to pray

Honestly, I'm not sure exactly how to pray for all that lies ahead, so I trust the Holy Spirit to lead me (and you).

And it's pure comfort to know that many of you are praying and continue to pray when we are exhausted, confused, discouraged, frustrated..... and also the times we are filled with joy and delight and awe.

Here are a few ways I feel lead to pray.

1. For John Paul as he leaves the only family he has ever known, the couple he calls "mama and baba", to join our family.  Pray that he grieves well, long, hard.  Pray for the foster family he leaves behind as their empty arms will ache for weeks. Praise Jesus that He early showed his grace to John Paul by placing him with a foster family. 

2. For Matt and for me.  As we greet and love and serve this sweet little boy, for patience, for bits/glimpses of the joy to come, for firm conviction in God's perfect plan for all of us.  That our joy and our peace will not be determined by our circumstances but rather by a solid unshakeable faith in the God who is writing this story.

3. For Julianna, Lydia, Isaac and Luke.  Surely there is massive adjustment ahead as we welcome another member to the family.  I'm most concerned about Isaac, but I've been surprised before :)  Ask the Lord to give them understanding hearts, wisdom beyond their years as they respond to changes here at home. 

Also (by request!) here is a "best guess" at what the next days look like for us (all subject to change, of course!).  Time is local, we are 12 hours ahead of EST.

Sunday Matt and I (and Luke) fly to Henan, arriving early afternoon.  We have a short "hello" meeting with our guide and are excited to reconnect with our friends who are also adopting.  Matt and I are looking forward to dinner on our own (our friend Jill will be watching Luke for a bit that evening!)

Monday morning we will head to the civil affairs office to wait for John Paul.  He (and any other children coming from his area of the province) will have a three hour drive to the provincial capital to meet us.   Our best guess is that he will arrive between 10 and 11 that morning.  We will sign papers and he will officially be under our care.

Tuesday (long long day).  We drive back to his "hometown" - more paperwork to sign and process.  We are also hoping to visit his finding place (the spot where he was abandoned) and also just heard today that we will most likely get to meet his foster family.  [On the official record a meeting between the foster parents and adoptive parents is prohibited but we asked for special permission and it looks likely it'll be granted.]

As emotionally difficult as we expect this day to be (and on top of that, six to eight hours of road travel time), it is a tremendous opportunity for John Paul and for us.  Almost everything I've read about the potential to meet foster parents speaks of how healthy it is for everyone .... for John Paul to see that his foster parents know he is leaving, and who he is leaving with.  For us to learn more of what his first 19 months of life looked like.  I'm just hoping I can stop crying long enough to express how deeply grateful I am for their sacrificial love for him, and assure them that their role in his life will be honored by our family.

We travel back to the provincial capital Tuesday night -

Wednesday is low-key, waiting for a final piece of paperwork to be processed and an early evening flight home.  This will be a big reunion - all seven of us under the same roof for the first time ever!