Humbled

Family Picture

2009-03-30T21:38:00.002-05:00

It's been over a week now and we still have not taken a family picture with our camera. Fortunately, JLA's mom sent us one. Here it is...

Awe-struck

2009-03-27T19:44:00.002-05:00

God has done some pretty incredible things for us since we've been home; all praise to Him.

On Tuesday, J headed back to work and thus my first full day with the four girls alone. That evening L had a restless night and was awake from 11-2 a.m. Then we awoke to E throwing up several times through the morning. Just when I was literally thinking; 'I am needing some help right now.' the phone rings! Truly! A wonderful neighbor that I have probably talked on the phone with three times in the past two years called and said how she had been thinking of us all morning and was prompted to call. I couldn't hold the tears back, tears of relief and thankfulness to God's tenderness to me at that very moment! I told her I just tried to call a neighbor for some apple juice for E or anything good for an upset stomach. Within twenty minutes she was back with two grocery bags of all the needed essentials for the flu! K was His instrument and she was obedient to call on the Spirit's leading. What a beautiful moment we shared rejoicing in God's provision.

Prayers Answered

2009-03-21T12:35:00.002-05:00

Thank you again! God was gracious to us and on EVERY flight possible we had an open seat to put L in the middle of us. The day was SO very long and what an extra blessing that was to have space to spread out. After 36 hours we were finally home and able to get into bed! We all slept like logs and some 11 hours later we finally awoke.

Our hearts are soaring today as the girls will come home after attending a cousin's birthday. This will be brief as we have much we want to complete so that we can enjoy the girls; unpacking, groceries, Bible study time with the Lord, rest, etc.

Our next post we will give you pictures of our family together at last! Thanks for journeying with us!

Use Me

2009-03-18T12:20:00.003-05:00

You hear of these eye glass clinics where people go into a country and provide a tangible need of sight and then discuss why their heart led them there; out of love to share the truth; the gospel of Christ.

At our ceremony of citizenship today we learned that there are nearly 4,000 children adopted to American families each year; 72,000 to date. Imagine how many broken hearts are daily wondering about their precious ones. In my dreams I envision L and I going back to China and either through gathering information or possibly DNA clinics, offering an opportunity to reunite children and parents together after years of separation all in the name of Christ Jesus.

We are open to your call Lord, use us!

Thank You!

2009-03-18T12:11:00.002-05:00

On Wednesday L only ate a little breakfast and nothing else all day. She was lethargic and stayed in my arms. At 5:00 p.m. she went to bed and slept until 8:00 a.m. on Thursday. She awoke starving and with a shaky body ate and drank anything we could get to her fast enough. She then slept another hour or so and about noon was completely herself again. Thank you for lifting her up to our Heavenly Father!

Heading "Home"

2009-03-18T10:36:00.003-05:00

Here we are at 11:36 p.m. trying to finish packing for our journey home. Our wake-up call is for 5:15 a.m. and then our big travel day begins. We humbly but boldly come before our Lord to ask for an extra seat on the flights so that L will not have to be on our lap the entire time.

As far as emotions are concerned, we are elated to be going home but I (the emotional one) cry when thinking about L leaving her homeland. I grieve for her; tearing away another part of who she is to build a new life in the states. I grieve for her mother who will not enjoy the many smiles, laughs and hugs that are just beginning for me. I love her mother for what she has given to L, for within L is this woman who had to give up part of herself. Before I came to China I used the word abandoned; that will never again be part of my vocabulary for it seems to indicate a heartless action. I think of Moses' mother and the care and love and heartache that she must of felt. How she poured herself into making the safe basket for him and how his sister stood watch to make sure he was safe. I see L's mom doing the same thing; forced into this path by a variety of circumstances. Can you imagine the grief when she gave birth to this long-awaited child and sees immediately her special need of cleft lip and palate? That day, which should have been full of sweet joy, was instead wrecked with sorrow knowing there was no way they can afford to meet L's needs. Knowing, upon holding her for the first time, that she will never see her take her first steps or run to her with open arms. I can't imagine the pain she must of felt to wrap her newborn baby up and begin her walk in the dark. Singing to her ever so softly, her hand tenderly caressing her face. Kissing L for the last time as tears stream down her face. Placing her by that bridge where she knows she'll be found and hiding in the darkness diligently watching to make sure she is safely scooped up by a passerby. I see her chest heaving as she walks home alone without her precious one for this is not the vision she had for this baby she carried for nine months. I wonder how many nights she cries herself to sleep wondering; just wondering about where she is now. Somewhere in China L you are loved very much...

Important Day

2009-03-17T04:45:00.004-05:00

While there wasn't any work for us our CCAI representatives had the important task of delivering all our visa application documents to the US Consulate Adoption Unit. We had to stay in our room for the phone call saying that all was clear and there were no unexpected questions or problems. Everything went fine and we are scheduled to take the oath of citizenship for L tomorrow!

After waiting in our room all morning we walked to the park where J joined in on a game similar to hackey-sack. We then had a quick lunch of Mexican no less and hurried to the room to give L a chance to rest. After a short quiet time we were off to tour the Pearl Market and see the largest shopping area in Guangzhou. We are now again resting in the room (for L's sake) and waiting for the Papa John's delivery man on bike!

Simple Yet Important

2009-03-17T04:31:00.003-05:00

Today (Tuesday) L is running a small fever and hasn't eaten anything since breakfast (barely ate breakfast either). We are trying to push the liquids but she doesn't want any part of that. Please pray for a covering of health and that her body stays hydrated.

THANK YOU!

Sweet Family Firsts

2009-03-16T10:51:00.002-05:00

In the last 24 hours L has said "Mei Mei" (sister) while watching our girls on Skype, reached her arms up to Dad to hold her and kissed mom on the lips...

The Lord's timing is sweet, His plans are perfect.

Monday

2009-03-16T10:03:00.007-05:00

Today started our official business in Guangzhou. We went to have L's medical exam where she had to pass through three different rooms; the ENT, height and weight and the doctor visit to view paperwork and do a body scan.

Later that day, J had the task of meeting with our brilliant reps from CCAI to handle Visa paperwork. They worked for two hours on getting everything just right for the group's documents.

Our final task was the anticipated "Red Couch" photos. This is where the "formal" family pictures are taken along with the adoptees (11 in our case) and then the entire group that has become a special family to us!

We ended our day with dinner at a German restaurant! (Check out L's sweet pose!)

One Week!

2009-03-16T09:07:00.003-05:00

It's been one week since we first met L and it swells my heart thinking of all the changes we've seen already. Really, it's not fair what these little ones to have had to endure; what they must have felt. In just one week L is allowing herself to trust, to love, to open up to complete strangers who say they love her but what guarantee does she have of that? Her life has no proof that anyone or anything stays the same. I've read blogs about people saying how brave their little ones are but until you watch one of God's precious children chisel away at the wall of uncertainty to trust you, it is quite hard to comprehend the depth of bravery that must take.

The first morning L woke up everything about her seemed to say; "Oh my, they are still here, I am still here!" Now, just one week later she looks for me when she wakes, reaches up to be held and sits solemnly on my lap. I cannot deny that she has made great strides this past week but I also can't help to ponder what it must feel like to wonder each morning who you will see looking back at you...

Sunday

2009-03-15T08:16:00.005-05:00

With today being a weekend and all offices closed we had the chance to put business affairs aside and tour the city. We started at a Buddhist temple and happened to arrive on the female (although I guess there are not really genders in regards to a Buddha but they created one for the women and children and thus she is known as a "she" Buddha) Buddha's birthday. She is the goddess of compassion and the temple was packed with mostly women worshiping and bringing offerings. My heart ached for the emptiness in such practices and found my mind jumping to scripture such as: Deut. 8:12b "They have turned away quickly from what I commanded them and have made a cast idol for themselves."

We then toured the Old Chen House. Chen ("Chan" in English) is the most common last name in Guangzhou. The families came together to pay for and build this ornate home as a place to pray for their deceased ancestors. The China government came in and took the home from the families and now it is used to display the areas most valuable treasures in jade, embroidery, ivory and porcelain. Finally, we did a little shopping to finish our tour.

Our day ended with Visa pictures for our child and a group dinner at the Cow and Bridge Thai restaurant. (Plus a little more shopping on the way home!)

Squeaky Shoes

2009-03-14T10:04:00.004-05:00

You have probably seen those kids shoes that light up when they walk. Well, China has a slightly annoying variation of those called squeaky shoes. As you can probably guess, they let out a high-pitched little squeak with EVERY single step. I must admit, they have been a blessing because L wanted her mother to carry her everywhere we went for the first couple days. She seemed to like the squeaky shoes in the store so we thought they might give her a little motivation to walk, and did they ever. Now she likes walking herself and will even go for a little walk when it’s just her and dad. So I coming around to the squeaky shoes a little bit, but don’t be surprised if they mysteriously disappear somewhere between China and home.

Clean Hands

2009-03-14T10:00:00.000-05:00

L is a bit preoccupied with clean hands (her mother is rubbing off on her already). My (dad) job is to have a wet washcloth ready and wipe her hands when they get a speck of dirt on them. So the other day L was eating a piece of watermelon. Unfortunately, that got her right hand dirty so she moved the watermelon to her left hand and motioned for me to clean her right hand. However, by the time I got the right hand cleaned, she realized that her left hand was now dirty. So of course, to clean her left hand, she had to move the watermelon to her right hand and then motioned for me to clean her left hand. Now I’m a pretty bright guy, so I could see where this was going, but I thought I would humor her for a while. Fortunately, she is pretty bright too and after a couple more transitions and some cute giggles, she decided to just eat the watermelon.

Our Final Stop

2009-03-14T09:44:00.005-05:00

Raise your hand if you want to ride in an airplane for two hours with 12 infants who have known their parents for about three days. Surprisingly, it went quite well. Yes, there was a lot of screaming and the back of the plane smelled like a port-a-potty, but it was mostly minor, somewhat comical stuff. We were truly blessed because the only empty seat on the plane was the one between us. Also, thank you to those of you praying for our friend. She was a little nervous about her son but she was seated next to a woman who spoke English and Chinese and was able to help her communicate with the flight crew when needed.

We arrived in Guangzhou early afternoon and got settled in at the hotel. The hotel is on a little island separated from the rest of the city by the Pearl River. The island is completely a tourist spot with many little shops and restaurants. Most of our group was ready for some familiar food and so many of us ended up eating American cuisine (i.e. burgers and fries) at a place next to the hotel.

Tomorrow is mostly a leisure day, so they arranged a tour of a Buddhist temple, the Old Chen house, and then a little shopping.

Moving On

2009-03-13T09:37:00.002-05:00

Today we toured the Henan museum of history and then the 6th largest river in the world; the Yellow River. We spent the remainder of our day packing, getting L's passport, immunization records and wrapping up details in Zhengzhou. We fly tomorrow morning (Saturday) to our last stop. It is suppose to be warmer weather and the place to get all your souvenirs. Pray for easy, smooth travel for all!

A special prayer request for our friend Sally who is here alone adopting her son. He has been terribly sick and due to exhaustion she is getting sick as well.

Catching Up To Do...

2009-03-12T11:22:00.004-05:00

I was the blogger before L arrived in our arms. Since such time my husband has taken over the primary blogging role and I thank him for that help. I have so many details I'd like to share and hope to do so soon. I did take some time to update our prayer requests and we do have some significant issues going on currently. We are humbled that you would come along side us and stand before His throne as intercessors for us; thank you! While we hope for wide-spread help in our prayer needs we also kindly ask that our girls are sheltered from loose tongues as we need to walk them through certain issues at certain times.

Acts of Kindness

2009-03-12T10:58:00.001-05:00

Our day to get out and experience Zhengzhou had a few wrinkles thrown into it. First of all, the stress of the whole experience wore out L and she slept from about 10:30pm to 11:30am, so the morning was pretty much shot. She was however quite happy today and seems to be getting a little more comfortable with us each day. Finally about 3:30 in the afternoon we made it out for a little walk in the rain. We didn’t have anywhere we really needed to go, so we ventured to a department store and McDonald’s. On the way a very nice woman stopped us and asked us about L. She spoke a little English and asked us how old L was and told us her name was Louise (we’ve met a number of Chinese people who have “English” names as well as their Chinese name, especially those in the service industry, such as hotel staff). Anyway, she moved on, but about two or three minutes later she was back and insisted we take her umbrella (it was sprinkling lightly), so she gave it to us to keep. It was a wonderful act of kindness, this we know to be a special gift from above; how He is always watching over us and moving others around us to reap blessing upon blessing.

Phone Fun

2009-03-12T10:37:00.002-05:00

We fell short in our video and picture duties today, so here is a little video from yesterday...

Heartbreaking

2009-03-12T10:26:00.000-05:00

One of the families in our group was fortunate enough to have a letter from their child’s biological mother that most likely expressed the struggle many of the people who left these children went through. It was something to the effect of thank you kind people for adopting this child. She has a medical condition that we are not able to care for, she needs surgery right away. It listed the child’s date and time of birth as well as the name the mother chose for the child. It was clear in reading the letter that she cared for this child and was doing what she thought was in her best interest.

Quiet Day

2009-03-11T10:09:00.000-05:00

A number of families were able to make a trip to their child's orphanage today, but since L's was so far away (5 hours by express train), we were not able to do that. So we pretty much hung out at the hotel today. Tomorrow we plan to explore Zhengzhou a little bit and hit a large park within walking distance and maybe try to do a little shopping. We've been trying to teach L a few signs to help on the communication front and she is starting to pick up on a couple. In the attached video she shows the sign for "more".

Amazing Hotel

2009-03-11T09:31:00.000-05:00

One of CCAI's philosophies is to have families stay in some of the very best hotels while visiting China. They feel there is enough stress and firsts that having a comfortable place to rest is of utmost importance. While in the capitol of Henan province we are blessed to be in an exquisite hotel as you'll see from the pictures. Our guide said that it helps them having us here at the Crowne Plaza Zhengzhou because the hotel staff can speak enough English to help us as needed when our guides may be with another family.

It's Official

2009-03-10T09:04:00.000-05:00

We went to the Henan Center for Adoption Affairs and the Office of the Notary today and made the adoption official, receiving our Certificate of Adoption.

Now we need to spend a couple more days in Zhengzhou while L's passport is processed and then it's off to Guangzhou to the US Consulate. Since we were finished with official business in the morning, we had some time to go to the Lotus Center (big store similar to Walmart) in the afternoon. The place was packed, it felt like shopping the Friday after Thanksgiving. It was three stories high so they had escalators that carried your carts as well so you could move from floor to floor. After getting laughed at by some women in the diaper aisle (I don't know what I did, but it was funny) it was time to go.

L and her mother stayed at the hotel and caught up on some sleep. They seem to be bonding quite well, but she thinks dad is a little scary (so we know she is a good judge of character). God is answering prayers in the affirmative as things have gone very smoothly. Please continue and please lift up our entire group as there are 13 children getting to know their families. Also, thank you for the comments, we look forward to reading them everyday.

Introductions

2009-03-09T07:52:00.000-05:00

Our group had three meetings to get their children today. Six at 9 am, four at 10:30 am and one at 3:15 pm. We were the 3:15 pm, so we had to wait until late afternoon to meet L. It actually allowed us to be God's hands to others as we were able to help families with picture taking and carrying bags to let them focus on their children. It also helped us because by the time it was our turn, we had the drill down pat, and being the only family at our time, it went very fast.
They described L well in her paperwork as things went as expected. She is very timid around strangers (us) and took to us quite slowly. But with only a little crying I (Jon) held her and carried her back to the hotel.

Soon There Very Soon

2009-03-08T09:31:00.000-05:00

In less than 24 hours we will get to meet L! There are three groups being matched with their children tomorrow (Monday). The first six children will meet their families at 9:00 a.m., the next four children will meet their families at 10:00 a.m. We are the last family to be united with our child and we are the only one in our group. L will come the furthest and will be the only child from her orphanage. She has to take a five hour express train to meet us and thus our meeting is scheduled for 3:15 p.m. The eleven children range in age from 14 months to 6 1/2 years of age, all of which have special needs. The families are just as diverse as well; two single moms, a few first time parents, one who has adopted from China before, some older, some younger, etc.

Today we flew into the capitol city; Zhengzhou of the Henan province, the most densely populated province in China with nearly 100 million people. Henan is 62,000 square miles just smaller than the state of Kansas. We will be here at the Crown Plaza Hotel for six days waiting on our child's passport before moving onto our last city.

Next time we blog we should have L!

Dear Lord, we ask for guidance as we prepare to meet L. We ask you to give her an overwhelming sense of peace as she begins a long journey towards a new life tomorrow. May her heart be receptive to you, may she see your love through us. May you grant us health, strength, peace and patience. May your love abound!

Beijing Tours

2009-03-08T08:59:00.000-05:00

When our tour guides says; "You don't want to come all the way to Beijing and not see everything there is to see." she definitely made those words ring true. On Friday she gave us a full 10 hour tour (we even asked her to cancel the dinner and show plans because we were so exhausted.) On Saturday we boarded the bus at 8:00 a.m. and got home at 9:00 p.m. Our tour started at the jade factory, then we went to the Great Wall of China, had lunch at an authentic Chinese restaurant, saw the Olympic Village, peeked in a 7-star hotel (only in China?), had a foot and body massage and ended the day at the Peking Acrobats.

Cultural Differences

2009-03-08T06:31:00.000-05:00

It has been fun to see and experience some of the cultural differences. For instance, the nicer the hotel, the firmer the beds. I rarely have a hard time sleeping but at our last hotel WOW were those beds FIRM! Even the pillows were quite solid with a beanbag type filling.

Then there is the obvious water issue that is a concern. However, the hotels come equipped to make it easy to boil water. THIS has been a hard thing for me to remember and twice now I've caught myself rinsing my toothbrush in the sink. We now leave a rag over the faucet to help me remember.

The public restrooms have been another fun experience and we've had many a laugh about this endeavor. How can one not laugh when you are arguing, through the stalls, over which way to face? Then finding out that at each new facility finding the toilet paper is like playing "Where's Waldo?" or realizing too late that it was a BYOTP facility. Yet another lesson has been to be a bit more aggressive. Today in fact, I was waiting my turn, clearly waiting right on the bold yellow line that says "Wait your turn here." (in both Chinese and English) and two women walked right in front of me and stood waiting for the next door to open. This has happened a few times already so I was ready to earn my spot back (not to mention my flight was beginning to board) so I began to feel the competitive edge rise up in me while I literally got on the balls of my feet and the moment the handle started to jiggle I bolted. Ahh, the victory of being first to the squatty potty!

Finally, the Chinese use split pants for those not potty-trained. As you can see in this picture the child is wearing a diaper however, this is not generally the case. In fact, at the Forbidden City we saw a precious little girl bundled in numerous layers, sleeping on her mom's arm and her bare little cheeks stuck out instead. We've been told this is done first b/c their little ones are bundled in so many layers and secondly in ease of potty training. While sight-seeing we saw numerous children learning the skill right there on the side of the road. Kudos goes out to the Chinese because for the most part their children are trained at a very early age.

Beijing Sightseeing

2009-03-06T06:19:00.000-06:00

We will spend a couple days in Beijing before we head to Zhengzhou to receive L, so we are making the most of our time to do the tourist things. Today we started off at Tiananmen Square and then walked through the Forbidden City before a traditional Chinese lunch. After lunch we toured a silk factory and saw how silk is made, then rode a rickshaw through a neighborhood with very narrow streets called a Hutong. After waking at 4 am (still getting used to the time change) and sightseeing for 11 hours, I’ll keep this one short and go to bed.

Travel Day

2009-03-05T06:20:00.001-06:00

Unintentionally we began transitioning ourselves to the different time zone with our lack of sleep. With just two hours of sleep we kissed our girls goodbye (two of which were awake) and R headed us out to the airport just prior to 5:00 a.m. The day and two flights went well and we followed the flight attendants lead to shut all window shades and begin the day as if it were night. The 13+ hours on our Beijing flight went extremely fast with only the last 20 minutes requiring many to have the special bags for upset stomachs ready (just in case).

We enjoyed the sights as we traveled to our hotel and had several gasps as the drivers took things into their own hands on the over-crowded road. SO many bikes; people have found inventive ways to transport cargo or passengers with their own two legs.

We have tonight to rest and the next two days to adjust and sight see.

Tuesday

2009-03-05T06:14:00.000-06:00

Tuesday was a full day of all the last minute details. It wasn't until mid-day that the emotions of going and of leaving our three girls for so long hit; and they hit hard. Whew. I talked to a few of you during those moments. :) Thank you especially K & J for your prayers over the phone to uplift my spirit.

Two Years

2009-02-26T21:52:00.000-06:00

I find myself wondering; wondering about her two years of life. I have mixed feelings; humanly speaking I grieve not knowing or being a part of that time; not ever knowing. I grieve because someday she too will grieve the unknown. Yet I rejoice because I know full well my God knows her, thinks of her, yearns for her, ponders her, rejoices in her... HE knows her and He has a brilliant plan for her. I am a blessed vessel that gets to share about the crown of life to my two year old daughter. What greater joy and purpose is there?

Travel Date

2009-02-26T21:43:00.001-06:00

Last night (Wed., Feb. 25th) we bought plane tickets to Beijing; just one week away! Things are in fast forward at our house. We have the most wonderful parents who are willing to drop everything to watch the girls for 9 1/2 days each side. SO... plans have begun.

We leave the house at 5:00 a.m. on the 4th to start a 20+ hour journey! A journey of a lifetime... We are going to China!

It hasn't been until now that we've allowed our hearts to be stirred by this endeavor. It seems we've kept our emotions at arms length, such an uncertain process.

Travel Date

2009-02-21T22:03:00.001-06:00

Our long awaited travel to China is approaching! We've been told we will travel on March 4th or the 11th. We are humbled that God is allowing us this experience; to bring a little child of His into our home. We hope you will join us on this journey and be encouraged and humbled by Christ's love!