Alot has happened in the last year!

As I sit here today to write this blog, in someways it is hard to believe that we have been in the midst of the adoption process for a year.  In the last year I must say that our Lord Jesus has been oh so faithful to us!  In times of uncertainty and doubt He was there to encourage us to press on!  There is no doubt that adoption is expensive.  When we started our journey we were stepping out in faith.  We both felt led to adopt and have believed from the beginning that God would provide the finances we needed for each step of the process!  Through the broken refrigerator and dishwasher, plumbing issues and 2 expensive car repair bills, the money we have needed for the next step in the process as been there!  I can not take any credit for the miracles of the needed money being available just as it was needed!  GOD GETS THE GLORY IN IT ALL!

We are about 2 weeks away from receiving travel approval to travel to China!  Our visa's have been granted, our packing lists have been made (in my head atleast), some darling dresses have been purchased (along with some cute hair accessories) and this mommy is ready to meet her new daughter!  Ok... Jeff is pretty excited too!  Every time I look at a picture of Myah I say a prayer that God would prepare her for her forever home.  The reality that Myah will experience great sorrow and loss is setting in and so I earnestly pray for her.

In five days Myah will be 1 year old!!!  While we wish we could be there to celebrate her life with her, that isn't possible.  I said in an earlier post that we are sending her a birthday party!  I anxiously await the pictures of that special day.  This is what is being sent to her.

The letter that is shown is to her caregivers.  I shared with them her new name, requested that if they have not already done so, they begin showing her our pictures, and I asked a few questions.  Ann, the dear lady that sends the package will then call the orphanage to request the answers to my questions and photo's of her birthday party!  I am hopeful that next week at this time I will have party pictures to share.  You will notice that there is no cake in the picture.  Ann has ordered it from a local bakery and it is scheduled to be delivered to the orphanage on her birthday!  Their cakes are beautiful.  I am curious if they taste as

good as they look.  I may never know!!! 

We are soo sooo soooo blessed!!!

I did not expect to receive these photo's until late tonight or when I woke up tomorrow morning.  One of the families that was there just couldn't wait to share with us our sweet baby girl!  I must say that I never imagined that we would receive so many pictures of our sweet Myah.  What a blessing it was to have these two traveling families take a gift to Myah for us, and get to see her too!!!! 

This is what Jill said:  
She is so cute and sweet, Jennifer!  She really just seemed to be very curious about all of us.  Not frightened, but cautious.  You can see for yourself how adorable she is!  (& they had her in a little ivory lacy dress - so sweet.) 

Ok, I know you don't care about my words...  you just want to see the pictures!!!  Sooooo... here they are!

 Notice the dress the little girl on the left is wearing!  Myah had it on the last time we got photos.

We sent a little bunny to her, through a fundraiser of another adopting family!

We will be there soon!

  

What step are we on? Baby Myah's birthday is approaching!

People have asked what step are we on now, with our adoption.  As of Tuesday, Aug 9th our Visa Documents were submitted to the US Consulate in China.  It takes 14 days for our documents to be ready for pickup, so for us that means August 23rd.  When our agency picks them (Article 5) up, they will send it to the CCCWA and we will wait for travel approval.  Our agency anticipates that it will take about a week for us to get that approval.  As I said in my last post, we will likely leave 2 weeks after we receive travel approval.  We are getting so close!

On a different note, our princess is going to turn one on August 21st.   I am sad that we won't be in China for her birthday, but that is not possible.  What is there to do?  SEND A BIRTHDAY PARTY TO HER!!!!  Wooo hooo!  We won't have to miss our on our little Myah's first birthday.  We have ordered a cake, and a camera and a little gift to be delivered to her orphanage on her birthday.  The care package service that we used is also translating a letter for Myah's caregivers.  In the letter we told them when we anticipate traveling.  We told them what her new name is and told them that they can start calling her by Myah if they choose to.  We asked that if they have not done so already, please give her the picture book of us, so she is familiar with our faces when we get her. 

We asked a few questions that the care package sender will seek to get answers to.  She will also request an email of photo's from her birthday party!  So, in a few weeks we will likely receive new photos!!!

So there you have it!  Continue to pray for our little angel to be ready for her new mamma and babba (daddy) and for the love that we have for her! 

One last note, I still have hair clips to sell!  Click back to March to see the hair clips... keep looking forward, as there are many!!!

When are we going to China?

Many have asked when we anticipate going to China.  While I can not tell you forsure when we are going, I can tell you that our agency anticipates that we will get Travel Approval in 3 weeks and then leave 2 weeks after that!  So the time will come before we know it!

More to come!!!

WOW! What a wild few days! So glad to go into the weekend with that behind us!

I have been on the phone and emailing the National Visa Center MANY times in the last few days.  Each time I called the person would tell me something different.  Finally today I talked to a Supervisor... and he got the ball rolling!  While the work was not done before he was off for the day, his work helped!  I talked with another Supervisor 4 times this afternoon and evening and FINALLY we received word that our documents had been sent to the US Consulate in China!  We also received our copy of the document in a pdf file.  I immediately emailed it to our 2 agency contacts, and texted one of them, to let her know that it was in her inbox. 

Through the last few days, let's just say that my heart was racing fast a number of times.  I was frustrated and discouraged.  Like so many times before, our dear Aunt had sent us an email!  No kidding, every time I need to know that someone is praying, we receive a sweet email and a reminder of her faithful prayer for us and our sweet Myah!  Thank you Aunt!!!   You are a blessing!!!

So what is next... early next week, the in China coordinator for our agency will take our pdf document along with a few other documents to the US Consulate.  They will be picked up 14 days later and then sent to the CCAA to issue our travel approval.

We received confirmation again from our agency that we are still on target for travel in September! 

One more prayer concern that I must share.  There is a huge storm that is scheduled to hit China in the next few days.  Hangzhou, where Myah is at, is included in this great storm.  There are families that are scheduled to get their children on Monday and are struggling to get there, due to flight cancellations!  Please pray that those families get there on time and that the storm is not as severe as they predict!

More news to come.... soon!!!!

BOTH HANDS with my friends Guy and Connie

God has truely blessed us with some awesome relationships along our adoption journey.  This couple lives 15 minutes from us and they just completed a Both Hands project.  Please take the time to watch their video.  If you feel so lead to contribute to their adoption expenses, you will find that information at the end. 

Our sweet Myah on video and other thoughts!

First, I am happy to share with you a video of our sweet angel!  This was taken by the sweet family that took pictures of Myah a few weeks ago.  She emailed it to us on Saturday.  I just want to leap through my computer screen and go pick her up.  If that were only possible!  So, here she is!  Click on the link and watch from there!

Other thoughts, I have no doubt that Myah has received excellent care from her nanny's.  She has never known the love a mommy and daddy or brothers.  When we travel to get her in a few weeks, we are going to be taking her from all that she has ever known.  I know that she will likely experience sadness and much more.  That makes me sad but it also makes me more eager to get her.  She might not want our comfort and love at first, but inspite of that, we will do the best we can.  We will love her and treat her as I would our biological children!  So for now, I pray.  I ask that you pray too.  Please pray that right now, God will begin to prepare her heart for us.  Pray that she will find safety in our arms and know the love we have for her. 

I hope to have more great news to report soon!  Until then.... ok... maybe even afterwards too... I am going to watch the video of Myah!