In Just a Few Hours...Gotcha Day!

We are just a few hours away from what is referred to as "Gotcha Day"...the day in the adoption world when we get our son and he is placed in our arms.  Although, there is some controversy with this term (it can even upset and anger people), it is our son's Gotcha Day and it will be a day we celebrate every year for years to come...the anniversary family forever day!!!!

So call it what you like, this is the day we get our sweet boy!  I have so many emotions running through my head and heart, I'm not sure I can even put them to paper (or computer!)....joy, nerves, wonder, questions, and more.  Yet, this is a beautiful day for us, because it is 18 months of long awaited anguish, joy, blood, sweat, and tears.  Our son will be ours!  However, for Ian, this day brings loss.  There is grabbing, surprising, holding, camera flashing...a whole of things that are new, including US!  There is pain.  There is fear.

He has already experienced loss once when he was abandoned at birth, he experienced loss when he was about 10 1/2 months old and left the Show Hope unit, and now yet again, he will experience loss as he is taken from the only family he has known (his foster family) in his short life.  My heart breaks for his tender, grieving heart.  I have cried so many times already, and this morning more tears as I think about what he is experiencing right at this moment being brought to the civil affairs building, having already said goodbye to his foster mama.  And what his faster family has to be feeling?  Oh the loss and grief they must have to endure.

You see, there is beauty in the Gotcha Day because it means the story or redemption begins, yet there is sorrow and loss for many involved as the the redemption story takes weeks, months, and some times years to unfold.

So, today, I look at this moment, this Gotcha Day, as bittersweet!  There most definitely will be loss and sorrow, but there is beauty!  There is so much born out of loss.  Our jobs will be to hold, and love, and to laugh, and to cry, and to do all thing as parents as best as we can! We are so incredibly honored God choose us to be Ian's mama and baba!  I lay here quietly in bed before we embark on this day and I know he is completing the piece to our family...that is how he is blessing our family! And we are not blessing him because we are saving him, but he will be blessed because we pray he will laugh, and run, and have so much fun with his sisters and brother!  We know life will not be perfect, but we pray it will be a life where God blesses our family of SIX!  This is our family, our forever family, and it's what our Gotcha looks like!

Soon, Ian Scott, soon, you will be with us!  We can't wait to hold you forever and forever!!!

God is Greater...

God is greater.  It was of those things you know and believe from the very depth of your soul....deep in your heart where your faith lies.  You know God is sovereign and powerful and mighty.  He has all of the plans for our lives laid out, and He orchestrates the details from the most finite to the very big where mountains are moved.

Yet, even when I know this, I believe this...I'm still in awe of God's amazing work.  Of all He can do, of all that He is...of His beauty and His love, I am in awe.  He is the Great I Am, and to see His great works and plans unfold in front of my face, it brings me to my knees in awe of the One whose creations and works are indescribable.  Some times there just aren't words to articulate the splendor...I'm overwhelmed!



I LOVE this song.  I listen and reflect on what God has done for all of us,  and I thank Him for all he has done in our son's precious life.  His story didn't just begin a few weeks ago when we first received his file.  His story was already being written by our Creator, many months ago before we had even saw the file.  The Creator of the universe was weaving together the intricacies of our son's life and putting them into motion, which would allow him to come to us!!!!  Oh, I have goosebumps when I think about the details of our son's life and how God has orchestrated the details for us to be a forever family.  Ya'll, it's just too neat, and details we've found out about since we've received his file, are only that that our Lord can write!

So let me see if I can put these precious details of our sweet boy's life onto "paper" and share what we know, from the beginning!  About a month ago, we were getting ready to leave for vacation. A trip to Hatteras, NC to see family, celebrate my cousin's wedding, and spend a week relaxing on the beach.  We were very excited, and quite honestly, were in much need of some time away.  The last few months had been an emotional roller coaster, to say the least.  Many of you dear friends are not aware that we had received a referral at the very end of February, and after a few weeks of being locked in, we had to unlock the file due to receiving some very sad and tragic news regarding the sweet boy.  It was devastating.  We suffered through loss and grief, like we had never experienced before.  We experienced a "heart miscarriage", and personally, I shut down...somewhat closed myself off to the rest of the world.   It took time to heal (and there will always be a part of me that will grieve for that little boy).

It wasn't until early May, when we were healing, that I was healing, that we realized all that we'd experienced was part of God's plan.  It was then we understood God had not matched us with our son yet (that was a hard one to wrap our heads around, though!  Isn't always?).  We clearly heard God say, 'Trust Jesus'! We knew that what we'd experienced and the valley we'd come through was part of our adoption journey.  And three times on the Friday before Mother's Day, the Holy Spirit clearly said it was time to wait again for a referral and have our agency look for our son based on our MCC (medical conditions checklist).

So into the wait we went again, based on the Holy Spirit's calling.  Just as the Holy Spirit told us almost 16 months ago it was now the time to adopt, and it could not be put off any more, I (in my fear) could not put aside the Holy Spirit's call for us to do something I wasn't comfortable to do at that point.  I didn't necessarily feel ready for a referral...my heart was hurt and worried, but we know we couldn't turn from what the Spirit what telling us to do.  Sometimes it's not always a safe or comfortable or even pretty place to be, but through the way of the Cross, Jesus carries us through (and He always has) when the Holy Spirit calls us to what we are to do.  Why should I have even thought any different when I heard, 'Trust Jesus'.

And so we prayed, and I really prayed being the anxious one that I can be...to not worry about what would happen with that referral to-be, to not be anxious anymore, to not try and control the situation, but to just let it BE...to let God be in control and TRUST Jesus! And we continued on with the wait for a referral, until the time we would see the picture of our son some day, and read the file with the history of his life.

Time went on.  More time went on.  March had now passed, April had passed, and May went by with the new waiting.  May turned into June and no referrals were coming in (and yes, we thought surely we'd have a referral almost immediately after putting our names back in the 'waiting game' because we were open to so many medical conditions and getting a boy is almost a guarantee for a quick referral),  and we thought we would get THE CALL.  I mean, c'mon God...you're on our side.  Give us a break, right.  That was my mentality by this point.  Yet, nothing.  We waited, and those few weeks seemed longer than any wait up to that point.  I was on the verge of a throwing a pity party for myself.  Anyone ever been there before for any situations in your life...please say I'm not the only one?!?! :)  It wasn't right, but that's where I was at and how I was feeling.

Finally...vacation!!!  Boy, we needed some time away, and we made a vow to not talk about anything 'adoption'.   Family time + vacation time = no adoption talk!  Our hearts needed a break.  We pulled out of the driveway on May 30th and that was that!

Fast forward a day or two (you know how it is, you almost lose all sense of time while on vacation!!!), and we're  in NC, enjoying the beautiful weather and a beautiful house.  Truly, God's beauty was all around us!  As I do on vacation, one of my favorite things I enjoy the most is running on the beach early in the mornings!  It's 'me time'...for prayer, reflection, and talks with God!!!  I love to run, but there is something so serene and peaceful about running on the beach. :)  However, the first two days I ran on the beach, my runs weren't very good...choppy sand, windy conditions, high tide, and I just didn't have that feel I normally have where I feel like I could run and run, like I'm running on air.  Very disappointing runs.  Then Tuesday morning, June 3rd arrived (and you'll find out soon why I do know this date!!!), like any other morning.  I headed out to run, and the beach was amazing...wide open, no wind, and rays of sun like I'd never seen.  I'm telling you, I ran and ran, gliding on the air.  I felt a little bit like Forest Gump...run, Heather, run!!! :)  But it was my time in prayer that was even more amazing.  I have to admit that although we had said there would be no 'adoption talk' during this week at the beach, in my heart I was struggling some.  I wanted God to give me sign or show me that we were close in the process of getting a referral.  Each day on the beach or during my runs I had looked for a sign, for a starfish, hoping God would send OUR STARFISH for encouragement (see the link below for why the starfish has such meaning to us and adoption...it's a wonderful story!!!)

http://www.faithfuladoptionconsultants.com/uncategorized/the-starfish-story

 I was remembering our trip to Hilton Head in September, when Scott and I found a starfish on the beach while taking a walk on our last day.  This starfish was our "special needs" starfish and three of his "arms" were special, but at that time were didn't realize the meaning.  And it may seem silly that during my run I needed something like a starfish for encouragement (or anything for that matter!), but I was feeling pretty fragile...kinda like our starfish here!  (I will come back to this later...because we didn't realize at that time in September that THIS was our starfish God sent us...we just didn't know it then!  CHILLS!)

But this time at the beach we didn't see a starfish.  I didn't see even one on any of my morning runs.  So on this Tuesday morning when I was running, there was a time when there was absolutely NO ONE on the beach, and in this remote area with no houses and no people around, I got on my knees and cried out to God in prayer.  I asked Him for a sign, for something that would tell us about our son, and I clearly heard him say 'be patient'.  Maybe not what I wanted to hear :).   And then there was such a radiant light as I was praying and a peace I hadn't felt in such a long time came over me!  As finished praying and continued my run, the light remained so bright and brilliant!  God was with me and He was saying, 'Trust Me, I know who your son is.  I have been writing his story'!  Ok, Lord, I hear you...I don't need a starfish today.  I've got my starfish from September.  I'm clinging to that and your promises...I TRUST IN YOU!!!

I finished my run and the day began (Ha!), and as God always does He fulfills He promises.  That is when He brought us our son.  IT WAS THAT DAY!  JUST A FEW HOURS LATER!  AFTER MY RUN, AFTER MY PRAYER, AFTER THAT TIME ON THE BEACH IN PRAYER!  He knew why I didn't need a starfish THAT MORNING...because I was getting something so much better, something far more incredible!!!!  I didn't need a sign like a starfish because that very same day God brought us the file with the picture of our son's beautiful face!  We received the referral on that wonderful Tuesday, June 3rd...a day that will always and forever be in our hearts.  The day we received the file with the details of our son's life...during the week we when had said (or tried to promise...Ha!) that we weren't thinking about 'adoption stuff'!  But you know, that's when things happen...when you least expect it, God does the possible!!!  His timing is always perfect!  We when couldn't even begin to expect it...a referral, a match, the amazing file with our son's history....and all of sudden, vacation was just a little bit different than what we expected!!! :)

And it was different and more special than any other vacation, because in that moment, we knew he was ours when we saw him!  There was something in us and we knew...we knew he was the little boy God had planned and chose to be our son.  We knew he was the one God hand-picked to bless our family with his smile, his personality, his medical needs (premature, congenital heart disease, and something else that at this time we are keeping private).  And remember that starfish we had did found in September (the one I almost forgot, yet God reminded me about on my run, telling me I didn't need a starfish because He had already given us one AND we didn't need one that day because OUR SON WAS COMING TO US INSTEAD!!!!)...well, that little starfish had three "special" arms/appendages...a sign to us of three special needs.  And as I mentioned our sweet boy has three medical needs...HE IS OUR STARFISH!!!!  We are blessed by him, by his background, his heritage, his needs..by the boy God created!

Almost immediately after receiving his file I jumped on FB and joined the SWI (orphanage) group from where our son has been staying (or at least stayed the first year of his life...he now lives with a foster family and has a mama and baba right now!)  I wanted to ask questions about the foster program.  Within a few minutes after my posting, I received a PM from one of my sweet friends who works for a wonderful non-profit foster facility in China, that cares for special needs orphans.  During the last six months, we have communicated, almost daily, about MANY things.  She has been a dear friend, a moral support, a sounding board, and expert when I've had questions regarding adoption questions.  No matter what the issue, she has always been there AND she has said, "I'm praying for your son."  And even though she didn't know who our son was during those times, she was fervent in her prayer, and those prayer meant so much to me!

So when she messaged me almost instantaneously after I posted my question about the orphanage and foster homes, we began messaging back and forth for about 30 minutes about our referral and the details regarding our son! And it was during that conversation and after sending her his pictures that she said, "I think I know your son!"  WHAT?  SERIOUSLY???  My heart about jumped!!!!  There was something about his picture that she recognized!  She sent me a picture of him from when he was only a six weeks old, and at that time she wasn't yet sure if it was him, but she felt pretty confident.  She told me the story of how she knew him, and how she had been praying for him...how this little boy she met on a day she went to Zhengzhuo SWI to pick up a baby girl, and while there she held him and loved on our son, caring for him.  He became part of the New Day Formula Project, and because of that, his info would be on file and she would be able to check his records and confirm if he was the little one she meet, held, and had been praying for...praying that he would survive, that he would thrive, that would be matched with his forever family and get his mama and baba!  He was so little, so weak, hooked up to machines, in an incubator, a shaved head where IV's had been, and in a blue little sleeper.  Yet he was strong and had the will to live!  Chills and goosebumps every time I think about this!!!!   Can I just tell you I began to cry in that moment?  I sobbed thinking about these early details of my son's life, I cried looking at his precious picture, and I cried knowing that someone I knew and who was a dear friend of mine had held my child and had cared for him (even if it had been momentarily).  And here is what is even more amazing...yes she was praying for our son, she really was as she had been saying, yet she did KNOW HIM, HAD MEET HIM, HAD PICTURES OF HIM!!!!  This little one had touched her heart and she KNEW HIM!

And over the next few days, as we're emailing back and forth, she sends me a link to one of her blog posts from October 2012, with another picture of our son...and words describing his strength and how the nannies held him with care!

http://hannahjiejie.wordpress.com/2012/10/20/stream-of-consciousnesses-saturday/

I continued to be OVERWHELMED by God's protection in caring for our son during these many months of his life during the first critical stages of development!

So, anyway, the last day of vacation came after a momentous week!!!! (and with know one, except my sister, aware that we had a referral and that we we're pretty much certain he was ours!!!) we took a very special picture on the beach!  It only seemed fitting to do so, since this was the place God had "brought" him to us...a very special spot and a very special vacation, and we wanted that picture to always remember (as if we could forget ;)) to commemorate our week!  The LOI (letter of intent) was about to be on it's way, letting China know of our intent to adopt this precious boy...OUR SON....the one God chose for our family!

Monday, June 9th, we finalized a couple of things immediately after returning home (this was our first day back).  We talked to our good friend, who is a doctor, and had to a conference call with the cardiologist.  As I was waiting to talk to the doctor, the kids were playing and it was quiet for a few minutes.  I needed to catch up on my devotions from the previous week while we were gone, and with some quiet minutes in the house (which is few and far between...HA!), it was the perfect time.  And remember on that Tuesday morning when the light was shining so radiantly,  I read the devotion for that day, June 3rd (remember...the day I had my glorious run, the light was so bright, I had a real heart-to-heart with God, AND the day we were matched!!!)...here is a highlight from the devotion from that day:
My Peace displaces fears and worries.  Let trust and thankfulness stand guard, turning back before it can gain a foothold.  There is no fear in my Love, which SHINES ON YOU CONTINUALLY.  Sit quietly in My LOVELIGHT, while I bless you with RADIANT Peace.  Turn your whole being to trusting me.  

I was in AWE! I was in awe of this devotion and read it over and over again.  I couldn't believe how perfect it was for THAT day when I was on the beach, praying in quiet to God, and His light shone down on me, asking him to give me a sign.  TRUST HIM, DON'T WORRY, HAVE PEACE.  That's when he brings us our son.  AND that's when we knew, no matter what the file said, no matter the medical conditions, no matter what...this was our son.  God brought him to us...we were TRUSTING HIM, through LOVE and in FAITH and in PEACE!

But then as I was in the Word and reading the scripture for that day (reading 2 Thessalonians 3:16...'Now may the Lord of peace at all times and every way.  The Lord be with you.') my cell phone rang and it said 'Unknown'.  I never answer calls that say 'Unknown' and what made me reach for the phone on that day and answer is beyond me, but God knew, and prompted me to get the phone.  I answered and the woman introduced herself from K-Love radio.  Now of course, this didn't seem so strange since we provide a monthly sponsorship to their radio ministry, but we've never received a call from them.  The kind women proceeds to tell me that Scott and I came their minds and were placed on their hearts that morning, and they felt compelled to call us and ask if they could specifically pray for anything we might need.  So just as I'm in the middle of reading 2 Thessalonians and praying for continued peace, that peace that only God can provide, I begin to cry right there on the phone before I could even get any words out.  The lady must have thought I was crazy at first.  As I composed myself and explained to her our situation, and where we were in our journey to adopt our son, etc., and that we were just getting ready to talk to the doctor, she said they wanted to pray for us and had such peace about our adoption!!!!  CHILLS!  God is so great!  Again, His timing is perfect.  He provided that call and that prayer just when we needed it and as "icing on the cake" to let us know that He is with us.  I guess we really did always from the moment we saw our son that he was ours and not matter what he always will be (no matter the transition, the fear, the medical issues), we trust Him!  And the peace I was already feeling multiplied in that moment to something I can't even describe.  I had a peace like nothing I've ever felt.  MORE PEACE!!!  God continued to give a peace that passes all understanding!  I thanked this sweet lady and instantly called Scott.  Through tears (and I first assured him nothing was wrong so he wasn't in fear one of us was injured or hurt!), I explained to him the devotion and the call from K-Love, and the prayers they were praying on our behalf for our son and our family! In that moment, he, too, felt a peace that passes all understanding.

Of course, LOI was officially the next day on June 10th!!!  My dear friend did indeed let me know that the records showed our boy was the little one she had taken pictures of and been praying over.  I already knew it my heart, but we had confirmation now! :)  And remember when I we left on May 30th and that was the last we talked 'adoption talk', well that just happened to be the day my sweet friend posted something on the FB site about our son.  She was looking for the family of the little boy she knew and meet many, many months ago and wondering if he had been matched.  She had come across his pictures again recently (when getting pictures together for another family) and was hoping and praying he had found his forever family.  So as we were leaving to head to the beach and were not going to think any more about the adoption, she was posting and asking about this boy.   I couldn't see the post at that time (b/c I wasn't part of the group yet), but God was fine tuning those last minute details in those few days leading up to us receiving our son's file!!!

The post my sweet friend wrote about our son a couple of weeks ago:

http://hannahjiejie.wordpress.com/2014/06/18/a-good-gift/#comments

And ONE MORE THING..it gets even BETTER!  This amazing friend met our son at Zhengzhuo SWI because she was there to pick up a little girl.  Remember how I said she was there that day to pick up a sweet baby girl...well that little girl was a sick precious one with congenital hear disease (a different and more severe form of congenital heart disease than what our son has).  That little girl being picked up (to be taken back to the foster facility in Beijing) was Anna Rose, and later to be Tessa Joy.  At that time, in October of 2012, we of course didn't know any of this was taking place and the personal details this would have in our life (I watched Anna Rose's life unfold through New Day), but God was orchestrating these details.  You see, that little girl is our dear friends' daughter who is now home as of May and living right here in Dayton by us!  She is a darling, precious girl, a daughter of the one true King.  Her story has been written and is continuing to unfold through God's plans.

And through God's amazing details on that day when my friend went to Zhengzhuo to pick her up, she meet, held, prayed and cared for our son! Because of that, our friend had a place in her heart for him and now we have pictures of him (and more to come from New Day once our adoption is finalized).  I love to think that these two little ones, our son and Tessa Joy, have already been together.  Even though it was for a short period of time, and our son was a fragile preemie, they were together at the same orphanage.  And what's even more special...of the hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of orphanages in all of China, our son, Tessa Joy, and our other dear friends' (Paula and Sven) son, Elijah, is also from the Zhengzhuo orphanage.  These three (our son, Tessa Joy, and Elijah) are from the same place...and our families initiated the Orphan Ministry at PPC, when we came together as three couples and families in 2011 and felt God's call to care for the orphan in multiple ways!  God is greater...He is in every detail and His plans far exceed anything we could imagine.  His timing is perfect (something that I have  constantly had to remind myself on this journey!)

So that's some of our son's story up to this point.  There are sill a lot of unknowns...some of which we may still get answers to, and a lot that we will never know.  However, God knows everything about our precious boy and we praise Him for fearfully and wonderfully creating our beautiful son, and entrusting him to us!

We pray for his birth parents, the parents the brought him into this world.  We hope that God will give them a PEACE so that they know their little boy is safe, loved, cared for, and soon-to-be in his forever family!  We know that, for whatever reasons their choice lead them to letting him go, we are are now blessed beyond measure to have our son!  God's plans are beyond anything we can ever envision or plan.  GOD IS GREATER...  

Many Questions

So many questions running through my mind tonight, some of which will be answered sooner than later.  Others which we'll have an answer to once we meet our son and he's finally home with his forever family.  Either way, the questions linger...

-I had been wondering earlier this week when we'd receive our LID (log-in date), but God was so gracious in giving us this answer, and not only quickly, but in such a sovereign, powerful way.  In just one day's time, after receiving word that our dossier had arrived in China and was delivered to the CCCWA (China's governing body for adoption), we received notification of the LID with the log-in as 12-15-13...Christmas Day!!!  What a perfect gift God gave us, and after all the time we waited on immigration, He has allowed the processing of our paperwork to be expedited.  We received our

log-in before year's end, and the date to be on Christmas...another reflection of God's love for us!  Someone said it's a Christmas miracle, and for us, it is...it's our family Christmas miracle and it's really the beginning of our son's journey home to us.  The LID is the official beginning of it all...so going forward, Christmas is special for two reasons!  It's no coincidence that we received our LID on Christmas Day...that was all because of God...a perfect gift from Him.    

-With this LID, when will we now get the phone call and email with the referral matching us to our son?  This is the little boy that we have been praying for and waiting to place in our forever family.

-What is our son doing right now?  Is he happy?  What does he look like?  How old is he?  What are his medical conditions?  I know I will have the answers to some of these questions, soon enough, once we receive the match, and see his face and file, but I can't help but wonder...AND wait.  And while waiting, and wondering, I think about his health, and pray to God that he will equip Scott and me with the strength, patience, and fortitude to care for whatever the medical needs may be, while being the very best parent possible to him and our other three sweet children.

-What province is our son from, does he live there now, and is he living in an orphanage, foster facility, or foster home?  Furthermore, and most importantly, who is caring for him and do they love him?  Are they caring for him and treating him with respect?

-When will be able to travel to China and meet our son face-to-face, finalizing the adoption?  Will he adapt to the change, all of the travel, etc.?

-How will our son react to us when he first sees us?  Will he smile, cry, laugh?  Will he prefer me, Scott, neither?  How will he react to Caroline, Catherine, and Spencer? 

-How will family and others respond to our son?   Will they love him just as they do our other three children?

-How will our son react to his new home, surroundings, environment, and culture? 

These are just some of the questions swirling around in my head as we get ready say goodbye to the year that officially brought us to the road to adopt.  And although we are over 9 1/2 months into this journey and there are so many questions, I know there are just that many more questions yet to come in the year ahead.  Saying YES to God's call to adopt isn't always easy and He doesn't promise there will always be answers for everything, but He does promise to be by our side and carry us through every step of the way. 

So now that our paperwork is finally in China and we're logged in, we'll be waiting and asking questions.  I'm sure I will check my email A LOT AND I will always have my phone by my side waiting for THAT CALL, just checking for that one special message with a referral.  And when there is waiting, with no conclusive time frame, there is uncertainty. Yet, as He has done throughout this entire journey, God continues to show His face through mercy and provision.  In every moment, He has been there with reminders that He will never leave our side.  If God brings you to it, He will never leave your side.  He has already gone before you.  He says not to be anxious, and truly through God's grace, I have a peace that only comes through him.  It's typically not my nature to not feel anxious about this wait, but throughout our entire adoption journey (putting aside the last two weeks we waited on immigration in November!), I have felt only peace...and I KNOW that is only because of the Holy Spirit and God's peace the transcends all understanding.  He provides comfort that only He can provide when you trust in Him!

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding..."  Proverbs 3:5
"And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:7

So we wait...but keep checking back!

 (Sorry...began writing this post at the end of December, and thought I finished it!  Just realized it never published!)



Calling All Basketball Players

We are excited to announce the first annual McDowell 3 on 3 basketball tournament being held on December 21, 2013 at Patterson Park Church.  This will be a double elimination tournament, with prizes going to the winning team.

The proceeds from this event will be put towards our adoption fund as we continue to raise money to help bring our son home from China.  Join us for a fun day of competitive basketball for men ages 18 and up.

Registration will begin at 8:30 am, with first games tipping off at 9:00 am.  Schedules will be posted here on this blog and emailed the Thursday prior to the event, so all players must show up at least 30 minutes before their first scheduled game for registration.

Please email Scott at smcdowell8@woh.rr.com or call 937-361-9050 to register your team.  When registering your team include the name, email and ages of all players. Spots are limited so register early.  Each team must consist of 3-4 players with an entry fee of $25 per player.  Each player can make a tax deductible donation for their entry fee at:
http://www.adopttogether.org/themcdowells
 or pay cash at time of registration.

For those long range bombers out there, we will offering a 3-point shooting contest (split the pot).  Entry fee is $10 per shooter, and the winner must beat the host to win their half of the pot.  This contest will take place around 11:00 am.

Please contact Scott via email or phone if you have any additional questions.

Stepping Out In Faith

When God placed the call on our hearts to adopt many, many years ago, there was always one thing that was in the back of our minds that caused us to worry about how we could make our hope of adopting becoming a reality.  And that was the money.  As most people know, the cost of adoption is high and the expenses can outweigh the desire to bring home your forever child...that voice in your head that says, "We want to adopt, but it is just too expensive." or "Why does it have to cost so much?"  Of course, when family and friends, with good intentions, ask these questions as well, inevitably money is the focus of conversations and the reason why we convince ourselves adoption is not doable.  However, I want to write this post as a spot to share about adoption and about God's heart for orphan care, feeling convicted to not let this topic go unaddressed.  There is a reason why adoption costs as much as it does, yet why I believe these costs do not matter. 

So, where does all of the money go?  Well, the first misconception that I think many people have is that we have to write one large check to our adoption agency and then they make a substantial profit from this amount.  This is simply not the case.  The cost of adoption is broken down into other entities and divided across a timeline of months...a portion goes to our agency for program fees, we pay our social worker for the home study, paperwork is processed and paid for, immigration documentation has to be funded, money goes to China for various costs, and so forth.  We also need to include notary fees, miscellaneous fees, physicals, and of course the travel costs.  I'm not including everything in detail here, but you get the gist...it is a pretty extensive list and every bit of it is necessary, following procedures and compliance for both the United States and China.  We have pretty much become an open book, and our lives are transparent for the world to see; that is our adoption agency, our case worker, and don't forget the country of China! :)

(http://www.ccaifamily.org/...the website for our agency...they have an abundance of information and we whole-heartedly recommend them if you are considering adoption, which is a great choice!!!)

Of course, with all of this being said, and there is a large, looming number to think about, we are still being called to care.  God is calling us to step out in faith and He wants us to do something, that to many people, makes absolutely no Earthly sense because of costs and numbers.  However, we take up our cross, follow Him anywhere and He will lead.  Our lives are not about us, and it is time we began living a more radical life because we serve a loving, compassionate God that wants us to follow him, where in Matthew 10:38-39, He says, "Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me, but whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it."  Our time, talents, treasures are not ours....they are God's that He has blessed us with and we are to use them to glorify His kingdom.  And, yes, our money is God's money...that is one treasure He has given us.  We are to give our money to God for Him to use.  He may ask us for only a little or He may ask us for all of it.   

This past weekend, Scott and I heard John Bentley, from Harmony Outreach say that "until you leave Egypt and walk through the dessert, going in faith, God does not provide the manna from heaven."  John really hit the mark with this statement, because as Americans we want to feel secure and responsible.  Yet, God wants us to listen to the Holy Spirit calling us to move and begin a journey, not when every penny is already in the bank account ready to go because Jesus is going to show you how He will provide.  This isn't to say we are to be reckless spenders, but we serve a powerful God and He will fund what He favors!  AND we serve a God that loves adoption!  He has adopted us into his kingdom...we have been blessed, chosen, adopted, accepted, redeemed, and forgiven.  

So remember, waiting on the perfect time for every bill to be paid or a certain amount of money to be set aside wouldn't take faith like a mustard seed, allowing God the room to show His awesome orchestration of every detail!  

("...if you have as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move.  Nothing will be impossible for you." Matthew 17:20-21)

Ok, this can be a sensitive subject, I know.  Most of the time when the topic of money is discussed it is a touchy subject and I don't want anyone to feel uncomfortable. But we don't like to hear about it, and Christians in America today can't serve God and have everything, too.  We just can't have everything we want.  In comparison, our needs are so small, and when you think about the the orphans in this world, how can we not help the least of these.  Well, it's our WANTS and desires that does this.  Our sinful nature keeps us from letting our light shine and allowing others to see Christ in us...from being Christ to the world.  Now please don't get me wrong...I'm there, too, at times.  I'm a sinner...I'm human. There are things I want.  But I'm learning through our adoption process that contentment is a wonderful thing.  I've been asking God to help me give up the things I think I need.  I'm thankful God is refining me to place my eyes on what is more important in life.  My eyes are more open to the things my family and I need versus what we want.  And you know, it's amazing how you see things differently, when it's put in perspective.    

As a family, we feel this abundance that has multiplied, and not from material possessions, but from an array of emotions that has come from this adoption journey and the spiritual growth that comes with it.  In Matthew 6, God says, "You cannot serve both God and money", and it should not rule our lives.  And through the faith and obedience of so many families, and even our family, we have seen God provide!  We have seen his provision in bringing in just the right amount of money at the perfect time to families that needed it during their adoption process.  We have heard story after story about God providing the money needed to complete an adoption, from the fundraising efforts to complete checks given from strangers.  We already have experienced God's grace as we've been going through our process in raising funds.  We are by no means all of the way there yet, but I have no doubt that our God will continue to fund what He favors!  There is no worry about some large number.  God is bigger than any amount of money, and He is faithfully providing, just as families are faithfully walking down the adoption road (and yes, it does feel like it is an uncharted road, at times), but what reassurance to know we are NEVER alone.    

But what brings even greater JOY to us, is that we continue to hear about families that are making the choice to adopt and care for orphans a PRIORITY in their lives!  PRAISE GOD!  Scott and I have been praying that God would "break our hearts for breaks yours".  He is turning worlds upside down, just like he has ours, and it is a wonderful, crazy, ride!  God is there, on your side, and there are many families to join along the way for support and encouragement.    

Jesus tells us to store up our treasures in Heaven and spend our earthly money on heavenly causes.  Where is God telling you to put your treasure?  Maybe it is time to live a radical life for Christ, I don't know.  Money is a fact of life, but I know it should not rule our lives.  A great book to read on living this life is "Radical" by David Platt...taking back your faith from the American dream.   Don't fear what God is calling you to do!

Take a few minutes and check out this video...it will change your world if you just allow your heart to be broken!  

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWHJ6-YhSYQ 

And The Winner Is...

Thank you to everyone that donated to our Ohio State Football Season Ticket Giveaway!  We are very grateful for the support and contributions.  The season will be extra special since it helped us with our adoption fundraiser!  We hope everyone enjoys watching the Buckeyes as much as we will.

The drawing was completed tonight at 9:33 through www.random.org.  Click on the following link to verify permanent record of the drawing and your entry (enter your email address), if you donated:

http://www.random.org/draws/details/?draw=16331

So, I'm sure everyone wants to know who won, right?  The winner is Zach Imperial.  

Again, THANK YOU VERY MUCH for being a part of this journey in bringing our son home!  

  

Buckeye Fundraiser Giveaway

Adoption Fundraiser Giveaway!!

Ohio State Football Season Tickets

2 Seats in A Deck

 

 Who wants to win???

We are raising money to bring our son home from China.  For this adoption fundraiser, we are giving away a pair of Ohio State football season tickets in section 12A, along with a collection of other Buckeye items (men’s large NCAA t-shirt, women’s medium NCAA long sleeve shirt, children’s youth NIKE t-shirt, fitted XL Franchise hat, Large NCAA gloves, Collegiate Licensed Product cooler, and OSU coffee mug).  You can see pictures of the tickets and items below.

So do you want the chance to win this giveaway and also help us bring home our son?  All you need to do is donate at least $50 to our adoption fund at:

http://www.adopttogether.org/themcdowells

A $50 donation will gain one entry, and every subsequent $25 donation will gain another entry…

$50- 1 entry

$75- 2 entries

$100- 3 entries

$125- 4 entries

And so on...

When making your donation please include your name and email address in the comments section.  Payments made through PayPal will NOT gain entry into the giveaway, because you are unable to include comments and there is a delay in posting of the donation. 

If you would prefer to pay by cash or check, then the donation must be received by August 26^th.  Please contact us at smcdowell8@woh.rr.com to discuss this option.

All donations made from Tuesday, August 13^th until midnight on Monday, August 26^th will be entered into the drawing.  The giveaway drawing will be held on, Tuesday August 27^th, selected by www.random.org and the winner will be contacted via email to arrange delivery of prizes. 

 Thank you for all your support and help in bringing our son home, and being with us on this journey!

Love...Scott, Heather, Caroline, Catherine and Spencer



Gift of Giving

It is definitely hard to ask for help because of our pride.  I think most people feel this way.  However, through this journey to bring our son home, we know that people want to help.  And, when we allow others to help and be a blessing in our lives, it is an opportunity for those people to be blessed. 

So helping us through our adoption process through your donations is one tangible way to support our family...you can look at it as the gift that will keep on giving!  Your charitable gifts will help us pay for the many adoption expenses required to get our son.

Adopt Together.org is a non-profit funding platform helping families such as ours raise money to pay for adoption costs.  We have created our personal family account (www.adopttogether.org./themcdowells) so individuals who want to support our adoption can do so with a tax-deductible contribution, providing us with funds to cover adoption fees, document prepaperation, home study, immigration, air fare, travel, other fees, etc. 

Adopt Together.org is a wonderful organization helping us on behalf of our son.  They are an IRS approved, 501 (c)(3) organization, founded in the Dayton area...very close to us in Springboro! 


*Please note that your donation can be made by PayPal throgh the Adopt Together site.  However, PayPal will charge an administrative fee (2.9% + $0.30USD per transaction).  Your donation will decrease by this amount of this fee.


We thank you so much for your financial support of giving!  More importantly, we covet your prayers as we continue to journey down this road of adoption.  Please pray for our son.  He is patiently waiting for us and we are waiting for him.  There is still much uncertainity in this process, but we know our Lord is in control and His timing is perfect.

"Be still and know that I am God."  Psalm 46:10

The Paper Pregnancy

Recently, many of you have asked where we are in the process of international adoption to bring home our son.  Well, the answer isn't very simple or clear-cut.  We're at the tail end of what many adoption resources and agencies refer to as the "paper pregnancy" because so much paperwork is required for our home study and completion of our dossier (a collection of personal documents sent to China).  

The paperwork for our dossier has been complete for some time, and we're waiting on the home study to end, but it still looks as if that could take another few weeks.  Then, it's a matter of filing immigration paperwork and waiting anywhere from 40 to an upward of 90 days on our government to provide us with the necessary documentation to give us what we need to complete the dossier so it will be ready to officially send to China.

From there, we'll be at the mercy of the CCCWA (China Center for Children's Welfare and Adoption) to provide us with a log-in date (LID) so we can then wait to receive a match/referral for our son. 

So, that's my short, somewhat non-detailed answer on where we are on this journey at the moment.  I could go on and on...it's quite a lengthy process, as some of you are aware.   There is not a gestational timeline, nor specific answers to when things will happen and take place, however, the one constant pattern is that WE HAVE NO CONTROL:).  I am learning more of this every day, which is not an easy lesson to learn.  I think most of us like to be in control, or at least convince ourselves that we are!  Yet, the Lord is teaching me through this experience AND refining me, sometimes when it takes a moment on my knees reminding me that I'm not in control...He is...the one that created the heavens and earth, the begining and the end, the Alpha and Omega, the Great I Am. 

Yes, I like to be in control.  I like to be organized.  I like my house clean (or as clean as it can be with three kiddos!), I like a plan, I like answers, and I have a hard time trusting others to do what I feel capable of doing, and I feel anxious when things don't get done a certain way (if you don't know me well, or haven't already guessed...yes, I am a Type A personality).  Maybe others can relate?  Maybe not.  I hope I'm not alone, but nonetheless, I always think about this:

I don't have to carry these burdens because GOD IS CONTROL! 

I do believe this with all that I am, even though I try to take this control away from Him.  Thankfully, His mercies are new every day and He lovingly shows me His truth, and that He has it all under control and that His plan is perferct.  Of course, I am human and I might not always sense His control, but I never doubt it.  His timing is perfect, just as is His grace and love.  God is control because I trust in His word and I trust in Him...He is faithful.

So many times throughout the day I think of this verse:  'Be still before the Lord and wait 
patiently on him...'  Psalm 37:7  

It's just what I need during every moment of the day!  So during the highs and lows, during time-consuming, emotional, and draining times, and in the midst of the WAITING, I know my God is in control.  He is the One allowing us to get just one step closer each day to our precious son who is also WAITING for us halfway across the world!   

Our Family of SIX

A Chinese legend says that when a child is born there is an invisible red thread that connects him or her to the people who are destined to be part of his or her life. While we cannot see the thread, over time its effects are seen as people become connected and their lives are interwoven.

While we do not believe in legends, we do most certainly believe that God is calling us to adopt, whereby we will be forever connected and interwoven with a precious boy in China...our son! Right now, only God knows who this little boy is, but in our hearts, this is the one we will call our own, for we know God has planned every detail of our son's life, orchestrating each step of our lives so we will come together as one forever family. God is sovereign and mighty, and He is in control, weaving together the specific and unique plans He has for our family of SIX!

 We believe God sets the lonely in families (Psalm 68:6) and long before Scott and I met, God was shaping our hearts to look after the fatherless.  This was something that was near and dear to our hearts from the moment we were friends, began dating and were married.   It has always been our prayer that we would adopt, and although we felt a strong connection to China (and God was readying our hearts for that country and culture), we felt a desire to care in many ways for orphans around the world. 

We are very thankful God was calling us to care then!  Our hearts ached for the millions of children orphaned and abandoned around the globe.  I’ve always been one to be sensitive to those in need, and Scott was moved and emotional any time we talked about the least of these.  I loved seeing his passion for the fatherless and his desire to care for the waiting children.  We didn’t know when or how, but we knew at some point we would do something, and very early on in our marriage we began to pray that it would be through the ministry and journey of ADOPTION!

We prayed for many years regarding orphan care and adoption.  We prayed that we would be open to hear God’s call to adopt…to hear His infinite timing and not listen to our human reasoning as to why we could not adopt.  So much in our culture says it doesn't make sense to adopt...it costs to much, our house isn't big enough, the timing isn't right, people won't understand, etc.  However, we believe for the most part, our culture has it wrong and places importance on things of little priority.  Looking back, we can see how God began to answer our prayers through opportunities to care for the fatherless and show us what TRULY MATTERS...and how He opened doors to meet others involved in orphan ministry and see families that have been blessed through adoption.

Fast forward to 2010, and as a family, we really began praying about when to begin our adoption journey.  Then, by December of 2012, God was clearly speaking to us.  We heard him, and couldn’t be more excited to listen to His call to bring home our son!  I love the fact that long before we knew it in our finite minds, the journey to bring home our little boy was beginning, many years ago!  Officially, our adoption journey finally began on March 1^st, and since then, we have set out on what has already been a whirlwind of many emotions…joy, hope, excitement, anticipation, patience, and exhaustion.   

All of us are learning so much through this experience, walking in faith through our humility and dependence on God.  Every day, Caroline, Catherine, and Spencer lift up their little brother in pray, and we fervently pray for our son.  Somewhere in China is a precious boy patiently waiting for us, and we are doing everything to get him home as quickly as possible.  We are grateful that God has orchestrated every step of this process and knows the details of our son's life.  We have no idea who he is or what his story is, but we are thrilled we are the ones that will be written into the rest of the his story…and thankfully, God does know what his story is…and that is all that matters!

We remember that God is in control…and that is what we are reminding ourselves of daily.  God is bigger than anything we encounter throughout this process…the waiting, the forms, the waiting, the finances, the waiting, the paperwork, the waiting, the exhaustion, the waiting, the finances, the waiting, the “out-of-my-hands-in-someone-else’s”, the finances, etc.  Hmmm, I wonder if this is why people are overwhelmed and deterred from adoption because of the waiting, the finances, and the exhaustion.  How else do we get through this paperwork pregnancy…a journey full of ups and downs?  It’s through pray, walking in faith, and God’s grace. 

We covet your prayers and support throughout this journey, and yes, we have a number or prayer requests (I’m sure we will add to these as we continue throughout the next few months!):   

1) for our marriage to grow even stronger during each step of this process; 2) for our three precious children, Caroline (6), Catherine (4), and Spencer (2), as they prepare to welcome their little brother into our family and for each child to adapt; 3) for our patience and wisdom as we walk through the coming months finishing the last of our paperwork and waiting for a match/referral; 4)  for the planning and funding of our finances…the cost is approximately $30,000.  This is a big number, I know, but God is bigger than any amount of money, and with pray and support, our God is greater than anything.  What He has called us to do, He can accomplish no matter what the dollar figure; and 5)   finally, for our son in China...God knows who and where he is, so we entrust him to our Lord to nurture him and provide for him, wrapping His arms around him and protecting him while we can not be with him. 

Thank you so much for your love and encouragement, and for being a part of our son’s life!  You are a part of his story and are a blessing to our family.

 

Caroline, Catherine and Spencer...taken on March 1st...the day we officially began our journey to bring home our son! 

"I can do all this through Christ who gives me strength." Philippians 4:13