Changsha Orphanage Visit

Today was quite a day!

We went to the Civil Affairs office first to get

Cooper's official adoption certificate.

It was short and sweet, a little less formal than the one for Connor in Chongqing.

Afterwards, we were taken to the Orphanage where Cooper has lived.

It is on the 13th floor of a large highrise building.

We arrived upstairs where we saw a reception area

The staff had asked if I was willing to interview some children and try to find families for them

Of course, I was happy to agree.

I will work on a blog post for these children soon, but in the meantime, here are a few snapshots. Get ready, these kids were CUTE!

TOLD YOU!

 

After about an hour of interviewing and videotaping the children on their list, we saw Cooper's room.

 

Then once we were ready to leave, we were told that we were being invited to a special luncheon by the Director of the Changsha Civil Affairs Bureau.  He had called ahead to ensure that he was able to meet Cooper's family.

 

You see, our little rock star?  Apparently, quite a favorite in Changsha.  You should have seen the way everyone scurried about as soon as the Director's chauffered towncar came on the grounds.

 

We joined them for lunch and half expected a TV crew to come barreling in!

 

He presented Cooper with a special gift that was purchased by his wife, specifically for Cooper.

 

 

It was an officially certified jade necklace with his birth animal (sheep) engraved on it.

Not sure I am ever going to get it off his body!

 

Next, and much to my surprise, the Director presented a gift to me.

 

Apparently, it is from a famous and very old kiln in Changsha. 

 

It was very nice and thoughtful.

 

 

Then there was the feast...

 

 

This was just the starting line up...

 

The poor ladies in the kitchen were hoppin', let me tell ya! They worked so hard and the food was so good that I ran back there on the way out to say thank you!

 

We sat for well over an hour while folks around the table were talking and toasting, toasting and eating, and toasting some more.  I mean it was a sight to behold!

 

Once all the fanfare was finally over, we walked out and loaded up the van.  As we were driving away, the Director of the Orphanage was crying.  She looked so very sad to see him leave!

It was heartbreaking.

 

He is a wonderfully sweet little child, especially for one so very pampered.  Time will tell what sort of challenges we will face, but today was a special day for him and I am grateful that he was loved so much.  The Chinese culture approaches "parenting" in a very different way than most Americans, but in their way, they were showering him with affection. 

 

I pray that each of our sons will feel just as loved and treasured by us as Cooper did today.

 

Thanks to all the people who have been faithfully praying for our family during this time. 

It is making a difference and we are most appreciative!

 

 

Cooper's Gotcha Day 3/13/13 at OneTrueMedia.com

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Connor's Gotcha Day- Part 1

So today was amazing.  I am honestly too tired to write a proper blog post tonight and have a crazy day ahead, but I wanted to at least share photos with those of you who are not on my facebook page.  Check out the newest member of the Rylands family!

 

Before we entered the building...

 

Cameron (left) with his new big brother, Connor, age 13.

Our first partial family photo!

 

 

Here I am showing Connor photos of the family from my phone

 

After we left the Civil Affairs office, of course we had to stop at Wal-Mart!

 

The weather has been much warmer than we anticipated, so we needed to look for shorts.  Come to find out... Connor, who is 18 months older than his younger brother, Cameron, is in fact much thinner. So, we had to get smaller sizes for him even though he is taller. #Skinny!

 

 

Once we returned to the hotel, it was time for some fun in the pool. (and to assess if he could swim- yeah, he can't!)

 

But, he had a blast splashing Cameron and me!

 

 After the pool it was time for a quiet dinner in the room. What's on the menu?

 

What else?  Noodle bowls, of course!

A favorite in the Rylands house.



Connor and Cameron "cooking" dinner!

Enjoying their masterpieces!

  gAfter dinner, we skyped with Tom and he got to "meet" his newest son for the first time!

Connor was already so much more at ease and was acting silly and playful the whole time.

 

 

 

Great night!

 

Thank you to the army of believers who have been praying for our sons for months!

Can't wait to sign final papers tomorrow!



Yes, we are in China!

Yes friends, we are in China!

 

I am sorry that I've been neglectful in getting a post up until now. 

 

We arrived in Hong Kong very late on Thursday evening

and by the time we got to the hotel and got settled for bed, it was around 1 AM Friday. 

 

As much as I would have liked to rest on Friday, it was the only opportunity I had to visit with my partners in Hong Kong from Mother's Choice.

(For those who do not know, Mother's Choice is the licensed child placing agency

in Hong Kong that Lifeline partners with.)

 

These ladies were wonderful hosts.

 

We took a bus from the Marriott to the Tung Chung Metro Station.

From there, we had the adventure of getting tickets and finding our way to the entrance.

We rode all the way to Hong Kong Station (last stop) and met one of the Social Workers there.

 

 

Janice took us to the Peak Tram where we rode a tram car up the side of a mountain and saw some amazing views of the city.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then we went to visit the rest of the staff at Mother's Choice.

 

The Mother's Choice Building in Hong Kong

 

 

 

From Left to Right: Stella (Social Worker), Me, Cameron, and Connie (Social Work Supervisor)

I was able to see several of the special kiddos on our Hong Kong waiting children page

and love on them.

 

I also went to the Kowloon Hospital to visit "Allison" from our waiting list. 

 

It is great to be able to see these children personally and send pictures and videos to the Mamas and Daddies working so hard to get them home!

 

By this time, it was 5PM local time and to say we were tired is really understating things.

 

We had to take an hour long bus ride back to our hotel from Kowloon and arrived back around 6.

 

Despite our exhaustion, we had made plans to meet a new friend for dinner.

 

These new friends have a real heart for adoption and have themselves adopted two beautiful children from China. (got to see pictures!)

 

We "met" last year while we were in the process of adopting Cameron and I found out that they had been praying for Cameron to find a family.

How cool is that?

Especially cool since I also learned that they lived in Hong Kong!

 

So, when I realized that my travels would take me through HK this time, I just had to meet them!

 

They have been so supportive of our adoptions and lifted us up in prayer and we are truly blessed to have met them. 

 

This sweet couple met us for dinner at our hotel and despite the painfully difficult jetlag, we had the most delightful time getting to know them.

 

After dinner we crashed. HARD.

 

The following day, (Saturday local time), we had plans to go sightsee a bit, but apparently the Lord had other plans. 

 

I spent Friday night and all day Saturday feeling awful! So awful that we didn't leave the room most of the day. 

 

Even though our dear friends were in town adopting their daughter, I just couldn't leave.

 

 

But, after a long afternoon nap and getting a lot of computer work done, Mom called downstairs to make me an appointment for a pedicure!

 

Now most of you might think that she was trying to perk me up, but...

 

truth be told... I think she was embarrased by my feet! Four adoptions in 19 months have not left much time or money for such luxuries ladies.

 

I admit it, my feet were horrible!

 

But now?

 

Perty toes!  Yes, I said perty.

 

So, Sunday came and we enjoyed a good breakfast and got ourselves to the airport.  A quick "good-bye for now" to our Charleston buddies, Jessica and  Travis and off we went.

(We are meeting back up with them in

Guangzhou at the end of this week).

 

---------------------

So we are now in Chongqing.

 

Thanks to knowing some people in high places...(a brother-in-law that works for Marriott)

We landed a beautiful room on the Executive floor of the JW Marriott in Chongqing.

 

It may just be the nicest room I've ever seen.  I will try to get some pics for you later in case anyone else decides to stay here in the future.

 

We are only staying for 2 nights, but they will be 2 nice, comfy nights!

 

Our guide, Michael, is quite nice and seems very experienced.  He took us shopping in a nearby shopping plaza for essentials.

 

It is now 10:30 PM on Sunday night and we will be meeting our newest son, Connor, in about 16 hours.  We will leave the hotel at 1:30 and head to Civil Affairs to meet him for the first time.

 

That will be about 2 AM for all our East Coast friends...for those of you on the west coast...you may still be awake when we get there.

 

I will try my best to post a pic as soon as I can.

 

Good night all!

 



Pass it on! NO MORE MOUNTAIN!

It's time for a HUGE ANNOUNCEMENT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Are you ready!?!?!?!?!

(drum roll please...)

We are FULLY FUNDED for Connor & Cooper's adoptions!!!!!!!!!!!!!

YES!!!! IT IS TRUE!!!!

Our amazing and incredible God brought in $38,000 in just 4 months time to fund the adoptions that were HIS IDEA in the first place!!! HALLELUJAH!!!!

But...

there's more!

WHAT?!?!?!

 

Listen to this amazing story:

BELOW IS DIRECT FROM MY NEW FRIEND, AMY SHAW
....let her share with you what God has laid on our hearts...

Amy writing now:

"My crazy awesome friend Chasity Cole is also adopting. We adopted in Uganda together back in the summer of 2011. She called me last week to let me know that God had performed a miracle and they were fully funded.

She wanted to help me with funding.

So she invented and pulled off a MOST AMAZING auction. (see previous post!!)

Then, today Tuesday February 26, 2013 God brought the rest of our necessary money in and we now share the status, "Fully funded."

I have a sweet friend, Angie Rylands, who is also adopting as well. (go figure!) This family is adopting TWO children at once from China. (VERY EXPENSIVE!) The two children are older boys...the ones who often get overlooked. A 9 year old boy and a boy who is about to age out (almost turning 14.)

Side note: In China, children are allowed to live in orphanages until they are 14. Upon their 14th birthday they are moved along in life. They are put out on to the streets. If they have any kind of special need, this is a death wish. Sexual slavery, drugs, street life awaits. 15% commit suicide. Most have no education or job skills. At age FOURTEEN. This is a desperate situation.

So, anyway...back to the Rylands...they have been raising a CRAZY amount of money to go and bring these boys home. I often thought, "wow, glad that's not MY amount..." And today...they saw God move mountains as well...

...their number went from $30,000 left on December 1st to $17,000 on January 1st to $12,900 on February 1st...and yesterday their need was $7,778 And today...with our full funding we were blessed to be part of polishing off their need and now they join us as:

FULLY FUNDED!!!!

And this leads us to another family, the Smiths, who are in dire need of funds. They were in China last August adopting and fell in love with this sweet girl: 

Guan Ya

They knew that God had her for their family and they worked their tails off to return to China to bring her home. One problem...she ages out on March 8th!! They leave in THREE DAYS to go bring her home before she ages out...so Angie and I thought we would help THEM raise their final funds!! 

God has blessed each of us: Chasity, us, the Rylands...now it's time to bless the Smiths!!

But wait!!!

SCREEECH!!!

They are now only $200 odd dollars away from ALSO BEING FULLY FUNDED!!!!!

So I was telling Niki, "We are going to blow that outta the park!" And she said, "Nope! Got someone on it! Go find someone else!!"

HA!!! LOVE IT!!

So...we now issue out a challenge from ALL of us:

CHASITY, ANGIE, NIKI and MYSELF:

We want you to help us get Jennifer's daughter home!!!

Jennifer has traveled to China multiple times and has ministered to many orphans over her trips. There is one orphanage especially founded for children with Brittle Bone Disease. There is one very special child who has captured Jennifer's heart in a way unlike any other orphan ever has. 

Jesus whispered, "She is yours."

So along with some red tape that none of us can do anything about...Jennifer needs funding to be able to travel to get this sweet child and attend to her medical and spiritual needs.

Now one of the most AMAZING things is that Jennifer is the CEO of the non-profit ministry Into the Field that exists to serve as servants around the corner and around the world. A huge passion is loving orphans home. Once Jennifer's adoption is FULLY FUNDED then monies will be available for other adoptive families in grants! In other words: IT KEEPS ON GIVING!!! TOO COOL!!

So go here and keep the momentum rolling! Donate to her Razoo link on the sidebar! $15,000 is the number to hit! Ready...set...GO!!!

Join with us as we link arms as a body of Christ to help MORE ORPHANS HOME!!! LINK UP!!

What Mountain?

Boy, friends! 

I have to brag on our God tonight!

 

 

He is moving an enormous financial mountain so effortlessly! 

 

On December 1st, that mountain was $30,000 tall.

 

On January 1st, it was $17,000 tall

 

 

On February 1st, the mountain was $12,900 tall

 

 

 

With each passing month, God provided.

 

With each bill that came due, God provided.

 

Now, we are looking at a number that, before our experience with adoption, would have seemed like  a very large number. 

 

But now?

 

Now, it is just a number. 

Another obstacle that God will remove from our path because nothing is going to stand in the way of us bringing these boys into the home that God has chosen for them.

 

 

We leave in 9 days.

9 short days.

 

I would LOVE for the March 1st mountain to be ZERO!

 

We are super close y'all!

Keep an eye on that thermometer. 

I will continue to update it with each new donation.

If you would like to be a part of our sons' stories, you can donate via our donate button on the left.

 

We are grateful to all who have come alongside us on this journey with constant and faithful prayers, encouragement and financial support.

 

Tom & Angie

 

 

 



Labor Pains

The time has finally come--

The Labor Pains have begun.

Adoption Labor, that is.

That's right!  This morning we were notified that our Consulate appointment has been confirmed!

This is the final piece of the puzzle before we book travel.



Cameron and I, along with my Mother, will be leaving on March 6th.

We are thrilled and slightly manic that we will be heading to Asia 2 weeks from TOMORROW!

After a quick stop over in Hong Kong to meet with some partners there, 

we will move on to Chongqing to meet our son Connor on 3/11.  

We will expedite his adoption, finalize the following morning, and then hop on another plane and head to Changsha.  

It is here where we will meet our son, Cooper on 3/13.  

That is not a lot of time to adjust from one child to the other, so we will be very grateful for all your prayers for physical and emotional strength.

So, as we work quickly to make all the arrangements, would you cover our family with prayer?

Please pray:

• for financial provision (currently need $9,189 very, very soon)
• for logistical details such as flights and hotels
• that my brother in law can secure reduced rate hotels for us in HK & CQ
• for Tom as he manages the household and cares for Tommy and Colin in my absence. Please pray for physical strength for him while I am away.
• for the boys staying home, especially Tommy that he would stay busy and not miss mom too much. 
• for a peace in the hearts of our two newest sons as they embrace this new life. 
• for health a travel mercy for our whole crew as we move from place to place.

THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

As we prepare to travel, it seems only fitting to leave you with this...

"Goin' Back to China"

Valentines Day Preparation

So, once again, Pinterest saves the day!

 

For those of you who are under some illusion that I have ANY domestic skills whatsoever, pay attention:  I don't.

 

So, I am NOT that classroom mom who volunteers and plans school parties.

 

Until very recently, I was the Mom that barely remembered to buy that cheap, easily ripped box of thin Valentines with some superhero on them.

My biggest accomplishment on Valentines Day was taping a cute pencil to each of those cheap looking cards! (A proud moment, to be sure)

 

But this year? 

 

This year is different.

 

Maybe it's because I am leaving for China soon and have been in active
"nesting" mode

for the last few weeks.

 

Or, maybe it's because Tommy will be staying home with Tom.

 

Who knows.

 

All I know is that when I stumbled upon this adorable idea on Pinterest, I knew I had to do them. 

 

It didn't hurt that I have more time than $$$ right now and these were very affordable!

 

Step One: 

Goodie Bags.

I got mine for $3 at Wal-mart (Qty. 100)

 

 

Step Two:

Printable

 (click here for the Blog that has all the instructions and link to printable fishbowl)

 

Step Three:

 

Cut out fishbowls & get child to SIGN their name and...... Voila'

 

Beautiful Valentine.

 

 

Step Four:

Assembly

 

 

 

So, without further ado...

 

Ta-Da!

 

60 some odd bags later, the boys are ready to present their "homemade" Valentine's to their friends.

 

And yes, that's as good as it gets! :-)