The wait is almost over

The anticipation of leaving is almost getting to me-- 12 days and counting before our incredible journey begins and comes to an end. 18 months ago we started this process with a pile of paperwork. Then the classes and interviews. And now, we finally can see the light at the end of the tunnel. The thought of "gotcha day" gives me goosebumps and brings tears of joy to my eyes. God is kind, compassionate, loving, mysterious, and powerful. I am reminded of that every day he grants me another day in his kingdom. I am in awe of his power and honored to know that he feels so highly of Terri and I as parents to allow us to bring Caleb Jonathon into our lives. We will never be the same the day we get Caleb and I am excited to see what our new life as a family of 5 will be like, at least a family of 5 for now. I find it in my heart to continue to pursue adopting more children or becoming a foster family for those in our area and to begin to take an active role in the fatherless ministry in our church. God has given us so much that it is the least thing that we can do to make a difference. It is not about how big a house I have, what my degree says, or how much money I have that makes me come alive. I fell once for those superficial things and all I ever got from them were further disappointment and heartache. So what is my goal you ask? It is quite simple. To be loved, to love one another, to motivate others to believe that amazing things can happen for those who believe, and to leave a mark on this world for all to see. We are blessed with this opportunity and look forward to what lies ahead.

Powered by the spirit


Brett

Travel in 18 Days and counting!

We have our travel arrangements all made and now it is time for

Today we went to the Great wall and had som euoejoewr

The TA has arrived

We have received exciting news this week with the arrival of our travel assignment. We will be traveling to Beijing March 18th and return April 1st. The wait is finally over and now the hard part begins. We have already started to pack one of the suitcases containing various items for the trip. We will only be allowed 44 pounds once in china so we plan on packing light. The temperatures will be in the 50s in Beijing and the 80s in Nanning and Guangzhou. We are excited that the journey has come this far and look forward to the day we pick up our dear son. God is great.

The package arrived

We just heard word that our care package has arrived and that Caleb was excited to her from his mommy and daddy. We sent our own care package to Ann at Redthread and had her add it to a package we picked out from her company. She not only took the time to make sure our stuff went with hers but also sent back pictures confirming that Caleb received the package. Ann is a great person to work with and the updated pictures of Caleb and his care package are a blessing from God. Thank you so much Ann. You don't know how much that means to Terri and I. Our hope is that our travel arrangements will come within the next couple of weeks.

Caleb Jonathon Update

We received an update on Caleb today. Apparently, he is an active, healthy boy who loves to spend time looking at picture books and listening to music. He has some speech delay because of his cleft palate but is otherwise a health and happy 2 year old boy. The journey has been trying but has almost come full circle since the day we began this process; and by the way alot faster than we expected. We are truly blessed that God has given us another child and feel honored that he trusts us enough to bring Caleb into our lives. We look forward to "Gotcha" Day when all 5 of us can begin our life long journey together.

The time has come

The months of waiting have paid off and now the time has come to start to prepare for our trip to China. As of yesterday, we received our letter of approval for our son, Wu Lang. So I am happy to say that we are one step closer to the day we pick up our beloved son, Caleb Jonathon Bastian. In all the excitement, I see that we have more paperwork to fill out. Who would have known. We eagerly wait for our travel arrangements which should be here in the next 4 to 6 weeks. We anticipate traveling to China the last part of March or the first part of April.