Introducing . . .

Mr. Micah JayChen Beam

Can you believe how beautiful our son is?  I have been so hesitant to post his picture up until now, but we will have him in our arms in 13 days.  That's right, 13 days.  After years of waiting, God has worked out every detail in His perfect timing.  There are so many things that I have to share about this amazing journey, but for tonight I have some specific things that we need you to pray with us about.

1.  We hit a snag today with our visas.  Please pray that there is a resolution we can find tomorrow morning that will not cause a delay in our travel.

2.  God has given us every dime needed to take care of our expenses up until this point.  I believe that God is Faithful and will continue to do so.  Having said that, I spoke to a new friend on Sunday who told me that if we didn't share our needs with the Body of Christ it took away the chance for others to partner with us to bring this precious one home.  So friends, we need help.  If you can help us bring our Micah home we would be forever grateful.  If you would like more information, please email me at cbeam@ymail.com.

3.  Some of you know that our family joined the Disney Vacation Club right after Tucker died as a gift from Tuck to Lily.  Well, Disney has a resort in Hong Kong and we can use our points to stay the night if a room is available.  Please pray that a room is available.  It will allow us to stay our last night for "free".  It would also be very convenient because the hotel is located on the same island as the airport.  It would allow us to be much closer to catch our 8:45a.m. flight home from Hong Kong.

I want to share one scripture with you that I found through another friend's blog, and it sums up our journey to adoption.

"Once our eyes are opened, we can't pretend we don't know what to do.  God, who weighs our hearts and keeps our souls, knows what we know, and holds us responsible to act."  Proverbs 24:12

Thank you for reading and thank you for praying!

   

We Are Waiting

A couple of years ago the Praise Band at our church put together an album.  It is a great album and it has several original songs.  One of the songs in particular is called "We are Waiting".  The song speaks of how when we sow in tears we will reap in joy and is a constant reminder that God is indeed still working even when we are waiting.

Adoption is one waiting period after another.  You fill out paperwork, turn it in, and wait for the next group of paperwork.  You make a payment, then wait for the next one to be due.  You get the approval that you've been waiting on, then another approval looms in the distance.  It's like a roller coaster - not even counting the emotional ups and downs!  One of the hardest parts?  The fact that you cannot do anything other than follow directions and wait.  Nothing you can do will speed up the process.  It is out of your hands.  You just trust and obey.

Still, God is at work in the waiting.  Days that are so hard that you never think they will end do end eventually.  Money for payments that you think are impossible, God provides in a matter of days - from people and places that you never expect.  Days, weeks, and months of waiting eventually end.  And still God is on His throne and in charge of every aspect of our lives.  Faithful father.  Never changing.  Precious Savior.  Ever teaching.

Because God is so good, He sends little(or big) reminders along the way to help you keep swimming.  Updates or unexpected pictures.  Precious mothers who have already traveled and have sent pictures of our precious boy.  Words cannot express our gratitude.  A precious friend or family member gives us a gift to help us bring him home.  Again, a thank you just doesn't seem like enough.  How do you thank someone for playing a part in putting your forever family together?

7 steps.  According to the paperwork we have in hand, we only have 7 more steps to complete until we will travel to China.  I'm tempted to wish away the time.  Instead, I hope that I can stay calm, sit back, and watch God work out the rest of the details in His perfect time and way.  I pray that I will never forget everything he has taught us during this process in our family.  What He has started He will take to completion - a promise from Him that I choose to believe.

"Now to Him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us - to Him be glory"  Ephesians 3:20-21

Well . . .

I can start out by giving lots of reasons why it has been so long since I posted any updates on our family, the adoption, life in general - but there is really only a simple reason.  I haven't been ready to share our life again.  With Tucker's story, I really felt like God was using Tucker's situation for a very specific purpose.  I knew without a doubt that it was meant to be shared.  So we shared almost every detail, and opened our hearts and family up to be used in any way God would use it.  I have no regrets about sharing our lives during that time and I will always be so thankful that God used my son for kingdom things. 

This blog has been a struggle for me because I haven't felt ready to put our family out there again.  I find that I am fiercely protective of the details about our lives.  However just like everything else, time moves on and God continues work and mold us.  He continues to amaze and bless our family and this time He is working miracles to bring home a precious 18 month old baby boy who is half a world away.  Again, God has chosen to gift Jason and I with the opportunity to be the parents of an amazing little boy.  The road has been long and hard and is not over yet, but we are starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. 

A son.  God has given us another son.  As we started this process I just always assumed we would bring home a little girl.  I don't really know why - so when we received a referral for a little boy last September I was a bit shocked.  Of course, just like with a pregnancy - when you find out the sex of the baby the surprise or shock is quickly replaced by wonder and awe that God would choose you.  What a miracle in itself.   I get to be this child's mommy?  What have I ever done to deserve such an honor?

His name is Micah.  Sometimes we refer to him as Micah and sometimes we find ourselves using the nickname that the nannies in his orphanage use.  Sometimes we just refer to him as brother.  As in "When are we going to get my baby brother?"  

We have lots of people ask what they can do to help.  We have the best family and friends in the world.    We now have an answer to the question.  You can pray.  Here's what you can pray specifically.

1.  Pray for Micah.  Pray that he continues to be well cared for and loved while we are waiting to go.  Please pray that he will be safe.  Pray that God will even now be preparing his little heart for the most difficult thing he has ever faced - leaving the only people and place he has ever known.  Please pray that God will prepare his heart to meet the family he doesn't even know he is missing.

2.  Pray for the paperwork.  We still have steps that have to be completed before we can go.  Please pray for each set of hands that touch our paperwork.  Pray that the process will continue to go smoothly and as quickly as possible.  

3.  Pray for Lily.  Pray for her sweet heart.  She is so excited to meet her brother.  Please pray protection for her as we try and prepare her the best we can.  She has been the only one for a long time.  

4.  Pray for Jason and I.  Pray that God will continue to prepare our hearts to serve our children.  Pray that we will be prepared for the grief that Micah will feel.  Pray that we will help him to find the comfort that he needs in the coming months and years.  Pray for us as we reassure Lily that she is still our beloved daughter.   Pray that her little heart can comprehend that there is enough love for all.

5.  Finally, pray that God will continue to provide every resource needed.  He is so faithful.

Thank you.  Thank you for reading and thank you for praying.  

Joshua 1:9

Trust . . .

I absolutely love this picture.  It is such a picture of how I want my walk of faith to be.  I want my heavenly father to be totally in charge.  I want to throw my head back in total abandon and just hang on, never questioning if He will let go.  Along for the ride, not afraid, completely depending on Him.  That's how Lily is when it comes to her daddy.  The trust she has in her daddy is complete.  It would never even occur to her that something bad could happen - that she could fall, that her daddy would trip, that he would drop her.  He is strong and she believes in him.  He will take care of her because he is her daddy.

How much more so can I trust my heavenly father?  Don't get me wrong, Jason is the best.  I've often told people when I describe our meeting and falling in love that he was one of the godliest men I had ever met.  He still is.  He loves the Lord with his whole heart and is devoted to being a follower of Christ.  He is an amazing husband and father and I can't say enough good things about him.  I am so blessed that God allowed me to be his wife.

Even though Jason is all that, our heavenly Father is more.  Yet why do I have such a hard time throwing my head back and holding on to Him as he leads our family each and every day?  This time is one of the most exciting we have ever been through.  He is guiding us every step of the way and meeting our every need.

Maybe this is why He tells us to have the faith of a child.   Lily has no idea of the unknown possibilities.  All she knows is that he will hold on to her.  Maybe the secret is to think like her - never dwelling on the possibilities of heartbreak or disappointment - just hanging on and trusting completely.

The past couple of weeks have been a whirlwind.  God is moving and we see him performing miracles in our adoption process.   Please continue to pray for us.  Please pray we will continue to seek His wisdom and guidance.  Please pray for our children, both Lily and the precious one God has created for our family that we haven't met yet.  Please pray for our continued faith and commitment to this journey.  Please pray for the others involved that will effect the timing in which we move forward.  Please join us in praising God now for the ways He will continue to meet our needs in the future.  Please pray for other families that are involved in their own adoption process.

As soon as we have official news we will post.  Thank you for reading, and thank you for praying.

Miles to go before we sleep . . .

I have thought about posting this blog for months - maybe even a couple of years.  It doesn't seem to fit that we should still update the Caringbridge site, Tucker's been gone for over 3 years.  Of course, as we have learned over the past 3 years, life does go on for the rest of the world, and like it or not ours has as well.  The past three years have been full of ups and downs, happy and sad times, times that seem like we are "normal" and times that seem like the devastation of losing our first born just happened.
We still miss Tucker every single day.  I don't think that will ever stop.

But as I said, life goes on and the work that God has for us goes on as well.  As per usual for our family, God has been working out a very special plan for us.  I have no doubt that before time began God knew that in August of 2012 we would be working toward adopting a child from China.  For all adoptive families, the process is long and hard.  It has been the same for us.  We felt God's call to adoption around Christmas of 2010.  For us, it's not a call to have another baby.  It's not a call to expand our family.  It's not a call to save an orphan.  For our family, it is a call to obedience.  This is something that God has asked of our family and we are choosing to answer His call.  It just so happens that this call will bring the unbelievable blessing and joy of another child.

God has already been teaching us so much over the past 2 years.  We are constantly reminded of His perfect timing and plan.  Again, this is not a quick process.  There is paperwork, and paperwork, and paperwork!  There are other forms to fill out and interviews to go through, emails, and phone calls.  Most of all there is waiting, and waiting, and more waiting.  Please pray for us as we continue to wait.