Fundraising, again..

It's hard to be here.. It's hard to be in place of relying on God and your friends to donate to help bring a child home. Selfishly I don't want to be here. It's not comfortable here. It's uncomfortable to ask friends and family for money! What I've learned through the journey to bring Molly home, and now to bring Wills home is that often time there is growth in the uncomfortable situations. Sometimes being uncomfortable is right where the Lord wants us to be! We often times think that we can do it all. Who needs help, let alone a savior. This is something that can't be done alone, or not easily at least. And what we learned with Molly is that it's a wonderful thing to include the community of friends and family that love and know you. Something really special happens when a friend gives and prays and then watches a life be redeemed. And although it's uncomfortable for us to ask, and ask and post again. We then think about Wills life, and how uncomfortable he has been and continues to be. Spindabifda, hydrocephalus, a heart condition, in an orphanage, nannies that love him but no family, no mother or father. Enduring surgeries  like what we all watched Molly go through, but now alone.. It's then that our hearts begin to break again and we remember why we are whiling to be uncomfortable and step out of the boat. It's then that we welcome the feeling of being totally dependent on Jesus to make this happen again and then that we find peace knowing that we are walking in his will for our lives.
  Currently we are in the middle of our Give $10 change a life campaign. We are raising $10K in 60 days 1 $10 donation at a time. Today is day 13 and we have raised $1300.00 we are about $722 behind where we need to be right now to stay on track to have the $10K in 60 days. Would you help us? Would you step out of the boat and share with your friends and family? Tell of the orphan named Wills, who needs help to come home to his forever family? We can.not. do this alone. We don't want to do this alone. Here's how you can help;
 Donate $10 through our Donate here button on the main page
 Share our blog and tell a little on faceook about what we're doing or better yet, share our video!
 Then do it again. and again.. and again. Facebook sorts things oddly and it takes several shares sometimes before someone clicks on a link.

 We thank you in advance for your prayers and your donations! We have stepped out once again believing that God is more then able!!

Meet Wills

Your probably pretty surprised! And to be honest we were also! We always knew we wanted to go back to China after adopting Molly but never knew when. We had heard of re using your dossier but had no plans to do that. Things were busy and bopping along until mid summer when a friend started advocating for a little boy named Rudy. I was immediately taken by him and the fact that he had Spindabifda like Molly. We ask a few questions but found out that his file was locked with another agency and another family at that time. We said, Ok Lord if you close this door then that's ok! We'll praise you that he has a family. A couple of weeks went by and we got the news that the family had said no. Rudy was indeed still available. Ok Lord, what do you want us to do? We had many talks with our agency and his agency and they agreed to share the file with us and if no one came for him by the time we were to attempt to transfer the file to our agency then they would transfer it. So we said again, Ok Lord, if you close this door it's ok! Some time went by ( nothing about this has been fast this time..) and the attempt to transfer the file was made. We had hoped that agency H would give to agency L and that would be it. Not that easy.. The folks over in C**** said they had to release it to their data base and our agency would have to attempt to lock it first. Once again, Ok Lord if someone else grabs this file first we will be sad but we will trust you that you have a better plan for sweet Rudy.. All the while we've scoured his file, named him, consulted Drs and friends and grown quit attached. Thankfully our agency was able to secure the file and we submitted LOI like nearly 4 weeks ago. It was a long, long wait and we were getting a little worried.. Finally TODAY it came. This sweet love will now be called Williams, "Wills", all the kids have family names and this is my Grandmother's maiden name. Wills has spinabifda, hydrocephalus and a heart condition. C**** says that all three have been surgically repaired. We know that there can always be more and that adoption is a total  faith walk so we are prepared either way. Wills is in a very, very, very good place right now. It's very unlike Molly's situation  and I have nearly constant communication with the home and the director, not to mention a face book family who welcomed me today with the PA news.  We humbly come to you today and begin another Give $10. Because the PA took so long we need to make some big money and fast. Adoption is just expensive but whats more costly is little person who is waiting for a family, waiting for good Dr's and love. I don't know about you but there is no cost too much to move quickly in a situation like that. The world says, you don't have enough money! Not enough space! Not enough time! 5 kids! How?! Why?! Really?! Being followers of Jesus though we know better. We've seen it happen time and time again in our lives and especially with Molly. My friends, God is indeed able to do more then we could ever ask or imagine. Please join us as we begin this journey once again to bring home a little one. We are so thankful for you and for your prayers! God is able!!

Where have we gone?

We have a private Molly facebook page now that we use to update. Please feel free to "friend" me, shoot me a message telling me who you are and I'll add you to the group! Molly has had her surgery, is now walking 100% of the time and is fluent in english. Would love for you to follow so hop over to facebook and look for us.

The tricky Travel approval!

Many of you saw on face book that we received ANOTHER miracle of a quick TA! Last Friday I received an email saying that our TA was on the way from China. Boy were we excited! That is an understatement, really you can ask my children about the hollering in the car after we left the barber shop..That was at 9 days. Average is a week and half to 3 weeks for TA. The tricky part was that it wasn't at the agency yet and to get even trickier the agency is now closed for the remainder of the week until next Monday.. December 30th. We had been praying hard for TA to arrive at Lifeline today. From the time it arrives we request the first available Consulate Appointment, the last thing you do in Guanghzou before you come home, your whole trip is built around this date. The agency then felt like a Gotcha day of 1/13 was a strong possibility and still does although they'll never say anything is final, well, until it is.. It takes 1-2 days to get a confirmed CA so we were hoping the TA would come today and then although they would be closed they could communicate via email about the CA date and we could book tickets and be ready to go on 1/10!!! Well... sadly no TA came today.. Odds are it would've come tomorrow but they're closed.. TA comes via DHL delivery and those are being held until Monday. So... what do we do now.. well after I worked through the disappointment I felt a peace, a peace that passes all understanding.. You see, I really have NO reason to question God's goodness at this point. Nope.not.one.reason. God doesn't see dates on a calender. It doesn't matter to him that Lifeline is closed for the rest of the week and that our TA is sitting somewhere waiting on us. God is already working behind the scenes to secure a super fast CA appointment, to super naturally save a CA appt for us the week of 1/20 ( they'll be filling fast before Chinese New Year) and those tickets that could be sky high  booking a mere likely 7 days before we leave the country, nope, they will come under our budget of $7K. Honestly when I feel down and worried I look back on what God has done over the past 11 months. Our adoption start to Finnish with Molly in our arms on 1/13 will only be 11 1/2 months. Ya'll that is super fast for an International Adoption. I look back at what happened with our Article 5 and what he did there, I look at our fast TA and how God knew I was pleading with him for news prior to Christmas and he blessed us with that. I am claiming now that God is already getting everything in order for us to leave on 1/10, a super fast confirmed CA, a CA the week of 1/20 and our tickets to come in within our budget of $7K. Please join us this Christmas in praising him for all he has already done and will do to work this all out so we're holding our baby on 1/13. I CAN NOT believe we are nearly finished. At this point it's pack, buy tickets, get cash in order and go get her! We'd like to thank you all for your amazing support this year in helping us bring Molly home. We could not have done this without your prayers and help. Hopefully this time next week we'll be getting ready to have a confirmed CA and buy those plane tickets!!! God is able indeed!

The Christmas miracle!

We were blown away a week ago Thursday! We were working all week to get our Supplement 3 completed and to secure our new 800 approval to move forward with our article 5 on Monday. At 230 in the am Thursday an email came through saying our article 5 was ready to be picked up?! I thought for sure this was a mistake, more like a mass email that went out to several. After some emailing with our agency we were told it indeed was NOT a mistake and we were picked up! WOW!! The article 5 process is a two week process and we had just jumped forward 2 week and 2 days! Now we were in the Travel approval wait. Typical TA wait is 1.5-3 weeks although some in our agency had gotten TA in 7 days last week.. Once we get TA we will request our first available and then book tickets and hopefully head out soon! ( after Christmas for sure) We are really feeling hopeful that our TA will come this week and we would be able to get a 1/6 Gotcha day or more likely 1/13.. Would you please join us in praying for this TA to come tomorrow or Friday? It can come by phone anytime from 1030-530 our time, Alabama is an hour behind us and they work 9-430... I'm a cleaning, organizing crazy person right now. I am keeping my car spotless and you should see the bags for goodwill tomorrow. Do you think I can re paint my cabinets and my bedroom before we leave?! Nesting is in full.swing.. A lot of people have asked what exactly happened with the article 5? The truth is we don't know... Maybe they just held everything and when the new info came they just pushed it through quickly? Maybe they used the medical expedite and that helped or maybe and most likely this was a God thing and he loves Molly more then we ever could and wants her home asap also.. We are beyond thankful for the ability to catch up and please, please join us in praying this TA in over the next 2 days.. God IS able!!

Heres where we stand and PRAY

Once again we are back in the final stretch. Lord whiling for the last time this time. As you know, or if you don't know, please read the post before this, we were delayed. Hopefully, prayerfully, this delay will be over on Monday and we can get back in the article 5 process. Our supplement 3 is in the building and we just need the new 800 approval, new GUZ # and new PDF and we'll be back in business! The article 5 process normally takes 2 weeks and then we begin our Travel Approval wait. These are coming anywhere between 1-3 weeks, one came in today at 7 days!! This is great news. We also will submit a medical expedite letter for Molly and PRAY it works.. This "could" move us through the article 5 and TA process more quickly but there is no guarantee. Our agency feels we have a 50-50 chance of it working.. Once we get TA we will take the first available CA, consulate appointment and board a plane possibly in just a few days and be outa here! Things get tricky though.. real tricky.. because of a holiday called Chinese New Year .... The country literally shuts down for 14 days. Ya'll I'm going to be honest. If we don't get in before Chinese New Year you possibly will have to come and pick me up off of the floor- I do trust God's time is the right time, I do trust that God is in control. BUT, God's plan is not for Molly to continue to sit in the orphanage without us, his plan was not for her to orphaned in the first place! It's just not.. I know he's holding her in his hands and protecting her but we're done- This momma is ready to have her home. And with Chinese New Year upon us we need your prayers. We need you to pray specifically for;

-Article 5 drop off on 12/16 and pickup on 12/30

-we also need you to pray her medical expedite works

- and that we get a super fast TA

-Indeed that the Lord would hold her in his mighty hands and protect her until we can get there..

Dates could work like this;

Without the expedite-

1 week TA we leave on 1/10 get her on 1/13 and home on 1/24

2 week TA we leave on 1/17 get her on 1/20 and home on 1/31

3 week TA pushes us into CNY:( which means we wouldn't leave until mid to late February..

with the expedite it's any ones guess..

Please join with us as we pray these things. You all have been so, so supportive of us and we are so thankful! God has been faithful and I know he's working over time behind the scenes to get her home timely.. Bless you all in this advent season as we seek our Lord..

xo,

 Brittan

Final update!

These were words I was not expecting to read today! Sitting in the Drs office with one child there for a check up who also happened to have strep and another who started vomiting on the way to the Drs office I was once again feeling weary.. Although thankful all the shoes were falling off at once and that we weren't in China yet I was kinda ready for things to resume to normal.. All the sudden I see an email come by and it says Final update! I could tell there were pictures and my phone couldn't load them! Ahh!!! Finally the loaded and boy did my heart smile..

 Hello sweet girl.. Boy have I missed your darling face!! Your hair is growing longer and you look so good! Sadly, I can tell your back at the orphanage now which likely means you've left your precious foster momma.. I am so sorry you have to endure yet another change before we come! I promise you we are working as fast as we can and that I along with many, many others are praying so hard for your tender heart! All these changes now and to come.. You are so, so loved my sweet girl! The God of the universe is working around the clock to fix this paperwork issue and bring you home in his perfect timing.. Our hearts and arms long so badly for you though and we are pleading with him to do all he can! I know he is love, we're coming soon, I promise.. Hold on just ta little longer. Your FAMILY is coming!
 We love you so..
 xo momma...

 Friends please pray our medical letter will work to expedite the end of her adoption.. There are no guarantees.. She's teeny tiny but oh so beautiful!
 18.7 pounds 29 "( keep in mind measurements are not always accurate)
 Also please please pray for Molly's tender heart, what a lot of changes she's had especially now leaving her foster momma:(