While We Wait...

Ahhh yes...more lyrics to a song...

There is strength within the sorrow,

There is beauty in our tears

You meet us in our mourning,

With a love that casts out fear

You are working in our waiting,

Sanctifying us

When beyond our understanding,

You’re teaching us to trust

CHORUS

Your plans are still to prosper,

You have not forgotten us

You’re with us in the fire and the flood

Faithful forever,

Perfect in love

You are sovereign over us...

Aaron Shust -Sovereign Over Us

Pure and simple we are sitting back and praying we get front row seats to the biggest miracle we have ever seen. We need more funds. (The thermometer is some of our funds but there are other fees that aren't added into all that yet.) We still have other things in the works. We will be doing another garage sale, we are waiting on two grants that we should hear about at the end of this month, there is the t-shirts, and there is something else I'm working  on with a friend that will be revealed soon. 

On top of these funds will you pray with us for other things more specifically? Being our funds are tight already there are a few bigger items that we don't have to have but would make life a little easier. I thought it would be fun as a community to list some of our needs wants and watch God answer while we check them off. 

We are looking for:

*wooden bunk beds

*a video baby monitor (with Nina's condition we'd like to be able to keep an eye on her)

*bench seat in our van (to replace the captain seats) 

*Phil and Ted double stroller (yes very specific and expensive-but it's lighter not as wide or long and still fits 2 kids)

*a few extra dining room chairs (no they do not have to be fancy but nice would be nice ha)
*an unlocked phone that takes a Simm card for China (I'd really like an iphone 4s because it would be nice to have afterwards too since this phone isn't that great (my God knows my heart haha))

Please know I am NOT asking any of you to go buy any of these things. If you have prayed about it and you truly feel God telling you to help out, I'd be okay with that, but I just thought I'd be fun to have you all pray with us for these things and watch God provide. And if you happen to be out garage sailing and you see it feel free to call us up! :)

And  many of you have been asking when we will be leaving to get Nina. I wish I had an answer besides were not sure. I really don't mind the question, we just don't know too much yet. We are still hanging on to an August trip, but there have been so many hold ups in China that it could be pushed back. But God is bigger and He knows as much as we would LOVE to have our sweet Nina home, we still have much to do here to bring her home!

I hope you are all having a very blessed weekend! 

Love you all!!

ICE CREAM Social and Our Video! You Don't Want To Miss IT

Alright ya'll, I said I'd do it...and I'm finally doin' it!!! The pictures for the ice cream social! And the best is saved for last!!! Our video we showed-saw many tears...cried myself :)

A BIG BIG BIIIIIG THANK YOU again to all who came, all who prayed and all who gave! Your support means the world!

Hre it is :)

http://vimeo.com/66569533

A Look Through the Eye's of an Orphan

So some time ago I found this article that totally had me in tears. When I started reading I was skeptical of what it could do to really make me see what being an orphaned adopted may or may not be like...but my heart was touched. My eyes were opened and I feel like I might truly have an idea of what these kiddos feel l having to leave all that they have ever known. All the sights, sounds smells, food, people who look like them...everything. I will let you decide for yourself. But if your taking the time to read it...please really put yourself in the place of this person.

Imagine for a moment… 

You have met the person you've dreamed about all your life. He has every quality that you desire in a spouse. You plan for the wedding, enjoying every free moment with your fiancée. You love his touch, his smell, the way he looks into your eyes. For the first time in your life, you understand what is meant by "soul mate," for this person understands you in a way that no one else does. Your heart beats in rhythm with his. Your emotions are intimately tied to his every joy, his every sorrow. 

The wedding comes. It is a happy celebration, but the best part is that you are finally the wife of this wonderful man. You fall asleep that night, exhausted from the day's events, but relaxed and joyful in the knowledge that you are next to the person who loves you more than anyone in the world…the person who will be with you for the rest of your life. 

The next morning you wake up, nestled in your partner's arms. You open your eyes and immediately look for his face. 

But IT'S NOT HIM! You are in the arms of another man. You recoil in horror. Who is this man? Where is your beloved? 

You ask questions of the new man, but it quickly becomes apparent that he doesn't understand you. You search every room in the house, calling and calling for your husband. The new guy follows you around, trying to hug you, pat you on the back,...even trying to stroke your arm, acting like everything is okay. 

But you know that nothing is okay. Your beloved is gone. Where is he? Will he return? When? What has happened to him? 

Weeks pass. You cry and cry over the loss of your beloved. Sometimes you ache silently, in shock over what has happened. The new guy tries to comfort you. You appreciate his attempts, but he doesn't speak your language-either verbally or emotionally. He doesn't seem to realize the terrible thing that has happened...that your sweetheart is gone. 

You find it difficult to sleep. The new guy tries to comfort you at bedtime with soft words and gentle touches, but you avoid him, preferring to sleep alone, away from him and any intimate words or contact. 

Months later, you still ache for your beloved, but gradually you are learning to trust this new guy. He's finally learned that you like your coffee black, not doctored up with cream and sugar. Although you still don't understand his bedtime songs, you like the lilt of his voice and take some comfort in it. 

More time passes. One morning, you wake up to find a full suitcase sitting next to the front door. You try to ask him about it, but he just takes you by the hand and leads you to the car. You drive and drive and drive. Nothing is familiar. Where are you? Where is he taking you? 

You pull up to a large building. He leads you to an elevator and up to a room filled with people. Many are crying. Some are ecstatic with joy. You are confused. And worried. 

The man leads you over to the corner. Another man opens his arms and sweeps you up in an embrace. He rubs your back and kisses your cheeks, obviously thrilled to see you. 

You are anything but thrilled to see him. Who in the world is he? Where is your beloved? You reach for the man who brought you, but he just smiles (although he seems to be tearing up, which concerns you), pats you on the back, and puts your hand in the hands of the new guy. The new guy picks up your suitcase and leads you to the door. The familiar face starts openly crying, waving and waving as the elevator doors close on you and the new guy. 

The new guy drives you to an airport and you follow him, not knowing what else to do. Sometimes you cry, but then the new guy tries to make you smile, so you grin back, wanting to "get along." You board a plane. The flight is long. You sleep a lot, wanting to mentally escape from the situation. 

Hours later, the plane touches down. The new guy is very excited and leads you into the airport where dozens of people are there to greet you. Light bulbs flash as your photo is taken again and again. The new guy takes you to another guy who hugs you. Who is this one? You smile at him. Then you are taken to another man who pats your back and kisses your cheek. Then yet another fellow gives you a big hug and messes your hair. 

Finally, someone (which guy is this?) pulls you into his arms with the biggest hug you've ever had. He kisses you all over your cheeks and croons to you in some language you've never heard before. 

He leads you to a car and drives you to another location. Everything here looks different. The climate is not what you're used to. The smells are strange. Nothing tastes familiar, except for the black coffee. You wonder if someone told him that you like your coffee black. 

You find it nearly impossible to sleep. Sometimes you lie in bed for hours, staring into the blackness, furious with your husband for leaving you, yet aching from the loss. The new guy checks on you. He seems concerned and tries to comfort you with soft words and a mug of warm milk. You turn away, pretending to go to sleep. 

People come to the house. You can feel the anxiety start to bubble over as you look into the faces of all the new people. You tightly grasp the new guy's hand. He pulls you closer. People smile and nudge one other, marveling at how quickly you've fallen in love. Strangers reach for you, wanting to be a part of the happiness. 

Each time a man hugs you, you wonder if he will be the one to take you away. Just in case, you keep your suitcase packed and ready. Although the man at this house is nice and you're hanging on for dear life, you've learned from experience that men come and go, so you just wait in expectation for the next one to come along. 

Each morning, the new guy hands you a cup of coffee and looks at you expectantly. A couple of times the pain and anger for your husband is so great that you lash out, sending hot coffee across the room, causing the new guy to yelp in pain. He just looks at you, bewildered. But most of the time you calmly take the cup. You give him a smile. And wait. And wait. And wait. 

--Written by Cynthia Hockman-Chupp, analogy courtesy of Dr. Kali Miller
http://www.a4everfamily.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=53&Itemid=120

Love you all!!!

Have a GREAT weekend!
Thank you ALL to the MEN and Women who gave their lives to fight for our country and our freedom!!!!!!!!! Please don't take tomorrow for granted! It came at SUCH a great cost!

Why This Call is SO Important

I just need to get this out there. Josh and I are NOT adopting to grow our family! We are perfectly happy with our four children. We are perfectly happy knowing they are all here, they are all healthy and they are all well taken care of. We do not need more children because we think "how fun it would be to have a large family". That was never me. I have ALWAYS loved children, but more than four was never in my future as far as I was concerned. Being told constantly wow your hands are full, or getting the stares from having more than 2 kids, was not in my plans. Josh and I were called to adopt because it is COMMANDED. Nothing more, nothing less.

"Religion that God our father accepts as pure and faultless is this: To look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."
James 1:27

Isaiah 1:16-17, “wash and make yourselves clean. Take your evil deeds out of my sight! Stop doing wrong, learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow.”

Job 29:11-12, “Whoever heard me spoke well of me, and those who saw me commended me, because I rescued the poor who cried for help, and the fatherless who had none to assist him.”

There are so many verses on taking care of orphans! I've said it many times and I will say it again...We are not ALL called to adopt! It would be awesome if those who felt led wouldn't let things stop them (believe me, I wanted to many times) but it would be amazing if our churches, pastors, and church goers, would fully understand this calling. We are missionaries in a way to these children. Just like missionaries, we are not all called to go across seas and reach those in other countries...but we are called to support them, to care about them, to support them fully and to pray continually for them. 
Do you have 8 minutes? This video will explain it to you in a way that I never could. 

My child is a million miles away right now-and I will do EVERYTHING-with or without help or support...to get there!!!!

For all those who have been behind us 100%, Thank you! For all of you who really know how Big our God is and are excited with us and for us, THANK YOU! For those who have loved us, prayed for us, and who have showed up for us in a big way, THANK YOU!!!! You will forever be apart of ours and Nina's lives. And I'm pumped to show our once orphaned child the love you all have for her! The same love God had for us Christians...as we were once orphans ourselves...

Have a great week! Love you all!!!

LOA!!! And Other News...

CAN I GET A WHAT! It has been an INSANE last couple of weeks! Most of it having to do with planning our big Ice Cream social. (Which I'll get more to later.) BUT First-in the mist of all the craziness we got LOA!!!! LOA or letter of approval is a BIG step for those who are adopting internationally. It is the LOOOONGEST step to wait for. No one knows just why or how, but this wait has been anywhere from 12 to 100+ days! We were somewhere in the middle but more towards the short side of average. They say usually you travel about 8 to 10 weeks after LOA but there are so many variables coming up in China that there's just no knowing. There's a Dragon holiday coming up this month and also they are re-doing their computer files so that may take a week or more. :( Soooo we wait and see when the next move happens!
In other news Our Ice cream social was this last Friday! And let me just tell you-I have AMAZING friends and family that came out. I don't know if you all honestly know what it meant to see your faces! It wasn't just  to give money, but to stand behind us, and pray for us, and show us that we are not alone in this journey! I just can't say thank you enough to ALL of you!!! I hope to be posting some pictures soon! :)
In more news, my hubby and I had our 9 year anniversary this year!!! WOOO HOOO!!!! To which he spoiled me rotten! A Dunkin run for breakfast before I got out of bed (which I found out after the fact he was working in town so he didn't even HAVE to get up that early) and Sweet Frogs date later that night! I tell you all, if you hate mushy stuff turn away now! Because this man is amazing! He really is sweet and kind and involved and just...amazing. I'd go on and on but he really gets red in the face when I do! HA!!! I LOVE YOU!
Also this last Friday was my little man's 2nd birthday! AHHH someone please tell me when that happened?!?!?! I love this kid. He knows how to make me want to scream and laugh, cuddle and fight, sing and throw balls!!! He is 100% rough and tumble and 100% charm! I LOVE HIM!
ANNNND this coming week is my sweet girl Emma's birthday! 7 years olds...sigh...She is my competitive,  hard working, SUPER helpful, little mommy who wants a cell phone car keys and lip stick YESTERDAY! I have a feeling I will be telling this one to slooow down most of her life! HA!
Well, I've caught you up for now...stay tuned as I try to catch up as the week goes on! :)

Love you all!!!!

Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sorry all for being late in posting this. My brain is really everywhere these days. But I wanted to give a BIG BIG THANK YOU to all who came out to show their support and love for us at Chick Fil A!!!! We raised $230!!!! Seeing your faces and your excitement was SUCH a huge hug on our hearts! If I didn't get a chance to thank you in person, sorry it was CRAZY!!! The lady who was hosting our Spirit night said it was so busy she had to jump behind the counter to help out with the EXTRA customers  So really and truly THANK YOU!!!

If you haven't heard yet, our ice cream social will be a SWEET FROGS Ice Cream social!!!!! Sweet Frogs, for all you who don't know is a local frozen yogurt joint where you can fill yoru cup to the BRIM with TOPPINGS!!!! AHHHH!!!! My hubby laughs because I really am like a little kid when it comes to toppings on ice cream...there will be NO fruit on my ice cream you can be sure of that!!!! Any-hoo. Sweet Frogs is an AWESOME fit for us too because it just so happens that FROGS stand for Fully Rely On Christ!!!! My sister and I got to meet the manager and he was WONDERFUL! Turns out his sister in law has adopted and hosts orphans in the summer time and hopes to adopt again. And he himself plans on adopting in the future!!! How awesome is that!!!! He was MORE than willing to help us out with WHATEVER we need!!!! We will be having so yummy Sweet Frog toppings at this girls Ice Cream Social,. Can I get a WHAT WHAT!!!!!

                                                                         
Another one of our AWESOME AWESOME Gold sponsors for our Ice Cream Social is Family Chiropractic Center for Wellness! Dr. Brian Dahmer and his family are very close family friends of ours and we THANK THEM from the very bottom of our hearts for their love and support of our adoption. 

Another sponsor for us is Stitch to My Lue Promotions! Thank you SOOO much!!!

We are also starting to get in some AWESOME baskets and gift cards for our Chinese auction and I can't wait to share them with all of you!!!! 

We have received some goodies from:

Gator Nutrition
Origami Owl Consultant
Erin Brandenburg Ghiradelli Chocolate
Joe Brown
Cheryl Daniels 

I know there a few more my sister hasn't given me all the information on yet, those will be added as SOON as I hear!!! Thank you all SO SO much!!!!!

Love you all!!!!! Please keep our Fundraiser in your prayers as two very not so much planners try to pull this together!!! Thanking the LORD for my sister and sweet friend Marie for your HELP!!! With out you...welll you don't want to know! XOXOXOXOX

Head Held High-Putting It All Out There

         I have said before that in these last few years I have come to LOVE running. I never thought that I would, but I really do love it. Pushing myself, believing in myself, being...eh um...ALONE for a few minutes! But these last few months finding time or energy to run has been few and far between. This morning I made myself get out there. While I was running, about a 1/2 mile in, I noticed I was running with my head down. Now if you know a few things about running, you know running with your head down is not good for you and doesn't really help you go very fast or far. So I tried picking my head up. But my mind did not like the change for some reason, I had to fight to keep my head up. WHY do I write all these things in an adoption blog you may ask....stick with me, I will explain.
              I'm laying it all out now-I am a pretty insecure person. Some have been surprised to hear me say that, so I must be a good actress, but it is true. The reason running with my head down comes so naturally for me is because of my insecurity, (yes I'm laying it all out there, figured it's better to do now instead of when I write my autobiography when I'm a rock star) It has been a while since I ran outside, it has been awhile since I ran at all, what if people were watching me and thinking, wow she's running ridiculously sloooow, why does she even bother! Now if I really stopped to think about it, do I really think anyone is sitting at their window at 7am on a Saturday watching me? NO! It's those lies I let into my head, and for some reason believe. So after forcing myself to keep my head up it becomes easier and finally I'm in a spot where keeping my eyes up isn't a problem and automatically my metal state has changes. I'm telling myself I can do this, I'm telling myself you got this, and more importantly, why do I care what anyone else thinks, I'm not doing this for them! And that's when I really start enjoying the run.
                 (Now to my point) After 3 or 4 comments from people of, why would you not adopt from America when we have so many children here, or why are you adopting when you already have children, or why are you raising money to adopt when you don't HAVE to adopt in the first place...I feel beat down. I feel defeated. I too start turning those questions over and over in my head and start thinking, they are right, I already have four, can I really handle more?, I don't have money and I hate asking for money, should I even be doing this? Should I really keep doing this and listen to people bash us for not being "American" enough to adopt "our own"? I feel like maybe this was a bad idea and I should just walk the rest of the way home and quit.
          *Before I go on I must say, I DO think all of these are logical questions, I have NO problem answering them when I feel that someone genuinely wants to know the answers.
               Just like getting a chance to go out for a run alone, being a mom of four kids, cleaning, cooking, laundry, planning, ect. I have a hard time really finding time to get myself into the Word alone. But man when I do, I am pumped. When I get that chance to see God face to face and be refreshed, I feel held, and I remember, I'm not doing this for them, and no offense that means I don't care what you think about us. I'm doing this because GOD called us to adopt, we're adopting from China because GOD called us to China, He's asking us to step out in faith to adopt without money because He called ALL of us to take care of orphans in some way, and us specifically to raise them, and we are adding to our family of 6 because HE thinks we can. And that's when I remember how important it is to ALWAYS keep my head up, because He is where my confidence and strength comes from to keep running.

Philippians 3:14  I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upwardcall of God in Christ Jesus.

1 Corinthians 9:24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.

8 Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done.9 Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts. 10 Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice. 11 Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always. I Chronicles 16:8-11