A very special day.

Today was magical.

I won't ever forget it.

Extra big thanks to the Kuenzi family who took all our pictures for us!

And to the Andersen family who took video.

SUCH a gift you have given us, and more importantly, you have given Abby!

AND thanks to my momma and Marc's parents for being there with us this morning to celebrate!

Our support team!

I won't ever forget looking down the long haul and seeing my two boys and Abby hand in hand running towards us laughing.  And it was Meili who met them first and she scooped up her sister with gusto!

 My first look at my daughter.  Wow!  What a sight.  So big and strong and gorgeous.

Somethin' very very very special about this girl.

 Cannot even tell you how happy I am to have my man home!

 They are all mine!  Never in a million years did I ever imagine.  Wow.  Wow.

 Our family of 8.

 God loves me through these people.  Muah!  LOVE them.

 Abby and her grandparents!

 

Abby and her MorMor!

 When the other two kids came home, I couldn't wait to get HOME.  But this morning at the airport....I could have stayed all day.  It was so special!  Abby was such a joy and just every detail was so special.  

 My love is home.  Thank you, Jesus, for carrying us through these last 16 days!

 Alas, it was time to go home.

Earlier this year, God told me that there was still one extra seat in my van and He had another child of mine to put in it.  It was a surreal moment for me today as the kids all hopped in the van and it was FULL.  

God is amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 Home sweet home, Abby girl.

 Thanks for the sign, sister Bubba.

And the next chapter begins.......

Show me your ways, O LORD,

teach me your paths;

guide me in your truth and teach me,

for you are God my Savior,

and my hope is in You all day long.

Psalm 25:4-5

Tomorrow, I love you, you're only a day away!

Tomorrow morning (in 11 hours to be exact) a fast and furious seven and a half  month journey comes to an end and a new journey begins.  Couldn't be prouder of my China crew and I am sooooo in awe of God for how He has orchestrated all of this. 

 It seems like it was just yesterday that it was Easter Sunday and on the way home from church my husband said, "It is time, we need to adopt now."  And tomorrow morning he will walk off the plane holding his baby girl in his arms.  He will be holding Abby, her father's joy.

Thank you sooooooooo much to all of you who have prayed for us through this journey.  

Thank you for your encouraging notes, emails, and messages. 

Tonight, my heart overflows.

May Abby have on her

"a crown of beauty instead of ashes,

the oil of gladness instead of mourning,

and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair."

She "will be called oaks of righteousness,

a planting of the LORD for the display of His splendor."

Isaiah 61:3

He is a God who redeems.

Amen.

Merry Christmas

A father to the fatherless,

a defender of widows, 

is God in His holy dwelling.

Goes sets the lonely in families.

Psalm 68:5-6

 

 

Adoption.

The most messy beautiful picture of what God came to earth to do.

Today we celebrate Jesus' birth.

He was born so that we may live.

He was born so that we could be adopted by Him and live forever in His presence.

 No matter what we FEEL like today; whether we FEEL blessed or FEEL really bummed, regardless, we SHOULD feel LOVED.  Because each of us who are His children are deeply deeply loved by the Creator of the universe!!!  He adopted us and we are soo sooo sooo loved.  

Adoption is helping to continue molding my idea of what Christmas is. 

For a sweet beautiful little 4 year old girl from China, adoption changes everything.

And for those of us adopted into the Kingdom of God, our adoption should also change everything.  

His birth changes everything.

May God's deep love for us change us.

Today and everyday.  For His glory.

Merry Christmas.

 

Six days to go.....

It has been a remarkable year for my parentals.
They had/have three daughters.
And each of us have given them a grandchild this year!
My youngest sister had a baby in May.
Ofcourse my baby is coming on FRIDAY!!!!!!!!
And just yesterday my middle sister, whom I affectionately call Bubba Hubba, gave birth to a BEAUTIFUL girl.  Her name is Finley Faith.  Don't they look soooooo great!  Oh, she is sooooo cute.  And soooo loved!  And that makes a perfect TEN for my parents.  Finley is their 10th grandkid.  Wowzers!

The crew in China continues to have so much fun.

This morning they got to do my most favorite thing in China; they went to church.

Amazingly, my little firecracker Abby sat pretty still through church so they could all enjoy it.

Back here at home, the time seems to pass quickly.

We have lots and lots of projects to fill our time (Jorie made this pillowcase for Abby to match my quilt for her.) And mostly, we are just resting.  Trying to be as relaxed as possible so we can all get fully recovered before our boys and baby sister come home!

Six days to go before this incredible little lady moves home!!!!!!
Just really am in awe of God that He would bless us with her.....
Wow.  He is soooo soooo sooo good!

What a week!

What a week!

The boys were off to China and the remaining 4 of us took our positions laying flat on the couches in the front room here at home.  All four of us were sick.  We stayed that way until Saturday morning when my sister, the doctor, came over to check us all out.  Then she gently said to me, "Get your sick butt off the couch to take your sick son to the hospital.  I am admitting him NOW."   I am the older sister and generally I like to tell her what to do....however, this time I followed.  ;)

 And so, room 4527 became me and Levi's home for the next 6 days.

Praise the Lord, all 3 Skipper boys in China were healthy and able to carry out their duties of going to get baby sister!

At 1:20am on Monday morning I was awaken in room 4527 with the best Face Time call ever.

Getting Abby had gone very smoothly and she was back in their motel room with them.

PRAISE THE LORD.

I will never forget that Face Time call.  

She took my breath away.  And my boys....my boys were soooo sweet and still with her.

 

She was very stoic and somber with them.

 

 Until they took her down for dinner....

 In the middle of dinner, Marc said, she suddenly emerged from her shell!

  

 And she has been pure joy ever since.

Funny, giggly, a teaser, sweet, smart, meticulous.  

She is INCREDIBLE.  And she IS a Skipper.  God is so amazing.

 

 They are having an absolute blast with her and everything is going so well for them over there!

Being in the hospital with them going through so much over in China (albeit all going so well) and having 2 sick sick sick kiddos at home that I could not take care of.....was really hard.

 But, the Lord provided me with some heroes that helped carry me through.  I felt so so so weak emotionally in the hospital, that truly, these heroes felt like God's love and presence in a real tangible way.

Hero number one.

My sister.

I will be frank.  If it wasn't for her, Levi could have died.  She is an INCREDIBLE doctor.  INCREDIBLE.  Not only was she incredible in the way she managed his care but she also gave me my only night away from the hospital to get a few hours solid sleep at home one night.

  

 Hero number two.

My mother.

 My mom stayed at our house and cared for my sick two girls the entire week.  

What a priceless gift!  She is a gem.

 Hero number three.

My oldest.

This girl is a servant.  She stayed with me the whole last day in the hospital and helped care for Levi.  And since coming home last night, she has continued to help me with him in every single way.  I woke up late this morning to her caring for Levi AND fresh warm banana bread coming out of the oven.  She's amazing.

 Heroes number four.

My friends.

They brought me coffee, treats, stayed with Levi so I could run home and shower, and most importantly, covered us in prayer and encouragement.  

Only silent tears of thankfulness is what I can say about them right now.......

I don't understand why all of this sickness and drama had to happen at this time.  But I do trust the Lord.  And I am in awe of how He showed up and loved me through it through my heroes!

 

 The boys have finished up in Abby's province and are safely in Guangzhou, where they will finish up their trip. 

 

 We are sooo thankful to be home from the hospital where we will all continue to heal from our sicknesses and begin to prepare to be a family of 8 in just seven short days!

 What a week!

To Thee,O LORD, I lift up my soul.

O my God, in Thee I trust.

Psalm 25:1

And they're off!

Well, the last few days have been crazy making several "last minute shopping" stops and getting the boys' three suitcases all filled up with just the right things....A couple months ago, thinking about packing, I was just at a blank as to what to send for Abby....my almost 4 year old daughter who I know NOTHING about in terms of her likes and dislikes....But, this week as it was time to finally put it all in the suitcase, I had so much fun packing all the miscellaneous things I had been gathering for the last several months.  I felt like it really came together.  I cannot wait to see what her likes are and what she enjoys playing with!

 

I searched the house for lightweight books that her brothers and daddy would love to read to her.  I had so much fun thinking about all of them when packing!

And then alas, today came.  Just 7 months and 5 days since God told us she was ours....

This morning I dropped these handsome dudes off at the airport and they are finally on their way for an adventure of a lifetime!  My two prayers for this trip is that it rocks both my boys worlds and God uses this trip for His glorious purposes  AND I pray that it will always be a very very special part of Abby's story to her, that is was her dad and brothers who first overwhelmed her with their love.  

 

As for my emotional state.  Today I am doing pretty good.  I am consumed with peace which I can ONLY attest to God's perfect peace which surpasses understanding.  I definitely feel like God has told me to stay home and ofcourse that helps with my peace about being here.

This week in thinking about this trip, I felt the Lord lead me to pray for the boys to be hemmed in by the presence of God...you know, how the Israelites were protected by the presence of God in the cloud and in the fire that went before and after them....my prayer has been the same for my boys.  And then yesterday the lyrics of this song by Chris Tomlin, Whom Shall I Fear, really caught my heart and it has since become MY song, especially over these next few weeks!  I LOVE how it talks about God going before us and after us and it praises His faithfulness.  It is so my heart right now.  Amen and amen!  Love it!  My prayer is that as you listen to this song, you will hear the Spirit whispering His love for you into your ear.....that you will also hold onto His promises with all the hard stuff you are going through.  To God be the glory!

I would love to ask you to specifically pray for our family's health.  Yesterday morning Levi and I got very sick with high fevers.  Today, I am much better but Levi is still really sick and now Jorie and Mei also have joined the sick club.  The only people that haven't gotten it yet are the 3 travelers.  yikes.  Please pray for those of us at home to heal quickly and for God's protection of my 3 handsome dudes' health!  Thank you soooo much!

Thank you for praying for my family!

1 Thes. 5:24

 In regards to our adoptions:

Someone this week told me I was brave. 
There really is just nothing about that word that resonates with me. 
I don't feel brave.
People want to put so much credit onto us.
Whether its good or bad.
Either they say we are "foolish", "crazy", "what's wrong with you?"...
...or they say we are "amazing", "brave", "heroes"....

It's all so ridiculous.

This morning I read
"The One who calls you is faithful and He will do it."
1 Thessalonians 5:24

Yes! Yes!  Yes!
He is soo soo soo deserving of our obedience.
He is faithful.  He will never ever lead us astray.
So when He says "Go."  We must go.

So, no matter whether people say we are brave or foolish.
It doesn't sink in at all or make any sense. 
Because it's not about us.

Its ALL about Him who called us.
Him who is so completely faithful.
And He will do it.

 Praise, Jesus.
Amen.

It's been 7 months.

7 months ago today I saw this picture.

I read the attached paragraph that told me a scant amount of info about her sweet little life.

And that's all I needed to see and know.

An overwhelming amount of peace filled me and in my heart I knew she was my daughter.

Wow, what a whirlwind it has been.

Last week I was at the extreme level of excitement.

This week it has become more surreal.

 

And the enormity of it all, frankly, is a bit overwhelming right now.

I am in a bit of a zombie state as my brain and my heart try to make sense of all that is happening, all that has happened (what has happened in her life and our lives that has brought us to where we are today), and all that is about to happen....  

 

A very well meaning person said to me this week, "You must really like 'projects' since you keep getting more and more kids to help."  Knowing that she was speaking out of naivety helped me to reply gently, "They are not projects.  They are real children.  Real children that have lived a life of hell.  Real children that desperately need to know they are loved.  And they are now my children.  They are real people." 

 

I have known she was my child for exactly 7 months.

But my heart has not connected with her until the last several weeks.  The paperwork, and life in general, has been too fast and furious for me to  have the time to dwell on her. 

 And this week, that is pretty much all I am doing.

She is my baby girl.  

And she needs to come home.

I really hope that my heart can relax a bit when I see Marc holding her on FaceTime.  

We will see.

In the meantime, there have been some smiles around here.

The other night, while I was up late working on her quilt, Marc sat close to me and was practicing saying her name as he listened to it repeatedly on Google translator.  Oh man, I think I cried, I was laughing so hard. 

The only thing I have packed so far is her clothes.  And before I packed them I laid them all out to show Marc so I could give him the necessary instructions.

Oh man, that was funny too.  Dressing his daughter for two weeks is going to be a stretch for him.  ;)

Can't believe its only been 7 months.

And I can't imagine it being any longer.

This is torture.

6 days till my boys head to China.

10 days till I get to see Abby wrapped in her daddy's love.

Col. 3:16

"Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you..."
Colossians 3:16

Isn't that profound?
This is the word the Lord has me chewing on these last few days.

During these days when life FEELS GOOD and I am not drawn to bow at the feet of my Savior as much as I am when life feels hard.....He keeps whispering to me Col. 3:16.  He wants us all the time....no matter the circumstances.....He wants His word to "richly dwell within" me/us.  Wow!  He is soooo good. 

What a sweet place to be in when we have the word of Christ RICHLY dwelling within us.
I want that.  Today and everyday.

Happy Thanksgiving

9:30 yesterday morning we got word that our dates are finally confirmed and it was time to make all the necessary arrangements.  So, we spent the majority of the day talking to our travel agent and booking all of our needed flights, motel rooms, shuttles, etc. in China.

Hard to believe that just TWO weeks from today Marc and the boys will be boarding a plane to China.  We are, as you can imagine, out of our minds excited.

Feeling so THANKFUL for so many things this morning....but wanted to say an extra thanks to those of you who have been praying for this latest adoption journey of ours and especially for Abby. I am soooo grateful for you!

Last week I found this quote by Ann Voscamp and it so resonated with me and has been CLOSE to my heart ever since.

  "We give thanks to God not because of how we feel but because of who HE is."

Even though I AM feeling thankful this morning, I am VERY aware that I am not always "feeling" this way.  And yet, I should, and I WANT to, always BE thankful because our Mighty GOD is sooo sooo sooo worthy of our praise and thanksgiving everyday!  May we more and more see up and beyond our circumstances to the One who reigns forever!  Amen.

Happy Thanksgiving friends.

TA

Alas, Travel Approval from China has come.
We won't know till tomorrow or Wednesday when we will travel.
But, it's coming.
So, what did I do this evening? 
Head out and bought my baby girl some underwear, socks, and some fabric for a quilt.
You know, the basics.
She may be my 6th kid, but she'll be the first with a quilt from momma!

His first kiss.

Well, I continue to be in awe over the transformation with Levi in our hearts and in our home.  I seriously adore that guy.  Life with Levi is not easy, but it is awesome!  The work that the Lord has done with all things Levi in the last year, the way God has united our family, the work that He has done in our hearts, the way He has continued to grow our faith and our trust in Him.....well, it's just simply mind blowing and life changing.  God's plans are INCREDIBLE.  And to think...that I almost missed out on this journey...because I was almost too afraid to follow the Author of life.  I am the one who was rescued.  Adoption....oh, adoption.  God, you are GOOD!

Anyway.....
yesterday Miss. Mei ran up to me in the kitchen laughing her head off announcing, "Mom, Levi is in love!  Mom, he is going to get married!  He's in love!"  Barely able to understand her, I got down at her level and asked what in the world she was talking about.  Continuing to laugh, she told me that Levi had been kissing her baby doll.  I told her I didn't believe her and that she was being very silly, because Levi hasn't yet kissed anyone.  She insisted.  And so, she led me back to her room and there was Levi holding her baby doll.  She said, "Levi, show mom how you kiss the doll!"  And then, my sweet Levi gave that little baby doll a kiss on the forehead and giggled, then another kiss, another giggle, and another kiss.  I got down and said, "Levi, can you kiss me?"  And he leaned over and pressed his lips against mine....and then giggled.

We can't get him to kiss again.  But, I must say, that was a great moment.  What is that quote about life not being measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away?  Indeed.


A friend shared this blog post with me:  http://sheepdogger.blogspot.ca/2013/08/indispensable.html
And, I have to say, it is my most favorite blog post of all time.  Every time I read it, I laugh and cry the whole way through.  I would love for you to read it. 

God is sooo sooo sooo good!

National Adoption Month!!!!

If you listen to Christian radio, listen to podcasts of sermons, or read Christian magazines, no doubt you have heard that NOVEMBER is National Adoption Month!  Whoop whoop!   A month where the Christian community joins together to raise awareness of the millions and millions of orphans around the world and encourages the church body to care for those orphans through foster care, adoption, and orphan care.

The cause of orphans in our world is especially important to me these days because, as you may not know, the "issue" is under great attack.  WORLD magazine had a great article about the assault this month:  "International adoption is under assault.  In 2013 a rash of negative stories with sensational titles...have made their way into print."  The article reports that in 2004, over 22,000 children were adopted internationally, and in 2012, that number dropped to 8,000.  argh.  Here is the link to the article:  http://www.worldmag.com/2013/11/adoption_under_fire

Somehow, we came upon a podcast of a sermon that was delivered a few weeks ago on "Orphan Sunday" at a church in Houston.  I loved the way the pastor presented this topic.  LOVED IT.  If you have an extra 30 minutes you could spare, I highly recommend listening to this pastor's sermon, "God's deep love for orphans"...and I hope you are inspired by the last few minutes of what one of the women leader's in the church shares...... https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/bayou-city-fellowship-sermon/id471812715

Here is a recent great blog post by an adoptive momma that discusses the challenges and awesomeness that comes with adoption:
http://nihaoyall.com/2013/11/theres-no-such-thing-as-an-easy-adoption.html
I would say ditto to everything she writes about adoption.

And last but not least, I want to brag about what some of our good friends left do to last week.....they moved their family of 6 to the Ukraine to care for special needs orphans there!!!!!!  Quit their jobs and left all the comfort of family and friends to boldly follow the LORD to love on the least of these in the Ukraine!  Hello!  SUCH a picture of what the Lord wants all of us to do:  leave behind everything and follow Him boldly to where He is leading.  Woooo hooo!  THAT is the great adventure!. http://wideawakefamily.com/

Happy National Adoption month to you!  How is God calling you to care for an orphan, one of his precious precious children?

Article 5

Article 5: That nice little piece of paper that the US Consulate in China issues saying that they are FINALLY ready to issue a visa for my sweet little baby girl to come home.  They have all that is needed.  It is time.  We got that piece of paper TODAY!!!!!  Whoop whoop!

Only one little piece of paper remaining:  Travel Approval.  That will be from China's government saying, "Okay, Skipper family, come get your beautiful little daughter. Now."

We are preparing for a departure of December 5th.  However, that date is still very tentative.  Our travel approval could be delayed.  Our flights coming home could be too expensive or too full due to it being just a few days before Christmas....etc. etc. 

Ah, God knows.  And He is so soo sooooo good!

good bye, October

October is always the busiest month of the year.  Always.

And this October did not disappoint.

A wedding, birthdays galore, a mini family vacation, a serious medical treatment, we gave our family dog away, pumpkin patch, one of us had a little medical crisis resulting in a 5 day hospital stay.....along with all of the normal "stuff".....oh, October....

As I have thought about blogging throughout the month, through all of October's adventures, my favorite song would always come to mind.  And so, at last, I will just write some of the lyrics to my most very favorite song, In Christ Alone.  Through all of our fun and adventures this month, He was sovereign and He was victorious.  Somehow, it always all comes back to Him.  He is soo soo soo good.  I want to live for Christ alone.

In Christ alone my hope is found
He is my light, my strength, my song
This Cornerstone, this solid ground
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm

And as He stands in victory
Sins curse has lost its grip on me
For I am His and He is mine
Bought with the precious blood of Christ

No guilt in life, no fear in death
This is the power of Christ in me
From life's first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny

No power of hell, no scheme of man
Could ever pluck me from His hand
Til He returns or calls me home
Here in the power of Christ I stand

I will stand, I will stand
All other ground is sinking sand
All other ground, all other ground
Is sinking sand, is sinking sand
So I stand

............

"What seemed like the obstacles were actually the paths."  ~Bob Goff 

"Stillness with God is always a matter of focus, not of circumstances." ~Ann Voscamp 

my heart prepares for Abby

Right now, every day seems like a week.  At one point last week I was frustrated that we had been waiting for seemingly a month for our next expected paperwork, and then I looked at the calendar and discovered it had only been a little over a week that we had been waiting.  Ah, my heart is starting to ache for her.  Every day feels so long without her.  Often now, when all my kids are in the same room with me, I sense a very strong feeling that someone is missing.....that she is missing.  It's weird, but it's real.  The realness of her in my mind and in my heart and in our family is no doubt magnified because of our other two adoptions.  I know this is the real deal.  As the days go by, the anxiousness for her in my heart seems to increase exponentially.  The paperwork part seems less and less significant, and the realness that my daughter, my beautiful God-given daughter, is coming home seems more and more profound and tangible.  God is preparing me...I feel it.  He is so good.  She will be birthed into our family at just the right time...and I feel those labor pains about to begin........

Thankfully, things are moving. Today, we did hear that our I800 Provisional Approval is in the mail, on the way to us from Immigration.  When it arrives we will be one step closer. 

And in the meantime, I have found myself often wondering how in the world I can continue with the normal routines of life.   Frankly, I would rather curl up in the fetal position on the couch and just wait till she walks through my front door.  Then, my baby will be home with her momma, out of that stinkin cold orphanage (ick!), and all will be right with the world.  .....And yet, that doesn't quite seem doable.  ;)  And so, I am trying to continue with some sort of normalcy (for as long as I possibly can.).

God has been so good giving me glimpses of His work in our home, despite my own feelings of worthlessness since all I want to do is think about Abby.

 Who knew linking verbs could be so fun?  I have to say, doing school with this kid is an absolute blast!  He makes everything fun!  And amazingly, he seems to be learning.  Today I thanked God for the joy He has continued to give me through schoolwork with my kids.  Laughing our heads off about linking verbs is definitely a better option than being curled up on my couch just sitting waiting waiting waiting for Abby.  God is soooo good.

This week, my baby girl started reading.  Ahhhhh!!!!  What a timely gift the Lord gave us.  HE taught her to read!!!!  Oh, I praise you Jesus!!!!!

Our focus this year as a family is the 10/40 window.  The 10/40 window is a missions term used to indicate the area in our world where the far majority of unreached for Jesus people live.  It is estimated that 78% of the people groups that still have yet to hear about Jesus live in this area of our world.  And so, as we talk about these people and these parts of our world, I am deeply humbled.  And suddenly, it's not all about me anymore.  Actually, it's not about me at all.  But instead, all about Him.  

And so, the wait for Abby continues....and is getting harder....but God continues to be so faithful.  And he continues to be so present with us through each day.  I don't want to waste these days.  To Him be the glory!

It is the Lord your God you must follow, and him you must revere. 

Keep his commands and obey him; serve him and hold fast to him.

Deuteronomy 13:4