Garage sale!

Friends,

We should be going to get Garrick in November! How awesome is that!! Though we are grateful for the speed at which our adoption is being processed, it puts more strain on our financial resources. Pray that we finish raising the funds we need to bring Garrick home. We are somewhere around $10 or $11k short of our goal. We have applications in to several grants, but many do not
make award decisions until after we return. The remaining money is primarily for travel expenses.


We will be having another garage sale October 16th and 17th to help with our travel expenses to China. We still have lots of stuff left over from our previous sales but would love to have more! If you have any gently used items that you would be willing to donate to our sale we would greatly appreciate it! From our past sales the items that sell the best are tools, housewares, kitchen stuff, and furniture. Clothes do NOT sell so please refrain from donating those.

If you can't donate items but are willing to help in any way please let us know! We greatly need your support.

I also want to say that this has been one of the hardest things we have ever done (and it's about to get harder!). When we began this process we had no idea how it would happen. Many times we felt God opened doors and shoved us through them. But at each situation he has shown up and provided even through our fear. He truly equips those he calls!


Please continue to be in prayer for our family during this time.

The Germanys

Letter of Approval

Dear Garrick,
Today is the day. Today we found out that we have been officially accepted as your parents. Today was the day we were told that you are ours. China has spoken and we are so elated. From this day forward everything has changed. Hold tight little one because Mamma and Daddy are going to move heaven and earth to get you home to us. Every day without you is a day incomplete. You are so loved sweet boy, you have no idea.
Love,
Mommy

Dear Son,

Dear Garrick,
Right now you are still in China and we are here trying to get you home to us. We are praying for you daily and planning on your arrival. But while we wait I want you to know a few things. I know it will be several years until you are able to understand all of this but I think it is important for me to tell you now.

Waiting is hard. Being a mother to a child far away is extremely hard because you can't do what Mommys do for their child. I can't hold you or comfort you when you are sad. I can't be with you in the hospital when you are there and I pray you are not left alone in such a scary place. I can't tell you how Mommy and Daddy will never leave you, or assure you that you will never be left again. I can't tell you how you will never be without food again or be hungry for more. I can't tell you how much we are looking forward to having you in our family. How Gus and Ruby Claire ask about you every day. Ruby always wants to look at your pictures and Gus asks daily when you will be here. He want's to know, "Why it is taking so long?". Oh, how I wish I could make it move faster.
I know the day is coming when I will be able to do all these things.

But I also know that you are going to be very scared. You may be very angry with me for taking you from all that you have known up until now. You won't understand.
I too wish it didn't have to be this way. But it is the only way for you to live.
I know you won't understand this. I know you will feel abandoned again and you will have to walk through the pain and brokenness that has been done to you again.
Forgive me little one.

I want you to know how loved you are.
I know your biological Father and Mother loved you. Honey, you were so sick and they couldn't help you. They tried for a long time. They did the best they knew they could do to give you life. We will always honor them in our house. They will always have our greatest respect. They gave you life and by giving you up they gave you life again. This is no small thing. This is love. Please know that sweet boy.

Your China Nannies love you. I can see it in the photos of them with you. I can read it in the updates they give about how charming, loving, and mischievous you are. They will grieve the loss of you when you leave.

I am your Forever Mommy and I love you. It will take us time and I want you to know that I will spend the rest of my days in this world giving you as much time as you need. But I will not leave you alone. You can yell at me, act out, throw things, push me away or emotionally shut down completely. I will understand, it's OK. But I will not leave you. I will still love you no matter what. We will walk through this broken world together. I am not perfect and I won't do it all the right way but know every step will be taken in love.
You may not be born of my body but you were born in my heart. You are my son. You may not have my blood, but I pray that my love will run through your veins.

Mommy

Updates

The past few weeks have been a roller coaster in our adoption process. Adoption is a full time job, and it is not for the faint of heart. You deal with your agency, your social worker, US government, and the Chinese government. There are so many departments, it makes your head spin. You have to fight for your child every step of the way and encourage everyone else in the process to do so as well.

First, we got all our authenticated paperwork back from the Chinese consulate in Houston, TX. Then,
we sent in our i800a application (immigration application to adopt internationally) along with paying a hefty fee to get fingerprinted. Approval can take over 30 days, and you have to wait to be scheduled an appointment to get your fingerprints done. However, we have a sick kid who needs some blood here! There is no time for that. Once we received our receipt, Steve and I walked into the office and got fingerprinted. I also emailed USCIS and begged and pleaded to be granted medical expedite. I sent the many letters written by doctors for Garrick along with his medical file documenting his medical need.

By that afternoon, our expedite was approved. Four days later, we had our i800a approval in our hands! That's what God and one persistent Momma can do! In about two weeks, our dossier (all our paperwork) will be in China! In the adoption world, this is called DTC (Dossier to China), and our file will be LID (Logged In Date).

There are many more steps to come, but this was the biggest... the one we have waited a year and a half for.

A few days ago we got some updated pictures. The Lord knew we needed them!

He looked happy, and that made my heart soar. However, after the initial happiness of seeing him, I started really looking at the pictures, and my heart dropped in my stomach. If you look at his forehead, you can see that it is slightly protruding. This is called "bossing." In people who have Thalassemia, their bone marrow production goes into overdrive as their body tries to produce more red blood cells. This causes bony protrusions to form. This typically happens when they are not being transfused as often as they need to be for their body to function at an optimal level. This is not reversible and it will be with him the rest of his life.

This was just more proof that though Maria's is doing the very best they can for him (thank you Lord!), we have to get him home! Just like our doctors have urged us, he needs to be at the Thalassemia center getting blood and medication to remove his iron buildup. His little body is being damaged. Please continue to pray that our paperwork will be processed quickly, and we will have the necessary funds to go get him as soon as possible.

The first time I saw Garrick's face my heart started beating out of my chest and my brain started saying "Oh my goodness" over and over again. We knew right away that God was saying "It is time". Some of you have known that Steven and I have wanted to adopt since 2010, but it never worked out. It was all in God's timing. God chose that time to prepare our hearts to move forward, and he continues to open doors and sometimes push us through them. We were scared, but we could not deny our call to step out and sign up with our agency. Then the little face we fell in love with was going to be ours, and that in itself was a true act of the almighty God.

There are many things in our life at times that feel uncertain, but our adoption has never been one of them. In all our uncertainty, God continues to bless our adoption. He has has connected us with an online community of adoptive parents that have helped us navigate the process and provide support and encouragement. God has given us doctors who have shown us how manageable his medical need can be and how we are indeed able to meet it and care for him and written letters on our behalf to get his medical expedite approved. He has blessed us with a community of close friends who have given up many hours helping us fund raise, holding our family up in prayer, or donating to our adoption fund.

We know that God is showing his glory, and in the end, that is the most important thing.

The Great Aslan

I got to read the newsletter of Garricks orphanage today and saw that one of the little boys in his room was adopted. My heart leapt with joy as it does every time they announce an adoption. Joy for this child and parents as they get to go become a family. A child who once had no one now has someone, who now belongs...

But then, of course, the Mama in me goes straight to my son. To think of Garrick on the other side of the world watching his little friends get adopted while he sits and waits for his family to come get him fills me with overwhelming sadness. To know that he has lost another friend that he will most likely never see again is another loss in my child's story. Another break in his already battered and bruised heart.

Once again I can do nothing but put my trust in the Lord and hold on to his promises.

He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds- Psalm 147:3

The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.- Psalm 34:18

I grew up reading the Narnia books by C.S. Lewis. To this day I get bored reading books that do not have a fairytale or fantasy component to them. There is a passage from the third book in the series, A Horse and His Boy, where a little orphan named Shasta encounters Aslan the lion but he cannot see that he is a lion due to the fog. He tells how he had been orphaned at a young age and raised by a stern fisherman. How he had then escaped. How he and his companions had been pursued by lions at least twice, and how one lion had actually gotten to Aravis (his friend) and wounded her. He tells about all the other dangers they have faced on their journey to Narnia. And he also tells about their trek through the desert and how terribly hungry and thirsty and exhausted he is.

“I do not call you unfortunate,” said the Large Voice.

“Don’t you think it was bad luck to meet so many lions?” said Shasta.

“There was only one lion,” said the Voice.

“What on earth do you mean? I’ve just told you there were at least two the first night, and—”

“There was only one: but he was swift of foot.”

“How do you know?”

“I was the lion.” And as Shasta gaped with open mouth and said nothing, the Voice continued. “I was the lion who forced you to join with Aravis. I was the cat who comforted you among the houses of the dead. I was the lion who drove the jackals from you while you slept. I was the lion who gave the Horses new strength of fear for the last mile so that you should reach King Lune in time. And I was the lion you do not remember who pushed the boat in which you lay, a child near death, so that it came to shore where a man sat, wakeful at midnight, to receive you.”

The Lord is the lion protecting my son and guiding his steps. During my moments of fear, doubt and need for control I have to constantly say to myself in the words of C.S. Lewis:

“But courage, child: we are all between the paws of the true Aslan.”

Tears of Joy

Today I dropped the kids off with a good friend and headed to Zombieland a.k.a. Atlanta. I hit up Starbucks first as all good road trips should begin and I braved the traffic (and thankfully did not encounter too many zombies). Let me digress for a moment and just tell you right now-if you ever have to go to the city for anything please take MARTA. OK. That is my good advice for today. You're welcome.

My first stop was the Clerk of Superior Court to have our home study certified and then it was off to the Secretary of State. BTW good ol' Brian Kemp has way too many addresses. But eventually I made it to the correct building with no thanks to Google.

Upon entering the suite I was greeted by a very lovely receptionist who told me to hand over all my precious documents that have taken me months to gather, notarize and certify. She then told me to sit in the waiting room while they tirelessly checked each one and then (if they were correct) would officially place Georgia's Great Seal on them. With my heart beating out of my chest, I sat in silence for awhile waiting for her to come back . In moments like these we are prone to panic-which is exactly what I did as I considered any misstep that may have caused one of my documents to be deemed invalid.
Then I heard loud sounding booms coming from the other room and broke into tears. I knew right away my documents were being stapled to the blue folders! With every staple more tears flowed.
She then brought my documents for me to look over and gave me a hug saying "Oh honey, it is all good. It is all GOOD!". I thanked her for her kindness and she wished us well on our adoption.
I then speed to photocopy everything, went to the bank to get a cashiers check for the consulate, and went to FedEx to overnight express everything to a courier in Houston, Texas. Our package should arrive by 10:30am tomorrow and hopefully will go to the Chinese Consulate the same day. Once there they will receive the Chinese "stamp of approval" and can then be sent to China.

This has been a long crazy road. It is not done yet. But I feel like we are half way there. There is light at the end of this tunnel and my son is standing on the other side.

His mercies are new every morning

I have struggled with how to update this blog. There is so much to say, and yet so much to hold back so bear with me here.
This past month has been a roller coaster of love, pain, joy and grief.  Many events that I can't even relive right now. But in everything, the good and the bad, I see the Lord's hand guiding, I may not understand or even comprehend his plan but I know he is there. He has reminded me so clearly that I am his and he is my provider. Garrick is his and he will care for him. Steven and I have held on to one another and that promise. No matter what happens with our adoption it is all from, to and through God's hands.

He abundantly blessed our yard sale bringing in more than I could have imagined- more than I dared ask or pray for. And our garage is still full! He is good.
We tried to do it again the next week, but I was worn and weary with other things going on in our life. I was heartbroken and laid low, he knew I could not emotionally handle the sale that day and as I cried out in the early hours of the morning he let the rain fall. All I could do was cry out thankful for his mercy pouring down on me that day. He is good.

That same week both our cars decided to give out on us. But the day before it happened we were given another car by a sweet friend to sell and put towards the adoption or keep if we needed it. Our cars are still broken but it is OK because God provided.  He is good.

I was grieving hard for our Son one morning and in my email came an update with his beautiful face. It was like God was saying to me "See honey, it's OK. I got this baby girl". He is good.

Thus it has been the past month for our family, God continues to show up in the darkness and shine a light. Someday God will make all this brokenness beautiful, but right now he is going to satisfy everything in the mean time.