A Baby Shower for Lily Mei!

No, not Lily Grace, Lily Mei! On Saturday, the 17th of March, we were blessed to be able to host a baby shower for Steve and Monica, members of our Athens FCC. Steve and Monica will be traveling soon to bring Lily Mei home to be with her forever family, and we couldn't be happier for them.

Now, this wasn't just your usual baby shower (not to take anything away from those joyous events, mind you), this was a full blown celebration. Complete with moms, grandmoms, kids, and dads. What? Dads? That's right, I said Dads. And not just Steve. Why, there must have been 20 of them. OK, ok maybe not that many, but certainly more than you'd see at your typical baby shower. Now some of us Dads have a better understanding of what goes on at one of these things. Unless, of course, the ladies tricked us and left out some things. Hmm. Come to think of it, we didn't play any games at all? I thought games were supposed to be played. Oh, that's right. We Dads weren't here for the games, we were here to watch after all the children while the Moms talked, had cake, punch, and other treats. But we did get to watch while Steve and Monica opened all the presents. One dad was overheard to say to another "When do they get to the tools and gadgets part?" Er, I don't think they have that part at a baby shower, you're thinking of a wedding shower.

"Ooh, I like it. What is it?"

Well, anyway it was great to see all the members of the Athens FCC and to get to spend time with the little ones while the Moms took a break for chatting and celebrating. Mary Beth even took to calling me "Uncle" Jerry. How cool is that?

We pray for Steve and Monica as they take the next step in their journey. And we look forward to hearing from them as they experience that wonderful moment when God places in their lives a little girl who promises to bring more blessings than anyone can imagine. "I can only imagine what it will be like, when I look into your eyes, I can only imagine." We will keep them in our prayers and thoughts as we wait patiently for that day when they return home with Lily Mei. Oh what an awesome God we serve!

A Gaggle of Girls - Our Version of the Red Couch!

Love,

Jerry, Connie, Austin, and Lily Grace

Amanda's Spring Dance

And Lily's first night away from home!

Lily Grace spent her first full night away from home last Saturday night. We went to Birmingham and didn't figure to get home till after midnight, so we made plans for her to spend the night with Memaw and Papaw. I won't say how many times we called Memaw, but suffice it to say that Memaw had to remind Connie that she'd raised a few kids in her day and was pretty sure she knew how to do it!

Most of the time our posts here are about Lily Grace. Of course, the reason for that is that she will be able one day to read these stories and relive some fond memories. But, through the grace of God, we have also been blessed with having two other special "daughters" in our lives, Amanda and Emily. Twin sisters with a passion for God that is indescribable. Amanda is finishing up her degree in Dance at Birmingham Southern, while Emily is studying to be a nurse at Calhoun and working at Huntsville Hospital. Both of them have a heart for worship that is simply inspiring and contagious. They are wonderful big sisters for Austin and Lily Grace. When we talk, often it is about how God is working in our lives.

So, this past Saturday night, Amanda was to have her last performance at Birmingham Southern. Not only that, but her parents and our dear friends came down from Illinois to watch. So, we loaded up everyone except Lily Grace and went to Birmingham to watch Amanda dance. Emily came, as did Amanda's boyfriend Will (along with many from his family). Lily's Aunt Tracie and her boys also came with us. We counted that Amanda had 28 people come to see her dance! And as usual, the performance was beautiful.

Now, speaking of how God is working in our lives, a few years ago, if you'd asked me to go to a ballet or dance performance, well let's just say the chances of that would be very slim. You would be more likely to find me at a baseball game or football game. I still do those with Austin, but we've been to see Amanda dance three times in the past year and we've really enjoyed it each time. The grace and beauty with which the dancers interpret the songs is awesome. It's like listening to a great song and seeing it unfold before you in 3D. There is this one girl in Amanda's class who is from Korea and is awesome. We once observed her dance solo an entire number on the tips of her toes! Elegant! Amanda has several parts usally, but not just dancing. As part of their education, they participate in costumes, choreographing, and all the other things that we don't think about or just take for granted. They work for weeks or even months to get everything just right. And it's really enjoyable to see when they finish their work.

But the coolest part of the evening to us was getting to see Emily and Amanda and their mother and father all at the same time. A family created by God and loved by Him! I'm kicking myself for not getting a picture of that! I'm sorry Maurice and Tammy, just wasn't thinking - it was late! But I did get this funny shot of Will as he waited patiently for Amanda to hug everyone else before getting to him. Poor Will!

Please keep Emily and Amanda in your prayers as they finish their education and begin the next phase of their lives. Amanda will finish in May. She has auditioned for several dance companies, but may decide to continue her education in graduate school. Emily still has another year to go. She's taking Lily Grace to "Play Hospital" tomorrow at Calhoun Community College. Maybe that'll be a good warmup for next week's doctor appointment with the dermitologist.

As for Lily Grace and how she did at Memaw's. Just fine. No problem. I'll have my bath now, Papaw. Please draw the water. Move over Papaw. Me and Memaw are sleeping in this bed! I'll have eggs and bacon for breakfast in the morning. She's not bossy, just a little outspoken!

Love,
Jerry, Connie, Austin, Lily Grace, Amanda, and Emily (and Poor Will)
Green, Party of Seven this Day

Who Am I?

That the Lord of All the Earth Would Care to Know My Name?



How awesome is it that the Lord of all the earth really cares about each of us in a way that no one else can? That He not only cares for me, but has plans for me, plans that serve His purpose and not my own. That if I'm obedient to those plans, He will pour out His blessings on me in such a mighty way that I can only stand in awe!

We have seen this and experienced this every day since we began following His plan for our lives. Before that, even though we sometimes experienced great happiness in the events of our lives, it was only fleeting. That's because there was no joy in that happiness. Just a temporary feel good moment in time. Once God began drawing us back to Him through his awesome servant, and our only son Austin, we began to see, little by little, the joy that He had planned for us. But, being the know it all that I am (was?), I figured I could do anything and everything on my own. I didn't need anyone else's help (I'm still not fully over this affliction!). But God was always there, waiting in the background, for us to realize that it was His plan that was being executed, not ours. What an amazing gentleman! That he would make plans for us and then not get upset with us when we refused them. When we tried to do it our way. Instead, He just waits patiently for us to turn to Him.

Jerry's Team "The Rockets" (You had to know that my boys would be called the Rockets!)

And when we do, boy does he pour out the blessings! In our case, we have been allowed to see things and experience things that we couldn't even imagine. Working with children though various ministries at church and in the community. God has placed certain children and parents into our lives to serve His purpose, woven into a complex plan that affects our lives and theirs to His Glory! There's a reason for each and every one of them. He taught us to love them and privileged us to be loved by them. Thank you God for that blessing!

We have been honored to lead children's church, to take kids camping, to church camp, and just spend time with them. He's also given us the opportunity to work with kids in the community though baseball, coaching and at one time administering the entire league (over 1200 kids) for Limestone County. Each team had its purpose and each person was a part of God's plan for every other person that was part of the team. Through this opportunity, we were given many opportunities to be a positive witness for our Lord Jesus. I'm proud that I think we did a good job in this regard and left the position with many friends who have no doubt about where we stand in matters of worship (oops, I better go back and re-read Ephesians chapter 2).

Finally, we have been honored to help minister to 100 to 175 kids a year at Isom's Chapel through the Upward Basketball and Cheerleading Ministry. I've coached, Connie's coached, and Austin's played for several years now. We celebrated our season this past Friday night with a huge Awards ceremony, complete with a clown (not me) who had an awesome way of sharing the Lord's plan with the children and their parents (and us too). The night was somewhat of a mixed emotion for me, personally, as Austin was too sick to attend. Throughout the season, Austin had the job to announce each player for every game each week as they ran through the tunnel and onto the court. Austin would have loud music playing and would make a big deal out of each one. He wanted to do this Friday night one last time, but was too sick. (We've both been very sick for about a month, that's why this blog hasn't been updated much lately). But on the positive side, we were privileged to know tha at least 10 people came to know the Jesus I love that night and dedicated their lives to Him. And that is why we work so hard in the Upward Ministry.

BTW, Lily Grace loved spending every Saturday at the gym. She even learned to say "baacketball." She thought she was the center of the universe, sometimes wandering onto the court during a game or practice and just looking at the players as if to say "Here I am, notice me!" She even helped me with a few halftime devotions. We were so proud to be able to share this "little blessing" with our Upward friends.

"A Little Early Suntan on the Nose?" No, not exactly. Connie and Lily were racing to the mailbox and well, let's just say there was an accident. The details escape me right now.

Love,

Jerry, Connie, Austin, and Lily Grace

The Saturday Evening Post

OK. So here's the other post referred to in the previous post, so be sure to check out the post below to give you the context for this post, written post getting home from the Jamieson's home, but not posted until after the Athens FCC post. What did he say? Something about a post!

In addition to our CNY (that's Chinese New Year) celebration at Lindsay Lane Baptist Church in Athens (see previous post), we were able to celebrate CNY with some of our very best new friends over in Florence, AL - the Jamiesons and the Morgans - on Sunday afternoon. I hope they enjoyed having us over as much as we enjoyed visiting. The Jamiesons and the Morgans both played a significant role in Lily Grace's journey to us. Lori and Drew Jamieson were sponsors for the Adoption fair at Highlands Baptist Church where we met Dustin Britt from Lifeline Children's Services. Laura and Tom Morgan visited the orphanage where Lily Grace (Jiang Yongxing) lived and sent us pictures some 4 months before our Gotcha Day. The day we got those pictures reminded me of the day Austin was born! So they are both very special to us and we thank God when we get to spend time with them.

So, what does one do at a CNY celebration? Well, it appears that it's very similar to our own NY celebration in that lots of food is consumed. Now I know why it's the year of the pig. Just as a matter of record, in the Chinese New Year's culture, every year is named for one of twelve animals that answered the call from Buddah (did I spell that right?). The animals are the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog, and pig. Characteristics of people born in the year of the pig are that they will be popular and friendly (lest they find themselves on a giant rotisserie with hot coals below!).

So, as was the case Saturday night, I had my share of the food. It was really good. Lily Grace ate more this time, but her friend from Jiangxi, Sarah Morgan, took the cake (literally) in the eating contest. Even after everyone else had left the room, Sarah was still nibbling at the food. I myself helped her with two additional helpings of rice and noodles. Just seeing Sarah's cute expression as she enjoyed her Chinese meal was blessing enough for me for the evening! But, as a further blessing, Lily Grace and Sarah have taken to hugging each other, like two grown ladies would, every time they see each other. And I mean real "mmm..mmm" types of hugs. Check out the picts. Of course Lily likes to spend time with Kate and Karlee too, unless they try to take Pamba (what's mine is mine and what's yours is mine!). Some more great pictures.

With two other families visiting the Jamiesons, there were enough kids to populate a small school. Several adopted, several biological, all miracles from God. I continue to be amazed at how our biological (I really don't like that term) children have adapted to having additional siblings. I think God is teaching them a really cool life lesson through their experiences. Kalie and Ashleigh are wonderful big sisters to their new siblings and Austin is equally loving to his little Lily Grace. Check out the pictures with Austin and all the little kids. The youngest amongst them was Will, Tom and Laura's son. Will was born in Vietnam and is the most recent addition to the Morgan's family. Now he has two older sisters (Sarah and Ashleigh) to keep him company - you're in big trouble Will, you just don't know it yet! Just kidding, if I could pick two sisters of my own, Sarah and Ashleigh would definitely be high on the list. Congratulations Tom. I know that Will is just going to bless your days beyond anything you can imagine.

Thanks Drew and Lori for having us over for Chinese New Year. We had a great time and look forward to seeing all of you again soon.

Happy New Year! Love,

Jerry, Connie, Austin, and Lily Grace

Party Like Pigs!

No, no stop laughing. It's Chinese New Year and by the Chinese customs, 2007 is the year of the pig. And believe it or not, I took it to heart when it came time to eat Saturday night (and Sunday night, but that's another post). Yes, I ate Chinese food in significant portions. Connie, on the other hand, was very reserved and lady-like in her partaking. I had so much food, I didn't even save room for the dessert. Now, I would have to say that I've come a long way in my tastes for Asian food in the past year. When some of my buddies at work found out last year that I was going to China, they couldn't stop laughing. "You? How in the world are you going to survive?" They knew that if they wanted to go to lunch without me (now why would they want to do that?), all they had to do was suggest Chinese. Well, that's all changing now. Thanks to God, a little Chinese doll named Lily Grace, and her ma-ma. Sorry Lily, Austin's still holding out (Mickie D's on the way home ... or was that Sunday night?).

Adopted Chinese children, cute as can be, every one of them!

Now, back to the party. Athens FCC Absolutely Rocks! Wow, what a celebration that Athens FCC put on for Chinese New Year. Food, dragons, games, tatoos, crafts, and even a few fun things for the kids to do! We were blessed to be a part of an awesome celebration at Lindsay Lane Baptist Church this past Saturday night. Thank you Lindsay Lane for allowing us the use of God's house for the evening! I'm not sure how many party people we had, but I'm guessing it was somewhere around 90 to 100! Last year Connie, Jane, Austin, Kaitlyn, and I attended and there were about 30 or so. This year we got to take Lily to her first Chinese New Year party. Kaitlyn came with us again and both Memaw and Granny came to celebrate as well. That makes 7 in our party alone! There were several new families and several who are waiting to go to China to bring their little miracles home. Some came from Decatur and even as far away as Florence. The fellowship hall at Lindsay Lane was nicely decorated and set up for the kids to have a great time. Lily Grace had so much fun she didn't want to go home. "No, ma-ma, not go home!! Da-ee! Da-ee!"

Austin and Kaitlyn enjoyed putting tatoos on the little ones (and on me too! How come Connie didn't get one?) and showing them the crafts and games. Then the little ones learned how to put on tatoos and things got out of control. Of course, no Chinese New Year celebration is complete without the obligatory dragon parade. The kids really love the dragons, just don't get in the way. These dragons could have earned the pole at Daytona with a little drafting help! Connie kept trying to get pictures, but ended up with nothing but a blur!

If we could impose upon you for anything as we begin another year in the lunar calendar, it would be to pray for all God's children. They are such beautiful little creations. I believe that the closest I can come to seeing Jesus this side of Heaven is to look as deeply as I can into the eyes of a child. Yet, so many of them, both here and in China, are living in unfortunate circumstances. When you see, firsthand, the conditions of their meager existence, it just breaks your heart. So please pray.

Happy New Year!! Love,

Jerry, Connie, Austin, and Lily Grace

The Heart of the Matter

OK. It's Valentines Day. So that means a real, mushy, lovey-dovey post simply begs to be written. So here goes. God's Word says that whatever is in your heart is what you'll be passionate about. If that's the case, then our hearts must be filled with awe of an awesome God and love for our children and His. We've said many times that we are blessed beyond anything we have ever deserved. The miracles that God created in our lives are beyond our imagination. Beginning with our marriage and then our children. His works are greater than anything I can even imagine, much less try to accomplish on my own.

The first miracle, in my way of thinking, was that God put Connie in my life and hooked us up as husband and wife forever! He must have really had His work cut out for Himself in sculpting that little deal. High school sweethearts - ah ha, that's it. He convinced Connie while she was yet young enough, not made cynical by a cruel world, and before she saw any other opportunities that she should be my soulmate for life. Good plan. Why didn't I think of that? Get to 'em early and mold them into what you want them to be. Connie was, beyond a shadow of a doubt, the one person that God planned for me to spend my life with and I am so thankful for that. We've shared so many life experiences together and we know exactly what the other is thinking, er well most of the time that is. Of course for her, that's easy "Hmm I wonder what time the Alabama game is coming on?" For me, it's a little bit more difficult, due mainly to my limited analytical capabilities (if you get a chance, ask Connie one day about the time I donated her entire shoe wardrobe to charity - God must have had a really good laugh about that one). Through good times and bad, God has nurtured the love between us, creating a strong bond that I can only accept as His gift without trying to figure it out.

As a young couple, God's plans did not call for us to have children and we weren't necessarily preoccupied with that. We were both focused on creating for ourselves a career that was both rewarding and capable of providing for future needs that we didn't even know existed yet. Looking back, I'm sure that this too was part of God's plan, that we should become financially stable before undertaking the privilege of raising children. Otherwise, we might not have been equipped financially to undertake the idea of international adoption. Waiting to have children was an idea that was somewhat foreign in our community, as most of our friends were getting married and having children just a year or two removed from high school. In our case, several years passed until after 9 years of marriage, God decided it was time and brought Austin into our lives. Part of the miracle in this was that God, realizing that we were drifting away from Him, had a plan to use a child to bring us back! Wow, what questions that little one would ask. Questions for which we didn't have answers and we knew it. We knew the only answers were to be found in His Word and so this little miracle brought us back to God.

Finally, after another lengthy period without additional children, God began to reveal to us His plan for the miracle of adoption that would lead to our little Lily Grace. That plan required that God convince me that a parent could love children that were not biological offspring. To make a long story short, He did this by placing in our home two children whose parents were forced to move to Illinois for job security. Emily and Amanda became a part of our family and big sisters to Austin and we grew to love them as our own. You've seen their pictures here frequently with Austin and Lily Grace. Their parents are very dear friends of ours and we miss them very much. I've often joked with them that if I'd been more receptive to this adoption idea, maybe they wouldn't have to be shoveling snow in northern Illinois - sorry Maurice and Tammy. Please come and visit and when you do, consider our home as yours.

So, we have a lot to be thankful for on this Valentine's Day. God, each other, and our children - all miracles from an awesome God.

Love,

Jerry, Connie, Austin, and Lily Grace (and Emily and Amanda)

PS. I know what you're thinking and no, I didn't forget Valentine's Day. Connie got a few little stuffed animals, some chocolate, and tickets to the Mercy Me/Audio Adrenline concert in April - maybe she'll ask me to go with her on a real date that night.

Happy New Year! Let's Have Some Fun!!

What do you mean, I've missed it by over a month? Not according to the Chinese lunar calendar. Now, class, take out your encyclopedia, er, make that your Wikipedia: "Chinese New Year, known in Chinese as the Spring Festival (Simplified Chinese: 春节; Traditional Chinese: 春節; pinyin: Chūnjié) or the Lunar New Year (Simplified Chinese: 农历新年; Traditional Chinese: 農曆新年; pinyin: Nónglì xīnnián), is the most important of the traditional Chinese holidays. The festival proper begins on the first day of the first lunar month (Chinese: 正月; pinyin: zhēng yuè) in the Chinese calendar and ends on the 15th, on the Lantern Festival. Chinese New Year's Eve is known as Chúxì (除夕). Chu literally means "change" and xi means "eve". Celebrated internationally in areas with large populations of ethnic Chinese, Chinese New Year is considered a major holiday for the Chinese, and has had a strong influence on the new year celebrations of its neighbours. These include Japanese, Koreans, Miao (Chinese Hmong), Mongolians, Vietnamese, Tibetans, the Nepalese and the Bhutanese (see Losar). Chinese New Year is also the time of the the largest human migration, when overseas Chinese all around the world travel home to have reunion dinners with their families on Chinese New Year's eve."

Legend has it that in ancient times, Buddha asked all the animals to meet him on Chinese New Year. Twelve came, and Buddha named a year after each one. He announced that the people born in each animal's year would have some of that animal's personality. This will be the year of the pig. Lily Grace was born in the year of the monkey and she definitely has some of the monkey's traits - she's hilariously funny most of the time, but then cute and cuddley as well! Connie was born in the year of the dragon. Dragons tend to be popular individuals who are always full of life and enthusiasm, with a reputation for being fun-loving. Austin was born in the year of the rooster. The sign of the Rooster indicates a person who is hard-working and definite about their decisions. Roosters are not afraid to speak their minds and can therefore sometimes come across as boastful. They make good restaurant owners and world travellers. I'm not sure about the restaurant part, but Austin is sure a worldly traveler! I was born in the year of the rabbit, but I can't figure out any traits of the rabbit I have. I'm not fast, I'm not a vegetarian, and I have little ears! But, rabbits are affectionate, co-operative and pleasant, with lots of friends. I promise, I'm not making this up!


I thought 2006 was the year of the dog?

In Athens, AL, we're planning our own little migration, with the Athens FCC (Families with Children from China) hosting a New Year's festival this Saturday, February 17th at Lindsay Lane Baptist Church. Thanks to Athens FCC and to Lindsay Lane for making this happen. Athens FCC is just simply the coolest group of Christian families supporting each other with our newest, little Americans and we're honored to be considered a part of them! We're very excited about the festivities (and even the food, don't worry Austin, we'll stop by Mickie D's on the way home if we need to!). We hope to have some families from Decatur's new FCC chapter to attend as well. If all goes well, we could have as many as 30 to 40 families!!!!

This is very exciting to us, because last year, we attended this event with Athens FCC, before Lily Grace had joined us. All we could do was watch with envy (forgive us Lord for our envy), as the other parents chased their little "Americans" around the gym. I specifically remember seeing Gracie May and thinking she was so cute, she looked like a little toy. Of course, we also spent time there with Julia and Amanda, our new little Upward basketball friends, and Mary Beth (Connie's newest best friend).

Last year, each family had the opportunity to introduce themselves and their little children or plans for children. I was wondering what I would say when Connie, in her excitement, popped up from her seat and introduced us and our plans for Lily Grace. Of course, this picture was all we had of Lily at the time. But that was enough to get through the paperwork maze. Every time something would come up that appeared to be a delay, all we had to do was take out our littl picture and look at it. It's kind of funny, but the expression on Lily's face always reminded me of my brother, Wes. I don't know why, just did. Wes doesn't talk much, but Lily does! I wonder if I'll get to speak this time or not?!?!

One interesting Chinese New Years custom: On New Year's Day, we are not supposed to wash our hair because it would mean we would have washed away good luck for the New Year. So, if anyone sees us on the 18th of February, keep that in mind! Also, Red clothing is preferred during this festive occasion. Red is considered a bright, happy color, sure to bring the wearer a sunny and bright future. It is believed that appearance and attitude during New Year's sets the tone for the rest of the year. Children and unmarried friends, as well as close relatives are given lai see, little red envelopes with crisp one dollar bills inserted, for good fortune. Oh, to be young again!

Happy New Year,

Love

Jerry, Connie, Austin, and Lily Grace