Just happened to?

Some of my family was gathering to celebrate my 30th birthday (a little early) on Friday, Febrary 19th, when my phone lit up with an email from CCAI saying that were were DTC!  Dossier To China!  

I had commented in an adoption Facebook group that when we were DTC I would throw a party, but instead one was being thrown for me! Such timing is stunning.  What is more is that they could not have sent it a day sooner.  If they sent it earlier it possibly could have arrived before I was 30 and China would not have taken it.  So this was the soonest it could go out, and it also just happened to be perfect timing with how things naturally went.

Monday, February 22 I got an email that afternoon saying that our dossier had arrived at the Chinese Center for Children's Welfare and Adoption (CCCWA)!  I was so thankful because I felt like I had been praying it across the ocean to arrive safely.  I was surprised at how quickly it had arrived.  It arrived at the soonest it could have possibly arrived after my 30th.  It couldn't have come Friday when the office was open because I would be 29.  The soonest it could arrive was the 22nd, and it just happened to be perfect timing.

Wednesday, February 24th in the evening we got an email that we had our logged in date (LID).  Three days!  In an email we got from CCAI, our adoption agency, it said that it could take about 2 weeks.  

I don't feel that these dates "...just happened to..." be on exactly the right or soonest dates that they could be with me turning 30.  

I don't think it is a coincidence.  I believe that is is God's hand working.

Matthew and I pray every night for our little girl.  We also pray for the process, our dossier, the grants, and fundraising.  We know that we need His help in each and every step.

I believe that the dossier and the timing and speed of it was a direct answer to prayer.  The prayer of Matthew and I and all of you who are petitioning God on our behalf to bring our little girl home very, very, miraculously soon.

I also don't think it is a coincidence that our red envelope fundraiser that began with 150 envelopes is now down to 3 in just a little over a month since we began!  Three!  God moved in a powerful way through so many of you.  Whether it was $2 or $500 you are a direct link to helping bring our daughter home and we can't thank you enough.  Thank you for being a direct answer to our prayers for our fundraising.  

God is answering our prayers.

I have written in my journal that I believe God is moving quickly with the dossier, and the fundraising because He is going to bring our girl home very, very soon.  He alone knows who she is and when we will get her.  

I am boldly and persistently praying.  And it gives me joy and faith that you are praying boldly and persistently with us.  

Thank you.  

I wrote this blog on Established in Grace but wanted to share it here too.

Turning 30: Joy and Celebration

I was laying in bed thinking about this blog.  Thinking about turning thirty and how my heart thrills and races at the thought of my upcoming birthday.  And it struck me that Jesus started something huge when He was thirty too.  He began His public ministry.

We are adopting from China and the Chinese government won’t let you adopt until both adoptive parents are 30.  I turn 30 on Sabbath, February 20th.  Six months before you turn 30 you are allowed to begin working on your dossier because it takes about that long to get it ready and then when you are 30 all the documents get sent to China and you get logged into their system.  Last week we sent our dossier to our adoption agency!  Yesterday we just got the email that it passed the critical review and everything looks perfect for the Chinese government.  Now it has been sent to be translated and then it will be all bound together and sent to China!  Then we wait to be matched with our daughter.

I can’t wait until my birthday. I don’t remember ever feeling this way about a birthday.  Even now as I type this adrenaline pumps through my veins.  I. am. so. excited!  I will officially be allowed to claim our daughter and officially allowed to hold her in my arms and love her and call her my own, and bring her home.  I can officially work on bonding and attachment and nurturing her body and soul.

Is that how Jesus felt when He started His public ministry? It wasn’t that He did love us from heaven, or didn’t love people while He was on earth for all those years before He began His public ministry.  Did Jesus have adrenaline pumping through His veins as He walked toward John the Baptist?  So excited because He was about to began His official ministry.  He would officially be able to heal publicly, hold the sick and dying, bless the children as He held them.  He would officially be able to weep for Jerusalem as He longed to gather all under His protection of love.  He officially could teach the masses and nurture their bodies and souls.

I never thought about how Jesus could have been excited.  I view it as solemn thing, His beginning His ministry.  And it was!  It was more vast and huge than I can comprehend and the serious gravity that was on Jesus’ shoulders was solemn and holy.  Yet…His love for us propelled His actions.  And now, I feel that even in the heaviness of His mission that His joy and love for us was greater.

I know that bringing our daughter home won’t be easy.  I realize that there will be very hard times ahead.  Medically, emotionally, socially…and a host of other things.  But you know what?  As much as I am preparing and praying for those things–that doesn’t diminish the absolute joy and celebration I feel about turning 30 and officially being able to be her mama.

As much as Jesus prayed and fought the darkness of evil for us–that didn’t diminish the absolute joy and celebration I feel that He must have had as He turned 30 and began His public ministry.  He knew that as He did this journey He would officially be able to refute all of satan’s claims against God and forever open the pathway for us to be eternally with Him as sons and daughters of the living God.

Do you feel His joy over you?  I do.

May you too, see not just the sacrifices Jesus gave but that He gave them with so much joy and celebration because He loves you.

Dossier and Fundraising Updates

We wanted to update you on more wonderful progress with our adoption!

We received our dossier documents back on February 4th from the Chinese Consulate.


All our documents were now notarized, certified, and authenticated!

February 5th we mailed these precious documents to CCAI, our adoption agency.  I put on social media the above picture with these words, "How can this little stack of papers mean so much? So much time, money, energy...love, longing, prayers. So much."

February 8th we received an email that they had received our dossier.  February 10th we received an email saying that we had all the documents in and that is was now going to go through a critical review process to make sure everything was perfect for China.  February 17th we got an email that our dossier's critical review was completed and that everything looked wonderful!  I am so thankful to God because while we have worked hard and prayed over these documents we had no way of knowing 100% if everything was okay.  Currently the dossier is in translation and they said will be mailed to China within a few days!!  The dossier could be there right after my birthday (Feb. 20th) if they got it mailed out this week!!

We have been doing our Red Envelopes for Yín fundraiser for over a month now and we are so amazingly blessed to have only 34 envelopes left!  If you feel led to, it would mean a lot if you could take one of the remaining envelopes.  If the amounts are too high, team up with a friend or two.  God is providing through people like you!  Thank you.

Here are a few pictures of the fundraising.

One donor commented that the number of envelopes were the same as the number of Psalms and wanted to do the envelope that matched a favorite Psalm.



A former student sending money for a red envelope.



Just one example of the moving cards we have received.



Two of our former students sent their whole allowance (and got mom to chip in) to help bring our girl home!



Check memos:



We have been so blessed.  Thank you to everyone who had donated.  Thank you!

MATCHING Donation!

Update #2:

You crazy amazing beautiful people.  You did it!  On Chinese New Year 2016 you donated enough to match the $1,500 matching donation!!  You did it all in one day instead of a whole week!

I commented to my friend Katie (who is an adoptive mama as well)
 "I am totally blown away. And thankful...humbly thankful beyond words. But you know how this is. 
smile emoticon This generosity that brings your child into your arms. It's crazy amazing grace, isn't it?"

And that is how I feel.  Thank you for being part of this amazing grace.  For being the hands and feet of Jesus to bring our girl home.  We couldn't do this without Him working through you. 

I also wanted to give a red envelope update.  We started with 150 envelopes, now we are down to 66! We are over half way through with our fundraiser.  This is crazy wonderful!  Thank you isn't enough but it will have to do.

Also, we will be sending out the packages hopefully, but we are waiting for the chopstick to arrive.  

_____________________________

UPDATE: Your generosity has blown this away is less than 2 days!!
The donor will now match up to $1,500! 
Please keep donating and sharing....and thank you thank you to everyone who has!

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You want to hear something AMAZING?

An anonymous donor has agreed to match up to $1,000!!!

Which means this is a chance to double the money you give!  If you can donate $20, then the donor will give $20.  All the way up to $1,000!

So here are the rules for this matching donation.

• It is ONE WEEK only - the week of Chinese New Year February 7-14th.
• This only counts for new envelopes taken on our Red Envelopes for Yin fundraiser (click the link here or the tab at the top of the page). Previously-donated money doesn't count toward this. 

It wouldn't take a lot of people to do this, just a few dedicated.

10 people giving $100
              OR
20 people giving $50
              OR
40 people giving $25

This is such a tremendous blessing - it would mean a lot if you could share this link and donate.

Thank you for partnering with us!