We made it!

We made it to Nanning!!!  So did our luggage which was a BIG relief.  We left home Thursday at 7 AM and got to our hotel in Nanning this morning (Saturday) around 1 AM.  We could only sleep and hour here and there so we were both feeling pretty bad by the time we got here.  The flight from Beijing to Nanning is one we will not forget anytime soon.  The smell of smoke and body odor was so strong and we were already nauseous from lack of sleep that all we could do was keep our eyes closed and minds blank.  Add in the continuous coughing and sneezing around us too and you get a glimpse of what we are talking about. 

We have a WONDERFUL guide whose name is Mary.  Matt's comment was "you just can't go wrong with a name like that".  We are walking out the door now to meet her and drive to get Anna!!! 

Itinerary and Thanks

Our itinerary is added.  Next to the "Home" tab there is a tab labeled "Itinerary".  Click on that and you can see what we are doing and when.  China time is 12 hours ahead of US time.  Bags are just about packed and the house is almost clean (but then the house has been almost clean for years now so its unlikely that status will change...).  This weekend I want to finish the kids' schedule and notes. 

THANK YOU to the one who gave the gift of money on Saturday, through Anna's savings account at National Penn.  It is greatly appreciated and needed!  

About a month ago my mother-in-law was in the grocery store and met a mom and her 2 year old daughter who also has/had clefting and was adopted from China very recently.  We connected and I was able to meet her face-to-face today as well as her new, beautiful little girl.  Seeing her smile and being obviously well adjusted gave me so much encouragement as Matt and I are perhaps overly prepared for a difficult start with Anna.  THANK YOU to this friend who graciously passed on their family's unused critter treatments from their trip to China.  Hoping that we too will be able to bless a family with the gift of these (which means we won't have needed them :))! 

We Have Travel Dates!!!!!

We found out this AM that we have secured a Consulate Appointment of October 12 at 9 AM!  We will be leaving September 23 and returning October 16.  We will meet Anna on September 25, complete the provincial adoption requirements September 27-30, "hang out" in her province during China's National Day holiday (October 1-7), travel onto Guangzhou to complete the US part of her adoption and, provided she does not test positive for TB, we will all return home on October 16.  Her birthday is October 2 and we get to celebrate it with her, in her homeland!!!  God is so good!!!

Plan B?!?

Friday, late afternoon, our agency emailed us a plan B for traveling in September.  It still had to be reviewed by their China rep who could quite possibly say no, it would not work.  We spent the day yesterday (Saturday) traveling home from Alabama so I didn't have a chance to check email until getting home yesterday evening.  After a good 30 minutes on the phone with Verizon tech support (in India I think...) they were able to help me figure out why I could not get online.  All worthwhile (For me anyway: Verizon tech support earned her paycheck with my call.  I actually heard relief in her voice when I said I was connected!) because there was an email from our agency with specifics on their plan B and a response from the China rep saying that she thinks it could work.  We will not know for sure until next week (of course...).  The kicker, well there are two, is that we will have to be in China for an extra 7 days and thus it will cost more.  Approximate dates are leaving for China September 23 and returning home October 16.  That's a looong time for us to be away from Timothy, Elias and Natalie and an equally looong time for Matt to be in a foreign country.  I'm more concerned for us missing our three at home than them missing us.  They will be with loving, caring and competent grandparents and family friends.  As for Matt being out of the US for that long, I have no doubt he will pull himself together:  When he heard 3 1/2 weeks he thought he was going to be physically sick but somehow found the ability to hold it down. 

Now that our travel approval has been issued, Anna has most likely been returned to the orphanage.  We trust in His perfect plan and His redeeming, restoring power.  Please say a prayer for her and the hands taking care of her. 

Ughhh

Instead of emailing the agency called this morning.  Tell tale sign that it was not good news.  They could not get a Consulate Appointment in September.  They are talking of December travel but are attempting to squeeze us in before then.  I can't even go to thinking of December.  There is a rumor that travel approval is only good for 90 days so the agency rep was going to check into that as well. 

Matt could not sleep last night thinking that next week we would be leaving so he just went into work at 11:30.  We were all so optimistic especially after such a quick travel approval.  It is all in His timing.  I wonder how many times we have repeated that.    

Stunned

Yesterday, September 1, our wait for travel approval started.  It typically takes 3-5 weeks for travel approval to be issued and we were counting on it being expedited which meant roughly a 1 week wait for us.  This morning I received an email that said our travel approval had been issued.  Our agency's China rep took it upon herself to go to the director of the CCAA and plead our case.  He issued our travel approval IMMEDIATELY!!!!!  I have never, ever heard of this!  Our agency submitted a Consulate Appointment request and we should find out tomorrow if we are traveling in September and when.  Praying for one more miracle as we wait to find out about the Consulate Appointment.  

The kiddos and I are in Alabama right now squeezing in a visit to Dave, Mary and the cousins.  It is wonderful to be with Mary and have her be part of this anticipation.  We are all looking forward to Matt and Anna being part of our next visit and already have plans for places to go and things to do.   

First Gift From Her Family!!!

We were sent an an email today stating that our care package will be sent to Anna within the next two days.  Below is what we sent to her and her foster family/caretakers.  The service delivering it to her will translate our letter and include a disposable camera.  We are really, really hoping for pictures of her foster family and their home.  Please pray for this.  Please also pray that what we sent helps provide a solid transition for Anna.  We have duplicates of everything sent (except Brown Bear, Brown Bear is in English :)) so if she doesn't come to us with these items we are able to provide her with something familiar.  

 

Thanks to all of you who have been praying for us as we pack and make arrangements for leaving September 9!!!  The best word to describe how we are feeling is sustained.  We have moments when the amount of what we have to do yet and the reality of what we are doing weighs down on us.  However those moments are only moments and we are grateful for the peace and perspective our God is so graciously giving.