Spring Fever!!

 Well, school is almost finished for the year, and boy am I happy about it.  This has been such a long year with everything that has happened.  I am looking forward to a FULL happy summer!  

CCLW Retreat 2011

We have our high school retreat coming up at the end of June, 

                     

      VBS in July

James and Karla's Engagement photo by Dominic B Photography

and a big important wedding August 10th 

 

and then hopefully we will have lift off to Bring our Henry home on August 15th.

So here is the adoption update:

We are in one of the last stages now where we are waiting for our Letter of Approval from the Chinese Government.  The average wait is 60 days and we are on about the 33rd day.  As soon as we get that things should start happening more quickly...

we will apply to the US Gov again for immigration papers, 

then we will get a Cable and Approval letter, 

then an Article 5, 

THEN...we will get our Travel Approval.  

I know the timing is in the Lord's hands as we wait and prepare for everything BUT Henry.  I say that with a smile on my face because I am a little nervous about preparing for him physically.  Mentally we are prepared...Financially we are getting there...but physically I just can't seem to do besides buying a few items of clothing here and there.  

Maybe its because we are a little short on room at the moment...maybe its because I want to spend some time with him and see what he likes before I decide what his room will look like and what toys to buy...maybe its because I'm afraid of letting my heart go because I'm already having such a hard time with the patience that is required of me to sit and wait for our blessed governments to shuffle papers around.  

But my God is working behind the scenes...check this out!  I was a little nervous...ok REALLY nervous, about putting Henry in 1st grade for obvious reasons.  I contacted the Childrens School for the Blind and Visually Impaired in Tustin and they said that they would be willing to let him go to Kindergarten there for 6 months to get acclimated and hopefully we could transfer him after that, but after visiting I realized that school would not be a good fit.  SO, I went to talk to the first grade teacher at the school I work at about helping us with materials so that we could work with him at home until he was ready to transfer into the first grade.  She was very excited as I explained our situation, she said that coincidentally she was asked to start a pilot program next year, she would be teaching a Kindergarten First grade combined class of ESL students!!  Can you believe it?  Its like God created a classroom specially for Henry...where I could be close and work with the teacher!  To top it all off she is a Christian!!  Wow...why do we doubt?

So needless to say...I am confident that everything will happen exactly as He planned it and considering His plans are the best...I am not going to stress about it.  

But I do still struggle with the patience part....SIGH.

Please consider checking out the things that people have done to help us with adoption expenses...my original estimate of $15 to $20,000 has significantly grown to around $29,000.  We are SO close, God has really blessed us above what we would have every imagined, but we are still about $7000 away.  

So if you haven't already gotten your Joe Arant cd, get yours now for only $5...you will be SO blessed by this original worship music.  (Don't forget to include your address in the comments section)

      





                                                             OR check out those adorable fedoras!
                                                                              I can't wait to get one on Henry's sweet head!!

Just receive this via text this morning:)  Gotta love technology!  

This smile should last a few days:)

Phillip Baker and Henry

Dad

Spring is here and I am so happy!  I seem to have so much more energy when it is warm outside and the days are longer.  We went to my dad's house for my Grandma's 83rd birthday last weekend and I was reminded again how much I enjoy my family.  I have two sisters adopted from China who are 8 and 12 and I love hanging out with them.  I can't wait until Henry can hang out there with the chickens and the bunnies and swim...what a blessing.  My dad is different now then he was when we were young.  Not completely but different.  It seems that with age you figure out what is important, what battles to choose and which ones to fight.  I am so proud of him for the dad he was to me when I was young, but I love to watch the changes and the growth from then to now.  And I love love love it that the Lord planted my two sweet sisters in my family before Henry was a glimmer in our eyes.  Isn't it fun to step back from your life and admire God's workmanship?  How everything is woven together and blends so beautifully?  I wonder why we doubt the future...even as we face trials and unknowns...shouldn't we be excited about what they will look like in five years? 

Dad and his kids

I watched my wedding video last night and sat in wonder at where the time went.  Wasn't it just yesterday that I had Ben?  Could it have been 22 years ago that I married the man of my dreams?  And even more amazing is the transformation in me.  It seems like yesterday that my dad and I were struggling to find the light of day...we were both disasters willing ourselves to make life work.  I talk about my mom a lot and what I learned from her, when I think about my dad I think I learned sheer, raw determination.  There is nothing my dad is afraid of and when he sets his mind, there is very few things that will stop him.  He has always been my hero, not because he's perfect....hahahah...he's far from that....but because he is a good man.  He taught me what a good man is and that even though they are rare, they exist.  He might be rough around the edges...may not always say the right thing...and rarely will he say it delicately, but he is good, and that is more important.  So here's to the last 28 years, Dad...because of God, honesty and that raw determination we both came out ok.

Grafted In

Time goes by SO fast!  I can't believe it has been two months since Viv got home and I've written last.  We are still plugging along with Henry's paperwork, it all went to China the beginning of April so we are just waiting for it to be approved now.  I added a timeline to the left side of the home page so you can follow along...hopefully it will make sense to you because it took a long time for it to make sense to me.   Unfortunately it is looking like we will be traveling middle to late August but God's timing is best....it always has been.

"Grafted In"

Our amazing worship leader, Joe Arant,  often writes and sings original worship music.  They are really good songs and he is the most humble guy ever. Anyway, because people are always asking him for his music, he produced a cd of his original songs and is donating the proceeds to Bring Henry Home.  The suggested donation is only $5 so I wanted to make it available to you here as well.  

The idea is that it become an annual album that the donations can go toward families who are adopting or we can donate them to an orphanage but they will be earmarked for the orphans.  

We are so blessed to be a part of our amazing church family who have been so tremendously generous.  Henry is already loved so much.  

If you would like one of these cd's called "Grafted In" please donate using the button on the right hand side of this page and include your address in the comments section and I would love to send one out. 

If you love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever, the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.  John 14:15-18