Praise the Lord!

The LORD is my strength and my shield; My heart trusted in Him, and I am helped; Therefore my heart greatly rejoices, And with my song I will praise Him. Psalm 28:7

Thank you to all of you faithful who have been fervently praying for us on this trip and especially for today! I praise you Lord for all you have done and are going to do in my daughter’s life and in mine!
She made it! I can’t say with no crying but so minimal it doesn’t even matter! She walked and playfully ran through the airport! Woohoo! First major challenge averted! Lord you are soooo good! Whined a little while waiting for tickets but truly minimal. While waiting for the plane, she decided she too wanted to carry bags like Laolao (maternal grandmother) and mama were so we gave her the “potty” bag. She was pleased as punch to drag it around in our area! She thought she was pretty special! She got on the plane and only whined a little about putting the seat belt. She slept for an hour and got whiny after two hours but I got up and took her to the bathroom and she was content again. Changing scenery seems to help. So does giving her those 5 minute warnings. It will be so much easier when we both understand each other more.
Driver Gu picked us up at the airport. He told me she was beautiful. I do agree. We got to SFCV and were met by friends. She needed a nap so I had to hold people off for a while. Transition was making her whiny…as expected but still nothing in comparison to what we have been going through. Thank you Lord! She didn’t want to get up from her nap but once we got her outside, my baby girl was back in action. She wanted to be down and with the children. She stayed near me and made sure she knew where I was but still was willing to talk to my friends and the other children here. Lord, you are soooo good!
The hardest moment for me was when one of the nannies asked me why I didn’t adopt a child from here. I tried to explain that you can’t always get matched with a child that you desire, especially once you are already with a specific agency. I know there are so many God stories out there testifying of beating those odds but also I know this is the child God created just for me.
This wise nanny told me that all the children here need a mother and a father to take care of them. I told her they were blessed to have them to love them until that time comes. She told me it is not the same. I agree. May those of you who have never witnessed the miracle of adoption or the precious face of an orphan see what happens to a child when they enter into a family. Though they may be loved where they are, there will NEVER be anything that can be as good to them as a family to call their own. I ask those of you who have no children, already “have enough” or have already raised a family to consider this. Is He calling you to adopt? Is He calling you to step out and help orphans in some way? Find out. If it is adoption, it is the most amazing thing you will ever experience in your life and the blessings you could bring to a child’s life with be numerous.
Tomorrow, I must say many goodbyes to people I have come to love here and will forever be in my heart. I don’t understand why God moves many people out of here that the Chinese have come to love and respect but I do know that He leaves that whole in their heart so He can fill it if they let Him in. Pray for the Chinese staff here that do not yet know Him as well as pray the staff here that does know Him will speak boldly in His name and testify what He has done in their lives.
Lord I am just so glad that you are my Savior and that you are with me and my daughter as we go through each and every day!