!!!!!!! Article 5 to America !!!!!!!

This morning we recieved a call from Karla saying that our Article 5 Letter was just successfully turned in to the CCAA! We will now begin our wait for the Travel Approval (TA) and we are approximately 3 weeks from it! This is so exciting! Each time something moves along, reality sets in just a little bit more! This is really happening! Its been happening for a year and 5 months, but now we can all see the finish line! :D



We have decided that my parents, my little sister Carli, and I will be going to pick up Caelyn Yi. Carson and Casey are indefinite as of now. My parents have refinanced our house, and we are now financially prepared to travel- thanks be to God! :)



Please pray for my Chinese! :) It's a very tough language, and I can't imagine speaking it as a fist language and trying to learn ESL (English as a Second Language)! I'm learning slowly but surely! We'll see how well I'm doing once we get to China, but I do have to remind myself incessantly that I've only been taking it for one semester. Also, my family wants to learn a little Chinese. :D On the subject of learning, please pray that whenever we do travel, we wont get too far behind in school. When the time finally comes, Carli and I will be missing atleast 2 weeks of school. Just the thought scares me, especially as a Junior in my high school. We would appreciate it if you'd keep us in your prayers as we travel!



Today was a great day! We got the call from Karla, and soon after that a very encouraging call from our beloved relative in an Atlanta treatment facility. He seems to be doing very well, and even creating beautifully artistic Christmas presents for his family since he has no money. It was so neat to hear him sounding so healthy!



Thank you for your prayers! And thanks to anyone who has donated stuff for Caelyn Yi! In case anyone is wondering, we believe she wears a size 4 or 5T, shoe size: 10 (I can't remember exactly... don't write that one down.) Thanks again!



In Him,
Chelsey :)

It's Never Not Time to be Thankful

Well, I'm not sure what to say. I suppose "Happy Thanksgiving" would be appropriate, but the current aura in our house says something different. It doesn't feel like Thanksgiving, and quite frankly, the Bennett household is not in a particularly celebratory mood. Our family has been on extaordinarily high stress levels all week. One of my close relatives is now in a treatment facility for depression/anxiety/insomnia, etc, which is adding emotional turmoil to the family. I love this individual so much that I share in his suffering. Granted, not nearly as much as my his parents, but the mutual burden remains. If you get the chance, please pray for him. He just went through an emotional break-up, and is now being housed in a treatment facility (unfamiliar to him) away from his family during the holiday. (I don't release all information simply beacause it is not necessary. God hears us when we call, and he knows our hearts. You don't have to know someone's name to pray for them.)

Beyond the constant reminder of this individual's absence, my family is very excited about the adoption. We are incessantly reminded of God's divine plan for us, Yang Yi, and our relative in need. We know it is not our plan, but God's and we know that He fulfills His promise for our own hope, benefit, and future (Jeremiah 29:11). We don't understand everything that's going on right now, and we don't know how treatments will go for our loved one... all we know is that a sovereign, loving, all-powerful, all-knowing God is watching and holding onto us for our dear lives. (And we will always remember to have H.O.P.E.)

It seems that there's never a dull moment in the Bennett household. Theres always some sort of drama, stress, or waiting. Then again- that's life. God promised us that we would suffer. Life is not all "honky-dory". We are sinners in need of the cleansing blood of Christ, and being constantly reminded of this is something to be thankful for. I never want to go a day without being reminded of Christ's steadfast love and abundant mercy.

So, on that note, I want everyone to know that amidst the pain and suffering, beyond the yearning and waiting, I AM THANKFUL for Christ's love and mercy, and I am thankful because of it. I am thankful for the beautiful ways that He's touched my heart (and used other's hearts to touch mine). I AM THANKFUL that he made this treatment opprotunity so clear and gave his parents wisdom. I am thankful that Carson, my brother got to come home for Thanksgiving, I AM THANKFUL for IHOP, where we ate Thanksgiving dinner (no one really felt like cooking or cleaning given the circumstances). I am thankful for God's beautiful creation and the people He's used to further our knowledge of it. I AM THANKFUL for so much in my life right now! Yet the cool thing is: I will never be able to appreciate all of what God has done for me. never. and for that: I AM THANKFUL. I am so thankful that I will never be too thankful. I am so thankful that God will always be more than enough for me. I AM THANKFUL.

I want to encourage you all right now, that even if you're not celebrating Thanksgiving in the typical way, it's never not time to be thankful.

In Him,
Chelsey :)