Like cold water to a weary soul is good news from a distand land.

Proverbs 25:25

Our prayers were answered! After nearly having a nervous breakdown and almost driving my husband insane as well, we received a call this afternoon that we have our log in date!!!!!!!!!!! Our LID is August 29th. To say that we're excited would be a HUGE understatement. I was at the center when Kimberly called me and I'm so thankful we didn't have a client at the time. I was jumping up and down and squealing like a 5 year old who just got a puppy for her birthday! This has been an unbelievably awesome day!

Let me try to explain what this means in case I didn't last night. I was so upset I honestly don't remember if I did or not. Now that we have our LID, the next thing we'll be waiting for is our G&R date, or giving and receiving date. That will be the date of the official ceremony where we are given custody of our daughter by the Vietnamese government. We expect to get our G&R date between 8 and 12 weeks from our LID. That means we could have our G&R as early as October 24th! Of course it could even come earlier, but it most certainly could come later, too. The last group from Dillon who got their G&R's waiting 12 weeks. Please pray with us that we are able to bring Olivia home ASAP!!! We would be thrilled to be with her for Halloween! I better take a bag of sugarless candy with me to Vietnam just in case :<)

Speaking of sugarless candy, can you still bring gum on a plane with you? I'm still puzzled about what is and isn't ok. I'm very concerned about not being able to take my treasured strawberry lipgloss with me on board! My checked baggage is simply too far away! How will I live through a 17 hour flight without any lip gloss?!? I suppose if Mike can live 2+ weeks without a pocket knife surely I can manage a day without lipgloss!

By the way, we're 99% sure that we've decided to let Jake stay with JuJu and Daddy Don while we go to bring Olivia home. I've been trying my best to remind myself that I need to think about what's best for Jake and not for me. Jake would no doubt we happier here playing and being spoiled by his grandparents than flying around the world and riding on bumpy buses in a 3rd world country. It will be so incredibly difficult, but we know God will take care of our family on both sides of the world until we can all be FINALLY together!

I can't tell you how much we covet your prayers. I don't think we've ever needed them as much in our lives - for Olivia, us and Jake. Please please please pray for Olivia's health and well being, for speedy paperwork and travel, for Jake to be happy and healthy and for us not to loose our minds without him! Mike and I could also use a few prayers for patience too please! Oh and while you're sending up prayers, feel free to pray for God to provide financing to get us half way across the world! He has been so faithful to provide for us! We are so so so blessed!