Our Journey to Maggie Mei

This is it!!!

2012-02-26T03:48:00.000-08:00

Aaagghh!!!! The week we leave for China is finally here!!! We are beyond excited!
This is Maggie's final week living in an orphanage!
We plan to update the blog while in China, however, we have a few specific prayer requests that we would love to have continually lifted to our great God!

Maggie's heart. I can't imagine the fear this little one will feel next Monday, March 5. I am praying Numbers 6:24-26 over her (...the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.)
Matt's stomach. For some reason Matt's stomach does not like the descent on airplanes. But this is no ordinary pain; this is doubled-over-grown-man-cry pain. Please pray that is not something he experience's on this trip.
Matt's back. (I know. He is falling apart at 34. haha)
Shari's brain & heart. Enough said.

The support we continue to receive on this journey is absolutely amazing. We continue to be humbled under it. We are so grateful.

We have had so many people say that our faith is so great. But, we look at each other and say, 'But this hasn't been hard!' GOD changed our hearts and the rest just fell into place. Yay God. Truly.

China itinerary

2012-02-22T18:46:00.000-08:00

One week from today Matt & I will be in the air, flying to Beijing! Here is our schedule for those two weeks!

Thurs. 3/1 - Arrive in Beijing
Fri. 3/2 - The Great Wall
Sat. 3/3 - The Forbidden City
Sun. 3/4 - Fly to Nanjing (Capitol of Maggie's province)
Mon. 3/5 - GOTCHA DAY
Tues. 3/6 - Registration & Notarization (Making it legal)
Wed. 3/7 - Visit the orphanage where Maggie lived - we are really excited about this one! We can give back to other families by getting pictures of their waiting kiddos! Just like we received!
Thurs. 3/8 - Zhanyuan Garden & Confucius Temple
Fri. 3/9 - Getting Maggie's passport & flying to Guangzhou (Where the American Consulate is located)
Sat. 3/10 - Medical check for Maggie
Sun. 3/11 - The Safari Zoo
Mon. 3/12 - Visa appointment & Swearing in at the Consulate
Tues. 3/13 - Pickup Visa and take train to Hong Kong
Wed. 3/14 - Fly home!

A couple of hours later...

2012-02-20T16:17:00.000-08:00

My heart is better. I have been able to talk to a couple of friends who have traveled to China for adoption, as well as my China coordinator. My coordinator was able to help me figure where I could adjust some figures.
My husband would tell you that I tend to be extremely detailed when it comes to our budget; I know where every penny goes. Well, in this case, I had to switch up how I looked at what was left to pay. Now we have a balance of $26!!!! Yeah! We are in the good!!!
I am so glad that Jesus allowed us to be on this journey, even knowing that I would have these "freak-out" moments! His presence within me changed my perspective and I am grateful for that.

This one is for me...

2012-02-20T13:38:00.000-08:00

We received our travel itinerary today. Yay!!! I will post that on a later day, because today I need to blog out what I BELIEVE, not what I FEEL right now.
Along with our itinerary, we received the financial numbers that remain to be paid out. Long story short, we are $2,000 short. The numbers I was previously given are different now.
It's interesting that at the end of this part of the journey, I am returning to the first verse that caught my heart at the beginning of the journey.
Psalm 56:3,4 "WHEN I AM AFRAID I WILL TRUST IN YOU. IN GOD, WHOSE WORD I PRAISE, IN GOD I TRUST; I WILL NOT BE AFRAID."
At this moment I FEEL afraid, I do. But I will continue to quote scripture, knowing that God says it is alive and is a well that overflows. I KNOW that my God has not brought us this far to leave us depressed. I BELIEVE that God is NOT anxious about this like I am.
Lamentations 3:23 talks of the Lord's great love and how that love is so big that nothing should destroy us. That His compassions and his mercies are new everyday. Because His FAITHFULNESS is great.
I am going to be honest here...today I am hoping that His mercies are on the financial front. That the next blessing He has up His sleeve comes quickly.
I WILL trust, because I am afraid. Good thing Jesus isn't.

T to the A, baby!!!!

2012-02-17T11:20:00.000-08:00

We received our official Travel Approval! We are flying out on Thursday, March 1st!!! Isn't it gorgeous??

We also received these pics of Maggie from last Thursday! We found out that she looks so sad because she was terrified of the ladies husband who was taking the picture! Haha!!

Then another lady who was able to meet Maggie months ago saw these pics and told us that Maggie is so sweet, so shy and so cautious. What a blessing to have that little bit of insight into her personality!

Well, we are closer to knowing...

2012-02-15T12:36:00.000-08:00

We are closer to knowing the date of our "gotcha day".
Looks like it is a good possibility... although we cannot say anything for sure...I spoke with our China coordinator today...It's not the date we had our hearts set on, but after talking to a good friend I decided it will do just fine...Our Travel Approval has left China and is in route to California, where our agency exists...it should arrive there by Friday (this week)...our rep should be able to tell us for sure on Monday if we can fly out on Thursday, March 1st!!!

Two weeks from tomorrow! Only 14 days!!!

If that happens, our gotcha day will be Monday, March 5th.

I have to admit, I am scared to hope for it. My heart is very vulnerable on this one.

This should be the week

2012-02-11T19:16:00.000-08:00

Earlier today Matt was praying for a meal and he told the Lord that we trust & REST in His timing for us getting Maggie. I told Matt later that I am not resting in that. That I can't even describe how much I lack rest in this timing. I JUST WANT TO KNOW WHEN WE WILL FLY OUT... FEB 23RD OR MARCH 1ST.
This "last hour" has been the toughest wait on this journey. The entire journey is filled with waiting. Waiting for the homestudy to be finished, then I800A approval, then dossier, etc. But this wait, finding out when we get to actually check our bags that have been packed for weeks, and put feet to this journey, that wait has been beyond hard.
I check e-mail constantly. Looking for that e-mail that says "travel approval." You would think the hope would leave, but it doesn't. Hope is a great thing, but in this circumstance it is also tiring. As crazy as that sounds.
However, as I was lying in bed tonight watching a movie, the Lord placed a thought in my head that made my heart happy. This week that we are walking into should be the week that we find out what date our God has had etched in stone from the beginning. This is the week that His 'gotcha' day will be revealed to us! And, as only God can, He spoke a peace into my heart. Will we meet our sweet Maggie Mei on February 27th or March 5th?
I know I am hoping for Feb. 27th. But my prayer is the Jesus would give me the faith to rest in what He has authored.

I cheated this morning...

2012-02-07T03:37:00.000-08:00

I was given a shower the other night for our sweet Maggie. There I was given a box of "blessings" for Maggie/us. I was told that I was to save them for the plane. Well, that's where I cheated. I read them this morning...and I am glad I did.
When I get up in the morning and come downstairs I always grab my coffee and check my e-mail before sitting down to spend time with God. Well, this A.M. I also checked Facebook because a friend of mine is in China now, getting her son! Her post was about the first day with this little 5yo and how hard it has been for his world to change.
I realized that I have been praying a lot for MY heart to be steadied when we get Maggie b/c of the very real possibility that Maggie will not like us. She won't understand. And, don't get me wrong, I don't think I shouldn't pray for that, but I want my focus to be Maggie's heart!
So, that is where God used the "blessings" for my heart. There are four that caught my heart; made me pause. I thought I would share...

MAY GOD'S FACE SHINE UPON MAGGIE MEI AND HER NEW HOME!
This one touched me b/c that is one of the verses my mom quotes - Numbers 6:24-26 "The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace." I think I just found a life verse for Maggie.

FOR GOD KNOWS THE PLANS HE HAS FOR YOU, MAGGIE, PLANS TO PROSPER YOU AND NOT TO HARM YOU; PLANS TO GIVE YOU HOPE AND A FUTURE. JER. 29:11
I grew up with this verse too, but to see Maggie's name in there...we will be teaching her that truth.

ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE WITH GOD - AND YOU ARE A REASON I BELIEVE IT!
Wow. The way our God has used this journey to touch so many is amazing!

PRAYING MANY BLESSINGS OVER YOUR LIFE SWEET MAGGIE. MAY YOUR FAITH BE AS STRONG AS YOUR PARENTS.
Another wow. Our faith is a GIFT from God. It is HIS doing, His working. That humbles me. All glory to God! We LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this journey!

The excitement is rising...

2012-02-04T15:23:00.000-08:00

The week started off kind of slow, until Wednesday. I was asked to join Matt at the staff prayer meeting at Forest Hill. At the end they called us up and told us that in leu of a baby shower, they took up a collection for Maggie's upcoming medical costs. We were given $1,900! Wow!!! God is taking care of us even before she is home! We are feeling overwhelmed by the kindness of our faith family, and extremely spoiled by the love of our God!
Then on Thursday our "Article 5" was picked up! (The "Article 5" is the American Consulate's OK of Maggie's Visa. The A/C is in Guangzhou). That's when we really started to get excited b/c the Article 5 is then forwarded to it's last stop - the agency of our in-China travel guides!
Then on Thursday night I was given a "toddler" shower! So much fun! And once again, we were spoiled by the generosity of so many friends!

As many of you know, we have been praying to leave on Thursday, Feb. 16th; our next choice being Thursday, Feb. 23rd.
Matt sent a request to our agency coordinator, explaining to her that he has a trip to Haiti at the end of March and would love to leave for China ASAP so he can be home for 3 solid weeks upon returning home from China, before leaving for 10 days. She thinks Feb. 16th might be cutting it too close and that the 23rd is more likely. We will take either, obviously, but we are still praying for the 16th. We are so anxious to leave!
Natalie keeps saying that she is tired of waiting for her sister. : ) And Jaydn has shared that he too is a little nervous about us leaving, because we have never been gone together for that long. Prayers for them are appreciated!
Hopefully my next post will be telling you we got "Travel Approval"!!!

Hoping, Hoping, Hoping

2012-01-29T04:19:00.000-08:00

Well, the celebration of the Chinese New Year should be over for those who work on the last step of this part of the journey. Had the CNY not closed many things down in China, our Article 5 (American Consulate's OK with Maggie's Visa) would have been picked up on Wed. Jan. 25th. We are now hoping that it is picked up tomorrow, Monday, Jan. 29th.
We are still praying that we can leave Thursday, Feb. 16th. Begging for no later than Thursday, Feb. 23rd. Either way, that is less than 27 days away!!
Maggie is now packed. Our suitcases are filled with everything but clothes. The will is being updated, 2011 taxes are being turned in this week, bills are being set to "auto pay", I could go on and on but you are probably bored already! Ha!
This Thursday is a big day. In the afternoon we have a couple people coming to our house from Forest Hill to get our journey on video. And then at night my friends from Forest Hill Playschool are throwing me a shower! What an enormous blessing!

These pics are of Maggie celebrating the Chinese New Year with her friends in the orphanage!

"What are you giving me woman?"

(Maggie is sitting to the right of the woman in blue)

I LOVE this one...she is the one crying.

Matt & I wonder if she is bothered by the singing.

Natalie thinks she is being squished.

Jaydn thinks they won't let her have cake.

You have to love the outfit. Cute polka-dot coat, camo pants.

I often tell my friend Jaclyn, "I am not good at this waiting stuff." My God hears me say that a ton. I'm not sure what I would be like without Jesus' sweet spirit.

Strength in the W-A-I-T

2012-01-19T11:06:00.000-08:00

Strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord. The words of that song (Everlasting God) fill my mind and heart at this point of the journey. They remind me that my God is not anxious like I am; He holds my strength. And that is something I am grateful for as I sift through the frustrations of waiting.
We are on the 2nd to LAST step before travel! Our "Article 5" (the American consulate's OK of Maggie's visa) will be picked up next week, in China, and forwarded to the travel group we will work with while in China. Once our paperwork is with that group we will find out when we can travel. However, that can take up to 4 wks!
Next week is Chinese New Year so everything shuts down in China. So, there is that delay as well. HOWEVER, strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord's timing. I just have to continually ask God to remind my heart that He is not phased or moved by the CNY.

We received these pics last week! Isn't she gorgeous? She will be 22mo tomorrow, the 20th! Every time I go down the baking isle at a grocery I think of making her a cake for her 2nd birthday on March 20th! I am so excited!

I have been praying for her heart a lot lately. She has no idea we are coming to take her from all she has known. I have been praying comfort over her; that she would find comfort with Matt & I...and her giggle. I can't wait to hear her giggle!

We are praying to be able to leave Thursday, Feb. 16th. Our China rep doesn't think that will happen. I'm still praying it; sometimes begging. My good friend Breeanne said, "welcome to the 3rd trimester!" She is so right! You get to the 3rd trimester and are done. That's where both Matt and I are. Stick a fork in us...we are done with the waiting. Bring on the strength Jesus! Bring on your Maggie, that YOU have given to our hearts and family!

Different day, different me.

2012-01-10T12:38:00.000-08:00

For those who read my post yesterday, today my heart is in a better place. I still would like to get Maggie today, but I don't feel like 'gotcha-day" is so far off.
I often tell God that I would love to see how it is that He changes a heart and/or a mind-set. Does he reach down and touch a person? Does he just speak and it happens?
In my devos this morning I read through Psalm 46. Verse 6b says "he lifts his voice, the earth melts." What a great thing to ponder...the power He has to give to me through His spirit. Sign me up!!

It's the last hour...

2012-01-09T16:12:00.000-08:00

You know when you have been on a trip and are returning home, how the last hour always seems to take the longest? Well, that is where the state of my heart is today; in that last hour. We are on the last leg of this adoption journey for Maggie, and my days are absolutely dragging.
Matt says it is flying for him b/c he has so much to do before hand. But, me? I feel like time is standing still. And, not knowing the exact day that we get to fly out is killing me.
Pray for Godspeed people, pray for Godspeed. Please and thank you.

We should get her mid February!!

2011-12-31T17:09:00.000-08:00

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!!!!

2011-12-15T17:07:00.000-08:00

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

2011-12-10T14:04:00.000-08:00

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!!!

2011-11-24T04:29:00.000-08:00

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

2011-11-23T06:52:00.000-08:00

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...

2011-11-15T03:09:00.000-08:00

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...

2011-11-13T12:31:00.000-08:00

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!

2011-11-05T18:11:00.000-07:00

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

2011-10-23T04:35:00.000-07:00

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

2011-10-12T13:50:00.000-07:00

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

2011-09-24T07:04:00.000-07:00

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

2011-09-18T14:09:00.000-07:00

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...

2011-09-16T11:03:00.000-07:00

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

2011-09-08T13:17:00.000-07:00

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

2011-08-23T07:53:00.000-07:00

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!

2011-08-18T05:12:00.000-07:00

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

2011-08-07T14:08:00.000-07:00

   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...

2011-07-31T09:50:00.000-07:00

...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...

2011-07-25T18:03:00.000-07:00

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!

2011-07-24T05:53:00.000-07:00

   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!!

2011-07-17T04:45:00.000-07:00

   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?)

2011-07-12T15:30:00.000-07:00

   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...

2011-07-03T04:49:00.000-07:00

   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!

2011-06-27T17:27:00.000-07:00

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!

2011-06-20T14:57:00.000-07:00

   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!

2011-06-15T13:47:00.000-07:00

     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...

2011-06-13T05:00:00.000-07:00

   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!

2011-06-10T14:03:00.000-07:00

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

2011-06-08T04:44:00.000-07:00

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?

2011-06-08T04:38:00.000-07:00

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

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

2011-06-06T18:27:00.000-07:00

   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...

2011-06-06T06:57:00.000-07:00

   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)

2011-06-05T19:44:00.001-07:00

   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

2011-06-04T06:42:00.000-07:00