We're getting a puppy!

Our New Puppy - MeiLi

We are getting Grace a puppy for her 7th birthday. We have always had big dogs, labs, and haven't ever had just an indoor dog. We have all decided the Shih Tzu would be the one for us! We've already picked a name out for our new little girl, MeiLi, which means beautiful in Chinese.

This is MeiLi at 10 days old ....her mom is a champion (Tiki) and her daddy is also a champion (Proudy), he is from Thailand. Check out the website to see her parents www.rockingkshihtzu.com

We love her sweet face....she will be very spoiled! We need to wait until about the first week of February to bring her home.....

Happy New Year!

Dan and I are not superstitious but we don't like odd numbered years, don't know why, but they just don't "feel" right to us. So, we are now on the cusp of an even year all around! Dan just turned 50, I just turned 46 and we are coming into 2008! O.K. pretty lame, but we are weird that way.

We have had a memorable year in 2007. The best news of the year was getting our LID in August 07. We have continued to grow with our First Fridays family and and definitely look forward to where God takes our group this year! Grace and MiMi are doing great so far in school , we hope to continue on a good track through the end of the school year. Dan and I have taken over the Chinese School (this is our third year as a school) and have so much to look forward to this year as we change the "face" of the school starting in January. We hope to launch our new "website and name" early this year; we will post this info for you to check-out for your "little ones".

Our "family prayer" has surprisingly become our family mission, "God, please don't let us miss it". This sounds simple, but we live by this everyday and so far God keeps guiding and showing us where He wants to use us. We continue to have our family bible study every night and this has taken us down so many unexpected roads, especially the kids! If you want to find out what is going on with your kids ask them to share their prayer requests, it becomes very interesting.
We look forward to this next year with anticipation that God will have much in store for our family! Hope you all discover what is in store for you this year, sometimes all you have to do is ask and then be willing to say "yes"!

Christmas started early in NC!

Merry Christmas!! We started early in Greensboro at Uncle David (Dan's brother) and Aunt Sally's. Dan's mom flew up from Marietta and all spent a few days together!




Cousin Charles and MiMi...boy did they have fun!

Hannah Montana was the big hit....thank you Uncle David!

Grace is so beautiful inside and out!

Everyone got their eyes checked (Uncle David and Aunt Sally are both optometrists)....even MiMi got new glasses! Thanks for a great present....Dan got new contacts, I got glasses, Grace got reading glasses for school....

Aunt Sally's famous chocolate cake!

Aunt Sally took such good care of all of us, we ate like kings, queens and princesses!

Mom and Aunt Sally

A rare picture of Dan and I together

We all enjoyed the live tree, what a beautiful Christmas together!

Fun Pictures!

Fun stuff we've been doing!!


I love this picture of MiMi, what a blessing to pray as a class!!

Class Christmas party!

The bell choir!!
Grace thinks she makes a great Santa

MiMi just wants the presents!

Our Christmas dresses!

First Fridays - China Adoption Journey

Our dear friend and sister Carole Ford led us in music and a wonderful prayer of "O Come All Ye Faithful" Thanks Carole for your heart and you always "show-up" as only you know how to do!!

Amy Eldridge shares stories with us about her heart for orphans and how these children have changed her life. She also shared with us the work Love Without Boundaries is doing all over China for God's children.

Susan and Amy

First Fridays princesses!!

We cannot thank Amy Eldridge enough for traveling all the way from Edmond, Oklahoma just to speak to our group last night! She is so passionate about the work that Love Without Boundaries is doing. Listening to her tell the stories about what the children, some of these will be "our children", go through daily is staggering. I don't want these kids to experience a night of cold or to be left in the orphanage all night until morning when the aunties return. More on that as God continues to work in our hearts......

As a group, First Fridays-China Adoption Journey has chosen to support the Heartbridge Unit Project, look on www.lovewithoutboundaries.com under special projects for all the details. This project is designed to support a crib on a monthly basis and that donation will cover everything needed for that crib for the month. In one month, several babies may be in that one crib as they are prepared for heart surgery. We asked the group from FF to support this wonderful project and wow! what a huge response! We are well on our way to sustaining support for "our crib" for the entire year this year, please check out more details on our website, including how to give, what the details of the project are and quarterly updates on which children have been in that crib and their progress! I am overwhelmed at the support!! Thank you to each family for making a difference for these orphans!

Each of you means so much to us, and we can't thank you enough for allowing us to continue to be part of your journey and for "stretching to grow" when many times it doesn't make any sense....I have read so many stories today from families who posted last night after FF and I continue to be confirmed month after month that adoption is a "Big Deal". God wants this to be a "Big Deal" because I believe in adoption this will be one of the few times you come the closest to seeing Christ's face right in front of you, as you get your child.

Be on the edge of your seat, get stirred-up in your heart, cry, go on a mission trip while you wait, but don't "wait around" for "that day". Remember the story Amy told about the little one with the freezing cold hands, no windows in the orphanage with winter on the way....these children need us to rub their little hands between ours today! It is time to get passionate about these precious orphans who need everyone of us make the time while we wait count! If you stand in the "unknown zone", which is a term I would use for having no idea what is coming for your family in adoption, take comfort in the truth that we don't need to know what is coming. God will handle "ALL" of that, but while you are "waiting" make everyday count! I remember when we were waiting for MiMi, I would get up everyday at 5:30AM and drive to the YMCA so that I could workout while my sweet "little girl" was eating her dinner in China...I was driven to be with her in spirit as she reached the end of her day! I would run on that treadmill and pray for her to end her day peacefully and ask God to confirm in her heart that she was one day closer to her family coming to get her. I knew she would be alright, God confirmed that in me every morning as we talked at the YMCA!

Please let us know if you need anything, if you are in the "unknown zone", and can't even express what you think....we get all of that, and just want each family to be so prepared when you finally receive that precious child. Use your time wisely, don't make "this wait"a burden, walk this journey free from the "unknown zone" and just let God takeover. We would love to hear from you on our website check out the Prayer Request page and contact us links!!

Faithfully waiting for Hope Chapman!!

Website is up and running and Thanksgiving pics

The website is finally launched and we hope you like the images, etc...we will continually add to the information and lots of pictures. We appreciate Brad's work on the site, such a blessing to this ministry. Thank you Brad, you are so creative!! He will be working on the site all week, tweeking and editing but just wanted to get "her" up and running!! Our web address is
www.firstfridayschina.com

Thanksgiving in Ohio!

We had a great Thanksgiving trip to Ohio, lots of family and SNOW! It was like a blizzard on Thanksgiving day and on Friday...not much stuck to the ground but it sure was BEAUTIFUL! I need a dose of cold and snow at least once a year!



This is our favorite part about traveling,
the hotel luggage cart!


My dad and brother Tom (log cabin on 7 acres)
This is where the turkey will be cooked and I'm sure some
other "wild game"!

MiMi ate too much turkey!


Some of my family, so many big hunting stories,
how fun!!

Tom and Tara (it's still bow season) they wouldn't
let Dan and I come along, hmmmm

It was freezing Thanksgiving morning!

Life is good in Ohio, we even saw a few Amish buggies go by my mom and dad's house early in the morning, sure is refreshing to see how simple life can be!

First Friday Note - We are so excited to have Amy Eldridge travel all the way from Oklahoma to be with us this month, please come out to support her and be blessed by her stories as she shares what is going on with Love Without Boundaries!

Lost and Found!

I needed to take a blogging break and thought I may be able to catch up a little tonight. We have been working so hard on First Friday stuff - website, announcement page (hope everyone is getting that), and our mentoring book (Blessed Journey). Everything is coming together and look so forward to being caught up.....soon!
I started posting on our blog several times but continue to get distracted with family stuff, so I've decided just to start from today as if I'm just beginning a blog....so, I hope to post more regularly....but really love to read everyone's blog's and keep up with such amazing families and their lives!
Our recent stuff:
We just came home from an awesome weekend in Nashville at the Shaohannah's Hope retreat! It was a "retreat" for us and enjoyed seeing many old friends we have made over the last three years and met so many new people this year. God showed up in such a big way, he repaired an old friendship, we were blessed by an awesome speaker (Tony Nolan) and heard the Children of the World Choir! We feel so priveledged to know the Chapman's (Steven and Mary Beth) and know God will continue to bless Shaohannah's Hope as they move forward in building an orphan care facility in Luoyang China. As Tony Nolan says "Go God"!
We are leaving for Ohio in the morning and will be home on Sunday....hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving and finds much to be thankful for!!

First Fridays - China Adoption Journey

Well, we have moved and this is our new location....North Metro Church! We had a great night and appreciate Jimmy Casto's music and Tony Nolan really blessed us with a great message! I know God has his "brush" ready to add a new face to the Chapman family canvas! Enjoy these pictures! When Angela gets home, I hope she will show me how to do these pictures in a slideshow !! :) Thank you Michael Christopher for these great pictures!

Welcome to First Fridays - China Adoption Journey

Angela, Laney, Catherine and Lennah (Tammy in background - will these thoughts come up on her devotion page?)

Laura, Kim and Michael (fund raising ideas?)

Michael and Sheridan

Lennah and Laney (new friends at FF)

Erik, Pete and Mark (what's your theory on "the wait"?)

Amy, Mark and Rebecca (could this be another red thread moment?)

Dick, Karen and Bruce (now they look happy!)

Pete and Julie (we're good at waiting!)

Jimmy Casto (he's never seen so many families with Chinese kids at one time! I think we hurt him bad! Sorry Jimmy!!)

Tony Nolan (you are awesome!)

Sheridan wants to say Hi!

Lily, Heather, Michelle and Liz

Our newest FF friends

Thank you everyone for coming! Our website is almost done.....we will send you updates on this and also look forward to the next months guest speaker, Craig Bowler! We have some special music guests to announce, working around tour schedules etc...but look forward to what God has in store for First Fridays as these musicians come by to share our journey with us!

Happy 5th Birthday MiMi!!

My friend Reese!

The morning of my 5th b'day! My first party is at school.....

Mt. Paran school party!

My dad loves me BIG

Sisters forever! and Cool presents....

My second cake, first one was cookie cake at school

I am officially 5 years old!

A tea party ....

My friend Analiese, our birthdays are one day apart!

Ashley looks so tall! She's been 5 for awhile... My friend Abby, she is so beautiful in her pink dress

My sweet friend Shay Lu, I may be a little bigger than her!

That's it ...wonder what we will do next year?

Life is moving so fast lately that I've decided not to catch up on what I haven't posted and to just begin with "right now"! MiMi is now officially 5 and Dan is 50 and well, I'm just a few years younger than Dan.... ! haha My days are full and we have been so blessed with everything coming up with First Fridays and Blessed Journey Mentoring program ....stay tuned.