We are coming up on 5 weeks home. With all the holiday celebrations and lack of school until next year, boredom has revealed itself to be a dangerous enemy. We have spent a lot of time working on figuring out new things to do to teach new patterns of activity to fill our day. Many things we do are not interesting to our new daughter and somethings are difficult because of the language barrier. Thankfully we have gotten thru the Christmas celebrations without issue as Joy had never celebrated the holiday in China. She was happy with her gifts and thankful for the generosity from family.
Grief is a deep, fluxuating constant that is always there and never lets one know when it will surface. Most times the worst time is at night when all is quiet, or during the day when there is "nothing to do". Grief cannot and should not be burried or ignored. We know the waves will arrive, just not when. We do the best we can to comfort, show grace and talk through the waves of grief, anger, questioning and rough patches. God is so good and even through the rough days He gives us strength, teamwork and grace to make it thru.
Joy, jessica and Jared are adjusting as well as can be at this very early period. Sibling relationships and the dynamic of 3 instead of 2 is working itself out and forming new patterns of life in our home. I am so thankful for their hard work and grace as Joy adjusts to the family. Jessica was born to be a middle sister and is taking to the new role with grace, energy and a teasing big sister expertise. :)
We thank you all for continued prayers for our family. For all the stress and change and grief and growing pains we have had over the past 7 weeks, we know it will be many more months and even years before our family heals and adjusts. Pray for wisdom as we seek guidance to parent well. Prayers for dr appointments and treatments. Prayers for Joy to realize just how much we love her and realize she can love us and accept us without feeling as though she is betraying the love and care she received from her foster family in China.
Please also pray for Joel, as we learned shortly after returning from China that He was laid off from his job. We know God has a plan, yet this timing seems harsh for us! We know we can trust Him and pray that you will lift us up before the Father and that a new job opportunity will show itself!
All in all we know we can praise Him through this storm.
Wednesday, December 24, 2014
Monday, December 8, 2014
Day by day
Day by day, and with each passing moment,
Strength I find to meet my trials here;
Trusting in my Father’s wise bestowment,
I’ve no cause for worry or for fear.
He, whose heart is kind beyond all measure,
Gives unto each day what He deems best,
Lovingly its part of pain and pleasure,
Mingling toil with peace and rest.
Strength I find to meet my trials here;
Trusting in my Father’s wise bestowment,
I’ve no cause for worry or for fear.
He, whose heart is kind beyond all measure,
Gives unto each day what He deems best,
Lovingly its part of pain and pleasure,
Mingling toil with peace and rest.
https://www.hymnal.net/en/hymn/h/713
I love the old hymns. They have so much meaning and encouragement that is relevant to my every day. We have been home for 2.5 weeks. Each day is new and each day is survived. There is so much brokenness in adoption. Culture shock, loss of ALL that is familiar, language issues. Any time one is taken away from what they know and must live a new life, there is trauma. How one handles the trauma is as unique as each person who experiences it.
We are taking each day at a time and figuring out how this new family of 5 is adjusting. We are coming up on christmas break, hopefully this will be a good thing and we have more time to spend as a family. Holidays are never easy for one who has gone thru trauma. We will see how Joy does and adjust accordingly.
Looking back at our last few weeks, i can see how emotional everything has been. Adoption is never easy. We are now on a road that is brand new for all of us. We love this little girl as if she has always been here. The problem is, she doesn't know it! I am praying that sooner rather than later she will see just how much she is loved by so many. I praying soon she will see how she is loved by the most important person in the universe. God! We pray every day for her to see him. That he will open her heart to this new knowledge of Him.
Trust takes time. We know that she may not love us or even see us as family for a long, long time. We are willing to wait. It is hard when she doesnt understand that some things we don't allow are for her safety. But we continue to lead and guide her thru this new life in our family. There are day to day glimses of what things may be like in years to come. We do our best to help her through her grief, and rejoice when she is enjoying our family. We pray the joy will outlast the hard times in weeks and months to come.
If we haven't talked to you or called since we returned, know that each day we are surviving. We continue to ask for prayers as we go day by day. You can always call. If i don't answer it isn't because i don't like you, im just busy with something at the moment. Don't give up on us. This adjustment period can be very lonely. We want to get back to "normal" but the thing is, we are creating a new normal. We are emotionally overwhelmed and most days i feel so drained, i go to bed and weep. God is my strength and i know He has great plans for us. Growth hurts, is tiring, but the outcome is worth it.
Thursday, November 27, 2014
Thanksgiving Day!
I week home exactly. Wow. What a week of ups and downs! Taking things day by day and trusting and leaning hard on our Heavenly Father to guide us through this path of newness! God is so good and I know one day Joy will understand why we pray at meal time (currently she finds it quite funny). She will one day understand how much she is loved by her family she has only known of for the last 3 weeks. I look forward to that day, but I know I need to keep my focus on just one day at a time. One English lesson at a time. Soon we will see Joy blossom and bloom with confidence as she masters this new language! One week home.... many days ahead! Very thankful for God's leading and giving us faith to take one step at a time for HIS glory.
We were able to spend time with Joel's side of the family today. We are grateful that Joy did well meeting so many new people. We had an interpreter along with us for the first couple hours which helped break the ice a bit! Once the interpreter went home, Joy was happy to hang with the cousins and play UNO and learn a new game, Farkle!
We are so thankful for our family and friends who are continuing to lift us up in prayer! There have been some good days and not so good days and we are learning to love and trust as this family adjusts and grows in its new shape. I know God has a plan. We just need to follow one day at a time. Today has enough worries of its own, why add tomorrow to the mix?!
God is Good.
We were able to spend time with Joel's side of the family today. We are grateful that Joy did well meeting so many new people. We had an interpreter along with us for the first couple hours which helped break the ice a bit! Once the interpreter went home, Joy was happy to hang with the cousins and play UNO and learn a new game, Farkle!
We are so thankful for our family and friends who are continuing to lift us up in prayer! There have been some good days and not so good days and we are learning to love and trust as this family adjusts and grows in its new shape. I know God has a plan. We just need to follow one day at a time. Today has enough worries of its own, why add tomorrow to the mix?!
God is Good.
Saturday, November 22, 2014
Finally Home!
The last two weeks have included a great change for the family and a trip to the other side of the world. After our instant messaging (QQ) sessions the week before we left, we were so excited to finally meet the girl we have prayed for all year.
We headed out 4am Friday and before we even left our street, the battery in the van died. We were able to get the truck to jump the battery and were on our way about 20 minutes later than planned. Our friend Angela drove us to the airport and brought the van back to our house. So thankful for good friends who took care of replacing the battery for us!! Thanks Emil!! God is so good!
We had a short flight to Chicago and a long layover (5hours) until our 15 hour flight to Hong Kong. We had a good flight and got in late to Hong Kong. We slept in the Airport Marriott and then took a van to Guangzhou the next morning. We got thru the border crossing into China in under an hour and without any issues. Our flight out of Guangzhou to Nanning was only an hour and we met our guide and were in our hotel by early Sunday afternoon. In a little over 23 hours we would meet our daughter!
Our first meeting was full of smiles and shyness. We met Joy and were so happy for this day! It was unreal seeing her in person after so many months! We spent the evening with her hanging out in the hotel room playing frisbee and getting to know her. We went out for dinner at the nearby mall with our guide along with us. Joy doesn't speak any English so it was nice to have our guide there to help translate.
We all got to bed around 10pm and had an early morning meeting to finalize paperwork. It really wasn't a lot of time to get to know Joy in only a few hours time, but we didn't realize a lot of this until later in the week. We signed all the paperwork and she signed her papers too and the adoption was finalized. As an older child (over 10 yrs old) she had the option to refuse to sign, but I don't think things were necessarily clear when all was said and done.
The next few days she grieved very hard as the realization of the change hit home. She was very sad and thought that she change her mind and go back to live with her foster family forever. It took the help of the orphanage workers, the foster family and our guide to help her to understand that China would not (could not, i believe, according to their laws) allow the foster family to be an option for long term living.
We are so thankful she had such a loving foster family for the past 10 years! We understand how much she was loved and cared for by her foster family and how leaving that for the unknown is understandably very scary! We went to visit her foster family after a rough morning of grief. We are so glad we did! Her foster family is amazing. We visited for about 4 hours and were overwhelmed with such love and welcoming. We are so thankful that Joy has had the opportunity to experience family life and bonding. The separation now is hard, but the benefits of learned skill and life is priceless.
Once we left and had bags of clothes and food in tow, Joy was much better and had a better understanding of the new life she had opportunity to follow. She was still sad to leave her foster family, but in the week to follow she was able to contact them on video chat and it helped her transition a bit.
We flew to Guangzhou and met our guide there. We are so thankful for our guides who were able to give Joy a voice and translate for us! We still had a lot to discuss with her and boy does she like to negotiate! :) We were able to get through the medical visit and other required paper work with no issue. The rest of our time in Guangzhou was waiting for official documents to be processed.
We were able to do some site seeing that week and visited Shamian Island. It was a beautiful week weather wise (sunny and mid 70s). We did a little souvenir shopping and lots of walking.
The next day we visited the Safari. It was another beautiful day and the safari was amazing! There was a train ride through the park to see the larger animals and then a walking path through a maze of trails to see monkeys, birds, and other small animals. It was a fun day and nice to be out!
Our last full day we spent hanging out in the hotel room and later in the evening taking the Pearl River cruise. It was neat to see the city at night with all the lights. I even had one local ask to get a picture with me. haha!
We got all of our documents and official papers and headed to Hong Kong to catch our flight home on Thursday. The drive took about 3 hours and we are so thankful we were able to have a direct flight to the east coast!! A long day of travel and we made it home by midnight Thursday. When we arrived to the USA it was a cold 30 degrees! Thankfully we had our coats in the van and my parents brought extra scarf, gloves and hat for Joy! We bundled her up before heading outside and she was quite overcome with how cold it was. She was glad to get in the van and out of the cold weather. She grew up in southern China where their winter cold was only about 60 degrees. So, 30 degrees is so much colder for her. We hope she will acclimate quickly. While we were in China everyone was bundled in their coats and scarves at 70 degrees and we were in t-shirts and light jackets. :)
The past two weeks were filled with ups and downs and we are just so thankful for the prayers of our family and friends! God is truly working and we pray one day that Joy will know just how much we love her just like her foster family loved her. Each day we are taking step by step and trusting in God's help to show her Christ and His love through us.
Please continue to pray and the language barrier is still huge, but not impossible to over come. We will hopefully "officially" begin English lessons next week as God has provided a tutor who is also a Christian and speaks Mandarin as well! What a blessing!
We hope to continue to update the blog as we go. The holidays hopefully will not be too overwhelming! But we are excited for her to meet our extended family and have opportunity as both sides of the family will be gathering over the holiday season!!
We headed out 4am Friday and before we even left our street, the battery in the van died. We were able to get the truck to jump the battery and were on our way about 20 minutes later than planned. Our friend Angela drove us to the airport and brought the van back to our house. So thankful for good friends who took care of replacing the battery for us!! Thanks Emil!! God is so good!
We had a short flight to Chicago and a long layover (5hours) until our 15 hour flight to Hong Kong. We had a good flight and got in late to Hong Kong. We slept in the Airport Marriott and then took a van to Guangzhou the next morning. We got thru the border crossing into China in under an hour and without any issues. Our flight out of Guangzhou to Nanning was only an hour and we met our guide and were in our hotel by early Sunday afternoon. In a little over 23 hours we would meet our daughter!
Our first meeting was full of smiles and shyness. We met Joy and were so happy for this day! It was unreal seeing her in person after so many months! We spent the evening with her hanging out in the hotel room playing frisbee and getting to know her. We went out for dinner at the nearby mall with our guide along with us. Joy doesn't speak any English so it was nice to have our guide there to help translate.
We all got to bed around 10pm and had an early morning meeting to finalize paperwork. It really wasn't a lot of time to get to know Joy in only a few hours time, but we didn't realize a lot of this until later in the week. We signed all the paperwork and she signed her papers too and the adoption was finalized. As an older child (over 10 yrs old) she had the option to refuse to sign, but I don't think things were necessarily clear when all was said and done.
The next few days she grieved very hard as the realization of the change hit home. She was very sad and thought that she change her mind and go back to live with her foster family forever. It took the help of the orphanage workers, the foster family and our guide to help her to understand that China would not (could not, i believe, according to their laws) allow the foster family to be an option for long term living.
We are so thankful she had such a loving foster family for the past 10 years! We understand how much she was loved and cared for by her foster family and how leaving that for the unknown is understandably very scary! We went to visit her foster family after a rough morning of grief. We are so glad we did! Her foster family is amazing. We visited for about 4 hours and were overwhelmed with such love and welcoming. We are so thankful that Joy has had the opportunity to experience family life and bonding. The separation now is hard, but the benefits of learned skill and life is priceless.
Once we left and had bags of clothes and food in tow, Joy was much better and had a better understanding of the new life she had opportunity to follow. She was still sad to leave her foster family, but in the week to follow she was able to contact them on video chat and it helped her transition a bit.
We flew to Guangzhou and met our guide there. We are so thankful for our guides who were able to give Joy a voice and translate for us! We still had a lot to discuss with her and boy does she like to negotiate! :) We were able to get through the medical visit and other required paper work with no issue. The rest of our time in Guangzhou was waiting for official documents to be processed.
We were able to do some site seeing that week and visited Shamian Island. It was a beautiful week weather wise (sunny and mid 70s). We did a little souvenir shopping and lots of walking.
The next day we visited the Safari. It was another beautiful day and the safari was amazing! There was a train ride through the park to see the larger animals and then a walking path through a maze of trails to see monkeys, birds, and other small animals. It was a fun day and nice to be out!
Our last full day we spent hanging out in the hotel room and later in the evening taking the Pearl River cruise. It was neat to see the city at night with all the lights. I even had one local ask to get a picture with me. haha!
We got all of our documents and official papers and headed to Hong Kong to catch our flight home on Thursday. The drive took about 3 hours and we are so thankful we were able to have a direct flight to the east coast!! A long day of travel and we made it home by midnight Thursday. When we arrived to the USA it was a cold 30 degrees! Thankfully we had our coats in the van and my parents brought extra scarf, gloves and hat for Joy! We bundled her up before heading outside and she was quite overcome with how cold it was. She was glad to get in the van and out of the cold weather. She grew up in southern China where their winter cold was only about 60 degrees. So, 30 degrees is so much colder for her. We hope she will acclimate quickly. While we were in China everyone was bundled in their coats and scarves at 70 degrees and we were in t-shirts and light jackets. :)
The past two weeks were filled with ups and downs and we are just so thankful for the prayers of our family and friends! God is truly working and we pray one day that Joy will know just how much we love her just like her foster family loved her. Each day we are taking step by step and trusting in God's help to show her Christ and His love through us.
Please continue to pray and the language barrier is still huge, but not impossible to over come. We will hopefully "officially" begin English lessons next week as God has provided a tutor who is also a Christian and speaks Mandarin as well! What a blessing!
We hope to continue to update the blog as we go. The holidays hopefully will not be too overwhelming! But we are excited for her to meet our extended family and have opportunity as both sides of the family will be gathering over the holiday season!!
Tuesday, November 4, 2014
The Age of technology!
So EXCITED!!!! We were able to have a skype (QQ) video chat with our daughter last night!! We are so happy and thankful that we were able to see her and chat with her. There was a mic issue so we were not able to hear her, but apparently she could hear us!!! We are so thankful for how God orchestrated for us to have an interpreter with us to help us translate what she typed to us and to translate what we were saying! We spent a lot of the time trying to figure out the mic problem so only got a few minutes to let her know how excited we were to meet her in person soon!
We are just so thankful for the opportunity to see her smile and laughing at us and to let her hear us!! This is such a huge answer to prayer! It seems that whenever I have a "freak out" moment, God totally blows us away with his blessings! Pretty much a "Why do you freak out?" "I got all things covered!" type of a blessing!!! She knows we are coming and she wants to be adopted and have a family! We are so happy! :)
Please pray as we start to finalize travel plans and get things wrapped up in such a way that we won't have too much to catch up on when we return. We are so thankful for all the helping hands we have on this journey! Your prayers and giving and encouragement are truly appreciated and needed!! We are diving in to the deep end of life and apologize in advance if we are off the radar for a while. We are sorry if we do not respond to email or phone calls right away! We hope to get through the holidays and adjust well and not overwhelm Joy. While we are joyful to add her to our family, she is leaving all she has known the last 12 years and we don't know how much she will grieve.
We are nervous, awed, excited, humbled, inadequate, unprepared, joyful, trusting, loving, scared! We trust in God to walk us through as he has been all year long since we started this journey. We hope to update the blog often! Not sure how well our internet connection will be while away.
We are just so thankful for the opportunity to see her smile and laughing at us and to let her hear us!! This is such a huge answer to prayer! It seems that whenever I have a "freak out" moment, God totally blows us away with his blessings! Pretty much a "Why do you freak out?" "I got all things covered!" type of a blessing!!! She knows we are coming and she wants to be adopted and have a family! We are so happy! :)
Please pray as we start to finalize travel plans and get things wrapped up in such a way that we won't have too much to catch up on when we return. We are so thankful for all the helping hands we have on this journey! Your prayers and giving and encouragement are truly appreciated and needed!! We are diving in to the deep end of life and apologize in advance if we are off the radar for a while. We are sorry if we do not respond to email or phone calls right away! We hope to get through the holidays and adjust well and not overwhelm Joy. While we are joyful to add her to our family, she is leaving all she has known the last 12 years and we don't know how much she will grieve.
We are nervous, awed, excited, humbled, inadequate, unprepared, joyful, trusting, loving, scared! We trust in God to walk us through as he has been all year long since we started this journey. We hope to update the blog often! Not sure how well our internet connection will be while away.
Psalm 25:4-7
4 Show me your ways, Lord,
teach me your paths.
5 Guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my Savior,
and my hope is in you all day long.
6 Remember, Lord, your great mercy and love,
for they are from of old.
7 Do not remember the sins of my youth
and my rebellious ways;
according to your love remember me,
for you, Lord, are good.
Friday, October 31, 2014
So close!
Feeling great this morning! Finding some balance and trusting that no matter what happens, God has it in control. It is a strange feeling as I tend to like being the one in control! (and it always works better when God is the one in control!)
Wednesday I spent the morning shopping and then assembling 17 freezer meals! I feel great getting one of my BIG to-do items off my list! We have a few crock pot recipes we enjoy and I tend to make 4 or 5 at a time. This time I expanded to 10 recipes and 17 meals! This will be great when I just don't have the time or energy to cook or shop when we get back!
Now on to packing!We plan to pack light and only have a carry on and hand bag for our travels. If I can do 10 days for a wedding in Italy with just a carry on, I think 2 weeks in China should be just as ok with minimal packing! It helps that we are adopting an older child and we don't need a lot of baby items. And it will be warm weather while we are there! We will get more luggage in country for Joy and any extra items we may be bringing back.
Keep the prayers coming! We feel them! We are so blessed by our friends and family who are keeping us covered in prayer! What a wonderful blessing it has been!
Wednesday I spent the morning shopping and then assembling 17 freezer meals! I feel great getting one of my BIG to-do items off my list! We have a few crock pot recipes we enjoy and I tend to make 4 or 5 at a time. This time I expanded to 10 recipes and 17 meals! This will be great when I just don't have the time or energy to cook or shop when we get back!
Now on to packing!We plan to pack light and only have a carry on and hand bag for our travels. If I can do 10 days for a wedding in Italy with just a carry on, I think 2 weeks in China should be just as ok with minimal packing! It helps that we are adopting an older child and we don't need a lot of baby items. And it will be warm weather while we are there! We will get more luggage in country for Joy and any extra items we may be bringing back.
Keep the prayers coming! We feel them! We are so blessed by our friends and family who are keeping us covered in prayer! What a wonderful blessing it has been!
Philippians 2:1-11
"Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:
6 Who, being in very nature[a] God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
7 rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature[b] of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
8 And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross!9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father."
Tuesday, October 28, 2014
10 days and counting down!!
We have been quite busy the last week finishing up volleyball and soccer seasons for the kids and making lists and gathering items for our trip! Thank you to all who have been sending gifts for Joy off the Amazon registry! It has been a huge blessing and I know that all of it will be greatly appreciated!
As we get closer to travel and making preparations I am finding myself feeling a little anxious. What if Joy doesn't want to be adopted? (they do have the option to refuse adoption!) What if the communication barrier is too much? What if her grieving is too much? We have read a lot of stories of how these children are told horrible stories about America. We hear stories of how the child was not told of their pending adoption until the morning they meet their new parents! We hear of stories that the child really wants to stay in China, but their care workers tell the adoptive families that they really want to be adopted and it isn't found out till later that they were forced to agree to the adoption. There is so much unknown, so much possibility that we will come home empty handed.
Although I feel these fears when I think about them, I still have a deep peace about the whole process. I feel deep down that no matter what happens, it will be OK! I have to put my trust in the one who doesn't disappoint. I have to rely on the One who will never let me down. Jesus. Jesus is the one who gives me this peace in my soul. Whatever happens, whatever fears I may have, I can trust Him.
We are going to contact our agency and request to skype with Joy. We really want to make sure she knows she has a family on their way to her! We want her to have the time to say goodbye to her friends and get their contact info and pictures. We know that this is going to be hard for her. Spending 12 years in her country is a lot of history. She will be leaving friends, family, culture and all that goes with that!
We want to make it possible for her to continue her language studies and Cultural learning. Her heritage is part of her and we do not want to forget that. Please pray as we narrow down where to send her to continue these studies. There is a cultural center in our state and hope that it can be good for her to keep in touch with her culture and celebrations.
There is so much on my heart that I still need to work through. We are excited to add to our family and are praying that the transition will be easier than what my fears are orchestrating! Please continue to pray for us as we finalize our travel and finish up the long list of things to complete before we leave!
Holding on to this verse:
As we get closer to travel and making preparations I am finding myself feeling a little anxious. What if Joy doesn't want to be adopted? (they do have the option to refuse adoption!) What if the communication barrier is too much? What if her grieving is too much? We have read a lot of stories of how these children are told horrible stories about America. We hear stories of how the child was not told of their pending adoption until the morning they meet their new parents! We hear of stories that the child really wants to stay in China, but their care workers tell the adoptive families that they really want to be adopted and it isn't found out till later that they were forced to agree to the adoption. There is so much unknown, so much possibility that we will come home empty handed.
Although I feel these fears when I think about them, I still have a deep peace about the whole process. I feel deep down that no matter what happens, it will be OK! I have to put my trust in the one who doesn't disappoint. I have to rely on the One who will never let me down. Jesus. Jesus is the one who gives me this peace in my soul. Whatever happens, whatever fears I may have, I can trust Him.
We are going to contact our agency and request to skype with Joy. We really want to make sure she knows she has a family on their way to her! We want her to have the time to say goodbye to her friends and get their contact info and pictures. We know that this is going to be hard for her. Spending 12 years in her country is a lot of history. She will be leaving friends, family, culture and all that goes with that!
We want to make it possible for her to continue her language studies and Cultural learning. Her heritage is part of her and we do not want to forget that. Please pray as we narrow down where to send her to continue these studies. There is a cultural center in our state and hope that it can be good for her to keep in touch with her culture and celebrations.
There is so much on my heart that I still need to work through. We are excited to add to our family and are praying that the transition will be easier than what my fears are orchestrating! Please continue to pray for us as we finalize our travel and finish up the long list of things to complete before we leave!
Holding on to this verse:
Philippians 4:6
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God."
Saturday, October 11, 2014
Pray - Plan - Pack.... repeat!
The day is finally approaching! We have a date, we have a time frame!! Making last minute travel plans are always so hard. Our flight times are limited, our hotel locations are limited, our in country flight options are few! Ugh! We are trying to get the best rates possible as well as making all the travel arrangements work out time wise. It is hard when the time frame is so rushed!!
By making plans so last minute it drives up the cost of travel. We are thankful for your prayers and support!
We will be a family of 5 next month and the reality of it is sinking in. We are so excited and can't believe how fast this year has gone by. There is still so much to do before we travel that I don't even know how we are going to get it all done! Two more weeks of coaching volleyball, getting last minute needed supplies, finalizing travel plans, packing, home details, schooling, etc!!! So much to think about!
Even when I have my little "freak out" moments I am always reminded
God has truly shown me throughout this year that I really do need to put all my trust in Him and to not waste time in worry, but to use that time to pray. I've grown a lot this year. I have learned a lot about my limits and my abilities. I've said so many times "This is so far outside my comfort zone!" that I now say, "I don't have a limited comfort zone anymore!" It's all good! Being able to let go and let God has amazing effects! He really does orchestrate all things and even when He is telling me "No" to something, I can trust that there is a bigger picture and that in the end I'm better off. Our family is going to grow and stretch and be new in the next month as we begin this new chapter. We are praying that God will stretch and mold Joy into His child and that she will also share in the salvation that is hers!!
By making plans so last minute it drives up the cost of travel. We are thankful for your prayers and support!
We will be a family of 5 next month and the reality of it is sinking in. We are so excited and can't believe how fast this year has gone by. There is still so much to do before we travel that I don't even know how we are going to get it all done! Two more weeks of coaching volleyball, getting last minute needed supplies, finalizing travel plans, packing, home details, schooling, etc!!! So much to think about!
Psalm 28:7-9
The Lord is my strength and my shield;
my heart trusts in him, and he helps me.
My heart leaps for joy,
and with my song I praise him.
8 The Lord is the strength of his people,
a fortress of salvation for his anointed one.
9 Save your people and bless your inheritance;
be their shepherd and carry them forever.
Even when I have my little "freak out" moments I am always reminded
"Pray More, Worry Less"
Wednesday, October 1, 2014
TRAVEL APPROVAL!!!!
We got a call from our Agency today!!!! So unexpected! We have our
TRAVEL APPROVAL!!!
Apparently tons of TA's were mailed out just before the holiday! We still will not be able to travel until November as there are no Consulate Appointments until late October, but Trade Fair is going on in the two provinces we will be in and it is crazy expensive to be there at that time. So, it is all in God's timing and we can start planning our travel!!! Yay!! Praise God!!
Please pray that we can get the right travel dates in order to use our flier miles. Right now, nothing is available for the times we need. We may not be able to use the points we have. All things are possible with God!!! Keep praying!!
Tuesday, September 30, 2014
More waiting
In my last post I likened our journey as a pregnancy and the eventual "water birth" by traveling over seas. Well, it looks like this is going to be a 10 months pregnancy instead of 9!! Oh, the waiting is so hard!!
It is 1am in China right now and the government offices are closed until October 8th as the country celebrates their holiday. I know people need to have holidays and vacations.... but the whole country?? So, our paperwork is sitting on someone's desk with a pile of other family's paperwork while the workers are out on vacation. Many of us know the drill by now. W.A.I.T. Many families have been waiting years for their little ones, others are trying to expedite the process before their teen ages out of the system, and others, like us, actually have a fairly fast processing time from start to finish. It has been a long year.
Starting out this process pretty much on January 1st and going through all the paper chasing, fee paying, form filling requirements is only part of the beginning. The beginning of a new family dynamic. A family of 5 instead of 4. A new soul to teach of God's love and forgiveness. A new culture to infuse into our lives as we keep up with traditions of her home land. We are a month away from the beginning... not ending.
As we have stretched and grown through this year of Hurry up and WAIT for days and months, we are seeing God's hand through it all. He has provided EVERY PENNY and every opportunity to cover the costs of the individual processes and paper stamping. Even going into debt to cover the costs we are still blessed to have the ability to use our credit cards. We know He will continue to help us in the years to come to pay off those debts. We may have to wait another 8 years to redo the master bathroom, or repaint the basement, or finish our deck and back yard.... But that is ok! We have our family and that is what is most important. Focusing on the health and well-being of our children and their learning and growing is most important.
We are so thankful for the continued prayers from friends and family! They are needed and felt! We pray for you also that God is working in and through you and refining your walk with Him.
As we wait for Travel Approval that will now not arrive until mid October, we are finishing up our responsibilities and looking at a travel date in November! We hope to be home with Joy by Thanksgiving! How exciting!
Our fund raisers are still in full swing. Check out the list on the right side of this blog for the various ones going on. We still have 450 puzzle pieces left for sponsors! If you don't want your name on them that is fine. We will just put your favorite verse on them. :) Our Connected Hearts Ministry link is still active. Anyone can donate a tax deductible amount up until we get our Travel Approval. Go here to donate.
Or go to this site: www.connectedheartsministry.org/#!family-listings/c126c
If we get 50 more puzzle pieces sponsored at $10 each or 5 pieces for $40, or 10 pieces for $80, I will post one of the update pictures we received last week!!
Who wants to see an update pic? :)
It is 1am in China right now and the government offices are closed until October 8th as the country celebrates their holiday. I know people need to have holidays and vacations.... but the whole country?? So, our paperwork is sitting on someone's desk with a pile of other family's paperwork while the workers are out on vacation. Many of us know the drill by now. W.A.I.T. Many families have been waiting years for their little ones, others are trying to expedite the process before their teen ages out of the system, and others, like us, actually have a fairly fast processing time from start to finish. It has been a long year.
Starting out this process pretty much on January 1st and going through all the paper chasing, fee paying, form filling requirements is only part of the beginning. The beginning of a new family dynamic. A family of 5 instead of 4. A new soul to teach of God's love and forgiveness. A new culture to infuse into our lives as we keep up with traditions of her home land. We are a month away from the beginning... not ending.
As we have stretched and grown through this year of Hurry up and WAIT for days and months, we are seeing God's hand through it all. He has provided EVERY PENNY and every opportunity to cover the costs of the individual processes and paper stamping. Even going into debt to cover the costs we are still blessed to have the ability to use our credit cards. We know He will continue to help us in the years to come to pay off those debts. We may have to wait another 8 years to redo the master bathroom, or repaint the basement, or finish our deck and back yard.... But that is ok! We have our family and that is what is most important. Focusing on the health and well-being of our children and their learning and growing is most important.
We are so thankful for the continued prayers from friends and family! They are needed and felt! We pray for you also that God is working in and through you and refining your walk with Him.
As we wait for Travel Approval that will now not arrive until mid October, we are finishing up our responsibilities and looking at a travel date in November! We hope to be home with Joy by Thanksgiving! How exciting!
Our fund raisers are still in full swing. Check out the list on the right side of this blog for the various ones going on. We still have 450 puzzle pieces left for sponsors! If you don't want your name on them that is fine. We will just put your favorite verse on them. :) Our Connected Hearts Ministry link is still active. Anyone can donate a tax deductible amount up until we get our Travel Approval. Go here to donate.
Or go to this site: www.connectedheartsministry.org/#!family-listings/c126c
If we get 50 more puzzle pieces sponsored at $10 each or 5 pieces for $40, or 10 pieces for $80, I will post one of the update pictures we received last week!!
Who wants to see an update pic? :)
Sunday, September 14, 2014
We got an update!!
AH!!!! Answer to prayers!!! We received an update today WITH PICTURES!!! We are so excited! Joy is beautiful as always and is looking much older and mature! :) We are so happy to get new measurements and details of her likes and dislikes. She answered our questions, so she knows we are working hard to go to her! She is looking forward to meeting us!! Oh, My heart is filled with joy and I long even more to go NOW!!
But, we must wait for our travel approval and must wait a few more weeks.... I know they will pass seemingly slowly, but at the same time very quickly! Wow. To think this whole process began 9 months ago. I feel like this has been a pregnancy of the heart! We are in labor now of this long process. I was talking to my cousin about how I had water births for my two bio children and now I get to cross the ocean for my third child!! I think I could count that as a "Water birth" of the heart?? :)
So after many months of waiting for an update and giving in to the thought that we would just get all the info when we arrived. Oh the JOY and surprise to get it today!
God is good. Every time I let go and let His timing take over, He blesses us! Even the blessing of not stressing about something is a blessing!! :)
Also, THANK YOU to everyone who has donated to the Connected Hearts Ministry Page!!! We have raised over $900! All donations are tax deductible and anyone can donate on the site until we get our Travel Approval!! So keep on sharing the blog and the link http://www.connectedheartsministry.org/#!family-listings/c126c to our funding page!! Every bit helps and we are so thankful for God's provisions through each stage of our journey.
We had a Yard sale last month and were able to raise about $150. Jessica has been selling her art prints and we thank everyone who has ordered one! We have been cutting back on any extra spending and making use of every available job opportunity to help with adoption costs. This whole process has really been stretching and pulling and making us grow both spiritually and mentally! We just keep moving forward and trusting God through each day.
So, as we wait on Travel Approval (TA), please pray that we can get done the items we have on our list of "things to do before travel" and prepare for our new daughter!! The kids have a lot of school to get through before we leave, and we have a very busy sports schedule with soccer and volleyball this fall. Pray that we all remain healthy. This time of year with the weather change always brings on allergies and colds. Pray we can stay healthy and active to get done what we need to!
Thank you for your prayers and thoughts for our family! We are getting so close!
But, we must wait for our travel approval and must wait a few more weeks.... I know they will pass seemingly slowly, but at the same time very quickly! Wow. To think this whole process began 9 months ago. I feel like this has been a pregnancy of the heart! We are in labor now of this long process. I was talking to my cousin about how I had water births for my two bio children and now I get to cross the ocean for my third child!! I think I could count that as a "Water birth" of the heart?? :)
So after many months of waiting for an update and giving in to the thought that we would just get all the info when we arrived. Oh the JOY and surprise to get it today!
God is good. Every time I let go and let His timing take over, He blesses us! Even the blessing of not stressing about something is a blessing!! :)
Also, THANK YOU to everyone who has donated to the Connected Hearts Ministry Page!!! We have raised over $900! All donations are tax deductible and anyone can donate on the site until we get our Travel Approval!! So keep on sharing the blog and the link http://www.connectedheartsministry.org/#!family-listings/c126c to our funding page!! Every bit helps and we are so thankful for God's provisions through each stage of our journey.
We had a Yard sale last month and were able to raise about $150. Jessica has been selling her art prints and we thank everyone who has ordered one! We have been cutting back on any extra spending and making use of every available job opportunity to help with adoption costs. This whole process has really been stretching and pulling and making us grow both spiritually and mentally! We just keep moving forward and trusting God through each day.
So, as we wait on Travel Approval (TA), please pray that we can get done the items we have on our list of "things to do before travel" and prepare for our new daughter!! The kids have a lot of school to get through before we leave, and we have a very busy sports schedule with soccer and volleyball this fall. Pray that we all remain healthy. This time of year with the weather change always brings on allergies and colds. Pray we can stay healthy and active to get done what we need to!
Thank you for your prayers and thoughts for our family! We are getting so close!
Monday, September 8, 2014
Timeline in Review!
This constant hurry up and wait is pretty old by now. We received our LOA (Letter of Approval) 2 weeks ago now and our I-800 approval last week and are waiting for our GUZ # so we can apply for the DS-260 or something so we can get our Article 5 and Travel approval. There are so many steps and acronyms to go along with it that it is no wonder most people are confused and have no idea what we are doing!! So, for non-adoptive or just starting out adoptive families here is our timeline (with explanations!) from the beginning:
12/26/13 LOI (Letter of Intent) Requesting permission to adopt from China
12/29/13 PA (Pre Approval) We met the criteria to adopt from China
3/3/14 Home Study completed
4/11/14 Fingerprinting for I-800a (immigrations application for approval from USA to adopt)
4/23/14 I-800a Approval
5/20/14 DTC (Dossier of all important documents - signed and sealed - sent to China)
5/ 27/14 LID (Log In Date) when our documents are officially logged in in China
8/14/14 LOA (Letter of Approval) China giving us approval to Adopt Joy!
8/14/14 I-800 application sent to Immigrations to request approval to adopt Joy.
8/27/14 I-800 approval - we can adopt Joy!
Waiting now for:
Visas
Article 5 - China picks up our application request for travel.
Travel Approval - getting the OK to travel!
Consulate Appointment - adoptions are finalized in country
Travel Dates - Gotcha Day!!!
If all things run smoothly on timing for approvals, we could be traveling by mid October!
I am a list person... I have no clue where to start!! What to pack, what to leave, what will we need? I'm sure it will all come together. :)
I am so far outside of my comfort zone, but I am finding comfort trusting in God's timing for all things and for all the details to come together!!
So excited and nervous and amazed all at once! So much to do in just a few short weeks!! When we are weak, God is strong. When I want to fear, He proves He is right there with me all the way! God has been opening doors and providing for us each step of the way! God is Good!
12/26/13 LOI (Letter of Intent) Requesting permission to adopt from China
12/29/13 PA (Pre Approval) We met the criteria to adopt from China
3/3/14 Home Study completed
4/11/14 Fingerprinting for I-800a (immigrations application for approval from USA to adopt)
4/23/14 I-800a Approval
5/20/14 DTC (Dossier of all important documents - signed and sealed - sent to China)
5/ 27/14 LID (Log In Date) when our documents are officially logged in in China
8/14/14 LOA (Letter of Approval) China giving us approval to Adopt Joy!
8/14/14 I-800 application sent to Immigrations to request approval to adopt Joy.
8/27/14 I-800 approval - we can adopt Joy!
Waiting now for:
Visas
Article 5 - China picks up our application request for travel.
Travel Approval - getting the OK to travel!
Consulate Appointment - adoptions are finalized in country
Travel Dates - Gotcha Day!!!
If all things run smoothly on timing for approvals, we could be traveling by mid October!
I am a list person... I have no clue where to start!! What to pack, what to leave, what will we need? I'm sure it will all come together. :)
I am so far outside of my comfort zone, but I am finding comfort trusting in God's timing for all things and for all the details to come together!!
So excited and nervous and amazed all at once! So much to do in just a few short weeks!! When we are weak, God is strong. When I want to fear, He proves He is right there with me all the way! God has been opening doors and providing for us each step of the way! God is Good!
Psalm 62:1-8
1 Truly my soul finds rest in God;
my salvation comes from him.
2 Truly he is my rock and my salvation;
he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.3 How long will you assault me?
Would all of you throw me down—
this leaning wall, this tottering fence?
4 Surely they intend to topple me
from my lofty place;
they take delight in lies.
With their mouths they bless,
but in their hearts they curse.5 Yes, my soul, find rest in God;
my hope comes from him.
6 Truly he is my rock and my salvation;
he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.
7 My salvation and my honor depend on God;
he is my mighty rock, my refuge.
8 Trust in him at all times, you people;
pour out your hearts to him,
for God is our refuge.
Wednesday, August 27, 2014
Home stretch!!
We are weeks away from becoming a family of 5!! We are so excited, nervous, overwhelmed, scared, overjoyed and so much more!!
We are finishing up our commitments here and hope to travel the first week of November! We are currently waiting on our I-800 (immigrations) approval. We will be applying for our Travel Visas next month and then we wait on our Travel approval from China and schedule our Consulate date!
Our kids are into their 3rd week of school and are feeling the pressure once again to get assignments completed and handed in on time! Jared is playing soccer this season and Jessica is playing volleyball with our local Christian school. I coach the High school JV volleyball team, so that has been taking up a few hours every day. The season runs to the end of October, so we hope to travel asap in November as long as all the approvals come thru and paperwork is done. God's timing has been a blessing!
As we look forward to travel we are so blessed by everyone praying for us and keeping up with our journey. We truly do appreciate the prayers and support. We are amazed at seeing the blessings that happen almost every day. We pray that you also are being blessed!
We are finishing up our commitments here and hope to travel the first week of November! We are currently waiting on our I-800 (immigrations) approval. We will be applying for our Travel Visas next month and then we wait on our Travel approval from China and schedule our Consulate date!
Our kids are into their 3rd week of school and are feeling the pressure once again to get assignments completed and handed in on time! Jared is playing soccer this season and Jessica is playing volleyball with our local Christian school. I coach the High school JV volleyball team, so that has been taking up a few hours every day. The season runs to the end of October, so we hope to travel asap in November as long as all the approvals come thru and paperwork is done. God's timing has been a blessing!
As we look forward to travel we are so blessed by everyone praying for us and keeping up with our journey. We truly do appreciate the prayers and support. We are amazed at seeing the blessings that happen almost every day. We pray that you also are being blessed!
Psalm 146
1 Praise the Lord.Praise the Lord, my soul.2 I will praise the Lord all my life;
I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.
3 Do not put your trust in princes,
in human beings, who cannot save.
4 When their spirit departs, they return to the ground;
on that very day their plans come to nothing.
5 Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the Lord their God.6 He is the Maker of heaven and earth,
the sea, and everything in them—
he remains faithful forever.
7 He upholds the cause of the oppressed
and gives food to the hungry.
The Lord sets prisoners free,
8 the Lord gives sight to the blind,
the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down,
the Lord loves the righteous.
9 The Lord watches over the foreigner
and sustains the fatherless and the widow,
but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.10 The Lord reigns forever,
your God, O Zion, for all generations.Praise the Lord.
Sunday, August 17, 2014
Getting there... still a bit to go.
We are so excited for our LOA (letter of approval). Without the LOA from China the adoption process would be over! So, we are very thankful that we are now approved to adopt Joy! Now we apply to get approval from USCIS (immigrations) and visas so we can then get Travel approval (TA) from China so we can get into the country. So many little steps will be happening in the next 2 months to get all the documents needed to go get our daughter. It is finally feeling real. I don't have to hold my breath anymore!
I have had a bit of a panic attack about the timing of all this. I know it is all in God's timing and we have been doing our best to prepare for being gone for 2.5 weeks, but when there are no solid dates yet and we may only get 2 weeks notice, there is a lot to plan for!! Plus our kids are playing soccer and volleyball this fall, I am coaching JV volleyball and Joel has multiple travel dates for work!! When are we going to find time to pack, plan, gather info, etc.! AAAAAHHHHHHHH!!! Sometimes I just want to scream! :) Then I remember, God is Good. God is Great. God has all things in His plan. I may not understand, but I know I can trust Him. I will find time to pack. I will have time to plan things. God will provide. I just need to think of today and do what I need to and let tomorrow worry about itself!! There is only so much I can do in one day!
Along with our LOA came our next set of costs due... Ouch! Check out our Expense tracker to the right! $9000 dollars!! Well, don't you know it. I did a little double take at the bottom line, but then, I thanked God for the funds he has already graciously allowed us to raise and give ALL PRAISE and Honor to Him who provides. Thank you to our friends and family who have been helping us along the way with our fund raisers and gifts! I kinda wish there was Insurance we could use on adoption costs like we could use when we birthed our Biological children in the hospital!! But, I understand that would be difficult to divvy up to the different government agencies and offices we have had to process documents through!!
Please continue to pray for us. Pray that Joel and I and the kids would prepare emotionally for a new child that may have more issues than we planned for. Pray that we would continue to trust that God has every day planned out for us and that all will be accomplished in His will and timing. Praise God with us for helping us so much already financially through this long process. Pray for the kids as they start school and have a busy Fall. Praise God for Family who have donated flyer miles to help with our flights and donations to help with our costs! We love you!!! Praise God for countless blessings and prayers from His saints who are lifting us up in prayer!!!
There is so much more, but I need to get to bed. Soon, we will be a family of 5!! How amazing to think of it!
I have had a bit of a panic attack about the timing of all this. I know it is all in God's timing and we have been doing our best to prepare for being gone for 2.5 weeks, but when there are no solid dates yet and we may only get 2 weeks notice, there is a lot to plan for!! Plus our kids are playing soccer and volleyball this fall, I am coaching JV volleyball and Joel has multiple travel dates for work!! When are we going to find time to pack, plan, gather info, etc.! AAAAAHHHHHHHH!!! Sometimes I just want to scream! :) Then I remember, God is Good. God is Great. God has all things in His plan. I may not understand, but I know I can trust Him. I will find time to pack. I will have time to plan things. God will provide. I just need to think of today and do what I need to and let tomorrow worry about itself!! There is only so much I can do in one day!
Along with our LOA came our next set of costs due... Ouch! Check out our Expense tracker to the right! $9000 dollars!! Well, don't you know it. I did a little double take at the bottom line, but then, I thanked God for the funds he has already graciously allowed us to raise and give ALL PRAISE and Honor to Him who provides. Thank you to our friends and family who have been helping us along the way with our fund raisers and gifts! I kinda wish there was Insurance we could use on adoption costs like we could use when we birthed our Biological children in the hospital!! But, I understand that would be difficult to divvy up to the different government agencies and offices we have had to process documents through!!
Please continue to pray for us. Pray that Joel and I and the kids would prepare emotionally for a new child that may have more issues than we planned for. Pray that we would continue to trust that God has every day planned out for us and that all will be accomplished in His will and timing. Praise God with us for helping us so much already financially through this long process. Pray for the kids as they start school and have a busy Fall. Praise God for Family who have donated flyer miles to help with our flights and donations to help with our costs! We love you!!! Praise God for countless blessings and prayers from His saints who are lifting us up in prayer!!!
There is so much more, but I need to get to bed. Soon, we will be a family of 5!! How amazing to think of it!
Palm 150
Praise the Lord.
Praise God in his sanctuary;
praise him in his mighty heavens.
2 Praise him for his acts of power;
praise him for his surpassing greatness.
3 Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet,
praise him with the harp and lyre,
4 praise him with timbrel and dancing,
praise him with the strings and pipe,
5 praise him with the clash of cymbals,
praise him with resounding cymbals.6 Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.Praise the Lord.
Thursday, August 14, 2014
We are Approved!!!
We signed the scanned copy and sent to our agency so she could send in our I-800 application to USCIS for approval from the US Immigrations Office. So our next steps are to get our immigrations approval and visas and then Travel approval from China! We should get our hard copy LOA from the agency tomorrow to sign and send back for the next step in the process. We are looking at about 6-8 weeks to travel if all things go smoothly!!
Praising God! This approval means that we can go ahead with the adoption and bring Joy home! Please pray as we have a very busy Fall ahead of us and it will be even busier trying to figure out travel plans, packing and house needs while we are gone!!!
This is really real. We are just so amazed! We will be a family of 5 by Thanksgiving!!!!
Also, we were just listed on Connected Hearts Ministry Site!! Check it out!
http://www.connectedheartsministry.org/#!family-listings/c126c
Thank you for praying! Please continue to pray! All things are possible when God is in it. We are continuing to trust in Him and walking through the doors as they open.
Wednesday, August 13, 2014
Waiting on God's timing...
Some days are really easy to wait. Other days I am impatient with how long this process is taking. But through it all I have to remind myself, it is all in God's timing. It is equally hard when we are wanting new information and a detailed update on our daughter we still have yet to meet and there is only silence. We have not gotten pictures we requested when we sent her a cake for her birthday back in June! It is totally up to the Foster family on whether or not they will supply an update and/or pictures. All the information we have on Joy is from over a year ago. So many unknowns and I just sit here and have no way to change things. All I can do is pray.
Our Fall is jam packed with school, volleyball (I coach at a local private school), youth group, choir, and retreats. Travel will greatly depend on when we get our Letter of Approval (LOA) and when all the visa and travel documents get approved. China moves at their own pace and there is nothing we can do about it. When we get our travel approval we travel within 2 weeks! So, having an idea of when we might travel is very sudden. We need to "drop everything" and go. So plan need to be made without solid dates and we just pray it will all work out. How hard this is for me who is a planner and likes to have everything thought out ahead!! (driving me a little crazy I will admit!)
I try not to compare our journey to other waiting adoptive families as it just causes me to wonder why some get their approvals earlier while others of us wait so long. There is no rhyme or reason to the approval process and we just have to wait.
So as we wait, we finish up much needed cleaning, we evaluate what doctors may be needed and health concerns checked.... so many unknowns, we go on with our daily routine and pray! I have a list made (and continuing to grow!) of things we will need to transition from a family of 4 to a family of 5. Joy comes from a part of China that is sub tropical. She will be coming home to a place that gets much colder than her coldest days! Kind of like someone moving from southern Florida to the north east! So, we need extra warm blankets and layers for her to wear to keep warm this winter, flannel sheets and other things we can't really know until we meet her. I have no idea what size clothing she wears either!
In the mean time, we have a huge yard sale coming up on August 23rd. We have cleaned out a lot of unnecessary things to make room for our new daughter. God has been good in allowing us to get a great deal on twin beds for the girl's room and a friend giving us a bed for our son's room. We realize just how much stuff we have and don't need. So, all of it goes into the yard sale! All money from the sale goes towards our travel costs!
One of the ministries we applied to for a "grant" or funding help is Connected Hearts ministry. If you have been thinking of making any donations to help us with travel costs and medical costs to add to our family through adoption, now is your chance! Connected Hearts Ministry has listed our family on their non profit site for the next two weeks! ALL donations are tax deductible and go directly to our adoption agency to be used for our travel and over seas expenses for finalizing our adoption. Go here to see our story! http://www.connectedheartsministry.org/#!family-listings/c126c
We continue to be grateful for your prayers during our journey! God is listening and we are being blessed beyond measure! He provides just when we need it! Thank you and please continue to pray that we will lean on Jesus and be content to wait on His timing through all of the paperwork being reviewed and approved!
Our Fall is jam packed with school, volleyball (I coach at a local private school), youth group, choir, and retreats. Travel will greatly depend on when we get our Letter of Approval (LOA) and when all the visa and travel documents get approved. China moves at their own pace and there is nothing we can do about it. When we get our travel approval we travel within 2 weeks! So, having an idea of when we might travel is very sudden. We need to "drop everything" and go. So plan need to be made without solid dates and we just pray it will all work out. How hard this is for me who is a planner and likes to have everything thought out ahead!! (driving me a little crazy I will admit!)
I try not to compare our journey to other waiting adoptive families as it just causes me to wonder why some get their approvals earlier while others of us wait so long. There is no rhyme or reason to the approval process and we just have to wait.
So as we wait, we finish up much needed cleaning, we evaluate what doctors may be needed and health concerns checked.... so many unknowns, we go on with our daily routine and pray! I have a list made (and continuing to grow!) of things we will need to transition from a family of 4 to a family of 5. Joy comes from a part of China that is sub tropical. She will be coming home to a place that gets much colder than her coldest days! Kind of like someone moving from southern Florida to the north east! So, we need extra warm blankets and layers for her to wear to keep warm this winter, flannel sheets and other things we can't really know until we meet her. I have no idea what size clothing she wears either!
In the mean time, we have a huge yard sale coming up on August 23rd. We have cleaned out a lot of unnecessary things to make room for our new daughter. God has been good in allowing us to get a great deal on twin beds for the girl's room and a friend giving us a bed for our son's room. We realize just how much stuff we have and don't need. So, all of it goes into the yard sale! All money from the sale goes towards our travel costs!
One of the ministries we applied to for a "grant" or funding help is Connected Hearts ministry. If you have been thinking of making any donations to help us with travel costs and medical costs to add to our family through adoption, now is your chance! Connected Hearts Ministry has listed our family on their non profit site for the next two weeks! ALL donations are tax deductible and go directly to our adoption agency to be used for our travel and over seas expenses for finalizing our adoption. Go here to see our story! http://www.connectedheartsministry.org/#!family-listings/c126c
We continue to be grateful for your prayers during our journey! God is listening and we are being blessed beyond measure! He provides just when we need it! Thank you and please continue to pray that we will lean on Jesus and be content to wait on His timing through all of the paperwork being reviewed and approved!
Psalm 5:11-12
"But let all who take refuge in you rejoice;
let them ever sing for joy,
and spread your protection over them,
that those who love your name may exult in you.
For you bless the righteous, O Lord,
you cover him with favor as with a shield."
Saturday, August 2, 2014
Day 68 and still waiting for LOA!
Now the Day count is at 68 days. It is already Saturday in China so the offices are closed for the weekend and we have to wait till Monday to find out if our Letter of Approval (LOA) is processed! Once we get that letter we will apply for I-800 visa approval to adopt Joy and then wait for Travel Approvals and all the other steps in between that will be 6-8 weeks more of waiting! We are starting a very busy season in our house this coming month and the long summer is almost over! We are praying we can travel in late October to bring Joy home!
Joel's birthday and our Anniversary is this coming week. It will be nice to get our LOA! What a gift it will be! School begins for our two teens (9th and 10th graders this year!) on August 11th, so our summer is pretty much over in just a week.
The week of the 11th our story will be featured on the connected hearts ministry web site. I'll post the link when our story is up!! If you can share the web site with your friends and family we are hoping to make the last push towards raising funds for our travel, orphanage donation and medical costs. Every little bit helps and it will all be tax deductible!
Our Puzzle Fundraiser is getting off to a slow start, but we haven't advertised it as much as we could. We have sold 16 puzzle pieces ($10 each) so far and have 16 different verses already to write on the back of them! What a blessing!!!!! Thank you to those of you who have sponsored a puzzle piece so far! We are hoping to have ALL 500 pieces sponsored by the time we travel in October! Let us know if you would like to sponsor a puzzle piece!!
We are praying we will continue to trust in God's timing. He is faithful and we can trust Him.
I'll leave you with one of my favorite songs that helps me keep my fears and anxiety at bay.
"Doing your best and praying its blessed, He'll take care of the rest." Keith Green
He'll Take Care of the Rest
Joel's birthday and our Anniversary is this coming week. It will be nice to get our LOA! What a gift it will be! School begins for our two teens (9th and 10th graders this year!) on August 11th, so our summer is pretty much over in just a week.
The week of the 11th our story will be featured on the connected hearts ministry web site. I'll post the link when our story is up!! If you can share the web site with your friends and family we are hoping to make the last push towards raising funds for our travel, orphanage donation and medical costs. Every little bit helps and it will all be tax deductible!
Our Puzzle Fundraiser is getting off to a slow start, but we haven't advertised it as much as we could. We have sold 16 puzzle pieces ($10 each) so far and have 16 different verses already to write on the back of them! What a blessing!!!!! Thank you to those of you who have sponsored a puzzle piece so far! We are hoping to have ALL 500 pieces sponsored by the time we travel in October! Let us know if you would like to sponsor a puzzle piece!!
We are praying we will continue to trust in God's timing. He is faithful and we can trust Him.
I'll leave you with one of my favorite songs that helps me keep my fears and anxiety at bay.
"Doing your best and praying its blessed, He'll take care of the rest." Keith Green
He'll Take Care of the Rest
Saturday, July 19, 2014
Getting closer... LOA Wait
We are on day 55 of our LOA wait. Letters of Approval have been processed and mailed around the 65-85 day marks for some families this summer. With the huge Storm that has just gone over Guangzhou this past week, there may be a further delay! Please pray for the people in Southern China who are experiencing heavy rain, wind and land slides. Guanxi Province took a direct hit from this storm.
While we wait we have been pretty busy with summer projects. Our A/C is finally fixed! Praising God that this summer hasn't been hotter! I am thankful for Joel's resourcefulness in getting the parts and the people needed to put it all together!
We also received our first Grant Approval!! Show Hope awarded us a grant for 3,000 dollars!! This will help with in country costs, visa and customs fees! We are sooo Thankful!!!
We are continually thankful for friends and family who have donated funds for our travel costs and who are lifting us up in prayer! We have some big cost items coming up this Fall and hope to be fully funded by October!! We have in the works a Dinner and Silent Auction! We can't wait to share our story and more about our daughter with friends and family!!
This journey has been so long and we know we still have so much to do to prepare. We know once Joy is home there will be a lot of adjusting! We are continuing to research, learn and seek medical advice and therapy options for the road ahead. It is so hard when it is an older child. She will be leaving everything she knows and I just pray for her heart. She may not know what adoption and being in family means. Praying that we can meet her where she needs us and show her she is loved from the first moment!
Thank you for praying! We covet your prayers!
While we wait we have been pretty busy with summer projects. Our A/C is finally fixed! Praising God that this summer hasn't been hotter! I am thankful for Joel's resourcefulness in getting the parts and the people needed to put it all together!
We also received our first Grant Approval!! Show Hope awarded us a grant for 3,000 dollars!! This will help with in country costs, visa and customs fees! We are sooo Thankful!!!
We are continually thankful for friends and family who have donated funds for our travel costs and who are lifting us up in prayer! We have some big cost items coming up this Fall and hope to be fully funded by October!! We have in the works a Dinner and Silent Auction! We can't wait to share our story and more about our daughter with friends and family!!
This journey has been so long and we know we still have so much to do to prepare. We know once Joy is home there will be a lot of adjusting! We are continuing to research, learn and seek medical advice and therapy options for the road ahead. It is so hard when it is an older child. She will be leaving everything she knows and I just pray for her heart. She may not know what adoption and being in family means. Praying that we can meet her where she needs us and show her she is loved from the first moment!
Thank you for praying! We covet your prayers!
Sunday, July 6, 2014
Artwork for Adoption
My daughter is an avid artist and loves to draw. She came to me with the idea that she wanted to sell prints of some of her favorite drawings and use the funds to help us with travel costs. She and our son will be coming with us when we go to China so it is extra cost for them, but they are brain storming ways to raise the needed air fare. We are blessed with such wonderful kids! :)
So here are the drawings she is selling prints of:
1 2 3
The one in the middle was created on her digital drawing pad. The other two are pencil. All are printed on high quality photo paper.
Size cost shipping/packaging (if we need to ship it)
4 x 6 $5 $2
8 1/2 x 11 $10 $3
13 x 19 $20 $5
Payment can be made through Paypal - Let us know what picture you would like (1, 2, and/or 3) and what sizes.
Puzzle pieces are also still available to sponsor. Click here to see previous post for details on our fund raisers.
Thank you for continued prayers and support! We hope to hear about our Letter of Approval from China by the end of July. We are taking each day one at a time. It is so hard to plan when the future is still so unknown!
Please be praying for our family. There is definitely some spiritual warfare going on and I am praying that we will continue to just TRUST that all things are being filtered through Christ. Our home is just stuff. Our possessions are just things. Praying that the many "comforts" that are breaking down will be fixed when they can be and not missed too greatly while we wait! We don't know where the $18,000 will appear from, but we serve a God who has all things worked out already. We are praying for the empty jars to be filled in God's timing and not our own. This is a huge test for me, as I am the thinker/ planner and I trouble shoot everything! It is so hard to plan the unknown, so I have to wait.
I pray for our daughter in China, that she is not fearing the unknown. That she will have peace in her heart and already a softening to God. We hope to contact her soon and start to get to know her.
We are praying that we continue in his will day by day.
So here are the drawings she is selling prints of:
The one in the middle was created on her digital drawing pad. The other two are pencil. All are printed on high quality photo paper.
Size cost shipping/packaging (if we need to ship it)
4 x 6 $5 $2
8 1/2 x 11 $10 $3
13 x 19 $20 $5
Payment can be made through Paypal - Let us know what picture you would like (1, 2, and/or 3) and what sizes.
Puzzle pieces are also still available to sponsor. Click here to see previous post for details on our fund raisers.
Thank you for continued prayers and support! We hope to hear about our Letter of Approval from China by the end of July. We are taking each day one at a time. It is so hard to plan when the future is still so unknown!
Please be praying for our family. There is definitely some spiritual warfare going on and I am praying that we will continue to just TRUST that all things are being filtered through Christ. Our home is just stuff. Our possessions are just things. Praying that the many "comforts" that are breaking down will be fixed when they can be and not missed too greatly while we wait! We don't know where the $18,000 will appear from, but we serve a God who has all things worked out already. We are praying for the empty jars to be filled in God's timing and not our own. This is a huge test for me, as I am the thinker/ planner and I trouble shoot everything! It is so hard to plan the unknown, so I have to wait.
I pray for our daughter in China, that she is not fearing the unknown. That she will have peace in her heart and already a softening to God. We hope to contact her soon and start to get to know her.
James 4: 13-16
13 Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” 14 Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15 Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.”
We are praying that we continue in his will day by day.
Monday, June 30, 2014
36 Days and counting...
It is day 36 of our LOA (Letter of Approval) wait. Others in the LOA wait are receiving theirs in about 60 - 70 days but really the numbers are dependent on many factors. Some agencies check the lists and let waiting families know when they are OOT (Out of translation) and OOR (Out of Review) before the long awaited LOA! But, apparently, our agency is not one to give us the micro steps in the process. I am not expecting to hear anything until our LOA is on its way. Sometimes I am thankful so I don't have to feel like I need to check my email every 5 minutes in case I miss the email giving me every minute detail! Part of me really wants that assurance our documents are moving along in the process and getting attention.
While I am not sitting and waiting for micro steps in our adoption process, I am finding two weeks have gone by and I haven't anything to update! We actually have been quite busy on the home front with multiple projects that desperately needed our attention. We have been thankful this summer has not yet been too hot as our A/C unit (15 years old) has decided to not turn on. Joel is in the process of obtaining the parts we need and we are hoping for a friend to come help us replace fluid, coils and compressor to get it working again. We hope to save a lot of money by shopping around and making sure we understand everything, so we don't pay more for stuff we don't need. Our upstairs bathroom toilet was supposed to be a quick replace but we found that the previous house owners had installed it wrong and it had been leaking. 2.5 weeks later we now have a new tile floor and the new toilet finally installed. Thankfully we were able to do all the work ourselves and only had cost of supplies! God has been good to us and we are very thankful for the internet and our ability to complete our own house projects!
We are continuing to research Chinese culture and language. We have done a lot of reading of stories of older adopted children who talk about what their adopted parents did or didn't do in raising them. We hope to continue Chinese studies and language and not let her heritage disappear from her life. We hope she will want to continue studies of her birth country once she is home.
We are still planning some fund raisers to help with the travel costs. The grants that we applied for have not come through so far. I am still working with booster.com to sort out the T-shirt issue. If you bought one of the dark blue shirts and it shrunk, please email booster.com and let them know it was not satisfactory. Apparently the emails I have sent in complaint of the shrinking problem is not enough to get them to resend t-shirts to everyone. I am so sorry they shrunk so much! So email them today!
Please continue to keep us in prayer. Once our LOA arrives (hopefully around the end of July!) we could be traveling within 10 weeks. We will have a donation site set up with Connected Hearts Ministry where they will post our adoption story and have a link for donations. All donations will go directly to our agency to help with our travel costs and adoption fees. All donations through this site will be tax deductible. So, if you would like to make a donation, start saving your change now so you can help bring Joy home when the site is up the first two weeks of August 2014. I will post the link and instructions when our story is up. It will only run the first two weeks of August.
Our Origami Owl ongoing fundraiser for the month of June has raised our funding totals by $200!! All moneys raised from the sale through my site is going towards our adoption costs! Thank you to those who have had parties with your friends and families! If you would like to host a party or just make an order online, contact me! Here is the link for my July online party fund raiser!
We also will have a puzzle fund raiser! We just had our family photos taken by Alexis Springer Photography and we will have one of our photos made into a puzzle! If you would like to Sponsor a puzzle piece, they are $10 each! We will write your name and your favorite verse or proverb on the back. When the whole puzzle is complete we will hang it up in Joy's room so she can see how many people have been praying for her and have been a part of this journey! If you would like to sponsor a puzzle piece you can use the "Paypal" link in the top right corner of this blog and let us know what you would like us to write on the back of it! We are so excited about this fundraiser because it just shows the hands and feet of Jesus and how he works in each of our lives!!
A sneak peak at a couple of the wonderful photos from our family day Photo shoot!! Alexis is AMAZING!!! :)
We are so thankful for all your prayers and support during this journey. We know that when Joy is home the real journey begins and we long for that day when we will be a family of 5!
While I am not sitting and waiting for micro steps in our adoption process, I am finding two weeks have gone by and I haven't anything to update! We actually have been quite busy on the home front with multiple projects that desperately needed our attention. We have been thankful this summer has not yet been too hot as our A/C unit (15 years old) has decided to not turn on. Joel is in the process of obtaining the parts we need and we are hoping for a friend to come help us replace fluid, coils and compressor to get it working again. We hope to save a lot of money by shopping around and making sure we understand everything, so we don't pay more for stuff we don't need. Our upstairs bathroom toilet was supposed to be a quick replace but we found that the previous house owners had installed it wrong and it had been leaking. 2.5 weeks later we now have a new tile floor and the new toilet finally installed. Thankfully we were able to do all the work ourselves and only had cost of supplies! God has been good to us and we are very thankful for the internet and our ability to complete our own house projects!
We are continuing to research Chinese culture and language. We have done a lot of reading of stories of older adopted children who talk about what their adopted parents did or didn't do in raising them. We hope to continue Chinese studies and language and not let her heritage disappear from her life. We hope she will want to continue studies of her birth country once she is home.
We are still planning some fund raisers to help with the travel costs. The grants that we applied for have not come through so far. I am still working with booster.com to sort out the T-shirt issue. If you bought one of the dark blue shirts and it shrunk, please email booster.com and let them know it was not satisfactory. Apparently the emails I have sent in complaint of the shrinking problem is not enough to get them to resend t-shirts to everyone. I am so sorry they shrunk so much! So email them today!
Please continue to keep us in prayer. Once our LOA arrives (hopefully around the end of July!) we could be traveling within 10 weeks. We will have a donation site set up with Connected Hearts Ministry where they will post our adoption story and have a link for donations. All donations will go directly to our agency to help with our travel costs and adoption fees. All donations through this site will be tax deductible. So, if you would like to make a donation, start saving your change now so you can help bring Joy home when the site is up the first two weeks of August 2014. I will post the link and instructions when our story is up. It will only run the first two weeks of August.
Our Origami Owl ongoing fundraiser for the month of June has raised our funding totals by $200!! All moneys raised from the sale through my site is going towards our adoption costs! Thank you to those who have had parties with your friends and families! If you would like to host a party or just make an order online, contact me! Here is the link for my July online party fund raiser!
We also will have a puzzle fund raiser! We just had our family photos taken by Alexis Springer Photography and we will have one of our photos made into a puzzle! If you would like to Sponsor a puzzle piece, they are $10 each! We will write your name and your favorite verse or proverb on the back. When the whole puzzle is complete we will hang it up in Joy's room so she can see how many people have been praying for her and have been a part of this journey! If you would like to sponsor a puzzle piece you can use the "Paypal" link in the top right corner of this blog and let us know what you would like us to write on the back of it! We are so excited about this fundraiser because it just shows the hands and feet of Jesus and how he works in each of our lives!!
A sneak peak at a couple of the wonderful photos from our family day Photo shoot!! Alexis is AMAZING!!! :)
Siblings waiting for their new sister!
Can't wait till we are ALL together in the same picture!
We are so thankful for all your prayers and support during this journey. We know that when Joy is home the real journey begins and we long for that day when we will be a family of 5!
Psalm 36:5-10
Your love, Lord, reaches to the heavens,
your faithfulness to the skies.
Your righteousness is like the highest mountains,
your justice like the great deep.
You, Lord, preserve both people and animals.
How priceless is your unfailing love, O God!
People take refuge in the shadow of your wings.
They feast on the abundance of your house;
you give them drink from your river of delights.
For with you is the fountain of life;
in your light we see light.
Continue your love to those who know you,
your righteousness to the upright in heart.
Tuesday, June 17, 2014
Happy Birthday!
Happy Birthday Joy. We are waiting for our dossier to get through translation and review before getting our Letter of Approval! Praying this is your last birthday without your forever family. We know you have your Foster family and pray that you enjoy the cake we sent! It is so hard waiting until we get our LOA before requesting to talk to you and contact you. Pictures hopefully soon to follow!! Love you so much already! Mom
Thursday, June 5, 2014
Time Flies but Stands Still... Waiting
Waiting. Nobody likes waiting. Waiting is something that happens every day. Waiting for the sun to shine, waiting for the coffee maker to finish, waiting for this and that! One would think we would be used to waiting!!!
Right now we are waiting for our documents to be translated and then reviewed. We are waiting for that moment of approval that we can proceed to the next step of our journey. We are preparing as best we can for the unknown. It is exciting and nerve wracking all at the same time.
We are waiting to hear word of any grants we may receive. We have not heard anything from any of the multiple grants we have applied for, so if you could please be in prayer about that it would be much appreciated!
While we wait, we are enjoying some down time from home school. Jared is enjoying hours of Game play on his computer and Jess is enjoying practicing her guitar and doing art projects. I have been able to get a lot of things done that have sat by for a "rainy" day or projects with more than one hour put together to get it done! :) The house projects list is thankfully getting a little smaller, but we are putting big things off to save as much as we can to put towards our next big adoption cost of the orphanage donation and the travel costs!
One other item you could be praying for as well: Our AC is broken and we are looking into fixing it ourselves, Joel is excellent at researching "How to" and getting things done, but this project will require a professional once we order the necessary pieces. Just the labor fees are ranging from $1300 - $1800!! That doesn't even include the parts. So, please pray that we will be able to fund this on top of all the other costs that are piling up. God provides and we can trust Him!
If you would like to support our journey, you can donate through Paypal. The link is in the right hand corner of this blog.
I also have an Origami Owl Fundraising party going on right now during the month of June. 40% of all purchases go toward our Adoption fund. So share the shopping link with your friends and family and help us raise our goal while getting some beautiful custom jewelry! http://www.JHarrison.
In August we will have a donation site set up with a Non profit organization and your donation of any amount will be tax deductible and 100% of your donation will go directly to our adoption costs through our agency! We will post the link to our story and donation link in August!
Hopefully this month will be the last Birthday Joy will have without her forever family. She has waited so long and we pray for her and her foster family. I just long to hold her and get to know her. I hope she is looking forward to meeting us and being with us as well. So much to think about!
Some words that encourage me. I am so thankful I know of God. Without Him, I don't know how I would handle life!
Right now we are waiting for our documents to be translated and then reviewed. We are waiting for that moment of approval that we can proceed to the next step of our journey. We are preparing as best we can for the unknown. It is exciting and nerve wracking all at the same time.
We are waiting to hear word of any grants we may receive. We have not heard anything from any of the multiple grants we have applied for, so if you could please be in prayer about that it would be much appreciated!
While we wait, we are enjoying some down time from home school. Jared is enjoying hours of Game play on his computer and Jess is enjoying practicing her guitar and doing art projects. I have been able to get a lot of things done that have sat by for a "rainy" day or projects with more than one hour put together to get it done! :) The house projects list is thankfully getting a little smaller, but we are putting big things off to save as much as we can to put towards our next big adoption cost of the orphanage donation and the travel costs!
One other item you could be praying for as well: Our AC is broken and we are looking into fixing it ourselves, Joel is excellent at researching "How to" and getting things done, but this project will require a professional once we order the necessary pieces. Just the labor fees are ranging from $1300 - $1800!! That doesn't even include the parts. So, please pray that we will be able to fund this on top of all the other costs that are piling up. God provides and we can trust Him!
If you would like to support our journey, you can donate through Paypal. The link is in the right hand corner of this blog.
I also have an Origami Owl Fundraising party going on right now during the month of June. 40% of all purchases go toward our Adoption fund. So share the shopping link with your friends and family and help us raise our goal while getting some beautiful custom jewelry! http://www.JHarrison.
In August we will have a donation site set up with a Non profit organization and your donation of any amount will be tax deductible and 100% of your donation will go directly to our adoption costs through our agency! We will post the link to our story and donation link in August!
Hopefully this month will be the last Birthday Joy will have without her forever family. She has waited so long and we pray for her and her foster family. I just long to hold her and get to know her. I hope she is looking forward to meeting us and being with us as well. So much to think about!
Some words that encourage me. I am so thankful I know of God. Without Him, I don't know how I would handle life!
Psalm 65
1 Praise awaits you, our God, in Zion;
to you our vows will be fulfilled.
2 You who answer prayer,
to you all people will come.
3 When we were overwhelmed by sins,
you forgave our transgressions.
4 Blessed are those you choose
and bring near to live in your courts!
We are filled with the good things of your house,
of your holy temple.9 You care for the land and water it;5 You answer us with awesome and righteous deeds,
God our Savior,
the hope of all the ends of the earth
and of the farthest seas,
6 who formed the mountains by your power,
having armed yourself with strength,
7 who stilled the roaring of the seas,
the roaring of their waves,
and the turmoil of the nations.
8 The whole earth is filled with awe at your wonders;
where morning dawns, where evening fades,
you call forth songs of joy.
you enrich it abundantly.
The streams of God are filled with water
to provide the people with grain,
for so you have ordained it.
10 You drench its furrows and level its ridges;
you soften it with showers and bless its crops.
11 You crown the year with your bounty,
and your carts overflow with abundance.
12 The grasslands of the wilderness overflow;
the hills are clothed with gladness.
13 The meadows are covered with flocks
and the valleys are mantled with grain;
they shout for joy and sing.
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