Let the Countdown Begin!

Fifteen days until China!

Yesterday we received our confirmed Consulate Appointment (CA) date of March 25th.  All other dates are planned counting backwards from that important day...the day when the all is final in the eyes of the U.S.  This means that we will leave on March 15th to arrive in Hong Kong the evening of March 16th!  We will spend one night in Hong Kong and then venture to Guangzhou by train (2 hour ride) on Sunday the 17th.  You know what that means??

March 18th is Gotcha Day!

Mycah will walk out from behind the colorful curtain at the Civil Affairs office.  He will walk away from all he has ever known to walk into a life with a "forever family."  I haven't the vocabulary to express the loss that he will experience, and this will be a very difficult time of transition for him.  Please join me in praying that his nannies are preparing him well for this big change.  Pray that he is somehow able to comprehend our love for him.  Pray that he immediately feels safe with us.  

I know the reason many of you check in and put up with my rambling is just to see cute pictures. We got these yesterday along with our last update from the orphanage.  

The next pictures you see of him will be dated March 18th, 2013...when there will be ONE LESS!

Packing My Bags!

I can officially pack my bags now, because we got our T.A. today!  WooHoo!!  I told my sister that it's a little like finding out the day that your doctors are going to induce your labor....farther away than you would like, but at least ya know a date!  More details to follow as soon as a couple more things get confirmed!  

I AM SO EXCITED!

On a side note, I find it a little humorous that 11 years ago today (Alyssa's birthday) I totally told God I was D.O.N.E. having kids.  Yes, it may have had something to do with a lack of anesthesia...but humorous nonetheless.  Since then He has blessed me with 2 more :-)

  

Things I Love

My list is probably very similar to yours...

My family...near and far.

My friends...

even though many are far away.

And Braves spring training!

(Sorry...just a little excited that they actually start playing games this Friday!)

Not to rehash a blog post from the past, but anyone who knows me knows that I did NOT want to leave California.  I also did NOT want to move to DC.  It has been a year of change, adjustment, and even loneliness at times...for all of us, actually.  But as we wind up our 12 month assignment here, I can look back and see a little more of God's tapestry.  It always amazes me when I stop and think about it... How God can take the good, the bad, the ugly, and the seemingly insignificant events of our lives and weave them together into an amazing piece of work. 

And yet here I sit amazed.   Again.  

God has blessed us here.  Again.

He has done exceeding abundantly.  Again.

So back to things I love...

I love the time I have had with my children here.  Probably more than they would like some days!

I love our amazing home school group and the friends we have made there.

Fort McHenry Field Trip

I love that we have had the ability to process a lot of our own paperwork for the adoption at the Chinese Embassy here, thus saving time and money!

I love our church!  They have not only has blessed us with sound teaching and wonderful friendship, but they are also praying for and supporting us in our adoption.  I am so glad that they will be Mycah's first church family!

I love the Smithsonian!  (A very recent addition to my list!)  It is actually LOTS of buildings, not just one.  All the museums are free.  And they are all enjoyable, even if the subject matter is not your favorite.  Last week we went to the Air and Space Museum.

Lyss and Nay with the Wright Brothers

Nay weighs enough on Jupiter to not need a booster seat in any state!

Lyss exploring the planets as no text book can!

IMAX movie...Hubble 3D

Confession...as interesting as I TRY to make astronomy sound when I teach it, it has never been a particularly interesting subject to me.  The thought of space travel terrifies me, and I think the view of the stars at night from the back porch of any warm place is just fine.  But as we watched this movie, I was enthralled, amazed, awestruck, or any other descriptive word you can think of to put here.  

I was also HUMBLED.  

As the pictures from lightyears away started to show on the screen, I watched in wonder.  Nebulas.  New stars.  Dying stars.  Solar systems.  Galaxies.  Not just ours, but hundreds...millions...seemingly infinite!  

And I wondered what the earth would look like in relative size.  And then what would the United States look like compared to that?  And what about me?  

How small am I compared to the vast expansions of space and time?

All I could think about was Psalm 8:3-4.

"When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?"  

And I was humbled.  Humbled that He took the time to make me.  Humbled that He sent His Son to redeem me.  Humbled that He chooses to orchestrate the tiny details of my life, when clearly He has much "bigger" stuff going on out there! And if He can create all of that with just His word, then these adoption details are a piece of cake for Him!

I LOVE that God is patient when it takes me a while to figure things out! :-)

One month till "Gotcha!"

One month people!!  If all goes as planned, one month from tonight will be my first night sleeping next to a very adorable Chinese boy!  Really???  As I have said before, it's kind of like being 9 months pregnant and labor will begin any minute!  Exciting and scary all at the same time!!  AHHHH!!!


I cannot believe we are at the point in this process that we are closing down our fundraisers.  Most require 2-3 weeks notice in order to send you the money you have earned, so I have begun that process with AdoptTogether, Adoption Bug T-Shirts, and CoupAide.  You will notice those are no longer on our blog anymore.  If you were considering a purchase from Adoption Bug or CoupAide, let me know and I can direct you to a family still using these companies to help their adoption fund.  I also received a check from my cousin's Ava Anderson party that we did in January.  Although none of these fundraisers produced a huge sum in and of themselves, all together they have been very helpful.  Thank you SOO much to those who have helped with these efforts!

Two things that are still up and running are the Amazon link and the Olive Tree Promise store.  Olive Tree Promise does have some fantastic gift ideas if you are buying for that person who has everything! 


Such as incredible artwork.... 

Beads made in Uganda from recycled magazines...no two are alike!  Bracelets, earrings and necklaces!

Personalized burp cloths and other baby items!  

No, they don't all say Saylor :-)

Personalized kids' shirts with a letter or number on the front.  Many designs available.  The number ones are great for birthdays!  

Pieces of art made in Haiti that benefit not only our family, but also the families who live in Haiti!

Purchase baby formula as a donation for children who lack adequate nutrition.

And great t-shirts that benefit people far and near!

Of course this one is my personal favorite, since my BFF actually adopted Superman!

No kidding...see??

Seriously, thank you so much for your support of our adoption.  God has used many of you to help provide the funds that we need up to this point.  If you would still like to help with a donation, just click on the "Chip In" that I put back up over on your right!  Also, we are still waiting to hear about 2 grants this week.  Please pray that we have the patience and faith to trust that God is never late!

"Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bring your children from the east and gather you from the west."              Isaiah 43:5

And We Wait a Little More...

Good news...we are done waiting for our Article 5!  The US Consulate in China has issued the last piece of paper that the CCCWA (China) needs in order to issue our Travel Approval!  The bad news...now China is closed for a week in order to celebrate Chinese New Year.  I guess I should just be thankful they aren't taking the whole 15 days off like other people do to celebrate this time of year!  

So now we wait a little longer... 

We wait for the CCCWA (China) to reopen.  (Feb 17th I think?)

We wait for our Travel Approval to be issued.  (about 10-14 days)

We wait for our Consulate appointment date.  (about 1 day)

Then we book flights; get my amazing friend Sonia's visa; pack two suitcases, making sure that the 150 pounds of stuff I have to take makes each one no more than 50 pounds; and then our waiting is OVER!  

And yet while I am SO tired of waiting, my prayer now is that I make the most of every minute of my time with Zachary, Alyssa, and Nathyn.  And that I catch up on Downton Abbey! :-)  

Because in about 4 weeks, life will look very different around here!

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!