CHOSEN MARATHON FOR ADOPTION fundraiser is how we pray we will raise the remainder of our final adoption expenses! If you are interested in running/walking it is VERY IMPORTANT that you REGISTER BY THE END OF THE DAY ON JUNE 30TH! Choose "Chosen and Much Loved" Team!

Dear Friends and Family,

Please read Betsy's e-mail below if you have ever wanted to support us in bringing our Haiti girls to their forever home...now is the time! We need one more push to bring in the finances necessary to make this a reality and we believe the Chosen Marathon for Adoption is our best chance at bringing in the rest of our funds. It is very difficult to even think about fundraising for our adoptions at this time while we are trying to raise support to move to Haiti...and are in the process of moving to Haiti (we have to be out of our house this Sat)! Betsy has graciously put out a plea on our behalf because she understands the needs and because she knows and loves our girls in Haiti. We have an excellent chance at winning the contest that will provide an additional $1,000 if we can get friends and family to register for the marathon by June 30th (more on that below). Just wanted to add that even if you have never run, have never wanted to run, and have absolutely no intention of running, or even if you live in another state, you can still register for the marathon (think of it as a donation) and we will still receive the funds for your runner registration and your registration could help us win an extra $1,000 toward our adoptions! But we do highly encourage you to consider participating in the Chosen Marathon.  Eric and I both did the Galloway program (walk/run) in the Chosen half marathon last Oct. Eric did this with an ankle injury and I did not start training until August for the event in October. I'm not recommending that, but just saying that if we can do it, you can do it! The marathon will take place in our New Braunfels, TX, and runs along the beautiful River Road.  If you want to come from out of town and need a place to stay and people to run/walk with we can hook you up! It is an unforgettable experience that has blessed and encouraged us tremendously. Please help us pass the word and get as many recruits as we can for our team before the June 30th contest deadline. If you are reading this and missed the contest deadline, you can still join our team anytime before the event date and this will help us as well!

Please sign up for the marathon by Thursday June 30th to help us and call me if you have any questions! 214-471-2526

Until they are home,

Elisabeth

Click to register and choose "Chosen and Much Loved" as the team

Hi.  My name is Betsy.  In December I was blessed to share a room in Haiti at the orphanage with your sweet Elisabeth.  In March, I got to travel back with her and be there with Eric and their high school team as well.(And then found myself back on a plane to Haiti 4 short weeks later.  But that's a whole nother story.)
 
So.......I love kids.  Love loving orphans.  Love Elisabeth and her family. AND happen to also LOVE long distance/endurance events.  
 
I write this letter with one single OPPORTUNITY for you and me to contribute in all these things.  (That I Love.)
 It's the Marathon for Adoption.  Running with a purpose.  Chosen Marathon.  October 29, 2011 New Braunfels.
 
How can you help?  Sign up to be on CHOSEN AND MUCH LOVED TEAM !!  www.marathonforadoption.com  
 *ALL REGISTRATIONS RECEIVED BY JUNE 30TH - this Thursday - COULD HELP THE REAM'S WIN AN ADDITIONAL $1000 TOWARDS THEIR ADOPTIONS IF THEIR TEAM HAS THE MOST RUNNERS REGISTERED WITHIN THE TWO WEEK WINDOW OF THE CONTEST.
 
Never done a marathon or half marathon?  This is your perfect opportunity.  The race is at the end of October - with cool temperatures. You have exactly 4 months to train from now until race day.  There are many on-line free training programs for anyone desiring extra coaching.  One I recommend to new runners or runners that have been injured or injure easily..... is the Gallaway program.  Jeff Galloway invented and teaches it.  It involves running and walking.  One example might be that you run 10 minutes, than walk 2 minutes.  And you would do that the entire race.  And I have known people to qualify for the Boston Marathon using this method.  Recovery time is cut in half as well.
 
I have done 3 marathons.  One being during an Ironman triathlon I completed a few years ago. Didn't 'feel' adequately trained for any of them - but finished each one with relative ease, wondering why I had waited so long to try (do) something so fun!
 
I do not know that I can even run one mile currently. My thoughts ...... it will be great discipline to work hard with purpose ..... and when the training is hurting - what a great time to remember and pray for Elita and Esmee.  
 
So many great reasons to sign-up!  And don't forget - SIGN UP TODAY - BECAUSE WE WANT THE REAM'S TO WIN THIS CONTEST AND RECEIVE THE ADDITIONAL $1,000.  (They recently learned they still need to raise $3000, largely because they are adopting non-siblings and so the U.S. immigration and visa fees will be double.)
 
(Please note too - Elisabeth, has encouraged their church friends to all register and run on the 'church' team to help encourage more families both to adopt, and in their adoptions.)  SO THEY NEED YOUR SUPPORT for this event!
*****PLEASE NOTE:  If you are unsure at this time of being able to make this October 29th event - you can still register today, and be guaranteed that 100% of your registration fee will go straight to the girls' final adoption fees (even if you are unable to make it to the event.)
 
Be sure and select "CHOSEN AND MUCH LOVED" for your team name when you register.
 
Hope to meet you at the race!
 
Blessings -
 
Betsy Hurley  

IF and THEN

I find myself saying the words "if" and "then" A LOT lately. IF only we had a little more time, THEN perhaps we would have our new website up and ready to share about what we will be doing in Haiti (or what we think we will be doing...We know enough about Haiti to know that we should expect the unexpected). IF you happen to venture into my personal space or enter my horridly disheveled house in the past week, THEN you might have heard me say something like this,
"We are moving to Haiti sometime in August (still waiting on someone in Haiti to tell us exactly when) before school starts in August because we are going to be working with a school in Haiti. Well, Eric is." It is at this point that I usually get the question, "Oh and what will you be doing?" Hmmm...let me think. Probably crying A LOT (perhaps if I expect this then the unexpected will happen and I will find that living in a 3rd world country...and doing ANYTHING in that country is a piece of cake...which I will be eating along with my bonbons frequently :). Joking aside, there really are massive God sized plans swirling around in my head constantly dreaming of what I (we) hope to be doing in Haiti (crying not on the list). But if I have learned anything this year it is that "We can make our plans, but the LORD determines our steps" Proverbs 16:9.

The biggest, IF's and THEN's come when trying to plan our Haiti girls into our Haiti move equation. Perhaps the term "equation" is inappropriate ridiculous when discussing anything related to Haiti...especially pertaining to adoptions. The first two definitions listed for "equation" are "the act of equating or making equal" and "equally balanced state; equilibrium". I can't think of anything equal or balanced about our journey to Haiti so far or Haiti in general for that matter...except that something about living in this fallen, broken world feels more balanced to me when I am there among the brokenness.

Back to the plan that usually goes something like this, "IF the girls are permitted to live with us (while still in the adoption process ) THEN I will either be home schooling them (or perhaps just one of them) or they will attend school along with our boys where Eric will also be teaching."
"IF the girls are not permitted to live with us (while still in the adoption process) THEN we will be visiting them at their orphanage often (which is about 20 minutes from where we will be living/working/schooling) and IF it is ok with their orphanage director, THEN we plan to have the girls visit us often as well."
"IF the girls adoptions are completed before Christmas break (and IF we have the money for plane tickets), THEN we will probably come back for the holidays (when school is out) to visit family and friends and tend to necessary adoption and tax paperwork stateside."
"IF they are not adopted before Christmas, and IF the adoptions are completed sometime before school lets out for summer break, THEN we will probably return with the girls to the states for the summer months to visit, fundraise, decide at this time what we should do with our TX house and possessions that didn't join us in Haiti, and IF it is God's plan THEN Eric (and possibly the rest of the fam) will be traveling to other countries (other than Haiti and the U.S.) to do the work of the ministry there.

Lord, IF you would just come back today, THEN everything would be ok as it should be. No more waiting, no more tears, no more wondering and futile planning of the future that only you know anyways. But IF we wake up in the morning and again start making plans, THEN we are trusting in your promise that you will direct our steps...each and every one! For "IF we are faithless, THEN he remains faithful" 2 Tim. 2:13... "for we walk by faith, not by sight" 2 Cor. 5:7.

"Senyè,
Sèvitè w' la pa konnen gosh ak dwat.
Menm kounye a mwen pa konnen nan ki lès nan men ou yo mwen ye.
Ke m' nan men gosh la ou nan dwat la, sa pa fè anyen.
Mwen nan men pa w'.
Sa sifi."

That's my favorite Haitian prayer that says,

"Lord,
Your servant doesn't know left from right.
Even now I don't know which one of your hands I am in.
Whether I am in the left or the right, it doesn't matter.
I am in Your hands.
That's enough."

"No Reservations"

Dear Haiti,
How did I come to love you so? How is it that when I think of home that you are always there? I have been to other poverty stricken places...none quite like you, but I've never wanted to stay. I was just thankful for the "experience" and that I didn't have to live out my existence in those kind of conditions. But you I have never wanted to leave. Could it be that I just don't want to leave my girls? I've asked myself that question a million times it seems. Others have asked it too. So on my last trip I tried spending time with you apart from my girls. I was checking you out. I was hoping that you would answer that question for me. You did. I only fell in love with you more. I have experienced your ugly side. I have experienced your glories. I don't love everything about you. Truthfully, the list of things I hate about you would surely top the list of things I love about you. But your fight for resilience against my hate list makes me love you even more. I know that leaving you means leaving my girls, and in all honesty I know my love for you has grown along with my love for them. They are tragedy, beauty, brokenness, resilience. They are Haiti. They are the catalyst that brought me to you. They are family. You are family. You are home. We thought we would bring Haiti home. But now we are going home to Haiti.
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May 26th, 2011. The ticking clock glares 1:00 am...the typical time (usually the only time) Eric and I sort through the bigger decisions in our personal lives. I stare at the clock wishing God would hold the sun in place for at least another month. Eric breaks the silence with the question, "So do you have any reservations about moving to Haiti?" My first thought was "Nope!...Just wish everything was already done and we were already there". But I paused for awhile to make sure I was answering truthfully. What then came out was a list of fears...fears concerning both the unknown and expected lifestyle changes that were sure to come, how we and our children will cope with these, if and how this will affect our adoption process, and the biggest elephant in the room...MONEY. After voicing some of my fears, I realized that none of these things were actually reasons I had for not moving to Haiti. They were all things I fully expected to encounter as we prepare to move and after we do move to Haiti...God has already confirmed the decision in my heart and in that decision I have no reservations. I then asked Eric the same question. He said, "I have no reservations that this is what God wants us to do." The how of all that is still in the works...but God has been moving mountains to get us to this point and we know He isn't going to abandon us now!

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We have been discussing the possibility of moving to Haiti openly with our boys for several months now. We have been excited to see how God has been preparing their hearts as well. Two weeks ago Ethan caught me saying, "When we move to Haiti..." He stopped me before I could scold him for whatever he was in the midst of saying (probably asking for some big toy that I knew we wouldn't be taking to Haiti), and asked, "So we are definitely going?" I could have just said, "Yes. And your little world is about to be rocked!" I opted for a teachable moment instead saying, "Let's think this through together. Has our family ever prayed that if God wants us to move to another country that He will show us where that is and open doors for us to move there?" Both boys answered, "Yes". "Do you think God has been showing us Haiti?" Boys, "Yes"! "And If God has provided renters for our house here, a job for Daddy in Haiti, a house for us in Haiti, cars for us to drive in Haiti, and even some money for us to get to Haiti, do you think that maybe God's plan involves us moving to Haiti?" "Ethan responds, "God did all that? Well I guess we have to go then"! Evan asks, "Will there be toys in Haiti?" I so wanted a more spiritual response from them, but will take willingness to go as a positive! Shortly after this conversation with the boys the radio played,

Where You go, I'll go

Where You stay, I'll stay

When You move, I'll move

I will follow You

Who You love, I'll love

How You serve I'll serve

If this life I lose, I will follow...

We all love this song, but we admit that these words are easier to sing than obey. Lord, continue to make our hearts desire to follow you and serve you wherever you desire to move us! Thank you for opening doors for us! We ask that you give us the courage to walk through them. We ask for you to bring others to join us in our journey through support and provide for the finances needed in whatever way You see fit. We ask that you continue to prepare our hearts and the hearts of those you would have us serve and serve alongside in Haiti...and enable us to serve like You for Your glory!
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Dear Friends,
We know you might have a lot of questions. We still have a lot of questions too. But we now have enough answers to finally be able to announce that...
THE REAM FAMILY IS MOVING TO HAITI! Did we mention this is happening in August?...as in the next two months...Lord willing! We are in the process of setting up a new site where we will post more information about our move to Haiti and what we will be doing when we get there. We will continue to post adoption updates on this blog. We want to be clear that our adoptions are not the reason we are moving to Haiti. It isn't exactly the norm to move to the country you are adopting from...but you didn't think we were normal did you? We are definitely excited we will be closer to to our girls while we wait for our adoptions to be completed, but we do not have any knowlege that our move to Haiti will expedite the process in any way. While our adoptions are the reason Haiti originally became a focus for us, there have been many other reasons through many other people the Lord has presented to us in the past year that have confirmed that He is calling us to Haiti! We are excited to be called, and we are excited to go! But boy do we need a ton of prayer to get us there...and even more after we get there! Moving to a 3rd (recently heard Haiti has been classified as a 4th) world country in the heat of August with two young boys and no air conditioning isn't going to earn glamour points. If I dwell on that thought for more than a few seconds while sitting in my air conditioned home on my comfy couch with a working internet connection, I quickly begin to rethink that "no reservations" stuff. But...


"Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, Whom shall I send? And who will go for us? And I said, Here I am. Send me!” -Isaiah 6:8 

Can a scripture verse be overused? Misused, yes. Overused, no! So there it is. I was six years old when I first knew God wanted me to be a missionary. I was also 6 years old when I said, "No way...You've got yourself the wrong gal for that job". I've said "no" too many times since, but God didn't give up on me (or answering Eric's prayers to go to the mission field)! This time around, God didn't have to ask, "Who will go?" I was already jumping up and down and begging like crazy, "Here I am! Right here Lord! I'll go! I'm ready now! Please send me! Send us! Please oh please!" God often has funny ways of bringing about His will in our lives. I'm sure there will be days when I won't think it is funny and may curse God (or at least vent on the blog) for giving me my way...or making me want His way. Either way, God's will be done...It will!...and we have no reservations about that!