Do any of you remember that song from the 80's?
We find ourselves singing that around the house tonight...the day we've been waiting for when the planning, packing and stressing is over and we are on our way! Tomorrow we'll be "wheels up" at 2:40 PM and some 18 hours later...we'll be in Beijing!
For those of you who pray, please pray for smooth travel, safety and cooperative children! As we'll be travelling with 4 children, aged 7, 5, 3 & 3, you can clearly see that Daddy and I are outnumbered!
As we travel and you follow along, please post your comments! We LOVE to read them and know that you're with us in spirit. You don't have to choose a Blogger identity to post your comment, just use "anonymous", and sign your name in the text of the message so we know who you are. Then, we'll receive your comment via email, once we approve it, then you'll see it on the blog!
If you don't know the story of Isaiah...go back and read our first few posts...you might enjoy the history of this mission!
Our next post...will be in Beijing, we land there at 9 PM on 9/2 (China time) ...where we'll be for a few days before heading into Wuhan!
I just felt it...just as I was typing...I felt the incredible sense of excitement well up....FINALLY! Today, two of my dear angel friends came over and helped me clean my house so that I can have a good night's sleep (in theory!) So, most everything is done...and we're about to be on our way on another adventure of a lifetime...to bring home our boy...
Please pray for his heart that the Lord will help him with the transition to us. Please pray that God will prepare him and his big sisters to blend together...
and as I'm awash with the sense that it is finally real...pray for Daddy and me...we're going to need it!
Friday, August 31, 2007
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Blessed Developments...
We're getting closer...only 10 days now...
I wanted to tell you a little about some wonderful things that have developed as we've been walking out this faith journey...
It is now official that two families from right here in our home town, that we love dearly....will be with us IN China! The adoption process is wild sometimes and very unpredictable...but we've had some wonderful blessings that have come together in these final stages!
These two families are dear friends of ours and each family is bringing home an older, waiting child. A son nearly 8 for one family, a daughter just 7 for the other. As a family we've had the JOY of advocating for these kids, encouraging these families and now we get the most amazing blessing of all...we'll be there to see these families come together embracing their new children! I expect that it will be very overwhelming and so satisfying!
We never know that way that God will use our words in the life of others.
Another amazing blessing:
Years ago we began to hire a babysitter who was 14 at the time, I think. She was painfully shy. In fact, DH and I could hardly get her to answer our basic questions let alone elaborate on anything. But, one time, early on, we came home to some kiddy music blasting on the stereo and our daughter and this babysitter dancing, laughing and being silly. It was clear that "Magpie" loved her and so then did we.
Through the years we kept in contact with her. When she was about 16, she and I were speaking one day about "what she wanted to be when she grew up?" She said (by this time she finally trusted us enough to speak :) ) "I would really like to travel and see the world!" She indicated that she might like to go and work in another country for a time. I quickly encouraged her by saying "Yes...that would be wonderful! And there are lots of countries, like China, that welcome Americans to come teach English! I can see you doing that!"
Fast forward until last year, July. This dear young woman drops by our house on a Tuesday, at lunchtime. We'd moved to a new home 6 months before, we hadn't seen our talked to our dear babysitter in over 6 months...but here she was on my doorstep at lunchtime in the middle of the week.
I invited her to stay and have lunch with our "Chinese Family" who were visiting from China (for only 4 days in the middle of a week.)
So she came in, sat down next to our dear friends and began to chat. When a friendly invitation was offered to her to "come visit China sometime," she said, "You know, I've wanted to come to China to teach English for a number of years."
I had goosebumps. I knew it was a "God Arrangement."
Over the last year with additional training, applications, video link interviews at 4:30 AM...she has a job to teach English for 1 year...and best of all...she will be traveling with us in 10 days! Literally, the ink that sealed the deal just arrived one day ago and she was able to get a flight out to meet us in Beijing where she'll stay there with us while we visit some important work there for her 1st 5 days in China!
I'm going to have the incredible privilege to see China through her eyes as she sees it for the first time...I'm going to get to be there as she starts living the dream we spoke about some 5-6 years ago!
When I consider such things as these, traveling with friend's to see them get their children and bringing this young lady to China for her teaching year, both situations with countless variables involved; I know that no one else could have controlled and orchestrated them but God...and I'm in awe...
I wanted to tell you a little about some wonderful things that have developed as we've been walking out this faith journey...
It is now official that two families from right here in our home town, that we love dearly....will be with us IN China! The adoption process is wild sometimes and very unpredictable...but we've had some wonderful blessings that have come together in these final stages!
These two families are dear friends of ours and each family is bringing home an older, waiting child. A son nearly 8 for one family, a daughter just 7 for the other. As a family we've had the JOY of advocating for these kids, encouraging these families and now we get the most amazing blessing of all...we'll be there to see these families come together embracing their new children! I expect that it will be very overwhelming and so satisfying!
We never know that way that God will use our words in the life of others.
Another amazing blessing:
Years ago we began to hire a babysitter who was 14 at the time, I think. She was painfully shy. In fact, DH and I could hardly get her to answer our basic questions let alone elaborate on anything. But, one time, early on, we came home to some kiddy music blasting on the stereo and our daughter and this babysitter dancing, laughing and being silly. It was clear that "Magpie" loved her and so then did we.
Through the years we kept in contact with her. When she was about 16, she and I were speaking one day about "what she wanted to be when she grew up?" She said (by this time she finally trusted us enough to speak :) ) "I would really like to travel and see the world!" She indicated that she might like to go and work in another country for a time. I quickly encouraged her by saying "Yes...that would be wonderful! And there are lots of countries, like China, that welcome Americans to come teach English! I can see you doing that!"
Fast forward until last year, July. This dear young woman drops by our house on a Tuesday, at lunchtime. We'd moved to a new home 6 months before, we hadn't seen our talked to our dear babysitter in over 6 months...but here she was on my doorstep at lunchtime in the middle of the week.
I invited her to stay and have lunch with our "Chinese Family" who were visiting from China (for only 4 days in the middle of a week.)
So she came in, sat down next to our dear friends and began to chat. When a friendly invitation was offered to her to "come visit China sometime," she said, "You know, I've wanted to come to China to teach English for a number of years."
I had goosebumps. I knew it was a "God Arrangement."
Over the last year with additional training, applications, video link interviews at 4:30 AM...she has a job to teach English for 1 year...and best of all...she will be traveling with us in 10 days! Literally, the ink that sealed the deal just arrived one day ago and she was able to get a flight out to meet us in Beijing where she'll stay there with us while we visit some important work there for her 1st 5 days in China!
I'm going to have the incredible privilege to see China through her eyes as she sees it for the first time...I'm going to get to be there as she starts living the dream we spoke about some 5-6 years ago!
When I consider such things as these, traveling with friend's to see them get their children and bringing this young lady to China for her teaching year, both situations with countless variables involved; I know that no one else could have controlled and orchestrated them but God...and I'm in awe...
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
He's always on time!
With our first adoption last year...we were completely fearful...how will we pay such a seemingly enormous bill? ADOPTION IS EXPENSIVE...and we couldn't even scrape up enough to fund the home study!
But we believed. We KNEW that God had told us to adopt. A most preposterous, shocking directive it was as neither of us had EVER given a single thought to adoption...and why would we? We were broke and able to have more biological children! I'll get into that miraculous story of His leading and the confirmations that abounded another time.
We sent out letters to friends and family members. The message was simple..."God has told us to adopt. We don't have the money to do it. If you feel led to participate in this send your check to the adoption agency." Through an experience that can only be defined as miraculous...we raised $19,000 in 3 weeks!
As I look back on that, I see that God was truly merciful to us. We were WAAAAAYYY out on a limb. We stepped out in faith and began the adoption of "Potato" as we believed He had directed and He was generous and merciful to us in that immediately our faith was rewarded with profound provision!
NOTE TO READERS: Always trust Him...when He calls you to do something He WILL provide...completely.
When we began the chase to bring Isaiah home, we had no money and we wondered..."surely God wouldn't want us to really do this again?" We did not believe it was correct this time to send out a letter...I knew that we were to pursue Adoption Grants. But, part of the experience this time was a stretching by the Lord to take us deeper in a faith journey. We were not going to realize the full adoption funding in 3 weeks as we had done last year...no this time He wanted us to wait...and to be CONFIDENT in Him.
We began in December. I think on or around April 1 I realized that we had only come up with $3500...a very long, long way from $18,ooo-$19,000. But I can honestly say that on that day, as I thought about it, I was ANXIETY free in the face of the reality. I knew that God had called us again and I KNEW He was faithful. His timing is always perfect.
I wrote lots and lots of grant letters. Slowly we began to receive responses...$3000 here...$1000 there...$2000 someplace else...but all the way through...I knew...He would be on time.
There are many of you reading this blog who would say to yourself, "Sure, I've considered adopting...but we could NEVER afford it."
This is what I've learned about God in this last 2 years of following the call of adoption...Adoption is the VERY HEART of God. The scripture teaches and those of you who have experienced it know that when we surrender our lives to Jesus, we are ADOPTED into the very family of God. Once cosmic orphans we become fully adopted, with all the privileges of the family of God...our forever spiritual family. GOD IS THE GOD OF ADOPTION! And when we say "yes" to Him and to a child that needs a forever family here on this earth...I am convinced that God will do all the heavy lifting. I don't mean that it'll be easy...that you can just sit back and coast...but only that if you trust Him with it...HE WILL DELIVER!
Today I experienced further evidence of my above claim...
We had really wanted to travel to China in August even to be back before the middle of the month...but our approvals just did not come. Once we finally had our approvals, we purchased plane tickets on a credit card...still we were believing that God was going to provide in His timing.
On the last day of July, plane tickets already in hand and a "face the facts" reality setting in that we were still about $4000 short...I sent in one last grant letter. This was from a Grant that had twice rejected us...but I felt that I should appeal to them just one more time.
This morning I received a phone call from the administrator of the Fund. She had been in contact with me multiple times over the past few weeks asking for additional information from us to submit to the Grant committee. Yesterday I had sent off another 10 page fax to her and told the hungry, impatient kids in the van "Mommy has to send this...it could help us bring Isaiah home." I thought MAYBE, maybe we might be blessed with a $1000 Grant.
When I received her call today I braced myself for the "sorry to inform you" statement. Instead she said "On behalf of the Grant Committee I am pleased to inform you that you have been awarded a grant in the amount of $3500!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
I cried...so did she...I told her that this was an answer to prayer...that God's timing was perfect.
Faith became reality today...just 2 1/2 weeks before we leave to bring home this child of Promise...He was right on time...
Step out...HE is a big God...and we give all the GLORY to Him...great things He has done!
But we believed. We KNEW that God had told us to adopt. A most preposterous, shocking directive it was as neither of us had EVER given a single thought to adoption...and why would we? We were broke and able to have more biological children! I'll get into that miraculous story of His leading and the confirmations that abounded another time.
We sent out letters to friends and family members. The message was simple..."God has told us to adopt. We don't have the money to do it. If you feel led to participate in this send your check to the adoption agency." Through an experience that can only be defined as miraculous...we raised $19,000 in 3 weeks!
As I look back on that, I see that God was truly merciful to us. We were WAAAAAYYY out on a limb. We stepped out in faith and began the adoption of "Potato" as we believed He had directed and He was generous and merciful to us in that immediately our faith was rewarded with profound provision!
NOTE TO READERS: Always trust Him...when He calls you to do something He WILL provide...completely.
When we began the chase to bring Isaiah home, we had no money and we wondered..."surely God wouldn't want us to really do this again?" We did not believe it was correct this time to send out a letter...I knew that we were to pursue Adoption Grants. But, part of the experience this time was a stretching by the Lord to take us deeper in a faith journey. We were not going to realize the full adoption funding in 3 weeks as we had done last year...no this time He wanted us to wait...and to be CONFIDENT in Him.
We began in December. I think on or around April 1 I realized that we had only come up with $3500...a very long, long way from $18,ooo-$19,000. But I can honestly say that on that day, as I thought about it, I was ANXIETY free in the face of the reality. I knew that God had called us again and I KNEW He was faithful. His timing is always perfect.
I wrote lots and lots of grant letters. Slowly we began to receive responses...$3000 here...$1000 there...$2000 someplace else...but all the way through...I knew...He would be on time.
There are many of you reading this blog who would say to yourself, "Sure, I've considered adopting...but we could NEVER afford it."
This is what I've learned about God in this last 2 years of following the call of adoption...Adoption is the VERY HEART of God. The scripture teaches and those of you who have experienced it know that when we surrender our lives to Jesus, we are ADOPTED into the very family of God. Once cosmic orphans we become fully adopted, with all the privileges of the family of God...our forever spiritual family. GOD IS THE GOD OF ADOPTION! And when we say "yes" to Him and to a child that needs a forever family here on this earth...I am convinced that God will do all the heavy lifting. I don't mean that it'll be easy...that you can just sit back and coast...but only that if you trust Him with it...HE WILL DELIVER!
Today I experienced further evidence of my above claim...
We had really wanted to travel to China in August even to be back before the middle of the month...but our approvals just did not come. Once we finally had our approvals, we purchased plane tickets on a credit card...still we were believing that God was going to provide in His timing.
On the last day of July, plane tickets already in hand and a "face the facts" reality setting in that we were still about $4000 short...I sent in one last grant letter. This was from a Grant that had twice rejected us...but I felt that I should appeal to them just one more time.
This morning I received a phone call from the administrator of the Fund. She had been in contact with me multiple times over the past few weeks asking for additional information from us to submit to the Grant committee. Yesterday I had sent off another 10 page fax to her and told the hungry, impatient kids in the van "Mommy has to send this...it could help us bring Isaiah home." I thought MAYBE, maybe we might be blessed with a $1000 Grant.
When I received her call today I braced myself for the "sorry to inform you" statement. Instead she said "On behalf of the Grant Committee I am pleased to inform you that you have been awarded a grant in the amount of $3500!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
I cried...so did she...I told her that this was an answer to prayer...that God's timing was perfect.
Faith became reality today...just 2 1/2 weeks before we leave to bring home this child of Promise...He was right on time...
Step out...HE is a big God...and we give all the GLORY to Him...great things He has done!
Monday, August 13, 2007
It's gettin' busy....
Oh my...oh my...pressure's on...19 days until wheels up and I feel like I'm draggin' my knuckles on the ground!
We've had some interesting complications.
I've got a last-minute business trip that has to be made over this weekend. Then next weekend, Daddy and the Potato go to see dear family in another state...once they return, one little work week and we're on our way!
Any extra time is now filled with gathering gifts for our dear friends and officials who will help us on our journey. Ever try to buy something for someone IN China that wasn't MADE in China? It ain't easy...
I've come upon some locally made soaps...likely will add some lotions...picked up a few Table Top books with pictures of our local area here so our friends in China can get a window into our world. We're super-blessed by the fact that one of our dear friends here is making a lap quilt for our "Chinese family." What says Americana like a quilt? Red, white and blue as the theme colors and a great deal of love in every stitch...
We were thrilled yesterday by an enormous donation of clothes from our favorite consignment store. Literally 4 huge garbage bags full of gently used clothes that will go to a few different orphanages. It is such a joy to be involved with people who care about kids...
Now the great task...how will we fit it all in? Luggage allowances and so many little bodies all factor in to make planning this mission akin to solving a Rubik's cube...
and no...I never even got close to solving that thing...
better call for reinforcements...my mental capacity is dwindling...
We've had some interesting complications.
I've got a last-minute business trip that has to be made over this weekend. Then next weekend, Daddy and the Potato go to see dear family in another state...once they return, one little work week and we're on our way!
Any extra time is now filled with gathering gifts for our dear friends and officials who will help us on our journey. Ever try to buy something for someone IN China that wasn't MADE in China? It ain't easy...
I've come upon some locally made soaps...likely will add some lotions...picked up a few Table Top books with pictures of our local area here so our friends in China can get a window into our world. We're super-blessed by the fact that one of our dear friends here is making a lap quilt for our "Chinese family." What says Americana like a quilt? Red, white and blue as the theme colors and a great deal of love in every stitch...
We were thrilled yesterday by an enormous donation of clothes from our favorite consignment store. Literally 4 huge garbage bags full of gently used clothes that will go to a few different orphanages. It is such a joy to be involved with people who care about kids...
Now the great task...how will we fit it all in? Luggage allowances and so many little bodies all factor in to make planning this mission akin to solving a Rubik's cube...
and no...I never even got close to solving that thing...
better call for reinforcements...my mental capacity is dwindling...
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
The Itinerary is Set!
We've got tickets... We've got a consulate dates... We've got a house sitter...AND
We've got an itinerary!
For those of you who are interested in details:
Following is the schedule for the family:
Sep.01: Depart for Beijing 2:40 PM
Sep. 02: Arrive Beijing 9:35 PM
Sep. 03-05: Tour a couple of works in Beijing ministering to the needs of orphans
Sep. 05: Fly to Wuhan, Hubei
Sep. 06-07: Leave the beaten adoption path...Visit 3 Gorges Dam
Sep 08-09 Enjoy Wuhan, visit friends!
Sep.10:Go to Civil Affairs meet the baby and sign the adoption agreement.
Sep.11: Go to the Civil Affairs for the adoption registration, notarization and applying
the passport.
Sep.12-13: Side trips to the countryside!
Sep.14: Pick up baby's passport. Wuhan to Guangzhou on Flight CZ3349 (18:00-19:20), transfer to to Victory Hotel.
Sep.15: Medical for baby and take photos.
Sep.16: Visit the Guangzhou Zoo(Panda).
Sep.17: 09:00 am at U.S.Consulate for visa appointment. Pearl River Cruise.
Sep.18: 16:00 Pick up the visa in the afternoon.
Sep.19: Leave Guangzhou for home
Sept 19: Arrive home...go to bed...
Now everyday is filled with "checking-off" things from the list. We are busy gathering donation items for some of our favorite charities and gifts for our friends...
But, as it's now August 1, I can officially say...We leave next month!
We've got an itinerary!
For those of you who are interested in details:
Following is the schedule for the family:
Sep.01: Depart for Beijing 2:40 PM
Sep. 02: Arrive Beijing 9:35 PM
Sep. 03-05: Tour a couple of works in Beijing ministering to the needs of orphans
Sep. 05: Fly to Wuhan, Hubei
Sep. 06-07: Leave the beaten adoption path...Visit 3 Gorges Dam
Sep 08-09 Enjoy Wuhan, visit friends!
Sep.10:Go to Civil Affairs meet the baby and sign the adoption agreement.
Sep.11: Go to the Civil Affairs for the adoption registration, notarization and applying
the passport.
Sep.12-13: Side trips to the countryside!
Sep.14: Pick up baby's passport. Wuhan to Guangzhou on Flight CZ3349 (18:00-19:20), transfer to to Victory Hotel.
Sep.15: Medical for baby and take photos.
Sep.16: Visit the Guangzhou Zoo(Panda).
Sep.17: 09:00 am at U.S.Consulate for visa appointment. Pearl River Cruise.
Sep.18: 16:00 Pick up the visa in the afternoon.
Sep.19: Leave Guangzhou for home
Sept 19: Arrive home...go to bed...
Now everyday is filled with "checking-off" things from the list. We are busy gathering donation items for some of our favorite charities and gifts for our friends...
But, as it's now August 1, I can officially say...We leave next month!
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