We were visiting my sister and brother in the twin cites when we said yes to adoption.  It was January of 2012.  Sandi was out for a morning run.  Praying as she ran, she was asking God if we should adopt. As she rounded the corner, a sign on a bus stop bench read “You Can Adopt!”

I wasn’t convinced quite yet, but that evening, my brother was eager to show us his new home theater system.  As it turned out, the movie we watched was “Despicable Me.”  If you haven’t seen it, a mastermind criminal adopts three girls. It’s a cute movie. I won’t spoil the rest.  Sandi and I looked at each other in amazement.  Who would have thought that God would use a movie to confirm our question.

Tobiah, The orphanage director and his teacher.

When Gru, the main character in Despicable Me, brings the girls home, he didn’t have a clue what to do.  When Tobiah Xuan Song Asker entered the sterile government room, I didn’t know what to do either.  He just sat on the bench, looking at us. The orphanage director and his teacher encouraged him, but he sat.

Fortunately the director began showing us his belongings and gave us a bunch of pictures of his life in the orphanage, including several stories.  Including the story of the police officer who found him and whom he is partly named after.  Apparently Xuan Song is a local hero. His story and the police officer were on TV and in the newspaper. We received a copy of the article and pictures of the newscast.

In the midst of story time I remembered some helpful tools from all of the books we read in preparation.  The most helpful was mirroring.  As I began to mirror his actions, he began to open up.  Sandi pulled out some matchbox cars and soon we were both moving the cars across the bumpy bench.  By the time we left the government building, he was sitting in my lap.

Back at the hotel we continued to connect. We played with a flash light.  And then I noticed it…

On the back of his pants were two little minions from the movie “Despicable Me!”

God sure has a sense of humor.

Congratulations Tobiah, you’re an Asker!

We love you!

A youtube video, reading a book: http://youtu.be/ynGAFZtrny8

A close up of the minions.

Electronics finally got him to smile. He must be an Asker!

 WE MADE IT TO CHINA!  The 13-hr + plane ride consisted of 3 meals, lots of beverage service and too many movies to remember.  Oh, and a little bit of sleep.

We got to fly over AK and we saw a lot of floating ice bergs.

Eventually we had our first look at China.

And this sign reminded us to just chill out in the land 8 million people.

On the way to the hotel, we got to see this CCTV station building called “The Pants.”  Love that name.  The highlight was our dinner tonight.  We walked down the streets near our hotel, found a street vendor with HUGE steamers and ordered dumplings and other yummy food.  Our food cost approximately $1.28.

Now we shall see if we can get any sleep before our first day of tourist-dom starts.

Juxtaposition:

the fact of two things being seen or placed close together with contrasting effect.

It’s finally here: the night I’ve dreaded since I found out our travel dates.

And it’s finally here: the trip we have dreamed of since January 2012.

I liken this adoption step as a blending of marriage, child birth, death and surgery.  So much expectation, pain, excitement, emotional overloads and details.

It also feels like when you train for a road race: you gradually work up to long miles.  But then, weeks before the race, you start to taper.  Suddenly 8 miles feels like a walk in the park.  3 feels like a warm up.  Let’s just do this thing.  I’m ready.  No more tapering.

Currently Brian is wrapping orange craft ribbon around the handles of our common navy suitcases.  Elam fell asleep only because I held him until he drifted off.  I have made 8-10 lists for the grandparents as they care for our kids.  Calista is reading an American Girl book to her grandparents.  Just a normal night around here.

The eve of an epic adventure to a country we have never seen.  To pick up a 3-year old son we have never seen.  To leave our kids longer than we ever have.  To bring to our American home a boy who has only known Chinese food and some type of Chinese language.

Such a surreal juxtaposition of things.  So excited.  So sad.  So terrified.  So grateful.  So ready.

I am realizing that in just 6 days, there will be no need for my “Asker in China” hashtag or category in my blog.  Maybe I’ll change it to “Asker from China” …

Let’s do this thing.  But first, let’s try to get some sleep around here.

You know that feeling of “is this really happening?”  And waking up every night with the thought “have I thought of everything?”  Or just *crickets* because nothing very noteworthy is actually happening up there…

Waiting to leave in 18 days feels so full of anxiety is feels similar to my whirlwind of getting married.  It went something like this:

1. I found out Brian was interested in me the first week of January.

2. We spent the month “dating”: technically we dated 3 times.  But spent probably 48 hours on the phone.  Not straight:)

3. On the 3rd date, January 31, Brian popped the question.

{Insert note: we had worked together for over 2.5 years with InterVarsity.  We had played racquetball, attended a Twins game together with Brian’s family [true love starts as Twins fans] and run a long race together. We didn’t go from strangers to engaged in 3 weeks!}

4. We got married May 21, 2005.

I had about 7 showers in the midst of that.  Plus marriage counseling (they should have given us engaged couples’ stress counseling!).

I was a ball of anxiety.  There was constantly something to do, a thank you note to write or a shower to drive to.  I remember forgetting details, my mind drifting while working with students and generally feeling like a space cadet.

That’s how I feel this week.  It has been 10 days since we found out we get to board a plane to China.  Even though you can’t see it, I keep forgetting the last letter in the words I type or miss a period or some other detail…

It’s still 18 days away until we leave.  But my suitcase and Xuan Song’s is packed.  I have my kids’ notes and small gifts packed already.  I have lists for the grandparents.

I don’t know what I’m going to do with myself until we leave!

Thankfully we have a baby shower for a family member, Calista gets to be a flower girl in a wedding and she is finishing her last week of Kindergarten this week.  That should fill the calendar a bit.

Inside I feel like a poodle.  Jumpy.  Spacey.  No offense to you poodles out there.

It was late Thursday night, March 7, and I was up on the internet.  No matter that we were leaving on an early flight the next day for our 10-day vacation.  I had eaten birthday cake, celebrating our son’s birthday, plus I had had a nap that day.  Xuan Song’s birthday is actually March 15 but we celebrated at home early.  I even tried to get a map of China on the cake… But I shouldn’t have eaten that much chocolate so late in the day.  I’m like your grandmother, not able to drink or eat certain things because they keep me up…

11:00pm  I was NOT sleepy.  We had just received X’s address for the first time.  I decided to search for the orphanage on Google, as any thinking person would in this day and age.

I first read about his orphanage being mixed up in a trafficking issue, but thankfully the city police force quickly swept in and the impact was minimal compared to other cities and orphanages.

Then I stumbled across Pearl River Outreach (actual site: http://pearlriveroutreach.blogspot.com/2013/05/our-new-program-in-zhuzhou.html)

The first picture immediately told me this was our son’s home.  The steps on the P.R.O. site pics were exactly like a photo we had of him.

It was about midnight as I scanned blog post after blog post.  Then JACKPOT: numerous pictures of our son!  I shoved Brian, “I just found our kid on the internet!”  We eagerly scanned the blogs for information and more pictures.  Here are some we found.

Meanwhile, I emailed the blogger.  She immediately answered my emails and was able to tell me more about the program our son has been enjoying.  Sponsors had been providing him care and monthly medical check-ups.

What an amazed discovery!  It was completely humbled: perfect strangers had been caring for our little boy until we could get him.  I fell asleep, finally, with such a greater assurance that a verse which had been my signature on email for months, was absolutely true:

Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end.   Ecc. 3:11

And now, months later, we are able to see a date on our calendar for when we will have him: June 23.

Over 2 years ago, we had a Chinese child planted in our hearts.  Soon we will see the next part of the scope of God’s work from the Far East.