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! 

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."

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:

Philippians 4:6
 "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God."

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! 

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"

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!! 

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!!

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? :) 

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!

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!

 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.