Complete!

We got Sam's visa today, so we are able to leave China Saturday! Ready to come home!!! He is doing great and I was able to leave the room without him for about 15 minutes. That may not seem like much, but its the longest I've been away from him since we got him. I had to go to the lobby to get his visa and returned to find him laughing and playing. Such a relief!

I wanted to share a little "God wink" with you...back in April I visited Shepherds Field and met Joseph. He was close to aging out and was in danger of not being adopted. I purchased some of his art work for the kids to keep in their rooms as a reminder to pray that he would get a family. We prayed for him each night.  I was thrilled when we learned that God answered the prayers of so many! Honestly, I was a little afraid to have my children ask that prayer because I knew the odds were not in his favor! What a lesson I learned about the power of prayer! So, we got to visit shepherds field at the beginning of this trip and Joseph was already with his family. So, imagine my surprise when we were at the medical clinic getting Sam's TB results and Emily says, "mom, there's Joseph!"  Yes, it was. He was standing there for his test results too! I was so excited to see him with his little brother and father. I stood amazed at how God orchestrated that moment. I do not believe it was a coincidence, but rather a gift to see how He did provide Joseph with a family! God is good!

Not sure if I will blog again before we leave, but we please keep us in your prayers. We feel blessed, but are certainly struggling with adjusting to a toddler that speaks another language. Sam had a major meltdown this afternoon in the middle of the hotel. It's frustrating for him and us. Thankfully, it didn't last long. We would appreciate prayers for good health, safe travels, easy transition with time change and Sam's new environment. This will be his 3rd move in 2 weeks. Stressful for the little guy!

One week

Wow, what a difference in one week! Sam continues to amaze  us with how he has so easily adjusted into our family! He is happy and full of energy. He eats everything we've offered and doesn't fuss much. He is allowing Jon to hold him more, but must be holding my hand! He only likes to take a bath if Brooks gets in with him. His speech is difficult to discern, but he mimics sounds exactly. We've figured out he is saying things like thank you, Emily, daddy, no, mama, gugu (brother) based on sounds. We expect that once his palate is repaired that he will make more sense. His understanding of English is amazing! We are in complete awe of the little guy and feel so blessed that God chose us to be his family! HIS love never fails.

Our travel group has 11 adoptive families that are awesome. We had the chance to gather in a small play room this afternoon to worship together. Our stories were all different, but at the core we all had the same theme...obedience to answering the call.  We've met people adopting 2 children at once, some on their 4th/5th adoptions, others like us...first adoptions. I get all misty eyed each morning at breakfast as I walk past table after table of adoptive families. It's so moving to see firsthand what love can do! As we closed in prayer, it was requested that all of our families would go back and be a witness to the great need for families for these precious children. There are so many in need!  So, I'm asking you now, would you consider asking Him how you can help with the orphan crisis? The harvest is plentiful!

Medical exam

We took Sam for his medical exam today. They did a full body exam which he did not enjoy. He let the doctor know how he felt about it. He was good for the ENT and ended with a TB screening test. He didn't cry When they put the needle in. It is crazy to see a kid with no understanding of pain. He has cracked his head and done things that make me hurt and he hasn't even whimpered. I know this will change as he learns from his siblings. He did run into the wall today and said "wow" with a giggle. He continues to test boundaries and we are learning how much a toddler can get into and FAST! So thankful to have Emily and Brooks with us. They are doing so great with him!

Walls coming down

Wow! The walls are coming down. Sam is full throttle giggles, squeals, and high energy. We have had to work for smiles, but not any more! Even when we went to the museum today, he was more comfortable. He missed his nap because we were out layer than expected and what a mistake. He was so wound up that he was showing some behaviors of hitting, spitting, and kicking. We joked that we should ask you to stop praying for him to come out of his shell because he is out!!! So now we are trying to teach him how to be gentle and love his family. He is talking so much and he spoke his first English word..."no" because he heard it about a hundred times today! We are learning to not let him overdo his playing like this evening...his hernia was causing him some pain. All it took was some quiet TLC and a warm bottle to calm him right down. We will get him all fixed up as soon as we get home. Not sure if I've even mentioned his special need, but he has a bilateral cleft lip and palate. His palate is still open and I was nervous about his eating. Not an issue at all. I've cut bigger holes in the bottle and sippy cup for him and he eats like a champ!

Zoo and 5 Spring Park

Sam slept 8:30-7:30 in his bed! He woke up once and I said "momma's here" and we went back to sleep. He woke up so happy with lots of smiles. Then we bundled him up in 3 layers of pants, 3 shirts, puffy coat, hat and gloves and went to the zoo and park. It was a chilly 15 degrees! He wasn't phased by the cold, but Emily was! Skinny girl and not enough layers! :-) Sam weighs 30 pounds and is built like a tight end! We enjoyed getting out, even in the freezing cold. Sam continues to be nervous when we leave the room, but we know it is building trust that we won't leave him. I've had our guide tell him that I won't leave him ever. I can't imagine what he is thinking. So many changes...
While touring the zoo, the kids got to ride a camel. Quite funny! The leopard cubs loved Emily's bright hat and chased her down the fence line. Many locals were amused. Brooks did a little Tai Chi in the park. We have been followed by locals asking us where we are from and how we have a Chinese baby. Our guide has taught us some mandarin so we can respond. They react very positively and are kind with warm wishes for Sam.
Sam is amazing...naps well, potty trained, eats good amounts (not over eating which is typical). We are so amazed at how blessed we are. We fully understand that hard days are ahead, but we are soaking up these moments.

Gotcha!

They brought him to us and he was scared. He tried to be so tough, but as he figured out they were leaving it was game over. Heartbroken, all of the Franklin's were crying as we hurt so much for him. We then had to load him in a car and drive to get his passport photo. Well, they needed him to stop crying and for his mouth to be closed...fat chance! Finally, they decided that one of the photos would suffice. He kept crying until we gave him yogurt with straw. Then we returned to hotel for paperwork. Sam played with all his toys, but was so serious and guarded. He went to bed in the pack and play, but ended up in bed with us after he woke up looking for his crib mates. He never cried, just looked on both sides of the bed. Well, I may regret it, but I put him in bed with us. He called out "mama" when I got up...melted my heart.

Day 2: Sam is serious. He is so tough and brave. We are a family that is not so serious, so i decided that we needed to lighten the mood. I began throwing his hat at him and he melted into a fit of giggles that had us all in the palm of his hand. He does get scared and puts up walls any time we leave the room. When we went to sign papers, the orphanage directors kept trying to hold him and he pushed them away. Again, points with mom! This boy knows what's up! He was so loved and well taken care of and we are eternally grateful to all who loved him until we could get to him. Oh, he's potty trained...BONUS! Bonding is going great. He prefers me but will let Dad give him a bottle. Gotta run! Hope to post again soon!

Shepherd's Field

We made it in last night. We are spending today loving on kids at Shepherd's Field. Love this place! Emily and Brooks amazed me at how they just jumped right in with these kids! My prayer was that they would see them with God's eyes. For those that don't know...Shepherds field is a wonderful village providing care for special needs children. There are so many new faces which is great because so many have forever families!
Speaking of forever families...tomorrow is our day. We fly to Lanzhou in the morning. Still can't believe it's happening!!! Blessings!!!

Thanksgiving lunch

We are Atlanta airport. Boys just had the Varsity and girls had Pei Wei. Best thanksgiving lunch! Now to board and fly 15 hours! Ahh, Dramamine for dessert!

Giving Him the Glory!

As we are days from leaving I am overwhelmed by God's provision. One of the big concerns when people consider adoption is the financial cost. We had felt the nudge to adopt before, but dismissed it because we didn't have the money. Thankfully, Jon made me go to Financial Peace several years ago. We weren't in debt so I didn't think we needed it. We were already tithing, so why go? Well, what an impact it has had in our lives. We were actually telling our money what we wanted to do.

Now, I must confess that we didn't have an "adoption fund" when we began this journey. We had to restructure our spending to make one. We had to make some cuts. We had to sell a car. We sold stuff on eBay, Craigslist and other online sources. We had a fundraiser, where family, friends and strangers donated to help us. I worked a soccer camp. Jon worked overtime. The kids got and are getting less "stuff" for Christmas. We do not feel like we have sacrificed anything, but rather gained so much. God has used His people to provide. Adoption is expensive! In the past two weeks, we have been gifted with over $10,000!!! Yes, you read that right, $10,000! This means that we will complete our adoption without having to borrow any money!!! What a testimony to the provision of God! He has done more than we could ever imagine. Thanks be to God! Thank you for praying and supporting our family!!!

God will provide all of the needs to whatever He is calling you to!

Counting Down!!!

We are 10 days away from leaving for China!!! It is a shopping, packing frenzy over here!  We are trying to soak up the remaining days of being a family of 4, but are so excited to be a family of five in time for Christmas.  Oh, to see 5 stockings hanging this year!!!
I've got a to do list a mile long, so just a short blog.  I do plan to blog while in China, so follow along as we go get our boy!  Please join us in prayer for...

• health for all 5 of us
• safe travels (driving in China is CRAZY)
• Sam will attach/bond easily with our family
• us to be HIS light in China

Blessings to you all!!!

Blogging...oops!

Well, it's only been about 4 months since my last post...and so much has happened.  Quick recap on the past months...I went to China, we got LID (log in date), we received referral for our son!  Yes, we have a son waiting for us in Gansu province!  Here is Sam...

How cute is he!  We are so excited to go get him!  We are at the stage in the adoption where we are awaiting LOA (letter of acceptance).  People keep asking when we will get to travel to get him and my response is "hopefully by Christmas".  It is my selfish desire to have Sam home by then, but I really want to wait for God's perfect timing.  He has proven faithful and so I trust Him to make us a family of 5 at just the right time.  Some days it's harder to trust, but I need to remember that He is never early and never late!

In the meantime, we pray for God to be at work preparing us for Sam and him for us.  We are having fun buying Batman jammies and basketball shorts.  This boy is going to be a playa!  Brooks wants to teach him all the sports ;-) and Emily wants to snuggle him...get in line!  We cherish the pictures and videos that we have of him.  It's crazy to be in love with someone you've never met and feel such a longing for them.  We continue to be filled with God's peace and are so thankful to be on this journey with Him.

Hopefully, the next blog won't take 4 months!  Oops!

DTC!!!

We got the email from our agency today stating that we are officially DTC, dossier to China.  This is such a blessing!  Our dossier is basically our life summed up in 13 documents.  It has taken us 7 months to reach this point from submitting our adoption application.  I am so thankful and feel a weight has been lifted!  The next step is that we wait for a LID, Log in Date.  Once we are logged in, we are eligible to receive referrals.  While this is what I so can't wait for, I'm also nervous. 

Please join us in prayer for us to have wisdom and discernment.  We pray that God will stir our hearts and confirm the child He has for us.  We ask for His peace while we wait upon Him.  We ask that our plans would be in alignment with His.   

Song stuck in my head..."strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord, we will wait upon the Lord".



Romans 8:26 And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don't know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words.

The Winner is...

We did the drawing last night for our fundraiser and the winner is...Kendal S.  She works with my mom in Oklahoma!  So excited for her and her family.  We had a special prayer time before the drawing and thanked God for each of you that donated and prayed for His blessings on you and your family!  Emily drew the name and Brooks read off the ticket number.  They loved being a part of the drawing.  YOU all donated close to $3,000!!!  What a blessing!

Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.  Ephesians 3:20

Hope to post again very soon about being DTC...

LAST CHANCE!!!

Last chance for you to enter the raffle for a week at the beach!  We will draw the lucky winner Sunday evening.  Just click the donate button to enter.  We are so thankful for each of you that have already supported us.  We are blessed to have so many friends be a part of our adoption story!  Scroll down to earlier post to see photos of the condo!

We are expecting to be DTC (dossier to China) next week!  I'll update then!

Don't be afraid...

We got our immigration approval in record time!  That was an answered prayer.  Now, we are in the authentication process.  Our paperwork is en route to Alabama's Secretary of State and then off to Houston to the Chinese Consulate.  After that, we will be DTC (Dossier to China).  Praying for a smooth process and continued peace while we wait.  I'm so excited to make progress and feel like we are getting closer to our child.

We've begun listening to a CD to try and learn some Chinese.  The kids have picked up on it faster than we have.  The phrase that I've picked up on and has stuck in my head is "Bu yao hai pa" sounds like boo yaow hi pah = Don't be afraid.  I feel peace that God is comforting me with this phrase.  We pray that our child will feel the same peace when we speak it over them.

i800A...adoption lingo!

I remember first looking at an adoption timeline and having NO CLUE what all the lingo meant.  CANS, i800A, 797C, i800, DTC, LID, LOI, LOA, NVC, TA...  I'm so excited to at least know what some of those terms mean now!  We submitted our i800A March 1st and we are awaiting biometric fingerprint appointment and hopefully a quick approval notice!  Some people have waited as little as a month, others up to 90 days for their approval!   So, the i800A approval is a requirement for us on the USA side before we can submit paperwork to China.  I am so thankful that God has allowed us to be a part of HIS great plan.  Go, God, Go!

Orange Beach Condo Pictures

View from the balcony

Master bedroom

second bedroom with 2 queens

3rd bedroom with queen

Entrance/foyer

living room

Kitchen

Living room

Balcony

Master bedroom

Fundraising

Dear Friends and Family,

We pray this letter finds you well.  As most of you know, our family is in the process of adopting a special needs child from China.  We officially began the process in late September 2011 and are in hopes of being a family of 5 in the year of 2012! 

God has truly blessed us and given us a heart for orphans.  He has opened our eyes to the great need for these children to be loved.  Emily and Brooks are also excited to have another sibling.  Brooks is mostly excited to have another kid to play with!  Emily enjoys researching orphans and watching videos with Stacy.  They can’t wait to travel to China and meet the newest Franklin. Stacy is very excited to go on her first mission trip in late April.  She and a team from our church are going to a special needs orphanage.  We feel that God is calling us to start Orphan Care Ministry in our church and believe that this trip is a part of His plan.  Your prayers for this trip and ministry are appreciated.  These lyrics from Francesca Battistelli’s song Motion of Mercy best sum up our new fire…

Now I’m filled by a love
That calls me to action
I was empty before now I’m drawn to compassion
And to give myself away

We are so thankful that we went through Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace several years ago to allow us to live debt free (still house payment).  We continue to pray that we will be financially responsible as we proceed with our adoption expenses.  Jon is planning to put his photography skills to good use and do a fundraiser photo shoot.  Stacy is planning to conduct some soccer camps to raise funds as well.   

Our Aunt Betsy has graciously offered the week of June 2-9^th at her gorgeous 3BR/2BA Orange Beach, AL condominium for us to raffle off!  Here is an opportunity for you to be a part of our adoption.  The donation entry table: $20 = 1 entry, $50 = 3 entries, $100 = 7 entries.  We will draw the winner on April 15th!  The Paypal link to donate will be listed below (Paypal account not needed).  We are truly grateful for any financial contributions and prayers you send our way.  We will leave you with some scripture that we have treasured recently…

John 14:18  I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.

James 1:27  Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

Isaiah 1:17  Learn to do right; seek justice.  Defend the oppressed.  Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.

Proverbs 31:8  Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute.

God Bless,

Jon, Stacy, Emily and Brooks

Donation link is found on our blog:

http://www.followinghim-stacy.blogspot.com/

So, I wait

So, I wait...for so many things.  I wait for forms to be returned that we sent off 3 months ago.  I wait for the reference letters to be written from family and doctors.  I wait for the home study to be finalized so we can submit it.  I wait for the next step in what seems to be a forever process.  I wait for my child.  I have no control over the timeline, even though I have a great one all mapped out in my head!  It seems that my routine is I hurry up and complete a form and then wait.  Rinse and repeat...  If God would just show me His timeline, things would be so much better!  Or would they?  If I knew when this all would happen, would I seek Him?  Would I cry out to Him?  Would I depend on Him?  Would I try to change His mind and beg Him to speed it up?  Would I grumble and complain?  Oh wait, that's exactly what I'm doing right now!  Although I have no control over the timing of how this story plays out, I do have control over how I respond to the wait.  I can grumble my time away or I can trust that His timing is perfect!  I say it over and over, but am I just talking the talk?  I know that God is having us wait for a reason...more like lots of reasons.  This is the time to strengthen my relationship with my husband, daughter and son.  It's a time to pour into those relationships so that we can pour out on our new son/daughter.  It's time to ask God to prepare our hearts for this new child and them for us.  It's a time to grow in His word, as I'm sure we will need it with the upcoming struggles we will face.  It's a time to be quiet and listen to His voice, so I will know it distinctly from all the other voices in my head (yes, I'm a bit crazy!).  It's a time to focus on someone/something other than ourselves and our situation.  It's a time to ask God to show me a new way to pray.  So, I wait...

LORD, help me learn your ways.
   Show me how you want me to live.
⁵ Guide me and teach me your truths.
   You are my God, my Savior.
   You are the one I have been waiting for.