Leaving on a Jet Plane...

It's finally here, we leave tomorrow.  Bags are (mostly) packed, I'm pretty sure we've purchased almost every item Target carries in the last few weeks, we have 10 kinds of hand sanitizer with us and we have Chinese currency in our wallets.  

We're getting on a plane headed to Chicago tomorrow afternoon and then onto Beijing from there.  

There is this Friends episode (queue eye rolling from my friends who know I quote this show far too often) when Chandler is about to get marries and he panics, he gets cold feet.  So his friends tell him to take things one step at a time.  Take a shower.  Get dressed.  Walk out the door, etc. And eventually  he gets married.  Taking everything in at once is just too much, and that's how I feel.   I can't take it all in at once because it's too overwhelming so I'm just trying to take things a step at a time.  Finish packing.  Take Brooklyn to school.  Get to Airport.  And before I know it, I'll be in China and some one will be handing me my son.  

My son.  Still feels strange to say!  We installed his carseat in our car today and I think it's making things even more real for Brooklyn.  We will sure miss that little girl.  So so so much. 

Last night in my discipleship group we had a great discussion about the book we are reading called "Life with God".  One part I particularly loved said

"Life with God is an ongoing, ever-changing, relational adventure.  It is not a matter of being driven through life, stopping every now and then to get out of the car and see the surroundings.  God invites us to climb into the landscape of our journey, to breath deeply with full lungs, to feel blood pulsing through muscles doing what they were made to do, to experience the wonder of having a body with which to see and hear and smell and taste and touch this astonishing world."

I loved it because I feel like most of my life I've only gotten out of the car for a moment, when it's safe to do something new, and then hopped right back in to my comfort zone.  This trip, this adoption, feels like I'm jumping out of the car and running the opposite direction.  I am excited to experience another little piece of this astonishing, beautiful, world God has made and do a little part of what God created us to do.  

And then my D group ladies prayed for us.  They prayed for our safety and for peace and for our sweet little ones.  They prayed for health and smooth roads ahead for us.  It was so beautiful and genuine.  I am so thankful for them and for everyone that has been and will be praying for us.  

I hope to update our blog or Facebook page daily so you can follow along and give a specific prayer request for the upcoming day if you want to pray along with us as well.

Here we go!  Richard Foster also says in "Life with God", "God is always ready and willing to take what we can do in order to accomplish within us what we cannot do on our own."  I can't do any of this on my own and I'm so glad we are not going alone on this journey.  God's already there!