Yard Sale Success

Our yard sale was a success! We made $292 and sold just about everything (which was a big blessing). We met so many nice people. It was amazing because a lot of people shared with us their love and faith for God. We want to thank all of you who donated items for our sale. We had alot of nice things that were sold before 8:00am! God is still showering us with his blessings. At church Sunday we got a couple of donations from some members of our Sunday School Class. God led us to this Sunday school class in February and they have been so very good to us!! God has been with us from the very beginning and we know he will remain with us throughout this amazing journey. It is by His grace that this precious child living on the other side of the world will become our son!

Happy Father's Day

On this special day I wanted to share with you the story of my daddy, Dovard Tolbert Melton (also known as D.T.). I was a daddy's girl from the very beginning! Alot of people said I had my dad wrapped around my little finger, but it was really the opposite. In my eyes my dad could do no wrong! My daddy was 6'4'' of kindness and gentleness. I am who I am today because of my daddy's prayers and his witness to me about our Heavenly Father! My daddy loved to drink coffee and work in his garden. He had a green thumb and could make anything grow. He had the bluest eyes I've ever seen. He was a dedicated father and husband. He truly loved my mother! He was a hard worker and always provided for his family. He was a proud World War II veteran and a retired Correctional Officer for the State Prison System. He passed away in 1994 from a heart attack doing what he loved... working in his garden. It is hard for me to believe, but if he were alive, he would turn 83 July 21. I know my earthly father is with my Heavenly Father and that gives me tremendous peace. However, I still wish he were here to see how much my faith has grown over the years and to see me married to the love of my life. I wish he were here to play with Sam and teach him all the things he taught me. But in a way he is here with me. You see, my daddy left me a legacy.... an inheritance that is better than any amount of money. It is a legacy of prayer, faith, forgiveness, honesty, loyalty, love, patience, and kindness. A legacy that I will proudly pass on to Sam.

Sam's Finding Ad

This is Sam's finding ad. It was published September 1, 2006 in the "Jiangsu Legal System Paper" in the fourth row, second ad of that edition. This is what it says: "Name now: Zhang, Jin Hao, Sex: Male, On July 20, 2006 at 4:47am, he was found by the door of #7 of Region 5 of Group 10 in Qianxi Village, Yangshe Town, Zhangjiagang City. A very clear characteristic of his: He has 6 fingers on his right hand. He had a birth note and 200 yuan along with him. His birth date was June 9, 2006. He was sent into our Institute by the Chengdong Police Station, Zhangjiagang City on July 20, 2006."
It overwhelms me and warms my heart beyond belief that his parents cared so much for him that they left a note and money! I pray the orphanage kept these things for him. I know they will mean so much to him when he is older.

Happy 1st Birthday to Sam

Today is Sam's 1st birthday. We spent the day celebrating by getting his room ready. We went and got his crib and put it up! We also bought him a chocolate birthday cake and a gift (fisher price little people farm set). His Aunt Sherry got him Dr. Seuss' "Green Eggs and Ham" book (it is perfect for Sam I Am who likes steamed eggs). His Aunt Jo and Uncle Ted got him his first Alabama Crimson Tide baseball hat (ROLL TIDE)! Friends Shannon, Wayne, and Allison Claire got him some cute and in style clothes. We also got him a card and wrote something very special to him so he can read it years from now and know how much we loved and missed him on his 1st birthday. We then said a special pray for him. Even though he is on the other side of the world, he is here with us... close in our hearts. He is an answered pray and we know that God is keeping him safe. We also know that this will be his only birthday away from us. Tomorrow (June 10) is our 12th wedding anniversary. I think our love for each other grows stronger each day. Sam is the best anniversary gift ever!!! "Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends..." I Corinthians 13:7,8

Good News about Sam's Orphanage

We joined a yahoo group of other families who have adopted children from Sam's orphanage, Zhang Jia Gang SWI in Jiangsu Province. It seems that God has blessed us because the orphanage sounds like it cares a great deal about it's children. In fact, they like to keep in touch with the families once they return home. They even send the children Christmas cards every year! One of the families just returned from the orphanage and they think they saw Sam! They were given a quick tour of the orphanage and they remember seeing a beautiful healthy boy around 1 year of age. They remember him because it is rare to see what appears to be a healthy boy in an orphanage. We hope to get an update soon on Sam and to get permission to send him a care package. It also might be possible that we will be invited to tour his orphanage when we are in China. In the meantime, we got in touch with someone who does research on finding ads and he has found Sam's finding ad. When a child is abandoned, the orphanage places a finding ad in the newspaper hoping to find the birth parents. It includes a picture (much younger than the ones we have) and a description of where he was found and what he was wearing. I hope to get this soon and I will post it as soon as we get it in the mail. Isn't God amazing? He continues to give us peace about our precious Sam!! It seems it is a small world after all!