Never Early, Never Late

I just have to share with you what God has done. Remember a few days ago when I was stressing about how much the in-country expenses were, and that they were more than we budgeted for because of the Trade Fair in Guangzhou...the agency booking 3 hotel rooms...needing to stay an extra night in Hong Kong......Remember?? Well, I have been totally blown away tonight by God's provision for us. I went to church and was met by my sweet little Jessica who handed me a red envelope containing $250. Five minutes later, Connie came up to me and handed me an envelope containing $200. And after choir practice, our director called me to the front and handed me a gift from my precious brothers and sisters in the Belle Aire Baptist Church Choir. It contained $950. TOTALLY BLOWN AWAY!! We are so thankful for our friends who have continually allowed themselves to be used by God to provide for our every need. Following choir practice, Drew, our director, said the sweetest prayer over my family and our new daughter. I know we are being covered in prayer for this journey. That means more than anything, as it is easy to lose sight of peace when you're in the thick of things. Here are the things we are praying for. Please join us in praying for: Safe travel, Peace that only Christ can give, Health for all 7 of us throughout our travels, Protection for my children and that they will stay together, pay attention to their surroundings, and GET ALONG!! (We're going to be right on top of each other for 2 1/2 weeks, and we'll be tired, so this is an especially important one. It's a big Peace Stealer) Mainly, please pray for my little AnnaLyn. She has been in an orphanage for her whole 16 months of life. She has most likely been fed on a rigid schedule, with her bottle propped up for feedings. Diapers are changed on a rigid schedule, not necessarily on demand. Most likely her cries have gone unheeded much of the time, and she has likely not had a lot of stimulation from her caregivers. She will have shared her crib with another baby her whole life. This sounds cruel and harsh to us, but it is what it is. The average ratio of infants to nannies is 20/1. I am so thankful AnnaLyn's birth mom for not aborting or killing her after birth, and I am thankful to the Orphanage for taking care of her, and I know they have done their best with their resources. I say all that to say, that, while these conditions sound less than desirable, it is all my baby girl has known. We have been waiting and dreaming of her for 2 years, but she doesn't have a clue who we are. Many of the girls have a difficult transition into their new families. Please pray for AnnaLyn's transition to be easy for her. That she will know the love we all have for her, and accept that love readily. Thank you for your prayers. On a different note......The girls and I went out for one last Starbucks tonight. We closed them down. haha I just needed the caffeine buzz to get through the rest of the night. It's worked pretty good so far. I've finished packing, finished cleaning the kitchen, and only have one more load of laundry to do...and it's only 1:30am!! We leave for the airport in just 2 1/2 hours!!! This will be my last post until we get to Beijing, so.....stay tuned. There's sure to be a story or two after 18 hours of travel on no sleep!!