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.

Missing in the picture

As I have mentioned before I never pictured myself with 7 kids. Maybe 7 kids in my class but not in my nest. But God had different,better plans. I made myself a family collage for mother's day. On the frame it is written "life takes us to unexpected places...love brings us home", when I found it I thought perfect! I spent that weekend carefully arranging our family photos. Some old, some new. Placed it on the shelf. I was happy, satisfied.
At that point I had already known about Mia Caili . I knew there was beautiful little girl waiting for her family in Xiamen,Fujian, China. I was praying for her since January. Praying that her family would come and bring her home and she would no longer be an orphan. Honestly I prayed some during the week but on Sunday when I was still sitting church, I dedicated that time to sit and be still and pray for Caili. I got up at the end of the service and walked out with the other 1000s of folks who were walking out of church that same Sunday somewhere in the world. Even walking out with the 100s at our church I felt like my private time with God and Caili was over. Back to the hustle and bustle of life. But that quiet time was precious. Wow, that was stray walk from the post...any how where was I?
Mia Caili is not an orphan any longer but she is missing from my collage (temporarily) . When I take our beach photos there is someone missing. I imagine her running with the girls or being thrown up in the air by her big sisters and brother. I look at my Mother's day collage and some how now I am less satisfied because some one is missing. God is not finished with the collage yet. God is not finished with any of us yet, now that is exciting!

Mia Caili

That is it her name is picked out. Mia Caili (pronounced ki lee). Her name in China is Caili so we are leaving it as her middle name. It is kinda like half Cali and half Lily. Mia Caili has the same birthday as my mom. She turned two in May. She is from the same orphanage as Cali. She has a cleft lip and palate. Her lip has been repaired in China. Her palate is open and will require surgery when we bring her home. I wish I knew when we were traveling but there is an incredible amount of paperwork that needs to be completed. And then approved by both China and the US. I am hoping to travel in December but the reality is it so hard to anticipate some of the things that need to fall into place in order for us to get on that plane. I am blessed to know that Mia Caili is being well taken care of right now. She is currently in foster care and is brought back to the orphanage each day for "preschool". Since Cali has come home, a fabulous organization called Half The Sky is operating the preschool. I better get to schooling Cali and Lily so that their little sister is not ahead of them in school : ). Please continue to pray for all of us...lots of changes ahead!

Happy Birthday America!

Cali has a slight obsession with birthdays. I have tried everything.last year when it was Lily's birthday I actually bought two cakes, one for Lily one for Cali. This year we had a big gymnastics party for Cali. At lily's birthday, offered Cali to open her presents with her and Cali still ended up in tears. At least once a week Cali asks "whose birthday is next?" In our family there is always a birthday coming up! We were at the grocery store yesterday and there were lots of decorations and cakes for July 4th. Ofcourse Cali wanted to know"whose birthday is it?" My answer it is "America 's birthday! Cali you are American!" Cali says, "I am from China!" yes my dear you are from chinaand you are Chinese-American. Will that always be a struggle for my girls? Am I Chinese , American, Chinese-American, American-Chinese?

I lost my foot!

Cali is a funny kid. She sometimes looks at the world in a different light then the rest of us. I am not sure if there are still some language gaps or she just thinks differently but in either case she makes me laugh out loud sometimes. I was getting her her the car tonight and she says something that sounds like "I lost my ele foot" so I think , did she have an elephant toy that she left at my mom's house. So I ask Lily, did Cali have an elephant toy? "nope" . But Cali insisted she lost her ele foot. Now I need to try to think like my sweet Cali. Well she was trying to say she lost her other foot. Which translated for today means she lost her other shoe...hope that made you chuckle

Open The Door!

Sometimes when things are going along God knocks on your door. You open it slightly, maybe out of curiosity. Then walk away. Then He knocks a bit louder and opens the door a bit wider and still I look and think hum,interesting. Then a few weeks again, a knock then again a few months later until finally I say "Oh, You were talking to me?" I guess I didn't know you were talking to me, or I guess I did not know what exactly you wanted me to do about her. Until the last piece of the many pieces of the puzzle and I got a call that literally said, "Jody, we have a file with your name on it!" And so the story, our story, her story continues. If you have not guessed by now we are adopting...again. Please don't role your eyes...I see enough of that in my real life. I rolled my own eyes about this too , at some point but then I prayed for God to open the door or close the door and I will be obedient to Him. And He burst that door wide open so here we go again. This will make seven children for us, never in my plan to have seven children. I know we are not the perfect family nor and I the perfect mom. One day I was really feeling like the "very not perfect mom" and a commercial came on about foster care and it said, "These kids do not need the perfect parent, they need you". So yes I know we are not the perfect parents with the perfect kids but we are the parents and the family that has been chosen, blessed, given the privilage of, given the honor of adopting this little girl. And for that I am thankful. I can honestly say (and for those of you who know me from my teenage years) can attest to that I have regrets. But I have be forgiven, we are all forgiven. I am a new creation in Jesus Christ. For that I am thankful. One thing I have never regretted is is the gift of my children. But I know that if I did not obey God about this adoption that I would live with the regret for my lifetime. The paper work is incredible, the financial commitment is large, the adjustment may not be easy but the blessings will far outway all of these obstacles. Why do I feel like I need to explain all this,not really sure. Guess I don't want to see your eyes roll in person. Maybe because one of my prayers through all this would be that you, my friend, also listen and do what God is knocking on your door and telling you what He wants you, his adopted child, to do for His kingdom.

Happy Mother's Day!

Today brings me such joy and yet sadness. I am so thankful for the gifts that each of my children are to me. They are unique and beautiful ,created in God's image. The possibilities are endless, follow your dreams, follow your heart, my prayer for all of you is to follow Jesus.
My sadness is with those who are sad today because they feel empty without children. Please if you have ever considered adoption, please be assured that you will love adopted children no different than biological children. God has a plan , perhaps the stork has a different delivery method. Do what is right, do what is good.
I will also be praying for those mother's who have given life to these children and then given them to adoption. Most Mother's in China will never know the fate of their children. All I know is that these moms literally risked their lives to complete the pregnancy and placed their child were they could be found. How could I thank someone for that? Do what is right, do what is good.

Did she kiss me?

Every once in a while Lily hits me with a question that makes want to sob right there on the spot but I know that God has given me the responsibility of protecting Lily and holding her heart so delicatly so even when I want to sob, I wait until I am alone.
So today Lily asks me, "Do you think my Chinese mommy kissed me when I was born?"
Me, "Yes, My Lily I know she kissed you when you were born. She is such a blessing to us"
Lily," Do you think she knew that you were a mommy who needed me?"
Me, "Yes, my dear Lily"
Oh how my heart aches for Lily, she looked sad today asking me those questions. I ache for a mother who has no idea what has happened to a daughter that she once kissed.