You want us to leave WHEN???

Oh my goodness!  I think I didn't breathe for at least 10 seconds when I opened the email today.  Not long after our referral, we received an email that gave us an estimated travel date of June 10.  Brian's sister is getting married this weekend.  Things have been crazy, to say the least, getting ready for it.  I have been working overtime monogramming and crafting (which of course I love to do). So we had it all set in our minds that we'd get back home and have a nice, looooong six weeks to prepare to leave for China.

So back to that email today.  When you send China your letter of acceptance, they send you a travel approval.  That's when you get your second tentative, but much more likely, date of travel.  Imagine my shock when I scrolled down and saw our itinerary that said "Departure:  May 19"!  WHAT????  Hence the lack of breathing.  I was stunned!  So now we don't have six weeks.  We have a VERY short 3 weeks to prepare!!!  

In the midst of all of the chaos, I still see God's hand on it all.  Had I known about that date while I was preparing for the wedding, I just might have needed to be committed.  Ask my friends.  I was not fun to be around.  I was stressed, but to throw prepping for international travel on top would have sent me over the edge.  My precious Father, always knowing just what I can handle, withheld that from me until the stress of wedding plans had passed.  Don't you just love the subtleties that show His love for us?

There's one more "kiss from the King" that just might give me more than I can handle.  We won't know till we get there.  But our itinerary says we'll receive Abby Kate on the 23rd.  However, some families will be meeting their babies on the 22nd.  Oh, I hope that's true for us.  You see, that is the day 11 years ago that our precious Miller, our first child, went to Heaven.  What an amazing circle of events.  "I saved this little girl for you.  If you'd had it your way, you would have adopted years ago, but I let you wait, sanctifying you more and more through the process, so you could have HER.  And I'm blessing you with her on the anniversary of the day you thought your heart would stop beating."  Again, I just love the way He works.