The end is in sight

We just overnighted the last of our paperwork that will be completed this side of China (we hope.) Now we wait. All of our paperwork is on its way back to China and the ball is back in their court. We are now waiting (anxiously) for our travel approval. Once Bethany receives our travel approval, they will schedule our consulate appointment in China and then schedule our travel around that date. We will then be notified of our travel dates. We will be given anywhere between 1 weeks notice to a month's notice. So we must be ready to go before we even know when we are leaving.

Now the fun begins...
1. We have begun packing (the suitcases never got put away from the beach).
2. We have begun an inventory of our clothing to make sure we have enough clothes that we want to wear in China. Jeans without holes- check! Shirts without stains- check! Good walking shoes - check!
3. I have started to pack the Winnie the Pooh backpack we got for Jonathan which will also be his carry-on. Books, bubbles, balls, trains- cool toys to entice, maybe bribe, and entertain him with while in China.
4. I have begun lists for Mom-mom to help her while we are gone. Food option lists, directions for play dates, phone lists, etc- these are more for my peace of mind then for her necessity!
5. I have started gathering clothes for Jonathan. We have found him pants, shirts and PJ's that we are hoping will fit him. Mom-mom is going to tailor his pants appropriately. Thankfully she is a great seamstress.
6. We are starting to fill out paperwork to get Jonathan on our health insurance. We have contacted Children's Hospital and started communication with them. We will be scheduling him for an evaluation to take place within 1 to 2 weeks of our return home.
7. We have set up skype on our computer and Mom-mom and Pop-pop's computer so we can practice using it and so everyone is comfortable with it before we go. We are counting on being able to skype with the kids most everyday while we are away.

So much to do and we don't know how much time we have to do it in, but completing these items is energizing to us. Doing these things means we are getting ready to actually get on the plane and go get Jonathan.

Ben asked me the other day- "When is Jonathan coming home?"- I told him soon. The kids are starting to get excited as they even realize the end is in sight.

This has been an incredible journey thus far. We have learned so much, we have seen God's provision- where only He could provide, we have been blessed by so many of you as you have supported us financially, emotionally and with your prayers. The exciting part is that the journey is only just beginning- the best part is yet to come.

During the next few weeks please continue to pray for our family as we prepare to travel. Pray for Mom-mom's leg to continue to heal. Pray for Jonathan and his foster parents as they prepare for him to leave the only home he has known. Pray for Jonathan's birth mom. A finding ad was placed in the local newspaper in Jonathan's province within the last few months in anticipation of his adoption. We will never know if she saw the finding ad or not. But as a mom, I would guess that never a day goes by where she doesn't wonder what has happened to the little boy she left in a hospital about 3 years ago.

We will keep you posted- we are praying that we receive our Travel Approval within the next month, but as we have learned it is not our timeline, but it is all in God's hands. So for now- Jeremy goes to work, I homeschool the kids and we prayerfully wait for Jonathan to join our family.