Recounting the blessings and slowly moving forward!

First of all, two friends of ours- the Gilmores and Padgetts, have been united with their newly adopted son and daughter. SO excited to see their journey come to fruition. Such a blessing and it gives us hope that ours trip is drawing to a reality every day! Please continue to pray as they finish up their trip and head home soon.

We got our PA (pre approval) from China on 5-4. We are waiting on our LOA (letter of approval) which is our final approval from China. After this we can file our immigration paperwork! We still have awhile. I just wanted to give a quick update!

Just a small testimony as I was thinking back....
Awhile back when we were waiting to submit our dossier, I was so frustrated because we were still waiting to have the money. I didn't understand why we were having to wait, as we had seemed to have the money "just in time" every other deadline that had passed. We waited exactly three and a half weeks to get the money which, in my mind, just delayed us from being eligible for a match a month longer. In my frustration, I failed then to see God's PERFECT timing. Had we not submitted our dossier when we did, we would have been eligible for a match in March instead of April. Bao wasn't on the March list- meaning we would have potentially been matched with another child. I know God has it all in His hands. Thank you for your continued love, support, and prayers!

What a fantastic day!!

I know I say this often.. but I suppose it really can't be said enough. God is so good and I'm just speechless at the blessings He pours out upon us. Today we had our biscuits and gravy fundraiser. We tried not to get disheartened as we knew there were MANY other things going on today (it's May- it's crazy time! :) so we had no idea the turnout that we would have. We had over one hundred people- amazing support- come out. God meant business when He reassured me that He would bring our son home to us! :) Today, I had the opportunity to meet Laura and Renee Kreglo- two people that I have a feeling will be in our family's life for years and years to come. Laura was adopted from China when she was seven months old and is now fourteen. Though a series of "God events" (I don't believe in coincidences), I was introduced to them through facebook and then for the first time, today. Laura is beautiful, inside and out. Renee has been so inspiring in the short time I've known here and for that, I'm so thankful! It's so amazing to have people that understand the journey you are on and are willing to cheer you to the end!

Monday we will submit our updated homestudy, I-800 (more immigration stuff on Bao specifically), and our silly supplement three that USCIS decided to make us fill out (it helps change our age range since we originally weren't approved past 1.5 years.) Prayers that all goes well!! As the days go by, my heart longs more and more to bring Bao home. I know we have quite awhile still to go. I know he is in God's hands, but not having the ability to know what he is doing day in and day out is hard. 


At 2:30 AM Mother's Day, our friends the Padgett's will meet their daughter Joelle in China. I'm bursting at the seams to hear details!!! It's so exciting to see other parents journeys finally come to fruition and be so close! David and Kathy, friends of ours from the KC area will meet their son Monday. I'm so thankful these two children will meet their forever families shortly!!


We'd appreciate your continued prayers as we wait on Pre-approval from China and wait for our immigration approvals to be processed.

 

FINALLY!!!!!!!

At Last!!

Last Tuesday, around 11:00, Holt (our agency) called us. It was Beth, one of the China program social workers. She said "Michelle, we have a little boy for you. First of all, he is beautiful. He is one year and a half. He had a congenital heart defect but it has been repaired and he is very healthy!". I was in shock and stumbled on my words as I tried to write down everything I heard. I quickly got off the phone, called Nathan, and waited for the email packet with his pictures and information to review. When you get a referral, at least through our agencies "China Child of Promise" program, you are given approximately twenty four hours to lock in the child's file. Locking in a file simply means you want to further explore their file and request any additional information that might be needed to make a choice. I got the email, found his pictures, and his pictures pierced my heart immediately. To say he was born to be a Sherer baby is an understatement :). He is beautiful, in my humble opinion. I'm a very THANKFUL mama!

We started looking at his file and realized he was not a year and a half but actually two and a half. Needless to say, this caused quite a stir for us because we were not, at that point, approved for a child that "old". We put it in the Lord's hand, asking that He would open the doors if he was supposed to be part of our family and close the doors if he wasn't. An hour or so later, we spoke with Beth about the mistake (I had emailed her after we discovered the discrepancy). She apologized profusely and explained they didn't ever make those types of mistakes. We shared with her that we felt as though what looked like a "human error" was really "God's perfect timing and will". They discussed our situation among the China team and agreed to allow us to addendum our home study. At that point, Holt told us we would face a $300.00 fee for our home study change and a $340.00 change for our immigration paperwork- all because of the age difference. Again, as much as this was frustrating, we realized it was in God's hands to work out.

His Chinese name is Bao and he is from the Guandong province in China. We are so blessed to be able to call him ours and so thankful God has brought us together. Eli smashes his pictures on a daily basis by hugging them and kissing them. Kaylee carries his pictures in the car with us and shows everyone, quite proudly, that she has a China brother.

Guangdong Province

Chinese : 广东省 Guǎngdōng Shěng Cantonese Jyutping: Gwong2 Dung1 Saang2

Abbreviations: simplified Chinese: 粤; traditional Chinese: 粵  (pinyin: Yuè, Jyutping: Jyut6)

Just a few days ago, we learned Holt would not be charging us for our home study update. Thank you God! He is moving and we know He is working to bring our son home. Our hearts are full, yet they feel incomplete. We would appreciate continued prayers as we jump through hoops to update paperwork, learn patience as we wait, wait, wait.... and preparation as we will leave Kaylee and Eli here when we travel in September or October for 12-14 days to bring him home. It's all in God's hands and I know it will be okay.

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Even the small stuff :)!

1 Peter 5:7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you

Yesterday was QUITE a day! Kaylee, Eli, and I went to the Under the Sea exhibit at Crown Center with some friends. What a great display- so cute :)! About halfway through our time in the exhibit, Kaylee hit her head on a  metal pirate steering wheel (or an old ship wheel, a pirate wheel description, to me, sounds cooler.. but you get the picture). The metal spindles on it hit her eye- cutting her eyelid about an inch worth. EEK! She was so brave! We got some first aid attention there and took her to the hospital (per our pediatrician's orders). Because I had another friend and her children with me, we all piled in the car and headed to the ER. 

When we got to the ER, my gas tank was SUPER low. We had to stop for gas and I only have five dollars with me- which we stopped to put in. As we all know, five dollars won't get you far. Kaylee was doing just fine. Nathan met us at the hospital and we all went in. I told my friend (who I won't name here but she knows who she is :) just to take my van home with her so she could get her kiddos in bed and we would get it later. 

After a long (VERY long) day of waiting at the ER, we got her seen. We were very blessed, and I know this is because of the prayers of so many for her. Very thankfully, even though it appeared to have cut all the way through, there was no damage to her eye. Because of the location, they glued it and suggested she keep it dry and her fingers out of it (hah!- we will see how that goes..). She was such a brave girl and I'm so proud of how she handled it all. Blessing #1!!!

Although we had other plans in mind, because of our long day at the hospital and two very tired and hungry kiddos were ruling, we went to grab something to eat at Kaylee's choice (Chick Fil A- who would have guessed :)?) Our friends that had had our van met us for dinner. After a yummy dinner, I got in the van to drive home and noticed what had been still on empty (yup, even after adding five dollars :) before was now FULL. Those silly friends had filled up my gas tank! I was immediately overwhelmed with the physical and spiritual blessing this was!!!

My friends obviously knew it was a stressful day and the last thing we needed with everything else as an ER bill... they saw a need.. and they very willingly filled it. This was a sacrifice for their family and I was beyond words for their generosity. I was also overcome with the spirit, knowing that God was in control of all of our happenings. Every little detail. He told me, in His sweet gentle way, that "I am with you Michelle and I am in control. It is not yours to fear over. I will not lead you to places where I will leave you alone."  I was speechless, in awe of such an amazing blessing. Thank you to my amazing friends for being such  willing instrument in His hands, it meant more than you know. Thank you God for your goodness and mercy, even when I feel discouraged. Praise God for a day full of immense blessing and joy!!! 

Last night we got word that we had been, again, rejected for another grant. VERY disheartened, I told Nathan I didn't have a clue how we would get through this whole adoption. He assured me, as he always does, that when God asks you to do something He will NEVER leave you without the means to do so. I got this devotion today in my email from Proverbs 31 Ministries (love them!) and it was an amazingly gentle reminder that He is in control and I am not.

Fearing the Unknown 29 Mar 2011 by Micca Campbell “Then you will know which way to go, since you have never been this way before.” Joshua 3:4a (NIV) Do you ever fear the unknown? Perhaps it’s your health or the uncertainty of your future. Maybe it’s the decisions your children will make about following God or following their peers. Fearing the unknown can cause us to spend precious energy anticipating the worst-case scenario. There are two problems with this type of fear: • The future is not here. • The future is not ours. While the future may be out of our hands, it is not out of the hands of our faithful trustworthy God. When we face a worrisome unknown situation, we can look to Joshua as an example of how to trust God in the face of uncertainty. It’s recorded in the first chapter of Joshua that before Moses died, God passed the baton of leadership to Joshua. The Israelites had been wandering in the desert for 40 years under the guidance of Moses. Now, their journey was almost over. Just beyond the Jordan River was their promised land — the land that God had guaranteed to Abraham and his descendants. Upon reaching the Jordan River, Joshua and the Israelites set up camp by the stream and awaited God’s direction. Much like their meeting with the Red Sea, God had to make a way for them to cross over the river. On the third day, God told the officers to instruct the people that when they saw the Ark of the Covenant (where God’s Presence abided) to follow it because they had “never passed this way before” (Joshua 3:4). In essence, God was saying: Follow Me and I’ll see you through this unknown territory. That’s not all. The people were instructed on how closely they should follow the ark. Without this instruction, the people would have crowded the ark and God wanted every person to be able to see His presence faithfully leading them through the unknown valley. What greater encouragement could they have than this, that the Lord was their God, a God who was with them? You see, friend, the Lord understands our fear of the unknown. He realizes that you may be in a situation that you’ve never passed through before and you’re afraid. It may be the first time you’ve been without employment. Maybe you’ve just been diagnosed with an illness or your child is in rebellion. You’ve never been down this road before and you don’t know which way to go or what to do. God will guide the way. Joshua’s life was unpredictable and full of unknowns much like yours and mine. Yet, he successfully resisted fear by keeping his focus on God rather than the events surrounding him. Just as God guided the Israelites through unknown territory, He will guide you and me, too. As He promises in Isaiah 43, when we come to a place we’ve never passed through before, God is always present to help us. “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the LORD, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior” (v.2-3a, NIV). Even though the children of Israel were not told how they would pass over the river, the people went forth in faith. We too can move forward in faith sharing in the promised presence of God leading the way through our unknown circumstances. Dear Lord, thank You for Your promised presence. It comforts my heart to know that I am not alone. Lead me, Lord, through the unknowns in my life. Make Your path clear and I will follow it. In Jesus’ Name, Amen

It is on it's way!

I spoke with Holt today and our dossier should be on it's way to China tomorrow! Prayers that getting matched with a child will go smoothly. I am hoping to be matched in April, which is the first month we eligible, but know that if we aren't, God has a reason. God has led the way so far and I know He will continue to. Thank you for your prayers and support- we are so close!

Still waiting :)

Just a little update. We are currently waiting (impatiently, but I'm working on that :) for the word that Holt has approved our dossier. As soon as it's approved it should be off to China! Prayers that we receive good news regarding several grants we applied for. If we don't receive them, I know God has different plans.

On a slightly different note, I want to encourage anyone who has ever considered adoption to expand their family to look into it. There are many amazing routes to take and it really is a very viable option. Don't let expenses scare you off and if you live locally (Missouri) I will be MORE than happy to help you with finding grants and raising funds. It's a bold step but if you take it, I really believe you won't regret it. Remember Phil 4:13 which is my absolute favorite scripture: I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me.