He Redeems Our Losses

"I will meditate on all Your work and muse on Your deeds.

Your way, O God, is holy;  what god is great like our God?

You are the God who works wonders;

You have made known Your strength among the peoples."

Ps. 77:12-14

It was one year ago today, January 17, 2013, that the Lord revealed His breathtakingly beautiful plan for us.  A plan of redemption that He had been working for so long.  A plan that began with mourning and ashes.

It all began in February 2004, when we were 7 weeks into our second pregnancy.  I had had some spotting and went in for check up.  Our fears were confirmed.  Our doctor could find no heartbeat.  We had lost our baby.  So, on Friday, Feb. 13, we went to the hospital to have a procedure to remove our baby.  We were heartbroken.

It was a day of ashes.

But God's grace is sufficient, and six months later, we were expecting our third baby.  God has healed our hearts, and we were so excited about this precious one growing inside.  So much so, that, when the due date for our second baby rolled around, I didn't even realize it.  It never crossed our minds.  But God knew because He doesn't forget our tears.  And He wanted me to know that.  So, on that day, He set the most beautiful rainbow you can imagine, right over our house.  Literally.  It was so amazing in fact, that I went out and took pictures, still not realizing the significance of THIS rainbow on THIS day.

It was not until a year later, when the picture of this rainbow popped up on our screen saver, with the date it was taken on the bottom of the screen, did I get it.  In that moment, God opened my eyes, and I saw.  I saw this amazing God.  On the day that my second baby should have arrived, God put His sign in the sky to remind me that He had not forgotten.

Fast-forward 5 years.  God had given us Gabriel, Carter and Cason, and now Hudson was on his way.  My due date was mid-February, and all I could pray was, "Lord, don't let him come on the 13th.  Don't let him come on the 13th."  I did not want his birth to come on the anniversary of the day that had been filled with such sorrow.  So when my doctor planned an induction on Thursday, February 12th, I was greatly relieved.  I still didn't see what God was doing.

It didn't hit me until the next day as I sat waiting for the nurse to release us to go home, holding Hudson in my arms.  In that moment, God again opened my heart to see His hand.  Five years before, on Friday, February 13th, I left the hospital without my baby.  But on this day, this Friday, February 13th, I would indeed leave with my beautiful baby boy in my arms.  He had redeemed our loss.  He had given beauty for ashes.

And as beautiful as this was, it was not the end.   Because God always does more that we can ask or imagine.

In November of 2010, God open the doors for us to adopt, and we began paperwork immediately with an local adoption agency.

Four months later, our adoption took a u-turn.  God was leading us to another adoption agency.  Because of a much shorter waiting time and policies that would not restrict us from a second adoption in the future, we felt this was where we needed to be.  And, although it was a very very hard decision to walk away from all the time and money we had spent, on April 15, 2011, we submitted our China Special Needs application to America World Adoption Agency.

For the next 5 months, we completed paperwork for our homestudy and dossier.  We sent off documents to be verified, stamped and approved. Finally, our paperwork was complete, and we dropped our dossier off to be sent to China via our adoption agency.  They reviewed and approved everything, and our dossier was finally on its way to China.  As God would have it, China verified that they had received it...on September 13th, 2011 -- seven years to the day that our second baby was supposed to be born.  Seven years to the day that God set His beautiful rainbow over our house to demonstrate His great love and compassion for us.  He was continuing to work His plan.

A few days later, we began our Hope Blanket fundraiser.  Many, many people from all over the country sponsored, loved on and prayed over these Hope Blankets and for the babies that would receive them.  We then gathered them back together and got them ready to send to China via our adoption agency.  On Friday, November 4, on my way home from dropping the blankets off at Fed Ex, God did it again.  He put an incredible rainbow in the sky, right over our house.  He was continuing to work His plan.

The blankets headed off to China two months later with another adoptive family who had agreed to deliver them for us.  About that same time, on January 20, 2012,  we received an e-mail from our family adoption coordinator about a new adoption program in China that allowed families to adopt two babies at one time.  God grabbed our hearts with such a desperate desire to do this, even though we could not imagine how in the world it could happen.  There were a million obstacles and reasons why we should not pursue two babies at once, and we knew that God would have to do a million miracles, but after weeks of prayer, we began taking small steps of obedience.  And God kept opening the doors.  Our prayer the whole time was, "Lord, just make it clear.  Make Your path clear."

5 months later, on May 9th, we received a wonderful surprise e-mail from our adoption agency.  One of the three orphanages that received Hope Blankets had taken pictures of some of the babies with the blankets!  Oh what a treasure!  We received 9 pictures and six of them had the same adorable smiling baby that we affectionately began calling the "Hope Blanket Baby."  We were able to share these pictures with our church family the next Sunday, May 13, which happened to be Mother's Day.  God was continue to work His plan and answer our prayers.

We continued to wait and pray, some days thinking "the call" from our agency would never come.  But on Decemeber 17, 2012, it came.  They had found our baby girl.  She was the most beautiful, teensy-tiny little precious baby girl I could have imagined.  9 days later, we submitted our Letter of Acceptance to adopt her as our own.

Now we only had a 3-week window to be matched with baby #2.  I began frantically searching, begging God and begging others to pray.  1 week passed.  Nothing.  Two weeks passed.  Nothing.  Two weeks and five days passed.  Still no word.  On Wednesday, January 16th, I had all but given up hope for a second baby in this adoption.  I spent the day fasting and praying, asking God for a miracle.  A miracle that I didn't think was going to happen.  Not until He spoke to me through His word that night.


He took me to Psalms 12:5-
"Because of the devastation of the afflicted, 
because of the groaning of the needy,
'Now I will arise,' says the Lord;  
'I will set him in the safety for which He longs.'"

I begged Him to do this.  Then He spoke again through His word.

"O Lord, You have heard the desire of the humble;
You will strengthen their heart, You will incline Your ear
To vindicate the orphan and the oppressed,
So that man who is of earth will no longer cause terror." Ps 10:17-18

I believed with all of my heart that He had heard our cry and that He would indeed answer.

And He did.  The very next day.  Two weeks and six days into our 3-week window of opportunity.

I woke up on Thursday, January 17, 2013, with the face of a darling baby boy on my heart and mind.  I had seen his picture on our agency website  a week or so before but was not familiar with his special need, so had not requested to look at his file.  But after talking with my husband Tollie, I called our agency to request his file.

5 hours later, I received it via e-mail and began looking over the medical information.  But then, I started opening the attached pictures.  There really are not words to describe what happened to me when I opened picture number five.  

Maybe my heart stopped.  I definitely stopped breathing.  

Because the little face smiling out at me was one I recognized.  There, right before my eyes, was our Hope Blanket baby.  HE WAS THE HOPE BLANKET BABY.  The baby that I had already posted pictures of in our Hope Blanket blog, eight months before.  It was the same baby.

Picture from Aaron Li's Medical File

Hope Blanket Picture

The next eight hours went by in a blur.  God lined up the exact doctors we needed (love you, Jenny LaBahn) that were willing to look at his file that very night, and by 1AM, we knew he was ours.  God has answered our prayer to make His will clear.  He wrapped our baby in a Hope Blanket.

And as we read his file, we began to connect the dots of what God had been doing when He led us to a different adoption agency.  Aaron Li's file was agency specific, meaning he could only be adopted by a family working with America World, the agency we were now with.  We also realized how perfect God's timing was. The day Aaron Li became an orphan in China, April 15, 2011, was the VERY day we submitted our application to America World.  So technically, our baby boy has never been an orphan, because God put us in the place to adopt him the very moment he needed us.

But even more than that, He showed us that this baby boy was part of the redemption story He continued to write.  This baby boy, our Aaron Li, was also born on February 12.  Our Hudson was born on February 12, 2009, and he was born on February 12, 2010.  And God wanted to be sure we saw His hand in this as well.  In China, when abandoned babies are found, rarely is there ever any kind of note or identifying information.  But there was a note pinned to Aaron Li's clothes.  Guess what it said..."He was born on February 12, 2010."  God had not redeemed our loss with one baby, but two.

That is the beauty of our Lord.  He is the Redeemer.  God used adoption to redeem a family who had lost a baby and a baby who had lost a family.  

That's what He does.

"He gives beauty for ashes, strength for fear,

gladness for morning, peace for despair."

"Beauty For Ashes" by Crystal Lewis

He redeems our losses in ways that we could never ask or imagine.  He never promised that storms wouldn't come, but He did say that He will never leave us. He promised that He plans for us are not to harm us but to give us a hope and future.  He promised that He will work all things out for our good. 

And He keeps His promises every time.

So on the one year anniversary of this glorious revealing, I continue to be humbled and amazed by this great God who lavishes His love on us.  Who redeems us and allows us to be part of His redemption story.  He is more precious to me now than ever before. Praise His wonderful name.

"The Lord is near to the brokenhearted 
and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

Many are the afflictions of the righteous, 
but the Lord delivers him out of them all."

Ps. 34:18-19

Six Months and Counting...

But now, thus says the Lord...,

"Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; 

I have called you by name; you are Mine! 

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; 

and through the rivers, they will not overflow you. 

When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched,

nor will the flame burn you."

Isaiah 43:1-2

We have recently celebrated our six-month home milestone.  WOW!  Time is flying by.  It is hard to believe we have be together as a family of 8 for half a year, and yet, China seems like such a distant memory at the same time.  Some days, I think the dust is settling a little bit, and other days, we still seem to be in the whirlwind, but through it all, God is with us. We see Him working in us and in our children in ways we never could have imagined. 

Life is hard and it is good.  God is refining me by the "fire" of life with 6 kids. Lots of stuff, yucky stuff, has come to the surface in the day-to-day busyness of it all, and  I am constantly reminded of my weaknesses, but also of His grace and strength and mercy. 

As I think back over this journey, I am reminded of God's promise in Isaiah 43:1-2.  I think of the times when following Him meant stepping out into unsure waters and how, many times, the difficulties and uncertainty of adoption seemed like they would sweep us away, but God was there, just as He promised.  He kept reminding us of His sovereignty and His perfect timing and His complete provision.  He did miracle after miracle after miracle to bring us all together. 

And as we have been home, many days, we have walked through His refining  fire of adjusting and learning how to love and care for our children.  These last six months have been challenging in so many ways, physically, emotionally, spiritually.  We have put life on hold to focus on attachment and bonding, and this has been hard for some to understand.  But we are so thankful that we have made so much progress in these areas and that we are now able to slowly regain some sense of normalcy, although we are certain that our lives will never be normal!  And that is quite alright with us!

We are loving getting to know our babies and discovering their amazing personalities, their likes and dislikes, and watching them interact and bond with their awesome big brothers. 

Aaron Li (affectionately known as "Yao-Yao") is a joy.  He has such a compassionate heart and loves people.  He has an amazing grasp of the English language and is very very aware of everything that goes on around him.  He doesn't miss a thing!  He loves to laugh and play, loves to ride bikes, and loves to be Daddy's helper.  The thing he loves most, though, is to ride the 4-wheeler!  He can hear it crank up, even in his sleep, and he moves at lightning speed to make sure he has a seat for the ride!

Meili is a wild and wonderful mess!  She loves to discover new things and is curious about everything, especailly the things that she's not supposed to touch!  She has the unique ability to get into mischief the very instant I turn my head!  Her laugh is infectious and quite often has her giggle box turned over. She adores her brothers and always welcomes them with great big hugs. And when Daddy gets home, watch out, 'cause she will run right over you to be first to get to him, hollering "Daddy" at the top of her lungs the whole way there. 

Both babies are amazingly healthy.  Meili has no health issues that we know of at this point, and Aaron Li goes every 2-3 months to have his platelets check.  Right now, his platelets are maintaining a safe level, even though they are still a little low.  His doctors are content to simply watch him for now and think that it is possible that he will outgrow his ITP without any medical intervention.

We are so proud of our older boys and how they have loved and cared for their babies.  They have learned what it means to not only look out for their own needs, but also for the needs of others.  They have learned so much about who God is and how He keeps His promises.  They have seen first-hand how He leads and provides and how really good His plans are for us. 

As we have celebrated Thanksgiving and are looking forward to Christmas, it is hard to put into words how wonderfully content and thankful we are.  For the last three holidays seasons, we have longed for our babies and have been torn because they were so far away.  Our hearts were heavy because we could not hold them and love on them.  And, now, here they are, in our arms and in our home, and there is no greater feeling.  Our hearts overflow with thankfulness at the wonderful things He has done to make this all possible.  He is Jehovah-jireh, the Lord who Provides, and we are living proof.

We are so grateful for where we are in our adoption journey and so excited about where He is leading us next.  For us, this journey has changed us so completely that we will never be the same.  Our eyes have been opened to the great need right in front of us to care for orphans and to the amazing opportunity to experience our great God and Savior as we follow Him into the fields of the needy.  Our heart's cry has been for Him to continue to use us to care for these precious babies that so desperately need love, and He has opened a door for us to do that.  We are anxious to share more details as we know them and can't wait to begin this next chapter in following Him.  There is NOTHING better than being right where He wants us to be, serving Him with our lives.  He is the only one who can satisfy the longings of our hearts.

Through this journey, we have passed through the waters, and He has been with us.  We have walked through the fire, but have been refined and not scorched.  We have learned that the more we die to ourselves, the more we get of Him.  David Platt says in his book, Follow Me, 

"As we die to ourselves, we live for others, and everything Christ does in us begins to affect everyone Christ puts around us."  

This is the reason we share our journey, to bring glory and honor to His name, and as a way to invite others to follow Him wherever He leads.  He is an amazing, trust-worthy, wonderful Savior and Lord, and in following Him, we get to experience His presence in amazing ways.

If you would like to hear the 7 minute testimony we shared with our church, click here.

Here are some pictures from the last few months!

  

  

 

How Are You?

"But He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me."

2 Corinthians 12:9

In these days of craziness, of a life full and zooming by, in the midst of adjusting to life with six kids and meeting the needs of each one, inevitably I get the question, "So, how are you?".  And I am so thankful to be asked!  But it isn't an easy question to answer on the fly.  The quick (and I guess the easiest) answer is to say that we are doing surprisingly, amazingly well... considering!

Considering we have six kids, five of them boys and the oldest only 10,

Considering that two of those children have only recently joined our family and have a history in a place that makes me want to cry when I think of them there.

Considering that the enemy is roaring lion, seeking to devour those who seek to serve the King of Kings.

Considering that there is ALWAYS tons of laundry to fold, bathrooms to clean, floors to mop, lunches to pack, suppers to cook, dishes to wash, homework to do, etc., etc....

Considering that is there is always SO MUCH more that needs to be done than there is time or energy.

BUT, regardless of our sometimes-difficult circumstances, we can say with joy and humility that we are standing firm because we know the One who makes it all possible.  We know the One who turns impossible situations around.  We know the One who is always enough, who hears us when we cry out to Him and answers EVERY time we call.  The One who allows us to be weak at His feet so that He can be strong for us and through us.  The One who can turn ashes into beauty, mourning into dancing, and who binds up the broken-hearted.  He is El Elyon, sovereign over the details of our lives and has given us exactly what we need to enable us to cling to Him.  He is Jehovah-jireh, the Lord who provides for our every need when we ask Him.

So, forgive me if I give the easy answer to the question, "How are you?".  It is certainly not because I have it all together. I am weak and frail in my own strength.  I fail so many times and have to confess my attitudes of self-pity, grumpiness, impatience and selfishness more times than I care to admit.  I get overwhelmed at this life that is humanly impossible so much of the time.  I am brought to tears often over needs I can't seem to meet.  

But God is good and faithful.  He is carrying me.  He has given me the exact circumstances that I need to cause me to cling desperately to Him.  I have joy because He promises never to leave me or forsake me.  I am full of thankfulness because I am experiencing His grace and mercy, His provision and HIS power moment by moment.  He is teaching me about meekness and how to be thankful in every circumstance because I know that whatever He allows in my life has been filtered through His loving hands for my good and for His glory.  I am growing closer to Him and there is nothing I want more.

So am I okay?  Are we okay?  Despite every crazy reason that we shouldn't be okay, because of Him, YES, we really are doing surprisingly, amazingly well!!

Blessed Beyond Measure

"For the Lord God is a sun and shield;  the Lord gives grace and glory.

No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly.

O Lord of hosts (Jehovah-sabaoth), 

how blessed is the man who trusts in You."

Ps 84:11-12

It is hard to believe that we have been home from China for two months. Our lives have been a complete whirlwind as we adjust to being a family of eight.  From doctors' appointments to trips to the beach and Carowinds to Daddy going back to work, we have been on the move.   Our life is not easy right now, and some days are really, really hard, but we see God's hand of mercy and provision for us at every turn.  He is teaching me to cling to Him moment by moment.  He is revealing how far I have to go in His command to die to myself daily.  I struggle with patience and some days just want to head for the hills!!  

And yet, I would not change ONE thing about my life.  I feel so blessed that I can hardly hold back the tears at God's goodness and His precious gifts.  

In the last few weeks, I have seen such a huge shift in how I view my "big" boys.  I have seen them grow up right before my eyes.  I have come to depend on them so very much and my love for them has deepen in ways I could not have imagined.

I am so proud of the way my oldest son Gabriel (10) has stepped up since his daddy is now back at work.  He does so many of the things that Tollie would do if he were here.  I think I was most proud of him the day we went to Carowinds for the first time without Daddy.  Gabriel carried Aaron Li around in Snoopyland, taking him to ride after ride, saying he didn't care if he rode any rides or not, he just wanted his little brother to have a good time.

  

I am amazed, humbled, and many times convicted when I see how patient and kind my Carter (8) is, especially with Aaron Li.  He never gets ruffled when tantrums are thrown, but just patiently tries to help everyone to be happy.  He is quick to sacrifice his own things in order to bless others.

I can't help but laugh at Cason's (almost 7) crazy antics as he tries to make Aaron Li and Meili laugh!  He loves to play with them and can keep them entertained so Mommy can actually go to the bathroom!  He is a joy and helps me to laugh when the stress of the day is almost too much.

I have watched my sweet Hudson make the transition from baby of the family to big brother with much grace.  It was a little bit of a struggle for him to find his place at first, but now he loves to help out with his younger brother and sister, asking to feed Meili her bottle and playing with Aaron Li.  He has such a sweet spirit and is such an encouragement to me throughout the day.

I see over and over again how God prepared our family for our new babies, how He has gifted each of my boys with what we would need to love and care for our precious new additions.  The Lord is good and faithful.  He can be trusted to do more than we could ever imagine.  I am so thankful for how He has put me in a place that I have NO CHOICE but to cling to Him.  He knows that as soon as I feel my life is under control and I get comfortable, I stop depending on Him.  I pray that He never lets me do that again. (With six kids, I don't think I have to worry!)

And these precious babies, oh how I love them (even when I am ready to pull my hair out!).  

Aaron Li, who we are still calling Yao-Yao (YOW-YOW), is simply an amazing child.  He is SO smart.  He has picked up English at an amazing rate.  He LOVES to laugh and play.  He is FEARLESS (which really isn't a great combination with his low blood platelets!).  He adores his BaBa (daddy) and asks constantly for his brothers when they are not here.  His favorite food is hard boiled eggs and he always reminds me to put salt and pepper on them.  He loves to sing and some of his favorite songs are "Jesus Loves Me,"  "Deep and Wide" and "You Are My Sunshine."  He is very very aware of everything that is going on around him and it is impossible to sneak anything by him!  He is VERY strong-willed and when he says NO, he is very very sure about it.  He loves to be loved and it breaks his heart if we are displeased with him.  He is my sweet (most of the time) little boy, and I love him with all of my heart.

My baby girl, Meili, is my joy.  She lifts my heart.  She is a Mama's girl and won't go willing from my arms very often.  I can't stand to be away from her any more than she can stand to be away from me.  She melts me with her smile, and I adore the way her eyes look like little crescent moons when she laughs.  She has come so far in the time we have had her.  She has gained SIX pounds and gone from only sitting up to now walking (video) across the room.  She has also picked up many English words.  She is terrified of our dog and says, when she sees him,  "Bolt, GET" with her little finger pointing him away.  She loves music, and her favorite song right now is "Deep and Wide."  As soon as we start singing it, she starts waving her arms around, doing the deep and wide motion and chimes in "IIIIDE" when we get to the word "wide."  She is very very smart and imitates everything she sees (for better or worse!).  She is the sweet gift I have had in my heart for so many years and is everything I prayed for and more.

So, I am thankful.  For the good days and the bad days, the happy and the sad days (isn't that a song?), I am so very thankful.  I am thankful to my Lord for blessing me beyond all I could have hoped for.  I am thankful that as unworthy as I am, He still blesses me.  I am thankful for the amazing husband I have, who has such a gift of love and patience, who rarely gets ruffled, and who is always willing to stop what he is doing to care for others.  

Although I pretty sure when I was younger, I probably never imagined my family looking exactly like it does, I am SO glad that God didn't let my small dreams get in the way of His amazing plans.  He is worthy of our praise.  He is worthy of all honor.  He is worthy of our very lives.  Praise His wonderful name for He has done great things!

 

This song, "Sovereign" by Chris Tomlin, speaks what is in my heart so perfectly.  The Lord God Most High (El Elyon) is sovereign over every detail of our lives, and He is teaching me to trust Him, no matter the circumstances.  (Click here to listen.)

For I Know That the Lord is Great

For I know that the Lord is great, and that our Lord is above all gods.

Whatever the Lord pleases, he does,

in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all deeps.

Psalm 135:5-6

Our God is amazing.  He is El Elyon, the Most High God, sovereign over every detail of our lives.  He has precious plans for us, and we can trust Him with our lives.

For the last two weeks, we have finally been able to experience this wonderful plan that He has been working out in our lives.  We finally have our babies all under one roof, and it has been simply amazing to see how perfectly we all fit together. Is it always easy?  No, rarely ever.  Are we exhausted? Completely.  But are we grateful and humbled at the mighty work of our Lord?  Absolutely!

All we can do is stand in awe of these two amazing babies that God had for us on the other side of the world and how He moved heaven and earth, did miracle after miracle, answered prayer after prayer, and provided every single thing we needed to make them our own.  

Oh how wonderful they are!  And, when think of how close we came to missing them, it shakes me to the core.  If we had given into our doubts and fears, if we would have continued to look at the mountain in our way, instead of the Mountain-mover, we would have missed this great treasure He had for us.  

There was a time when, as we were wrestling with God about adopting two babies, that we were ready to say no.  We were ready to say, "God, it is too hard.  It's impossible."  And at that very moment, He answered with these words:

What priceless treasure are you in danger of throwing out, simply because of the way it is packaged?  Could it be the treasure of seeing Him?   Sometimes God wraps His glory in hard circumstances or ugly obstacles or painful difficulties, and it just never occurs to us that within those life-shaking events is a fresh revelation of Him...Are you so focused on the outer wrappings that you are in danger of missing or even throwing away the fresh, personal revelation of Himself that He wants to give you?...Change your mind about things - about yourself - about others - about Him. Relax in total trust. He knows what He is doing. Unwrap the package! Let go and look up! Let Him open the eyes of your heart. OPEN YOUR EYES. Open your eyes to the vision of His glory. Prayerfully, expectantly, sincerely, open your eyes to Him."

There was a time when we were so focused on the outer wrappings, the labels, the hard circumstances, that we almost missed this.  These two precious babies.  This opportunity for God to make Himself known to us, to give us a fresh revelation of HIM.  And it brings me to tears.  

What a gift He has given, wrapped up in our sweet Aaron Li and Meili.  To experience Him the way we have is more precious than anything else.  To experience the process of adoption, to get a glimpse of the great price He paid for our adoption and understand better the great love that motivated Him, is completely and totally overwhelming.  To see our family grow from six to eight is better than we could have ever imagined.

But, that is not to say our life is easy!  Having six children is certainly an adjustment.  Having a determined little crawler who wants to explore every minute of the day is challenging.  Mealtimes are almost comical (so thankful that dear friends are still bring meals)!  There are days when everyone is in a funk (sorry for those who endured our funk Sunday morning at church).  

BUT IT IS WORTH IT!  

To see Aaron Li's little arms circled around Gabriel's neck as Gabriel hauls him around everywhere.  To watch Cason feeding Meili macaroni and cheese or to hear Carter make her laugh.  To have Hudson race to us if one of the babies is crying so we can help them.  To hear Gabriel beg to rock the babies to sleep again tonight.  To hear Aaron Li say, "BaBa, lub (love)you.  Mama, lub you," as we tuck him in at night or see Meili blow kisses to anyone who will look her way!  These joys make the hard times worth.  They make all the tears and heartache of the last two and a half years worth it.  They make trusting Him instead of giving in to fear worth it.  

So we say thank you to our Heavenly Father and to the countless number of dear friends who have help us get to this place and who continue to help us in this adjustment period.  We pray God's richest blessings on each of you for what you have done and for the sacrifices you have made to allow us to be a family for Aaron Li and Meili.  Our hearts are forever grateful.

 For you, O Lord, have made me glad by your work;
    at the works of your hands I sing for joy.
 Psalm 92:4