Merry Christmas to all from the Clements family!!

You can see more pictures of our trip and homecoming at the link below:

http://www.onetruemedia.com/my_shared?z=22859000edad7e6952b17e&utm_source=otm&utm_medium=text_url

Sleeping Through the Night!

I talked to my friend Julie yesterday and she suggested I continue updating our blog for awhile, as communication (on my part) may be difficult these first few weeks or months. I hadn't really thought about it but I think she's right. I don't know how many people will continue to follow our progress, but for those of you who do I hope this will help you to feel a part of our journey.
And, as we said from the very beginning, this blog also serves as a sort of journal for us so that later we can look back and remember what these first few days with Daniel were like.

Daniel slept through the night for the first time last night which was a blessing for him and us. He has been so exhausted but we kept him awake all day yesterday (Sunday), hoping that he would be tired enough to sleep all night. Kristen put him to bed about 10:30 p.m. and he slept until we woke him at 7:30 this morning. Neil and I are still suffering from jet lag ourselves, so we are continuing to wake up anywhere between midnight and 2 a.m. and having trouble getting back to sleep. I am relying on mild sleeping pills that my doctor prescribed for me before we left, but the girls have instructed me that I can only take them for another week. :) They are looking out for me!!

Daniel had more visitors yesterday. Our friends Jim and Jodi stopped by with a meal and spent a little bit of time getting to know Daniel. Again, I was surprised by how well he interacted with them. He is making such progress as it relates to meeting new people. He will now make eye contact and say hello (with a little bit of prompting from us) and will usually carry on a bit of a conversation. Although this sounds like a small thing, for Daniel it is a huge step.

Today was Neil's first day back at work and I know he is struggling to get back into a normal routine. I know he is also missing Daniel and Daniel is missing him. Kristen and Lindsay are taking turns keeping Daniel entertained and busy and I am thankful that they are here to help. I wonder how in the world I will keep him occupied when it is just me and him. After the holidays I will need to get busy finding a playgroup for him. After being with other kids 24-7, I know he will be a bit lonely when the girls go back to school and it is just me and him.

We're Home

I have to apologize for not posting sooner. The past two days are a blur. We arrived back in Bloomington at 2:15 a.m. on Thursday after 30 straight hours of travel. Our flight from Chicago to Bloomington was delayed 3 hours due to "crew delay" and by the time we touched down in Bloomington all three of us were beyond exhaustion. We are all suffering from jet lag, but Daniel especially is having a tough time adjusting. He has been up practically all night the past two nights. We have been trying to keep him awake during the day so that he'll sleep at night but of course that is not easy with a 4-year-old. Our girls have been an absolute god-send these past days as they have played with Daniel, cooked meals, done laundry, etc. etc. Today they have gone to Indiana for the Clements family Christmas get-together so the house is pretty quiet and it is once again just the three of us.

We had our first visitors yesterday - Neil's dad and his wife, Carol - and Daniel seemed to enjoy the visit. He actually interacted with them, which surprised me (as he does not always do well with strangers). They had lots of Christmas presents for him to open so naturally that made him very happy. :)

We have had a lot of fun the past two days as a family. Daniel makes us laugh so much. He is learning English quickly and some of the things he says just cracks us up. He obviously loves his new home and family. We plan to try to make it to church tomorrow, depending on how tonight goes. Thanks for all your prayers and for your comments!!

Last of the Pictures before Home

Last Post from China

This will be our last posting from China. We will leave the hotel at 7 a.m. tomorrow to head for the airport. Our itinerary is grueling... Guangzhou to Beijing, 5-hour lay-over in Beijing, Beijing to Chicago, 5-hour lay-over in Chicago, and then Chicago to Bloomington. We have tried to prepare Daniel, but how can you explain all this to a 4-year-old?? I just pray that he sleeps on the flight from Beijing to Chicago. If he doesn't, we may be considering Benadryl! :)

This morning we went to the Guangzhou zoo which Daniel loved. There were lots of monkeys, which are his favorite animal. As usual, he behaved wonderfully. He is so easy to take places. It's only when we return to the hotel room that his personality changes. It's kind of a Jekyll and Hyde thing... :) But as Neil said earlier today, we kind of feel the same way coming back to this room. It gets very old living in a hotel room.

This afternoon we went to the American consulate to pick up Daniel's passport and visa and have our "swearing in" ceremony. There were many families at the "ceremony," two huge buses full. On the way, I sat by a mother whose baby had cried non-stop ever since they got her (and she was screaming her head off as we talked). My heart went out to her. I thought I was tired!! This evening we went to a Thai restaurant here on the island and as always it was an adventure. We are never sure quite what we're ordering until it arrives at the table. And this restaurant did not have forks so I had to struggle through using chop sticks. I decided it was either master the chop sticks or starve, so I managed.

Neil and I still have to pack this evening. If I could give just one piece of advice to adoptive families coming to China I would say, don't overpack!!! We brought WAY too much stuff and are very sorry now!

Well, if you think of us tomorrow (Wednesday) please pray for us as we travel home. Thanks and we'll see you in Bloomington/Normal. Love to you all.

Lora

Pics 2

Pics

Only a Couple of Days to Go!

These past two days here in Guangzhou have been relaxing. The weather is beautiful (about 80 degrees today)so we can walk around the island without coats, which is such a relief after being in Wulumuqi where it was so cold. Yesterday our guide took us and two other WACAP families sightseeing in the morning. We went to a Buddhist temple and a Chinese folk art museum. We had the option of going shopping after that, but Daniel was getting a bit antsy so we passed on that and came back to the hotel. There is a play room here in the hotel that they call the Swan Room and Daniel loves going down to it where he has room to move around and play. There is a toy there that he especially likes that makes all kinds of different noises. There are also balls to kick and throw, which he loves to do. Today has been a free day. It is nice to not have to rush off to appointments, but it is also a little difficult to keep Daniel occupied. We have relented a few times and let him watch a movie on the DVD player. He has grown very fond of The Land Before Time. He calls it the dinosaur movie.

This morning Neil took Daniel for a walk and gave me a little break. Then later we all took another walk to an outdoor playground. Then we had lunch at a small deli near the hotel and came back for nap time. Daniel must have been exhausted from all the fresh air because he fell right to sleep.

We are encouraged by a couple of things that Daniel is doing. He is walking a lot, not with the walker we brought all the way from the U.S., but with the stroller that we borrowed from a laundry near the hotel. He loves to push the stroller around and it is good exercise for his legs. This activity seems to be an outlet for him to work off some energy. The other thing is that he is using the potty sometimes, which is really exciting! It's not something that he initiates on his own but when it is time to change his diaper he will ask to sit on the potty and then he usually goes. We are hoping that with some work and patience we can actually get him potty trained.

He is sleeping better and longer at night now. This hotel room has a crib and since that is what he was used to in the foster home, he seems more comfortable. We're not sure how he'll do in his twin bed at home but I guess time will tell. At least for now he is more rested. It has been interesting to watch him go through the stages of adjusting to us and to his new life. During the first few days with us he was very compliant. Then, as he got to know us better he began to test us, apparently to determine who was in charge. The past couple of days have been challenging as we have tried to determine which behaviors to address and which to ignore. Today he seems a little more quiet and sad and I wonder what is going through his little head. This must all be very confusing to him and I wish we were better able to communicate with him. If you think of us today please pray for wisdom, discernment and patience for us. Thanks.

Tomorrow is our last full day here and then Wednesday morning we will leave the hotel at 7:15 a.m. to catch a 10:00flight to Beijing. That will begin our long trek home. I keep fretting over what the trip home will be like, but Neil tells me to just not think about it. I know he is right. God will give us what we need to endure the hours of travel. See you all in just a few days!!!

Pictures!

We're in Guangzhou!

Hello family and friends. We arrived safely in Guangzhou last night. Our internet connection wasn't working so we couldn't write earlier. The flight was long and a little stressful and we are so happy to be here in Guangzhou!!! It is so much different than the other cities that we have been to. It is about as close to home as we will get here in China. As you saw in the pictures Shannon posted for us we did leave Wulumuqi on a more positive note. The dinner we had with Roy's father was unbelievable. He ordered every dish that was unique to Xinjiang (an autonomous region and not a province!). I don't think we have ever had so much food served to us. We even ate some of a fish that was staring at us!! We were the honored quests of Roy's dad and he definitely wanted to show us off. We really had a good time, even with the dancing.

Daniel had his medical exam this morning. He was very patient with the doctors as they examined him, especially the scar on his back. We also got his haircut today because we were tired of people thinking that he was a girl. The stylist was very impressed with how good he was being. Everyone we meet comments on how smart, inquisitive and well behaved he is.

Many of you have asked about our arrival back into Bloomington on Wednesday. We appreciate so much that you want to meet us and welcome us home. However, due to our late arrival time and the experiences we have had with Daniel on the flights so far, we feel that he might be very tired and overwhelmed by the time we make it back home. If he doesn't get the sleep that he needs he has been known to wake up crying uncontrollably and it is not a pretty sight (just ask the people who have been on our flights). In light of this, we feel it would be best to have just his sisters at the airport to greet us. We hope that you all understand that if he is upset a large group of people might overwhelm him even more. We promise that you will get to meet him as soon as possible! We love you all. Neil and Lora

More Pictures of Wulumuqi

This is Shannon again. Here are some more pictures taken in Wulumuqi. One of my students here in Bloomington, Roy, is from Wulumuqi. My parents were able to get in touch with Roy's father, and they were treated to dinner and a dancing show. So here are some pictures of that. I think it's so cool that they were able to visit with someone that I'm connected to, thousands of miles away! Daniel doesn't look all that happy, but it was late.

Another "First" - Swimming in the Pool!

Hi everyone. This is Lora finally posting again. I have been so exhausted that I have been sleeping whenever Daniel sleeps, so I have not had much time to get on the computer. This morning we went to the international bazaar for awhile, but then Daniel woke up after falling asleep in the stroller and was VERY grumpy! He cried and cried and people on the street were watching us like we were abusing him or something so we quickly caught a cab and headed back to the hotel. He calmed down quickly once we were on our way. We have not seen any other foreigners here, so we really stand out and people watch us curiously every place we go. At first the stares really bothered me, but now I just ignore them. However I do feel conspicuous and very much like every move we make with Daniel is being studied. One of the first things the orphanage director said when she saw him was that he didn't have enough clothes on and she was sure he must be cold. (Our guide asked him if he was cold and he said he wasn't.) :)

When we got back to the hotel we had another first with Daniel. We took him down to the hotel swimming pool for a swim and boy, does he love the water! We had such a good time. There was a Chinese lady in the pool who spoke no English, but she really enjoyed Daniel and struck up a conversation with him about us! He seems to love it when Chinese people talk to him now and he really talks their ears off. He is a very verbal little boy and I think the language barrier with us is driving him crazy.

Thank you for all your wonderful comments. Your words of encouragement are like water to my soul right now. Every time I read one of your comments I feel God's love speaking to my heart through you. Amy, I wanted you to know that the paint with water set you bought has become one of Daniel's very favorite toys. What a great no-mess way to paint. What will they think of next? :) Sherry, you asked about the clothes. You were right, he is between a 2T and 3T. I brought mostly 3Ts and so far everything has fit pretty well. Actually the foster home sent some of his clothes with us so the first couple of days we put those on him because they were familiar to him. Shannon, you were not an awful baby. You were just our first and we did not know what to do with a crying baby!! Melissa, thanks for the reminder to us to be taking all of this in so we can share it with Daniel some day. Thanks again to all of you who are posting comments.

A couple of days ago I was really struggling because I was so exhausted and overwhelmed. But your prayers are being answered. God has poured His grace on me and given me strength and I feel MUCH better today. I am still tired but not so discouraged. It is such a miracle how quickly Daniel has become part of us. I can hardly remember what it was like before we had him with us.

Love you all! Lora

Another day.

From Neil: Hello everyone. Lora and Daniel are asleep right now. It has been a tough day for us emotionally and spiritually today. We have filled you in on the details of our days but their is so much else that goes on and is hard to put into words. This city is very dark and depressing. It is very damp and cold here now and it almost always looks like it is dusk. Even when the sun is out it is still hidden behind a gray cloud of pollution. This area is very strange as well. Since it is close to the borders of Russia, India, Afghanistan and the other "stans" there is a heavy Muslim population here. What is strange is that there is a Mosque just a few blocks from here but no churches (that are visable). However, in our hotel they are playing Christmas music and some of the songs they are playing include Silent Night, Holy Night and Joy to the World. All this in a Communist country with Buddhism as it's main religion. Since there are different ethnic groups here you can sometimes see 3 different languages on some if the business signs. There is always Chinese, but then there will be an Arabic dialect and then a Slavic looking one as well. Since it is so cold here most of the more touristy things are closed so we only get out of the hotel a couple of times a day. Our guide has taken us to a couple of parks and today we did go to a park that had a Buddhist temple in it. We also went out to shop for some white jade. Our guide has been really helpful and I know she is trying hard but there just isn't a whole lot to do at this time of the year. The other frustrating part about Xinjiang is that it is an autonomous region and not a province. As such, they go by a different time standard than Beijing. Instead of starting their days at 8 a.m. they start at 10 a.m. and then end it at around 7 p.m. This is throwing our schedule with Daniel way out of whack because their lunch times and dinner times are 2 hours later than what he (and we) are used to so it has been another hurdle to jump over. But even in the midst of all this things really are going well with Daniel. He really is very smart and picks things up quickly. He talks the ear off of our guide and she has been impressed (or maybe annoyed) with the questions he will ask her. We know that this has been hard on him as well but he is doing good under the circumstances. We know that without your prayers that this would be even harder than it is. Thank you so much for standing in the gap for us. We love you all and can't wait to get home.

Pics for Everyone

Hello again from Shannon. Here are some pics that my parents wanted you all to see. I just get one or two at a time! This is back in Beijing when they were at New Day. I'm just laughing at the other kids in the background that I know!!!! Daniel is so much bigger than I remember :) Last thing I heard from my parents was that they were ready to come home and they were drained!

We're in Wulumuqi!!!

We're in Wulumuqi and finally have decent internet service (after the hotel computer guy came and helped us get connected)! Neil is laying with Daniel right now, trying to get him to take a nap but so far is not having much luck. Daniel is so off his normal schedule and in such a new environment that he is exhausted but too tired to sleep if you know what I mean. But Neil is pretty quiet over there so I think he may be sleeping even if Daniel isn't. :) Wow... so much has happened since we last posted, it's hard to know where to begin. As Shannon said, we took Daniel to church with us on Sunday and I'll be honest, I cried through practically the entire service. It was so emotional to see Daniel watching everything with such wide amazement and I just couldn't help but think that the angels were rejoicing to finally see Daniel in God's house of worship. And it was a blessing for me to have one-on-one time with the Lord. The service was great and the message inspiring and it was a great time of refreshment. Ah, Neil just came to join me - Daniel finally fell asleep which is exactly what he needs. Anyway, back to Sunday, after church we went to a western-style restaurant called Pete's with some other foreigners from New Day. Again, that was refreshing to me (to have western food) as I was getting a little tired of Chinese food. (Neil wasn't but he relented and agreed to western food. I think he knew I was in need of something familiar, from home). After that we headed back to New Day. That evening his nanny said her goodbye to him and that was so emotional for all of us (well, not Daniel, as I'm sure he had no idea it was the last time he'd see her, but the rest of us). Again my heart went out to her.

We left New Day on Monday at 6 a.m. Two of Daniel's friends Savannah and Jeff were awake and came to say goodbye to Daniel and that was heartbreaking. Savannah was like a little mother to Daniel and gave him a kiss goodbye. Please pray for those two kids especially. They are two of the oldest kids at New Day and really need forever families. As we drove away Daniel waved and said bye, bye. I had such mixed feelings. I knew this was probably going to be the last time he would ever see the foster home and his friends there.

Getting through the airport was VERY stressful and we think we probably got ripped-off on the overweight fine, but we were running late and just paid whatever to get out of there. Daniel was really great on the airplane, however he didn't fall asleep until we were taxiing in at Wulumuqi. We met our guide, Celine, and she is very nice and very helpful. Neil forgot one of our bags at the airport and Celine managed to get it picked up and brought to the hotel, which I think is amazing. We had a very, very busy afternoon getting pictures taken, going to the civil affairs office to fill out paperwork and get interviewed. We met the director of the orphanage who gave us some pictures of Daniel as a newborn, before he had his surgery. She remembered him and was amazed at how he was walking around the tables and stuff. She told us that the doctors had said that Daniel had only a 5% chance of ever standing. Praise God for the miracle He has done in our little boy! Then we had to go to the notary office and wait what seemed like hours. Daniel fell asleep in the car at one point and then woke up a few minutes later a total mess. In other words he had a meltdown. I know how he feels. I have not been this sleep-deprived since Shannon was born and if it weren't for Neil's support (and God's grace, of course) I would not be making it right now.

We were a little nervous about how bedtime would go last night, but it went really well. We tried to follow the same routine that Daniel has been used to at the foster home and amazingly he laid right down. Of course he wanted his Baba to lay with him, which Neil did until Daniel fell asleep. Daniel fell out of bed once in the night, but didn't even wake up when I put him back to bed. Today has been a little more relaxing. We had just one official thing to do at the police station and the rest of the day has been free time. We had a nice lunch and then, as I said, we came back to the room for a nap. Later we will go to a park near-by.

We want to THANK YOU so much for all your prayers and comments. Your love and support is so encouraging to us. Please pray that we can follow Daniel's therapy schedule as closely as possible. We want to try to be as consistent as we can with him but it is difficult with all the travel, etc. We love you all.

From Neil: It is evening now and Daniel and his mama are in bed and I think that Lora is almost asleep but Daniel is still awake for now. Today was pretty laid back and we took a long walk in the park. I can't tell you enough about what a great kid Daniel is. Don't get me wrong, he has a stubborn streak in him like any 4-year-old, but he has a very sweet side to him as well. He has made us laugh a lot and is bringing us a lot of joy. For the most part he does well while we are eating but when we eat late he will start acting up some. We ate dinner with our guide tonight and one thing we noticed is that he will act differently towards us when our guide is around. He doesn't listen to us as well and seems to forget alot of English that he understood earlier in the day. We are ready to get him home and into a more normal lifestyle. I also can't say enough about Lora. She has been unbelievable in caring for Daniel. It is stressful enough under normal circumstances but she is doing a great job. I was going to catheterize him tonight but he wanted his mama to do it instead! I know that I will get my turn but it is nice to see the bond there.

One last thing before I quit for the evening. Many people have heard how bad the traffic is in Beijing and how bad the drivers are but I am (luckily) here to tell you that the drivers in Wulumuqi are even worse. It is so bad and there have been quite a few times when I thought we were all going to meet Jesus! We can't seem to get any pictures on our blog yet so we have sent a few to Shannon to post for us so keep checking back. Goodnight.

Leaving for the West

Hello everyone! This is Shannon again. I'm just updating the blog for my parents because their internet is so slow. Looks like things are going pretty well. My parents have suffered a lot of jet lag, and are going through culture shock, but are hanging in there! I understand all too well. They left for the Wulumuqi. It sounds like it was a very emotional time. Daniel's nanny practically ran from the room so that Daniel wouldn't see her cry (all the nanny's are told in training to be excited and happy when the day finally comes). But I can only imagine how hard it is for Yvonne to see him go. She's taken great care of him. Daniel went to church with my parents on Sunday morning and they went out to lunch with some of the other foreigners. The second leg of their adventure has begun. Now they are on their own with Daniel. We'll see how everything goes! I'll try to keep updating as I hear news. Here's a picture of mom, dad, Daniel, and my old student/tour guide, Melissa.

Well, another day has passed. This day has been L-O-N-G for both us and Daniel. One of Shannon's former students, Melissa, offered to accompany us to Beijing for lunch and some shopping. We left the foster home at 10 a.m. this morning and made the hour and a half drive into Beijing. Once there, we had lunch at a famous Beijing duck restaurant. One of Daniel's Chinese sponsors wanted to treat us to a traditional Beijing duck meal, and boy was it something! Daniel was the honored guest. They even served him a beautiful chocolate cake with candles and everything. The meal ended up lasting about 2 hours and we at things that I never thought I'd eat. We had duck heart, duck feet and duck eggs (Sylvia, you would have been proud!). Actually it wasn't all as bad as it sounds - o.k. the duck feet was pretty bad but I managed to get it down with a smile. The actual duck itself was delicious. Daniel was so great through it all. He ate like a pig and enjoyed all the picture-taking and attention. After lunch Melissa took us to the Pearl market for some shopping and as we remebered from our trip here in February, it was totally overwhelming. But we found the things we were looking for (Shannon, you'll know what)and left the market about 4:30. Daniel was whipped but maintained a really good attitude through it all. Melissa really wanted to treat us to dinner, so on the way home we stopped for a "light" dinner at a restaurant here in Qingyundian. The meal actually wasn't light, but it was yummy! We made it back to the foster home around 7 p.m. - just in time for Daniel to play with the other kids and get totally overstimulated just before bed. When we left him at 8 p.m. he was screaming and crying out for his mama, which broke both of our hearts. We hated to leave him. But we know he is just crazy-tired just as we are after such a full day.

It is getting really sad to watch everyone here prepare for Daniel to leave. His nanny loves him so much, you can just see it in her eyes. Sometimes I catch a glimpse of sorrow in her eyes as she watches him with us. My heart goes out to her.

We apologize that we can't post pictures yet. For now we are using the computer lab here at New Day and so cannot download our photos, but we are hoping that once we fly to Wulumuqi on Monday, we will be able to connect to the internet on our lap top. We will do our best! Please keep praying for us!!! We are exhausted and a bit overwhelmed with taking care of a 4-year-old again, but we know that God will give us exactly what we need each day. And we do love Daniel so much. Everytime he asks for Mama or Baba, our hearts melt. Neil is doing so well with him. He even played horse today for the first time in about 15 years. His knees didn't last long, but we promised Daniel he'd do more tomorrow. We'll write more soon. Love you all!

This is from Neil. Even though the day has been long and hard we did have some special times. The gal who invited us to lunch today volunteered at the foster home and came to love Daniel very much. It was obvious by the way she doted over him that she cared a lot for him and was very happy that he now has a family. She gave us a small picture album and also a picture of the 2 of them together. It is also a blessing to see Daniel getting attached to his Mama. There were 2 times today when Lora went to get something that Daniel got very concerned and kept asking where Mama was. It was very touching to hear him calling to her. We did have a bit of a scare this evening though. When we stopped for dinner Daniel had been asleep on my lap and when we got him out of the car he started crying and was very upset. Melissa calmed him down but when we got ready to leave he started acting scared to go outside. He told Melissa that the devil lived in the dark. We told him to hold on to me and I would protect him from devil and he would be safe. When we got back to the foster home he wanted to get inside right away. We aren't sure where he got this idea but it's a very real fear for him and something we will need to cover him with prayer about. We know that the devil is a defeated foe but explaining that to a 4-year-old who doesn't speak much English will be a big challenge. In the meantime I hope that he will cling to us when he is afraid. Now it is bedtime... GOODNIGHT!

Hi Everyone!! Well, as Shannon said in her message, we are having technical difficulties and are not able to connect to the internet on our laptop. So, right now we are in the computer lab at New Day and just wanted to send a quick message. We have had a full day with Daniel (Friday), learning his routine, learning how to catheterize him, going over his records, etc.

When Karen and Grace (co-directors of the foster home) gave us all his records this afternoon, we were given a tiny bracelet that was on his wrist when he was left at the hospital when he was just a few days old. That brought tears to all our eyes as we thought of his biological mom and how she must have felt as she left him. I'm so glad we have that keepsake for him so that he will always know how much she loved him.

We introduced the walker that we brought with us, and amazingly he took right to it. He is very protective of it, not wanting any of the other kids to even touch it! We had our first meal with him in the dining hall at lunch and boy, can he eat!! He thought it was pretty cool that he got to sit at a table with us instead of with all the other kids. He is attaching really well to Neil and is slowly warming up to me.

Tomorrow we are going into Beijing with Daniel to have lunch at a famous Peking duck restaurant and then do shome shopping. It will be our first outing with him alone. I (Lora) had my first experience catheterizing him this afternoon and it wasn't nearly as scary as I thought it would be. Tonight it is Neil's turn! We are having a great time with him - he is so much fun. We'll post pictures as soon as we get our computer issue taken care of. Thanks for all your prayers. We are feeling a little overwhelmed, but are feeling God's peace through it all. We feel so blessed that God has given Daniel to us!

Love you all,

They've Arrived!

Hey everyone! This is Shannon. I just received an email from mom and dad. They got there safely. They got there in time to see Daniel and put him to bed. They've been helping him decorate the Christmas tree in the foster home and they've been spending time with him. It seems that he has attached to dad already (but mom was prepared for that). They didn't sleep much on the plane, and of course, didn't sleep through the night because of jet lag. They're having some issues with the internet, so they asked me to post for them and just let all of you know that everything is good. I think they're excited, but exhausted at this point. They said Daniel has been showing off :) Anyways, I'll let you all know as I hear more. Blessings!

We're Off to China!

Well, it's 11:45 p.m. on Tuesday and our flight leaves Bloomington tomorrow morning at 6 a.m. The bags are packed, we've said our goodbyes to the girls, and we're finally heading to bed. We just wanted to post one more time before we go. It's hard to believe that the next time we post on our blog, we'll be in China!! We're totally exhausted from all the preparation for the trip, but we're also totally excited that we'll be seeing Daniel in just about 30 hours. We want to thank all of you for your prayers these past days. We have felt such a peace in the midst of the busy-ness that we know can only come from God. And thanks for all the calls, emails, etc. of encouragement. We sincerely feel that you are all traveling with us in spirit and it is a comfort to have friends and family by our side. We covet your continued prayers in the next hours and specifically around 5 a.m. Thursday morning (here) as that will be about the time we'll be meeting Daniel. Thanks and we'll "talk" to you from China!

Parting thoughts from Neil.

When we sent the email out to the people who were on our email list that we (actually Lora) had created a blog to share with people what was going on with our adoption of Daniel I wasn't to sure what this was all about. My sister, Patty, sent me a reply about this blog and then asked me what a blog was anyway. In my great wisdom I told her that it was a great way to share information and post pictures of our journey with Daniel in China. When I shared this with Lora she gave me a totally different perspective on it. To her it is a way to journal what her daily thoughts and feelings are as we travel this path that God has laid out for us and to share that with anyone who wants to live this story with us. Is she great or what?

So, here I sit with only one day left until we leave for China. The packing is almost done and most of the preparations are finished. As I reflect over the past few months I am in awe of what God is doing and I wanted to share with you a few thoughts about how God has brought me to this point in my life.

About 2-1/2 years ago our marriage was in a mess. I will leave out the details here but suffice it to say that we had some problems so we went to Larkspur, CO to a ministry called Stone Gate to go through some very intense marriage counseling with Dr Harry Schaumburg. We got a lot more than just counseling in those 10 days that we were there. I will only speak for myself from here on out but God really opened my eyes to see how selfishly I had been living my life. Everything about my life was based on what I felt I needed or deserved. One of the areas that God had to work on was in my perception that since I had raised 3 girls, and the youngest one was almost ready to go to college, that I could make plans to move, or to do whatever I wanted because now I was "free". This really hit home for me when Lora called me about the email we got from Shannon about Daniel. By this time God had knocked enough crust off of my heart that I could feel His Spirit move and say "Now is the time because this is your son". A lot of people will say how lucky that Daniel is to be a part of our family but the truth is that I am the one who has been blessed by him.

There is so much more that I could share but I won't go on and on like the Energizer bunny. I would like to leave you with this last thought. This adoption is not a sacrifice on my part. Because Jesus Christ made the ultimate sacrifice for my sin I want my life to be one of obedience to him and part of that is the call to care for the widows and orphans. God wants us to put the needs of others before our own comforts and conveniences. Micah 6:8 says "He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly, and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." I hope you will do the same and thank you for allowing me to share this with you.

Humbled by His grace,
Neil

Our Itinerary

We received our in-country itinerary yesterday and I thought it might be helpful to post it here.

11/29 - 4:05 p.m. - Arrive in Beijing
11/29 - 12/02 - Stay at New Day foster home. Get acquainted with Daniel.
12/03 - 8:30 a.m. - Fly to Urumuqi (Wulumuqi), Daniel's home province.
12/04 - Adoption processing and passport application.
12/05 - 12/06 - Sight-seeing in the mornings.
12/07 - Pick up adoption documents and passport. Fly to Guangzhou. Check into White Swan Hotel.
12/08 - Daniel's medical examination.
12/09 - Sight-seeing.
12/10 - Visa interview at the American Consulate.
12/11 - Go to Consulate to take our oath and pick up Daniel's visa.
12/12 - Fly back to Beijing. Catch evening flight to Chicago.

As you can see, this is going to be a full schedule with lots of travel. We are wondering how Daniel will adjust to all of this and how we'll hold up. We're just committing it all to God, knowing that He has already gone before us and knows EXACTLY what to expect!

The countdown has begun!!! Each morning as we do our devotions together Neil says, "Only 10 more days, only 9 more days, etc. etc." It is just so surreal that our long journey to adopt Daniel is almost finished and he will soon be here with us. With every small event now, we talk about what life will be like when Daniel is here. When we sit down to eat, we talk about what it will be like when we're eating with Daniel. When we run errands, we talk about what it will be like to run errands with Daniel along. When we do our devotions together at 6:30 a.m. we talk about how we'll probably have to get up an hour earlier once Daniel is here with us!

I'm not going to lie - in the midst of all the excitement and joy, we are both battling a lot of fear and doubt right now. Do we remember how to take care of a 4-year-old? Do we have enough energy to be "fun" parents - now that we're in our 40's? Are we prepared and capable to raise a special-needs child? What about the financial cost of all his medical needs? Will we be able to make ends meet? Of course we know that these doubts and fears are not from God. Even as these thoughts come, I am reminded that all God's promises are YES in Christ Jesus! And He has promised to meet EVERY need that we have. Neil and I know the truth and know that the truth will set us free. It's just that the enemy is very sneaky. If you think of us today, please pray that we will keep our minds set on TRUTH today and not believe the lies of the enemy.

Things are coming together. Daniel's room is finally finished - hallelujah! This weekend we finished up lots of odds and ends around the house that have been waiting for our attention. I cleaned the toy room and removed all the games and toys that are not age-appropriate for a 4-year-old. I was shocked to find that there was not much left! It's a good thing that Christmas is just a couple of weeks after his arrival - toys and games will be much appreciated gifts! This week I must start thinking about packing for the trip. Thinking of Daniel's needs is a bit tricky since I'm not exactly sure what size he wears (in American sizes), but my friends Sherry and Lisa (who both have little boys) have helped me think through this. I think I at least have a plan now as to how to begin. Thanks, friends!

We received word from the foster home today that Thursday, Nov. 29 will be the day we meet Daniel. (There was some question about whether we would arrive at the foster home early enough on Thursday to see him before he went to bed). But it is now official - the 29th will be Gotcha day. We should arrive at the foster home around 7 p.m. which will be 5 am here in the states. I don't know if many people here will be awake to pray for us at 5 am, but I hope so! It will be such a special moment when we meet him.

Wow, what a week this has been! Our visas arrived and our flights have been booked. God is amazing!! We will depart Bloomington at 6:03 a.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 28 and arrive in Beijing on Thursday the 29th at 4:05 p.m. This means that Thursday will (likely) be the official Gotcha day. (I think this depends on what time we would actually arrive at the foster home - if it's too late he might already be in bed and we might have to wait till the next morning. That would be terrible!) Today is the 16th, so that means in just 13 days we'll have our little boy. Amazing!

God was SO faithful in the purchasing of our airline tickets. We were able to book all three tickets (our round trip and Daniel's one-way) for less than $2500! For those of you who have traveled internationally, you know this is a great deal. This is much less than we expected to pay. Again, God is amazing. (This is becoming my own personal motto for this journey.)

We will return to Bloomington on Wedesday, December 12 if all goes as planned. Please pray for us in this regard. Our agency warned us this week that Daniel's home province, Xinjiang, does not handle very many international adoptions and so are not always as easy to deal with as some of the others. They said to expect delays and be prepared to be flexible. They said that if for some reason things are delayed in Xinjiang, we might miss our consulate appointment in Guangzhou on the 10th. Please pray that this doesn't happen! Thanks.

Also please pray for our peace of mind in the coming days. There is so much to do in such a short amount of time. I can't even think straight... I find myself just wanting to sit at the computer and look at pictures of Daniel all the time. I can't wait to see him face to face and hold him in my arms. (If he'll even let me - he's a little firecracker. Smile.)

God is amazing! I just can't quit saying it because it is so true.

We have received our invitation to travel! Yippeee!! It came last Wednesday (Nov. 7), but as of today we still have not received word from our agency as to when to book our flights. When our agency coordinator called on Wednesday she said we would "probably" need to be in Beijing by December 2, but that was just an estimate. We are growing more and more impatient every day to receive the official word!

I am trying to figure out this blog thing so thanks for your patience! Neil and I have decided that we are definately from a different generation. My thanks to our friends the Arnolds and the Millers (who are also adopting little ones from China) for their beautiful blogs. (I pray that they won't mind if we "share" some of their ideas.)

Please check out the link below to see some more pictures of Daniel:

http://www.onetruemedia.com/my_shared?z=22859000edad7e6952b17e&utm_source=otm&utm_medium=text_url

Our Introduction to Daniel

On September 2, 2006, our oldest daughter, Shannon, who was teaching English at a language school in Beijing, (and volunteering her time at New Day Foster Home), sent us an email with a picture attached, introducing us to a darling little three-year-old orphan named Daniel. Here is a portion of her email to us:

"Mom and Dad, I would like to introduce you to Daniel. I have pics of Daniel from last time I was here. But I don't know if you remember him or not. Daniel is now three years old. He is such a great kid and I love him soooooooo much. Daniel is not even close to being matched with a family yet... Daniel has spina bifida. Basically, he can't walk completely. He can with different things that roll. He totally scoots and moves. It's just that they can't get braces for him here in China. They are trying to get him some made in America, and they think that with braces he will learn to walk fine. He also had some swelling around the brain when he was little, but he has a shunt now so that is all fine. I know I always bring up this adoption thing, but I just felt compelled to tell you about Daniel. He's such a cutie. I will point to a part of my face and he will kiss it and then I do the same to him. He has the cutest smile and everyone loves him to death. Everyone here really wants to see him have a family... Anyways........just a thought. Look at his pic. Think about it. He'd be just about the cutest little bro ever!!!!!"

As you can tell, God had laid a deep burden for Daniel on Shannon’s heart.

Neither of us was surprised by Shannon’s request. Our family had been talking about adoption for 15 years. We agreed that we would do as Shannon asked and pray about adopting Daniel. Within just a couple of days it was clear that we wanted to move forward in the adoption process. Although it is hard to put into words here, the truth is that God moved in our hearts and made us feel a connection to Daniel that is beyond explanation. Neither of us has any medical background, and we had never considered adopting a special needs child. But God made it clear that Daniel was supposed to be part of our family.