Thursday's Things to Pray for - Prayer Schedule for China

No pictures today :-) Instead, I wanted to create a prayer schedule for our trip to China. We are just 7 days from flying to Beijing! We would love it if you'd join us in prayer as we embark on this journey to bring our daughter home. It will give us great comfort & peace to know that so many of our family and friend are lifting us up in prayer during this special time.


Day #1, Friday, June 3rd - Flight from the US to Beijing - Please pray for happy, peaceful goodbyes to the kids and to our family. Pray for a safe, uneventful, comfortable and restful flight for us (we will be in the air for 14 hrs!). Please also pray that God gives the pilot skill as he navigates such a long flight.

Day #2, Saturday, June 4th - We land in Beijing at 2:40pm (that's 2:40am here) - Please pray for comfort, protection and courage for Angel, Lovebug and our family while we're gone. Pray for the strength of our parents as they care for the kids and provide them with a loving and fun environment full of distractions! Ask that God provide them with the tools needed to meet Angel's & Lovebug's needs while we are gone. Please also pray for a restful and restorative night for us as well, as we prepare for a full day of sightseeing.

Day, #3, Sunday, June 5th - Sightseeing in Beijing (the Great Wall, Tian'anmen Square, the Forbidden City and shopping at the Pearl Market) - Please pray for protection and stamina for us as we visit the sights in Beijing. Please also pray that Sunshine may feel God's love as she is prepared for her new life with our family. Please ask God to help prepare Sunshine's foster parents to say goodbye to a child they have loved and cared for over the past year.

Day #4, Monday, June 6th - Flight to Nanchang, Jiangxi - Please pray for a safe and uneventful flight to Nanchang for us; and safe travels for Sunshine as she makes her way to us. Please pray for comfort and healing for Sunshine as she says goodbye to the only parents and family she has ever known. Pray that God surround her with love, peace and courage as she prepares to meet her Mommy and Daddy for the first time. Please again pray for her foster parents - ask God to watch over them and give them comfort as they say goodbye.

Day #5, Tuesday, June 7th - Sunshine will be brought to us at the hotel in Nanchang at 9:30am and paperwork at the Civil Affairs office in the afternoon (Sunshine may actually be brought to us earlier, on Monday night, but we won't know until it happens) - Please pray that Sunshine feels God's love during such a confusing time, and also feels secure and peaceful at our first meeting. Pray that we may feel God's love and grace as we meet Sunshine, and ask God to give us the tools needed to help Sunshine start the attachment process. Please also pray for paperwork to be completed correctly and timely.

Day #6, Wednesday, June 8th - Free day in Nanchang (we are hoping to visit Sunshine's finding spot today) - Please pray that we have the wisdom to understand and meet Sunshine's needs and that we can all begin the process of attaching to each other. If we are visiting Sunshine's finding spot (the front gate of a factory), please give us the strength needed to visit such an emotional place. We also ask that you pray for peace for Sunshine's birth parents - that they have comfort in knowing she is being well-cared for.

Day #7, Thursday, June 9th - City tour in Nanchang - Please pray for love, comfort and protection for Angel & Lovebug, and those caring for them. Please also pray that we are able to get out of the hotel and soak up the culture in Sunshine's province, and that we truly enjoy our time there with her. Pray that we are able to capture as much of her province as we possibly can so that we can one day tell her where she came from.

Day #8, Friday, June 10th - Pick up Sunshine's passport and flight to Guangzhou - Pray for a safe, uneventful and comfortable flight with Sunshine. Please pray that she grows to feel more secure and loved with us and that her heart begins to heal. Please also pray that Angel feels secure and loved as she celebrates her 6th birthday - pray that she has fun and everyone here can give her a special day.

Day #9 - Saturday, June 11th - Sunshine's medical exam, her visa photo and visa paperwork will be completed in Guangzhou - Pray for a smooth and painless medical exam that doesn't cause Sunshine any discomfort. Pray for God's grace on us as we fit into the role of Sunshine's parents. Pray that Sunshine feels more comfortable and secure with us as her parents and that she understands that we will love her and provide for her.

Day #10 - Sunday, June 12th - City tour in Guangzhou - Pray for our comfort, stamina and endurance in the hot weather as we tour the city. Please also pray that we enjoy our time in Guangzhou with Sunshine, as well as with other adoptive families. Pray that we are able to feel God's love surrounding us as we soak up all the sites and culture in Guangzhou. Please also ask God's presence to be felt by the other adoptive families that are there with us.

Day #11 - Monday, June 13th - Consulate appointment in Guangzhou at 8:30am - Pray for our appointment to go smoothly and that Sunshine is comfortable and happy during that time. Please continue to keep Sunshine's foster family and birth family in your prayers - ask for their comfort and peace.

Day #12 - Tuesday, June 14th - Pick up Sunshine's visa in Guangzhou - Thank God for safely shepherding us to this point in the process. Ask Him to continue to shower us in His love and grace as we prepare for the long journey home. Pray for a wonderful, joyful last day in Guangzhou.

Day #13 - Wednesday, June 15th - Flight home, we arrive on US soil at 7:55pm - Pray for a safe, smooth, uneventful flight. Pray that we are able to get some restful sleep (especially for Sunshine!) during the flight. Please also pray for Sunshine's comfort and peace during the long flight. Pray for a cheerful, jubilant reunion with the kids and our family filled with lots of happy tears. Pray that all of us quickly transition into our new family of 5. Pray for God's grace on me and DH as we learn to parent 3 children, that Sunshine can feel our love and is attaching to our family, and that Angel and Lovebug courageously and graciously fit into their new roles as older siblings to Sunshine. Pray that our entire family (ALL of us including our extended family!) can feel and see God's love during this transitional time.

After we are home - Please continue to keep our family in your prayers, we will all be going through quite a transition! Please especially keep Sunshine in your prayers - she will go through a lot and travel a long way to be with us. She will also have to undergo several surgeries to correct her cleft lip & palate - the first will be in August. We can't tell you how excited we are to share this experience with everyone. We have received so much support and prayer from our family and friends over the past year. It's somewhat surreal to realize that what we have been working toward is almost here! We will soon be holding our daughter in our arms - she will no longer be a dream!