We have already had a prayer request answered! We got our VISAS!! This is huge. Thank you for praying. 

We received great news yesterday. We have been given another matching grant! This means if we can raise $2,500, God's Grace Adoption Ministry will match it with $2,500! All that needs to be done is a check sent to:

God's Grace Adoption Ministry
P.O. Box 4
Modesto, CA 95353

And "Harrison Adoption" in the memo line. 

We are getting so close! We are so thankful for all the prayers and support we have received. If you are interested in contributing, please let us know and thank you for helping us bring our children home.

We're Going to China...!

 
Well it has been a wild week. We are steps away from our big trip to China. Friday we received what is called "Travel Approval." Basically what this means is our adoption paper train has come to an end and China has said "They are yours...come and bring them home!" And we cannot wait. Our prayer is we will travel by the 4th of July. We will spend a couple days in Beijing, a week in each child's province and then a week in southern China. All in all it will be just under a month in a foreign country! All that being said, there are still obstacles and hurdles to make it through. There are many things to pray about and we would like to share a few with you: 

First of all, please pray for our children. Pray for open hearts for Ruthie and Seth. Even though we have been storing up hugs and kisses for these two little ones, they do not know yet we even exist. And when they find out we do, it will feel more like an abduction than a coming home. We will look, smell, and be different than them. It will be scary for them. Please pray they will adjust quickly and be ready and willing to accept our love. Also, please pray for Hannah, Calla, and Elliott. They are going to have a lot of changes very soon and though we are all excited, things are going to be different after being the same for the last 9 years.

Also, we cherish your prayers about receiving our Visas. Because Kris is a pastor, we had to jump through extra hoops stating we are not going to China to tell people about our faith but rather just to visit and adopt. Please pray we get these soon as they are a critical part of our travel. 

Please pray for our health. Pray our immune systems are top notch going into China. Please pray as we will be trying so many new things it will feel overwhelming. Please pray we do not get sick, get lice, scabies, or some other unknown malfunction. Being in such a new place with so many unknowns feels scary but at the same time, very exciting. But I also know the excitement will wear off eventually and feel exhausting. Pray for endurance. 

And last but not least, please pray for the money to travel. We basically need to raise $17,500 by Tuesday or Wednesday. It seems huge but we know nothing is impossible for those that love God and are called to his purposes. I have no idea how he is going to show up but I can see his faithfulness in all the nooks and crannies of our lives. I know he will be faithful again. Believe it or not, we have already raised over $37, 000 in the last 9 months. That is incredible to me. That is you...our friends and family coming together to help make the gospel come alive. Please, please pray for God to provide. We cherish your prayers and support.

While We Wait

 
Well...to start off...thank you for all your support in raising the matching grant. We successfully raised the $5,000! Praise the Lord! So that $5,000 became $10,000. We are getting closer and closer to meeting our financial goals to head to China and pick up our children. And our family and friends have been a huge part of that part of our journey. 

While we wait to hear from China about when we can come, we are veraciously reading...it's kind-of a coping mechanism for Kris and I. We have been reading some excellent books and I wanted to be able to share them with you.

First is The Connected Childby Karyn Purvis, David Cross and Wendy Sunshine. It is written primarily for adopting parents but honestly, it's a book every parent should read. It takes a good look at parenting children with high needs but I have found it to be beneficial with my biological kiddos. It looks at parenting through a psychological perspective while also addressing the body and spirit. It helps the parent/child relationship in a way that gives respect to the child while empowering the parent to empower the child. 

The second book I would like to recommend is Adopted for Lifeby Russell D. Moore. This is a great book that marries the Christian doctrine of adoption with literal adoption. It is a good blend of inspiring and throughout-provoking ideas and very tangible, practical action steps.


Another excellent book is Silent Tearsby Kay Bratt. Warning...this is a book that opens your eyes to a situation that you cannot walk away unchanged. It is one thing to be ignorant about a situation and do nothing. It is another to be suddenly made aware and then choose to do nothing. If you read this book, it will stir in your heart a desire to do something. Bratt takes you on her journey as a volunteer in an orphanage. It lays out the terrible realities of the travesties of life, the need for grace and truth in those fragile situations, and the need for everyone to do something...not nothing. 

Please continue to pray for us as we wait and continue to raise funds. We are anxious to hear from China but know that God is working out His perfect plan. And please pray for the health and safety of our children. Thank you.