March Retreat Important Info!

Hello March 2013 C4C Ladies!  

Can you believe Created For Care is just around the corner?  In just TWO weeks you will be driving up that beautiful winding road overlooking Lake Lanier's waters! Sounds glorious, doesn't it?! We are busy getting ready for you guys, and we have a few important details we need you to help us with to make the weekend run as smoothly as possible. 

1. Breakouts. Due to many different scheduling challenges, we had to rearrange MANY of our breakouts. We also realized it has been FOREVER since most of you registered for what you wanted to attend, and in that time, your needs may have also changed. If 2 sessions that you would like to attend occur at the same time--NO PROBLEM! You can purchase individual sessions that you are unable to attend at the retreat by completing the CD/DVD order form in your folder. PLEASE TAKE 5 MINUTES TO COMPLETE THIS NEW FORM AT: http://www.formstack.com/forms/?1406012-dEiEQQEnmo

It is VERY important for EVERY attendee to complete a form as soon as possible. We will individually check off names as they are completed and have to contact anyone who does not complete a new one individually so it would help us GREATLY if you could each do this as soon as you can. The deadline for completing this new form so we can begin working on table seating for the dinners, name tags and figuring out which sessions are in each breakout room is TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 26th. THANK YOU FOR HELPING US IN THIS WAY!!! 

(Important announcement about the Domestic Open Adoption Session: Our speakers for the Domestic Open Adoption session had to cancel for both the January and March Retreat--but Andrea set up a special time for these ladies to connect over decaf in January and would like to do this for the March domestic moms too if there is interest. Should you be a mom who wanted to attend that session simply to connect with other moms in open adoption situations to share stories, ideas and encouragement--please let us know by emailing Andrea at andreapierceyoung@gmail.com and she will set up a special time just for you guys to connect! We apologize for this session having to cancel.) 

2. Hotel Rooms. Make sure you have your hotel room booked! Please call the resort today if you do not already have a room.  The number for Lake Lanier Lodge is 800-677-5304. You may book a room all to yourself or you can find other registrants to share with (if you need roommates--we suggest giving a shout out on the Created for Care page on Facebook!). You will pay for your room when you check out--and if everyone in your room needs to checkout TOGETHER at the SAME TIME so they can easily split the costs for you. 

3. Cancellations. If for some reason you cannot attend the retreat please let us know ASAP.  We have a wait list and as long as we have people waiting, we will be happy to refund your money (minus a $6 Pay Pal fee) and let the next person in line register.  Please do not transfer your spot without telling us.  It is very important for us to know who is attending the retreat so we have name tags and breakout schedules ready for each attendee. It does get more difficult for moms on the wait list to be able to take cancellation spots the closer we get to the retreat as they have to work out travel plans, so if you are unable to come--please let us know this weekend if possible! 

4. The Gear that Makes It Possible. Our on-line store for the 2013 retreat is open! In order to have retreats and continue to have retreats--we have to cover our additional costs not covered by registration fees. Attendees registration fees just cover their own personal food/beverage and welcome gifts costs. All the a/v costs, rentals, and other costs required to make it possible we must fundraise for. You can help us by shopping our gear! You will receive a welcome gift that is NOT available in the store (so don't worry about purchasing something you might get at arrival! Each year we change our welcome gift included with your registration and this year a tee is NOT included. So if you would like to purchase a retreat tee, they are in our store in 3 different fun styles. Our retreat theme is "Step out in Faith, Wait with Hope and LOVE BIG"--based on 1 Corinthians 13:13. We also have lots of new items this year as well as some from last year. We will have another PJ night this year--and if you want to be sure we will have your size you can order them now along with anything else in the store early. You can even opt out of paying shipping and just enter the code: RETREAT at checkout and we'll have your order waiting for you when you arrive! There are LIMITED quantities and we will not be reordering--so if you want to be sure we have your size ready for you--go ahead and order now and we'll have it waiting for you with your name on it! You can visit the store here: http://www.createdforcare.bigcartel.com/

5. Pictures/Slideshow. Every year we kick off our retreat by celebrating what God has already done, what He is doing and what He will do through our slideshow representing the families there. If you have not already sent in a picture of your family--the deadline to do so is THIS TUESDAY, February 26th! Please choose ONE picture to email in full resolution size of your family to createdforcare@gmail.com and write in the subject line: MARCH PICTURE. The picture can be of your family in the waiting/paper chase stage, a sweet moment meeting your child or a family picture of you all together. PLEASE just sent one photo and make sure it is full resolution so we can use it in our slideshow. 

Thank you for your patience and we are so very excited about seeing you in just 2 short weeks! Most anything you need can be found on our website, so checkout the FAQs there and links for directions to the resort are located there also! If you have any questions that are not answered in this email or on our site, please email us at createdforcare@gmail.com. We are praying for EACH of you as you prepare to come--and we are also praying for your husbands, children and grandparents (that might be helping) too while you come. We are praying for protection over your families and protection in your travels--and we can't WAIT to BLESS each of you with rest, encouragement and a time of sweet worship together very, very soon!

Step out in Faith, Wait with Hope and LOVE BIG!

Blessings,

The Created For Care Team

March Retreat!

The March retreat is JUST 2 weeks away, and we are so excited to once again serve the 450 foster care and adoption moms who will be coming! It was just 4 weeks ago that we were at the retreat center--and  the January retreat was amazing...and we are still hearing wonderful testimonies from how moms received rest and encouragement in their time here!

Our THEME for the weekend is "LOVE BIG". We have divided the breakout sessions into 3 categories: Encouragement in the Word, Equipping to Love Big and Just for Fun. If you are signed up to come to the March retreat and you have completely forgotten what you even signed up for back in August when you registered...NO WORRIES! We had to switch around several breakouts--so we will actually be emailing out NEW breakout registration forms later this week! (Be on the lookout in your email!) In the mean time--you can read the breakout descriptions on our website here: http://createdforcare.org/upcoming-retreats/breakout-sessions-2/.

You can see the schedule as well as the times of particular breakouts under the March 2013 Retreat tab on our website or simply by visiting this link: http://createdforcare.org/upcoming-retreats/march-2012-retreat/

If you have not already sent in a family photo, the deadline is THIS SUNDAY!!! At each retreat, we kick off our fun weekend with a slideshow--celebrating what God has done, what He is doing and what He will do in our stories. Choose a picture of your journey to share--it can be during the paper process, waiting, Gotcha/Family day or a recent family portrait of your family together. You can email your picture by this Sunday, February 24th to createdforcare@gmail.com. Just put "March Picture" in the subject line and attach ONE picture of your family! That's it! PLEASE send us a pic--and be sure it is an original full resolution file if possible.

We can't WAIT to meet many of you in March or see you again if you are a past C4C momma! Our crew is praying for each of you as you prepare to come. We know it's an act of Congress to get away--so we will be praying for the details, that the Lord will pave your way and that your family will be strengthened as daddies bond with littles...and littles one see that mommy comes back!

One last fun thing we must share--we can't wait to introduce you to 2 more moms who are joining our planning trio! We have 2 moms jumping on board with us, Amber and Mindy, who are fearlessly taking on the Created for Care Mini-Retreat Coordinating--and they will be the moms you all connect with if you decide to join us in serving moms in your community through mini-retreats!

Alright! Get your countdown on! Just 2 weeks away!!! Get ready to rest, be encouraged and worship with moms with similar heartbeats and callings! Can't wait to see each of you!!!

LOVE BIG!

xoxo!

Andrea, Christy and Angie

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.