While I wait, ever so...ahem...impatiently (to be honest), I've been researching like crazy when I can't seem to sit still. I've been researching her Province, her city, her special need. I've been reading every blog post and article I can get my hands on that talks about what to expect, what not to expect, and what to completely have NO expectations on. I feel like I am full of a ton of info, a bit overwhelming, but also feeling like I am learning more about our daughter so that we are better prepared for what she may or may not need--more on that in a different post. I'm also asking a bazillion questions from BTDT (been there done that) parents on what our trip will be like, what weather to expect, what I need to know about the city where we will pick her up (this is not her home city, but rather the capitol city of her province), and gathering travel tips.
One thing I've been delving into lately is her province and specifically, what to expect there should we travel in January as we hope. First, while I've known for a few years that it is a coal mining province, I've only recently learned it is, in fact, the coal mining capitol of all of China. This being the case, I've also learned the air quality is less than ideal, and may indeed be a breathing issue for both my husband and our middle son, who both have asthma issues. While their asthma is not a major health issue for them where we live, it is irritated occasionally by allergens in the air--more so than for the average Joe. This being the case, we are praying, and we ask you to join us, that the air quality will not be a major issue for them. We will go prepared with their inhalers, other meds and, of course, my oils to help relieve them of any struggles. But we are praying specifically that they are not miserable while in her province, as we truly want this to be a time we can focus on our new little one and her fears, her struggles, her needs--things we KNOW will be an issue for her--so that her transition can be as easy as possible at what will be such a difficult time for her.
Along with this, I've learned that the temps in January can be anywhere from the teens to the lower 50s. While this is not an issue, per se, (we are totally used to winter, people), we also know that the second week of our trip in a different province, we will likely see temps in the 60s-low 70s. As you can well imagine, this leads to a bit of a packing dilemma. So, please join us in praying for good packing decisions that will allow us the flexibility to handle the variety of temps we may encounter, without the need to over-pack. We will only be allowed to take ONE 44 pound suitcase each (outside of our carryon luggage) and our goal is to pack less than is needed so that we might be able to bring home some future birthday gifts for our daughter.
We are keeping busy on the fundraiser front! We are taking in donations, a few times a week it seems, for the garage sale in 2 weeks! We even have an article going out in our neighborhood news letter in a couple of days which will definitely result in more traffic for the sale, but may even result in more donations as well! We are currently at 54 people for our race, as I mentioned in my last post. 25 of those people joined the team during the "Labor Day Weekend Contest" and...word has it THAT WE WON!!! I am still awaiting the confirmation email and the amount that we won to be disclosed, but we did it!! That contest will add extra funds to our race grant and every penny counts!! The kids continue to do odd jobs each week to earn money and they've even been going through their things to add to the garage sale! I learned recently of a 10 year old boy who raises funds to give siblings a $500 grant toward their trip with their family to adopt a sibling!! The boys (because sis isn't big enough to do it alone and it has to be without parental help) will each be writing a brief essay this evening to answer some questions and apply for the grant! If they receive it, they have agreed to split the funds toward all 4 of them going. SO blessed to watch their hearts intertwined on this mission to get their sister.
All in all, things seem to be moving quickly and we are keeping busy! I know that some day soon this will all be a distant memory and I will be holding my daughter in my arms, trying to remember what life was like without her. Until then, please join us in these specific prayers as we wait, ever so impatiently, LOL, to bring our little girl home!!
0 comments:
Post a Comment