Moses, Gideon and Mary

The following post is from Rob and Elissa who are in Ethiopia right now picking up their kids. Elissa sent me an email this morning telling us how great our kids are. When I was reading her blog, I found this... she very eloquently put my feelings into words! Enjoy!

God tells Moses to go and lead his people out of Egypt right. Moses responds "Who am I?" then "What if they do not believe me?" and, "I have never been eloquent... I am slow of speech." (Exodus 3:11, 4:1 & 10) I find my self so often in Moses' shoes, I know God wants me to act but I begin laying out all the reasons I am not "qualified" for the task. I can go through the list, and I can come up with more than Moses did too!

Now take Gideon, Judges 6:14 "The Lord turned to him and said, 'Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian's hand. Am I not sending you?'" Gideon replies "My clan is the weakest" followed by "Give me a sign" THREE TIMES! (6:17 & 36 &39!) Oh how I can relate! I know what I am to do, I hear God's voice, I see his leading, but yet I resist! I am afraid, weak, and unfaithful.

Then there is Mary, "I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said." (Luke 1:38) Oh how I pray for a heart of faith like Mary's! To know that what God's asks will cost, but to trust. This has been my meditation this week, God give me a heart of faith like Mary.

I am uncertain, afraid, and I do not know the outcome of what you ask; but I believe that your hand will not lead me where your grace can not keep me.

~Elissa

It's 4:00 IN THE MORNING

What am I doing awake??? Well, Addy woke up at 2:00 (she hates having a stuffy nose) and then woke up every 20 minutes for an hour... at 3 she was asleep and now, here I am. I am just so excited!

We sent our DOSSIER TO CWA TODAY!!!!

On the way to see National Treasure we stopped at PostNet and mailed the copies to our case worker! She will make sure everything is correct and then will send us new letters to send with our originals to DC. It is so exciting to have that done. A bit scary too. That was so much work and now it is out of my hands and into the hands of another. EEEEKKKKK! What if it is all wrong? So now, I sit up planning, worrying, and thinking. Here is my list.

• I need to build (OK, Ben, his Dad, someone, anyone...) shelves for the kids rooms.
• We need to buy comforters for the boys rooms - easier said then done.
• I need to figure out some organizational systems for a family of 8 (but I secretly love this part)
• I need to figure out a laundry system (I know they won't be here for another 8 weeks at least - but it is 4AM)
• I must FINISH MY NATIONAL BOARDS

I have put off my National Boards until the dossier was complete. Now I have got to get to work! I have 2 1/2 more sections to do - which is at least 100 hours of work. So, why am I sitting here? Why did I sign up for National Boards, you ask?? We committed to it last June, back when I had NO IDEA I would be a mother of 6 by the following June. I received a scholarship for 1/2 the fees and must submit 4 "scoreable entries" or pay back the $1700. So, off to work I go... well, tomorrow.

I am remembering that PERFECT PEACE comes from my Heavenly Father, I am so thankful for that and praying for a few extra measures of PEACE! :)

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas everyone! Thank you for reading my blog and following our family on our most wonderful journey to becoming

The Schuldheisz Bunch

We wish you all a wonderful Christmas filled with the peace that only comes from knowing Jesus.

Birth Certificate Has Arrived

Hooray!!!! My birth certificate arrived in the mail today - what a perfect Christmas gift.

Forgotten Christmas

With both the girls birthdays right around Christmas... this story made me think.

Forgotten At Christmas
Alan Riley
My father was born on this day- December 22. For his entire life, he was always getting “combination” presents - birthday and Christmas. Every year on his birthday, there weren’t balloons and birthday streamers. His birthday decorations were Christmas trees, Christmas lights and Santa Claus stuff. When he did get a separate present for Christmas, chances are it would be wrapped with… you guessed it- Christmas paper.

I remember him telling me how as a child he couldn’t help but feel a little cheated. People were so busy celebrating Christmas that his birthday got overlooked.

A couple of years ago, I saw a cartoon in the Atlanta paper that really touched my heart and made me think. It was drawn by Mike Luckovich, the Pulitzer Prize winning political cartoonist for the Atlanta Journal and Constitution. It showed a little girl with a birthday hat on standing in the middle of a sea of gaudy Christmas decorations. The dejected looking little girl says, “You know, when your birthday comes at Christmas time, people just forget all about it.”

Standing behind the little girl, looking equally sad, is Jesus.

“Tell me about it,” he says.

Just like the little girl in the cartoon - and my dad in real life - Jesus’ birthday is all too often forgotten about because of Christmas. How ironic! What started out as an observance of His birth has somehow morphed into gaudy decorations, parties, shopping, songs about decking halls and jingling bells, and some vague acknowledgment of peace on earth and good will among men.

The real Christmas is remembering the greatest and most costly gift we will ever be given. It is when we stop to take in the awe of the only child Who ever chose to be born. It is when we stop to remember this child would soon also choose to give His life up. For you. For me.

Let’s purpose in our hearts that this year we won’t get so caught up in Christmas that we forget Jesus’ birthday.

~found at Streaming Faith

1st Corinthians 13 ~ The Christmas Version

If I decorate my house perfectly

with plaid bows,strands of twinkling lights and shiny balls,

but do not show love to my family,

I'm just another decorator.

If I slave away in the kitchen,

baking dozens of Christmas cookies,

preparing gourmet meals

and arranging a beautifully adorned table at mealtime:

I'm just another cook.

If I work at a soup kitchen,

carol in the nursing home,

and give all that I have to charity;

but do not show love to my family,

it profits me nothing.

If I trim the spruce with shimmering angels

and crocheted snowflakes,

attend a myriad of holiday parties

and sing in the choir's cantata

but do not focus on Christ,

I have missed the point.

Love stops the cooking to hug the child.

Love sets aside the decorating to kiss the spouse.

Love is kind, though harried and tired.

Love does not envy another's home

that has coordinated Christmas china and table linens.

Love does not yell at the kids to get out of the way,

but is thankful they are there to be in the way.

Love does not give only to those who are able to give in return;

but rejoices in giving to those who cannot.

Love bears all things,

believes all things,

hopes all things,

and endures all things.

Love never fails.

Video games will break,

pearl necklaces will be lost,

golf clubs will rust,

but giving the gift of love will endure.

--Author Unknown

Hooray!!!!!

Ben's cousin Amy and her family have had a successful court date and are now the proud parents of 15-year-old Alex! He is currently in an orphanage in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and they will go get him soon. Alex is the older biological sibling of their other two Ethiopian children - what a wonderful reunion they will have this January! We are so excited that Adissu will have a cousin his own age. Who knows how well they will get along, but I am pretty sure that it will be wonderful to have someone to talk to who is in a similar situation now! What a creative God we serve to bring our family together in this way! Praise God!

Presents

A new group of families will be traveling at the end of December and they have offered to take presents and pictures to our kids. We sent things just a couple of weeks ago, but decided to send them another SMALL package. It is a very fine line... our gifts (mostly from the dollar store) are enormous blessings to the kids - and they may think that we are very wealthy if we send things too often. So what is worse, sending goodies to kids we love and them having notions that we are rich... or not sending anything so that they wonder if we are really coming. Obviously, we send stuff - we can clear up misconceptions later. We scaled back this Christmas, a lot. And yet, what Danny, Lilly, and Addy will receive is 100 times more than A, M, and E have gotten in their whole lives combined. So, we sent the packages and soon we will get pictures back of our kids opening their packages... I hope they like their treasures.

Christmas Vacation

I am officially on Christmas Vacation! The relaxation mode is hitting hard and I am loving it! Lilly has been going through a particularly rough patch - not wanting to leave my side at any time... it is wonderful to be able to be home with her! I am also getting a couple of things done, or will get them done in the next few days! I can't wait! We have been anxiously waiting for new pictures of the kids. I am hoping they will come in the next day or two.

One of Ben's friends from work gave us 6 snowmen ornaments that have a spot for each child's name. We will wait until next year so that the decisions of what name they will use and the correct spelling can be made by the kids and us together.

Names are such a personal thing... some families feel very strongly that you keep the child's Ethiopian name, regardless. Others feel that with a new family, comes a new name. Ben and I are somewhere in the middle of those two camps. With the age of our kids, that makes keeping their names even more of an issue. We just found out that Adissu is really pronounced AddySue. Hmmm... that sure would make things interesting in our house. Our plan is to talk with them while we are still in Ethiopia and let him, and the other two, know that they can choose their name. We do have a couple picked out - but will offer those only as an option. If they do decide they want American first names, we will surely keep their Ethiopian name as a middle name... Decisions, decisions....

The latest news

Here is our latest message from Ethiopia...

Ben and Brooke~Your oldest son is very nearly a man. He is so gentle and kind and loving. I told him all the things you said to tell him and he just said thank you, thank you. He told his little brother what I said, and they were so happy. They both hugged me and kissed me.Your daughter is model-gorgeous. Seriously, you will be shocked by her beauty. She cried when I told her what you said, and kissed me on both cheeks saying thank you thank you. This was the most emotional visit for me.

So, I sit here crying... I will post more later.