Loving Ella

      We have made a lot of progress over the last couple of days. Our sweet Ella seems to be bonding very well with us. I was very happy today when our guide picked her up and started talking to her in Chinese. This is the language she knows and it was coming from a familiar face. Ella arched her back and began to cry. When I reached for her she calmed down quickly. I think our guide, Rebecca, was even impressed. I would like to say she knows her mothers touch and that I am a natural but I honestly believe this is God answering the prayers I have prayed and many of you have prayed for so long. The one thing I was really nervous about was that she wouldn't be able to except the hugs, kisses and love that I so desperately have waited to give. Thank God that she not only excepts them but loves them. She giggles and lights up every time I kiss her chubby cheeks. Such a wonderful answer to prayer!

     Last night was the first night that she laid completely relaxed on Brandon's chest. She was comfortable and peaceful. It made my heart very heavy and sad to think that this was the first time in her life she relaxed in her fathers arms and that there are millions of children who just need a parent to love and hold them. When I shared this on Facebook I was reminded by friends that many of us are struggling with life and trying to figure things out on our own but all we have to do is just relax in our Heavenly Fathers arms. He is their wanting to adopt us into His family and it is up to us not only to become part of His family but to also take the next step and trust Him with our life and completely let Him take over and rest in His arms. I am learning so much through this little child already. 

Romans 8:15-16 (NIV)

¹⁵ The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry,“Abba, Father.” ¹⁶ The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.

Happy New Year from GZ, China

      Things are really different for us this New Year. We normally are spending this evening with friends shooting fireworks and ringing in the New Year together. This year it is kind of funny. We are sitting in a hotel room ringing in the New Year while watching a festival on TV that is happening right down the road. We can't understand a thing and it is very humorous but entertaining.
     Today we went to a local zoo here in Guangzhou. We got to see a Panda and of course all the other favorites we see at the Birmingham Zoo. It was kind of a sad trip because Ella is to young to care and it made us miss Cooper and Avery. However, they did have this really neat Goldfish exhibit. It is in the Guiness World Records for the most goldfish and different styles of tanks in one location. Kind of funny! There was a game you could play that was a lot like Plinko from the Price is Right. Brandon and two other dads we were with played and they ironically all won. Rebecca went to collect our prizes and we joked that they were going to give us fish and what do you know we ended up with 6 goldfish. One of the other couples adopted two older children and the 6 year old was thrilled. We thought it was funny. Unfortunately we don't think they will make it back through customs, if they live that long.
     Yesterday we want to the market where the locals shop. We were able to buy pearls, jade, and some really unique things that had hand embroidery on them. Hopefully tomorrow we are going to make it to the electronic market and the Chinese traditional market. It is a free day tomorrow and those days time passes slowly. We are missing home, our kids, and sweet tea! Happy New Year from China!

Ella Huan Hope Greer

     I have neglected the blog but oh have we had fun! Gotcha day couldn't have gone any better! We are over the moon in love with this little angel. God has truly blessed our family with this amazing little girl. Words can not capture how much love we have for her.  We are so ready to get her home to  meet family and friends. I can't wait to share our little treasure. I know that God has awesome plans for her. "For this child I prayed and The Lord has granted me what I have asked for." 1 Samuel 1:27
      We met our translator Grace in the lobby of our hotel at 2:00 and took a crazy 20 minute drive downtown to the Civil Affairs Bureau. I say crazy because driving is nuts here. (Will explain later) We walked down what looked to be an ally and then up the stairs to a fairly nice building. We took the elevator up to the adoption floor. There were several families already waiting. We later have met these families again and they are from all over; France, Australia, California, and even another couple from Alabama. We took a seat and Grace hurried around getting everything ready. We only had to sign one form and then she went to check to see if Le Huan had arrived. It is a five hour drive from her orphanage so they said she may be a little late. As I looked around the room everyone was waiting. Then out walks this lady with a handsome little boy and walks up to this couple and you could tell by the look on their faces that they just had met their son. As I watched this unfold my stomach did flips and I felt the tears. I prayed that God would take my emotions so that I could focus on the moment and not be a total mess. Not even two minutes later Grace said, "stand up and come here, she is here." I walked over and they quickly brought her out. Her nanny was holding her and  the director and Grace were talking in Chinese. I didn't know what was going on and you could tell she was really unsure. The nanny handed her to me and they all smiled. The rest felt very rushed and chaotic. I wasn't even sure what to do. I just kept talking to her and taking in the first moments. We took a few pictures and got to ask a few questions and then we left. She did very well. She didn't cry or fuss until I wiped a little drool off of her face. We learned quickly she is sensitive about her face. We arrived back at the hotel around 3:00! After all that work and wait we were there and back in only an hour.
     Once we arrived back at the room Grace and Brandon completed some paper work and I feed Ella her first bottle. Grace then translated the questions we wanted answered to Brandon. Lol! Brandon doesn't understand their English and he thought that she said that Le Huan likes to pray with friends of similar age. This bothered him and when we finally discussed everything last night I then informed him they meant "play" not "pray!" We laughed so hard. He wanted to ask Grace who they were praying to.  ;)
     Once she left we got to enjoy the rest of the afternoon together. She was very stiff. She wouldn't hold anything and she would not relax her arms. Slowly but surely she started to relax and the first thing she grabbed hold of was the little yellow comb. It's kind of funny because it was Cooper's comb when he was in the hospital as a new born. Now when we hand the comb to her she smiles from ear to ear!
     It has been amazing to watch how she has warmed up in just two and a half days. She will sit and play with toys in the floor. She has started to crawl around a little. At first we didn't think she could push the buttons on her toys but now when the music stops she reaches over and pushes the button to turn it back on. She loves to be kissed and tickled. She also likes to look at herself and us in the mirror. She has already formed a small attachment to me. Which is a huge answer to prayer! It has been awesome to watch this sweet little one come to life. I can't wait to see what she surprises us with next.
     We decided to call her Ella Huan Hope Greer instead of Ella Le Hope Greer. In the orphanage she went by the nickname Huan Huan. They also told us that there are four beauties in China and one of them has the name Huan in their name. They said it was very special. So in light of what we learned we couldn't call her anything else. So we now have a Ya Ya (Avery's nickname) and a Huan Huan. So perfect together!
     After a day of relaxing we are going on a few sight seeing adventures tomorrow. We are looking
forward to it and hope that Ella enjoys it. She seemed to like walking through the gardens today.
     I am going to attach a few pictures below. We can't upload many because we only have our ipad
with us in China. I will upload a lot more once we are home. I know I keep saying it, but she is such a blessing!

The view from our window in GZ, China

Getting ready for Ella

A few more pictures

     The Internet is acting funny here. So I had to attach these in a separate post. Sorry, couldn't edit the other post and it is really late here! :)

Well.... It's 12:00 here and it won't let me post anymore. Goodnight!

Only two more hours!

     Wow, what a morning. We went to breakfast and then made all the necessary arrangements before we go and get our little one. We now are sitting and watching the clock. Yuck! Butterflies are all in my stomach. It kind of feels like my wedding day. A little nervous but a good nervous. At 2:00 we will go down stairs to meet Grace.  We will then travel to the Civil Affairs office, which is about twenty minutes away. Not sure what happens next but I know we will meet her there. It can't get here fast enough!!! I am ready for that moment. Tissues are packed!

The Night Before Ella

     Tonight is the last night for me as a mother of two. As I sit here I have many emotions much like when I was in labor with Cooper and Avery. This time it is however a little different. My heart hurts for her tonight. She is about to leave everything familiar to her and become enveloped with new faces, funny languages, new smells, and new surroundings. It is a little much for a 23 month old. I am sure she will be terrified upon meeting us. How do you possibly show someone how much you love them in a moment? Our love is free and unconditional and will never leave her but how can she possibly see that upon meeting us? She can't. It will take time to develop that trust and understanding. This part is hard and overwhelming but worth every moment to develop that bond.
     As I walked the streets of China today I thought about all the people around me who probably didn't know Christ as their Savior. It hurt my heart. Christ love is free and unconditional and all anyone has to do is except. But like it will be for Ella it is hard for some people to trust. That is where the I feel the body of Christ comes in. We have to build relationships with the lost so that the love for Christ in us will shine through us so that they can see. If they see love in us then we can point them to the one who freely gives.
     I am happy to know I have a Heavenly Father who loves me dearly. Even much more than I love all three of my children. It is so hard to imagine that it is possible but I know He does. My prayer tonight is that God will allow Ella to bond with us quickly and that the relationship we build with her will be strong and she will see Christ love in us and through us. Here is a devotional I found that I really feel sums up my heart tonight.

Because I love you

with an everlasting love.

Jeremiah 31:3 

The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying: 

I have loved you with an everlasting love; 

I have drawn you with loving-kindness.

(NIV Bible)

All that Father does is motivated by His everlasting love for us. A love that is perpetual, unending, and eternal. He has drawn us with a loving-kindness that will never run out or dry up. When describing what everlasting love means, I believe that Jack Winter says it best... "There was never a time in all of eternity when we were not loved by God."

Father's everlasting love has always been there and will always be there. There is nothing we can do to make God love us any more than He does right now and there is nothing that we can do to make God love us any less than He does right now. It is difficult for us to be able to comprehend this kind of unconditional love and acceptance.

That is why the Apostle Paul prayed in Ephesians 3:17-19 that we might be rooted and established in love, may have power together with all of the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. (NIV Bible)

We may know that God loves us in our heads, but He desires for this revelation to seep into every fabric of our being. Love is meant to be experienced, not only intellectually understood. If we never feel love from those around us, life becomes very empty. A big hug from someone we care about FEELS good. A kind word or a loving glance FEELS good. While our access to God is through faith, we must believe that there is a reward for those that diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6). Our ultimate reward is the revelation of our Father's everlasting love for us.

PRAYER

Father, I thank You for loving me with a love that will never run out or dry up. May Your loving-kindness seep into every area of my being...spirit, soul and body. I want to experience Your love in a deeper way than I have ever experienced before. I pray that my heart may be rooted and established in Your love, and that I might have power to grasp how wide and how long and how high and how deep is your love for me expressed in the person of Your Son, Jesus Christ. In the name of Your beloved Son, Jesus I pray, AMEN.

   

Loving Some Babies in A Big Blue House

      We finally have some pictures uploaded that we would like to share. Really happy we had the opportunity to spend some time here and really enjoyed seeing Rebecca on her side of the world.

This little guy is so much fun. He knows how to turn on the charm. He would point to my camera and then stand in front of me a give me this huge beautiful smile. Such a funny, happy kid!

A little fun in preschool!

Paper chains for the Christmas tree.

We loved playing with these two sweeties!

Beautiful baby girl only three months old.

Sleepless in Louyang!

Well I have been wide awake since 4am and Meredith is still sound asleep so I figured I would make my first blog post. The past few days have been an unbelievable experience. It was just over a year ago that I thought our family was complete. God, however, had other plans and now here I sit only one year later in Louyang, China at Maria's Big House of Hope. We have had the opportunity to meet and play with some very amazing little kids. The joy on their faces when we are playing with them is unlike anything I can describe. Each one of these kids has different medical issues and most are still waiting on forever families. There are many that Meredith and I have already become attached to in only one short day. My prayer is that each one of these precious children finds a forever home so that one day each one of them will be able to have that special love from a mother and father. After seeing each one of these little kids I would love to bring them all home. Obviously, that's not possible as we each can only do our little part. Meredith and I have said from the beginning that we thought to ourselves, "if not me then who?" Its like this good analogy I heard a few days ago referring to adoption......"you are walking down a beach full of starfish that have been pushed up on the beach. You would love to pick up all of them but its just not possible so you reach down pick up one and throw it back in the water. For that one star fish you just made a tremendous difference in its life. You could have continued on your path along the beach without doing anything but you decided to stop, take a few moments and make the difference for one." It's the same thing with adoption. There are millions of children across the world that just need that one person to stop, listen to what God is calling them to do and then act on it. It may be a just a simple pray for the millions of orphans or by helping through financial support/donations or it may be heading to the other side of the world to pick up your little girl that will make your family complete! God calls each of us to do different things and I pray that you will listen to what He is calling you to do and act on it! I promise you that know matter what God calls you to do, He will follow through to the completion.

We fly out tonight headed for Guangzhou. Our last stopping point and where we will be the next few weeks. Only 3 more days until I get to hold my daughter in my arms! God is AMAZING! Please continue to pray for us as we travel.
Brandon

The Big Blue House

     We woke up kind of early today. The time change is kind of hard. After breakfast I had the opportunity to go to preschool with Rebecca. It was so much fun and was really neat to see how fast the kids warmed up. It was ironically easy to interact with them without being able to verbally communicate well. The children are simply precious!  I feel very blessed to be able to spend time loving and playing with them. When you see pictures of these beautiful faces it really doesn't do it justice. These faces are real kids who just need a family to love and hold them. Maria's is a wonderful place for these children to stay until they are matched with their forever families. I will try and post pictures of some of the little ones we got to meet soon.

Welcome to China!

     So happy to say we made it! We are in Beijing at New Hope. We visited the Great Wall this morning and then got to play at the orphanage with some pretty cool kids. It has been really fun to hang out with Rebecca and spend time with her and Mikey. We are about to head down to sit by the fire and chat for awhile then dinner at a authentic Chinese restaurant.... We will see! We are taking a late flight to Luoyang tonight. Hopefully I can post more details tomorrow.  Happy to be here on the other side of the world. I feel very blessed to be on this journey. Only 4 more days until we get to meet Ella! I wished I could bring them all home. I am so excited we are this close!

Leaving on a jet plane...

     I honestly can't believe I am finally writing this post! Today has been a world wind of emotion! My heart is hurting because Cooper and Avery have the flu. It would be hard enough to leave them for seventeen days but leaving them and knowing their sick makes my heart hurt. Cooper is better but Avery's fever is up again. :( Pray for this mom's heart.
     On the other hand, I am so excited! After a year long journey... We finally get to go! I can't wait to hold her, kiss her, and take in everything about her! She is so loved, so wanted, and so prayed for! We are such a blessed family to be able to welcome a sweet child into our family. She will change us for the better.
     As I am writing this as we are 8 hours away from a really long trip! We will be traveling for 25 hours and will lose half a day in the process. We are flying into Beijing and meeting my dear friend Rebecca and her fiancée Mikey. We will tour the Great Wall of China and then fly into Luoyang. I can't wait to visit all the beautiful children at Maria's Big House of Hope. This is something I have wanted to do for a couple of years. So happy God has given us this amazing opportunity.
     We will arrive in Guangdong on the 22 and meet Ella on the 24. What a wonderful Christmas present! I think it is very appropriate to receive her on the eve of Christmas. I feel like she is truly sent from up above.
     I will do my best to blog and keep this updated. Internet may be a little difficult but we will see. Well.... Here we go!!!!

Travel Plans

     Well we finally got everything together. To be honest yesterday was really hard! We found out that we couldn't get a consulate appointment until January 2. Needless to say I lost it on the phone when my precious social worker called. I love that lady dearly and I was a complete mess! My head knew that this didn't take Him by surprise but my heart was aching! Another week without her... Torchure.
      We are leaving December 18. We will fly into Beijing and meet my sweet friend Rebecca. We are going to stay with her at the big blue house for a couple of days. Marie's Big House of Hope is in Luoyang, China. It is part of Show Hope - New Hope. It was founded by Steven Curtis Chapman. If you have never checked them out visit www.showhope.com They are a wonderful organization and I am thrilled to get to spend some time with a dear friend and love on some sweet babies who are still waiting for their forever family. It is going to be so hard not to bring them all back! From the beginning I have hoped for this opportunity and I am so glad God has allowed us the time and means to embark on this journey. Super excited!
     We will arrive in Guangdong, China on December 22. For the most part we will spend the remainder of our trip there. Gotcha day will be on Christmas Eve and that means I will be waking up to my babies precious face Christmas morning. Can you say the best present ever!!! It doesn't get much better. We will depart for home on January 4.
     Yes, it's 17 long days without Cooper and Avery. We will not be home for Christmas or New Years. Price wise, as my travel agent said, "those are the worst possible days to fly." I am not an adventurous eater and the list could go on. BUT, we will be getting an awesome gift! In the end She will make it all worth the roller coaster ride of emotions. Not to mention I will be a few pounds lighter. :)
      God has provided all we have needed! How awesome is it we can say we are very close to meeting our financial goal. At the beginning of this journey it looked very unlikely we would make this $40,000ish journey without a large debt to pay off at the end. Praise God I can say it has been paid! Can't tell you in great detail the many who have made this possible but every time we needed to make a payment it was there. We never had to stress over the financial questions, He showed up just in time. It has been amazing to watch the body of Christ pull together.
     So the official count down is on. We are China bound in 12 days!!!! Yay!!!

Christmas in China!!!

     It's official! We will be leaving for China sometime next week! I have so many mixed emotions but mostly so excited to finally get to hold, kiss, hug.... My Sweet Ella!!! After a year long wait we will finally get to bring our little girl home. If she only knew of how her life is about to change. Abandoned, alone, no family, no hope.... Wanted, Loved, Accepted, Family, Friends, A Future, Hope, and more importantly now she can know a Savior!! The verse we have claimed through out this journey, Hebrews 11:1. "Now faith is being sure of what you Hope for and certain of what you can not see." I finally feel that I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, the paper chase is almost over and all five of the Greer's will finally be together.
     You know by now that I love videos! Please watch this wonderful one of a families journey to Ethiopia. I can't wait to write our story!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1scU5hv6azs&sns=em