We made it!

Wow...  We are checked into our hotel in Beijing a full 24 hours after we woke up yesterday.  It's Friday evening here and we are not sure whether to eat breakfast or supper.  Or sleeeeep!
Tomorrow will be spent observing some of the Chinese culture and getting our bodies adjusted to the 12 hour time difference.

VISA is in flight

VISA approved! America World Adoption picked it up at the airport in DC, took it straight to the Chinese Embassy and took it back to the airport where it was buckled into a seat bound for Charlotte! Praise God! China here we come!

An Invitation to Interruption

Adoption invites interruption. It really does. For those who have adopted, this is no new announcement! But I am really thinking of the other side of adoption. Although it is true that when we adopt children, we invite interruptions, I am thinking of the interruptions between God and man. Romans reminds us that we have been adopted by God. Now why would God willingly adopt someone he knows will be rebellious and whine about not getting their own way? But that is what he does! Adoption doesn’t begin with an idea that God is adopting the perfect person but that he loves the imperfect one that bears his image. His love for his adopted children is such that he willingly puts up with their interruptions. In fact, God loves interruptions. They are a part of relationship.

On the other side of that relationship, when people begin to believe God, they are also inviting God to interrupt them. It’s a new way to look at life with God. If you are a believer in Christ, then you have given God a standing invitation to interrupt you – at any time – in any area of your life – and without your approval. God responds to our interruptions with patience and pleasure that we are having a conversation with him. How do we respond to his interruptions? With faith?

On another topic – sort of – we are leaving Thursday morning for China to adopt Isaac Kehau. I don’t want to make little of the hard task of parenting but the beauty is larger than the difficult. We are given the privilege of parenting one made in the image of God. All of Isaac’s imperfections meet all of our imperfections and what do you get? Well, we don’t know the answer to that yet but our hope is for the grace of God to transform all of us by His constant interruptions!

VISAs and Prayer

So we got our passpoprts and visas back today!  All were in order except Harrison's.  The embassy only gave him a 3 month visa and it expired last week.  AWAA is jumping through hoops to get it renewed in one day.  It flies from CLT to DC, is driven to the embassy and hopefully processed, then driven back to the airport and flown as cargo to CLT Wednesday night.

The schedule is very tight for them to even consider it. And the fact that I am a pastor could be an issue. Please pray they approve the visa request and that it makes it back to us in CLT Wednesday night sooo that we can fly to get our son on Thursday.

TICKETS!!!

Don't you love tickets?  Not the ones you get from a Trooper but the kind you get from America World Adoption!  We have flight tickets and suddenly the energy around here just kicked it up several notches.

Nesting - again

We looked outside last evening and Sandy is rearranging the yard furniture and Little Tykes sand box and slides.  Then she re-stacked (really) the firewood for the firepit.  She began to re-stack lumber out by the storage shed.  Jon looked at me with a quizical gaze, "Dad, what's mom doing... and why?"  "Nesting my son, nesting."  He was quiet for a moment and then replied "but I thought the inside was her territory and the outside belonged to you."  Fatherly wisdom followed - "Don't go there my Son. Mom has rearranged and nested every room inside the house, some several times.  Every closet and cabinet has been purged, cleaned and organized - at least twice.  She has nested the front proch and the back porch - all that's left is the yard!"  "Dad, you suppose we should go help her?" 

With hesitation, together we strode in where no man had gone before...  Thankfully, by the time we got to Sandy at the very back of the yard all that remained was to install the mosquito zapper - just in case we get some of those nasty April mosquitos.  ;)

Time to stop nesting and start flying!

Travel at Last!

After a long wait, we finally have a TA!  We travel on April 29 and return on May 13. We will get Isaac on the evening of May 2 or morning of May 3. Soon we will hold him tight and he will have the adoption of a daddy and mommy. If you want to keep up with the travel you can 'follow' us by clicking on the follow button in the right column.
Please pray for Isaac - that he will be ready for his forever family, and for us - that we will be prepared in every way.  I am humbled that God would consider us worthy to adopt one of his children...created in his image.  Speechless