Thursday, June 15, 2006

Our Prayer Calendar

Thursday, June 15, 2006 by Laurel
Here’s some idea of what Dawn & Andrew (& Althea!) will be doing on their trip to China with prayer suggestions. The calendar reflects the date in Sioux Falls, so the events of most days will take place the following night while you sleep— technically the next calendar day in China. (Don’t worry about it, God can sort it out.)

Before the Trip
Please pray for our preparations, both for the trip and our home, and ourselves! Please pray for Althea, that her last days with her foster family will be happy, healthy ones.

Tues, June 20
We leave in the afternoon—flying through Minneapolis, Tokyo, Guangzhou, then to Beijing at 9:55 pm on the 21st (Sioux Falls time). Please pray that our travel will go well.

Wed., June 21
Still flying to Beijing. Whew! Pray that we will begin to adjust our sleeping schedule. Please also pray for others in our travel group—that their flights will connect well.

Thurs., June 22
We will be visiting the Beijing Panda Zoo while you sleep. Pray that we will be able to stay awake. Please also pray for our health. Many of the parents become ill.

Fri., June 23
We will visit the Great Wall of China. Please pray that we can be attentive as we try to learn as much as possible about our daughter’s birth country.

Sat., June 24
Orientation Day--Pray that we can pay attention.

Sun., June 25
We fly to Hunan Province to meet our daughter!
Please pray for her as she will have just taken an eight-hour bus ride over bumpy roads, then she will be handed to people who seem very odd to her. Pray that God would grant her peace and help her not to be too afraid. Pray for us that we will be patient with her fears and grief and will find good ways to comfort her.

Mon., June 26-Wed., June 28
Time to get to know each other. Please pray that we will be filled with love and patience and that Althea will learn that we can be trusted. Pray that she will continue to eat and drink well. Also please pray that we will not get sick from lack of sleep and exposure to new germs.

Thurs., June 29
We travel down to Guangzhou. Please pray for our first plane ride together.

Fri., June 30-Sat., Jul 1
Our first few days in Guangzhou will be mostly for cultural trips, some shopping, and most importantly—lots of bonding time! Pray that we will use our time well.

Sun., July 2-Tues., July 4
We will then be meeting with government officials to complete Althea’s immigration paperwork, and waiting for the papers to be processed. Please pray that we will be able to entertain Althea as we sit in boring waiting rooms. Pray for patience for us and that we will continue to learn and enjoy our time in China.

Wed., July 5-Thurs., July 6
We begin the trek homeward early in the morn (around 6 pm Sioux Falls time). Pray for all of us to have good plane rides (the longest one is 11 hours!) and that all of our connections go well. We do not have long layovers, but we sure don’t want to miss any flights. Perhaps you should pray for the other passengers around us too.

Post Trip
Please continue your prayers for us as we settle in at home. Pray that all three of us will be able to adjust to the time difference and be able to sleep (at least some) when it’s dark. Pray for us as we settle into our new life together at home—learning new routines, experiencing new challenges and joys.

Xie-xie (thank you!) for all your prayers!

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