I was going to write about Room for One More, but my great friend and partner, Chantelle, says it perfectly.

Here is what she posted about Room for One More

Hi everyone! We are sooooo happy to announce the official launch of Room for One More. It has been a very long process to get to this point, but as of next Sunday, we are full steam ahead.
The idea for Room For One More started when a group of us (Shari Stroup, Shelly Nall & myself) starting some very long conversations. We are all adoptive moms and we all have such a heart for adoption. I remember countless conversations where we would all say some of the same things.
* I wish people could grasp the crazy huge blessing it is to be an adoptive parent
* What if every solid family/single woman/man in America chose to adopt ONE child?
* Why don't more people adopt?
* Why are there not more resources available to people interested in adoption?
* Why don't we do something about it?????????????
And the list goes on of course. I want to say, I realize not everyone is meant to adopt, though in my crazy mind I can't imagine why when I look at Bianca's little face...But I have had wise people tell me this so I trust it!
After many many of these conversations Room For One More was created...This is who we are:

A group of women drawn together by a passion for orphans. We are each adoptive moms and are committed to make a difference for orphans in the world. Room for One More is a place created to inform, counsel, educate, and help raise funding for families interested in adoption. We are passionate about this mission and eager and available to help those in need!
For those of you locally who follow the blog, we are having our first event Sunday Nov.16 at Cup-n-Cork in downtown Cape from 3-5pm. The month of November is Adoption Awareness Month, and in honor of this Room For One More is sponsoring an Adoption & Orphan Awareness Open House. There will be several adoptive families there available to talk to people about adoption. We will also have resources and information available for people interested in learning more about adoption. We welcome everyone to the event! We would love to see our friends and families show up to learn more and spread the word.
Here is the thing...I am here to help people...in many ways, but one of them is through adoption...I have a huge heart for adoption and I am so excited beyond words to help people exploring adoption...And it can be confusing at times!
I believe there will come a day where adoption is very common and most families choose to adopt a child in addition to bio kids....It will not be a last resort, but a common choice. And I see people already moving toward this. God clearly calls us to look after orphans, no doubt about it. I love the idea of seeing people step up, and once they do realizing it is the biggest gift they could ever receive...

Room For One More website is being built currently (THANK YOU ELEMENT74) I will post it as soon as it is finished.
T-shirts available!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Much Love!
Chantel

Halloween Ballerina

Happy Halloween! Ella was a ballerina/princess for her first Halloween. Her shirt says, Every day is a tiara day! We think so, too.

Sweet Home Gabriela

This is Ella's room! We tried to bring in some Guatemalan flare. Ella doesn't really like to sleep in her bed though; she prefers Mom and Dad's bed or Sarah's bed. :)

Ella looks up to Anna Grace

Anna Grace and Ella are playing in Ella's room!

Ella loves her rocking chair.

Time for lunch! 

(this picture is for you, Mimi!)

Bath time!

Sisters in the car! Ella likes her new car seat... sometimes.

We are settling into life at the Stroup house wonderfully. Ella is a great addition to our now family of 8.  We just had our first family picture for the church directory with our complete family.  Will post those pictures later.....  All 8 were looking at the camera!!  Most everyone smiling!   

Ella's Homecoming! 10/18

Let's go home!

We got a ride through the Guatemala Airport.

Ella did great on the plane. She was very busy! :)

John and Greg met us at the St. Louis airport! It was a very big surprise! Our plane got in at 10 PM, so we were very tired.

The girls at the airport. Our great friends Chantelle and Eric Becking met us at the airport too. Chantelle made us a sign. We love it!

Getting Ella's Passport 10/16

Cutie Pie!

Say Cheese!

Ella's passport

Peace, love, rock & roll. Thanks Chantelle for the adorable shirt!

More Embassy Day Pics 10/15

Ella and James hanging out at the hotel

Ella and Sarah

cELLAbrating Ella's Embassy Day with ice cream!

Yahoo!!!!! It's Official!

Yahoo! Gabriela Marie Stroup!

 Celebrate!

Guatemalan Cowgirl!

Blowing kisses to Daddy, John, Anna Grace and Joe!

Going out to lunch. 

New hairdo by Sarah

Embassy Day!

Good morning, Sunshine, its your Embassy Day!

All ready to go!

HERE SHE COMES.......

Ohhhh  Ella with Mommy, James and Sarah

Ella Marie Stroup

Headed to Guatemala!!!

Leaving St. Louis 5:00 AM in the shuttle at the airport.   Rise and Shine and Give God the Glory Glory......  This photo is after a 2 hour trip to St. Louis at 2:30AM!!!  Sarah, Shari, James and our good friend Shelly who came with us!!!!

Sarah and James all checked in ready to go!

American Airlines taking us to pick up our little girl

Guatemala Airport

We have arrived!  Do we have enough luggage????

PINK!!!!!!!!

SHE IS COMING HOME!!!   We Have PINK!   Pink Pink Pink!!!   We are so excited to bring our sweet baby girl home!   "Let them give thanks to the Lord for His love and for the miracles he does for people".  (Psalm 107:8)   We thank God for this amazing journey of faith, patience, goodness and love.  The adoption journey is one that will live in our hearts forever and be a testimony to our children of God's love.  As we bring this sweetheart home, we are thankful and reminded of God's great power and mercy and hope.  We started this adoption right as the government was closing the adoption process with zero guarantees that we would be able to bring Ella home.  Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, if your faith is as big as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, Move from here to there, and it will move.  All things will be possible for you."  We have held onto that faith and that hope!  And now our sweet Ella Marie is coming home.   Thank You God.

Guatemala or Bust

It's a match! Ella's DNA is on its way to the US Embassy. I am dreaming PINK! We should be hearing soon. 

"PRAISE the LORD , GOD our SAVIOR,  who helps us every day".  Psalm 68:19.  God has truly helped us through this journey.  When I would get discouraged,  He would pick me up, when I would get anxious, He  would gently remind me that His timing is ALWAYS perfect.  When I would be so very thankful, He was always there to give praise to.  God is Good All The Time and His Love endures forever!  I am so thankful for such an amazing and loving God.  And also thankful for such supportive family and friends who have walked with us through this journey of faith, compassion, mercy and grace.   THANK YOU!

Our Prayers Have Been Answered

Thank you to everyone who went into prayer that we would hear that Ella would get her new birth certificate on Friday........ She must have gotten it on Friday, because they called us today and YES WE HAVE IT! WE ARE OUT OF RENAP. THANK YOU GOD. He answered our prayers! There is so much power in prayer when Christians come together In His Name. Jesus said , Also, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about something and pray for it, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. This is true because if two or three people come together in my name, I am there with them. (Matthew 18:19-20)

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO CAME TOGETHER IN PRAYER FOR ELLA TO GET HER NEW BIRTH CERTIFICATE. SHE IS ALMOST HOME!!!

New Pictures of Sweet Princesa Ella!

New pics of our sweet baby girl! She is getting so much bigger and so beautiful each and every day and the wait is getting harder each and every day.   We are so blessed with such amazing children, we need our sweet angel Ella to come home and join her Mom and Dad and brothers and sisters that love her so much.   It is hard to write what is on my heart as I see these sweet pictures because my heart is breaking that she is not here.  But I know that God is good and He is faithful and she will come home, maybe not on my timing but on His.   Oh God please let her come home soon, we miss her too much to wait.   I know the wait is worth it and she is being well taken care of, but we want to take care of her here.  

Please pray Ella get her new birth certificate TOMORROW -  FRIDAY so we can proceed with the process and go and pick her up!!!!!   

When I am discouraged because Ella is not home yet, I must remember that she is coming home and keep my faith in Jesus!!

Jesus said, "Don't let your hearts be troubled.  Trust in God, and trust in me." (John 14:1)

I leave you peace, my peace I give you.  I do not give it to you as the world does.  So don't let your hearts be troubled or afraid.  (John 14:27)

So do not lose the courage you had in the past, which has a great reward.  You must hold on, so you can do what God wants and receive what he has promised.  (Hebrews 10:35-36)

I prayed for this child, and the LORD has granted me what I asked of Him. (1 Samuel 1:27)

Here are the new pictures of sweet Ella taken on September 11... notice the earrings!!!

Rain Rain Go Away Come Again Another Day, Little Joe Wants to play rain rain go away!!

Long title. We are sitting her just watching it RAIN. It is actually good for the dry grass here in Southeast Missouri. It is just pouring! Bianca will need those rain boots on today!

PRAYER REQUEST: I have a prayer request I would like to send out. It came from my friend Amy, explaining that we really need to pray for the families that are still in PGN in the Guatemala adoption process without the birth mother interview. The interview MUST take place by August 31. The interviewers will stay open Saturday and Sunday to complete these appointments. Please pray that All birth mothers complete this interview so the cases are not delayed further and can proceed. "When I call on Jesus, All things are possible" That song by Nicole C. Mullen always goes through my head when I think of a prayer request and little Joe singing !!

Out of PGN!!!

OUT!!!

This is one happy girl!

Thank you Jesus!!!!!!!!   Wow He is so amazing and so faithful.  God's timing is so good!!  I was just talking with a friend today about Ella getting out of PGN this week, and that we needed to claim it and pray.... right then our 2 year old son, Joe, who by the way is Ella's biological sibling started singing "When you call on Jesus".....   Oh my goodness,  we just paused and  celebrated and prayed the three of us, that When you call on Jesus, all things are possible and that it is possible with God that Ella can get out of PGN this week!!.  We had so much fun praying.  Mom, Miss Irene and Joe.   Oh my goodness we got the call tonight that she is OUT!!!!    Thank you God, and thank you for answering our prayers today and that the inspiration came from this sweet 2 year old little Guatemalan boy.  Somehow he knew in his spirit right then and there we needed to pray and  stand on His  word that all things are possible for those who believe.

Thank you God for blessing our family!  

I am BRILLIANTE!!!

I have won a blog award!!! Cheri over at harrisquest.blogspot.com has given me this special award. She actually gave it to me a few weeks ago, but I wanted to get all of Ella's pictures up first. Thanks Cheri!!!

This award comes with some rules so here they are:
1. Put the logo on your blog.- Check
2. Add a link to the person who awarded you.- click on the blogspot above
3. You must nominate 7 fellow bloggers for this award.- check below
4. Add links to the recipients.- check
5. Leave a comment so the recipients know they have received an award.- check
6. Copy and Paste and answer the questions

A. Attached or Single? Attached
B. Best Friend? I have too many way awesome friends it is hard to pick just one!
C. Cake or Pie? Pie
D. Day of Choice? Friday
E. Essential item? Bible
F. Favorite Color? Yellow
G. Gummy Bears or Worms? Gummy Bears
H. Home Town? Jefferson City
I. Indulgence? Chocolate
J. January or July? July- my birthday month!!!
K. Kids? 6
L. Life isn't complete without? Jesus
M. Marriage date? February 12, 1994
N. Number of Brothers and Sisters? 3 sisters
O. Oranges or Apples? Apples
P. Phobias? Anything that goes in circles
Q. Quote? "One adoption may not change the world, but it will change the world for one child."
R. Reason to Smile? Spending time with my husband and our amazing kids and watching how much they have grown in God's love and their understanding of Him.
S. Season of choice? Fall
T. Tag 7 People. See below
U. Unknown fact about me? I really want to learn how to play the electric guitar
V. Vegetable? Snow Peas
W. Worst Habit? Being late for everything!
X. X-Ray or Ultrasound? Ultrasound
Y. Your Favorite Food? Pasta
Z. Zodiac Sign? I don't like these things so I am not going to answer this question.

Now for the 7 people I am going to award. Well I think I am one of the last people to receive this award and a lot of my blog friends have already been awarded the Brilliant Weblog award, but here are a few of the blogs that I follow that have not received the award:

Ella Marie Boutique, my clothing blog ellamarieboutique.blogspot.com
Chantelle and Bianca and soon to be sweetie pie from Ethiopia adventuresinbianca.blogspot.com
Lindsey and sweet Eliana thewheelerjourney.blogspot.com
Courtney and Stella astaringuatemala.blogspot.com
Leah and Baby Gabre adopthope.blogspot.com
Katie and her twins Arianna and Brayden nyblomfamily.blogspot.com
Darci and Lucia mcmurraymania.blogspot.com

I am sorry if I left anyone out. If you would like for me to put a link to your blog just leave me a comment!