On Their Way

I was able to talk to Michelle yesterday for about 2 hours. Which was wonderful! We have not been able to talk a lot because of the time difference and children running around needing to be cared for when would get to talk. So she stayed up late to make a few phone calls. 

They have left Guangzhou and made a 3 hour bus trip to Hong Kong. They will fly out of Hong Kong late morning on Saturday (which will be tonight for us). This flight will be 14 hours. OH MY!!! They will land in Detroit, have a 3 hour lay-over, fly to Atlanta, have a 3 hour lay-over, fly to Dothan. YAY!!! Home Sweet Home!!!! I can hardly wait to see all of them. To get my hands on that little cutie pie. Praising Jesus the whole time. Please pray for them as they fly. Not only for a safe trip but also for Mary Alan to be calm and be able to handle being in a plane for a REALLY long time. I have never flown with a toddler, but I can only imagine. Can you say Calgon!!! 

Their final stop in this adoption process was on Thursday. They met with the consullate to verify all their paperwork. She said it was very emotional. I think because it was the final step in a very long journey and it was finlly done. Wow!!! I don't know how much you know about adoption and the paperwork involved, but it is a little overwhelming. Everything has to be just right for them to except it, and when they did, I can't imagine how that must have felt. I guess knowing what others have to go through to be a citizen of the United States, makes me feel very, very blessed. I think I probably take that for granted a lot. For Mary Alan, this precious family that loves her, has made that citizenship possible. The moment they set foot on the ground in Detroit, she is a legal citizen of the U.S. Which makes me cry just thinking about it. 

I can't even begin to thank you all for your prayers. I know a lot of you are just as excited to meet Mary Alan. This has been a long journey. But God has been so faithful and so good to finally bring our prayers to fruition.

God Working in the Details

As you can imagine, I have had a lot of people asking questions about Michelle and Kelly and how things are going. A lady at church was asking me one such question this past Sunday. While I was telling her about them, she asked how Michelle and Kelly had come about wanting to adopt a baby from China. I was telling her it all started about 5 years ago when someone else in our church adopted a baby. I told her all about it, beginning to end. In the midst of this conversation, God reminded me of His goodness and faithfulness.
I can remember the many conversations my sister and I have had over the years. She and I both wanted more children about the same time. Both of our husbands were not so keen on the idea. We would talk about that and would each say we would pray for God to either bring Charles and Kelly to the same decision or to take that desire away from us. I can remember when Michelle called me to tell me Kelly had called her that morning and said he wanted to start the adoption process. I remember rejoicing that God had answered that prayer just the way we had hoped He would. I also remember when she called to tell me she had told our parents about their decision and they were telling people to pray for them through this process. The following weekend, I found out I was pregnant with Charlie. We had no idea how old Mary Alan would be or when they would get her. We had no idea how long this whole process would take. But God, in His divine wisdom, had perfect timing. Mary Alan and Charlie are 5 months apart, almost to the day.
 My prayer for both of them is that they would always be close.  That they would each come to know Jesus as their Savior at an early age and they will encourage each other in that relationship. I pray they will have a love for each other similar to the love I have for my sister.
 I am excited to see what God has planned for these little ones. And I pray, that as their parents, Michelle and Kelly and Charles and I can support whatever that plan is and help them grow more in love with Jesus each day.

3 Days To Go