My New Sister

This week was a very exciting week for my family. But this story goes well beyond this week. It was in November of 2004, a few months before my wedding, that my parents sat us (Me, My wife to be, and my brother) and let us know that they had decided they wanted to adopt a little girl from China. At first this was just a surprise, but as the thought of what they were doing settled in my mind it became a pleasant surprise.

As these past months have passed our family has been preparing for a new little girl. This will prove to be quite an adjustment for my all boys, red meat, and baseball family. The first thing that my mom did was change my old room into an explosion of pastels. Dad keeps wondering aloud if softball is a lot like baseball. My brother, Steve, is a man of few words; however we can all tell that he is excited.

The most amazing thought to me is the opportunity that my parents are giving little Grace (oh my sisters name is Grace Elyse Shirley). Not just the opportunity to leave a poverty stricken region, but the spiritual opportunity. My parents were missionaries in the home to my brother and me. God used both of my parents to draw me close to him, and now they will return to their mission field.

This week proved to be the most exciting time in this while process. This week we received all the paper work from China, including pictures, a medical history, and an age for our little sister. For the first time we were able to see little Grace, and soon we will be able to meet her. My parents will be leaving in 4 to 6 weeks (aprx.) on an adventure that will not soon be forgotten. If you would like to keep up with their progress they have started a blog just for that reason. They will not be able to call us while they are gone, and so it will be through this blog that we will stay in contact with them.

We are all very excited and praying feverously for Grace (both from God and our sister).