more amy pics

Girls asleep, internet working so wanted to add more info.  In the last post, Amy took Anna's glasses and tried them on.  For the rest of the day, she wanted anyone''s glasses and was not shy to ask for them.  Wants to be like Anna.  Wanted her hair down to be like Anna.  When we got home we dressed her like Anna and which she liked. Gave her sunglasses which she wears inside to be like Anna.  She has been so brave today.  Cried a little when they first brought her to us at the orphanage office.  She then commented we looked just like our photos in her book and even called anna big sister and knew the boys were her big brothers. She continues to look her album often.  We have learned the lady who fostered her was in her late 50's.  They were together for 2-3 years, then Amy returned to orphanage a month ago…. for this transition.  Amy has had times where the grief waves over her and then she recovers,picks up and interacts with us.  Even during our first few minutes together, Amy cried then gathered herself and passed out some gifts of potato chips and plastic necklace, trying to be brave, polite and smile.  She is a trooper.

 Anna was amazing with her, took her in and helped her in every way.  This picture is of Anna holding and consoling her as we had official paper work that had to be accomplished.  What a day. Amy stays on the move and wants to know about everything.  Chatters in Chinese so our guide has translated as much as he can.  She has a different dialect so some of it he has trouble understanding. We have another busy morning of paper work and possibly going to Amy's original abandonment location.  Bullet train back to Beijing in afternoon.  We will post more when able.

 

                                     

                                     

Amy is precious

Having trouble downloading pics.  These came through.  Will try again tomorrow.  So much to tell but we are exhausted after an all day process.  Anna and Amy need me at the moment.  Amy sweet, smart, and brave.  Can't wait to share all about her.  She looks up to Anna, wants to do what Anna does so that is so helpful!  Calls us Mama and Baba already and has been generous with hugs for all of us.  She recognized us from the photo album and told our guide we "look exactly like the pictures in her book"! 

Much more to come when I can.  Love to all! Please continue to pray!  She was in foster care with an older lady she called grandma.  Was taken to orphanage a month ago for this transition. Has had to be so hard for her.  Oh our hearts ache for her loss.  She has shed a few waves of tears and still longs and call for "her grandma".  She is doing so well considering all she has been through. 

                         

                         

In Amy's city

The bullet train was a great experience. Fast, clean and smooth.  Thank you,Lord!  We arrived late this afternoon in time to go take care of some business for tomorrow.  Took a long time so we stayed in and ate peanut butter and jelly brought from home.  We head out early in morning to get Amy....we are so grateful for your prayers! Getting to bed so we will be ready.  Will post tomorrow as soon as we are able.  This province does not adopt out very often so they do things differently here.  Tomorrow will be all day affair, getting Amy early then appointments and paperwork all afternoon.  Will probably not get back to hotel until evening as guide said it is too far to come back in between. Thank you for praying!
What a day it will be!

We are in Beijing

We are glad to be here! Flights were good.Just longer that anyone wants to be trapped in a plane. We were so thankful to have gotten the bulkhead row of 3 in the middle. Those few extra inches with no one in front of us was just what we needed. Kept telling myself the "breathing air" was fresher in our location. Anna did so well on the flights, reading books and watching liberty kids history series. She just kept saying "this is a most unusual day"! Because we left our house at 4:00AM then found ourselves eating lunch at 10:00 when we arrived in Detroit, the rest of the day and night, she kept wanting me to clarify "which meal is this" as the flight attendants would bring food out on our flight to Beijing. I wasn't sure myself. She said,"I get to watch so much stuff on the iPad and I have never gone so long without sleep" " We are eating sandwiches and cookies at 9:00 on your watch….mom!"

I explained to her, that we had seats in this bulkhead area on our return flight home with her, when she was just a baby, I told her how we sat her on a blanket at our feet and let her pull things out of my travel bag as it kept her entertained when she was awake. It is hard to believe that was 8 years ago. Anna's Gotcha day is Sunday, April 7th. Then on Monday, April 8th we will be celebrating our gotcha day with Amy. Two precious gifts…one day apart. His plan. Our blessing.
Tomorrow we take the bullet train to Shijiazhuang and we hope to get out to do a little shopping. Anna gets to pick out something special for herself as we celebrate the day she was placed in our arms. Our hearts are so full of love and emotion, gratitude that comes from a most humbling gift……to be entrusted with the life of another……the gift of which we will never get over!
Here is a shout out to our Ping Jiang family! Happy Gotcha day girls we love you and will be thinking of you all…remembering.

Thank you for praying for Anna and Amy. We are asking for a very special bond between the two of them. Anna is so excited to be a big sister. She has also been the princess of our castle long enough to be feeling just a little insecure about sharing that title.
We are praying for Amy as her little world is about to be turned upside down. Praying for God's mercies and protection over her and complete restoration for her. Please pray for Scott and I to have love, wisdom, and understanding in how to meet Amy's needs and earn her trust.

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. James 1:17

Love from Beijing China,
Krist, Scott and Anna

Internet and phones run very slow. We will post as we are able, but not sure what we will find at next Hotel along communication lines.
Also, I had a bout with vertigo and travel sickness last portion of flight/ was a long and turbulent landing…..still feeling bit off balance. Please pray for me to get steady again and gain my equilibrium. We are rested and ready to catch the bullet train midday today. We are grateful for cool temps and good air for Beijing. Grateful for your prayers.

Amy's update

We  received new photos of our sweet Amy! She is holding one of the gifts we sent to her in a care package. Now she knows we are coming for her. We sent her a photo album with pictures of her and Anna's room they will be sharing, our house and playground, even our fluffy white Kitty.... but most importantly.... it has pictures of all of us....her new forever family.... labeled in Chinese so she can begin to become familiar with us to some degree.  We will be leaving for China on April 5th. We have much to do between now and then!

We thank you for praying for her and for us as time draws near.

Big News

After many years of praying and seeking the Lord on this matter, listening to the tug at our hearts that we believe He placed there, off we go to adopt again from China. Yes we do know how old we are!!  It has been a long process, and He has been faithful to us in every way. He is a good shepherd....gentle and loving.....and oh so patient with those of us who may move a bit slowly (and tremble with fear at life changes)! Because the process was different this time, we kept things close to home until we were matched.   

We will name her Amy Joy Chun.  Amy meaning "beloved" and Joy because she came to us "at Christmas", Chun her given chinese name meaning "eternal spring" (the season).

We do not have a lot of information about her but a few things we know.  She just turned 6 years old on Nov. 3rd. She is in foster care. She is a gentle child and likes to be nice.  She does not like leafy green vegetables but she does like bright colored clothes!  She has a split hand malformation/deformity (Ectrodactyly) on her left hand, most likely needs glasses and is small for her age. We think she is beautiful!  

Please pray for her and for us, as we hope to have her home by early spring. 

Isaiah 6:8  Then I heard the voice of the Lord say, "Whom shall I send?  And who will go for us?

Isaiah 49:15-16  "Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne?  Though she may forget, I will not forget you!  See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands."

Isaiah 45:3  I will give you the treasures of darkness, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the Lord, the God of Israel, who summons you by name.   

2 John 1:3  Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Father's Son, will be with us in truth and love. 

Ecclesiastes 3:11 He has made everything beautiful in its time.  He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. 

Christmas

Every Thanksgiving my mom gives all the grandchildren Christmas ornaments.  Wesley's collection is mostly Hallmark's Star Trek series.  Will gets the Hallmark Train collection ornaments.  Anna loves her Princess and Barbie collectable ornaments.  It is fun and will be a great keepsake for them over the years.  The problem is our tree decorating gets a bit......territorial.  Each person wanting their own prominent space on the tree. We do fill in all around with a hodge podge of ornaments from many years, no two alike and certainly no "theme" that makes sense. We do love our odd tree though.  The trains pretty much keep to themselves.  However, the princesses and Trekies do not get along at all!  Is not out of the question for our tree decorating to turn a little ugly....in spite of the holiday music playing in the background.  But really isn't that all part of family bonding! We are all still friends when the decorating is over and we enjoy the tree all season.  There may be some midnight moving of certain ornaments that might be too close to the opposing territory. One of the III Musketeer Barbie's (who wields a sword) seems to get within striking range of Captain Kirk when no one is looking, and then a certain someone does not allow anyone to touch anything from other galaxies, even though some of them have flashing lights and make spaceship sounds. All's well that ends well. I threatened this year to get three separate smaller trees for them to put up in the living room and thus claim the biggest tree in the family room for myself.  They loved the idea!  Wesley wants silver, Will would like red and Anna would choose purple....a color the boys insist has nothing to do with Christmas......thus starting just another happy disagreement.  Besides, our head guy, the one who most often is in charge of hauling trees (we have a few already) from the attic and basement...then back again.....says we have quite enough, thank you.  Merry Christmas from our family to yours!