Travel Day!!!!

Today at 5:59 pm we will leave Savannah and fly to New York City on the first leg of our journey. We will land in New York City around 8 PM. We have a four hour layover. We will leave New York about 12 midnight and when we arrived in Korea it will be 5 AM Saturday. 

We will journey on to China on 1/15 after a few days stay with friends in Korea.

Because our Internet connection may not be very good while we are out of the country I probably won't be updating the blog regularly.

I will be making post to a secret page I created on Facebook called Journey to Michal. 

If you are on Facebook and would like to be added to that page please message me and I will be glad to add you.

Please pray for good flying weather, flights that run safely and on time. Pray for peace and joy for us. Pray we will have patients with airports and van rides. Pray we will be content no matter where we are! Please pray God will prepare Michal for all the transitions and experiences she will soon face. Please pray for our sons as we will be away from us for three weeks. Please pray for their grandma and poppy is they will be taking care of the boys.

Thank you all for your prayers and support.

Packing, Travel Count & Surgery Research

Count Down:

Wow! 4 days until we get on the plane!!!

                This is our actual plane!

It is still unbelievable. After 20 mths. We finally get to go get Michal!

We know our Gottcha Day will be January 19th. That is the day they will finally put Michal in our arms!

Our Consulate appointment will be January 29th. That is the day she gets her passport and visa so we can finally bring her to America!!!

Big days ahead!!!

Korea:

We will start our journey in Korea:

Since our plane was going to land in Korea anyway, we don't need a Visa to stay less than 90 days, and we have friends we can stay with in Korea, we decided tospend a  few days with Tim & Xay, some of our Sycamore Church family! 

They were staying at our house the day we started this adoption journey. They moved to Korea a short time after that. 

They have been waiting patiently for us to come to their side of the world!

Packing:

Packing is well in hand! We are just picking up a few odds and ends now. 

Matthew packed most of his clothes today. I pulled out a lot of mine the other day, but I will try on outfits and make sure I have all I need tomorrow.

We packed a good many snacks, clothes, and toddler gear for Michal.

Researching China:

Matthew has us researching China every night via You Tube!! We have been doing that for months.

We have developed a whole new group of friends via Facebook that have traveled to China before us to adopt children. We also had dinner last night with a family that returned from adopting their daughter from China two months ago. They answered even more questions for us.

Researching Surgery:

We have been told for month by our friend who is a Shriner that we would be able to get Michal's surgery through the Shriner's Hospital in Cinncinati for free. We were not sure if that would really work. However, I spoke to the Shriners today and they assured me that Michal's surgery, as well as our travel cost and hotel stay will indeed be free every time Michal needs surgery.  They assured me, we will never see a bill. 

We will start making official plans for her surgery on Monday. It is exciting to know we can move forward with lining up the surgery she need without concern about what our insurance will and won't pay for!! It is also wonderful to know be won't paying for costly surgeries for years to come! What huge blessings!

Overwhelmed by God's Love & Faithfulness

Today was one of those days God just really showed up and showed me who He is, how much He loves Matthew & I, and Michal.

Over and over He shows up to remind us that Michal's adoption is ALL His idea and He will be FAITHFUL to COMPLETE it!

My Aunt Rebecca share the song "Overwhelmed" by Big Daddy Weave a few weeks ago. I liked the song then, but today I received it as a total gift from God! I pray you will really worship Him for all that He is and His totally amazing love!

http://youtu.be/F6oxXwRWFTo 

Packing Well Underway

We hit Walmart & Target on Saturday and used all our gift cards from the past year to buy food, meds, travel, and toddler gear for the trip! 

Daddy working hard to pack things in tightly!

Toys

Snacks & Meds

The only piece missing is you

We will be traveling to China in just about 2 weeks!!!! Crazy! Thank you so much to all who have been following us. 

We still need about $3,800 to FULLY FUND this adoption. 

So, we have a fun way to reach that goal for only $10 per person!

 About Us Home FAQ Our Adoption & Infertility Timeline Support Adoption Resources  THE PUZZLE FUNDRAISER ▼

THE PUZZLE FUNDRAISER

Every person who donates to our adoption becomes a part of Michal's story; a piece of her puzzle!

Here's how it works:

• We have selected a 500 piece puzzle; every piece symbolizing someone who will help bring Michal home. 
• Each piece is a minimum donation of $10
• You may choose to be one piece of the puzzle or several pieces of the puzzle.
• YOUR name will be written on the back of each piece you represent! 

After the puzzle is completed, we will frame the puzzle between two pieces of glass and hang it in our Michal's room. This will be a wonderful keepsake to see all the people who helped bring her home!  

YOU will be a part of completing our missing piece to the puzzle!

Here is our puzzle:

Lady bugs are a sign of good luck with adopting children from China/have come to represent children adopted from China.

I can see us sitting down one day with Michal and reading off all the names that helped bring her home! "These people loved you before they knew you!"

So if we sell ALL 500 pieces, that will raise around $5,000. And fully fund this adoption! 

We would be so honored if you were a part of bringing our little girl home! To get a puzzle piece, just click on the Paypal link to the right side of this blog. Or email us at mmbm31@comcast.net to get the address so you can mail a donation.  If you wish to have more than one puzzle piece (you rock!) then enter in the designated amount in the field provided. 

I will be updating the blog often so you see the process and our travel.

Love, 

Matthew, Bethany, Will, Jackson & Michal!

We would be so honored if you were a part of bringing our baby home! To get a puzzle piece, just click on the Paypal link to the right side of this blog. Or email us at mmbm31@comcast.net to get the address so you can mail a donation.  If you wish to have more than one puzzle piece (thank you!) then enter in the designated amount in the field provided. 

I will be updating the blog often so you can see the process! 

_________________________________________________________________________________

We have a winner: Audrey Reynolds

The Drawing for the iPad 2 was tonight at The Sycamore Church during our annual Ladies Timeout Christmas pajama fellowship! The winner was our pastor, Dusty Reynold's wife Mrs. Audrey Reynolds! 

View the video on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=algsvfJ6E_E

Audrey is beautiful inside and outside! We thank God for you and your family. We are thankful for every prayer you prayed for us, and for every encouraging word! 

We thank God for each person who bought a ticket and for everyone who said a prayer for us on this journey. Please keep praying & donate if God is leading you to. You are all winners to us!

Another Frantic Day

As I finished up work today. I checked my email. . .

Since we have been in the end stages of our adoption I have realized that opening my email can almost induce a panic attack! Lol!

The adoption process is totally a hurry up and wait experience.

The hurry up instructions always arrive via email!

Today I received our GUZ number which is the number we have been waiting on for several days now so we can proceed to the next up on the paperwork Highway. 

The next item up for business is, the DS-260 application. The web site will not let you sign in without the GUZ number. This is the application for Michal's visa.

It is a very interesting application. In addition to all the typical birthdates, addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses, I had to verify that Michal is not a pimp, prostitute, drug dealer, child trafficer or terrorist! The comic relief of that was much needed and much appreciated!

Now our information will go to the Chinese consulate and we will wait on our article 5 (takes about 2 weeks from when they get it at the consulate--which is probably this coming Monday). So we may get Article 5 by 12/22/14. Then we will wait for travel approval. We are really hoping and praying, and asked that you pray with us that we will get our travel approval before the CCCW shuts down for a break December 28th through January 5th. If we don't get our travel approval before then we will be delayed a week. We will travel in January either way. 

Nervous excitement!