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
 
   

P-H-I-L-L-I-P : 14 points

All this time we've been searching for approval...

...AND WE FINALLY GOT IT!!! Just a couple of days ago we received an official letter from the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service notifying us that, upon reviewing our application and credentials, the United States considers us qualified to adopt and will allow Phillip to join our family! It is SO EXCITING to get legit letters like that in the mail, and it will be even more exciting when the letters stop coming and we get to GO pick up what we're really waiting for: PHILLIP!
     God has been so good to our family through this whole process. He has been providing for us in so many different ways, through friends like all of you, through crazy "coincidences," and through the generosity of complete strangers too! We've even gotten some anonymous donations, which are very exciting and mysterious of course. Besides the ways He has cared for our financial needs, God has been addressing our spiritual needs all over the place! As you can probably imagine, we weren't exactly ready for this whole thing. God didn't wait for "ready." He never does. He waited for "open" and has taken us the rest of the way, confronting our failures and granting us grace upon grace upon grace. He has promised to finish the work He started in us, and we firmly believe He will. Praise Him for that!
     At this point, what we need most seems to be patience! Compared to some adoptions we have heard of, ours is going fairly quickly but that doesn't change the fact that it seems to be taking forever! We want Phillip home NOW, but we've got a little bit to wait yet. Will y'all join us in praying that we will be patient to wait for God's timing? We may not fully understand how important it is that Phillip comes home at the right time, not the soonest time. But God does. Please keep praying that our boy will be ready to come home too. Who knows what he is thinking about adoption. Many kids his age would have given up already, but friends who have seen him recently say he holds out hope for a family. Pray that God will keep that hope alive in him and that he will be eager to come home, ready to trust his new family, and ready to be loved like never before.
     We love this boy SO MUCH already and we can't wait for him to meet all of you, our dear and faithful friends. It will mean so much to introduce him to you and say, "Phillip, this person has been praying for you since before you even knew you were getting adopted!" How cool is that??? Super cool, because we serve a super good God. Our hope is that in all of this, He is glorified!

ALL I REALLY WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS... A FAMILY

Dear Friends,
As we approach the Christmas season, we long even more deeply to have Phillip with us.  Once again, we are scrambling to come up with needed paperwork.  Although it is sometimes overwhelming, we realize that all of the requirements just make us even more dedicated and committed to bringing Phillip home.  We will do whatever it takes.  Songs like Steven Curtis Chapman's All I Really Want For Christmas bring tears to our eyes as we accept that this holiday season will pass without Phillip joining us for the family traditions that we can't wait to share with him.   We are putting Phillip's stocking over the fireplace and an extra plate at the table as we look forward to next year.  Thank you so much for including us in your prayers.  We understand that this undertaking is so much bigger than our family and that we need to watch for where God is moving and to simply follow obediently.
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
KK(P)B&J

Phun, Phood, and PHILLIP!

My hall is so great! Here is a sweet picture we took spelling Phillip with little smoky crescent rolls at our hall potluck last night. SO GOOD to have them onboard praying for us!

Fingerprints...

     Karl and I are scheduled to go for our Homeland Security biometric fingerprinting tomorrow.  The process is very official.  We received our official notices complete with Homeland Security stamps several weeks ago.  The dates and times are set by Homeland Security.  Unlike regular fingerprinting, the biometric fingerprinting is digital and is time sensitive. It has to be done at the arranged appointments.
   Speaking of appointments, God has scheduled so many divine appointments as we've pursued Phillip's adoption: 1.  Grace who is in a wheelchair and her mom, Lynn.  I got the nerve to talk to them at Costco and they were willing to answer my prying questions about wheelchairs...2.  The nice lady who was mailing worms at the post office when I was mailing gifts to Phillip.  She referred me to a group of counselors that help adopted children with attachment disorder...3.  The families at VCS who have educated us about the resources available to help Phillip...4.  Our friend, Christie, a physical therapist, who affirmed that Spokane is one of the best places in the country to get medical care for Phillip...5.  The mysterious lady that paid $25 for an item valued at less than a dollar at our yard sale because she had heard about Phillip... Our friends that simply handed us  a wad of twenty dollar bills...6.  The Facebook friends around the world that have visited Phillip's orphanage and love our boy...7.  The stranger who was touched to the point of tears by Phillip's adoption and vowed to pray for our family...and so many more!
     God's fingerprints are on Phillip's adoption.  His hands are BIG.  He is answering our prayers across the world in Langfang, China.  Sara, the adoption specialist at Phillip's orphanage, said that he believes in God and is asking Him why his legs don't work.  Sara said to just keep asking.  I bet that God has an amazing answer for that question and I'm so glad that I will get to be Phillip's mom when he gets that revelation.
     Will you join us in praying for the resources to complete the adoption, for Phillip's medical care, to make our house wheelchair accessible, and for all of us to be able to go to China to get him?  We understand that Phillip's adoption is so much bigger than our family.  We treasure your encouragement, support, and inspiration!  Joni

So blessed...

Right now, I'm just feeling SO BLESSED! I know this God we serve is amazing, yet somehow it still surprises me every time I see Him move. And He has been moving this week!
      Well, now that you're curious I guess I oughtta spill the beans, huh? Britt and I had an awesome opportunity on Wednesday. We got to lead a seminar for chapel together and told about all the lessons we've learned through this adoption process. Almost 50 college students showed up to listen, totally packing out our classroom. People still came in and sat against the wall when they saw all the chairs full. Lots of our good friends came which was GREAT. They were all really encouraging and super engaged while we were talking, and it just meant a lot to us that soooo many people were interested and even excited to hear about our story. Well the talk went really well. We pretty much told the story of our adoption from start to finish, then Britt talked about how she's grown to understand God's love way better by seeing adoption as a picture of His love. I talked about learning how much I need to surrender everyday. We wrapped things up, socialized for a bit, got lots of love from our friends, and then were done.
     But God wasn't.
     Today, I went to the mailroom and checked my mailbox. I got a curious, fat little envelope that said, "Kyle Croft (for Phillip)" which definitely sparked my interest. I wandered around in the bookstore, found a spot behind a shelf and opened it up. That little envelope held a BIG blessing. Some anonymous person gave me $366 to help with the adoption! I was so excited! How cool is that? That some poor college kid was willing to sacrifice, to be used by God to bless our family? God is moving! I freaked out a little bit with my buddies in the bookstore, then freaked out a little on the way back to my room, then just kinda freaked out the rest of the day and told everybody I could. What a good God!
     Lamentations 3:24 says, "I say to myself, 'The Lord is my portion, therefore I will wait for Him.'" And He is proving that to us each day! Jesus, YOU are our portion! We can't trust other people to take care of our needs, and we can't take care of them ourselves, but You we can ALWAYS rely on! Praise be to Your name!

The Ball is Rolling Again!

Hey Folks!
     Just thought I'd give you all a little status update. God DEFINITELY answers prayers! Some of you probably know that for a while we've kinda been stuck. Our paperwork hit a wall at the end of July and we weren't really able to do anything to get it moving again. Well just recently our agency was able to get a hold of our documents again and they are being processed now! There is just a little bit left to do to finalize things and then our dossier will be sent to immigration! Praise God! All the time that things were stuck and out of our control we just prayed that God would give us patience to wait on His timing, and we are still trusting that He had a reason for that delay.
      Now this adoption is starting to feel real again. Now it seems closer, more imminent, more tangible. We're finding ourselves excited, anticipating, and imagining more and more. Please keep praying and praising God with us as the process continues. Phillip still isn't home, and we still don't know what his relationship with the Father is like. But as God continues to open doors, make ways, and encourage our hearts, we feel more and more confident that it truly is His will to bring Phillip HOME. Love you all!

Something tried to EAT Gonzo!

Precious Friends and Family,
      Gonzo ran off AGAIN last week. This time a lot of fears were realized when he turned up missing... Nitro begged me to go out later, but I didn't think anything of it.  I started to worry about the two of them when I finally went to bed.  It is common for Gonzo to run off whenever he can, but Nitro usually stays within the boundaries of the invisible fence.   
     I called the neighbors.  No, they hadn't seen the little Toto dog whose fur is like a brillo pad.  Since they all know that he can run as fast as a cheetah, none were willing to be humiliated by attempting to catch the little escapee again. 
    At three in the morning, I awoke to the sound of Nitro barking and opened the laundry room door to find a pathetic Gonzo deposited on the back steps.  He whimpered and couldn't move when I called him.  He had drool on his back and his hair was matted.  I went to get water and food.  When I returned, I found nasty bite wounds on his neck and blood on the rug.  He seemed to be paralyzed and in shock.  I wept to see this little warrior in such rough shape.  When I had done all that I knew how to to do treat his wounds, I went to bed, but I couldn't sleep.....
      Gonzo has always believed that he is a ....BIG dog.  We've never had the courage to tell him any different.  As I tried to get back to sleep, all of the times that we joked about eagles circling our little cairn terrier floated around in my head.  We've always said that they had no idea who they were thinking about messing with!  This 6 pound powerhouse has had his way around our 100 pound golden retrievers many times and would probably ground any bird foolish enough to mistake him for a tasty tidbit.  I kept replaying all of the times that we laughed as we imagined predators spitting him out because he tastes bitter and his fur is so thick and course. 
     He has some socially unacceptable habits as well.  We've always referred to him as the dog that only our family could love.  That's why many of you haven't seen him much.  If we have company, he is almost guaranteed to sense the captive audience and to embarrass us with his antics.  We usually coax him into the laundry room with the promise of treats until guests leave.
     As my thoughts continued to swirl uncontrollably in my sleepy stupor, I thought about the drool on Gonzo's back and his pathetic posture on the back steps and wondered if Nitro had somehow rescued him from a coyote and brought him home in his mouth. 
     That thought made me think of our amazing GOD.  Even though we may be wayward and surly and lacking in social graces, our God follows us wherever we go and loves us despite the fact that we are unlovely to ourselves and to others. He is all about bringing us to healing.  He loves us stubbornly and unconditionally. 
     It is that confidence that motivates us to overcome every obstacle in our path as we seek to bring our wheel chair bound Phillip home.  This process is refining and healing and uniting us in so many ways.  Phillip is a special boy who is loved by a BIG GOD:  A GOD who has orchestrated Divine appointments and circumstances in order to bring home a broken boy and bring him into his broken family (including one wounded and rescued carin terrier) in order to bring glory to our BRILLIANT GOD.

More Phillip Pics!

Key ring Phillip!

My friend Chris and Pub Mix Phillip!

 Blackberry Phillip!

 Phire Phillip!

 Carmen DeVries sent us this awesome tropical version of Phillip's name!

Thanks.

This is a blog of thanks. I haven't blogged in a long time... mostly because I like to wait until I have something ridiculously clever to share before I blog. Today I don't really have any new insight or challenge or encouragement. I just have a heart full of thanks and prayer. It's hard to really describe how thankful I am-how excited I am over what GOD is doing. You would almost literally have to be "in my shoes" to truly understand. So... for just a moment... try it. Try to imagine my thought processes and feelings as you read through the following list of things I am praising God for in regards to the adoption process and the re-shaping of my family...


1.) Phillip.
2.) The opportunity to share... as often as I can... what GOD has done, is doing, and will continue. 
3.) The way that friends have blessed my family-through finances, prayer, and words of encouragement.
4.) The way that total strangers have reached out and supported my family!
5.) Pictures of Phillip posted often by Sara Zhou.
6.) Dreams of what life will be like...
7.) A friend who is always there to listen and be excited right alongside me.
8.) The HOPE God has given us... that we get to share with Phillip... soon. 
9.) The way that this experience is knitting my family together.
10.) The picture of God's LOVE and GLORY (which I am still catching glimpses of) that adoption is in itself.
11.) God's provision... past and future. 
12.) The opportunity to grow in dependence on God.
13.) The opportunity to see my dad soften, grow... and cry.
14.) Prayers.


The list goes on... I'm sure this won't be the last "blog of thanks." 
Brit.

What a phantastic view!

This is a picture of me and some cross country teammates at the top of Black Butte Mountain near Sisters, OR. It has been so fun to share our family's adventure with my friends at Corban!

Dear Phillip!

Hey Phil,
     Is it okay if I call you Phil? Hmmm, well I guess we can work that out when you get here. Maybe Philly...or Lippy. Naaah, those are no good. Maybe we'd better let you pick the nickname.
     Well, it seems weird to be thinking about such a little thing when you're not even here yet, but all of us have been thinking through the joyous, little details of making you part of our family. We scheme ways to get you in and out of the car, we talk about rearranging dishes so you can reach them all, we wonder how it will be having you right at the dog's face level. We think about everything, and we think all the time. That's not because we're worried or obsessed. It's not because we're detail freaks (although that is sometimes true). It's because GOD has laid this on our hearts and He keeps it there day and night. You don't even know it, but there are at least 4 people that love you right now more than you've ever been loved. And if God is willing, you WILL know that soon. Hang in there, big man. We're coming as quick as we can.
     Love,
        Your Big Bro :)

Summer Phun!

Dad and I can't wait for camping trips with Phillip!

 Hey, he wanted to get buried and I wanted a good picture. It worked out PERFECT! Dawson's gonna be an awesome neighbor for Phillip.

 Our AMAZING friends the Blews in their natural habitat: the LAKE! It was so fun hanging out on the water with you all!

 Mrs. Blew and Syd are geniuses! Look at all the hard work they put into spelling my bro's name!

God's Plan, Power, Peace, and Praise!

We're relieved to be able to tell you that our homestudy should be done TODAY!  That means that the international adoption specialist can proceed with the next portion of our paperwork called the "dossier."  We're so grateful for your prayers!  We're seeing God's hand daily with joyful expectation!  (Lamentations 3:25)

Adopting Phillip has been a leap of faith for our family.  Most days find us excitedly talking about bringing him home and loving on him.  We talk about how we want to see Him grow in his faith.  We debate about the best ways to teach him to read and to improve his English.  We practice our Mandarin Chinese.  We joke about me possibly having to drive a mini van again.  (Okay, still working on accepting that one...:)  We use chopsticks.  We make Asian dishes and experiment with making them really hot and spicy the way Phillip loves them.  We spend hours researching cool wheelchairs and space-age home vacuum elevators.  We stock up on sale clothes in Phillip's size.   But....there are times when we have to walk through some harsh realities.  On those days, we desperately pray for God to equip us and to empower us to overcome in Him.  We pray for the Holy Spirit to do a mighty work in Phillip's body and spirit.

One time our family watched people with parachutes jumping off the cliffs at Wallowa Lake.  They got themselves into position and seemed to go through a safety checklist.  They faced the cliff and then jumped backwards into the canyon below.  I'll never forget their expressions.  There was a moment of absolute terror as they started to free fall followed by absolute joy and shouting when their parachutes took over.  That's how following God's will is for me.  I make sure that everything is in order:  Prayer?  Check.  In line with His word?  Check.  Sought wisdom of godly family and friends?  Check.  Booyahahaha.........!

 When I truly seek to discern  and obey His will, He is the loving arms that catch me when I leap and  then throw me into the air again!

I'll never forget a story that a friend told me about a reoccuring nightmare.  He kept having this dream that he was falling and he would wake up scared and anxious.  Someone told him that if he ever hit the ground in his dream, the trauma would literally kill him.  My friend devised this plan to fan his t-shirt and to let it fill with air like a parachute and to lightly touch down when he had the dream again.  He did it.  Not only did he touch down lightly, he stopped having the dream altogether.  When we see roadblocks and challenges and experience stress, often God is calling us to see things through His eyes and to see that He is able.  He is able to meet our needs in creative ways that are greater than we could ever think of or imagine.  Where we end, He begins!  We're counting on that as we hop, skip, jump and LEAP towards bringing Phillip home.

Joni

Your Mommy and Daddy LOVE You!

Dear Phillip,

Do you know how much your mom and dad love you? Even though you are not here, yet? Even though Daddy hasn't even met you, yet? What a picture of GOD'S LOVE that is! They love you so much. Mom has pictures of you all over the house already-every one that we could get a hold of. She has even printed tons of extra pictures to give to friends so they remember to pray for you. Mom shares about you as often as she can. Daddy gets teary each time he talks about you. That is one of  my favorite things to see. He is getting ready to start working on your room and bathroom. Both are so eager to finish up the paperwork so we can get you home ASAP! They just want you to be here where they can get to know you, make sure you are getting the best care, encourage you, and love on you. 

See you soon...

Brit

Results of our Phantastic Phamily Phundraiser

Kyle and Lucy enjoyed coloring together in air-conditioned comfort.

Dinner with our family after the yard sale tasted especially yummy.

This is Brit, Lucy, and Gracie.  I think someone ate their profits cuz I see chocolate chip cookies on those li'l girls' faces.



Thx so much for blessing us!



Enjoy your toys, Josh!  We're so glad that you guys stopped by!

Autumn, you ROCK!  Is Yeager enjoying the moose toy?

Thanks for helping us out, Lori!  Someone is really enjoying your mixer right now!

The Segallas and Taylors were some of our BEST customers!

Pholks, you totally blessed our socks off!  Thanks so much for braving the heat and for checking out our yard sale.  You were the highlight of our weekend!  We are so grateful for the many donations and hope that you all enjoy your purchases! Thanks to our phamily for helping out as well.  Enjoy the pictures!

Would you be willing to pray about our paperwork?  We are looking for God to move in that area and for his timing.

KKPB&J

Phun in Leavenworth!

Don't you love crayons and butcher paper?

 According to this keychain, anyone named Phillip should be active, joyful, and a lover of horses. 2 outta 3?

 Aren't they great together?

 What a find!

 Whoa! Big air!

 Brittany posing with her lovely sand creation

We can't wait to go with Phillip soon!