We're in ChengDu!

We landed in China around 3:30 pm yesterday. Yes, Sara cried! She said she couldn't believe she actually got to come along for the ride of a lifetime. I don't think Dad slept a wink on the plane - at least I never heard him snore, and that's the tale-tell sign.

We arrived in Chengdu around 9:30 last night and were greeted by our wonderful guide, Natalie. I knew right away we would get along - she said she heard a single woman was coming to adopt but she wasn't expecting - and I quote -someone so "young and beautiful." Clearly, I am going to enjoy Natalie's company! Good for my self-esteem,. HAHA.

We had a good night's rest and a lovely breakfast at the Sheraton Lido Hotel in Chengdu. Sara really enjoyed the breakfast dumplings. We then headed out for a bit of shopping. We went to our local supermarket to buy bottled water and snacks. We couldn't resist the opportunity to walk through the deli area - wow oh wow!! We saw all manner of things being offered. We were offered these itty, bitty snails to sample - YES, Sara and I both tried some. Dad declined. It was actually pretty tasty! Dad was turning green. They had roasted pig snout, cooked rabbit heads, gigantic white carrots that are hot like peppers, and all kinds of other things we have never seen before. If you buy 20 Yuan in food, you get to spin a wheel to see if you get a discount - I spun the wheel, but today was not my lucky day!

We are now off to do more exploring. We have been told that we will not get Amelia today. We will receive her tomorrow (Monday) at 1:30 p.m. China time at the Civil Affairs Office here in Chengdu.

After stopping at our hotel to unload our purchases, we headed out to Jin Li, a popular tourist attraction. It's basically a long street with little shops to purchase trinkets and street foods. Of course, we also found a Starbucks.

We were quite the sight traipsing down the street - the children looked at us like we were aliens. Some of them tried out their English with a big, friendly "hello," while others cried on the sight of us. We ordered noodles from a noodle stand for lunch. Delicious!!! Our whole lunch, two bowls of noodles and one stick of bamboo with steamed rice, came to a whopping total of 16 RMB, about $2. We ate at a table with a lady and a small boy. He was in kindergarten and was learning the days of the week in English.

Tomorrow is Amelia Day!!! We can't wait! We will post as soon as we can once we are back at the hotel. Please pray for a smooth entrustment of Amelia to our care tomorrow.

Love to all our family and friends,

Amy, Mike & Sara

Leaving the USA

We should be leaving in about one hour! We made it through security without any mishaps (yeah!) and with all our stuff. We have had our last Starbucks for awhile and now are waiting to get on our plane. We see them putting the food from GateGourmet on - so at least we know we won't go hungry!

There were tears (Amy's) in the security line out of sheer overwhelmedness that this day had finally arrived. After so much paperwork, prayers, waiting, planning, dreaming, bellyaching, etc., it was almost too much to believe. Our flight will take about 13 hours. We think our flight route will take us north over the polar ice cap (North Pole). We'll wave at Santa. I am sure he's too busy to chat just now. We should arrive in Shanghai at 3:25 p.m. China time (Saturday), which is 1:25 a.m. USA time Sat. morning. Don't worry, we won't call you! Once we arrive, we have a short layover before heading to Chengdu, where we will meet Lady Amelia Chun - the reason for the whole trip. We can't wait!!!

Hugs,
Amy, Mike & Sara

And We're Off!

We're off! Meet the travelers: Amy B, mom to be; Mike B, Amy's dad and Amelia's grandpapa, and Sara B., Amy's dear friend from church and experienced mom, both through birth and adoption, who will keep Amy from making any major mistakes!

After a yummy start at Starbucks, we headed for the Lubbock International Airport. Don't ask me what "international" flights leave from Lubbock, but I digress. We made a short and easy flight to Dallas, where we enjoyed our last Tex-Mex meal for awhile at the airport's Blue Mesa restaurant. We then boarded our plane for Chicago, where we have a lovely and uneventful flight. We are now happily checked into our cozy hotel, waiting for tomorrow to hurry up and get here!

Since this is a complete account of the Lord's work in my life and Amelia's, I must share what happened this morning. I awoke early, and while laying in bed, basically just panicked. I thought, "what am I thinking, adopting this child as a single mom, bringing her here, and thinking this is going to work? This is CRAZY." Immediately, I turned my heart toward the Lord and begged Him not to let me make a mistake with another person's life. In my heart, I felt the word "Joshua." I don't know anyone named Joshua, so I opened my Bible and turned to the book of Joshua. Several times, in the first few chapters, God tells Joshua not to be afraid, but to take courage and do what had been commanded.

You know, God could have left me with that, and I would have known what to do. I was commanded to get Amelia, and I was to obey. But God, when He speaks, goes out of His way to be clear. He is a God full of compassion for His people. I felt I was to keep going - and so I kept reading in Joshua. And there I found the morsel that is so tiny, but was a feast in my heart! "Stretch out the spear in thine hand toward Ai, for the Lord has given the city into thine hand."

Did you HEAR that??? He said "Stretch out your hand toward Ai." Amelia's first name in Chinese is - - Ai. You can call it a coincidence. But I call it a miraculous WORD from Heaven. Before the foundations of the earth, the Lord spoke a phrase to Joshua, a brave warrior, knowing that one day, He would speak that same phrase to ME in a different context. He KNOWS my child's name, and He spoke it. I LOVE MY FATHER IN HEAVEN. OH, HOW I LOVE HIM!!!!!!! I love how He speaks. He is real. He is personal. He is the ONLY one who could have comforted my heart this morning, and He did it in a major way. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, FATHER.

And so...we are on the way, and this blog has a new "tagline" - the verse from Joshua about Ai. Pray for us as we are on our way to bring little Ai home.

The Lord is good, ALL the time.

Amy, Mike & Sara (The "B" Team)

Thank you!

A word of thanks...

Before the journey begins in earnest, I want to take some time to thank some very special people. Please know these words are heartfelt.

To my family - I have always known I have the best family in the world. This adoption has only proven to me what I already knew. I hear of so many families who are not supportive of adoption or adoption from China, but every last one of you - parents, Grandpa Burch, my brother and his family, my aunts, uncles, and cousins - ALL of you have jumped on board and welcomed Amelia with open arms. I love you! Amelia and I are so blessed to have you as our family.

Kent & Karen Ott - You are amazing people! You have generously and graciously given above and beyond what I could have ever even imagined or hoped for to be a part of bringing Amelia home. I never could have dreamed that my dad, Sara, Amelia, and I could ALL travel to China and home on Frequent Flyer miles that didn't cost us a penny. You are truly sent of the Lord for this time and this mission. You will always be a part of Amelia's miracle story. Thank you!

SAJKC - You have laughed with me, cried with me, prayed with me, and kept me sane. I love you, my sweet Lubbock prayer circle! Each one of you is a shining example of the kind of woman, mother, and child of the Father I aspire to become.

WaitingChinaFamilies - My dear "cyberfamily" who has seen me through the crazy TA wait - and endured me at my worst. You promised me my day would come, and it did. Thank you for indulging my silly songs, my DHL stalking, and all the emotions of a 143-day TA wait. You are precious people. What a blessing to have made friends with you along this journey.

Lubbock USAO - Was there ever a lovelier group of people to work with who could also fill in as "birth coaches" in a pinch? You were there when Amelia's sweet face first fluttered across my screen (I think some of you cried harder than I did), and you were there today to send me off with pizza and good wishes. I love each one of you - even on your bad days. HA! Just kidding. I do love you, and I will MISS YOU while I am away!!! I will especially miss our riveting lunch conversations. :)

Highland Families - To my two Highland Families, Highland-Lubbock and Highland-Dallas, I appreciate the love, prayers and support you have had for me over the years. I would not be who I am today without your influence.

Love, Amy (Leaving TOMORROW!!!)

Getting ready to Go!

We leave on Thursday, Nov. 16th for Chicago, and then on Friday, the 17th, to CHINA!!! We will probably receive Amelia sometime Sunday evening or Monday morning (China time). We will return to the US on Nov. 30th and to Lubbock on Dec. 1. THIS IS IT - THE MOMENT I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR!!!

Update from China!

AMELIA UPDATE!! An update received from Amelia's foster family says that she is growing well and is healthy and strong. She likes to play with tape measures and screwdrivers (do we have a future engineer on our hands?) and eat dumplings with meats. They describe her as a "lovely, naughty girl." Uh,oh! Sounds like her Mama is in for some fun!!! Of course, Grandmama said "How dare they talk about my grandbaby that way?!" We can't wait to meet Lady Amelia in person to see what all the fuss is about!

REFERRAL!!! I HAVE A BABY!!!!

Fu Ai Chun ("Blessing, Love, Springtime")

A "referral" is when the Chinese Center for Adoption Affairs (CCAA) sends your adoption agency information about the child that has been chosen for you. In Chinese adoptions, you can request a gender and age range, but generally, you do not "pick out" a child. There is one notable exception: when adopting one of China's children with special needs, you are usually able to select a particular child from a list.

I received Amelia's referral at 1:06 p.m. on Thursday, June 1, 2006. Although I informally committed to her as soon as I saw her, I officially notified my agency that I would like to adopt her at 9:00 a.m. Friday, June 2, 2006. I am hoping to be able to travel to complete the adoption sometime this Fall.

Here's what I know:

Name: Fu Ai Chun
Will be known as: Amelia Grace AiChun
Location: Nanchong, Sichuan Province, China

They say she is a deep sleeper, likes fish soup, likes to play outside, enjoys musical toys and is a quiet and reserved child. She is currently being cared for by a foster family. Amelia was born with a congenital heart defect that we will not know the severity of until she can be evaluated here by a pediatric cardiologist. Her size, color, blood tests and all other medical information look great!