I am in SHOCK! (good shock)

I was reading a blog of someone who adopted an older girl from China and she posted some photos she found of her daughter on the web. So, I started to wonder if I could find some photos of Adam .....I DID!!!! There is a blog from someone who adopted a boy from the same SWI last year. I've looked at this blog before but never looked at the posts from before they traveled to China. So I started at the beginning and found two photos of Adam with a group of kids from his SWI. I was so excited I was trembling!!!! Yay!!! I emailed the family, just to verify it is him but I am 99% sure it is our "little man". Happy Day!!! (SWI is what some orphanges in China are called) I can't post pictures of Adam yet but I will as soon as I can.

Keep Adam in your prayers!!!

Beth

Pray for kidnapped children in Yueyang China

I got the following from an email list I am on. Please pray for the families, children and that these suspects will realize what a horrible thing they were doing.

"Police in Yueyang have broken up a gang that abducted children in Yueyang to sell in distant Chinese provinces, state media reports.The children were mostly toddlers aged two or three years old. They were sold for between 860 yuan ($125) and 26,000 yuan ($3,800), according to news sources.Five children had been rescued and 13 suspects arrested. The children were snatched in broad daylight by gang members on motorbikes.Child trafficking is seen as a growing problem in China, despite government attempts to crack down on it.Please pray for families in Yueyang who have experienced the tragedy of having their child kidnapped as well as families who live in fear of the schemes of evil ‘men.’Pray that the gospel will go forth into all of Yueyang and that the society will be transformed as hate is replaced by love, greed is replaced by charity, and fear is replaced by peace."

Beth

Always learning!

When I was a kid I heard someone say "People never stop learning" Of course, being in school at the time this was not something I wanted to hear. Yes, we know it's true...we might not have tests and quizes but we are always learning something new.

Well, right now most of my "learning" is focused on the adoption. I have been reading books about adoption, going to seminars about adoption and now I am researching the educational options that are out there for when he arrives. Our oldest daughter attends a private Christian school but Mark and I are considering sending Adam to public shool for at least a year. I would love to send Adam to the same school Abby attends but I think that public school will have more resources to help him while he is learning English. Please pray for us as we research things to help his transition. I will need to be an advocate for him to make sure he gets every resource available to him.

Right now it is 9:50 am here and it is nighttime in China. Please pray that Adam sleeps well and that he has a good day when he wakes up.

Beth

I have a confession....

Brian and Emily had a snack of cheese crackers and afterwards Brian kept asking for more....so, I distracted my son by asking if he wanted to dress up in my daughters' Princess costumes! And he said YES!!! So much for gender identity! LOL! J/K
Gotta love 2 year old boys!!

On the adoption front, we finished our second homestudy meeting...the last one is at our house on Tues....gotta get cleaning!!

Please continue to pray for Adam's health and safety....as soon as he is officially "ours" I will be able to post a picture.

Beth

Homestudy meeting #1 - check!

We had our first homestudy meeting, we have two more. Yesterday it was all about me....fun, fun! Talking about my childhood, my relationships with my parents, my relationship with my sister, etc. It wasn't too bad. We also had to turn in a stack of paperwork....did I mention I LOVE paperwork! LOL! But, you know what, Adam is worth all the frustration and work.

On a happier note, I've started writing a letter to Adam. I can't send it until he is officially referred to us but this way I can work on it and have it ready to send. I also want the kids to write a little something in the letter as well.

I was searching for all our official papers (birth certificates, SS cards, marriage license, etc) and I found my passport....it expires in 14 days! I would need to get a new one anyway because it has my maiden name on it....I don't think they'd let me use that now! It has a pretty good picture, I wish I could use that one.

Well, I think that's all for now....please pray for Adam that he will be safe and healthy. Also, I've had a heavy burden on my heart to pray that someone will be able to witness to Adam until we are able to go get him.

I hope everyone has a great 2009!