MY HOPE IS IN YOU ALL DAY LONG...

"Show me your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.”          -Psalm 25:4-5

We have been truly experiencing God's hand in the midst of our planning, preparation and anticipation of bringing Fei home.  We have been so moved by the support and encouragement we continue to receive, on so many levels.  As we are exactly 2 weeks out from leaving (3 weeks out from meeting Fei for the first time!), we wanted to share a little of the backstory of this adventure and details moving forward:

 

Fei Isabella is currently living in an orphanage in Shenzhen (Guangdong Province) and is a healthy little 2 year-old, following two surgeries to repair her cleft lip and palate.  We were matched with her in November of last year, incredibly on our 15^th anniversary.  As a family, we have been excitedly praying her home to Phoenix for over a year and a half, longing for the day we can finally meet her.

Adoption has been on our heart since early in our marriage and following a trip to Kenya in 2010, God placed a strong desire in both of us to pursue adoption.  The Lord has blessed us in many ways, including multiple resources to provide medical, emotional, spiritual and cultural support as an adoptive family. In July of 2011, we stepped out in faith and followed the Lord’s call and tugging on our hearts by initiating the application process.  Ellie, TJ & Owen have been bubbling over with excitement at the news and have been actively involved in getting her room ready, learning more about the Chinese culture and consistently praying that Fei would come “quickly and healthy and safely”.

We’ve had a tough time wrapping our heads around the enormous need of orphans.  Through this process, we have been challenged to trust God in every step of the journey from understanding bonding with an adopted child to anticipating changes in family dynamics, as well as financing the adoption.  Many of you have expressed such excitement, support and interest in our adoption journey and it is so amazing to have you join us in bringing Fei home.  God has been out in front of this entire process and it has been incredible to experience.  Here are a few specific areas that we are praying about, if you would like to join us:

• God to provide avenues for many to be a part of addressing the incredible need of orphans worldwide.
• Health and safety for all 9 of us prior to and during travels (our parents, 4 kids and us)
• Preparation for our family (all 6 of us!): emotionally and mentally, bonding, building trust, and the beginning of strong relationships.
• Peace and trust for Fei as she faces change in every aspect of her world.
• Ellie, TJ, and Owen:  That their relationships with Fei would grow strong quickly and that this trip would be a foundation for future growth.
 

For those interested, here is an itinerary of our trip (China is 15 hours ahead):

• Mon, April 29: leave for China, via Los Angeles
• Wed, May 1: arrive in Beijing
• Thurs, May 2: tour Temple of Heaven
• Fri, May 3: tour The Great Wall/Hutong Lane
• Sat, May 4: tour The Forbidden City/Tiananmen Square/Silk Factory
• Sun, May 5: leave for Guangzhou (Guangdong Province)
• Mon, May 6: GOTCHA DAY...MEET FEI!:)
• Tues, May 7-Wed, May 12: various appointments/sightseeing in Guangzhou
• Thurs, May 16: leave Guangzhou (9pm)...arrive in Phoenix (11:30pm)...yes, same day!:)

When we began this journey, there was an inexplicable peace, which has continued over the past 2 years.  God has provided and we are confident that he will continue to provide.  Thank you for all your continued prayer and support, as well as for all of your questions…some of our favorites are “how in the world does all of this work?” and “how did you end up going to China?”.  This is a story only an amazing God could write and we thank Him for it.