Three years ago!

Three years ago, my have you changed!

Our sweet Cali was handed to us today for a 24 hour harmonious period. Well 3 years later I can say not every moment is not harmonious but every moment is RIGHT!
It is right that she is part of a family, our family,
right that she has 5 sisters(4 home, 1 waiting in China) and 1 brother,
right that our family has shades of different colors,
right that for her gotcha day lunch she will want Chick fila,
right that she her roots are from Southern China and she grows in the south of America,
right that her face, once thought of as a curse now lights up a room,
right that her giggle that was once silent now makes everyone giggle too.
Thank you God for making it right.

How can we help?

Every once in a while people ask me how they can help in our adoption or adoption in general. I know not everyone is called to adopt but you all know that I believe all of us are called to help the orphans of the world. First and foremost I would say pray for those who have no family, no warm bed, no one to hold them in the night. Support families who are called to adopt. Do not pass judgement on what may look different than the "normal" two child family in the USA. Another way is to financially support incredible organizations that are in the "trenches" helping these kids.
Half the Sky
Love without Boundaries
Show Hope
These are just a few great organizations. Check out their web sites.
If you want to know how you can help us specifically...There is a $5000 donation that we are asked to donate to Mia Caili's orphanage. This money goes to care for those children left behind. They need to be fed, clothed, educated and hopefully to training to their caregivers. I have had the incredible honor to visit Mia Caili's orphanage (it is the same as Cali's) and they really do care for these kids. There really was preschool for the younger kids, it was clean and they really do care about the kids. They are trying to improve the lives of the children there. Since we were there in 2008, Half the Sky is working there to teach the staff how to care for the little ones and educate the older children. If you would like to help us with the orphanage donation, you can send us a check and we will deposit it to our account that will be holding these funds until we travel. WE really need your prayers more than anything but if you want donate towards the orphanage donation, you will be a blessing to our family and the children left behind.

I 800A

It is in the mail. Our I800A has been sent off the homeland security,USCIS, the wizard of Oz behind the curtain. Whoever the packet is going to, please look at it, approve it, schedule our fingerprints. Another piece to the puzzle. One more step closer to our sweet Mia Caili.
Funny notes for today...
We went to Walmart to pick up some stuff. Did you know that footy pajamas are in the stores. Well they are. Cali and Lily both got a pair and wore them all day. Yes it is still 90 degrees. Yes we went on errands, no they did not get out of the car. When we picked Greyson up from school she asked the girls why they were wearing their PJs. Lily informed her that it was "wear your pajamas to school day!"

Paper work update....finally!

I haven't written any updates about the adoption because well there was not too much to write about : (( But finally I can see some advancement of the collection of papers stacked on the dining room table are moving! They are being certified, authenticated, homestudy was just approved and checks are to be written. Yes did I mention checks. That is just another piece to the puzzle. There have been new regulations put in place by "the Hauge" that makes this process several months longer than our previous adoptions. You really can't fight it but I just have to say some of it is ridiculous! But we are getting there. Once all of our papers are in China which I would think will take another 2 months, it will then take another 4-6 months for China to review all the documents and then allow us to go to China and bring Mia home.
I went to an awesome adoption conference this past weekend. Great speakers and super worship music by Geoff Moore. Did you ever watch someone sing who looked so happy so then it made you happy? It was just him on stage with his good friend playing guitar. I hope it inspired some people to adopt and others to continue to support adoption through prayer,financial contributions and foster care.
I loved the quote "adoption is tragic beauty" you can't really deny the fact that adoption includes tragedy. Someone has been given up, abandoned...due to
many circumstances, could be poverty, disease, unwed mother, shame, politics.. Many reasons but all tragic. But the beauty comes when we can see the gospel come alive. Just as we were adopted out of our diseased flesh and soul, we became a new creation in Jesus Christ so do these children when they have a family to call there own. There is the beauty! I am honored, literally, to be a part of this beautiful plan designed by the greatest artist of all.