Because China

Well is was a week of high highs and low lows.  We found out Friday that we reached our goal of $4000 for our matching grant through Life Song for Orphans!! We are so grateful for all those who gave and are blown away by your generosity.  We thought later that day we would get our Travel Approval, but heard from our agency that no Travel Approvals were given out that day.  They went on to tell us that we would not hear anything until next Wednesday at the earliest, due to a national holiday in China.  To say that we were crushed would be an understatement.  Funny thing is that all the songs on the radio that day seemed to focus on God's faithfulness.  That night we had planned to go out to celebrate our TA, but the dinner ended up being the 2 of us enjoying our own pity party thrown by us and for us.

The next morning, I (Blair) decided that we just needed to plan like we were still going to China in 2 weeks.  I figured that in the very small chance that we did get approval. we couldn't afford to lose a Saturday of prep work.  We ran a few errands and came home to get some things done.  My phone rang and it was a Colorado number, but not our agency's number.  I thought it must be another telemarketing call and was ready to give it to the poor person on the other end of the line.  The voice on the other line identified herself as the lady from our agency's travel department.  The next few words will stick with me for the rest of my life.  "Blair, this isn't an April Fool's joke.  We just got your Travel Approval from our reps in China!"  I think I must have told her to SHUT UP and then went on to threaten her if this was in fact an April Fool's joke.  She assured me that it wasn't and then went on to explain that we still won't have our Consulate's Appointment (the final step) until Wednesday at the earliest.  She said there are 5 families they are trying to get in on the April 17 Gotcha Day.

So, while we still don't know the exact travel dates, we do trust that God's timing is perfect.  Tonight we got to enjoy dinner with another couple that leaves this week to get their 2 little boys.  It was a perfect ending to an amazing weekend.

Just a couple things we would love for you to pray with us...

• We get a Consulate Appointment that allows us to travel ASAP
• God would prepare our hearts to welcome Lleyton into our family
• God would prepare Lleyton's heart for all the transitions he will encounter
• Our family would get better from the respiratory "crud" that we so graciously keep passing around.