Dear Savannah One week ago today, I saw your face. Finally. I have prayed for that moment for more than 6 years. It finally came! And the sight took my breath away. Your tiny little hands, your sweet little mouth - and all that hair! This mommy can hardly wait to put bows in that hair! And when it's long and silky, I will braid it.... I can hardly wait. I wanted to put down, or at least attempt to, a list of things as they happened in our little family. Others might be reading along, so this is for them, too. Just in case they're interested. But mostly this is for you. 2003-ish - Your dad first began to talk to me with sincerity about adoption. I said, "one day, maybe." I thought - "We'll never be able to afford that." 2004-ish - I agreed to put adoption on my list of things to do one day. Didn't know how, but just agreed that we would do it. We talked to Lauren and Matthew about it. 2005 - Our dear friends, the Louderbacks, adopted Eden. (I think I'm getting that date correct.) We watched them with anticipation, and began to dream a new dream... God had been working on my heart for a long, long time about adoption. I finally gave in, and let Him have the control. Dad and I went to an informational seminar, and we were hooked. We became "China-bound." 2006 - January - we made application to our adoption agency. We were accepted, flaws and all. We began the "paper-chase." It was grueling. What I thought would take just a few weeks took 8 months. We collected letters of recommendation, had fingerprints made, had background checks done, collected birth and marriage certificates, completed medical check-ups, and on and on the list goes. 2006 - August - Finally, our request to bring you home hit the desk of someone in China on 8-15-06. This all-important date is known as our "Log-in-Date", or "LID." We really thought there would only be a few months to wait. Just a few months. But you just weren't ready yet. Things on the China side of things began to slow down drastically. The wait for you was long, and slow, and sometimes very painful. There were times that I wondered if God had changed his mind about us bringing you home. I prayed to him for clarity, that we would know for sure what His plan was for our family. While we waited, I scoured the internet looking for all things China adoption related. (And made some very special online friends in the process. :-) )I dreamed of you, hoped for you, prayed for you. I could not understand why God did not bring you home sooner. 2007-2011 -- Our family waited. And waited. And waited. And waited. Meanwhile, Lauren and Matthew grew up. Lauren graduated from high school, Matthew from middle school. Nick and Flo joined our family. (For those of you reading along, Nick is our non-officially adopted son, former student of Kenneth's whom we love like our own, and Flo is our non-officially adopted daughter, who has stolen our hearts. Lauren brought her home to us. We would adopt them both if they did not already have their forever families.)   And meanwhile, our family went through some serious trials. Mostly financial, some health related. We began to wonder if God was going to finish the good work he started in you. (Silly us. God always finishes the good works He starts!) We wondered if we were finished with the road that we had started to travel. Was it all about obedience? Were we just supposed to try, out of obedience, to adopt, and then God changed his mind? It was so confusing.... the waiting. We put away the baby bed, gave away your clothes, packed away the books and toys. (Luckily, we got some of those things back. Thanks, Molly!) And then, lo and behold, we got a word from the Lord. He said, "YES! I am going to finish this great thing! Go get your daughter! She is almost ready for you!!" 2011 - JANUARY - 1/18/2011, to be exact. YOU were born!!! We didn't know it yet, but you graced the planet with your pretty little face!!! For some unknown reason, your birth mommy, who loved you very much, took you and left you right in front of the orphanage in Yifeng County, Jiangxi, China. You weighed 6.1 pounds, and were about 15 inches long. A tiny little thing! Your mommy probably stood in hiding, watching to keep you safe until someone discovered you and took you safely inside the orphanage. Believe me when I say, she loved you. She felt as if she had no choice in the matter. And truly, she didn't. I pray even now for God's blessings on her life, and I wish I could thank her for being the vessel that God chose to bring you home to your forever family. 2011 - June - We were still waiting. Not knowing that God was getting you ready for us, we prayed for direction. "Dear God, it's getting close to time. What do you want us to do? Do we continue to wait, and update all of our paperwork? Do we change gears? Adopt from a different country? Foster care? What do you want us to do?" Know what He said? He said, "No, guys! I haven't changed my mind! Savannah's almost ready! You gotta go get her!" God gave us clear - crystal clear - direction that He still had a plan for us in China. You were that plan! 2011 - August - we started the paper trail - again. Everything had to be updated. New fingerprints. New medicals. New home study. New immigration forms. New everything. I thought, "This will only take a few weeks." HA! It took over 4 months! Meanwhile, every month, we were getting closer and closer to seeing your face. We knew it was so close! Friends and family were praying with us about your homecoming. 2012 - January - You were one year old. We had not seen your face yet. Very early in January, the paperwork was finally ready for us to send to the important people about bringing you home. On 1/17/2012 we sent a big envelope full of papers to the United States Citizen and Immigration Services (USCIS). ONE WEEK LATER........ 2012 - JANUARY 23 - We finally got the call we had been waiting for for so many months and years. At 3:00 in the afternoon, Mrs. Emily Flynt, with An Open Door Adoption Agency called us. She said, "Heeeelllloooooooo," in a very sing-songy voice. Then she said, "Are you ready?" What?????? Are we READY??????????? Are you kidding me??????????????????? Yeah, we're ready!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! She told us your name, the name of your orphanage in China, and how old you were. She then sent us an email with your pictures, and some information about your health. We jumped in the car and drove to Graceville, FL, where your sister, Lauren, was at school. We didn't look at your pretty face until we could all look together. (By the way, this was very, very important. Remember those times I mentioned that Dad and I wondered if it would ever happen? Well, Lauren and Matthew never doubted. They never, ever gave up on God. They knew all along, and had all the faith in the world that you would be coming home. They were right.) There, in the library at The Baptist College of Florida where we knew there would be decent wireless internet service, we opened the computer, and watched the screen fill up with your pretty face. We smiled. We almost forgot to breathe. You were/are SO.BEAUTIFUL. While we were looking at your face, Mrs. Tina (Eden's mom) called us. She opened her computer, too. She's looked forward to your homecoming almost as much as we have! She cried with us. She thanked God for you. SO DID WE!!!!!!!!!!! That day, 1/23/2012, was the day we had waited for soooooooooooooooooooooo long.       Before we left the library that day, we called your Gran, your Aunt Lauri, and sent emails to Uncle Bruce (we called him and Nana while we were on the way home that night) and lots of other folks who we knew would want to see your pretty face. Everyone was beyond excited and happy, and joyful, and exhuberant... (how many synonyms are there for extreme happiness?? Not enough.) Then we went out to celebrate - at the Chinese restaurant, of course!! Sweet students all over Lauren's campus hugged our necks and marveled at your pictures right along with us. For the next few days, we just shared our joy with everyone who would listen. 2012 - January 30 - We sent a very important looking letter back to the adoption agency that confirmed with the important people in China that, Yes, we do indeed want this little girl in our family! She is ours! We want to come get her and bring her home!! Now, on January 30, 2012, we are waiting. AGAIN. But this time, the waiting is a happy waiting. We know who you are, where you are, and that we already love you. We wait for the USCIS to do their thing with our paperwork, and for China to let us know when to come. WE.CAN.HARDLY.WAIT!!! We love you. Until I write again, Your mommy Dear Savannah, Today is February 27, 2012. Almost one month since I wrote to you last. There's been a lot going on to get ready for you since then! We have filed and received approval for the I800A, one of the BIG documents that we had to fill out in order to bring you home. Tomorrow, another BIG set of documents goes into the mail - this one is the I800. We've been told it could be 4 weeks to get that one approved. We're praying it will be much less than that!! Dad and I rearranged the "Girls' room" this weekend, and we put your bed up. Your side of the room compliments the big girls' side so well! It feels really good to doing things to get your place in our home ready. By the way, I'm really, really hoping you like baby dolls. I LOVE baby dolls! Lauren never did.... Now your cousin Molly, she LOVES baby dolls, maybe even more than I did! So if dolls aren't your thing, it's okay. I can still play with dolls with Molly. But I'm hoping you and I will get to play with some babies together.... <crossing fingers> ;) We're praying for you every day. We love you, sweet girl!! Mommy       This page hosted by