Official LOA

We got our official LOA today! This is that green light on all the dates I mentioned in our previous post about LOA. We have all the documents for our I– 800 sent to the adoption agency now. The last one was overnighted this morning. So, we should be within 9 to 12 weeks of travel to China!!!

So, what does that mean? It means we are spending this evening printing more packets and filling  out more paperwork! In Matthew's words, "yeah us!"

I spent this morning lining up medical insurance for this next year, and finding out how to add Michal to then plan. Then, I called MUSC and talked to colleagues and adoptive mom's to help us determine where we want to have Michal's palate repaired.

We are also trying to get together a few fundraisers including a raffle and iPad Air 2, and at least one fundraiser dinner.

Please keep praying. This is a happy time, but very busy. Please pray for strength, joy, for peace in our home, that Matthew and I will work well together and make wise decisions on Michal's behalf. Thank you!

God's fingerprints

A few weeks ago. . .


after a long summer and actually a couple of years of trials and tribulation at our house including not only one, but 2 lightening strikes. . .
                             and a small house fire that caused us to have to live in a hotel for 6-8 weeks this past summer. . .
                                                                                                                
          not to mentioned how long we waited to be matched with 
                        Michal, we knew we needed prayer. 

So, we invited some of our closest church family members over to pray through our house. 

In addition to walking the perimeter of the property and all through the house, we spent a very long time praying in Michal's room. Probably 30-40 minutes just in her room!

My good friend Becky Foxworth "Called Michal home" in her prayer. She told the angels to go get her and bring her home! 

A few minutes later, as my dear friend Steven Ware was praying, I heard in my spirit, "She is coming now. She is coming now. She is coming now." Over and over I heard it. Later that night, I told the group what I heard. And after that night when I prayed with the boys for Michal, instead of praying to be matched with Michal soon, I THANKED GOD that she WAS ON HER WAY!

Later, I realized that our prayer time was held on 10/10 and we had 10 people present to pray with us. 10 is the number of completion!!! What makes that even cooler is, we scheduled this prayer time for a different day and it got rescheduled. 

God knew what date it needed to be!

Then, 7 days later (7 is the number of perfection), at almost the exact time we were praying a week before, and before closing time on Friday night, I got the call from Colorado that finally revealed Michal! Not to mentioned I was out of town at a Christian retreat! This was a time I set apart to be with God and seek to spend time with Him and know Him better. 

These set apart times matter to God.

These are just more signs of the fingerprints of God all over this adoption!

God is totally amazing!

Wow! Things are happening FAST!

We just found Michal last week and we got word today that we already have our "soft LOA" (emailed copy). That is amazing!! 

The permanent LOA should be here within DAYS!!! 

The LOA stands for: The letter seeking confirmation from adopter. 

THIS IS A BIG DEAL. 

The LOA is the true green light for all the dates and events to come. This is a ball, that once it starts rolling, will keep rolling FAST!

One friend that is traveling to China this week said they are traveling 8 weeks after they got LOA. So, we have to get on board and hold on tight for this ride. 

SO MUCH TO DO! We have to prepare her room, have at least one baby shower, and finish some fundraising!
We still need to raise about $7,300, so if you would like to donate please click donate on the right side of the screen, use our Go Fund Me Link:
http://www.gofundme.com/27l19g
or to make a tax deductible donation, you can still give to our Both Hands Account 
www.BothHands.org/matt-and-bethany-manning 

 For those of used to waiting 19 mths. 

Things changing DAILY is different to say the least!! 

I was just sent some immigration papers yesterday, and thought I had at least until the weekend to complete them. Umm. NOPE. Today I got the "soft LOA" email and they told me they want the papers sent to Colorado (our adoption agence home office) NOW! So, after a full days work, and a rush dinner with the family, I am filling out tons of immigration paperwork. Hurriedly, but Happily! Waiting makes the heart grow fonder in this case!

We also compiled and mailed Michal her first care package today!!

We got the release to send her stuff Monday at 10:30pm. In a day and a half we bought the stuff, compiled it, got pictures of all our immediate and extended family members (thank you Facebook), printed them, went to the store to pick them up, put them in an album, labeled each picture with both English and Chinese labels, put all of it together, took it to the post office, and shipped it!!!

I am proud of us!

Presenting Princess Michal!!!!

After 19 months we finally know who Michal is!

"but those who wait on the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint." Isaiah 40:31

This beautiful 14 1/2 month old little girl is our daughter!

A Huge thank you to all of you who have been praying with us for so long! 
Please keep praying until she gets home!

She has a repaired cleft lip, and her palate will be repaired here in the U.S

Her Chinese name is Zhou Kui Zhen. 
Her date of birth is said to be 7.25.13. 
She is from Zhoukou in Henan China.

We hope to be able to travel to China to get her in January.

We are overjoyed! 

Today we started working on preparing her first care package! 

Here are just a few of the items we are including. 

Most importantly, we will be sending a photo album with pictures of all of her family members so she can start to get to know us!

We may get updates before we travel. If we do, we will post them all here. So, please check back to see our progress, and so you will know how to pray most specifically.

We still need to raise about $7,500, so if you would like to be a part of Michal's miracle, please click donate on the right side of the screen, use our Go Fund Me Link:
http://www.gofundme.com/27l19g
or to make a tax deductible donation, you can still give to our Both Hands Account 
www.BothHands.org/matt-and-bethany-manning 

There were several other amazing things that lead to the breakthrough that finally allowed us to know who Michal is. 
I will post those in another blog post very soon.

TO GOD BE THE GLORY!!!
Please don't miss the fact that this is ALL God.
This was His idea. He has guided us each step of the way. He sustained us through the waiting, even when it was almost unbearable. He has provided all the money through his loving people. He picked her out. He revealed who Michal is, and He will bring her safely home!!

Hallelujah! His love is amazing! 
He deserves all our praise!

Parent Training Complete

These blurry screenshots show that Matthew and I both completed our 12 hours of parent training today! We pretty much did it in one sitting. We decided to just bite the bullet and get it done! 

We are glad to have the next step in our adoption journey completed!

Now come on phone, RING!!!!

MATCH! MATCH! MATCH! MATCH!

It is August you know! CCAI has been projecting August or September for our match for the past eight months. Praying it will be so.

Lady from China at Sycamore!

I met a lady at my church today named Angela who is from Hunan China, a province very near to the province Michal will most likely be from the Henan provice which is where our agency CCAIs orphanages are located.

 My friend Sophia and I were trying to share the gospel with her. She had difficulty understanding what we were saying because her first language is Mandarin (Chinese). Even though she had difficulty, through pictures and because of her strong desire to understand, I believe she understood most of what we were explaining.

How cool is that?

She wrote Michal's name in Chhinese characters.

She told me the meaning of the three characters are: rice-cut-girl. We can guess/speculate what the meaning of those Chinese characters have to do with Michal. We believe that names are very important. Names in the Bible were very important. God told me years ago what to name Michal. So her name is from God! Therefore, it makes a lot of sense that there would be deep meaning to her name in relation to who God has made her to be!

In Hebrew and the commonly accepted American meaning for Michal is "one who is like God".

 I feel rice-cut-girl could be rice representing China, cut could represent the cleft lip and palate she will most likely have (the most common medical need we put down on our paperwork) and/or the fact that we will be taking her from China (kinda of symbolizing cutting her off/out of China) and of course she is a girl!  God told us to adopt a girl & that is what our paper work is approved for.

Another meaning Matthew was told from some other people that speak Mandarin is rice-collect-girl. Maybe that speaks to what her family does. Maybe they are rice farmers. Only God knows and we cannot wait to find out!

All of this is God showing us His Soveringty more & more. Showing how well he planned all of this. Showing yet again that none of this is being done by accident or coincidence. 

Angela told us about the Chinese Christian Church in China. She said there was a million people in one public church. Everything is censored by the Chinese government. The church passed out Bibles, but almost no one would take them even though it was an expensive, hard back, valuable book there in China. Those that took the Bibles had to hide them for fear of being teased, called stupid or possible danger from the government. She told how her husband who still lives in China hides his Bible high up on a shelf behind many other books. She said if the people in China really understood Christianity they would all receive salvation.

She left her job as a teacher in China to come to America to escape the oppression. For 5 years she hasn't had a job here, but she says no matter how hard it is here she chooses America. She said her neighbors in China were so oppressive that when she played music they would come over and ask what she was doing/yell at her for playing  music. She said the people there lacked hope so much that they committed suicide all the time. Jumping off a thirteen story building. 

She said her mom was constantly critical.  Angela's mom would say she (her mom) herself was God and that many, many people in China hold the belief that they themselves are God. Wow. What a scary thought. If a person thinks they are God they have a license to do anything you want= Chaos.

She came here five years ago with her son who is currently attending SCAD to receive a degree in architecture. Her husband is still in China. He is a musician. He hopes to join them here in America after his son graduates, gets a job and can provide the money for him to travel here. 

Angela says the oppression from her family and community was so great she never wants to return to China as long as she lives. They think she is stupid or crazy for believing in God and the truths of the Bible. Her family is angry that she left because she was a teacher and ran a school. She allowed all of the children in the family to attend the school for free, but she had to close the school when she left.

I am grateful that I met her and will have the chance to know her for at least the next year until her son gets a job and moves away. I am thankful she will be able to know Michal and teach her some Mandarine and some things about her country. Things I can't teach her, but things that are very much a part of who she is. It will be a joy to bless Angela back by helping her understand the Bible and encouraging her in her faith! God is so good! Praise Him from whom all blessings flow.

Wait on The Lord

but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. (Isaiah 40:31 NIV)

We are living this out right now as we wait to complete our adoption.

Our pastor, Dane Moore preached on waiting on God today. He said:

Waiting on God is NOT:

-being lazy

-going to sleep

-checking out

Things you should do while you wait:

-actively listen

-be willing to submit it all to Him

-REST in God

-let God work in your life so much that you are willing to NOT fight Him.

-Claim peace 

-understand He is providing the courage & strength to get through the wait.

GOD DOES NOT MAKE YOU WAIT FOR NO REASON.

One of the fruits of waiting is understanding the sovereignty of God. Understanding He has a purpose and a plan for your life & it is good!

This has been a great time of growth & maturing in my faith. To actually walk out all those things listed above.

Naturally, I am just like everyone else. I have a little girl in China & I want to get her NOW, but for reasons I don't know or understand, God says WAIT.

That is not what I like to hear, but I trust Him! I know when she is home I can trust that He lead us to the one little girl He picked out for US before time began. I know He is caring for Michal right now while I can't. I know each night when I pray for her God hears & answers those prayers. Each time the boys and I pray for Michal, our love for her GROWS & GROWS. When she gets here, she will NOT be a stranger. SHE WILL JUST FINALLY BE HOME!