"to be known"

i love adoption.
i love knowing that i was chosen, dearly loved, by the creator of the world. i'm His. 
i have an inheritance with Him, in Him.
a bit ago, many of you reached from your heart to help friends of mine
get their sweet baby boy home.
thank you!
Ammanuel is one of the cutest kids on the planet and i love watching matt and kathryn be parents. seriously, the boy's smile is infectious!


now, other friends of mine are beginning their journey into adoption.
i've known jen and ryan almost 7 years.*
jen and ryan transitioned into living in Boone, NC, as ryan has become one of the filmmakers for Samaritans purse. 
because everything is better with a photo, i decided to, uh....steal this one from jen's fb. photos make everything suddenly real. *huge smile*

the point is, they are in the long, painful, expensive, exciting, hopeful process of adopting a daughter from Ethiopia. 
adoption is very expensive. international adoptions are, in my opinion, outrageously so.
there's no way my family would be a family of 8 instead of 6 if a very generous family didn't "support" us for half the price. i guess thats why i long to help my friends with their adoptions so. 


i remember praying, waiting, hoping, longing for the day my brother and sister would walk off the plane from russia to my heart. and it would not have happened if someone didn't find it in their heart to bless our family with a lot of financial support. the body of Christ took over for us. michael and natalie came to our home because a lot of people were praying and believing and supporting our family in the process. i decided a long time ago that if i could help friends of mine, and strangers, do the same...i would. 
in the strangarity family, i guess you could say, we like to 'pay it forward..."
because to those much has been given, much is required. not that i want to guilt trip you if you're reading this, but just make you think and process what you do with your money and your heart and what you're doing to help the least among us.


i'm very passionate about seeing the orphans loved.
jen and ryan are amazing parents to little brooklyn. 
they will be amazing parents to this new baby girl, too.
would you take a minute to go to the link i attached above.
if you want, jen has designed and created these awesome pendents with the phase: "to be known" in Amharic (the language of Ethiopia), they are selling them to help with all the costs of adopting for only $12!

personally, there isn't anything better than unique jewelry. especially, jewelry that is literally helping save a child. i love this pendent! i just purchased mine, and though it'll be a bit till it gets to me here in SA, i'm so excited to share in their journey by praying and supporting in this way.


they chose: "to be known" because of the reminder we are chosen by God. that even now, before their daughter is even born, she is known by God. what a great reminder to wear around your neck, tucked close to your heart. YOU ARE KNOWN! right now...i love it. i love it. i'm so excited to have mine! ahhhhhhhhhhh *joy!*


if you don't have the desire to purchase a pendant for yourself, or lack the fiances at this moment, would you consider just popping over to their site and letting them know you are praying for them. believe me, from a siblings point of view, this is a very long journey they are on.


thanks for listening to be rant and rave on adoption and my friends. 
really, thank you.

*(i met jen and ryan when i first interned at Book of Hope, now OneHope. they were part of the team of filmers who did this video. they were always around to discuss and decipher what was going on in my heart whenever i was in the office between trips overseas. i came to find ryan hilarious and jen one of the nicest people i've ever met. in fact, it was a week long visit last december (08) with jen that God 

finally spoke to my heart and let me know i not only had every biblical right to sign the divorce papers, but that He'd still use me, still love me, and had good for me. i don't think it was because jen was some super human, but more so prayers from so many of my family and friends finally broke through on my behalf and she was willing to love me and be used by God. 

i guess what i'm saying is they are the real deal. and it'd be your privilege to join in the process of bringing their baby girl home)

Help end slavery

because this is long and i might lose you... go here, first. nothing but that really matters.
(at least, today *smiles*)
........................
I first heard about LOVE146 three years ago, I think.
I don' really remember.

Friends of ours are "married" into the band Ten Shekel Shirt.
Our family, because of that, became big supporters of the band.
They made good music, it wasn't hard to like them.
Abi even had our cousin play one of their songs at her wedding.
It was lovely.

The lead singer and his wife joined up with Love146. They toured all over the slums and brothels in Cambodia.
They came home and wrote an entire album based on their experience of seeing the slave trade up close.
That album is called: Jubilee.
buy it.

but, wait...you did know the slave trade is still alive and well?
even though it is BANNED in every country in the world. Almost every country
in the world exports or imports slaves.
terrible...

It was about 6 months prior to hearing about love146 that I picked up a book called:
"ending slavery: how we free today's slaves" by kevin bales.
He's a freakin genius. (he started:Free the slaves)
Somehow (the Lord) I stumbled upon the book in the library.
It freaked me out a lot.
One of the main "hubs" of slavery in Africa is in the EXACT city/county I lived and worked in during the fall of '03.
It freaked me out knowing the children I saw, children I held, children I sang to and spent time with in schools were more than likely in slavery.
....and I saw them.
touched them...
and had no idea.
NO IDEA!
I still don't know what to do about that... knowing I was there, I feel more responsible for doing more. For having done more...
..............................
sara groves has started doing a lot with: International Justice Mission. Everytime she has a concert in the area I'll go and talk with Troy (her husband) for a bit afterward. Troy was actually part of the documentary crew that filmed this video that I'm in in that exact part of West Africa. We keep in touch by hanging out every year or so when Sara is in town. it's nice. but the point is, that her passion opened my eyes and made me grab Kevin's book in the first place. thank you sara and troy for always inspiring me to do more...by loving more.
.............................................
it makes me sick knowing little girls as old as my precious niece are lined up in brothels the world over and sold for disgusting acts. their childhood ripped away, their innocence marred.

something isn't right that today there are more slaves in the world then in the entire history of the world combined!
if you're interested, this is a LONG but good read from Hilary/state department from last year. It is the year end Trafficking report.
last fall, in Litiz, PA there was a large "bust" freeing slaves. it wasn't advertised, but if you know the right people, you find out these things...
Friends, that is my backyard! The town I grew up in is right next door, not 20 minutes away!
every day, on average 39 people are smuggled into the US to work as slaves, that is 14,235 a year.
that is 14,235 more than what it should be.
and that is the US...overseas the numbers sky rocket....
...........................
Here is something easy and practical you can do!
A "friend" of mine, Holly Reynolds is a phenomenal photographer out of Lancaster. I love Holly's photos and her heart. She's fallen in love with Love146 and is offering up her talents and money to do something about the slave trade.
Would you take just a minute of your time today and go to her website and vote on your favorite photo. She has created a "Valentine Album."All YOU need to do is vote on ONE photo and Holly and her husband are donating to Love146 for Valentine's Day. Also, by voting you'll be entered into a contest to win a free photo shoot with Holly.

uh, could it be any better?!
helping end slavery and a chance to win a photo shoot?
i submit, it cannot!

here is my favorite of the album. no pressure to vote on this one, but i wanted to give you a sample as encouragement to go and vote yourself.

Please take a minute and go here to place your vote.
if, like the chapmans (hey neighbors!), you aren't able to comment on blog sites, send me a message (bekah.strangarity@gmail.com) and i'll make sure Holly gets your name and your vote and you're entered into the contest to win.

thanks for joining the fight to end slavery.

care for a GREAT photo book?!?!

i know i'm absolutely shameless in promoting things here.

whether its to have help praying for someone i care about, or talking about movies and books i like.
i just like talking about things that mean something to me and that i enjoy. can't help it.

that being said, one of my closest friends has a very COOL opportunity you can partner with her on.
i've known Leah Fuller for almost 7 years now. i've seen her in many situations, seen her at her best and probably her worst. i've seen her hold trainings, i've seen her run operations for a major NGO, i've seen her laugh and cry and gone on road trips with her...and through it all, i've seen her hold her camera close at hand.

leah is one of the most talented photographers i know. here is the link to her flikr site for some serious eye candy.

you've seen her work on this very blog you just didn't know it. for instance, the last post, those photos of me and the lions, leah took them.

leah is the reason i'm in SA today. a sorta "chance" visit to her last may has landed me here.

well, leah is fundraising and thought what better way then to bless those who help her in the process?!?! so she has created a photo book! you can now purchase the book, place it on your coffee table, place it on your bathroom counter, place it on your nightstand or carry it around with you wherever!

the book is PHENOMENAL! i know, because i did the grammatical editing of it (therefore, all mistakes are mine, not leah's! hahahaha). i loved doing the editing because i'm a nerd and love that stuff and i also got the first sneak peak of the book back in november. holla for me! *smile*

seriously though, the book is called "30 Days". and you may click on that link to "preview" it. in my opinion, the price is very affordable, you will get national geographic worthy photographs, and help with someone on the front lines of ministry to children in africa. on top of the "photo a day" leah has, you will  see a selection of animal shots as well as leah's feet. leah has been taking photos of her feet as they "travel" for years now. i love it!

would you consider purchasing her book for yourself? or as a gift for a friend? i'm fairly certain you won't be disappointed!