reflections

it will soon be a new year.

there is little surprise awaiting us for the year. or is there? we know we are soon making our biggest life change yet. what can top it?

wellllll, knowing me...snicker snicker...anything IS possible.

last year on december 31, i could have never imagined the miraculous journey our lives would take for 2011. we never really are ready for when God calls us to do His will. but i answered, my husband answered, our children answered, and most of our family answered, "YES! WE WILL LOVE YOUR CHILDREN, LORD!"

will He ask me to do more? will He challenge me more than i can handle? what will my answer be? it is scary to ask.

after much thought...i know i will do anything for HIM.

so i sit here quiet

new year's eve

weeping

i should be with my friends who are probably wondering where i am

but i can't bring myself to be with others as long as so many people in this world are hurting right at this moment

i pray for so many things in this new year

for those who refuse Him

for those who don't know Him, because those of us that do, won't answer the call to make disciples

for God's broken heart

for all the children that will go to sleep this year with little hope of ever having a family to love them

for those without food, shelter, heat

for those with no means for medical care

for those suffering the yoke of oppression and abuse

for us who should be making sure these atrocities are not a reality

for those of us who refuse to share our God given resources

i don't want to be a downer on a night of celebration, but i struggle with how oblivious most of us are to our abundance. we party while children die of starvation, are made orphans due to poverty, and countless others who go to sleep scared and alone. i am broken for the lesser of us. i am convicted of not doing more. i resolve to change my stubborn ways.

what can i do/will i do to make a difference this year?

what can you do/will you do to make a difference this year?

FORGIVE US LORD. PLEASE OPEN THE EYES OF ALL THE WORLDS' HEARTS. MAKE US HEAR YOUR CALL TO GIVE TO THOSE THAT HAVE LESS THAN OURSELVES. MAKE ELIMINATING  POVERTY, SLAVERY, GODLESSNESS, HOMELESSNESS, AND HOPELESSNESS OUR NUMBER TWO PRIORITY, LORD. OUR FIRST IS TO PRAISE, HONOR, AND GLORIFY YOUR HOLY NAME. BLESS US WITH YOUR GIFTS SO THAT WE MAY SHARE YOUR LOVE.  LET US DEVOTE OUR LIVES TO YOUR SERVICE AND EXALT YOUR GOODNESS. PLEASE BE WITH MY CHINESE CHILDREN AS THEY GO ABOUT THE NEW YEAR AWAITING UNION WITH THEIR FAMILY. AMEN.

santa confessions

ok i confess. we invite santa into our home(yes, we are one of those families). it has always been a Christmas tradition. it would make me sad to see it go.

 we have lots of different traditions for Advent and Christmas. both secular and religious.

Christmas we Remember and Glorify Jesus. we are Loved and i am thankful.


also for me, santa is the spirit of selfless giving and comes at Christmastime. we all get to be someones santa. it feels good to love at Christmastime.



some of my friends are appalled that we still accept santa. but it is a wonderful phenomenon that happens here. we have unspoiled, happy children that believe anything is possible with God, so why not believe? does it take away from Jesus and God's Great Gift to humanity? i haven't found evidence that it does yet.


here's why...
E and A asked santa to feed the poor...

santa brought food for the food pantry. santa is charity and love.

Jesus is Charity and Love. different, but not in competition. nothing compares to God.


this is our other Christmas tradition...

Jesus's cake is always decorated by the kids. Jesus is the Light of our world.

both are cherished traditions.


so until someone can come up with a solid argument for the harm santa does in my house, he is welcome to visit. thank you spirit of santa for feeding the poor.

THANK YOU IMMANUEL FOR COMING TO REDEEM, LOVE, AND TEACH US TO BE YOUR DISCIPLES. WE THANK YOU FOR TEACHING US TO CARE FOR THOSE WITH LESS THAN OURSELVES, CARE FOR WIDOWS AND ORPHANS, AND TO MAKE DISCIPLES OF ALL NATIONS. WE ARE YOUR SUBJECTS AND SERVANTS AND WE REJOICE AND ARE GLAD IN IT. THANK YOU FATHER FOR YOUR GIFTS OF CHILDREN. THANK YOU HOLY SPIRIT FOR MAKING CHRISTMAS KNOWN TO MY CHILDREN IN CHINA.

GOD BLESS US EVERYONE.

christmas love

you know you are loved when a child 8,000 miles away sends Christmas wishes. trust. love. sweet melting heart.


we haven't gotten the paper work we expected to receive that pushes us on to our next milestone. it was due some ten days ago.

BUT

we did get this...

translation:

Dear Mommy and Daddy:

   I’m your daughter Shen Bao Qing. I was so excited when they told me I will be your daughter and have my own parents. I’m looking forward to seeing you and living with you. Though I have never seen you, I think you are very kind and caring parents. Could you send me some photos of my future family? I want to learn more about you. Christmas is coming and I hope you will have a happy holiday!

I hope you will always be happy, healthy and successful!

Merry Christmas!

Much love for you

Daughter: Shen Bao Qing

unspeakable Joy!

THANK YOU DEAR CHRIST WHO HAS LED ME TO THIS LIFE.

thank you dear friends

i was waiting to write special thank you notes to everyone who has supported us by sharing their wealth or experience along the way. i imagined it would be some frufru card with a picture of us all on Gotcha Day(if everyone is smiling and not screaming) and the children's signatures there too.

reality is, that i have been humbled and profoundly moved when people have shown their love to us with donations. i don't know what to say, so I'll just say thank you and give a hug. what could you do to let people know how much they are loved in return when there are so many to be counted?

i didn't want people to think their care has been taken lightly or forgotten. i will try to send out fancy cards later, but for now... 

i can start by just saying thank you once again. i am blessed beyond reasonabalality (so much so that i made up my own word).

thank you dear sisters J and D for setting up a chip-in on their blog pages.

thank you A family for your radical love.

thank you B for getting us running before our feet hit the ground for the paperchase.

thank you K for showering us with love.

thank you J and H for giving us a honeymoon.

thank you F and T for your help during the power outage.

thank you Stafford Public Library for giving us energy.

thank you coffee purchasers for getting buzzed so we can get loved. shameless plug... www.justlovecoffee.com/thehallorans

thank you K for baking up some support.

thank you for everything Mom and Dad.

thank you S for making our ride safer.

thank you L for your trust and writing letters on our behalf.

thank you OSL for growing a community where adoption is celebrated.

thank you L for your display of love on sale.

thank you D for giving up your morning coffee buzz.

thank you to each and everyone of of you who are the Body of Christ making bringing my precious girls home a possibility.

GOD BLESS EACH AND EVERY ONE OF THESE PEOPLE WHO HAVE BAKED, SACRIFICED, SOLD THEIR BELONGINGS, BOUGHT OUR HOT SAUCE, FIXED OUR CARS AND HEATING AND WATER SYSTEMS FOR FREE, HELPED SPEED UP THE PROCESS, EDUCATED US, CHEERED FOR US, PRAYED FOR US, BELIEVED IN US, TRUSTED US, AND WALKED THIS WALK WITH US. GOD YOU ARE AMAZING IN YOUR GREAT LOVE.

Advent-urous!

Advent. my second favorite season of the year. time of preparation. time of celebration. welcoming in life.

Lent. my favorite season of the year. time of struggle. time of sorrow. new hope. new life.

i believed when i started my adoption journey 7 months ago, that we would be traveling to pick up our children during Lent. being the hardest yet most blessed time of the year for my family seemed appropriate.  i had no way of knowing that it was a possibility that we actually would travel in Lent. it is possible...even probable.

today we received our next step in the process. it is the I 800 Provisional Approval. near as i can tell, it means that our government is saying yes, these Chinese children may immigrate here as adopted children, thereby making them US citizens. there are more steps. i can't really figure them out. i ask my friends what to do, they tell me, it gets done correctly. honestly. i have done little of this on my own power. God has led me, provided resources and support, and the Body of Christ(God's people) has indeed risen up and donated most of the funds we need to complete a double adoption. thank you lovely people for being generous and part of our children's story. 

Bao

Xi

it is downright miraculous. i mean that literally. if you had asked me 8 months ago if we could start, complete, and pay for a foreign adoption...i would have said it was impossible.

THANK YOU GOD FOR REVEALING YOUR GREAT WORK TO US. THANK YOU FOR YOUR PERFECT PLANS. THANK YOU FOR SENDING YOUR FAITHFUL SERVANTS TO AID OUR CAUSE. THANK YOU FOR MAKING STRAIGHT OUR PATH. THANK YOU FOR YOUR PROMISE OF EVER PRESENT HELP. I KNOW I CAN DO NOTHING APART FROM YOU.  THANK YOU FOR MY FAMILY.

OK...so now it looks like we might be preparing to travel during Advent, traveling in mid/late january, and bringing the girls home for Lent. perfect. joy during the appropriate season and sorrow and new life during the harder season. so this month is truly shaping up to be Advent-urous.

just a side note, my friends M and R got their "PA" today too. my other friend is expected to get hers in the next few weeks. dare we hope to travel together for part of our trips? if not, that's OK, because it means not "one less"...it means "four less orphans"...perhaps our stories will inspire someone else to take up the cause of "one less" and so on...and so on...