Great Wall, Cloisonne Factory, & Meeting with Old and New Friends

Today was a busy and amazing day. We saw so many things. The Cloisonne Factory is where they make beautiful pots out of copper. The Great Wall was unbelievable. In the picture we are with Karen & Ron whose daughter is in the same orphanage as Eliza. When we returned to our hotel we saw our exchange student from 3 years ago, Han Lin and we met his parents, Yang Hong & Xue Mei. They treated us to an authentic Chinese dinner. You would not believe some of the things we were served. This family warmed our heart with their love and hospitality. The Lord is so amazing to bring us all together. He is blowing our minds with His abundant blessings.

Scenes from Beijing

Today we explored some of Beijing. We went to the grocery store, McDonalds, and an acrobatic show. It was all pretty amazing. Sorry if my writing is brief but I am heading off to bed and very loopy from Jet Lag. Tomorrow will be very busy with the Great Wall and the Cloisonne Factory. I definitely need my rest so I can climb the wall. "I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me."

We Made It!

After 15 hours in the air and one connecting flight in Tokyo we finally arrived in Beijing. We are getting ready to set out on a day rest and an acrobatic show. We are such tourists. After getting to our room last night it took us a good 15 minutes to figure out how to turn the lights on. I don't think many locals see tall red headed people. We must be quite a sight to them.

Thank you all for your prayers. Please continue to pray for us and our health. The long flights have taken a toll on us. May we be glorifying to the Lord above all else.

Love to all and especially to Ethan, Emma, and Faith. Consider this an official "shout out" from China.

Packed and Ready!

We are packed and ready to go! Just a little longer and we will be on our way to Beijing. We are so blessed to have so many people praying for us and supporting us. Thank you all! Please continue to pray for us and all four of our children. Leaving Ethan, Emma, and Faith for two weeks is hard yet we are blessed beyond measure to be welcoming Eliza into our family. May we all have adventures to share when we are together in two weeks. It warms my heart to know all of our family will all be together soon.

April 7th is the Big Day!

We just received our final itinerary and April 7th is the day we will receive Eliza! Just 11 more days until we get to hold our little one! We are busy packing and taking care of the "little" details that come up when traveling. Everything is coming together. It's really happening!!!!!!

Happy Resurrection Day!

He is risen! We are so grateful to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for His sacrifice. We have had a great Easter weekend filled with Easter Egg Hunts, lots of good food, fellowship with our Church Family, and even a great movie (Horton Hears a Who is really good!).

Next week we head off to China to meet our new baby girl. This Easter season will always be remembered as the time God chose to bring our family together. These last few years of waiting have been filled with joy, longing, and emotional ups and downs. As much as we have gone through to adopt Eliza it is nothing compared to what God went through to adopt us into His family. We didn't have to sacrifice our son or die for other people's sin. The changes He asked us to go through and the softening of our hearts wasn't even done by us--He did it all. Words cannot express how much I love my Lord. Without a doubt it will be a joyous occasion when we finally have Eliza in our arms but it cannot compare to the joy in heaven when someone gives their life to Christ and is adopted into His family. We pray for the day when Eliza will accept His gift of eternal life. May we be parents who honor the Lord and teach our children to love Him deeply.

Guess Who is Going to China!

WE ARE!!!!! We just received word this morning that we will arriving in Beijing on April 3rd and coming home on April 16th. We will get Eliza sometime around the 6th. We are soooooo thankful for all the prayers and for God's answering yes to us going before the trade fair. We will have our daughter in our arms before she is 10 months old. WHAT A GIFT!!!!



This face says it all!