Meili's Adoption Day!

Wonderful Wonderful Day!!  It was our day to finalize the adoption!  So Meili is officially a Gosnell!  She is doing so well!  Really coming out of her shell.  "Talking" and singing and saying mama and dada!  She is officially on the move, crawling as much as she can on a little quilt.  I try to keep her off the floors.  Thank you all for praying.  She is more wonderful than we could have imagined!  Thank you, Father, for this amazing blessing!

Meili's Gotcha Day

Meili's Gotcha Day

Wow, what a day!!  A day filled with SO many emotions.  From feelings of nervousness and excitement, to uncertainty and worry, wondering if I have all the necessary paperwork, all the right toys, all the cameras working properly so as not to miss a single moment.  Tears over having to say goodbye to our dear friend and guide Summer who we became very close to in Beijing.  Tears over walking into the hotel room in Lanzhou and seeing Meili's crib.  Then getting the call saying our daughter was only 20 minutes away from our hotel.  Our emotions have been stretched tight to say the least.  

 And then in a moment she's here.   One second she is only as real as a picture and then, there's a knock on the door, and suddenly there she is.  This beautiful, wonderful precious baby is here.  There are no words to describe the feeling of our sweet baby finally in our arms.  It is like we are dreaming.  This strong and amazing baby girl who has endured so much is now with us.  There is no amount of money that could compare to this feeling of looking into our daughter's beautiful black eyes and telling her that she is loved.  She is chosen.  She is ours and will never be alone again.  To be able to finally sing "Jesus loves you" and kiss her sweet, fuzzy head is more wonderful than words can describe.  It is the greatest privilege in the world.  All the heartache and tears of the long hard journey to her are forgotten in an instant. 

A sweet little Chinese lady commented that Meili is very, very lucky, but I must say that Tollie and I are the lucky ones.  We are overwhelmed at God's amazing blessing and this gift He has entrusted to us.  So many have helped us get to this day, and our hearts overflow with joy and thankfulness.  We are experiencing the miracle of Him setting the lonely in a family, of the lost being found, of the orphan transformed into beloved daughter.  It is a dream come true.  Praise Him name for He wonderful works!  He is able to so much more than we could have ever imagined!!  And this is only the beginning...Hallelujah!

 

Ashley

Waiting. . .

Hey Everyone!  Just wanted to let you know that we are doing well!  We slept well last night and really haven’t had much Jet lag.  Today we visited the Summer Palace and the Great Wall, and of course Tollie dragged me to the very top!  It was just beautiful, and although I had been there four times before, it was SO wonderful to experience it with Tollie this time!  We were able to visit with an American family who is friends with Stacey Davis, and eat pizza with them and their sweet kids.  (Please tell Stacey!)  We will go to the Forbidden City tomorrow and hopefully the Pearl Market.  I have introduced our guide Summer to our Father, so remember her that she may want to know Him.  Sunday is the BIG day when we will finally meet our precious Meili.  It still hasn’t really sunk in yet though!  Thanks for remembering us.  He is good and faithful and we are so thankful that He has set us on this journey!  Love you all!

Ashley

A Surprise from a new friend!

Hello Friends,

Tollie and Ashley are high in the sky, on the way to pick up their little ones and bring them home.  What an amazing story, and the amazement continues. . .

Becki and her friend Martha got the videos to us, and we were able to get them posted - and Martha also provided some additional pictures.  She wrote "On the first day at the orphanage the children performed a show they will do on Children's Day June 1st.  I've attached two photos of Aaron performing a song about bathtime.  They were so cute and did so well."  

What a blessing that these sweet new friends would take the time to track down our Ashley and Tollie, to share the gifts of videos and pictures!

Tollie and Ashley, we love you all, and are counting down to Homecoming!

Your 'surrogate' blogger,
RS

Here We Go!!

Today is the day we have waited for for so long. The day we finally journey to bring our babies home. It has been a very long, emotional wait, but we have seen the Lord move mountians, do the impossible and reveal Himself in ways we could not have imagined. As I reflect over all He has done, it brings me to tears.  And He is not done yet!  I would like to share an email I received just last night.  I was completely blown out of the water.

"Hi Ashley!  My name is Becki Carlson and I am on the AWAA SN yahoo group.  My family adopted a little girl through the AWAA SN program in 2006.  I have since been leading Mission trips to work in orphanages in China with Visiting Orphans.  I just got back from leading my 5th team (I got home last night) and we were in Shantou.  I checked "the list" to see if anyone was adopting any of the kids from Shantou and found your name.  You won't believe this, but my friend has video of your son looking through the photo album you sent!  We have been praying we would find his parents so I am thrilled we found you!  
Your little guy is SOOOO cute!!"  

How amazing is our God!?!  Nothing is impossible with Him!  Who am I that He is mindful of me?  Why He chooses to reveal Himself in such amazing ways I do not know, but I am humbled and so very thankful. 

I am anxiously awaiting those pictures and will try to post them we when can. 

I also wanted to say thank you for the bottom of my heart for all the prayers being lifted for our family. We experienced such a peace yesterday when we thought the day would bring tears and 

heartache for us and our boys.  There was NO tears as we put the boys to bed and NO tears as they awoke without us this morning. His peace truly does go beyond our understanding. 

 We wanted to share the details of our trip itinerary, so that you can pray specifically for what is happening each day.

Beijing 5/1 - 5/4
Wednesday, 5/1 - Depart for Beijing
Thursday, 5/2 – Arrive in Beijing
Friday-Saturday, 5/3-5/4 – Beijing Sightseeing

Gansu 5/5 - 5/9

Sunday, 5/5 – Fly to Lanzhou, Gansu for Meili’s Gotcha Day!!!

Monday, 5/6 –Thrusday, 5/9 – Remain in Lanzhou for adoption appointments/passport

Guangzhou 5/10 - 5/22

Friday, 5/10 – Fly to Guangzhou 

Saturday - Sunday, 5/11-5/12 – Sightseeing and shopping in Guangzhou

Monday, 5/13 - Gotcha Day for Aaron Li!!!

Tuesday - Friday, 5/14-5/17 -  Remain in Guangzhou for adoption appointments/passport

* Thursday, 5/16 - Trip to Aaron Li's orphanage (pray for his little heart, that this would not be hard for him.)

Saturday - Tuesday, 5/18 – 5/21 – remain in Guangzhou for the medical exams & consulate appointment

Wednesday, 5/22 – depart for HOME!!!

I wish there were words to express what is in our hearts for each and every person who played such a precious role in helping us bring our babies home.  There have been hundreds of people that God has used, and we count each of you such a blessing. Please keep praying. He is working!

We will update when we can. Love you all. 

Happy Birthday, Sweet Babies!

I will sing to the Lord because He has dealt bountifully with me.

Psalm 13:6

Oh, how we wish we could have been the ones to sing "Happy Birthday" to our sweet babies, but we treasure these pictures of them enjoying the cakes we requested for them!  There are no words to describe how much we love these two precious angels!

Happy Birthday, sweet baby boy!

Aaron Li is 3!

Happy Birthday, sweet baby girl!

Meili's Birthday Party!

Please pray for us as we anticipate traveling very soon to bring our babies home!!  We are asking the Lord to prepare Aaron Li's and Meili's heart as the transition will be difficult.  Our sweet babies will have to leave all that they have ever known to become part of our family.  Praying for God's grace and His peace that passes understanding as we bring them home!

Sponsor a Hope Blanket

Aaron Li

Hope Blankets have a very special place in my heart.  A year and a half ago, we sent 109 Hope Blankets to orphans in China.  These blankets had been prayed over and loved on by many, many families.  Never in our wildest dreams did we think that God would use these blankets to led us to our son.  But He did.  God wrapped Aaron Li in a Hope Blanket and sent us a picture of him, eight months before we knew he was ours.  

Handmade Hope Blanket

As we prepare to travel to China to bring our babies home, we are thrilled to add two babies to our family but our hearts are heavy for the babies left behind.    And so, we are very excited about an opportunity we have to help those babies who are still waiting for families.  Through our adoption agency, we asked the orphanages what their greatest needs were.  Their response was formula, diapers, and MORE HOPE BLANKETS, and we would love to be a part of providing all three.

Here is how you can help:

1. Sponsor a handmade Hope Blanket for $25.  

2.  Take your blanket home.  Pray over it and for the child who will receive it.

3.  Return your blanket on or before Sunday, April 14th.

All money raised will go toward diapers and formula.  

Tollie and I will carry the blankets with us to China and will purchase formula and diapers for the orphanages while we are there.  



God calls us to care for orphans in their distress, and by sponsoring a Hope Blanket, you can be a part of meeting their most basic needs.  

Mary Beth Chapman says this in her book Choosing to SEE:  "If there was ever an issue that followers of Jesus should be about, it would be caring for orphans in their distress."  


I wholeheartedly agree because if we as followers of Christ don't take care of orphans, who will??

So if you would like to sponsor a Hope Blanket and help provide diapers, formula, and HOPE to orphans in need, you can contact me through this blog for more information.  

  

Be blessed as you follow Him to care for the least of the least!