Our Dossier is DONE!!

Monday, June 27th we sent our dossier to our agency.  We waited a little over two months for our Approval Notice from USCIS.  The Statistics class I took helped the time go by a little quicker.  Now, we will wait about 3-4 weeks for our agency to translate all of our paperwork and get all the seals before it is sent to China.  As soon as our dossier is sent to China we will be given a DTC (Date to China).  Hopefully, soon after that we will have a LID (Log In Date)!!!  That is when it will be official!! We will be in line and the wait will begin!  Tony and I know that it has been in the Lord's hands from the beginning.  We have worked so hard and have really tried to get our dossier completed as soon as we could.  It took 5 months!  Now, we truly have to just wait and pray for patience as the years go by.  Please continue to pray for our family.  We look forward to what the Lord is doing and how He is working in our lives.  Thank you for all the love and support we have received through letters, e-mails and purchasing shirts.  God is good!!

A Sweet Family

This past weekend I was able to meet with Lori and Rick who are shown in this video.  I also got to meet Hannah Ruth, their daughter, who is five now.  They are such a sweet family and were very encouraging to me.  I cry every time I watch this video.  I can't help but imagine what our feelings will be when we hold Bella Mei for the first time.   What a sweet story they have to share.  I am so glad the Lord put them in our path early in this journey!

Why China? I'm so glad you asked!

So far when people would ask me this question I responded with things like, "I really don't know... God has always led us to China".  Some people understood that "call" and others didn't.  Today the Lord used a comment that was posted somewhere to help me understand why He has led us to China. 
Let me begin by saying that, as parents, the most important thing to Tony and I is not how our kids do in school, what college they will go to, who they will marry or what they become someday.  Although these things are very important, it is not the most important thing in life.  The most important thing is that they come to know the Lord and have a relationship with Him.  Thankfully, both of our boys have made that decision.  Having said that, we know that a child born in China may never hear about the Lord.  Why China?  I still say I don't really know.... but I do know this.  Bella Mei will grow up in a Christian home where she will never remember a time that she didn't know about Jesus.  I  am praying already for her and that she will come to know the Lord at an early age. 
The Lord calls some missionaries to share the gospel right where they are.  He calls others to places like Africa, Columbia and China.  Much like missionaries, the Lord calls some to adopt from where they are and others to adopt elsewhere.  Tony and I believe the Lord has called us to China.  In Jeremiah 29:11 it says, "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future". 
So, why China?  My answer still begins with "I really don't know" but I know He is in control and Tony and I trust Him.  He is making things clearer every day!

Our First Post! How did we get here?

Tony and I have been married for twelve years.  The Lord has blessed us with three wonderful children.  Adam is nine, Boone is six and Ivy is two and a half.  We stay busy with baseball, piano lessons and church activities.  So how did we arrive at the decision to adopt another child?  Well, Tony and I have discussed it several times, but have always said we would do it later in life.  Now, looking back we can see that the Lord was planting the seed in our hearts.  As we began praying about adoption, we felt like He was calling us to take it a step furthur this time.  He wanted us to trust Him.  After many long night discussions, prayer and more prayer we began the process of adoption.  We are so excited to see how the Lord will bless us as we learn to trust Him with everything!  We pray for Bella Mei even though we know she has not even been born yet!  Please journey with us as we experience a miracle that only our God can do!