So this is the precious piece of paper that we have been waiting for for so long. It is simple, not much to it. But is gives us final permission to travel to China to bring our son home.

And so the countdown begins. And as it begins, I am pleading for all of you prayer warriors. I feel like I am in a war right now, spiritually speaking. I guess I have been caught off guard with all the emotions and thoughts that are flying through my mind this past week. Funny how our minds work! I have every confidence that I will win this battle. Why?, you might ask. Because I serve a God that is faithful and far more powerful then anything my flesh can battle! But, I would covet your prayers.

As we near the end of this journey, only to begin a new journey as a family, I have noticed that Elizabeth is either entering into a new stage or reacting to my stress. She is very clingy to me, fussy, whiny, and will have nothing to do with anyone when it is time to go to bed... .to the point she refuses to let the kids kiss her or even talk to her. She is fine up until I put her in bed, then look out! She has had many more melt downs in the car, which are beginning to make me very nervous for our plane trips! I think it is just because I have been so focused this week, but still.... please pray for her. Her world is about to be rocked... again.

I am confident, though, that God is ready to bless her with an incredible to stage in her life. I believe that Ri will be a precious gift to her as well. The two of them will have a special bond simply because of the way God has brought them to our family. I trust that Ri is a gift from above. In the book of James, we are told this:

“Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures” (James 1:16-18).