Isaiah 40:31-"But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."

This adoption has taken us to scary places. I don't mean physical scares, but the fears that come when God calls you to do something and you aren't able to see how it will work out.

This past weekend we had our 5K fundraiser. Talk about out of our depth! Before this, If you'd have asked us to coordinate an event like this we would have said, "No way!" We were clueless, and going out asking for sponsors and racers was extremely uncomfortable! Yet, here we are. God surrounded us with great helpers, and He brought the sponsors, the runners, and the most beautiful April morning you could have wished or prayed for! The race exceeded our hopes and expectations. Beyond the fundraising side of it, we had great fun, and the support we felt from everyone there meant so much to our family.

Each step of the way, God has provided the funding to meet our needs when we have needed it, and we are so thankful for Him and for all of the people who have supported us along the way. Funding is usually one of the scariest issues for most adoptive parents, including us, and oftentimes it is the dealbreaker for families considering adoption, international and domestic both. We have learned, though, that God is always so faithful and where He guides, He always provides!

We are now waiting for what China parents commonly refer to as LOAs (Letters of Approval), or in actuality, our Letters Seeking Confirmation.  These documents are so important as they mean that China has accepted us to be the parents of our children after reviewing our whole dossier and are asking for confirmation that we want to make these children our own. Of course we do!! Once these come, they basically start a chain reaction of processes with US immigration, visas, etc., that will culminate in our traveling to bring our children home. It's estimated that travel occurs roughly 10 weeks after LOA. It gets difficult sometimes as we wait for these LOAs, especially knowing our paperwork is now out of the review process. Many families seem to have their LOAs issued within a day or so of completing review, but we have been out of review since April 10th with no sign of that coveted acronym in our immediate future! Our hearts ache to get our kids and bring them home, and we are just plain antsy to get this show on he road already! 

We recently found out our sweet new daughter struggles with a low self-image due to her physical issues, but also that she carries around a lot of anxiety and fears resulting from her life circumstances up to this point. It made us so very sad to know she feels that way and all that much more eager to travel soon! We don't have much information about our little guy at all and wonder how he is doing.  When LOAs are finally issued, our agency will request an update on both of them -another reason to pray they come soon!

We ask that you please pray with us that God moves and the LOAs come soon, and also that we will have patience through the waiting. Also, please pray that our little ones' hearts will be prepared for the trauma of adoption. The reality is that we will be taking them away from everything they've ever known and bringing them to a totally foreign world. That would be scary for anyone! We pray that their hearts will blossom and open to the love of a family.

The verse at the beginning of this post is so true. God has constantly provided us with strength way beyond ourselves. When we are weary and anxious, He reminds us of His love and faithfulness.