Update....

Update: It is with very deep sorrow, and yet with even deeper faith, that our family must share with you that our adoption journey has ended. Due to circumstances beyond our control, we fully trust that God is closing this door for reasons only He knows and understands. We would greatly appreciate your prayers for little Song as God holds her in His arms of protection and provision. We would also appreciate your prayers for our family as we grieve this major, heartbreaking loss and as we anticipate God’s redirection in our lives. Thank you for your wonderful love, support, kindness & respect during our journey and in this season. Proverbs 3: 5>6 says “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge Him and He will direct your path.” May we embrace His promises now and in the days to come.♥~thl

Great News...Doubly Blessed!

Somehow it doesn't surprise me...the day after Grandma Jenny's birthday and the day after Tim returned to work, we received a very positive call from the adoption agency! Not only did they have good news...but they had double good news!

First, the agency had contacted the U.S. Consulate about our issue of concern with the USCIS document. We have been dealing with this concern for several months. USCIS told us to contact the National Visa Center. The Visa Center told us to contact the U.S. Consulate in China. We were growing a bit weary when we could not get a definite answer. But our agency contacted the Consulate in China and the USCIS document is acceptable as it is presently. So that is a huge relief! It seems we will no longer have to wait for any possible re-issues of the document. What a blessing!

Second, our agency just received our extended Travel Letter! Wow! We have been waiting for this since the end of December and are thrilled to hear that China has now issued us the long-awaited extension that will allow us to begin making plans to travel to meet our little Song...and bring her home! The agency said we could go in March, if we wished. However, since Tim just returned to work after being off for six and a half weeks, it will be best to wait another month in order to prepare for the trip. So, if all goes well, we hope to travel sometime in April to meet our precious little Song...to hold her in our arms...to go through the necessary paperwork...and to bring her home to our Forever Family! We are so close to meeting our precious daughter....after all this time! We are so excited!

Thank you for your continued prayers, encouragement, concern and presence as we walk this journey toward little Jenna Elizabeth Song Lorenz! It will be six years in March since we began meeting with the agency...and it will be five years in April since we were logged in the CCCWA system in China! God's timing is definitely best and although it has been much longer than we ever expected, we trust His master design and perfect plan.

Please continue to pray for our little JennaBeth as she begins to prepare to meet her new family and make so many adjustments. Please pray for our family as we prepare to travel to China and as we prepare to bring her home. Please pray for God's protection and provision on every level. Most of all, please pray for God to be honored and praised in this journey. We thank Him for you all and we thank Him for this amazing call to bring one of His precious children home to call our own daughter.

Hold on, dear Song! We are so close to holding you in our arms and sharing the rest of our lives with you as our precious daughter. You are so loved already. We will see you soon and we are so blessed to be your new Dad and Mom. Your big sis and brother are thrilled to have you as their little sister. And so many people are praying for you and loving you. We love you, baby girl.
Cherishing this amazing journey of blessings in God's perfect timing,
Terri & Family

Happy 102nd Birthday, Grandma Jenny!

Although we are so excited about bringing our little JennaBeth Song home sometime soon, there's a bit of sadness in our situation, as well. JennaBeth will not meet her namesake, my precious Grandma Jenny, until we are together in Heaven. But we will certainly make sure that JennaBeth knows all about her precious Great Grandmother and why she was named after Grandma Jenny. And somehow...I truly believe that Grandma Jenny is fully aware that she has a great granddaughter here on Earth whose name is in honor of her.

Today is Grandma Jenny's 102nd birthday. She went to Heaven a little over ten years ago but I am sure she is celebrating her birthday incredibly well! I wish we could see her, hug her and talk with her once more. But a part of her is always with us and lives on through her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. I also believe that her life is so much better in Heaven that she would not want to return to earth...but is waiting for us to join her someday. Her precious son, my Uncle Jimmy, joined her on January 23 of this year. So I know he is celebrating with her, too.

While we wait to be with her again, I am so thankful for the time we had with her here. Grandma Jenny was a genuine personification of the word love! She loved genuinely, unconditionally, generously and joyfully. She loved family, friends, neighbors...and yes...even "strangers." Grandma didn't just say she loved others. She lived it! She had faith that was strong and authentic. She didn't have many worldly possessions yet she was very rich in heart, spirit, mind and faith. And she gave so generously to others on so many levels. She cared. She shared. She lived what she claimed. She had an incredible relationship with her Lord. Anyone who knew her, met her or spent time with her soon realized this lady was an amazing blessing to all those around her. Her love was so great....and her kindness was so contagious, that the majority of the town in which she lived...called her "Grandma Jenny." She didn't own a car...but her love traveled far and knew no boundaries. She didn't own her house...but everyone felt welcome...and at home...the moment they entered there. She didn't have a college education...but she was very intelligent...and wise. She was tender...and strong. She stood for what was right no matter what. She cared about each detail of our lives...and protected us without hesitation.

So it is an honor and a privilege to carry on her name in our little daughter's life. There will only be one Grandma Jenny...but her love will undoubtedly carry on for many generations to come. Happy Birthday, Grandma Jenny! I love you so much and am so grateful to be your granddaughter. I will see you again soon. Meanwhile, enjoy Heaven and hug all our loved ones there for me...while I miss you and try to share you in my life here. You will never be forgotten.

JennaBeth, I can hardly wait to tell you all about your grandparents...including your Grandma Jenny. May you know her love and share it...just as she did.

Cherishing my Grandmother Jenny today and always,
Terri & Family

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day to all of you! It's been a special day as Tim and I celebrated our 29th Valentine's Day together! We have an incredible family, precious friends,and so many blessings for which we are very grateful. So it has been a joy to celebrate this day...and the love we share each day with so many dear ones in our lives.

My heart has been so full of love and joy for our little "Song" today...and every day. We are so very close to bringing her home and we are thrilled. I can't help but face each holiday with the thoughts that "this will be the last Christmas...New Year's, Valentine's Day, etc. that our baby girl will be apart from us." It will be a joy to watch her learn, enjoy and celebrate those days...and each day...with us. We are so thrilled.

Our agency recently contacted us and although our new Travel Letter is still in the process in China, we are considering tentative travel dates in the near future. Once we have that new TL, it will be time to apply for Visas, make travel arrangements, etc. and then...it will be time to meet our new daughter, hold her in our arms...and bring her home! After almost six years of this process and almost five years of being logged in...it is so exciting to realize just how soon the time is coming to have our daughter with us. Wow!

We hope that all of you have enjoyed this Valentine's Day. As I often tell my husband and children..."you are never alone and always loved!" That applies to each day of life...and not just February 14.

May your journey be blessed richly. We thank God for all of you who so faithfully bless our journey.

Hold on, sweet JennaBeth Song Lorenz! We love you and continue to hold you in our hearts until we hold you in our arms.
Cherishing the blessing of loved ones...
Terri & Family

Latest News from China.....

We have been quite concerned that since sending our original Travel Letter back to China in late December, we have not heard anything re: the new extension. We checked with our agency who also thought it would not take this long to receive the new extension...but felt it would only be a matter of time. We also realized that we have had Christmas holidays here in the USA while China just celebrated their Chinese New Year. So that could quite possibly influence the delay in receiving a new extension.

This week, we contacted the agency once more and they contacted their China director, who checked with the CCCWA...who actually handles the TL process. Our original TL is there...and is waiting to be processed! We are obviously very relieved to hear that there haven't been any complications. It's simply a matter of time. And we certainly realize that God knows the perfect time and master design He has planned!

So...we continue to wait...and pray...and prepare. Thank you for your continued prayers as we continue this amazing journey of blessings! It is definitely worth every moment as we trust Him and look forward to bringing little Song home!
Cherishing faith in Him and all He has planned....
Terri & Family

Waiting and Trusting...

Although there is no news from China yet on our extended China Travel Letter, (which we expected since it has been Chinese New Year celebration time there), I ran across a Scripture passage today that touched my heart deeply. Please allow me to share it with you as we continue to wait for God's perfect timing and plan to unfold.

Isaiah 43: 5 > 7:
"Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bring your children from the east and gather you from the west. I will say to the north, 'Give them up!' and to the south, 'Do not hold them back.' Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth--everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made."

I can honestly tell you that waiting several years before our Referral of little Song was extremely difficult. I can also share with you that having her Referral and waiting to travel to meet her, hold her and bring her home is also very, very difficult. However...we have peace, hope and trust in God that He knows what is best, right, perfect and purposeful in His own timing and design. I often wonder "how much longer, O Lord?" but in my heart, I know that He is working it all out in a beautiful and precious way...and I will trust Him. I know He is holding our little Song in His arms of love and protection. I know He is working protection and provision out for our family on many levels. So we wait...and trust...and believe.

When I read this Scripture passage today, I was touched by God's many reminders which repeatedly tell us "Do not be afraid." If memory serves me correctly, that phrase is listed around 365 times in the Bible! Interestingly, that's one for each day of the year! I think it was very important for Him to reveal that message to us each day. He is God and He is always with us no matter where we are, what's going on within us or around us...or in our journeys of life...including adoption. So...we must not be afraid. We must trust Him who has complete control and purpose of our lives...in every direction.

I must also smile at this verse for another interesting reason. Tim and I have often discussed how our family will be complete when our little JennaBeth comes home on many levels. You see, Tim is originally from Ohio...a northern state. I am originally from Virginia...a southern state. Our family lives in the "western" section of the world. And our precious little girl obviously was born and now lives in China...the eastern part of the world. So we sometimes chuckle as we say that God has included the north, south, east and west in our family! Reading this verse reminds me that God's plan can involve many different origins, stories and directions in order to complete His purpose in our lives. How amazing He truly is!

So the very God who created this universe, the stars in the skies, the oceans, mountains, rainbows, animals, miracles and beautiful flowers...can certainly handle bringing our sweet daughter into our arms at just the right time. We could easily become discouraged, frustrated and doubtful...after almost 58 months of log-in and almost 6 years of this journey. But...we will not be afraid. We will hold onto hope, peace, joy, trust and belief that God is with our little Song in China...and our family as we recover from surgery and illness. We hold onto Him as He directs our paths and our journey to our precious daughter in China. We will honor and glorify Him in the wait, the walk and this wonderful journey of blessings.

Please continue to pray for our little one in China. Please pray for our family. Please pray that we will reflect Him through each moment. Please know how much we thank Him for you, our faithful family and friends who steadfastly pray, love and walk beside us. You are such blessings in our lives and we thank Him for you.
Cherishing the gift of trusting Him through it all,
Terri & Family

More Prayers, Please!

This is just a quick update for you so you will be aware of our specific prayer requests. I contacted the adoption agency today to see if they have heard anything from China in regard to our pending Travel Letter extension. The agency's efficient response to us said that they have not heard anything back yet but they will call us as soon as it arrives. It remains a matter of WHEN...not IF. So that is very exciting for us, to say the least!

There will be a week-long holiday in China beginning next week for their Chinese New Year. So if we don't hear anything this week, there won't be any news during the next week. Our agency had hoped to hear something sooner but they are not alarmed because there is no standard response time when dealing with the CCCWA. So...we wait and pray.

Of course, we know that God's timing is always best. We know His plan will unfold just as His perfect design allows. So we are not overly stressed. We just miss our little Song! :) But if you would be so kind, please continue to pray that the Travel Letter will arrive according to God's perfect timing. Please pray for precious little Song as she waits for her Forever Family to come for her. Please pray that God will protect her, provide for her and prepare her for this major transition. Please pray for our family as we seek His protection and provision here on many levels at home. Most of all, please pray that He will be honored as we continue this journey of blessings.

Of course, I will keep you posted as we learn more. Meanwhile, we are busy planning for little JennaBeth Song...her bedroom, carseat, clothes, etc.. How thrilling! Even more importantly, we are growing in faith and excitement for our family to finally hold her in our arms and welcome her into our lives. Thank you for your continued prayers, presence and kindness as this journey continues.

Hold on, precious little Song! We love you, miss you and are praying that we will see you very, very soon! You are so dear to us already. What a glorious day it will be when we meet you and bring you home with us! But we continue to hold you in our hearts until we can hold you in our arms.
Cherishing this journey of faith,
Terri & Family