Leaving for Guangzhou

We are leaving for Guangzhou in the morning. I am looking forward to being in familiar territory! I have much shopping to get done and it will be good to get out of the room. My dad and Tacia have had too much time in close quarters together. I have tried to send them out on little errands and out to lunch and Cade has been in the room with his fevers.

Once this afternoon when Cade was needing to get out, I got them to go down to the street market. My dad has been begging for some clipper and we definitely found some there. We were stopped a few times about Cade and with people wanting their photos taken with Tacia. I handed the people a piece of paper our guide had written for us ... I got many thumbs up. It is amazing how much you can understand from people with a different language is you just listen. One woman had to have her daughter read the note to her. She was so happy about us taking Cade that she had tears in her eyes. She wiped them, pointed at me them touched my chest with a big smile. I have learned from the guide speaking to people who ask her about Cade, that this woman was telling me that I have a good heart.

I know that people have varying opinions about adoption and specifically international adoption or special needs adoption. I have been told that we should have helped a child from the states. I have been told that I am abusing government funds by bringing children with "special needs" home for the military to take care of. I have also been told that I do not support the Navy by adopting special needs children while my husband is on active duty. Well, who are these people anyway and why do they care what I do??? The good news is, I am not bound to follow or obey man ... but God. He and He alone is who I am accountable to. He is the one who opens and closes doors for biological and adopted children. I am humbled that He would choose James and I to care for the children he has given to us. I am also so blessed to be surrounded by LOTS of people who are more than supportive of what God is calling us to. Those closest to us (including ourselves) could not see how God was going to provide but we have all been blessed to see how He has. Our government check is a matter of public knowledge and it simply cannot spread on its own to cover caring for a family our size plus two adoptions in three years. It has been the generosity of others and the Lord multiplying paycheck after paycheck!

I am grateful to all of you for your prayers and support. Now that I have confessed to you some of the attacks the enemy has used from others, I am sure you can see how even more important your encouragement has been. I suppose if the enemy feels the need to attack, we must be doing something right! So as the book of James says, "consider it pure joy my brothers, whenever you experience various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance." I am grateful that I am not walking this trial out alone.