"Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us" Ephesians 3:20

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

An AMAZING Miracle Only God Could Orchestrate!

 I had to share this incredible blessing that God blessed us with this week.  I received an email on Monday night that a comment had been left on my blog... Speechless is the only way I can describe myself.  Here is most of the post:
Hi Jennifer,
I am so excited to read this. We have been sponsoring Naomi for the last 2 1/2 yrs, since I met her just before her 1st birthday. I was the one who named her:-) We have been praying that her paperwork would be done and that she would find a family for a very long time! I have a few photos of her if you would like them. I stumbled across your blog the other day, and was very excited to see that she has a family! We have a couple of adopted kids ourselves and work in foster care here in Hong Kong.

Kathy

BUT GOD.... is all I can say.  We have been emailing & I discovered that she literally stumbled across my blog.... She googled MBHOH & Naomi & it came up.  Can I just tell you how many times I've tried to google this blog to see how & when it would come up & it NEVER has.... NEVERBut God.  He has plans for this precious little girl far bigger than mine & that started way back before I ever even knew she existed.  To share a little of her story.... She met Naomi just before her first birthday & began sponsoring her through Hope Foster Home in Beijing.  They were even able to pay for her cleft lip repair surgery.  We will never be able to thank them enough.  Being a sponsor, they were given the privilege of naming her.  She chose Naomi, because it means beautiful, pleasant, delightful, gentle...and part of her Chinese name means beautiful/enchanting.  She stated that because she was all of those, she thought the name would fit perfectly.  Can I just tell you how thankful I am that we chose to keep her name???  That was also a God-thing.  I am blown away at His goodness & mercy.  I just need to say that God LOVES adoption.  We've seen His hand ALL over this.  We are SO grateful He chose us to be this precious baby girl's parents... :)

Some precious pictures Kathy shared with us...












Friday, November 11, 2011

Our Adoption Story

We are finally "officially" matched with our little girl, and we can share ALL of our great news!  God has been working in our lives in some awesome ways in the last year.  If you had told me this time last year that I would be on pins & needles waiting to get the call that I can travel halfway around the world to bring home my daughter.....I would have told you that you were CRAZY.....literally.  God can certainly change our plans....and our hearts....if we allow Him to. 

Our journey began in April of this year.  God had been softening our hearts for months before that, but on the Saturday before Easter...He dropped the bomb.....  We were having a Sunday School Easter egg hunt at our house. Our friends Jason & Kelly, who have 3 adopted children from China were leaving.  As I walked them to their car, Jason began to tease me about needing a girl.  I told him thanks, but I was good... :)  I kinda like being queen of the castle & I have plenty enough hormones for my whole house. :0   He continued & told me he knew exactly the girl I needed too.  I knew who he was referring to.... Naomi...... A little girl that they had had to painfully leave behind at Maria's Big House of Hope in China when they brought their 3rd child, Miles, home.  She was in the Nemo room with Miles.  And apparently, they were great friends....judging by the picture to the left of them kissing upon Jason & Kelly's arrival there to visit.  Little did I know, they had been praying for a family for Naomi ever since they left China in December.  AND specifically a family IN New Albany..... Of course, they did not share this information with me at this time.  As we talked about her, I asked if I could see a picture of her.  Jason said yes, & began trying to pull up a picture out of Kelly's phone.  It took quite a while and I remember standing there waiting...not moving...until he found it.  People were leaving my house & I remember thinking how rude I was being not telling the others bye like I was Jason & Kelly.  However, my feet did not move.  I stood there & stood there... waiting for that picture.  Looking back, I have NO idea why... BUT GOD.  He finally found it... we looked at it & talked about her.  They told me that she was not up for adoption when they were there, and they weren't sure why.  I asked them to text the picture to my phone..... again, I have NO idea why... BUT GOD.  I later talked to Kevin about her.  He was a little confused at first because we have never discussed adoption - ever.  Later, we would find out that we both had thought about it at different times, but neither of us ever brought it up.  The first thing Kevin said to me was, Don't you just wanna have another one??  Almost immediately I said no.  And that was huge.  I had never completely given up the notion that I would have more babies.  But,  I was sure..... BUT GOD.  I told Kevin that I was just going to inquire about her.  The next week I called Kelly to see if she could find out any information about her.  Indeed she did!  She found out that her paperwork for adoption had been started only 3 weeks prior to our call.  BUT GOD.  I was put in touch with the appropriate adoption agency & contacted them about qualifications.  They told me that they could possibly get Naomi's file, or they may not; and that if they did get it, it could be listed LID only, which means a family's paperwork (which can take 4-6 months) has to be logged-in in China to be matched with that child.  They said we could go ahead & begin our paperwork (and pay all the necessary fees $$$) & just hope the timing works out right & that we are able to be matched with her..... Basically no guarantee.  It was pretty much a downer.  I was so confused.  I thought I had heard God's voice so clearly, but this was an awful big mountain we were being faced with.  I remember going in my bedroom & sobbing & asking God what in the world was He doing with my heart....  I had instantly fallen in love with this little girl & felt Him drawing me to her & then this phone call was so uncertain.  I later talked to Kevin about it, we both agreed that she needed a home, a family, & love..... and we could certainly give her all three.  We decided to take a leap of faith... and trust in God for what was ahead.  We began the 5 month sequence of paperwork....  homestudies, blood work, fingerprints, and mounds & mounds of forms.  All the while, sharing with others that we were adopting from China & that we had "asked" for a little 3 year old girl, named Naomi.  When I tell you I had peace.... I mean I had a peace that truly surpasses all understanding.  I never once worried during that time that we wouldn't get her... Never... Not Once.  I continually reassured my boys that I knew in my heart that she was suppose to be ours.  We had her picture up in our home & we prayed for her daily.  It was on August 24th that we got the worst phone call we could have ever received.  Our agency called & said that Naomi's file had finally come in but that it was listed "LID" only..... and we were at least a month away from there. They said that there were a few families that were LID & by law they would have to offer her to them. It was the worst day of my life. I couldn't breathe.  I cried out to the God I had trusted & put every bit of my faith in.  I threw every question up that I could.... All WHYS???  I had been as obedient as I could be... why & how could He allow this?  BUT GOD.  A few days later, I was washing my car & throwing up all the whys & asking God what I was to tell my children? I had told them I knew she was suppose to be ours.... that I had FAITH.  That God would work everything out.... And I heard Him say to my soul.... WHAT HAS CHANGED???...They did not call you & tell you that she was not yours.  They merely told you that her file was in & that they had to offer her to others... the mountain is just a little steeper..... BUT GOD.  And, of course, on September 28th when we mailed all of our completed & finalized paperwork in, her file was sitting there waiting on us...... GOD. 

Today, we are officially matched by the Chinese government with our daughter, Naomi, & are just waiting on a few extra steps before we can travel to get her. We estimate that to be in January or February. And that can not get here soon enough!  We have sent her a package with photos of us so she will soon know that she has a family on the other side of the world that CAN NOT WAIT to love on her for the rest of her life :))  GOD IS SOOOO GOOD!   And we feel so extremely blessed that God has allowed us to go on this incredible journey with Him. We look forward to whatever He has next......