So...what's next?

So, now we've been called to be the Mama and Daddy of this sweet, sweet baby...how do we get her home?...and get her home fast!?
We first had to go through the process of transferring agencies. Which, went relatively smoothly. Our dossier was already in China's computer system- so, we pretty much had to have a letter sent to them from our former and new agencies confirming and requesting for our family's dossier to be moved, and designated for this particular child. That process unfortunately took about a month, which was a little longer than we had hoped! But, as soon as the transfer was complete our new agency sent them our letter of intent- which lets the Chinese government know that our family desires to adopt this specific child. The government, in turn, responds with a document approving our family as suitable to care for and meet her needs. That is the document we are waiting on right now. That document is the one that will get the ball rolling for visas and consulate appointments and then, plane tickets!! This is where we really need for you to pray with us. This document is supposed to take 2-3 months to be returned to us- we are currently on day 75 (but, who's counting!?) Would you please pray with us that we get this paper work quickly? We are really praying with confidence and hope that our sweet girl will be home with us to celebrate her first Christmas! Please pray that there are no hang ups or mistakes that would hinder this process from going through smoothly!

In the meantime...we've been busy getting ready for her! Her big brothers are so, so excited! They go in her room and look around all the time, commenting on how "she is just going to love this shade of pink!", which they are espcially proud of, because they helped to paint it!

Jason painted a daybed, and restored my old crib for her to sleep in- until she's sleeping in it, her collection of baby dolls will! There are pink hangers in her closet starting to be filled with adorable outfits, and hair bows in the drawer of the beautiful dresser that her Meme bought just for her. My mom and I picked out some amazing fabric and have made her a special blanket for her bed, pillows and a lovie to match that we will send to her in China while she's waiting for us! Her sweet picture is now on the wall in our family picture collage...and just as important we have begun to pray and ask the Lord to especially prepare our hearts as her parents to be able to love her with a special compassion, and that the transition of her into our family would be one that is covered by His peace. We've prayed for our boys and how this will affect them, but also teach them. Hoping this experience will make them more aware of the world they live in, the needs that are in it, and who God has called His people to be the solution to those needs- how God has called our family to our mei mei. And we pray for our sweet girl- who we now can picture when we think, talk and pray about- praying the Spirit would be with her even now preparing her to leave her birthplace and all she knows as familiar. That she would some how know how much we love her, the moment we meet. That she would know she is safe. That she would be a peace. Would you also pray this things with us?

...we are preparing a place and a family for her to come into and be loved, and cared for...<b>foreveri>.
And, we could not be more excited!


Many of you have asked how you could help or be a part of bringing our mei mei home!...stay tuned to find out how through an amazing matching grant opportunity we've been given!

fear's grip...

I was awoken very early the next morning, hardly able to breathe. Gripped in fear. What were we thinking? We can’t do this! It’s just too much! Surgery...therapy...I wrestled for a few minutes...settled our youngest son, who was sick with a tummy bug, and finally fell back asleep. As a disclaimer, some of you may think this next part is crazy...I probably would have if I was reading it myself, just bear with me. When I fell back asleep I had the most vivid and real dream. Jason and I were sitting on the couch in our living room with his Dad. (Many of you know we lost Jason’s dad in March of this year to cancer and Alzheimer’s). In my dream, he was more lucid that I honestly can ever remember Him being in conversation. He began to talk to us about fear. He began to share with us that when we are rooted and established in our faith the Enemy does all he can to plant doubts and fears in our hearts and minds when God has called us to something. He told us the importance of hiding God’s Word in our hearts, so that we can draw on its truth during times of doubt. He said, “When you leave this house he will whisper lies to you. Telling you that you don’t know who you are or where you should be going! Those are the times you have to rely on your knowledge of God’s Word. Speak it to him, and he will have to flee.” At this point...he was preaching to us! Those of you who knew Kit, know that of all of the things he loved, God’s Word was what he loved most. When he began to be more and more effected by his dementia, and then cancer, Jason questioned and struggled so much with understanding why someone who had devoted so much of his memory and mind to Scripture would be allowed to just loose it all! I can’t really explain it other than to just say that the way that Kit spoke to us in that dream, he was reassuring us that it was the Enemy that had taken his memory, his mind. This, for some reason, had never occurred to us before. It provided so much encouragement and closure for us in that way. I woke up, totally believing the dream had actually happened- it was that real. I realized what a two-fold gift the dream had been- and I believe it was straight up "Old Testament", from the Lord!
I had been reminded that my God is not the source of fears. That He is enough, and so I am enough. That fear is a lie from the Enemy attempting to keep me from my calling. But, also I felt that this was an answer to this question in Jason’s heart and mind. God was not the author of his Dad’s suffering...it was the result of his incredible faith and the threat it was to the Enemy. His illness was spiritual warfare.
I laid in my bed and wept in total awe that the God I serve is that personal. When we need Him and the reassurance and peace only He can bring...He will meet us. He loves us so dearly.

It was that morning, with a tear stained face, and a scared, but excited and grateful heart that I found the answer to my two questions...
Yes, she’s our girl.
Yes, I’m ready to fight for her.

Surrender.
...the place that is the beginning of God's glory being multiplied...

May it be so, in our lives...
and in the life of this precious one He has chosen us to love.

all the while He was working...

We found 3 little girls. All with the same agency. All with different special needs. All incredibly adorable. All needing a Mama and Daddy. Next step....call their agency. It was a Friday morning, so I left a message and waited...and waited...didn't hear from anyone all day! So...had to wait until Monday to finally get some more information on these sweet girls. All weekend we had talked about the what-ifs...possible outcomes...what their needs would entail. We discussed the possibility of getting two of them. It was a CRAZY weekend! If you have ever taken a pregnancy test- it felt just like that...but for 3 DAYS!!! Wondering if one of these could be our sweet girl! Monday afternoon, I finally got a phone call from a super awesome girl in the waiting child department. She knew ALL about these little girls! She shared with me pros, cons, concerns, and possible outcomes...information overload! It’s such a heartbreaking and surreal feeling to be looking at a collection of about 10 pictures (which is more than what most orphans have) and a bunch of medical notes describing a child. Those documents and pictures are the only thing they have to represent who they are. When I think of how I knew my boys by the time they were the ages of these darling girls were, I could have filled up 10,000 pages of notes about them. These girls only had 10. When Jason got home that night and we finally had the boys in bed, we sat down to begin to go through the information we had been sent. We were nervous and excited and scared...craziness. So, as we were finishing looking through the files the question was posed...”Could one of these girl’s be our daughter? Do you feel as though one of them could fit into your family?” And, without a moment’s hesitation we both said, “Yes!”...strangely enough the little girl we thought we could care for were two separate little girls! Jason knew immediately that we had found her...I felt extremely drawn to the same child as well (and you will soon see why!), but I was so scared and fearful of her disabilities, her prognosis, and whether or not I was enough to be able to care for her! She was older than we thought she would be. Her disability was not one we had considered. There were so many unknowns. Lots to process. So, we spent a very long and emotional night of discussing and praying and discussing some more. Jason, in his matter of fact way, said. “Liz, you need to answer two questions. #1 ‘Is she our girl?’ and #2 ‘Are you ready to fight for her?’...while you’re figuring out your answers, I’m going to bed...I already know mine.” Seriously! This was one of those moments when I was reminded of why, and so very grateful God gave him to me...he led me in my doubt by his faith.
As I went to bed that night, my mind was swirling 100 miles an hour! But as I laid down the Lord brought something to my mind. Dates. I had been given advice to write down dates and prayers and specific times through this process that seemed important, impactful. God reminded me that night as I lay in my bed that the time this sweet little girl was born, and left on a river bank at 15 days old was when I attended a conference with my closest friends. It was there that He wrecked my heart for the cause of the orphan, and put the calling on my life and the life of my family to be a part of the solution. He then brought to my mind 2 very difficult weeks in mid-July of 2013...knowing that God had put this calling on my heart and praying and asking for God to change my heart’s desire for adoption or to reveal to Jason that this was what He had called us to. It was a season of learning and leaning on the intercession of the Spirit on my behalf- knowing the groaning and aching of my heart. This was the time this beautiful little girl was taken from a wonderful American run foster group home, and returned to her orphanage in a very rural and poor area of China. All the while He was working....working on me...working on our family....preparing us for her.

I had a choice to make...would my faith in His calling be enough?

...one step at a time...

So...there’s been quite a few weeks of silence on the adoption front from our family! ...time to break the silence! Throughout the beginning of the year we continued to work on and complete our dossier (group of documents compiled to represent who our family is to the Chinese government) and officially were logged in to China’s system on March 7th. That was a big and exciting day for us... the day the wait began!
As weeks went by, life continued on as usual. Busyness with school and work and the boys. In mid April I began to just feel a real restlessness in my heart. I couldn't really figure out it’s source. But, I felt the need to do something...anything...that made our sweet girl real. Something as a reminder and to busy myself during this season of waiting...to be actively waiting! Sounds crazy...I get it! But, the real crazy part, is that I decided making a quilt for her was a great way to pass the time! I asked for help from a sweet friend that is a quilting guru, and she was so kind and willing to dive into my crazy! Then, I began to ask myself if this restlessness had a purpose. What was it’s source? Was it me being impatient? Or was it a holy restlessness? So, this began a dialog between Jason and I and God.
We soon found out that the wait time for a little girl that matched our special needs checklist (a list of medical conditions or needs our family was willing to consider) was getting increasingly longer....like over two years. In the end,with this information and a lot of prayer, we came to one conclusion. God had called us to give a home to a little girl. Period. We realized that we could be waiting in “line” with 300+ other families waiting for a little girl...or, we could go to where the children were waiting in a line...much longer than 300 deep! We decided to take one step at a time, and just see what we could find out. After the first step, we came to realize that in order to change agencies there was fee, and a short waiting period for paper work to go through. But, we also found that we were still within the time requirements to be refunded half of the last agency fee we had paid. So, they more than cancelled each other out. So, we took the next step...praying God would just lead us where He wanted us to go. Lead us to her...and that’s the prayer that changed everything!...mei mei here we come!

still pluggin'....

I am at home with sick kiddos today, so I decided I should take advantage of the solace and update my blog! I had no idea that it has already been 2 months since my last posting! Time flies when you're up to your elbows in raising little boys and completing adoption paper work!

Just an update of where we are on this adventure...we have done all our initial application paperwork and orientations...had 2 home visits with our wonderful social worker...and have now completed the homestudy process. We just have to wait for the home study to be edited and reviewed by our agency, and we then get an opportunity to read over it and make sure everything is documented correctly. (It's apparently 17 pages long...who knew we were THAT interesting!) When we get that back- which could be this week or next we will send it off to the Department of Homeland Security for our initial approval- pretty much a form from the US government telling the Chinese government that we are suitable to adopt a Chinese child. They have up to 90 days to process that form- please pray they don't take that long! That document is the last and final piece of our dossier- the honkin' huge packet of documents that we will send to China as a representation of our family!

We are currently working on several grant applications, and fundraisers. It has been such a blessing to see all the people who have come together to help bring our mei mei home! So many have donated clothing to mei mei's closet. My best friend Sarah has donated countless hours organizing all the clothes that have been sent to us from all over the place! We will be posting information about other things you can be a part of soon...pancake breakfast, photo mini-sessions, bags, jewelry, present wrapping! But, for right now, please pray for mei mei- that she's healthy this winter, that she feels loved and secure, and that her belly is fed (that's what our boys pray every morning!), pray for our family as we continue to plan and save and prepare our hearts and the hearts of our boys, pray for protection from the Enemy in our home, pray that we would see and seize opportunities to testify of what He's doing through adoption in our family!


So, that's it in a nutshell (very, very small nutshell)...but we are pluggin' right along! It has been a tedious, but exciting process! I've thought a lot during much of the time I've spent filling out papers to convince others that we are worthy of their trust to care for our sweet girl. It's reminded me of how much time and patience God has when wooing us, calling us, whispering to our hearts..."You can trust Me. I'll take care of you. I will always love you." Yet another beautiful reminder along this journey of how it mirrors God the Father adopting us as His Sons and Daughters!

Isaiah's legacy...

So, now that you know the back story…I am so excited to tell all that God has done to get us to where we are today! As I shared before, the Lord had given me such a heart and passion for adoption. I felt so strongly that this would be part of our families story. I think it’s amazing the confidence that can come from the Lord when He has called you to something. This was exactly what I felt!
Long story short…God told me very clearly that His desire for our family was to adopt- but, Jason had not so clearly heard the message yet. After being unemployed for 7 months the Lord miraculously provided above and beyond what we needed and we were able to pay off all of our debt. We worked toward this goal with adoption in mind. But, when we arrived at that debt free moment, Jason just wasn’t there yet. He had not gotten the same message as me! That was so hard. I didn’t understand how I could feel so strongly and passionate about something, and he not. So, I began to pray, asking the Lord to unite our passions. And, if adoption wasn’t something we could rally behind together, that He would replace that with something we could. I asked God to make His plan clear to our family. There were several really difficult conversations during this time- when I did not so much patiently wait for the Lord to work things out. During our last of these conversations it was made clear that Jason felt strongly that this was not the time for our family to adopt, and that if and when that time came he would let me know. This was devastating for me- my hope for my calling felt like it had been deflated! The week following I continued to pray with fervor – asking the Lord to help me to be respectful and submissive in Jason’s response. And that God would just have His way with our family and the direction we would take- adoption or not.
It was very hard for me to remember that God is always working- in ways we cannot see, and would not believe!
The next Sunday morning as we sat down, and church began, one of our Pastors began to share a terrible tragedy that his family had experienced that week. He and his wife were in the long process of adopting a precious little boy, Isaiah, from the Democratic Republic of Congo. They had already been in the process close to two years, and were one document away from getting permission to travel. I cannot imagine the excitement and frustration that fill those days waiting on one piece of paper, so that you can go and bring your child home. During this wait, they received a phone call from their agency. It was bad, terrible, the worst news. Isaiah had contracted cerebral malaria, and had not survived. The son they were so close to bringing home- to a family- was gone. Needless to say there was not a dry eye in the place.
Then, Seth began to preach. He spoke of God’s faithfulness to His people, in spite of how we worry or try to change things to make them better in our own way. The message really impacted me in that I needed to just live in the here and now- love and teach and raise the children we have now. Be content with where we are now- adoption or not. Knowing and claiming that He’s got this and His plan is always the best- regardless of how much I worry and fret over how different it is from my own.

After the message during communion Jason and I were praying before taking the elements. He looked at me and said, “It’s time.” I just assumed he meant to join the church- as we had discussed this after visiting for several weeks. So, I smiled and said, “Ok.” We finished the service and got our boys from their classes and then headed out to have lunch with some friends. We’re pulling out of the parking lot and Jason looks at me and says, “So, what do you think about what I said?” And I responded in my typical long winded fashion (as you can tell from this epistle you are now reading!) I went on and on about how much I loved the church. How every week the sermons meet us right where we are. Our kids love it…etc. He starts smiling really big, and tells me that’s great and all but that “It’s time.” So, I’m super confused. He then goes on to explain that he believes that now is time to go find and rescue our daughter.
Shocked! ….full on ugly cry! He went on to explain that after hearing about this family’s loss of their son he was so impacted. A child they were committed to saving for months, passing away before you could be united with him. He talked about how devastating that would be to lose him when you were so committed to fighting for him so hard.

He looked at me with tears and conviction in his eyes that I have only ever seen a handful of times and said, “ God has called our family to the same thing and we aren’t even fighting! It’s time to fight for her. She is worth the sacrifice of time, energy, emotion, finance and risk. She deserves what Isaiah had in Seth and Melissa- our commitment to do all we can to bring her home.” And to follow such an impactful testimony with a sermon like he shared made it all the more obvious to Jason that fear and worry were holding him back from God’s calling. That God had promised to provide and protect him, so that he in turn could provide and protect our daughter.

I can’t really put into words all the emotions that I felt. Indescribable.

Later that day, I begin to imagine the pain that this family must have been feeling. Where they were in the grieving process, or how they would plan to move forward. It seems as though it would feel a lot like when I miscarried- missing someone that was never there. Then, as I began to think about all that had happened in the life of our family that day as a result of that family’s obedience to walk the long, tedious and messy road to adoption- only to have such pain at the end- we were now beginning our journey down the same long path. Trusting the Lord for each and every step, just as they had.

However, the Lord, our redeemer, promises us that in His hands nothing is wasted. No joy or pain. He makes beauty from ashes. T he story of Isaiah, the pain his family are continuing to wade in and work through right now is not in vain. His story and the bravery of his Mama and Daddy will continue to impact and reach so many.

Because of Isaiah’s story, there is a little girl somewhere in China right now- who God has chosen to be our daughter. Now, she won’t have to wait as long for her forever family because a family was willing to be transparent in their pain, and poured out to be used by His Spirit in the lives and hearts of others.

When we got home Sunday afternoon Jason gathered all the paperwork together that we had collected and began filling out forms, himself. God used Isaiah, His family, and their story to answer my many prayers. And He did so in a way that it is so clear that it could only have been Him at work. One week no adoption, the next our application is mailed.

I will forever be so grateful for the way the Lord moved and began our journey to China. It is my hope that our story in some way has reminded you that God can make beauty from ashes and that He can and will use even the hardest and most painful times in our lives for His glory! Please pray for our friends, as they continue on their journey to DR Congo to rescue to one God has for them. I know that our God is working and weaving together a tapestry so beautiful for their family…thankful for the way it will be forever woven into ours…and I can’t wait to see how it all unfolds.

And to Isaiah…an orphan no more, safe and at home in the arms of his Abba.
Thank you.

.

Step one...千里之行，始于足下

So, we are on a new and exciting journey as a family- ADOPTION! I’ve not blogged in forever- life with 2 boys is just, well, busy! But, during this special adventure that we are on I would really like to try to be more consistent about writing about our journey, experiences, and how God is working for several reasons. The first being so we can look back and remember all the happenings, and so that she can read one day all that happened while we were fighting and working so hard to bring her home! And secondly, because it’s an opportunity to share…a lot of you will be traveling down this path with us offering much support, love, prayers and encouragement in so many ways. This is the perfect format to keep you in the know of where we are, and how you can pray! And above and beyond all else…we can brag on God, how big He is, how faithful He is, and how He shows up when we walk in obedience to His calling…

Here is the beginning of the beginning…many of you know Jason is a “quote guy” so, this is for him…
“The journey of a thousand miles begins with one single step….” -Confucius
千里之行，始于足下

Almost 2 years ago the Lord really began to burden my heart for the orphan crisis, adoption, and the role He has called the church to play as the solution. It began as something that just struck a cord in my maternal heart- thinking of all those babies without homes, families, just lying alone in beds without love. And as time went on it became a passion that can only come from God. I knew that I had to do something, that this passion was there for a reason, and that the Lord had plans to use it somehow in my life.

Ever since my freshman year of college after hearing a presentation by Stephen Curtis Chapman at a concert on adoption- Chinese adoption specifically- a seed of a dream was planted in my heart. He shared the story of their family growing through adoption, and sang the song “When Love Takes You In”. As that continued to marinate in my heart, I felt very strongly that He wanted me to seek out an opportunity to go to China and serve these sweet children who were abandoned. So, I began to scour the internet for summer mission opportunities. The one I found was through the Georgia Baptist Student Union- and Toccoa Falls didn’t have one of these. But, I continued on with the application process. It was a trip to work in an orphanage with children. I was selected to the “interview weekend” and after that was chosen as one of the 4 students who would go to China- out of over 200 applicants. Only God could’ve done that! So, that summer I spent 6 weeks in China. The week before we left our connections with the orphanage we were supposed to help with “fell through”. So, we went on anyway and worked in several cities where no IMB missionaries were currently working to get information on the people and society there. It was an amazing experience.
The country was beautiful. The people were so warm and welcoming (sometime a little too much so, as they would form a circle around us on the street and just stare!...not kidding!). But, most of all, I fell in love with the children! They were so beautiful! We worked with several schools teaching English and it was just a really special experience to see that no matter language, socioeconomic status, or distance…all children are the same!

So, while I loved China’s wall, the beautiful children, the sweet hospitable people, the gorgeous fountains and impressive city squares. I did not love the black smog that I wiped from my face each night, the smell of, well, I’m not really sure what it was sewage, garbage… the effect that their food had on my body, or the ominous,and almost tangible at times feeling of the Enemy’s presence. When our plane landed in America, and I walked out to breathe in the clean air and drink a glass of sweet tea I distinctly remember saying, “If I ever go back there…it will be to save one of those precious babies. Period.”

So….12 years later, here we are…step one.

Stay tuned...I will be writing again soon about the story of a very special little boy that the Lord used to unite Jason and I for the cause of rescuing our daughter!