I hope you are enjoying a day filled with family, friends and gratitude. 🙂
And from the New Day blog…
While we were sleeping, a little monkey was learning how to mash potatoes.
“…for Samuel, who’s tender heart always finds a way to make people feel loved.”
How very sweet!
Take a look at their blog for lots of photos and over to their Scrapbook page for full coverage of their Thanksgiving festivities.
An “e-friend”, as we call them in our home, is having a really (I mean REALLY) fantastic giveaway that ends today.
All of the proceeds (100%) will go directly towards this family’s orphanage donation.
The really exciting part for us, is that this family is adopting one of Grace’s orphanage-mates, Kaleb.
Follow this link over to He Leads Us – Faith Walkin’ to Kaleb.
Anita is giving away an I-pod Touch, a bunch of Visa gift cards and lots more.
Won’t you take a look?
On November 16, 2009, one year ago today, we anxiously waited for our tour bus to crawl through rush hour traffic on its way to the Civil Affairs Office of Guangdong Province.
We nervously rode the slow elevator upstairs.
We shed our coats, readied our paperwork, prepped our cameras, held our breath.
Entering the room timidly from behind a curtain.
Smile firmly attached to her face.
My heart stopped.
I could not catch my breath.
There she was.
I pulled her stiffened body towards me and embraced her gently.
She called us each by name.
We fumbled over hers.
She came to us bearing photos, gifts, memories of a life lived.
We spent many minutes poring over the photos.
She would chatter away and point with her long slender fingers.
I think we all fell into shock.
This was no apparition.
Our daughter.
Our sister.
Our granddaughter.
Her Mother.
Her Father.
Her siblings.
Her grandparents.
She was so beautiful and intelligent and confident.
She had so many who had invested in her.
Who cared about her.
And suddenly the real little girl was appearing before us.
And again, it took our breath away.
The beginning had arrived.
And so we need you to know…
We love that you are such a strong young lady.
We love your direct spirit, your willingness to probe until you understand.
We love your imaginative artistry, your ability to strive for accuracy and creativity in your play.
We love that you have a whole pile of people who stand behind your need to grow and love and be loved.
And nothing, not an ocean nor a fractured language can ever stop these people from caring for you Miss Grace.
Because we are so blessed to know you and to be known by you.
“Forever and ever?”, you say.
Yes, sweetheart.
With our whole hearts we promise.
We waited and waited for this day and I really think that for me, I stuffed down a lot of what I have been feeling about Samuel until Sunday evening.
I mean, at first in the summer, I couldn’t even believe that I was to be his new Mama.
Then there was the matter of the Canadian approvals.
Then I wondered, would we manage to get our dossier to the CCAA in time?
And then here we were, getting ready to meet our son face to face.
So Sunday night we were so excited.
We realized with the time change we had last Saturday night that our time with him would be an hour earlier.
We prepped the video camera.
We sat down with the kids gathered around us.
And we waited for that first message that asked us to hit the call button.
And then all of a sudden there he was!
And it was all over.
I can’t speak for Stephen, but I had the biggest case of stage fright.
Like a young girl over her first crush.
This is no longer some abstract idea to me that I can control and keep in an emotional box.
He is no longer just sweet Samuel.
And I ache to have him here with the rest of our herd.
I need to get there.
{gulp}
Today is Orphan Sunday.
Many churches around North America choose this day to bring awareness to the enormous global Orphan Crisis.
There are numerous ways that one can help those who wait for families (at least 98 million, although the numbers have been tabulated into the 200 million range by some).
So many options:
So many ways.
One other way that is not often mentioned directly is all of the behind the scenes work of a secret army of tireless men and women.
They do not hold earthly weapons.
They do not always congregate in companies and legions.
But they do daily storm the gates of Heaven for those that wait,
the Orphan.
To many of us, the Orphan is a faceless, nameless blur.
A Concept.
An Abstract Idea.
And then sometimes, Someone, a Face, will cross their paths and suddenly that Warrior Heart rises up and we can do nothing but rally and plead for that One.
That Orphan.
That Child.
These warriors sometimes are seen.
And sometimes they are not.
Sometimes they share their passion with others and let them know that the need is great.
And sometimes they quietly interceed for that Child.
Until Heaven moves.
And that child waits no more.
My son was that One.
He was abandoned.
Placed.
At the gates of a rural civil affairs office.
And then he was Found.
Taken into the care of a Foster Grandmother.
After 18 months, the Director found a new place for him.
A New Day had come.
His photo was posted online.
And many of those same Warriors began to rise up.
Across an ocean Hearts of a Family began to be stirred.
And another Battle was won.
Our Son would wait no more.
So today, on Orphan Sunday, I ask that you consider the ideas to help that I posted above.
But perhaps more so, I ask you to rise up alongside these quiet Warriors.
Join them and fight.
Plead.
Pray.
Trust.
But do not forget.
Until the One who waits,
becomes None.
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May I, with {MUCH} gratitude, share with you just a few folks off of the long list of Samuel’s Warriors?
These are just a few of the ones that have public blogs.
They have invested finances, time, prayer and much heart in advocating for our little man.
Will you say a pray of thanksgiving for each of them and the many who have contacted us?
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Photos courtesy of a very kind former volunteer from ND. 🙂
(Samuel was trying his best to sport the ever present “V” sign with his little fingers.)
That would be FIVE days since our dossier was logged in to the CCAA!!!!!
Yep, we have an LID!
We were DTC on October 5th and our official LID is November 1st.
Ahhhhh, it feels so good to be 5 days in already.
Sort of like for once we are ahead of the game. 😉
Now we are counting down the days until we receive our LOA / LSC document from China that will officially approve our adoption from China’s standpoint.
After that comes our TA or travel approval document which will allow us to get on that plane and meet our boy.
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This Sunday evening at 6 p.m. PST we get to meet our son via Skype. It will be the first time we will be introduced as Mama and Baba.
Nervous?
Yes.
Excited?
Unbelievably.
If you happen to glance at the clock that evening, will you send up a prayer that the technical side of things works out and that we will have a good first visit?
Thank you!
I can’t even describe how excited I am for our new friends Barb & Mike.
They just received their Travel Approval and are hoping to leave in about 3 weeks to bring their daughter, Nora, home.
That special little girl is also very special to my little girl.
{You might remember my posts here & here, which led to our amazement when this happened.}They’ve shared many years in their orphanage together.
Nora has watched Grace leave.
And now it’s Nora’s turn.
PRAISE GOD!
Hop on over to their blog and congratulate them, won’t you?
Let’s throw them a party to remember – something special to tell Nora about once she’s home!
(And just in case you are looking, I know of at least 2 more little girls from the same orphanage who are looking for their forever family… just thought I’d mention that!)This is what happens the morning after Halloween in our home.
The trading begins.
“Goodbye! Thanks! Have a fun time!” ~ Grace to an older gentleman as she ran off with her loot.
She got a big smile and wave in return. 🙂
The joy of a first Halloween.
DTC = Dossier to China
Remember my glee over being DTC last week? Well, we found out today that our precious pile of papers was actually in no man’s land on someone’s desk at the ministry office here in our province for an extra week. Our facilitator called the CCAA twice and they had no idea where it was! Thankfully when I called our provincial adoption agency, they read me my notice of receipt from China and sure enough it actually left Canada on October 25th. Whew! Now on to our LOA (Letter of Approval). Once China issues that fabulous little letter we will be officially approved on all fronts to adopt Samuel.