Consulate appointment and packing up

Today we headed to our consulate appointment to apply for Luke's visa. Here he is in his red and white stripes supporting the USA!  

We headed to the US embassy and when we pulled up and saw the American flag, it brought tears to my eyes. I have never been more proud to be an American than I was today. We love the people here, but we are so, so blessed in America. It made me feel so proud for Luke. I can't wait to get him home. The appointment went well and we are glad that is behind us. Luke will travel home as a Chinese citizen. When we land in Chicago and we step off the plane, he will then become an American citiizen. I can't wait for that moment. 

Tomorrow we will get Luke's visa in the afternoon and then we head to the train station. We take a train to Hong Kong and we will stay the night there. In the morning we will fly from Hong Kong to Chicago!!  Tomorrow morning we will start to pack up. We are starting to say good bye to the sweet families we have met here. So thankful for them and the relationships we have formed. 

I have so much to say about this trip. So many hard times, and such great times. I was not prepared for the culture shock. It is so different here. So poor, so much traffic, so many horns honking, so many bikes, so many people. We were stared at, gawked at, people touched our girls hair, asked for our autograph, had pictures taken with random people on the street, had moms put their babies in my girls arms for pictures. There are no lines and no doors held open. The food.....can't even go there.  So different...so, so different. 

But what I did find were people who are hardworking and always cleaning. People who want to make a deal with you so that they can make ends meet. People who look at us like we are rich celebrities. People who helped us find the right gift to buy, the right size, the right color. People who stopped to give us a thumbs up after they pointed to all of our children. People,who told me we had beautiful children. People who didn't judge us for adopting one of their own. Store owners who would respond to the hug we gave. People who really are just getting by.

I will be honest, I don't really think I have a desire to come back, but my life will forever be changed by this trip, yes of course because of Luke, but changed because of these people. Changed at what we saw, heard and felt around us.

Of course China will always hold a special place in my heart because of Luke. I am honored I got to know more about his culture and so thankful to meet the women who cared for and loved on our boy. I never, ever thought we would adopt. I am beyond thankful and blessed The Lord called us to do this.  Last year, on June 10th we started this journey and it has been quite the year. Many tears, frustrations, too much paperwork, worrying about money and just waiting to hold our boy.  All of that is behind us now. In the room next to me, there is the cutest little boy taking a nap who is unaware of what just happened to him. He has no idea what he was rescued from. No idea of the life he would have had if he stayed an orphan.  Luke is so loved by us and we want the best for him, just like we want for Gracie, Halle and Avery. He is a Jackson and will be treated no different.  This adoption journey has changed me as a women, a daughter, a sister, a wife and as a mother.  It has made me have to trust God more, made my relationship with God deeper and made me fix things within myself. It has made me look at life differently and has made me pray more. People tell us, Luke is so blessed to be in our family. I tend to look at it the other way - The Jackson 5 are the ones who are blessed and forever changed by this sweet boy. I am honored and call it a privilege to be called of God to adopt an orphan.  My prayer for Luke is that he will one day know the Love of our Heavenly Father and have a relationship with Him. 

Tim and I want to thank everyone who has supported us through this journey. We are in awe at the outpouring of support and love. I was moved to tears more times than I can count. I was also left speechless. Thank you for helping there to be one less orphan in the world.  Please continue to pray for us as we make our way home. Pray for all the details that go with traveling (with 4 kids!).  Continue to pray for Luke as he adjusts to his new life. Pray for us over the next couple of days as we all adjust. 

Luke David Jackson, you are an orphan no more. 

Paperwork and medical exam

I finally was able to download more of our pictures. Here are some from Wednesday when we did our paperwork for Luke's passport. 

They needed Luke's handprint for the paperwork. 

On Thursday we headed to get Luke's medical checkup for his visa. We went with 4 other families from Holt. I was surprised at how fast this process went. Luke did really well. 

Here he is waiting his turn!

He reached out and grabbed Avery's hand!  It was the sweetest thing!

Here he is getting weighed. 

For dinner we ate at a Chinese restaurant and Gracie rocked the chopsticks!

Today we headed over to Shamian Island to go shopping.  I am so glad we did this. It was beautiful and we got a lot of great things. We went with another family that we have gotten to know since we have been in China. 

These were some of the things we bought from today!  They girls loved picking out new things!

Tomorrow we have a down day. Not sure what we will do yet. Luke is really doing well and seems to be adjusting and bonding well.  To help with his bonding, Tim and I are the only ones who feed him, carry him around, bathe him, change him and put him to bed. The girls and my mom play with him and he has sat on their laps a couple of times. We will continue to do this after we return home. At this point we feel he will only need this for a month or so after we get home. He has had so many people in and out of his life caring for him. He needs to know Tim and I love him and are here to stay. He really is doing well and each new day we see him letting walls down and he is letting us in. 

When we were matched with Luke we knew his right ear was not formed correctly. We also knew there was a chance the inner ear was not formed and he could be deaf in that ear. We were ok with that. We felt peace in knowing that it would be ok if he was deaf in one ear. The day we met him I didn't even think about his ear. His ear isn't an issue for us. I don't even notice it. We do now know, he is deaf in that ear. He has the start of an ear canal but it is closed off. We still don't know if the inner ear is formed and we won't know until he has a CT scan. Tim and I are not upset about this and we haven't even really thought about it. God has given us so much peace. We will do what it takes to get him 100% hearing in that ear. If there is nothing to be done, we are ok with that too. We love this boy just the way he is - his little ear and all!!  We are thrilled and feel so blessed The Lord has chosen us to be his parents. We don't look at this as a burden or a problem. 

Once again, thank you all for your prayers and support as we walk this road!!

One Less Orphan

First I want to say I am sorry I have not been updating. The wifi situation here is rough. I can only get wifi in our hotel room and we haven't been here much. To top it off the jet leg is really getting to us and we are exhausted. I started a post last night and couldn't even get past the first sentence because my eyes kept closing!   Thank you all for your prayers, posts, comments and excitement. We are blown away by the love. This May sound strange, but I can feel the prayers. God's peace and grace has been upon us. What an amazing feeling. 

On Tuesday we got up and got packed back up to head to Hebei. We went to the lobby to meet our guide. We finally got to meet the other American family that would get their son in the same provience. We are so thankful for this family and really enjoy spending time with them.  There were a total of ten of us that headed to the train station.  What an experience this was!!  Tons and tons of people. 10 of us which included 4 kids and a lot of luggage. By the time we got to the train we were exhausted. The train ride was nice and it gave me time to think and prepare. 

We we're told we would be meeting Luke at 3 in our hotel lobby. I was able to pray and prepare for this time. I had so much peace and was so calm. We  got to the hotel and had about 30 mins to get our luggage to our room and freshen up before we had to head to the lobby to meet him. This is the last picture of our family before we headed down to meet him. 

We asked the other family to come with us to take pictures and video tape it for us. We are so thankful for this other family.  As we entered thr lobby, we saw his nannies carrying him from the car. He looked tired and scared. They came right up to us and were talking to him in Chinese telling him we were his mom and dad and these were his sisters.  I brought a bear to give him and gave that to him. He took it. She then placed him in my arms. What a feeling!  He is the cutest little thing!  He is a little chunkier than we thought he would be. This boy loves to eat!!  We were able to talk to the nannies and ask questions. We gave them gifts for caring for Luke. The gave us gifts and also a photo album of pictures of him growing uo. What a treasure this was to us. They said he was really tired and needed a nap. We said our goodbyes to them and while we were still in the lobby he feel asleep on me!  Here our some pic form our first moments of meeting our son!

This is one of the directors of his orphanage and one of his nannies. It was obvious Luke was well cared for and loved.

After dinner we gave him a quick bath in the sink.  He didn't love it, but he tolerated it. 

Avery became a big sister today and is doing a gret job with her little brother!

Like I said, this boy loves to eat!!

Luke is a very sweet boy who is confused and greaving. Yesterday, Wednesday, we a bit of a rough day. We were gone all day for paperwork. We had to wait outside a lot and he isn't used to being help a lot. He was held a lot today because of the situation. He lost it in the late afternoon. He was tired, hungry and not wanting to be held. His nannies were there for part of the paperwork. He loved playing with them and being loved on by them. This brought confusion and hurt to him when they left. By the time we got him to bed last night he was done...poor boy. 

Please pray we can meet his needs and that we can bond with him. It is so hard being in another country and being exhausted. Pray for Tim and I as we care for him and show him we aren't going anywhere and we love him. Adoption is a rough journey and it isn't all pretty and I am ok with saying that!  In the end it will be so worth it. We already are so in love with him.  Pray as we continue to walk this road. Today, Thursday, we have a down day. We are so thankful for that. We need this!  We are praying we have a fun normal day with him. 

Thanks again for all the support. We miss home like crazy.....like really bad!  We can't wait to get home, but are enjoying seeing new things and learning about Luke's culture. Tomorrow we fly to Guangzhou to finalize his adoption. I will try my best and update soon!!

Picking Our Pumpkin

Today we went pumpkin picking and apple picking with the girls and had a wonderful time.  My Mom and sister had taken the girls to a pumpkin patch last weekend and let the girls each pick out their own pumpkin.  We went today to get our big one for the family.  We set out to find the perfect one.  It didn't take us too long to find the one we wanted.  We started to head back to the wagon and it hit me - we need to get our new brother or sister a pumpkin.  The girls were thrilled and we all headed out again.  This time it took a little longer to find the perfect pumpkin.  I watched the 3 girls looking and was in tears at the picture.  The sun was starting to set, the sky was beautiful and all I could see was my 3 girls looking for the perfect pumpkin for their new brother or sister.  Again the Lord was saying "It is on the horizon".  At times it seems like the day will never get here - the day we hold him/her in our arms.  This journey is like nothing else we have ever gone through.  It is hard, long and the unknown is always in front of us.  Today, once again the Lord reminded me that it is on the horizon.  Even through the unknown, I find peace in knowing we are in the center of God's will.  I love watching my girls get excited about our soon to be new life.  I rest in the fact that the Lord called us to care for the fatherless and I am honored and grateful the Lord is using our little family.  When we got back on the wagon, Gracie turned the pumpkin around and noticed the pumpkin was flat on one side and it was dirty and dinged up.  It hit me then that this child will come to us like this pumpkin.  He/she will need to be cleaned up and loved on in spite of its "issues".  Isn't that what God does with us?  Ignores our flat, rough and dirty spots and loves us unconditionally.  What a wonderful picture of adoption.  

I figured it was time for an update as we are moving along in our adoption process.  Our home study was finished and the final copy was mailed to us at the end of September. The same day we received it I was able to head to the post office to mail off our I-800A.  This is mailed to Homeland Security and it is basically us getting approval to bring a child back into the United States.  Right now it is taking a little over 2 months for the approval to come back.  In the meantime, I have finished all paperwork that I can finish at this point.  On Friday, I mailed all of our documents to Chicago for authentication.  Once we get our approval back from Homeland Security, there are two more things I will need to update and then we send all of our paperwork to our agency.  They will then review and send it to China!  Once our paperwork is approved in China we are then able to be matched with a child.  At this point, we are thinking this should be around the end of December or January. 

As we hit each stage in this process we owe different amounts of money.  As we come to each stage I always wonder (and at times worry) how we are going to come up with the money.  To date, the Lord has provided all we have needed and at the times we have needed it.  Each time this happens I am in awe.  We owe $3000 in the next couple weeks.  We had some of it but still needed most of it.  We had our huge garage sale and made $2,800!!  Wow!  We were blown away at the amount.  I was even more blown away when I realized the $3,000 we owed would be covered and we would have a little left over.  With each of the amounts we owe I am learning to trust Him.  When we are matched with our child we will owe close to $12,000.  Up to this point the amounts we have owed have been between $500 and $3,000.  So, the $12,000, lets say on one hand has me really worried.  On the other hand, I have peace and I can't wait to see the Lord work.  Would you join us in praying that this amount would be met by the time we are matched? 

Welcome!

We decided to start this blog for a couple of reasons.  One, we know that many of you would like to follow along with us in this journey.  Thank you for caring, supporting us and praying with us.  I will get to the other reason at the end of this.  I first want to share our story with you and explain why we are on this journey.

About 4 years ago I received the book "Choosing to SEE" by Mary Beth Chapman.  That was the first time I felt God speaking to my heart about adoption.  I must admit, I was the person who said adoption is wonderful, but it isn't for my little family.  Wow...how the Lord has softened my heart and made me see so differently.  I shared with Tim that the Lord was speaking to me about adoption.  He said he would pray about it.  We did pray about it together and separately for the next couple of years.  About a year ago we knew we were to adopt and we just needed to know when and from where.  We starting researching and knocking on doors and nothing was opening up and we had no peace.  But, we still felt called to adopt.  So, we prayed and I struggled and I was questioning God.  This past May, our family went to Destin for our vacation.  I was on the beach talking to God.  It was very overcast and no sun was shinning through.  I was crying out to God asking Him why He would lay this on our hearts and for it to not happen.  I asked God to give me some encouragement.  He did.  The clouds parted ever so slightly and the sun peaked through and shone right down on me and I heard God say "It is on the horizon."  The sun hadn't been out all day.  It was like He was saying "Trust Me - I got this thing covered."  From that moment on the beach, the Lord has still chosen to show me unbelievable sunsets, clouds with the sun peaking through and moments I know without a doubt He is still saying to me "It is on the horizon"

Once we felt the time was right for the adoption, all the details have fallen into place.  For 4 years we were waiting and praying and nothing was happening.  God said it is time and we are off and running.  Every detail has fallen into place thus far.  When I get stressed about paperwork, money or details of the adoption,  I hear God say "It is on the horizon"

Now on to reason two for this blog.  Even though we feel the Lord calling us to adopt an orphan it costs thousands of dollars.  Money we don't have.  We are trusting the Lord will provide the funds.  He didn't bring us to this place to then leave us.  He will provide.  That being said, we are not just sitting back waiting for money to come down from Heaven.  We are cutting back on our expenses in our personal lives.  We will be having a huge garage sale and all the proceeds will go towards the adoption.  There is also a trivia night in the works.  Tim has already done a couple of odd jobs and made a couple pieces of furniture.  That money is going towards the adoption as well.

We are praying that God would provide the resources.  We have committed to not go into debt, and believe that if we move forward in faith, the adoption costs will be covered.  Please consider partnering with us in this incredible journey of faith.  It certainly isn't for the faint of heart, but knowing the end result will be a life well loved. 

I at times question God as to why He would pick Tim and I for this journey.  I feel honored to be able to bring an orphan into our family and love on a child that would otherwise never know the love of a family and most importantly our Lord and Savior.  For He adopted all of us.

We will be posting info on the trivia night and garage sale soon.