Meeting Mei

Thank you so much!

2008-10-14T00:42:00.003-05:00

I will give thanks to the LORD because of his righteousness and will sing praise to the name of the LORD Most High. Psalm 7:17

First of all, I just want to thank God for the blessing that He has given us in Lily (Mei). My God is an awesome God. Now, I know that I haven't written in awhile, but I just want to let everyone know that I appreciate all of your prayers and good wishes. We have been busy chasing a nearly two year old China Doll. She is a true blessing to all that she comes in contact with.

Precious Lily

2007-11-06T14:29:00.001-06:00

She is absolutely BEAUTIFUL!

When are we going home...I want to meet my big brother Luke?

It's going to be HOW MUCH LONGER?

Hi Luke We All Love And Miss You!!!

2007-11-06T13:49:00.000-06:00

The Many Faces of China

2007-11-06T13:24:00.001-06:00

Can you translate this?

Hey! Who is that cute blond ?

Marley makes friends even halfway across the world.

Beautiful Places...

2007-11-06T13:01:00.000-06:00

Scenes Of Life In China

2007-11-06T12:50:00.000-06:00

Out and about in Nanchang

2007-11-06T12:40:00.000-06:00

The Doctor Visits!!

2007-11-06T12:02:00.001-06:00

Looks like Miss Lily tolerated her first Dr visit just fine until.....

He looked in her ears...poor Lily!!

Note From Ben

2007-11-06T11:56:00.000-06:00

Becky here,
Just as I was about to create this post to say they are having trouble getting pictures uploaded Ben sent a BUNCH of pictures. I will begin working on that now. I will label anything I am sure of and leave the rest for Ben to update later. It's going to be FUN!!!!!!!!!! Enjoy the pictures.

Becky

From Ben... ( This was all I had to post earlier )

All is well here. We're doing the red couch photos today.

Love,

Ben

November 4

2007-11-04T13:43:00.000-06:00

New email from China...

This picture was taken in Nanchang. It was kind of cold that day. We're in Guangzhou. We're going to be doing a lot of running around tomorrow. The paperwork never seems to end. I think Lily has decided that we're the best nannies that she's ever had. She's a happy little thing, just don't change her diaper, change her clothes, or give her a bath. Everything is good here. Sorry I haven't e-mailed you lately. I've been a little sick, something I ate. Just about 100% now. Gotta go! I'm about to fall asleep at the keyboard.

We love and miss you all!

Ben

The Latest From China

2007-11-02T05:36:00.000-05:00

Everything is great here. Evelyn and Sissi (our CCAI reps) are keeping us very busy. We are still in Nanchang. We will leave for Guangzhou tomorrow. You will be amazed at what the reps do. They are very knowledgeable, friendly, and loving. I'll fill you in on the details when we get home.

Lily is a momma's girl. When she is tired or wants a bottle, Lily wants Mom. Last night Carla and Marley went swimming and I got some alone time with the baby. We played on the bed, then I held her while she pooped. Then I changed the diaper (not her most favorite thing to do, nor mine). Then she played on the bed while I mixed some formula for a bottle. She ate and then started looking for Carla. She kind of likes Mommy to rock her to sleep, but she was so tired she let me with minimal fussing.

Good night for me and the China doll.

Love to all,

Ben

Trick or Treat!!

2007-10-31T21:07:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone... we have not heard from Ben today and he has not posted any additional pictures for us to add. If I am figuring things correctly they are probably traveling today.(correction they did not travel this day but a couple of days later) After getting Lily's Chinese Passport in the Province where she was adopted they will go to Guangzhou which is south of where they were and closer to the South China Sea. In Guangzhou Lily will be seen by a clinic where adoptive families are required to get some paperwork about the health of the child for the American Consulate where they will issue her a Visa to enter the United States. Since Ben and Carla both traveled to China the adoption was finalized there and because of all the paperwork done during the pre-China phase Lily will become an American Citizen when she arrives and steps (or is carried ) onto American soil. That is an awesome thought. This time last week she was in an orphanage in China and soon will be a Citizen in The United States Of America, and she is part of wonderful family who will love and cherish her. Praise God.

I will try to check for emails and additional pictures about 5:00 am and post any I can before work in the morning.

Becky

Email From China!!

2007-10-30T20:31:00.000-05:00

I'm having a little trouble uploading pictures on dropshots today. The reps tell me the internet is kind of slow, and I think my computer doesn't like China. I'll try again tomorrow.

Lily! We finally decided on a spelling. Lillian Cen Mei Sims, aka Lily! We found out that Cen is actually pronounced more like ten than chin with really hard accent on the "t" sound. We had to pronounce it for one of the officials during the paperwork process (kind of weird). The doctor says she's very healthy. Lungs, heart, ears, nose, and throat are all good. She does have a little dry skin, but I think that we can handle that. Everything is going very good. God is in control!

We have all the paperwork done in Nanchang. We're just waiting for it to process now. We didn't go to the market today. We just hung out with Lily and got to know her a little better. Lily is smiling a lot and laughing out loud now. We're going on a half day tour tomorrow of Nanchang and maybe a little shopping, then back to the hotel to rest.

Talk to you soon and hope to have more pictures.

Ben

October 30

2007-10-30T20:27:00.000-05:00

Nanchang (I think)

Hi Luke We Miss You, And Lily... We Are On Our Way!!Nanchang
Nanchang

Hong Kong

Marley experiences China

Hong Kong
Famous Floating Restraunt Hong Kong

Hong Kong

Hong Kong Victoria Peak
Hotel Hong Kong

Hotel Hong Kong
Hong Kong from Victoria Peak (I think)

Becky here, we have another email from Ben to post and I'll add that after this post. I wanted to add a lot more pictures to the blog and need a place to put them. If you are familiar with blogging whatever you post last is on top...so I wanted Ben's email to be on top. I will load the pictures in just a little while.

Internet problems will try again about 5:00AM to post the pictures. Sorry.

Becky

Message Posted From Nanchang China

2007-10-30T01:32:00.000-05:00

Hey, it's Ben, Carla, and Marley. I took a chance and signed in with only Chinese characters on the webpage. Success! We're in China with our beautiful new daughter and little sister. We can't really post much ourselves here because we can't view the blog at all. We just wanted to personally say, "Hello and that we miss and love you all very much!" Thank you for your continued prayers and good wishes. All praises to God for this blessed journey of a lifetime. We'll be home soon!

Love,
Ben

Hello From Carla

2007-10-29T23:10:00.000-05:00

Hello, everyone, I know I haven't added anything to the blog myself yet but I have been very busy. Today is our third day to have Lily. She is very timid and doesn't cry much. She does let us know if she does not approve of how we are doing something though.

We were somewhat concerned for the first day and a half that she would not take any of the nipples we had packed. She did, however, drink from a cup. We went to the Wal-Mart here yesterday and bought some Chinese bottles. She loves those and got very excited to see them and very eagerly drank a bottle down quickly.

We see the doctor in a few minutes, so I can give you all a better idea of her size after that. But she is very tiny. The nine month clothes I brought are too big right now. We are going to a market later and I am going to buy some smaller clothes there. She likes Marley the best when it comes to playing. She will laugh out loud, although you must listen to hear it. She likes to eat cheerios. They all seem to. Ben and I can't believe we got the baby who eats slowly and only small bites. Some of the babies eat very fast and large bites at a time.

The hotel here in Nanchang is called the Galactic Peace International Hotel. It is just over a year old and it is a five star hotel. It is very, very nice. Lily's crib mate is also in our group. Her parents live close to Tyler, Texas. Can you believe that? Two East Texas girls from Jangxi province. The CCAI guides are excellent. Both are women, Sissy and Evelyn. Sissy says the girls from this province are called "spicy girls" because the local food here is very spicy. We'll see if Lily gets spicy later. Right now she is more like brown sugar.

Thank you all for the prayers and the concern. We are very happy and cannot wait to share Lily with you back home. We cannot access the blog from here, so if Ben has included the same information, now you know why.

Thanks, Carla

Adding Photos

2007-10-29T21:14:00.000-05:00

Becky here...we are adding photos to each of the posts below. Now that Ben has been able to get the photos out we want to go back and try to get caught up. Please take time to go back through each of the posts and see what you missed!!! We will put some labels on some that we are pretty sure of. Others Ben can add after getting home. Enjoy!!

She's Officially Ours

2007-10-29T20:27:00.000-05:00

From Ben: 10/29/07 @ 9:52 AM Texas Time

I forgot. She's officially ours today. No one can ever take her from us!

She Is Precious!!!

2007-10-29T20:14:00.000-05:00

We got several emails today from Ben and the picture issue has been solved as you can tell by all the beautiful photos below. We will continue to update those as we receive them.

Luke your little sister is beautiful!!! I know you are soooooo excited.

From Ben 10/29/07 @ 9:21 Texas Time

Well today was even better than yesterday. Lillian (we're calling her Lilly/Lily, but not sure of spelling) is still a little reserved at times but now smiles very much. She is getting used to all of us. She even let Marley babysit her in the room while Mom showered and got ready, and I went to pay some fees. She even slept on Marley awhile.

We went to Wal-Mart (yes, Wal-Mart) today. There were people everywhere, and they were all looking at us. Everyone in our group needed various things, and where else do you go! Do you think Sam Walton envisioned Wal-Mart in China, wow!

Lillian finally took a bottle today! We got some chinese bottles, and she loved them. She has relaxed with us even more since we got the new bottles with a smaller nipple.

The CCAI reps here in China are wonderful. Evelyn and Sissie have told us a lot of little things that are different in raising chinese children that have really helped. Also these two have basically done all the paperwork. We just go where we are suppose to go, sign what we are suppose to sign, and pay what we're suppose to pay. Leave your brain in the US, or give it to Evelyn and Sissie.

Tomorrow we see the pediatrician and then go to market for shopping (bargain shopping). We are having fun and missing everyone.

Love to all,Ben

Jun 28 Evening

2007-10-29T10:13:00.000-05:00

Precious!!
Secure...with my family.

Ben said she could CRY!!!

Houston we have pictures now. Gotcha Day..Finally

2007-10-29T09:59:00.000-05:00

As cold waters to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country.

Proverbs 25:25

Those first moments.....

Orphanage Director and Lillian Cen Mei

Gotcha!!!!! Mom's first moments

Daddy's first moments
I have a family!!!!

November 28 Before Gotcha!!

2007-10-29T09:46:00.001-05:00

Lillian's bed at the Hotel just waiting for her.
Ben Carla and Marley waiting to see Lillian for the first time.

They Have Her!!!!!!!

2007-10-28T14:19:00.000-05:00

From Ben, Carla, and Marley,

We are parents yet again. God is in control. Of course, He picked the perfect baby at the perfect time from the perfect place. Praise God! Lillian Cen Mei Sims is extremely healthy, cries very good, is very timid, and loves her nanny from the orphanage very much (She kissed the picture of her nanny in a photo album). She chose Mom first, Cheerios second, Daddy and Marley third (We had the Cheerios.), and still doesn't like the bath.

Ben

From Becky

I will post pictures as soon as possible. They are in a weird format...not sure if it is the fact that they came through from China or if they did not download correctly. We are working on getting them open and will post them as soon as possible.

Still Waiting For News

2007-10-28T05:24:00.000-05:00

It is about 6:30 PM in China now and although we have not gotten official word yet Ben, Carla, and Marley probably already have been united with Mei. That was the plan anyway that they would be receiving her late in the afternoon of Sunday May 28 China time. Hopefully they will be able send some pictures soon or maybe just a note to let us know that all is well.

I cannot even imagine how they are feeling right now. Please continue to pray for them since sometimes the transition can be a little difficult for the little ones.

Becky

No news yet!!

2007-10-27T00:01:00.000-05:00

I have not yet heard from the "World Travelers." As soon as I do I will post the journal and pictures they send!!

Waiting for news from China!!!!

Becky

The Journey of a Lifetime

2007-10-25T21:24:00.000-05:00

Ben, Carla, and Marley are on their way to China!!! They left earlier today. I'm not real sure of all the details on flight times and when they will arrive in China but I should hear from them soon. I'm Ben's cousin Becky and will be taking care of the posts for them while they are gone. They are going to email pictures and their journal and I will get it posted as soon as I can. I know everyone is just as excited as we are to see all the great sights but most of all those first moments with precious Mei.

Feel free to leave comments. I'm sure they would love to hear from you. If all goes well Ben may be able to access this site at some point during the trip and do some posting.

Remember to keep the entire family in your thoughts and prayers while they are on this "Journey of a Lifetime." Don't forget Luke as he is home patiently waiting for his new little sister.

"They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint."
Isaiah 40:31

Becky

Busy, again!

2007-10-13T09:54:00.000-05:00

The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty. Proverbs 21:5 (NIV)

Our diligence is about to pay off! We leave for China on October 25. We have been so busy the past couple of weeks or so. I haven't had time to post anything. We've been filling out even more paperwork, having phone conferences, buying tickets, working, and NESTING. The nesting part is about to kill me. I'm asking to work overtime so I can get a break from working at home (ha ha).

Anyway, we'll arrive in Hong Kong on October 26, get checked in at our hotel, and relax. On the 27th, we will be doing a little sight seeing in Hong Kong and resting, I hope. We fly to Nanchang, the capital of Jiangxi, on the morning of the 28th and that evening, we'll get Mei (Gotcha Day!).

Well I've got to go. Lots to do! I'll make a more detailed post later, I hope.

Thanks for the continued prayers!

Blessings!

2007-09-19T22:32:00.000-05:00

From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another. John 1:16 (NIV)

Our family is truly blessed. We've been blessed with a beautiful, healthy little girl, the travel paperwork/plans are moving along nicely, our other two other children are excited and happy, and we are happy to be waiting, again.

Here is a little more information on Mei. I'm sorry it took so long for me to post it, but we've been busy with paperwork, phone conferences, school, work, work, work, and work. Thanks for being patient.

Mei is about 5 months old in the pictures. At this time, she was 23 inches long and weighed 13.8 pounds. Dr. Eckel says this is about 40th percentile on weight and 5th percentile on height. Dr. Eckel stated that Mei's blood work, appearance, size, motor skills, etc. looked very normal for a Chinese girl of her age and deemed her healthy. Her birthday is November 18, 2006. She is from the Jiangxi province of P.R. China. This province is located in Southeast China. Sheri from CCAI says that children from the Jiangxi province are often called "Little Peanut" because of their small size.

Again, all of this information was taken when Mei was only 5 months old. She can roll over from supine to prone position. She lifts her head when she's in the prone position. She locates direction of sound/voice. She follows a toy with her eyes. Her favorite toy is a music box. She like reading picture books and is fond of music. She likes to watch TV. She is close to her caretaker. She eats milk/rice base formula, rice porridge, noodles, vegetables, fish, meat, and eggs. She's very quiet and is a moderate sleeper.

Again, thank you for your prayers and good wishes. We greatly appreciate them!

May you be blessed by the Lord, the Maker of Heaven and Earth. Psalm 115:15 (NIV)

Good to go!

2007-09-09T23:43:00.000-05:00

Dr. Eckel says that Mei looks to be very healthy. Very short, but very healthy. God has answered the many prayers that Mei be healthy. Thank you, and please continue to pray for her. Also, I would like to ask that you pray for safe travel to and from P.R. China. Marley will be traveling with us, so please remember her in your prayers. Lastly, please pray for Luke as he will be staying here with Papa and Nana. Thanks again for your prayers.

Two more Pictures!

2007-09-06T17:34:00.000-05:00

Here are 2 more pictures. All of the pictures were taken April 17, 2007. She was about 6 months old, was 23 inches long, and weighed 13.8 pounds at the time of the pictures. Grommy (my mom) says, "We can probably fatten her up a bit!"

I'll be making a more detailed post this weekend. Busy, busy week!

Thanks to everyone for your prayers and good wishes! Enjoy the pictures!!! ------------------->

Here She Is!!!!!!!!!!

2007-09-05T11:44:00.000-05:00

Take a look----------------------->

Praise God!

WooHoo!

2007-09-04T13:33:00.000-05:00

I couldn't stand it! So I e-mailed CCAI to see if our referral had made to them. IT HAS!!! The representative said that match calls will be made tomorrow.

Praise God! He is good!

2007-09-03T19:23:00.001-05:00

In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps. Proverbs 16:9 (NIV)

We are one step closer to Mei. CCAA (China Center of Adoption Affairs) is the organization in China that is responsible for assigning children to their adoptive families. The CCAA announced the following on the website today: The CCAA has finished the placement of children for the families whose adoption application documents were registered with our office before November 25, 2005. Our documents were registered with the CCAA on November 24, 2005. Therefore we should receive our referral Tuesday or Wednesday of this week, barring any catastrophes. Keep praying! We're close but not totally in the clear. Praise the Lord!

God is faithful

2007-08-17T12:10:00.000-05:00

O Lord, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done marvelous things, things planned long ago. Isaiah 25:1 (NIV)

Before I started writing today's entry, I was thinking how long this month has dragged on. Then I started looking at scripture and found Isaiah 25:1. As I often do, I forget that God has planned this adoption from the very beginning. I also have a hard time accepting how long it's taking to get Mei. Again, God's perfect will and perfect timing are at work. God already knows our little Mei and has numbered the hairs of her head (Matthew 10:30).

Carla, Marley, Luke, and I are very excited and little apprehensive about next week. We are excited about the possibility of getting our referral, but a little concerned that we will not. Understandably we will be a little disappointed if we do not get our referral, but each of us know that God is in control and has the perfect baby picked for our family.

Thank You God for allowing us to be a part of Mei's life and for being in control of ours!

Pray and give thanks for there is much joy!

2007-08-05T14:57:00.000-05:00

16Be joyful always; 17pray continually; 18give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
I Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NIV)

Nothing is really ever definite in the adoption process, but there is reason for great joy in the Sims house. We will most likely get our referral next month! Our LID (log in date, paperwork logged in at CCAA in China) is November 24, 2005. Thursday, our adoption agency notified us that families with LID's through November 21, 2005, had been issued their referrals. CCAA has been issuing referrals at a rate of about 7 days a month. If everything holds true, our referral is next. There is a light at end of the tunnel.

I want to thank all of you who are praying continually for Our Little Mei. God is at work and has a very special little girl picked out for this family. Also, thank you for praying for Marley and Luke. They have been dealing with the delays very well. I would also like to thank all of you for your love and kind words about Mei and the adoption. We truly love you and the encouragement this gives us.

Last, but certainly not least. I, again, would like to share our family's prayer for Mei, in hope that you would continue to pray for her. "Dear Lord, please wrap Your loving arms around our baby to let her know that she is loved by You and by a family that cannot wait to have her and hold her; Lord, please wrap Your almighty arms around her to protect her from harm; Father God wrap Your comforting arms around her that she might have a peace knowing that she is wanted and is already a part of our family; Holy God wrap Your healing arms around her so that she stay healthy; and Precious Lord wrap Your compassionate arms around her that she may know the tremendous sacrifice that her birth mother has made by allowing her to be loved by and adopted into our family. Lord, thank you for your holy presence throughout the entire adoption, and please continue to guide us to our sweet little Mei. Amen"

Update!

2007-08-02T17:22:00.000-05:00

Congratulations! We received matches today for families with log in dates through November 21, 2005.

The above statement is from our adoption agency. Our log in date is November 24, 2005. If everything proceeds as it has been, we'll get our match next month. Keep praying!

Renewed Spirit

2007-07-27T11:07:00.000-05:00

but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. Isaiah 40:31 (NIV)

At my church, we have two deacons pray during the morning church service. These deacons pray for the service itself, prayer requests, etc. As a deacon, I have the privilege of doing this every month or so. Last Sunday was my turn!

A fellow deacon and I went into the prayer room, discussed the prayer requests, missions and activities our church is involved, and the morning service. Nothing really out of the ordinary. We didn't discuss or even mention Mei. As we took turns praying, neither he nor I verbally pray for Mei, but I guess she was in my thoughts. All of the sudden, I had an overwhelming calm and peace of mind about Mei and the adoption.

I've always known that God was and is in control of this adoption and taking care of Mei, but Sunday I had a renewed faith, a renewed hope, and a renewed strength in what God is doing in this adoption and my life. Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom. Psalm 145:3 (NIV)

God knows our hearts!

2007-07-15T01:41:00.000-05:00

...for God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. 1 John 3:20 (NIV)

Carla and I have been asked by family, friends, and strangers alike, "Why are you adopting from China?" Simply put, "That's where our baby is!" There is much more to it than that, of course, but that's what we tell people because that's how we feel about it.

With Carla being a court reporter in a court that does mostly family law, Carla sees a lot of heart ache in childrens' lives. So, we've contemplated foster parenting or domestic adoption, but I don't know if we could do it. Neither one of us could get attached to a child and then possibly not be able to keep that child. So we prayed about it to let God show us what to do.

One day while I was at church, I ran across a flyer posted on a bulletin board. It was announcing a seminar on Chinese adoption. I immediately grabbed it, made a copy, and headed for home. When I got home I told Carla, "I'm going to show you something, and I don't want you to just say, No!" I pulled the flyer from my back pocket and presented it to her. She said, "You know, I've been thinking about the same thing," because she had recently been the court reporter in an adoption of a little Chinese girl. I immediately thought, "Answered prayers, God is good!"

We went to the presentation and that was it. God had definitely shown us that we had to adopt our baby from China!

Busy Busy

2007-07-11T18:57:00.000-05:00

Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Philippians 2:4 (NIV)

As waiting parents, Carla and I spend a lot of time wondering about Mei. What will she look like? Is she in an orphanage or foster care? Is she being cared for properly? These are just a very few of the questions running through our heads.

I've figured out the busier I am, the less I worry about Mei. That doesn't really sound like I wanted it to. I don't want it to sound like I don't want to be concerned with Mei and her welfare. I just mean I don't find my self consumed with worry. I love thinking about Mei, and all that comes with that.

Work is busy, enough said. This weekend, my sister Hope, her husband Kirby, her son Matthew, my sister Celeste, her husband Terrell, her son Hunter, her step son Little Terrell, and her step daughter Tiarra came over to my house for supper, and of course a few of us guys went to the Harley Davidson shop. We played pool, cards, cooked out, and had a wonderfuld time. Yesterday after work, I watched Luke as he took his first tae kwon do class. He was so excited. Even when it wasn't his turn to hit, kick, or block, he was wide eyed and listening. An hour of watching Luke learn and play. Today before work, I went to the Harley Davidson Shop, again, with my nephew, Matthew. He drove home on a new 2007 Sportster 1200N. That'll look good next to my 2006 Sportster 1200R this weekend when we're just cruising!

Not much adoption news, just family news! Thanks for dropping by.

Answered Prayers!

2007-07-08T12:21:00.000-05:00

"If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer." Matthew 21:22 (NIV)

Thank you everyone for your prayers. I was down a little when I made my last post because we did not get any updates on matches from our adoption agency. The very next day CCAI updated there website, and my cousin, Becky, let me know by e-mail the dates as well. Prayer works!

For those who do not know, our log in date (LID) is November 24, 2005. The latest news is that there were matches through November 14, 2005. Congratulations to those who were matched! We don't know if we will be matched next month or not. If CCAA matches the same amount of days as this month, then no, we won't be. Hopefully they will pick up a little on the number of days that they match each month. Anyway if we do get matched, "Woohoo! Glory be to God!" If we don't get matched, "God is in control, glory be to God!"

We are very close to a match I can feel it. Again, thank you for your prayers, concern, and support. And please remember our prayer for our little Mei,

"Dear Lord please wrap Your loving arms around our baby to let her know that she is loved by You and by a family that cannot wait to have her and hold her; Lord, please wrap Your almighty arms around her to protect her from harm; Father God wrap Your comforting arms around her that she might have a peace knowing that she is wanted and is already a part of our family; Holy God wrap Your healing arms around her so that she stay healthy; and Precious Lord wrap Your compassionate arms around her that she may know the tremendous sacrifice that her birth mother has made by allowing her to be loved by and adopted into our family. Amen"

Needing a little help!

2007-07-05T23:24:00.000-05:00

Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Deuteronomy 31:6

No news from CCAI today. Pray for our family to be strong and courageous. Thank you!

Love in Christ,
Ben

Think like a Child

2007-07-01T21:10:00.000-05:00

13 People were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. 14 When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 15 I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." 16 And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them. Mark 10:13-16

As adults, we forget that children go through the same emotions as we do. Carla and I know that our children, Marley and Luke, want to get Mei just as badly as we do, but sometimes we forget. We get in our woe is me state and think that we're hurting all by ourselves. Just the other day Marley emphatically said, "I wish we could just go get Mei!" I knew then that she was hurting, too. I assured her that God was taking care of Mei and that we would have her home as soon as God wanted us to. She's okay with that!

A couple of weeks ago while visiting Papa and Nana, Luke said, "When Mei gets here, Nana will be like, Here do you want more food. I've got some more food!" I know that Luke wonders if Mei's eating right or if someone is taking care of her. I assured him that God was watching over Mei, and He would take care of her." He's okay with that!

Our children love Mei with all there hearts and probably don't understand the wait as much as Carla and I do, but they seem to handle it better. I guess it's there child like faith that gives them peace. God is in control of our adoption, and He will give us our Mei in His perfect timing! We're okay with that!

Patience is a virtue!

2007-06-28T07:29:00.000-05:00

We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised. Hebrews 6:12 (NIV)

Wow! It's been 2 years and 3 months since we've started this journey, and we've still got a couple of months to go before our referral. That is a very long time! When we started the adoption process, we were told that the entire process should take about 12 to 15 months; still a pretty long time. Doubling this estimated time wasn't even a thought in our minds. Ecclesiastes 7:8 (NIV) says "The end of a matter is better than its beginning, and patience is better than pride." We've begun a beautiful thing, but the end will be even more so.

Everyone asks "So how old is your baby now that you've had these delays?" The answer is, "We don't know!" That is what the referral will tell us. The referral letter/pictures gives us all the vitals on our baby that they (CCAA) has available. Carla and I qualify for the youngest child available. The average age last match was about 10 months, and someone received a 5 and a half month old baby.

People ask with all this uncertainty, "Why do you go on?" Simply put, "It's in God's hands." As humans we are accustom to instant gratification. Carla and I both we're disappointed with the delays and uncertainties, and for a long time we were really down. But after many discussions between the 2 of us and even more prayers, God has given us the answer. His timing is perfect. His ways are perfect. He is perfect. Deuteronomy 32:4 (NIV) says, "He is the Rock, His works are perfect, and all His ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is He." It's not what we want, or when we want it. It's His. The Lord has a special child selected for us, and we will wait for her. In His timing!

What's in a name?

2007-06-27T10:47:00.000-05:00

"The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out." John 10:3 (NIV)

Our little China baby will be named Lillian Mei. We are giving her the name Lillian because of Odell. Odell is a dear friend of the family, but she's really much more than that. She's my grandmother. Odell lived with my grandmother (my mom's mom) for years. As long as I can remember and probably longer than that, it's been "We're going to Mamma and Odell's!" Lillian Odell has been unoffcially adopted in to our family as our grandmother. So, I could think of no better way to honor her than to name our adopted child after her. We chose the name Mei (pronounce May) to keep part of Mei's Chinese heritage. Mei means beautiful. This is the first part of the name that Carla and I agreed on.

We were going to call Mei...Lilly, but after months of us calling her Mei and before deciding upon the first name of Lillian, the name had stuck. Carla and I were determined to still call her Lilly, but our two kids, Marley (10) and Luke (6), were not budging on the name Mei. So, after much deliberation and discussion, she will be called Mei. We love the name, too!

Our Little Mei

2007-06-26T22:26:00.000-05:00

We're a couple of months or so away from getting our referral (pics and info) for Lillian Mei. After we get our referral, there is a 4 to 8 week waiting period to travel. So we're getting closer.
Carla and I appreciate all of your prayers and ask you to continue to pray for our baby girl.

Our prayer is for God to wrap His loving arms around our baby to let her know that she is loved by Him and by a family that cannot wait to have her and hold her; for Him to wrap His almighty arms around her to protect her from harm; for Him to wrap His comforting arms around her that she might have a peace knowing that she is wanted and is already a part of our family; for Him to wrap His healing arms around her so that she stay healthy; and for Him to wrap His compassionate arms around her that she may know the tremendous sacrifice that her birth mother has made by allowing her to be loved by and adopted into our family.

Carla, Marley, Luke, and I are so in love with this baby that we can hardly stand the wait. Thanks again for your continued prayers for Mei and for everything to continue to go well with the adoption.

Love in Christ

Ben, Carla, Marley and Luke