His Last Night

To my much neglected blog:

Here we are in China… 3.0  As I type, we are sitting on the bullet train from Beijing to Zhengzhou…. And we’re leaving a minute ahead of schedule.  

Outside Beijing West Train Station on way to Zhengzhou 

On the bullet train 

Walmart in Zhengzhou 

We had a smooth and non-eventful trip from Atlanta to Seoul to Beijing. Daniel did great on the plane, slept a little, and enjoyed every minute of the trip.

We successfully smuggled 50+ lbs of vitamins into China and got some CNY from the cash machine at the airport.  After waiting in the taxi line, we wound up in a taxi, but I think the driver was “off duty” making a little extra cash because after we got in, he showed us a price chart that was a little above normal rates but at that point, we just wanted to get to the hotel.  I believe he must have wanted to be a racecar driver when he was little and was living out that dream. Fun for him, but Fred firmly let him know we weren’t in THAT much of a rush.

On Friday, we visited Dew Drops home and our friend Lily. She was appreciative of the vitamin delivery and said she would make good use of them. This place is making a life-changing and life-saving difference every day… and they are doing it all from an unassuming building in the outskirts of Beijing that was originally built to be a kind of bed-and-breakfast hotel so there are several rooms on the second floor for nannies and children to stay in. Their model is to create a loving, secure environment where the children feel attached to their nanny while receiving life-saving care.

One of the rooms for a nanny and child. 

Unpacking the vitamins 

We chatted with Lily about Sam and she teared-up watching a video I made of him talking to her and showing her the M&Ms we brought to her and the nannies. I learned a little more of his story from her and the fact that his orphanage didn’t even know he had a heart condition and according to them the reason he was so skinny at 4 months old was because he just “wasn’t a good eater.”  Our gratefulness to Lily and Little Flower will always be deeper than words can express.

We enjoyed our time in Beijing visiting The Forbidden City and The Great Wall. Daniel really seemed to appreciate the historical significance of what we saw (those library books and documentary videos payed off!)

We were able to get a recent picture of Andrew and his friend who’s family is coming for him soon. I’m blown away at how happy Andrew looks in many of his pictures. I hope this means he feels happy often, that he feels secure and loved. I’m still pretty sure he doesn’t have much of a clue what he’s getting into… but at least he’s excited to be getting into it!

Andrew and his friend who's family is coming form him soon. Also with his nanny and an orphanage official

Even being in Beijing, it felt a bit like a vacation and that we are tourists seeing the sights of China. Yet Andrew is a constant on my mind and I get that butterfly-feeling in my stomach when I think of Monday and what we are all about to embark on. This boy who has spent his life in the orphanage is about to spend his last night there and go with funny-looking people who don’t understand what he is saying and cannot be understood. 

Many people, those in and out of the adoption community, assume we are adopting a younger child. "When are you getting your new baby?" "Boy or girl? Oh, a little boy."  Sometimes I let them in on the scoop, other times, I just go with it to shorten the conversation (remember, I'm an introvert.)  But one woman, and I can't for the life of me remember where it was, reminded me of something very important... when she assumed he was a young child or baby and I informed her that he is actually ten, she said, "Well, he's YOUR baby."   And she's right. He's MY baby. He needs to be someone's baby, not in the sense that he wants to be "babied" or pitied because he has not grown up with a family, but in the sense that he deserves to feel like part of a family who is going to lift him up, cheer him on, fight for him and love him. All children deserve that. It's not related to biology, it's a God-given gift. It's what love does.

Some photos of Andrew when he was young. We are getting a scrapbook  made by The Half The Sky program he was in when he was younger. 

I’m trying hard not to have any expectations and just take him with whatever he comes with and try our best to let him feel love, even though he might not know exactly what that is. I can guarantee he doesn’t know what “family” feels like but that also means he doesn’t know what he’s been missing. We cannot know how he will transition into family life and our culture. All we can do is be there for him and help him feel that our love is unconditional… it comes with NO conditions… we will love him all of our lives… no matter what.  Love does not make things easier, but often it’s the only thing we have to cling to during times of struggle.

It’s hard to put myself in his shoes. Even though we have video chatted several times, I know we will seem like strangers to him and he will seem unfamiliar to us.  We will be in the same civil affairs building where we got Sam nearly three years ago. There are fewer families this trip so it may be less chaotic… or maybe not, lol. What I remember about Sam’s family day was how from the initial meeting, he felt like ours and we felt like his. It was so natural. Joshua’s was a very easy, but he was definitely more unsure at first, but did warm up to us very quickly. Yet, the bond was different, maybe because of his age. I expect the bond with Andrew to take longer to form. And that’s okay.

It is his last night in his orphanage, his last night without his very own family here with him, tomorrow our story and his story will intersect in a government building in Zhengzhou, China. And the Bible verse I chose for Sam's adoption blog and movie: " For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11... that verse wasn't just about Sam... it is about US. God writes THE BEST stories. We just have to open our hearts and minds to wherever love leads us.... even if it's a page we never thought we'd be on. Tomorrow is the day. What a blessing to be this boy's family. How "lucky" are we?

"Hey, where did you get that shirt?"

I am excited to share with you our shirts we designed to help bring Andrew home!  We hope you like them and want to wear them! All the proceeds from the sales will go directly towards our adoption fees and expenses. 
Here is the link to purchase the shirts:  http://www.bringhomeandrew.bigcartel.com/

In addition to raising funds for Andrew's adoption, our hope is that these shirts spark conversations about adoption that will lead to helping find families for the millions of waiting children around the world.

A little bit of the story behind the shirts...

We are the Dri Family and we live north of Atlanta, GA. We have 5 kiddos home with us and 1 who is waiting on us in China (Andrew Jun.)  We have been beyond blessed by adoption and are filled with joy to be on this journey again. I learned about Andrew through adoption advocacy sites and my agency's waiting child page. He was born in December 2005 in Xinyang China, and has hemophilia, a genetic bleeding disorder. His birth family could not provide him with the care he needed. He entered the orphanage when he was almost one year old. He has lived in the orphanage ever since. 

Andrew's blood does not contain an adequate amount of clotting factor. Therefore, he has spontaneous bleeds inside his body, mainly in the joints. His knees are especially affected. Once he is home, he will be put on prophylaxis treatment where he will receive injections of clotting factor intravenously about 3 times a week. He also needs a factor infusion when he feels a possible bleed in a joint or when he suffers an injury that could result in internal bleeding. He is not the only one with a blood disorder in the family as our son, Joshua, has thalassemia and Fred has hemochromatosis. (Had to have a red shirt for my blood/ bleeding disorder gang!)

Andrew is a brave boy. Even though I haven't met him, I know he is brave because he is "open." That is how he has been described several times. He loves life. And while I know he cannot fathom how drastically his life is about to change and his "openness" may not come as easily, I have hope that he will be brave and he will have courage even when he is afraid. And I pray that we can help him to feel secure as best we can as strangers, who are his parents. 

I have this hope because I've seen two little Chinese boys who have displayed bravery and openness in the midst of their worlds turning upside down. And the more time that passes, the more I'm in awe of the whole process of adoption. I have hope that Andrew will allow us into his heart, and slowly, over time, by the grace of God, he will feel "family." 

Being brave and having courage doesn't mean we don't feel fear. It's feeling the fear, recognizing it, and saying "yes" anyway.

I know 5 brave kids that are sleeping under our roof right now. They are excited to meet their new brother. 

Over the past 3 years in this adoption community,  I've met and read about many courageous families and children. People that endure hardships they never dreamed of yet they have hope; people who have experience a peace and joy so unexplainable and they want to share it with others; families and kids who have stepped so far out of their realm of comfort and stability into an unknown world and have found that the journey only made their faith stronger and their hearts deeper in love.

There are many unknowns in our world, but God want us to be brave anyway; to have courage anyway. We are to be bold in standing up for what we believe, in taking a step of faith for what is right, in saying "yes" when it may be easier to say "no", in choosing the path less traveled... that's where the flowers grow. Not to say that you won't have to climb through a mess of thorns to see those flowers, but they'll be so much more beautiful because of it.

So, I hope you like the shirts and feel free to share with others!  We are so grateful for all of the support and encouragement and love. 
Thank you, sincerely.


To order your shirts please visit: http://www.bringhomeandrew.bigcartel.com/

If you have any questions, please contact me at alisondri@hotmail.com

Be brave, my heart. Have courage, my soul

"A ship is safe in harbor, but that's not what ships are for." 

William G.T. Shedd

"Normality is a paved road: It is comfortable to walk, but no flowers grow on it." 

Vincent van Gogh

As we began the adoption process for our third time, we have been overjoyed and humbled at the outpouring of love and support we have received. Even if people don't quite understand "WHY??", they still encourage us and ask about the process and WHEN we are going to get our new son.

The answer to that is: after we make it through this process... again. 

What?... can't follow that??  Yeah, it's a true paperchase. And, yes, even though we have done this exact same thing twice before, we still have to go through the exact same process again. 

Basically it's this: 

• Collect all official documents needed for your dossier and home study: birth certificates, marriage license, health forms, physical exam forms (always fun to get the doctor to fill it out correctly and legibly so nothing gets rejected), proof the septic tank works, proof the dog had her rabies shot, letters from employers, financial statements, etc  Some documents are just for the home study and are specific by state. Some documents are SUPER important and have to go to China in our dossier.
  
• Social worker visits and writes up home study (wait for that to happen)
  
• Agency reviews home study and finalizes it (wait for that to happen)
  
• Home study and fees get sent to USCIS for initial approval from US govt to adopt a child from China (have to get fingerprints done again at Dept of Homeland Security... that one kills me, my fingerprints haven't changed, but okay.)  (wait for fingerprint appt letter to come)
  
• While waiting on the govt to stamp that approval, I get all the other dossier documents notarized, county certified, state sealed and then sent to a courier in Houston who has to walk them into the Chinese Consulate (because you can't mail anything) to get them authenticated by the consulate. Then they all come back to me and I give them to our agency.
  
• When I finally get the USCIS approval, I will do the same steps for that piece of paper and then give to agency for dossier (final piece!)
  
• Agency will review all dossier documents again and then translate them and send them to China. (wait for that to happen)
  
• THEN we will be DTC (Dossier to China)
  
• THEN we wait on our LID (Log in Date)
  
• THEN we wait on our LOA (Letter of Acceptance.... this is hard wait. For Sam it took ALL summer 78 days, for Joshua, who had a medical expedite, it took 7 days... we are hoping for an expedite for Andrew since he has hemophilia (most likely severe), but we won't know if it will happen until it does) Getting LOA is a VERY exciting step... then things start to fly.
  
• THEN the steps get a little fuzzy to me, lol... {see chart}   We have to get another approval from USCIS to adopt Andrew SPECIFICALLY, then the US Consulate in China does some stuff and something called an article 5 is picked up and dropped off and then the CCCWA (China's govt branch in charge of all adoptions) issues TA (TRAVEL APPROVAL!!!)
  
• THEN the agency requests a consulate date which will determine the day we will get Andrew.
  
• THEN we get to book airline tickets and hotels... which sounds fun, but is not really that fun when you are about 2 weeks out from international travel, lol.  Luckily I'm married to a travel GENIUS who has been working like a madman to collect points for airline tickets and hotel stays. We know which hotels we will stay in during our two week trip to China. Freddie is awesome:)
  
• And THEN.... it's GO-TIME! Fred, and I and Daniel will be going on the trip to bring Andrew Jun home.

It may seem somewhat daunting, but really it's not. It's just a series of steps and approvals and gathering paperwork and making sure you don't fill out a form wrong. It's pretty cut and dry and predictable (for the most part, although you never know what hiccups may occur in the process, but they are usually resolved.)

And while the waiting is hard and the process is cold and deliberate, the end result is beautiful. Adoption is beautiful. In so many ways. It's closest thing we have on earth to God's adoption of us as His children. He is a good, good father. Always. We do not view adoption as "playing God" or "trying to be a savior"... we know it is a blessing, an honor, a calling that we, as Christians, should consider. To me, it's pretty clear that Jesus came to teach us to LOVE one another... to do for one another as God has loved us. That can take the form a lot of different things in this world. One of those is adoption, and while it may not be for every family, I encourage you to consider it, and look at the reasons you come up with for why not and pray about them. And if adoption is not something you feel is meant for your family, I'm sure there is another story God will write for you that will be more than you can imagine. 

I like the Pope Francis quote: "Ask Jesus what He wants from you and Be Brave."

I don't know exactly how this will all work out. Adopting a 10 year old boy who speaks no english and has never known what 'family' means is, by definition, unpredictable, lol. I'm going into it with NO expectations. 

No expectations of how Andrew will react to us and his siblings

No expectations of how the adoption trip will go

No expectations of if he will let us hug him or show him affection or if he will even like us, lol

No expectations of if he will want us to call him by his Chinese name or his American name

No expectations of how quickly (or not) he will learn english

No expectations of how the other kids will react to him or how the adoption will change the family dynamics

No expectations about how he will handle the fact that his world will be turned upside down and inside out as he takes in a new culture, a new language, a new living environment with new, strange-looking people... and an overly-friendly labrador:)

I will take it all in as it happens and try to trust my gut and parenting instincts and lean on God for strength and guidance. 

This is our life. This our family. Andrew is a part of it, he just doesn't know it yet. And it's our job, as parents, to help him transition into it and show him an unconditional love that he may never have known before. The rest are details that we will work out.

The kids are excited and we pray together for Andrew to be safe in China and happy until we can bring him home. And I pray that he knows love and feels loved... but honestly, I can't know if that is the case or not. As I've said before about Joshua's life in China, there is a difference between being cared for and being loved.  

Needless to say, we hope the process goes as quickly as possible. Our home study has been written and is being reviewed. We hope send out our application for our first USCIS approval. We won't send our dossier to China until the summer (all depends how quickly we get this first approval.)  We still hope to travel in the Fall (early,  middle, or late depending on if US and China expedite). If we don't get approved for expedites at all, it could be the winter when we travel.

I'm in the process of making a book for him with our pictures and pictures of our house, inside our house, his room, our backyard, our school, etc. I don't want to overwhelm him, but I hope that seeing some visuals of how his new home will look will be comforting to him. I also included a map of the world and China with his province highlighted and USA with GA highlighted.

Interestingly, his city and our city are very close in latitude to each other (34 degrees north for Cumming and 32 degrees north for Xinyang), so the climate will probably be something he is used to... just hopefully cleaner air:)

We hope that we will be able to video chat with him after we get LOA. I have a friend who has a friend that speaks Chinese, so she could interpret for us. 

We are also excited to have designed a t-shirt for Andrew's adoption! I worked with an organization called Fund the Nations, whom I met at the adoption retreat I went to, and the girls helped me with some details of it as well. I really liked how it turned out and I hope others do as well! I will make another post soon about the shirts that will help bring Andrew home.

Here's a hint as to the shirt saying: 

"Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.  Do everything in love."  1 Corinthians 16:13-14

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9

One thing I remember that stood out to me when I first read what was written about Andrew by his orphanage is that despite the pain his hemophilia has caused in his life, he is still "open" and "loves life."  That sounds like a brave boy to me. I wish he didn't have to wait so long. I wish he hadn't endured pain that could have been prevented. But all we can do now is work as quickly as possible to get him home and be "open" to all he is and all he can be... and to help him see that he is so worthy and so loved by us and by God, our good, good Father.

An Unexpected Story

My dad loves telling stories... and retelling stories that he's told a time or two before. It runs in the family. Pop, my dad's dad, was known to be quite the storyteller, and I can recall hearing him tell the same stories to my brother, my cousins, and I throughout my childhood. I'm not complaining. I love a good story. And when you have a good story to tell, why not tell it often and with great enthusiasm? And usually the best stories are the ones that take an unexpected turn.

About two years ago I told you the story of a little boy in China who wore a yellow shirt. (http://dri-style.blogspot.com/2014/02/i-have-this-story-to-tell-you.html) I told you how that little boy was filmed by an American couple and that video made it's way to the internet where I saw it, and he made his way into my heart.



And as I type this, that little boy in the yellow shirt is lying peacefully in the top bunk of his the bed that he shares with his little brother, who also happens to have quite a story of how he wound up here in our lives and in our hearts.

If you had asked me 5 years ago about my plans and goals... my dreams... what my story would be, I may not have have known how to answer you. I was trying to figure out what all those people mean when they talk about "finding God's will for your life." I absolutely wanted to do that.. yes, let's find that out... God's will, His desire for me, for our family. 

I wanted to know, I felt a deep yearning to know. Seemed simple enough... God's will... I've heard that talked about since I was a girl. And I was ready to sign up. Just one small issue... I knew it was something great, but I couldn't figure out what it was.  

I read my Bible, and inspirational books, and self-help books trying to nail down exactly what it was that God was trying to whisper into my heart, and I discovered that the answer can't be found in a book. It's too personal, too individual and there is no straight and narrow path to figuring it out. So I prayed and waited and kept my eyes and heart open. And I found that when I listened with a quiet and peaceful soul and let contentment and surrender be the center of my life, the answers came with ease. When I stopped following what I thought life was about and started following Jesus, I knew. I just knew. 

What God has done in our lives has been amazing and beautiful. Sam and Joshua's adoptions have forever changed all of us, in the best ways. I truly feel like I'm a better mom now than I was before, even though we are busier, the house is louder, and we have 2 more kids to wrangle. I'm not stressed. I'm not worn down. 
Do I get tired by 8:00? um, yes, sometimes by 7:30. But that's why God made wine. Let's not waste that. 
And coffee, can't forget coffee... another valuable gift from God's earth.

I feel so blessed, thankful, and proud everyday to get to be the momma to my five little people.  I can tell you it's so true-- love is not like a pie with a slice for each child; it doesn't get divided,... It multiplies. 

Going through the adoption processes and connecting with other families and reading about the life-changing and inspiring stories of miracles and deep faithfulness; I know it's made be a better mom and a better person. Of course I still have doubts, frustrations, and times when I totally blow it as a mom, but the joy I get from my life and the people I get to do life with far outweighs those difficulties.  

I now see the world in a different way, and all of my "problems" or "issues" are minor in comparison to what many families and children face with on a daily basis. Perspective if a gift we can have here in this country. I'm not saying that we should ignore the issues that come up with our children or family and friends, but I've just found that if we try to see things through God's eyes, it makes it easier to find a solution to the problem or to at least find peace in what is happening around you. I find it very hard to complain about anything.

So, yes, adoption has been a wonderful gift in our lives, on many levels.  It's been a gift not only to Fred and I but to our entire family. After Joshua's adoption we were feeling nice and full here at the Dri House. What blessings these boys are, and watching them learn what family means and seeing their amazing older siblings bring them in the fold, just like one of the gang. It has been a joy to behold. 

Once you are in the adoption world, especially on Facebook, it's hard to get out:) You know, like in The Godfather. I'll spare you the quote. But really, once you've entered, your eyes are open and your heart is changed. I know firsthand what advocacy can do, as we would have never seen Joshua if Terri had not advocated for him (https://rockingtheredthread.wordpress.com/2013/07/). There are too many other stories similar to his to discount the power of advocacy; one at a time matters. I found myself advocating for some of the kids who had been waiting for a while. Sometimes I would advocate in the private groups and sometimes on my own page (those of you who are friends with me on Facebook *may* have noticed;)

It was very obvious that many of the children who wait for families the longest are boys, especially older boys and older children in general. In China, once a child turns 14, they are no longer eligible to be adopted. They will spend the rest of their childhood in the care of the orphanage and then their future is uncertain. Some will stay in a social welfare institution for the remainder of their lives. Some will be able to go to lower level schools and acquire jobs but will face much difficulty as family is everything in China, and an orphan status is deemed unlucky, undesirable, and even "cursed." In addition their houku, or family registration, would identify them as an orphan forever since they have no family lineage. They often wind up living life in the margins of society with no family to connect with. I would also imagine that a young man with orphan status would have a very hard time finding a wife as the number of men in China is disproportionately high compared to the number of women. A woman's family is not likely to accept their daughter marrying a man with that "unlucky" hukou and limited potential because of it. This article explains what happens when a child ages out: http://www.lwbcommunity.org/adoption-of-older-children

 I remember when we first started the adoption process with Sam and we were on a serious learning curve, I saw someone in one of the private groups who was wanting to adopt a 10 year old boy. "Why?" I wondered. "Why would you WANT an older child if there were younger kids who were waiting for families, too. I don't think I could ever adopt an older child. That seems too hard. Too many 'issues' could come up. Nope, not for me, but God bless those people. Good for them. Yes, those older kids need families, too."

It seemed like a fine and wonderful idea for OTHER people. I was glad THEY could do that, but no way... not for us. That's waaaay out of my comfort zone.

"The hunger for love is much more difficult to remove than the hunger for bread." Mother Teresa

And then, as sometimes happens, God starts messing around in my heart and that has the effect of changing my mind. I think God knows EXACTLY what He is doing;) It just sometimes takes me a while to get there myself.

I never asked Him to do this... Believe, me. I would have picked something different. Like... God, maybe it's Your will that we travel to another country to do some mission work. Or maybe it's Your will that we find something local to support. Or maybe You would have us just be still for a while.

But adopting an older boy, God?? Like a 10 year old? Are you SURE? This is ME, remember? I loved our easy adoptions with the smooth transitions and minimal obstacles to overcome.

 I didn't see this coming. We were all good, ya see. Perfectly happy and content (and still are.) It was unexpected. But as I've mentioned before, God's plans are THE BEST.

Slowly over the course of a year, this desire in my heart grew and grew. And it was clear to me that this was something we needed to take into serious consideration because it just felt too right.

Don't get me wrong, I always had reservations. Adopting a toddler and 5 year old is one thing, but a 9 or 10 year old is something entirely different. There were so many things to think about with the family dynamics and all the possible "issues" that can come up when a child has grown up without a family. All of the reasons we shouldn't even consider it bounced around in my head, but in my heart I felt that it could work... and not only would it work, but it could be a beautiful blessing in many ways.

Months go by, I can't shake the thought that God is leading us somewhere we never thought we'd go... adopting an older boy. Hundreds of older boys are advocated for constantly on agency lists, advocacy pages, personal pages, etc. Once you are in the adoption community and see the need, you can't unsee it. 

I remember seeing his face on our agency's waiting child list over a year ago. Something about his smile got me. It was like joy was radiating from him. What was written about him by his orphanage made him sound like an awesome kid... "a warm-hearted older brother" "positive, sensible, compassionate, charming" "even though his sickness brings about pain and tears, he still loves life"... that last one broke my heart. But even if we were open to adopting an older child, or even adopting again for that matter (which we WEREN'T), he had a need that scared me. A need that didn't think I could "handle." He was diagnosed with hemophilia. That's for someone else to do, I thought.

Time goes by and that great boy is still waiting. He's with another agency. I started researching his need (just out of curiosity), reading some blogs written by mommas who had adopted a child with hemophilia or who had a biological child with it. I learned that, like thalassemia, children with hemophilia in China will likely only live into their 20s due to lack of proper care available to them. And, like thalassemia, hemophilia is a very 'manageable' need here in the US and people live long and full lives. And slowly I realized the need wasn't important anymore. Not to say that his need wasn't pretty serious, it was, but I found myself looking beyond that which did not define him as a person and seeing the joyful boy who simply needed a family to say "yes." Whatever his "need" may be, he is a 10 year old boy who NEEDS and DESERVES a family, like every child... bottom-line. God wanted me to trust Him so completely that I put myself in a situation that was uncomfortable to me, a situation where I would REALLY need to lean on God.  


If my life was only lived within the limits of my abilities, my goals, my imagination, my version of 'life', then I know I would miss out and miss the point. 
What I've discovered is that God's plans are so much more than we can imagine. And not understanding how it's all going to turn out... that's part of it. Because it's not about the destination, it's about the journey.


Then something happened that I knew was from God because there is no way I could have done this myself: Fred felt it, too. Say, what??  He had not been interested in talking about it at all, not even for sake of discussion. I know this is because his heart is so big that he can't let himself think about all those kids who wait. He can't look at their faces, he can't consider them.  He knew I felt drawn to the older boys, especially this one particular boy, but he was not ready yet. So when he told me he was ready, I was shocked... and I knew this was only God's doing. 

And then the weirdest thing happened. I got cold feet, lol. Me, the one who brought it up in the first place.  Because once Fred was in, he was IN.  All of the worst case scenarios started running through my mind. All of the reasons we shouldn't do this crept in. I was scared, frightened of the unknowns. I wasn't sure I had the parenting skills to pull this off. I wasn't sure it would be good for our family. What if it would would be too much, too hard? Yet at the same time, I felt that it was right and we should do it. It could be awesome. The ups and downs of of my emotions were very strange to me. One minute I felt good about it, the next I felt nervous and uneasy. It felt kinda like... fear. And it was unexpected.




We knew his file was about to be released from an agency who had a while and we asked our agency to pull it for us. They agreed. After about a week we got the file. I still wasn't 100% sure we should move forward. These feelings felt like they were conflicting with other feelings in my heart and mind and I just needed time to pray about it. We sent the file to a specialist for review. We asked for an update. We talked to the kids about it and they were surprised and excited:) (some were more surprised than others as Shannon thought I was getting everyone's attention at the dinner table to talk about the excessive amount of smacking that had taken place during the meal [I love her]... the story took a turn she wasn't expecting, but it turned out to be a much better story than table manners.)


As "luck" would have it, right around this time, while we were waiting on an update from his orphanage, I was able to attend a retreat for adoptive and foster mommas to engage together, worship together, and learn together. The timing couldn't have been more perfect. And the topic of the group discussion? How evil can work against you to steal your light... how doubt can destroy your joy and your kill your peace. We talked about how fear can breed negative thoughts and anxiety and can keep you from rejoicing in what God has given you. Yep, that was the topic. Again, only God.

God did not make us to be fearful. He made us to find power and boldness through Him. He created us to use our minds for His purpose, not to live with anxiety and fear of the future and doubt in ourselves. If I only do things within MY comfort zone, am I trusting God? Or am I living in fear?

And through my prayers, God answered, and started giving me peace about the decision. Unexplainable peace.

And this decision wasn't made out of guilt... or sense of duty... or feeling of obligation. Nope.

I'm not trying to "save all the orphans." I can't do that. I'm not a savior. But I've been saved. 

There is nothing special about us. 

We are not absent of faults. God is.


We do not have unending grace and strength. God does. 

We cannot be sure of the future and all that lies ahead. God can.

If we can be the family for one more child who needs one, why would we say 'no' to that? Trust me when I tell you that we will receive much more than we give. Like I've said before WE are the lucky ones.

So... we are totally and completely depending on Him and surrendering [trying to.] We are exhaling and letting go and enjoying the ride... Well, as best we can... like I said, we are far from perfect:) 

This boy would not be another burden but another blessing. We don't have to do this, we want to do this.
God put this incredible desire in my heart for this boy not to pity him because he was sick; 
not to feel sorry for him because he didn't have a family; 
but to LOVE him because that's what life is all about. 

God's love is SO BIG He has to spread it out all over the world, and He invites us to join Him. Sign.me.up. 

"Love doesn't just keep thinking about it or keep planning for it. Simply put: Love Does." Bob Goff




And although I really have no idea how this story will end and what twists and turns we will take or what cliffhangers and climaxes we will encounter, I know this: There is nothing too big for our God. And I believe there is a reason I felt this desire in my heart. Am I still scared and nervous? yep. Am I going to let that stop me? nope. I know we have to be prepared for worst case scenarios, but above and beyond that, I have great HOPE. I know he is to be our son. And I am REJOICING because of it!



It is with much excitement and pure joy that I share with you the newest member of the Dri family! 

This is Min Jun (JunJun, pronounced like June-June)... soon to be Andrew Jun Dri. He is 10 years old and lives in an orphanage in Henan, China (which happens to be Sam's province.) He has lived there since he was about a year old, but his file was not prepared for adoption until 2014, just after he turned nine.

He is described as warm-hearted, bright, open, positive, cheerful and sensible. 



And he is ours... and we are his. We know he will be another blessing and our love will continue to multiply. We can't wait to have him home and watch his story become part of our story and ours' part of his. We are honored and humbled God led us to him. 



We have just started our paperwork and do not know when we will travel yet but we may be able to get the approvals expedited because of his medical need and the lack of proper care he receives. 

Hemophilia can be very painful and life-threatening without proper treatment. We welcome your prayers as we muddle through the paperwork and approvals and Andrew waits for us. We pray that he feels loved, because he is SO LOVED.

















What can I say?.... this story is turning out waaaay better than I had imagined.