Gotcha Day!

 Civil Affairs Office...brings back memories of our time with Kennedi

 Waiting for Brayden to arrive

 Bradley, Brayden, and Brayden's caregiver

 

 

 Us with Ms. Zhong and Brayden's caregiver

Today was a great day here in China.  I really do enjoy this place when we are here.  This morning we went down to breakfast which is always great because it's a buffet with many western foods.  Bradley had french toast, sausage, bacon, eggs, and apple juice.  Then after breakfast we explored the hotel some and then came back up to the room where I got a nice nap! Yay for naps!  When I woke up it was lunch time so we headed out and found the McDonalds and Pizza Hut.  We all 3 had meals at McDonald's for $8!  By the time we finished eating it was time to meet our guide down in the lobby to head to the Civil Affairs Office.  We met the other family, the Scott's, who are adopting a 14 year old girl and they went with us.  They are from Minnesota and are farmers.  They have a 14 year old girl they adopted 2 years ago from India (near Calcutta) and are getting here just in time to adopt their new daughter before she ages out of the system and cannot be adopted (her 14th birthday is at the end of the month). 

The Civil Affairs Office is the same place we met Kennedi at.  This time it was much busier in that place!  We waited for awhile then Sarah (or guide) called us over and Brayden came out with Ms. Zhong.  It was great.  He seems so calm and easy going, much like the rest of our family.  He definitely has a sense of humor, much like another Chinese child I know who lives with us.  I can just see them conspiring things together.  He REALLY likes computers and knew how to use my iPhone and the games on it.  Obviously he had access to them at the orphanage.  We are going to have to limit his time with them because this kid loves to play.  He is obviously very loved at the orphanage.  Ms. Zhong brought him to us as well as two caregivers from the orphanage.  She said the director really wants to see him with his family and so they are hoping we go and visit the orphanage before we leave.  We gave him his Rubicks Cubes and he loved trying to figure them out.  He gave Bradley a sucker and they had a good time playing on our phones while we did some paperwork.  He brought a lot of things with him and had gifts for us along with pictures of when he was little.  Was told he goes to school Monday through Friday from 7:30-5:30 and takes a nap from noon-2:00.  Sarah said he told her he was tired because he missed nap time.  He keeps sneezing and coughing so hopefully he's not sick and maybe it's just allergies.  Sarah is picking us up to take us to dinner at 6:00 and tomorrow it's back to the Civil Affairs Office to make his adoption final in China's eyes. Other than that, we are all doing great. 

10 days left here in China, the birth place of two of my children.  Thank you for the continued prayers and comments on here and Facebook.  We love reading them! Xoxoxo

Sleep? Who needs sleep???

Well we made it to China last night.  Our flights were smooth and uneventful, thank goodness (the last time we flew to China a guy had a heart attack or something on the plane and so it was very eventful).  Cathay Pacific is the way to go, so much better than our trip over last time.  There were television screens at each seat so I watched half of The Lucky One and half of Brave, some Friends and Modern Family episodes, and played some games.  It was a great way to keep Bradley entertained.  It seemed like they were always feeding us.  They had snacks in the back of the plane to get whenever you wanted it which was so nice.  The only downfall to that flight was the uncomfortable back to the seats and the long time it took to get to Hong Kong.  Our flight from Hong Kong to Guangzhou was nice and quick, only 30 minutes.  Yay to good flights! 

Going through immigration was a breeze.  I think it helped us getting in at night.  Landing in Beijing last time seemed much worse.  That's where Mark was told, in Chinese, that his passport didn't match him.  They almost didn't let him through, it was crazy.  This time we walked right through, grabbed all our luggage and met our guide Sarah, then grabbed our van and headed 30 minutes to the hotel.  The Garden hotel is much grander and nicer than I expected.  I will have to take a picture of our door to get in, it looks like a garage door!  We have two seperate rooms, one living area with the couch, chair, set of table and chairs, and a desk area, and then another room with the beds and bathroom. 

We were all exhausted when we got in last night but we finished watching Night at the Museum (with Chinese subtitles) and went to bed at about midnight.  I woke up thinking it was morning and it was only 3:30am.  Couldn't go back to sleep so I just decided to get up and chat with Katelyn some.  I got to hear about her morning at church which I always love hearing about so that was nice.  It's 5:30 now and Bradley is up so I guess we are all feeling the jet lag some (except for Mark of course, he can sleep through anything.  He slept the most on the flights and tried to say Bradley and I got 4 hours of sleep!  What?? You were sleeping, how do you know how much sleep we got?  Haha!). 

Today (Monday) we meet Brayden face to face finally.  We will go to the Civil Affairs office at 2:00 and he will arrive there at 2:30 (so that will be 11:30pm on Sunday your time).  It will be like going back in time because it is the same place we met Kennedi in her pretty red dress 4 1/2 years ago (exactly).  That was a rough time because she was very upset...hoping today goes a little smoother.  I think I would be upset and crying too if some white people, speaking only English, came to get me.  That's got to be so terrifying.  She was so brave to leave with us and I'm sure Brayden will be too.  We are excited to meet the other family going with us (there's only us and this other family right now).  They are going to meet their 14 year old daughter!  They have their other 14 year old daughter (whom they adopted from INDIA) with them.  How cool is that?  We will have two 12 year old boys with us and they will have two 14 year old girls with them.  We will definitely have to chat with them some about India and about my friends, the Andersons, who are anxiously awaiting to bring their daughter home from India. :)

Other than that, that's all I have for you right now.  Our next post will have pictures of Brayden with us!  Please continue to pray for us and our now 11 remaining days here.  Love you all!

A Look Back...

As we prepare to travel this week I cannot help but think back in amazement at how we got to this point.  God is so faithful to provide all you need if you choose to follow him.  I'm telling you, if He has put adoption on your heart and you decide to step out in faith and follow Him, He will provide everything for you.  Yes, we don't like not knowing how it will all work out and it is sometimes scary but the outcome, if you choose to do what He is asking, is so very worth our little time of worry and fear.  We started this road 10 months ago with nearly nothing to put towards a $22,000ish adoption (I don't even know what the grand total ended up being) and God has provided just about every penny.  We could NOT afford to adopt from China again but yet that is where God had prepared a son for us. Yes, we did come up short and had to borrow some money but that isn't bad when you look at how much we needed to get to this point.  He put a couple amazing grant opportunities in our path, provided some amazing friends who worked their tails off at our boutique fundraiser, Both Hands/widow's home remodel fundraiser, and our carnival fundraiser, and many, many more friends and family who have given donations to help bring Bradyen home.  Without God and all these loving, caring people in our lives, we would not be preparing to bring our son home.  So from the bottom of our hearts we say thank you for helping care for the orphan and making our son an orphan no longer.  I challenge you, if God is asking you to adopt a child, to not look at the costs or say you cannot afford to do so.  Step out in faith KNOWING that God will provide all you need and in the end you will have an amazing gift.  Hoping you all follow our journey to China and home.  I will be posting the majority of our days here on the blog but I will also be on Facebook as well.  Please continue to keep us in your prayers. Love you all! Xoxoxo

China Itinerary

For those who have asked, here is our itinerary for our trip:

Saturday 9/15: Leave
Sunday 9/16: Arrive in Guangzhou, China at 9:20pm (6:20am here)
Monday 9/17: Gotcha Day for Brayden!! (Sunday evening/night here)
Tuesday 9/18: Adoption procedures at Civil Affairs office
Wednesday 9/19: Brayden's Chinese passport paperwork
Thursday 9/20: Sightseeing/Relaxing
Friday 9/21: Visit Brayden's orphanage in Zhongshan
Saturday 9/22: Brayden's medical appointment
Sunday 9/23: Sightseeing/Shopping with Ann from Red Thread China
Monday 9/24: Paperwork day
Tuesday 9/25: Sightseeing/Relaxing
Wednesday 9/26: Visa interview and oath ceremony at American Consulate
Thursday 9/27: Pick up Brayden's Visa
Friday 9/28: Leave for home (Thursday evening here), arrive at 11:35am

Please pray for safe travels, health and safety while there, and most importantly for Brayden and his adjustment.  His life, the only life he has known for 12 years, is about to get turned upside down.

Fundraiser Carnival and Raffle

 Chenecua...the best hair stylest there is gave all the girls lovely hair-dos!

 Katelyn face painting Kennedi

 Rachel...love her!

 Alanna worked the whole time selling raffle tickets (sorry not a great picture Alanna)...love you!

 Christy and Nick putting up some shade

 Polynesian Dancers...so cute!

 Katelyn and Emmy

 Ashton worked her tail off too...face painting the whole time...thanks Ashton!

 Teen hangout

Yesterday we had our final fundraiser. Our dear friends, Christy and Jeff, pulled together a fun day of food, games, bounce house, DJ, shaved ice, etc. Many people donated items, services, and their time to make today a success and we cannot thank everyone enough! It's very moving to see all who helped and all who came out to enjoy the day; we appreciate all of you and hope you all had a good time! We raffled off many prizes that were also all donated. Here are the winners:

*Cookie Lee Gift Certificate...Mandi Michaelides
*31 Bags Gift Certificate...Susan Kersten
*Scentsy Gift Certificate...Robin Garratt
*Fresh Orange Gold Canyon Candle...Michelle Bentzen
*Avon Gift Certificate...Louisa Weyant
*Hand Made Sculptures...Toni Jones and Rosie Guerrero
*Slates Gift Certificate...Rosie Guerrero
*Dazzling Angels Custom T-Shirt...Susan Rutwoski and Kim Vass
*Cool Hand Luke's Gift Certificate...Ham Family
*6 Months Free Storage at Pacific Storage...Shea Sawyer, Carla Melnyk, Susan Kersten
*Yukon Jack's Gift Certificate...Michelle Bentzen, Pat Gordon, Sarah Lejune
*Velata Chocolates Gift Certificate...Paul Carlson
*Faith, Family, Friends Wooden Blocks...Paul Carlson
*Prime Rib Dinner...Mark Gutierrez
*Set of Gel Nails...Mandi Michaelides
*Necklace and Earring Set...Shea Sawyer
*Kubo Orthodontics Gift Certificate...Susan Rutwoski
*Kindle Fire Grand Prize...Amelia Fries

Congratulations to all who won prizes and thank you all again for your love, prayers, and support! 

Another RAFFLE!

On Monday we received our next step, our I-800 (approval from Homeland Security).  This means that if things keep moving and we don't get hung up anywhere, we will be traveling to China around the middle of September...in about 4 weeks!  Eeeeeekkkkkk!!  We still need about $5000 to finish our adoption costs (flight costs are rediculously expensive) and will need this amount in about a month from now so we can book our reservations.  My sweet, dear friend Christy has arranged a pretty amazing raffle to help us raise our remaining funds to get to China!  It will work the same way the last raffle worked... $5 per entry or 5 entries for every $20 you donate.  Plus once you donate, every time you share this information on your Facebook or Twitter, you will get an additional entry (just let me know where you shared it). Except this time, there's many more chances to win because she has collected lots of prizes for us to give away!  We have to give away:I
*TWO $25 GIFT CERTIFICATES FOR 31 BAGS
*TWO GIFT CARDS FOR CUSTOM T-SHIRTS FROM DAZZLING ANGELS
*$25 GIFT CARD FOR SCENTSY
*$25 GIFT CARD FOR VELATA CHOCOLATES
*$100 GIFT CERTIFICATE TO SLATES IN FRESNO
*$500 TOWARDS ORTHODONTIC TREATMENT AT KUBO ORTHODONTICS
*26 OUNCE FRESH ORANGE GOLD CANYON CANDLE
*BEAUTIFUL NECKLACE AND EARRING SET
*FREE SET OF GEL NAILS
*PRIME RIB (OR WHATEVER YOU REQUEST) DINNER FOR FOUR DELIVERED TO YOUR DOOR...MADE BY MY MOM WHO IS A DELICIOUS COOK!
*ONE $25 AVON GIFT CERTIFICATE
*ONE $25 COOKIE LEE GIFT CERTIFICATE
*FOUR $20 GIFT CERTIFICATES TO YUKON JACK'S (GOOD IN FRESNO OR KERMAN)
*ONE $25 GIFT CERTIFICATE TO COOL HAND LUKE'S (GOOD IN CLOVIS OR MADERA)
*ADORABLE WOODEN BLOCKS (PICTURED BELOW) MADE BY KRAFTY KERRI
*TWO AMAZING CLAY SCULPTURES (PICTURED BELOW) MADE BY LINDA GREENE
*THREE GIFT CERTIFICATES FOR A FREE STORAGE UNIT FOR 6 MONTHS AT PACIFIC STORAGE IN FRESNO
*GRAND PRIZE WILL BE ANOTHER KINDLE FIRE!!

So you have at least 17 prizes you have a chance of winning!  Please help us out with a cash donation and by sharing this with your friends and family. To donate, click the donate or Chip In link on the right side of this blog (or contact me if this doesn't work). If you have an item you can donate to raffle off, let me know. We're almost to the finish line and I am confident we will make it with God on our side!  Please keep us in your prayers.

 The sculpture below is based off of Matthew 19:14

And here is a picture of Laura who won the last
Kindle Fire Giveaway (WE ARE NOT RAFFLING HER OFF)!

LOA!

Today we finally received, after 69 days, our Letter of Approval from the Chinese Government.  This document gives us official approval from China to adopt Brayden and now allows us to apply for our Visas.  It is one of the longest waits in the process and I'm glad it's one that is now behind us.  The average wait right now from LOA to travel is about 10 weeks!  10 weeks and we will get to meet our boy!  We are hoping to leave around September 20th and returning around the 1st of October, putting us back home in time to see Katelyn show her pig Paisley at the Fresno Fair and in time for her 16th birthday.  If we are delayed at all, this puts us in a sticky situation because China has a huge, month long, trade fair during the month of October and prices for flights and hotels double during that time.  Will you join us in praying for mid-September travel?
Thank you to all of you who entered our drawing for the Kindle Fire!  We ended up making $500 on the fundraiser because of all of you!  Please continue to pray that the funds continue to come through for us within the next two months. 
I will leave you with a couple of the new pictures we recently received of Brayden.  Can't wait to hug him and see his sweet face in person!  Please keep him and his heart in your prayers as well, as he prepares to leave his friends, care givers, and the only life he has ever known.