Happy Thanksgiving!!!

I was feeling an urge to contact Cassi's foster family in China and wish them a Happy Thanksgiving and I received a wonderful surprise. They are unable to read our blog in China because it is blocked and they had asked me to keep them informed on how things are progressing. I had not updated them since September 30, so I emailed them on Tuesday night. Lori, the foster mom, responded by telling me that two of her children, daughter, age 19 and son, age 15, had visited with Cassi at the orphanage the day before she received my email. They were within one hour travelling distance and decided to stop in and check on Cassi and 3 others they had fostered in the past. They had a really good visit with her and she didn't want the son to put her down. I had been told in previous information on the foster family that Cassi had a bond with the older sons and because of that, I am hoping she will bond quickly with Issac. Lori said that because of the way Cassi was with her son, she should be quite ready to bond with Issac. I was so thankful to hear this wonderful news!!! She continued to tell me how sweet Cassi was. When I pulled the email up, Issac was sitting at the computer reading it with me and the look on his face was priceless.

I am so thankful Richie and I have finally, after years of being unsure of where God was leading us, started down this path. We can feel His hand leading and we hope that we will do exactly what He wants, when He wants. As I have said before, me sharing our journey does not stop with that. I am hoping there is someone reading this blog who will listen and follow God's leading in their lives.

Don't forget to give thanks during this season and remember the reason we have this special time of year. "Oh come, let us sing to the Lord! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms."

Anna Mei turns 2!!

Friday night we went to the birthday celebration of Anna Mei Yi Gross. If you have been reading my blog, you know she is the daughter of Rodney and Marcy, and the beginning of many things that fell into place at just the right time that led us to Cassi. I am so thankful to her parents and the journey they shared that convinced two reluctant individuals to follow the direction God was leading. We celebrated her first and second birthday and it was a very special occasion enjoyed by family and friends. Happy Birthday Anna!!!

I am hoping so badly we will get some good news this week. I was hoping to have our dossier in the hands of CHI - our placing agency - by Thanksgiving, but that is pretty much impossible the way things look now. There are so many different agencies, organizations and individuals involved in preparing the needed paperwork and some of them are just not in as much of a hurry to bring Cassi home as we are. They don't have a stake in the process, just paperwork to them, and it's just a job. In some states, they are receiving their I171-H in just a matter of days. We started the process on July 28th, didn't have fingerprints until September 28th, our homestudy was sent in on October 5, and I inquired about ours this past week and they will not even look to see where we are in the process until we have reached the eight week mark. URGH!!! I just have to believe there is a reason for the waiting. If nothing else, it's to learn a lesson in patience.

Help us pray we will receive the good news of our Pre-approval this week. Once we have that from the CCAA, I think I may be able to handle the wait better. I'm probably kidding myself to think that, but I'm hoping. I hope the next time I post the title will be, "We have our PA!!!"

Basketball pics

Here is a picture of Issac in his uniform like I promised. He's in the 7th grade and hasn't had his growth spurt most boys have in Jr. high yet, so he'll be spending time on the bench during most Jr. High games. He starts for the 7th grade team and they had their first game Monday night and won by 2. YEAH!!!

The next picture is of Issac and Jon-Thomas (my nephew) after the pre-season tournament last Saturday. The team took the 3rd place trophy and somehow it got into the hands of these two. It did make it back to school in one piece. And that's a great accomplishment when you put the two of them together.

I hope to post soon with news of our Pre-Approval!!! Keep us in your prayers.

Our Trick-or-Treaters

Busy, busy, busy...

Sorry I haven't posted for almost two weeks. We are still waiting for the Pre-Approval and I171-H. Our agency anticipates we will hear something within a couple of weeks. I was able to have all but 3 documents authenticated on the county level this week. I did feel a sense of accomplishment when I completed that task and I also faxed all of our documents to the placing agency so they could check and make sure all things are in order for the authentication process. We just need to finalize a couple of things on a medical form and we are ready to authenticate.

Life is getting alot busier in our house. The Jr. High basketball season officially started this past Tuesday night. Issac looks so cute in his uniform. Of course, if he reads this blog, he will be upset with me for referring to him as "so cute," but, oh well, I'm his mom and he was. I was so proud of him. I took pictures of him in his uniform and on the bench and I'll try to post some as soon as I get a chance to get those downloaded.

Richie has been in California this past week and will be home tomorrow night. Issac and I will be so glad to have him home. He has been travelling for work alot lately, but hopefully that is going to slow down until after Christmas. While in CA, out of six men taking the class he went to, one guy was from China. He lives in the same province as Cassi's orphanage, and he and Richie rode to and from the school together. He gave Richie his info and told Richie to contact him when we find out we will be travelling. He said he would take us to see some of the sights and take Richie to see the facility where he works. What a "coincidence."

Please keep praying for us, but say a special prayer for Cassi. She is unaware there is a family half way around the world thinking about her constantly and longing for the day we can hold her. Pray God will wrap her in His arms and let her feel the love we are sending.