We have NEW Travel Dates!!!!!

I AM LEAVING IN SOONER THAN EXPECTED! THIS POST HAS BEEN UPDATED TO REFLECT THE LATEST TRAVEL INFORMATION!

~ Leaving in 10 days!!!! ~

*After originally scheduling my travel date of Apr 27th and Gotcha Day of Apr 30th, we found out that Joy's province will be taking a 3 day holiday while I am there, so the paperwork for the adoption would not be completed in time for us to leave for Guangzhou where we must go for the American Consulate Visa appointment. So, our agency has schedule for me to leave earlier than expected.*

LEAVING FOR CHINA: Wednesday, APRIL 25TH
LAND IN CHINA: Saturday, APRIL 26TH


~NEW GOTCHA DAY FOR JOY ~
~FRIDAY, April 27, 2012~
Spend weekend and following week in Joy's province finalizing adoption paperwork.

Head to Guangzhou for the US Consulate Appointment Process: Friday, May 4, 2012
MEDICAL EXAM: Saturday, May 5, 2012
CONSULATE APPOINTMENT: Tuesday, May 8, 2012
(wait 48hrs after Visa appt)
FLY HOME: Thursday, May 10, 2012

MAY 13, 2012: SPEND MOTHER'S DAY WITH ALL 5 OF MY CHILDREN!!!!!!!

More Birthday Pictures

As if the day you get 36 pictures isn't enough. Then you get TA the next day. And if that isn't enough you get 15 more pictures that night!! What a triple blessing we have received this week! After such a stressful and long wait for this season to arrive, these last 2 days full of photos and travel invitation have been like a soothing balm for my weary soul. Thank you Jesus!!! Thank you!!!

Most of the pictures we received were of similar shots, so here are the top favorites.


~ the backpack was filled with the gifts we sent her and the bags in her hand are fruit we sent to go with the cake and cookies ~


Take a look at who's reading her Chinese characters out loud to her class (and apparently woke up too late this day to get her hair fixed before school).

TRAVEL APPROVAL

AFTER ONLY A 7 DAY WAIT -
TRAVEL APPROVAL
ARRIVED TODAY!!!!!!!!


We have sent our agency our top 5 dates to for our Consulate Appointments. If all goes well, we will know tomorrow when we are leaving!

A birthday to remember

So honored to be this girls momma!!!! Her smiles warms my heart.

Today we received a ton of pictures of our sweet Joy's 9th birthday party that we "ordered" for her. I wish we could have personally thrown the party, but at least we could supply the party. She was able to have 2 parties: 1 at home with her foster family and friends and 1 at school with her classmates.

Here are a few of the photos we received of her parties.

Joy's Classmates

Passing out treats to her classmates


The birthday girl and boy get crowned. (The boy is another classmate who also got to celebrate his birthday with Joy.)


Blowing out the birthday candles


At her foster home with her foster parents and friends.


Making a wish


Even in China they give the birthday girl the first piece of cake. I l love the smiles on the foster parents in this photo. Receiving photos of a foster family is so very unusual. We are beyond blessed to have these precious memories for her.


Birthday cake on the face :-)


Joy and her foster brother and friends


She is so loved, by so many.

Forever our Sweetheart

More good news of great Joy!

Today we received updated photos of our sweet Joy. We have not seen photos of her since July. And, to get them this day, the day our Referral arrived in our hand is Double-Blessing, Double-Joy.

Joy Comes in the Morning

Psalm 30:5b
Weeping may last through the night,
but JOY comes with the morning.


I have been weeping and waiting for updates on my girl. My soul has longed to see her face. As I sat outside at 7am this morning my longing went into overload and I had a sense that I might have an update on her. I rushed inside the house to find these sweet photos gracing my computer screen.






Thanking Jesus for this glimpse at my sweet girl. Just a few more months and the wait will be over.

~Photos taken July 2011~

Update for June

We had the last meeting with our social worker on June 29th. We do not have all our clearances in yet but they should trickle in over the next week or two. The agency said even though we had our last meeting, it could take another 5 weeks to have a completed homestudy in hand. 5 weeks? Wow! That's quite a long time, really. But I am remembering God's timing is perfect. I will do what I can to hurry my part along and wait patiently (or - if I'm honest- not so patiently) on the Lord for the rest.

We had a few fun fundraisers in June. We now have $3,300 of the needed $10,000. Just $6,600 to go. Just! Well, that word "just" is an operative word that feels good some days and other days feels overwhelming.

We are hoping to raise more funds in July with our PUZZLE fundraiser.


We are also offering a $25 Target gift card raffle to ANYONE who donates ANY AMOUNT in the month of July. The raffle will take place on August 1st.

July is a hard month to raise funds. Families have costly vacations, kids have costly camps. Funds are low for everyone. But we are trusting on God to bring our Joy from the East as only He could promise.



We are also hoping that July will bring us updated pictures of Ms. Joy. The photos we have of her are from 2008. Quite a long time ago, aye? That's not sitting so well with my waiting-mommy-heart.

Well, I was going to use this blog only when we travel. But, I have found out I need an outlet for my heart. A place to write when I don't have anyone to talk to. When Facebook just is not fun anymore and well, honestly, I think my Facebook friends are sick of hearing from me. Awe, it's a mom-in-waiting. What is she to do? Not many understand. But those who have Been-There-Done-That do really get it. They get the wait is tough. They get that a waiting mom's heart is broken every second of every day. They just get it. And I am blessed that my Church Family seems so far to have "gotten it" too. They have embraced our Joy in a way that very few people have in the past. I am blessed by my Church, just totally blessed.