China, Here We Come!

It’s hard to believe Kelli and I are leaving for China this Friday morning. We’ve been waiting for this day for over three years since our adoption journey began, and that day is almost here. And as we prepare for our trip, we’ve experienced a roller coaster of emotions this week. Excited. Check. Scared. Check. Overwhelmed. Check. I actually had to do some deep breathing yesterday to get me through a little trip to Kroger. You know, that same deep breathing technique I encourage some of my therapy clients to do. And yes, it does work. At least it worked for me yesterday.

I prayed again last night that we wouldn’t miss out on what God is doing during this part of our journey, and I still wait in anticipation to see all that he has in store. I really don’t want to miss a thing, and my prayer is that I won’t. I’m thankful that I did see him yesterday. God worked it out for us to get a interest free loan from Abba Fund for a huge chunk of our adoption expenses! What a huge blessing and relief that was. And as I was thinking about that last night, I remember the first time I ever heard about Abba Fund. It was a Christian counselors conference around 13 years ago. I remember seeing their booth at the conference, and I think I stopped by briefly to pick up some information. Little did I know that thirteen years later God would bless us through their ministry. If I hadn’t been at that conference, I might have stumbled across some information about the Abba Fund as we were considering options for the financial part for our adoption. But then again, maybe not. I like to think that God planted that seed years ago knowing that he would use the Abba Fund to bless us right now. Pretty cool, I must say.

Kelli and I humbly ask that you join us in prayer this week and in the weeks to come, and below are a few things that you can pray about specifically:

For safety as we travel

That we’ll be able to recover quickly from the crazy long flight so that we’re ready to meet Sophie on Sunday!

That we will be able to bond with Sophie quickly and that Sophie will be able to receive our love from the moment we meet

That there will be no problems with all of the legal hoops that we have to jump through while in China

That Bethany will be filled with peace while we’re gone and that God will protect her and her caregivers

For all of the friends and family who will love on Bethany while we’re in China

For good health for Kelli, me, and Sophie during our trip

For Sophie as she grieves the loss of everything she’s ever known

For the transition after we return

We boldly ask God to work in all of these ways, and we eagerly wait to see all that he will do during this chapter of our amazing adoption journey.

Well, we haven’t done the best job at keeping you updated on our puzzle fundraiser, but as of today, 54 puzzle pieces have been purchased through your generous donations. If you’d like to purchase a puzzle piece (or puzzle pieces) to help with our adoption expenses, we would be forever grateful. All you have to do is click on the Pay Pal "Donate" button on the right of this page. We look forward to putting together the puzzle of sweet Sophie’s face to hang in her bedroom after our trip. And we look forward to introducing Sophie to all of the wonderful people who helped to bring her home.

I hope to be writing in our blog and posting pictures on Facebook during our trip. So, be on the lookout for updates. Thank you again for blessing us through your gifts of prayers, donations, time, cards, and words of encouragement while we’ve been on this journey. God has known that we couldn’t do what we’ve done without all of those things, and we are truly humbled by your kindness. Friends and family, Sophie’s coming home, and we can’t wait for you to meet her!

It's Time for Our Little Trip

Well folks, it’s official. We’re going to China! We just got the news yesterday morning. Kelli and I will be leaving BNA early on Friday, May 23. Our flights will take us through Beijing as we travel to our destination of Nanchang (which is the capital of the Jiangxi Province).  After we arrive, we’ re not exactly sure when we’ll be meeting up with Sophie, but we keep praying that God will prepare us all for that initial meeting. I’ve prayed often throughout this adoption journey that Sophie had the experience of bonding with someone in her orphanage. You see, if she’s bonded before and formed an attachment with a caregiver, my hope is that she will then be able to connect quickly with us as she becomes a part of our family.

We’re so excited to know when we’re traveling, but the next few weeks are going to be hard. There’s so much to do to get ready for our trip, and the list of things to do at our home seems a mile long. And then there’s the emotional roller coaster of this part of our journey as Bethany anticipates us being away for two weeks. We covet your prayers for Bethany, and we ask that God will send her more peace than she’s ever known as she prepares to be away from her mommy and daddy for the longest time in her life. I know that God has this, just like he’s had every other part of this adoption journey. He’s come through again and again, and I’m confident he’ll come through this time. "God, I'm still trusting." 

The End Really Is Just the Beginning

In February, we celebrated being in our adoption journey for three years. Some days, it seems really hard to believe that it's been that long. Other days, it seems like we've been doing this forever. 

We so look forward to bringing Sophie home in just a few months, but I'm starting to realize more and more that this "end" of this part of our journey is really a beginning to something that will change our lives forever. I long for the day when Sophie comes home to be a part of our family, and I just can't wait to love on my little girl. But I also know that when she comes home, that's when the hard work begins. The hard work of helping her to get adjusted to a new culture and a totally new life. The hard work of helping her to grieve multiple losses as she leaves all she's ever known in China and makes the transition to living in a foreign place. I do look forward to bring her home, but at the same time I'm a realist. Our adoption journey has been hard, and it will continue to be hard. But God who keeps reminding me that it will all be worth it, and that's what I hold on to as I try to be faithful to him and follow his Spirit daily.

If everything goes as planned, it looks like we'll be traveling to China in May. We still have some hoops to jump through with Homeland Security and the U.S. Department of State before we can make our travel arrangements, but the end, I mean, the beginning, is closer than it's ever been.

This is a recent picture of Sophie from the orphanage. She looks so happy and healthy, and those chubby little cheeks tell me she's eating well. We sent the orphanage a list of questions about Sophie and her likes and dislikes, and they told us she's not picky when it comes to food. She will fit in just fine in the Johnson family.

Right now, we're knee deep in yard sale mode as we get ready for our Adoption Yard Sale for Sophie this Friday and Saturday, March 14 and 15, at our home (311 Raintree Drive in Indian Lake Forest) in Hendersonville, Tennessee. So far, over 25 gracious families have contributed items for our yard sale, and we are again humbled by the generosity of our friends and family. Our Adoption Yard Sale for Sophie is from 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on both days, and we'd love for you to stop by and see us. 

Our precious daughter Bethany will be selling some homemade sweet treats at the yard sale, and it would mean the world to her to sell out of everything she's made. So make it a point to stop by her little table and get a little (or a big) taste of something yummy. She'll even have some gluten-free options available.

And we are so grateful for our friend, Leah Tomlinson, an independent consultant at Thirty-One Gifts, who will have a table at the yard sale this weekend. Leah will be donating all of her profits to our adoption efforts. So, stop buy and check out her table at our Adoption Yard Sale for Sophie on Friday and Saturday. If you're not able to make it this weekend and would like to purchase some of Leah's great items, you can do so on her website at mythirtyone.com/leahtomlinson. All you have to do is click on "Place an Order," and then click on "Sophie's Sale." 

And finally, this is the progress of our Puzzle Fundraiser! Kind donors have purchased 26 of our 1000 puzzle pieces so far, and for that we are truly thankful. Any funds raised through our Puzzle Fundraiser and Yard Sale will go towards our travel expenses for our trip to China, and our orphanage donation and legal fees while in China.

You will be able to purchase puzzle pieces at the Adoption Yard Sale for Sophie, and you can do so on our blog page as well. If you'd like more info about our Puzzle Fundraiser, please check out our previous blog post.

God continues to amaze us through so many people who simply love us well, and we only hope our thankfulness and appreciation shines through. We love and appreciate all of you, and we are humbled that you would join us on our adoption journey.

Adoption Puzzle Fundraiser

We are so excited about being matched with our sweet Sophie. God seems to have a knack for giving the perfect gift at the perfect time. Lord willing, we hope to be traveling to China in the next few months to bring our sweet girl home. We have been so blessed by the outpouring of love and prayers from all of our friends and family. We appreciate you taking this journey with us, and we thank you for loving us so well.

We also appreciate the kindness of countless numbers of you who have already blessed us financially during this adoption journey. We humbly ask that those of you who are able prayerfully consider helping with our remaining adoption expenses by being a part of our Adoption Puzzle Fundraiser.

How the Puzzle Fundraiser Works:

In order to raise the necessary funds for our adoption, we are starting a Puzzle Fundraiser. Individuals and families can donate to our adoption fund by purchasing a puzzle piece(s). The puzzle piece(s) purchased will have the name of the individual/family donating written on the back. As puzzle pieces are purchased, the Adoption Puzzle (which will be the picture of Sophie’s sweet face below) will be assembled, and we will be updating our blog with the progress of the puzzle as it is formed. After the puzzle is completed, we will frame the puzzle between two pieces of glass and hang it in Sophie’s room. This will be a wonderful keepsake for Sophie (and our family) - a written testimony of all of the wonderful people who were a part of helping to bring her home. 

Cost of 1 Puzzle Piece = $20

You may choose to purchase a single piece or as many pieces as you desire.

How to Donate:

  1.  Click on the “Donate” button on the right sidebar and pay securely through PayPal

  2.   Write a check or donate cash and hand deliver to Jeremy or Kelli (checks can be made payable to us)

  3.  Mail a check to our home address (email us at jeremy@theconnectionplace.org for our mailing address)

God bless you, dear friends.  We love and appreciate you more than you will ever know.

The Best Christmas Gift Ever

Christmas 2013 came and went.  I absolutely love Christmas, but it was kind of weird with it being in the middle of the week.  Our adoption agency hadn’t had their monthly matching for December, and I just assumed it was because of the holidays.  “They’ll probably do the next match in January,” I kept telling myself.  But I couldn’t stop thinking, “Getting a match in December sure would be a great Christmas gift.”  So, with the New Year just around the corner, I was surprised to get a message on our adoption portal that there would be a monthly matching on Monday, December 30!  There was going to be a matching for December, and that meant we still had a shot at our Christmas referral. 

So, the night of December 30 came.  I was sitting on the couch and decided to check my e-mail, and there it was!  The e-mail we’d been waiting and hoping for!  We had a match! I downloaded the attachments, and the first file I opened was the one with her pictures in it.  And there she was.  My daughter.  My beautiful, little Sophie.  And what a cutie she was.  Yep, the manly tears couldn’t help but fall down my face.  But honestly, I’d been waiting to shed those tears of joy for a long time.

You see, we started this adoption journey three years ago this February.  This “paper pregnancy” as it’s often called has definitely been a roller coaster.  But like I’ve said before, now, it’s all been worth it.  And this year in 2014, we’re going to go to China and bring our daughter home.  God worked it out for us to get our amazing Christmas gift.

Sure, we have more paperwork to complete, more approvals to get, more money to raise, but Kelli and I hope to be traveling to China in the Spring to meet our daughter for the first time.  Our adoption journey isn’t over yet, and in some ways, it’s really just beginning.  Yes, some days I’m so excited I just can’t stand it, and other days I’m scared to death.  But honestly, most of the time I’m at peace with all of this. 

I’m at peace because I know that God has this, and the thing is, he’s had this from the beginning.  God has been with us every single step of this journey, and He continues to work everything out  at just the right time.  He has orchestrated every part of this since our decision to adopt years ago, and he will continue to work things out.  After we bring Sophie back from China, I know it won’t be easy, but no one said it would be.  Life’s just not easy.  So, we continue to follow his Spirit one day at a time.  We continue to trust our Faithful One.  We continue to claim his promises as we wait to receive our little Christmas gift into our family.  Sophie, Mommy and Daddy are coming to get you soon, and we’re going to bring you home.