Vote - But Don't forget Prayer

On the eve of this all important election, I wanted to share the following important email that came to us today from the pastor of our previous church where we attended and served in before we left to help start the church we currently are a part of. He is a very influential pastor of a large church and I believe he hit the mark in asking his church and believers to pray very specifically for some important areas that will affect our country and Christians around our nation. I believe his words were worth sharing with you as a way to direct your prayer time tomorrow.  Though our vote is important, our prayers are equally as important. As you prepare to vote, please remember throughout the day to pray for our nation. Here is his email and how you can be praying for the election and for America: As we look forward to the very important elections tomorrow, I want to call believers to pray. As 1 Timothy 2:1 says: "I urge that entreaties and prayers be made on behalf of...kings and all who are in authority." In light of this, I would like to suggest that we pray for the following:      1. For the election itself--that God's perfect plan will be accomplished for our nation and its government officials at every level. 2. For our next president (whoever he may be)--that (1) he will realize that his position was obtained by God's choice; (2) that he will recognize his personal inadequacy for the task and cast himself upon God for wisdom, knowledge, and courage; (3) that he will passionately forsake his own political ambitions and strive with all his heart to do what is truly best for America and all Americans; (4) that he will reverse the destructive inroads that humanism and atheism have made into our society in favor of a morality and society based on the teachings of God's Word; and (5) he will courageously restore America to a place of moral, just, and economic leadership in our world. 3. For the US House and Senate--that godly men and women, with godly agendas and not selfish ones, will be elected from every state in America, and that they will not allow those godly agendas to be corrupted by the Washington political scene, but will stand strong for the Lord. 4. For local and state elections--that, here too, men and women of morality and righteousness will be placed in office, who will strengthen the moral and godly backbone of American society across our land. 5. For Christians in America--that we will get to the polls and vote, and that our godly presence at the ballot box will be felt in the results of this election. Prayer "Dear Father, as Your people, we lift up our beloved nation to You today. We know that You have a sovereign plan for our nation, and we submit to that plan. Moreover, we know that, as a society, we have forsaken Your laws and allowed sin to deeply invade our culture. Today, as Your children in Christ, we turn to You in repentance and humility--and we ask for mercy for America. We ask that, in Your mercy, You would forgive our sin as a nation and restore us to a godly path, and that the results of the election tomorrow will massively reflect Your merciful intervention for America. We lay America at Your feet, Father, and beg for Your help to rescue this land that we love. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen."

More Than Words

Today is Orphan Sunday, so don't tune this post out immediately. Generally I'm not one to write in the manner you will soon read, but if you have been following our blog for any length of time, you know that most posts are usually light-hearted, funny (well, maybe to some of you), and informative most of the time.  Today is a little different though- I'm going to challenge you before you read this, that if you have time to Facebook, watch a football game, read a book, or spend 30 minutes watching a sitcom or doing something that is not impacting eternity in any way, please consider giving a few minutes of your time this week to watch this impactful short video from a pastor in Africa. You will thank me for it.

I'm going to be honest, I had been waiting to see this video for a few weeks now once it was released, but almost missed such a blessing by not sitting down for a few quiet minutes today to hear this story about other believers halfway around the world. I'm so glad that I did. What I would have missed if I hadn't. 

If you can't watch it today, add this video as a part of one of your devotional times this week.  Just a warning though, if you are a believer you will...

... BE REMINDED in an inspirational and fresh way who God our Father is 
... BE CHALLENGED by other believers around the world
... FEEL CONVICTED (trust me, I don't like this one either)
... AND REALIZE that we take our faith and how we serve Christ for granted here in the U.S. 

This video is such an inspiring video, but equally convicting as it reminds us why James said- don't just say you have faith, put it your faith into action as a demonstration of what Christ did for you. If you have ever been to any country in Africa, you know that African believers know how to have church. They have seen situations that many us will never truly be able to wrap our finite minds around and through difficulties, the believers in these countries have become so much stronger in their faith. Their faith and the way in which they live it out can truly can be such an example to our "American church". (this is where the convicting part comes in today)

If you've been following the last several days, you are aware that today is Orphan Sunday around the world. Now I'm sure that many of you that may be reading this have never heard of this Sunday, but I would encourage you to read the last several days of posts for some general information, as today's powerful video captures the story of where Orphan Sunday first began and why it was started. As you will see, the orphan Sunday movement was started out of a small African church in Zambia, where the local church saw the vast need in their own town and in their own church body, to minister to those who were being orphaned and widowed due to AIDS. (Personal stories are shared by both the pastor, his members, and such sweet stories and challenges are given throughout. It's not "only" about orphans) 

I promise you that it will be 30 minutes better spent watching this than watching your favorite TV show or a re-run of a sitcom. (ok, so a few of you just now completely stopped reading didn't you? Yes, it's a 30 minute video, but will feel more like 5)

Click HERE to be inspired, touched, and to see your heavenly Father and the church around the world in such a beautiful way. It's not just about orphans or one Sunday a year, but rather how we as Christians in the local church should be willing to serve the Lord every week in numerous ways out of gratitude for what He so willingly did for us.

Famous Faces

Today is Day #3 of National Adoption Month, and as we would all agree, there are many well known names and familiar faces involved in calling forward people and churches to care for the fatherless. It is not a new topic and certainly, there are many pastors, authors, music artists, and advocates that are passionate about orphans and have become a global voice in this area. Rather than me posting a whole lot the next few days, I'm going to let a few familiar faces share why they are passionate about orphan care, foster care, and adoption. I know that they will inspire and challenge each of us.

Today I'm going to highlight Pastor Francis Chan, author of several books including Crazy Love and Forgotten God. If you haven't checked these two books out, I highly recommend doing so. These two books aren't about orphan care or adoption, but both are great and impactful reads that will challenge you in a new and fresh way.

A Short Thought from Francis Chan.....

Orphan Sunday

Orphan Sunday.

" Learn to do good. Seek Justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the orphan. Fight for the rights of widows."

Isaiah 1:16-17

"Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves. Speak up for the rights of those who are unfortunate."

Proverbs 31:8

If you are like many individuals, you might not be familiar with this day or even know what it is about, so let me take a moment to let you in on what God is doing in the hearts of people and churches around the world each year. Actually, don't take my word on it, but rather read what Others are saying (pastors, ministry leaders, etc.) about this annual event.

 This coming Sunday, November 4th, is a very special day set aside by hundreds of churches worldwide as believers around the world gather in their churches to focus on a day of prayer for orphans as well as educating and challenging the local church to be the "hands and feet" of Christ in this Biblical mandate. (which- let's be honest, is very easy to look beyond and ignore throughout Scripture) Though there is so much one could say on this topic, I believe this very short video says it better than I or any other person could say it, so I'll let this video speak for itself. 

(I promise if you click below, it is a very professional video, even though the way it saves to our blog right now doesn't look very professional. I'm not sure why it formats it this way - sorry about that)

{WARNING: you might want to grab yourself a tissue & be prepared for adorable faces}

On Orphan Sunday In the U.S., churches take time to highlight the needs in their local communities for foster parents, adoption, orphan advocacy projects, and give tangible ways that everyone can be involved to meet these great needs as well as reflect on Scripture's picture of how we were all orphans, but as believers have now been adopted by our heavenly Father. This Sunday is not just for adults either, as there are some great resources that have been put together by Christian Alliance for Orphans (CAFO) to aid churches in educating children of all ages as well as youth groups about the global issue of orphans around the world and giving practical ways to teach them what it would be like to be an orphan somewhere in the world. 

So where & why did Orphan Sunday Start?

(excerpt below from CAFO)

The seeds of this united Orphan Sunday come as a gift from the Church in Africa. While attending a church service in Zambia, an American visitor was struck by the local pastor’s passionate call to care for orphans in the local community, which had been ravaged by AIDS and poverty. Members of this church faced deep needs themselves. However, as the service ended, one after another stepped forward with money, food and other goods-some even taking off their own shoes and placing them in the offering for orphans. The visitor, Gary Schneider, was so impacted that he began to help Zambian leaders coordinate Orphan Sunday efforts across Zambia.

These efforts spread to the U.S. in 2003 with help from Every Orphan’s Hope and other organizations. The Christian Alliance for Orphans honors the church in Zambia for the gift of Orphan Sunday and it is their prayer that the church all over the world may be as faithful as our Zambian bothers and sisters in Christ to reflect God’s heart for the orphan, both near and far.

For me personally, I find it fascinating to see the wide variety of events happening this weekend in churches globally who have chosen to set aside this Sunday to focus on the fatherless. If you check out the link above you will find a listing of numerous churches around the world (though of course not all events are listed there) who are joining their hearts together in praying for the orphan and doing something to make a difference.  Here is a Prayer Guide that has been created to help families and churches focus on specific thoughts related to orphans (both locally and globally), the church, and other related topics; however, you could certainly use this guide at any time of the year.

I know a number of you reading this are involved in churches in different parts of the world. What is great about Orphan Sunday is that you and your church can create this any Sunday of the year. (there just happen to be more churches that join together on this one set aside day and a global simulcast is also aired at 6pm as a focused time to educate and join in global corporate prayer for children both in foster care in the U.S. and orphans around the world) There are so many creative ways that you as an individual can educate your church, your community, or your family on this topic, so feel free to review the links provided today to see how you can get involved.

God is doing some amazing things around the world in the area of orphan care, foster care, and adoption- but the bigger question is:

How will you personally choose to get in on what He is doing around the world? 

It's Adoption Month!

There's certainly no disguising by today's blog post title what this month is--so if you aren't aware, November has been designated in the U.S. as National Adoption Month. It's fun for us to reflect back to a year ago, as this was the month in 2011 when we applied to our agency to adopt and began letting everyone in on this little secret.

However, this month is about much more than adoption. Some of you may read this and immediately dismiss this post thinking "this has nothing to do with me", but I challenge you to continue reading. It has everything to do with you because this month is more than just adoption focus; it is a month that people throughout our nation- numerous ministries, adoption and foster care agencies, and churches around the world, have set aside time to educate others and follow the Biblical mandate (more details on this topic later) to focus on the needs of orphans globally and those in our foster care system here in the U.S. 

Now you might be reading this and think an orphan means a child somewhere in another part of the world who no longer has parents. While this can be partly true, even though there are millions of orphans around our globe that do not have a family, there are an estimated 400,000-500,000 children in our own U.S. foster care system who are also in need of a loving forever family. Though our family has personally chosen to adopt internationally, we still understand there is a great need all around the world, including the U.S., and recognize that God directs each family differently in this area. We encourage you to click below to learn more about:

Foster & Orphan Statistics

During the month of November, we want to highlight some very practical and helpful information and provide you with some incredible resources that will not only educate you, but will challenge your faith in a greater way. (which just might frighten a few of you out there- so get ready-- we just might make you wiggle a little bit and feel a little God-given tension, which last I checked was actually a good thing) We plan to highlight some of the following areas this month:

• Ministries and organizations doing some great things for orphans & foster care
• Books that everyone should read to both educate and challege you in living out your faith
• Practical resources for families, as well as churches, to educate children and youth on their level to understand what it is like to be an orphan
• Financial Resources for helping fund your adoption 
• Prayer resources, so that you can be praying specifically in these areas
• Radio broadcasts and podcasts this month focusing on adoption, orphans, foster care, and adoption stories
• Fun and inspiring videos that we think you will enjoy. (we will start today off with one of them)

We will also have some guests who have previously adopted, be our "guests" this month in posting their stories on our blog, so we think you'll enjoy what they have to say. (and don't worry, I'll mix in some fun reads as well of course- as we certainly can't be serious the entire time) I believe that you will find this next month of posts will be of interest to you if you fall into one or more of the following categories below:

    You love children and youth & believe that God loves them more than you do

    You want to do something to live out your faith practically

    You are a family who is in the process of adopting

    You are a family who has previously adopted 

    You are considering adopting (maybe this year or  who knows-5 years from now)

    You know someone adopting

    You are interested in foster care 

    You are interested in learning more about orphans both in the U.S. and globally

    You are breathing (ok, so basically this includes everyone reading this, right?)

So, to kick of this first day of National Adoption Month (and it counts as it's still November 1 in parts of the U.S. still)  here is a video we thought we'd share. I have to admit, I almost didn't use it because the author of it didn't spell a word right in the beginning of the video; however, I decided to look beyond that minor detail and focus on what was really important- the message.  Click below and enjoy this video compliments of resources provided by Christian Alliance for Orphans. 

Happy National Adoption Month!

Ladybugs & Hurricanes

If you aren't familiar with some interesting Chinese adoption myths, you're about to get a very brief and funny education on this and how it pertains to ladybugs. I don't know about you, but over the last two weeks we have had a crazy overtaking of these little red beetles practically all over one section of our house, and when I say "overtaking" I mean not only all over part of our house on the outside, but on the inside too!  I'm not sure if you can really tell anything in this photo, but if you look closely, you'll see lots of little dots on our ceiling.

(a.k.a. ladybugs)

Now don't get me wrong, I'd much rather have these little critters all over the place than the stinkbugs that were also trying to become our first official house guests this month, but either way, I'm just not a bug or critter girl, so was trying to figure out every way possible to rid one section in our living room of these annoying little red beetles. In fact, I was a little excited to hear that a hurricane was coming our way this week as I thought at least the good that could come from it would be that it would blow all of the ladybugs and stinkbugs away from our house or freeze them with the drop in temperatures.   

Well, the last few days have consisted of picking ladybugs off of our walls, doors, 

ceilings, etc.  My wonderful husband pulled out the vacuum on several occasions and sucked them up as well, but I am convinced they just kept multiplying no matter what we did.

YET-- that's when I started smiling when I thought a little more about these little lady bugs invading our house. Growing up as a child, my grandma always used to call the girls in our family "ladybug" so I find it fitting that ladybugs do have a connection with Chinese adoption. If you are not familiar with things connected to Chinese adoption, I'm going to let you in on a little secret. If you are around families adopting from China much, at some point you'll probably hear a reference to lady bugs, so let me unwind where this comes from and how it relates to the adoption process in China and what is now known as:  

"The Ladybug Myth" 

You may not know that ladybugs have a special meaning to families in the Chinese adoption community. The Chinese adoption myth states that ladybugs are a sign of "good luck" and it has been said that if you see a ladybug, your referral from China will be arriving soon. (meaning- you will get a call about your child match) I have had more than my fair share of families tell me when I called them with their referral that they had just seen a ladybug or had one land on them. Now, let me pause here to say that I don't believe in luck or superstition, but rather I believe in the providence of God and His will in our lives.  However, I do think as far as bugs are concerned, ladybugs aren't all that bad and they do represent a fun symbol to many as ladybugs aren't just considered good luck in China, but in many other cultures as well. The truth is, there are many  superstitions and myths that are prevalent in Chinese culture and we certainly learned that while in China. (quite honestly, we could post on this topic for days actually- as there are some very interesting ones, but we'll save that for another post) 

While there have been many things said about ladybugs and their connection with Chinese myths/superstitions, here are few funny facts or myths (I'll let you decide which) that I'll highlight for you: 

Ladybug Thought #1:

In their native lands of China and Japan, the original places a ladybug overwintered were on rock outcroppings in the mountains. If your home is light colored and on the side of a mountain, or similar setup, it probably looks just like a big rock outcropping to a ladybug, and this might explain why one October day, the side of your house is covered in ladybugs!! 

[So T-H-A-T explains why they came in droves to our house, as it is light brown so apparently just looks like a big old rock to these bugs. I knew we should have chosen another exterior color for our house. (just kidding- we didn't really have a choice)]

Ladybug Info #2:

The Chinese consider it good luck to have ladybugs in the house.

[If this is the case, then we must be getting ready to have some major good luck around here because we had tons of the little critters. OR...we must be getting triplets from China with all of ladybugs inside our house. (let's not hope for the latter)]

Ladybug Info #3:

Some people believe that if a ladybug enters your home, you should count its spots as it will tell you the amount of money you will be receiving soon. 

[If this is the case, why in the world did we suck them up in our vacuum? Apparently, we just sucked up a lot of money that could have been coming our way. (haha!) Truth is, I just lost half of my readers because now you are all running around to find ladybugs so you can become debt free.] 

Ladybug Info #4:

If a ladybug lands on single woman's hand, it means she is going to get married soon.

[now I have lost all of my single women readers out there as you scramble to find the nearest ladybug to try to make it fly and land on your hand]

Ladybug Info #5:

If a ladybug lands on a married woman's hand, the number of spots it has is the number of children she will have.

[Goodness I hope not-- or Nate and I are in some serious trouble!]

Well, the truth of the matter is that I'm not going to look at a herd of ladybugs (ok so maybe they don't come in herds, but it was he best mental picture I could give) invading my home as being a sign that our referral is coming soon or that we are going to have good luck. I also think it's pretty safe to say that knowing Nate and I, our child's nursery will not be decorated in ladybugs either to symbolize a "good luck" sign from China (no offense to anyone who has a ladybug nursery out there as there is nothing wrong with that at all). Instead, I will just sit back and enjoy these "fun myths" about ladybugs for today and know that it is a distant reminder that sometime in the near future we will have a little ladybug of our own who will one day fly from China to our home here in the U.S., and that will be one little ladybug that we will gladly welcome.

Adoption Update- Latest Announcement

I know that for the last month or so, we've had a hard time keeping up with blogging, due to packing our rental home, closing on our current home, moving a few miles down the road, and now slowly unpacking and trying to get organized all while several other crazy things were going on. Though we could write about a number of things this week (if we had slightly more time) I thought it might be good to give you the important update for this week about our adoption process. (since it has been a while since we've had a fun update to share)

For those of you who have been keeping up with our China adoption, we'd like to share with you that this week marks another great milestone in the process. 

DRUMROLL PLEASE.........................................................

We found out Monday that our dossier has officially gone through the review room at the China Center for Adoption Affairs (CCCWA) and has been approved. (this is where you can do the happy dance along with us if you'd like) 

I know many of you are probably scratching your head right now slightly confused, since you can't remember what a dossier is and you may slightly recall that ours went to the CCCWA on April 2. As a refresher, the dossier is the compilation of all of our adoption paperwork that China requires. Ours was mailed to the CCCWA on April 2nd, arrived on April 6th, and was officially LID on April 16, 2012. (LID means "Log in Date" which means it was basically just checked over to make sure it contained what was required and then "stamped in" and given a date that this was completed....it was not officially reviewed for approval at that time)

It generally takes months for dossiers to go through the review process and be screened in China if a family does not yet have a child match when their paperwork goes in. (even for families who do have a child match, it still can take a couple of months) This process involves various individuals reviewing every item we have sent in, reading all of our "life story" so to speak, and deciding whether or not based on all of their regulations, our paperwork is approved. There are some situations where a family may get matched with a child prior to their dossier being mailed to China; however, it is not quite as common and solely depends upon what a family is requesting- such as gender, age range of the child, whether or not they are requesting a child with certain medical needs, etc. (see our blog's FAQ section for more on this)

There are many factors that determine when a family will be matched with a "referral". (a.k.a. child file- which includes the history that is known of the child, their development information, several photos, and limited medical records/history). 

For our process, we knew that we wouldn't get matched for while and prayerfully hoped that our dossier would get reviewed first by the CCCWA before we received a child match from our agency.  You're thinking "why would you not want to be matched quickly?"  The reason this was something that we really were hoping and praying for is that if our dossier had not been reviewed prior to receiving a child match from the agency, we would have to wait longer for approvals from China (yet another step when China decides if they will approve the actual child the agency matches us with after we have requested to pursue that child's adoption). This, in turn, means waiting quite a while until traveling to pick up our child. To put it in terms everyone can understand, it would mean having those cute little photos on the refrigerator or in your purse for a very long time and not being able to do anything about getting on a plane to China any faster to meet "Little Miss".  

China, unlike some international adoption countries, do not have families travel to meet their child first and then come back to pick them up. This is a common practice in many international adoptions, but also difficult because parents have met their child and then have to say goodbye and go back home only to wait for several more months for more approvals in order to be approved to come back to the country to pick their child up. Talk about heart wrenching!  

For China's process, everything is done by a family reviewing the file of a child (agency emails the child's file to the family) which includes photos and information a family will look at, and then based on that info given or any additional information obtained, a family then makes their adoption decision. It is basically site unseen and a leap of faith, as the first time we will actually meet our child is the day that they bring her to us once we are in China. Talk about a crazy thought sometimes!

Even though I work in the field of international adoption and know this process, it is still mind boggling sometimes to know that we'll make this decision without having seen, held, or met "Little Miss" and will just hop on a plane for a 24 hour trip to China and within a few days are "insta-parents". (let me take a deep breath for a moment..whew)

Had we not had our dossier reviewed before our child match, it would have taken up to around 6 months or more until we could have traveled. Now that our dossier has been reviewed, once we get matched with a child, it will take around a month usually or less to receive our final official approval from China (Yes, there will be yet another round of "are we actually approved or not") and then another 10-14 weeks approximately until we will most likely travel. ( so around 4 months approximately) If you are doing the math, understand that these are tentative timelines and are certainly subject to change. I've seen families travel somewhat sooner, and some that have taken somewhat longer to get to the point of travel. There are so many factors related to the entire process, that you can't compare one family's process with another as they can be slightly different.  That is a very important thing to remember. The China adoption process has changed so much over recent years that I'd have to blog for a week about it all to explain it to those of you who have adopted previously from China. This is why timelines for families just cannot be compared with one another. 

So why was all of this important to us and why is this announcement exciting? Well, this means that once we are matched, our child will only age a few more months older than the age they were at the time of matching, before we will travel to pick her up which means hopefully bringing home a slightly younger child as well as knowing the child will hopefully not have to be in an orphanage or foster home longer than necessary. (this is helpful for bonding/attachment, and other purposes in the early years of life) 

For international adoptions, there are so many unknowns when it comes to how a child will react once they are adopted, as they transition to a new country, new foods, new smells and sounds, new schedules, and hearing- in our case- English consistently for the first time in their lives. You can imagine what it would be like to go from your previous surroundings and then have all of that taken from you, placed in the arms of strangers, only to be taken to the other side of the world in just a short period of time. (think of the first time you were immersed in a foreign country where you knew no one and couldn't speak the language, didn't recognize the food, and couldn't sleep at night because the sounds and lighting in the room were different-- that's a slight comparison to what an internationally adopted child experiences) You can understand why this transition can be much easier at a younger age than when a child is slightly older. No matter what age a child may be when they are brought home, most all do have some challenges acclimating to their new environment and this is to be expected having transitioned from another culture as well as from an orphanage or foster family. 

We know that many of you have continued to pray alongside us during this process and we thank you for your prayers and support. Please keep them coming as we know there are still many more steps along the way in our journey to "Little Miss". 

We have an Announcement

I know when you saw the title of this post you were thinking "Have they been matched with their baby from China?"....well, sorry to disappoint, that is not the announcement for today, though that would have been a fun one.

I've been asked recently what has been keeping us so busy this summer that we haven't had a chance to blog, vacation, or do much of anything but run all over the place. Well, let me start by giving you a few photos and see if you can figure it out:

What? That's not helpful? Let's try another one:

Ok, maybe this one will help:

Ok, so here's the scoop...........................

WE ARE MOVING!!!

Not very far- just about 3 or so miles from where we currently live. It's been the year of many new things and one of those was finding out that our current rental house was going to be sold (which we had already began speculating very early in 2012 might happen, so had been thinking in advance as to what our next steps might be. It had been built 2 years ago, but sat on the market for 6 months so the developer was eager to rent, and we were blessed with a wonderful place to rent and live for two years. However, while living in our neighborhood, each home he continued to build began to be sold so guess whose home was next on the selling block? YEP, that would be ours. 

In lieu of knowing this might become a reality and also looking forward into the future as to what next year might bring with our adoption process, we decided to start praying and began considering purchasing a home so as to not continue to "give money away" to our landlord year after year. (anyone that knows us knows that we both hate to waste money) When you actually sit down and do he math and learn real estate, you realize how wise an investment purchasing really is in the right market. So, several months later in early summer, we made the decision to buy our first home, well townhouse that is.

We were blessed to know several very wise people as well as several realtors who really gave us great advice and encouraged us to be wise negotiators. (that part wasn't hard as Nate and I are both savers by nature and both will haggle a good deal any day of the week- I knew that this part of the process was certainly going to be interesting.) One thing in our favor was that the developer we went with was in the process of building a new townhouse community, so it was a great time to get in on the development. They were very willing to negotiate. (LOVE that part!)  It also sits on the county line right beside the city, so that was also a very nice benefit in a number of ways. 

We have been blessed to be able to work out a great deal, be able to get in right as they were starting to frame the town home, and have the opportunity to choose and customize everything. (which I must say these builders have a great structure in place for choices that aren't upgrades (i.e.hardwood, countertops, etc.) -- That was a wonderful perk too.)  

The timing couldn't have been greater and we feel so much better knowing we won't bring home our daughter from China (sometime next year most likely) and then have to move again. Anyone who understands international adoption and some of the things that children can go through in that process understand that moving shortly after a child gets settled in would have been the worst thing to do. An internationally adopted child will have enough adjustments in their little life those first few weeks and months, so adding a move to the mix was a big "no, no" in our minds.

We are very thankful that God opened this door for us and as always, we give it all back to Him since he owns it anyway. Our desire is to use what He has given us as a way to minister to people. (although just don't invite yourself over quite yet, there is still much to do) 

So, here is what the last several months have looked like for us:

So that's a quick sneak peak at what's been happening the last several months. We have spent many a night for the last several months playing "Inspector Gadget" making sure they were doing everything right. (and as anyone who builds knows, you will always find something, even if only minor)

That comprised our evenings along with packing and sitting through numerous meetings answering questions such as the following:

1. What kind of cabinets do you want in what color and with what kind of doors and handles? How do you want your kitchen cabinets & drawers laid out?

2. What type of carpet and padding do you prefer and in what kind and color?

 3. What kind of tiles or flooring do you want in the bathroom, how would you like them laid and how do you want to design it?  Not to mention- what color grout do you want between your tiles? Do you want a short toilet or tall one, a taller sink or standard?

4. What kind of knobs and faucets do you want in your bathrooms, and which sink option, type and color do you want? What kind of light fixture?

5. Do you want ceiling fans, lights, or none at all in your rooms? (a funny story on this one will come later)

6. What stain color outside would you like on certain outdoor elements? What kind of doors do you want throughout the house?

So if this makes your head spin just reading it, imagine doing all of this in several meetings over a somewhat short period of time. I learned quickly, that the things we may all love on DIY or HGTV just aren't a reality or sometimes even possible when building, but TV makes it look so easy. (haha)  It has been a whirlwind and though tiring, we have loved every minute of it. (except maybe signing our lives away document after document)

So, we close on our townhouse tomorrow and will officially become first time home owners (scary and exciting thought all at the same time) Then comes the beloved job of painting. So this is how we will spend vacation time this year- packing up the current rental home, painting the new one, moving and settling in. I must say that I'm thankful and looking forward to having the next week off to get everything "move in ready". 

More info and photos to come!