耶稣说:"我就是道路,真理,生命;若不借着我,没有人能到父那里去"(约14:6)
Jesus said: "I am the way, the truth and the life; if not through me, and no one can come to the Father" (John 14:6)

Isaiah 43:5

"Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bring your children from the east and gather you from the west"

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Waiting

I know I have said that I am waiting before. That seems to be the natural state of affairs in international adoption. And I have really tried to be true to "God's timing is PERFECT" This Sunday in church our pastor was teaching on just that, God's perfect timing. We may question, get angry, get sad, get impatient, but God's timing IS perfect because He is perfect and He loves us. Over and over again in the bible we can now see "ohhhh that is why God's people had to wait, so that and that could happen first ..." Same thing in our lives.
So we are on week 6 waiting for our LOA (letter of acceptance) from China. Nothing can proceed in as far as paperwork and/or traveling without the LOA. So yes we are waiting. I just really wanted to give you all an update.
Oh yeah...this is one more thing I have been waiting for....
Krispy Kreme Valentines donuts...they are back and well worth the wait...like so many other things in life.

Saturday, January 28, 2012

Chinese New Year Celebrations



What a fun busy weekend! We had our adoption playgroup here yesterday, Chinese New Year Celebration today and violin recital this afternoon. Good night sleep tonight!

Monday, January 23, 2012

Year of the Dragon


For the next two weeks or so there will be tons of celebrating in China. Families reunite after many months of seperation, due to working away from home towns. Homes are swept clean of the past and lots of food is shared by all. I am sure that the celebrations have changed through the years, just as China has changed so quickly. I am sure the older generations try to hold on to traditional customs and the younger generation tries to fit into the history of China and the China of today. If you have ever traveled to China the contrast between young and old is remarkable. Literally there may be an older man carrying his goods on a wagon or on his back on a bike and next to him a zooming Porche whizzes by. The gap between rich and poor is huge.
The one child policy for the past 30 years or so has, I would assume changed family celebrations as well. No longer are there tons of grandchildren running around their grandparents feet, listening to stories of the good ole days. So many fewer children to pass on the stories of their ancestors. Wonder what the older generations think. Is it good or bad to them?

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Kisses from Kate

If you look on my blog list , I added a new one that you may like to read. It is written by a young Christian woman who is her early 20s. She is serving God by living in Uganda and becoming a mother to 13 orphans. Check out her blog "the journey" and her book "Kisses from Kate "

Sunday, January 15, 2012

Race in our Country. Race in our home.

My DH (dear husband) drove my DS (dear son) to college this weekend. He changed colleges so his housing situation has changed. The college he is now attending is in the mountains of NC. I would say the majority of the students are white, with of course most minorities represented in some number. DS and DH checked in a went up to the new room. DS was fortunate to get housing mid year, on campus housing is at a premium at this college. They called to let me know that the room was great, suite style, kitchen, living room, shared bathroom. The new room mate is an upper classmen, the space opened up because his room mate had graduated in December. DS told me where his room mate is from, he seems nice, was very welcoming all good stuff! Some where in the conversation DS or DH told me that his new room mate is black. Honestly, I don't even know what part of the conversation this bit of information came up. No big deal to DS. His two best friends growing up are black, as far as skin color my DS gets darker in the summer than his two friends. When he was a little boy my DS thought he was the "dark" one in the group. But I did begin to ponder some things about my world. I am not going to solve our countries race issues but I began to ponder my world, my family. DS's new room is suite style meaning a couple of rooms share the common area (kitchen, living room).If the other students were also black, and my son was now the minority, I wonder how he would feel. Something to think about, huh? Just a thought?
When I lived in CA, newly married early 20's one of my best friends was black. We never really talked about race, she was my friend. We had more in common than not in coomon(different skin color). We were about the same age, newly married, from NY, starting our careers , no kids new to CA. So we were friends! When we moved to our 2nd home in NC, God placed a great new friend as my "side neighbor" . Her boys were about the same age as my son, our husbands became friends, we shared lots of great times. When they moved lots of tears flowed for weeks. Did I mention she was black. I think back at our relationships and I wonder what was it like for them, they were definitely the minority in the world we shared. Was it OK for them? I had more "race related " conversations with my friend from NC, most likely because we were older and we were raising kids. Some were comical, such as my son thinking HE was the dark one. When all of our kids were learning about slavery together in school, my younger daughter starting having nightmares that they were going to take her brother away. They were all so young and innocent, just making observations based on literally the shades of skin. But really I wonder now, was it OK for my friends, I hope so. I love them like sisters. Now I am raising two (soon to be three) Asian-American girls. In our house they are not so much a minority. But in our community they are. Is that OK? When they go to high school or college will they seek out the friends that look like them. Will they make a college choice based on ethic make up? Years ago there was a study done in schools that study race in schools. They looked at the choices students made in seat choices in the cafeteria, Even after years of intergration, most kids chose to sit with kids of their own race. I think sadly, it is still like that in a lot of places. Not just schools-churches, schools and the workplace.
Even in writing this should I black as a description and change it to African- American? Even though my friend from CA is from Barbados should our skin color, country of origin define us?
I read books about IA-international adoption. They say it is important for our IA kids to feel OK in the "skin" and heritage. So I try to educate them in their birth countries history/culture. We go to a weekly play group that all the children are adopted from Asia. So really most of their friends do in fact look like them. Who are they though -are they Americans, Chinese, Br----ns, Christians, North Carolinians, etc. ? Who are any of us? How do you identify yourself? How do others identify you? What do you check in those little boxes at the doctors office, work or school applications? Why do we still have those boxes?
See, I told you I was not going to solve the world's race issues. I was just pondering...

Sunday, January 01, 2012

2011 reflections

If I wrote a post last New years Day I don't think I would have imagined that on New Years Day 2012, we would have completed paper work and be waiting for Mia to come home. I remember the first Sunday of 2011, I sat in church staring at a little girls face that looked like my girls at home yet she did not have a forever home. She was an orphan girl that had been abandoned once again. And so I felt that God was calling me, leading me to pray for this sweet, sad girl whose face stared at me through my phone. I prayed each Sunday and often throughout the week that her forever family would come and hold her close, wipe her tears and give reasons to laugh. I started to talk about her to Greg, then my kids then my mom. Asking them to also pray for her. My mom, being my "heart caretaker" because of her being a wonderful mother, took on the role of uh oh, what are you exactly asking me to pray for. I assured her I wanted her to pray that God would reveal her forever family. Through months of prayer and many doors that God had to open we have been chosen, blessed to be her forever family and so this began the first Sunday of 2011. And so now begins 2012. A year in which we will travel once again to China to be united with another daughter. A year when our first daughter will graduate college. A year that our next daughter may choose her college. A year when two little ones will continue to school at home learning together. The ABCs, and the 123s. But as exciting as all these plans may sound I know only God really knows what 2012 will hold for each of us.Isn't that reassuring! My prayer for 2012 is that our family will learn to rely more fully on God, and less on the world.

Jeremiah 29:11
11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.