Planning and Thinking and Planning and Waiting and Thinking Some More

Ooooooooooooooh my! Sooo much going on in my head these days. Last week we got our receipt in the mail! This little piece of mail doesn't really do much except let you know things are still moving. We sent a check, they sent a receipt and now we wait for a letter in the mail to come with an appointment set up for our fingerprints, which is set for 3 or 4 weeks out. BUT we have been told by many to try walking in and getting the process moved quicker, so oh yeah baby you better believe we are jumping on THAT! So right now we wait for it to come, which I am praying it gets here this Friday so cross your fingers with me please!! After those go through we are DCT!!!! --Dossier To China!!!--
Right now I am brainstorming on having a big Spaghetti Dinner fundraiser. We are hoping to have a mini concert by Anna's cello teacher and his sister who are in a group (well the two of them) called 4/5ths. They really are so awesome to listen to! We are hoping to get our girls up there too. They really want to be apart of it to get their sister home! And also we want to have a Chinese auction. SOOOO if any of you talented or friendly people know somebody anybody, or you yourself, has something to donate that is homemade (new) or anything new or gift-cards or well ANYTHING (with in reason, let's not get crazy now lol) we can auction off...well...we would be forever grateful for your help! :) All of this and the dates are still being worked on but I will start taking donations whenever and I will FOR SURE let you all know when it is set! )

HERE'S A SAMPLE OF JOEL AND JULIANN:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IB-lKLMAnKk

And next on my list of things coming up...for all of you make-up and MARY-KAY lovers, a sweet friend of mine from college wants to do a party-on-line party-for our adoption and all of the proceeds will go towards our adoption! :) I have such wonderful friends, don't I  ?!?!?!  :)
Sooo, as you can see, aside from the daily life of my babies, hubby and home, I am at work to bring our sweet girl home to us! I still have my ups and my downs and the crazy looks of "you're adopting another one?". But your prayers are truly felt and they get me through some of these tough days. I just try to keep my eyes heavenward and know that this year-wow, this year-I will be holding that sweet sweet girl in my arms.
So thank you all!!!!
 Oh and I have a new page just for the adoption on Facebook so find me! :)
https://www.facebook.com/HisGrandDesignBringingHomeNina?ref=hl

I Saw What I Saw

A very, way too sweet friend-posted this song to facebook for me and her sister (who is also adopting from China) saying this song made her think of us. I haven't yet gone and seen what this song writer has seen, right now it is just those sad eyes of Nina's that tell a story. But I know I will go over there and see things that will break my heart-and I know this song will have a new meaning to my life. I pray daily for the life my Nina and other orphans life daily. Faced with hunger, loneliness, some abuse, and broken hearts....I pray for you sweet children. Dear Lord let me never forget all the children who still need my prayers and our help!

Lyrics to I Saw What I Saw :

I saw what I saw and I can't forget it 

I heard what I heard and I can't go back 

I know what I know and I can't deny it 

Something on the road, cut me to the soul 

Your pain has changed me 

your dream inspires 

your face a memory 

your hope a fire 

your courage asks me what I'm afraid of 

(what I am made of) 

and what I know of love 

we've done what we've done and we can't erase it 

we are what we are and it's more than enough 

we have what we have but it's no substitution 

Something on the road, touched my very soul 

I say what I say with no hesitation 

I have what I have and I'm giving it up 

I do what I do with deep conviction 

Something on the road, changed my world

More lyrics: http://www.lyricsmania.com/i_saw_what_i_saw_lyrics_sara_groves.html
All about Sara Groves: http://www.musictory.com/music/Sara+Groves

I apologize in advance for the fact that I LOVE music, so that is why so many of my post have a song in them. Music to me is what get's me through some days.

PS. I have the song down at the bottom in my play list.

If your looking for adoption shirts don't forget the shirts we are selling!!! And if giving money isn't possible, we could always use your prayers!!

Beautiful

Lamentations 3:19-23

19 The thought of my suffering and homelessness is bitter beyond words. 20 I will never forget this awful time,as I grieve over my loss. 21 Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this:
22 The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. 23 Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning.



                          The wait of adoption is grueling to say the least. You sign paper after paper, praying and hoping that every T is crossed and every I is doted and every word is worded in just the right way, so that everything is just right and the way it is suppose to be to bring home your child. You seldom get updates and when you do you can only pray what you get is actually true. We have taken online courses (required to adopt in China) that have opened up our eyes to the world our child and all of these children are forced to face everyday. I have questioned, cried, worried, longed for and prayed for and over this little girl. My questions of, who am I to take on this challenge? Why would God have pushed me forward to be blessed by this little life? What if I can't handle it, would I only then be hurting her instead of bringing her into love. The classes talk of how this sweet girl will be met with strange faces, taken away from all she's ever known, the people, the smells, the friends, the sights, the sounds, the food and taken to a place she knows nothing about, to taste food she's never tasted, and listen to a language she doesn't understand, all of this making her feel very sad and alone and different. leaving me to look at my husband and ask, are we doing the right thing for her?
                      The other day while I was driving these questions were again going through my head when I heard a song by Mercy Me called Beautiful--some of the lyrics say:

Days will come when you don't have the strength
And all you hear is you're not worth anything
Wondering if you ever could be loved
And if they truly saw your heart
They'd see too much

You're beautiful, You're beautiful
You are made for so much more than all of this
You're beautiful, You're beautiful
You are treasured, you are sacred, you are His
You're beautiful

Praying that you have the heart to fight
'Cuz you are more than what is hurting you tonight
For all the lies you've held inside so long
But they are nothing in the shadow of the cross

                   When I heard the words to this song I thought to myself- I wonder if Nina has ever had these feelings. Sure she is young, but with so many children in her orphanages does she ever feel loved? Has anyone ever told her she is beautiful? Does she wonder if she is not worth anything since her mother abandoned her? And then God stopped my thoughts and whispered, "Sara, why not you? Why not you to love her, and make her feel beautiful and like she is worth something. Why don't you let me show you how I can use you as a tool to bringing this little girl to her new family."
                  Suddenly all the doubts and questions I had didn't matter. Because she matters to God, and that should be enough. Does that mean I wont struggle with doubts from time to time when I get overwhelmed-I'd love to say no, but new frustrations will arise in this process and my guard will be down. But one thing I do know-when I am doubting, or stressing, I take one look at her pictures and I just know I love this child already. I see her beauty, even without meeting her. And I know, without a shadow of a doubt-that she has worth.

                    I leave you with this song we sang in church today. A song that reminded me that God can use me...He can use you...He can use any one who is able and willing to be used of Him in every way...


All this pain
I wonder if I'll ever find my way?
I wonder if my life could really change at all?
All this earth
Could all that is lost ever be found?
Could a garden come up from this ground at all?


You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of the dust
You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of us

All around
Hope is springing up from this old ground
Out of chaos life is being found in You

You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of the dust
You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of us


Read more: GUNGOR - BEAUTIFUL THINGS LYRICS


God Bless!

A Moment of WOW

                There are moments in life when life throws you a major curve ball. I am talking a good life curve. In this moment you have tingles from your head to your toes, you feel like your walking on air and your not even sure if it is you that is living this moment. This first time I ever had this feeling was when the love of my life asked me to marry him standing on the beach 8 1/2 years ago. But I was blessed to feel this happiness again while we were on vacation this Christmas. I had said how my husband's family blessed us with making our adoption their Christmas project this year. Every year, instead of buying gifts for each other, we have collected money to give to someone in need, and this year they chose us. We were very excited and felt very blessed that they were willing to do this for us, but I wasn't ready for what was about to happen. The family passed the bag around and collected money for us and before we all left the room, my husband's cousin, Nate said he had something to say. He told us that he had made up little cards with Nina's face and name, and that she had epilepsy and also my blog address, and was passing it around his campus at college. I was STUNNED to say the least. Nate is such a sweet guy but I wouldn't say he is a crazy out going guy, and the fact that he was willing to get out there and put energy into raising awareness for our little girl and adoption in general was so shocking to me! But he went on the to tell us he also had a jar with all that information on it and was asking people for loose pocket change to help go towards helping us bring our little girl home. THAT is the moment I felt like I was having an out of body moment! Even as I recount this moment I still get teared up. People who don't know my little girl, or us, or even Nate for that matter were giving him money. Some pocket money, but some were giving more than that!
                      I hope to have Nate write in more detail the people he met collecting money soon. He told me some were people who at first glace, you never would have thought would give anything and were more than willing too. He also met people who lived with epilepsy either in their family or they themselves had it. He met people who were from China, those who had been adopted or had siblings who were adopted and others who just really thought adoption was awesome. He said one person said they did not feel comfortable giving to someone they did not know, and then later tracked him down because they saw people they knew posting about our adoption on Facebook! It made me laugh when he told me how before this he knew maybe 5 people total on campus, and now as he walks through campus he is seeing familiar faces everywhere saying hello to him! God never ceases to AMAZE me in how He works through people and their big hearts! With all the "pocket change" he managed to raise a little over $1,200!!!!! Our God is so good!!!
      We were also shown other sweet blessings on our vacation  Not only were we very blessed by the generous donations of the rest of the family, my nieces and nephews were given Christmas money that their parents told them they could use to go get a toy with tomorrow or give it to Aunt Sara and Uncle "Bud" (no I do not like the nick name in case you were wondering, but there are two Uncle Josh's) for our adoption. And each one of them decided to give it to us! Such sweet hearts raised by giving sweet parents! And all the girls were given for Christmas presents, brackets from their Aunt that had a picture of Nina on them!
     My heart was so over whelmed by love for us and love for our little pumpkin so many miles away! Oh if only she knew how very loved she already was!!!!
             While the lesson of patience through this whole process has been more difficult than I ever thought it could be, the blessings and lessons a long the way are growing me in ways I never imagined! And these are the moments I hold onto while I wait...and wait...and wait...





---FUNDRAISING---

I am still having the 31 party going on a little longer for any one who is interested. All of the proceeds are going toward our adoption. The new Spring line is SO SO SO CUTE!!!

And we still have shirts available! :)