They are now on their way to Beijing! Hooray! Thanks so much for your prayers!
They left this morning from Newark at 7:22am and will arrive in Beijing at 8:08am China time. So really they will arrive 8:08 tonight for us.
Once they get to China, the next couple days they will do some sightseeing. On Sunday, mom and dad fly in to Zhengzhou, the capital of Henan province, which is where Luke is from. On Monday morning at 9:30am their time, they will meet Luke. This is what we call "Gotcha Day"!!!!!! They will then spend the next couple of days doing paperwork, sightseeing, but most importantly bonding with Luke. Then they head on over to Guangzhou, and spend those days working on getting Luke's Visa, sightseeing, shopping, etc. After that, they will FINALLY fly home.
Please pray for safe travel for my parents, to China and from China. Pray for Luke, that the Lord will prepare his heart for all this. Pray that everything runs smoothly in China for my parents. And pray for safety for us here at home. Thanks again!
~ Sarah
Thursday, August 2, 2012
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
And They're Off
OR AT LEAST THEY WERE
Mom and Dad left the house at 5:29am this morning for the airport! Then they boarded their flight from Cleveland to Newark.
They arrived at Newark around 9:15am and were getting ready to board their plane to Beijing, which was scheduled to leave at 11:55 am. Well, some of the toilets on their plane got clogged and flooded some of the luggage. Thankfully, their luggage was not on yet. So it has been delayed because they are cleaning the plane, which is taking awhile.
They are not expected to leave until 7:00am tomorrow morning. The airport is trying to get a new plane for them, but it may take awhile.
Please please keep my family in your prayers right now. The devil is at work right now and who knows what else he is planning on doing next. This has not been an easy process, but we know that the Lord is going to be with us every step of the way!
Sarah
(writing for Laura)
Sunday, July 29, 2012
Happy "Gotcha" Day, Nathan
Five years ago we were given our adorable little boy, Nathan Gouchang in Luoyang, Henan Province, China.
You were surrounded by your brothers and sister, Adam, Ethan and Sarah. We will never forget that special night in China when you became a part of our family.
Nathan, you have blessed our lives enumerable ways. You always make us laugh with the funny things you say and do. You brighten our day with your many hugs and kisses. Nathan, we love you!
2007
2012
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
We're Going To China
In 8 days!
That's right.
On July 18th, 2012 we got a call from our adoption agency.
They said that we got our travel approval (TA) and they wanted us to leave on August 1st. That's in 2 weeks from the day we received the call!
A week before we received the call, the agency said that we didn't have TA and we probably wouldn't be leaving until the end of August. Once you receive TA you usually travel within 4-6 weeks after that. But the adoption agency asked the US Embassy if we could be included with the group that is leaving on August 1 and they gave their approval. This is highly unusual!
Isn't that crazy?
Only God can orchestrate that!
Pray that the transition for Luke will go smoothly and that he will understand that we are his Mother and Father.
Pray for our bonding with Luke while we are in China and that he bonds quickly to us.
Most importantly, pray for his young soul, and that he will one day understand that Jesus love him and is his Savior.
We give all our thanks and praise to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ and for all He has done and all He is going to do.
That's right.
On July 18th, 2012 we got a call from our adoption agency.
They said that we got our travel approval (TA) and they wanted us to leave on August 1st. That's in 2 weeks from the day we received the call!
A week before we received the call, the agency said that we didn't have TA and we probably wouldn't be leaving until the end of August. Once you receive TA you usually travel within 4-6 weeks after that. But the adoption agency asked the US Embassy if we could be included with the group that is leaving on August 1 and they gave their approval. This is highly unusual!
Isn't that crazy?
Only God can orchestrate that!
So now we only have 8 days till we leave. And I have a lot of things I need to do before then.Please pray for safe travel and safety for our children while we are away.
Pray that the transition for Luke will go smoothly and that he will understand that we are his Mother and Father.
Pray for our bonding with Luke while we are in China and that he bonds quickly to us.
Most importantly, pray for his young soul, and that he will one day understand that Jesus love him and is his Savior.
We give all our thanks and praise to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ and for all He has done and all He is going to do.
Also, we got some new pictures of Luke. We haven't got any pictures of him for awhile, so he looks a lot bigger now that he is 4.
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Luke Turns 4
On June 21st we celebrated Luke's 4th birthday. Even though we don't have him yet we still celebrated with cupcakes!
Also, we had VBS that same week. The theme this year was Hometown Heroes. The kids had lots of fun dressing up as heroes.
Adam's graduation party was great! We all had so much fun!
For the 4th of July, we went to our Aunt Kathy's and Uncle Ed's cottage in Pennsylvania on the Allegany River. We all had so much fun. Thanks so much Aunt Kathy and Uncle Ed!
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
A Little Update On Our Life ~ By Sarah
Mom has been extremely busy this past month getting ready for Adam's graduation party and preparing for Luke, so she asked me to do a post to update you all.
On May 21, we received our LOA (Letter of Acceptance) and we are now just waiting for our travel date. My parents think that they will be going in end of July. So hopefully we could be getting a call any day now.
Our whole family is so excited about bringing home this precious treasure. I can't wait to hold him in my arms and tell him that he is going to have a family and that he's not going to be left behind.
On Memorial Day Weekend our adoption agency had our annual adoption picnic at the zoo. It was lots of fun being with other families that had adopted from China with us!
On May 21, we received our LOA (Letter of Acceptance) and we are now just waiting for our travel date. My parents think that they will be going in end of July. So hopefully we could be getting a call any day now.
Our whole family is so excited about bringing home this precious treasure. I can't wait to hold him in my arms and tell him that he is going to have a family and that he's not going to be left behind.
On Memorial Day Weekend our adoption agency had our annual adoption picnic at the zoo. It was lots of fun being with other families that had adopted from China with us!
Nathan has started baseball and we have been running to his games! Nathan just loves baseball so much! When he finds out he has a game that night, he gets dressed in his uniform in the morning and is preparing for it all day (even though it's just mighty mites)!
Also, on June 9th, 2012 Adam graduated from high school! I'm so happy for Adam as he starts his new career as a Pre-Med Chemistry Major! Love you big bro!
Our whole family would really appreciate it if you guys prayed for us during this time. So I have some prayer requests!
1. Please pray for our Luke. Pray that the Lord will be with him, and that he will understand everything once he gets here. Also, pray for his salvation.
2. Please pray that we will get a travel date soon. Pray it won't be long!
3. Also please pray for our dear friends who are in Ukraine right now working on adopting two sweet sweet boys. Pray that they will get home soon to there other children (because they were delayed). Once they get home they have to take a second trip to finally bring home the boys. Pray for safe travel for them and for good health. Pray that the Lord will soften the boys hearts and they will be open to hearing the Gospel.
That's all I have for now! Hopefully next time mom will be updating you all.
Our whole family would really appreciate it if you guys prayed for us during this time. So I have some prayer requests!
1. Please pray for our Luke. Pray that the Lord will be with him, and that he will understand everything once he gets here. Also, pray for his salvation.
2. Please pray that we will get a travel date soon. Pray it won't be long!
3. Also please pray for our dear friends who are in Ukraine right now working on adopting two sweet sweet boys. Pray that they will get home soon to there other children (because they were delayed). Once they get home they have to take a second trip to finally bring home the boys. Pray for safe travel for them and for good health. Pray that the Lord will soften the boys hearts and they will be open to hearing the Gospel.
That's all I have for now! Hopefully next time mom will be updating you all.
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
How God Led Us To Luke
I remember when the Lord first spoke to my heart. It was when I was a little girl. I was standing in front of the mirror in our bathroom while brushing my teeth or washing my hands or face. All of a sudden I would hear a voice speak to my heart (not an audible voice): "Why are you hear? What is life?" I would stop and think about. I knew it had something to do with God. This happened several times throughout my childhood.
I was saved when I was 17 at a play about Christ's life, death and resurrection. When I heard the sound of the nails being driven into His hands and feet and seeing His blood poured out for me, I bowed my head and knew that Christ died for me. God had planted the seed in my heart when I was very young and was drawing me to Himself.
Now, how do I know that the Lord has called me to adopt Luke, a deaf child. The Bible says "My sheep listen to my voice; I know them and they follow me." John 10:27
It all started when we were adopting Hannah. When we had the opportunity to visit her orphanage, our whole world changed. When you stand in the middle of an orphanage half way around the world, your whole perspective on life changes. "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." Romans 12:2. We always knew we would adopt again. We believed that as long as we were willing, the Lord would continue to put children on our hearts. We can't turn our back on the orphans and say "It's someone else's problem" or " We've done enough."
There is a cost for following Christ. The Bible says "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?" Mark 8: 34-36.
"Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart." Psalm 37:4
While I was looking at our agency's website ( they post several special focus children trying to find homes for them) , I noticed a cute little toddler. He was profoundly deaf. My first thought was "no way, that is too hard." But the Lord kept tugging at my heart and I kept finding myself looking at his picture. I started thinking how sad his life must be; being alone in the world without a mom and dad and being completely deaf. We decided to pray and seek the Lord to see if he was really leading us to adopt a deaf child. I talked with Nathan's audiologist and found out we would all have to learn sign language.We allowed fear to scare us and say, "no this is too hard." But over several months the Lord kept tugging at our hearts. We also found out that most people who are deaf can have either hearing aids or cochlear implants to enable them to hear.
As the Lord continued to change our hearts, He continued to put people in our path to encourage us. People who were deaf, knew sign language, taught sign language, etc. One day while I was at the YMCA, I was studying sign language (from a book) and the woman sitting next to me said she used to teach sign language. She actually brought me a sign language video the following week.
After about 9 months of praying, we decided to give the agency a call about the little boy. They said he had been adopted. We were very disappointed and confused. Did we hear wrong from the Lord? The next day the adoption agency called back and said they found another little deaf boy for us. Do we really still want to adopt a deaf child? He was 3 years old on June 21, 2011. He was abandoned when he was 2 years old. He is very bright and wants to learn. So now we stand at a crossroad. We have a choice. God is a gentlemen and He does not force us to do something. The choice is ours. We could say "no" and choose a different special need or we could say "yes" to something that is difficult, but we believe the Lord is calling us to do. Of course we were thrilled. The agency wouldn't let us look at his picture until we made our decision. We were given an adorable, beautiful little boy to love and nurture. In our flesh we wouldn't have pursued adopting a deaf child. But, we believe the Lord was using the toddler from our agency's website to mold and prepare our hearts for Luke.
As we continue to wait for the day when we leave for China, I sometimes allow fear to overtake me. We know our lives will change and never be the same again. It's easy to stay where life is comfortable. We know there are challenges that lay ahead, but we know we have a Savior who will walk that road with us. When fear overcomes me, I have to continually tell myself "this is not about me." "Life is not about me!" Pastor Spansel reminded us a few weeks ago of The Westminster Catechism " What is the purpose of life?" To glorify God! This is what we are called to do.
Our children are so blessed to have siblings from China. They have walked and will continue to walk with them through their struggles. One time Ethan wrote a poem about Nathan and how he struggles with his communication skills (his difficulty in learning to speak) . His teacher was so blessed by Ethan's love for his brother. We are so blessed that our family is so close and the older siblings love to spend time with their younger sisters and brother.
Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. James 1:27
The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’ Matthew 25:40
learn to do right!
Seek justice,
encourage the oppressed.
Defend the cause of the fatherless,
plead the case of the widow. Isaiah 1:17
A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows,
is God in his holy dwelling.
6 God sets the lonely in families,
he leads forth the prisoners with singing;
but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land. Psalm 68:5-6
But you, O God, do see trouble and grief;
you consider it to take it in hand.
The victim commits himself to you;
you are the helper of the fatherless.Psalm 10:14
You hear, O Lord, the desire of the afflicted;
you encourage them, and you listen to their cry,
18 defending the fatherless and the oppressed,
in order that man, who is of the earth, may terrify no more.Psalm 10:17-18
I was saved when I was 17 at a play about Christ's life, death and resurrection. When I heard the sound of the nails being driven into His hands and feet and seeing His blood poured out for me, I bowed my head and knew that Christ died for me. God had planted the seed in my heart when I was very young and was drawing me to Himself.
Now, how do I know that the Lord has called me to adopt Luke, a deaf child. The Bible says "My sheep listen to my voice; I know them and they follow me." John 10:27
It all started when we were adopting Hannah. When we had the opportunity to visit her orphanage, our whole world changed. When you stand in the middle of an orphanage half way around the world, your whole perspective on life changes. "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." Romans 12:2. We always knew we would adopt again. We believed that as long as we were willing, the Lord would continue to put children on our hearts. We can't turn our back on the orphans and say "It's someone else's problem" or " We've done enough."
There is a cost for following Christ. The Bible says "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?" Mark 8: 34-36.
"Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart." Psalm 37:4
While I was looking at our agency's website ( they post several special focus children trying to find homes for them) , I noticed a cute little toddler. He was profoundly deaf. My first thought was "no way, that is too hard." But the Lord kept tugging at my heart and I kept finding myself looking at his picture. I started thinking how sad his life must be; being alone in the world without a mom and dad and being completely deaf. We decided to pray and seek the Lord to see if he was really leading us to adopt a deaf child. I talked with Nathan's audiologist and found out we would all have to learn sign language.We allowed fear to scare us and say, "no this is too hard." But over several months the Lord kept tugging at our hearts. We also found out that most people who are deaf can have either hearing aids or cochlear implants to enable them to hear.
As the Lord continued to change our hearts, He continued to put people in our path to encourage us. People who were deaf, knew sign language, taught sign language, etc. One day while I was at the YMCA, I was studying sign language (from a book) and the woman sitting next to me said she used to teach sign language. She actually brought me a sign language video the following week.
After about 9 months of praying, we decided to give the agency a call about the little boy. They said he had been adopted. We were very disappointed and confused. Did we hear wrong from the Lord? The next day the adoption agency called back and said they found another little deaf boy for us. Do we really still want to adopt a deaf child? He was 3 years old on June 21, 2011. He was abandoned when he was 2 years old. He is very bright and wants to learn. So now we stand at a crossroad. We have a choice. God is a gentlemen and He does not force us to do something. The choice is ours. We could say "no" and choose a different special need or we could say "yes" to something that is difficult, but we believe the Lord is calling us to do. Of course we were thrilled. The agency wouldn't let us look at his picture until we made our decision. We were given an adorable, beautiful little boy to love and nurture. In our flesh we wouldn't have pursued adopting a deaf child. But, we believe the Lord was using the toddler from our agency's website to mold and prepare our hearts for Luke.
As we continue to wait for the day when we leave for China, I sometimes allow fear to overtake me. We know our lives will change and never be the same again. It's easy to stay where life is comfortable. We know there are challenges that lay ahead, but we know we have a Savior who will walk that road with us. When fear overcomes me, I have to continually tell myself "this is not about me." "Life is not about me!" Pastor Spansel reminded us a few weeks ago of The Westminster Catechism " What is the purpose of life?" To glorify God! This is what we are called to do.
Our children are so blessed to have siblings from China. They have walked and will continue to walk with them through their struggles. One time Ethan wrote a poem about Nathan and how he struggles with his communication skills (his difficulty in learning to speak) . His teacher was so blessed by Ethan's love for his brother. We are so blessed that our family is so close and the older siblings love to spend time with their younger sisters and brother.
Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. James 1:27
The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’ Matthew 25:40
learn to do right!
Seek justice,
encourage the oppressed.
Defend the cause of the fatherless,
plead the case of the widow. Isaiah 1:17
A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows,
is God in his holy dwelling.
6 God sets the lonely in families,
he leads forth the prisoners with singing;
but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land. Psalm 68:5-6
But you, O God, do see trouble and grief;
you consider it to take it in hand.
The victim commits himself to you;
you are the helper of the fatherless.Psalm 10:14
You hear, O Lord, the desire of the afflicted;
you encourage them, and you listen to their cry,
18 defending the fatherless and the oppressed,
in order that man, who is of the earth, may terrify no more.Psalm 10:17-18
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