This is such a strange feeling as we have waited for so long, YET there are a million things to be done (OK a million is a tad of an exaggeration , but I do have a 5 page list of things to do and my hubby has a 2 page list.. that is about a million things when you leave in a week hahah!
Our kiddos are so excited that they are bounding off the walls! They are also afraid and having some anxiety about mom and dad leaving. If you could say some prayers for our 4 children at home, Aaron, Luke, Tommy and Paige, while we are away I would greatly appreciate it. We know that they will be loved in immensely while we are gone, but it is still a scary feeling to think your parents are going thousands of miles away and communication is minimal.... and that is if we can borrow a laptop and if we can get a vpn put on it and it works.
Paige is afraid and crying she is going to miss us, but then darn near jumps out of her skin when she looks at her sisters bed which was just set up yesterday next to hers.. :) she came in my room this morning and said "I expected to see Emma in her bed when I woke up". Wishful thinking sweet pea but soon enough! Paige has already claimed her and Emma's room as "Girls Only".. Paige is too too funny, she said tonight. " Momma soon there will be 3 ladies in the house.. ohhh watch out boys we are not so few now hahahh." It is definitely a boys and mans world in the Worrell House.. Sorry to tell Paige that it still will be too.. 5 boys to 3 girls when we get back home! She keeps going on and on saying she is going to have a "twin" sister. Both girls are 6 years old and both girls are about the same size.. So yup "we are twins." Love it.. Blond hair, black hair, blue eyes, dark brown eyes, Deaf , hearing.. those are not important to Paige.. being a sister is what it is all about! and Twins to boot! :)
Tommy is anxious and been having some bad dreams about mom and dad's trip so he is a little stressed, plus in pure Tommy fashion he thinks he needs to hold down the fort while we are gone. He has never had that "I am a kid mentality" Tommy is always trying to handle everything. He is taking on the added weight of knowing Luke is afraid and Luke wont have as much fluent signing at home with mom and dad not here. I told Tommy that Pop Pop and Granma did such a great time last time that Dad and Mom had to make changes to match what they were doing as it worked better than what we did hahah :) Tommy is very excited for his new sister and brother to come and has been working hard on getting his semi-football team Luke and Paige) ready so they can add two new members :)
Luke is so excited he is going to bust a gasket! But at the same time he cries every time he looks at me or thinks about us leaving. He said "I know that good comes in the end.... but it is scary right now." Very smart comment from my young boy! Luke has not really separated from us since he has been home.. not even to go to a friends house.... so he is more than nervous about 2 weeks of no one to stalk. Note to self remind both pop pop and granma that they could become his new stalking targets and if he does they need to not make too many quick turn arounds as they will knock over their shadow if they do. :)
Aaron is off at College and busy starting his final semester of his junior year at Valley Forge Christian College! My digital media major is doing amazing! Aaron is praying hard for us on this journey and he is solidly grounded at college, but has mentioned it is sorta scary knowing your parents are so far away. I know he will cover us in prayer while we are away and that is always a blessing to know your child is praying for you and his siblings. We are hoping to be able to sneak Aaron home when we get home but not sure we can work that out for the first of Feb! The kiddos are all going to want to meet their new cool big super cool, super smart and super tall brother, Aaron.
PLEASE pray for our Elias and Emma. As exciting as this journey is for us, it must be beyond scary to them. We are not sure if Elias has been prepared for us to come or not, we are praying he has been but have no way of knowing until we meet him. If Elias is prepared he still wont fully understand what this crazy rapid change that is going to happen fully means.. Leaving his foster family, his friends, his Deaf school, his country, his language, his food, his culture, his everything behind has to be a huge shock and a huge overwhelming event for a young child to deal with. Pray for his ability to handle the changes that are about to bowl him over. We know for sure our Emma will have no clue what is about to happen to her and for a little girl 6 years old that has no language or education and no idea what is coming, to just be handed over to strangers that dont even look like anyone you have ever seen in your life and taken away from all you have known, good or bad, that has to be horrifying. Please pray with us as we have been praying for a long time, that God will prepare their hearts. That they will feel comforted and know that we are there to love them. Pray that we can handle whatever reaction they have and that we handle it with wisdom and grace. God give us all the courage and strength to go through the transitions that are yet to come.
Tom and I will travel to the northern most part of China and it is COLD there. Harbin has an average January temp of 50 below.. ouch.. if you know me I am a summer beach girl and freeze my patoot off below 70 and that is not cold haha.
After we leave Emma's province we will fly to Guangzhou China to meet our son!
Please pray for us during our journey and if you could continue the prayers after we get home we would appreciate it, for that is truly when the hard part of this journey starts. Becoming a family does not happen over night, learning how to be a family member is not a natural instinct to a child that has never had a family. Learning to trust people when your trust has been shattered by every living soul in your life, is not easy!!!!. Learning to not over eat (for never having experienced knowing that there will be food there when you are hungry) and that you dont need to hoard food is a process that takes time. Learning that your parents are not just another set of care takers in your life that will come and go and that they are actually your "parents" is NOT always easy to grasp and accept. For our children already at home learning that their new siblings are not a cool new pet or an exchange student that has come to visit and that they really are staying here is not always an easy thing to accept either. Learning that the thing in the bathroom really is made to put your human waste in and that toilet paper goes in that thing too.. is not an easy concept to grasp.. learning that you dont need to suck pizza up off your plate like it is noodles on chopsticks.. not easy..
On a lighter note:::: just watching your parents starve trying to use chopsticks and not doing so well actually getting much in their mouths can be a great way to get some laughter going...
I could go on and on but I am pretty sure you get my point by now.. We covet and need your prayers!!!!!!!Thank you for following us this far on our journey and all of your prayers, love and support. Put on your seat belt ladies and gentlemen and buckle up for the ride as we are about to kick this journey into high gear!!!!
Here they are.. two children that are Orphans no more!
Our loves,
Our babies,
Elias and Emma Worrell!
We say goodbye to the Worrell family of six for we soon become a loving family of 8!
So excites Tracy...almost there the same time again as whe you got Luke two years ago!!
ReplyDeleteTracy & Tom,... Your family of 8 is BEAUTIFUL! Safe travels and know that you guys are in our prayers!!
ReplyDeleteBill & Wendy