Safe landings and calm seas...

Our first view of the beautiful country of South Korea!

Praise the Lord for His protection over us! Very thankful to have our feet back on the ground,  we arrived at Incheon International Airport in Seoul around 4:30 p.m. Korean time,  2:30 a.m. Illinois time. 

SEOUL

The final hours of our flight had mild turbulence, but otherwise, was thankfully uneventful. Breathing a sigh of relief - and fervent prayers of thanks, boy were we ever glad to get off that jet!!! 

(Korean Air is amazing,  by the way... they took care of us so well, we felt like royalty!)

We had plenty of opportunity to stretch our legs! We had just over 2 hours to get our checked luggage, go through customs and foreign passports, and find/take the train to Gimpo International Airport. (The equivalent of Ohare and Midway airports.) Our flight from Gimpo down to Jeju Island was about an hour. 

As we logged miles walking the airport,  it struck me that this was the closest we've ever been to our 5th child. During the flight, I was thinking about our four littles at home; missing them and hoping they weren't too sad we were away. But as the jet flew us further and further away from our first 4, it took us closer and closer to our 5th!

 We were able to find our way around Seoul without too much difficulty... there are a lot of English signs.  But I could tell that even Luke, with a career of 24 & 48 hr shifts, was feeling the sleep deprivation by the time we got to the rental car counter. It had been over 20 hours of travel... we were both eager to find our hotel and crash. 

We felt like we were staggering around in a kind of fog, broken up by the jarring bumps of the 2 roll on luggage pieces we were each dragging behind us.  (We got pretty good at managing them, tho; even up and down countless escalators!!)

The view from the balcony off our hotel rm

As unfamiliar as this place is to us, we have a sense of awe and excitement that we're actually here experiencing the culture in which our child lives. Eating the foods he eats; witnessing the sights and sounds that are familiar to him. 'Hard to believe that in a few short days, that little guy is going to be in our arms!!

Some of the 3k islands around Korea.

Yes! We made it! ' Still feels surreal... the weather is gorgeous! 'Loving everything this beautiful island has to offer...

Thanks for praying for us! We're enjoying a relaxing weekend as we sort out jet-lag. It's Friday night already for us!

Hidden With Christ

I had just snagged a blueberry yogurt from the breakfast bar at our hotel near O'Hare International Airport and was halfway across the room when I heard Luke choke a laugh.
"Oh great; look."
I turned to catch the CNN Headline on the television screen:

Breaking News: North Korea missile flew within miles of passenger jet flight path

Apparently they launched a missile and it flew within 70 miles of the flight path of an Air France.

My jaw dropped along with my stomach. What?! This was ridiculous! This cannot be the news coming out of Korea on the morning we were going to board a Korean Airline.

Even more incredulous was the fact that Luke had joked with someone at church, "the stewardess will say 'and if you look out to the left you will see the beautiful coastline of South Korea and to your right... whoops! that looks like a smoke trail! Pay no attention...!!!'"
However, this was not funny; this was not irony; this was really happening.

Of course one of our concerns about adopting from Korea were the tensions on the Korean Peninsula.  The Friday before we left, the DRPK launched a successful ICBM missile: to say there wasn't cause for concern would be ignorance. But that sure didn't stop us from booking our flights the very day we heard word that we'd received our court date!

God's fingerprints have been all over this adoption from the very beginning; starting with this little ones' birthday being the exact same week we believed International Adoption was what God was calling us to do!

We have had confirmation after confirmation throughout the entire process. God wouldn't do all of that, only to let us be blown out of the sky by a Korean missile, would He? ...or would He.

The knot that formed in the pit of my stomach when leaving our children the night before had now doubled. I couldn't eat my oatmeal and barely finish my yogurt. What were we thinking? Our shuttle to the airport - Terminal 5 at O'Hare - left in 20 minutes.

I sat stunned; nervous laughter welling up with sheer panic. (A strange combination, but these were bizarre circumstances!)

What would our parents think if they heard the news?

Should we even go to the airport?

What if their next missile was a direct hit?

Was our decision to board that Korean Airline going to make our own children orphans... all because we left them to go for an orphan?

In the parking lot as we nervously waited for the van driver, Luke answered my frantic "So are we crazy for doing this?!" with, "Susi; God doesn't always make the way clear... sometimes our own faith looks crazy! God told Abraham to kill his own son, for goodness sake!"

Luke's words are truth. Do we follow God only when we can see the beginning from the end... the whole story cover-to-cover? Or do we walk in blind faith; totally trusting God to catch us as we fall?

Kay Arthur wrote in the Covenants Precepts Bible Study: "Faith isn't real faith until it's tested!" Amen.

As I got into the van and drove to O'Hare with my husband, I got out and put one foot in front of the other; all the while thinking "faith isn't faith until it's tested."

I also prayed - we both prayed - hard. And then I let it go! I gave my children and their future to the Lord. I gave my life - our lives - and future to the Lord and let them go.

In the air now, it's nearing midnight in the States and we're still on this jet!! Our flight path shows that we're nearing North Korea now... I feel my anxiety level rising ... have my Bible open to Colossians 3:1-4

"Since then you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on earthly things. For you died and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory."

The song by Rich Mullins (his music has really been speaking to my heart lately!) "Hold Me Jesus" is running through my mind...

In the words of Pastor David Platt, we all have to decide: "are we going to die in our "religion" or die in our devotion?"

We choose to die in our devotion: to die following Christ, no matter where He leads us, no matter what.

And as of this moment, we're convinced beyond the shadow of a doubt that we're supposed to be right where we are: seated on a Korean airliner ... and I can honestly say, that I'm at peace.

Yes! We're really going...

Well, its been nearly two weeks of planning, booking flight reservations and hotels, confirming babysitters, and making lists that had lists! We are finally within sight of liftoff for Korea!!

We're so thankful for loving friends and caring family who will watch after our little ones!

We appreciate your prayers for the safety of our children and their caretakers while we are away, and covet your prayers as we make this long journey (14 hour flight; no layovers!)

This will be my first time out of the Country!
Luke has traveled to the Dominican Republic, Ireland, and Honduras for missions trips.

People have asked what our children think about our adoption. We can honestly report they are as excited as we are!! Having experienced Safe Families foster care as a family where we've hosted 9 little kiddos; our children have already been sharing their bedrooms, toys, and their mommy and daddy; we think they've had a couple years of practice! They also join us in daily prayer for this little guy, know him by name, and loved him by picture.

The boys are looking forward to sharing their bedroom and when we had friends visiting, Judah and Sarah set up the crib!

Our littlest one Eden (3) while excited about ice cream, is also excited to meet "her baby".  We've told Eden we are bringing her home a baby to care for; hoping that instead of feeling her little kingdom threatened, she will instead feel maternal and big sisterly towards this little one. ♡

We've all waited so long, have compiled a tedious amount of paperwork, and have literally been on our knees in prayer to get to this moment.

We drive up to Chicago Tuesday night and need to be at O'Hare Airport in the morning on August 2nd. We plan to return to Chicago Saturday morning, August 12th (...which happens to be the same time we leave Incheon Airport Seoul South Korea!)

Important dates for us:

August 8 - the first time we get to meet our son and his foster mom at Holt

August 10th - the last time we get to see our son this trip (second trip to pick him up will hopefully happen sometime in September)

August 11th is our 10th Wedding Anniversary AND our date to appear in court in Seoul!

Our God is faithful!
He has had a plan for this little boy we're going to meet from the very beginning.
We feel so we feel so blessed to be a part of his incredible redemption story!
To be his forever family
To love him and care for him!
To call him our own!

This little guy was born the very week we believed God was leading us to international adoption! We started filling out initial paperwork the beginning of the week and he was born that Thursday! ♡

Here we go!!

'Booked our flights today!

We depart Chicago on August 2nd... arriving in Jeju Island, South Korea, on the night of August 3rd.

We're celebrating our 10th wedding anniversary in the Korean version of our California coast honeymoon!

We look forward to a kid-free couple of days to hike, sight see and take in the beautiful Korean culture!

We depart for Seoul on Monday, August 7th. Figuring out the timing was a little weird, because we cross the International Date Line coming and going.

(For instance: on our flight back to the States, we'll leave Korea in the morning on August 12th AND arrive in Chicago in the morning on August 12th, U.S. time.) 😶

There are a lot of details to iron out over the next two weeks,  as you can imagine!
Thank you for your thoughts and prayers as we prepare for our trip!!

Spirits Soaring!!!

We are thrilled to announce that we have received our date to fly to Korea!!

We all have been waiting and waiting and looking forward to this day for months; ever since we first laid eyes on our precious baby boy last October!!

Luke and I will be flying out of the country by August 7th and our court date is on our 10th wedding anniversary: August 11th!!!

Our family is beyond thrilled by this news... thank you for your prayers as we now sort out logistics and joyfully plan our trip to the beautiful country of South Korea!!!!

Journey to outside the camp...

In light of this past week's news of N Korea's ICBM test, we have received some concerned questions and comments about our trip to South Korea.

Lord-willing, in the next few months, we will board a plane to go meet our son! Yes, recent events have given us pause to think; not because we're afraid to go, but because the situation compels us to formulate a response to well-meaning friends and family who may question why.

Why travel this time?
Why, when we have four precious little ones of our own, would we risk a trip to a conflicted region?

As we listened to this sermon on the book of Hebrews by David Platt, it really gave us confirmation that "God's got this."

We believe strongly that if something happened to us during one of our trips to South Korea:

#1 Christ is the author and finisher of our lives and has every day of our lives numbered ...

Of course we will be cautious and careful, as any American traveling internationally should be in these times, but we know that if God would call us Home on this trip, our four precious children would be well-loved, taken care of, and supported by a multitude of friends and family!

#2 We know that while the little one we are adopting in Korea currently has a loving foster family,  he has no one no one to support him, love him and permanently care for him. He has no one to usher him into adulthood and encourage him throughout his life. No one to love and cherish him, no family to belong to.

So we are leaving behind our four children, Lord-willing temporarily, to go for the one who has no one.

We hope this video message encourages you in whatever challenges God has for your life, as it did for us! We know beyond a shadow of a doubt that no matter what conflicts, military exercises, or political will foreign leaders hold; God is the hero of our story!

His name will be glorified in every area of our adoption journey! We wait with eager anticipation to receive our court date!! Our luggage is out, our passports are ready, we look forward to going to meet our son!!

By Grace We Are Free!

My friend Emily wrote this beautiful post for Catalyst Ministries blog. I thought I'd re-post here, in honor of July 4th! Happy Independence Day, America!

This week we celebrate the Fourth of July, a holiday that signifies freedom. What exactly is freedom, and what does Independence Day mean to you? 

Freedom is a basic human desire, and I think it means something slightly different to each one of us. To me, it is a reminder that we are a land of the free because of our many brave citizens, and because of those who through love of their country give their lives to protect and serve it. Independence Day is a reminder of the gift of freedom we have been given and the responsibility we have to maintain it. 

Freedom is not free, it comes with a cost. As a military spouse, I have come to understand freedom and the price we pay for it in a whole new light; I deeply appreciate the sacrifices and heroism of those who defend our country. Throughout my life I've also come to know and experience freedom in the light of Christ. Freedom is not just a humanitarian subject, but it is also a theme of the gospel. 

We, at Catalyst, associate freedom with our Lord Jesus. Specifically freedom from the bondage of slavery and human trafficking, freedom from the past, and freedom from guilt and condemnation. Jesus came to free us, to give us the opportunity to be all that God called and designed us to be. We are called to be free! Galatians 4:3-7 says He was born to redeem us and set us free, so we would no longer be slaves but instead a son of God. 

We as Christians are called away from deception, bondage, destruction, depravity, and from being a captive. Christ is a true form of freedom, and He provides lasting freedom beyond our life here on Earth. We experience this true freedom by knowing Him, walking with Him, cooperating with the changes He makes in and through us, and focusing on our service to Him and others. 

Freedom in Christ surpasses everything, and because of that we keep our eyes on Him and depend on Him for all of our needs! Full reliance on Him is the only way to be truly free. He gives us the strength to really live, to live for Him, and that is what freedom is. We must embrace this freedom that we have been given, celebrate it, and give thanks to God for all we are free to do as followers of Him. 
Galatians 5:1- it is for freedom that Christ set us free!