LOA!!!!!!!

We finally got our LOA at 103 days! It took longer than we hoped but we finally have it!!! I am overjoyed that the process is finally moving along again. We have to apply for our I800 (another form from the USCIS) and get our Visas and wait for the LOC (a new step of paperwork required by the Hague) but at least we can press on to climb that next paperwork mountain between us and Hannah.

I was reading this scripture passage from Isaiah 30 this morning: "For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, 'In returning and rest you shall be saved, in quietness and trust shall be your strength.' ... Therefore, the Lord waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the Lord God is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him. For a people shall dwell in Zion, in Jerusalem; you shall weep no more. He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry. As soon as he hears it, he answers you. And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your Teacher will not hide himself anymore, but your eyes shall see your Teacher. And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, 'This is the way, walk in it,' when you turn to the right or to the left." I was struck by the part about Lord waiting to be gracious to me and blessed are those who wait on the Lord. Waiting is a tough tutor, nevertheless, I am thankful for the lessons it is teaching me. I am even more thankful that this part of the wait is over. I hope I will remember these lessons as I continue to wait on Him both now and in the future.

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within bless His holy name!

New Pics of Hannah

Just when I was getting pretty depressed with our wait, God sent us a ray of hope. Yesterday we received a nutrition update from Love Without Boundaries that included some new pictures of Hannah. I was glad to see that she is looking well and wearing my favorite color - turquoise. It is hard to know that she is getting bigger and bigger while we wait. However, I am reminded that we are waiting on God. His ways are higher than ours, and his timing is perfect. It is easier to say that than to walk daily in that faith. My weakness is revealed more and more through this process as I somehow fool myself by thinking that I can take better care of Hannah than God. Do I really believe that He is in control? Do I really trust him to care for her? Do I really understand this good work was prepared for me to walk in before I was born? No amount of striving on my part can change what God has planned for Hannah or me. It's not really about me after all, is it? It's about His will being performed. He will accomplish it in His time. He will strengthen my faith and grant me peace.

His mercies are new every morning. He is faithful. He shows me this once again. There is a little boy with Hannah in several of her pictures (not the little one above). He's a bit younger than she is and very cute. My heart has been drawn to him. Many times I have prayed for him and asked God if we should try to adopt him, too. Of course, we are not allowed to adopt more than one child at a time, but we would have to start the process all over after we returned home. I didn't know if this was in God's plan for us or not, but I kept praying that God would send him a family. He did. This week I received an email from a family in the Netherlands who will be adopting him. We are both part of a yahoo group for families who are adopting from the Gaoming orphanage. They were looking for any pictures or information, much like we did as soon as we knew about Hannah. I sent them all that I had and we will keep in touch. Isn't it wonderful when God answers our prayers so clearly? He had a plan for little Ming Hao to live with this family in the Netherlands. I am overjoyed. Thanks be to God for His gracious providence!

100 Good Wishes Quilt

I haven't posted in a while since I was really hoping I could post that we received our LOA. Well, we haven't yet. There is a slowdown because of fears surrounding the H1N1 flu (swine flu). It is discouraging because we thought we were so close. We had even seen others with our LID (Log In Date) receive their LOAs. I guess God has a different timetable in mind for us. Nevertheless, He is good. He shows us His faithfulness and kindness in many ways. One way is through the people He places in our lives. We are immensely blessed with friends and family who love and support us.

Recently, we received an unexpected gift - a 100 Good Wishes Quilt and Scrapbook. My dear friends, Carrie and Melissa, organized this secret effort to gather fabric and good wishes from our friends and family for a quilt and scrapbook for Hannah. The result is a beautiful testimony to their love for us and Hannah. The picture doesn't do it justice. It is a gorgeous tapestry of love. 39 families contributed to the gift. I was overwhelmed. The sentiments in the scrapbook bring tears to my eyes whenever I read them. Many people sent fabric that was dear to them: a favorite shirt, their children's receiving blankets, fabric from their own children's nurseries, clothing made into a quilt square, embroidered scriptures, etc. Carrie made the quilt and Melissa made the scrapbook. Both are precious and will be treasured. The quilt is already on Hannah's bed waiting for her. Come home soon, little one.