Show Hope T-shirt fundraiser!

Our T-shirt fundraiser through Show Hope and Adoption Bug is up and running.  Clink on the link below and get yourself a super cute T-shirt and a percentage of your purchase will go towards our adoption fund.  I love that there are even fitted T's for women and kids shirts as well.  Happy shopping:)  Oh, and thanks!!!!
 www.adoptionbug.com/pigtailsandprayers

You care fundraising page

We are overwhelmed by how many of you have asked how you can help in our adoption journey.  First and foremost, PRAY, PRAY, PRAY!!!  We want this sweet one home soon, like yesterday!!!!:)  We also appreciate those reminders of who is in charge... when our faith wanes we do lean on you for support and..perspective.  Of course we expect you to love on our little one when we finally do get to bring her home.  That will be the fun part!  Some of you have even been so amazing as to offer to help financially.  If you are willing and able to help, we want you to know how truly much we appreciate your support.

Clicking the link below will take you to a fundraiser page at YouCaring.com
http://ow.ly/hLG3Q

Pigtails and Prayers - Fundraiser Profile - YouCaring.com

ow.ly

We also will have a profile up at AdoptionBug.com within the next week where you can purchase a really cool Tshirt from ShowHope and a percentage of that purchase will go towards our adoption fund.  Blessings:)

Lipscomb adoption rally

This valentines day our hearts are in China- awaiting our sweet one with pigtails and prayers!! Would love for you to join us at our adoption rally on Sat March 2 at Lipscomb University's Allen Arena. Click on the link below and use code "AdoptJohnson" when purchasing tickets online or at the box office and we will receive the full amount of your ticket price to help bring our sweet girl home:)

http://lipscomb.streamlineticketing.com/web/section.asp?eventId=176

What is happening now?

So many of you have been so incredibly kind to ask how far along we are in this journey.  We are 15 months into this "paper pregnancy" and the waiting and wondering is hard.  We are awaiting approval of our dossier by the Chinese government and then... I guess we wait some more.  Our adoption agency, Bethany International, cannot give us a real timeline.  We could have a match this year, or it might not be until next year- we don't really know.  All we do know is that God is faithful and he is working and moving even when it seems like nothing is happening.  We are praying not only for things to move quickly but also that our sweet one will be well taken care of until we hold her in our arms.  We appreciate your prayers more than you know:)

The beginning...

Kelli, Bethany and Jeremy Johnson

Jeremy and I  have always dreamed of a big family with lots of kids and chaos.  We were thrilled when we became pregnant 8 years ago and had our biological daughter Bethany.  After a few years she started asking for a little brother or sister and we agreed it was time. But it eventually became apparent that our dream for a big family wasn't going to happen for us the way we had dreamed. We grieved and questioned and searched for help from fertility specialists who said that they may be able to help with expensive treatments but chances were slim.  When prayer over this situation did not lead to a peace with the options we had been given, we decided to wait.  We have learned that when you petition the Almighty, you must be prepared for His answer. We heard His "no", and came to a place in our hearts that some would call acceptance but we call surrender.  Surrender is much harder fought than acceptance, and much messier. But in that surrender we finally could hear not just the "no" but instead "no, but..."  

I (Kelli) have had a picture of a little Asian face with pigtails in my head for a long time.  As I read Mary Beth Chapmans book, where she so openly and eloquently shared her personal joy and heartbreak with China adoption, that picture became more real.  At the same time as I read Mary Beth's book, Jeremy was reading a book called "Radical" which talks about the call of Jesus to be missional minded in a world filled with need.  Jeremy has always had heart for missions and the book prompted a call on his heart for our family to do something "radical" to serve in some way.  Bethany just wanted  a little sister to love and faithfully prayed every night for God to send her a sibling. One night God brought these dreams together and put us on a journey to adopt our little one from China.  How much more radical can you get than to open your home to someone who needs one? 

Some say we are going to change her life...we know she has already begun to change ours.  We can't wait to meet her.