We continue to wait for our TA. We had another shower and now are pretty much set for the baby. It was great fun and the hostess did a fantastic job. Her two year old helped me open my gifts and I think that may have been the best part. She was so excited about tearing into the packages. We could barely get the gifts out before she was pulling out the tissue paper of another one. She is very close in age to our little one and we hope they will be great friends. Her parents certainly are.

We had a guest preacher two weeks ago and part of his sermon was about the timing of God. He used Psalms 84 as his text "Blessed are those whose strength is in you; who have set their hearts on a pilgramage. As they pass through the valley of Baca, they make it a place of springs. The autumn rains also cover it with pools. They go from strength to strength til each appears before God in Zion". His sermon was about going through difficult times (Baca), yet finding water in the desert to get you through (springs, pools). It was a good reminder that God has not left us alone on this pilgramage, even though it seems like a barren desert.

Happy Chinese New Year. We went to a CNY parade today and this is some of our loot. Yes, it is a week late and yes the cups do say Mardi Gras on them. One of the intriguing things of the Gulf Coast is that every little town between Texas and Florida celebrates Mardi Gras. The public schools are out. There are parades. Thus, last week the dragons were for Carnival and today they were for CNY. And like every parade in this region, there were throws--beads, cups, candy and moon pies.

The parade is sponsored by a local adoption agency that does international adoption, including China. The "floats" are mostly strollers and wagons, with a few families making elaborate rides, including a very pretty pagoda. The children wear native dress and all of the countries this agency works in come, so there are children from Russia wishing you happy new year.

We are quickly approaching the end of the waiting journey. We received our LOA last week. The travel approval will be next. We are hoping that March will see us in China.

Yesterday my co-workers had a shower for us. It was lady-bugs everywhere. I had a great time.