Prayer Request

Hey friends. I wanted to ask you to please pray for my friend, Linda McMullan and her family. They departed on August 11 to adopt in Ukraine. After 3 appointments, they finally accepted a referral for a beautiful 5 year old girl, Ivanna (they will name her Jenni). This has been a ROLLER COASTER ride for them, and they just found out their court date isn't until Oct. 17th. Then, there's a 10-day waiting period after that. They've already been there close to 2 months, so they are petitioning the judge to move the court date up to this week, and waive the 10 day wait. They are trusting God's sovereignty, but are obviously so discouraged and anxious. They just want to get their daughter and come home. Their 5-year-old son is with them also. Please pray for them. I know all of you who have adopted understand just what they are feeling. Thank you for praying for them.

A Christmas Prayer

Merry Christmas everyone! I am about to head off to bed and I have so much on my mind. I am so humbled and thankful for my precious daughter who will experience her first Christmas tomorrow. At the same time, I am so keenly aware of the millions of children who have not yet been adopted, and many who never will be, who are spending this Christmas in orphanages, foster homes, hospitals, and even on the streets. I am keenly aware of the birth mothers who may be faced this very night with the heart-wrenching decision to give up their babies. After all, that's how Eden started her journey to our home.

Most of all, I am comforted by the truth that God knows each of these little ones by name. He holds their future in His sovereign, loving hands. He numbered their days and appointed where each would grow up before they were born. He is the Father of the fatherless. I praise Him because He has allowed me to live this truth this year as He guided, protected, and brought Eden home to us.

I praise Him because He, too, was a helpless infant, dependent on the care of a teenage mother. He was born poor, with little to His name. He can sympathize with our weaknesses because He has been tested in every way and yet didn't sin. Tomorrow we celebrate that God came to live among us. He was born to die, and rise again. He is our living hope, and the hope of orphans all over the world. Because of Him, they will never be forgotten.

I love this photo of Eden. We received this ornament last Christmas and it has children of all different nationalities joining hands around the earth. Eden was playing with it and a friend snapped this photo without us realizing that the Chinese girl on the ornament was facing the camera. It gave me goose bumps when I saw it.

This Christmas, take a few moments to pray for the children who will not have a mommy and a daddy this Christmas. They will likely have no presents, no big meal, and no mention of Jesus Christ...and He is their hope. Let's remember them. Because God has not forgotten them.

Have a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year!

All Is Well

Just wanted to post and let everyone know we are home and Eden's surgery went fine. She threw up about 5 times after surgery and they finally gave her some nausea medicine in her IV and that seems to have done the trick. She's had some juice, ice chips, and chicken noodle soup and so far she's kept it down. She is resting in her crib now. I posted a couple of photos of her playing before surgery since I got hate mail when my last post didn't have pictures (just kidding). Thanks to everyone for praying!

Yes, Mommy Is Alive!

It's been a while since I posted so I wanted to take an opportunity to write while Eden is napping. First of all, thank you to everyone for your prayers and support for our family. I cannot begin to express how tangibly I have felt your prayers on the other side of the world, and here at home. God truly is BIG!!! There have already been countless times that I wanted to just throw my hands up and walk away, or sit down and throw a tantrum with Eden, but God has sustained me through your love and prayers every time. I don't even know where to start...what an amazing journey. Now that we're home with her, a new journey is beginning. I've never been a mom (to a human being) before. What an awesome responsibility.

Many times I have said, "Lord, what were you thinking?" Eden needs so much from me right now that doesn't "feel natural." She needs me to be near her when she is grieving and tantruming so that she can push me away. She reaches out, and when I reach for her she pushes me away. But she needs to know I'm there if she decides she wants me. The smallest things set her off. The other day she tripped and fell and hit her head and when I scooped her up she immediately began grieving and pulling away from me. The natural "mommy" tasks like changing diapers, feeding, rocking, comforting, and just loving and cuddling are so hard for her to accept from me right now. I have waited so long to shower her with my love and she just won't let me a lot of the time. But boy, when she does, what joy fills my heart! I knew going into this that she would not love me back for quite a while, but I had no idea how hard she would try to get me NOT to love her.

The more I love her, the harder it is for her to resist loving me. So me being loving to her, especially when she is trying to push me away, angers and frustrates her. I have wept with her as she struggles against me. Her tantrums are great times for me to release my tears as well. Can you picture it? Mommy and Eden bawling our eyes out on the kitchen floor. This is much of our relationship right now. But...for the past few days Eden has begun to notice my tears. She looks at me in a new way, as if to say, "Do you understand that I am sad? Is that why you are crying, too?" My prayer is that God will help her to understand that she is not alone in her grief. I will never understand the depths of her confusion and pain, but I do care...I care so very much. Adopting a toddler is hard...but it is wonderful. For all of you following the blog who are waiting to travel and/or adopt an older child, I want to gently speak to you on behalf of your child.

Please do not let people tell you that your love for your child will be enough for the transition that lies ahead. Let your love drive you to fall on your knees and beg God for wisdom and insight into what your child will need. Don't just pray for the paperwork to go through faster (let's face it, that's what we're thinking about 99% of the time), ask Him to prepare your heart for the unique needs of the child He is entrusting to you. He will faithfully do so. Blogs, websites, etc. are great resources, but there is only One who knows your future child inside and out. Let Him be the first place you go for answers. And let Him lead you to other resources. I only read one book before we adopted. A friend recommended it to me. It is called "Toddler Adoption" by Mary Hopkins-Best and it is an incredible resource for those of you adopting a child between the ages of 1 and 4.

I know many of you have been so encouraged reading our blog because you are in the season of waiting. I am so thankful that God has used our story to encourage you. Please let me further encourage you to use these days wisely, as God has given them to you for a reason. I KNOW the waiting is hard, and seemingly senseless...but I can honestly say on this end that God used the months and months of waiting to strengthen my faith and dependence on Him. And I honestly could not endure the times of rejection from Eden right now and love her through them if He had not worked in my heart as I waited. Cooperate with His work in your lives during this time...your cooperation will reap a harvest in your precious child's life. Please don't let my honesty scare you! The joy SO outweighs the trials and difficulties! I look at Eden everyday and think, "Two weeks ago you belonged to no one on this earth, and now you have a family." Daily I am humbled and reminded of God's great love for me, my daughter, and for all mankind.

My prayer for Eden is that God will use what she is going through now to soften her heart and strong will to His presence and His voice so that one day, she will be adopted again...into His forever family. As Gene and I walk through these days, we are keenly aware of the responsibility and privilege God has given us to give Eden a picture of His love for her. No matter how hard she pushes, how loud she screams, how mean she is, we will never leave her or forsake her. She is ours, we have sacrificed for her and chosen her and bought her with a price not because she has done anything to earn it, but because we love her, unconditionally. She is the apple of our eye and valuable beyond compare to us, no matter what. She is our child. Our prayer is that we are painting a picture for her of the unfailing love that Christ has for her. I am posting a few funny photos I have taken over the past few days. Eden is a mess, so funny and silly.

What joy she has brought into our lives. I need to go get some things done before she wakes up. No one told me how much I would look forward to Eden's naptime!! Love you all!

Home

Finally we're home. We started the journey back at 9:00 a.m. Tuesday, Birmingham time, and arrived about 24 hours later at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday. Eden did fantastic on the flights back. She got a little crazy on the four-hour leg from LA to Chicago, but otherwise was just fine. What an answer to prayer!

The welcome at the airport was extraordinary. Keri and I were really speechless. So many of our family and friends were there to greet us and we just didn't know what to say. Thank you so much to everyone who made our welcome back to Birmingham something we will remember for a lifetime. It meant so much that you cared enough to come out and give us a hug and a greeting. If you've never traveled such a great distance or been away from home for several weeks, you've no idea what a blessing that is.

Home--we were so excited to drive up to the house. Kelly Herndon (Keri's sister) and decorated it with balloons and flowers and a feather wreath on the door and it was so touching. There was food waiting and we visited a bit with family. Over the last day I was really reminded of all those letters Paul wrote where he said, "Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ..." I imagine believers in the early church received a welcome from one another when traveling much as we did--brothers and sisters reminding one another of the close bond in Christ they shared. Thank you, thank you, thank you again for being our friends and family!

Wednesday afternoon was a mix of sleep and play for Eden and mom and dad. We resorted to the Benedryl last night about about 2:00 a.m. to get Eden through the evening--in total she slept about 14 hours since we got home, but we think she's just about on Birmingham time.

This morning we got up early and Eden wasted no time in re-organizing her room a bit and trying out some of her toys. Our dog, Maggie, just sat close by and soaked it all in. Eden and Maggie are not quite fast friends yet, but Eden isn't scared of her and we can see that bond developing quickly. Behavioral experts have told us that pets can really help with bonding and the feeling of home for Eden.

One great thing about home that is immediately evident is the quiet. I mean, I don't think we actually experienced a truly quiet moment the entire time we were in China. Every meal, every activity, was a buzz of people, sights and sounds. To have Eden between mommy and daddy for breakfast today was great. She ate well and you could tell her concentration on what was in front of her was greatly improved.

We're going to have to break her of the whining, we think, and so we got some cries today when the word "no" was gently but firmly introduced into her vocabulary. Much of the behavioral teaching we knew would have to wait until we got home--adoption travel we were told would have us in "survival mode" while we were away from home and that was the truth. No more cookies on demand, little one. Sorry.

We have a few days of rest ahead and daddy has a little more childproofing to finish in the house. Also, the car seat has proved to be more complicated than originally anticipated. We put a man on the moon--c'mon people, can we not develop a reasonably simple car seat?

There's a Psalm we put on the wall of Eden's room that reads, "I will be exalted among the nations..." If this year has taught me anything, between our mission trip in March and the trip to China just completed, it is that all believers must be a part of this global mission. I'm not saying everyone must feed the poor in Venezuela or adopt from China, but we must all be "among the nations" if we are going to align ourselves with the command God has given us.

It has been 2,000 years since Christ commanded us to "make disciples of all nations." Yet only in the last 65 years has travel to just about any nation been inexpensive and easy. And only in the last 10 years has communication via the internet made linking up from China to Venezuela to Birmingham child's play. So to look at the possibilities before us, and know that God has placed us here at this time and place for His purpose, and given us the extraordinary tools before us to be involved in making disciples of the nations, how can we not participate? Moreso, how can we not see the great responsibility before us to steward these resources to make a difference for Christ in our lifetimes.

Eden has gone from no family to now having a mommy, a daddy, a home with a yard and toys and pets and peace and quiet, an education, medical care--all from the moment she left an orphanage worker's arms and entered ours. Is it reasonable for us to expect great things from her as our child? I think most parents would look at their own children and how they are providing for them and say, yes, we want a great life for them and we expect great things from them. What a picture of what our Father in Heaven expects from us, His adoptive children.

Our chief task with Eden from this moment is to be a picture of Christ to her in our relationship with one another and those around us. I pray we will be parents that will not only lead her toward Christ, but challenge her to be a disciple-maker among the nations in her own life as well.

Ready to Be Home

China has been outstanding, unbelievable, enjoyable, eye-opening, glorious, fantastic--adjectives, adjectives... there are just not words enough to describe this experience. To leave the USA as husband and wife and now to be a family of three and have this adorable, wonderful, precious little girl to call our own. Well, I'm glad we took pictures and video because my head is just too full right now to comprehend it all.

But people, we are so ready to be home. I think it really hit today that although this has been the experience of a lifetime, we have at this point absolutely no desire to stay in this hotel room one more minute. If it was just me and Keri I think we could get our second wind and dive into the local culture here in Guangzhou. But since last Monday little Eden has been our focus and it's just taken the wind out of our world-adventurer sails.

I want to be in a place where all my possessions are not in a backpack or suitcase. I want to not worry about my toothbrush getting squished against my razor and having little face hairs in it that I have to clean off before I brush my teeth. I want to actually use the faucet water in the bathroom instead of doing everything out of a bottle because the tap water smells so bad. I want my bed--the soft one with 3 pillows just for me. I want to eat by going to my own refrigerator versus deciding which Chinese restaurant we want to venture out to.

Most of all, I think Keri and I both want some quiet. Eden needs it too--just some simple routine in the day to keep all the distractions out. This whole city is just eye-candy all the time. I think after our Consulate appointment tomorrow we're gonna just walk from there straight to the airport. We just keep thinking, "If we can just get to the plane." If Eden throws a tantrum for 15 straight hours on the flight home it doesn't matter, we'll just keep saying "only 15 hours left, only 14 hours left!..." Can you tell we're ready to be HOME!?

Eden needs a schedule. Seriously. Today she was just a maniac. I was beginning to wonder if she was bi-polar. She just went and went and went all day. There was no stopping her. She had a morning nap, but our schedule this afternoon meant she skipped her afternoon rest time. Then we had a dinner cruise to go to this evening that our facilitators arranged and that ended at a little before 9:00 p.m. Late, late, late by Eden time. She got so far beyond tired that she just stayed wired until we got back to the hotel room. She just jumped up and down and wiggled and giggled and went INSANE for about 5 straight hours. She needs some quiet and some routine.

This is likely our last post until we arrive at home, so here's the answers to the questions folks have asked us by email. What we need at home are clothes for 12-18 months--Eden is much smaller than we were told and so most of the clothes we have are too large. The medical paperwork they gave us was incorrect and so we have to adjust. Diapers for a 21 pounder are also much appreciated. And any kind of food is great too. Honestly we're so frazzled from the travel and baby at this point I hope we can remember where our house is when we get there.

Keri and I and Eden will be arriving in Birmingham on Wednesday, August 1, at 10:26 AM on United Flight 7820 from Chicago. Keri and I plan to put Eden into seclusion for a while after we get back on the recommendation of our adoption agency and behavioral specialists so she can get settled in to a more normal life and get to know us a little better. So she will not be out in public for a while. If you wanna say "Hi" to Eden we hope you'll meet us at the airport, as that's likely the only time Eden will be "out" for at least a few weeks.

If our travel plans change drastically I will attempt to update them from the airport in LA or Chicago, but basically we're in the air for 21 hours plus a few layovers. In fact, let me apologize in advance for our appearance at the airport as Tuesday will be a 37-hour day for us. I may be a little sticky and stinky. Keri will look great, though--she always does. I just have this issue with ear hair--but I digress...

Thanks so much to everyone for all the emails while we've been away. They've been a great blessing and it's been a pleasure and honor to share this experience with you. One more night in the hotel... we can make it!

Oh the Drama!

Another fabulous day in China getting to know our new daughter, Eden! On tap today was a medical exam required by the government as we near the time of our Consulate appointment. Eden has gotten pretty happy-go-lucky in the last two days, but just like any child who goes to the doctor's office, she was none too happy when the actual poking and prodding arrived. The whole thing took like 30 minutes.

Thanks to Nana (grandma), Eden was also sporting a fashionable and inexpensive stroller today. Our specialists recommend holding Eden as much as possible to begin the process of getting good eye contact. Well, we've had that from Day One, and since Eden is having no problems connecting with us, we opted to give her a nice place to sit with wheels and give mommy and daddy's arms a much-needed break.

We did some shopping--actually a little too much time-wise. Right after lunch Eden had a complete meltdown. We're talking a raging, heart-pounding, screeching, wailing, gnashing of teeth, hold-nothing-back tantrum and grief session right in the middle of the street in downtown Guangzhou.

These times are really a tough balance for mom and dad, because the idea is to let her grieve even though some of this is not grief but just a 19-month old being a 19-month old. Also, we want Eden to find her comfort in Keri first to help establish the mother-daughter bond as quickly as possible. Eden's reaction during the tantrum was interesting--she held out her arms for me or Nana, but not for Keri. So, the fact that we would not let anyone but Keri comfort her made the tantrum last a lot longer. It breaks our hearts, but it's building hers.

The afternoon was bountiful with paperwork. Nobody will be able to say of our child that she is not well documented. If at age 25 she wants to apply to be a construction crane operator for Moru-speaking people in Sudan on nights and weekends, we've probably already filled out a form for that. This evening the whole lot of us (7 families in all) had dinner at a Thai restaurant nearby.

Probably the most fun of the evening was after dinner when we headed back to the hotel and took Eden to the playroom downstairs. She had fun playing with balls, getting tickled and running around in her squeaky-shoes. (The squeaky-shoes are like a staple in China--everybody has them and all the little kids go squeak-squeak-squeak when they walk. It's quite entertaining for them and for us.)

Finally, bath time--another meltdown, but not quite as bad as a few nights ago. I think Eden is getting her sea-legs under her and learning, slowly, to trust us. Honestly, we're pooped and she's pooped, and it's just about bedtime. Both Keri and I agree that overall today was not a great day for Eden, but they'll be good ones and better ones, and that's just fine by us.

Tomorrow is a shopping day. One of the other dads figured out today why we have to stay for 2 1/2 weeks in China--apparently we have to spend a minimum amount on souvenirs before they let us come home. If only we had known! Seriously, every establishment in every city in China ends with a gift shop at the exit. Walking out of the medical exam this morning I half expected to see a display of silks, jade jewelry and porcelain tea serving sets.

This morning we saw the White Swan Hotel in all it's glory. When you see the scale of foreign adoptions as we did today, the abandonment of children in this country really comes into focus as a critical problem. I'm praying opportunities will continue to open up for the Chinese as well as other nations to help stem the growing surge of orphan children. This is a worldwide issue, not just here in Asia.

It appeared today that this entire 28-story skyscraper was built with the singular focus of processing adoptive parents and their adorable Chinese children. They are EVERYWHERE. I kept asking people with children where they were from. Indiana. Idaho. Ohio. California. New York. Georgia. Alabama. Tennessee. Texas. Kansas. Washington. Nevada. Breakfast this morning looked like the Romper Room convention. The tables in the restaurant were already set up with high chairs. Party of three and baby? Right this way... There was a whole baby food section at the buffet.

Guangzhou, Keri said, is like the Las Vegas of China. There are lots of neon lights. There's even laser beams coming from the bridge over the river at night. It's definitely the nicest of the places we've been so far. The neighborhood around the hotel is very walkable and has lots of interesting shops and restaurants. The people are very friendly and open. And most of them will be happy to give you a "special discount" on jade jewelry. Tomorrow we also get to see some friends from the U.S. who are now living in China and we're really excited about that.

Four days to go until we're home!

Moments and Miracles

Eden really came out of her shell today. Man, we have a full-on toddler on our hands. Today was a real turning point for her personality-wise and she opened up big time. We had lots of smiles, giggles, grins, tickles and frolicking around. I think it was by far our happiest day and filled with many fun and memorable moments. But let me tell you about one absolutely miraculous one...

This morning we were preparing to leave Wuhan for Guangzhou. We left the room and headed to the elevator and as we got on the elevator there was a Chinese woman getting off on our floor. Keri did a double-take as the doors closed and we went down to the lobby for breakfast. Could that possibly be?...

By the time we hit the lobby we knew something was probably up. Keri, Eden and her mom went on to the restaurant while I went back up to grab Eden's pictures from our room (all the families put their kids' pictures on the door of the room since we were all staying on the same floor). By the time I got back to the lobby, I spotted the Chinese lady we passed just outside the lobby talking on her cell phone. She walked around the side of the building and spotted me out of the corner of her eye, then walked quickly away from me.

Now, understand that in the city we were in, we knew going in we were not going to meet Eden's foster mom. But Keri had been praying that by some miracle we might meet her. By the time we got to China Keri had stopped praying about this, but she had asked others to pray for this as well.

We met up again in the restaurant, which has a long glass wall on one side. I brought out the picture of Eden we had, which has a woman's arm in the photo wearing a white blouse with flowers on it. The very same while blouse that this Chinese woman standing outside the hotel was wearing. It hit all of us in an instant--this was Eden's foster mom and she had come to see us.

Keri ran outside and approached her with Eden's picture. She was a little scared, I think, that we would not want to see her. We did not know each others' language but pictures and smiles were exchanged and she eased a bit understanding that we were honored she cared enough to find us and come by to see if Eden was okay. She had come not wanting us to discover her and just peer in from a distance. I pointed at the dress in the photo and her dress--she smiled, "Ah!"... so that's how they recognized me. At this point, Keri and the foster mom (we never actually got her name) were in tears. Keri hugged her and said, "Waa-Eye-Nee, Shee Shee" which means "I love you. Thank you."

Without really thinking, she asked me to run in and get Eden, who was just settling down to breakfast with Keri's mom. We embraced, let her hold Eden for a minute and took a picture with her. She pulled out her cell phone and excitedly called her husband to tell her she had met us. She held the phone up to Eden's ear to talk, but Eden was a little dumbstruck by the experience. Then she pointed to us and told Eden in Chinese, "This is mommy, and this is daddy."

Next she pulled out a picture of her family for us to keep. It was really a "God moment." We could not believe it. Something we had prayed for happening right before our eyes. She walked off and Eden got a little upset. She turned to come back and comfort Eden, but this time mommy instinct told Keri not to let Eden go. Instead she took Eden up to the room for a little bit to cry it out (actually it did not last very long at all, she was back down in 10 minutes). I gave her my email address, she smiled again, nodded thank you, and was gone.

For a little while after that we were just beside ourselves. We second-guessed a little bit as well. Should we have let her see Eden and Eden see her? No, it was the right thing to do, and it gave Eden some closure (I know that doesn't make sense for an 18 month old, but really, Eden at that age can comprehend the difference between someone disappearing/dying and someone letting go, even if she can't express it in words yet). Yes, we decided, even if we had to start over with Eden today, it was worth it. And what a blessing to know this woman cared enough to seek us out. You could tell she just had a wonderful love for Eden and really missed her. Words can't express our gratitude to this wonderful foster mom and to know years from now we can tell Eden we had the opportunity to meet her and thank her... God is just too good!

I'm not going to post that particular picture on the blog to protect her identity, but that's a treasured shot we will keep away until the day when Eden starts asking questions and we can pull it out and honor her foster mom's legacy by telling Eden about her.

As for the rest of the day... Well, like I said, Eden just blossomed today. We really believe that seeing her foster mom had something to do with it--seriously, it was like a light switch was flipped after that. Now, she's still grieving, and later in the morning we had a good tantrum and grief spirt, but she was markedly healthier today emotionally than any other day since we met her. I kept looking at Keri saying, "Is this the same sad little girl we adopted a few days ago?" She had us cracking up wearing sunglasses, talking on her Winnie-the-Poo cell phone, and toting her backpack of toys around the hotel halls.

Before lunch we received her passport and our adoption certificate. It's official--she's ours! Then after lunch it was off to the airport. Oh, we did stop by this little banzai tree museum first because we had some extra time. Same story there... sweltering, oppressive heat, ancient Chinese history. We got some fun pictures though, and the 30-minute tour ended, appropriately, in front of an air-conditioner cooling off until the bus arrived.

By the way, about the airports.... Every city in China either has a giant, ultra-modern, beautiful airport or is building one. Guangzhou has one, Beijing has one, Wuhan is building one. I've never seen such nice airports. They are all HUGE and made of glass and just go on and on and on. The nicest airports I've ever been in have all been in China. Folks, we got to do something about our airports in the USA--I mean these folks are just so far ahead of us in the concourse/gate area/moving sidewalk department. It's sad, really, for us. Oh, did I mention they were crowded?

We arrived tonight in Guangzhou, and will be here through Tuesday. We have a medical exam for Eden, then some paperwork for the American Consulate, then our appointment and "swearing in" on Tuesday morning to finalize Eden's citizenship for the USA. We are staying at the White Swan Hotel, which is kinda famous for China's adopting families and apparently well known in general. It is ultra-nice. There are pictures of Richard Nixon and George Bush (Sr.) staying here in the guest book. The mattresses however are still rocks with sheets on them... oh well.

Eden just dozed off. She's had a very active day--in fact, she just plum wore us out. I'm contemplating some kind of crash-fitness program to get me into shape. Even watching her today was tiring. I kept wanted to open her up and see what kind of nuclear reactor was generating all that energy. Many China adopting families say this last leg of the trip is a turning point, and that was certainly true for us today. We're looking forward to leaving on Tuesday (which, by quirk of time-zones, will be a 37-hour day for us as we circumnavigate the globe for 20 hours) and arriving in Birmingham on Wednesday morning.

Tomorrow we're gonna catch David Platt's message from last Sunday on the iPod. He's in the middle of a teaching series on prayer, and what a great sense of joy to be in the middle of many answered ones today.

Orphanage and Finding Place

Today we got up a little later and left around 9:30 a.m. to visit Eden's orphanage in Wuhan as well as her "finding place." Both experiences were a little different than we anticipated.

The orphanage was quite large and cares for about 600 children (half at the orphanage, the other half in foster-care), most of whom have some kind of mental or physical birth defect. We were told that now that domestic adoptions are permitted in China, there are fewer orphans in the orphanages, but those that are in orphanages are more likely to have a birth defect. We toured several floors and met with the orphanage director. After the tour (which was somewhat controlled in that we only saw a few areas) all the families pooled our money and asked the director what we could purchase for the orphanage. We ended up buying two color TVs for some of the classrooms.

The orphanage director is a pretty good guy and we think the facility is well run. When we signed the first set of paperwork on Monday they provided us with an album of Eden's photos every month since they put her on the adoption list. They obviously took a great deal of time and effort to document the lives of the children who live there.

We thought the orphanage visit would be very emotional for Eden, but she ended up remembering the place a little, I think, and was relatively calm and even happy at times during the visit. We saw the spots where the photos we had prior to the adoption were taken and it was kinda neat for us to see where Eden had spent her days up to this point. We were told her foster mom lived nearby but we had no contact with her today.

After a quick lunch we visited the hospital where Eden was abandoned. Unfortunately the guide did not have enough information to tell us exactly where in the hospital she was abandoned, so we ended up just taking a few pictures outside of the building. Like everywhere else in China, the hospital was crowded and we wondered exactly how anyone could have left her without being discovered.

It's becoming more and more clear to us that the grieving process for Eden is just that--a process. She's still active but a little distant, and I think I would be accurate in saying she is a little sad most of the time. When we got back to the hotel this afternoon she had a good cry, and we've been encouraging her to express her grief as much as possible. The bath tonight again was a Defcon-One episode. Also tonight daddy had his first comforting session while mommy made the unacceptable decision to leave Eden for 10 minutes to take a shower.

Our behavioral specialists have told us to expect all of this, but I think we thought that Eden would be more physical in her displays than emotional. Like, perhaps she would not let us touch her or pick her up or comfort her. Actually, that's no problem, but she does seem a little detached and sad and that hurts us to experience with her. The specialists have given us some additional advice through email and we continue to help her along even as we know that we probably won't totally register as "mom and dad" for quite a while yet--weeks, even months from now.

Tomorrow we're going sightseeing in Wuhan (there's like, only two things to see in a city of 11 million--go figure). The activity today was welcomed by all the families and tomorrow we'll probably get some good activity and wear the little one out just in time for her nap. On Friday, we leave for Guangzhou and the American Consulate appointment so Eden and Uncle Sam can meet.

Thanks again to everyone for your notes and prayers. It's a great blessing to us to read our emails in the mornings and hear from you. If you're wondering where all the great videos from our trip are on our blog, I could tell you that it's some internet issue, but the fact is, daddy forgot to pack the cable from the camera to the computer and so those may have to wait until we get back.

Oh, please be in prayer for our Wuhan guide, "I", who is not a believer, but has been asking some interesting questions on the bus today...

One Week To Go!

Several times over the past week Gene and I have stopped, looked at each other, and said, "We are about to have a child!" The other night we decided at the "last minute" to go see a movie that started at 9 p.m. Gene wanted to see "Transformers" and I didn't really care to see it but I said, "Soon we won't be able to go out at the drop of a hat like this. Let's do it just because we can!" As we've spent the last week meeting with the pediatrician, installing the safety gate at the top of the stairs, buying "baby gear" for the trip, and trying to decide what to pack for Eden, I think the reality of being parents is sinking in. I'm not sure we'll truly grasp that she is ours until we step off the plane back in Birmingham.

We're excited that we are going to have a few days in Beijing to decompress after all of the last-minute running around and late nights we are pulling to get ready to be out of town. I'm excited to have my mom traveling with us as I'm beginning to feel the "first-time mom panic" of, "What do I feed her? What if she gets choked? What if she won't stop crying? What if she gets sick?" And then on top of that, there's the "I'm going to become a first-time mom on the other side of the world panic" which includes, "She understands Chinese. I don't speak Chinese. She doesn't speak English. If I call someone for help they won't speak English. I don't know what kids eat there. I don't know where anything is. What if I need something I didn't bring?" And all of this is topped off with the "I am giving birth to a toddler anxiety" which includes, "What if she doesn't like me? She can run away from me. She weighs 24 pounds...that's heavy! Oh man, I should have gotten in shape - she's going to wear me out! How am I going to entertain her for the 2-day trip home? She is going to be into EVERYTHING!"

Thankfully, however, all of this anxiety pales in comparison to the "God is sufficient" peace which includes, "God knows Eden. God knows me. God knows Gene. God created the 3 of us. God loves the 3 of us. God planned for the 3 of us to be a family. God led us to one another. God knows the future. God lives in Eden's parents. He will show us what she needs. He will love her through us. God is all we need." And then, of course, there's the "I love her with all of my heart" peace which includes, "I have been praying for her since before she was born. God has softened my heart to her needs. I don't expect anything from her - I just want to love her. She is my daughter. I will do whatever it takes to meet her needs. She is worth whatever difficulties come with her. She is a blessing. She is precious. I want to be her mommy."

As you can see, my mind is racing as I process the weeks that are ahead. So many changes, so much blessing. My head is full, but my heart is even fuller! This child who belongs to no one on this earth is about to become a daughter, a granddaughter, a great-granddaughter, a niece, a cousin, a friend. She will have a mommy, a daddy, grandparents, great-grandmothers, aunts & uncles, cousins, friends, and 2 sweet dogs! So many people have been waiting for her, praying for her, and loving her with us. We can't wait to bring her home!

The official process of putting everything into suitcases begins this week. I have been making a packing list for about 3 weeks and it's a good thing I started then because I keep remembering little things to add. I've been to Wal-Mart (I'm sure not for the last time), borrowed the biggest suitcase I have ever seen, and have begun "piles" throughout the house. Our airline tickets arrived. I have one last meeting with our social worker at the adoption agency on Tuesday to finalize details. We are almost ready to go! Thank you all for taking this journey with us. Your prayers and support mean more than you know. We love you!

Our Travel Approval Arrived!

I think I might seriously be in some sort of shock. I'm not joking. I'm so calm, so cool, so collected. We have waited 18 months for the phone call I received today saying our TA has arrived - this is the official "yes" from China that we can adopt our baby - and I'm cool as a cucumber. I really feel sorry for my husband (or the lady who happens to be next to me in the checkout line at Wal-Mart) when the reality finally hits me that I'm about to be the mommy of an 18-month-old child who won't understand a word I say. Can you believe it?

Maybe I'm not shocked because I knew God is the only One who could carry this through to completion. Maybe for the first time in my life I'm not shocked that God answered my prayer. Have you ever done that? You pray and pray and pray and then when God answers you're shocked. I've done that so many times...but not this time. I think it's because I've always had such confidence that this was God's will for us. I've always believed in my heart that this was a prayer he WANTED to answer. To give this precious baby girl a family and a home. I'm excited, humbled, overwhelmed and bursting with joy, but I'm not shocked or surprised. Hmmm...maybe that's why it took so long. Could it be that God was building my faith, teaching me compassion and longsuffering? Maybe if the TA had come even one month ago I would have been shocked. But in His perfect timing, it came today, June 22, 2007. There is a verse that has encouraged me so much over the past month.

It's Galatians 6:9 and it says, "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." Our "proper time" is quickly approaching when we will reap the harvest of not giving up. Our daughter's life is the harvest we will reap. And we will give all praise and glory to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who showed us first-hand what love really looks like when He sacrificed His life for us, and for the world. We pray our lives will be an example and picture for Eden of that love. God adopted us as His children through Christ, just as we are adopting her.

What a blessing to be her parents! We wait with such eager hope to meet her soon. We will know our travel dates sometime next week. Thank you again for your love and your prayers.

Eden Hope Mason

We'd like to introduce you to Eden Hope Mason. She's a wonderful little 17-month-old (as of this posting) now living in foster care in China. We're awaiting final approval from China to complete her adoption. Her paperwork described her as a "happy nut", so we immediately knew she would fit perfectly into the Mason household.

Though she is half a world away, through much prayer we have been getting to know her. We have been asking God to prepare us to be her parents, even as He also prepares her heart for the tremendous change that she is about to undergo. Thankfully, God can do that--20,000 miles aren't really that big of deal for Him.