Transition day - One step closer to home

Friday we traveled from Kirby's province capital of Nanchang where we successfully applied for and received Kirby's Chinese passport (a vital doc and major step to bringing her home) to Guangzhou. A large city where the American consulate is locate and we started our next series of medical examinations and application for Kiby's visa which will give us passage to bring her home next Saturday.  We left our hotel after saying our goodbyes to many of the excellent hotel staff would took great care of us as we navigated this large and sometimes confusing city. A special shout out to Andi who was a "breath of fresh air" who "held our hand" many times. Andi is from Oregon and been in NanChang for the last year and is a duty manager at the Hotel where we stayed - I cant tell you how nice it was to know she was always close by to help with directions, language issues, ect...   Thanks Andi !

Kirby asleep on the bus ride to the hotel

We left the hotel at 3:30pm and Kirby took her first airplane ride to Guangzhou; about an hour flight but after a delay and meeting up will many other families in the Guangzhou airport, we arrived at our new home away from home around 11:30pm and fell into bed for a good night sleep. You can do the math on how much time we spent in airports, and the Nanchang airport has no AC, so it was quite an experience. I kept saying to myself a verse from Psalm 118 "This is the day that the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it" I love that verse because it is just happy and perfect for those great days, but the greatest thing about that verse is that its part of the psalms our Lord and Savior sang after the Passover meal(Lord's supper) as He and the disciples went to the garden of Gethsemane. To realize that on the very day the he was crucified He sang "This is the day that the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it." Wow!! Every day is a day God made and the circumstances that I find myself in should not keep me from rejoicing in HIM. I will leave this subject by saying that I had to remind myself of this fact many, many times during that very long travel day.  

It has been a most exciting blessing to seeing all the families (26) who we spent 3 days getting to know in Beijing and after fanning out all over China, each family now has a precious new addition to their  families. It is so obvious God has ordained these divine appointments because of the pure joy and unconditional love each family has for these little angels. So many adorable faces from 9 months to 13 years old, such a variety of families, so many amazing stories of God's love and provision. Thank you for following ours.
Katherine

Our small group fixing to leave for the airport after an unbelievable 5 days together - where two of us families became parents again and two couples became parents for the first time.

Kat has the 'precious cargo' and I'm responsible for everything else, including the extra suitcase we had to buy today so everything would fit.

Kirby getting ready for her first flight

 Kirby up and ready for her Saturday morning for her medical examination. Hard to believe but she gets cuter everyday.

Kirby did not like it one bit, these nurses weighing her and measuring her . Actually the pic was only a brief spell, she did get and passed with flying colors - Praise The Lord !

 After such a long morning Kirby perked back up after sharing Mama's lunch

This is Mama's lunch. This is what Kat calls "going wild" eating in China - not sure "going wild" on the desert bar counts but Kirby sure did liked it !!!

Blessed Beyond Belief

Thursday July 29, NanChang

After a good night sleep with only a couple of quick checks on Kirby though the night; Kat and I woke to listen to the book of Galatians on our audio bible and thanking God for making it possible for us to live by the Spirit and not our flesh. God has so blessed us and our family and to bring Kirby into our forever family is just the latest evidence of what He has always done for us. Then we get out of bed and walk two feet to look into the crib of this angel sound asleep. It's like waking up on Christmas morning everyday!!!!!

It has been amazing to watch Kirby over the last 72 hours since we first got her. It is a great joy to see her attach to us as Mom and Dad and her precious personality take shape as she feels more and more comfortable with us. Kat and I were having fun observing certain characteristics that match her siblings; her cute personality is playful and very very sweet like our Laura Sims (slooooow to wake up just like her big sister too). 

Many people have commented on how long (tall) Kirby is. Combined with how rapidly she has progress in 3 days, from barely able to sit up by herself to actually scooting, crawling and soon to be pulling up, reminds us so much of how David 3 was walking and had climbed out of his crib at this same age Kirby is now. A very funny thing happened at breakfast yesterday when a couple from Spain was seated next to us with their newly adopted baby girl. They spoke no English and Kat and I obviously are language challenged and as we tried to compliment each other on their beautiful new additions, the husband was able to convey how long Kirby is. Kat quickly made it known that she took after me, her daddy! The whole family howled with laughter and prompted the mama of the of their girl to puff out her plump cheeks and point to her baby and then to herself and said "takes after Mama" .. We all broke up laughing and have enjoyed seeing them around the hotel the last several days.

Kirby is a very observant child. She is so inquisitive and curious just like her big brother James. Every time either Kat or myself step around the corner Kirby swings her head around and cranes her neck to try and follow to see where we have gone. She will take "child proofing" our home to a whole new level and a lot sooner than we thought just a few days ago. James will be a perfect big brother to answer lots of questions which she is already forming but just not quite able to ask yet. 

We have been amazed how non-demanding Kirby has been. She never screams for her bottle or gets out of sorts like most nine month old who can't yet verbalize their needs. The two words which we have associated with these characteristics are content with an eager to please nature. This along with doing sit ups everyday very much reminds us of Nathan. By the very definition these two will become best friends in short order and can hardly wait to see it happen.

As parents to these terrific children, it will be one of the highest blessings from God to witness first hand the molding of our family which God has already begun to reveal us. What an absolute joy and make no mistake, God is the only One who can do such wonderful things and He alone receives the credit and glory. 

We complete the last of our paperwork on Friday and Kirby will receive her Chinese passport. This will allow us to fly to Guangzhou tomorrow night for another round of paper work and an official oath taking ceremony on August 2nd. Thank everyone for their prayers and we will check back in when we get settled in our next leg of this wonderful odyssey.  

For this child we have prayed and God has granted us our petition. Thank you Lord for your goodness and mercy upon us,

David and Kat

 Could there be anything more wonderful than waking to this sweet thing next to you in the morning

All "The Girls" ready for our trip to the park

 Spent the morning at a beautiful public park

A local lady stopped and fussed at us because we had not properly protected Kirby from the sun. The older Chinese ladies love babies and want to teach us "rookies" how to care for our little ones. Very sweet but also difficult to communicate with.

The Peoples Park - very fun and very hot.

"Welcome to McDonald's" - Our whole group agreed, these were the best french fries EVER ! Starting to really miss western food.

McDonald's gave Kirby her very first ice cream cone - she also enjoyed her first french fries

Home for our afternoon nap - Kirby loves pink bunny snugly

She laughed!!!!

This morning Kirby woke up about 4:30 and just couldn't get settled back down. I held her and rocked her. We don't have a rocking chair so I sat in the bed with her in my arms an my legs crossed and David rubbed my back which rocked me like a rocking chair. This went on for close to an hour and finally she settled down enough to sleep on top of me. We got up for good about 7:30 and she is so alert and happy. I was changing her diaper and when I finished I picked up snuggly (a pink bunny head with a blanket body like the ones James and Nathan loved so much when they where this age). I jiggled bunny on her tummy and she started laughing out loud!! Over and over she did it. Then she saw David and wanted to get to him on the other side of the room, so she rolled like a log over and over to try to get to him. Just yesterday she could barley roll over and needed help and today she is rolling both ways easily and sitting completely by herself. I can leave her on the floor while I pack a bag. Amazing strides in just 24 hours. And she is very verbal today, cooing and babbling. We talked to Laura Sims and she would "talk" herself. She laughes at herself when she sees herself in the mirror. She is sleepin now and I am also going to take a nap. It is great to have so much time to spend with her, but we miss the older children very much and can hardly wait to get home and be a complete family.Thank you so much to everyone for your prayers, they are very much appreciated on this side of the world. God is good! All the time God is good.!!! 

Kirby's Forever Family Day 1 & 2

Written- 10:50 AM EST, 10:50 PM NanChang

We left the hotel in Bejing at 5:30 AM (Monday) and headed to the airport with 3 other couples adopting from the same province.  It is the most unbelievably huge and beautiful airport I have ever seen. Before the flight the 8 of us prayed for our day and our children. It was so amazing, in the middle of the Bejing airport, to bow and pray aloud. I'm sure we had plenty of stares. We had been told that we would arrive in Nanchang and go to our hotel and then at 3:00 we would go to the cival affairs office where the girls would be. But when we arrived in Nanchang our local guide told us that the babies where already in the hotel lobby and we would be there in 1 hour. After all the moms instantly started crying and the guide was prompted to ask, "you do know you are getting babies?" Well then we were laughing and crying all at the same time. When we got to the hotel we went up to the second flour and the doors opened and there they were!!!!!  They took a few minutes to hand each child to the mom and take some pictures. We were the last couple to be presented our child. She came straight to me and grabbed the rattle I had and then just stared at me. No crying at all. Attatchment is such a major issue with children who have been in an orphanage. We have been praying for months  that the Holy Spirit surround her and comfort her and that when we get her she feel that same Holy Spirit in us and be comforted. Certainly God has ben faithful to answer that prayer because she has taken to me right away. God is good!!

We went the Cival affairs office that afternoon and filled out more paper work. It was a room on the 26th floor with only a free standing ac unit, so it was hot hot hot. While David, the paper work captain, was doing paper work, I took Kirby over to her nannies who where there also. I wanted to watch how they interacted with her and try to learn some more about her. They started making a clicking noise to play with her. I would try to make the same noise but they would laugh and laugh at me. This probably went on for 20 minutes. The rest of the day we spent in our room just looking and playing with her. We have been given some formula and told she likes a very hot bottle, other than that we are just guessing, but David, the bottle captain, got it right.  She takes a bottle so hot that she sweats  when she drinks it. We skyped  with the children for a bit and then she fell asleep about 8:30. We only realized then that we had not eaten lunch or dinner and had only had breakfast on the airplane, so we ordered room service and went to bed.

She woke up at 6:30 on Tuesday. We had left her in her clothes from the orpahnage for the night. Our guide suggested that the smell would be familiar to her and help her.  So this morning we gave her a bath and dressed her in an adorable dress and leggings. We have to dress her warmly until she gets used to air conditioning which she has probably never had. We tried to give her a little congee (a rice dish like oatmeal) but she did not care for it. Then we went to the notary's office (more like a judge) where we were inteviewed again. They asked the same questions as the interview the day before. "Do you like your baby?, "What do you do for a living?", "Do you promise never to abandon or abuse her?".  We answer nicely but I always want to scream "I love her and I would never dream of hurting her or leaving her!"  David did answer yesterday "We love her!"

Shopping at Walmart with all our new children

Then we headed to WalMart, and just like at home we ran in for diapers and left over an hour later with a cart full. The WalMart is 2 stories and was quite an adventure. You can't read anything. David needed shampoo and we can only hope that is what we bought. There is also a fresh food section with fish and turtles and snakes and smelled much too strong for me so Kirby and I just walked around. Thats when the people, especially the ladies, would come up and just look at Kirby and try to talk to me. They were all very sweet and smiled so genuinely. One young boy wanted to practice the one English phrase he knows and ran up to me to ask "Whats your name?". He was so proud of himself he dashed off to tell his mom before I had finished answering. 

Tonight we walked to KFC for supper. It's about 4 blocks and was like stepping into a different world. Our hotel is completely modern and very nice, but as soon as you get just one step away nothing at all is familiar. Again, more stares. In KFC we were offered an English menu and we pointed to the picture of what we wanted. It makes me more understanding of the difficulties the deaf have in our own community. 

Kirby is doing great on her first full day as a Dennis. She can sit for much longer periods and rolled over a few times today. She even scooted about 6 inches to reach a new toy (WalMart item). But best of all she seems happy to see David and me. She played on the floor a long time with David today and will go to him more readily today. All day I have had in my heart the prayer of Hannah in Samuel, "For this child I have prayed and the Lord has granted my petition". Those words take on a whole new meaning when we have waited so long for her and finally hold her in our arms. We thank and Praise God for choosing us to be the parents of this beautiful child. 

Gotcha Day - July 26th, 2010

God is faithful. 

What a beautiful child the Lord has entrusted us to raise. It has been an absolutely wonderful day but emotional exhausting. I will let the pics do the "talking" tonight because Kirby and mom are already fast asleep and I better hurry and catch up - no telling what time we will all be up in the morning. We will have much more time to fill in the details in the next several days because our pace will slow dramatically as we enjoy what the Chinese refer to as our "harmonises period" and have only one or two appointments per day with much down time. 

I can't close tonight with thanking our Lord for all He has done in our lives and the tremendous blessing He has seen fit to entrust to Katherine and me - now 5 of the most precious children ever!!!

Praising the Lord from China. We love you and are the beneficiaries of your many prayers, Thank you, 

David & Kat (zzzzzzzzzz)

Kirby looking at Mom for the first time:

Mom holding Kirby for the first time!

Mom and Dad with the orphanage employees

First family picture

Dad finally gets a turn!

The boys and I got to talk to Mom, Dad, and Kirby on skype this morning, which was SO exciting! She is so beautiful and happy! She would smile every time Dad would look at her and eventually she just put her head on Mom's shoulder and went to sleep! She's too cute! 

Can't wait to see more of her! -Laura Sims 

Gotcha Day Eve

Written-  12:20 pm EST (July 25th), 12:20 am Beijing (July 26th)

Worship, Great Wall, and Gotcha day Eve

Another great day in Beijing. We started the day off right by going to a wonderful worship service where the name of Jesus was lifted high and the Word preached without compromise.   There were about 70 of us and maybe 400 others as we were unified by the Spirit in worship. One of the Church's Elders preached and in His sermon he spoke of his brother in-law who was in his 50's and had rejected the Gospel until several months ago when a friend (a new believer himself) invited him over to watch "Facing The Giants" and he knew from the very begining of the movie he was going to accept Jesus, as he weep through the whole thing. A man broken and restored by Christ, who is now  on fire for the Lord. He wants "all his friends to follow the One who brings peace, joy, love and security. All the things he had looked for ever since he was 4yrs old. That got all the baptist with a spontaneous, "AMEN!". How cool is that to hear while in China!?

We went to the Great Wall of China this afternoon. "WOW" sums it up. The thing is incredible in scope and size when you think it was built centuries ago (sorry can't remember the dates - things are very old over here and I've mentally drifted thinking about tomorrow many times today). The one thing which surprised me the most was the steepness of it. It was extreme in the sections we climbed and I don't think the few pictures we took do it justice. I could not imagine climbing it without the modern handrails which did make it a somewhat safer.

In less than 5 hrs from now we will wake and start a day of travel to the city of NanChang, in the Province of Jiangxi. We hope to arrive in time to check into our hotel shortly before we walk across the street to the Civil Affairs Office. This is where  they will bring 3 little girls who where born within a few days of each other last October and raised in an orphanage about 80 miles away to meet the parents God has chosen for them. About all you can say is we serve an awesome God who is worthy of our worship! You can't make this stuff up- God writes the best stories. Far better than anything I can come up with. Please keep ALL of us in your prayers, especially Kirby. If tomorrow seems like a big deal to us - multiply it by at least 1000 for Kirby. Please pray for her and the huge transition she will be making tomorrow. The next several days will be hard until she can learn how much we love her and how we are her forever family. 

Got to go and try to sleep a couple of hours -                  

We love you all,

David and Kat

Tourism

Dad and Mom with her Great Great Uncle - Chairman Moa Xi Green

 Summer Olymipic Birdsnest

Well Kat - We Certainly Ain't in Spartanburg Anymore or Kansas for that matter

Written- 1:15pm EST, 1:15am in Beijing 

When we arrived at our Hotel on Friday, it was perfect timing. It was around 7pm and after a quick shower and bite to eat, we were down for the count until the next morning. Our agency did a great job of taking us from the airport to the hotel and really looking after ALL the details which allows us to concentrate on the upcoming BIG day on Monday and connecting with the 23 other families who are here for the same mission, to adopt a Chinese orphan. It has been such a blessing for us to share our stories with one another and hear how God has uniquely called each one of us and how He is working in their lives as He is our own. We have families everywhere from Washington DC, Washington, NC, and the state of Washington. They have come from Chicago, St. Louis, St. Charles, and many points in between. As unique as our stories are, they are very similar in many ways. It is impossible to explain how full our hearts continue to be but you multiply that by about 60-70 people all called by God to this place and at this time with expectation their personal experience will change a heart or many hearts - it is one of great blessing, joy and simple awe. 

I am so glad our whole group will go to worship tomorrow together. In addition to the rustling of God's Encouraging Word, we will be rustling the pages of our passport if we want to get through the doors. We are so excited to be able to corporately worship and will be singing praises to our Mighty God with our new friends from all around the country. 

Two more sleeps till Gotcha day and we can hardly want. We did learn today that we will fly from Beijing about 9am to NanChang with time for us to check into our hotel and get a few things straight before actually walking across the street to meet Kirby at the Civil Affairs Office. Although we may not be in Kansas of SC right now, there is no better spot to be than in the will of God where ever that may take you. Thank You for you prayers and a specific one will be that Kirby will make the initial meeting of us easy on her. Lord, please calm her heart and give he the peace of the Holy Spirit and the wisdom of Salomon for the days ahead.

Blessings for David and Kat

David's Thoughts on the Plane

My Dad made some notes as he journaled yesterday on the plane. They aren't able at this point to get on the blog, so for now I'm going to be the mediator and be posting and sending any comments back to them via email! Thanks so much for all your prayers that got them there  safely. - Laura Sims


David: 
"After a week full of making sure all the details of the trip were taken care of, the reality of what was only "one sleep" away was something I simply cannot describe. I believe I could have actually finished all I had to do in fairly short order but took my time packing - the actually placing items in one of three pieces of luggage allotted for the journey. It help just staying in motion and not letting the overwhelming excitement Kat and I both are feeling. Our hearts are full to the point of overflowing. To think the Lord would be so good to us - what did we do to deserve such favor from Him? Thinking of where we were when we started this journey and to reflect back on all the changes which have occurred over the last
4.5 years and the numerous times we could have pulled the plug, jumped ship. Each time one of us would be the strong one and say "I don't see it but let's don't stop now, let's just take this next step and then we will see." I can not tell you the number of times I would pray in the oh so still quite of the night when God first stirred my soul spirit years asking God "to please wet my fleece just one more time." I wish I could say I woke the next morning and my blackout was soaked. No it was more like wrestling most of the time which made the times when He did, it was so apparent and supernatural it renewed my resolve to stay the course and ask for fogiveness for my such lack of faith. God is my Ebinezer and Jehovah-Jira. He has always and will as be my Provider.
Each time I say I can't describe it, I give it another try. For those who already have a relationship with the Lord, you know what I am trying to describe. You will also know why we keep trying to put into words this most wonderful and most valued possession we have. Once a person is saved they become a new creation just as God tells us in His Word but it's not a possession you hold onto, you cannot help but share it with others. It's just the way God works. Maybe that is my answer, it's just  the way God works and He is worthy of our worship."

Shoe Shine

Mom getting her shoes shined during their 4 hr plane delay in NJ! haha. -Laura Sims

Reflection on Day 1- Travel Day

It started early and lasted a long time. No I mean a really long time as in it's still going on. The GPS which is mounted in the back of the seat in front of me, says we are 5565 miles before we land in Beijing. It also tells us it is -56F outside; I actually think the reason they would show us this "factoid" to us is it keeps everyone onboard on their best behavior. It's too cold outside to jump so we will remain in our airline "infant car seats" and do try and find that one elusive position I know will make the 15 hr sitting marathon doable. This is such a minor inconvenience compared to living the rest of your formative years in an orphanage, it is beyond silly. To quote my favorite preacher "God is about to bless my socks off " and I'm much too selfish to want to miss a blessing. As my Grandfather Na use to tell me as a kid when I would ride with him to Pawley's Island; when I would ask over and over and over again the proverbially question, "how much longer???" No matter if it was the first time I asked (Sptbg city limits) or the 50 time (probably Newberry), his answer was always the same; "As the monkey said when he got his tail caught in the fan, 'it won't be as long as it has been' ". I can remember laughing every single time and not knowing what in the world it meant. It obviously worked for both of us 40 years ago and it's what i'm telling myself today. T-minus 3 days till I get to see my new princess for the first time. I miss my Granddad. He loved children and his living it out for me to witness and experience personally, is why I do also.

I use to think when someone referred to a long hard day as "having a day and a half" it was long and hard but it was still a 24 hour time period. I'm wrong again, as we are flying backwards around the world, this day is shaping up to be about a  36 hour one. Thank goodness Kat is with me on this "Amazing Race" and all of us who know and love her know why she is the most excellent math teacher and teaching the Solar System was never a consideration in her career options.

To say we got the last seats on the fight today really has a double meaning. I feel certain by the seats we were assigned we had to be the last two to make a reservation.
In addition, our seats are so far back, first class folks have no clue we are even here. When we took off it took about 12 seconds for us to catch up. No joke, when we hit turbulance the on-board music system I'm listening to skips before I feel the bump! It's a great warning system, it gives me a second to know it's coming.

It has been a glorious, long, wonderful day and I think I'm going to try and take a nap now. As I sign off with 4787 miles to go before landing, the tempature over Greenland is currently  -61F at 32,999 ft. Who said science isn't fun!

From two of the most blessed people you will ever meet, we love you all,

David

Ps: quote of the day comes shortly after I make Kat look out the airplane window to see the Statue of Liberty upon final landing approach on a very windy day - "don't make me look again. When all those plastic pieces outside the plane are bouncing up and down it reminds me of a "Barbie Plane".
There may not be a quote of the day everyday but that was too good. It may actually hold us for a week or so..

Ebenezer and Jehovah-Jireh

 This past Sunday Dr. Wilton preached a powerful sermon on the names of God. The sermon reminded us of the great missionary to China, Hudson Taylor. The biography of his life, The Spiritual Secret of Hudson Taylor  by Dr.and Mrs. Howard Taylor is a great read that has inspired and humbled us in so many ways. Hudson Taylor reportedly had a plaque in every home he ever lived which read Ebenezer Jehovah-Jireh.
The name Ebenezer is found in I Samuel 7:12; when God saved Isreal from the Philistines. Samuel set up a stone "and named it Ebenezer, saying 'thus far the Lord has helped us'". The Lord has indeed been faithful towards us on our journey towards adoption. He has encouraged us, led us, and helped us in so many ways.
We find the name Jehovah-Jireh in Genesis 22:14.This is when God provided a ram for Abraham to sacrifice as a subsitute for his son Isaac. Abraham declared "Jehovah-Jireh, the Lord will provide". Its a great descriptive name of our  Lord. Everything we have and everything we will have is proided by Him.

These two names are like two "bookends", the past and the future.They
  remind us that the Lord has always helped us and will always provide for us in the future. We have had our own plaque made for our home and David's office as well. So as we begin the travel portion of our journey we know that there will be some hard times ahead, some trying moments but we know our God has always been with us and will always be with us in the future. Praise be to God! Ebenezer - Jehovah-Jireh!

The Children's Perspective

I, Laura Sims, was James and Nathan's age (14 years old) when my parents first mentioned adopting, which is so weird to think how long ago that was!  Now as an 18 year old headed to college, so many things have changed in my life but I am still thrilled to have new baby sister!  I was able to sit down and talk to each of my brothers one on one throughout this week and get their feelings about the adoption in order to capture all our thoughts in one post.  I talked to my brothers interview style so... I'll just introduce all these amazing guys and then tell you what they said to me.  Nathan and James are about to go into the 8th grade and very smart kids but very different.  Nathan is witty and clever, always making us laugh.  James is creative and intuitive, always noticing the details and coming up with a solution.  David is about to turn 17 and be a Senior in high school.  He's grounded in his faith, can remember anything he hears, and is incredibly caring.  It was such a joy to be able to talk to them about Kirby...

1. When our parents first mentioned adopting a little girl from China what was your initial reaction?


Nathan- I thought it would be pretty cool and interesting.  I also realized there would be lots of big changes in my life.
James- I was happy and excited to be getting a new sister from China!
David- It took a while for it to hit me, but once it did I was really excited and also glad we had the opportunity to bless a life like God has blessed our lives.
Me (Laura Sims)- I was surprised but thrilled at the idea.  Since I was little I had wanted a sister and did everything from writing Santa countless letters to praying every night that God would give me a sister. Needless to say, I was extremely excited to finally have a sister and answer to prayer.

2.  What has been your prayer for Kirby over these past years?

Nathan- Safety.
James- Safety and for her to come home soon.
David- Somehow for her to know we love her.
Me (Laura Sims)- For God's protection over her while she is not with us and for her to never feel cold, hungry, or alone.

3. What is something you want to teach Kirby as your little sister?

Nathan- To grow up to be a leader and strong in her faith.
James- To be a leader and how to drive a car.
David- As a family we want to teacher her to follow Christ in all she does.  Personally and as a swimmer, I can't wait to teach her to swim.
Laura Sims- I can't wait to teach her how to live strong for Christ! As a sister, I look forward to teaching her how to shop and wear makeup, but also how to get through middle school, make friends, come out of her shell, and always be who God created her to be.


4. How is Kirby coming home going to change our family?

Nathan- We'll have more leadership and responsibility roles.
James- It will make us happier and I'll have more responsibilities.
David- She has already changed me because I've seen an example in Mom and Dad of how to live for God and follow what He says.  She will continue to change us in the obvious areas of having a baby in the house, but also, she is picture of how God has adopted us into his family.

Laura Sims- Kirby will bless us with her unique personality, individuality, and in ways I can't even conceive yet. Also she is a reminder for me to listen to God's call on our lives.  My parents were faithful and obedient and because of it, a precious little girl is going to enter my life. I am constantly reminded to live with such faith, go where God sends me, and do what He asks of me. He is an amazing God with  an amazing plan that I can't even imagine, just like I couldn't even image Kirby 6 years ago but she is really coming home in only a short time! God is always faithful!
                   

Packing Packing Packing

How do you decide what to take on such an important trip? I've been collecting things for months... no, years; and now it all has to fit into one bag. Kirby gets one suitcase and David and I are sharing another. David has packed 4 changes of clothes in what lookes like  freeze-dried bags and he is basically finished. My side of the suitcase looks like a teenager's room, so I decided to repack. I counted 15 pairs of socks. Do I need 15 socks for a 16 day trip? Probably not, so then I had to sit down and decide which socks to take. I then noticed David has made a list of what he has packed in the suitcase. Wow are we different1 Everytime I see something I may need I throw it in, which is how I ended up with 15 socks and no telling what else.
Kirby's suitcase is equally as funny. We have no idea what size she is, what she eats, what bottle nipple, or pacifier she uses, so we pack a little bit of every shape and size and pray God guides us to the right thing. I know God guides, the only question is can I be quiet enough to listen!
What to pack in a carry on? If your big bag is lost what do you absolutely need with you? Medicine, snack food, Bible... What Bible to take? My big study Bible weighs too much, and my small Bible is too hard to read. I sound like Goldilocks. In the midst of all this James (14 yrs old) comes to report that he has found a verse for my China trip. Luke 9:3 "Take nothing for your journey, neither a staff, nor a bag nor bread, nor money; and do not even have two tunics  apiece". Out of the mouths of babes... Thank you James for this reminder, all I really need is the paper work. Everything else is icing.

Referral Day

It was June 7th and  David Jr. was at work.  David III was on choir tour with the church for the week, and James and Nathan were at Seesalt for the Junior High retreat. It was the day before a big primary election in our area and Laura Sims and I were both home taking turns answering the many political calls. About 12:30 the phone rang and I answered thinking it was another recording, but it was my agency saying "We have good news for you". I called David and he came home so we could  be together for the big call that we have waited and prayed for so very long.
She was born on October 20, 2009 in the Jiangxi Province in China. and was named Zhuang Lu You.  Her nannies call her YouYou (pronounced Yo-yo). She was 2.9kg (6.68 lbs) and 39 cm (15 1/2 in) long. She was abandoned at the gate of the Yifeng Social Welfare Institute were she is still living. About an hour later we got an adorable picture of our precious child all bundled up in pink! The next day the Fedex stork arrived with a bigger picture, her medical records all in Chinese and a Letter of Acceptance from the Chinese government. Of course we signed it right away and had it headed back the same day!
We sent her a care package and about 3 weeks later recieved an updated photo and new measurements. She is now about 27 in. long and weighs 8kg (17.64 lbs).  It was unbelievably exciting to see a new picture of her. It was like referral day all over again. Imagine how exciting it will be to actually see her and hold her in our arms.
Until then, we pray that the Lord is with her and protects her. Jesus says in Matther 18:10, "See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for their angels in heaven continually see the face of My Father who is in heaven". Thank you Lord for your protection of our little one!

Kirby's name

We decided to name our new daughter Kirby very soon after we knew we were going to adopt. David and I have always liked using family names and just knew we would do the same with child #5. Laura-Sims is named for my sister Laura and her great-grandfather Nathan Sims. David III is of course named for his father, David Jr. and grandfather, David Sr.. James is named for his grandfather Jimmy Green and Nathan is named for his great-grandfather Nathan Sims. Kirby is named after my (Katherine's) grandfather Kirby Stokes Covington (1903-1990). Everyone called him K.S.. I have the clearest memory of going to spend the night with he and my grandmother(Kathleen) and them kneeling beside the bed to pray with us. I remember him praying for my husband and children.  I was only a child and it seemed like the strangest thing ever. He would never have been able to imagine he was praying for his great-grand child in China, but he would have been glad to know he was. In I Corinthians 2:9 the Bible says "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him". A child half way around the world is very hard to imagine but in 8 more days it will be a reality!

My unique call from the Lord - Kat

It was Christmas time 2005 our children were 9,9,12 and 13. We were finally out of the hard child rearing stage. So when David told me about his vision of a baby girl and that he thought we ought to adopt from China, I did think he was crazy and that it would pass. But he was so calm and confident and he only asked that I pray about it. So I did, for days, but I didn't hear from God. One morning when I was praying, really just complaining to God; I was explaining to Him why I couldn't possible adopt a baby. I had cooking class,hair appointments, bible studies....:I heard God ask me "Is that worth a child's life?" Wow, that did get me to thinking. Later when I was talking to my daughter Laura Sims (then 13), and explaining why I couldn't just say "yes" ; she asked "Why can't you just trust Dad, you trust him about everything else?" She was right of course and so I said yes.
 I fully expected that after I was obedient to God's call He would then give me my own special call. He didn't, at least not for awile. If I'm honest I would have to say I was upset with God for calling David first and not me. Of course God knew David would answer and I would make excuses. So I waited and waited some more. I wondered how Sarah (then Sarai) felt when God called Abraham (then Abram) to move to a new land. The bible doesn't tell us if God called Sarah, but we know that she moved with Abraham to a new land.(Genesis 12) So we began paper-chasing, homestudies and fingerprints, and I kept asking God for my own special call.
We were finaly logged in on 4-24-06. All of our paper work was in China and all I could think of was "Why?". There are many, many orphans in China. Why does this child get matched with us and others remain to grow up in an orphanage? One Sunday evening I was driving children from choir, to awanna, to discipleship and I just kept praying "Why God why?". Suddenly I saw. It only took a second but I saw it all. I mean I saw everything. I saw my whole family in heaven. Kirby, our baby girl was with us but older. I saw her birth mom who had prayed to the Living God to save her child. I knew God was faithful to answer that prayer, and I knew that if we did not adopt this child, God would call another who would. It was not at all about me, it was about her! God would save this child because HE IS FAITHFUL. Then I saw a missionary who had preached the Word of  God in China and not seen the fruit of his labor, and Kirby's  birth grandmother who had heard Him and believed, and that is why she and Kirby's birth mom called on the name of the Lord. We were all in heaven rejoicing together and marveling at God's goodness and faithfulness and awsome love. It only took a few seconds and tears were streaming down my face, but I knew God had called me to be a part of His plan for this child. It was up to me to accept His invitation and the blessings to follow or choose "self" and miss all of what God has in store for us.
There have been many times in the last  4 1/2 years when God has reassured me of His call for our family. There have been more times than I can count when someone from the body of Christ has had the right word, has showed up at the door with a gift, the perfect song has been sung or His word has spoken directly to my spirit. Everytime I am overwhelmed by His love and graciousness to reassure me when I should never doubt at all. ...Praise be to God!

A Most Unexpected Call

I have waited for several days to write this post not knowing exactly how to reduce into words something so miraculous it seems impossible for me to attempt such a task. I prayed for God to show me what to say and let me go back to the Christmas holiday season of 2005 when I received a most unexpected "call" that would change my life and many others, especially my family. It was such a big deal that I started a journal within days; its was my "building an alter of remembrance" of something supernatural taking place and I didn't want to miss it and share with whoever would listen.

The last several days I have taken time to read the early entries of my journal. It took me back to the Sunday night Dec.18, 2005. The night I woke from my sleep in the very early hours of the morning with an image of a Asian baby girl. Just her face; non-descript but definitely the face of a small Asian female baby. It gets more interesting; I was crying when I woke. I went back to sleep and didn't say anything the next day and just went about my day. I need to mention, I was intentionally seeking God to show me what He wanted me to do with the rest of my life. I was really asking God to please redeem the time I had left here on earth; to serve Him unlike the previous years I had wasted serving myself.

Then Monday night around 3am, I woke again sobbing in my pillow. I was actually concerned I would wake Kat and have to answer -" what is going on over there?". Fortunately, she remained asleep and we woke  Tuesday morning and again went about our day with me not saying anything. However, I began wondering what was going on. I have to say, I was looking forward to going to bed Tuesday night because even though I was crying, it was a joyful, peaceful experience. Each night I would put in my ear bud and listen to WMIT 106.9, singing along in my spirit worshiping the Lord until I would drift back off to sleep. You might have already guessed it; it happened for the third night in a row and by this time I was sure something very cool was going on but just not sure what. I prayed almost continuously on Wednesday seeking the Lord to reveal to me what was going on.

When Wednesday night rolled around, I think I was so excited and/or anxious, I don't think I actually went to sleep that night. Somehow I knew I needed to tell Kat what had been going on even though I still wasn't sure myself. I can't explain it, but the afternoon of the 27th I just casually told her and the peace that only the Lord can grant, allowed me to calmly share with her. I also believe it was the Lord who prevented her from ordering a complete evaluation of me too make sure I wasn't going crazy. As I described this reoccurring dream or vision and the joy and peace associated with it, we for the first time in our 16 year marriage ask if it could have something to do with adoption. My journal entry from that day stated "Katherine listened carefully and in her normal way, she needed to process it". We agreed to pray in earnest to ask God to speak to each one of us. We had already agreed to follow Him but we wanted to make sure of what He may be asking of us.That day's journal entry specifically said I want Katherine to communicate her feelings and thoughts through the process and she will be posting soon speaking from her point of view.

I probably should have mentioned, Katherine and I had completed the wonderful study by Henry Blackaby, "Experiencing God". We were about to face our crisis of faith. Would we obey or not. I'm a simple guy and it will all come down to this for me (Kat also):
Obey = God's blessings --- Disobey = miss God's blessings.

There were a couple of things I knew for sure, if God was calling us to adoption, He would not just call one of us, it would have to be both of us. I also knew I need to give Kat her space, I never ever want to influence her so I told her it would be best to pray separate from one another for a while as we ask for God's discernment.


Over the next 3-4 days I began to poke around on the Internet learning about adoption and specifically the horrible situation the "one child only policy" in China had orphaned an estimated 1,000,000 baby girls. They are called the "lost girls of China" and there is actually a book by the same title which does a good job portraying the complexity of this social policy and it effects. God was softening my heart in a way I could not have even begun to have thought of just several weeks earlier.

God began to show me that adoption is the heart of the Gospel and it is a beautiful picture of what he had done for me just a couple of years earlier. As I began to look at how adopting a child much younger from our youngest, James and Nathan (10 yrs old), it was going to mean some big changes to the "plan" I had worked out in my head. Maybe our empty nest years were before we had children not what most couples look forward to in their later years. Financial commitment, I will probably need to work longer and retire later. Having Kat "all to myself" is a great incentive. To be able to travel and go on mission, ect..... But then God allowed me to see what the rest of my family might have to sacrifice - not that any of my children have ever mentioned anything but total joy and excitement in the days to come, I knew that I could not ask them to sacrifice if I wasn't totally willing to myself. I say these things because they were real at the time. The amazing thing is God allowed me and each one of us ultimately wrestle with this "self" and by His grace revealed the true meaning adoption is; an ultimate picture of God's grace.

In an effort not to go on and on (which I easily could), within in about 3-4 days Katherine received her confirmation from the Lord. We had both received "a most unexpected call". We told God that day, here we are, we know You have spoken to us and we are willing to do whatever you ask, knowing You will provide the way and the blessings You have in store for us. There was and continues to be an overwhelming sense of gratitude and thankfulness to God for trusting us enough to be the earthly parents to one of His precious children. A child not born flesh of our flesh, nor bone of our bone but miraculously by the Spirit of the living Lord Jesus Christ, into our hearts and family forever.

Thank you Lord for adopting me into your family,

David

Ps: We had no idea what lay ahead, but we started charging with a sence of urgency and absolute certainty God had called !


"But this is what I commanded them, saying, 'Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and you will be My people; and you will walk in all the way which I command you, that it may be well with you.'  Jer. 7:23

The Beginning of a Great Story

This is a story of one man and one women who fell in love many years ago. They wed and began their family, having four of the most beautiful and wonderful children anyone could have ever asked for. After "chasing" after what the world had to offer and exceeding what "it" said would satisfy; there was no peace. That is when I ran head long into the Lord Jesus Christ and surrendered my life to Him as not only my Savior but for the first time as Lord of my life. This is when I began to see how God was writing my story.

It was 2003 when I chose to try it God's way since my way wasn't working out so good. Don't misunderstand, by all accounts it looked like it was, beautiful wife, four of the greatest children, everyone healthy, the right address, country club, social scene, ect., ect., ect..... We even "played church" on a fairly regular basis, but there was an emptiness, a void that I could not fill - until the Spring afternoon on our back veranda, I got down on my knees and asked God to help me, please help me. My prayer was simple yet profound. I have grown to understand, that simple prayer is what God longs to hear from each one of us. Please help me because I am lost, help me because I'm a sinner and in need of someone besides my self who can save me.

After that day, I wish I could say I gained full knowledge of who God is and knew exactly what He desired of me and the rest of my life. That was certainly not the case but I knew I was changed - can't explain it other than I knew I was a different man. I knew that I knew that I knew - I was born again. I had an unquenchable desire to read His word and to pray to Him through His Son, Jesus. I began to love this God who loved me before I even knew Him, even when I wagged my finger at Him and use to use His name in vain. I learned He forgave me and the more He forgave me, the more things He would bring to mind that I needed forgiven of - this never stops and is one of the most beautiful things about being a child of God, it is a process. Being a follower of Jesus Christ is a journey, not a destination. However, instead of "peddling my own bike" through this one life God has granted me, I am now in the second seat of a tandem bike with Jesus in front steering. I have since traveled down the most exciting roads and trails I could never have dreamed of and the thrill of trusting in a Savior and leaving all of life's consequences to Him, is a place each one of us was created to be. It is by far the most exciting and fulfilling life I could have ever dreamed of.
When God writes His story through you, it is all of the above plus the most challenging and rewarding life imaginable - you will never be the same!

The purpose of this blog is simple, it is to bring God glory, first and foremost. He is simply worthy of praise and honor. Secondly, it is our attempt to share with you our story - The one God is writing through us. The reason we are starting our blog now is because of one of these stories. A beautiful story of adoption which is unfolding as I write. A story so amazing we want to shout it from the mountain tops - which I believe is what blogging is in 2010... So we invite you to follow this story as we attempt to record it in the coming days

<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< May I ask you one question before you leave? ---Is God writing your story? If you don't know for certain that you have surrendered your life to the Lordship of Jesus and by God's grace accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior; I beg you to settle this most important issue right now. It will be the best decision of your life - your eternity hangs in the balance! Please understand, I am simple one beggar sharing with a fellow beggar where to find some food. Here's how you can start over with a brand new life and have the certainty of salvation and eternal life with the One who created you. No matter where you are, where you have been, or what you may have done. God's grace is larger than any of our sins and His forgiveness and love for us is boundless. Use this acronym as a guide = A. C. T. A = acknowledge to God you are a sinner in need of a Savior - "God Help Me"
"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23)

C= confess your sins to God and repent - turn from your sins and self.
"If you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised
Him from the dead, you will be saved" (Romans 10:9)

T= By faith trust Jesus with all your heart and He will save you.
"But as many as received Him, to them he gave the right to become children of God, even
to those who believe in His name" (John 1:12)

If you have prayerfully taken these steps and would like to know more about what it means to be a child of God and this new life He gives to us in abundance. We would be honored to speak with you. Please don't hesitate contacting us if we may be a blessing to you.

Thank You for stopping by and we pray the story God is writing through us will honor the Lord and be a blessing to you.

In HIS strong love,

David & Katherine Dennis, jr.
and Family <><