Summer....here we come!!

Well....it's all official now. We are officially leaving for China on July 16th. We are leaving a few days early to spend some time with my brother and sister in Sichuan province. We will then head over to Nanning in the Guangxi province on the 21st or 22nd and our little Jin Xiayue will be placed in our arms on the 23rd of July....3 days after her first birthday. We will be in Guangxi province for that week while waiting for her paperwork to be finalized. Then we will travel to Guangzhou for a week where we will stay at the famous White Swan hotel. This is where Summer has her medical exam and our appointment with the consulate. We will be flying home on August 2nd and will arrive home on August (after traveling for close to 24 hours!!) We are so excited but also thinking about that difficulty that our daughter might have with the transition as we take her from all that she has ever known and everthing that is familiar to her. Please pray for her little spirit when you think of her. We also ask for your continued prayers for her heart.

Dear Sweet Daughter,

As a girl I had a common dream, to be a mom someday.

My baby would have eyes of blue and hair the hue of hay.

But now my dreams have been transformed. New visions fill my head.

Now the tresses that I long to stroke are raven black instead.

And in my dreams those eyes are not so big or blue or round.

Now in my dreams they're almond shaped and colored cocoa brown.

And in my dreams my arms can stretch across enormous seas.

They reach half-way around the world and hold you close to me.

As you grew in your mother's womb, carefully knit together,

you were also growing in my heart, where you will stay forever.

And in my dreams the moment that your mother says good-bye,

I'll be right there to comfort you and hold you as you cry.

Our features may not look alike; we're different as can be.

But still I know the Father has created you for me.

And though I've not yet seen your face, or held your tiny hands,

and though we're half a world apart in very different lands,

I'll be right there to get you just as soon as God allows.

But 'til He says the time is right I give to you this vow.

I'll pray for your protection every day on bended knee.

For God to hold you in His arms, until you're here with me.

written by: Gayle Leubecker