Two Weeks (minus one day!) and Counting...

Yesterday was two weeks and counting until we leave for Taiwan!  It was a busy and emotional day as I led my kindergarten in their graduation, including my own son, Benjamin.  My how time flies!  But another "to do before we leave" item is checked off my mental list, and that feels great!  My kindergarten children are now done with school for the year, so while the older kids finish up next week, I will dismantle my classroom and check yet another item off my list!

My parents were up for graduation yesterday, so we discussed the childcare plans with them for our trip. They will be watching three of our boys for a good portion of the time we are away, then have all four for a weekend, and then back to three for a couple of days before we return.  Our older boys' summer camps coincide with our trip, so they will be duly occupied.  If you think about it, though, pray for my parents as they are not used to the daily routine of caring for little ones anymore!

Dave is home, too, for the weekend, after a 2 1/2 week trip to Indiana.  We have been able to discuss some of our thoughts regarding our upcoming transition to five children, and he seems so much more calm about it than I do!  Basically, he's expecting the worst and will be pleasantly surprised otherwise.  I'm trying not to have any expectations--we make a good pair, I guess!

It's almost surreal to think that after three years of planning, waiting, preparing, and wondering, we are almost to the point of meeting our daughter.  God is good!  Soon I will be able to post her photos and introduce her to you...I can't wait for you to "meet" her!

Expecting a blessing...

Jehovah Jireh

Jehovah Jireh, the God who provides, has been our sustenance through the last three years as we have journeyed along our Silk Road to Sophia.  Using a huge garage sale and bake sale, Pampered Chef and other home parties, Christmas ornaments, t-shirts, poetry books, cookbooks, and many, many donations from families and friends, God has provided.  Oftentimes He provided at the last minute and the exact amount that we needed.  We have never had a huge surplus in our bank account just waiting for us to need it (as much as I would have like that at times!).  Instead, He asked us to trust Him each step of the way, and He stretched our faith time and again as we saw Him provide over and over again.

We are now down to less than three weeks before we travel, and we are shy just under $2000 to have our adoption paid in full, including travel.  Two thousand dollars may sound like a lot, but I'm not worried.  When we started this journey we had nothing, and God has supplied nearly $20,000--so $2000 is a drop in the bucket!  To anyone considering adoption but daunted by the cost--don't be.  When God calls you to do something, He equips you to do it--in all the ways that you need to be equipped!

I have found myself reminiscing a lot the closer we get to bringing Sophia home.  This adoption journey has been so much more than a journey to bring home a child.  It has been a journey of faith that has brought me closer to my Heavenly Father, who adopted me.  I am so thankful for the journey and what it has taught me.  While I may not need to rely on God for adoption finances after we bring our daughter home, I know I will need to rely on Him for grace, courage, and wisdom as we raise our daughter and her four brothers.

And so our journey continues...

Three Weeks and Counting...

Three weeks from tonight--almost to the minute that I am typing this--Dave and I will be checking in at Newark International for our flight to Taipei and Sophia.  Wow...I can't believe I am typing that!  The light at the end of the tunnel is near.  Tonight some dear friends of ours held a fundraising potluck dinner on our behalf with dishes from our adoption cookbook.  It was such sweet fellowship.  I love how adoption brings people together--in so many ways.  Through the donations received, we are now able to pay our airline tickets in full--isn't God good?

Please continue to pray for all of the logistics of our trip, and for Sophia's attachment and bonding to us when we meet.  Humanly speaking I can't even fathom the emotions she will be going through when she leaves all that is familiar to her in just a few short weeks.  Please pray that God will supernaturally work in her little heart and mind.

I hope to be blogging and posting photos as we travel, so stay tuned to this blog!  Thanks for being a part of our Silk Road Journey!

One week closer to holding Sophia in our arms...

4 Weeks & Counting!

The weeks are really flying by now!  It's hard to believe that it was almost three years ago that we began this journey in earnest, and now it is almost time to meet our daughter.  Our journey certainly hasn't been without its twists and turns, and even now, so near the end, it's not a cakewalk!  But God has been so faithful through it all, and we know that He who started this good work will see it through until it is completed!

I was able to finally book our hotel in Taichung, the city where our daughter is currently living, so our accommodations are set.  We will probably be having to use public transportation quite a bit, but I'm told that even taxis are pretty convenient to use there, and not too expensive.  I'm looking forward to the adventure of it all, as I definitely am a traveler at heart!

Please pray in these last weeks that God will continue to orchestrate His perfect will in our lives as things are pretty hectic with the adoption and our impending move to Indiana.  I am very cognizant of the need to transition Sophia as smoothly as possible, and all of the bonding and attachment issues that need to happen, and I'm praying that in the midst of this chaotic time, God will give her a supernatural peace and contentment.  Also pray for her foster family.  They are very attached to her, and she to them, and while they are doing a fantastic job preparing her for adoption, I know their will be a big sense of loss on their part, too.  I'm really looking forward to meeting them!

Finally, continue to pray for our needed funds.  We are about halfway to where we should be, but I know God can move mountains in these last weeks.  I'm so thankful for some wonderful friends who are planning a fundraiser for us next week here in Jonestown, and for all of our friends, family, and even strangers who have given towards our adoption expenses these last three years--we couldn't have done it without all of you!

Counting the days...

5 Weeks & Counting!

I can't believe that after waiting for so long, we are down to five weeks left before we leave for Taiwan!  We have tickets in hand, and one of the two hotels that we need booked.  Please continue to pray for needed funds.  The tickets were more than I expected them to be, but I'm choosing not to fret (or at least I'm trying not to fret!) and to allow God to continue to provide in His time.

My sister wrote a beautiful blog post HERE about our upcoming trip.  The photo is from the city where Sophia is currently living.  I'm so excited to get there and see the beauty of the island!  We are traveling in summer, so it will be very hot and humid, and most likely rainy (think monsoon season!), but hopefully that won't deter us too much from enjoying the land of our daughter's birth.

There seems to be a lot of loose ends yet to tie up for our trip.  I'm enjoying finding just the right gifts for the foster family and others who will be helping us there.  I bought the cutest scrabble pendant necklace HERE for Sophia's foster sister who plays the piano.  I just love the little heart on the piano keys!  I'm trying to buy all homemade items or "Made in USA" items.  I also am having fun picking up fun little toys and activities for Sophia to entertain her while we are in Taiwan and on our almost 15 hour non-stop flight home.  (Please remember to pray for us on June 20!!!)  Of course I have to make sure everything fits into our luggage and we don't overpack and yada, yada, yada...yikes!  If I think about it too much, I start to have trouble breathing!  :)

Thanks for your continued prayers and interest in our journey.  It has almost been three years since we started on our journey to Sophia, and what a journey it has been.  But through it all we have been reminded of God's faithfulness and the goodwill of family and friends.  I can't wait to share with Sophia how much she was loved long before we ever met her!

Counting down the days...