Headed Home!!

We're in Hong Kong and so ready to go HOME!!!  The US Embassy appointment on Wednesday went fine, and we had time to do more shopping with the other family afterwards. Faith, of course, simply didn't have enough shopping, but that's another story.  We had dinner with the other family and our guide on Tuesday night - as the husband/daddy called it, out for a cheap Chinese dinner (better than the Arabian restaurant with the belly dancers that we went to this time 2 years ago:)... and that was after taking a stroll thru town that afternoon looking for a restaurant with an English menu, or at least a picture menu... which we succeeded at, btw.  It's amazing the different culture and the stares we get - we just politely smile and say the requisite, "Ni Hao". Sometimes I hear them say, "san ge ar-zhi!", thinking I don't understand what they're saying (3 sons), to which I often reply, "chi ge hi-zhi" (7 kids - too hard to explain Johnny being homegrown - sorry John). And that kicks of a whole other conversation, 98% of which I don't understand... so sometimes, I just leave it at them saying, "san ge ar-zhi!" and smile pretty and keep walking. Today, I actually had a grandfatherly gentleman and his buddy drilling me about why I want to adopt so many - how can we support so many - it's too much of a burden to have so many - and so forth. I told him that God gives us what we need, and he didn't have an answer to that. By the end of the conversation, he simply said, "God bless you." and I said, "He has, He has... look... see, He has!!" 

 

So, dinner with our previous guide on Wednesday night and a sweet goodbye afterwards.  She's really special and very good at what she does. Not that our guide this time was bad or anything, by any means, but this other one is just special to us. She helped us bring Theresa, Abby and Sam into our family and she really cares so much about the kids and their families... asking at breakfast how you're doing, how the child is eating, making suggestions to make things better, etc.

 

Ok, back to the other story (Faith and shopping):  All trip long, whenever she's had "retail opportunities"... everytime... she buys something... for her friend... but then says, "This store only has things for old people (after buying something for her [teenage] friend). Old people?... thankyouverymuch... I didn't see a single thing in there that this particular old person would like to wear. So by Wednesday, she's panic-ing, that she's not going to get to spend every single cent that she brought with her (the girl knows how to save!), and starts getting grumpy on me while we're shopping with the other family. I'm sorry, but I'm not going to make them wait with their toddler hungry for lunch, while you and I discuss what size jeans to buy... and after that "discussion", they're not going to wait still more while you look for another pair too. After that excursion, Daddy and the boyz went back to the hotel for a nap (4), while the other family, Faith and I headed to the Island, where you buy all the Chinesey stuff... the gifts, and adoption mementos... and stuff. She certainly could've found stuff there, but of course, all they have is stuff for old people, so the grumpier she got. Finally, I said, I'm not sure what'll happen tomorrow - I can't promise you that you can shop again or not, but you CAN be SURE of this... if you continue with that attitude and that look on your face... I can promise you for certain, that there won't be ANY shopping tomorrow. This trip is not about Faith, I've given you plenty of opportunities, each of which you've turned your nose up at, and it's not fair to Daddy to keep asking him to keep the boys while I take you shopping. We're here for the boys, not for Faith... yes, you get the benefit of being here, but that's not the point of the trip.

 

Thankfully, she got herself together and we had a pleasant afternoon. She even said, "I know it's a little selfish, but..."  That girl's growing!!  And even more thankfully, Bill was willing this morning (Thurs), to take her back to the first place we were on Wed with the other family... and BOY DID SHE SHOP!!! ... while I stayed with the boys and gave all 3 a bath (not sure who got the better deal... must've been Faith!).

 

Also, she and our guide have been discussing all week that they both wanted to get their hair cut, and just never quite getting a time/date nailed down, so this afternoon - literally an hour before we were to leave GZ - they went and got hair cuts (TYL). Faith looks drastically different, but definitely cute. She found a picture on the computer, took it to the salon (sounds expensive, but not) and got just what she asked for. She's not completely sure she likes it, now that it's on her and not on the computer, but it's growing on her.   :o)

 

So, after packing, we left the China Hotel (my favorite place in allllll of China) at 3pm to get to the US Embassy at 3:30 to pick up the boys' visas and such from the day before, then on to Hong Kong. It used to be that you'd take sort of a commuter bus to HK - but have to get off the bus (with all your luggage (and kids)) at the border leaving China, go thru customs or whatever, then back on the bus for half a minute's drive to the border entering HK, then back off the bus (with all your luggage (and kids)) and do it all over again. But since 2 years ago, our agency discovered that if you have 4 or fewer people in a car/van, you could stay in the vehicle and go thru it all with only minimal time delays... from in the vehicle (think toll booth, but it takes a bit longer as they check your passports, etc). Yes, we have more than 4 people, but getting 2 vans was still cheaper than trying to fly 6 people... and way quicker/much easier than the bus thing.

 

So, here I sit in a nice airport hotel in HK, ready to fall asleep, but knowing that if I don't post now while it's quiet, it'll be dayz before I get to again... all day flying tomorrow, then a few days of jetlag after that, not to mention the fact that we'll have 7 kidz at home.  Haha - what did that grandfatherly gentleman say about so many? Nevermind - I know that I know that I know that this is what God's called us to, and that He's never NOT been faithful before... there's certainly no reason to start doubting His plans for us now (Jer. 29:11, Eph. 3:21).

 

We're all dreading the flight tomorrow and coveting your prayers for us... esp. for David and Andrew, as we take them from their homeland (where things weren't so great, but they were normal), and hopefully to the "promised land" where they will have the opportunity to know not just earthly parents, but especially their heavenly Father too... the One who loves them far better than we!!  -  the One who said, "I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you." John 14:18 NIV

 

Got more pictures to post, but it ain't happenin' tonight. Got a big day tomorrow and better rest up for it... got 2 new US Citizens making their way HOME tomorrow - can't wait!!!!!  Love you all and oh so very grateful for your love and support!!

Toni, for the Benton Bunch

Pictures from China

	Pictures for you! From: Bill and Toni Benton You're invited to view our pictures at Shutterfly - Leaving Lanzhou for Guangzhou!! Enjoy! Pictures from Bill and Toni Benton (1 of 79 pictures) If selecting "See pictures" doesn’t work, copy-and-paste this address into your browser: http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0Ect2LNy0asWON

Ahhhhhhh Guangzhou!!!

I know I've posted with the exact same subject line at least twice before. But I gotta tell you, the China Hotel in Guangzhou is my favorite place in all of China (not in the world, of course - that would be home - but in all of China).

 

In Guangzhou, it starts to feel like vacation. Not just because the hotel is so nice, tho it is, and not just because the area and the weather are so nice, tho they are, and not even just because of the shopping opportunities, tho they're good. Really, it's because by the time you get here, you've been together for a week or so, and you're starting to feel like family. Each day the child opens up a little more, sorta like a flower blooming… just a little more open to you, trusting you, exposing their vulnerable heart, coming out of their shell, just a little bit more each day. It's really a beautiful design that God has created in adoption and I'm oh so very grateful!

 

Our "day off" turned out to be a blessing, because that morning, I hurt my knee somehow - don't recall doing anything to it, or turning it funny, but my knee was really not a happy camper. So I sat for most all of the day, using ice and Advil as appropriate, but it got no better and wasn't any better even the next day.

 

So, leaving Lanzhou was slightly stressful, not just because of my knee (airports = walking), but also because after just one day - ONE DAY - in our hotel, David decided he just didn't want to use squatty potties (Chinese toilets) anymore. Absolutely, positively would NOT use them anymore… and of course, as soon as we got to the airport, he needed to go. We tried a few times, Bill found a handicapped bathroom, but by then he wasn't having any of it, so we tried to hold out until we were on the plane. Anyway, suffice it to say that by the time we got to GZ, he was dry.

 

Andrew was a trooper on the plane - I remember Sam crying the whole time during that flight when we adopted him. We were all split up on the plane - Faith and Sam, Bill and David, Andrew and I… and Andrew and I were stuck between 2 business men, but thankfully, they were not too bugged by us and Andrew was pretty calm the whole way. Bill said David was fine too, once he didn't need to go to the bathroom anymore, and Faith said Sam slept the whole way. :o)

 

First on the agenda in GZ is the medical exam, so they can get the visa started. Because David is more than 3, he also had to have a TB test, which thankfully he passed with no problem… but of course, didn't like the needle stick one little bit. Neither of them particularly liked any of the whole ordeal, but our group was thrilled that we'd gone early, because we were the first ones there and done pretty quickly. That was pretty amazing since it's the first week anyone would've been here since the Chinese New Year holiday - meaning big crowds. TYL.

 

Second on the agenda for GZ is of course, Shopping. :o) We've certainly partaken in that, but the last 2 times we were here, we thought it was our last time, so there's a lot of stuff we already have. I've learned not to say "We're done" anymore, but I do at least have a sneaking suspicion that this is our last time here. If it's not, and given our last week "in province', I think I'd be looking for a child from Guangzhou. :o) (can't believe I'd say such a thing!)

 

The weather the 1^st day (Mon) here was pretty chilly and Sunday too, but not too bad. On Sunday, we went to church on Shamian Island (very interesting, btw) and then shopped or strolled until 5pm when we met the group at Lucy's for dinner (tho we'd seen everyone as we strolled too… or strolled together). Lucy's is for the homesick, with real burgers and fries, grilled cheese, even fish-n-chips, and such. Faith and a few others in our group still ordered Chinese, tho. And on Monday, we went to the park for a wonderful stroll (70 degrees!) and then to Danny's Bagel for dinner as a group again. Danny's Bagel is an Italian restaurant, also for the homesick, but used to be mostly a delivery place, and now a pretty good Italian joint, complete with red/white checked table cloths… and pretty good ravioli, I must say. Thankfully, they also had a few Chinese dishes, so Faith wasn't left out.

 

Today, Tuesday, most of our group headed for Hong Kong to spend the night in the airport hotel for an early flight on Wednesday. They had earlier US Embassy/Consulate appts, but we had to wait for David's TB test results (planned) for ours, so we head for HK on Thursday, for the flight home on Friday. Pretty cool that we take off in HK, and then land in Chicago exactly 16 minutes later… minus the time difference, that is. We so miss the kids at home tho… and certainly would've LOVED to be headed home tomorrow too. In the meantime, there is one other family here and another AW group too, so we'll hang out and make the best of it.

 

In the blooming flowers department, David's definitely blooming in the brother department… asserting himself with Sam more and more, but also playing and giggling and running and general boy stuff, as well as the bath tub. The hotel in Lanzhou, of all things, didn't have a bathtub, only a shower, so of course that was traumatic, tho it got a little better as the week went on. But here, there's a huge (wonderful) tub, and we started by dumping all the plastic toys in it. David still cried the first time, tho he'd resolved himself to the fact that he'd have to do it, so he tearfully complied. The second time, he started off crying, but after a few minutes (thanks to the squirty toy) he was actually laughing and smiling. After each time tho, he loves having lotion put on him and I've been using that to make all things ok again.

And Andrew - his blooming has been in eating. I'd been sneaking bits of egg or egg yolk or whatever when we ate, and pretty much each time, he'd cry. But this week, he's taking rice cereal, smashed banana, scrambled eggs, etc and even enjoying it. He's still not sitting up without holding him, but when laying on the bed or in the stroller, his little legs are just-a-going. The other guide suggested his age of 20 mos might be a little off, and perhaps he's barely 12 mos (he only has 4 teeth too). And come to think of it, he definitely reminds me of Theresa at 12 mos. We certainly weren't expecting a baby - both Alex and Sam were the same age - but we're certainly warming up to the idea. He's a sweetie, that's for sure.

Sorry I've been such a lousy blogger - something to do with all these cute little boys running around, I'm sure, but still. Thanks so much for praying for us and for the kids at home - as I said, God's been so gracious to us. Please pray for Alex - he has a sinus infection and AMC had to take him to the doc's yesterday. Can't wait to get home and hug them each tight!!

 

Love you guys,

Toni for the Benton bunch

PICTURES FROM GOTCHA!!!!!!!!!

	Pictures for you! From: Bill and Toni Benton Here's our pictures from gotcha and the week in Gansu Province. Enjoy Pictures from Bill and Toni Benton (1 of 198 pictures) If selecting "See pictures" doesn’t work, copy-and-paste this address into your browser: http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0Ect2LNy0asWNy

Beijing Pictures

	Pictures for you! From: Bill and Toni Benton You're invited to view my pictures at Shutterfly. Enjoy! Pictures from Bill and Toni Benton (1 of 59 pictures) If selecting "See pictures" doesn’t work, copy-and-paste this address into your browser: http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0Ect2LNy0asWNj

Gotcha!!!!

So sorry to be just now updating, but it's been a bit of a whirlwind, as I'm sure you can imagine. Gotcha day went well. We arrived in Lanzhou from Beijing on Sunday afternoon, and the "babies" were late arriving because of a 2 hour detour. Poor babies traveled 8-10 hours and then had to deal with the fright of a bunch of people wanting them to call them Momma and Baba. Anyway, our guide Steed (as in the horse) got us checked into the hotel and then walked us down to a Walmart-ish kind of store - wayyyy busy on a Sunday tho, so we didn't buy much besides water, and noodles for eating in the room, assuming the day would be hectic. When we got back to the hotel, we had a few minutes and then went to a separate room where they were waiting. I tried to take it slow with David, but the orphanage director/nannies were pointing to me and saying Momma and of course, he was getting scared. I went to him, but he was pretty worried, so I didn't pressure him too much. Then I went to see Andrew. It was kinda wierd being split between the 2. As expected, the whole day was pretty tough on David, but Andrew's a pretty laid back kinda guy (let's hope he stays that way), so he was just taking it all in. When it was time to part ways, we pretty much just had to pick David up and go, poor little guy.

 

Later that evening, when it was time for PJs, of course, David didn't want to give up his clothes for other clothes, smelling unfamiliar, but also meaning that he was staying with us... so we let it go. And when it was time for bed, he didn't want any part of that either. We had 2 beds next to each other for he and Sam. Sam was in one and when David was crying in his, Sam slid over into David's bed and was a great big brother.

 

The next day, we had to do more paperwork and that meant seeing the same people again and I was so worried about David seeing them again. Thankfully, it went pretty well and not too traumatic. We were there a long time, and after a while, Sam and David were chasing each other around and being silly, and each of them were calling each other brother. God is oh so very good!!

 

Andrew, as I said, is pretty laid back. He's tiny, as his measurements had said, but he's also got some catching up to do. He can't sit up yet, or crawl or stand, and he's still on just a bottle... but we're quite sure we can get him up to speed pretty quickly. Everytime we eat, I try to slip something in on him (congee/rice soup, a bit of egg, etc). He cried the first few times, but this morning (Wed), he didn't cry at all, pretended to block it, and then swallowed it down. This afternoon, we gave him some tiny bits of Ritz cracker and he actually liked it! The other little girl in our group is of similar age and similar ability - tho David's quite on target - so I'm not sure what all that means. I'll have to ask a few other parents of kiddos from that orphanage about their experiences.

 

Sam and David have been playing together very well, a few squabbles of course, and a sighting or two of the green eyed monster, but overall, very good. Andrew hangs out waiting for his next bottle, or playtime, or whatever. Faith's been pretty helpful, so long as you ask her to do it, and not expect her to just know to help. She's in heaven because right down the street is a place with some special noodles for about 50 cents US... she's eaten them everyday for either lunch or dinner. She hasn't found chicken feet yet tho. :o)

 

Speaking of dinner, it's a little tough around here. There's KFC and there's KFC and a bakery that has some odd creations, but if you get there early enough, you can find a pretty good sandwich or two (provided you're brave enough to try the unknown). There are plenty of Chinese restaurants, of course, but no English menus or English speaking workers... our guide didn't even recommend it, but is only a phone call away if we want him to have KFC delivered for us.

 

We went to a dinosaur museum yesterday and out for the famous beef noodles of Gansu province (or is it from Lanzhou?) for lunch and they were pretty good. Today to a cool park and the zoo (our animals just don't know how good they've got it in DC!). Tomorrow is "a day off"... not sure for whom, but we're pretty sure we're gonna have to get creative to not be too bored. The passports should be back by tomorrow night and then we fly for Guangzhou on Friday (YAYYYYYYYYYY GOD!!!!!).

 

We were supposed to go to a local park for the end of Chinese New Year (the Lantern Festival) one evening, but it's been too cold at night. Our first night here was the actual end of CNY, and the last night people could legally set off fireworks... and boy did they. All night long from about 7pm until at least 1am... constant from both of our rooms (across the hall from each other, so on both sides of the building). It was great... for about an hour... but at least the boys liked them and it took David's mind off his troubles.

 

We've been able to Skype with the kiddos at home several times, and thanks to some awesomely wonderful ladies, they're doing great. They couldn't wait to see the boyz! Please pray for them too.

 

That's about it for now. I've got lots of pictures to share, but have just included these 3 for now. Since tomorrow's "a day off", I should have some time to go thru them and post some good ones, but wanted to post these important ones now. Thanks so very much for praying for us - we're very aware of it and God has been so very gracious to us every step of the way.

 

Love you guys - see you soon!!

The Benton Bunch on location

Arrived Safely - TYJ!!

We arrived safely in China and are very thankful for your prayers!! All went well with our flights and no real problems at all.

Well, except the minor problem of a forgotten suitcase, that is.  ;o)  Yep, the airline didn't lose it, we just left it in our van. All morning long, I'd been thinking how easy it was going with getting our carryon's thru the airport and such, and JUST before boarding our first flight, I started taking stock and discovered why.  My hero Bill raced all the way back thru the airport, all the way to security, as we racked our brains trying to remember where we'd left it... way back where we checked our big suitcases?... at security (amidst getting the stroller thru, the laptop (netbook, btw, so pardon all typos), Faith's CI, shoes, etc)?, at the bathroom?... where did we leave it?... and did TSA now have it with bomb sniffing dogs? Thankfully, no, it was safely tucked away in our van in front of Sam's carseat. When we arrived at the airport, we let Sam out on the other side of the van (out of traffic, of course) and just never saw it there.  Very very thankful that as we were trying to get the car loaded up, since my carryon was full with clothes before I'd finished with toiletries, I went ahead and sent it out and put toiletries in another suitcase. So quite literally, the ONLY thing we're missing is my clothes... yes, very essential, but very make-do-able. Found both a sweatshirt and a sleepshirt at the Chicago airport... ON SALE... at an airport, no less!!  And, since we've BTDT to the Great Wall and such, we're doing a slightly different tour in Beijing, which will afford us some time to shop... and a girl can always use a new pair of jeans, right? Thankfully, we usually only pack a few items anyway, along with some Woolite for washing, so it's really not even much to replace. You can pray that we'll fine some American sizes tho.  :o)  Special thanks to my good friend and now travelmate (so excited to be traveling with them!) who had just bought new unmentionables for the trip, so I even have something to wear to go shopping in!!  Is God a great Provider or what?? Talk about being a God of the details.

When we arrived and joined up with other families, Faith even discovered a teen friend to chat with... who can sign a little and is a great learner... daughter of said good friend mentioned above. They've hit it off already (TYL!) and cool thing is, their new daughter is at the same orphanage as David and Andrew, so we'll be together the whole trip!!

Had dinner from an Irish Pub last night... yes, I said Irish Pub... in China. Of course, the only thing Irish was the pub part - the menu had pizza, chicken/FF's, hamburgers, etc. I'm sure the name is exactly what gets people to come in - it worked for us. The chicken strips were sorta rubbery, so I have NO idea what to make of that, but it filled the empty spot and we all crashed by 9 pm local (8am our time). Believe it or not, I think we all actually slept until at least 4am, so that's maybe even more sleep than I usually get.

This morning after breakfast, we're hoping to Skype with the kiddos - :o)  - miss. them already!!! (Hi guys!!! We love you!!!)  Then today, we do a Hutong tour, not sure what that is, but it's not the Great wall (btdt 4 times), so that's good. I think its something like a tour thru a typical Chinese village, meeting real people etc, rather than the fancy touristy stuff you'd usually see, and shopping. We will still get to eat lunch, and the famous Peking Duck dinner with the other families, so we're excited about getting to know each other.

I think that's about all for now - tomorrow we fly for Gansu and meet David and Andrew!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Thanks so very much for praying - it's VERY apparent that you are!!! Please also include the kiddos back home.

Please someone check our blog to see if this is posting ok - www.cantwaitbentons.blogspot.com. 

Love,

Toni for the Benton's

Re: Benton Adoption Travel - Blog Update Email

Aack – forgot to say, we do hope to keep our blog www.cantwaitbentons.blogspot.com (if we can get through the firewall in China), but if not (and also) we plan to post to our ancient yahoo group, as I won't have this list of emails in China. If you're not already a member and would like to be, you can subscribe by sending an email to: BENTON_CHINA-subscribe@yahoogroups.com (it'll ask you to put a comment in – just give me your name, I'll know who you are).

Thanks again for praying for us – we leave tomorrow morning – better get PACKING!!

Love,

Toni for the Benton bunch

Sent: Monday, January 30, 2012 12:14 AM
Subject: Benton Adoption Travel

We got our travel approval!!!!!!!!!!! Thank You Lord, David and Andrew will be in our arms on Sunday, 2/5!!!!!! We're so excited, we can hardly stand it!!! PLEASE pray for them on Sunday morning when you wake up, as we'll be putting them down to sleep for the first time (7am here is 8pm there) and I know they'll be emotionally exhausted and wondering what in the world is going on.

Flights are arranged, US Embassy appointment made, hotels and in-country stuff done, at home logistics making good progress, aack!… gotta get packing!!!

Also praising God that since our last update, dear ol' Uncle Sam finally came through with our tax refund!! And of course, as always, it was just in time… God has a funny way of doing that, doesn't He? So, our remaining agency fees are paid, our flights are paid, in-country costs (hotel, transportation) are paid, the orphanage "donation" is… well… with Uncle Sam and your wonderfully generous contributions, and other back-up measures… is about covered too.

Yayyyyy God – David and Andrew are coming HOME!!!!!!!!

Regarding the Samaritan cards – I wanted to tell you that I'd looked online for something in particular a few weeks ago, and was starting to have slight doubts – that maybe I'd been too exuberant in describing them to you. But just last weekend, I bought two $25 gift certificates for the perfect restaurant… for how much? … $20! Yep, we paid $20 and saved $30 - using a card that only cost $20 in the first place!! No hassle, no fuss, no muss… just keyed in the zip code for the person the gift was for and viola, it gave me all the participating restaurants nearby and I found the perfect one. And yes, we do still have a few left that we'd really like to… well, you know… get rid of… wait, that doesn't sound right… how about… unload?… no, that's not it either… um… a few left that we'd really like to … um… help you out with… yeah, that's it… help you out with. Just kidding – if you already bought one, no need to buy another (they're good for 1 year after activation), and you really don't need more than one per household, but if you're interested, let me know.

Oh, and we found out who the 3 online contributions from people we didn't know were. It's the sweetest story ever – I've just gotta tell it. The 9-year-old daughter of some dear friends we traveled with to get Abby in 2004 had a birthday party. She (with Mom's help, I'm sure) put on her birthday party invitations that in lieu of gifts, she'd like friends to give a gift towards bringing 2 orphans home to their new family. How sweet is that?!?!?! The friends did, and now David and Andrew are that much closer to changing from orphans to beloved sons!!! John 14:18 says, "I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you" and oh the amazing ways He's done so for our kiddos, and for all of us! Please know that our agency is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization (and belongs to the ECFA), which means any adoption contributions would be tax deductible for you. You can do so by clicking here, https://www.awaa.org/forms/payment.aspx, using the dropdown to choose "Eternal Family Program," and putting "Benton family" in the Notes box. Thanks so very, very much for considering it.

Many of our original prayer needs are ongoing, some have obviously changed/transitioned:

Please, please pray for us and for Davey, and Andrew too. Please pray that they're both warm and well fed, loved on daily, and that they'll know their Momma and Daddy are coming… soon! Please pray for our family - that we'll make wise decisions about finances, about travel, about parenting and life in general. Please pray that God will indeed provide the funds to get these boys home. Please pray we'll be able to properly care for all our kids and their needs. Please pray for all the orphans in the world, over 143,000,000. We can't adopt them all- obviously - but we can pray for them all. They each have a very special place in God's heart - He says to "Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed." in Psalm 82:3 NIV

Please also pray for us as we prepare to travel and get all the home logistics worked out. Please pray for safe traveling, no sickness, on-time flights. Please pray for our Gotcha Day!!... that God will comfort David and Andrew's tender hearts, that we won't be scary to them, and that we'll soon bond together and be as madly in love with each other as we are with all our awesome kiddos. Please pray for Theresa, Abby and Alex on the home front (emotional needs, homework, fears and worries, and all the logistics of it all), and all the wonderfully awesome ladies who are caring for them while we're gone. Thank You God for Family!!!!!!!!

And speaking of family - you may know I teach K-5 Sunday School at church. This week's lesson was on Abraham and Sarah having their son Isaac at the age of 100 and 90 (no comments from the peanut gallery). Before the kid part of the lesson, each week opens with a short Bible study for the teacher. This week, it starts off with, "What does family mean to you?" In Genesis 17-18, God promises Abraham specifically that he'd be the father of many nations, and both Abraham and Sarah laughed at this (yes, because they were old, but I said no comments from the peanut gallery). Later it asks, "Have you felt God leading your family to do something that seems incredible or unbelievable? God's plan for families is a plan that He can accomplish when those families willingly give themselves to Him." Psalm 127:3 says, " Behold, children are a gift of the LORD..." - take a moment to thank God for the blessing that each child brings to you (your kids, kids you teach, kids in your extended family - they're all a gift from the Lord!). God is definitely leading us on this incredible, unbelievable journey and who knows the nations He'll reach through them!!?!?!

Thank you for the many ways you've helped us bring our gifts of the Lord home!!!!!! WE CAN'T WAIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! See attached all of us at a local Chinese New Year celebration - we SO planned to be holding photos of David and Andrew in the picture, but it took so long to get the lady to understand that we wanted her to take our picture, that we just plain forgot. That's alright - by this time next week, they'll be in our arms and we'll have a whole new set of pictures!! Also attached, see that thanks to Rona and Pat, sweet little Andrew is packed and ready to go!! David's got plenty of clothes, but Andrew's still tiny and needed 12 month clothes... and since we were so DUN, we'd given them all away!!

God bless you all - and please don't forget to pray!!

Love,

Bill and Toni and the Benton Bunch