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...