More from day 1

We ventured out to the streets of Guangzhou today in hopes that we would find something good for lunch.










Arriving at Oggie's Pizza, we soon discovered we would be frequenting this establishment during our stay in Guangzhou. I guess we were a sight to behold as we enjoyed our pizza, because we were even photographed by the locals!





Our day has been one of peace and relaxation. It has also been so beautiful seeing God's redemptive plan being played out in so many lives.

Haddie and I took some time to relax at the pool. Well, I relaxed poolside, and Haddie flailed and splashed in the pool. When Haddie is in the pool it can be hard to tell if she is playing or struggling to stay above water. She definitely held the attention of the lifeguards! As I chatted poolside with different families around me, each of them had a different story with one common theme holding true. In each newly adopted child's life, God had stepped in delivering hope and a future.




The evil one planned to rob her worth, future, hope... Nananananana!!!!!!!!! Not this one!!!! And tomorrow she will hold the hand of another, DELIVERED and SET FREE by redeeming and amazing GRACE!


The sun sets tonight, and with it comes the promise of a new day,


A day I have been waiting for since June 23, 2011!

"He reached down from on high and took hold of me; He drew me out of deep waters. He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes who were too strong for me. They confronted me in the day of my disaster, but the Lord was my support. He brought me out into a spacious place, He rescued me because He delighted in me." Psalm 18:16-19

The sights, the sounds, the smells...I love this country! I am not sure if it is because this is the home country of my girls, but my affection for China and the people here runs deep.

Most of you know I HATE flying! It truly is one of my biggest fears. God ushered in His peace, and the flight was
fairly uneventful. Thank you to each of you who were specifically lifting this up to the Father!! He heard your prayers.

We arrived in Hong Kong, a bit late. Our flight out of Chicago was delayed, which is not surprising considering that seems to be the theme of this journey to Maggie. I joked yesterday that maybe her name should be DELAYne!!!!

All was smooth after our arrival in Hong Kong. We had about a 2 and a half hour drive to Guangzhou. Our hotel is quite breathtaking. We are staying at The Garden Hotel. Everything is extremely convenient. The 7-11, McDonalds, Pizza Hut, Subway, many comforts of home are within a block of us.

Our morning has been relaxing and peaceful! As we arrived at breakfast this morning I was overcome with emotion!! Surrounding us were families who were experiencing their first days with newly adopted children, of all ages, and a variety of special needs. One of the first families we passed held their baby girl with a cleft lip and palette in their arms. Haddie immediately said, "mommy, she's the same as me!"

At breakfast the Lord set families before me that were Devine appointments. One, of which, needs to make a decision to continue their adoption process or disrupt. Pray for wisdom for this family.

What I saw in that dining area this morning, everywhere I looked was HOPE! Hope delivered to lives that had none. I saw mammas and daddies who carried the look of exhaustion, and it reminded me that adoption is not easy. Parents trying to corral children, who were acting like wild animals, and eating like them! Oh my, the craziness of the first days and months of getting to know each other. I looked over at Haddie, and whispered thanks to God, who has brought her and I SO FAR since our first days together!

We ventured out on the street with the locals. I am sure I will say this over and over again on this journey, but I am SO VERY THANKFUL to have my man child with me!!!!! His father has trained him well! He knows how to take care of his mama and sister, and I probably don't need to tell you that is not an easy job!!! Jacob can draw quite a lot of attention when out on the street among the people. We were kindly greeted once, "Hello America". Outside of that, it was pretty much gawking.

I will update again later, but wanted to let everyone know we are having a great time, settled in, and counting down the hours to Maggie Grace!!! Strange to think that I have been in the same city with her twice, when we adopted Libi and Haddie, not even realizing it!

Thank you again for your prayers and encouragement, you richly bless our lives!!!!
















Fun feeding the fish outside the dining area! Soon to be joined by a sister in this activity!!!



Blood curdling scream accompanied this shot....






Haddie is finding the heat down right oppressive, and Jacob and I found it down right hystrerical!





View from our room, a bit of blue sky! Unheard of here, but Maggie's Chinese name does mean "clarity"!

Location:First day in China

We're Off! - Here's the Itinerary

Just put Libi on the bus, knowing I won't see her for two weeks and my heart is about to bust! I hate that half of my family will be on the other side of the world for this journey, but I know it will be a day of MIGHTY rejoicing when we all reunite on September 14th!!!!!  Here is the schedule for the next two weeks:

FRIDAY August 31st- depart Chicago 3:25 arrive in Hong Kong at 8:00 PM Saturday(Hong Kong time)

SUNDAY September 2nd- FREE DAY- Rest and Relaxation

MONDAY September 3rd- GOTCHA DAY ...BIRTHED INTO OUR ARMS FOREVER
                                             at 2:30 PM (3:30 AM Monday in the States)

TUESDAY September 4th- Adoption Registration Day. Shopping at Trust Mart

WEDNESDAY September 5th- Apply for Maggie's passport

THURSDAY September 6th- Maggie's 9th birthday and Jacob's 18th birthday!!!!
                                                (Send messages to Jacob!!!) Visit Maggie's orphanage and finding spot

FRIDAY September 7th- FREE DAY

SATURDAY September 8th- Medical exam day. Prepare consulate paperwork.

SUNDAY September 9th- Visit the Safari Park.  Feed the Tiger Cubs, Giraffes and Monkeys!

MONDAY September 10th- Check TB Results, Visit the Pearl Market

TUESDAY September 11th- FREE DAY - Rest and Relaxation

WEDNESDAY September 12th- Consulate Appointment and Oath Ceremony

THURSDAY September 13th- Pick up VISA

FRIDAY September 14th- 11:40 am Flight from Hong Kong to Chicago O'Hare, arriving at 1:40 pm

We will mostly likely have a homecoming at Bloomington Airport after returning from Chicago at around 5:30 pm Friday.  We will post to the Blog and Facebook the time after arriving in Chicago.

Thank you to everyone for your prayers and gifts.  We are so blessed by God and all of you!

TRAVEL APPROVAL

What's that spell????

TRAVEL APPROVAL!!!!!

Just over 14 months ago I laid my eyes on this sweet face:

Although we had no idea the journey to her would be so long, we rejoice that now is the appointed time for her to be birthed into our arms.

We depart on FRIDAY!!! Will post the itinerary tomorrow...

Happy Birthday to my little Ari Joy!

I woke up this morning with a precious little hispanic girl on my mind. Many of you remember our first and only foster placement. She was a spunky little girl with a killer personality that lured you in within seconds of meeting her. She defined the expression "You had me at hello."

My First Night with Ari

When Arianna was delivered to our front door, little did we know the life change we were about to experience. We celebrated 18 JOY filled months with her, before the Lord lifted her from our home. The last time I spoke with her on the phone was her 3rd birthday, 4 years ago. We sang happy birthday together and she said "I love you, mommy Amy". Our journey ended with much heartache, yet the heartache was necessary for what the Lord wanted to deliver next.

 Our Sweet walk of FAITH

 Our Glorious Gift of SUNSHINE

and of course, soon to be in our home and arms...

Our Precious Gift of Grace!

The loss of Ari Joy was, and still is, the most painful thing I have ever walked through. The grief is beyond anything I have ever experienced. I continue to learn that it is in the things that are most difficult, and at times painful, where we find the greatest joys and blessings of life in Christ. I have come to know the heart of my Father in more profound ways than I could have ever known. For that I am forever grateful!

I had no idea, but this was my last day with her...

Happy 7th birthday Arianna Joy! 

We love you very much and will forever carry you in our hearts!

LOA Baby!!!

Exactly one year ago today I saw this:

I never imagined it would be an entire year before we would see this:

What does this mean?

Letter Of Acceptance

Basically, China has said, yes we accept you. Now we can file the last documents necessary to travel. This will take 3 more months AT THE MOST! Please join us in praying Maggie Grace Qing home! If you need a better visual when you pray, here are some new pics we received!!!

Finding the words on the other side of a MIRACLE

Do not even try to tell me that miracles do not happen. Especially don't try to tell me that God does not perform them. I believe we see miracles every day. From the beauty of the sunrise to the glory of a sunset, we behold the miraculous in so many moments of each day. Yesterday just happened to deliver such a miracle moment.

Libi had been battling a mysterious rash this week. It is not out of the ordinary for her to present with symptoms that can cause a doctor to scratch his head in wonder. Most of the time Libi can press through illness without seizure activity, unless the illness is respiratory.

Well, this was one of those rare times when the illness got the best of her and a seizure hit hard. A typical seizure for Libi will last anywhere from 10-15 minutes. This one came on and lasted about an hour and a half. Now, I can fare through the 10-15 minuters pretty well, but when she begins to hit the 45 minute mark I am crying out to my God with a whole new level of desperation.

After 45 minutes of Libi seizing conversations of sending her to a local children's hospital began. The clock ticked away the minutes as I stood by my daughters side helpless and powerless, yet knowing the One who was her help and held ALL power was holding us both. Another 30 minutes passed and it seemed that her body was trying to pull out of the seizure. We patiently waited and another 15 minutes passed by, she began to cough and her body was finally at rest.

All was well.

Libi was groggy, but engaging a bit. The nurse took blood and started an IV, all with just one stick! That had NEVER happened before. The feeling of peace in those minutes was wonderful!

Libi began to snooze and Brad left to go get her a much desired hamburger. Our greatest fear after a seizure of that length, is that she will begin to seize again. Well, thankfully another seizure did not occur, but what did was extremely frightening! Libi's heart rate began to plummet. She was holding in the low 90's, and next thing we knew her pulse would not rise above 50. The nurse and I tried everything we could, and I noticed my baby girl was very pale. The doctor was called in and he looked at me and said, "Mom, she doesn't look good. We need to get her to Children's hospital." Fear gripped my gut, I prayed to my Father, and I quickly sent a text to our small group to specifically pray for Libi's heart rate.

Within 2 minutes this is what happened...

She opened her eyes, and a smile flooded across her face!

She SAT UP!!!!
























Within 10 minutes she was eating a hamburger!!!!

 After a seizure, Libi will sleep for HOURS! It takes her a long time to become very responisive. The nurse and doctor were dumb founded!

ONE EXPLANATION ALONE....

MIRACLE!!!!

He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed,

    miracles that cannot be counted. 

Job 5:9

They placed this bracelet on Libi that cautioned she was a "fall risk". I found it very funny that it was necessary to drape my daughter in caution tape, so she had it on today and she was sitting at a little toddler table playing while Haddie was in gymnastics class. Well she had enough of the sitting and playing and literally just STOOD TO HER FEET and decided to play STANDING! So, you say "fall risk", we say, NOT FOR LONG!!!