Our Story
We are the Stromberg family, Lars, Katie, Quinten and Albin. We are blessed to be in full-time Church ministry and living in the Chicago suburbs. We are in process of adopting a little girl from China and we are thrilled to have you join in our journey.
Why China?
The call to adoption has been in the making for many years, and we are confident that we have been lead each step of the way by our loving Heavenly Father who has great purpose and plans for our family.
Here is what we like to call our, ‘Timeline to China’. 🙂
18 years ago (1994) I traveled with my mother to Ukraine on a missions trip to work at a summer camp for orphans. And my heart began to stir.
17 years ago my mother accompanied a dear friend to China as she adopted a baby girl. And my heart continued to stir.
16 years ago my dad encouraged patients of his and friends of our family to consider a Chinese adoption. They did. I babysat this precious little girl and over the course of high school began to learn of her journey from orphan to beloved daughter. And my heart was stirred for the plight of orphan girls in China.
13 years ago I began studies at Bethel University. I studied China’s one child policy and researched the subject for my Sociology major. My heart continued to stir for the orphans of China.
12 years ago (2000) I had opportunity to visit a state run orphanage in GeJiu China, while on a mission trip. I held the orphan babies. I prayed over them and while on that trip God confirmed in my heart that I would one day adopt a little girl from China.
11 years ago, I shared my adoption dream with my college boyfriend, now husband, Lars. He readily agreed that one day we would pursue this dream.
9 years ago (2003) I married my love Lars Stromberg, that same year my older sister was hired at a Chinese adoption agency outside of Denver. An agency called CCAI with a Christian vision to save the orphans of China.
8 years ago Lars and I learned that we did not meet the rigorous qualifications for Chinese adoption. And the China dream was “put-on-the-shelf” for a season.
6 years ago (2006) we welcomed our first child. A little boy, Quinten James. 🙂
4 years ago we welcomed our second son, Albin Robert. 🙂
2 years ago we began trying for baby number three. We became pregnant three times in two years. But lost all three pregnancies to miscarriage. Lars and I were deeply grieved by our losses. And then I read a book that changed everything.
Four months ago (Feb. 2012) Five weeks into our most recent pregnancy, I read a book called Choosing to See, about the journey of Mary Beth Chapman into motherhood, Chinese adoption, and the grief of losing a child. As I turned the pages, my heart was deeply stirred again for the orphan girls of China and for the calling to adopt.
6 weeks ago (April 2012) Our pregnancy ended in miscarriage. But, our grief turned to hope as our thoughts turned to the dream of a little girl in China.
One month ago we discovered we now meet all the qualifications to adopt from China. Lars and I prayed. We talked. We prayed some more, and decided the time had come to pursue our China dream.
And today, (May 21, 2012) with the acceptance of our adoption application, we begin the journey to our little girl in China. It may be a long journey but we feel assured that the God who stirred my heart so many years ago, is the same God who aligned our hearts to the dream, and the same loving Father who will provide each step of the way.
How excited we are for you to share in our journey!
As a means of processing all that went into our decision to adopt I wrote a more complete account of our story in late April (2012). It was helpful, even therapeutic to process on ‘paper’. 🙂 Click HERE to read more.
Stromberg's Adoption Dream 
How wonderful to read through the years that God has had you on this journey. We will be there for you all the way. We could not be more excited for you and our whole family.
This looks great, Katie! I am so excited for your family and will definitely pray for you guys in this whole process!
LOVE your heart, your ambition, and your continued hope! What a wonderful way for God to redeem your grief and change lives for the better!
Hey Katie! So beautiful to read this and know that God has been working to bring your daughter home to you since before she even existed. Thank you for sharing your story. We will be praying over your process. I wanted to share a a friend’s blog with you http://www.planaethiopia.blogspot.com/ I know April from when I was involved in ministry at Willow Creek and her story has been so amazing. May reading through her blog bring you comfort when the process unique and hope when it feels like it will never end. I have watched enough people go through this process to know that God has his guiding hand ALL OVER it–even the moments that feel like they don’t make any sense. So excited for how this is going to grow, challenge and encourage your family!!! CONGRATULATIONS (The first of many congratulations for every little milestone alone the way)!!!
How wonderful! Thank you for sharing this with us. I, too, have a heart for the girls of China. I don’t know if God wants us to adopt or if that’s in our future, but your story resonates with me. I’m sorry for your losses and look forward to seeing what God does and who he brings into your life!
Dear Katie and Lars –
What an exciting journey – thanks for inviting us along! I look forward to reading about your progress, and will hold your little girl up in prayer. Mrs. Thomas can introduce you to a former preschool family that you must meet! Blessings to You All.
Hey Katie! So beautiful to read this and know that God has been working to bring your daughter home to you since before she even existed. Thank you for sharing your story. We will be praying over your process. I wanted to share a a friend’s blog with you http://www.planaethiopia.blogspot.com/ I know April from when I was involved in ministry at Willow Creek and her story has been so amazing. May reading through her blog bring you comfort when the process unique and hope when it feels like it will never end. I have watched enough people go through this process to know that God has his guiding hand ALL OVER it–even the moments that feel like they don’t make any sense. So excited for how this is going to grow, challenge and encourage your family!!! CONGRATULATIONS (The first of many congratulations for every little milestone alone the way)!!!
Lars and Katie, You both are so dear to our family, and we will certainly be praying for you, for this process, and for your precious baby girl. I would love to connect you with Michele Haley Harbeck at Covenant offices. She has two (now teenage) daughters adopted from China. And to hear Michele tell the stories of their adoptions…her face just beams, and you can tell that her heart bursts with pride and joy and love for them! It’s inspiring! We want that to be your story as well and are grateful to God for the ways in which He has already been at work. Blessings — love you guys.
Katie, this is the first I’ve read about the history of how this all began. Thanks for sharing it and my prayers are with you and Lars all the way.