2 more sleeps!

We are on day 14 of our 16 day adventure.  We were joking with one of the other couples the other day that if you can come out "still standing" after this trip, you could easily win "The Amazing Race"!  (In fact, some of our taxi cab and bus experiences have reminded us of that TV show.)  This trip has been hard, but very rewarding.  This journey we began a little more than a year ago has taught us that with God's help, guidance, and direction we can achieve what may look impossible. 

God has used so many of you to help us obtain the funds needed to complete this journey; so many of you have partnered with us in prayer; so many of you have supported us in ways we will never forget.  We are thankful to God for each and every one of you who have partnered with us to make this dream of adding Futing to our family a reality. 

We realize that we have been blessed with a little boy who was loved and well taken care of even before we saw his first picture.  His foster mother must be a very special woman.  This is quite evident in Futing's behavior, attitude and disposition.  We will forever be grateful to her for taking such good care of our little guy for the first 3 years of his life. 

We also realize that this journey is not ending.  It is really just beginning.  In about 72 hours our family of 7 will be under one roof for the very first time.  We
enjoyed our time in China, but we are ready to go home.  We are realizing that once home, the journey will get harder.  Having a 3 and 4 year old under the same roof is a recipe for squabbles and conflict.  All 5 children are going to need special attention as we learn what our new normal is going to look like.  We ask that you continue to partner with us in prayer.  In the next few days, please pray for us as we board a plane for a 14 hour flight home.  Pray for strength for Mom mom as she continues to parent in our absence.  Please pray for a smooth transition for all of the Shafer children.  Pray for Futing as he is introduced to his siblings and especially for Ben, our 4 year old, as he now has to share Mommy and Daddy with this little boy we have been calling Jonathan.

The pictures with today's post are from the famous red couch here at the White Swan hotel.  Many, many adopted children and their parents have had their pictures taken there!  The rest of pictures are from a celebratory romp in the play room and in the near-by play ground.

Tomorrow afternoon we'll be getting on a train headed for Hong Kong, and then its just an overnight hotel stay there and a short 13 hours or so in a plane and we'll be home!  It's likely that this will be the last blog post until we are back on American soil. 

Pray that Futing sleeps on the plane ... a lot.