Stuff for Sale

Happy New Year to all our friends and family!

We have news to share and “stuff to sell”. Our latest “news” is that the Lord provided the perfect buyer for our 20 acres of land and our 5 bedroom home, so we will close and be moved out completely by March 1, 2012, (thank you, Father)!

Our plan is for Kent to return to school to complete a degree in Elementary Education, he’s completed applications to a few universities and we’ve visited those campuses. We plan to rent until Kent completes a degree. We’ve kept six acres along the north side of our current property (we’re selling 20 of our current 26 acres) and over time we’ll build a small home on that site.

Because of our downsizing we need to sell a lot of stuff! So….we’re asking you all (our friends and family) to help us by letting us know of any acquaintances you may have that need to furnish or decorate their homes, offices, motel rooms, or places of business. Pictured below are just a few of the items we plan to sell but we have set up an entire website with over a hundred posts with pictures, descriptions and prices at this site http://rungestuff.wordpress.com. Please peruse it if you have need of any of these things and send it on to any one you can think of who might be interested in purchasing these items from us. At the site, there are photos of all items if you simply click on the title and you can also search by “category”. We are looking forward to the “freedom” and more availability in having and caring for less “stuff”.

Thanks so much for your thoughts, prayers, and “word of mouth” advertisement!

Runge Family Update

Happy Holidays (Christmas, Hanukkah, and New Years) to you all!

It’s December 3, 2011, and I’m actually sending out our year-end update before the end of the year…amazing! However, it will be fewer words (did we hear some cheering?) and include more photos than in previous years since we’re sending it out via e-mail again. Our snail mail version to those without e-mail will only be a post card…maybe they are blessed??? :0) We’re keeping all of you on a general “update” list that we’ll send update letters to, 2 or 3 times during the year just to keep in touch and so our end of year letter can be shorter and not such a huge project to accomplish. It will, however, include PLENTY of photos…surprise, surprise!

As most of you already know, Kent’s position was eliminated in August (after 7 faithful years with SCS), which sorta “knocked the wind out of our sails” and also put the brakes on our second adoption proceedings (we’d hoped to go back to Ethiopia for a second daughter in 2012 or 2013 and had just finished our adoption home study). Though Kent has faithfully checked the job bank and local papers and sent resume’s with cover letters every week, he’s not even had an interview. It feels a bit scary at times, but it also causes us to “think outside of the box”, so Kent is currently looking into some other educational opportunities and he may be able to qualify for some help through the State of MN with tuition. We’re hoping that whatever employment Kent can find, will allow him time off to travel to Ethiopia in order to minister to the “widows and orphans” as we’re currently feeling called to do. These are just our thoughts and prayers for now…we’ll see what the Lord brings into our path as we seek Him. Though there are moments of concern with Kent still being unemployed, having him home has been a blessing (I’m afraid I’m getting a bit spoiled) and is certainly the reason we’re ahead of most of our projects…a lot of “honey dos” are getting done.

Most of you also know that we decided to list our home for sale in September in order to “downsize and simplify” so that we can be out of debt completely and more available to return to Ethiopia. We’ve had three showings and one offer that was rescinded, but nothing else of late. We’re guessing we’ll be waiting at least till spring for another offer, but only the Lord knows for sure. We know that we can find “freedom in the things we leave behind” as Michael Card sings, we’re just finding it difficult to figure out how to sell our “stuff and things”. We’re trying to sell some antique furniture and wall hangings, but all the flea markets in MN close up after Labor Day. We’ve started to take photos and list some of the items on Craig’s List, but so far haven’t had any sales. If any of you have any other ideas, let us know. We’d like to sell stuff BEFORE we get an offer on our house so that we aren’t needing to use storage for “stuff and things” we don’t need. It’s amazing how little you really “need” when you sit down and think about it.

Our biggest continuous blessing, has been Elisa Mae as she grows from a baby into a “little girl”. She has learned to walk, talk (3 to 7 word sentences), feed herself, and sing in the past six months and her smile is still as beautiful as when we first brought her home from Ethiopia in September of 2010. She also knows her ABC’s in song, often requesting that we “find the ABC’s” or “find alphabet” on our stereo in the morning or “find tinkle star” or “find Winnie the pooh”. She has MANY other favorite songs including, “Holy, Holy”, “Glory Hallelujah”, “Ho, Ho, Ho, Hosanna” and “Mary Had a Little Lamb”…and sings them to herself in the car, in her crib, while she “reads” and many times asks, “mommy sing too?” There are also many challenges as we learn to parent her (what to do with her jabbering and singing for 45 minutes before she goes to sleep every night is one of them :0), but the hope and joy she brings is endless. She is currently 22 months old, weighs 21 pounds and is 31 7/8 inches tall (about 5th and 10th percentile, respectively, for US numbers) and though she is small in stature, she learns very quickly, is usually obedient, talks nearly incessantly (in our presence), and still loves to read, sing, and to play with carts, bears and necklace beads. She is also doing very well with helping mom pick up her toys and books and sits silently during all the concerts, musicals, and services we bring her to…we’re proud of her…and sometimes exhausted by all the “relating” she requires! Our photos below basically show a lot of “firsts”, since this was our first full year of being parents. Hope the photos help you “know” us a bit better and bring smiles to your faces…

Our love and wishes for God’s presence and provision to you all,

Kent, Laurie, Elisa Mae and Little Girl (doggie) Runge

Runge Family Update

Sad news…it’s a lot harder to share than good news…and I guess that is why I’ve put this adoption update off for so long. It’s been hard to make myself sit down and write it, but it’s starting to affect my sleep, so I need to get it said and ask you to pray for us when you think about it. This summer we were almost finished with our second adoption home study to go back to Ethiopia for a second daughter (in record time from the previous two we’d done) and had only signatures and payment left when Kent’s employer informed him that his position/job was being eliminated. Yikes! We were shocked, sad, angry, frustrated, confused and for reasons I won’t detail here…relieved. Kent had been a valuable employee at Synstelien Community Services for nearly seven years, so he did get a nice severance package and we’re not “moneyless”, however, loosing employment stopped our second adoption in it’s tracks. Ugh! We still had to make the payment ($1600) for the home study since it was completed, and our agency has agreed to “put it on hold” for a time, but unless Kent finds a job that meets the annual income standards for adopting from Ethiopia, then we’ve paid for a home study that will never be used. Ugh again.

Runge Family Update

Since, you didn’t hear from us at Christmas time, this will be my attempt to “sum up” our lives and to ask you to pray for adoption # two! Yes, we (actually Kent) are immersed in the paper work chase for our second adoption from Ethiopia! A few months ago we began discussing and praying about switching from our long wait for China (since 2006 still waiting till late 2013 or worse) to Ethiopia. It was hard for me (Laurie) to “dump” the $11,000 and change we had paid out toward the China option (most going to our government for fees, etc., and our agency for their work) until we FINALLY received our first tax credit of (guess how much) $11,000 and change from our government at tax time. I was still frustrated and fussing about it until the Lord told me to look at it as a “wash” and showed me “HE” provides. So, we began the permission asking to transfer from China to Ethiopia from our agency, which they gladly gave and even transferred a few unused fees from one program to the other. Then…we began the paper chase. Some of you may remember the photo of me and three, 8 foot tables lined up edge to edge of paperwork for our first Ethiopian adoption…well, here we go again…same stuff needs to be gathered and sent all over again. This time, however, since my days are filled with caring for Elisa and home, Kent has decided the task is his. So, he fills out paper work, asks all the questions, schedules all the meetings, scans and e-mails the finished pieces, and just asks me to sign here, and here, and here, and here…. This time, however, we have more “hope” because the last one WORKED and we finally got our precious, little Elisa!

As the weeks pass, we are getting more and more excited about going back to Ethiopia to see the friends we made there, to visit Elisa’s birth mom (we hope), to visit the school and little girl we sponsor there, and to bring back a little or bigger sister for Elisa. We are requesting that our second daughter be within two years of Elisa’s age (0-4), with the hope that they will be great playmates and best friends as they grow up together. The wait time for Ethiopia has also slowed some, but nothing in comparison to China’s wait time. So, going by current wait times, we “guess” we’ll be traveling to Ethiopia (first trip will be all of us) sometime in late 2012 or early 2013 to meet our second daughter. We’ll then wait the 8-10 weeks between court date and embassy date and Kent will fly back to Ethiopia to bring our daughter home. Instead of me staying in Ethiopia for that 8 week period as I did with Elisa, we’ll be flying home to wait in the states. It’ll be hard to leave our second daughter behind, but now that I have Elisa to care for, I don’t have the freedom to stay (too costly and too hard)

Now to summarize our lives…Kent is still working for Synstelien Community Services (6 1/2 years) but has a new position and new looonnnnggg title, “Project Manager and Assistant to the CEO”. :0) Though Kent misses some of the “people” relationships he’d made as the Executive Director, the drop in stress and the increase in home-time has been a HUGE benefit for all. He still works Monday through Friday and gets two weeks of paid vacation every year.

I retired my business of house cleaning last summer and have jumped in as full-time mommy…my dream job. And so you don’t get the idea of “all is peachy”, I DO have my days of frustration, confusion, exhaustion, and exasperation, but then, I’m guessing all moms have those days. I stay at home every single day, except Friday, which is the day I grocery shop and clean for Elisa’s local grandma’s…once every three weeks for both of them. This gives Elisa and both Grandma’s a wonderful opportunity to spend time together. Though I’m usually totally spent by the end of that day (so Kent treats us to Pizza Hut for supper), I’m grateful I still have the stamina for 3-4 hours of working while my daughter is with me…she naps for two hours of that time…thankfully! Actually, I’m often at their home for 4-5 hours, but that includes diaper changes and eating/feeding lunch. Every third Friday, I get to take Elisa in to town with me (after her nap) to shop at the local thrift stores…for some interesting item or bargain. It’s fun just to “dress her up” and “show her off”…she is a GREAT traveler and is well behaved in stores…mommy sees to that. I usually get at least three “oh, she is adorable” comments per outing. Who knew we’d get such a beauty! On Saturday and many Sundays I get to “sleep in” because it’s “daddy” time with Elisa. Kent absolutely LOVES being a daddy (as I knew he would all along) and looks forward to getting Elisa up, dressed, fed, hair combed (he even conditions and puts in a hair band), and then either takes her to town for a couple of hours to Fleet Farm or Home Depot or a local Pancake breakfast or he simply sets her play pen up outside and gives her tools and bolts to play with as he works on a home project. And me, I get some blessed, sweet, sleep. :0) It’s definitely a “win win” situation!

We did have the opportunity to take a spring vacation and spent nearly all of it biking the south eastern bluff country of MN…it was BEAUTIFUL (oh so lush and green!) and PERFECT for bicycling! We also planted a small, raised bed garden (that Kent built) to try our hand at gardening again and hope to expand as we experiment. We’ve attended two parades (boy, does Elisa get a lot of candy tossed in her direction) and have our favorite to attend on the Fourth of July in our very own, tiny town of Erhard. Little Girl (our Shih Tzu dog) has finally accepted Elisa as part of the family and actually brings toys to Elisa so that she’ll play with her…it is so much fun to hear Elisa giggle hysterically and squeal with delight when Little Girl enters the room or gets water from the sink faucet. I enjoy taking Elisa and Little Girl for a walk nearly every day and often (when the weather permits) we take a family bike ride in the evening.

Elisa is 17 months old now, has 12 1/2 teeth, is nearly 30 inches tall and weighs only 19.2 pounds, which puts her in 12 month clothing and 3-9 month pants/shorts. She just started walking last week with a bit of “practice” and encouragement from mom and dad and TODAY she peed on the toilet three times…mommy and daddy are soooo proud! Potty training here we come. Elisa jabbers in long paragraphs, but uses only about 12 words that we understand. :0) She eats her mashed vegetables and meat very well (usually, leftover casseroles, etc.), but especially enjoys raisins, pretzels, cheerios, yogurt, and applesauce. Though she’ll eat some candy, she isn’t much for sweets yet, except of course, ice cream. True to her Ethiopian roots…they like VERY HOT foods and almost no sweets. Elisa still LOVES to be read to, sing/sung to, and now wears “beee” or beads around her neck most every day. She also carries rocks…the bigger the better (in each hand) during our entire walk…asking for another when she drops one with, “ohhh”. And mommy finally figured out that “bah bow” means “up” or sometimes “down”.

Well, it’s getting late, so I better retire, tomorrow is a cleaning day for Grandma Audrey and the day starts a bit earlier than usual.

Below are some spring time photos but you may go to the following link for WAYYYY more photos and a bunch of videos if you ever have the time/interest! We’re both “shutter bugs” and our favorite subject, of course, is Elisa!

Look Who’s Home

My wife and daughter traveled 8,200 miles in just over twenty-four hours.

Laurie and Elisa departed Addis Ababa Ethiopia in East Africa at 11:30p local on a Lufthansa A340-300 to Frankfurt am Main Airport in Frankfurt Germany arriving at about 6:00a local.

At around 11:15a local she boarded a 747-400 and departed Frankfurt am Main for Chicago O’Hare; arriving at about 1:15p local. A very stressful and hurried 1.5 hours (spent getting through customs and passport control) later she and Elisa Mae fell into their seat on a Bombardier CJ-200 bound for Fargo North Dakota where she arrived nearly 30 minutes ahead of schedule…

…and into the arms of husband, daddy, puppy and home.

Elisa Mae and her family are together.

Give Me Your Poor…

Today at around 2:00a CDT, while America slept, the American Embassy in Addis Ababa Ethiopia cleared Elisa to Immigrate to the United States of America

On the way to her forever home in the great State of Minnesota Elisa will fly well north of New York Harbor where a famous statue bears a motto of invitation to all Immigrants: “Give me your poor, your tired, your huddled masses…yearning to be set free”. My ancestors arrived in the Americas well before the United States existed, long before that statute was erected…my descendent(s) arrived much later…

Elisa Mae will become a citizen when she and Laurie Anne pass through the Port-of-Entry in Chicago

Hallelujah, We’re Coming Home!

From Laurie Anne:

“The prayers of the righteous availeth much” (as it says somewhere in God’s word), especially when it coincides with His will…so, thank you, ALL of you, for your prayers for a speedy Embassy date! We GOT IT! Elisa’s Embassy date is September 15th and just two days later we’ll receive her visa, her passport, her birth certificate, and her court decree, allowing us to leave Friday night, September 17th at 11:35pm (3:35 Minnesota Time). We already switched our tickets from October 1 to Sept 17th and I should be home Sept 18th by late afternoon in Fargo, ND. Kent and I are SOOOOOO excited!

Though I’m very much looking forward to being home, I also realize what a huge opportunity and blessing it has been for me to stay here this long (including when Kent was here, it will be a total of 44 days).

Visa Extension

From Laurie Anne:

It takes a total of 3 trips, but they are granting me a 2 month Visa for $20 US. I paid today after being in 6 rooms and moving from chair to chair in each room as someone left and the next person took that spot and so on. Not much discussion about the 2 year visa. I was just asked why I had two passports (in the first room) and I explained, but then later in another room, they were going to give me a 30 day visa until I mentioned to the lady that my daughter’s Embassy date might not be till Sept 29th and I’d need to stay 3 days after that, then she gave me a 60 day Visa. Whew…glad I spoke up…you don’t really speak much, they just pass you around from room to room each official doing a different thing to your paperwork. I expected to pay $40, but when I got to the 6th room they only asked for $20 US and kept my passport and form and copy…which made me nervous, so I asked David (who was outside in the hallway holding Elisa and my diaper bag, very helpful…she wanted to play with my pen the forms, my notebook…he wasn’t really allowed to wait with me, he had to wait (standing) in the hallway…

Passport Photo Day

From Laurie Anne:

Isn’t she just adorable? Now she’s in the bouncy chair. I’ll try to get a photo of that for you too.

Just got back from immigration…took just under an hour (left 1:30 back by 3:45) and met other children from the TH and nannies who brought babies…Rob & Maureen’s twins were there too. One of the nannies recognized me from a distance (Elisa was tucked in my carrier) and she immediately called out “Hymee, Hymee”. I gave a tootsie roll to each of the 3 nannies and 4 of the older children from TH that I waited with to get passport photos. The little girls tended to want to be close to me (before I gave the tootsie rolls).

For some reason, they let me go first in all the lines…kinda felt bad since some lines were VERY long.

David Belay asked to look at my passport and said, “American Passport…I’d like one of those.” I’m feeling better…even hungry. I ate my saltines in the car and bought some more at the market on the way home. Later I’ll bring my leftover soup down and reheat it…looking forward to more soup. So grateful for the antibiotic.

Still Sick

From Laurie Anne:

I emailed you yesterday sitting on the steps, but had to go to the bottom to send it. By the time I got back upstairs the effort made me puke and I lost the rest of my breakfast…hadn’t eaten anything else all day, just water. While on the steps both Jen & Teri (nurse) and Amanda said to call if I needed help. After puking (plugged the sink, so I called staff to come unplug…she cleaned toilet and sink for me), I took Cipro and ate some of the saltine crackers that Jen & Teri gave me (they gave to me while I was typing the e-mail to you on the steps)…thankful for those since I can’t bring myself to eat anything else.

I called front desk at 6p (while staff was here cleaning my sink/toilet) and asked them to get a message to Jen or Amanda in room 104 or 102 to come check on me, but the receptionist (I think Messeret) said they were both gone. She offered to send a staff member up, but I asked that she wait 2 hours and then send someone at 8p to check on me (thought I could rest and feel better). Thankfully, Elisa has been quite good and I’m able to care for her…moving at a snail’s pace. Anyway, 8p came and went and no one showed up, so I toughed it out. Elisa slept from 8-1:30a, but though I was tired, my back hurt so bad and my stomach so icky that I couldn’t sleep till 1a then, of course, Elisa got up at 1:30a for a bottle, 30 minutes of sleep…woo hoo. Uff da…last evening was hard.