One Week to Go!!!

Well...in one week will be on our way to China!! We have been busy getting ready and taking care of pre-schoolers!! I have bought everything that I need to take with us (except for snacks-which is on my "to do" list for tomorrow), and everything is already in a suitcase. All we have left to pack is our clothes! We are still debating on what clothes to take, but we do know that we will be packing light and doing laundry a few times!! Two of my good friends, Tracy and Cynthia, came over this week to help me organize our house - I am so grateful for their servants heart and their help! I couldn't have done it without them!! Steve heard from his step-sister today, and she let us know that she booked our hotel rooms in Laibin!! We will be staying at the Laibin International Hotel over the weekend of Nov 16-18 - it is one of the few hotels in Laibin designed for foreigners. We are so excited that we are going to be able to spend time exploring Danielle's birthplace - but not as excited as meeting our daughter! It is so amazing to think that next week at this time, we will be flying to Tokyo and then on to China!! Danielle will be in our arms in less than 2 weeks!!!
We received some great news today from our county's DFCS - we were approved to receive a $2000 grant for our adoption!! This will certainly help to cover some of the expenses - praise the Lord!! This specific grant is for children with special needs and it sure was a blessing to receive the phone call today. God certainly is helping with the hardest part - financial. God has really been helping, though, through this grant and donations from family - THANK YOU!!
Oh! I have to share this with you....Steve had to go out of town on business earlier this week, and he got home late Tuesday night. When Liz saw him, the first thing she said was, "You get Danielle?" We have been talking with her about Daddy and Mommy leaving to go and get Danielle, so she apparently thought that since Daddy was gone, he must have gone to get Danielle. How sweet is that!! Let's just hope that she is happy to see her sister when we really get home. We continue to pray that Steffi and Liz do well with our absence - everytime I think about leaving them for 2 weeks, I get so sad. I know that they will be in fantastic hands, but I am going to miss them like crazy!!!