Before I started this blog, I had read and followed A LOT of other journeys. I always wondered why once everyone got closer to the end the post seem to be few and far between. Everyone would blog over even the smallest things at the start and then everything ran in to one post in the last stages. WELL NOW I KNOW!! Everything is so crazy with I800,PDF,Cabled, Visa app's, flights, what to pack, where to stay, do's and dont's while in country, getting things ready at home, how to fly into and out of country not to mention the in country travel! And lets not forget how in the world are we going to come up with the THOUSANDS still left to be paid in six weeks! uuggghhhhh to say that it is overwhelming is an under statement! So for all of you that do read this blog...here is my update on everything that I have not had time to blog......
Chinese New Year! What a special time! People question .."he is going to be an American now...why are you going to celebrate that with him"? Well let me explain. Put aside all the books I have read that teaches you that ignoring ones culture may be interrupted as you do not except them as what they are and that you are trying to turn them into something else. But let me tell you what I experienced. We went to a local Chinese restaurant with some close family friends and all of their blessings from China. (I love all those babies dearly!) Each child had on their silk Chinese outfits. They were so stinkin cute it was crazy! But here is what is truly amazing. The owners and his wife came out to see all of them. As is custom for CNY they gave each child a red envelope with brand new money in it! Even though they live in the US (and have for quite some time) they took the time to go to the bank and get BRAND NEW money for these children because that is what is custom! Not to mention they gave 14 children $5!! It MEANS something to them! Those adoption hormone's kicked in (YES they are a real condition!!) and I was crying at the table. To know that the culture and customs of their country is so important to them and that they still carry those on and that they wanted to share that with these children, who are thousands of miles from their birth land, touched me. (FYI they did give all the American born children one too) To think that next year OUR son will be able to participate in this tradition humbled me. I cant not wait to teach him about his homeland and the customs/traditions!
Update on our journey...we have our I800 approval (homeland security clearance for Kyle) and he has approval from the National Visa Center. All of this information has been forwarded to China. Our agencies in country coordinator, Richard, dropped everything off to the appropriate agency on Tuesday. This step takes two weeks NO MATTER WHAT, so it will be picked up on March 5! Once we get that, we wait on our Travel approval...then WE BOOK FLIGHTS!!! so we are in the final countdown!!
Please remember us in your prayers! We have a lot of planning to do. From hotels to flights to packing. Pray we don't forget anything and that we will get the best rates. Also that we will travel when God wants us to. Continue to pray for Kyle's heart and prepare it for us. This little guy has alot of change coming. Even though it is for the better...all he will know is that some strange white people, who talks this weird langauge is taking him away from everything he has known. Also we are in need of the last of our adoption funds! God has brought us this far and I know he will not let us down. Just hard for me not to focus on the HUGE mountain!Thank you for your support!!
One last note..I finally figured out how to add a paypal button for donations. Now all you have to do is click on the paypal icon and you can donate to our adoption fund!
Thank you for taking the time to follow our journey and most importantly for you love and support!
hope you enjoy the photos of the kids at CNY and of Kyle celebrating CNY!
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