Follow us to China

To make life easier for the trip, we will be uploading and blogging over at Shutterfly.  Come along and see what we are up to.

Random Clarity photo blog

See you over there.

Also, I've linked to some of our fellow traveler's blogs to the left.  You never know if we might show up in one of their pictures.  Follow them for another perspective on the trip.

Big Hugs!
Suzanne

Adoption as a Paper Pregnancy - the unexpected onset of labor (Travel Approval)

Warning:  this will really ramble.  No...., more than usual.

We got the amazing news this morning that our US Consulate Appointment in China has been confirmed. That is basically the last thing we do before we bring our son home as a US citizen.  The rest of our adoption trip is built around that date.  Usually one has a minimum of 2-4 weels before one leaves in order to carefully review COMPETITIVELY PRICED itineraries, plan for departure cities that are appealing, gather travel supplies in an orderly and calm manner, ponder & question options - this hotel or that one; this airlines or the other; Newark, Chicago or Dulles? Hong Kong, Bejing, stop in Tokyo?

Not us.  We leave in 1 week.  Our options are limited and expensive.

We're in a bit of shock.  God's not.  Thank GOD (truly).

I texted my sister in a moment of panic this morning.  She replied:

Be still, my soul, the Lord is on thy side. 

Leave to thy God to order and provide. 

In every change, He faithful will remain 

Through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.

One of our family's favorite hymns.  In case you don't know already, my sister knows what thorny ways looks like. She became a widow & single parent to my beautiful young nephews last summer.  She's the baby of our family.  She knows panic; she knows unexpected.  She knows joy & mercy.  She knows faithfulness of a good & loving Father.  Our Father.  

Joel's Father.

So, He's not wringing His hands.  (and I'm trying not to.)  I love being His child.

We are beyond excited!  This reminds me so much of Anna's (my youngest "Big") birth.  We were on the hospital calendar for a C-section... in ink.... confirmed. She decided to come 2 1/2 weeks early.  I wasn't ready.  The house wasn't ready.  I didn't know if I had prepared Audra & Will enough for their sister.  I didn't know if I was ready to be a parent of 3 children under 4 years old.  But it was time.

It's time.  [I need an epidural.  Somebody please call Dr. Presley. :)]

I'm weepy, scared, hormonal, THRILLED, ready-to-drop-everything-and-go, not ready in the least, THANKFUL, anxious.  And leaning harder into Jesus than ever. Desperate for His parenting skills and grace.

And, in all this, my heart breaks, too.  Joel has NO true idea what's about to happen to him. He's going to be taken from the only place and "mamas" he's ever known and handed to us for good.  I mean, my Hubby is adorable and all, but he's a STRANGER.  We LOVE this little guy, but he has no idea who we are.  We've prayed constantly through this "pregnancy" that God would whisper peace into Joel's heart.  That he would know very quickly that he is safe with us, HIS mom & dad.  We desperately want him to know he can trust us.  (BTW, if you've never heard a daddy pray for his child on the other side of the world, you should.  Few things in life are that sweet.)

The past couple of days have been the perfect example of the strange parallels of life - a microcosm of our family's last year.  Beautiful highs, crashing lows.  Love & sorrow.  Grief & joy.

By leaving early, we get to see our son sooner, but I don't get to travel with a friend who has walked the journey with us & longs to see her little girl.  They must wait a couple weeks. [UPDATE:  they get to travel early, too!!!  Yea!!]  Other friends watch as we pass them up, and they continue to wait for money, paperwork, permission to travel.

Joel gets to come home sooner, but I don't feel quite as prepared here to welcome him to our world.  But, in Papa Bear's words last night, "if Joel walked through the front door right now, we'd be OK.  We'd set up a place for him to sleep and figure it all out."  Comfort, contented sigh....  I love my husband.  This is going to be a great, belated 25th Anniversary Trip!!

AND, as we rejoice, we have 2 sets of friends who grieve great loss & pain.  A young man from our former church in Indiana lost his life on Sunday: family, friends, a church devastated.  Another young son had an accident on Sunday and suffered a serious brain injury.  The family, friends and a community waits and hopes and prays for healing.

Life, in its fullness. How do we live with these extremes?

So, we are (and ask you to join us) lifting the Wilson and Daniel families in their time of sorrow.  We pray for healing, peace, comfort, strength and Supernatural relief from the pain for them.  PLEASE pray with us for these hurting families.  We joyfully thank God for His sweet provision and the blessing of a son for us.  We look forward to the Day when all things will finally make sense.

"There are two days in my calendar: This day and that Day."  ~Martin Luther

[Thanks for the reminder, SCC.  That quote has succinctly revolutionized my days.]

Sorry to ramble.  Just wanted to get my thoughts down on paper.  Now, I gotta run and pull together my crazy life and GO. GET. MY. SON!!

((Hugs))