Coming Home!!!!!!

Hello Everyone,

We are coming home and Lily Grace has a Visa to enter the United States of America. Praise God Almighty for that!! We took little Lily (sometimes I call her Lilo because she reminds me of the Lilo from Lilo and Stitch) to the US Consulate today in Guangzhou, China to get her Visa. We learned that if the US State Department has an office in a city other than the capital of the particular country, it is called a consulate instead of an embassy. But the functions they perform are the same. We swore an oath of truth regarding Lily Grace's adoption at 3:23 am US Central Daylight Savings Time on August 1st. We learned that the Chinese will still consider Lily Grace a citizen and will allow her to travel using her Chinese passport. However, the US Government would not be able to provide her assistance unless she travels under her US Passport. When we go through the US Customs office in Detroit, MI and they stamp Lily Grace's passport and immigration form, then at that point in time she becomes a full US citizen!! Unless you have seen how some other parts of the world have to live, it's hard to understand and appreciate all that means. Now we do.

Anyway, just finished packing and will need to get to bed to get at least 4 hours of sleep. We will see ya'll (there's a word I haven't heard in a while!) when we get home Wednesday night. We will be tired I'm sure, but will be happy to see everyone anyway. Hopefully, Lily Grace will not be so tired, but that's probably asking too much of her.

Austin is very excited to come home. He has been such a wonderful big brother here in China and I believe has learned a new appreciation for life in the good ol' USA. It's just a different lifestyle here. Things we take complete for granted are luxuries to the Chinese. We will never forget how much we have to be thankful for in our lives back home. God's word says that we are to give thanks "in" all circumstances and we can certainly see that now. He has opened our eyes and shown us the many blessings that we have back home that are not enjoyed here. So please pray for the Chinese people. They are very friendly and are probably the most humble people we have ever met.

Please pray also for a safe return for us and the other adoptive families. There are two others from Alabama on the same flights with us. One is from Huntsville and the other from Montgomery. Neither of their husbands were able to come, but both had boys just like Austin, so I know they have good helpers.


Hey Austin, How 'Bout We Go Home Now?

See all of you very soon.

Love,
Jerry, Connie, Austin, and Lily Grace