Travel Approval

Today is the day that we have been waiting for since August, when we began our lengthy application process to adopt from China.  The past few months have been like Christmas, ever since we were matched with Charlotte, and with each milestone, we've gotten closer to our ultimate goal:  meeting Charlotte and bringing her home to her family and friends.  I have to add an aside here about her/our family and friends.  Sharing this news and excitement with all of you has confirmed what Wade and I already knew - in the area of family and friends, we are rich.  I get emotional when I think about the support network that Charlotte will have and the Godly people that will surround her and love her.  You have overwhelmed Wade and I with your generosity, prayers, love, and to be able to bring her into this group of people is a gift.

God has truly gone before us in speeding up a process that is normally not sped up.  It really is unheard of for government agencies to take a shorter amount of time to process a family in the adoption process.   Normally, you face the opposite issue. So, we have been amazed to hear time and time again, "Wow, that should have taken a couple of months, or a few weeks, but we've already gotten back your clearance."  So, it's no surprise that today was similar.  We knew that our paperwork had been picked up at the China Consulate yesterday (the last step of the process), but we didn't know how long before we received approval from China to travel and our dates.  Wade emailed the travel coordinator this morning, and soon after I got a call.  She was about to email us that we would have to wait a couple of weeks when she noticed an email that gave us our travel approval and she added that we were the fastest approval they've had.  So, with that, our Gotcha Day will be on Monday, June 13, and our consulate appointment in Guangzhou will be the following week, either June 20, 21, or 22.

Please pray for the details that surround the preparations to travel, for Wade and myself, but also for Sarah Catherine and Margaret, as we're away.  Please pray for Charlotte as she will be taken away from all that's familiar to her, and that Wade and I will be able to comfort her and be what she needs us to be throughout a difficult couple of weeks for her.  Pray that Wade and I will be an encouragement and a reflection of God's grace with the people that we have the privilege of interacting with in China.

Someone was praying with us on Sunday and she said something that I've been holding onto because it's exactly how I feel, but wasn't eloquent enough to verbalize.  This is God's idea and His plan, and He is preparing every part of it, from the flights to the people that we'll meet, as well as His provision for Sarah Catherine and Margaret while we're gone.  Wade and I are incredibly grateful to be a part of this story, and look forward to seeing the unfolding of it, knowing He will reveal more of His goodness and grace throughout the journey.  Thank you for being a big part of it as well.