SNOW OUR WAY!

We live in ice central.  The past three years we have had HUGE ice storms... causing school to be out for a week and no power.  With every weather channel calling for bad snow storms coming our way, what do we do?  WE HEAD TO TENNESSEE for a cheerleading competition, of course!  Our oldest, S, has a cheerleading competition in Nashville this weekend, so we have packed our bags, loaded up the kids, and gotten the car ready!  6 out of 8 of us are headed to Nashville for the weekend!  (the oldest two boys decided that they would rather stay with friends and play in the snow storm than go to a boring cheerleading competition for the whole day... I don't blame them:) ) It's snowing like crazy outside and supposed to get worse as the day goes on.  We just plan to drive slowly and carefully.  We'll make it when we can; we aren't rushing!
The little ones are excited!  They get to go visit their cousins in Nashville while S (14) and AG (7) and I hang out with 18 cheerleaders!  Nashville is probably our favorite place to be!  Greg's whole family lives there, and it's such a beautiful city!  S and I love the shopping, too!
The blizzard (as the kids call it) doesn't stop our family!  We are headed out the door... with a few extra outfits in case we get stuck in Nashville (Nashville is supposed to receive a snow storm, also) and lots of movies to watch on the way!

I'll take lots of pictures and, if the camera and laptop cooperate, I will try to upload a few while we are in TN!

I hope everyone stays safe this winter!
Blessings,
Shari

Help ONE in Haiti!

Most everyone has heard of the earthquake in Haiti so I'm not going to go on and on about what happened. But, I am going to tell you what I am going to do to help the devastated people of Haiti.

There is not one minute that goes by that I do not think about the millions of people who have been affected by the earthquake. I am constantly praying for the hurting people and the wonderful people who are going to Haiti to bring hope. My heart is overflowing with compassion and hurt for the hopeless people of Haiti. I mean, seriously, what would you do if your home got shaken to a rubble and everything around you was hectic and hopeless? What would you do if you were stuck in the ruins of your city, pleading for someone to come save you, but certain you would die right then and there? What would I do if everything that was familiar to me got ripped away and I was left with nothing to cling to? To tell you the truth, I don't know what I would do. I would call to my Father in heaven, but I would be a mess. I would pray that someone would hear my cry and bring me hope... hope in the form of food, shelter, and water... Hope in the form of life. I would pray for Jesus to show up and save me.

Even though I personally haven't been hit by an earthquake, I need to be hope to people, just as I would want if I were in their place. In truth, "Each one of them is Jesus in disguise" (Mother Teresa). Each child, each mother, each criminal is Jesus calling out to us. We are being called by our Savior to go and help our neighbor in great need. We need to see Jesus in the face of the hurting people of Haiti.

This is why I want to (need to) do something to help the people of Haiti. Jesus is in the face of the starving, He's in the face of dying, He's in the face of the little boy and girl who lost their mom and dad in the earthquake.

I want to go to those children and tell them they will be okay. I want to hold the grieving little girl in my arms and tell her everything will be fine. I want to hug the frail mother of 4 kids who lost them in the disaster and tell her that her kids will be okay..... but I know it's not going to be. It's not going to be okay; it's just not. But, through God's Word, we can show the people of Haiti that there is HOPE in the midst of death and destruction.

Through Room for One More, we are going to show the true Hope to the people of Haiti.

We are selling bracelets that say "Help ONE in Haiti". If you want to buy one, you can go to the website, roomforonemorechild.org, and purchase one. They won't be up on the site for a week or so because I just ordered them today, but if you want to purchase one in advance, just leave a comment and I'll save one for you.

EDITED: Bracelets are $2 each.

"Help ONE in Haiti" bracelets

They say "Help ONE in Haiti" on the front

and "roomforonemorechild" on the back

They are red rubber bracelets with blue writing

(the colors of the Haitian flag)

The bracelets are $2 each

Buy one (or more) and show your support for Haiti

100% of the sales from these bracelets go to straight to an orphanage in Haiti.

"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'" Matthew 25:40

Training Has Begun

The new running shoes are out of the box and into the gym!

Day 1: Half Marathon Training has officially begun!! Let me tell you, I would NEVER be doing something like this if it weren't for helping orphans! I haven't run in a long, long time. It is going to take a lot of persuading myself to wake up at 5 AM several days a week. With 6 kiddos at home, that is the ONLY time I could find to get the training in... What did I get myself into? Lots and lots of coffee will be a necesity now until April!

Who wants to join me? As I said yesterday, we have roughly 15+ people joining us in this crazy race. We are adding more and more people everyday! Also, if you want to come but don't want to run, we would LOVE it if you want to get a t-shirt and cheer us on! Trust me, I will need some support and so do the 163 million orphans! We all have a voice and a cheerleaders, but the children whom we are running for do NOT. We will be running and raising awareness for the millions of children who don't have someone to support them or to love them.
Just go HERE to sign up!!!!

I have a giveaway in the works.... so check back later tonight or tomorrow to see what I'm planning!

Running for One More!!!

I am officially crazy! I just signed up to run a 1/2 marathon! The good part: I will be running to fund adoptions!!!

Here's the gist- A group from Cape, about 15 as of now, are going to run in the Nashville Country Music Marathon on April 24. We will be raising funds and awareness for orphans and adoptions. AND we get to wear some pretty cute turquoise t-shirts! If you want to join me and about 15 other crazy, orphan-loving, God praising, marathon training people, email me (sharistroup@charter.net) or go to the Room for One More website: roomforonemorechild.org.

Oh, and while you're there, go ahead and check out the new and improved Room for One More website!!! It's all up and ready to be of good use!!!

roomforonemorechild.org

Happy New Year!

Love, The Stroup Family

While You Were Sleeping

Sometimes I feel helpless. As if the need is so great and I am so small. I know that is not true, but I also know that I need to act.... NOW! I can't put it off any longer; there's no time to waste.

Backup with me for a second.... I was listening to our local Christian radio station and the Casting Crowns song, "While You Were Sleeping," came on. Have you heard that song? If not, I have embedded it at the bottom of this post so you can listen to it. :) As I was listening to the song, I felt that God had played it for me to listen to. There is a part in the song that says,

"And we're sung to sleep by philosophies

That save the trees and kill the children..."

Really? Has our nation come to be that ignorant? There are so many extremists who fight to "Save the Trees" and "Prevent Global Warming," but they are missing the big picture. While these people are rioting about saving trees and paper, HUMAN LIVES are being LOST! What if people cared about their brothers and sisters as much as they care about "Saving the Planet"? What if all the energy of fighting a natural cause that won't change was put into fighting for lives? Do you know how many lives would be saved if that happened? Sometimes I feel like YELLING at the ignorant, self-loving people of our nation, but then I stop and realize that I am one of them, too.

What am I doing right at this moment that is benefitting the cause of the orphans? I keep waiting for that "perfect opportunity" to come where I just "get" what I am supposed to do, but, as I wait, CHILDREN are DYING. As I sit here, trying to figure out what to do, childrens' lives are being spared... Childrens' lives that I could be PREVENTING if I wasn't sitting here trying to map everything out.

I DO serve the orphans. I advocate about them on a daily basis and am working hard to get Room for One More up and running so we can start to fund adoptions, but I KNOW there is more to be done. I am not super woman, and I can't fly in and save all 147 million orphans, but I can do MY PART... and you can do your part.

I am just torn apart by the Casting Crowns song. Their lyrics have hit me hard, and I'm trying to organize my thoughts. All I know now is- something is going to come out of this... and it's going to be BIG. We are going to blow the stakes out of the water and we are going to make a BIG difference... I am just going to think and pray about what that is going to be now. Will you join me?

This next verse of the song makes me want to cry. I am so sad at what our nation is turning into; we are getting less and less Christian by the minute.

"America, what will we miss while we are sleeping?

Will Jesus come again

And leave us slumbering where we lay?

America, will we go down in history

As a nation with no room for its King?

Will we be sleeping?

Will we be sleeping?"

(While You Were Sleeping, Casting Crowns)

I don't want to go down without doing something to better His kingdom. As a nation, we are missing all of the signs saying "Come to me; I will save your people and get you out of your recession," but as Christians, we can see those signs from our Father. The question is- What will WE do about them? Will we be sleeping and miss our chance? OR Will we turn our words into action?

THANKSGIVING MIRACLE!!!

Find the Hollis's blog HERE

I just checked the Hollis's blog. This is what Melanie said:

"Most of you know by now, our family decided three years ago to forgo giving presents to one another during the holidays. Instead, we reach out and raise money for orphan ministries.

We just finished going through the book, "Crazy Love" by Frances Chan with our kids and decided this year, we wanted to be CRAZY for Jesus! He is so crazy about us, we wanted to share His love with everyone throughout the year, but especially during November and December.

Lydia took "CRAZY" to a whole new level, however, when she approached me (while her dad was on a mission trip in Africa) and asked if she raised $20,000.00 before Thanksgiving, could we adopt a little orphan girl, Darya, who has Down Syndrome in Eastern Europe. (A friend of ours adopted a little boy from the same orphanage and reported that Darya gets no attention at all....no one speaks to her or holds her.)

THAT WAS 8 DAYS AGO! Being a sensible 41 year old, I told Lydia she would never be able to raise $20,000.00 in 8 days.....she is only eleven. She didn't hear me. Instead, she asked again, "But if I do raise the money, will you adopt her?" I responded yes, if she raised that much money in 8 days, we would know God is in it and would travel to adopt Darya!

Tonight, I would like to report that Miss Lydia has raised $26,550.00 and the donations are still coming in. It just so happens, we have good friends who have been planning to adopt a little one with Down Syndrome through Reece's Rainbow, but lack of funds has delayed them. Not anymore, everything above $20,000.00 goes to them.

So, friends, you have been a part of a double Thanksgiving Miracle. Not only will Darya have a home ....but through your gifts, another little angel will be given hope for a family tomorrow too! God is so great, isn't He?

Lydia will be on the local Fox Morning Show tomorrow at 6:45am. I will try my very best to post it to the blog, because I know so many want to see it.

"Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say REJOICE!" Phil. 4:4"