Re-coup

--From June 21st--

Ok. I meant to type this sooner but I was trying to re-coup after our near death expereince my familly and I survived today. So this post will be short. I will simply give you the pros and cons of the day.

PROS- Lia had an awesome day showing us around the Bejing school for the blind and then taking us to Bethel where she spent most of her life. Bethel is especiallly awesome because a French ...couple who love God founded it to serve the least of these. There were many tears shed at Lia's farewell party, but overall an awesome time.
 

 CONS- Our driver for the day got us lost more times than I can remember, ran out off gas and then tried to kill us repeatedly by crossing lanes of traffic even Superman wouldn't have attempted to cross to rescue Lois Lane. The whole day was culminated by Amy and I both grabbing a daughter and running through stopped traffic when we were about 3 blocks from the hotel because we had just had enough.

Alrighty then, I will leave you with this thought I saw on a lady's handbag toady at the blind school.: "Walk by faith , not by sight" or my revision - "Ride by faith , not by sight." 

Swavel

Whoville

--From June 20th--

In honor of visiting Whoville yesterday and in honor of us getting ready to leave to visit the 2 places Lia grew up, I am going to quote Dr. Seuss:
Oh, the Places You'll Go!
Congratulations!
... Today is your day.
You're off to Great Places!
You're off and away!
You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes
You can steer yourself
any direction you choose.
You're on your own. And you know what you know.
And YOU are the guy who'll decide where to go.

 I will report our special day tonight when we get home.

2 quick random thoughts :
1-Why in hector is my bathroom mirror hot enough to fry and egg on yet it hasn't burned up our room and no one at the hotel seems to be bothered by it since I told them about it Monday?
2- If you could go back in time and live during Noah's time would you have gotten on the ark?

Remember God is the same, we just must change who we are and follow Him.

Swavel

Comfort Zones

--From June 20th--

Just another day in our life outside of our comfort zone. Two things real quick:

1- We went to a park that looked like Whoville (kind of like Knoebels but not) and I discovered even over here in China I can confuse people. While trying to put my 2 daughters on the tractor ride the operator started frantically waving no and pointing and speaking Chinese. Frustrated I waved my back and couldn't get through to him. Just when I was about to give up, our kindly driver, Mr. Wong jumped up onto the platform, volunteered to ride with the girls and saved the day. Mr. Wong speaks only Chinese and I only English, yet what he did was such an excellent example of how actions speak louder than words.

2-Played an interesting game of Frogger in order to get supper tonight. There is a busy 10 lane or so intersection that seperates us from Subway and I thought I would give it whirl. Everyone here seems to do it without breaking a sweat , why not me. So, with much hesitation I studied the traffic patterns, then gave up and followed a guy who hap hazardardly made his way across in between a moped here and a bus there and a break in cars there. When I reached the other side as Sianna said later I should have Tebowed, but I was too busy thinking of getting Subway sandwiches. Once inside, after I was disappointed Chinese Subways don't make meatball subs I got ham, turkey and roast beef 6 inch sandwiches. After paying I scooted back across the intersection using the aforementioned shadowing technique and safely and eventually landed back at the hotel. Whew!!

Like I said before, Just another day. One last thought, I am so thankful that I serve a God that can cause man to walk on water and me to cross a crazy intersection on the other side of the world.

Swavel

Valuable

--From June 19th--
Just another ordinary day on the other side of the world. Took the family out to KFC. Normal you might say, think again. Here in China when you cross the street you are taking your life into your hands. If a car doesn't pose a problem, there is always a moped or bike or who knows what coming at you. However the Colonel's secret recipe in a bucket is well worth it.

Here on the other side of the world I am finding out that brokeness is more valuable in God's eyes than the appearance of having it all together. And for that I am quite thankful .

Swavel

Journey

--From June 18th--
What a crazy trip. Got Lia today. She is full of energy like she has expresso in her veins. Can't wait to get home. Pray for us all as we adjust.

It is so appropriate Lia's middle name is faith because this whole journey to her has been all about that. God doesn't force us to follow Him, but he so blesses us when we do. Today my family and I are quite blessed.

Swavel

Introducing....

"Faith sees the invisible, believes the unbelievable, and receives the impossible." ~ Corrie ten Boom

_________________________________________________________________

Introducing...

Lia Faith Swavely

We have finally received our "letter of approval" from China which means, we have officially been approved to become Lia's family! Our journey has been a faith filled adventure. We've been amazed to watch God erase many of the barriers that seemed insurmountable. We are so grateful for all your prayers and gifts because you have been a part of our miracle!

Lia is a spunky 8-year-old girl. Her birthday is September 10th and she is visually impaired. Periodically, we receive updates and here is some of what we know, Lia always has a smile, is loving, and is quick to laugh. She is a smart little girl and is the loudest in the class when it comes time to shout the answers. Outside of class, Lia is a ball of energy, jumping on the trampoline and running around to her heart's content. She is truly her own person, and will make anyone laugh with her silly antics. At a field trip to the Hilton Hotel for a cooking class, Lia showed her bright, silly nature by spelling out words in Braille in chocolate chips on all her chocolate chip cookies.

If all goes well, our hope is to travel in early summer to bring Lia home. When we began this adventure, we doubted whether it would become reality and then God showed us this verse, "But these things I plan won't happen right away. Slowly, steadily, surely the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled. If it seems slow, wait patiently, for it will surely take place. It will not be delayed." and here we are almost 3 years later.

Please pray for Lia as this will be a huge transition as she leaves behind everyone and everything she has ever known and adjusts into her new family and life.

~Aaron & Amy

Finally Official

On Wednesday, April 4th, Amy and I enjoyed a shining moment when we received the long awaited 'Letter of Approval' (LOA). In adoption terms, it is akin to Indiana Jones finding the Holy Grail. We are finally, officially approved to become Lia Faith's family. Now we must remain patient as the process will be completed over the next few months.

Despite the joy of finally getting that much closer to bringing Lia home, I have been experiencing a rather uneasy feeling lately. It is difficult for me to admit such, but when I look back on my life it is nothing to be ashamed of, but rather just a phase I believe many fathers and parents go through. Allow me to explain.

When I was twenty-one and standing at the front of a church waiting for Amy to walk down the aisle, I had an uneasy, nervous feeling. What happens if we aren’t compatible or she finds out how annoying I can be or if it just doesn’t work out? All those nervous feelings went away when I saw her coming down the aisle.

I was twenty-three when our son was born and I remember standing in the doorway of his hospital room holding him feeling inadequate, unworthy, untrained, but strangely I felt a strong sense of purpose and worth I never experienced before. It was a mission I could not fail, a sense of hope.

When I was twenty-five our oldest daughter was born. Since I had never had a sister, I felt uneasy and ill-prepared wondering what I had to offer a girl. The answer was simple and freeing at the same time: I had only to give myself, but that was all I needed.

Eleven years later, Amy and I flew halfway across the world to bring our second daughter home. This time I felt uneasy and a little crazy. Quite frankly, I’m an unorganized person attempting to adopt a ten-month-old little girl from China. However, my wife is very organized and with God’s blessing we brought our daughter safely home. Through it all, God spilled His grace all over our lives.

Now Amy and I are preparing for the final adoption stages when yet again, we will fly to China this time to bring Lia home. I assume she will also be nervous and scared. It’s hard to imagine at eight-years-old having to relocate to a different home, different country and live with people she’s never met. She will meet new friends, aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents. She will have to adjust to a new language, new foods, new sounds and smells, and a new school.

Throughout this adoption process we have met with our share of uncertainty. Yet, it’s been an opportunity to exercise our faith in ways we would never have imagined had we just said no thanks and kept moving on with life.

So, why the uneasiness, I guess it’s just par for the course. Nervousness seems to be a precursor to events that bring great joy for years to come. So, bring it on.

Swavel

Detoured

This may get a bit involved so just stick with me. The other month I had an epiphany that trigged three thoughts: redirect, let go, look forward.

In August, I had dropped my twenty year old son off at the airport so he could fly halfway around the world to South Korea. Jordan and I were departing ways when I turned to leave and took one last glance to see the back of his Cliff Lee Phillies shirt causing me to blink the tears away .

It seemed strange I felt this way because I was glad that he had the opportunity to study abroad. So, for months it eluded me till about a week ago it dawned on me, like a delayed epiphany.  My life has been detoured.

Detour #1: Redirect

To bring you up to speed, I must take you back twelve years. It was 1999, a time when it seemed that I had it all together. I had a job as a limo driver, was in line to one day own the business, had two kids was happily married and planned ultimately to be alone with my wife when the kids moved out. Then something happened, God detoured us.

The two kids I did mention in the above paragraph are now currently out of the house. Yet my wife and I are not alone as our nine year old lives with us and are seeking to expand our family yet again through the adoption of an eight year old.

Often detours take you places you would never go on your own, scary at times, but full of adventure. Our life is not what we had planned; it is much more daring than I would have ever conjured up. My family and I are doing things we never imagined we would or could for that matter. Sometimes God just takes our plans and shreds them into tiny pieces, then he redirects us somewhere different, yet better.

Detour #2: Let Go

Bear with me for a moment as I give you a little background on my son and I. Have you ever been in a no win situation. Many years ago, I was faced with a situation when I had to choose between my eldest son and my daughter who was two years younger. They both needed me desperately at the same precise moment, but I could only be at one place at a time. It seemed terribly unfair to me and in some ways I blamed God. So, for a few years, I carried that weight around, among other things, until I realized some things just happen, no one needs to be blamed. Good comes with the bad, that’s just life, again like a detour you have to go with it or you never recover. Learn from the pain and let it go.

Once, Jordan told me when he was playing high school baseball that I did not need to come because he knew I would be there with him in spirit. God knows what He is doing and even though I can’t always be with my son or any of my kids all the time, He is. And that is enough for me. God has been amazingly wonderful to me and I never deserved one second of it, so my past failures I choose to leave behind me.

Detour #3: Look Forward

I used to take life as it came, but my latest detour has been to adopt God’s way of thinking and look forward and plan ahead. Our adoption has been proceeding along slowly but surely. Since everything has become definite on the adoption, we have chosen a name for our newest daughter. Her Chinese name has “Li” in it pronounced Lee (like on the back of my son’s shirt) and since everyone in our immediate family has the letter “a” in their name we thought it was only fitting she have an “a” too. So we’ve chosen Lia.

My wife and I have quite the eclectic family. We have a son born to us who is residing in Korea, a daughter whose address is Heaven, a daughter who was born in China who is living with us, and a daughter, who is residing in China, who we must wait for till she becomes ours. Yet in all of this craziness, God is blessing us.

Just the other day I realized how blessed I truly am. At one time in my life, I almost lost my entire family and now I am seeking to expand it. From this vantage God looks more than fair. I guess it depends on how you are looking at life or the season of life you are in at the time. I am learning to look forward and adopt God’s way of doing things because He knows better than I do. What I find terribly ironic is what God has for us is much better than what my feeble mind could conceive. What I saw as a detour God saw as opportunity to direct me to his path.

“Don’t think you’re on the right road, just because it’s a well beaten path.” ~ Unknown

Swavel

Adoption Update: We have received our approval of our I800A which is from United States Immigration and Citizenship Services. It took 74 days to receive the approval notice. Now all our paperwork being sent to Harrisburg for state seals and then onto the Chinese Consulate in NY for authentication. This step will take about three weeks. So we wait again....

Not Really

Have you ever dreamed of a white Halloween? I haven’t, not really. But this year two days before Halloween, we got blanketed by a rogue Nor’easter. The kind of snow, the consistency of a Slurpee, that clings to the leaves, branches and electric wires and creates some real havoc. 

We were one of the thousands of families that the storm had left without electric. So the obvious question asked by family and friends was, "is your power back on yet?" Then it was followed up by, "that must be terrible to be without electricity."

Some initial anxieties I had about having enough food,. heat and being in the dark never really materialized. Being without electric for a week was enlightening and made me realize how truly blessed we are.
 
I believe a normal concern most of would have when you lose power is, "will there be enough food?" If you've ever met me in person, immediately you would notice that I could afford to shed a few pounds. So when the fridge and stove were not working, I did have a thought about food. But, between the food in the cupboards, eating out a few times, and being invited over to eat on several other occasions we were just fine. I might have even gained a little weight.

Most of us would be a little apprehensive about not having heat and it was a thought. But, between you and me, we are trying to conserve our oil anyway. In essence, the storm did us a favor to an extent. It was quite chilly some mornings, but during the day there was more than enough sun to keep the temperature comfortable. We subscribed to the theory of putting on an extra sweater or pair of socks and at night we threw more blankets on the bed. So being without heat may not have been my ideal, but was it bad? Not really.

My last concern was being in the dark. I believe being in the dark was a good opportunity for me to empathize, just a little, with my third daughter who is visually impaired. As a light dependent person, I have grown accustomed to slipping on the lights when entering a room. So I cheated and used a camping latern and occasionally felt my way through the dark. And there is nothing like whacking my shin on the end table as a remind of how spoiled I am. So is being in the dark a big deal, not really.

What we experienced for a week was simply a matter of inconvenience, not life or death. We often take for granted our modern day conveniences; like the fridge to keep our food cold, the lights that go on when we flip that switch, and the computer to work so we can check our e-mails. And when those conveniences are taken away, we complain and cry woe is me. Should it be that way? Not really.

"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy." ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

Swavel

 

More Than Expected

On October 6^th, 2011 my family and I volunteered to help out Show Hope at a Steven Curtis Chapman concert and experienced far more than what we had signed up for.

The concert, Stories and Songs, was held in Lancaster, PA and featured special guests, Josh Wilson and Andrew Peterson. Our job was to help at the Show Hope table by handing out information to anyone who was interested in learning more about what they do and to assist those who wanted to become sponsors. For those who are not familiar with Show Hope, it an organization started by Steven and his wife, Mary Beth, to help others adopt by way of grants and providing orphans with much needed medical care. The video below explains more about Show Hope.

 

Much to our surprise, since we recently received a grant from Show Hope, we were privileged to meet Steven on stage. This was just the cherry on the top because that evening we experienced far more than we had bargained for.

Here are the 3 things I took away from our experience:

1 - If we can, we need to love and help the orphans.

When we arrived at the concert we met our contact, whose name was Dave Trask. He used to be Steven’s manger and he was quite the guy. Now, he spends his time representing Show Hope and coordinating medical teams to go to China to perform lifesaving surgeries on the children at Maria’s Big House of Hope. He talked fast, moved fast and made things happened. He seemed to thrive well in organized chaos. But, what struck me most about him was how he truly loved the orphans.

Case in point, at the concert was a boy who had been at Maria’s Big House of Hope and had just recently been adopted to a family here in the States. Dave couldn’t stop hugging him and talking to him like he was his own. It was moving. He even took him back to see Steven and was holding him on stage when we met Steven as part of the concert. Some people, talk about loving the least of these, Dave was doing it.

2 - We need to show compassion to others, even total strangers.

Throughout the evening Dave very openly shared with the group about his own life and what he had been through. Then in a one on one conversation he talked to my wife about our personal tragedy and showed tremendous compassion to her. My wife is a very private person yet here she is telling intimate details with a stranger, about something that hurt her deeply. It touched me greatly to see and hear such compassion. Again, so many people talk about caring, but there at that concert we saw it.

3 - We need to show others Jesus in how we act.

After the concert was over and we were done cleaning up, we went to leave and that is when I really saw something unexpected. Out on the sidewalk was Andrew Petersen, one of the artists on the tour, sitting cross legged singing one of his songs with about eight people gathered around him. It just struck me like something Jesus would have done. He was ministering to people’s souls, not putting on a show. It was so intimate that I kept walking not wanting to disturb something so cool.

Sometimes, God just blesses the socks off of us and all we can do is sit back and enjoy it.

"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress..." James 1:27

Swavel