the lack of alone time, how can we satisfy our spiritual needs? The Good News is that God has a plan to meet all your needs and it's all about His love and desire to be with you. Come hear and experience new ways to increaseyour personal intimacy with the Lord and share some of your discoveries, too! (Jenni Means)

FUNdraising Your Adoption - Come be inspired in different ways to fund your adoption. Martha Cook of Promise686 will be sharing how their organization supports local adoptions through grants and how your church can potentially do this too. Also hear from ministries who are here to simply assist families with ways to fundraise, and find out how to get going with creative fundraising with their ministries!


Saturday, 1/28/2012 Breakout Session 2 2:00 - 3:30pm


News about HIV & Orphans and Realistic Expectations in Adoption - Dr. Susan Hillis, HIV research scientist, will be sharing news about HIV concerning orphans in today’s world. Then hear from Suzanne Mayernick (one of the 147 Million Orphans mom) and hear her personal journey of saying yes to HIV adoption.
Orphans in the U.S. - Domestic Adoption , Open Adoption, Foster Care & Foster-to-Adopt - Aimee Powell (wife to Mac Powell of Third Day) will be sharing their family’s journey through domestic adoption. This session will also talk about needs in the US--as well as different domestic topics including open adoption, foster care and foster-to-adopt. Angie Gue, an adoptive mom, with three very beautiful open adoptions will be sharing insight on how to trust the Lord through the twists and turns in open adoption--and how beautiful it really can be.

Yes, you CAN do this! Encouraging and Equipping Moms for Post-Adoption Success - We wait and wait and wait--and then we bring our new one home...and many times find ourselves tired, feeling unequipped and not connected to our child. Come be encouraged by Cris Peters with practical steps and ways to get through the first days, weeks and months--and ultimately create a strong foundation for your family to grow together on. This is a perfect session for mom’s waiting, close to referral or newly home.

Empowered to Connect (Session 1)- Adoption from the Inside Out - One of the most often overlooked aspects of the adoption and foster care journey is the need for parents to turn the focus on themselves in terms of dealing with their own past hurts and losses, looking honestly and realistically at their motivations and expectations and learning what it means to be “fully present” with their children. “Adoption from the Inside Out” — is necessary if parents are to help their children experience healing and transformation. This process requires that parents be willing to look back and make sense of their own past, look forward and honestly examine their motivations and expectations, in order to be free in each and every moment to be “fully emotionally present” with their children to help them heal and become all that God has created them to be. (Amy Monroe with Empowered to Connect)

The Joys and Challenges of Parenting a Child with Special Needs - This breakout session is led by two moms with two very different but amazing special needs adoption journeys. Come be encouraged and inspired from Emily Alexander and Gwen Oatsvall--how their journeys began, how the unexpected has changed their families and how blessed they feel as they continue to trust the Lord through this ever-changing and miraculous journey. (Practical Q&A time at the end)

Nurturing Your Marriage There is no greater blessing we can give our children than a strong marriage. And yet many of us find that the ongoing issues of adoption can sometimes actually diminish intimacy and communication with our husbands. In this session we will be encouraged as wives and women to love our husbands well amidst the competing demands of mothering. (Beth Templeton)


Saturday, 1/28/2012 Breakout Session 3 3:45 - 5:15pm


Empowered to Connect (Session 2) - Attachment & Practical Realities of Connecting While Correcting - Adoptive and foster parents realize that connection is essential to help their children develop trust, heal, and grow. But they know that correction (i.e., discipline) is also important. This session will focus on practical insights and strategies for parents who want to better understand the “how and why” of connecting and correcting. Using a variety of everyday situations for parents of children of all ages, this session will illustrate the principles and strategies developed and taught by Dr. Karyn Purvis, co-author of The Connected Child. (Amy Monroe) [This session follows the 1st Empowered to Connect session well--but they also stand alone. We do recommend buying the track to both of these sessions if you are a pre-adoption family and are unable to attend both sessions. ]

Helping Your Child Know and Experience God Our heart's desire as mothers is to see our children walking full of faith in a love relationship with God. We will explore ways to create an atmosphere and culture where it is natural for our children to encounter Jesus, to know their Heavenly Father, and be sensitive to the Holy Spirit. We will learn ways to help us hear God as parents and to help our children hear the voice of God for themselves. This is a real key to break the orphan spirit and come fully into our identity as sons and daughters of the Lord

When Your Quiver is Full, But Your Heart Longs to Love More: Becoming an Orphan Advocate Right Where You Are - Come learn how you can get involved and be used greatly to serve orphans right where you are RIGHT now! Come hear from different ministries that all began through adoption families, and learn how you can join them and use your gifts to serve orphans all over the world.

“I Drive a Bus” - Get ready to laugh and enjoy this session with some of our favorite bus-driving adoption mommas and how they they thrive as they grow. Come hear how they not only survive but thrive as a growing family. The laundry, the homework, sports, date night (really--a date night?!), romance (really--that too?), connecting with each child and loving their mommy callings. You are in for a real treat and this session--just might be OFF the record with these ladies giving you information they’d never blog about;-) (147 moms, Emily Alexander, Joy Portis & Kristi Johnson)

Parenting In Grace - What does the Good News of God's Unmerited Favor look like in our homes? How does it affect and inform how we parent? Does an understanding of the difference between Law and Grace cause us to parent differently than our worldly neighbors? Let's take a look at how we can love our precious children according to the gospel, bringing forth LIFE into every area of these lives entrusted to our care.

Practical Advice for Parents in Wisdom and Revelation - An interview with Shelly Owens and Susan Hillis on practical parenting your biological and adopted children. This interview session was a no-brainer for us after we heard how Shelly was impacted from a mommy/coffee interview with practical parenting with Susan Hillis. So impactful--we want to share it with each of you! We so often hear teaching on how to deeply love and connect with our children. In this session, the day-to-day is painted for you--giving you practical nuggets learned from this mom of 10 to take home and apply right now with your family.