My Final Plea

UPDATE! Someone commented and asked if I would create a new chipin so y'all could see how God is working by watching it grow. So, that's what I've done. I named this Chip In, "Christmas with Kalia." Please make any further donations to the Christmas with Kalia Chip In

This is it, we are literally down to the wire. I am a wreck right now and I simply do not know what to do. I feel like I am walking around in a fog.

We got our itinerary last night from our agency and the only thing they are waiting for is for us to book our US to China flights which are going to be about $5000 which includes Kalia's return flight home.

We can't. We simply do not have the money. The travel fees are a bit more than we thought they would be plus the extra "surprise" fees that came up on Friday have set us back. So, it doesn't look to good right now.

And to top it off, our gotcha day for Kalia would be Christmas Day. I had secretly been hoping and praying that we would meet her on Christmas, but did not think it was even an option with Christmas falling on Sunday this year. I was completely surprised when I saw that we would travel to the Civil Affairs office on Christmas day to meet her. I have been an emotional wreck since. I honestly cannot imagine a better gift than to know that she shares her gotcha day with the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

But, reality is really setting in and I just keep telling myself I need to accept the fact that it is not going to happen. I will be honest, I am throwing a pretty big pitty party for myself right now.

We have waited so long to bring Kalia home. She has waited even longer for her family. I just cannot imagine either of us having to wait any longer.

Matt and I stayed up pretty late last night researching flights and trying to find the cheapest ones. We really aren't finding anything under $2800. Finally we gave up and went to bed. I didn't really sleep much last night. If I did fall asleep I woke up thinking of ways we can get the money.

We have had many suggestions. Some have suggested credit cards. Matt and I decided a long time ago that we were not going to use credit cards for anything. So, we don't' have any. Some people have suggest that since we would be eligible for the tax refund we ask for a loan. We don't' really know anyone who cold loan us $5000 right now. So, we are still trying to figure this out and continue to pray.

It is simply NOT my nature to just give up. The more I think about and imagine the possibility of being face to face with Kalia on Christmas day, the more and more I feel the need to fight to bring her home. We have been fighting from day one to bring her home. We have fought and fought against Satan to stop us from bringing her home. I WILL NOT let him win. Especially when we are SO close. When I look at the big picture, $5000 is nothing. It is definitely ALOT of money, but when I really sit back and look at everything, it is a drop in the bucket.

My father in law is traveling with me and if we don't go this week, we will have to wait until the END of February to travel because of commitments he has with his job. Originally when we started this process and he asked if he could go, we should have traveled by summer, early fall at the latest, so his commitments were not even a factor. However, they are now.

I cannot imagine waiting 2 more months to get Kalia. This is just tearing me up inside. Emma is a mess. She has been so ready to meet her new sister. I had to take her to school late today because she had a doctor's apt and a friend called to ask how things were going. I of course started balling telling her what was going on. I tried really hard not to because Emma is so sensitive I didn't want her going to school worrying. I had to get off the phone to sign her in and as we were walking into the school, she grabbed my hand and said "does this mean we are not going to get Kalia for Christmas?" I simply answered, "honey, I don't know, but I am going to do everything I can."

The last thing I wanted to do was to ask for help, again. But at this point, I just do not know what to do. So, friends, family, readers, etc, this is my last and final plea for help. We simply cannot do it alone. I have said it many times before, "adoption takes a village."
Our tickets MUST be purchased today, so I am asking you to spread the word and pray, pray, pray. We need all the prayers we can get. If you cannot donate monetarily, pass it along to friends and family.

Matt and I have also decided that Kalia will be our last adoption, at least for awhile. Four adoption in 3 years has been not only a miracle, but exhausting in so many ways. Therefore, we have decided that once we get Kalia home we are going to start helping other families bring their children home. I will be doing fundraiser through my Cloud Nine clothing line and he is going to use his business to help as well. Adoption has touched us and blessed our lives in a way that I could have never imagined and we want to make sure that other families are able to experience those same blessings.