This little boy, who was fearfully and wonderfully made thousands of miles away from Sun Prairie, WI, is no longer just growing in our hearts, but now has come into our arms and into our family forever!
We are still a bit in awe that this is all happening!
We met some Chinese officials in a conference room here at the hotel at 9am. In an hour's time after more paperwork and an interview, Gao Wen Liang became our son!
Here is the official paperwork:
The adoption director from his orphanage was there again for this and she presented us with a gift from the orphanage, an authentic Mongolian outfit for Jedidiah and a certificate saying thank you to us for helping them in the plight of orphans. It was very humbling when she gave this to us.
Jedidiah did great during all of this 'business.' He found some curtains to hide behind and peek out of. He likes to play and laugh. Very adorable. He is for sure a typical 20 month old. He likes to discover things and he does not like not having his way. :) We are doing a lot of redirecting! :) He is going to fit right in with our boys...he likes figuring out how things are put together and how they work...very like Jonah and Elijah!
We had the rest of the day on our own. We ventured out to the store together and just had a quiet day together just the three of us. We accidentally, though, successfully traumatized our son for the first time. We went to the barber in the hotel just to get the sides of his hair trimmed, just around his ears. Well, Jedidiah was not at all happy about this, and just when I was going to say forget it, let's not do this, the barber's clippers went straight up the side of Jed's head and took off a whole patch of hair. Horrible! This forced the job to be completed. Not a good experience. Because of the way the clipper went all the way up his head, we had to cut it all off. I am sad, but it will grow! I am the most sad, of course, on how we traumatized him. Praying God helps him forget the whole experience!
Post-haircut Jedidiah:
Beyond the haircut, please pray for this little guy. His whole world has turned upside down. Everything is new, everything. So much for him to adjust to and we need wisdom on how to best help him.
I also suddenly have come down with a bladder infection. Some wonderful friends prayed for me and encouraged me through email last night, which I know made the difference. Praise God the medicine my doctor had us bring is the exact one he would have prescribed if we were at home. I started taking it, and although I still am not feeling completely right, I am a ton better.
We go tomorrow to get Jedidiah's passport, then Friday head to his orphanage in Baotou, and onto an evening flight to Guangzhou, way down in southern China.
IN BRAD'S WORDS:
One less Orpan - boy, there is no better feeling than knowing by my simple little act of obedience, this little guys life will change forever. In this process, we have had our eyes opened to the need around the world for families to step up and "do for one what you wish you could do for many." Today as I was thinking about this post I re-watched the message from Andy Stanley of NorthPoint Church in Atlanta. Here is the link to the message, it is well-worth the 37 minutes. If you can, please watch it now:
Do for One, What you wish you could do for everyone! by Andy Stanley
Here is my call to action for the men of Heartland Community Church and the others reading this blog. We are very blessed to live in the richest country on the planet. Our tour guide here in China was raised in an apartment of 752 sq. feet for a family of four. We all have homes that could easily fit one more, I bet the cars in your garage have seating that could accommodate another child. With acts of obedience like our adoption and Andy's story, there is much joy! If you think back to his message or if you didn't have time to watch it, let me recap three main points:
1. Go deep not wide - If you think you are going to change the world by giving money here and there, you may help yourself feel better, but you really will not make a real difference!
2. Go long-term rather than short-term - I think at the end of our days when we look back at our lives, do you think that anyone will say, the $ spent on extra vacations and the lake house is where it was at, I am glad that is what I did with my extra time or money. People are the only thing that is eternal, and if you can make room for one more, I will bet you, you will not regret it!
3. Give time, not just money - what you really love is where you will spend your time, it is easy to spend you money, we are being called to something greater, by investing in eternity by investing in people!
Back to my challenge for the Men of Heartland: wouldn't it be cool if we became known as the church in Sun Prairie where families step up and make room for "one more!" Before you know it there could be 10 or 12 less orphans in the world!
Just absolutely love being on this journey with your family. God does just what he says he will :)
ReplyDelete