Merry Christmas Mom!

My heart mourns.  Just as we are recovering from the life changing loss of our beloved Joanna, I received an urgent call from my brother, Daniel, on Tuesday morning, December 4th, that Mom passed away during the night.  She had complications resulting from knee surgery that forced her into several visits in ICU.  After overcoming those, and being released from the hospital to continue therapy on her knee, she was transferred to the rehab facility Monday afternoon.  She went to sleep that evening, to wake up in Glory.

She was a wonderful woman of God, who loved Jesus with all her heart.  She loved her children too, sacrificing nearly everything to see that our needs were met.  We take great comfort in knowing that she now resides in paradise, loving on her baby granddaughter, Joanna.  Jesus said in John 14:1-3 “Your heart must not be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in Me. ² In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if not, I would have told you. I am going away to prepare a place for you. ³ If I go away and prepare a place for you, I will come back and receive you to Myself, so that where I am you may be also."

This verse gives me comfort.  I know that she is with our Savior.  I know that Joanna is there also.  I know, that one day, we will be reunited.  Until then, I am jealous.  Jealous that they live in a place without pain and sickness.  Jealous that they get to be in the full presence of Christ, who died for our sins.  But isn't that the best kind of jealousy?

As we poured over old family pictures, and reminisced of days gone by, I recalled the wonderful times we had together.  I choose to keep those memories closest to my heart.  Though my heart mourns, it is not troubled.  Although sad, it rejoices, knowing that Mom is spending this Christmas with Jehovah-Yahweh.  There can be no better place.

Merry Christmas Mom!  We miss you.

Helen Joann Keevan Jones

(October 18, 1942 - December 4, 2012)

Since Heaven has a new angel this year, we decided to place her on top of the tree.

Joanna's Tribute

Here is the tribute I wrote for Joanna.  Our wonderful friend, Pastor Ernie Willis, read this at her  service today...

Two years ago Cindy and I finally answered God's call to adopt. I dont recall the exact day, but we both heard that still small voice. It started growing in volume until it reached a creshendo we could no longer ignore.
In the Bible, God refers to us as His adopted children. Galations 4:4-6 reads "But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons."

In the same spirit that He adopted us, we too, are called to care for the orphans...
"Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you." James 1:27

Over these past two years we learned patience. Patience as we waited on paperwork to be processed. Patience as we waited to be matched with a child. When Lifeline Children's Services sent us the file on Chen Qianting, we knew she was our daughter. Her eyes penetrated my very core.

We don't know much about her history. She was abandoned in a city park in Guangzhou, China at just a few days old. She was placed in a local orphanage where she lived until we picked up our sweet baby girl. Upon seeing her in person, our hearts melted even further. She quickly opened up revealing a beautiful personality.

Joanna loved to play with her tea set, and terrorize her older brother Joshua. She had bonked him with any empty water bottle so many times he started covering his head and dodging whenever she walked by.

When we arrived back home, she immediately took to Mark, and spent hours on end chasing him around the house, and climbing in his lap. Caitlin keeps a spare pony tail holder on her wrist. She was telling me the other night how much she missed Joanna trying to take it for her own purposes. She has blessed us beyond measure. The God of the Universe knew exactly what He was doing by placing her in our home. Joanna got to experience love like never before. She loved to dance and spin around the room. Although we did not yet understand her words, she sang beautiful songs to us.

Jesus said, in Matthew 19:14, "Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven." Isaiah 40:11 tells us "He will tend His flock like a shepard; He will gather the lambs in His arms; He will carry them in his bosom..."

When the Dr at Childrens Hospital described the situation Saturday night like trying to catch a train that was already leaving the station, I pictured Joanna, having just seen Jesus, running into His arms. Nothing could stop her.

She was never ours to keep, but an angel on loan from God. He called her home to rest in His loving arms, and we rejoice with her. She gave us a gift we never deserved, and can never repay.

While we mourn her passing, and wonder how to fill this gaping hole in our hearts, we are encouraged by Psalm 34:18. "The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit." We anxiously await being reunited with her smiling face, and infectious laughter. We look forward to praising the Lord of all Creation, with her by our side.

I want to close with this thought, as it is heavy on my heart. Joanna's time with us was so very short. No one knows the day or time of their passing. Are you teaching your children about Jesus? Do you have a personal relationship with Him? I cannot imagine going through this journey without Him. Please take the time to share Jesus with your children, family, and friends.

Romans chapter 10 explains everyone who calls upon the Lord will be saved, but how can they call on Him if they have not believed? How can they believe in Him if they have not heard? How can they hear, if we dont tell them?

Sweet Joanna

Joanna Chen Jones - 10/24/2010 - 8/19/2012

Sunday morning, our precious baby, Joanna, went home to be with the Lord. Though we only knew her a short time, she blessed our lives with such joy. Please pray for our family, as we mourn her loss, but rejoice that she is now complete in Jesus.

Funeral Services for Joanna will be held on Thursday, August 23, 2012 at 11:00 a.m. at First Baptist Church of Trussville with visitation at the church from 9:30 a.m. until 11:00 a.m. Rev. Buddy Champion and Rev. Ernie Willis will officiate. Burial will follow in Jefferson Memorial Gardens.

In lieu of flowers, please support Lifeline Children's Services, 2104 Rocky Ridge Road, Birmingham, Al. 35216. All donations made in memory of Joanna will go to provide necessary surgical procedures to children in the orphanges they partner with. Please make checks payable to Lifeline Children's Services, and write 'In Memory of Joanna' in the notes section.

Time in a Bottle

Jim Croce wrote "But there never seems to be enough time, To do the things you want to do, Once you find them".  That is so true.  I had these grandiose plans of updating the blog right after we got home.  I was going to post videos, pictures, stories from across the world, and more importantly, update everyone on the newest God sent blessings to the Jones Clan.  I haven't been able to do these things yet.  The excuses are many.

Computers weren't working.  Drawers had fallen apart.  Ants were making a final push to take over the kitchen counter top.  I forgot to arrange to have the yard cut.  We've finally repaired the cabinetry, repelled the invasion, and trimmed the grass.  Cindy has started restocking Mother Hubbard's empty cupboard.  Life is slowly returning to some semblance of sanity, so let me begin the promised updates...

Joshua is slowly coming out of his shell.  He has really attached to Caitlin, who is playing the role of little mom, quite adeptly I must add.

Joanna is charming us all with her smile.  Check out this one Mark received...

The kids made a beautiful Welcome Home poster for the Double J's.

I'm extremely proud of how the kids have been handling the situation.  Caitlin and Elizabeth are helping feed, bathe, and change diapers.  Mark has become the entertainer.  Even John has stepped up and was recently awarded the diaper-to-trash ferryman award.

I had forgotten how much trouble 2 year olds could be.  Joanna has to touch everything.  She is already adept at changing the tablet desktop such that I have no idea what screen we are on, or what apps are running.  Joshua has been cooking up some tasty meals on the Fisher Price kitchenette.

Probably the hardest thing we are dealing with right now is figuring out what sets Joshua off.  He'll being playing just fine, then throw himself backwards into a screaming fit.  It takes a bit for him to calm down, but then all is fine for a while.  I'm sure he is going through a greiving process, I just wish we could figure out what the trigger is.  That being said, he is making tremendous progress.  These fits would last 10 to 20 minutes while we were still in China, but now they are usually over in a few minutes.

We know that God has a plan for these little ones, and our part is to love them, care for them, and insure them that they are in there forever home.  As we introduce them to Jesus, and share there story with the world, there is no telling how many lives will be impacted.  How many more families might be encouraged to adopt.

Ecclesiates chapter 3 delves into the mystery of time.
There is an occasion for everything, and a time for every activity under heaven: ² a time to give birth and a time to die;  a time to plant and a time to uproot;
³ a time to kill and a time to heal; a time to tear down and a time to build;
⁴ a time to weep and a time to laugh;  a time to mourn and a time to dance;
⁵ a time to throw stones and a time to gather stones;  a time to embrace and a time to avoid embracing;
⁶ a time to search and a time to count as lost; a time to keep and a time to throw away;
⁷ a time to tear and a time to sew; a time to be silent and a time to speak;
⁸ a time to love and a time to hate; a time for war and a time for peace. 
⁹ What does the worker gain from his struggles? ¹⁰ I have seen the task that God has given people to keep them occupied. ¹¹ He has made everything appropriate^[b] in its time. He has also put eternity in their hearts,^[c] but man cannot discover the work God has done from beginning to end. ¹² I know that there is nothing better for them than to rejoice and enjoy the^[d] good life. ¹³ It is also the gift of God whenever anyone eats, drinks, and enjoys all his efforts. ¹⁴ I know that all God does will last forever; there is no adding to it or taking from it. God works so that people will be in awe of Him. ¹⁵ Whatever is, has already been, and whatever will be, already is. God repeats what has passed.^[e]

This is our time to answer God's call, to give birth to an extended family, to plant the seeds of God's love in their hearts, to heal their emotional wounds, to tear down walls they have built around their hearts, to build a bridge to the love of Christ.  This is our time to weep with them as they say goodbye to their old lives, and laugh with them as they experience a new joy.  Time to embrace them, and search for their paths in life.  Please pray that we will be Godly parents to all the children, instilling in them the love Christ has for us.  As we will be heading to the doctor in the next few weeks to determine the best course of action to mend their physical ailments, please pray that God will guide our choices, and bless the doctors with wisdom in recommending the appropriate procedures.

As always, Thank You for your support.  Your prayers, thoughts, meals, clothes, cards, EVERYTHING.  God has blessed us in so many ways.  One major way has been YOU, our friends and family!  A special shout out to Granny and Grandma, who kept the 4 monkeys at home, while we travelled the world, retrieving two more precious children of God.  The sacrifice these two wonderful women made can never be repaid, only praised.

Update

The medical exams went well. Nothing new showed up during them but since Joshua is 2 he had to have a TB test. On our way to the zoo Monday we stopped by the clinic for them to check his TB test and it was negative. The zoo was very hot and a lot of walking. The J's seemed to enjoy looking at the animals. (well I, Cindy, posted this but couldn't figure out to change who was posting it.)

Tea party!

In the midst of travelling here for this paperwork and there for that picture, the Double J's took time out for a tea party.  This is the first time we have actually seen Joshua stand up and walk on his own.  Joanna accidentally whacked Joshua on the head with an empty water bottle.  Now he covers his head and ducks when she walks too close.  They are playing well together, and opening up a little more each day. 

We visited Joanna's orphanage today.  The facility was very nice.  All the kids seemed happy.  We got to meet one of her nannies, and her nurse.  Joanna was more than happy to stay in my arms and just wave.

Tomorrow they get the medical exams.  Cindy and I can't wait to get back home, see our other kids, and eat some real food.  God bless everyone for your prayers and support.

We have Joanna!

Joanna's gotcha day was different from Joshua's. We had to go get her and she wasn't a happy camper. The poor baby cried for about 20 minutes or so. After we got in the van she calmed down then had one more crying spell. She is attached to her daddy and he can already make her laugh.

God is good!

OK,  so now my mind has cleared somewhat.  I will try to put a few things in perspective.  First, I cannot type worth a flip on this tablet, so if there are crazy words, please overlook.

God is so good.  What more do I need to say?  He brought us down this adoption road, and He ain't done yet.  First, He was there for the beginning leg.  When we arrived in Nashville kinda late in the evening, we were worried about missing the last shuttle to the hotel.  You guessed it...  The shuttle was loading immediately in front of us when we exited the parking deck.  God took care of it.

After arriving in Beijing, we felt lost as the signs were difficult to follow and my southern drawl must have confused the people at the airport.  I was trying to figure out where to pick up our luggage for the connecting flight to Nanchang (rhymes with man sang).  The poor security guard did not understand me.  When I showed him our ticket, he said 'Ah, you go to Nanchang (rhymes with man song).  Now shouldn't that be spelled Nanchong? 

Anywho, now headed in the right direction for baggage pickup we jumped on an automated shuttle that goes like 5000 miles per hour.  Still shaken from breaking the sound barrier in a bus travelling backwards, we stumble into baggage claim to be told our bags got left behind in Chicago.  Not one, but both.  This is the part where God stepped in again.  While the baggage claim people were frantically trying to locate our luggage, off it rolls onto the belt.  Cindy and I grabbed the two peices, and flagged down the baggage guy.  He was very apologetic for the confusion, and insisted on helping us get to our connecting flight. 

So God made the luggage appear, but he went a step further.  This airport employee put our luggage on a cart, dragged us half a mile to a bus that drove to the other terminal, which I believe was on the other side of Beijing.  The employee escorted us through the China Southern ticket station all the way to customs to get our luggage checked.  I truly believe we would have missed our connecting flight were it not for the young man God placed in our path.  It gets even better.

When our guide, Mary, met us in Nanchang (chong, remember), she was amazed that our flight was on time.  Apparently, bad storms had delayed every flight by several hours, except the one we were on.  Ours was only 10 minutes late. 

Every travel guide I read about Nanchang(chong) said to pack for rain.  Some adoption travel guides suggested multiple shoes so the other pair could be drying.  How many times has it rained on us since we got here?  None.  It stopped raining when we went to the local market, police station, notary, government adoption agency, everything.  Mary took us to the famous Tengwang Pavilion, and commented she had never seen it so empty, and been able to tell the whole story of the pavilion without interruption.  Must have been the rain keeping people at home, but I never got a drop on me. 

The cool thing is, I believe all of these are just more confirmation that we are following God's will in our lives.  Thank you for all your prayers and thoughts.  A few more days in Nanchang, before flying to Guangzhou to pick up Joanna.  If I can figure how to get pictures off my camera, onto the tablet, I'll post.  Otherwise those will have to wait until we get home.  God bless each of you!

Joshua is here!

Not long after being dropped off by the orphanage, Joshua fell asleep.  Such a busy day for this little man.  I spent all day trying to figure out how to post pictures from this tablet.  Now that my brain is shot, maybe Cindy will provide
some details.

We made it!

We landed in Nanchang last night.  Been working on access all morning.  Now that all is well,  We are gonna eat and pick up some supplies.  More details later.

Joshua!!!!

Here is an updated picture of Joshua!!! Isn't he cute?

And the winner is...

Thanks to everyone for donating to our adoption, and taking a chance on a HTC tablet.  God has blessed us beyond imagination to have such caring and helpful friends.  Congrats Michele.

It starting to look like 4 to 6 weeks before we head out to get our babies.  Getting close.  Praise the Lord!

The number two

The number two is significant in the Bible.  Starting in Genesis, God created two people.  Eve completed Adam. Later in the book, Noah was instructed to bring two of every animal into the ark.  Matthew 22:36-40 talks about the two greatest commandments. ³⁶ “Teacher, which command in the law is the greatest?”  ³⁷ He said to him, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. ³⁸ This is the greatest and most important command. ³⁹ The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. ⁴⁰ All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commands.”   The number two is used 21 times in the books of Daniel and Revelation.

Ok, so your asking yourself, "Where is this nut going with all this?"  Let me get straight to the point.  God has laid it on our hearts to adopt TWO orphans.  In addition to Joanna Chen Jones, we are tremendously blessed to introduce Joshua Hong Jones.  Please join us in rejoicing and praising our Father in heaven. 

This photo was taken when he was 6 months.  We're working on getting an updated one, as he is almost two.

Tablet Raffle

Announcing the latest fundraiser...
We are selling raffle chances to be the proud owner of a brand new HTC EVO View 4G tablet.

This is an awesome 7 inch Android tablet, but you can click on the link above for all the details...

Raffle chances are $10 each, or 5 for $40.

As you are probably aware, we are raising money to bring our babies, Joanna and Joshua home from China. Please consider helping in this effort, and maybe score a groovy tablet in the process. (I had to say GROOVY, because Cindy can't stand it)

To enter, click on the donate link in the upper right of the blog. We'll do the math for the number of entries. Another way to enter is to just see Cindy or me in person.

We greatly appreciate everyone's help in this endeavor. God has certainly blessed us with such great family and friends!

A Lesson in Patience

Patience is difficult.  It is not in our DNA.  Patience is something we strive to obtain, but struggle to achieve.  In spite of this, the Bible makes it clear that we are to practice patience. 

1 Thess. 5:14 - "And we exhort your brothers...be patient with everyone."
Rom. 12:12 - "Rejoice in hope, be patient in affliction, be persistent in prayer."

Many of you know Cindy and I have been pursuing adopting a special needs child from China.  This is a special calling that God has placed on our hearts.  He would not let us look the other way.  When we finally accepted His call, we thought we were prepared for what was to come.  We talked extensively with several friends with adopted children.  We studied all the required materials.  We prayed, and then we waited.  And waited.  Our patience was being tested.

It's funny that we just finished a study on patience in our Sunday Small Group study.  God's timing is perfect.  One scripture that really stuck out to me was James 1:2-4 "Consider it great joy, my brothers, whenever you experience trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.  But endurance must do it's complete work, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing."

God must have determined that we've made progress in this area of patience. It gives me great joy to introduce to you, the newest member of Our Jones Clan, Joanna!  Praise be to God, the Creator of all things!

Please join us in praising Him for this beautiful little girl, and the privilege and honor of calling her daughter.  Continue to pray for the remaining steps of the adoption, and for God's unerring hand to guide us through.  Thank you for all your support and prayers over the past year.  As you can see, they have not been in vain.