Goodbye China, for now...

Hard to believe our journey is coming to an end. But not the end, just the end of our time in China. For our journey WITH Mavery is only just beginning. We can not wait to be a family of 7, to grow together, to settle into life. I feel as if life has just been on hold for so long. It will be a year in November that I saw Maverys face for the first time. And so all that time we have been waiting. Waiting for Mark to say yes, waiting for paperwork, waiting for approval to travel. Waiting, so much waiting. And now that is all over and we see Gods plan for our lives once again.

It is funny this time, I leave more settled in many ways than I did last time. Yet many times over the last few days Mark or I have said, “ next time we are here”. When the shop owners ask us if we will be back in 2 more years, we both just say you never know. Now of course if you ASK Mark he says DONE. And right now, I feel good with that. Yet this time we both leave knowing that our hearts will always be open to what the Lord wants of us. We are holding proof that sometimes you just have to do it. It does not make sense, it might not be easy, but there are children here that do not have families that need us. As I listen to the giggles coming from this little girl tonight, my heart cried for what we almost missed because we thought we were done. What if I had not looked at that list? What if Mark had dug in and said no? What if we listened to those who think 5 kids is ALOT of kids? What if we had said her heart stuff was to scary or to many unknowns? We would have missed out on this gift and already I can’t imagine our life with out Mavery in it. For now she has completed our family and I am thankful to have her.

It has been a different trip this time for sure. Last time I was here, I was in awe of China. It was all so new and amazing. Sage was SO easy and young and she slept and so we carried her around in her baby sling sleeping and we saw China, we enjoyed everything about China. This time, emotionally was so hard on me. To watch your child grieve and hurt and to say goodbye to all she has known, I could never have prepared myself for that. So it was not so much about China this time, it was all about Mavery and what she needed from me. If that makes any sense.

And so in a few hours I say goodbye once again to the land of my daughters. Feeling different than I did last time yet just as in love with a child that God lovingly placed in my arms, and thankful to a mother who made a choice to give her a better life. I am so ready to have all my kids together. I am so ready to say goodbye and get Mavery home.

China will always be in our hearts, and we will always be listening, Always...

**More posts, keep going!