DTC!!!!

We are officially DTC (Dossier to China) today!!! What this means is that all of our paperwork that we've been working on since August is on it's way to China. More importantly, it means that we are ONE STEP CLOSER TO BRINGING SADIE HOME!!! 

We are so in awe of how The Lord has given us peace, comfort, provision and grace during this journey. We will be needing A LOT more of all of that in the coming months as we await China's final approval and all that is involved in traveling to get our girl. 

In the meantime, can we ask you to pray? Specifically, pray that the Lord will continue to quiet our spirits and that we will rest in His Sovereignty. He knows. Our job is to trust. Also, pray for sweet Sadie. Pray that the Lord would protect her heart and keep it functioning at full capacity until we can get her home. Pray that she will feel the love that only the Lord can give. Pray that He would prepare her heart for the huge changes that are on the horizon for her. 

Thank you all for partnering with us on this beautifully messy journey as we trust moment by moment in the One "who is able to do immeasurably more than we all ask or imagine according to his power that is at work within us..." (Ephesians 3:20

Only through Grace,

Jennifer

Come and Sit a Spell

It's been a while since I've updated.  As the last post stated, we are in one of the W-A-I-T-I-N-G stages.  I know that I have ZERO control over the process and worrying and fretting won't speed it up.  That nonsense only serves to give me more wrinkles and gray hair.  So, not gonna do it!  We have been waiting on our approval (I-800a) from US Immigration for 41 days.  We got the dreaded "pink paper" yesterday and my heart sank.  Pink is usually a lovely color and brings me much joy...unless the return address says, "Department of Homeland Security." Trust me, you don't want pink from USCIS.  This is a Request for Evidence (RFE) and basically translates to DELAY.  We don't like delays when we are trying to get to our babies!  Turns out, the RFE was a mistake and will be fixed quickly.  Now, we should be receiving our I-800a APPROVAL this week.  EEEK!!! This means that our Dossier (mounds of paperwork) will be on its way to China SOON!  Once that happens, guess what??? We wait again.  Yep.  The waiting. 

It has really been crazy to see and feel the peace that the Lord has placed upon my heart during these wait times.  (of course, I've had my moments of panic and worry and doubt), but the Lord has been so faithful to bring me back to what I know to be TRUE.  A verse that was given to me years ago by a dear friend is Philippians 4:8.  I'm sure you know it by heart, but it's one of my go-to verses when fear and doubt start to creep in..."Finally, brothers, (Paul leaves them with this to chew on) whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable,  - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things."  And Paul goes on to say, in verse 9, "Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me - PUT INTO PRACTICE. And the God of peace will be with you."  These days, I have found myself having to put into practice what the Word of God has shown me through the years.  I have been forced to BELIEVE, truly believe, the promises that He has given each and every one of His children.  I have had to FULLY ACCEPT that He adopted ME into His family and I am FULLY His.  And, the biggie for me lately is that all of those promises that I have read about for year, you know, the parting of the seas and the 80 year-old ladies giving birth to babies that He said He would give??? Yeah, those.  Well, those kinds of promises are still true today and they're true and available for ME (and you).  He has shown me first hand, that He is still faithful to His promises.  "And that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."  Did you catch that?  In ALL things (even waiting, even in the RFE's, even in the tragedy, loss, unexpected expenses) God works it out for the GOOD.  It's all good!  It really is. 

So, all that to say that we are waiting on US Immigration  to send us a lovely piece of paper that says that we are approved to adopt a child from China.  I may or may not be stalking our mail carrier.  But, for those of you who know me, I HAVE to have a little of my OCD tendencies manifest somehow.  :)

We DID receive the most precious pictures on earth of our girl!  Sheri at Gifts to China with Love has been absolutely amazing at getting pics of Sadie for us.  Of course, I zoom in and examine every little detail.  These are pics of her "modeling" her new outfits that we ordered  her for Chinese New Year. 

New PJ's

Seriously?  Too Cute!

Cuteness Overload

Her little Puffer Jacket

Do you not want to just squeeze those little cheeks???? 

 

So, for now, this is what we hold on to.  And, that is OK because we KNOW that God will place her in our arms at the perfect time.  In the meantime, our prayer is that one of her Nannies knows Jesus and is whispering His precious, holy name in her ear and telling her how LOVED she is.  She has been CHOSEN, LOVED, and ADOPTED by the One TRUE King!  It brings my heart JOY to look forward to the day that we can share that love with her.  For now, sweet girl, we rest in the fact that He has you "covered with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart."  Psalm 91:4  (This is her verse.  It has been prayed over her every single day since we first saw her sweet face>)

 

Switching gears to life on the farm.  I know that you all are waiting to hear about our new babies.  Here's a few pics for you to enjoy!

Calves keeping each other warm

Estelle and her new baby

Estelle...in all her glory

Working together.  Mixing Feed.  This has been the coldest winter for us in 50 years!  We normally would be grazing cattle by this time of year but instead we are still feeding.  I'm in awe at Perry's work ethic and drive.  The lines in Jason Aldeen's song that says,

"That's the only way I know

Don't stop till everything's gone

Straight ahead, never turn round

Don't back up, don't back down

Full throttle, wide open

You get tired and you don't show it

Dig a little deeper when you think you can't dig no more

That's the only way I know"

 

This describes him perfectly.  I don't know how he does it other than that's the only way that He knows.  He LOVES what he does.  He LOVES agriculture and working the land and feeding the world from it's fruits.  He is my hero. The one that I look up to, respect and love dearly.

 

And, we can't forget "Snowmageddon 2014".  This is a novelty to us.  In fact, I haven't witnessed snow like this in Alabama since 1993.  I am a warm weather girl, so I wasn't impressed but Harlan and Ellie Grace had a ball!

 

And, I can't forget our little fast and furious trip to Oklahoma and Kansas.  Perry had some work to do and I needed to meet my Soul Sister in person, so off we went.  We had a ball and got some much needed time together on the 14 hour one way drive.  I am always up for some one on one time with my main squeeze.

These girls...

I can't even describe to you how much I adore these ladies.  We all have a common thread that will forever tie us together...CHINA BABIES! (not to mention that I think I share a brain with one of them...you know who you are!)  Love you to the moon and back!

 

Well, if you're still with me, you are a trooper and probably deserve some kind of prize.  Sorry, I can't come up with anything spectacular at the moment, except that I promise, I'm almost done. 

 

Be sure and check out my newest obsession, Haute Handmade.  This is where I have FINALLY gotten up the nerve to offer some of my handmade items up for sale.  Go check it out and tell all of your friends!  All proceeds help us to get one step closer to funding our adoption.

 

Until next time...



 



While We're Waiting

Waiting...
Ahhhh....waiting.  This is just something that has never been one of my favorite things.  You know the song...Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens, bright copper kettles and warm, woolen mittens, brown paper packages tied up with string...(you're singing now, admit it)...NEVER does it mention waiting.  But, God doesn't always ask us to do our favorite things.  He asks us to allow Him to mold us so that we can grow to love HIS favorite things.  His teaching me to wait well is part of that process.

Over the last 4 months, the Lord has placed some people in my life who have been instrumental in teaching me to wait well.  ( The term "wait well" is actually stolen from one of these precious people...you know who you are :) )  The waiting period, I have learned is a time for us to allow God to do His thing in our hearts.  This adoption process can be brutal on a mama's heart.  From the first time that I laid eyes on our precious Sadie, I have wanted to jump on a plane and go to her.  But, I know that my heart is not ready and neither is hers.  God's timing is so perfect and He has already orchestrated the perfect time that our baby will be HOME.  In the meantime, my job is to wait well.  To sit with Him.  To glean from His Word.  To grow SO THAT when it IS time, He will have prepared our hearts for such a time as this. So we wait and trust.

                                                              Harlan and Ellie Grace

A while back, I attended the funeral of a family member and one of the pastors who officiated the funeral, while consoling the family, referred to Psalm 46:10, "Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."  He went on to explain that the "Be Still" part in the original text actually means "to take your hands away from it and put them down by your side".  That really resonated with me.  I have always loved this verse, but never knew how deep the original intent of the "be still" part would really cut me.  TAKE YOUR HANDS AWAY FROM IT AND PUT THEM DOWN BY YOUR SIDE.  wHeW!!  I'm trying.  I fail.  But, I'm trying.  When things get hard and I feel the need to lift my hands and take control, I just look to the left of this blog and am completely blown away by the number on the thermometer.  WE didn't do that!  YOU DID!  WE didn't have a dime of that money.  But YOU gave.  It never ceases to amaze me how at each step of the way, the Lord has used YOU to provide EXACTLY the amount that was needed.  I'm not even exaggerating...EXACT amounts!!! One day, I will get my thoughts together and blog about the awesomeness of this.  It will blow your mind.

In the waiting, I'm REJOICING in the fact that SADIE received her bunny and her party for her 3rd birthday.I'm REJOICING in the huge smile on her face as she enjoys her cake with her friends and the only family that she knows.  I'm REJOICING in the fact that this year is her last birthday to be in an orphanage.  Our prayer is that one of her Nannies knows Jesus and is whispering His name in her ear.  She's telling her how much she is loved by Him.  She's explaining to her that God loved her so much that He sent His Son to rescue her.  But, if not, I pray somehow, some way, that she knows that LOVE came down...for her.  In the waiting, we can REJOICE because "being confident of this, that he who began a good work in (her) will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."  Phil 1:6.  I'm confident that the Lord has such big plans for Sadie.  He is placing her in our family and I can't wait to see what He has in the works for this precious child.  In the meantime, we will remain confident that He is holding her.  He is preparing her.  He is loving her and ALL of His children...

                                                                     Our Blessings

                                I LOVE this one...She is pointing to our picture!!! *Heart Melting Moment*

                                                    Sadie's Birthday Party!  Look at that smile!


We are so thankful for any glimpse that we get into our daughter's life.  To see her Nannie's smiling loving on her and these other children just brings such peace.  We are coming for you Sadie!!!! We are coming!  Wait well, sweet child.  Wait well.

Just a Glimpse

 

What's Next?

I feel like its been forever since I blogged.  We are in a "not much happening" stage with our adoption.  We are finishing up our Home Study and hopefully will have our Dossier (mounds of paperwork) headed to China by March or April 2014.  The adoption process, I'm convinced, is another way that God is showing me that I AM NOT IN CONTROL.  The moment that I start to freak out over the unknowns and the lack of control that I actually have over ANYTHING, He shows up and gives me a little "nugget" to remind me that He's still here and He's still in the driver's seat.  Ahhhh.  That's the moment that I can breathe again.

On the farming end, we now have eight healthy calves on the ground.  I love the babies.

Our newest baby and his mama

We're planting winter grazing...and I think I have gotten myself a new job.  My OCD ways apparently make me a pretty good tractor driver and planter.  I don't like rows that aren't straight so I obsess over Every.Single.Row.  Yes, it probably takes me longer than normal, but Hey!  The rows are pretty and straight.  Now, we have to pray for rain so that I can see the fruits of my labor.

My view

Just proof that I'm actually driving this thing

My ride

This life that the Lord has given us is just too much to fathom some days.  As we were traveling to the farm a few mornings ago just as the sun was coming up, I was just in awe of the beautiful pictures that the Lord paints for us every single morning.  Then I realized that He doesn't have to do that for us, but He does.  And how many times have I taken it for granted?  In the busyness of life,how many days have I just overlooked it?  He has slowed me down so that I can SEE.  And, I'm so thankful that He has!  I am seeing first hand that God already knows the plans that He has for our family.  Plans to increase our lives through adoption.  He is lining everything up perfectly and we are seeing HIM in everything.  The adoption journey has changed us in ways that I really didn't even know that we needed to be changed.  It has opened up our hearts to GIVE like never before. Our heart's desire is to one day be able to give to the nations like so many of you who have given to us! We have been amazed at how the Lord has used so many friends, family members and even people that we don't even know to provide for our every need.  I get all choked up just thinking about it.  As I think about that, I am reminded of this verse:

"When you reap your harvest in your field and forget a sheaf in the field, you shall not go back to get it.  It shall be for the sojourner, the fatherless,and the widow, that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands....You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt; therefore I command you to do this."

Deuteronomy 24:19-22 (ESV)

So many of you have been so generous not only through your monetary gifts but also with your prayers and encouragement.  Some days, the wait is brutal.  The unknowns are brutal.  (especially for MISS OCD here) But, through it all, I am reminded that He brought us out of slavery to sin through the blood of Jesus Christ and He commands us to help those in need...the foreigner, the widow and the orphan.  What that "help" looks like may be different for each person but it's still a command to DO something.  Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for acting on this and helping us to get a few steps closer to our SADIE!

Speaking of our sweet Sadie.  We sent her a care package and she should be receiving it this week! YAY!  We are hoping to get some updated pictures of her and maybe an update.  We are grateful for any little bit of information that we can get.  I will share those pics with you as soon as we receive them!

What's next?  We will be starting another fundraising campaign soon.  Our next payment will be around $3500.  I have a dear friend in Indiana who has donated 100 of her All-Natural Body Butters to us!  So, look for it soon.  These will make wonderful Christmas gifts!  I use several of her products and they are awesome. If you want to check out her shop, you can find her here.  She is adopting a precious little boy from Uganda and will be traveling soon.  We also have an AdoptTogether account now so that you have the option of a TAX-DEDUCTIBLE donation!  And, there's our YouCaring page where donations can be made through PayPal.

More than anything we are thankful for your prayers!  They are definitely being felt and seen in tangible ways.  Every single time that we have had to make a payment or pay some unexpected adoption related expense, we have had exactly what we needed.  

I will leave you with the verse that has been going nonstop in my head for almost two weeks now, 

"The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still." 

Exodus 14:14

I'm being still and watching Him do His thing.  It's pretty exciting!

One Step Closer!

One Step Closer!!!

Yesterday, we got the phone call that we've been waiting on for 2 weeks...PRE-APPROVAL (PA).  I walked around with a perma-smile all day long.  It just became REALLY real.  We are going to be bringing our sweet Sadie Home!  What does PA mean?  It means that, obviously, we can share her name with you and we can share pictures of her!  It also means that we can send her a Care Package to let her know that she has a family! Here is the most recent picture that we have of her.  We are hoping to get an updated one soon.

Does that sweet face not just melt your heart?  It certainly does ours.  We love her so much already.  It is amazing how much love we can have for a child that's on the other side of the world who we've never met.  Only God!  We also learned yesterday of a precious couple who also fell in love with our Sadie but realized at "the eleventh hour" that they were not her parents and released her file.  How grateful we are to these new friends for being obedient to the Lord's prompting.  But how awesome is it to know that there are other families who also love this sweet gift from God?  She is already an answered prayer and is already loved by so many people.  Oh, the plans that He has for her!  Our job is to just be obedient and watch Him work.  He is so faithful and we trust in His Sovereignty. 

Our family will be traveling to the beach this weekend for our annual beach trip with Perry's parents, along with his sister's sweet family.  We always look forward to this special time being able to relax and play with cousins.  This trip is usually in the Summer and not in the middle of calving/harvest season but due to some health issues with "Mimi", we rescheduled.  I'm SO ok with going to the beach in the Fall.  (I don't have to stress so much about being in a swim suit in front of other humans...that's another blog post, entirely.)  However, I'm not sure how PapaDoc (Perry's Dad) and Perry will handle this.  This will be a new adventure for us.  I'm always up for a new adventure.  Wild and crazy, I know.  :)

We now have 3 calves on the ground.  Two Red bulls and one Black bull.  I don't have pics (sorry) but I do have pics of a beautiful sunset that I was able to capture while waiting on my man to feed cows one day.  

The Heaven's Declare His Majesty!

Our Little Cowgirl

Wasn't it beautiful?  The things that I can see now that the Lord has forced me to "be still" and look for Him!

Our T-Shirt Fundraiser is drawing to a close.  We only have ELEVEN more shirts to pre-sale before October 23.  I think we're going to make it.  I can't wait to get our shirts to help raise awareness for orphans all over the world.  If you are led to partner with us there are several ways that you can do that!

1. Prayer!  We have a long way to go before Sadie is home.  Every single prayer lifted on her behalf is so         appreciated by our family.

2. Buy a T-Shirt!  They are super soft Next Level T's.  You will love them. Short Sleeve, Long Sleeve and       Hoodies all available! Click Here to Order  ($15 from each shirt ordered goes to our Adoption Fund).

3. Donate to our YouCaring account using PayPal!  

4. We are working on getting a Lifesong Account set up.  All donations through Lifesong are TAX DEDUCTIBLE!!  I will post link as soon as that is available.

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you for allowing us to show you a little glimpse of our beautiful mess that we call LIFE!  

Decisions, Decisions

I am TERRIBLE when it comes to making decisions.  I know that it probably has a little to do with my OBSESSION with perfection.  No matter what decision I make, there's always going to be something better that I SHOULD have chosen.  Ahhhh, I'm working on it.  I really am.

So, the latest, huge decision is whether or not to merge the TWO blogs that I have created.  I know.  It's more than one person should have to endure (insert sarcastic look here).  I have made the decision that I'm going to shut down my other blog and bring it all over here!  Yay!  A decision has been made and I'm sticking to it.  One thing that I've learned over the years is when I try to do too many things, and do them all with excellency, NOTHING is done with excellency.  So, I'm combining my two worlds into one.  That should help.

Now that THAT is out of the way, we can get back to life.  This is a busy season for our family.  Well, actually busy is an understatement.  CrAZy would be a better description.  Here is a glimpse of what is going on: Calving Season, Homeschooling, Family Beach Trip, Adoption, Selling our House, Finding another House, Living on Farmer's Income, Children Outgrowing Everything, Living on FArmer's Income, Keeping House Spotless to Show to Prospective Buyers, Living on Farmer's Income.  Did I mention that we are "learning" how to live on a farmer's income.  And, through all of this CrAziNEss...I can say that our lives are more joyful and peaceful than I can ever remember.  Yes, there are days that I think I'm going to completely lose my mind, but the Holy Spirit gently reminds me, "you are here for such a time as this."  It is absolutely amazing to look back and see the events of the past year and realize that the Lord lined everything up so perfectly.

Last December, I walked away from my career as a Veterinarian.  It was a hard decision, but one that I don't regret for one second.  I knew that the Lord was calling me to walk away.  At the time, I didn't know why.  I just knew that I had been running from Him in this respect for about 8 years.  I couldn't run anymore.  I had to obey.  It didn't make sense at the time.  It makes perfect sense now.

For those of you who have been following my other blog www.farmfamof5.wordpress.com just go ahead and skip this paragraph.  For those of you who don't know our adoption story, this should catch you up.  One year ago, I began to pray for God to break my heart for what breaks His.  Well, he did.  He began to focus my heart toward adoption and orphan care.  Perry (my husband, my rock, my everything) wasn't on board and basically told me that I was delusional.  After talking with a wise "adoption friend" I chose, as hard as it was, to close my mouth and pray.  For 6 whole months, I prayed that if adoption was something that He wanted for our family, that He was going to have to change Perry's heart.  AND HE DID!  Perry came to me a few months back and said, "YES" to adoption.  We began to pray about who, where, how.  The Lord led us to a precious child in China. The moment that we saw her face...WE JUST KNEW!!  There was no question in our hearts, this was THE child that God had ordained from Eternity Past to be our child!  We didn't know how, or when, but we KNEW the "Who".  The days and weeks that followed were full of affirmations from God.  Here are a few...

• Her file was already on hold by another family which meant that they had 2 weeks to either move forward or release the file. (Boy were we praying for confirmation during this period of time)
• Her file was offered to us even though there were apparently a "handful" of families ahead of us on the interested families list.  We were just one among several.
• Part of her name literally means: "Land used for growing plants". (Have I mentioned that my husband and I both have walked away from our career this year so that we could concentrate on farming??)
• Every single time a payment has been due, we have had exactly that amount "extra" to pay it.

I'm sure that this is just the tip of the iceberg for what we are going to witness as God "Shows Out".  I love it when He steals my show!  I love it when we can point to things that happen and say "only God."  He is really teaching our little family to believe, truly believe that He can and He WILL move the mountains that seem so impossible to get over.  He is faithful and He will provide every single cent to bring our little "S" home.

We submitted our LOI (letter of intent) this week.  Because of a National Chinese Holiday, our Pre-Approval will take a little longer than usual.  But, we are growing so much during the waiting.  We are learning that the waiting period is where God is pruning us and teaching us and showing us that HE IS GOD and we are NOT.  I am so thankful and humbled that He loved us so much that we refused to allow us to stay where we were...comfortable and stagnant.

In other news, calving season started today for Chatahoochee Ridge Cattle Company (that's us).  We have a very BIG bull calf on the ground out of our bull.  This is the first baby out of our bull so we were anxious to see what he would produce.  He did a good job.  I think we'll keep him. Here's a pic of the baby and his very protective mama:

I know he looks like a lump of brown stuff, but he really is a pretty red bull calf.  What this picture really shows is that our family is about to put the B in Busy.  Calving Season is an intense time in our lives.  These babies are the future of the Cow-Calf part of our operation.  To say that we are intense and busy and tired during this time is accurate.  But, as with anything, farm related, the benefits of "getting" to live this life far outweigh anything negative.  As my husband says, it's just a time when we all have to "cowboy up" and get it done.  School will be on the road, in the truck, on tailgates, in the pasture, wherever life leads.  Thank you, Lord for making our lives portable!

For those of you who have stuck with me through this extremely long blog post, thank you!  Here's a little sneak peek at a photo session that we did with the awesome Ravin Farmer!  She captured our family perfectly!  Thanks Ravin! We owe you big time!

I can't wait to be able to add "S" to these pics of our family!!!  What a glorious day that will be!  

In the meantime, we ask for your prayers as we await Pre-Approval from China.  Also, if you would like to partner with us to Bring "S" Home you can do so here or here.  Thank you for any support that you can give.  Every single cent will go to bringing our girl HOME!