Prayer Necklaces.

Olivia, Julia and Ella received prayer necklaces for Christmas.

The charms on the necklaces are pretty little shells

that, when opened, can hold a tiny paper containing

one of their prayers. 

At this time, each of their necklaces is holding the same prayer...

 "Dear God, I would like to go to China too."

 A simple prayer.

A desire to go to China to meet their little brother.

To be there for his "gotcha" day.

 And, 

it's my prayer for them too...

Pennies and piggybanks.

It's amazing how quickly loose change can add up.

Earlier in our adoption journey, Tim set out a very large water container.

We use it to collect our spare change and will soon add

all that we've collected to our adoption fund.

Our sweet Ella has a very special piggy bank that she had painted herself.

She had been collecting coins in her bank for a long time

and it was very full.

Shortly after the container was set-up,

I noticed Ella's piggy bank sitting next to the water container.

She had emptied the entire contents of her bank into

the container. The only evidence of what she had done 

was the empty piggy bank that had been left behind.

  As I looked at her piggy bank standing empty on the floor

I thanked God for the generous hearts of our children,

 for how excited they are to share our love and their love with Logan,

and for the privilege of being their mom.

Gratitude and Peanut Brittle.

Dear friends of ours recently had a garage sale.

Their kids baked cookies and made cashew brittle to sell during the garage sale with all proceeds going to Logan's adoption fund.

They collected $40!

 

It takes a lot of work to put a garage sale together.

We thank this family for taking the time

to make and sell their tasty treats at the same time!

  

The outpouring of kindness and generosity from everyone has been amazing.

We are overwhelmed with gratitude.

 

How can we ever thank everyone enough

for the love, prayers and support that 

we have received throughout this journey? 

Words truly cannot express the depth of our gratitude.

The Lord has surrounded us with an incredible support system

and we are thankful for each one you!

"Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;

his love endures forever."  Psalm 107:1

Our LOA!

We said that we would have big news for you today and we do!

On Friday we received a call from our adoption agency letting us know

that they had received our Letter of Acceptance (LOA) from China!

And today, Federal Express delivered our LOA into our hands.

This is a HUGE step for us as we near the end of our journey.

  

Our LOA means that we have official permission from China to adopt Logan.

We can now file our I800, which is our final paperwork with our government.

Here's our I800 paperwork, all ready to go to UPS for overnight delivery!

 Now we can apply for our Visas!

We've saved the best news for last.

Our agency said that we will be traveling this August to get our son!

It's a bit later than we had anticipated,

but God is good and HIS timing is perfect! 

Our agency has three travel groups going to China in August,

and we will be part of one of them!

It's still hard to believe that we are just a couple months away

from holding our son in our arms! 

Puzzle Results: Week 7!

Week Seven.

40 puzzle pieces added!

452 pieces sponsored total!! 

We are incredibly grateful!

谢谢

Xièxiè

(That's Mandarin Chinese for "Thank You")

 

We'll have some exciting news to share with you tomorrow,

So please be sure to check back!  

 

(Click on the link below for more information about our puzzle fundraiser.)

ten dollars. 2 pieces. one step closer.  

Preparations.

Thinking we were out of the "baby business",

we had purged the house of all those necessary items

that are needed when children are very young.

Out they all went, in a mammoth garage sale we had

several years ago.    

But God had other plans

and here we are again, 

preparing our home for a darling, little boy.

 

And those preparations are so much fun!

We are slowly collecting the basic necessities

and some fun extras.

(Isn't the "Little Bro" shirt adorable?)

Thank you dear friends for

passing along some of the much needed items:

a car seat,

a toddler bed

and some adorable little boy clothes. 

We greatly appreciate your kindness.

Soon we will reach the end of this adoption journey

and little Logan will be home.

And he'll be putting all this gear to good use!

Puzzle Results: Weeks 5 & 6!

The updated puzzle results are incredible!

102 puzzle pieces added during weeks 5 & 6!

 

 

412 puzzle pieces sponsored to date!

We're almost half way there!

Thank you for your very generous support.

What an answer to prayer.

We have so much to be thankful for! 

Waiting.

Cell phones, texting, Facebook, faxing, Google and overnight delivery...

We live in a world where instant gratification is the norm

and waiting is a challenge.

Our dossier has been logged-in to the CCCWA for four weeks.

We are waiting for our Letter of Approval.

Waiting isn't easy.  

But...

Waiting is also a blessing.

The Lord is using this time to develop our patience.

(Something I can use extra work on.)

"Love is patient..."

So, as we wait, this is how we are filling our time:

1. We are rearranging all the rooms upstairs in anticipation of Logan's arrival. (We are surrounded by quite a mess right now.  But organization always begins with a mess.)
2. We are finishing school and preparing for assessments later this month.
3. We are completing doctor's visits and receiving any needed vaccines for international travel.
4. We are reading, reading, reading. (Books about international adoption, adoption attachment, international travel and learning more about the beautiful country of China.)
5. We are organizing for our yard sale fundraiser. (This is a daily activity that involves lots of work, but we are thankful for this opportunity.  The work also involves lots of fun and laughter too!)
6. We are preparing the children for the adoption. (They will be attending a seminar next month called "So I'm Getting a New Sibling??", this is being offered by the agency that did our home study.)
7.  We are praying.  (Thank you for your prayers.)

 Waiting is hard, but our God is faithful and His plans are perfect 

and right now, He's calling us to wait.

 And soon, He will be calling us to Go...

And we will go and get our new son.

"but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary,
    they will walk and not be faint."  Isaiah 40:31 

 

Yard Sale Blessings.

This week we are abundantly blessed,

and humbly grateful...

Our garage is brimming with donations for our yard sale!

(Yes, even the cat is amazed.)

Bags, boxes and bins full of the generosity of others.

And more are coming this week! 

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

 For believing in God's calling in our lives

and for helping to support something far bigger than us.

Faith truly can move mountains.

 Please click the link for more information about our Yard Sale Fundraiser.

 

When Love Takes You In...

The lyrics to this song have been on my heart lately and the melody is often playing softly in the background of my thoughts.

It's not just the song itself but also the story behind the song.  It was written by Steven Curtis Chapman.  He and his wife, Mary Beth, adopted three daughters from China and, after losing their precious daughter Maria to a tragic accident, went on to open a special care center in China in Maria's name.  Maria's Big House is a center that cares for orphans with special needs.

They also started Show Hope, a non-profit organization that meets the pressing needs of orphans. 

And, as I listen to this song, I'm drawn in by the lyrics and how perfectly they describe our journey to adoption...

"When love takes you in everything changes

A miracle starts with the beat of a heart

When love takes you home and says you belong here

The loneliness ends and a new life begins

When love takes you in it takes you in for good

When love takes you in" 

This is written from the heart of an adoptive parent.  But it's also a reflection of the miracle that happens when we are adopted into God's family through his Son, Jesus Christ.  
When we choose to receive this gift everything changes.
When love takes you in.