Giggle Fest to CELEBRATE!!

Well, F-I-N-A-L-L-Y we can officially remove one piece of the pie, eat it up and forget about it!!  

Our HOMESTUDY is officially approved after a few annoying hiccups delayed the approval during the last two weeks!!

Now we move on to the immigration portion of the process.  Paperwork will be filed and we wait for our fingerprinting appointment confirmation.

To celebrate our homestudy completion, here is a video of our boy, Rees, ... having a Giggle Fest! 

If any of you can watch this and n-o-t NOT SMILE ... well, ... don't tell me!  

It makes this mama's heart warm to watch !!

Every "bit" adds up ...

Someone said to me recently that the amount of money that we are hoping to "raise" to help us with our adoption fees and expenses is just too big – that their measley little $50 - $100 won’t even make a difference.  Well, I’m here to say …

EVERY CONTRIBUTION MAKES A DIFFERENCE! 

Every penny, nickel, dime, quarter, dollar … all those little bits surely ADDS UP and gets us closer to the goal and lessens the amount we need to come up with on our very own.

If every person felt that their small contribution doesn’t make a difference and therefore did nothing, … then those people are right because NOTHING is what we’d end up with. 

In the last few years we've sent out letters and had many various fundraisers to help us go on mission trips to Honduras where we helped to serve the poor with medical and dental care, cement floors and work projects at a home for orphaned and displaced children.  It seemed easier to ask for money when it was for a mission trip.  Going into this adoption, asking for money to help us with our expenses seemed almost inappropriate, especially since we've had many who have helped us reach our monetary goals the last few years with the mission trips.  

But, really ... this adoption, ... it's a mission too ... a mission of LOVE ... a mission to fulfill the call to care for orphans.  And we're really pleased to say that some have already come alongside of us ... to partner with us as we endeavor to add two precious boys to our family ... two boys who will no longer be called orphans.

We are so grateful to those who have contributed to our adoption fund! 

TRULY GRATEFUL!!  

Sometimes, "thank-you" just doesn't seem like enough, does it??  As we receive each blessing, we keep track and we are trying to come up with a creative way to show our boys how many people were involved in bringing them home to us.  If you have any ideas ... please share!!  We'd really like to be able to "show" them ... that many hands were involved in helping them to become a part of our family!!  Hmm ... I feel an idea forming ... oooh, ... I L-O-V-E when that happens!!!

Turning it around ...

The last two days I am feeling discouraged … I don’t like it one bit so I am going to try like crazy to turn this around.  Instead of dwelling on the things that are getting me down, I’m going to ponder on all the things I am thankful for.  It is a “Thankful Thursday” after all, isn’t it??

 

I’m thankful for the following posts I saw on Facebook earlier today …

 

                “…you know in all your hearts and in all your souls that not one word of all the good words which the Lord your God spoke concerning you has failed; all have been fulfilled for you, not one of them has failed.” ~Joshua 23:14

 

                All of our days have already been written in God’s book.  When you go through a disappointment, don’t stop on that page.  Stay the course.  Keep believing.  You may be tired, discouraged and frustrated, but don’t give up on your future.  Our God is faithful.

 

… I’m thankful that some of the comments were from other people saying, “thanks, I really needed this today.”  It’s NOT just me!

 

I’m thankful for all the beautiful photos and posts last week from Love Without Boundaries about our Jonah.

 

I’m thankful that we have begun to receive a few gifts of money to help us with our adoption fees and offers for odd jobs to help us obtain additional needed monies.

 

I’m thankful because I know I am greatly blessed and even though some days are hard, I have those blessings in which to take comfort.

 

Fundraiser #1 - Origami Owl / Locket's By Sindy

We're having a fundraiser!!  It's an Origami Owl fundraiser and will help us raise funds to go towards our adoption fees and expenses.  

Visit the following link on Facebook:

Origami Owl Adoption Fundraiser

OR you can go to the following webpage:

www.locketsbysindy.origamiowl.com

If you go directly to Sindy's website and you decide to make a purchase, please be sure to use code (62648) so that we will get credit for your purchase.  These lockets are very pretty and F-U-N ... a great gift for Mother's Day!

We sincerely appreciate ANY and ALL support towards our goal to bring home these two precious boys from China.  We are so excited to make them a part of our family and we are grateful to those who will help us do this!

Updates on Jonah's Surgery

This week has been an amazing week ... a stressful, emotional, time-stopping, anxiety-provoking, awesomely-amazing week!  We are still in awe at how the timing worked out for us to discover two facially-different boys in China, commit to their adoption, be "pre-approved" by the CCCWA (China Center for Children's Welfare and Adoption) ... all just before one of our little guy's had life-changing surgery of which we were blessed beyond belief to virtually watch step-by-step!!!

We knew about Love Without Boundaries before but NOW we have such a deeper understanding of "who they are" and "what they do" and we are eager to participate in the difference that they are making for Chinese children.  We will never be able to thank "them" enough ... Dr. Tolan, Dr. Tollefson, Dr. Clinch ... all the volunteers, including David ... ALL THE MANY HANDS who had a role in this last week of my Chinese son's life.  He will always remember each of you ... we will make sure of it!   (A super-special thank-you and blessing for the very special family who sponsored his surgery ... YOU WILL ALWAYS BE SPECIAL TO US FOR ALL THAT YOU HAVE DONE)

In case you missed it, below are the updates provided by Love Without Boundaries.  

4/14/2015

Billy and Delia had a much better day today on the ward. He is so very sweet to his “mei mei” (little sister), and the two played so well together all day.

Billy has become very comfortable with our team, and he realized that down the hallway we have a room where the toys are kept. He worked up the courage to go down the hall to pick some toys for himself, and of course our team couldn’t refuse him no matter how many times he came back. And of course once Delia realized what was going on, she had to go down the hallway to get her own toy as well.

4/15/2015

David was adopted from China when he was 12, and he still speaks fluent Mandarin. He has been translating for us on the cleft trip as well as helping to keep the kids entertained while waiting.

He and Billy have really hit off, and today David explained the game of basketball to him.

Billy is getting very nervous about his surgery. He is super smart and sees the other kids leaving for the OR and coming back in pain, so he is understandably anxious about tomorrow.

Dr. Tollefson and Dr. Tolan were able to consult together today about his operation, and of course we all understand that it will be a very difficult one as his type of facial cleft is very rare. We are so grateful that we have such amazing surgeons here in Kaifeng to help this wonderful little boy.

4/16/2015

It was then time for Billy’s case to begin. As we have mentioned earlier, we knew his surgery would require both surgeons in the OR. When it was time for him to go downstairs to the operating area, he was waving to everyone when he left the room. Understandably when he got down to the pre-op area, he got very nervous and began to cry a bit.

Dr. Kathy Clinch is one of the anesthesiologists on this trip, and just like in past years, she has been doing everything possible to make the kids feel comfortable and secure in the OR. Because of Billy’s facial difference, the anesthesia mask didn’t fit over his face correctly, and so Dr. Clinch began cradling Billy in her arms while singing to him. She used her hand to try and cover both sides of the mask as best as she could, so that the anesthesia could be breathed in and he could gently fall asleep.

Once the operation got underway, the surgeons determined that there is actually a 1.5 inch difference in Billy’s jaw. His lower jaw goes too far back, and so they knew that in order for him to get the best lifelong appearance he will first have to have extensive work done on that area, possibly through orthodontics or by breaking and wiring the jaw.

The doctors then adapted their surgery plans to work mainly on the crease in his cheeks so it will look smoother and not be as alarming to people who see him. We hope this will help him get through his adoption with fewer public incidents like the one which happened the day he arrived (see our blog about Day Two). While Billy’s facial cleft wasn’t completely “fixed,” everyone who saw him post-surgery said his appearance was greatly improved. We all care so deeply about this special little boy and are hoping his recovery goes smoothly.

4/17/2015

And Billy…where to even begin? He is so well-behaved and polite, and he was already feeling so much better today. Before he had surgery, he always had a very difficult time eating as it was hard to get food to stay in his mouth because of his wide facial cleft. Today, he had surprise in his eyes that he was able to put food into his mouth and have it stay there without falling out, on every single bite! We realized this afternoon that Billy had not seen his face since the surgery, and so we asked him if he would like to see the way he looks now. Our incredible photographer on the trip, Sherri Cox, began showing him some photos she had taken on her camera.

The team said it was a very moving moment as Billy saw his new appearance for the first time. Everyone was telling him he was so handsome, and we could see that he was very affected by what he saw. He is usually very talkative and friendly to everyone who comes by, but today he didn’t want to speak at all because he was afraid of hurting his stitches, and he wants everything to heal perfectly.

Oh, LORD, please calm my heart today …

Oh, LORD, please calm my heart today …

We signed up for email updates from the 2015 LWB Cleft Exchange that is currently happening in China.  There are so many children who are receiving a wonderful gift this week … the gift of greatly needed surgery.  My heart is torn today because I am so grateful to be able to virtually watch the wonderful opportunity that is upon one of the boys we are in process to adopt yet I am struck with sadness, anxiety and even anger because of what he is having to endure.   

Probably the most emotional moments of the day, however, came when three children from an orphanage in Shandong arrived to see our team. All three children have very complex facial issues, and because of that the orphanage has tried to protect them by not taking them out in public. They had to travel by train today, however, to get to Kaifeng, and so they knew the children would be made fun of and hear negative comments. Because of this, they all decided to wear masks on the journey, so that no one would see the children’s faces.

Once they arrived we realized how compassionate the caregivers were being for CJ, Billy, and Delia to take this extra precaution. As soon as the masks were removed, other families in the hospital gasped and began coming over to look at the children. One woman cleaning the hospital became so upset that the children began to cry, and so our team began taping up paper over the hospital room windows so no one could see inside. But as news spread about the children, families from other floors began coming to see, and even ripped the papers down so they could look at the kids. Thankfully the hospital staff got involved and helped secure the room, and the papers were put back up to cover the windows. It was just one of those moments we never anticipated, and it took time to get it under control. Thankfully, once the paper was back up and the door was firmly closed, the children calmed down and warmed up to our volunteers.

Billy thankfully began to have fun with our team pretty quickly after the crowd was dispersed. He loved building 3D puzzles, and he was even beginning to repeat English words. He is one smart little boy.

We had learned right before the cleft trip that Billy has a family who committed to his adoption, and so we discussed whether we should continue with surgery in China or remove his case from the cleft trip. Now we know that we absolutely made the right decision as none of us could imagine what this little boy would have gone through for two weeks during the adoption trip, if his presence at the hospital caused such a huge stir. His surgery will be on Thursday, and it will require both surgeons in the OR. His caregivers who came with him were so incredibly kind, and we are so happy that Dr. Tolan and Dr. Tollefson can help him medically this week.

Dear LORD,

You are working it out … all according to Your great Plan … for the good of those who love You.  I have to believe that … I need to keep reminding myself of that.  It would be inappropriate of me … and selfish … to ask You to SPEED up the process and create a way for us to be able to go get our sons from China right now!!  I KNOW … I need to be realistic.  I know that it will be many months still before we go to China.  So instead, LORD, I pray this prayer, will all the spiritual fervor I have … please go to these children and let them know You are there.  Sit with them, LORD, … envelop them gently in your lovingcare and tell them, “Do not be afraid … I am with you.”  For You love them, LORD, … each of them.  You made them and in your perfect creation, they are special and beautiful and loved completely by You.  Remove from them their fears and thoughts about how “the world around them reacts” when they are seen.  Please may Your Peace be their PEACE.  One day, LORD, I know that Jonah will tell me You were there.

God bless the medical team for I am confident that they see these children as You do … PRECIOUS.

Father, I also ask a special blessing upon Rees as he may be wondering where his friend (soon to be brother) is.  I pray that You will comfort him and over these next several months, I pray that you will be strengthening him and filling him with JOY and REVERENCE for life … that when we are in China to finalize the adoption that he will not be aware of those who may gawk at him, that he will not be affected by the stares and sounds made by the people of his homeland.  Protect him, God, and prepare us and him for the journey we will take together … 

In Jesus’ name,

AMEN

Our Jonah is having surgery ...

Hello Friends!!

We have some news to share with you, especially those who would be willing to pray, about one of the boys for whose adoption we are currently in process.  A few weeks after we began pursuing this adoption, we were made aware that “Billy”, aka our Jonah, was selected to receive a surgery in China to begin the process of correcting his severe facial cleft.  At first we were a little nervous about this based on the surgeries that both our daughters had in China before we began the adoption processes for each of them.  We really are thankful for the medical technology that we have in our country and we will, of course, follow up with our craniofacial center with Children's Hospital when we finally bring him home to our family. 

Anyway, a few weeks ago, after joining a few online adoption networks, we were contacted by a family who adopted a little girl from the same orphanage that our Jonah and Rees currently reside in.  They had the opportunity to visit the orphanage before leaving China, which gave their daughter the opportunity to say “good-bye” to some of her friends and “Billy” was one of those friends!  

Not only did they send a few photos of that experience,  but they also shared that their family sponsored “Billy’s” upcoming surgery and that it is being done through the organization known as Love Without Boundaries!! (click on the link if you'd like to go to their website)

Well, we are just immensely blessed  by this information and amazed at how far technology has come within just a few short years.  When we were adopting our daughters, we were only given the initial photos and that’s it!  Now, with technology, we have videos, multiple photos and connections with other adoptive families who know about these children! 

Love Without Boundaries is an organization that was started by a group of adoptive parents back in 2003 to provide loving and compassionate care to the orphaned and impoverished children in China.  They are funded mostly by generous donations and they have a "worldwide team of volunteers, including doctors and surgeons, all of whom share a love for the children in China and work together to bring the gifts of hope and healing to these children’s lives."

A couple weeks ago, LWB posted information about their upcoming “Cleft Exchange” and below (highlighted in blue) is what they posted about it and you can find "Billy" (Jonah) in the group of photos. 

The 2015 Cleft Medical Exchange

We are excited to announce LWB's 2015 Cleft Medical Exchange trip running from April 12-18. Dr. Tolan, Dr. Clinch, Dr. Tollefson, Dr. Derechin and a team of volunteers will be returning to China to perform approximately 35 cleft lip and palate surgeries on children from various provinces. Partnering with Kaifeng Children’s Hospital, the American doctors will also provide training in advanced cleft lip and palate procedures. Chinese and American doctors will also discuss advanced cleft lip and palate procedures, thus helping children receive quality cleft repairs for years to come.

We are in need of sponsors to partner with us to make these surgeries happen. The approximate cost of surgeries is $750 each, but we also need general donations to cover the cost of the children's transportation, supplies, and other necessary costs. Please consider giving a general cleft exchange donation to help with the trip expenses or sponsoring an individual child for surgery as they are posted to our medical program's sponsorship page. The transformations will amaze you.

Here are some of the faces of the children scheduled to be helped during this year's exchange trip.

 

They also had other posts that highlights some of the children scheduled for surgeries and it was exciting to discover they posted about our Jonah and hoping that this surgery would help him to find his forever family.  They did not know that we had already begun the process to adopt him.

We are just about two weeks away from the start of our 2015 Cleft Medical Exchange. We want to thank everyone for your kindness and generosity in sponsoring children for their surgeries. LWB is blessed with the most AMAZING supporters! We will of course be blogging each day during the week of the exchange, but we wanted to share a few stories of the children coming ahead of time, so that as you follow along that week, you will know some of their background.

For those new to this type of surgery, you should know that a cleft refers to any gap in a child’s soft tissue, bone, or both. Many people immediately think of a child’s lip, but some clefts involve not only the mouth and nose but other parts of the face as well. In 1976, the famous French surgeon Paul Tessier classified 15 different types of cleft. We will be assisting children with several different types on our upcoming exchange.

One of the boys who will be coming to our team is known in the adoption community as Billy. He is six years old and has a severe facial cleft. The formal name for his special need is “Bilateral Tessier #7 Cleft,” an extremely rare condition. Billy has been available for adoption for quite some time, but sadly he still remains unchosen. His orphanage reports that he is very self-conscious about his facial difference, and so we are thrilled that our medical team will be able to help him through surgery. His nannies say Billy is a very kind little boy who will gladly help them out with chores. He is also described as very tender-hearted towards the younger kids and will comfort them when they are crying.

His surgery will of course be a very complex one, and both surgeons will be working together in the OR. We are all hoping that having this life-changing operation will help Billy not only have more confidence about himself, but of course we are also hoping a family will read about him and want more information on making him their son.

While we are still pretty early in the adoption process and it will be several months before we go to China to make it official, this little boy is our son and we are both excited and anxious for what he is about to go through ... without the loving assurance of a parent with him.  

We ask that you will pray with us (and for us) and for Jonah as he undergoes this surgery that will likely be scary and painful.  We pray that the doctors and staff are compassionate and caring with him.  We pray that God will envelop Jonah in His Own Tenderloving Care and pull him through this beautifully.  We do not want him to be too uncomfortable and do not know how they handle pain medication there.  Hopefully, it is adequate and God will take care of the rest.  

We do not know which day the surgery will take place next week and we will not be officially updated.  Perhaps the website will give us a glimpse of how he does ...  but as the team of doctors are already on their way to China, we pray that all will go smoothly and that the lives of all of these very special children will be greatly impacted in a positive way.

Adoption ... It's A Choice

As part of the adoption process, prospective adoptive parents must provide medical documentation to support that they are in general good health and that they are able to care for a child.   Yesterday, I went in for my annual check-up, which I was due for anyway, thus, providing a convenient way to get the necessary forms completed.  My doctor was interested and helpful with what needed to be completed, as was the nurse, however, I was thrown off a bit when the nurse asked in a round-about way if we are pursuing to adopt these two boys as some sort of religious mandate.  I don’t think at all that the question was meant to offend or express disapproval, especially based on the conversation we had following the question, however, it still struck me funny and I found myself unsure of how to respond.

The definitions of religion vary and seem to be subjective at times but, honestly, it has always seemed to me to be the assumption of a specific set of rules to adhere to.  So, I wouldn’t say that I am a religious person; I’m just a Christian, a person who believes that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, who came to earth to die for my sins.  He is my Savior and as best I can I try to live my life according to His teachings.  As a Christian, I hold as Truth the Word of God that is the Holy Bible and in it there is a great deal said about the compassion that God has for the orphan, the widow, the poor and needy … as a Christian, then, and based on what God's Word says, I believe that God wants me to care for these people groups but I don’t believe that adoption is the only method of “care” or that God is MAKING me adopt these children.  

Being a Christian has not made me some kind of perfect person who follows all of the rules all of the time; it sure hasn’t made me a perfect parent.  Just as our children make poor choices from time to time … as parents, we make mistakes too.  We do the best we can and we hope and pray that our lives have positively affected each child in a way that helps them as they go on to navigate their own lives.  I am not a perfect parent and I don’t know everything … how each child will turn out, how effective my parenting will be, if anything I’ve done or said will “stick” and still matter years from now.  But while there’s lots of things I don’t know, there’s one thing I do know …

Can I be who I am and share what I have with one more person?    

YES!  The answer is YES.

Whether or not it’s a requirement or religious mandate, I do have a choice.

If God has a calling for my life, He does not force it upon me.  He is patient in letting me discover the direction my life needs to go.  If it is ultimately a God-given direction, … I’m okay with that.

Deep down, within me, though it may not always be immediate, the answer is always YES. 

Adoption is expensive.  It’s emotional and sometimes frustrating.  It’s a journey into the unknown with no promises or guarantees.  It can be scary!  But it is also exciting and rewarding, an adventure with limitless possibilities.  It is the opportunity to redeem something that was lost.

Most of all, adoption is the direct reflection of God’s redemption of something that was lost; it mimics how God adopts us into His family and makes us His Sons and Daughters, joint heirs with Jesus Christ who gave up His very life so that we could be a part of His family.

What do I have to give up?? 

In the reality of caring for two more children, there are things I will have to give up.  I may not be able to have the newest, latest, biggest, greatest … but that’s a choice I’m making with acceptance “up-front”.  And at the end of my life, I will hopefully be able to say that I had everything I needed and that I was someone who made a difference.

Would you like to make a difference in the life of an orphaned child?  

You can help us offset the adoption fees/expenses we are expected to incur on our journey to bring home our two special needs boys from China.  There are several options you could choose from below.   We are greatly blessed by the encouragement and support of those around us and we pray that God reciprocates and multiplies your blessing back to you!!

1)      Easiest Option: Click on the above “Donate Now” link to go to our YouCaring fundraiser site.  You can make a donation via their secure platform. You can also go to www.youcaring.com and search the fundraisers - ours is titled Brian and Kimberly Prendergast's Adoption Fees/Expenses.   

2)      Tax Deductible Option: You may make a tax-deductible donation towards our adoption by sending a check to us, made out to the Adoption Agency.  We will collect funds and then send to the agency in groups.  Include the remittance slip below so that we can be sure to have your donation allocated appropriately. 

3)      Tax Deductible (Alternate) Option: You may make a tax-deductible donation towards our adoption by sending a check directly to the adoption agency.  In the memo line, indicate either Kong, Bei Bei or Li, Huang to have the funds applied specifically to the fees associated with his adoption.  In the event we are unable to proceed with the adoption, those funds would stay with that child for his adoption fees.

4)      NON-Tax Deductible Agency-Direct Option: You may send a check to the adoption agency and note our family name (Brian and Kimberly Prendergast) in the memo line.

Our adoption agency is as follows:

WACAP

315 S. Second Street

Renton, WA  98057