ANYBODY Story #2- Katie Mohr

It is really an honor to introduce you to anybody story #2 writer, Katie Mohr.  God used her story (as you'll see below) in a major way in OUR adoption story.  So it was only appropriate that she followed Katie #1.  Although Katie and I have only met once IRL (in real life) she is a real life friend.  She has been there the past 2 years all through the ups and downs of our adoption and always serves as a source of encouragement, and as you'll see by her writing - a little comic relief.  Guys, the story God is writing for each of us doesn't ONLY affect us or isn't ONLY about us.  her story proves it.  Meet Katie. 

"The story of the forest is better than the story of the tree."*

Anybody can change the world: I'm just a Mom. 

Although, I don't say that lightly. No title I’ve ever claimed took more work than that. Not even my PHD.

(I don’t actually have a PHD.)

Getting that title was a real-life version of Chutes and Ladders. Every time we’d catch a break, it seemed the next turn involved a chute sending us further back. But don't hear complaining, every victory and setback over the last 15 years is what has made up our story.

Our story.  His story. Your story.

Wynne asked me to share after Yocham. (Hi Katie! Esther says hi.) Egad! Who wants to follow her post? Geesh. But I get why. And I’ll never pass on a chance to share what God did on this one.

Wynne asked me to follow Katie because me being a mom has a little something to do with their oh-so-casual fireside chat. 

Backstory:

At it's simplest: The Hubs and I adopted 1 of the 2 greatest kids on the planet (Eliot!) from Guatemala in 2007. 

At it's most complex:  Um…see 28+ chapters of the memoir of the most life-changing time in our lives, coming 2014. (give or take 2-3 years.) (Yes, it takes that long to write a book. Don't judge.)

At it’s most interesting: Hearing that we'd had a small hiccup in our international adoption, I left at Thanksgiving 2006 to spend a few weeks in Guatemala with our son before they let us bring him home at Christmas. That was the plan. Their plan. Our plan. 

Not God's plan. 

"Part of me wonders if our stories aren't being stolen by the easy life."*

Delay after delay after delay. 8 months of delays. 8 months was God's plan. 

8 months seemed like eternity when adding it to 7+ years of infertility. 

However.

8 months was long enough to get over the culture shock. Long enough to bond with my baby. Long enough to get a killer tan. Long enough to form some of my best friendships. Long enough to stop throwing tantrums and start opening my eyes to the needs of the culture my son is from. Long enough to fall in love with a people and a nation. Long enough for the unknown to become the known. Long enough for his people to become my people.

Near the end of those 8 months I received an email that stated, "God is often doing more than one thing at a time." 

While I don't think they meant the guacamole recipe I'd mastered along the way, I had no idea what God was up to.  I’m sure I won’t know this side of heaven all that He was doing but we finally got to come home in July of 2007.

A year later (2008) because of special circumstances, we were asked to lead a youth mission team to Guatemala with very short notice. Within 24 hours, every detail of the trip was planned with just a few emails and phone calls.  Just like that. We had a hotel we trusted, local caterers making us authentic meals, transportation and two mission sites ready for our work. I was dumbfounded at how easily that came together. And yet? Of course.  “For such a time as this.”**

A year later (2009) we were asked if we’d be willing to lead a group of Baylor Kappas. And if you hadn’t connected the dots yet, one of those KKG’s was Katie Yocham. In 2010 Katie helped lead another group of KKGs back to Guatemala with us. 3 and then 4-year-old Eliot made enough of an impression on her that when she went to camp a few weeks after the second mission trip, adoption was her topic of conversation with Wynne.  Him and ya know, the Holy Spirit and stuff.

We’ve now led 5 trips back to Guatemala, with a 6^th planned for this spring. I don’t know even a fraction of what God is doing with our story. Not that I have delusions of grandeur but I know these trips can’t be fruitless. God is always doing more than one thing at a time.

"Somehow we realize that great stories are told in conflict, but we are unwilling to embrace the potential greatness of the story we are actually in. We think God is unjust, rather than a master storyteller." *

During our roller coaster through infertility, our pastor gave a sermon on Hannah. The essence of it was that in order for Samuel to be the kind of leader he needed to be, he needed to have a mom with great character. In order for Hannah to become that person, she needed to go through deep struggle. Hannah’s battle had very little to do with Hannah.

At some point we started trusting His “no” more easily, knowing that God has an amazing story planned for our family. Hoping that our battle has very little to do with us.

And to be honest? Our story has only gotten messier…but our story has only gotten more beautiful.

My challenge for you lies in your story. Are you choosing easy and comfortable? What part of your story are you missing out on because its too unknown or uncomfortable? Do you trust the Master Storyteller enough to take some risks? I'm not advocating for foolishness but you know what I'm talking about. I mean the moment a change in your story presents itself and you make a fear based decision instead of a trusting one. What could God do with your "yes?"
After all, who could write a better story?

now, go give katie some love.  you can reach her here: 

Blog:katiemohr.blogspot.com

Email: katielmohr@gmail.com

Instagram: katielmohr

Facebook: Katie McCoon Mohr

*quotes from Donald Miller's A Thousand Miles in a Million Years

**Esther 4:14

anybody story #1 here.