So Close!

My mind is full of so many things that it is hard to even begin this post.  We are so close to traveling to bring our two sweethearts home to our forever family.  SO CLOSE! 

Right now we are waiting for a piece of paperwork to be dropped off (we think tomorrow).  Then we will wait for two more steps (JUST TWO!!!):
1.  Travel approval from China
 and
2.  an appointment at the consulate.

That's it y'all!  That's it!  Then we can travel to China to meet these two precious boys!

As we wait to schedule travel we have a few prayer requests that we'd love to share with you. 

Nathanael:  Please pray for Nathanael as he will be without MomMom and Daddy for the longest he's ever been away from us.  Please pray for our plan for a family member to stay with Nathanael while we are gone.  Our plans A and B have both fallen through.  We want this transition to be as easy as possible on him!

Gideon:  He has a very difficult time with strangers.  He becomes extremely anxious.  Please pray that his orphanage staff will have shown him the photo book we sent.  Please pray that God will work supernaturally to calm Gideon when we meet him for the first time....because we will essentially be strangers to him.

Josiah:  Please pray that Josiah's transition is easy especially with sleep.  Our last update indicated that he takes a very long time to go to sleep and can be very stubborn about it.  Jet lag and all the travel we have to do within China could make this worse.  Please pray that God prepares him to sleep well and to adjust to his new family well.

Brian and I:  Please pray for safe travels.  We will be doing a LOT of it next month.  Will you pray that our connections are smooth and uneventful? (This is the MOST stressful part of traveling for me!)  Will you pray that we handle our boys' grief with grace and patience?  We've waiting so long to call them our sons, but they will likely be afraid and grieving.  They won't know who we are or that we love them dearly.

Finances:  We still have a large financial need.  We know that God can and will provide.  We are holding on to that faith.  He's such an amazing God and has provided just what we needed when we needed it.  He's used many of your prayers and gifts to accomplish this and we are so thankful.

Update, Prayer requests, and a Matching Grant

BIG NEWS!  We were approved by China to adopt our boys on January 19th!  We have sent in our 1-800 and are working through the VISA/Immigration process right now.  This is getting real, y'all!  Our agency says we will travel in 9-12 weeks!  They usually underestimate, so we think it will be closer to 9 weeks.

The adoption process is L-O-N-G, y'all.  Through this time we have filled out paperwork, built up savings and exhausted our savings, held a yard sale, held a facebook auction, filled out more paperwork, sold craft items that we made, had a necklace auction, filled out more paperwork, sold t-shirts, had a LulaRoe fundraiser, filled out grant applications, had a square fundraiser, worked small side jobs to earn extra money, and most of all prayed that God would provide.

We still have about $17,000 - $18,000 to raise to cover our orphanage fees, in-country fees, Visa fees and travel costs.  This does not include our post adoption report fees.  It seems like a lot (and it is), BUT God has provided what we need right at the time we needed it EVERY STEP OF THE WAY through this adoption.

 One blessing we have to share is that we just found out that we have been approved for a matching grant!!!
  God's Grace Adoption Ministries will match gifts given to our family up to $1,000.  So if $1,000 is given, we will receive $2,000 after our adoption is finalized.  Isn't that awesome!?!  It reminds me of how Jesus multiplied loaves and fishes to feed his people.  Donations for this matching grant must be given through their ministry (Bonus, that makes it a tax deductible gift!) and we (Brian and I) are not allowed to donate.

If you'd like to donate online,  Click on this link and choose Joseph and Heather Shubert - Washington from the drop down menu. This is located under the heading "Who would you like to help?". 

You may also give by mailing a check to:

God's Grace Adoption Ministry
Joseph and Heather Shubert Adoption
P.O. Box 4
Modesto, CA  95353

Please also write "Joseph and Heather Shubert" in the for section on your check. 

Thank you all for praying that God provides.  Thank you for praying that our boys get home safely.  Will you also pray that they are being prepared to be adopted?  I have connected with families who have adopted from the orphanage where our older son is located.  It seems that it is not common for them to be prepared to be adopted.  I can only imagine how frightening it would be to be taken to strangers and left with them.  God is bigger than what "usually" happens and we are praying that our sweet boys are prepared to meet our family.