We should get her mid February!!

     Nothing is set yet, but if we are figuring the process correctly, we should be heading to China to get our sweet Maggie Mei the third week of February!!!
     I was still feeling like that is so far away, and Matt said, "Shari, that is only 6 1/2 weeks away!!! Six weeks!!!" Whohoo!!!
     Would love prayers for Natalie and Jaydn during this time. Natalie told me the other day that she is not feeling real good about Matt & I leaving. She wants us to get Maggie, but she is unsettled about us being gone for two weeks. Matt's mom will be staying with them while we are gone, so that is a HUGE blessing! But, our sweet girl is an internal thinker and will need to sense our God in a very real way. Jaydn will just run with it, but you can pray for him too!

LOA baby!!!!

     Last night I e-mailed our China rep to ask about giving her the address of where we will be for Christmas break, in case we got our LOA (Letter of Acceptance). That way I could send out all of our paperwork in Indiana, and not have to wait until we came back to Charlotte.
    SO, I was extremely happy when I received the reply this A.M. telling me that our LOA was given on Tuesday and we would have it in our hands tomorrow!!!!
     Can we say "PERFECT TIMING?" I will be able to make all my copies and send out all the paperwork tomorrow and head on to Indiana on Monday without any worries!!!

I think I danced more "happy dances" today than I ever have in my life. : )

The SURE things

     Back in November I wrote about how I felt like the Lord told me "you won't be there [Fort Wayne, IN] for Christmas." And how some days I felt such an urgency to pray for December.    
      Well, this past month has really been a mental struggle for my faith as a result of these feelings. Let me clarify - I am not struggling over whether I believe God to be real or not. I am convinced that He is real. I have been struggling over what faith truly entails.
     When the Lord told me I would "have a Maggie someday" I had to act on that. And look what happened! So, when I hear what I believe to be the same voice, I am stuck with the question of how to believe.  If I assume the voice was speaking of picking Maggie up in December, and that doesn't happen, was my faith too weak? Or did I not hear correctly? Or was God not talking about China? Does God take things away b/c our faith is limited? Because we can only imagine from what we know?
     I told Matt I am mentally tired of the struggle in my mind over December. Trying to figure out what I heard. Did I hear right? What if I'm wrong and basing hope on a time instead of God, the author of this crazy journey.
     Shame. That is what I have felt each time someone says they are praying in faith that we will get her in December. I feel ashamed because it is December 10 and we don't even have LOA yet (China's approval). After we get our LOA we still have to finish up more paperwork. So I don't know how on earth we would be there in December.
     There are a few things I am sure of...
1) When I do my daily devotions in the morning, I sacrifice my thoughts to Jesus. Good, bad, ugly, doesn't matter. When I lay them down and confess that I don't WANT to figure it out, I just want to leave it, I am filled with PEACE.
2) I am filled with JOY when I just prepare for our trip to China. (I have Maggie's suitcase almost fully packed. YAY!)
3) Our "Gotcha day" will be the exact day that God has authored. His timing is perfect. Never early; never late.
    Psalm 42:4-6 "Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will YET praise him, my Savior and my God."  


These pictures are of our Maggie Mei at 20months!!
   

 

All adoption fees are covered!!!

     I think our God deserves a standing ovation on this journey. I mean, REALLY! Matt and I went on a prayer walk yesterday, just to say thank you to our God for this journey and all that HE has provided!

     Yesterday we received word that we were given an $800 donation! That put our remaining total to, roughly, $976.  I texted a friend to keep her in the loop. She wrote back minutes later saying that her kids still had Christmas money from last year to be given to charity and they wanted to put it all together and pay our remaining $1,000!!!!

     Philippians 2:13 says, "It is GOD who works in you, to will and act according to HIS purpose."

     That verse speaks to me on so many levels through this journey. The Holy Spirit is the one who convinced us to take a step of faith and begin this journey. He had to change our hearts to even begin it.

     So now, we say "bring on Maggie, God!!"

Thankful that God is the AUTHOR of this journey

     Well, the last post was about hearing the spirit speak to me about December and being ready to go. So, for the next several days Matt & I were trying to figure that out. After prayer and speaking with friends (thank you so much Janet!) our conclusion is this: We are NOT to try and figure out God's next step. HE is the AUTHOR of this journey and HE gets to make the big calls. Our job is to be ready. So, what that looks like for me is this...
*All Christmas presents purchased are wrapped;
*I have all of the paperwork filled out and ready to be sent once we get LOA (China's approval);
*I continually give the details to my God, sometimes on an hourly basis, just so all glory goes to Him.

     On a financial front, we found out this week that we are being awarded a $4,500 grant from Show Hope!!! This is Steven Curtis Chapman's adoption grant. Then, the next day we received $625! Our new total is $1,743 (roughly) and that is to finish up flight costs. Isn't God amazing!!!????

     So thankful this season for this journey and all of the support we have been given!

God's WORD is amazing stuff...

     So last night I was going through all the paperwork needed to be done after we get China's approval. This is the point that I realized that I filled in some numbers wrong on the "budget" I am keeping for all the "Maggie funds". We thought that we had, roughly, $5,000 to go. Turns out that we have about $7,400 to go.
     Well, as you can imagine, that threw a little kink into my "hoping I heard right we will get her in December" faith mind-set. HOWEVER, I quoted Psalm 56:3, "WHEN I am afraid I will TRUST in you, in God whose word I praise; in God I trust. I WILL NOT BE AFRAID!"

     Scripture itself says that God's word is alive and active, sharper than any double edged sword. Well, it's been powerful for me through this whole journey. I'm not sure how I would be standing with a smile if not. Because, here's the thing. His sweet spirit that has been speaking to me...he knew that I had figured the finances wrong and that mistake didn't change anything on His agenda. Our "gotcha day" hasn't changed and He still owns all the cows (read a previous post).

     So, when you see me STANDING TALL, SMILING of all things, it is JESUS you are seeing and His sweet spirit's work in and through me. I just love Him and the amazing things He is doing through our family.

     We covet your prayers on this journey! We are so thankful for the support we have received!

I'm not sure how this will play out...

     My hubby told me I need to blog about what I have been hearing within my spirit. But to be honest, it makes me nervous to be that vulnerable. To risk being wrong; hearing wrong.
     While Matt and I were on a date Friday I was texting a friend of mine, asking her if our families could get together over Christmas break and just as a typed those words, I heard in my spirit "you won't be there [Fort Wayne, IN] for Christmas." I told Matt right away and said that I am going to assume that I made that up. Because that would mean we would have to get LOA (China's approval) this week. AND, we would need the remaining $5-6,000.
     This morning during devotions I did more praying and listening than reading. I don't know how to explain what I am feeling except that I sense an urgency in my spirit. A voice telling me to get ready, we are leaving soon.
     Soon may still be February. But what if God did do something crazy amazing and got us there in December? It's not like this whole journey has been normal! He gave me a name and led us to her! We have been able to raise close to $20,000 within a 6 month time period!
     Matt and I are wondering if Jesus isn't next to God the Father saying, "Why did they stop praying for December? Why are they asking for January now?"

So there it is... a piece of my heart. Right out in the open for people to gawk at.

I am choosing to be hopeful and close to Jesus in prayer.

China has logged us in! The last LONG wait!

     Our dossier was logged in in China on Oct. 26! That means that now we are at the point where all we do is wait for China to give the big approval. Right now those approvals are running 55-60 days. And when we do get it, it will be roughly 2 months to travel!!!
     We are thankful that we are coming into the holiday season! It will make the wait a little more bearable.
     For those who pray for us on the financial front... We need $350 to finish the China escort/translator fees and then the fees due to China are finished! So unbelievable! After that we will focus on the flight & meals while in China, which will be roughly $5,000.  That's it! Less than $6,000 to finish! AND, we haven't heard from Show Hope yet (adoption grant). We will hear from them by Nov. 15th.
     We received this picture of Maggie last week. It is the first picture where we can see a little of her personality; can tell she is giggling. We love her so much already!

Time is beautiful

Time is beautiful. It really is. But when it comes to getting our daughter in China, I have to continually lay that truth before my God.

     Matt & I learned that time is beautiful through the selling of our previous house. Three homes on our street at that time sold within one month of posting a 'For Sale' sign. So, we figured the sale of our house would be quick too. Not so much. While we waited for the sale of ours, we would drive through other neighborhoods to see where we wanted to live. We found a place that we thought would be perfect, but were bummed when our house wasn't selling. We had quite a few showings, but no one wanted to buy.
     Well, there was a reason our house took 7 months to sell. The builder was offering a financial plan in March that wasn't available back in August. And as a result, we were able to build a bigger home AND pay off a car. It was a huge blessing! We were able to look back and thank our God for His timing and not ours.

     I want to do the same with this stage of life. With our Maggie Mei. She is now 19 months old and I received an e-mail from the orphanage director telling me they were taking good care of her. I am so thankful, but I long for the day that we can take care of her.
     Our dossier was sent to China this past Friday!! That is a huge praise!!! I have a friend who received her LOA (the approval from China) within 45 days. Those approvals are now running around 80 days, which means we will not get her until late Feb/early March. One month later than we had hoped. Makes my heart sad and yet it is a quiet sad that my God holds near Him.
     I choose to believe time is beautiful because God is perfect, which means His timing is never early and never late. He already knows our 'Gotcha Day' and China's government doesn't change that.

My heart is so FULL

     Joy. True joy, that only comes from Jesus, is mine today. We received this picture of Maggie this morning. The joy is that she is walking and smiling! Two things we have not seen in previous pictures!! I asked the orphanage director when she was 15months if she was walking. At that time she was not. So my heart is very happy today!

     We were approved at US immigration last week! That is the final document that we were waiting on to be able to send our dossier to China! I got it in the mail yesterday at 4p, took it to Fedex at 6:30p. They delivered it to a courier (who was FABULOUS) in Columbia, SC for the secretary of State, and then sent it onto Washington, D.C. for the US State Department and Chinese Embassy approval. Whew! Are you tired just reading that?!?
     Every one of the documents for the dossier went through that procedure. It is a lot, but I have loved every minute of it! Now that our paperwork is almost ready for China, I'm not sure what to do b/c I don't have anymore packages to track!!
     We are still in need of $6,000.00, and I am just waiting for the next thing up God's "sleeve". Should be good!

I can see the grin

     All week I have carried around my new verse to help my mind, Psalm 50:10, which I wrote about last time (God owns the cattle on a thousand hills). However, I added verse 12. This is God speaking "If I were hungry I would not tell you, for the world is mine, and all that is in it."
     I LOVE THAT VERSE! It so speaks to my mindset. God has so many resources, and knowledge of our journey to go with it!
     So, my mind this past week has been covered in contentment from the Holy Spirit with that verse. Which is such a blessing.

     Friday is date day for Matt and I since Natalie and Jaydn are in school and neither of us work on Friday's. It has been a huge blessing not to have to pay a babysitter. ANYWAY, yesterday's date started with a trip to get the oil changed in both vehicles and conversation about how we really need to get the word out about finances for Maggie b/c the donations were kind of at a stand still.. Romantic huh?
     Well, while waiting, at 8:05a.m. I text a friend our newest goal of $6,500, b/c she is helping us get the word out. At 8:27 I get a text from another friend wanting info so they could make a donation.
     When we got home a couple hours later we found a PayPal donation for $7,000. $7,000! Not only had the Lord moved them to give, but it covered that goal and covered our Visas!!! I had returned home before Matt, but was on the phone with him when I saw the amount. I just kept saying "OH, my word. Oh, my word. Thank you Jesus!" I told Matt I had to get off and have a thank session with our God. I hit end and started the thanks and the tears just came."

I believe Jesus was grinning from ear to ear...in fact I am sure of it.

We received these pics this week. My mom says her pout looks like me when I was little!

God can even use cows

     I was debating whether I should blog about God using a cow for me yesterday, some might think I am a bit odd. My husband says "just simple". So, do with it as you will, but God used a cow to calm my heart.
     Yesterday my heart was low on hope in the fund raising area, on finances in general, really. We still have roughly $12,000 to raise to bring Maggie home. Then we got a letter from our mortgage company telling us they figured our escrow wrong so we can either give them almost $600 or start paying more each month on our mortgage. Then we realized that our flex spending for medical is gone until March, so all regular prescriptions come out of our pockets. Uggh. We are used to having that benefit, so that will be an adjustment.
     In comes the cows...I was watching some show which had cows in a field. One man started playing his instrument for the cows and one by one the cows came over to listen. By the time four men were playing their instruments, a whole herd of cows was mesmerized. It was hilarious!
     An hour later I was watching AFV, a tongue segment, which had cows showing their tongues. I was quite unimpressed, HOWEVER, it was at this moment, as I was changing the channel out of disgust, that God's voice spoke to my heart. "A thousand hills Shari. A thousand hills. I own the cattle on a thousand hills." It is a verse found in Psalm 50:10, which translated means, 'YOU CAN'T FATHOM THE RESOURCES I POSSESS!'

So there you have it. My heart went to bed renewed in God's knowledge of His resources.
   

The Scenario in my mind...

     Our homestudy first has to travel to DSS before meeting up with our I800A at USCIS in MO. It's been at DSS for 28 days. Four weeks.
     A friend of mine received her I800A approval after 48 days. Time is ticking...
     We had our fingerprint appointment this morning. Another step closer to approval...but not without our homestudy being matched with your I800A in MO. Still ticking...
   
     I find myself reminding Jesus of the scenario. Praying out of fear really. As if He doesn't understand time. Oh, the fear of the unknown. And the frustration of being able to do nothing about the timing of the journey.
     Our homestudy agency was able to speak with the lady looking over the homestudies at DSS. Come to find out she has been filling in for someone else so she is a little behind on the studies. My guess is she is feeling pretty overwhelmed. My thought? "Jesus, do you really think it's necessary for someone to be out of that office NOW? I mean, MY homestudy is there..."
     Then this morning while getting ready for the day, the sweet voice of Jesus spoke to me again. (He tends to do that when I am lost in the midst of myself). "Shari, how about praying for the overwhelmed lady having to fill in for someone AND work with the homestudies?"

Enough said. I am praying for her today. Trying desperately to convince myself of how much God understands that I don't.

Two questions

   I have had two questions in my brain this week. One, what does a heart do with waiting? And two, what do you write on a blog when you are just waiting? I mean, don't you have to write something that people would be interested in?
   I am a terrible "wait-er". When Matt & I run errands and he just needs to run into a store quickly, I still opt to go with him so I know WHY I am waiting for what feels like forever.
    We are just beginning to wait on our I800A approval. Some people are at 50/60 days and we are closer to 20. And already my heart is screaming for the time to MOVE.
    However, I will daily choose to take God at His word. I have to. I cling to it. Isaiah 40, says that those who wait upon the Lord will renew their strength and Psalm 19 says all His ways are perfect. Which means I have to continually lay down my heart and trust that our "gotcha day" with Maggie Mei is already set. This has been Jesus' gig from the beginning. He thought this up and changed our hearts, so I have to keep the focus in the right place.
    What floors me is that Jesus knew, before we even agreed to step out in faith, that we would struggle at points through this...and He still chose to work with us.
    Hmm...guess that's the beauty of the gospel. Jesus chooses to work in me - an impatient, imperfect woman - simply because I choose to believe that God is real. He can take the mundane, everyday life, and show His absolute glory. It's a beautiful thing.
 

Five days of quiet

    This week is my final week before work. What that means is 5 days of a quiet house from 7:35a - 2:30p (other than my loud music in the background)! I am savoring every minute, as I realized the other day that next year at this time we will have a little 2 year old side-kick again!
    Even in this time I see my sweet Savior's hand. It has given me prolonged devotions, time to tidy up the house without interruptions, time to wander favorite stores by myself, and time to fill out paperwork for the Abba Fund & Show Hope!
    The Abba Fund is a foundation that gives interest free loans for qualifying adopting families. We are really hoping we qualify! Show Hope is Steven Curtis Chapman's foundation that gives grants for adopting families. I am preparing the finishing touches on both and hoping to send those out tomorrow (Wed.).
    In the background Christy Nockels is singing..."be blessed, be loved, be lifted high, be treasured here, be glorified..." Oh, how I hope that is what I am doing for Jesus in this journey!
   We have decided on Maggie's middle name - Mei (pronounced May)!
    Mei means "beautiful"; Maggie means "Pearl". So, in a round-about way, it means "beautiful pearl". We like it, but we laugh because she has an American first name, Chinese middle name, and a Dutch last name! And said together, Maggie Mei, it has a southern sound! Love it!
    Please pray for continued financial support to come in...we need $88 more for the dossier, followed up quickly with a $480 fee and then $150.
    Thank you to all who are following this journey with us! For all your prayers, financial donations, material donations and interest!! We are humbled.

Blessings, one after another...thank you Jesus!

    This week has held several blessings for us on the adoption journey! I have been in contact with two other mom's on the same journey! One leaves tomorrow for China and was willing to take our Maggie a gift! (I can't wait to do that for someone when we go!!) The other is at the same point in the journey, so there is a chance we will travel together.
    Another blessing is that our homestudy has been approved by our placing agency, so final touches are being made and it will then be sent to DSS for approval and will then meet up with our I800A! I am beyond excited to be at this point - even though it involves waiting!
    Yet another blessing is on the financial front - we have received around $2,600 within the last week! We are only $36 short of the funds needed for the dossier! And, once we have our homestudy in hand, we have grant/loan forms to go out!!
     I am humbled that so many are following our journey! We pray that God would get every bit of the glory, for it is HIM who is able to accept it and deserves it!
 

Steady Expectation

     This past week our homestudy was sent to our placing agency for approval! Along with that was a fee of $1,500, of which we were short $250. I posted on FB that we needed the funds TODAY (8/2) & we would wait and see what God did...well, THAT DAY we received $275!
     Six years ago my hubby and I started what we call the "Jehovah Jirah" list. Jehovah Jirah is a name for God which basically means "Our God will provide."
     It started as a list on our refrigerator and has now turned into a journal. In it we list every way that God provides for us, be it financial, physical, spiritual, etc. The journal is our everyday application for our faith - when we doubt God's goodness or provision for us, we can read through the journal and be reminded of His faithfulness. It has helped to build in us a STEADY EXPECTATION for God to be present.
     God changed our hearts towards a growing family, knowing He would have to supply the funds. He is growing our faith daily and I am so grateful! It's really been a crazy journey in that we receive funds for one fee, rejoice in that for that day, and get up the next day and start praying for funds for the next fee. STEADY EXPECTATION.
     Once our homestudy is approved, we get to send in the next form, with a required fee of $890...we are only $352 short!!
     Psalm 5:3 says it well..."In the morning you hear my voice; In the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation."

So Thankful...

...for new pictures of our Maggie!

     We have been reviewing the draft of our homestudy, so hopefully this week it will be sent to our placing agency!!

     The other day Jaydn (7) asked "How long will it take mom?" How long will what take? "For Maggie's eyes to change to look like ours?"

So funny! Love that kid!

Quietness & Confidence...

Today was our final homestudy meeting. While the meeting went fine, the homestudy report wasn't finished. My hope was that it would be finished. As I got in the car, the tears fell, just from disappointment.

Then the Lord's spirit reminded me of a verse that hung in my childhood bathroom for years, Isaiah 30:15 "in quietness and confidence shall be your strength..." (KJV) Jesus knew my tears, my disappointment, but He also knows His timing. This will happen. All will work out and we will look back and think "OH! That's why the homestudy report wasn't finished that day!"

So grateful for the sweet spirit of Jesus!

Paperwork and more paperwork!

     This past week has been spent gathering and preparing paperwork for the homestudy, 1800A, and dossier! One end of our dining room table is filled with all the forms! It has been such a blessing to not work this summer! Little did we know, when we made the decision to not have me work, was there a bigger purpose at work!
     Tomorrow is our final homestudy! I am so excited, because once that is approved, we can send in our I800A, which is the application that we will wait a long time for a response on. However, I am so excited to almost be to that point!
     On the financial side, while the homestudy is almost completed, we cannot send it to our agency without $1,500, of which we are short $475. And while we are ready to send in the I800A, we do not have the money to go along with that either. For that we need $890. And soon after that $2,500 for the dossier. Aaaggh!
     So, we are praying for God's timing on the finances. That is scary for me. I want to send those forms in asap, but I don't have the resources. I have to trust that the LORD put us in this place and that the LORD has His hand and His timing on this.
     We covet your prayers for our journey!

GARAGE SALE!!

     We made over $1,000 at the garage sale yesterday!!! God is so good! I was hoping for $300! BIG THANKS to Megan Canady, Sarabeth Hudson, Kim Ellison & Amy Crawford for helping run the sale! Another THANKS to all those who donated items and those who bought!
     We have our third homestudy visit tomorrow, out of 4. I continue to work on all the paperwork so that once the homestudy is approved I can send the paperwork (I800A) that will take a LONG time to hear back on.
     I love this journey!

Journeying on... (is that a word?)

    We have now completed one homestudy visit and will have our 2nd (of 4) on Friday! I am loving this journey! We have been given donations the last two days, which means we now have enough to complete the homestudy costs and start raising funds for the next $1,550! Thank you so much to those who have donated!!! Such a blessing!
    I was also able to tell our pediatrician today about our journey! It is so fun to watch the reactions! God is moving!
    Well, I thought it might be time to tell you about our 2 other kiddos. Thanks to my friend Jaclyn for explaining how to incorporate pictures!!

  

    This is our Natalie. She is 8 and loves horses and has 3 fish (her edit). She is our animal lover; never has been the doll/barbie type. She loves the outdoors, movie nights, and swimming. We are in love with her quiet, sweet, yet stubborn spirit and trust that God will use those attributes for His glory!

 

     This is our Jaydn, who just turned 7. He enjoys all sports, especially football. He is a Chicago Bears, Texas Longhorn, Carolina Panther, Saints and Falcons fan. I am always amazed at the stats he has in his head at 7! He is a playful kid who is almost always happy! Full-on boy, yet with a sensitive heart who already loves Jesus.

     This one is of my best friend and hubby, Matt and I on our 10th anniversary! And of course I had to add a pic of our sweet Maggie, who is now 15 months old!

    Thank you for being interested in God's journey through us! We are humbled!

Just need to testify...

     I just feel the need to testify to the greatness of the Holy Spirit's work in a heart, namely mine! Five months ago I was content with two kids, even convinced that two was the right number for us. Today I am chomping at the bit to hold our third, and that is a change of heart that only God could orchestrate!
     Not only my heart, but Matt's as well! (That is another miracle!) : ) I remember when I told first told him about my "Maggie" experience at Massage Envy and he smiled back at me saying the only way that was going to happen was for God to change his heart. God has definitely done that and more.  Matt, too, is so ready to hold our little Maggie for the first time.  These are truly works only the Holy Spirit can do!
    

Bring on the Homestudy!

     The Lord provided the funds and we were able to send our homestudy application in today! I am excited to get rolling on this! AND, we are 3/4 of the way to our next goal of $1,700! I was thinking today about how we have no idea from day to day whom the Lord is going to nudge to help bring our Maggie home. All in His timing! HE is the great one in this!

Such a crazy ride!

     Today has been a whirlwind of emotion! Just feeling overwhelmed with all of the paperwork, and not being at home to really do it (I am in IN and Matt is in PA). However, I have done what I can and now I have to allow my incredible God to hold my heart once more.
     I went for a drive today and had a good cry with the Lord. Why do I worry? This is NOT who I want to be. I will NOT give the enemy a foothold. This is the path God has chosen for us. And I know our sweet Maggie is more than worth it!
     Thank you to all of those I have talked with today! God has used you to steady my heart!

OK, now God is showing off! I can't say I'm surprised!

     Yesterday I traveled to Indiana with my kids to visit family. My heart was calm regarding all of the paperwork and funds that need to be raised to get Maggie home. My heart was very content to leave the timing to the Lord as to when HE sees Maggie joining our family. (Even though it is hard for me to think about waiting years).
     I recently found Psalm 116:7 which says "RETURN to your rest, my soul, for the Lord has been good to you." Such a great reminder that it is a great thing to continually seek God through this time of waiting for our Maggie.
     About 10pm last night Matt called and was speechless. We had just been given a check for $2,000! Then, he got the mail (he had been with youth kids all day) and there was a check for $100! The reason this is so incredibly awesome is that our initial homestudy costs are $2,100!!! God is so very cool!
     And we are on our way to remaining homestudy costs, donations are starting to come in and we are so very, very grateful!!!

This little girl has no idea...

     I was just thinking about how Maggie has no idea how loved she already is. She will be coming into an extended family with cousins, aunts/uncles, grandma/pa's who love her! And not only related family, our faith family! She will learn how much God loves her!
     I just get so excited when I think about holding her and introducing her to the amazing support system we have!
     The kids and I are traveling to Indiana to visit family this week! I am hoping to get time to fill out lots of paperwork to get Maggie home!
     We have not yet met our goal of $4,000.00 to begin the homestudy, but we are convinced that the Lord has it all in His time. If you would like to help bring Maggie home, just click the PayPal button on the side! Thanks!!

We got the PA today!

     That was a welcome e-mail! We received our PA (pre-approval) from China today!  God knew we needed that. Today has been a day of worry for me. Not that we wouldn't be approved, just that we won't ever be able to raise the money for the homestudy. We are already filling out applications for grants and interest free loans, but we can't turn any of those in until the homestudy is done. So, right now, we need funds for the homestudy to the tune $4,000.
     However, even in this time of waiting for the funds, we trust that God's timing is never early and never late. He has also taught us that time is a beautiful thing. Thank you for your continued prayer and support!

FAITH can be so scary when it comes to bank accounts

This A.M. I have two things on my mind.
1) Our adoption application was delivered to the agency on Monday, however they were closed for the day. So, a notice was given to them and it is to be redelivered. Well, it wasn't delivered yesterday either. I am praying that today would be the day!
2) We have been told by several whom have adopted that we have to let our needs be known, or no one can help. Aaaggh! I am so afraid of looking like a beggar! However, GOD placed us on this journey knowing full well our bank account status. Today we will start letting others know of the need. We are in the process of getting a paypal link on the blog (oh that turns my stomach).

I have to let God do his thing with this. Hebrews 11:1 says "Now faith is being SURE of what we hope for (to bring Maggie home) and CERTAIN of what we do not see (GOD IS OUR JEHOVAH JIRAH, our great provider).  Parenthesis mine. : )

Want to help Bring Maggie Home?

By clicking the link below, your donation can help us Bring Maggie Home.

Another "oh my word, this could only be our God!" moment...

     I just got off the phone with a lady that met Maggie in the orphanage in China. (She was picking up her son). The day she met Maggie was March 17th...a day before the Lord told me we would have a Maggie someday!!! So crazy!
     She said the lady who runs the orphanage took her to Maggie and told her that she needed to help find Maggie a home!!!
     God is so very good!!!

A day for quoting and claiming...

     This A.M. I woke up with my stomach in knots. I know it is pure fear that does not come from God. Fear that we will not be approved for Maggie. Especially now that we have been able to share the journey with so many.
     So, this is definatley a day that will be filled with quoting scripture, over and over and over. "WHEN I am afraid I will trust in you. In God whose word I praise - in God I trust, I will not be afraid." Psalm 56:3,4  That is my main verse I am claiming for this journey.
     I am so thankful for God's spirit at work in me moment by moment!
  

June 5, 2011 WHIRLWIND Week (God's unveiling)

     Wow. I'm not sure where to begin. Maybe I should say that I am NOT a blogger. I'm terrible at following them, and I'm not convinced I will be great at writing one. BUT, I need to give it a try b/c when our God started me/us on this journey in March of 2011, I had no idea He would unveil His will for us in this way!
     So, this first blog will tell the entire 2 month journey to this point and then past that, well, we will just see what conspires.

MARCH 18, 2011
     I (Shari) went to get a massage, given as a Christmas present. The lady who was giving the massage came in with her clipboard, her name on the back, Maggie. As soon as I read her name, the Lord spoke to my spirit, plain as day..."Yep! You're gonna have a Maggie some day!"  To this I replied to the Lord (in my head) "Ummm, No. No I'm not."  Again, the Lord said, "Yep! You're gonna have a Maggie some day!"
     Within the next week God would use people to speak to me. A friend at the Playschool told me that Matt and I just need to have another little girl. Another asked me "who is Maggie?" That ended up being a worker at the church, but that froze my heart. I told another friend about it, that maybe I made it up in my mind...she told me that "No. God often prepares us for another season slowly." Wise woman my friend Abbey.
     It took me 4-5 days to tell Matt, & until April 4th to journal about any of it. God was working on my heart, but I wasn't wanting what he was telling me.


MAY 1, 2011
     Forest Hill started a series on the book of Jonah. Jonathan Scott posed the question "Is your heart in line with God when thinking of your own Ninevah?" It had been almost a month since I had really thought anything about "Maggie", but hearing that question, the Lord spoke to my heart very loudly..."Maggie." She, whomever she was, was becoming my Ninevah. 


MAY 18, 2011
     Another prick. My stomach is in knots. A little guy at the church, Baylor, was wearing a t-shirt that said "I still live with my parents". I started laughing and said, "Baylor, you still live with mommy & daddy?" And, once again, the Lord's voice in my spirit - "Maggie doesn't live with her parents yet."
     Wow. I wasn't expecting that. The next several hours I was consumed with thoughts of adoption - total fear. Even anger. This is not what i forsaw in our future. But, it's not about us is it? My life is to be for GOD's glory.
     I told my friend Laura about this prick. She told me our journey stays with her heart; that she prays for us often. Hmmm.
     I talked to my friend Kay about sensing the call to adopt and how I wasn't feeling gung-ho about it. She said, "Yeah, but I don't think we have to feel gung-ho about something to obey." Yet another wise woman.


(Journal entry) At this point Matt is willing to go down this road as long as Jesus makes it 100% clear...me too. I'm just not sure how He is going to convince us that this is what HE sees for our family.  "When I am afraid, I will trust in you." Psalm 56:3


MAY 29, 2011
     I text my friend Jaclyn to see if I could pick her brain about adoption. I told her that God had placed a little girl named Maggie on our hearts. We just didn't know where she was or where to start.


MAY 30, 2011 8:41a
     Jaclyn texts: "Hey, what age u thinking about adopting? Baby or big kid?"
     I told her younger than Jaydn, so 1 -5.
MAY 30, 2011 10:02a
     Jaclyn texts: "My agency has a one year old on their list named MAGGIE (in China). She is available & adorable!"
MAY 30, 2011 2:33p
     Jaclyn ran into a friend at the pool. Ends up she has been praying for a family looking into adoption...trying to find their MAGGIE. Her friend, Laura, had asked her to pray and she said she had been praying and praying for us to find our Maggie. Wow.
     By days end we had pictures and video of our newest daughter, Maggie. Our daughter. Two months ago I had no interest in another child in our home. Today, I can't imagine not going to get her to bring her home. Only GOD could change a heart like that. Only GOD could orchestrate a journey like this. All glory goes to God; no other.
     Friday we mailed our pre-approval application to adopt Maggie. My heart is so excited! 

Maggie