Quick update

Dear Friends and Family,

We completed our official business here with our consulate appt. and swearing in. Phillip entertained many of the children while we were at the consulate. Several parents asked how much he charged for babysitting. He has been genuinely excited and has rehearsed our itinerary for the travel back to Spokane repeatedly. Phillip knows no strangers.

He has made friends with an adorable little boy named Lei Lei. He gave Lei Lei one of his toys when we went on a dinner cruise tonight. He is really good with little ones.

We walked to a Mexican restaurant called Tékila for lunch. We were wary because even fast food chains like Pizza Hut don't have menus that we're used to. The food at Tékila was authentic Mexican; a welcome change for us!

Tomorrow we leave for Honk Kong. We'll just be there overnight and then we fly back HOME Thursday! We are so looking forward to getting Phillip home and to introducing him to you all!

See you soon!
KKPB&J

Sent from my iPad

Ode to Guangzhou: A Poetic Tribute to Our Current Location

Today I arose in Guangzhou,
It's a fabulous city, you know,
I gazed out the window and what did I see?
A cascading waterfall roaring for me!

After a long harried flight,
And difficult travel last night,
Our breakfast was YUMMY!
So good in my tummy!
A true gastronomic delight!

This hotel is extravagant, really!
In fact, we kinda feel silly.
These are such ritzy folks,
And they don't get our jokes,
We're the Clampitts, the Guangzhou Hillbillies.

This evening we all hit the street,
To find something yummy to eat.
We found Pizza Hut,
And we all filled our guts.
Now it is time to sleep! HEY!

By: Joni, Brittany, and Kyle. The product of sleep deprivation, stress, and excitement :)

A bit of a rough day...

Dear Friends and Family,
      Thx so much for lifting us up.  We went to a pagoda and to a market where you could bargain for goods today.  Phillip didn't enjoy the trip out.  It was hot and humid so he was not in the best mood .  Again, Brit and our guide waited with Phillip when areas were inaccessible for the wheelchair.  When we got home, Phillip and Kyle watched a video while we waited to receive some official paperwork.  After our guide brought it, we walked a long distance to an area where we could eat and have ice cream. Karl and Kyle had to carry Phillip and push his wheelchair up awkward stairlike ramps on the way.  The elevators in the mall weren't working.  On the way back, we had to walk in the street because there was no room on the sidewalk for the wheelchair because cars were parked on it.  We ended up having to cross a very busy uncontrolled intersection in the dark.  (Those of you that have been here probably understand this best...)  Although it was a rough day, it just makes all the more eager to get Phillip home where mobility will be much easier for him and where we hope he will experience less stares (and stairs, ha).

We ended our evening by taking Phillip swimming in the hotel pool which he LOVES!  He is getting the arm motion down and can get around much better.   The lady who hands out towels at the pool is quick to put a towel on his chair when Karl or Kyle lift him out.  That compassion was a cup of cool water for us this evening.

We hope that you are doing well and we will be eager to hear what you have been up to when we get back! 

Joni

Xi'an!

Dear Family and Friends,

     I'm writing from our hotel in Xian.  Yesterday was our official "Gotcha Day."  Our guide from Lifeline met us and took us to the CCCWA offices.  Although we were somewhat intimidated about the whole process and about actually being there, the process was pretty casual.  The office is temporarily in an upper floor of a museum during remodeling of the CCCWA building.  We just signed paperwork in duplicate and answered some questions. 

   Afterwards, our guide, Sherry, took us to stock up on water and to buy ice cream to celebrate. 

   Sara from Shepherd's Field was with us throughout the process too.  It was sooo nice to have her with us.  She is really determined to get answers when she is advocating, but is a a tiny person with a big heart.  It worked out for her to stay in our hotel room with us.  She was just like part of the family.

   It was really hard for Phillip to say good-bye to her.  He wouldn't look at her at first and then he practically knocked people in the lobby over trying to get to her to give her one last hug before she caught a taxi.

   Phillip, Karl, and I went back to the CCCWA offices for some more paperwork again today.  Kyle and Brit had a nice morning in the beautiful hotel.  Phillip was like a caged animal in the offices, but the paperwork didn't take too long.  We had to go to the police station today as well.  Phillip had way too much fun getting his picture and his fingerprints taken. 

   When we returned, we picked Brit and Kyle up and went shopping to get new shorts fro Phillip.  Unfortunately, my guesstimate of his size was way off and he loses his shorts everytime that we transfer him out of his wheelchair.

    We're doing well, but are already eager to get Phillip home to some stability.

   We love you all!  The internet here seems to work consistently.  We'll try to update you again soon.

    KKPB&J

The Big Day!

Hey people,

Just thought we'd let you know we made it safely to SFCV to meet Phillip today! All our flights were really great, no problems, and not much turbulence ;) Driving through Beijing was just as uneventful as possible, which is always an adventure! And we made the most important connection of all! After like 20 hours of travel (and like 2 hours of sleep) we finally met Phillip around 6:30 this evening!

Oh man, you guys shoulda been here! He was (and still is) literally exploding with joy and excitement! He instantly started calling mom and dad "mom" and "dad" and was thrilled to do so. He calls me Kyle but he calls Britt "Grimmy." We got to take him and his buddy Joseph out to dinner with a bunch of SFCV interns and staff too. He's having a blast chatting, smiling, laughing, and getting settled in with us and we are so glad for that!

The four of us who flew today are pretty wiped so all this cool stuff is kind of a blur, but we'll tell ya more when we become ourselves again after a good night of rest. In the meantime, sleep well, ask the Father that we sleep well, and let him know how much he rocks for his goodness to us! Man is he ever faithful!

Sent from my iPad

Heading Out!

Hey Friends!

We are almost out the door! Tomorrow at 5:27am our first plane will take off and we'll be on our way to get Phillip! It is so crazy to be this close! God has been carrying us through this adoption for months and now we're finally getting to the good stuff!

This blog is gonna be AWESOME for the next two weeks because we're gonna post as many pictures and stories from our trip as possible! We want all our friends and family to be able to keep up on the blog and continue to witness the joy of this process with us. Thank you all for your support, for your prayers, and for catching our passion for our boy. We are SO blessed by all of you who love us and lift us up to Him!

If all people tend to be either more stress-prone or more relaxation-prone, I'd say we Crofts are stress-prone. It would rock if you guys could just pray that we will turn all our worries, anxieties, fears, and the knots and butterflies in our stomachs over to God. Pray we'll enjoy this trip, delight in our good God, and find it easy to let go of control so our arms are free for hugs and stuff. Please also just ask God to be glorified in our family's almost instantaneous transition. Right now we have a family of four and all of us are at home. In two weeks, we'll be a family of five with two at home, two in Oregon, and one back and forth between home and an out of town job. There's no doubt, this is God's timing and God's plan, but it looks a little tricky to us. Just pray we'll trust Him and rest.

Thanks folks, can't wait to get there, get back, and introduce you to Phillip!

Kyle

Earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling....Come home!

Dear Friends,

Each step of our adoption journey has brought its own challenges, blessings, and emotions.  God has peeled away layers of fears and lack of faith with painstaking accuracy.  He has whittled away at our practical perceptions of finances and has radically altered our view of the future as He has provided in ways that we could not think up or imagine ourselves.  He knew the areas where our foundations needed to be shored up.  He knew about all of the sleepless nights and the incredible mountain top highs that we would experience.  He knew the weaknesses in our family relationships that needed to be addressed.  He knew that you would be there to point Phillip and our family to Jesus himself.  He has been so faithful to prepare  us to bring Phillip home.

Lately, I've been meditating again on the story of Hagar.  At one point she refers to God as "the God who sees me."  There are so many details of our family history that clearly reveal that God has heard Phillip's cry for a family and has intricately woven the events to make that happen.  I love the picture of Phillip hugging the photo album to his chest because his expression seems to reveal tears of relief, anguish, and joy at the same time.  He must have been thinking that God finally heard and answered his nightly prayers for a family.
"We're coming, buddy, because God bent low to hear the desires of your heart and He answered."

Now that all of the red tape is complete and our travel itinerary is set, I've been imagining over and over again what it will be like when we meet Phillip at Shepherd's Field for the first time as his forever family.  My mind goes to a rush of noise as each of us releases our excitement to finally be together.  It may be a really physical greeting as we all rush to get a hold of him for the first time.  I imagine Karl and Kyle hoisting him out of his chair and all of us clinging to him.  I've imagined what I will say to him when things quiet down because I want my words to reassure him and to bless him.  I think that I will look into his handsome face and say, "It's time to come home."  Earnestly, tenderly, Jesus has been calling.....Come home!

(If you'd like a copy of our travel itinerary, send us an e-mail at supercroftees@comcast.net)

TA YAY! TA YAY! TA YAY!

After 15 months of paperwork, we finally get to celebrate today cuz our TA OFFICIALLY ARRIVED at Lifeline.  Finally, Phillip will be told that he has a family!  We can't wait to see pictures and video of his reaction!

You can see pictures if you click this link or copy it into your browser!

PHILLIP HAS A FAMILY!!!!!

WE TRIED TO COMBINE THE MANY LISTS THAT WE FOUND ONLINE INTO THIS ONE HOPEFULLY ALL-INCLUSIVE LIST. WE HOPE THAT IS HELPFUL TO OTHERS ADOPTING OLDER CHILDREN.

CHINA ADOPTION PACKING LIST

CARRY WITH YOU/CARRY-0N

¨  PASSPORT IN HOLDER

¨  COPIES OF PASSPORT IN CARRY-ON

¨  TICKETS

¨  EMPTY DISPOSABLE WATER BOTTLE

¨  READING MATERIAL¨E-READER

¨  JOURNAL

¨  IPOD

¨  MONEY BELT

¨  TOOTHBRUSH/TOOTHPASTE

¨  COMB/BRUSH

¨  COSMETICS

¨  SMALL  DEODORANT

¨  LIGHT JACKET

¨  CASH

¨  GAMES

¨  WIPES

¨  SNACKS

¨  BLANKIE

¨  PILLOW

¨  GLASSES

¨  EXTRA OUTFIT AND UNDERWEAR IN CASE YOUR LUGGAGE IS LOST

¨  LAPTOP/IPAD/CHARGER

¨  SMALL CAMERA

LUGGAGE

¨  ZIPLOCK BAGS TO ORGANIZE AND FOR LIQUID ITEMS

¨  SHAMPOO/CONDITIONER

¨  GEL/HAIRSPRAY

¨  HAND SANITIZER

¨  SOAP (BAR OR LIQUID)

¨  RAZOR

¨  BATH PUFF

¨  GLASSES

¨  EXTRA CONTACTS

¨  SALINE

¨  CONTACT CASE

¨  EYE DROPS

¨  CAMERA/VIDEO CAMERA

¨  SD CARDS

¨  BATTERY CHARGERS

¨  PAPER GOODS/PLASTIC SILVERWARE

¨  PANTS  ¨JEANS¨KHAKI¨BLACK¨NAVY

¨  SHORTS ¨JEAN¨KHAKI¨BLACK¨NAVY

¨  SWIMSUIT/BOARDSHORTS

¨  SUNGLASSES

¨  SHIRTS¨____________¨__________¨__________¨__________¨__________¨_____

¨  SOCKS

¨  FLIP FLOPS¨ATHLETIC SHOES¨__________¨__________¨__________¨__________

¨  UNDERWEAR¨__________¨__________

¨  SOMETHING TO WEAR TO BED

¨  DRESSES¨__________¨__________¨__________¨__________

¨  PILLOWCASE

¨  WASHCLOTH OR DISPOSABLE FACE WIPES

¨  NAIL CLIPPERS AND FILES

¨  TP/WIPES/HANDIWIPES

¨  MEDS¨PAIN RELIEVER¨ALLERGY¨INHALER¨COLD¨COUGH

¨  LOTION

¨  PENS/PENCILS/COLORED PENCILS

¨  CELL PHONE/CHARGER

¨  TRAVEL ALARM

¨  STAIN STICK

¨  SINGLE USE LAUNDRY SOAP/DRYER SHEETS

¨  GAMES¨__________¨__________¨__________

¨  CHINESE POWER CONVERTER (A SPECIAL ONE IS REQUIRED FOR ITEMS THAT HEAT)

¨  HAIR DRYER/CURLING IRON/FLAT IRON

¨  THUMBDRIVE

¨  GIFTS FOR CHINESE OFFICIALS AND FRIENDS AND CAREGIVERS

¨  CLOTHES FOR PHILLIP¨__________¨__________¨__________¨__________

¨  PICTURE BOOKS AND ACTIVITY BOOKS FOR PHILLIP

Beijing....Here we COME!!!! Travel Details...

We visited with our adoption agency representative, Karla, via conference call this week.  She helped us clear some of the muddy details about travel in China.  We hope to receive TA or travel approval this week.  After we have TA, we can make a consulate appointment in Guangzhou.  It looks like the earliest consulate date that we could get would be July 24th.  The consulate appointment is one of the last official things that we will do in China, so we can back up two weeks prior to the 24th and estimate that we would travel around the 10th of July. 

1.  We hope to pick Phillip up at Shepherd's Field near Beijing which is really a foster care facility. We hope to have a day or two there so that Karl and Brit can tour the facility, meet the children, and meet the folks in the offices and those that have cared for Phillip.
2.  We will still have to return to Phillip's original province, Shaanxi, in order to get his passport and to make him OFFICIALLY OURS!  We will need to stay there for a week.
3.  When we finish in Shaanxi Province, we will go to Guangzhou where all adoptive families go to finalize their adoptions.  We will be staying in the Garden Hotel where many other adoptive families will be staying as well.  We will be there for another week.  We were very grateful to learn that we won't be in government offices and working on paperwork all of that time.  Some time is built in for bonding and sight seeing as well.  During our time in Guangzhou, Phillip will receive medical exams and immunizations. 
4.  We can return to Spokane after 7pm on the night after our consulate appointment.  We may take the bullet train to Hong Kong in order to get a quicker flight home.
Thank you for continuing to pray about these things:
*Resources to travel, to complete the remodel on our home, and to care for Phillip's medical needs.
*Unity in our family.  That we would be free from stress and anxiety despite the many remaining details.
*That even now, God would be working in Phillip's heart and preparing him to come home.
*Safety/Health/Protection from injury as we travel.
*That we would be able to convey our gratefulness to Phillip's caregivers and our concern for his friends that he will leave behind.
*That we would do this God's way and that we would represent Him well.
*Bonding with Phillip
*A new wheelchair for Phillip.

Final countdown.....

Dear AMAZINGLY supportive Friends and Family,
     We're counting the weeks until we get to go get Phillip.  Many of you faithfully ask questions and bless us with your interest in Phillip.  Here are a few quick thoughts.
     *We met Carmen Devries at the airport yesterday.  He arrival is bittersweet.  We love to spend time with her while she is home from PNG, but we may miss her when she returns in July.  Since we might be in China upon her return, we'll visit with her this weekend.  We were really hoping that she would be here to meet Phillip.
     *We might meet a lot of friends in CHINA when we go to get Phillip.  Steve Allen and Spokane's Lilac Court will be in China at around the same time.  Several interns from Shepherd's Field that we've met via Facebook will be there as well.
     *Phillip's friend, Blossom, learned about her family this week.  Her adoption should be complete about 3 days before her 14th birthday.  Phew!  Unfortunately, her good news caused Phillip to be upset.  Sara Zhou comforted him and told him that he would get some good news soon.
     *Chantal Cox, a friend whose daughter was in my class and who has prayed for Phillip, made a beautiful Spiderman quilt for Phillip's room.  I was searching for the perfect quilt, but God had it covered!
     *We will take Brit and Kyle with us to China.  We've prayed about it and processed this long and HARD.  Someone asked us to go into the future in our thinking and to look back to the events of this summer.  Of course, we knew that there would be huge blessings in terms of bonding and shared experience.  Since Brit and Kyle will have to return to college soon after we return home, we feel this time as a family is crucial.  On a more practical note, many places in China do not have wheelchair access.  Friends that have taken Phillip into town have sometimes needed to carry him.  We may need all of us to move around China and to transport Phillip and his belongings this first time.
     Thanks for the many ways that you express interest in and support for Phillip and our family.  This is truly a leap of faith!
     The Crofts
     KKPB&J

Things are HAPPENING.....!

After months of seeminlgy sluggish progress, things seem to be happening at an almost alarming rate!  ""Alarming" because Karl is still mudding and taping Phillip's bedroom and bathroom as we speak and because we are still looking to God to provide funds, but we could get our travel approval in as little as 4 weeks. (We would LOVE it if it were earlier because that would allow us to have Phillip home for more of the summer before school starts and Brit and Kyle have to return to Corban.)

We received "Provisional Approval"  last week and then on Saturday, we received an important notice from the National Visa Center which was immediately scanned to our adoption agency.  The next step is for our adoption agency to apply for the "Article 5" certificate which is couriered to the CCCWA immediately.  "TA"  or travel approval should follow in 3-4 weeks. ( AGAIN, it would be better in our human eyes if we could go sooner, but please pray for GOD'S perfect timing.)  After that, we apply for a consulate appointment in Guanzhou where all adoptive families spend their last days in China.
When we get TA, Phillip will be told about his adoptive family!  Whoop!  Whoop!

Homestretch prayer requests!
God's blessing on those who have so faithfully encouraged, supported, and inspired us along the way.  Thank you so much for supporting us financially and prayerfully!

1.  Resources for travel for all 4 of us, for the in-country costs, to finish the Phillip's rooms, and for Phillip's continued medical care.  (We have prayed about all of us traveling and feel it is important for bonding and for all of us to be able to assist with traveling with Phillip for the first time.  Kyle and I want Karl and Brit to experience China and Shepherd's Field Children Village themselves so that they can see how and where this journey started and to understand Phillip's history.  We all know that the heart that God has given us for missions and for China's special needs orphans will never end. )

2. Please pray that God would prepare our hearts for that moment when we meet Phillip as a family for the first time.  May that moment be one that sets the stage for a lifetime of bonding.  May we all be unified in Christ  in the transition process and throughout the future to be obedient to God's calling for our family.

He will make a way where there seems to be no way!

The Bringing Phillip Home Benefit Concert was last Saturday.  Although we were all nervous to share and feared getting emotional on stage, we were all able to verbalize what God had put on our hearts. Becky Evans was the MC.  Kyle introduced and described Phillip.  I talked about a few of the divine appointments and prayers that God has answered along the way.  Karl told about how God worked in his heart after Kyle asked him to pray about adopting Phillip.  Brittany and our nephew, Hunter, played an updated version of I'll Fly Away.  We showed a power point of all of the pictures of Phillip that we have including all of the fun ways that we have found to spell his name.  Chuck Evans played some AMAZING original worship song. Chuck and Hunter ended the evening with worship songs.  We were so encouraged to see the church full when each of us got up to share on stage.  We hope that our story blessed and encouraged all of those that were present.  It is so humbling to be in this position and to have opportunities to rehearse all of our blessings and God's faithfulness to us.  The support group around us was so visible at the concert.  We're thankful for every person that gave up their Saturday evening to join us.     

BRINGING PHILLIP HOME BENEFIT CONCERT

BRINGING PHILLIP HOME BENEFIT CONCERT

We're into the homestretch.  The bulk of the paperwork and red tape is DONE! We will be traveling to China to get our boy sometime in the next two months.  We continue to watch as God moves in the area of resources to complete Phillip's adoption ,to travel to China, to make our home wheelchair accessible, and for his medical care.  

The benefit concert idea is the brain child of Becky Evans who teaches at Valley Christian with me.  She has a heart for kids with special needs and has been eager to do something to help with Phillip's adoption.  Her husband, Chuck, who is a worship leader has agreed to take the lead in sharing.  (Thanks Chuck!)  Brittany and Kyle have agreed to share as well.  We have some surprises up our sleeves and will be posting others that will share as they confirm. (We have some amazingly talented family and friends that we hope to recruit to share.) If you'd like to help with Phillip's adoption costs, thank you for caring and sharing!  Another friend of Phillip's, Dan Dubell, has set up a way to donate on this blog.  Know that your encouragement, support, and inspiration are a huge blessing to our family!  We look forward to celebrating at the benefit concert with you and to introducing you to Phillip Croft this summer!  (Okay that made his mama CRY!)

BRINGING PHILLIP HOME BENEFIT CONCERT

OPPORTUNITY CHRISTIAN CHURCH

PINES ROAD IN SPOKANE VALLEY

7PM ON MAY 19TH 

DIVINE APPOINTMENTS......

The number of times that God has so mercifully and generously answers our prayers about adopting Phillip mounts at a rate that increases my faith and humbles my heart.  There are so many Divine Appointments with amazing folks that God uses to bless us at JUST THE RIGHT TIME.  Now that our paperwork is in China, our attention has turned to preparing for Phillip's arrival.  There are things we can do like making our upstairs wheelchair accessible, but the waiting has caused me to consider even more deeply what it will mean to be Phillip's family; to be entrusted with the care of such a precious boy.  On Saturday, we were pulling out of the Home Depot parking lot when Karl pointed out one of my volleyball players from the 90's, Jamie.  We pulled up and rolled down the windows to get reacquainted, but had no idea how God would use that chance meeting to minister to both of us right where we were at at that moment in time. Jamie and her husband recently adopted a 9 year little boy from Guatemala.  He is actually in Shriner's Hospital recovering from surgery to correct his scoliosis.  Jamie and her husband proved to have a wealth of knowledge about Shriner's Hospital and attachment disorder.  They recommended a book that I haven't been able to put down called The Connected Child.  Thanks again and again and again, GOD.  I am so grateful.  Peace is not the absence of challenges, but the knowledge of whose we are!  Thanks for reminding me again!

That Smile...

I talked with Mom yesterday and she let me know that she received an email from our case worker that our dossier has officially been sent off to China. Yay! Now begins the wait... Thanks for your continual prayers! We cannot wait until we can go get him!

Sara posted this picture the other day and Phillip's smile tugged on my heart... 

Thank YOU for your love and support of our family! It means so much to me, right now.

~ Brit

More Good News!

Hey Friends!
     We just found out that our agency has received all the paperwork and money they need to begin compiling our dossier for shipment to China! The last of our checks and documents arrived in Alabama this week.
     So what happens now? Our agency in Alabama will go through all our documents, check them for accuracy and authenticity, organize them into the proper format, and then mail them to the government in China for approval and review. They tell us that authentication will take 2 or 3 weeks. Friends who have adopted before tell us to expect a wait of 2 to 6 months once the dossier is sent over to China. Sooo...we could be headed to pick up our boy either really soon...or it could still be a while. In either case it will probably feel like forever. BUT, God is pretty good at dealing with 'forever' type stuff and He knows the exact moment in time when Phillip's eyes will first perceive, in person, up close and larger than life, the faces of his new family beaming with excitement to take their new son home.
     Speaking of 'forever' type stuff, this really is kind of a 'forever' type thing. We want to be Phillip's forever family, not his instant family. So I guess it kinda makes sense that adoption isn't an instant process. It's taking a while, but all this time just makes us more determined and committed to getting him home. When God decides the time is right and he needs to be home at last, Phillip will find himself in a forever home, and even if it takes 'forever' for him to get there it will be well worth the wait. Please join us in praying that God will continue to provide for our needs. Pray that He will make us patient, and humble, and totally reliant on Him. Pray that we won't try to take on the burdens of adopting ourselves and that we won't forget to praise Him for the joy it brings us.

With EAGER anticipation,
The Crofts