We have our match!

I just posted pictures without talking about her! These computers are sometimes too smart! We got a phone call 11/9/07! Fu Ni Qing needs a mommy and a daddy! She lives in the Fuzhou Social Welfare institute in Jaingxi Province, China! She was born 9/16/06. (9 months exactly from the day I heard "conception") (weird huh!) Her only special need is she is short! The doctor thinks it is just a nutrition thing. We hope that is the case but are prepared for something more!

This is Rebekah Faith Otto

Prayer Request

In Spetember of this year we were getting worried about the finances of this journey. Our roof needs to be replaced and our shower is leaking. All of these things take money. That money is earmarked for our adoption. On labor day we were talking with a friend of ours and he specifically asked how our finances were going. We said that we were thinking about backing out of the adoption because the Lord hadn't provided yet! He said we couldn't do that and he wanted to throw a fundraiser for us. (We had been praying for just one person to come along side of us and help us do some fundraising!) Well, now we are 3 weeks away from the big night. We are hoping to raise enough money for our adoption and to start a fund to help others along this same journey. Many people have what it takes to raise another child but just don't have the "initial start up fee!" Please pray along with us that the Lord will bring enough people to this fundraiser to bless our work! Many people have already put in long hours into preparing for this night! Alos pray that if the Lord sees fit, that He will bring in enough money to start our own 501c3.

Also, pray for our little Fu Ni Qing in China. We know she doesn't know anything about us, but pray that the Lord will prepare her heart for us! Pray for these next 4-5 months, that she may get the nutrition she needs and the touch that she needs. Hopefully, this will be an easy transiton for her! (and for the 5 of us!)

The Journey continues!

Shortly after the concert, Jeff and I couldn't stop talking about this possibility. One afternoon, while we were in deep converstion, our 4 year old came around the corner and said, "Mom, Dad, Maggie needs a sister!" The timing was weird! Then, one night, Jeff and I were closing up the house. Jeff looked at me and said, "Do you really think we ought to try adoption?" Just as he finished the question the news said..."if you are thinking about adoption, stay tuned!" We couldn't believe our ears. January 7 there was an informational meeting at the adoption agency nearby. I hired a babysitter and we decided that if Jeff did well on getting his wisdom teeth out (which happened the day before) and wasn't in too much pain (which normally he is a baby when it comes to that kind of thing) we would go to the meeting. Jeff was doing great the morning of the 7th so we decided to go to the meeting! On the way there, I heard a song about orphans on the radio. When we pulled up into the parking lot I told Jeff we could back out now! He said no, that God was too loud. I told him about the song that played on our way here. He said that is funny because he prayed that God would affirm this decision one more time with a song on the radio. He did not hear the song because he fell asleep because of the tooth medication. We both got out of the car and into the meeting.

Now, initial paperwork is over and the waiting is done! Well, sort of! We put ourselves on the Special needs waiting list in Jan. 2007. The wait was getting longer and longer so we thought we better try this route if our girls were going to be close in age. Friday, November 9, 2007 we got the call that a little girl in China needs a mommy and a daddy! Her name is Fu Ni Qing, born September 16, 2006 (40 weeks exactly from the night of the concert when Jeff said he was ok with this idea!) She was found September 30, 2006. Her only special need is that she is short! (Jeff said that from his perspective, all Chinese people are short!) We are so excited about this little one and can't wait to bring her home!

The journey began!

It was the year 2002. With one child in Kindergarten and 2 more in diapers, our life was chaos! It was good chaos though...and very full. One afternoon, I had a few moments of quiet so I sat down and read my Bible. I had been studying Genesis and how the Lord loved His people. I knew that kind of love. The Lord choose to reveal that kind of love when I birthed each one of my children! I grew a new heart each time another was born. My question that day was "Lord, how can You love me, a gentile, when you chose Abraham's descendants?" The Lord said very softly.. . I want you to experience what it means to be grafted into a family...I want you to adopt a child for me...then you will know how I can love you!" I thought I was crazy. Remember, life was full! I told God that I would be up for that but He would have to work on Jeff's heart. I promised the Lord that I would only tell Jeff once and let Him do the rest. Well, I told Jeff, and he got mad! You see, I have a lot of crazy ideas....Jeff is used to that. He usually listens to my ideas and affirms my thought process and allows me to come to the conclusion that this will not work. NOT THIS TIME. Jeff got mad! So I dropped the idea. Everytime the thought of adoption would come to mind I would say a quick prayer of "Lord, I'll do it but You need to soften Jeff's heart!"



I held onto this idea for 2 years. We got rid of all of our baby things. Just when I was preparing for the youngest to go to Kindergarten (and "freedom" was around the corner) I felt the Lord say..."get prepared and watch!" Many things started to happen. The pastor gave a sermon on priorities, the soccer coach was in the process of receiving their daughter from Korea, Jeff met a co-worker that was in the middle of an adoption. ... I asked Jeff for tickets to Stephen Curtis Chapman concert for Christmas. Little did I know this concert was to be one to raise funds for adoptions. We walked into the arena and Jeff said...I think the Lord is softening my heart towards the idea of adoption.