She's back!!!

Welcome back Tia Annie!!! I'm not sure whose more excited - me or the girls. Having Tia Annie here is, on a very practical level, an enormous help. She sees what needs to be done, and does it. She is 100% present with the girls when they are with her. 

More than those practical things, however, she is an emotional support for me. She is affirming and she is full of grace. Being the mom of one high needs and one special needs pre-schooler leaves a lot of room every day for me to need a lot of grace. Some days I feel like I am control - I've got it handled. Some days I look at the chaos and crises and laugh. But days I feel like I do more wrong than right. Annie gives me grace for those times - permission to be a human - not super human - mom. 

It's so nice to have her "home"!! 

One Less Orphan Today

God will never leave you empty. If something is taken away, He will replace

it with something better. If He denies your request in a certain area, 

it is because He wishes to give you what is best. If He asks you to put 

something down, it is so you can pick up something greater. God is not 

the great denier, but the great giver. He is not a robber, but the 

bestower of every good and perfect gift. ~Roy Lessin.

This morning, a girl who has felt empty for almost 14 years received a good and perfect gift from the Lord - her family. Praise God that one family stepped out in faith and heeded the call on their lives to take part in fulfilling God's plan for her life.

I

Humbled

I have a humble heart tonight - humbled by two teenage girls stepping out to advocate for the fatherless. I met Ashton and Taylor in January when we traveled with their families to bring Katie home. They were amazing then. The literally saved me on more than one occasion by stepping in and helping with the girls (I particularly remember one night at Outback Steakhouse!). I knew they were special young women then - and as I have gotten to know them better and watch them grow - I am awed and amazed by their spirit and commitment.

Tonight, however they have humbled me. They have started an advocacy website to work on behalf of kids who desperately need a home. They saw a need and had a passion to live out -

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

I love this passage - for it says so many things. What humbles me tonight is that according to James, organized religion is not what is acceptable to God. Big buildings, good works, carefully preserved traditions and rituals are not what is specifically is acceptable to God. Caring for those most in need and protecting ourselves from accepting a world view is what He wants from us. 

Taylor and Ashton understand this in their hearts, without years of biblical teaching & training. I faithfully study - but do I get it? Humbled.

Taylor and Ashton saw something they could do - and had the courage and conviction to do it. Where's my courage to step out? Humbled.

Taylor and Ashton looked not at what they couldn't do but what they could do - and did it. What do I look at? Humbled.

Thank you Lord, for your servants Taylor and Ashton - may You bless them and the children who wait. 

If you have a blog, or website, or Facebook page, please consider sharing this website. Perhaps you or someone you know is the God picked parent for one of these kids. 

Still We Wait

Personal Growth

The last two weeks have been an tough exercise in personal growth for me. And that's been good - and bad. You see, I love to grow. I love that through God's transforming power, I am no longer a slave to my see, but am free in Christ. Free to grow and to change. Free to walk away from the things that are harmful to me - especially my own behaviors and attitudes and put on the clothes of Christ. 

Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.

Col 3:12

I love this "outfit' - I pray each day I can make it fit better and wear it more often. I pray this verse as I am heading towards the girls room to break up a fight - or calm a restless child before she wakes up her sleeping sister. I pray it when I am on the phone and my husband is bugging me. I pray that these are the clothes the surly store clerk sees on me. I love those times when I feel like I am clothed for Christ.

But here's the thing about personal growth - it often hurts. It comes with the price of laying aside my pride to let the Lord work in me in ways that are often painful. The pruning of my pride and the circumcision of my heart. I think that's why I hold back - I don't fully lay out all of myself to let the Lord do His full and complete work in me. 

But Praise the Lord - I serve a gracious God - who is merciful with me. He is good to me through the work - patient with my reluctance, gentle with His correction. He created me and He understands my fears and reluctance - and walks with me though it. He knows the old creation is dying in me and being replaced by a new creation - albeit slowly! 

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

2 Cor 5:17

The Week in Review

A recap of the last week here at the Casa...

We played hairdresser with sissy....

isn't she lovely......

hanging with brother.....

we painted pumpkins....

decorated cookies.....

played princess...

practiced shaving....

The highlight of our week was when Uncle Kenny came down and we got to go hang out in his airplane and then go for a ride!! 

"can we help you?? we're busy planning our flight.."

very excited before take off.....

however, upon the actual take off, one is not nearly as confident as before!!

Both girls did great - although we do need booster seats so they can actually see out the  windows! Becky is very impressed with her Uncle Kenny - "he's was the pilot" she kept telling us all 

we also climbed trees 

and had a family picture taken with Pop-pop....

always a princess....

We also are hosting "Flat Gloria" right now, and we'll have a whole post devoted to her later this week. 

Sometimes while I am living a week like this one, I don't stop to really appreciate the moments. Like a princess on a bike. Or a cutie covered in shaving cream. It was nice to get a little behind in the blogging and get a chance to review the moments in the quiet - it makes me stop short and thank the Lord for these children. Thank Him that He choose me to be their mother - me, in all my imperfections and impatience, in all my shortcomings and failings. That I get to watch them do simple things like paint pumpkins and climb trees and experience amazing firsts like flying over their house. Wow - what a privilege; I'm so glad that my procrastination in posting brought me up short to remember that life is in the little moments. 

A Pair of Princesses

To say that Becky was "into" princesses would be a gross understatement of our reality right now. We have dresses, crowns, glass slippers, jewelry, gloves, purses....pretty much every accessory a princess would need. Until recently, Katie would have absolutely no part of any of it - except for maybe wearing the glass slippers around. Last weekend, the girls were invited to a princess birthday party, so I made Katie get dressed up. Poor thing - once it happened once, Becky will not leave her alone. Becky will literally get a princess dress and follow Katie around hte house badgering her to put it on. Katie - bless her sweet  heart - will usually give in relatively quickly...even though she really does not like it! 

At the party last weekend 

A perfect pair of Cinderella's.....

The trouble is...I think Becky actually thinks she's a princess with all the entitlements that go with it! I have to keep reminding her that she may be hte princess, but I'm still the queen and the boss of her! 

Easy Play Date

Some major cuteness from our recent play date....

what kid doesn't like to like the frosting beaters?? Ryan and Becky did an outstanding job here cleaning them off....

Becky was thrilled that Princess Sofie joined her

Princess Sofie and her "coach"!! 

Heat Wave - Part 2

The recent heat wave we had came during the Lucky Mommy's Autumn Moon Festival celebration. We had food ordered, decorations purchased, games planned and a nice shelter at a park reserved....and then it was supposed to be 115 (yep - 115) and the Lucky's Daddy's said "no way!". Fortunately, Michelle stepped up and saved the day by offering her association's pool. 

We only made the kids stay in their traditional dress for a few minutes for pictures (notice all girls - the two boys - Ryan and Kyle - chose not to be in this year's picture). What an amazing - and beautiful! - group of kids these are! 

The girls couldn't get out of their outfits and into their suits quick enough! 

"Traditional" chinese food courtesy of the local Pick up Stixs! 

Our littlest member Sophie - her mom and big sister (who share similar ages to Katie's and Becky's mom and sister!) 

Being as it's southern California, no party would be complete without a pinata! 

Receiving instructions.....and anxiously awaiting the festivity to begin! 

A great time was had by all - in part because we weren't at a park in 115 degree temps, but mostly because it was a wonderful group of families and their very special children! 

Stepping Out in Faith

Stepping out in faith is something that all believers are called to do. How well we do it..that's something else for each of us. I think I do it well - safe & secure in my little world. . Then - something happens close to me, and I am humbled to see what stepping out in faith looks like in real life. On September 14th, the following email post was circulated very heavily in the adoption community:

Xie  Still Waits

We thought Xie  had a family yesterday but the family has decided they cannot adopt her at this time. We need each one of you to get the word out about her. She has only 7 weeks left to be adopted. Adoption to her means her life will be changed forever and not just changed a little but a night and day change for her. A change that will last a lifetime. I wish I had the words to describe to you what this will mean to her but there just are not enough words.

The time is so short for her that we really need a family that already has a dossier at the CCAA or is already adopting a child and would want to adopt a second child at the same time or is about ready to submit their dossier to the CCAA.

If this girl does not get adopted before she turns 14 she will not be able to adopted. Because of her orphan status, she would not be able to be educated, be employed, be married - live any of those dreams most 14 year old's have. Those familiar with the process know this is next to impossible. If you don't have your paperwork submitted to China, it takes about 8 months to complete it and get all the Chinese & US Government approvals you need. If your paperwork is already submitted to China, it still is about a 4 month process to get approval. 

Our friends stepped out in faith to adopt her. Against all odds - most of them man made paperwork odds - without any of the right completed paperwork in China - they stepped out in faith. They petition the Lord; He heard their prayers. We have seen miracles happen.

• Miracle #1 - The CCAA (Chinese Council of Adoption Affairs) agreed to a major concession with their paperwork - one that has never happened before. 
• Miracle #2 - The US government approved their petition to foreign born child prior to and pending receiving their Letter of Acceptance (LOA) from China. The day that our friends were called to step out in faith, the right people were in the right places in Washington and were ready to help.  
• Miracle #3 - they received their LOA within two weeks of submitting their Letter of Intent - and CCAA was closed for one of those weeks. The LOA was signed on Saturday -and arrived at their agency on MOnday - while they happened to be there finishing some internal paperwork. 

They are preparing to travel. They have to raise an enormous amount of money in a short time. They are stepping out in faith that the Lord will provide what they need. If you want to help be a part of this miracle in the making, go to CWA Foundation, click on general fund - adoption - and specify for the Perry Family. I am humbled and honored to call this family part of our adoption family. We traveled with them on our trip to get Katie - a trip when the Lord began to prepare them to add this beautiful girl to their family. I have been so blessed to watch the Lord move mountains - can you feel the mountains tremble? 

Our God is not too big for the two biggest government bureaucracies  in the world. 

Our God is not too big for a seemingly overwhelming expense.

Our God is not too big to move mountains to bring a young woman to a forever family that He has been preparing for her. 

Thanking God we serve a God this big. Thanking God for people who step out in faith. 

Heat Wave

The weekend before we went to Chicago, we finally got summer here. The entire summer, it has not been hot here. 9 days in the 90's, no days in the 100's - very odd. There were Friday's that we would go to the beach and retreat to the playground where it was warmer. Summer got here on September 24th - with 4 days in a row with 100+ temps. We finally got a Saturday warm enough for us to do a family beach day! 

Besides the obvious of all being together & the great warm weather - the best thing about this beach day was that I got to sit and read while the men took care of the girls! 

(ok - dad took care of the girls, Matt napped!) 

Monday it was still so hot out that I pulled the girls from school (it's just pre-school after all!) and we went back to the beach! 

Ryan and his mommy joined us too - which made for an even better day! 

Our standing meeting place is right next to the lifeguard tower - but on Monday there was no lifeguard, so the kids got to play at the tower - great fun in their "fort"! 

It was awesome to have one last "hurrah" of summer....even in late September!