It's happening fast!!

Seriously, people! I'm pretty much blown away. We received word today that China has officially approved us to adopt Baby Zeb! Oh my!! We expect to be able to post his photos by Thursday. Brad and I had to renew our Hague Adoption Training tonight. After that, our agency will ship over the official paperwork, and then we can share his beautiful face with everyone!

In the meantime, with the pace moving so quickly, we are prayerfully and expectantly waiting and watching for the funds we need for each step of the way. Thank you SO MUCH to those who have contributed. You have such a special place in Zeb's life story. (The Mother's Day fundraiser continues through Sunday!)

Zeke is old enough to enjoy hearing stories about how so-and-so prayed for him to come home, and this person made a blanket for him while we waited, and this person bought him toys or clothes because they were so excited about his homecoming. We will be able to tell each of our kids these extraordinary stories. It helps them know how much they are loved, how intensely they are WANTED, and how hard we prayed for them to join our family and become part of an entire community of people who care deeply about them!

Why We're Doing This

I recall a time when we were waiting to adopt Zeke that we looked at families who had adopted more than two kids and we jokingly called them hoarders. Yes, we were joking and yes, we were envious. From where we stood (having no kids), we couldn't even imagine what it would be like to be blessed with two kids or more! So, now that we're in a totally different position, here's why we're adopting a third child:

First, we have more love to give.

Our hearts are overflowing with love for Zeke and Quilla, and then we imagine what it would be like to grow our hearts even more to encompass a third child, and it's pretty exciting.

Second, Missy lost a dear friend last year who left behind two precious children. That loss helped us reflect on what's truly important in life. We also thought about this: One way you can impact the world, even after you've left it, is by raising children who carry a part of you forward and become world-changers themselves.

Third, we didn't want to get to the end of our lives and say, "We went part of the way to adopt a child from China, as far as preparing a dossier and sending, and we had the love to give another child, but in the end, we didn't do it."

I don't know if any of those reasons resonate with you, or make sense. But after much prayer and discussion, they make complete sense to us. We can't wait to welcome Baby Zeb into our home and family!

And one final thought that struck me as being especially poignant in our journey of building a family...It's from "The Lucky One" by Nicholas Sparks:

“She was struck by the simple truth that sometimes the most ordinary things could be made extraordinary, simply by doing them with the right people...” 

By the way, next Sunday is the deadline for participating in our Mother's Day fundraiser. It's a beautiful way to honor a special person in your life while showing love to orphans in China! Of course, whether you participate in this fundraiser or not, we appreciate all donations toward our adoption of Baby Zeb!

This is Love!! Honor Your Mother or Other Special Person by Showing Love to Orphans!!

 For a minimum gift of $30, we'll send this card featuring the Chinese character for love on your behalf to a woman you want to honor for Mother's Day. Whatever contribution you make will be split 50-50 between Half the Sky and Baby Zeb's adoption fund. Click the Paypal button to the right. When you give, please let us know the name(s) you want for the "from" portion of the card and the name and address of the recipient. THANK YOU for choosing to show your love for orphans this Mother's Day!

Girl, Get Outta That Boat!

Yes, God calling me out of the boat and into the waves sets off alarm bells inside me and they twist my stomach into knots. It's so comfortable in the boat where I can be the one who supports other people who are fundraising, where money for our adoption quietly and consistently arrives right on schedule, and the miracles of how our adoptions get funded stay quiet. Well, I've left the boat behind and I'm in unchartered waters. I told my sister tonight that Zeb's adoption will be the result of many miracle donations, people choosing to be a part of his life story in a very special way. I'm so thankful for the gifts we've received so far. No, thankful is too small a word for it. I'm humbled, encouraged, surprised, overjoyed, and grateful. Somehow, there's not a single word to sum up how I feel. We have a long way to go as we navigate these waters, but we aren't alone. There is one who has gone before us, making the path smooth and straight. And we have all of you walking with us as well. Loving this child and getting him home is a feeling like walking on air...or water.

Announcing the Mother's Day fundraiser!! For a minimum gift of $30, we will mail a card from you to any woman you choose saying you've contributed to Half the Sky (a foundation providing care and love to orphans in China) and Baby Zeb's adoption fund in her honor for Mother's Day. Whatever your donation, we'll split it 50-50 between Half the Sky and Baby Zeb's adoption fund. Also, we'll have a mock-up of the card soon! If you think this is the PERFECT gift for a mom or woman you know, click on the DONATE button on our blog. Be sure to leave the name(s) you want put on the card for who it's from and the name and address of the recipient. THANK YOU FOR SHOWING LOVE TO ORPHANS!!!!

We've been matched to a baby boy in China! Hooray!!

FWD: