Merry Christmas!!!

We want to wish you all a Merry Christmas!!! We pray this will be a wonderful time celebrating our Saviors birth. We are so excited to be celebrating our first Christmas with Moriah home. 

I had hope to make cards and send them out, but life with a three year old has been very busy!!!  

We have been busy this year trying to keep up with homeschooling, running to therapies and going to our new homeschool coop. It has been much harder this year having to keep an eye on Moriah every minute. (She loves to explore.) Peter has been working hard teaching over 600 kids in a very tight full schedule. Here are a few updates on the kids.

Moriah has now been home 5 months!!! I can't believe it. She has gained 7 pounds and almost 4 inches in that short time. Moriah was not walking on her own when she came home but she is now running and jumping. She has been going for Aqua, Physical and Speech therapies once a week. She loves music and dancing. She loves to explore and discover new things. She is such a joy and has blossomed so much since coming home.

Sarah is now in highschool and doing some classes online and others on her own at home. She has such a heart for others and is planning on going to Honduras in June with her youth group. She continues to love baking so much so she did a fundraiser baking rolls and made 60 dozen! She is enjoying being a big sister. 

Cargan  is 10 and has been home 4 years now and has grown  in many ways. He is now reading and doing so much on his own.He is enjoying our new coop and he is the one that keeps us on schedule. He brings so much joy to our family. He loves Christmas!!

Pierson is 12.  He loves to be outside and has really been a big help since Moriah has come home. He has been learning the value of working and saving money. It has been exciting to watch how God has been working in him this year. He is growing into such a fine young man.

We pray you all take time to treasure each moment together. Please pray for the children still waiting for families. We are so thankful for all of you. Merry Christmas and God Bless!!!

What a MONTH!!

I can not believe Moriah has been home over 1 MONTH already. The days are flying by here with this bundle of joy. Moriah has been doing so well. She has been eating like crazy and she is now WALKING on her own!! It has been amazing. We will be doing some physical therapy for a while to help her catch up but she learns so quickly I don't think it will be too long. She is on the go now and life is very busy but we are enjoying every moment.  Please keep praying as we transition into starting school with a 2 year old and Peter going back to work. It will be a big change for us all. I am all ears for ideas on homeschooling with a little one. 

I also wanted to give an update on Cargan. It was a big month for him. He graduated out of physical, occupational, and speech therapies!! He got to put his hand print on the wall. 

After working so hard for 3 years to learn how to ride a bike we were able to go to Lancaster everyday last week for a special bike camp and he learned how to ride his bike in 3 days!!! The program I Can Bike is amazing!!

We are so thankful for you all!!

HOME with our miracle!!

We are HOME!!! Here she is the first night in her bed. She woke up several times in the night in her new room with Big Sister but they are still snuggled in sleeping together now so overall I think think the first night home went well!!Thank you for your prayers our trip went very well. 

I am full of so many emotions it is hard to know were to start. I am completely amazed by our mighty Moriah. She has been so brave through so many changes. Every time I look at her I am amazed by our God. She is such a perfect match for our family that it reassures me that she was hand picked from the millions of children waiting just for our family. It blows my mind how God does that. I don't know why because he knows all but it was just so clear how he chose her from all her hard she experienced in her tiny life and brought her to us. I am so overwhelmed and honored to be able to be her mother. She is so precious and such a gift from God! She is our miracle Moriah. Please continue to pray as we transition to all being home together. 

PS. Please know we are working hard on helping Moriah know who her direct family is so for attachment reasons please just look and to not touch or ask to hold her. We don't want to seem rude but it is essential for her bonding. Thank you for understanding!!

Here she is!!

We have our sweet Moriah. Sorry it has taken so long to post something. The heat is exhausting here and we fall asleep as soon as we lay down to get Moriah asleep. :) She is doing so well!!! We had a great gotcha day. Here needs were just as expected. Her motor delays still impact her standing and walking on her own. Moriah was so brave on such a scary day. She looked like a tiny princess in her little pink dress.

Her personality is coming out. She loves cars and balls. She also loves to eat!!

She is learning quickly! She can already sign for more and all done. We can't wait to get home to all of you!!

Time is Flying!!

I can't believe how quickly the time is flying. We have spent the last two weeks helping my in-laws move in a few doors up the street. We are exhausted but so excited to have them close by. We have been packing and trying to raise our last bit of funds needed to cover the huge cost of having to change flights. Sarah and I will Lord willing be on a flight to China this Wednesday June 29th and we will meet our Precious Moriah on the 4th of July (actually late your July 3rd) we will be 12 hours ahead. We have created a prayer calendar . I will post it here but if I am still home and you want a copy to print just email me and I will send you one. Please keep praying!! We are experiencing lots of warfare in so many ways. We are getting ready to go into spiritual enemy territory and bring our girl home to hear about Jesus. We will need lots of prayer coverage!!! Thank you for walking with us on this journey!!!

Prayer Card for bringing Moriah HOME!!!

Please pray!!

We never could have made it this far without all your prayers and support!!

Lord willing Sarah and I will be leaving on June 29^th from Newark Airport.

Please also pray for Peter, Pierson and Cargan at home!!!!

THANK YOU!!

 Calendar is based on China being 12 hours ahead.

Your evening will be our new day. J

Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
Pray for Transition for all!!	Pray for Peter Pierson and Cargan at home!!	Pray for safety and good health!	June 29th Leaving from Newark Airport	June 30th Arrive Beijing China	July 1st Pray adjust to time change	July 2nd Evening leave by train to Shanxi
July 3rd Late your evening we get Moriah!!	July 4th pray all paperwork goes smoothly	July 5th pray for good transition and attachment	July 6th Pray for good visit at orphanage	July 7th Flying to Guangzhou Moriah’s first flight	July 8th Pray medical appointment goes well	July 9th Rest and good attachment Healthy
July 10th Rest and good attachment Safety	July 11th Apply for US Visa pray no difficulties	July 12th Pick up Visa! Travel to Hong Kong	July 13th Fly from Hong Kong	July 14th Arrive in Newark, NJ drive home!!!	Pray for attachment to the entire family	Pray for adjusting to time change and a whole new world!

Trying Again

Well Friday we were surprised to get word of our new dates to travel. We will Lord willing be going June 29th and returning July 14th. Please pray as there where large increases in costs with all the changes. Our case worker is going to try on Monday to get them reduced but it is very unlikely as our travel agent has already tried but we can pray!! One praise is that we had a non refundable hotel room in Honk Kong by the airport to come home and a sweet woman was so helpful and got it changed to our new date with no additional fees. We are already seeing God's had in providing as we have been able to sell some things and some checks have arrived that have been so helpful in covering the large increase we are facing. Please keep praying us through this battle to get our girl home!! THANK YOU!!!

uncertain

We are not going early, not going on the 22nd as scheduled  and now there is a holiday for the rest of the week in China so we won't know when we are going until hopefully next week. Please keep praying!!

Pray pray pray!!

Please pray! We have flights booked to leave June 22nd but we were just notified that there are government offices closing for some reason the week we are to be there getting Moriah. Our agency is trying to find out the details but this may mean we have to change all our flights and hotel reservations. ($$)They have said we may be able to go earlier or later. Pray we will be able to go earlier we have been ready and packed for weeks. We can not wait to hold our girl!! We really need your covering in prayer. 

This song is so fitting for our situation. Love it!
Click here to listen! 

Funded!!!

We are praising the Lord that we are fully funded and ready to go to China on June 22nd!!  Our theme through this entire adoption has been Watch God Work!! He has been working in amazing ways. We just got a call that our dear friends will be completing  our matching grant so we are entirely funded. We are so thankful for each one of you that have joined us on this amazing journey to Moriah. We would not be this far if it was not for each one of you getting involved. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for being such a huge blessing and impacting a life forever. We pray yours has also been impacted. We can't wait to share the rest of the journey. Please pray as spiritual and physical attacks begin to increase the closer we get to going. We covert your prayer our entire journey. I will post our itinerary soon so you can know how to pray while we are away. Thank you for being such a huge blessing to our family!!

Last Call

Last call for T-shirts. All orders and money must be in by Sunday night 6/5. Thank you!!! 

CHINA HERE WE COME!!!

Can anyone Guess what I booked today!!!! WE ARE GOING TO CHINA!!! Booked our flights for June 22nd!!!! WE are so excited and we are also excited to share some great news about our Miles to Moriah Fundraiser. We are now 1,080 miles closer to getting to Moriah. We still need to raise $3,000 but guess what??? We have been given an anonymous matching grant. SO for every dollar given it will be matched which means we only need to raise $1,500. Each dollar will help us get twice as close to Moriah!! Thank you for all your support and prayers!!

PS- T-shirt orders are due by  Friday morning.

Fundraisers

Please keep praying!!! The one paper has still not arrived in Beijing so we can not book our flights. If it doesn't come by Friday our trip will once again be pushed back. God knows exactly when we are to go so we are trusting in his perfect plan. 

Since we are traveling in June prices have increased. We are doing a few quick fundraisers. Please email me ( lang4@hometownu.com )if you would like to participate in any of the following. 

Tee's to help us Travel

All sizes come in  2 color choices smoke and royal

If you need it to be shipped there it is an additional $5

Sizes and Prices

(ALL ORDERS MUST BE IN BY JUNE 1ST)

                                                    Adult Sizes: S, M, L, XL  ($20)

                                                    Adult Sizes: XXL, XXXL ($22)

                                                    Youth Sizes: Youth M, Youth L ($ 18)

                                                    Toddler Youth: 2T, 3T, 4T, 5/6 ($18)

                                                    Infant Bodysuit: 6m, 12m, 18m, 24m

We need to travel 6,834 miles to get to Moriah. For every dollar donated you will help us get 2 miles closer to Moriah. We will then put your name on the map and it will be put in her scrapbook. Thank you!!!

Plexus Products

These are great all natural supplements that have been life changing for our family. If you are looking for great all natural vitamins, ways to improve your health, increase your energy, suppress appetite, promote beneficial cholesterol and lipid levels, regulate blood sugar levels, or have temporary relief of discomfort then Plexus may be for you. I would love to share more about these great products. All proceeds will help bring Moriah home. (http://shopmyplexus.com/myplexusplace/)

We are so very thankful for each one of you that have joined us on this journey. We would not be this close with out you. I hope You have enjoyed watching God work. It is an amazing thing to see Him bring a family together from afar. It always reminds me about how he cares about each one of us and loves us so much that he sent his one and only son Jesus to die for us so that we can be a part of His family forever. What an amazing God we have. Remember today that you are SO LOVED!!

Going to China!!!!

Did you hear us yelling from TN?? We got our approval to travel while we were in TN for my nephews graduation. We had a wonderful surprise trip to TN. God knew we needed the respite of time away and practice sitting for long periods of time before we get on that plane!

Please keep praying for travel details to come together. We are waiting for one paper to get to an office in China and then we should be able to book our flights hopefully for June 8th!!! Pray all the last minute details will come together smoothly and pray for Moriah as her life is about to change in a huge way.

Please also pray we will be able to raise the additional $3,500 we will need since costs have risen for traveling in June. Keep an eye out we are trying to pull together a t-shirt fundraiser quickly before we leave.

 We can not believe we are in the final count down. Please keep praying as we prepare to go into spiritual battle and go into enemy territory to bring our daughter home.  We are so thankful for your support and prayers.

May 14th

May 14th is a special day in our home. 11 years ago on this day we brought our first son Pierson home at the age of 7 months. He is such a treasure and it has been so exciting to watch him grow into such a godly young man. 

On May 14th three years ago we were leaving for China to get our second son Cargan at the age of almost 7 years old. What a drastically different journey but an amazing one to watch a life transform before your eyes. He brings joy to each day.

And a quick update on our Sweet Moriah whom we are still waiting for. Our papers are caught in a computer glitch causing delay for our travel approval (TA) so we sit and wait on the Lord. With the Chinese holidays coming the beginning of June, even if we get TA soon, we will still have to wait until after the holidays to travel pushing us further into June. Please pray our travel approval will come and that the Lord will provide the additional funds for the increase in hotels and flights. (Wisdom for a quick and simple fundraiser) We are excited to say we got new pictures and a video of our sweet girl. 

Look I am standing!!!

It was our first time to see her smile and hear her voice. Such a precious gift while we wait. (It is very hard to hear on here but she has the sweetest little voice!)

Thank you for all your prayers and support. We could not have made it this far without each one of you!!! We are so thankful for all the Lord is doing and can't wait for His perfect plan and timing to unfold!! 

Waiting!!

Please keep praying for our family. You would think after all this waiting a few more days or weeks would not be such a big deal but Oh these have been the hardest days. I think it might be like when you are past your due date. You know it can be any moment, although I am not sure if it is a little harder because you can't be induced(haha) and it could be up to another 5 weeks wait!! We are now on day 11. Two weeks is still normal. We are so praying we will not be in the glitch of the extra long wait that can be up to 6 weeks!! Once again they Lord asks me each day to just open my hands before him and trust him with everything. You would think this would be a natural thing by now but each day I continue to need to give it all to HIM. I am so thankful life doesn't follow my plans but His perfect plan. His journey has been so much more than I could have ever dreamed. He is in control of it all. Trusting in His perfect timing to go get our precious daughter!!

Prayer Needed!

Hello Friends!!
We are getting closer! On Tuesday (4/26) our papers will be picked up in China and then we wait for our Travel approval. This is when China says you can come and get your girl!! We will quickly make arrangements and then hope to be on a plane in 2-3 weeks. We are still praying we can get there in May before cost rise. Please pray!! Travel approval usually takes 2 days -2 weeks. In the past few months there has been a glitch in the China computers and it has taken 3-6 weeks!! Lately we have seen a few start to come sooner so we are hoping the glitch has been worked out. Please pray our travel approval will come quickly and for God's perfect timing!!! Thank you!!

Amazing March

So much has happened!! I can't believe how much time has passed since my last post. It really has been crazy here in the Month of March!!!   April is just a few hours away so I thought I would do a quick recap of all the Lord has been doing!!


We are so excited to announce we got our papers approved from China so we now can post pictures of our precious girl, Moriah!!  Please keep praying as we have a few more little steps to get through. We are hoping to travel in May before costs go up for flights and hotels in June!

We had a wonderful time at the Awana Pine Wood Derby at our church. The boys both did a great job on their cars and Cargan won 1st place for design. ( it was an exciting night since this was his first derby!)

We experienced a miracle. Peter and his brother were out driving in the day and 2 deer jumped over the car. God protected them because the 1st deer scratched the windshield but did not come through it and the second deer broke the back window just an inch behind Peter's head. The Lord told him not to hit the brake. If he had the deer would have come though his window and it could have been a fatal accident. We are praising the Lord that Peter and his brother are alive!!!                            

I had mentioned the boys were taking archery lessons. Well they had their first contest and Cargan won 3rd place in the beginning class. Pierson was chosen to shoot in a higher class and got 5th. ( He unfortunately was sick that day and didn't shoot as well as he normally does.) The boys loved the program and are looking forward to next year.


Peter's parents have bought a house just up the street! We are so excited to have then close by.

We were so thankful for Peter's brother and his family that came to help with stripping wallpaper and carpets. That is how we all spent spring break!

 They have some more renovations to be completed and then will move in!!  ( Please pray their current house will sell quickly!!)

  

                                                 

We had a wonderful time celebrating our Risen Savior and can't wait for Moriah to be here with us next year. 

This past Tuesday Pierson did a presentation at our home school group. He was Genghis Khan and did a fantastic job presenting in 1st person all his research about the Mongol leader. He had a great time leaning more about his heritage.

Sarah has been involved with the youth drama group at our church and will be presenting this Sunday! It is exciting to watch her step out of her comfort zone. 

And today we celebrate Sarah's 14th Birthday. 

I can't believe it was 14 years ago that she surprised us arriving 2 months early. It has been an amazing journey watching her heart grow for the Lord. She loves helping others. I can't wait to see all the Lord will do through her life!

As you can see it has been an amazing month! God is working in so many ways and teaching us that each moment is HIS! I love to plan things but right now I don't know when any of the things ahead will come together. God keeps asking me to just open my hands and heart and listen to what He is calling me to do today!

Thank you to all of you who continue to pray for us. We definitely need it, as the attacks begin to get stronger the closer we get to going for Moriah. We are so thankful for all of you!! 

God Bless!!!

Touching Lives

Sometimes God brings special people into your life that will have a huge impact on the person you will become.  Sarah and Pierson had that happen by a special teacher who poured into them the love of Christ and taught them all about the Character of God.  Over the years they continue to refer to things they learned from him.

 A few weeks ago Cargan began on a journey  that would shape his character.  He began archery lessons. Now you have to keep in mind that he has limited strength and sensation in his left side including his left hand. At times I also have to remember that the trauma from his early years in China will continue resurface from time to time. When we signed up I wasn't sure how well he could physically do it, but thought it was worth a try. I also wasn't sure if the teachers would know how to help him. And that is where the story begins. 

The first day there I shared with the teacher his limitations due to his cerebral palsy and he was so kind and helpful.  I walked Cargan downstairs and fear spread over his face, a fear I had not seen in over a year. Trauma fear. I was unsure at first what was triggering it but once he is there it is very hard to pull him out of it. I watched something incredible happen that day. I saw  his instructor a complete stranger take my son who was holding back tears to smiles and even shooting an arrow with no one watching him. I wasn't sure if he would return the next week but on the way home we stopped at the archery store to pick up something Pierson needed and Cargan saw a little bow like the one he had used and he bought it with his Christmas money. I guess he was going back.

 Week two he reluctantly returned and as soon as he went down those stairs fear engulfed him again. Once again this incredible man helped draw him out and had him laughing and even shooting a little with the others which was huge. You see Cargan finally shared he didn't want to shoot with the others watching him. This was  because he was so afraid of what they would say and do to him, drawing him back to the many memories he had of the way he had been treated as a person with a disability in a culture that looks at it as a curse. But he overcame that and Jerry his instructor stood and blocked the others view and encouraged him to shoot. A smile spread across his face as he shoot behind the protection of this man. 

This was week three and it was a day to remember! Cargan doesn't like to get up early so he tried to pull excuses to get him out of going but once up he was excited. I wasn't sure what would happen when we got there but as soon as he saw Jerry he was all smiles. The kids were called to go down and Cargan told me I didn't need to go with him!! That in itself was huge. Then half way parents were invited to go down to watch. I wasn't sure if I should since he had went on his own but I went down to peak and their he was 
Mr. Confident shooting and now hitting the target. At first he wouldn't shoot unless Jerry was standing next to him but then Jerry slowly weaned away and their was my son overcoming one of his biggest fears shooting with all those kids and now also parents watching. You know what he did. He shoot his first ever bulls eye!! His face was so full of joy and confidence. It is a moment he will always remember. I love how God connects people. I am so thankful for Jerry . He is a gifted man who can comfort a child full of fear and help them  believe they can really do something great. This mama will be forever grateful! I can't wait to see what next week brings. 

PS- more pictures coming once I get them from my friend. She got one of the bulls eye. 

Changed forever

Last week I watched this  FILM LINK  documentary called Find Me that captures the heart of adoption. I feel the Lord sent this to me at a time when I was really struggling. As an adoptive Mama your life is forever changed once you have experienced the process of adoption especially the orphanage visit. There are so many unknowns for children adopted from China but we have to remember that our Lord knows every detail. There are times when I think of my children's birth parents and I wish they could know that they are so loved and cared for. My heart aches at the thought of all the struggled they went through when they chose to give them up. It amazes me how God can orchestrate each child's life and bring families together around the world. We experienced this first hand with Cargan and how God picked him out of the millions of people in China and brought him here so that he could hear about the most incredible gift from God,Jesus Christ. He just lit up and loved Jesus from the moment he heard the truth. God used the hard to bring beauty in a life changing way. This was also so evident in the movie when two woman who live on opposite sides of the world miraculously meet. We can not wait to see all the Lord will do in Moriah's life.

Today I was sitting at Good Shephard where Cargan receives occupational, physical and speech therapies. I love being there. It is like a second home. What I love most is that there are no heads being turned because someone looks or moves differently. There is just love, smiles, and determination. I often look online at the list of children waiting for families and pray for them. So many are precious children that have special needs. My heart just broke today as I waited because all I could picture were the faces of children on that list that had no one to help them and they do not have opportunities to get the help they need. My heart was hurting so much that I almost burst into tears right there. The movie above captured so much of the heart of adoption. The one thing it shared was all the  incredible people you meet and how it deepen your walk with Lord beyond measure. You think you are helping them but they bring more than you can ever imagine to you. I am so thankful for each of my precious children. Hug your kids today and think and pray for the millions that have no one to hug them today. #sharing from the heart.

Waiting

Our papers are in China!!  We are waiting to hear when they are logged into their computer system and then we will begin the wait for the Letter of Acceptance. This is the most variable wait of the whole process. It can take 21/2 months or longer but we have seen a few people before us get theirs in under 2 months! We are praying for this! We also will have Chinese New Year in our wait as everything shuts down for the week. We are praying for God's perfect timing!! Once we get the letter of approval we finally will be able to share her picture online! (although if you have not seen this sweetie yet just email me and I can send you a picture). After we get the letter it then is approximately 2 months until travel. Please keep praying for our sweet girl!

Crossing Over

We are so excited!!! We have crossed a huge step in the adoption process. Our papers called the Dossier have now officially been sent to China. They may be crossing over the ocean now!! This step is called DTC (Dossier to China). It is a huge mile stone. Please pray they arrive safely and move swiftly through the system there. We now wait for a letter from China saying all our papers are approved. This is the most variable time in the process it can take from 2-4 months to wait although we have seen some come quicker! We are praying for that!!  After we get the letter of approval we will then be about 2 months away from traveling. Please continue to pray the Lord will prepare Moriah for all that will be happening.  We are also excited to say the Lord is providing the funds. We are so thankful for each of you that have given we now are at 109 people giving $25 each to be fully funded. It is such a joy to write the names on the frame. It has been amazing to Watch God Work!!!