Visas

 Our passports were returned to us today from the Chinese Consulate in Houston. We officially have visas to enter China! The visa has an official red stamp and a picture of the Great Wall. We will have the pleasure of climbing one of the great wonders of the world! In my whole life I would never have imagined that I would be visiting this country and bringing home our daughter. It is really unfathomable at this point. God opened our hearts to this adventure 15 months ago and in a few short (well-they will feel long!) weeks, we will be using these visas! To think we might be traveling in 6 weeks is exciting and a little scary but we are so ready to bring her home! This is truly an unbelievable journey of the heart, mind and soul. God is faithful in all of His promises. Our journey, I believe, is a promise that He made to this small girl in need of a family. One that will love and protect her and will share Jesus with her. And a promise He has made to us- to see us through this journey and to continually provide the tools necessary to meet the call He whispered to us those many months ago. This journey reminds me daily that He never stops working to provide for His children. His children suffer in all countries and He suffers with them. He is always there- in every village, town, city and wilderness of our world in the light and dark of each day.  And He loves each and every soul in such a way that we can't even comprehend His unconditional love. We get so caught up in our world that we sometimes forget that even though we may not have every earthly treasure that we may foolishly seek, He provides for our needs and will continue to do so. And, ultimately, our greatest reward will be offered to us when we leave our earthy home.  If you are wondering how we chose Lillie as her name, it is because of the verses in Matthew 6 that refer to His caring so delicately for even the lilies of the field. These verses are of special meaning to me. I am a worrier by nature. You can say that it is a gene thing because I truly come from a long line of worriers. I try to remind myself of these verses often when I am struggling with this particular thing. When we were deciding on a name for our daughter, I returned to this place where I am reminded of God's deep love and His true control over our lives. When we started this journey, I knew that there would be much to worry over. This is a great leap of faith. A true test of my ability to release control to Him. I have struggled in this journey with worrying and I must continually remind myself of these verses. He is the light in the dark hours and will ultimately get me through this long process but the greatest thing I have learned from these verses is that He has cared and provided for our Lillie during these first years and will continue to do so throughout her life. She may have been abandoned by her earthly parents but never by her heavenly Father. She is a perfect child of God and we believe our lives will be blessed by her being in our family. 

Matthew 6: 25-34  "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying 'what shall we eat?'or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his Kingdom and his righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."