All of Me

I've been trying for days to put into words the the things that have taken place over the past few weeks. I still don't have the words but I just wanted to share that WE ARE GOING TO CHINA!!!

A LOT has taken place in our family over the past few weeks and I will update with details later when my brain is actually functioning but to make a LONG, EVENTFUL, EMOTIONAL story short...we had our Article 5 picked up on 6/26 and got the call that we had TRAVEL APPROVAL on 6/27. (Yeah, I thought someone was playing a cruel practical joke on me.)  What this means is that China has invited us to come to their country to adopt Sadie and make her forever OURS. 

We are kind of still in shock because we weren't really "supposed" to be traveling until September at the earliest. God had other plans. One of the many many things that we've learned throughout this journey is that His plans are SO much better than ours. We are overjoyed that Sadie will soon be in our arms and will officially be our daughter! 

I will close with the song that I have sung to her repeatedly praying that somehow she could feel my love crossing an ocean. 

http://youtu.be/ARIe3PUgu84

I'm can't give Sadie a new heart, I can't be her savior, but I know the One who can. I can't wait to introduce her to Him and share with her the story of her journey. She is worth every fallen tear. She is worth us facing every fear. She's gonna know all our love, even if it's not enough to mend her broken heart. She's gonna have all of me and that's where I'll start.

Thank YOU for following our journey, for praying for us and for Sadie, for supporting us through your finances and time. We still have about $5300 to raise before we are FULLY FUNDED! God has done an amazing work!

If you'd like to contribute, here's the link:

Http://www.youcaring.com/bringsadiehome

"I have loved you with an everlasting love..." -God

Jeremiah 31:3

Time to GO!

On June 21, we will be having our FINAL Fundraiser as we await TRAVEL APPROVAL to FINALLY Bring Sadie Home! Can you believe it's here? It's REALLY happening?!?!?? 

This party is MUCH more than a Fundraiser. And, we certainly don't want ANYONE not to come if you don't feel led to give. This party is about getting our friends, family and ALL of you who have loved and supported us and PRAYED us through this long, grueling process! We want to have the opportunity to love on you! 

The Lipscomb's have so graciously offered the use of their REALLY COOL barn to host a REALLY FUN party. If you have gotten this far with us without jumping ship, WE WANT YOU THERE!!! 

God has moved some mountains this week and is continuing to answer prayer in a MAJOR MAJOR mind-blowing way. We would love the opportunity to gather everyone in the same place to be able to share what HE has done to get us to this place. 

We would be OVERJOYED if you would join us as we are SOOOOO close to Bringing Sadie ShiYuan HOME! 

SO CLOSE!!

Just wanted to update everyone on the CRAZINESS in our lives lately. 
I think the last major post was about us getting our LOA (Letter of Acceptance) from China...

Well, A LOT has taken place since then.  Grab a seat and a cup of coffee and let me fill you in.

We have had a few spring calves born already and the Peanut Crop is in the ground...late, but in the ground.  Cotton is next.  (sorry, no pics).  Needless to say, Perry has been stretched extremely thin but always seems to handle it somehow.  He's my hero. 

The kids and I have been "holding down the fort" as we finished up school.  Harlan just finished 6th grade and Ellie Grace just finished 3rd.  We had a lot of fun this year studying World History(Harlan taught me A LOT) and Astronomy,  learning better writing skills, learning to love reading and learning that Math is just a part of life and we just have to do it.  This school year has brought its own challenges and we have worked through them together, and we can say that IT'S OFFICALLY SUMMER!!!

We made the decision last August to put our house on the market and finally move closer to our cows and pastures.  Perry has been travelling for a really long time and it's really getting old.  Just as we were about to give up and stay in this house for a while longer, we get a contract.  So, if everything goes as planned, we will be closing June 30 and moving south.  In normal circumstances (which, as you know, the Mobley's don't do ANYTHING that's considered normal), this would be an exciting time with a new place, new friends, and new adventures.  But, let me remind you that there's going to be a "little" trip to China thrown in there, so that brings its own set of craziness to the equation! 

On May 27th, we got our 800 Approval which means that we only have TWO more steps before we get permission to travel to CHINA!  We could possibly be traveling sometime in July or early August. 

We have watched our adoption debt slowly decrease until now we only need about $18,000.00 to bring Sadie HOME!

I am longing for the day that this sweet girl is in my arms and will be a part of our 
family. It won't be long now!!!!

All our love,
Perry, Jennifer, Harlan, Ellie Grace and Sadie

 

VISAS!!!

Getting Closer!!! 

Passports with Visas! We are coming Sadie!!!!

LOA!!!!

We received our Letter of Acceptance (LOA) from China on May 9! Basically, this is an official document where we check a little box confirming that we "accept" this child that we have prayed for, dreamed about and that God has CHOSEN to be placed in our family. Please pray as we enter into the final stages of this long journey. Pray that the Holy Spirit is preparing Sadie for the changes that are coming. Pray that Harlan and Ellie Grace would be comforted by the great Comfortor to know that they are so loved through this crazy stressful time. Pray that Perry and I would lean on and draw closer to Jesus as we prepare to GO. Pray that the last needed funds are raised and that when the Lord says GO that we are ready to go get our girl. 

I won't lie, I'm so anxious. I don't know all of the answers. I'm not really sure what this is going to look like. BUT, I know the One who does know it all. And He promises that He will never leave us or forsake us. He is faithful and because of that TRUTH, I can walk where I cannot see. 

Thank you for following our journey and for all of your prayers and support.

 Together, we ARE Bringing Sadie Home!

We need YOU!

Both Hands Project May 3rd!!!
Click on the link and check out this super cool project that is happening May 3rd. Let us know if you would like to help out.  We need warm bodies, donations of food, drinks, paint, wood etc.  This is a fundraiser where you have the opportunity of sponsoring our workers for the day.  If you would like to donate, this info can also be found in the link.  Our prayer is that these sweet ladies are blessed beyond measure that day.  We would love to have your help as we use Both Hands...one for the widow, one for the orphan.  James 1:27

Newest pic of our Sadie Bug.  We can't wait to be able to kiss those sweet cheeks!

 

If you take a peek at our tracker over on the left, you will see that we still have about $17,000.00 to be fully funded.  Once we receive our LOA (Letter of Acceptance) we are approximately 10-12 weeks away!!!!  We are praising God for what He has already provided ($19,000.00!!!!!!!) and we are already praising Him for how He will provide for the remainder!  Every cent truly counts.  Thank you in advance for partnering with us for being faithful and "looking after the orphan in their distress".  

And so I write...

Writing has always been therapeutic for me.  A lot of what I write, no one ever sees.  It's just a way that my introverted, strong-willed, independent self can get my thoughts out without having to make myself vulnerable.  I have debated back and forth with God about whether or not I wanted to open myself up about this subject.  He says that I should, I say that I'm afraid.  But, as a family we are really trying to seek the Lord with everything that we have and to follow hard after Him.  If I am going to truly be a doer and not merely a hearer (or in my case a teacher) of the Word, I HAVE to obey even when it's hard and when it doesn't feel good because if I've learned ANYTHING in the last year and 4 months, it's that THIS IS NOT ABOUT ME. 

What I'm about to write might come as a shock to those of you who know me in real life because I don't show this side of me to ANYONE and I'm stalling so here goes...

When Harlan was 23 months old, we were blessed with another baby boy, named Barrett.  He was born on October 19, 2003.  We were the typical overjoyed, exhausted parents of a newborn and a toddler.  We were rocking along in our comfortable, complacent little lives.  Attending church on Sundays and Wednesdays, living in our nice little cookie-cutter neighborhood, Perry working a 9-5 nice paying job with great benefits, and I was working in my dream job with an awesome boss where I could pretty much dictate my schedule.  Comfortable. Easy. Complacent. Members of the Cult of the Next Thing.  Perfect little suburban family.  Then, on April 8, 2004, our world fell completely apart.  Our sweet Barrett made his journey to Heaven.  It was like a really, really bad dream that I just wanted to wake up from and go back to comfortable.  I wanted to go back to our Egypt where everything was familiar.  Where I didn't have to trust. Where I didn't feel so vulnerable and needy.  I had never ever been to this place before.  You see, I lived a wonderful life growing up.  My parents supplied all of our needs and most of our wants.  They did everything in their power to make our dreams for our lives come true.  They were the best cheerleaders and encouragers.  I just never had to really face any adversity and had always prided myself on being strong and independent and able to conquer anything.  And NOW God was asking me to do THIS!  How in the world was I supposed to put on a strong face when my world had just been snatched out from under me?  The answer: It wasn't about me.  It was about pointing people to Christ who was the ONLY source of strength that had ever been in me.  It was at this time that I had to finally give up control to Him, because I had nothing left in me.  Even though we had just suffered such great loss, it still wasn't about us.  It was all about Almighty God, who created each and every one of us to come to this earth, to carry out His purpose.  Barrett had a BIG purpose, and it wasn't about us.  It was about Christ.

Harlan and Barrett

Sweet Barrett

It has now been 10 years.  I anticipate and dread this date every single year.  It has taken me 10 years to open up to a few friends.  The one thing that I absolutely can't stand is pity.  Please, Please, Please don't feel sorry for us.  Our family walking through the death of a child has strengthened our marriage, has allowed us to loosen our grip on our children (those of you who know me are probably questioning this one :)), has taught us to cling to God and His promises, and most importantly, has given us an urgency to share Christ with people.  It has changed us, refined us, chiseled out those materialistic, selfish, comfortable and complacent places in our hearts and replaced that with more of Christ.  Now, we are FAR from being perfect or for all of those places to be perfectly filled with Christ, but this little journey has caused our family to look at life and death just a little bit differently. 

I love what Paul says while in prison in Philippians 1, starting verse 9:





And this is my prayer; that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of the righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ - to the glory and praise of God. 

Now, I want you to know brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually, served to advance the gospel.  As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ.  And because of my chains, most of the brothers and sisters have become confident in the Lord and dare all the more to proclaim the gospel without fear.

 

 

Now skip down to verse 18:

 

Yes, and I will continue to rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and God's provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance.  I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body whether by life or by death.  For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.  If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me.

 

 

And then on down to verse 27:

 

 

WHATEVER HAPPENS, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. 

 

 

You see, Paul used his horrible circumstance to serve and to share Christ.  He realized that his imprisonment wasn't about him.  His pain wasn't about him.  It was all about Christ and pointing people to Him.  This is why I share.  This is why I have allowed this to be published this year.  If this helps just one person who is struggling with life to look toward the only One who can give you whatever it is you're seeking, then it's worth it to let you see the weak, shaky, vulnerable side of me that I don't like to share. 

 

This day will pass and it will come again next year if Jesus doesn't return before then.  I pray that as we anticipate it's arrival next year that we will continue to sing,

 

Set a fire down in my soul

that I can't contain

that I can't control

I want more of you God!

I want more of you God!

 

No more comfortable and complacent!  Through pain and a hard road we can honestly say, "For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain." Let Him show you His love today.  Let him cover you with his perfect peace.  He's waiting...