Praising the LORD with Thankfulness

     About a year and a half or so ago, our friends Matt and Jenny had approached us to discuss what part we might have in the ongoing care of the orphans at Rancho Ebenezer, more specifically, to consider being mentor parents living at the Ranch.  Although they were correct in knowing our heart is for the orphan and the thought of working alongside these dear friends and caring for the children there was exciting and inviting to us, we knew that it was not the path we were to take.  In addition, in the back of my mind, I also pondered whether or not we could really sell or give away everything we have and move to Honduras, far away from everything we’ve ever known.  The thought unsettled me!  Little did we know then …

Fast forward to seven months ago … at the beginning of this adoption process, we knew that we were taking a huge leap of faith and that we needed to rely on God to pave the way for us to accomplish this task.  We likened it to the crossing of the Jordan River when the waters would not stop flowing until the priests actually stepped their feet into the river.  Once they showed that they trusted what they were being told to do, God did what He said He would and he stopped the flow of the river so that the people could cross on dry land.  When we started this process, we took the first steps entrusting that the LORD would provide for us in the same way.  We determined to act in faith!

We knew we were going to need some help to complete this adoption without succumbing to severe debt  or even financial ruin but after multiple requests for support, endless fundraising and contribution requests over the last three years for the mission trips to Honduras, we were certain that we would be hard-pressed for financial partners. 

But in our hearts, we knew if we had to sell or give away everything we have and become financially broken so that we could adopt and care for these two boys who stole our hearts at first glance … we would do it. 

We set a goal for “helping” funds … at less than half of the total initially projected cost of the adoption fees and expenses for two children. 

We made a plan … for various additional ways that we could earn and raise money towards our adoption fund.

And we prayed …

Well, we just can’t tell you how overwhelmed we are by what’s been happening over the last few months!!

God is with us … He is walking us through this adoption.  He is providing far beyond what we even believed in our hearts was possible.  Even though we set a goal … we did not truly believe we would reach the goal.  Shame on US!!  After everything that God has done for us in the past, I am terribly ashamed to admit that the doubts were there.  I am brought to the realization of my hypocrisy when I think of the Israelites failing to see the Power and Glory of the LORD each and every time He provided for them through miraculous acts!!  I am just like them!  Despite my faith, I know that I limit what I believe God is capable of or willing to do. 

We want you to know that we are beyond what our mere words can say.  To whisper small prayers within our own hearts … not certain that we should even ask … especially with many other families nail-biting through the same process we are, yearning and anticipating the union of family with child, … especially with all the hurt and pain and needs of so many in this world … sometimes, we are ashamed to ask … but to discover that what matters to us matters to God is overwhelming, emotionally crushing and spiritually penetrating! 

We started out willing to do God’s Will and then proceeded to try to figure out how WE were going to make this all happen.  And now we’re so close … it’s nearly time to get on a plane and make two little boys “orphans no more”.  And looking back on these past months, we’ve done our part but it really is so little … in comparison it is evident that we really haven’t done anything!!  We’re just the ones who get to witness and be incredibly blessed by the unfolding of God’s glory through the lives of our fellow believers, family members, friends, co-workers … and even complete strangers.

We never expected that SO MANY would truly care about what we are doing and so willingly want to become a part of making it a reality.  We have now surpassed the goal we originally set for “helping” funds we were hoping to raise but doubted we would even come close to.  Funds are still coming in and we are just so excited and so relieved!

^{Ephesians 3:20-21 (msg)} God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us.

^{Deuteronomy 3:24 (nlt)} O Sovereign Lord, You have only begun to show Your greatness and the strength of Your hand to me, Your servant.

  

Thank-you!  Two simple little words … we wish there was more to them … but to ALL of you who have come alongside us during this process, partnering with us, praying for us, encouraging us and motivating us … we thank you!! 

We will not soon forget how you allowed the beautiful Glory of God to be revealed to us through you!!

-          From the Prendergast Family

Care Package to the Boys

This week we sent another "care package" to Jonah and Rees.  In early August, we sent one that consisted of a letter to the Orphanage Director and Staff and also a wonderful cake that was enjoyed by the boys and about 13 other children in their age group.  We were sent 19 photos that showed them receiving and enjoying the cake with their friends.  

The package they will be sent this week will contain two photo albums, one for each boy, containing various photos of us, our house, pets and their bedroom.  We are sending this because we just found out that the boys DO KNOW that they are going to be adopted. This is new for us as we are certain that neither Molly nor Brynn knew about us before being thrust upon us the day we met them.  

Now, they should be able to see our photos prior to seeing us for the very first time and this will hopefully ease the tension of those first moments.

Below is a copy of the letter that was sent to them ...

For our dear sons, XXXX XXX Bei and Li XXXXX,

We are very excited to go to China to adopt you!  It has taken us many months but it is almost time and very soon we will be together.  We cannot wait to be with you.  We love you so much already and we are eager to bring you home with us to the USA.  

Your new home will be in Wisconsin where it is hot in the summer and cold in the winter.  In the summer we like to plant a garden of vegetables and flowers and we also like to go for lots of walks.  In a few months, it will be winter and the snow will fall from the sky.  Have you ever seen snow?  You will be able to play in it and we will build a snowman together.

In your family you have a Baba, Mama, two older brothers and three older sisters.  You will also have three dogs.  We are a big, happy family when we are all together.  Olivia, Benjamin and Jacob are your grown up siblings.  Molly and Brynn are a little older than you and they were born in China just like you.  Molly and Brynn will be there to meet you in China.

We have a room ready for you and it has beds and clothes and toys that were chosen just for you.  We hope that you will not be afraid and that you will be happy to join our family … your family. 

We will see you soon!

With love, Mama and Baba in Wisconsin, USA

Updates with Prayer Requests

Hi Everyone!!

Well, we’re getting really close to the end of this process and I (of course it’s me when I say “I” because Brian is always the calm one) … I am on the edge of freaking out!!  For several weeks now, I have had an idea of when we would be traveling to China and all along I have been hoping and praying that my plan is the same as God’s plan.  Well, now it’s getting to the nail-biting stage as we only have one a few more days before our Article 5 is picked up from the Consulate in China and Express Mailed to Beijing.  When that happens, our Travel Invitation/Approval can be issued.  Now, here’s where it gets tricky … there are some important holidays that are coming up in China.  The below paragraph explains the holidays. 

“The CCCWA and provincial offices will be closed September 26–27 for the Mid-Autumn Festival and the U.S. Consulate will be closed September 26-28. The CCCWA and provincial offices will be closed October 1-7 for Chinese National Day and the U.S. Consulate will be closed October 1-5.”

According to our Case Worker, this means that our Travel Invitation needs to be issued NO LATER than 9/24 so that we would have time to have our Consulate Appointment scheduled BEFORE everything shuts down for a week!! 

·         PLEASE PRAY that our Travel Approval will be issued quickly after our Article 5 is picked up on the 21st.

Now, even if we get caught in the holiday shut down, we will still likely be traveling in October with the final portion of our stay (Guangzhou) being in later October or early November.  Below is information that we have received regarding the Trade Fair that happens every year in Guangzhou. 

“The China Import and Export Fair, or Canton Trade Fair, is held biannually in Guangzhou and is one of the largest business trade fairs worldwide. This fall, it will occur in three phases: October 15–19, October 23–27, and October 31–November 5. During these timeframes, air travel and lodging demand increases, making bookings more challenging and expensive. Since all families finish their adoption process in Guangzhou, families who travel during this time may be affected by the both travel upsurge and the holiday closures.

The Garden Hotel is where the majority of WACAP families stay in Guangzhou. Families usually stay in a Premier Suite and the current rate is $150 per night. SSIT (Shaanxi Sun International Travel), our partner travel agency, informed us this week that the rate for this type of room will be $195-270 per night during the trade fair.

October 14-18: $240 per night

October 22-26: $270 per night

October 30-November 2: $195 per night”

Because we do not know at this point when our Travel Invitation will be issued, we do not know where we will fall as far as our stay in Guangzhou but because of the Trade Fair, we will already be subject to paying nearly double the regular room rate.  Obviously, we want to bring our boys home as soon as possible and we do not want to delay our travel simply because of the Trade Fair, however, there is a slight chance that we will be required to book two rooms in the hotels that we will be staying at during our time in China.  With us having six people (after we take custody of the boys), we may be forced to have two rooms.  We do not want to do this, not only because of paying double the already higher rates, but because we want to be all together to help with the bonding process.

·         PLEASE PRAY that we will be able to have only ONE ROOM/SUITE.

As we get closer to leaving for China, there are, of course, a million things going on inside my head … things I feel need to be done and/or in place before we leave so that when we come home with the boys we will be able to focus on them and our family and not all the other little household things that will take away from that.  Perhaps, it’s a bit like “nesting” but I’d like to organize several areas of the house (mainly the kitchen and bathrooms) and we’d like to prepare a bunch of “make-ahead” meals that we can freeze and then just thaw and heat when we are back home. 

·         PLEASE PRAY that we will be able to get these things done before we go to China.

Whenever we go, Molly and Brynn are going to be missing several weeks of school, most likely THREE.  We know that they will need to catch up on their homework and we will try to bring along some things to work on while we are in China.  This is a life opportunity which may not come again so we feel that it is important that they are with us, in their birth country, experiencing all that they can and will most likely remember for the rest of their lives. 

·         PLEASE PRAY that Molly and Brynn will be able to catch up on their school work easily, especially Brynn who struggles a bit and requires extra effort already without missing a bunch of school days.

·         PLEASE PRAY that we will all remain healthy and strong up to and during our trip to China. 

·         PLEASE PRAY that Jonah and Rees are healthy and that God, if no one else, is preparing each of them to join our family.  We have only just found out that they DO KNOW that a family will be coming for them.  We wonder what they think about that.  We hope that their hearts are soft and willing and that they are interested and eager to be loved on and cared for.

·         PLEASE PRAY that all of our travel arrangements will come together smoothly once we can begin making them, that we will be able to get the BEST deal possible for flights, hotels and in-country arrangements.  Pray for all the people that will touch “this adoption” from this point forward: Officials, Case Workers, Travel Guides, Airport Staff and Flight Crews, Weather Conditions, …

We want to continue to SEE and FEEL God throughout the rest of this process JUST as we have SEEN and FELT up to now!  We feel so BLESSED and so LOVED and so THANKFUL!!!

***The BIG Event*** Molly's Locks -for- Love

 Well, she did it, folks!!

Today was the BIG DAY that Molly Frances had her BIG haircut!

Yep ... she sure did!

But let's recap how we got to this point ...
... when Molly was 5 years old, she had a major craniofacial surgery that caused her to have her head shaved.  


She had only been with us for exactly one year at that point and it had taken that year just to grow her hair out from the very short "orphanage required" haircut that she came to us with.

Molly is not fond of hair cuts!
And for the past EIGHT YEARS, she has barely even agreed to getting her hair trimmed.  We tried to get a few layers put into her hair at one point a few years ago and she nearly had a full-blown anxiety attack!

So her hair has grown ...

... and grown ...

... and grown ...

She has heard from many people over the years ... "you should donate your hair!"  We've never tried to push her into it and we told her that as long as she took care of it, she could keep growing her hair.  

Then we started this adoption process.

And during a haircut of one of us (NOT MOLLY) ... the hair cutter said, "Hey Molly, you should sell your hair as a fundraiser for the adoption!"

***LIGHTBULB!***

Molly looked over at me and asked, "can I really do that?"

And here we are!!

Molly was all smiles as Sarah measured out 16 INCHES!!
(however, I'm pretty sure that nearly 17 inches was cut, due to evening out and such, which is perfect since that is how much was raised)

Her hair was divided into sections, which is better than just clumping all of her hair together.  

Molly's hair is so thick ... and she just has so much of it ... that really wouldn't be an option anyway.

Here goes Sarah ... taking the first cut!!

Just like that ... it was done.

Our good friend, and one of Molly's special donors, came with us to witness the BIG Event!

And, of course, Brynn was there too ... making sure that the mood wasn't 

too serious!!!

Sarah did a great job and was very encouraging as Molly bravely bid farewell to her VERY LONG LOCKS!!

So, Molly ... what do you think???

I'd say she likes it ...

... she likes it very much!!

And just wanted to share this sweet photo with you ... the atmosphere is apparently so calm and relaxing there, customers even fall asleep when they are getting their hair cut!!!

That's AWESOME!!

Molly's Locks ... 16+ inches ready for donation!

GUESS WHAT???

Brynn opted to donate her hair TOO!!!

Yep, ... FOR REAL!

While Wigs for Kids requires a minimum donation of 12 inches (where Molly's hair will be sent), Locks of Love does not have the same requirement so that is where Sarah will have Brynn's hair sent.

Nice job, Ladies!!

Each of you!!!

A very special thank-you to Sarah, from First Class Cosmetology School, for her very special part in making this happen!  We really appreciate you, Sarah!

Thank-you, Molly ... your selfless spirit and willingness to step outside your comfort zone helped to raise $1,697 to go towards the expenses involved in bringing home your two little brothers AND your hair will provide encouragement and confidence to a child suffering from loss of hair due to a medical diagnosis.

Updates, A Ready-to-be-Occupied Room, and a Pending Haircut

Earlier this week we were sent 19 amazing photos of our boys!!!  

Several weeks ago, once we had received our official approval from China, we sent a cake and a letter to the orphanage where the boys currently live.

(we did this via a service in China that adopting families often use)

You actually get a "peek" at these photos below ...  

It was really exciting to receive the photos and the reply to our letter as well.  We were given the following update:

1. Updated measurements:

Jonah: Height: 113cm;Weight: 20kg; (44 inches/44 pounds)

Rees: Height: 106cm; Weight: 19.5kg. (41 inches/42 pounds)

2. Both Jonah and Rees are very good boys. They are not picky eaters. They like to eat chicken, steamed buns, stuffed steamed buns, banana, grape, etc.

3. Because they live in the orphanage, they don’t get to see as much as children live in a family. We have not found what they are afraid of yet. They are not scared when they saw worms, birds or geese. Maybe they will be afraid of fierce dogs.

4. To Rees, never mention words such as “Chou” (means ugly), “Bi Zi” (nose), etc. And never point to his nose, he will be very very sad. (Awe!  We will only tell him how beautiful he is!)

5. Both Jonah and Rees are very sensible. They can do some simple chores, help take care of little brothers and sisters. They help rubbing their nanny’s shoulders when she’s done working. (I love this part the BEST ... definitely going to see if I can work this to my advantage!!)

We're pretty excited because the boys' bedroom is basically complete at this point.  We have everything arranged and organized.  Now all we need is two little boys to occupy the space!!

Thanks to Brian's brother and sister-in-law (John and Cindy) and Kimberly's co-worker (Sue), Jonah and Rees ARE SET for jackets, winter coats, snowpants, boots, shirts, pants, shoes ...

AND TOYS!!!

We really have a lot of toys ready for them to play with!!!

Sue, Brynn says that the boys are really going to like the cars!  And she decided to take it upon herself to inspect and organize each one!!

It looks as if they are already here!!

OK, ... maybe not ... then everything might not look so tidy, right??

So, where are we at this point??

Well, we've received our letters from the National Visa Center.

Our cases have been forwarded to the US Consulate in Guangzhou.

Our Article 5 (a very important document) should be dropped off on Thursday (9/3) and that takes two weeks to process.  That is the last step that needs to be done before we can be issued our Travel Approval.  We are nearly there folks ... nearly there!!

WE MAY ACTUALLY HAVE OUR TRAVEL APPROVAL BY THE END OF SEPTEMBER!!!

In the meantime, we will keep busy as we begin to prepare our packing list and SCRAPBOOK!!  Yep ... that's what I said ... 

I've been working on the boys' ABC's to Adoption books, which is something we will bring with us to China to show them photos that will familiarize them with our family and home and also provide them with photos that will hopefully comfort and interest them.

I also make each of the boys a scrapbook that is similar to a "baby book" or Life Book.  I have to get that started now because when they get here ... well, ...

Your prayer are still coveted and greatly appreciated, especially as we get closer now to the end of this process and the beginning of a new adventure.

Please pray for Jonah and Rees

Please pray for us and them to be kept safe and healthy

Please pray, even now, for the travel dates, that all would be smooth and safe

Please pray that the rest of the paperwork would be processed swiftly and without issue

Please pray that the required orphanage donation will be reduced per our request

Please pray that our remaining fundraiser(s) will be successful

We thank-you for remembering us in prayer!

OH ... and I almost forgot!!!!

Here is your last look at our Molly-bug with her LOOOOOONG hair ... 

Tomorrow is the BIG DAY!!!

Stay Tuned for the Documented Details!!