Hello from China!

Just a note to say I'm here, safe and sound. The flights were on time. Pray for health :) pictures tomorrow but must sleep tonight! Blessings from Beijing

Leaving the 'hood ...

... be back real soon!
Today is the day I snuggle extra long with my kids, forget the laundry, close the suitcase and ignore the rest of the 'to do' list. We are technologically ready, spiritually ready, physically ready, emotionally ... not so much. I'm pretty much an emotional basket case. My husband has all the social graces between us. I'm basically socially challenged in large crowds. I tend to put the daze on and go through the motions, but I can't do that this time. If I'm going to be effective, I must open my eyes and be prepared to speak. As for my family, I know they will be fine, but still, I won't be here. I want to thank everyone who has called, emailed, texted and commented about the trip. It's going to be amazing, and I plan to blog as much as I can. And thank you to those who have taken on the task of caring for our kids while Clayton is at work. It means so much to know they are so loved. And thank you for prayers! We need them. My husband is a work horse, but now he will understand why I never sit down :)
It's going to be such a blessing to witness the transition of a little boy coming to understand the love of a mother. There will be tough times too, and we will praise the Lord for even those. We will get to see His mercy firsthand. Signing off until Beijing ...
You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence. Acts 2:28

Mommy and baby doing well!

Happy Gotcha Day, Abraham Caleb! Your family will share Jesus' love with you.

So much going on

First the biggest news: Tami has probably been holding Abe for 1 hour by now! Should be some awesome pix on her website tomorrow morning! We were able to make a video call while she and Gail were at the airport yesterday so I know our computers are communicating, which is good news for a houseful of people I know and love!
Mom needs lots of help cleaning! I don't know how I managed to clean house this morning - it certainly wasn't on the 'list of things to do before leaving early Wednesday.' Tami, I must be nesting for you :)
Kaeleb helped Daddy work out.
Five of us needed haircuts so we spent the afternoon in the mall.
They think they're so big!

Last night we hosted a Johnson family gathering, and it was a beautiful evening!
Although it wore one of us out!
But he was ready to help Mommy this morning.
Musical rugs
My girls are having a 'bednight' snack, according to Kayden, while they wait for Mommy to give them their Saturday night pedicure. My 'to do' list is getting smaller, but I still have a large job to finish, preliminary planning of our youth service, tons of laundry, a football game to attend, Kolton's 13th birthday party to plan, tons of laundry, final packing, more paperwork ... and did I mention laundry? We're leaving home at 2:30 a.m. Wednesday to catch my 7:30 flight, but the flight schedule is awesome - 24 hours later I'll land in Beijing! Couple of cool side notes, my family will meet me at the airport on Halloween so we get to save money by NOT buying costumes this year :) And how perfect that we get to set our clocks BACK 1 hour the day after I get home! May you have an awesome day of worship in the Lord's house tomorrow!

Tami's Journey

You can follow Tami's journey to Abraham at this site. Hang on, Abe, your mommy's coming to get you!

Another blessing

Look at these beautiful tags my friend, Lori, made for our candles! I can't even imagine being as crafty as Amy and Lori! Thank you both for blessing our family! Today has been a very productive day. I have: prepared two weeks' of meals; shipped 9 candles; scheduled our first home study visit; configured our webcam so I can see my kids while I'm in China ... and that's about it so far. I still need to finish two transcripts, feed my family and bathe the kids. All in a day, right?
Please remember Tami and Gail as they fly out tomorrow morning! In less than 3 days Tami will meet her precious boy! And this time next week I'll be in China with them!

Presentation Update ... and more

We were able to visit with approximately 12 pastors and staff members yesterday. We scheduled one speaking engagement and expect a few more to follow. It was a good 'warm-up' for us. We are really excited about facilitating a community-wide Bible study on November 15 entitled "Considering Adoption." It's a five-session study discovering God's heart for 'the least of these.' Even if God hasn't called us to adopt, He does command us to care for the needy, and we will discuss ways of doing that.

Ready ... set ... go!
This is how you really ride a bike (if you're a 2-year-old boy)!
Look, Tami, I've started packing :) One week from now I'll be sitting in the airport!

Our first presentation

Oklahoma Hearts for Adoption has its first opportunity to cast our vision outside of our church today. We will have a display at the meeting of our associational pastors. Please pray we could articulate what God has spoken to us and that He will open many doors leading to orphan care and financial assistance for adoptive families.

Ready to ship!

My dear friend Amy poured 96 candles this weekend so we have all scents in stock again! We are mailing the rest of our paperwork tomorrow, and we really need to sell 50 more candles to cover the checks :) We've been so blessed with a good response to the candles, and Amy has made an awesome quality product for us.
On the lighter side, I was wondering why "Self-Control" hasn't been moving, when I realized that many people are ordering the candles as gifts ... and who really wants to give or receive 'self-control' :)

Just for fun

Hmmmm ... what will we name our next child? I've added two polls, one with girls' names and another with boys' names so take a vote :)

Ok Hearts Garage Sale

We are praising the Lord for the garage sale. Oklahoma Hearts for Adoption made enough to award another full grant and then some! We're already planning another sale in the spring. We five gals are pretty worn out from this one :) We have a lot planned in the next few weeks so we're adding to our website, creating a brochure and adding to our video. One of the things we're planning for Adoption Month November is a day-long Bible study on a Biblical perspective of adoption. Please check out our website for more information. Have a blessed day of worship!

Chaos reigns!

This week has been a little busy. We've had four sick kiddos, including the college one. We've been preparing for our two-day garage sale fundraiser for Ok Hearts, which starts today! We completed our medical exams and finished the mound of paperwork for both our homestudy and placing agencies! And work ... well, I need to do that tonight (hmmm, before or after the football game and 5th quarter???) But my desk needs to be cleared because I'm leaving for China the 22nd! Tami leaves a week from today, and Gotcha is the 20th.
Your response to the candles has been amazing! Poor Amy has been making extra batches of certain scents to fill orders. Thank you!

Adversity

Things are not always as they appear ...
LOL! Forgive your mama, Kaeleb, for posting you in Sissy's shoes.
Seriously, the discussion of another adoption brings opposition, some from those close to us and some from those just too ignorant to know better. While it could give Satan a foothold, we choose to delight ourselves in the Lord and know where our strength and hope comes from. We are advocates for ALL waiting children, whether here in the land of plenty or in the ravages of famine and disease. When asked why we would choose to go to China, Clayton explains it so eloquently by drawing a circle (the Earth), pointing to North America, Asia, Africa, etc, and then asks, "How much more do you think God loves the children here versus the children there?" 'Nuf said! For those who have been so supportive of us or any other adoptive family, thank you!

A certain amount of opposition is of great help to a man. Kites rise against, not with the wind - John Neal

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. Heb 12:2-3

So ...

Here's the deal ...
After carefully studying the ginormous list of paper work to be completed and fees to be sent ...

We are tediously laboring through the process ...
There's no need to get mad ...
Or choose to 'stress' eat ...
Instead, we choose to joyfully dig in and overcome each hurdle, one step at a time!
The new Hague policies require that all household members over 18, even those in college, must meet all adult requirements. So the three adults in our home have completed our medical exams and sent for our FBI/DHS clearance/child abuse/neglect checks to be conducted. We're now clicking through the list of 'time sensitive' documents for both the home study and placing agencies. This may take a while longer ... I don't seem to have the time to focus that I once did :) So, in case you're interested, the first two steps for us were:

1) Medical exams

2) FBI/DHS clearance

It's Official ...

Hai Zi Hao is Kaeleb Jon!

We had Kaeleb's refinalization hearing today. Although the adoption is final in China, this is a process by which we can legally change his name and request a "Certificate of Foreign Birth." After the hearing we went to the Social Security Administration to apply for his card and then went to our doctor's office to do lab work for the upcoming adoption. A long day ... but much was accomplished. Of course, we had Chinese food for lunch!

Kambry is sick with tonsillitis, and Kaeleb is scheduled for minor surgery, but other than that, we're all doing fine.

About the candles

My friend Amy has given her time and expertise to make this a reality, and may she be richly blessed! The candles are the nine Fruits of the Spirit, each is a creamy white and a different scent. They are awesome! Feel free to contact me for more information.

Love ~ Sweet Pea

Joy ~ Buttercream Crunch

Peace ~ Cinnamon Bun

Patience ~ Vanilla Grapefruit

Kindness ~ Sage & Citrus

Goodness ~ Midnight Pomegranate

Faithfulness ~ Pumpkin Pie Spice

Gentleness ~ Mulberry

Self-Control ~ Cinnamon Toast

Stuff

Please pray for my friend, Tami. They received their TA on Monday and were expecting to know their CA by Tuesday or today at the latest, but since the Consulate is closed for the Chinese holiday there will be no word until next Monday, at least. We really thought she'd be flying out Friday and I'd be leaving next Wednesday for the second half of her trip. Not our timing, but God's. I know how difficult those long weekends are when you're waiting. So please lift the family up.
Our fundraiser is under way! I'm still trying to figure out how to activate the 'buy' button on my blog, but it seems I only have a few minutes here and there - and 'there' is where I seem to spend the majority of my time! But about the fundraiser. We're selling Fruit of the Spirit candles, nine beautiful scents in a 16-oz container. For now, if you're interested in knowing more about them, please leave a comment or email me. I'll surely get this techy thing figured out soon :)
Many of you have asked about my mom. Thank you! My precious mom is a pretty tough gal! She was ill with an upper respiratory infection for two months following Dad's death. Now she's really tired as she recuperates, gets back into the work routine and finds a new normal. All in all she's doing very well. Please continue to pray for her.
And finally, last but certainly not least, check out April's blog for good news!
Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Rom 12:12

Thanks and The Rest of the Story

Thank you so much for your encouragement and prayers. I must say, HE is amazing! We certainly don’t deserve the blessings He has showered upon us. Our desire is to glorify Him through this process and the union with our precious child. We are taking the ‘new’ journey to a waiting child, and I want to journal our process, step by step. For those who have adopted, it may seem very elementary and for those who are considering, it may seem overwhelming. My goal is to simply walk you through the steps of the process with the reminder that it changes frequently.

How did we get here? It’s no secret that since Clayton and I accepted Christ (11 years ago for him and 7 years ago for me) we have had a growing desire to serve God full-time in another culture. We have sought direction, even looked for an avenue to take us to another country. Two years after I surrendered my life, He bent my heart toward adoption, and the plight of the fatherless has become my heartbeat.
We are constantly reminded that God does not need to use us, but He chooses to do so. He has opened many doors of opportunity for us and given us the courage to cross the threshold, knowing full well we will depend on Him for everything. He has not called us to that which we are able, but invited us to do what will require complete trust in Him. Each seed of adoption in our lives has been planted by God Himself, and He has proven faithful and trustworthy, as evidenced by each of our beautiful children.
Once Kaeleb was home, we had a peace that God was likely finished growing our family but certainly not finished with us. We began to seek Him fervently on missions: How? Where? When? It was during this time that I was completely brokenhearted for the children left behind, and He gently whispered to me, “I will send you to China … but only for a short time to receive your child.”
Clayton and I were both stunned, at least! We pondered this and continued to pray. I vowed to keep silent as Clayton sought clarity from the Lord. A short time later, God said to him, “I am holy.” It was a reminder that what is a surprise to us is no surprise to Him; He is sovereign; His plans are far greater than ours, and He has given us life for His glory.
We have been ‘approved’ by our agency, Lifeline Children’s Services, and have begun the home study process with the agency that facilitated our first two adoptions, Dillon International. We are proceeding with the knowledge we cannot do this alone. We are so grateful to our church family who has loved us, supported and encouraged us and prayed us through every journey we’ve taken. I have many friends who, even though are very much a part of a church family, the church family has not been very much a part of their adoption process. As the body of Christ, we do need to rally around our family, and we have certainly been rallied!
There are many truths God has spoken to us, but four that I really like to share are:
1) His grace really is sufficient, and His power is made perfect in our weakness. (2 Cor 12:9)
2) Having faith means not seeing the whole plan. (Heb 11:1)
3) Trusting that His plans are best. (Jer 29:11)
4) When seeking the Lord, we won’t always please people. (Gal 1:10)

May He be glorified, and may the joy that can only come with abundant life in Chrst be seen!

Hmmm...

What in the world??? These are folders that contain precious documents, two for each of our China-born children. There is one folder for the adoption process itself and one for the post-placement. Kayden's are #1 and 2; Kambry's 3 and 4; and Kaeleb's 5 and 6 ...
You guessed it, we are paper pregnant again! We're so excited to be chasing after K#7, and I look forward to sharing how God brought us to this place once again...

SYATP

We'll "See You At The Pole" this morning at 7 a.m.! For seven years I've been dragging my kiddos out of bed early on this morning so we could join others at the flag pole of the school to pray for the students, teachers and staff, administration, community and nation. It's an awesome thing for so many to come together and cry out to God. He truly has blessed us! Will you join us today?

Four Years Ago Today...

...I was a Mommy forever changed when you were placed in my arms, Kayden Faith!Even though God had been growing you in my heart for many months, I didn't expect to fall head over heels in love with you in a very warm upper room of the Civil Affairs Office in Nanning, China the afternoon of September 22, 2004.
This was our first glimpse of you just weeks before meeting.

One year later, still as cute as ever. Celebrating our 2nd Lunar New Year as a Forever Family.
Once a Princess, always a princess.
There's that precious smile!
Kayden, you have changed me in ways I never would have imagined. You've shown me how to stop and smell the roses, laugh until I cry, take 'drama' to a new level, share Jesus without fear and love uninhibited. Thank you for the joy you are and the pleasure of being your Mommy. In the words of our favorite bedtime story: "I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always, as long as I'm living, my baby you'll be."

Way behind

We are in full 'fall' swing here! Kolton has started football, we have the upcoming Moon Festival, our adoption ministry is taking off, and God is doing some pretty amazing things in our church and community! So stay tuned ...

Enjoying the last days of plush lawn ...

Look, Mom, I've got a rose for you! Beep, beep, coming through...

... or not!
Let's carpool.

Jesus replied, "What is impossible with men is possible with God." Luke 18:27

Survey says ...

Two out of two toddlers prefer Huggies over the other brands (or is it the box??)