The Dangerous Prayer

In so many ways, growing up in church has been a blessing.  I have always been surrounded with Christian friends and people who encourage me in God's Word.  Choosing to hang out with people who believed the same as I do kept me out of a lot of trouble...although not all...and these same people were a strong support during difficult times of my life.  And who could forget Hide and Seek in the dark sanctuary and playing in the baptismal...just don't tell my Mema...I think we were supposed to be straightening the backs of the pews or something!  Don't judge...those were long summer days and we couldn't play in her office!  Most importantly, I grew up knowing about and accepting Christ's love for me and the assurance that I would one day spend eternity in heaven with Him.  Yes, growing up in church has definitely been a blessing.

There can be a down-side, however.  After thousands of sermons and songs, dozens of Bible studies and read thru the Bible plans, multiple retreats and countless prayers, it can all become routine.  Not on purpose, of course.  Somewhere in the busyness of good things, sometimes we lose sight of the best thing...Jesus and His love for us.  Or maybe through hurts and disappointments, our heart hardens.  At that point, what can you read that you haven't already read?  or what can you pray that you haven't already prayed?  How about the "dangerous" prayer?  I don't even know why I prayed it, actually.  But it was something to the effect of, "Lord, break my heart for what breaks Yours."  And boy did He!  In a HUGE way...as in an I-can't-get-it-out-of-my-mind kind of way!  I became increasingly aware of about 147,000,000 things that were breaking His heart.  Not things, actually, but children, scattered around our globe, from Vacaville, CA to Qingyuan, China and beyond.  Children that have no one to kiss their boo boos or tuck them in; no one to help them develop their gifts and talents; no one to hug them when they are sad or celebrate with them when they are excited or counsel them when they are struggling with their peers.  And most importantly, no one to teach them about the One who knit them together in their mother's womb and knew them before they were born.  The One who has a purpose and a plan for their very significant lives!

And my. heart. broke...into 147,000,000 pieces!

I knew God was calling me to action, and I could not reason it away or pretend I didn't know what to do about it.  He reminded me in everything from my dreams to TV shows to conversations with friends to BIble verses I would read.  Although 147,000,000 is an overwhelming number, and I cannot make a difference for them all, God has shown me that I can make a difference!  With God's help, we will make that number ONE LESS very soon!

I know in this very broken world there are MANY things that break God's heart.  So I will continue to pray this "dangerous" prayer.  Care to join me?

Give1Save1 - Family of the Week!

I am SO excited to be partnered with Give1Save1 Asia this week!  If you haven't checked out their website, you can do that HERE.  They partner with adoptive families to help bring home their sweet babies that still wait far from home.  You can follow some terrific families, many of whom I have become friends with during this process.  And when you get there, please SHARE on your FaceBook wall!  There are so many kiddos who need a family, and by working together, WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!  

Special thanks to Tonya at Give1Save1 for getting us a little bit closer to bringing home Mycah!

One Step Closer!

Today we received an email saying, "The State Department's National Visa Center has recently received your approval Form I 800, Petition to Classify Orphan as an Immediate Relative...your petition has been forwarded to the appropriate visa-issuing post where the adoption interview will take place."

In adoption lingo, we have been "cabled."  And now we await our Article 5 paperwork.  This is where our agency representative will take our latest approval to the US Consulate in Guangzhou.  They will then review all of our paperwork, make sure it meets all the requirements for an immigrant visa, and sign off that everything is in order for the adoption to be completed.  It will then be taken to the China Center of Adoption Affairs, and they will in turn issue our TA (travel approval)!  Assuming everything stays on track, this could put me leaving as early as March 1st or as late at March 15th.  I am hoping for March 8th, myself, but of course I will take sooner!

I still wonder what my little guy thinks about his new family.  It is hard to believe that in less than 2 months, he will be here.  It is funny how that can seem so short and yet seem like eternity all at the same time!  The paperwork is done.  The bedroom is ready.  The clothes are washed and in his closet (mostly).  The preschool toys that have been long neglected around here are ready to play.  And five sets of arms are ready to love on our boy!  

Come on Article 5!!!

Don't forget about the ways you can still help be a part of Mycah's amazing story!  

1. First, my Ava Anderson party going on until next Monday, January 28th.  (Read the post below for the details.)
2. Second, check out the buttons on the sidebar to find cool t-shirts, jewelry, etc. that will benefit our adoption fund.  
3. Third, use our Amazon button if you need to order anything from Amazon...it costs you nothing extra!  
4. Fourth, if you would like to simply make a tax-deductible donation, use the AdoptTogether button to your right.  

Thank you so much for your prayers and support.  It is really incredible how the Body of Christ can make such a difference when we work together!

Cousins are a blessing!

This is me with my wonderful cousin, Amy!  Although we only see each other about once every...hmmm...ok, not NEARLY enough, we always have loads to talk about and I very much enjoy her company!

Several months ago at my cousin Sarah's wedding, Amy told me of a line of chemical free products that she had been using.  She loved them SO much, that she decided to share the great news with others.  They are by a company called Ava Anderson.  There is something for everyone, since they have products from makeup to sunscreen, skin care to baby care, and even products for your home!  Not only can you learn about these great products through her, but she is donating all of her commission to our adoption fund! 

 Please check out this link to her site.  All orders will be shipped directly to you, so even if you are no where near me, you can still participate in my "party"!  It is important that you enter party #9972 so that we will get credited properly.  This party is only open from today (January 14th) through January 29th, so hop on over and take a peek soon!  Please feel free to help by passing this info along to anyone that you think would benefit from these wonderful products.  If you have any questions, or would like more info on these products, please email Amy at amybaumgartelsinger@gmail.com.  

Happy healthy shopping, folks!  And thank you, Amy, for being such a blessing!

Wonder what he's thinkin'?

Although Mycah was told back in August that he had a Mama and Baba, he has had no idea who they (we) were.  We decided to mostly obey our agency's wishes and refrain from sending any care packages until after we received our LOA.  So last week, a small package was sent containing a flash drive (which hopefully the orphanage will fill with pics and docs), candies for him and his friends, a letter from us, and...my favorite...a photo album of 20 pictures of our family!  Each photo had captions beneath it introducing mama, baba, Zachary, Alyssa, Nathyn, and of course, Molly and Oasis!  We also sent pics of our house, his new bed, our van, and several pics of family activities like skiing, picnicking, and hiking.  So I wonder what he is thinking now?  I mean his whole little world is about to be turned upside down by the faces staring back at him in those pictures.  Does he get it?  Does he have ANY idea what it means?  Is he happy?  Is he scared?  Does he think we look funny?  Does he like his Toy Story bed?  Or did he just think the whole thing was an interesting picture book?  Please pray that his nannies help prepare him for this transition by showing him the book often and by talking to him in a positive way about this big change coming up in a few weeks.  

Tomorrow will (hopefully) be my next to last visit to the Chinese embassy.  I am going to apply for my visa.  Still no idea why I get nervous when I have to do this kind of stuff?  It will be nice if they agree to process my dear friend's visa at the same time since she is my travel partner, even though I don't have the normally required receipt for plane tickets, and she lives in a different state!  Don't worry, Sonia...I did come up with a Plan B.  And C if needed :-)

God is Good!

Being the boring old person not quite as young and exciting as I used to be, I was in bed and asleep by about 10:30pm on New Years Eve.  At least until 12:01, when Alyssa (at her cousins' house) called me to wish me Happy New Year!  So of course, once awake I noticed an email on my phone.  When I read it, the bottom part of it said something like this...

"Also, due to the generous nature of one of our vendors, Hamor’d, we have a special $500 grant that we’re giving out tonight.  There was no signup necessary as each active family with OTP was in the running and the Saylor Family is the big winner of the $500 grant!  Congrats Saylor family!"

I had no idea this was even a possibility, so it was a complete (but very welcome!) New Years Eve surprise!  Most of you know that we are still trusting God for the remaining funds to complete Mycah's adoption.  And for this to be my first email of the new year, I felt it was a reminder from the Lord that even though I still have no idea how this will all work out, He does...and I need to trust that.  

Thank you to all of you who have donated, purchased, and eaten out in order to help us bring our son home.  We have made huge progress and currently only need about $16,800 more to finish!  Not that that is an "only" number to me...I think it is HUGE!  But I know to my God this is "bottom of your purse" kind of money.  Not that God has a purse...you know what I mean :-)

So check the sidebar again, folks!  Can I interest you in a t-shirt?  Or perhaps some jewelry?  Or maybe you're already shopping on Amazon and will use my button over there?  Or possibly God has given you the blessing of being able to make a donation (Remember the AdoptTogether button offers a tax-deductible receipt).  

I will also be highlighting new opportunities in upcoming posts...so check back soon!

And, of course, most importantly, please keep us in your prayers.  Although this wait has been excruciating, and being 9 months paper-pregnant is exhausting, I know the big day is coming soon!  I am praying for God's blessing, favor and protection for this journey of a lifetime! 

Drumroll, please!

And we have our L...O...A!!!  My apologies for the late post of this great news, but the stomach bug was not kind to our family during the last leg of our trip!  But we are all on the mend and finally back in  Maryland!  So...check out my first iMovie!  (Special thanks to my sister-in-law for the brief tutorial before we left FL...hope it turned out OK!)

LID 11/1/12
LOA 12/28/12

Next up...I800 approval (immigrations stuff!)

And hopefully we will be home sometime in March!  Happy New Year, everyone!