The Stricklands have arrived back in Amarillo! We are extremely tired, but overjoyed to be with our family again. Mason had a rough trip home because of the time difference and exhaustion. He sobbed nearly all the way from Los Angeles to Dallas. He is doing much better since we got off the plane, let him meet his brothers, sisters and grandparents, fed him breakfast, and showed him his wonderful new room. He and the little girls are so precious together.
Thanks again to all of you who prayed for our trip to go smoothly. God answered above and beyond what we asked for. Mason continues to do incredibly well, and he and our other children have bonded with one another so quickly. I will post some pictures later today of our first minutes together as a family. We love you all!!
Saturday, May 19, 2007
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Our last post from China
We have survived our last night in a hotel, the bags are almost packed, and we are even excited about the 24 hour trip home! We have a busy day ahead of us as we do some last minute group shopping, go to the consulate, check out of the hotel, and head to the airport. Please pray that Mason does much better on this flight. I know the last one was difficult because of the grieving, but he also does not like to sit still for 5 minutes - much less 24 hours.
Thank you for all of your sweet comments on this blog, your prayers, meals for our children, and just being our sweet family and friends. We love you and will be home in 36 hours!!!!
Thank you for all of your sweet comments on this blog, your prayers, meals for our children, and just being our sweet family and friends. We love you and will be home in 36 hours!!!!
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
What a small world!
On both of our previous adoption trips, we made great friendships with our precious facilitators. Samson, our helper on Molly's adoption trip, is one of the best facilitators in China. We have kept in touch with him and got to meet his new wife and baby last night! We found Ann, our 2nd facilitator, on the streets of Guangzhou our first night here. She is a doll, and has a sweet little 3 year old boy. When we adopted Madelyn in the Jiangxi province, our facilitator in Nanchang was a wonderful woman named Guilan. She is probably in her 50s and was quite the "little general." She was able to keep our large adoption group in line :) She and Madelyn also share the same birthday which made for an even deeper friendship. Last night after Samson and his family left our hotel room, I thought that this trip would be perfect if we could see Guilan again. We got on the hotel elevator this morning, and there she was!!! We will be able to spend time with her tonight after our cruise. It is a very small world.
All of our consulate paperwork has gone through inspection. and everything was filled out correctly - way to go Randy!!! We will pick up Mason's Chinese passport and visa later today, and leave for home tomorrow! For all of you Texans. our flight here leaves about the time you will wake up on Friday morning. We arrive in Amarillo at 8:00 a.m. on Saturday!!!!!! We can't wait to hold all of our children.
All of our consulate paperwork has gone through inspection. and everything was filled out correctly - way to go Randy!!! We will pick up Mason's Chinese passport and visa later today, and leave for home tomorrow! For all of you Texans. our flight here leaves about the time you will wake up on Friday morning. We arrive in Amarillo at 8:00 a.m. on Saturday!!!!!! We can't wait to hold all of our children.
3 days and counting!
We love China, but we miss all of you! Today was adoption paperwork day for Randy and shopping day for Mason and Mom. All adopted children are required to have a physical before they can leave this country, and so we took Mason to the clinic this afternoon. Mason passed his physical with flying colors! Tomorrow night we will take another boat cruise (different river than the last one), and spend quality time with our adoption group. Friday morning is the long anticipated trip to the DVD store :) and our adoption ceremony at the consulate. Then the Stricklands leave for the airport and home!
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Fun day in Guangzhou
What a difference a day makes! Yesterday we had a very sad little boy, and today he seems happier than ever. The rest of our travel group (6 families) has joined us, and Mason loves the little girls in the group. I think he has really missed his younger foster sisters. Molly and Madelyn are going to have another great big brother! Mason is particularly fond of one little girl in our group. He pushed her stroller and made sure that she didn't run out of snacks and water during our morning tour. He is such a sweetie!
We were taken to the Buddhist temple this morning - always a reminder to us that China is very lost to the truth. Watching people burn incense and bow to golden idols is sad and unsettling. Many crippled people stand outside the temple gate and beg for money. Our guide told us not to give money to any of them because it might start a "stampede." Such a sad and lost place.
There are many shops around our hotel to buy gifts and clothing for little girls. One shop is a "friendship" store. All of the proceeds from that shop go to a Christian organization that sponsors special needs orphans in the poorest parts of China. Much of the clothing in the store is made by women with leprosy who would not be able to support themselves without this precious organization. They also have an online store at www.agiftfromchina.com
4 more days!!!!!
We were taken to the Buddhist temple this morning - always a reminder to us that China is very lost to the truth. Watching people burn incense and bow to golden idols is sad and unsettling. Many crippled people stand outside the temple gate and beg for money. Our guide told us not to give money to any of them because it might start a "stampede." Such a sad and lost place.
There are many shops around our hotel to buy gifts and clothing for little girls. One shop is a "friendship" store. All of the proceeds from that shop go to a Christian organization that sponsors special needs orphans in the poorest parts of China. Much of the clothing in the store is made by women with leprosy who would not be able to support themselves without this precious organization. They also have an online store at www.agiftfromchina.com
4 more days!!!!!
Monday, May 14, 2007
A dad's thoughts on Mother's Day in China
I really intended to post this yesterday (Mother's Day) but we had a busy day and I never got it done.
Let me begin by saying how thankful Mary and I both are for our mothers (and fathers too). We are so blessed to have parents who have always loved, encouraged us and taught us right principles to live by. Thank you Mom and Dad and Barbara and Lyle. We love you very much.
I also want to say how blessed I am to have Mary as my wife and as mother to our six children. She is an amazing woman. I thank God for her every day. I have never had any doubt from the day that I fell in love with her that she was the one that God intended to be my partner for life. She is the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. I love her more today than I ever have.
This is our third trip to China. Our hearts have grown to love the Chinese people. Since we have just spent Mother's Day in China, I really wanted to share my thoughts and feelings to defend Chinese mothers who give their babies up for adoption. This is our third adoption from China. We are often asked, "How can a mother abandon her baby?" I asked myself the same question may times before our first adoption.
God began to change my way of thinking during our first trip to China. I was sitting alone in a seat on the back of a bus. Mary, Missy and Molly were in the seat in front of me. We had just had Molly for four days. There were six other couples and their adopted baby girls in our travel group on the bus too. The bus was taking us to the sites where each of our babies was found before they were taken to the orphanage (the "finding site"). The bus was unusually quiet as each couple was allowed to get off the bus and spend a few minutes at the particular site where their baby was found. We were the last to go because Molly's finding site was the farthest from the orphanage.
As I sat there on the bus thinking about Molly and her birth mother, God gave me a picture that I will never forget. It was the picture that I had seen in a children's Bible of Mose's mother and sister as they placed baby Moses in a basket in the water so that he might be found and his life might be spared. It was as if God was saying that Molly's mother had done what she knew in her heart would be best for Molly.
Molly's finding site was on a street corner near a market area. Mary and I have often imagined that her mother brought her there early one morning before the markets opened. She probably wrapped her warmly in a blanket and left her in a place she knew Molly would be found quickly. We have even imagined that her mother might very possibly have hidden and waited to make sure she was found. Whatever the case, we know that Molly's mother's actions did not escape God's sight. As we stood there in that place that morning I was overwhelmed by God's presence. We huddled together as a family on that corner and prayed- thanking God for Molly and her birth parents- and praying that someday we will meet them in heaven.
Chinese mothers are no different than any other mothers. They love their children just like we love our children. We pray that each of our adopted children will always know that their birth mother loved them dearly.
Happy Mother's Day from China.
Let me begin by saying how thankful Mary and I both are for our mothers (and fathers too). We are so blessed to have parents who have always loved, encouraged us and taught us right principles to live by. Thank you Mom and Dad and Barbara and Lyle. We love you very much.
I also want to say how blessed I am to have Mary as my wife and as mother to our six children. She is an amazing woman. I thank God for her every day. I have never had any doubt from the day that I fell in love with her that she was the one that God intended to be my partner for life. She is the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. I love her more today than I ever have.
This is our third trip to China. Our hearts have grown to love the Chinese people. Since we have just spent Mother's Day in China, I really wanted to share my thoughts and feelings to defend Chinese mothers who give their babies up for adoption. This is our third adoption from China. We are often asked, "How can a mother abandon her baby?" I asked myself the same question may times before our first adoption.
God began to change my way of thinking during our first trip to China. I was sitting alone in a seat on the back of a bus. Mary, Missy and Molly were in the seat in front of me. We had just had Molly for four days. There were six other couples and their adopted baby girls in our travel group on the bus too. The bus was taking us to the sites where each of our babies was found before they were taken to the orphanage (the "finding site"). The bus was unusually quiet as each couple was allowed to get off the bus and spend a few minutes at the particular site where their baby was found. We were the last to go because Molly's finding site was the farthest from the orphanage.
As I sat there on the bus thinking about Molly and her birth mother, God gave me a picture that I will never forget. It was the picture that I had seen in a children's Bible of Mose's mother and sister as they placed baby Moses in a basket in the water so that he might be found and his life might be spared. It was as if God was saying that Molly's mother had done what she knew in her heart would be best for Molly.
Molly's finding site was on a street corner near a market area. Mary and I have often imagined that her mother brought her there early one morning before the markets opened. She probably wrapped her warmly in a blanket and left her in a place she knew Molly would be found quickly. We have even imagined that her mother might very possibly have hidden and waited to make sure she was found. Whatever the case, we know that Molly's mother's actions did not escape God's sight. As we stood there in that place that morning I was overwhelmed by God's presence. We huddled together as a family on that corner and prayed- thanking God for Molly and her birth parents- and praying that someday we will meet them in heaven.
Chinese mothers are no different than any other mothers. They love their children just like we love our children. We pray that each of our adopted children will always know that their birth mother loved them dearly.
Happy Mother's Day from China.
Dad's first "battle" with Mason
No, it's not what you might be thinking! Although there have been a number of battles of the will (Mason's will vs. mom and Dad's will), this "battle" was all in fun. Here is what happened.
A couple of nights ago we had gotten back to our room and were settling down for the night. We had given Mason a bath but had not put him to bed yet. I had gone into the bathroom to brush my teeth. Little did I know that a trap was being set for me. Mary says she had nothing to do with it but I'm not so sure. When I came out of the bathroom and turned the corner into the bedroom I was walloped up side of the head by a pillow. Mason was there jumping up and down on the bed, laughing and taunting me as if to say, "I got you good." Well, the battle was on! I picked up another pillow and playfully hit him with it, knocking him down on the bed. We then had a 'knock down, drag out" wrestling match on both beds. There was no blood shed but there was a whole lot of laughing.
When the action stopped Mason pointed to the bathroom indicating he wanted me to go back in there so he could hit me with the pillow again. I pretended I didn't understand what he was wanting so he began to pantomime actions that are done in the bathroom. He went through actions for washing your hands, brushing your teeth, washing your hair (and another one that we don't really need to describe on the blog- all of you who have had six year old boys will probably know what I'm talking about). After I picked myself up off of the floor from laughing so hard I went back to the bathroom and allowed myself to be pummeled with the pillow again.
Finally, I decided it was Mason's turn to be on the receiving end so I indicated that he should go into the bathroom. I stood on the bed ready to whack him with the pillow when he came out. There was a mirror just outside the bathroom so I could see him coming. When I saw him I fell over laughing. He didn't just come walking out of the bathroom, he came out strutting. I promise you he looked like John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever! (I'm sorry for you younger readers who might not have ever seen Saturday Night Fever, it looked a lot like Peter Parker in Spiderman 3 when he begins to see himself as a real lady's man). It was hilarious. The "battle" was over. We all won.
A couple of nights ago we had gotten back to our room and were settling down for the night. We had given Mason a bath but had not put him to bed yet. I had gone into the bathroom to brush my teeth. Little did I know that a trap was being set for me. Mary says she had nothing to do with it but I'm not so sure. When I came out of the bathroom and turned the corner into the bedroom I was walloped up side of the head by a pillow. Mason was there jumping up and down on the bed, laughing and taunting me as if to say, "I got you good." Well, the battle was on! I picked up another pillow and playfully hit him with it, knocking him down on the bed. We then had a 'knock down, drag out" wrestling match on both beds. There was no blood shed but there was a whole lot of laughing.
When the action stopped Mason pointed to the bathroom indicating he wanted me to go back in there so he could hit me with the pillow again. I pretended I didn't understand what he was wanting so he began to pantomime actions that are done in the bathroom. He went through actions for washing your hands, brushing your teeth, washing your hair (and another one that we don't really need to describe on the blog- all of you who have had six year old boys will probably know what I'm talking about). After I picked myself up off of the floor from laughing so hard I went back to the bathroom and allowed myself to be pummeled with the pillow again.
Finally, I decided it was Mason's turn to be on the receiving end so I indicated that he should go into the bathroom. I stood on the bed ready to whack him with the pillow when he came out. There was a mirror just outside the bathroom so I could see him coming. When I saw him I fell over laughing. He didn't just come walking out of the bathroom, he came out strutting. I promise you he looked like John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever! (I'm sorry for you younger readers who might not have ever seen Saturday Night Fever, it looked a lot like Peter Parker in Spiderman 3 when he begins to see himself as a real lady's man). It was hilarious. The "battle" was over. We all won.
Mason's day of grieving
Today was a hard day for sweet Mason. He was very worried when we packed our things this morning for the flight to Guangzhou. He sat motionless in the van on the way to the airport - this was the longest we have ever seen him sit still. The meltdown came when we buckled him in on the plane. He didn't like the seatbelt, and we think he realized that we were about to take him far away from his foster family. This funny looking mom and dad who have entertained him all week were not giving him back after a fun week in Chongqing. He cried big tears for nearly an hour on the plane and was inconsolable. This was his first big grieving episode. He was still angry at us when we landed in Guangzhou and was a toot in the airport. When we finally arrived at the White Swan Hotel, he was much better. He loves the bigger hotel room, and there is a lot to do and see here. We opened some playdoh, bought him some french fries, and became his buddies again. It will be interesting to see what tomorrow brings.
There are many adoptive families here in Guangzhou. We have even seen our friends from Amarillo, the Hiltons, and their new daughter! We will tour the city tomorrow which means we will go to several tourist "traps" in hopes that we will buy jade or pearls. The Stricklands are only interested in the DVD store! We are probably "dud" tourists :)
We are counting down the days until we arrive home (5), and can't wait to see all of our sweet family and friends again!
There are many adoptive families here in Guangzhou. We have even seen our friends from Amarillo, the Hiltons, and their new daughter! We will tour the city tomorrow which means we will go to several tourist "traps" in hopes that we will buy jade or pearls. The Stricklands are only interested in the DVD store! We are probably "dud" tourists :)
We are counting down the days until we arrive home (5), and can't wait to see all of our sweet family and friends again!
Saturday, May 12, 2007
Mothers' Day in China
We had such a fun morning walking the backstreets of Chongqing. Once you leave the very expensive shops near our hotel and walk a few streets over, you are in the China we love. Today is Mothers' Day in China as well, and the streets are full of flower vendors. Mason was so cute trying to pick one flower for me out of so many. He chose a rose that was wrapped, but when he unwrapped it he saw it had a brown spot on it. He and the sweet flower vendor found another rose that was perfect! Mason was then concerned that we didn't have any water for the rose. We bought a bottled coke, brought the empty bottle back to the hotel, and he insisted that we cut the stem so that it would look nicer in the coke bottle. I now have a beautiful rose in a coke bottle for Mothers' Day!
We also bought Mason some clothes and sandals this morning. I know the street vendors are probably still laughing at how much we paid for them, but in American dollars it was so little. For about $16 we bought him a pair of sandals, 2 shirts, and 2 pairs of denim shorts. It is fun to buy little boy clothes again! It is also fun to see China through Mason's eyes. Most of the foods displayed at the street markets are unidentifiable to us, but Mason quickly shows us what he likes to eat. He is a shrimp loving boy!
People here are fascinated by our strange looking family. I don't think it is unusual for them to see Americans with baby girls, but they don't quite know what to think of us.
Tonight is our river cruise, and then we leave for Guangzhou in the morning. We love Guangzhou, and it will be nice to be around the hundreds of adoptive families who will be in our hotel. 2 other couples from Amarillo will be in Guangzhou this week - it really is a small world!
Happy Mothers' Day!!!!
We also bought Mason some clothes and sandals this morning. I know the street vendors are probably still laughing at how much we paid for them, but in American dollars it was so little. For about $16 we bought him a pair of sandals, 2 shirts, and 2 pairs of denim shorts. It is fun to buy little boy clothes again! It is also fun to see China through Mason's eyes. Most of the foods displayed at the street markets are unidentifiable to us, but Mason quickly shows us what he likes to eat. He is a shrimp loving boy!
People here are fascinated by our strange looking family. I don't think it is unusual for them to see Americans with baby girls, but they don't quite know what to think of us.
Tonight is our river cruise, and then we leave for Guangzhou in the morning. We love Guangzhou, and it will be nice to be around the hundreds of adoptive families who will be in our hotel. 2 other couples from Amarillo will be in Guangzhou this week - it really is a small world!
Happy Mothers' Day!!!!
HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY
HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY, MOM!!
We all love you so much!!!! I wish we could be there to give you a hug, but I'm so glad you're getting to spend Mother's Day just with Mason since this is the first year that Mother's Day really means something to him! We are all sooooo blessed to have you as our mom! I don't know what I would do without you! In fact, today I went to Wal-Mart, so of course I had a random question that I needed you to answer. Today's was "What aisle are the goldfish crackers on?" (I promise they weren't on the cracker aisle, we looked about 5 times!), but I didn't know what to do because I couldn't call you like I do for every other Wal-Mart trip! I hope you have an amazing day! You deserve it! I've only done the mom thing for a week, and I'm worn out! I don't know how you do it every day! You know you're doing a good job, though, when God keeps sending you more kids! Molly, Madelyn, and Mason are proof that the Lord sees an amazing mom when he looks at you, enough so that he trusted you to love someone else's child because he knew that you would do it better than anyone else could! I hope you know how much we appreciate you! WE LOVE YOU!!!!! See you in 7 days!!
PS- Maybe next time you should come up with a little more creative password. It only took me about 2 minutes to hack into your blog so I could post this :).
Our trip is halfway over!
Today marks the halfway point of our adoption trip. We don't really have any adoption things left to do, and we are very ready to be home. We like Chongqing, but we love Amarillo! We have a very "high end" mall attached to our hotel. The stores are expensive, but it has a movie theater, an ice skating rink, bowling alley, and great restaurants. We have spent a lot of time there. We actually went to Spiderman 3 a second time today just because we are running out of things to do.
Mason had his first injury with us this afternoon. He fell and banged his head on a door frame and has a bump on the side of his head. He also hit the back of his head on a marble handrail in the elevator and has another "goose egg" there! We are going to have to change his name to "bumpy head."
He continues to amaze us with how well he has adjusted to his new life. He has the cutest personality! I am still having difficulty taking good pictures of him because he is always on the move. I literally have 50 - 60 pictures of the back of his head!
Our son, Michael, is now at home to help Missy with the little girls. I know Missy is glad to have his help. Randy's parents have also been so sweet about playing with the girls everyday and giving Missy some well-needed rest. It is getting harder every day for us to be away from all of our children. One more week!!!
Tomorrow night we are taking a short river cruise and eating the famous Chongqing "hot pot." (And, no, we really don't have a clue what that is!) We will then leave early Monday morning for Guangzhou. Our consulate appointment is on the 17th, and we begin the long flight home on the 18th. We arrive in Amarillo at 8:00 in the morning on the 19th! Mason will be an American citizen the minute we land in Los Angeles. I hope America has rested up and is ready for him!
Mason had his first injury with us this afternoon. He fell and banged his head on a door frame and has a bump on the side of his head. He also hit the back of his head on a marble handrail in the elevator and has another "goose egg" there! We are going to have to change his name to "bumpy head."
He continues to amaze us with how well he has adjusted to his new life. He has the cutest personality! I am still having difficulty taking good pictures of him because he is always on the move. I literally have 50 - 60 pictures of the back of his head!
Our son, Michael, is now at home to help Missy with the little girls. I know Missy is glad to have his help. Randy's parents have also been so sweet about playing with the girls everyday and giving Missy some well-needed rest. It is getting harder every day for us to be away from all of our children. One more week!!!
Tomorrow night we are taking a short river cruise and eating the famous Chongqing "hot pot." (And, no, we really don't have a clue what that is!) We will then leave early Monday morning for Guangzhou. Our consulate appointment is on the 17th, and we begin the long flight home on the 18th. We arrive in Amarillo at 8:00 in the morning on the 19th! Mason will be an American citizen the minute we land in Los Angeles. I hope America has rested up and is ready for him!
Friday, May 11, 2007
"Settling in" as Mason's dad
The past few days have been a period of adjustments for both Mason and us but it really feels like we are beginning to "settle in" as Mason's parents and he is beginning to feel very comfortable and secure with us. He is becoming more affectionate toward us and welcoming the affection that we show to him. His moments of acting up are becoming less frequent and shorter in duration. We have had very little problem in communicating. He seems to have a way of getting his point across to us. He is very bright and curious (and have I mentioned that he is also VERY active?).
He loves to take pictures. Mary brought our old digital camera to China for Mason to use. I thought she was crazy. I didn't think a 6 year-old would be able to figure it out. I was wrong! Not only did he figure it out but he takes very good pictures with it. He actually knows how to center the subject in the middle of the picture. At the zoo, he ran ahead of Mary and I, turned around and was walking backwards and took a picture of us. It was a perfect picture. Later we were in a museum and a group of tourists from Australia came in. Mason began going down the line taking their picture. He would take the picture and then turn the camera around to show them the picture in the viewfinder. The Australians were quite charmed. Mason got a koala bear key chain out of the deal. Every once in awhile he will turn the camera around and take a picture of himself. Once again, it will be perfectly centered. He has also taken some extreme close-up shots of his eyeball and ears. We probably won't be posting those on the blog site.
We are also learning that Mason has quite an appetite. One evening this week we decided to eat in the hotel restaurant. They happened to be having an Asian buffet. There were more things on the buffet that we didn't recognize that things that we did so Mary and I decided to order from the menu. Not Mason. He wanted the buffet. Mary took him through the line the first time. His plate was loaded with shrimp (complete with the heads, I didn't know shrimp had heads), squid and other sea creatures. He ate it all (with chopsticks) and then went back a second time for more of the same. Our 2 year-old is famous at our church for the number of hot dogs that she can eat. Mason may give her a run for her money, although I don't think hot dogs will be his thing. Leanna, do you think we could have a seafood buffet on Wednesday night every once in awhile?
Needless to say, Mason has captured my heart. I feel so blessed to be his "forever" dad.
He loves to take pictures. Mary brought our old digital camera to China for Mason to use. I thought she was crazy. I didn't think a 6 year-old would be able to figure it out. I was wrong! Not only did he figure it out but he takes very good pictures with it. He actually knows how to center the subject in the middle of the picture. At the zoo, he ran ahead of Mary and I, turned around and was walking backwards and took a picture of us. It was a perfect picture. Later we were in a museum and a group of tourists from Australia came in. Mason began going down the line taking their picture. He would take the picture and then turn the camera around to show them the picture in the viewfinder. The Australians were quite charmed. Mason got a koala bear key chain out of the deal. Every once in awhile he will turn the camera around and take a picture of himself. Once again, it will be perfectly centered. He has also taken some extreme close-up shots of his eyeball and ears. We probably won't be posting those on the blog site.
We are also learning that Mason has quite an appetite. One evening this week we decided to eat in the hotel restaurant. They happened to be having an Asian buffet. There were more things on the buffet that we didn't recognize that things that we did so Mary and I decided to order from the menu. Not Mason. He wanted the buffet. Mary took him through the line the first time. His plate was loaded with shrimp (complete with the heads, I didn't know shrimp had heads), squid and other sea creatures. He ate it all (with chopsticks) and then went back a second time for more of the same. Our 2 year-old is famous at our church for the number of hot dogs that she can eat. Mason may give her a run for her money, although I don't think hot dogs will be his thing. Leanna, do you think we could have a seafood buffet on Wednesday night every once in awhile?
Needless to say, Mason has captured my heart. I feel so blessed to be his "forever" dad.
Thursday, May 10, 2007
A Tale of Two Mothers
This morning was such an answer to many prayers - I got to spend almost an hour with the precious couple with whom Mason lived for the past 4 years. Randy and Mason went to play at the bookstore playground, and Mason's foster parents came to the hotel with our facilitator to meet with me. It was easy to see why Mason is such a sweetie- he has been raised by very loving and kind people.
They not only brought gifts for everyone in our family, but they also brought me the little hat and scarf that Mason was wearing when he was found at the train station as a toddler. How precious these will be to him as he gets older. They also brought a photo album full of pictures of Mason at various ages. He looks so happy and loved in every picture.
His foster mother brought back the photo album of our family and home that we sent to Mason several months ago. The director of the local Social Welfare Institute had told her that she should return it to us, but she really wanted it. Of course, we wanted her to have it, and she cried and held it to her chest when she realized that it was hers to keep. The father was precious as well. They brought pictures of one of Mason's foster sisters who was adopted by a couple in American 2 years ago. They had never received any additional information or pictures of the little girl, and they were worried about her. They asked me to try to find her adoptive parents and perhaps help to establish contact between the 2 families. They had even written a 2 page letter to this little girl telling her how much they loved and missed her. Please pray that I will be able to find this little girl and her parents when we return home.
The quilts that had been made for Mason's foster brother and sisters meant so much to these sweet parents. She told me that the people who made the quilts must have much love for lonely children. I assured her that the women who made the quilts loved all children very much. We also included a special book that we pray will be life-changing for their entire family.
I asked our facilitator to explain to the foster parents before our meeting that Mason would not be there because we felt it would be very confusing for him to see them again so soon. The foster mother did ask to see him again to take a family picture of all of us. I called our hotel room twice, but Randy and Mason hadn't returned from the bookstore. I am thankful that we didn't have to deal with a very upset little boy, but I am also glad the foster parents saw me make an attempt to let them see him one more time.
Mason's foster mother and I had such a sweet bond with one another immediately. She misses him so much, but she told me that she knew he was meant for our family. She wanted us to know that she will love him for the rest of her life. Please continue to pray for both of his foster parents to have peace and comfort. I know his foster mother has not slept well since Mason left her home. By the time they left, we were both crying, hugging, and blowing kisses to one another as she walked out of the hotel lobby. I will always be so thankful for this day. God had prepared all of our hearts long before we ever met. Mason is a blessed little boy.
They not only brought gifts for everyone in our family, but they also brought me the little hat and scarf that Mason was wearing when he was found at the train station as a toddler. How precious these will be to him as he gets older. They also brought a photo album full of pictures of Mason at various ages. He looks so happy and loved in every picture.
His foster mother brought back the photo album of our family and home that we sent to Mason several months ago. The director of the local Social Welfare Institute had told her that she should return it to us, but she really wanted it. Of course, we wanted her to have it, and she cried and held it to her chest when she realized that it was hers to keep. The father was precious as well. They brought pictures of one of Mason's foster sisters who was adopted by a couple in American 2 years ago. They had never received any additional information or pictures of the little girl, and they were worried about her. They asked me to try to find her adoptive parents and perhaps help to establish contact between the 2 families. They had even written a 2 page letter to this little girl telling her how much they loved and missed her. Please pray that I will be able to find this little girl and her parents when we return home.
The quilts that had been made for Mason's foster brother and sisters meant so much to these sweet parents. She told me that the people who made the quilts must have much love for lonely children. I assured her that the women who made the quilts loved all children very much. We also included a special book that we pray will be life-changing for their entire family.
I asked our facilitator to explain to the foster parents before our meeting that Mason would not be there because we felt it would be very confusing for him to see them again so soon. The foster mother did ask to see him again to take a family picture of all of us. I called our hotel room twice, but Randy and Mason hadn't returned from the bookstore. I am thankful that we didn't have to deal with a very upset little boy, but I am also glad the foster parents saw me make an attempt to let them see him one more time.
Mason's foster mother and I had such a sweet bond with one another immediately. She misses him so much, but she told me that she knew he was meant for our family. She wanted us to know that she will love him for the rest of her life. Please continue to pray for both of his foster parents to have peace and comfort. I know his foster mother has not slept well since Mason left her home. By the time they left, we were both crying, hugging, and blowing kisses to one another as she walked out of the hotel lobby. I will always be so thankful for this day. God had prepared all of our hearts long before we ever met. Mason is a blessed little boy.
Wednesday, May 9, 2007
Little Emperor Day
As we look back on this day of our adoption trip, it will probably be fondly called, "Mason's Little Emperor Day." The new is wearing off of us and the small hotel room. He has long moments of being perfect followed by short moments of being impatient and belligerent. We think he is a cutie even then. Many Chinese boys are referred to as "little emperors" because of their spoiled behavior. For every 1 child in China, there are usually 2 parents and 4 grandparents.
We toured several Chongqing tourist spots this morning, and our guide was kind and let us also go to the multi-storied Walmart. (Yes, they are everywhere)! It is cheaper to buy new t-shirts at Walmart than to have them laundered at our hotel. We came back and ate at Pizza Hut. (Yes, they are also everywhere)! I won't even mention the trip to Starbucks :)
Tomorrow I will get to meet the foster mother Mason lived with most of his life. I can't wait to give her the precious quilts that have been made for the other foster children in her home. She has called our facilitator several times to make sure that Mason is doing well with us. I know she and her husband miss him very much. One of our stops this morning was the train station where Mason was found in December of 2002. I always have such mixed feelings when we go to the sights were our children were found, but I want them to have those pictures when they are older.
Our adoption paperwork should be completed and delivered to us sometime today, but we won't leave for Guangzhou until Monday morning. We are going to take a very short river cruise on Saturday and then eat an authentic Chongqing meal with our guide.
Mason and his daddy are taking a nap - they look so cute sleeping side by side (and snoring)!
We toured several Chongqing tourist spots this morning, and our guide was kind and let us also go to the multi-storied Walmart. (Yes, they are everywhere)! It is cheaper to buy new t-shirts at Walmart than to have them laundered at our hotel. We came back and ate at Pizza Hut. (Yes, they are also everywhere)! I won't even mention the trip to Starbucks :)
Tomorrow I will get to meet the foster mother Mason lived with most of his life. I can't wait to give her the precious quilts that have been made for the other foster children in her home. She has called our facilitator several times to make sure that Mason is doing well with us. I know she and her husband miss him very much. One of our stops this morning was the train station where Mason was found in December of 2002. I always have such mixed feelings when we go to the sights were our children were found, but I want them to have those pictures when they are older.
Our adoption paperwork should be completed and delivered to us sometime today, but we won't leave for Guangzhou until Monday morning. We are going to take a very short river cruise on Saturday and then eat an authentic Chongqing meal with our guide.
Mason and his daddy are taking a nap - they look so cute sleeping side by side (and snoring)!
A dad's perspective
The past two days have been incredible. God has blessed beyond what we could have ever imagined. I know the Father must have been thinking, "Oh you of little faith. Why did you doubt?"
Yesterday morning before we went to meet Mason, Mary and I both were a little apprehensive about what was to take place. As we sat in our hotel room and discussed our feelings we just began to read scripture from the Psalms that spoke of God's faithfulness and His goodness. Then we just began to remember how God had called us to adopt Mason. By the time we left to go to the Civil Affairs office to meet Mason we were filled with great peace and confidence.
We got to the Civil affairs office before Mason and sat in a waiting area. Although Mason has been living with a foster family for the past 4-5 years, he arrived at the Civil affairs office with a lady from the Chongqing Social Welfare Institute (the orphanage). Mason clung very closely to her leg as she brought him over and introduced him to us. You could sense that he was trying to be very brave and strong but that couldn't hide the frightened look in his eyes.
One of the things that Mary and I worried most about was whether Mason would truly understand what was happening. Since he is deaf, we wondered how it would be communicated to him. Mary and I (and many others) had prayed for him to understand. There is no doubt in my mind that he knew what was taking place. The orphanage worker knelt down beside him and pointed to Mary, signed something to him and said "MaMa". She then pointed to me, signed something else to him and said "BaBa". She then turned around and left the three of us together for the first time. The first few moments were a little awkward. Mary put her arms around him and we just stared at each other for awhile. Mary pulled out a photo album of our family and began to show him the pictures. Several months earlier Mary had sent copies of these same pictures to his foster mother. It was obvious that he recognized the pictures.
The real breakthrough came when Mary opened the backpack full of things that we had brought for him. He found a package of M&M's and his world suddenly changed. He tried at first to open the package himself but couldn't. He handed them to me and motioned for me to open them which I did (maybe this will be the beginning of Mason's thinking that his dad can do anything). I handed him the M&M's and an amazing thing happened. He pulled out the first piece of candy and handed it to Mary. The next piece he pulled out and gave to me. Finally, he began to eat some of the candy himself. We were officially a family!
I don't know what Mason or Mary were thinking, but I was once again reminded of God's goodness to me. Mason is an incredible little boy. I am overwhelmed at the thought that God has chosen me to be his dad. He is even more handsome in person than his pictures. He has a wonderful personality. He is very charming (and I think he knows it and sometime tries to use that to his advantage). He also seems very bright. His foster mother had told us that he was an active little boy. She was wrong. He is a VERY active little boy.
This afternoon I took Mason to fly a kite in the square near our hotel. When we were finished I asked Mason if he wanted to get an ice cream cone. The sign for ice cream must be universal (holding your hand up to your mouth and pretending to lick an ice cream cone) because he understood exactly what I meant. He was all in for that. We each got an ice cream cone and sat down on a bench near our hotel to eat them. Mason kept pointing at the hotel indicating to me that he wanted to take the ice cream into the hotel and eat it. I kept shaking my head "no". He began to inch his way down the bench and before I knew it he was heading for the hotel. I chased him down and picked him up in my arms. He began to squeal (in fun) very loudly. There was a Chinese man nearby who was watching all of this very closely. It dawned on me that he probably thought I was trying to kidnap Mason. I sat Mason down on the bench again but he continued to motion to me that he wanted to go into the hotel to eat the ice cream. I continued to say "no". His little mind went to work. At this point he only had about 1/3 of his cone left. He motioned to me and pointed at something over my back shoulder. When I turned to look at what he had pointed to he put his hand that was holding his ice cream cone behind his back and sat there with a sheepish grin. Now, if I hadn't already had 5 other kids I might have fallen for it but it didn't work this time. Mason finally relented and finished his ice cream outside.
There is a huge bookstore a couple of blocks from our hotel. On the top floor is the children's area complete with an indoor playground (similar to a McDonald's playground). We took Mason there this afternoon. It was before school let out so there weren't a whole lot of children in the play area. Mason was playing and having a great time. After a while, an older and much bigger boy climbed into the play area and began playing with a big ball that Mason had been playing with. He began looking at Mason and kind of taunting and teasing him with the ball as if to say "why don't you try to chase me and take this ball away from me." Mason looked at me with that look of "What should I do". I gave him the shrug of my shoulders that said "You do whatever you want to do." That was all he needed. He took off after the boy and the ball. (The proud Dad inside of me was saying, "That's my boy".) Well the other boy was much bigger and faster so Mason never caught him but he didn't back down from the challenge. I think that attitude will serve him well. I know he will face many greater challenges in the future and my prayer is that he will face them with courage and determination. Just like he has done for the past two days.
Yesterday morning before we went to meet Mason, Mary and I both were a little apprehensive about what was to take place. As we sat in our hotel room and discussed our feelings we just began to read scripture from the Psalms that spoke of God's faithfulness and His goodness. Then we just began to remember how God had called us to adopt Mason. By the time we left to go to the Civil Affairs office to meet Mason we were filled with great peace and confidence.
We got to the Civil affairs office before Mason and sat in a waiting area. Although Mason has been living with a foster family for the past 4-5 years, he arrived at the Civil affairs office with a lady from the Chongqing Social Welfare Institute (the orphanage). Mason clung very closely to her leg as she brought him over and introduced him to us. You could sense that he was trying to be very brave and strong but that couldn't hide the frightened look in his eyes.
One of the things that Mary and I worried most about was whether Mason would truly understand what was happening. Since he is deaf, we wondered how it would be communicated to him. Mary and I (and many others) had prayed for him to understand. There is no doubt in my mind that he knew what was taking place. The orphanage worker knelt down beside him and pointed to Mary, signed something to him and said "MaMa". She then pointed to me, signed something else to him and said "BaBa". She then turned around and left the three of us together for the first time. The first few moments were a little awkward. Mary put her arms around him and we just stared at each other for awhile. Mary pulled out a photo album of our family and began to show him the pictures. Several months earlier Mary had sent copies of these same pictures to his foster mother. It was obvious that he recognized the pictures.
The real breakthrough came when Mary opened the backpack full of things that we had brought for him. He found a package of M&M's and his world suddenly changed. He tried at first to open the package himself but couldn't. He handed them to me and motioned for me to open them which I did (maybe this will be the beginning of Mason's thinking that his dad can do anything). I handed him the M&M's and an amazing thing happened. He pulled out the first piece of candy and handed it to Mary. The next piece he pulled out and gave to me. Finally, he began to eat some of the candy himself. We were officially a family!
I don't know what Mason or Mary were thinking, but I was once again reminded of God's goodness to me. Mason is an incredible little boy. I am overwhelmed at the thought that God has chosen me to be his dad. He is even more handsome in person than his pictures. He has a wonderful personality. He is very charming (and I think he knows it and sometime tries to use that to his advantage). He also seems very bright. His foster mother had told us that he was an active little boy. She was wrong. He is a VERY active little boy.
This afternoon I took Mason to fly a kite in the square near our hotel. When we were finished I asked Mason if he wanted to get an ice cream cone. The sign for ice cream must be universal (holding your hand up to your mouth and pretending to lick an ice cream cone) because he understood exactly what I meant. He was all in for that. We each got an ice cream cone and sat down on a bench near our hotel to eat them. Mason kept pointing at the hotel indicating to me that he wanted to take the ice cream into the hotel and eat it. I kept shaking my head "no". He began to inch his way down the bench and before I knew it he was heading for the hotel. I chased him down and picked him up in my arms. He began to squeal (in fun) very loudly. There was a Chinese man nearby who was watching all of this very closely. It dawned on me that he probably thought I was trying to kidnap Mason. I sat Mason down on the bench again but he continued to motion to me that he wanted to go into the hotel to eat the ice cream. I continued to say "no". His little mind went to work. At this point he only had about 1/3 of his cone left. He motioned to me and pointed at something over my back shoulder. When I turned to look at what he had pointed to he put his hand that was holding his ice cream cone behind his back and sat there with a sheepish grin. Now, if I hadn't already had 5 other kids I might have fallen for it but it didn't work this time. Mason finally relented and finished his ice cream outside.
There is a huge bookstore a couple of blocks from our hotel. On the top floor is the children's area complete with an indoor playground (similar to a McDonald's playground). We took Mason there this afternoon. It was before school let out so there weren't a whole lot of children in the play area. Mason was playing and having a great time. After a while, an older and much bigger boy climbed into the play area and began playing with a big ball that Mason had been playing with. He began looking at Mason and kind of taunting and teasing him with the ball as if to say "why don't you try to chase me and take this ball away from me." Mason looked at me with that look of "What should I do". I gave him the shrug of my shoulders that said "You do whatever you want to do." That was all he needed. He took off after the boy and the ball. (The proud Dad inside of me was saying, "That's my boy".) Well the other boy was much bigger and faster so Mason never caught him but he didn't back down from the challenge. I think that attitude will serve him well. I know he will face many greater challenges in the future and my prayer is that he will face them with courage and determination. Just like he has done for the past two days.
Tuesday, May 8, 2007
Our first day with Mason
We have had such an incredible first 24 hours with Mason. He is so sweet and adaptable. Last night, he put on his pajamas, brushed his teeth, and let us tuck him in bed. Then the big tears began to silently fall. I know that he was frightened about sleeping in a new bed and still wasn't quite sure what to think of us. I held him, and Randy stroked his forehead. He was asleep in less than a minute and slept all night.
He was so funny at breakfast. He loved the large buffet breakfast at the hotel and was very opinionated about what he ate. His foster mother had obviously taught him how to use a knife and fork, but he became frustrated trying to eat with them. We got a pair of chopsticks, and he was much happier. Apparently he has dipped most of what he has eaten in some kind of sauce. We wouldn't let him dip his fried noodles in his orange juice which almost caused another meltdown.
This morning we took him to the Chongqing zoo to see the pandas. We brought our old digital camera for him to use, and he is amazing with it! He probably took better pictures than I did. It is still hard to take a picture of him because he is always moving. We ate lunch at McDonalds and then took him to a department store for new tennis shoes. He found shoes that light up when he walks - he was in love! He and Randy are now outside in the large pedestrian mall area trying to fly a kite. He loves his daddy!
We have noticed that he gets a very worried look on his face when we take him somewhere in a car. I don't know if he is worried that we are taking him back to his old home or worried that we aren't.
Keep praying! He is wonderful and we are very blessed.
He was so funny at breakfast. He loved the large buffet breakfast at the hotel and was very opinionated about what he ate. His foster mother had obviously taught him how to use a knife and fork, but he became frustrated trying to eat with them. We got a pair of chopsticks, and he was much happier. Apparently he has dipped most of what he has eaten in some kind of sauce. We wouldn't let him dip his fried noodles in his orange juice which almost caused another meltdown.
This morning we took him to the Chongqing zoo to see the pandas. We brought our old digital camera for him to use, and he is amazing with it! He probably took better pictures than I did. It is still hard to take a picture of him because he is always moving. We ate lunch at McDonalds and then took him to a department store for new tennis shoes. He found shoes that light up when he walks - he was in love! He and Randy are now outside in the large pedestrian mall area trying to fly a kite. He loves his daddy!
We have noticed that he gets a very worried look on his face when we take him somewhere in a car. I don't know if he is worried that we are taking him back to his old home or worried that we aren't.
Keep praying! He is wonderful and we are very blessed.
We have Mason!
What a day we have had! We arrived at the Civil Affairs office around 1:30 and waited for about 10 minutes for Mason to arrive. He walked through the door with a woman from the orphanage who oversees the foster parents. He was so precious - trying to smile for us and also trying not to cry at the same time. We showed him the travel size Lite Brite in his backpack and he was enthralled.
He is VERY active, smart, and all boy! He ran all over the office and explored every nook and cranny. He has obviously been so loved and well cared for. He loves to be busy, and so we have walked around Chongqing and taken him to KFC, the local playground, and Pizza Hut.
He is very noisy and makes sounds all the time! I know we are frustrating to him at times because we don't understand everything he wants. He had a small "meltdown" at Pizza Hut and didn't want to mind. We came home and gave him bath (complete with bubbles), put on his pajamas and watched a Signing Time video. He was doing the signs immediately, but the movie was too slow and he quickly lost interest. He is now coloring with his daddy and seems to be completely at ease with us. God is so good!
Because he is always moving, most of the pictures I took today were not award winners, but I was able to get some sweet pictures of him with Randy. At one point, Randy and I looked at each other laughing, hoping that God remembers how old we are! He is going to love having brothers and sisters. How thankful we are again that we are blessed to be his "forever" family!
Tomorrow we are going to the zoo and probably back to the playground. I don't know how Mason will sleep tonight, but Randy and I are tired!
Thank you again for your prayers for Mason. This day was so much better than I could even imagine. He is a precious gift!
He is VERY active, smart, and all boy! He ran all over the office and explored every nook and cranny. He has obviously been so loved and well cared for. He loves to be busy, and so we have walked around Chongqing and taken him to KFC, the local playground, and Pizza Hut.
He is very noisy and makes sounds all the time! I know we are frustrating to him at times because we don't understand everything he wants. He had a small "meltdown" at Pizza Hut and didn't want to mind. We came home and gave him bath (complete with bubbles), put on his pajamas and watched a Signing Time video. He was doing the signs immediately, but the movie was too slow and he quickly lost interest. He is now coloring with his daddy and seems to be completely at ease with us. God is so good!
Because he is always moving, most of the pictures I took today were not award winners, but I was able to get some sweet pictures of him with Randy. At one point, Randy and I looked at each other laughing, hoping that God remembers how old we are! He is going to love having brothers and sisters. How thankful we are again that we are blessed to be his "forever" family!
Tomorrow we are going to the zoo and probably back to the playground. I don't know how Mason will sleep tonight, but Randy and I are tired!
Thank you again for your prayers for Mason. This day was so much better than I could even imagine. He is a precious gift!
Monday, May 7, 2007
We get Mason today!
I just realized that a date correction post I made yesterday didn't go through. Probably because all of the instruction prompts on our computer are now in Chinese!
We get sweet Mason in 8 more hours! That is Tueday at 1:30 in the afternoon here, and just after midnight - very early Tuesday morning in Texas. It is hard for me to keep dates and times straight here.
Again, please pray for a peace that passes all understanding to flood Mason's heart today. Pray for him to also know that we are his "forever" family - he will never have to leave a mom or dad again. We will post again with pictures after the adoption!
We get sweet Mason in 8 more hours! That is Tueday at 1:30 in the afternoon here, and just after midnight - very early Tuesday morning in Texas. It is hard for me to keep dates and times straight here.
Again, please pray for a peace that passes all understanding to flood Mason's heart today. Pray for him to also know that we are his "forever" family - he will never have to leave a mom or dad again. We will post again with pictures after the adoption!
A fun day in Chongqing
We have had a fun day sightseeing around the hotel. We found the McDonalds, the KFC, and the Starbucks. We are set for the rest of the week!
God had such a divine appointment for us this morning. Our facilitator came to our hotel again to have us sign more adoption documents. For the past several months my sweet quilting friends and I have made 6 large quilts for the children in Mason's foster family. I had tried and tried to make quilt labels for them with scriptures in Chinese, but I finally decided that I would just have someone here write the verses on the quilts for me. I asked our facilitator to write the verses for me, and she sweetly agreed. As she looked at the verses I had chosen for the quilts, ( John 3:16 and John 14:18), she asked me if they were religious writings. I told her that they were verses out of the Bible which is God's Word. She had to write each of the verses 6 times, and it took awhile. She told me that the people in China do not have much religion and she thought that most people needed that power. I was able to share with her that we all need the power of God in our lives. It was so sweet to watch her print those verses over and over. When she began, she had to look at each character. By the time she finished the 6th quilt, she was writing the verses from memory. We will be able to spend time with her everyday, and I am trusting that God will give us more opportunities to share with her.
We also were able to get the laptop safely plugged in and were able to talk to all of our children this morning. Molly really wasn't that interested in talking to us - she had just found a worm. At least we know she isn't missing us very much yet!
God had such a divine appointment for us this morning. Our facilitator came to our hotel again to have us sign more adoption documents. For the past several months my sweet quilting friends and I have made 6 large quilts for the children in Mason's foster family. I had tried and tried to make quilt labels for them with scriptures in Chinese, but I finally decided that I would just have someone here write the verses on the quilts for me. I asked our facilitator to write the verses for me, and she sweetly agreed. As she looked at the verses I had chosen for the quilts, ( John 3:16 and John 14:18), she asked me if they were religious writings. I told her that they were verses out of the Bible which is God's Word. She had to write each of the verses 6 times, and it took awhile. She told me that the people in China do not have much religion and she thought that most people needed that power. I was able to share with her that we all need the power of God in our lives. It was so sweet to watch her print those verses over and over. When she began, she had to look at each character. By the time she finished the 6th quilt, she was writing the verses from memory. We will be able to spend time with her everyday, and I am trusting that God will give us more opportunities to share with her.
We also were able to get the laptop safely plugged in and were able to talk to all of our children this morning. Molly really wasn't that interested in talking to us - she had just found a worm. At least we know she isn't missing us very much yet!
Sunday, May 6, 2007
We made it!
31 hours of flying and sitting in airports, but we finally made it to Chongqing! The flight from Los Angeles to Guangzhou was 16 hours - the longest I have been forced to sit still in my entire life. I don't think we will post any pictures today because I am sure that we look really tired! We spent the afternoon at a big mall across the street from our hotel. It is Labor Day weekend here in China, and shoppers are everywhere! Chongqing is probably the largest city in the world. It is so massive that it is hard to even describe. Large "communities" of apartment complexes have their own supermarkets and schools.
We also learned that we have been mispronouncing "Chongqing" for the last 13 months. Just 1 more word the Stricklands can't pronounce in Chinese! After our first adoption trip I thought that I could at least say "hello" correctly - wrong! I thought people were saying "meow" instead of "Neehow." I have learned to just smile alot.
We will meet with our facilitator in the morning to fill out more adoption forms, and then we will get Mason on Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. local time. That is 12:30 a.m. Wednesday morning in Texas. Tomorrow is his last day with his foster family - please pray for his sweet foster mother.
What a huge transition for her and for Mason.
To our sweet children - we are still trying to find a power strip that won't fry our laptop. Maybe tomorrow we will be able to use our new webcams!
We also learned that we have been mispronouncing "Chongqing" for the last 13 months. Just 1 more word the Stricklands can't pronounce in Chinese! After our first adoption trip I thought that I could at least say "hello" correctly - wrong! I thought people were saying "meow" instead of "Neehow." I have learned to just smile alot.
We will meet with our facilitator in the morning to fill out more adoption forms, and then we will get Mason on Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. local time. That is 12:30 a.m. Wednesday morning in Texas. Tomorrow is his last day with his foster family - please pray for his sweet foster mother.
What a huge transition for her and for Mason.
To our sweet children - we are still trying to find a power strip that won't fry our laptop. Maybe tomorrow we will be able to use our new webcams!
Thursday, May 3, 2007
We are finally on our way!
Well, the big day has FINALLY arrived - we leave tomorrow afternoon to get our sweet Mason! The bags are packed, I found the temporarily misplaced passports (in the safe), and Missy and Matt are on their way home to keep Molly and Madelyn. This is the longest we have ever left the girls, and I know that 15 days may seem like an eternity to them. Thanks to precious, praying friends who have been so encouraging this week, I think I can get on the airplane without a major meltdown. Please continue to pray for Mason, his foster family, and our family here at home. Thank you again, sweet friends, for all of the offers to help with the girls and with meals while we are gone. We even have a friend who is keeping our grumpy dog while we are in China! It may be hard to post anything tomorrow because we will be on planes or in airports for about 30 hours. Not our favorite part of the trip! The good news is that we will have a little bag of peanuts for each of you when we get home.
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