"And Mary pondered all these things"

In these days of waiting for pre-approval from China and finding out all I can about China and our daughter and her health, I can't help but think of Mary in the Bible who treasured up all that was said about Jesus from the shepherds and pondered them in her heart. 

Luke 2:15-20
15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

God has opened our hearts and the door to adopt a precious little girl who has been waiting years for her forever family. God uses each situation (good and bad) in our lives to build towards His plans. We don't always understand them, but we do need to stop and ponder them in our hearts. I long to know what her favorite color is. What she thinks about cats. What are her favorite songs. There are so many questions I have that I want to know. I need to learn Mandarin and learn it fast! She knows very little English and I want the transition to America to be as easy as possible!

I have been praying for her every day when I wake up because I know it is around the time she will be going to sleep. I pray protection of her heart and her dreams. That God's angels would surround her and she would know the peace that comes from knowing the Almighty God sees her and is with her. It causes me to be more diligent in praying for my own two I have here at home. We have felt like a piece of our family has been missing, and now that we have a face and a name to fill that space we can hardly stand the waiting. There are many many more documents and meetings and approvals yet to come to finalize everything. I know this whole journey will bring tears, frustrations, fears and longing and I know this is bigger than we can handle. BUT it is not bigger than God can handle, and our faith will be stretched and grown and tested. I pray for her salvation and for the foster parents who have been caring for her. 

Praying for the strength to kneel at God's feet and take His leading in this.

Isaiah 41:10
So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Our next hurdle to come is raising $4,000 dollars in two weeks. Our paperwork and fees have to be submitted by the end of January!! Am I freaking out? No. All things are possible when God is in it. 

If you would like to buy one of our scarves in the picture below, they are $20 each. You can use the Paypal "Donate" link in the top right corner to buy one. Leave your information and what color scarf you prefer in the comments section.

We are excited and so thankful for all your prayers and support as we work through the mountain of paperwork and fees to bring our daughter home! Please continue to pray for our new daughter and her life in China! We pray by this time next year she will be home with us!