Tuesday, April 17, 2012

We Have DATES!!!!

Posted by Candace

So this week began for me with a frantic feeling of attempting to get ready, packed, and organized for this trip that could have been scheduled as early as Friday. As much as I cannot wait to meet my daughter, I also felt this overwhelming burden of needing to take care of and prepare for my sons. They are in the midst of their last quarter at school and Jordan is currently working on two different projects that are due in a couple of weeks. When we received the travel approval and David said to prepare to leave as early as Friday, the pressure began to pile up quickly. Saturday, Sunday, and Monday were spent compiling a "to do" list that just kept getting longer and longer until I was completely overwhelmed. Not really the best state to begin the most challenging thing that you've ever done.

So I will not lie. I prayed and I prayed for a little more time to prepare. I told God that I didn't need much, but that I could not begin this trip completely stressed out and worried that my boys at home were not going to be completely taken care of. And God, being the gracious God that He is, gave me two more weeks. I have endured this wait for 60+ weeks, I can make it through two more, and I completely need them to make sure this transition works for my boys as well as it does for Kate and I.

David is a bit disappointed that we don't leave in 3 days, but we will be leaving on Friday, May the 4th and arriving in China on Sunday, May the 6th. We will receive our daughter on Monday, May 7th which will be her 2nd birthday! Then we will wait in China for her US Consulate date on the 17th when she will become an official US citizen :). So we will come back on Friday, May 18th. My boys took less than 14 hours to birth from start to finish...this child will take 14 days! And believe me, this trip will be "labor" for me...from start to finish. Please pray for us as this will be THE most faith-filled thing I have ever done.

I am SO EXCITED to kiss those little cheeks and hold that little hand, but I am also thrilled that I will have two weeks to work out the care of my boys and try to keep them home while I am away, help Jordan finish up his projects, go on one last field trip with Nathan, prepare all the documents that I have to take with me, clean my house, celebrate with our Grow Group, and see my precious sister-in-law share her commitment to Christ with the world through baptism. My heart soars at how good God is! We will come back to a weekend and the boys will be finished with school for the year after two short days, so that burden will be alleviated and allow total focus on bringing Kate into our family! LOVE IT!

Jesus, YOU are AMAZING!!! What You are doing is AMAZING!! That we have this privilege is AMAZING!! And that You ordained it from the foundation of the world is AMAZING!! You complete us!!

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