I have withheld this information for the last couple of weeks, hoping that we would get High Court Order, so that I could let you all know that we got High Court Order and we are travelling to Hong Kong. But, even though we don't have it yet, we have our travel itinerary! I find it quite unusual that I was able to make flight arrangements without having the HCO, but I'm OK with that. The social worker is confident that it will come in this upcoming week.
So here's how our life plays out in the next week and following. We leave June 7, bright and early in the morning, stop in Chicago with a 4 hour layover, and then on to Hong Kong, which we will arrive on June 8 in the evening. On the 9th, we'll sleep in and sight see a little bit (not much). Oh..... did I mention Ashton is coming with us? Yes, the social worker felt like Noah would transition better if he were with us. On the 10th, we finally meet Noah for lunch with a bunch of people. I think she said social workers, government officials, and the entire extended foster family. On the 11th, we go to Noah's school, meet his teachers, and talk to them about his academic abilities and what he needs extra help with. On the 12th, we have an extended visit with him doing whatever we want for at least half the day. I've been told not to push too hard on capturing "Hong Kong", but to focus on bonding. With this in mind, we will probably stick around the hotel and swim in the pool and maybe walk around the local area. If there is a park near by, we may go there. It is rainy season in Hong Kong right now, so the forcast doesn't look too favorable for a lot of outdoor activities. And then....on the 13th... he is officially ours. This is our Gotcha Day!!!! YEA! He will stay with us the rest of the time in Hong Kong, and we leave on the 15th.
Please pray for us while we are gone. Pray for safe travels. Pray for Noah that the transition for him will be easy. Pray for his foster mom, who is very anxious and sad that we are coming (she must love him very much). Pray for pretty weather while we're over there, and most of all please pray that God will use this experience to His Glory in whatever capacity he need to to bring someone closer to Him.
Thank you, and we'll be blogging again soon :)
