WE HAVE PA!!!

I sent an email to our adoption agency this week.... I said "All I want for Christmas is our P.A.". They said they hadn't heard if they'd be getting any this week.

When I hadn't heard anything by Friday evening, I was a little disappointed and was resigned to the fact that we'd still have to wait. But then.... at about 5:30 this afternoon, I checked my email from mom's house in SC.... and it was there!!! DHL had delivered the PA to the agency today!! HOORAY!

For those of you who don't know, P.A. stands for Pre-Approval. In other words, we got our pre-approval from China to adopt Chang Hua Hui (aka Samuel). China said YES!! Praise the LORD!

Now we can send Sam a care package and pictures of us. We can tell him that he has a family that loves him and can't wait to come get him and bring him home. We can tell him that we'll love him forever and that he is part of our forever family. Hold on Sammy!! Mommy and Daddy are coming!!!! Hopefully we'll all be patient enough to wait for the rest of our paperwork and red tape to be done so we'll be able to get him late this spring.

Thanks to the LORD for an awesome Christmas gift!!

Merry Christmas

I was listening to the radio this morning and heard the song "Merry Christmas" by Third Day. I was all choked up by the end of the song. Hopefully I'll be able to figure out how to get the music to play here, but for now here are the lyrics.... They are worth the read!


There's a little girl trembling on a cold December morn
Crying for momma's arms
At an orphanage just outside a little China town
There the forgotten are

But half a world away I hang the stockings by the fire
And dream about the day when I can finally call you mine

It's Christmas time again but you're not home
Your family is here and yet you're somewhere else alone
And so tonight I pray that God will come and hold you in his arms
And tell you from my heart I wish you Merry Christmas

As I hang the tinsel on the tree and watch the twinkling lights
I'm warmed by the fire's glow
Outside the children tumble in a wonderland of white,
Make angels in the snow

But half a world away you try your best to fight the tears
And hope that heaven's angels come to carry you here

It's Christmas time again but you're not home
Your family is here and yet you're somewhere else alone
And so tonight I pray that God will come and hold you in his arms
And tell you from my heart I wish you Merry Christmas

Christmas is a time to celebrate the holy child
and we celebrate his perfect gift of love
He came to earth to give his life
and prepare a place for us
so we could have a home with him above

It's Christmas time again and now you're home
Your family is here so you will never be alone
So tonight before you go to sleep, I'll hold you in my arms
And I'll tell you from my heart, and I'll you from my heart
I wish you Merry Christmas