Merry CHRISTmas, I800a APPROVAL!!!!!

This morning I awoke with the thoughts of my little Asa across the pond. I just wondered if he was warm, because it is not warm there. I wondered what he was doing, and if he had eaten a good supper. I wondered if anyone was giving him hugs and snuggles today. My dear sweet friend, just gave birth to a baby boy in the wee hours of the Christmas Eve morning. Although my heart leapt with happiness for her, I couldn't help but weep for my sweet son. I just cried, and in my spirit I heard this "Erin, I go before you." I immediately looked up where I had read that before in The Word, and it was Psalm 139: 1-18 (NLT)

" O Lord, You have examined my heart and know everything about me. You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I'm far away. You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know EVERYTHING I do. You know what I am going to say before I say it, Lord. You GO BEFORE ME and follow me. You place Your hand of blessing on my head. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, to great for me to understand! I can never escape from Your Spirit! I can never get away from Your presence! If I go up to heaven, You are there; if I go down to the grave, You are there. If I ride the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans, EVEN THERE Your hand WILL GUIDE ME, and Your strength will support me. I could ask the darkness to hide me and the light around me to become night-
but even in darkness I cannot hide from You. To You the night shines as bright as day. Darkness and light are the same to You. You made ALL the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother's womb. THANK YOU for making me SO WONDERFULLY COMPLEX! Your workmanship is marvelous-how well I know it. YOU WATCHED me as I was being formed in UTTER seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You SAW me before I was born. Every day of my life was RECORDED in Your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. HOW PRECIOUS ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ABOUT ME O God. They cannot be numbered! I can't even count them, they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up, You are still with me!" 

How I needed that, and so thankful that He speaks in His still small voice. Just one line of this gorgeous Pslam, and everything that was going on in my heart about my son, He comforts. He sees. He knew my sweet Chinese boy before anyone, and He watched him being knit together in his momma's womb. It gave me such great peace to know that HE is keeping Asa warm, and HE is keeping Asa fed, until WE can get to him. Such a comfort to this Mommy! I then began to perk up a bit, because I KNOW that next CHRISTmas, Asa will be here to celebrate the birthday of a KING! The very King that brought him to his forever family. And the story just keeps on getting better and better folks! A little while later I got a phone call from Todd, and he was plum giddy to announce to me that our I800a, also known as our immigration approval, was approved with NO problems, and our official letter was mailed out yesterday! 62 days we had been waiting for this, and we have crested a giant hill!! Planted the flag, and we are "thiiiiissssss cloooseeeee" to sending our Dossier to China! I mean THIS CLOSE!! Like January 15th close! We are waiting on paperwork authentication, and BOOM! It's DONE! Like stick a fork in it! This is a huge Merry Christmas for Todd and I!  We were able to celebrate tonight with a nice meal out at our favorite sushi place, and I couldn't help but think, this would be the last Christmas we would spend as our little family of 4.

I know that our sweet little man is being covered under The Almighty's Hand. About a week ago we received news that Asa was moved from his orphanage in Shijiazhuang, to a specialized Cerebral Palsy rehabilitation hospital in the Henan province. This is a HUGE blessing, as that hospital can only house 100 orphans at a given time, and MY ASA is there! Getting therapy for his CP. This kind of care for orphans is just not the norm, and I know that God is showing Todd and I how BIG HE IS!! Just preparing every, single, step of the way. " Erin, I GO before you!" It is just forever etched on my heart, those words. And, the thankfulness I feel is just indescribable. So much so, that I cannot wait to tell Asa next year, " For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on His shoulders. And He shall be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."