June 2 -- Leave for Beijing! We fly from Peoria to Chicago to Beijing.
Pray for smooth flights, no cancellations, and safety. Pray that we would honor the Lord with our attitudes during a long day of travel.
June 3 -- Arrive in Beijing at 3:15 pm.
Pray that our guide would be at the airport to meet us and that all our luggage is there as well!
June 4 -- Agency orientation, sight-seeing at the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square.
Pray that our children would be well-behaved and good travelers. Pray that we would all recover quickly from jet lag.
June 5 -- Great Wall and Summer Palace tour
Pray that we would appreciate the culture and people of China as we learn more about Amelia's birth country.
June 6 -- Fly to Wuhan
Please pray for a safe flight to Wuhan. Pray that we don't have any trouble as we are in transit without a guide.
June 7 -- Amelia day! We are scheduled to meet Amelia around 3:00 this afternoon.
Please pray for God's abundant grace on all of us as we meet our daughter for the first time. Pray that she will bond to us easily and that she will allow us to comfort her as she grieves. Pray especially for Amelia as she is leaving everything she has known today.
June 8 -- Adoption paperwork -- Today our adoption will be official!
Continue to pray for Amelia's transition into our family. Pray for our other kids to be patient and understanding if she is very needy of our attention or doesn't seem to "like us" right away. Pray also for Michelle's mom to have stamina as she helps with all the kids.
June 9 -- Free day. We may visit the Yellow Crane Tower today, depending on how Amelia is doing.
We have read that Day 3 is often the hardest for the children as the realize that the new family is permanent and that they are not going back to their former home. Please continue to pray for Amelia's bonding with our family and for her little heart and body as she works through her grief.
June 10 -- Pick up Amelia's passport and fly to Guangzhou.
We have been given permission to have Amelia's passport ready a day faster than usual, due to the Dragon Boat Festival holiday. Please pray that it would indeed be ready this afternoon so that we can fly to Guangzhou.
June 11 -- Medical exam
Guangzhou is where the US Consulate is located and where we must apply for Amelia's visa to enter the US. The medical exam is one of the requirements to get her visa. Please pray that she will do well in what will likely be a scary situation for her. Pray also for our other kids as they will probably be getting anxious to be home.
June 12 -- Free day
Pray for continued safety and good health, that we would make wise choices with what we eat and drink. Pray also for our new bond with Amelia to be strengthened each day as she learns to trust us to care for her.
June 13 -- Free day
Pray that our family would be a good witness for the Lord while we are in China. Pray also that all the paperwork needs to be completed here would be done accurately.
June 14 -- Consulate appointment
Pray that Amelia's visa would be issued on time, as we don't have much "wiggle room" before we leave Guangzhou. Pray also that the Lord would prepare safe and smooth travels for us as we prepare to come home.
June 15 -- Pick up Amelia's visa and take the train to Hong Kong.
Please pray again that the visa would be issued ON TIME as we are leaving for Hong Kong this evening. Pray for us as we navigate the hotel to train station to van to hotel route this evening. We will likely not reach our hotel in Hong Kong until around 11:00 tonight. Pray again for our children to be wonderful travelers.
June 16 -- Fly from Hong Kong to Chicago to Peoria.
Pray that our flights would be on time, smooth, and uneventful. The first flight is around 14 hours. Please pray that Amelia will travel well and that we would all find ways to make the trip home enjoyable.
THANK YOU so much for lifting our family to the Lord! It would be so encouraging to us if you could leave us comments so we know you are praying for us!
Hi, Michelle! So excited for you to get here and meet Amelia. :o) You might check your post...each line is cut off so you can't read the rest of the prayer request. Or maybe it's just my computer. God bless you!
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