the petersons

Working to combat slavery and human trafficking

noreply@blogger.com (Heather) — Wed, 08 Feb 2017 03:56:00 +0000

After spending the past two plus years back in the States I am now working more and more with businesses that are fighting human trafficking.

You can see what I've been up to at: www.kairostraders.com

Thank you everyone for your continued love and support!

the petersons

Life In America

noreply@blogger.com (Heather) — Sat, 13 Dec 2014 21:00:00 +0000

Hey everyone,

Well its been a couple weeks since we landed in the States and its been crazy. We first stopped in California to stay with some close friends of ours, the Faillas. Our time was spent hanging out, going to the beach and getting reintroduced to 'home'. It was awesome to see our kids loving the beach. Chris taught the girls how to boogie board and they absolutely loved it, it was just a really fun time. On Sunday I got to share in Chris' church a little about our story with Lily. I was really grateful for the opportunity. It was cool because this church that doesn't know us did so much to bless our family like borrowing us things we needed and helping us get around and picking us up from the airport. We were incredibly grateful.

We're now in Minnesota with my family! Its colder here than California (who knew?!). Its been great to be here with family and have our kids get to meet the people they've only seen on Facetime. In other news I had to take a written test to get my driver's license, because my last one expired. Not to worry, I passed! We're going to spend the next month in Minnesota continuing to see family and friends. It will be nice being here over the holidays as well. It was really cute seeing Lily meet her grandpa for the first time, super precious! (and I hate using that word). Lily has said that that she "LOVES" America and all the kids are really enjoying being back.

We do, however, have some needs that we want to share with you:

First, a van. As a large family we are on the lookout for a reliable family van. If you have one or someone you know has one that you would like to give to us (which is tax-deductible) or sell us for a reasonable price, let us know!

Second, a couple unlocked phones. We are looking at finding a phone solution for our family and if you have a couple unlocked phones or know someone who does we are interested!

Let us know if anyone could help out or would like to help out with these needs.

much love!
the petersons

The 26th.

noreply@blogger.com (Heather) — Fri, 28 Nov 2014 06:08:00 +0000

I've told this story many times before, but a new wrinkle has been added.

The day we met Lily and brought her home her foster mom was with us. When we met her I asked her when Lily's birthday was. She told me it was the day they found her at the train station, May 4th. My jaw dropped. I was so excited because that's my birthday! Then my translator explained that it was actually May 10th, not the 4th. The misunderstanding came because of this woman's accent and how similar she said 4 and 10.

My friend told me that that the orphanage has the final say in choosing her birthday.

A week later we called the orphanage and found out that her birthday was going to be November 26th. My jaw dropped. Because that's Heather's birthday! And that has been the day for the past four years.

Well as we were nearing the end of our adoption process we found out that our visa appointment for Lily, was going to be on November 26th, Heather and Lily's birthday!

So we had the appointment the other day and it went well. For Thanksgiving we took the kids to the zoo and had BK for dinner. Today Heather is picking up Lily's passport and visa. Tomorrow we get on a plane heading to the States.

much love,
the petersons

Love Everywhere

noreply@blogger.com (Heather) — Sat, 22 Nov 2014 02:40:00 +0000

(I wrote this a couple days ago, but am only posting it now)

Hi guys,

As I write this I'm sitting in a dark hotel room as four of our children are sleeping. Heather and Lily are out doing some adoption medical check-ups. It has been a crazy few days...

So we left a few days ago from Xining. Recently we had a falling out with our landlord and I thought I had wrapped up everything with our apartment the last week we were there. When we were leaving for the airport with all we owned we were stopped at the gate of our neighborhood. They refused to let us leave. I was told to head to the office before we could go. They called our landlord and said we couldn't leave. I was so stressed out. Even now I'm not totally sure why he wouldn't let us leave, but regardless we couldn't go. In my mind not only are we dealing with missing our flight, but also messing up the timeline of appointments for all our adoption work. I called a local friend who showed up 10 or so minutes later with his wife and then the manager of our apartment complex also arrived. They worked things out as I huffed and puffed my way back and forth through the office. (Friends of ours also started praying for us.) And we found out that they would let us leave. I was so relieved. It was honestly an incredibly tense moment. (Also thank you to all our friends who are still helping us to wrap up our apartments!)

We then made our way to the airport with our family of 7 and 9 bags (not including carry-ons). We got checked in (without having to pay any fees) and board our first flight as a family.

That night we arrived in Xian where we would stay with some friends. It was an incredible time. We felt so loved. The next day we went to the Civil Affairs building to finish the adoption. We also got to meet the official who months ago came to our home (and we were shocked to see how high up he is in the Xian adoption world, honestly). Everything went smoothly without any hiccups. That night we celebrated with our friends in the best way we know how, Indian food and cake!

At this point Lily is officially adopted! It does feel different, I can't say how, but it feels like a weight is slowly lifting from us. I say slowly, because I think it will feel even more removed after we get her visa and land in America. But. We're getting there.

The next day we arranged to meet with Lily's foster mom. In the past these meetings haven't gone so well, but we felt like it would be good for Lily (and the foster mom), so we made it happen. We met her and her son at a little cafe and the time went really well. I'm glad she was able to see a healthy, happy Lily with her family. She even gave our other kids gifts, which was sweet.

That afternoon I was able to meet up with one of my oldest and closest friends, Ethan. It was awesome to see him if even for only a little bit. We were able to hand him the money raised for their project and it was awesome to reflect on how far the work has come in the past few years.

That night we flew to Guangzhou. The flight was ok, but we got in at 10:30pm and, naturally, we were exhausted. It wasn't the greatest of moments. We got to our hotel and I watched as a bellboy let one of our pieces of luggage fall off a large stack of luggage. Shortly afterwards I walked over to the bag and noticed it was wet and my jaw dropped in disbelief (with a side of exhaustion and frustration) as I thought it could be Lily's medicine, which is crucial for her to take and not the easiest to replace on short notice. I then realized that it was only a bottle of Benadryl that was destroyed in the fall of of the leaning tower of luggage.

We got into our room and noticed it to be 'a bit tight' for our family of 7 for the next 11 days. We did our best to make places for everyone to sleep (because it was after midnight at this point). The next morning we found out that the pool we had been telling our kids about was, in fact, not open right now. I went to the manager and explained my situation. Shortly afterwards we were upgraded to a much larger room.

This morning Heather took Lily to the hospital for some tests that need to be done for our visa appointment. And now you know why almost everyone is sleeping in our dark hotel room.

We have been so blessed, by so many people, in so many ways, in so many places that it seems unfair. We're trying our best to receive God's gifts without trying to explain, justify, earn, or rationalize them. We are so grateful to so many of you.

much love,

the petersons

WOW! Got Our TA!

noreply@blogger.com (Heather) — Thu, 06 Nov 2014 04:14:00 +0000

I can't even believe what I'm about to write. Last night we found out that Beijing has already processed our travel approval (TA) and is going to be mailing it to us!

We thought we would be on this step for at least a week or ten days (and maybe up to 3 weeks), but its already done! It will come to us in the mail and then we will get our appointments in Xian and Guangzhou lined up.

This also means that we won't be needing to extend our visas, saving us money and stress.

We still don't know the exact dates of when we will be traveling, but we will keep you all posted as it happens.

much love,
the petersons

We Got Our Article 5

noreply@blogger.com (Heather) — Wed, 05 Nov 2014 04:36:00 +0000

Our Article 5 was issued on Monday. Now our information is being sent to Beijing and they will mail us travel approval. At that point we will be able to head to Xian and then Guangzhou to finalize our adoption. We are so close. Our visas run out December 4th, so its gonna be close.

Besides that I'm finishing up my teaching job this weekend and we are continuing to sell off our stuff. It seems to be going well, but there will be some stressful days ahead.

Much love,
the petersons

Little Fish Update

noreply@blogger.com (Heather) — Wed, 29 Oct 2014 01:15:00 +0000

Hi everyone,

Since I last wrote about our efforts to raise funds for Little Fish we have seen $500 come in! I'm really excited to see people stepping up to help these children. I would be thrilled if we could raise another $200 to hit our goal and if we raise more than that even better!

If you're interested in helping out email me.

Peace,
Matt

I 800 Approval

noreply@blogger.com (Heather) — Tue, 21 Oct 2014 10:07:00 +0000

We got our I 800 approval last week!

What that means is we are now filling out a few more items and then we hope to have Beijing give us travel permission in the next 5 weeks. Its going to be very close as we look to finish this before our visa expires.

Also we are selling off all our stuff here as we will not be seeking to rent another apartment here during our time in the States. Lots of transition. Lots of decisions to be made. But we are grateful He has carried us!

much love,
the petersons

Lets Help the Little Fish!

noreply@blogger.com (Heather) — Mon, 20 Oct 2014 03:18:00 +0000

Hi everyone,

For many years now I’ve followed the work of my friend, Ethan. He works with handicapped and disabled orphans. Some time back we raised money for his work ‘Little Fish’. Since then his work has grown. Currently their team is 7 people with volunteers sometimes bringing their numbers up to 20 when they go to the orphanages. They are also teaching their volunteers English and studying the Word once a week. They are working in two orphanages with 50 kids benefiting from their services and have just started working with a third orphanage for kids whose parents are in jail, which has another 40 children. In the future they want to branch out and work in orphanages in smaller surrounding villages.

I want to once again reach out to help Ethan and his Little Fish project. Little Fish is seeking registration to become an official NPO. This will help their work by allowing them to openly advertise their work; attracting local Chinese to volunteer and support them (without registration they can’t do this). It will also help them to develop more cooperation with orphanages in smaller cities and more remote places. With registration they will be able to organize larger performances and events. Finally, it will continue to strengthen their connections in the orphanages they are currently working in.

They need to raise $5,000 to complete their registration. As I write this a gift of $1,800 has been prepared for their work, but I would like to try and raise another $700 to add to this. (And if we can raise the whole $5,000 even better!)

A few years back I took Sydney to one of the Little Fish performances. At the time Sydney said to me “These kids are important to Jesus” and you know what? She’s right. They are important. They were important then and they are still important now. If you’re interested in making a tax-deductable gift towards this work please contact me at mattpeterson83@gmail.com.

Much love,

The Petersons

What's Happening With The Adoption

noreply@blogger.com (Heather) — Fri, 26 Sep 2014 06:25:00 +0000

Hi everyone,

Its been a long time since our last post. A lot has happened! I want to take this post to update all of you on what's happening with our adoption.

In the past few weeks we were matched with Lily.
Then a week or so ago we got our Letter of Acceptance (LOA).
Finally, we received a grant for $5,000 which means we have raised what we believe we need for the adoption.

Today I mailed in my I-800 application. If everything is in order we hope to go to Xian in the next couple months to sign paperwork at the orphanage, then head to Guangzhou to take care of more paperwork. Our visas run out December 4th, so we need this to happen in the next two months! To be home for Christmas would be a huge treat.

We are INCREDIBLY grateful to so many of you for your love, support and prayers. We truly could not have gotten this far in the process without you and without our Father who has literally carried us through so much during these past 4 years.

We love you,
the petersons

Mountains

noreply@blogger.com (Heather) — Sun, 03 Aug 2014 03:43:00 +0000

Hi everyone,

Its been too long since my last post. We had an awesome time a while back when we took our family up into the mountains. This trip has become kind of a yearly tradition. And our trip this year was a lot of fun.

Our kids had a fun time swimming a little in the decorative pond at where we stayed and playing with a lot of their friends. We got to make smores and spend time with a lot of our friends who also made the trip. We enjoyed the time and, of course, enjoyed being in the beauty of the mountains.

It was also the first year that we went and we were able to go hiking as a family (even if it was a short amount of time). And it was the first time as a family that we went to see the waterfall that's near where we stay and to hike a bit along the river that's there also. Finally it was the first time we got to go with Dan, Heather's brother.

much love,
the petersons

What Blocked Our Toilet?

noreply@blogger.com (Heather) — Fri, 13 Jun 2014 00:02:00 +0000

A few weeks ago we had some trouble with our toilet. We called a plumber who came and was able to pull out a kid's toy that had been causing the issue. In a family with five young kids, this is to be expected. A week ago our toilet, again, wasn't functioning properly. Once more we called the plumber. Heather and her brother Dan were in the living room when they heard the plumber react in a surprised way to what he discovered. They made there way to the bathroom to see what was going on. The plumber removed a dead fish. At that point Dan made a comment about which of our kids will confess to doing it. Aubrey's eyes got large and she took Heather's hand and lead her into the bedroom where she broke down confessing it was her fault. Well a toy I can understand, but a dead fish is quite another thing.

For the record its not often that my children play with fish. We have a small pond in our apartment complex that's stocked with fish. Some of the kids in our neighborhood caught one of the larger ones and for some reason it was left in our backyard in a bucket (unfortunately for the fish). Aubrey claims it was dead when she put it in the toilet.

Here's another conversation that sums up life with five kids:

My wife had just returned from a morning walk pushing Isaac.

Me: How was your walk?

Heather: I changed a poopy diaper with a plastic bag and water.

That’s right. My wife is the MacGyver of the parenting world.

A couple days ago we had to say goodbye to our friends the Faillas. They had been with us the past two and a half weeks and it was a great blessing to have them here. We really enjoyed our time and look forward to seeing them sometime in California!

We're seeing things happen with the adoption. Our dossier was sent to China and we're looking at 5-6 months for the process to be finished. We wrote a grant agency last week and are hoping they will help us with our adoption costs. Please lift this situation up asking for favor over our family.

much love,

the petersons

Visiting Friends

noreply@blogger.com (Heather) — Wed, 04 Jun 2014 00:49:00 +0000

Hi everyone,

A little over a week ago our very dear friends, the Faillas, came to Xining. We spent ten years working together and our first chunk of time in China we were with them. And our kids have been friends since birth. Its been such a blessing to have them here and to be able to spend so much time with them. Our kids have played together most of the waking hours since they arrived. Part of the fun has been that we got to put out our inflatable pool last week. We feel so blessed to have such wonderful friends. (And doubly blessed since we just had our friends the Klomps here!)

Yesterday, Heather and Sarah headed out for Xian. It will be nice for them to have some time together. And, of course, it will be nice for Chris and I to get to hang out.

Finally, I've been working at finishing up some applications for grant money for our adoption. If you think of us please lift us up and ask for favor. I despise doing anything paperwork related and am needing lots of grace to finish this process. I will keep all of you posted on what kind of response we get from these grant agencies.

much love,
the petersons

My Trip To Labrang and Langmusi

noreply@blogger.com (Heather) — Fri, 16 May 2014 08:42:00 +0000

Hi everyone,

I had the opportunity to take a four day trip with a couple friends into a couple different areas. Here's a look at my trip and some photos from it as well.

First we set-off for a city called Labrang. It was a six hour bus ride on some winding roads through Qinghai province and into the Gansu province. If I couldn't tell the road was winding the guy behind me could as he got sick multiple times during our trip. It was a pretty drive and we got to drive past the Yellow river. When we got to the Gansu border the road got muddy and bumpy. At one point we needed to get off the bus and walk through a small town, because the roads were so bad. Before this we stopped and got yak yogurt from a lady selling it out of a store. They dumped a packet of sugar in it and it wasn't that bad. Before we finished our bus ride there was one point when the driver had to get out of the bus and use a shovel/pick ax to fix the road.

We arrived in Labrang and it is one long street. The buildings have a certain Tibetan feel to them in their appearence. This area is known for having a large Tibetan monastery.

This is the outside of the monastery where Buddhists walk and spin prayer wheels. It took us 45 minutes to walk around the monastery.

Some of those walking around the monastery do a type of prostrating. They would take three steps and then lay down. Stand up. Then repeat as they made there way around the monastery. Others who are more hardcore would face the monastery and lay down, then get up and take one step to the side and repeat. We watched a large range of people doing this from young kids to old people, each wearing wooden blocks on their hands and cushions on their legs (to protect them as they lay down to prostrate themselves).

As we made our way down the river that ran through the city we came across a few monks practicing these instruments.

We climbed a hill to overlook the town and the monastery. That night we ate some Tibetan yak dumplings that were quite good.

After a couple nights in Labrang we took another four hour bus ride to a town called Langmusi. It sits at nearly 11,000 feet above sea level and is surrounded by mountains. The bus ride was great as we went through some grasslands and got to see some wonderful scenery. When we arrived in Langmusi we went to a hotel and found out that we could rent a Tibetan house for the evening for only $7.50 a night. I love doing stuff like this because I like new experiences and new stories.

So this was our house. Outside there were seven Tibetan mastiffs, which are capable of confronting wolves and leopards (according to Wikipedia). After we settled into our 'hotel' we made our way to a cafe in town. We got to eat yak pizza, which was good. I was enjoying all the different ways I was getting to eat yak.

After lunch we made our way through Langmusi. Here was a picture of one of the monasteries in town. There are two monasteries in town, one being in the Gansu province and the other in Sichuan.

Here's a picture of the street in town and the wonderful scenery that surrounds this town.

We tried to check out this monastery, but they wanted us to pay to enter and we refused. The Mosque across from the monastery allowed us to climb the minaret where I was able to take this picture.

Again, here's a picture contrasting the town and culture here to the landscape. It really was a great place to visit.

This was the room I stayed in for the night. I was excited when my friends told me they would use yak dung in the stove to heat the room. I was disappointed, however, that they used coal and not yak dung. At night we had a great chat with the lady who lives here; hearing about her life.

The next day I left and spent about 11 hours on the bus getting back to Xining. The trip was awesome and I was grateful to have done it.

much love,
the petersons

Our Time in Chengdu Part 2

noreply@blogger.com (Heather) — Wed, 30 Apr 2014 16:28:00 +0000

This will be my last post about our family trip to Chengdu. Sorry if I've dragged it out too long.

We left the retreat on Friday and made our way back into Chengdu to the Lazy Bones hostel. Its a great place to stay. We found out that the staff cleared out a dormitory style room for our family to use. So we had four massive bunk beds and the kids thought it was the best. After we checked in, the staff gave us seven free beer coupons, one for each person in our family (which included all of our kids). I thought this was already pretty funny and then the lady told us 'we don't advise small kids to drink beer'.

As we were driving through town Caleb said "I want to play on the green stuff" the 'green stuff' that he was referring to was grass. This is what happens when kids grow up in a city, they don't even know what grass is called.

Sunday we spent walking around People's Park which was really fun. They had a pond where you could feed fish. There was the traditional method of taking fish food and throwing it into the pond. Then there was another method that, was, different. They had baby bottles filled with fish food fastened to sticks. When you put them in the water the fish would suck on them. It was a blast to say the least.

I can't remember which kid said this, but it was my favorite quote. Let me first give you a little context. In many parks across China you will see beautiful 'green stuff' or grass. However, there is always a sign saying you can't walk on it. So when we came across one of these areas and one of my children wanted to play on it, the following exchange took place.

One of my children: "How do you say God in Chinese?"
Me: "Why do you wanna know how to say God?
One of my children: "I wanna tell them its God's grass, He was here first."

The next day Lily went in for her dentist appointment. She ended up needing to have four teeth pulled and four fillings. It went really well and we're glad we were able to get it taken care of.

On our last full day in Chengdu we went to see the pandas. It was awesome! The breeding center is laid out really well and is very pretty. It was one of my favorite tourist things I've done in China. The pandas were awesome and our whole family had a great time. I will try and post pictures at some point. That night we met up with some friends of ours from Xian that now live in Chengdu. We had a great time reconnecting with them.

Our train ride home went really well. Sichuan is gorgeous and it was fun to get to see it from our train as we made our way through it.

much love,
the petersons

Good News!

noreply@blogger.com (Heather) — Tue, 29 Apr 2014 00:36:00 +0000

I still have more to write about our trip, but this can't wait!

Today we received an email from our adoption agency that we got our I-800A approval! This approval becomes the last document needed for our dossier. So what we're looking at is our agency translating and authenticating all of our documents and in a few weeks they will be sent off to China. Based off other adoption timelines we could be looking at this being done in 5-6 months, but we realize a lot of this is still out of our control.

For three years now we've been looking forward to having Lily be part of our 'forever family' and now we are getting to see this become a reality. We have more work to do and some more hurdles, but this is a step in the right direction and I'm feeling energized and encouraged from it!

Let me take a moment to remind you that we are needing to raise finances to finish this journey. If you want to make a tax-deductible donation to our family and be part of Lily's story you can at https://www.adopttogether.org/00793.

much love,
the petersons

Our Time in Chengdu Part One

noreply@blogger.com (Heather) — Thu, 24 Apr 2014 10:21:00 +0000

(There’s more to say about our time at the retreat, but if you’re interested in hearing more please write me an email.)

For the first part of our time in Chengdu we went to a retreat. Heather and I were excited to be together as a family and to make memories with the kids. When we registered for the retreat we found out that our registration included meals at the conference center buffet. This excited me. I forgot, however, that it was going to be a Chinese buffet. Although some of us in the family like Chinese food, some of us don’t, and can be picky about it. The first night we were trying to have a conversation with some friends and convince our children to eat something, anything. Caleb started eating a dumpling and then he threw it up while simultaneously melting down. Huh, I guess this buffet won’t be the blessing I thought it would be. Our kids (minus Lily) spent the next five days eating mostly white rice and watermelon.

I did end up finding a small store on the conference grounds. I scoured the shelves desperate for some snacks to keep us alive through the next 5 days. I saw some Cheetos and as I examined them I realized my flavor options were chicken and beef. Both great meats, but not my first choice for Cheeto flavor.

Our retreat staff informed us that the fine for picking a flower on the property was 50rmb ($7.50). Yikes! This could get expensive knowing my kids!

After a few days at the retreat Sydney feel into a pattern of crying each time she left her kid’s classes. This was because each day they had a raffle for a toy and she continually lost. However, the last day she won! The staff told me they contemplated rigging it, but didn't, and fortunately she still won. For the record the toy was Spiderman. Who knew an 8 year old girl could be filled with such joy over a superhero.

After days of struggling with the Chinese food offered we received a little blessing that came in the form of sweet and sour chicken and french fries. I couldn't have been happier.

Our last morning at the retreat and we noticed some evidence that a rat had been in our room. Awesome! As Heather was packing us up to go I went for a stroll. I walked past a van with half a butchered pig laying in the back of it. Normal, right?

We headed back into town because we were still spending five more days in Chengdu. Our time at the retreat went really well. We came away refreshed and encouraged. And the timing couldn't have been better for our family.

Quotes from our week:

(When describing the bathroom situation)

Me: “Aubrey it’s a squatty (potty), which you love.”

Aubrey: “Yes!”

Caleb: “Come on Daddy! Are you coming on??”

(It smelt like a campfire as we were walking outside)

Matt: “I love that smell.”

Heather: “Campfire?”

Then in unison we both said“probably garbage” then we both laughed

Our next post will be about the second part of our trip where our kids were offered free beer, we saw the pandas, and Lily went to the dentist.

much love,

the petersons

The Slow Train to Chengdu

noreply@blogger.com (Heather) — Thu, 10 Apr 2014 02:16:00 +0000

Hi friends and family,

We have been back home now for nearly a week. Here is a look at our trip.

Like I mentioned in our previous post we were going to be taking a train with all five of our kids for 26 or so hours to get to Chengdu. Trying to get all of our small kids to move in one direction and pulling all of our luggage through the train station (as the rest of China attempts to do the same) is the most difficult part of taking the train as a family. The train station, unfortunately, doesn’t have elevators/escalators, which means running multiple times up (or down) flights of stairs to retrieve luggage (and kids). This will no doubt get easier as our kids get older. Right now it’s still pretty challenging. I was happy though that Sydney was able to pull one of our suitcases for this trip.

One funny scene we came across was on our way to the train station. We saw a group of guys riding mountain bikes decked out with biking gear. They looked like they were pretty serious about biking. One guy though must have only been semi-serious, because he was smoking a cigarette as they road through town. Watching people exercise while smoking is quite the ironic picture.

After we got through the train station and made it safely to our cabin I began shifting luggage around. (We booked four soft sleeper beds. Each cabin has four beds, so we didn’t have to share our room with anyone). I came across Lily’s carry-on bag and all it had in it was a kid’s Bible. Heather then tells me that it’s all she wanted to bring. Precious.

After we’d been on the train for a little bit we got all of the kids to sit on one of the top bunks and then put our computer on the top bunk across from them and set up a movie. A bunk bed movie theater if you will. Today’s first showing is the kid’s movie Epic. It’s at this point that I’m incredibly grateful. You’re not always guaranteed a cabin with a functional electrical outlet. The fact that ours works means we will have movies for the duration of our trip. If our electricity didn’t work we would have had insanity for the duration of the trip.

For meals we have a bunch of snacks packed, some banana bread, muffins, and bread/peanut butter. The train also has ramen for sale, but it’s twice the normal going rate (6rmb for a bowl, yikes!). Side note, you can buy a Snickers in a lot of places in China, but not on the train. Bummer!

During this trip I’m reminded of something random. Aubrey loves using squatty potties. I don’t know where this love came from, but she has it. And that’s good for her, because squatty potties are your only option on the train (but dark tunnels and curves in the track make it more difficult to use).

Night time on the train is also pretty difficult for our family. Trying to get our son Isaac to sleep without the prison walls of a crib is not an easy task. In the morning we are making our way through the Sichuan province and it’s beautiful. Two train attendants then come to our cabin to collect the blankets that are given to the passengers. I’m not at all comforted as they fold each of ours and just put them back on the bed for the next people to use. (To their credit they did take one of the blankets that had pop tart smeared on it.)

We then arrive safely in Chengdu. I will write more about our time in Chengdu in my next post.

much love,

the petersons

The Train To Chengdu

noreply@blogger.com (Heather) — Thu, 20 Mar 2014 15:51:00 +0000

On Saturday our family of 7 will be taking a 25 hour train ride to Chengdu. In case you think I wrote that wrong I will write it again. On Saturday our family of 7 will be taking a 25 hour train ride to Chengdu. Maybe you've heard the saying "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over expecting a different result" nope, its taking your large family on a long train ride. To be honest I'm looking forward to it. I enjoy taking the train and although this is nearly twice as long as our previous longest trip with kids, I think it will still be a good time.

Our family will be going to a conference there for 5 days. Afterwards we are going to stay in Chengdu for a few days so that we can take Lily to see a foreign dentist there. He does incredible work and we're grateful that Lily will get to have some work done on her teeth. (A couple baby teeth haven't fallen out yet even though her second set is starting to come in and she also has some cavities). We will let you know how the trip goes!

Before I end this though let me share a couple cute and funny kid quotes from recently.

Recently Caleb and I were going to wrestle and he asked me “Can I hit you in the face?” while holding a balled up blanket. I replied “Yes you can hit me with the blanket.” Caleb then celebrated by saying “YAY!” This probably isn't the first time, nor the last, that someone will celebrate being able to hit me in the face.

Then the other day Sydney said something no other woman/girl in the history of the world has ever uttered. She said “I don’t need any more diamonds, per se.”

Here was another exchange with Sydney:

Me: Sydney did you know that on average women live longer than men?

Sydney: (said with a happy tone) Cool!

Finally last night while watching the Avengers Aubrey made this statement "The Hulk’s favorite thing is to smash, its not even to color". I had no idea.

much love everyone,

the petersons

One Thing I Want To Teach My Children

noreply@blogger.com (Heather) — Wed, 12 Mar 2014 07:46:00 +0000

The other day I also got some encouragement about something I wrote on here a long time ago. A friend of our family told me that a post I had written "10 things I want to teach my children" had one point that really stuck with her (That life is full of doing things we don't want to do) and is something she teaches her kids now. I want to add one more thing to that list, but first I need to give some context.

My wife and I are currently doing a lot of processing and reflecting about our gifts, values and what we want to do. To be honest these aren't questions I've really spent a lot of time thinking about. Its left me feeling a bit frustrated. One of the exercises Heather and I are doing right now is writing down all that we want to do before we die. I wrote that I wanted to get my kids in a place to be successful. To narrow it down I wrote that I wanted to help my kids discover and cultivate their giftings. As parents I think helping our kids discover their gifts is something we can do. Of course, this will also be their responsibility, but we can help them start the process.

So, yes, I want my kids to succeed,

but I want them to know what is important to them.

I want them to know what values drive them and their decisions.

I want them to know what they were created for.

I want them to discard every distraction from this calling (even if that distraction is good).

And I want to help them refine their gifts and abilities so that they will be blessed and be a blessing to others.

much love,

the petersons

Hi Folks

noreply@blogger.com (Heather) — Tue, 04 Mar 2014 10:25:00 +0000

Hi folks,

It's been nearly a week since I finished this past term of teaching. During the Chinese New Year we teach almost everyday since our students aren't attending public school. We are now on break for the next 2 weeks. I've been incredibly blessed because right now I'm teaching at a school that is a 6 minute walk from our house. So I can come home for lunch and I don't have to pay for a taxi to get to and from work.

My wife and I are looking at taking our family to a conference coming up in a few weeks. I will share more about it as we get closer.

I mentioned my kids going out to dance to make some money. Well this past week they did and made 22rmb (about $3.50). At one point a Chinese lady came up and dropped 5rmb in the bucket, which blew my mind. Most of the rest of the money came from our friend and her kids that were watching. Honestly, I was really proud of my kids, because they weren't afraid to get up in front of people and be themselves.

My little guy Caleb has had a couple funny lines lately that I wanted to share. Yesterday, he was sitting in front of our computer and he told me that he was pretending to be a doctor. Then this morning he ran up to me and said "You're not going to believe this" (I forget what it was that I wasn't going to believe, but the way he said it was so funny). A friend of mine recently said that he can't wait till Caleb grows up so he can hang out with him and I agree.

The other day our friend texted Heather to say that Aubrey is so much like Heather. To back her point she included this quote of Aubrey talking to her daughter "Oh, I like your poncho. You look so pretty in it." Our sweet little encourager Aubrey.

much love,
the petersons

P.S. In the past couple weeks we surpassed 100,000 pageviews since starting our blog!

Some Pictures

noreply@blogger.com (Heather) — Tue, 25 Feb 2014 02:14:00 +0000

Hi friends and family,

Here are a some pictures from life recently.

Lily made a bed for Isaac and was taking care of him. I love Isaac's smile in this picture.

Lily put on my hat, glasses and jacket.

I made her point in this one like she was scolding someone.

My little guy Caleb building a tower out of various food items.

We hope each of you are doing well.

much love,

the petersons

Chengdu Trip and Fun

noreply@blogger.com (Heather) — Sun, 23 Feb 2014 01:59:00 +0000

Hi everyone,

We got back from our 24 hour trip to Chengdu. It was a great time and we really enjoyed our trip and most importantly we got our fingerprints done! I mailed them off to the States yesterday, so hopefully they will be accepted and we will be moving forward with the adoption process. Our trip though wasn't without me (Matt) making a major mistake. It was 7:47pm and we were just finishing up shopping at IKEA. At this point we were about to head to the airport believing our flight to be at 10:30pm. My wife then mentioned it would be nice to have someone picking us up at the airport. I pulled my phone out and checked our itinerary and realized our flight didn't leave at 10:30pm, but 8:30pm! I gasped for air as stress surrounded me like a swarm of bees. We sprinted to the road and got a taxi immediately (a miracle). We told the driver to take us to the airport and then asked how long it would take, "30 minutes" was his reply. We told him to drive fast and seriously only 10 or so minutes later we were at the airport (a miracle). I think he took the expressway and that's why it went faster, well that, and he drove on the shoulder for a good distance. We got out of the taxi and sprinted like it was the summer Olympics to the check-in counter. After checking in we again sprinted to the gate. We got there only to discover that no one had gotten on the plane yet and that it was delayed (a miracle... at least for us, not the rest of the passengers).

For anyone traveling through China Chengdu was an awesome city. Although we only spent a day there I really liked it. I will need to go back in the next few months with Lily so she can get some dental work done.

Our first day back was actually noteworthy as well. Our daughter Aubrey swallowed a Chinese coin that is similar in size to a US quarter. Anything along these lines that happens in our home, happens to Aubrey. As of writing this the coin has not 'passed' (sorry to be so detailed). So hopefully that happens soon. (Again. Sorry.)

Last night we went to a going away party for our dear friend and sister, Natasha. She's been a part of our family going all the way back to Xian. I brought the boys back early and Heather and the girls stayed longer. When they got home Sydney told me about how she had danced for everyone. Now today she wants to go out with a bucket and dance for donations with Aubrey and Lily. Lily asked me if I would be proud of them if they were stars, I told her I would be proud of them if they were stars or weren't. Then she told me if they become stars I won't need to pay money to go to their shows.

much love,
the petersons

Adoption Update

noreply@blogger.com (Heather) — Sun, 16 Feb 2014 01:11:00 +0000

Sorry for the long delay in updating you guys!

We've been raising money for a little over a month. So far we've raised nearly $6,000 towards our adoption! This includes money that has been promised us and cash that has been given to us (I've adjusted our total goal on adopt together to reflect those cash gifts).

My wife and I will be traveling this week to Chengdu to get our fingerprints done at the U.S. Consulate that is there. Our adoption has been on hold till we turn them in, so it will be nice to have this step finished. Also, our time in Xian went well. We were able to do all that was needed with Lily's paperwork at the orphanage and we had some good times together as a family.

Besides our adoption stuff I (Matt) recently had the opportunity to go to Thailand for a week. My sweet wife really encouraged me to go because it has been so long since I left China. I was able to see friends there and enjoy some fellowship. Unfortunately, my family all got sick as soon as I left and they were sick for the entire week. It was tough being away from them and feeling helpless. I was touched by the love of those around my wife that reached out to her and helped her take care of the kids.

Well. That's it for now. I hope each of you are doing well.

much love,
the petersons

Help Us Adopt Lily

noreply@blogger.com (Heather) — Mon, 13 Jan 2014 04:03:00 +0000

Hi everyone,

Many of you have followed our story with Lily for these past few years. We've done a lot of the paperwork for the adoption and are hopeful that in the next year we will have Lily in our forever family. Adoption costs are the next barrier we face to finishing this race. We've set up an account on a website called Adopt Together which allows people to make tax-deductible donations to our family for our adoption. We would love to have you guys continue to be part of our story and Lily's story by helping us raise the finances to adopt her. If you want to make a donation, you can find our Adopt Together profile, here. If you can't make a donation you can still help us by promoting our link through your Facebook page, blog, or just simply telling your friends about this need.

We're so grateful for the love and support we've received from all over the world. Please continue to pray for us and our family as we seek to adopt Lily. And check out the photos of Lily over the past few years at the bottom of this post.

much love,
the petersons

P.S. Also, we will be writing other grant organizations to help us raise these finances and will keep all of you posted on what we hear.