Tonight...there is one less orphan

What an amazing day....
There were several other families at the CA office. Mira was 2 nd to last to arrive. In she walked wearing the most adorable Minnie Mouse snowsuit with little clips in her hair. I almost passed out! She is ADORABLE!!
She was incredibly scared, wanted nothing to do with me. She backed out of the room and hid behind the wall.
Something new to note....Mira doesn't speak Mandarin OR Cantonese. She speaks a local dialect that only locals know. She doesn't understand my guide and he doesn't understand her....perfect!
So eventually she became interested in the photo album of her sisters and her baba and the dogs...she continued to avoid me at all costs. Then it was time to leave so I held her hand and carried her down the steps...she cried all the way!
Then she shut down. For about 45 minutes.
As soon as began skyping with Greg she came out of her shell...now she calls me mama, kisses me, covered me up with a blanket in bed. She skyped with her sisters and identified them a dede (day day)!
She came very clean dressed in 3 layers on top and just snow pants (no undies) on bottom and yellow rain shoes. I gave her a bath which she liked, washed her hair and rubbed cream on her dry little skin. She loved the attention and just observed everything!
Off to dinner...my girl was hungry! She ate a yogurt, and bunch of fruit, rice w/ gravy and mushrooms.
I gave a backpack of goodies which she is very fond of, she is extremely particular in many of her actions.
As bedtime came I took her into to potty and she sat right on the toilet and peed, like she has used a western toilet before...I was warned that she only used a squatty. Then I decided to start the bedtime regimen of brushing her teeth....my girl clearly understood how to brush spit and rinse!
I have no doubt in my mind that Mira was loved and well taken care off. I know she loved the nannies at the orphanage and I know she can bond. What more could I ask for?!?
PTL~ tonight there is one less orphan!
wishing I could just come home now...but I will savor every minute I have of one on one with Mira until we can leave!
Thanks for all who are praying, please don't stop now... it is an amazing comfort to know there are people from coast to coast praying for us!
And now what you really want........



















Grinning the biggest mommy grin you could imagine,
Vanessa

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3 1/2 hrs til we meet Mira....

Kara & I just returned from the mall... We picked up a stuffed animal for Mira. We also ventured out to Walmart again to get her some juice. Now we just wait.
The weather here continues to be dreary, hoping to see some sun before too long!! It's funny because the locals say it is winter here still... It is in the upper 50's and HUMID. They walk around bundled up with hats and scarves!
The next posted is gonna be exciting as we hope to have video of the gotcha moment! Praying for peace for us all.




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Sightseeing in HKG & on to Nanning

So we spent the day in HKG, we woke up, showered and straight to Starbucks. Then we ventured out to an area I read about. It is called Stanley Market. I would highly recommend this to anyone that will be in the area. We took the MTR train to the bus station then took the bus to Stanley Market. This is a place that I would compare to a cross between the boardwalk in OC (off season) & Mexico with the touristy shops...however if you walk toward the water there is a quaint area that consists of restaurants & shops, a playground and a small cinderblock temple.
Then we headed back to the hotel to check out and on to the airport for our next flight to Nanning.
I have to say first of all that the only way I have ever traveled out of the country is by cruise ship or direct to a resort...hardly roughing it. HKG was a good transition city.... Very Americanized, most speak very good English.
So, we head to our gate to board the plane to Nanning, we quickly realized something was different. We were the only two Americans on this plane and no one, I mean no one spoke English! We arrived at the airport, scooted through immigration with no problems and we were greeted by "Mary" who was holding a sign that said Newman....really she could have picked us out of the crowd! Mary briefly explained that she was only our pick up guide and we would meet Amby tomorrow. We then hopped in the van with "Mr Lee" for our adventure across town to our hotel. We are at the Nanning Marriott, it is beautiful, clean and just enough space! The staff is amazing, few of them speak English but they all try really hard. The staff is amazing, very formal and respectful... the men even bow to you when departing the elevator! Greg, you really should consider this... I kinda like it!
So, by this time it is late...10ish...we ventured out to Walmart which is just down the street, we were quickly approached by many people yelling something but we had no idea....well apparently they were closed....seriously...at 10:30 on a Saturday night, in a city???? So we decided to go to the Pizza Hut for dinner, again..many people yelling something, we had no idea..apparently they were closed as well!! So, KFC it was....
A good nights sleep & I was able to skype with my crew at home this am.
We met with our guide Amby at noon today and he informed us that we would be meeting Mira tomorrow, Monday afternoon. We found out that we will go to the CA with 5 other families which is awesome!
We spent the afternoon walking all around, seeing the surroundings. People are incredibly curious about us, we look different, we don't speak their language and they don't speak ours! We actually had a girl at KFC leave her register and NEVER COME BACK!!! lol
So please say a prayer for Mira, as she sleeps her final night in the orphanage, pray that her heart be prepared and that the transition may be smooth for us all...
Thanks so much to all my friends and family.... Feel free to drop a note, there is nothing like a taste of home!!
Hugs to all....
Vanessa














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We're in Hong Kong!!

Just a few things to note about the flight:
Kara and I met up at the airport at almost the same time, she was early & I was late! The Detroit airport is HUGE, we grabbed a couple of salads for lunch.
~ we boarded plane, then sat on runway for 1 hr due to a "maintenance issue"
~I was sick for the first 5-6 hours of the flight....possibly bad chicken...
~ we were able to watch movies & play games on personal tv's
~ this is a LONNNGG FLIGHT.
~ the food was not good, thankfully for the first half I had no appetite!

Hard to believe in just 2 short days we will get Mira! I am so emotional...excited, scared, nervous etc but I know God has my back! He has brought me this far...He won't abandon me now!!

I was able to listen to my music on the plane, it keeps me grounded...this song spoke to me during the flight and it is just the place I am right now..
Google it on YouTube You Lead by Jamie Grace.
I will update soon!
I miss my family, please keep them in your prayers.
Big hugs from Hong Kong!
Vanessa

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OMW (oh my word) it's real!

So, this am, actually around 5am... It hit me. This is real, it is really happening. In about 18 hrs I will be getting in my car to head to the airport. I will travel for 24 hrs to arrive in Hong Kong for the night then onto Mira's province. I should receive her sometime Sunday afternoon, possibly Monday am (their time).
I.AM.FREAKING.OUT.
I don't speak her language, I don't eat her food, I obviously look like no one she has ever seen.
I'm leaving my family to go to a far away land, my mother in law is doing the same.
But as I question this, I realize.... We have been saved by Gods grace. And he calls us "to look after for orphans and widows in their time of need" ~James 1:27 the least I can do is step out of what is comfortable. We are all called to things in our life and they aren't meant to be comfortable.
So lookout China...here I come!
Please follow along, please pray for us & my family I leave behind.
You can sign up by email on the left of the blog...it will notify you each time I post something new! I hope to blog my way through China. Mira and I will be returning to BWI on March 22nd to reunite as a bigger Newman family!
Thanks for all the prayers & support over this past year!
Big hugs,
Vanessa

Faith, finances and angels among us.....

Let me start by saying this post could and may go many directions. There is so much on my heart right now. I am literally 2 weeks from having my girl in my arms....surreal. I am ashamed to say, a year ago I was hesitant to move forward with this adoption, why? Because my hands were full?? Would have been a logical reason... Because I was insecure that I couldn't do this??Could have been logical.... But the one reason I came up with was money. Can you believe I thought of money over this little girl?? I was worried about the amount of money we needed and knew we didn't have it. I didn't trust God to provide. In my own thoughts, it was impossible...impossible. I can't believe I was actually hesitant to believe God would provide.every.single.dollar. To me, that seemed so far from reality, so far fetched. The words that sealed the deal for me was..."money should never be the reason to leave a child in an orphanage". These words spoken by my pastor. We knew then that we needed to trust God. But over the past year I have witnessed many miracles and learned many things. There have been complete strangers walk up and hand us checks for hundreds of dollars, a lady that I don't even know made 2 trips to a fundraising event because she just wanted to help "more", a little girl even handed me $1 bill and a hand full of change from her piggie bank to help bring my daughter home. Friends and family have supported us tremendously, theres too many stories to list. All of this surprised me at the time, but I have learned that I am not supposed to be surprised... God can do anything, He chooses amazing circumstances to do amazing things, but we are to give God all the glory. It is not about our family doing " a nice thing" or "what a lucky girl she will be".... It is about being blessed, blessed enough to be chosen to do God's will. It is about being obedient to a calling whether we think it is logical or not. It's about trusting God with all your heart, he doesn't want us to do it all ourselves. He wants us to trust him.
Today, I trust. Not for the first time, but I am reminded that must trust.
Have you ever heard "there are angels among us"? It's true. Today, God sent those angels to our family. Today, our funding is complete. It's not about who it is from, it is not about how much we received. It's about God. It's about knowing God is here. I just need to express how grateful I am to be among those angels. Thank you God for sending your angels...today.

Mira, I pray you have been told that I am coming soon. I pray you have been told that you have an amazing daddy & 3 big sisters who will adore you. I know you will be scared, I know you won't understand. I trust that God will be with us as we get to know one another. Counting the days until we are together..forever.

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Confirmed CA...

It wasn't when WE wanted...but after all this isn't our adoption!!!
God said the confirmed CA is March 20th, so kara and I will fly out early on March 8th for a 14 day adventure of a life time!
I am actively making travel plans this weekend, packing and preparing! Along with having a happy 21st birthday, saying good luck in Afganistan party for my little brother! Wow, emotions will run strong this weekend!
I will post more details in a few days as I firm them up.
In the meantime, I was blessed with an email yesterday from a lady who is at Mira's orphanage right now. She wasn't permitted entry BUT her daughter was to play with the kids. SHE GOT TO PLAY WITH MY MIRA!!! Oh, how I wish it was me but I must be thankful that someone was playing with her! Included in the email was two things she wanted me to know:
1. SHE IS VERY FAST! despite her legs
2. She is the sweetest child and she was so glad that we were coming to adopt her!
This God wink totally can warm a mama's heart!
Just 3 weeks from tomorrow I will hold Mira in my arms, and never let go in my heart. That will be the last day she doesn't have a family of her own. So thankful that we have been chosen to be that family.


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