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Wednesday, February 6, 2013 ONE YEAR UPDATE! Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the rights of the afflicted and the destitute. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.” ~Psalm 82: 3-4 One year ago today a screaming, writhing, and terrified baby girl was placed in our arms. Sometimes we cannot see God working in our lives. And other times we receive the blessing of very clearly being able to see God at work, and over this past year, we have been given the gift of seeing God’s work in the life our precious daughter. This was the verse that we had claimed for Ellie long before we had her in our arms: “Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.” ~Isaiah 46:4 Our God IS faithful. He made her, and He has indeed sustained our precious girl from the very moment she was conceived in her birth mother’s womb. Ellie’s time in China was not easy on her. We know from a visiting mission team that Ellie spent much of her day sitting off by herself. Never smiling. Very afraid of strangers and not wanting to interact. It was a goal of one of the young women on the mission team to “get a smile out of her” before the week ended. At 21 months, she spoke no words in Mandarin. We saw Ellie cry (scream, actually) and push her nannies away on our orphanage visit, just 3 short days after we received her. We saw her head droop down and her entire demeanor change when we visited the little room that had been her home for her first 21 months. We saw firsthand the devastating effect that life in an institution had on our daughter, even though she had been there for less than 2 years. And even though her orphanage was a “good” Half the Sky orphanage. And although things didn’t look good on the outside, our God had indeed sustained His precious child. He protected her heart. He gave her the capacity to LOVE and receive love. He did rescue her. And He used some very imperfect vessels to accomplish His plan. It’s God’s plan for children to be loved and nurtured within family, and Ellie has positively flourished within our family. She is pure JOY! She loves BIG, and she has learned to TRUST. She is full of spunk and personality. She is bright, inquisitive, bossy and stubborn! She tries hard to please, loves to help, and has a tender heart. She eats well, sleeps well in her big girl bed, keeps her big girl panties “clean-dry” and keeps her siblings in line! She does not want to be the baby and is growing up WAY too fast for this mama. She’s a great little traveler and loves to be on the go. Her language has EXPLODED, and she chatters all the time. She doesn’t. miss. a. thing. And she’s in the middle of everyone’s business. She is SO extroverted, that it’s hard to fathom that she was ever sitting off by herself in the corner of an orphanage. And THAT is the grace of God. He changes lives. He heals hearts. He makes all things new. He gives a hope and a future. He redeems. We know that God has big plans for this littlest daughter of ours, and we are so thankful that He has chosen US to be a part of them. Each night, after giving Ellie her bottle, she snuggles her little head onto my shoulder, and I rock her and sing “Jesus Loves the Little Children, and “Jesus Loves Me.” And when we are finished singing she picks her head up, looks deeply into my eyes and says, “Jesus loves ME. Mommy and Daddy, too.” Yes, Elisabeth LiMeng, Jesus DOES love you. He made you and carried you. He sustained you. He rescued you. And He most certainly does love you. And your mommy and daddy love you, too. You are our indescribable gift. Our priceless treasure. Wanted. Chosen and cherished. Our beloved daughter. We are so very blessed. This will be our last post to this website. We thank you for following along on our journey, and if you care to keep up with our family, you can follow along here. “What I have said, that will I bring about; what I have planned, that will I do.” ~Isaiah 46:11

Gotcha Day~ Feb. 6, 2012 Fun at the Lake ~ June 2012 Cousin’s Wedding in MI~ July 2012 Sister Love~ Oct. 2012

Striking a Pose~ Nov. 2012


1st Thanksgiving ~ Nov. 2012


1st Night in the Big Girl Bed~ Nov. 2012


Will’s Graduation in TX~ Dec. 2012


1st Christmas~ Dec. 2012


Greenville~ Jan. 2013


One Year Later ~ Feb. 6, 2013

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