The Countdown is On!!!

SOON we will be leaving to bring home our beautiful little girl!!! We have been overwhelmed emotionally and physically. I remember feeling this way being pregnant with Karsten and Kyler...so excited yet nervous too. My faithful Father has been so gracious and merciful to us. I look back over the last six years and see God's hand in everything. Six years ago when Kyler went to live with Jesus was devastating to us. There were times when I just wanted to give up and I had so many questions that I didn't understand. I still don't understand, but I have learned so much the last 76 months. It is not about my circumstances. It's about who God is and that I am who I am because of Christ in me. God has taught me to depend on Him, to trust His
character, that His will for me is to be more like Jesus, to comfort those who need to be comforted, to cry with those who cry, to pray for those who are hurting, to pursue righteousness, to hunger and thirst for Him, He has given me a desire to adopt my daughter in China, and a desire to see God set the lonely in families. Orphans need homes. It is God's will that we help the poor and needy and to care for orphans.

We humbly covet your prayers as we travel soon. Please pray for:

*good health for Brad, Karsten, Kylie, Brad's parents and me
*safety
*for Kylie to bond well with us and that she won't be afraid
*for the Chinese people to see the light of Christ in us
*all the orphans around the world who have no parents to tell them they are loved

We also deeply appreciate you who have helped us financially over the last few months. We had an additional increase of over several thousand dollars since we started four years ago. We praise God that 800 out of 1000 puzzle pieces have been sponsored!! If you would still like to donate, the money goes toward Kylie's orphanage fee of $5,000 so you are not only helping us bring her home you are also helping other orphans. We will put your name on however many puzzle pieces you sponsor and Kylie will forever see the ones who sacrificially gave to help her come home. God has called each of us to provide for the needy and take care of orphans. Jesus says in Matthew 25:40: "I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me."

I am forever grateful for God adopting me into His family through Jesus Christ. He loved me for who I was and still am, a sinner. I am eternally secured in His hands!

Update and Letter to My Daughter

Last week we received the news we have been waiting to hear in a very long time..."we have your travel dates." We prefer not to post the dates on here but we wanted to let you know that we will be traveling to China soon to bring our precious daughter (and Karsten & Kyler's little sister) home. :o) Let the labor pains begin...

Dear Kylie Hope,

You are my little girl, my daughter who I have been praying for, for 5 1/2 years. I have loved you before God ever created you and I know that He has loved you even more before He made you and formed you in your birth mother's womb. You were born in my heart. You are 100% my daughter as Karsten and Kyler are 100% my sons. I love you so very much. Daddy, Karsten and I pray for you every day and often many times during the day. Karsten is so excited to play with you, his mei mei (little sister). He was 4 years old when we started our adoption process and now you are close to turning 4 in November. We pray that God would comfort you as you leave the only home you have ever known at the orphanage. Plus, you are leaving your dear friends. We know you will be grieving and someday you will probably grieve and have many questions about your birth parents. I hope you know that they love you and wanted what was best for you, just like our loving Father knows and wants what is best for us. We pray for your birth parents and will continue to pray for them. I think about your friends in the orphanage and wonder if they will ever get adopted. Oh how I pray that they will and that God would raise up a harvest of people to adopt orphans. Deuteronomy 10:8a says that God defends the cause of the fatherless. Kylie, God has a great plan for your life. Above all, He wants you to have a relationship with Him through His Son Jesus Christ. We were put on this earth to glorify God in all that we do. While we were made for heaven, this life is just a journey completing the work that God has us here to do. I praise God for how He is sovereign in all things. He brings beauty from ashes...He has in our lives and I pray that He will in your life as well. We love you sweet girl!! You have been loved and prayed for for many years and so many people are anxious to meet you. We will see you soon.

I love you,
Mommy


Please consider doing something. Ask God what you could do to help orphans. What is your local church doing to raise the awareness of orphans? Is it being taught? Is there an orphan ministry? If not, why not? God commands us to care for orphans and widows. Jesus was adopted by Joseph. Moses and Samuel were adopted as well. It's biblical. Most of all, we as believers in Christ were adopted into God's family. We as the body of Christ need to be helping orphans, whether through adoption itself or helping others with the cost of adoption. It is very expensive but it should not be an excuse to not adopt. It is all God's money anyway. This is weighing heavily on my heart so please pray!

We will keep you updated!

Blessings,
Jennifer