A Couple of milestones......

The past couple of weeks have marked a couple of huge milestones for us. We sent off our packet of papers to the adoption agency. This packet has been in process since last June. Many hands have touched it, many dollars were spent to create it, many miles were driven in the process and even a plane trip. We find it amusing that the Fed Ex folks now know Michael and why he is in there office.  Our Dossier is what gets sent to China for us to get our little girl.

Then yesterday, we got an email from the adoption agency that our dossier was on its way to China. And so the waiting begins. We are waiting to hear that we got a Log In Date or LID. Once we have a LID we are eligible for a match. They search will begin for our baby.

It is an odd thought to think about the fact that people, humans are seeking out our child. They are seeking the one that God has chosen to be in our family. Seeking the next Bowden. We expect and have been told that more than likely we will not have a match until April or May. Partly due to the time it takes to get the LID and the look for the match. It is also financial reasons.

The ox of papers in her room. 

We praise our Father for the fact that we had our first big payment in the bank. That came from people who donated to our adoption, things that we have been selling, and the mere fact that we are saving every single penny we can. We do not go out very much any more, the more we look the more we are finding ways to cut our budget at home and by HIS grace we had it in the bank. Our next payment is huge, double of what we just paid and within four months of that we need to be able to travel. Please be in prayer in regards to this. We are applying for scholarships like crazy, saving everything we can and in the spring we will be having a fun event to help raise money for the adoption.

Our hearts long to get her home. The Christmas season has been a bit hard for this Mama. I put up our stockings this year with the thought that  (Hopefully) next year we will have one more to add. It is hard when you know your child is out there and not here.

As you prepare to spend Christmas, we hope and pray that it is one that is filled with Love, Joy and Peace from the King. We are excited to be spending Jesus’ birthday in sunny South Florida this year. It will probably be the last year that we travel for Christmas for a couple of years.

Merry Merry,

Jennifer

The 3rd Trimester

Being paper pregnant there are certain milestones that take longer than others. Unlike a normal pregnancy, The “trimesters” do not move along in specific  increments. . But next week we will take another step in the journey and hit our third trimester. Our Dossier packet is done. (I talked to the courier in New York today and they were picking up my birth certificate) this is the last piece to the puzzle of 20 documents that took us over 5 months to put together. Our Dossier packet is what we need to get a LID date. (LID is Log in Date) We need a LID date to get matched.

We will send it out on Tuesday and then wait. We should have a LID date sometime in February and then we wait some more.

The thought occurred to me…… WOW this time next year I could be a mom. This time next year, we could be putting up a Christmas tree with our daughter. And that is where the emotions of this “pregnancy” comes into play.

At this point, I would need all my fingers and toes to count how many people I know who are having a baby in the coming year. I love to hear of new life, we pray for these unborn little ones daily. But there are times where it is hard as well. When you are pregnant there is a due date. By all accounts you know when you are going to be able to hold that little one. But when you are “paper pregnant” there is no due date. There is only an estimated time line. We have been at this process 1.5 years now, and I honestly struggle with hearing that people are pregnant knowing that they will more than likely see their child before I see mine, is a sobering thought. And yet, I feel lucky in a sense that I get to adopt. Having a baby is a gift, and I do not have the opportunity to feel entitled to or take for granted.

So I guess you could say I am grieving right now. I grieve the fact that she is spending another Christmas in an orphanage. I grieve the fact that she is not here to decorate or participate in Christmas. I grieve the fact that we will go to FL without her this year. It is an odd feeling to know that your child is out there, you are charged to care for them, and yet they are not within reach. I relish the day when that comes.

In the meantime we celebrate the little victories that we have. We celebrate that the paper work process for now will be at a lull. We celebrate that we are working on our house to bring her home.  We celebrate that we will make our first HUGE adoption payment on Monday (And the money is in the bank for that) We celebrate that we bought her first set of books. We celebrate that we have family and friends who are itching to love on her. We celebrate that we have a contingency of people praying for our little girl across the world. We celebrate that we have a Savior that we can put all our hope and trust in. And because of all of this, through the tears I  am able to celebrate.

I have a totally cool God story to share at a later time…..

Jennifer

The Great Paper Chase

Papers a key to adoption. 

There are so many papers that need to be filled out and sought after. Our home study required well over 20 forms filled out, a biography written, septic tank inspection, cat papers and so on.

Our Dossier Packet- This packet is key to an adoption. It is something that you work, work and work for. It is the packet that gets sent to China, allows us to be approved to adopt and allows us to ultimately get our little girl home. This packet is nuts to put together (And I am being nice about my words). It is about 25 pieces of papers including, birth certificates, financial documents, police records, 911 call records, declaration statement, immigration papers, home study, passport copies and so on. All of the documents have to be notarized, certified and then apostle by the Chinese Consulate. Then and only then can they be sent off to China. (Feel free to ask Michael about the hardest document that we had to get which was his birth certificate. What an adventure that was, Honey Boo Boo and all)

We have been working since August to put this packet together. All but one of the 25 items are coming from Georgia. And because of that, they had to go through the county probate court in which they were issued, the state office and then the Chinese consulate in Houston. The other item, my birth certificate came from New York, which means it needs to go through the New York Chinese consulate.

Documents going to the consulate have to be walked in. They will not accept a fed ex package. Because of some gracious friends in Houston, I flew to Houston last night and they took me to the Chinese consulate this morning.

I have always heard stories of the Chinese Consulate. How interesting it could be. So I walked in, with my heavy stack of papers, copied, passports in hand and walked up to the window with bated breath. I knew for sure that it would not be my only trip to the window and man I was right. 6 trips later, 18 unneeded applications for authentication, 6 copies of pages with just a page number my packet was in their hands and a receipt was given. With a date for next Monday pick up. And that was it. Graciously, our friends have offered to go back and pick up the documents for us after thanksgiving and send them to us. I can’t explain how huge this step is. These are the documents that will allow us to meet our little girl. These are the last steps before we spend months waiting to find out who she is. This is it! (Until the next round of paperwork is due).

I need to give a shout out to our friends Justin and Jill. They are friends from my college days that graciously put up with me last night, took me this morning, shared their home, car and family all in the name of our adoption. And even returning to the Chinese consulate to pick up the documents when they are ready.  I joked with Justin today and told him he is now part of the village that is bringing home our daughter. He laughed but it is true. Without their generosity we would be a little bit farther behind in the process. And to boot, they have two cute kids.

Can't figure out how to turn Michael !!! But this is after his birth certificate:)

So there you have it, Michael and I will head to NY in the next two weeks or so to have my birth certificate done (There has been some delays up there due to the Hurricane) and our packet will be off. Which means we get to enter the third trimester of our paper pregnancy.  I think nesting has begun. I have the desire to clean and organize all the time. How productive I will be once the paper chase is completed.

Please be praying for paper to have a snafu free time at the consulate.

Love,

Jennifer

29+4 thoughts......

This post, is not necessarily about adoption, but I am sure somehow It will relate. It is one that has been brewing for a couple of weeks as I approach my birthday.

Tomorrow will be my 4^th anniversary of my 29^th birthdayJ. There is a list of things that I could think of that I thought for sure would have happened by now in my life. When I have looked at that list, I see that those are things that this world has said I should have done by now. What is missing from that list are the things that I have done, experiences that I have had that were not on my original list, places I have been, things I have seen and life that I have experienced.

In my 34 short years of life, much has happened. Yes, I did all the normal kid things like finish high school, I also had the blessing of finishing college. What I most reflect on in my years on this earth are the past 10 (give or take 1) that have changed the original list of where I thought I would be.

In the past 10 years, I have accepted Jesus into my heart and made him my Lord and Savior. This meaning  I was no longer was floundering with my purpose or what is to come when I no longer in habit the earth, but I knew for a fact that everything I did here had eternal significance and I was written in the book.  To add to that gift, I was given and extended family that are my brothers and sisters.

 I have had grand adventures on 4 continents. I have had the opportunity to live abroad. I have hugged the necks of what we would call, very “different” people. Sharing with them basic needs and necessities. 

I got married. That in itself is an amazing story of how God brought us together. It has only been three years, but I feel like we have already lived a lifetime together.  God has used our marriage to teach us so much. And although at 30 I thought that I would never get married, I am thankful that I had to wait that long. I do not think I would have been ready for the lessons that I have learned in my marriage.

I have walked two people home. In looking back at both, was an honor in each case. There is nothing like holding the hand of someone you love and saying goodbye, or in these cases I will see you soon.

I am working in a job that I love. This being the second time that I have been in that situation. To boot, I get to watch lives be changed and transformed in amazing ways.

I have become an Aunt 4 times. The love that I have for them is unbelievable. They bring such joy to my heart.

I am adopting. WOW, this is a huge one. Who would have known 10 years ago when I visited my first orphanage, that I to, would be bringing a little one home.  And just maybe by this time next year, she will be in our house. Oh, the thought of that.

The other list….. There is so much in our society that says we need to dress a certain way, be in a certain place in life at a certain age. Spend our money on certain things. And when you look, many of these things are very temporal. They really have no eternal holding.

So, as I look to the next age, I am incredibly thankful for the fact that I have an eternal perspective. I am thankful for the fact that I am not caught up in the world and their standards, but I am focused on the prize at the end.

Ahhhh, but there is longing there. When we started this process, I so badly wanted to celebrate this birthday with my daughter. I wanted so badly to have her home.  But of course that was my timing, and mine is never perfect. I hope that pray that she knows, some way somehow, that  family is anxious waiting for her. That they cannot wait to celebrate her birthday. And most of all, they just cannot wait to love her.

I am thankful for 34. Not too many people get the privilege of saying that. Each day in this life, no matter how hard, disappointing, exciting, deserve to be celebrated. Each day deserves a thank you, for each day is not promised. And I want to make sure that I go to bed, without the regret of saying, I wish I was in a different place. 

Love,

Jennifer

The Waiting Room

Perspective…… the Latin root of it is perspicere, to look through.

And although I have been busy, there has been much time to look through things and allow my perspective to change.

We had an appointment this week for our 3^rd set of finger prints. This was with the Department of Homeland Security. It was part of our quest to get our 797. The 797 is basically the last piece that we need to complete our dossier packet. And now we wait for it.

Someone asked this week how I am doing with the waiting. I guess they must know that waiting has not always been on strong suitJ I have been trying to voice how exactly I am doing. Yes, the waiting stinks, totally stinks. It is always hard to imagine there is a little girl waiting for her family to come get her. And sometimes you just want to scream let’s move a little bit quicker people.  But at the same time, this waiting process has been one that I have complete peace with. It might be because we are so busy with getting things done and working on the house, work has been keeping us busy or, because it is just because God has given me the peace that I need in this time.

I get a devotional every morning, it is the first thing that I read before I put my feet on the floor this morning. And I think it describes exactly what the Lord has been doing in my heart.

From the TGIS Devotional by Os Hillman.

"Be still and know that I am God...." Psalm 46:10

There is a time and place in our walk with God in which He sets us in a place of waiting. It is a place in which all past experiences are of no value. It is a time of such stillness that it can disturb the most faithful if we do not understand that He is the one who has brought us to this place for only a season. It is as if God has placed a wall around us. No new opportunities--simply inactivity.

During these times, God is calling us aside to fashion something new in us. It is an isolation chamber designed to call us to deeper roots of prayer and faith. It is not a comfortable place, especially for a task-driven workplace believer. Our nature cries out, "You must do something," while God is saying, "Be still and know that I am God." You know the signs that you have been brought into this chamber when He has removed many things from your life and you can't seem to change anything. Perhaps you are unemployed. Perhaps you are laid up with an illness.

Most religious people live a very planned and orchestrated life where they know almost everything that will happen. But for people in whom God is performing a deeper work, He brings them into a time of quietness that seems almost eerie. They cannot say what God is doing. They just know that He is doing a work that cannot be explained to themselves or to others.

Has God brought you to a place of being still? Be still and know that He really is God. When this happens, the chamber will open soon after. 

Soon after our dossier packet gets to China, we will be in another season of waiting. I hope that this peaks to you as well.

Love,

Jennifer

Quickly moving along.......

As I stated back in July, there were a few words that have come to mind during the adoption process. So I thought I would continue along those lines as I sit on the very same continent that my daughter is sitting on as we speak.

Preparation is defined as the action or process of making something ready for use or service or of getting ready for some occasion, test, or duty.

Busy is defined as engaged in action.

These both seemed to fit well together as I make my way through China.

Our house is in preparation mode. I guess you could say as we begin to hit the “third trimester” of this paper pregnancy, we are nesting.  We are beginning to work on our daughters room. Making the necessary repairs for her arrival, taking down shelves, repairing a damaged ceiling everything short of painting and turning the room into a haven for a very special little girl.

We are also preparing our hearts. We are constantly anticipating the day that we get to find out who she is. We are already praying for her transition into this family, to America and to all those that are anxiously awaiting her arrival. We are preparing for the moments that will be filled with love, preparing for the moments that will require tender love as she learns to trust us, and the exhaustion we will go through as she is in our lives.

So as you can see, Busy and Preparation go hand in hand. Life for us is also very busy. At the same time we are doing all of our preparation, we are also working through a ton of paperwork. We are currently anxiously awaiting our appointment with the Department of Homeland Security (On the 24^th) to do our biometrics (aka finger prints). We were told this appointment could take up to 3 months to get and we were able to get ours in 3 weeks. During this time we are also preparing our Dossier packet. This is encompasses many, many hours of paperwork, our lives essentially written out for the Chinese government.

Currently we are working on getting our stamps from the state of Georgia and the state of New York and then all will go off to the Chinese consulate. Once that is all done we can begin to have things translated for the Chinese government. Once our biometrics are off, we can send everything off to China.

Simultaneously, our agency had begun to pour over all of the children that are waiting for a match to look for our daughter. They are trying to get a feel for what we are exactly looking for. But, we cannot be matched until we have a LID (Log In Date) from the Chinese government.

By all that is listed above, you can see that we are extremely busy getting ready. I am currently in China for work. Visiting our schools has always been a highlight of my job. It is also bitter sweet as I know that it will probably be a long time before I potentially come back to China for work. The next time I step foot on this soil, it will be to bring home a Bowden.

Much Love,

Jennifer

Four Counties, Three Police Stations, Four Superior Court Visits and off to Atlanta

As you can tell, It has been a bit busy around here. We sent off our immigration paper work and received word that it is in hands of the Department of Homeland Security  and so now we wait. We have been told it can take up to 90 days to get back what we need. We of course are praying for a speedy turn around and that our 797 (which is what we are waiting for) will arrive when God allows for it to arrive.

In the mean time, we have been working on our Dossier packet. This pile of documents along with the 797 will go off to China and allow us to wait some more, but this time for a referral.

These documents include, but are not limited to, financial declarations, birth certificates, marriage certificate, pictures of our house, pictures of us, police reports from everywhere we have lived in the past 5 years, a letter of petition for our adoption to the Chinese government, 5 reference letters and our home study. All of which (except the pictures) have to be notarized and then certified by the county in which the notary resides, the state in which the notary resides and then the Chinese consulate. With several trips across a couple of counties we have everything ready to go to the State, and then it will be off to the Chinese consulate. 

This has definitely been an interesting process, some of the highlights include:

·      Having a “fun” conversation with the Chief of Police in Newnan as to why he needs to write the letter we needed and not have this Yankee go to the Mayor 

·     

       Clayton County Superior court suggesting that I go to QT or Quick trip to Lunch.  For those of you who do not know, that is a gas station.

·      

   Michael heading out to Griffin, only to have them delay due to a sheriff being arrested.  His mom so graciously picking up the document and then finding out it had to go to another county because that is where the notary was from. She had a great adventure on FridayJ (And adventure we are thankful for)

·      

    Seeing an old friend and hearing her say: “You look great for having a baby in the next year” That just made me smile.

So you see it has been a wild ride. But on the flip side of all the miles driven, our daughter’s story is being shared with so many people. And that is all worth it!

Please join us in prayer as we wait for the 797 and as we head to the capital in two weeks to have their stamps put on everything.

Jennifer

Great Christmas Gift, Great Cause

Great Christmas Gift….. For a great cause

Hands down adoption is expensive. While we have been saving like mad people, working overtime, applying for scholarships,  and all sorts of crazy things, it will still be expensive. We have our first payment almost saved to go with the Dossier packet. The next payment will come when we receive our referral.  We have been told that can take 6-8 months, but we also have been told it could be much shorter than that. So with that, we are trying to be prepared. We cannot accept a referral unless we have the money to send off to China.

We bought these little beauties in China on our trip this past summer. And thought this would be a great fundraiser. Faith, Hope and Love seem to be a theme for our adoption.

This charms are Sterling Silver. The Chinese characters spell out Faith, Hope and Love.

The Color of the bags varies

A donation of $20 will get you one. For $2 more you can add a Chinese silk bag to go along with it. With everyone purchased you will also receive a small note about our journey. We have a limited number and are praying they get snatched up quickly. We will have more potentially coming at the end  of November, but that is not set in stone yet.

If you are interested, please email me at Chinadibbs@gmail.com. We are able to ship for a small additional shipping fee. Money can be accepted in person, by check and by paypal. All proceeds will go directly into our adoption account. Please put in the subject line of the email…. Faith, Hope and Love.

Thanks,

Jennifer

I800A+ a bunch of paperwork+ a check= I797

The next step has been completed! We sent off our immigration paperwork! And so now we wait. Immigration will take up to 90 days to get. Once we have our immigration letter back, then we can send off all of our documents to China and eagerly wait for our referral. Please be praying along with us that we filled out everything correctly and that there is a quick return.

More to come!

The First Fundraiser

Our Full Garage

For weeks we have been stacking boxes in our garage filled with love from others. Love that we hoped and prayed would provide some necessary funds  to move our adoption along. Our garage ended up full! We were amazed at the out pouring of support. So we spent some late nights pricing, making signs and getting things ready.

The Driveway

We had friends lined up to help, that were going to show up at 6am on Saturday morning. And then on Friday, our friends from AL called to say they were bringing their 6 pairs of hands to help with the sale as well. Logan, their oldest had a lemonade stand as well as a bake sale. The sale was on.

Logan's Lemonade

It was great to tell our story to people.  People were filled with generosity and love as they inspected our goods. Lots of items were bought. We had enough left over for a yard sale in the spring. Between the lemonade stand and the sale we raised enough for ½ of our immigration payment. All we can say is Praise the Lord.

The things that nobody tells you......

There are plenty of moments where the adoption process is not glorious. The days when you are neck deep in paperwork, when your hand is hurting because you have been writing so much, waiting and waiting, knowing that the decision for you to be a parent is in the hands of humans, questions, and so on.  And I am sure that I am missing other things. But there are days when it is just not glorious. The days when people hear that your adopting and say that is so cool, but in the mean time you are thinking there is nothing cool about being put through the ringer, or paying the county to inspect your septic tank so you can be a parent.

I think from where your life has been built from will depend on how you use these days to affect you.

But for me, there are other days that just sneak up on me. I can feel them coming on, but for crying out loud, I do not feel like shedding tears today. The Longing Days as I fondly call them.

Longing is defined as: a strong desire especially for something unattainable.  And some days this just seems unobtainable. These are the days, where my faith is put to the test.

And I had one yesterday. Oh gosh did I cry and cry. I think when you are adopting, and it is your first child there are just things that you are forced to grieve. There is a lot that I am missing out on through adoption.  A lot that I am missing out by not naturally having a child. But then, there are also things that I am experiencing that only  an adoptive parent could experience.

This just seems to be a season of grieving. Please, Please, Please do not get me wrong, I love hearing about new life. But there are moments where it sneaks like the enemy in the night. I can feel like coming on, and then it hits like a tidal wave.

The process of adoption is incredibly emotional. It is like riding a roller coaster. I am thankful that God is giving me the time to grieve. Dealing with your junk is important, and I do not want to miss out on the opportunity to live without my junk. Less junk in my trunk makes life just a little bit lighter. And a better life not only for myself, but for my daughter.

On another note, We found out today we should have our home study back on Tuesday. Immigration office here we come!!! Please be praying that we filled the forms out correctly, and God will rush them through the right hands.

Much Love,

Jennifer

PS- Thanks to our village, the garage is filled with items for our yard sale. I actually think we will have one in the fall and one in the spring. If you are bored, come by on September 8^th and help is bring this baby home. We could use people to help be there the day of, price and so one. 

What is Next.....

It has been a couple of weeks since we have returned from China. Michael is famous for telling people “You would not believe how many Chinese restaurants are in China” It is pretty funny.

A ton of folks have been asking us what the next steps are, so I thought I would lay it out.

·       *   We have our home study in our hands for our review. From there, it gets sent to our agency for review. Once they approve it, then we will get the notarized copy back and can do what we need to do we need to do with it. 

     * Next is Immigration. You need to get approval from US immigration to adopt before you can send anything to China. Our I-800A is ready to go. Working on the necessary copies that are needed for it. But, we cannot send it in till our home study report is in our hands notarized.

·         Simultaneously, we are working on our Dossier. This is THE packet that gets sent to China. It includes a ton of documents that need to be notarized and then authenticated by the secretary of state along with the Chinese consulate. And when I say a ton, I mean at least 30 different documents. This package is what gets translated and sent to China. But in order to send this off, we have to have immigration approval. So we are working to get it all ready so once immigration comes in we move forward.

·        *  Wait ……that is what happens once our dossier goes to China. We wait for a referral, or in laymen terms, we wait to find out who she is. Who we have been praying for. But the reality is we will not be waiting. We will be saving any and every penny we can. We have some creative ways for people to get involved coming up. We will be doing some necessary things to the house in order for her to come home and so on.

So there you have it, the next steps. So many more to come, but so many completed so far. Each one feels like another step closer to our family.

There are a few words that God has been laying on my heart in regards to adoption. Like I said earlier in the blog, this blog was intended to let people know what was happening in our world. But, it was also so people could hear adoption from our perspective. The process, the heart process and just how personal the knitting together of hearts can be through so many piles of paper, time, energy and the reality of it taking a village to bring a child home. It is also from my perspective as a first time mom. The things that I am excited about, the things I have had to let go, expectations that I have had to change about what I thought my life would be and so many other things. So, over the next few posts, I will be highlighting these words.

Perspective

Longing

Sacrifice

Busy

Preparation

Why questions

Broken

Trust

Relationship

Thanks for the prayers, we can feel them every step of the way!

Jennifer

*This is pretty random, but to whomever is using our link to buy though Just Love Coffee Thank you! We just got the second check deposited! Every little bit makes a difference!

From One Side of the Ocean.....

This is my last night here. For the past two weeks, Michael and I have been serving in a country that at times can shine the light and other times can be very very dark. It is the place where we are adopting from. Where God has said, your family for right now, will be built from. And yet, I struggle so hard with leaving this time. Things are very, very different.

We spent a couple of days exploring China together. It was fun to take Michael around and show him all the different sites, experience the food and the culture.

Then we headed down to another city by train. Five hours of seeing the country. We then spend the next four days camping, yes camping in China. Tent camping, no electricity, China bathrooms (Need I say more), cooking our own food and 13 kids. Kids who spend 13+ hours a day in school 6 days a week. Free time is non-existent. Their time outside of school is spent studying. So this was there chance to be a kid. And we had the honor of spending the week with them. Yes it was incredibly hot, incredibly tiring and incredibly moving. We were the seed planters. Loving on kids who never get to “play” with an adult. Badminton, water balloons,  water guns, laser tag (called CS here), hiking, cooking our own food, picking our own food from gardens to eat, it was amazing.

We came back into town, and with our last day there we went to an orphanage. This is a very special place. A lady who has been called to care for the outcasts of China. She takes in the children, the government does not want to take care of. Kids with severe disabilities. She raises money through various methods and then they have surgeries. (In China, kids with disabilities are seen as “throw” away Children. Some are even flagged as not adoptable because of their condition. This 6 hours rocked my world.

I had been there before, so I knew the conditions to expect. The kids rocked my world. Their sweet faces saying love me! Their hugs, playful spirits captured the hearts of all of us there. But it hit like a ton of bricks, my little girl is sitting in an orphanage somewhere that I could only pray was a little bit close to what this place was. I was consumed with the thoughts of, is she being loved right now, is someone playing with her. Is she considered an outcast. And then the wave (Of obvious thought) we are not taking her home on this trip. I have to leave this country without my little girl. The thought of that just breaks my heart to shreds.

I long for the day that she gets to come home. I long for the play time, the hugs, the joy that she will bring to our house and the fact that God will complete HIS plan for our family.

We are departing on an early flight out tomorrow. Please be praying for us as we go. I can’t speak for Michael, but I can say without a doubt my heart is breaking for her and the other little children who are sleeping in an orphanage tonight not only here but across this world. Could you imagine even if half of America could open their hearts to adoption, what that would do to the orphan population?

This was a song I heard before we left the states. You can take the Father out of it and replace it with mother.

The One You Need- Shane and Shane

Hey hey sweet daughter
I am so proud to be your father
Each day is like a gift from God

Hey hey sweet daughter
There’s no music like your laughter
And your smile is like a rising sun

You know I loved you from the start
So come in close
Take my hand for
Daddy shares his heart

I wish that I could be your everything
Be the one to give you all the things you need
Sometimes I’m gonna let you down
But there’s Someone if you just believe
Be your hero like He’s always been for me
Darling, Jesus is the one you need

No matter what you walk through
He will always love you
Just the way you are
For there’s nothing in this world
That I’d walk for my baby girl
That she’ll be happy ever after

The story of your life is still untold
I pray the King of all the Universe
Would make your heart His own

I wish that I could be your everything
Be the one to give you all the things you need
Sometimes I’m gonna let you down
But there’s Someone if you just believe
Be your hero like He’s always been for me
Darling, Jesus is the one

Who will never leave
He’s been there all along
All ready You can find to love

I wish that I could be your everything
Be the one to give you all the things you need
Sometimes I’m gonna let you down
But there’s Someone if you just believe
Be your hero like He’s always been for me
Darling, Jesus is the one you need

Till the other side of the ocean.

Yes that is a bird cage hanging off the bus with birds. 

Bucket list, Check. I got to drive in China:)

Mommy Moments

I have always wondered what it would be like when you feel like a mom for the first time. Is that the first time you feel your child kick, first time you hold them? This is a thought that I have been contemplating, but I have begun to believe, at least for myself, I already have had a few mommy moments.

Yes, I have been dreaming about the first time that I hold my little one. I think about the day that we will be in China, and she will come into the room. The first time we would lay physical eyes on us. What our thoughts would be and what hers would be. That is a definite moment. But I have found I have been given the opportunity to be a Mommy beforehand and go to bat for my child. I have actually found that the Momma Bear inside (A not always good side) comes out when it comes to this adoption and a human mind set getting in the wayJ

The home study went well. Our social worker (I love and miss our visits already) was awesome! We had some great discussion, she gave us good food for thought, and the house was ready and so on. So, now we are waiting for the report to come back and then we can move on to the next step, immigration.

During the home study, there were several tasks that we had to complete. Both of us had to have physicals, drug tests and we had to gather a bunch of references. We also had to have our septic tank inspected, Elmo updated on his shots, and fill out an entire tree worth of paperJ. There were also a few sets of finger prints that we had to get done. One was at the Sherriff’s office and one was at a UPS store. (Odd I know) Both times we went in and something was wrong. Either the web site was wrong and the times had not been updated or the machines were broken down. But both times when these folks told us NO, the momma bear in me was rising up. Wanting to scream “You are delaying my meeting my daughter. Because of you, she is waiting in the orphanage another day!” Probably not the most appropriate for the Sherriff’s office to say the least and thankfully I held my tongue. But it was the first time I felt the instinct to protect my young.

I have had to constantly sit with the Lord and be reminded that he is currently taking care of her. HE is making sure she has what she needs until the time comes when HE will unite us. Ahh that glorious day….

Michael and I are headed tomorrow to China. We are going to serve alongside some great folks and do some awesome things while being over there. We will be gone for almost two weeks. This will be Michael’s first time out of the country (I am sure we will have some stories to share) and the thoughts that I have had as we prepare, is I am going to be in a country where my baby is and I cannot get to her.  That will still have so much to do to bring her home and now is not the time. Time, something that I am wrestling with. Time of waiting, time of filling out paperwork, time of needing to get others involved, time, time, time. But what else is going on in that time is even far greater than anything mentioned above. Our hearts are being knit together stich by stich until the final stich is done and we are together.

Please be praying for us during this time. I will try to post, but not too sure if we will be able to.

Love,

Jennifer