What A SURPRISE!

This past Friday night was a night that I will surely never forget. Under the impression we were going over to some friends' house for dinner, we were greeted at their door along with a screaming chorus of "SURPRISE!!!". Our very dear friends (the Leistra's and the Shelby's) succeeded in throwing us a TOTAL surprise shower for Raina. They had planned this for about a month, secretly registered us at Target, sent out invitations to a huge number of our friends and family, and pulled off what I consider to be one awesome event. We were completely blown away by it... overwhelmed at the love and committment that these loved ones showed toward us and our sweet Raina. It was a joyous time, filled with food, fellowship, and fun. (Not to mention one of the coolest cakes I've ever seen.) The generosity heaped upon us by those so close to us was a great reminder of selfless relationships... giving because you love to give... because you love who you're giving to. A giant THANK YOU to all who were a part of such an amazing night. Raina will someday know just how desperately she is wanted - how incredibly special she is. That night, a good friend told us that she can't wait to meet Raina, because it will be the closest she can come to meeting Jesus on this earth. Her explanation was simple - Matthew 25:37-40 (The Message) - "Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink? And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you?' Then the King will say, 'I'm telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me."

2 Weeks To Go

Two more weeks... Man, the time is flying. We are reaching the final stages of our preparation. We still feel like we have about a gazillion things to do before we leave, but we're slowly getting there. We're checking things off our list and taking care of details. We've spoken to a few doctors this week about Raina's medical treatment when we return. They are beginning to develop a tentative plan for her initial care which will involve much testing before anything can be officially determined. Our anxiety level is rising as we anticipate going. Lately my new prayer has been that the Lord will grant us His peace through the difficult times that lay ahead. That we will lean on Him, and on Him only. Please pray for our family. Pray for our travel, and for our boys who will remain home while we're gone - 17 days is an excruciatingly long time to be away from them. And pray for Raina... pray for her EVERY time you think of it.

Hope Is Like The Sun...

October 3rd. Three years ago today was a very dark day in our family. A tragic loss. Little did we know that it would set us on a course that would change our future. How could we have known? We couldn't. What sense did it make? None. But funny how God's wisdom shows up in the unexpected. Laura has a little "flip"-type calendar... you know the type. Each day you flip to a new page, and on each new page there's a saying or quote of some sort. Well, on this 3rd day of October - a date that, as the sun rises, brings with it the pangs of sorrow - these are the words that spilled off the page of the calendar as we flipped to today: "Hope is like the sun, which, as we journey toward it, casts the shadow of our burden behind us." Indeed... what a picture in words. Our God certainly has a way of using the simple things in life, like a little calendar. These words were written by a man named Samuel Smiles. And I hope he doesn't mind if I make the slightest change to his profound thought. Here's mine: "Hope is like the SON, which as we journey toward Him, casts the shadow of our burden behind us." Oh, yes indeed... what a picture in those words.

One Month From Today

Exactly one month from today, we will be boarding a plane for China. Thus will begin the final leg of an exhausting, yet life-fulfilling journey. We have begun to get aquainted with our travel-mates. 4 families from Bethany will be traveling together... One from the Detroit area, one from the St. Louis area, one from nearby northwest Indiana, and us from the Chicago area. We will be meeting together here in Chicago and flying out of O'Hare non-stop to Beijing. The details are falling into place, and the excitement is building now. It's difficult to describe, but I keep getting this picture in my head. There was a day when I gave my life to Jesus Christ, and on that day He called me his child... an orphan no longer. Oh, how we long to say those words to our sweet Raina.

SWI of Putian City

To Melissa, (the one who commented that she is also adopting from the SWI of Putian City) - our Raina is indeed from the same orphanage. If you view my profile, you can click the link to send me an email.

We've Got A DATE!

Yeah, you read it right. Wednesday, October 21st, 2009... we will be flying from Chicago to Beijing, China. The date is set - and we are excited to go! For those of you who have been with us since the beginning of our journey, you know how much this means. To actually have a date somehow makes it so REAL. Just 5 more weeks... and we're outta here. Beautiful Raina, mama & baba are coming...

Test Post For China (w/ Spector Logo)

This is a test posting to see if I can email my posts into Blogger in China, because the site may be blocked. jcuratolo.waitingforraina@blogger.com