FINGERPRINT APPOINTMENT!!!!

FINALLY!! And still 3 weeks away! UGH! Can the USCIS office be any SLOWER??? Oh well....just glad to have the appointment!!!! On Aug. 18th we will be printed! I really wanted to be DTC by now...but in GOD's timing!

I surrender....

I surrender. I quit. I can no longer stand trying to take on the weight of this adoption process. The last 2 days have been an emotional rollercoaster for me. And today has been no different! Maybe it is because I have finished our dossier in record time. Maybe it is because I can be a control freak. Maybe it is because I am a mom who is in her late 40's who is hormonal! Maybe it is in fact all of the above! I finally broke today. Broke down and cried. Broke down and emailed my coordinator with frantic words. And maybe, just maybe, and that is a BIG maybe, it is the devil at me.Yes, it is SATAN! And he has been at me all week! We have been waiting for our fingerprinting appointment for 2 weeks. It has been setting me CRAZY! Each day I darn near attack our poor mailman, and every day is the same...NO APPOINTMENT LETTER! Well, today I could not take it any more! SOOOO, I called the USCIS office in Missouri.I spoke to a very nice officer by the name of James. He preceded to tell me that "YES, you are to be printed on AUG 18th in LOUISVILLE." WHAT?????? AUG 18th????? That is still 3 weeks away!!!!!!!!!!! I lost it. I could not deal with another 3 weeks! UGH!

Now friends, here is where the story gets interesting. The first thing I do when I get up is flip on my radio. My radio is always on K-LOVE. When I flipped on the radio this morning my favorite song by Josh Wilson was playing. The  song is titled DARK BEFORE THE MORNING. The first time I ever heard it, I fell in love with it! The words were so profound. As the day progressed I got more depressed and aggravated about our appt. I had to run some errands, so I get in my van, and guess what song is playing on the radio? The same song! I get home, turn on the radio a few hours later, and there it is again!! So I began to wonder..." Is HE trying to convey something to me through my fav. song?" So I get on You Tube and type in Josh Wilson. WELL, up pops a link to Josh on Facebook! SWEET! I quickly join his group on facebook, and up pops a video. It is Josh explaining how he came up with the words to Dark Before the Morning. He began to explain how his friend had to put his complete trust in GOD when he was faced with being told his unborn son would be better off if he and his wife would abort him. The man went on to explain that they chose NOT to abort,and how GOD has used their son who was not to live past birth, for the last 8 years. He said something so profound that I felt so ashamed of myself for trying to be in control of a situation that I have no control over. The man said, "If I trust GOD with my eternity, then I MUST trust him with my son!" WOW! What a profound statement. At that moment I finally asked GOD to forgive me for trying to do HIS job. I surrendered. I to undertood that if I trusted GOD with my eternity, and I most certainly do, then I had to put this adoption back in his hands. His hands were ALWAYS in it...I just tried to interfere!  There is a verse in the song that says that all the pain that we have been facing, is nothing to the joy that is coming. I started to think about the JOY that I will be feeling when my precious Eli is placed in my arms...and yes, the JOY is coming! GOD is holding my precious boy. He has always been holding him. And while I wait, it is just the dark before the morning!

JOY UNSPEAKABLE!!

Helping to bring orphans home has become my passion! I have just placed a "button" on my page! It is JOY UNSPEAKABLE" PLEASE click on the button and go to my friend Lori's blog! Please read about their journey to bring home their son! If possible, please donate! She has a chipin button on her page! Let's storm the gates of heaven for peoples hearts and minds to be open to get this young man home!!!!

Blessed to get these pictures of Zach!

We were so very blessed to get these pictues of Zach!

FTIA REUNION!

Saturday the 17th was the FTIA Reunion in Noblesville! We always enjoy going every year. Forest Park is an awesome park that FTIA rents for the day. The park has a working caousel, a putt putt golf course, and many differnt play areas with some really awesome play equipment!
This year marked the 15th Anniversary for FTIA! 15 years of creating families thru International adoption!  The girls were able to put their handprints on a huge canvas that FTIA had designed for their headquarters in E-ville.  What an honor to be part of an awesome organization!! Wish our little Eli could of been there for that to, but I am hoping he will be here next year!

We met a lot of new friends, as no one from our travel groups were able to make it this year. Thank you FTIA for another great picnic!!!!

More Zach pics!

Pics of Zach @ Kn*x!!

CHECK IN

We have been so blessed to be able to get these pics of Zach while he is at Kn*x. He is in Br*vo Co. and they have a Facebook page for their platoon! They post pics and videos of the soldiers as they are training! Zach is really rocking BT and absolutely LOVES it!! I knew he would! He will be there until August, and then he will leave for Georgia where he will do his AIT/MOS until March. After that he will go somewhere to do his OTS (Officer Training School). We have received many letters, but the pics we have of him are priceless to us! The base church also has a fan page where they take pics and deliver messages to the guys that are there! We are so grateful to the individuals responsible for keeping us updated about the daily lives of our sons, husbands, brothers.....etc! I have posted some pics of Zach from the last month at Kn*x.

The earliest picture we have of our baby boy!!

We were blessed to be given this pic of our baby boy! Doesn't he look adorable??!!!

Here is a video of our precious boy!!!!

http://share.shutterfly.com/share/received/welcome.sfly?fid=324fa237fc8891aa&sid=0AcMXDJs0csmLzA

UPDATED PICS OF OUR PRECIOUS BOY!!!!

 I can't wait to get my hands on HIM!!!! HE IS SOOO HANDSOME!!!!

ALL ABOUT ELIJAH CRAIG!!!!

Elijah is a blessing! A blessing that began in our hearts in 2006 while we were waiting on Ellye's referral. It was at this time that GOD began to speak to me about special needs children, and the little boys that were living in China with no mommy or daddy. I tried to dismiss the thought that perhaps there was a little boy waiting for us there as well. When we traveled in 07 to China to get Ellye, there were several families in our group that were adopting boys! One little fellow touched my very soul...it was then that I knew that GOD was indeed laying something very special on my heart! When we were home just a few months with Ellye, there was a little boy on the FTIA list that I absolutely fell in love with! I was in love with him, but we could not start paperwork for 6 months to bring him home. I knew that he would be snatched immediately! And he was...I must say I was heart broken. I loved him. I knew what GOD was telling me! I talked with Craig and we both agreed that we felt like there was a little guy waiting for us & we would start to save for his adoption! As with all things, it is always in GOD'S timing!
2008 rolled around & Zach graduated college. He found a job as a youth minister and we were able to save some money back for our adoption journey! Then the recession hit! Zach lost his job. We tried to help him out as much as possible. Our savings took a big hit! I started to wonder if God was trying to tell me, "NO, Kim, this is not the journey I have planned for you." I still felt that it was something that GOD wanted us to do. I even started to pray that if it was just me, that GOD would take the desire away from me. That desire never left my heart, it only grew stronger.
     In April of  2010, I emailed our coordinator and told her we still wanted a little guy from China. She shared with me that FTIA was going to be given an exclusive list of children, primarily little boys. I shared the news with Craig and we immediately sent in our application to adopt a precious little boy!!
I began to look at the shared list of children with special needs. Special needs in China are very different than what we would consider special needs. Most of the children are abandoned if they are born with cleft lip/palate, birthmarks, missing limbs...etc. Is it right not to adopt those children?? Should those children be fatherless, motherless, without a family? No way! Every child deserves a family!
     The exclusive list of children came out and there were no children in our age range. So I began to look at the lists of shared children for 2 months! I decided that we would just let GOD take care of our referral. One June 24th, I decided to look again. I decided to look at older lists of children. I went to the children that were put on the list in April. I started looking at kids in our age range. I came across 2 little boys I thought I would check out. I clicked on Shao Ren He's file and I fell in love with him instantly! There was this gorgeous little boy staring at me from my computer screen. What are the chances he would still be available?? I emailed Betty, our coordinator immediately to see if he was still available. She said she would check to see, but it would be the next day before she would know something because of the time differnce in China! I immediately called Craig and had him check out this beautiful little boy that I had come across. I prayed all day! It was the longest 24 hours of my life!!!! I did not sleep all night! I literally prayed until 3 am. I was praying for Zach. Praying his military training was going well, and praying for a little boy I so desperately wanted to be a momma to!! So I was up early and emailing Betty! No news! Well, it just so happens that it was Olivia's birthday! I was busy that morning getting things ready for her special day. At around 9:30 I decided to check my email! AN EMAIL FROM BETTY!! OMW!! I HELD MY BREATH! I clicked onthe email and started to cry, jump up and down, and scream with joy! HE WAS AVAILABLE!!!! I immediately emailed her back telling her to LOCK that file!!!
I woke Kayleigh up and called Craig immediately!!!! Had we found our son???? Betty, GOD love her, emailed the Beijing office at MIDNIGHT and actually got ahold of someone asking them to LOCK THAT FILE!!!!!! I felt like the folks on extreme makeover as they yell "MOVE THAT BUS!" We took his file to the doc and had it looked over! The doc said he was a beautiful, healthy one year old!! We knew he was our son! We came home immediately and  emailed Betty back to tell her that we wanted to be his family!!!!!
Now here is the GOD thing. Eli had been on the list for over 2 months..I had been looking at those files for months and I never saw this file! This little boy was gorgeous with a very minor need and he was not taken????....he had been born on June 1, and abandoned on JUNE 25th!!!!OLIVIA's Birthday and the day we LOCKEd his file! The day we sent in our Letter of Intent to adopt him!!! What are the odds that this little guy was available for us?? GOD knew that his file was not to be looked at because he had him in mind for us!!!! We sent in our LOI on June 28th and received our preapproval on July 1st!!! 

I know some of you are wondering what Eli's special need is. Well, by looking at him you will never know! He has 2 ribs that are shorter than the others! Not a special need at all! WE feel so blessed to have him as our son! We know that GOD orchastrated this story perfectly! This child has been growing in our hearts for years.....and here is GOD's faithfulness! And to top it off.....the adoption is paid for! GOD provided all funds for this! HE IS SO GOOD!!!! Everything has worked prefectly by GOD'S hands!!HE has opened every door! Thank you GOD for this child! We love him already!!!!

It is with GREAT JOY & PRAISE TO GOD WE INTRODUCE TO YOU........

ELIJAH CRAIG SHAO RENHE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We received PA today and we are over the moon with joy!!!! Eli is from Hangzhou City, Zheijiang Provence! He just turned one on June 1st! Isn't he beautiful??!!!!!!!