Going To China!!!

"Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart." Psalm 37:4

After months of "desiring" to make the adoption trip to China and finally deciding that was not going to happen, God stepped in!!

I was reminded of the lines in the song, He Giveth More Grace: "when we've reached the end of our hoarded resources, the Father's full giving is only begun, and "out of His infinite riches in glory, He giveth and giveth and giveth again!"

Last Thursday and Friday - during an 18 hour period, God provided all the funds needed to make the trip. Some, we are able to say "thank you" personally to. Others - we hope you will read this and know how deep is our gratitude to you. Most of all - we are profoundly grateful to the God who gives us the desires of our hearts, and then keeps on giving!

Next week - we will step onto a plane in Wichita and step off in the country of Mia's birth - China!

God has allowed us to be present for the birth of all 8 of our grandchildren. Now, God is allowing us to be present when #9, Mia, is born into our family. GOD IS SO GOOD!!

Our intention is to update this site with pictures and commentary while we are on the trip. So check back.

Remember to check into Tim and Kristi's website, miamakessix.com to see the first pictures of our little princess.

We are asking you to pray that all the last minute details will process smoothly and that God will time our trip for safety and keep us all on our feet and healthy.

Our love to you all,
Ken and Linda

Anticipation

Nearly 2 1/2 years. That's how long we have waited for this new little addition to our family. Now - it appears in about a month or so a little girl of Chinese descent will be here with us. Mia ShyAn Xin is our 9th grandchild. Our fourth granddaughter.

Her picture is prominitely displayed along with the others. We loved her before we ever saw her picture or knew her name (An Xin). We had no idea how old she was or what her medical condition would be. She is what is called a "waiting child" - maybe better described as a child with special needs. We have prayed that her needs would be slight, that she would come to us with perfect health.

Her medical records indicate that she was born premature, and weighed 4lbs when she was taken to the orphanage and therefore was behind in her physical and mental development. She lived the first year of her life in that orphanage then was sent to live in a loving foster home. There she has learned to do all the things the other children can do. She has a beautiful smile. She is perfect. Mia will celebrate her 2nd birthday on April 17th of this year and we are so happy that she will celebrate it with us.

Anything she needs to learn, brothers Mason, Evan and Jordan are eager to teach her. She will be loved and entertained by cousins - Tara, Emma, Adam, Breanna and Brant - hopefully making the transition to America easier for her.

I think about that. We have loved her for 2 1/2 years and looked at her picture every day since November 10. She has never seen our faces. She does not know us. We pray that God will prepare her little heart for the huge changes coming her way in just a few weeks as she leaves the family who has loved and cared for her and becomes part of a family that does not look like her or speak her language. But, they will be a family that loves her deeply.

Life takes interesting turns. We are so thankful for this one.

From Our Home To Yours

Christmas 2008

Dear family and friends,

We are especially excited about this Christmas for several reasons. The main one being that it is our year to have all our family home . That is always what makes Christmas so wonderful for us.

The sounds of our 8 growing grandchildren playing and catching up with the cousins, the sound of laughter and bantering and the “big kids” annual late night Monopoly games where “Christian charity” goes right out the door!

Family update!

In August, we were presented with an opportunity to purchase a home after living in a parsonage for 27 years. After climbing stairs for the last 23 you can see what I enjoy most about the home. God amazed us with miracle after miracle that made it possible to own a new home and enjoying instant equity at the same time. We could write a book! But let’s just say it was a GOD THING, and we are grateful.

In May, John received his Masters of Theological Studies from the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary in Springfield. Just a few months later John and Lynette , Breanna (almost 5) and Brant (2) made the move to Red Oak, Texas, a southern suburb of Dallas, where John is the Spiritual Formation Director for the Dallas Master’s Commission , training young men and women to be leaders in the church. He is a gifted teacher and enjoys this ministry very much.

Lisa, Allen, Tara (12), Emma (10), and Adam (8), live in Springfield and are the only ones not making a move this year. Allen is a realtor with Keller Williams in Springfield (if you need a house—give him a call) and Lisa is Academic Advisor, Professional Studies at Evangel University and is getting close to completing her Master’s in Organizational Leadership.

On November 10th, Kristi , Tim, Mason (12), Evan (9), and Jordan (8) received the call they have been waiting on for 2 years. Mia ShyAn Xin (19 months) is waiting for them in China! They will be traveling to pick her up by Spring (pray with us that it will be sooner). We are so excited about this beautiful little girl joining our family. When we moved out of the parsonage to our new home, they made the move into the “big house” in anticipation of her coming. God was taking care of every detail and arranged for them to be in a larger home with time to prepare for her coming. Tim serves as the Associate /Youth Pastor and both Tim and Kristi are substitute teachers in the Winfield Public Schools.

This year, in an effort to "go green" we chose to use electronic Christmas greetings and we invite you to do the same. In uncertain times, one thing remains certain—our faith and trust in the one who never changes—Jesus.

Our prayer for you and your family is that you will enjoy your time together and experience the joy of knowing Jesus at this special Christmas season.

Blessings to you and yours!
Ken and Linda Davidson

Mia's coming home!

Monday, November 10, was a regular day - well actually it was rainy and foggy and Ken and I made a quick trip to Wichita. Coming home we stopped at Dairy Queen in Augusta to grab an ice cream cone. That's where we were. Sitting in the drive thru. I heard the familiar ring tone of Kristi calling - "It Is Well With My Soul"! Customary small talk. Kristi: What are you doing? Me: Getting ice cream. What are you doing? Kristi: I was just thinking this would be a wonderful day to get my little girl. Silence. Nope. Not really. I remember screaming - maybe loudly shouting. KRISTI!! Are you serious? You have her? Quickly to speaker phone. Kristi is looking at pictures of her daughter. She is telling us about Mia. She has a daughter. We cry together. Grampy, Grammi and our daughter - the mother of Mia.

We are 30 minutes away. We cried, laughed and became Grampy and Grammi for the 9th time. We have a new granddaughter.
She is every much a part of our family as Mason, Tara, Emma, Evan, Jordan, Adam, Breanna and Brant - Mia. At 19 months, she is now our baby.

We arrived at the Singer home to joyful sounds and sat down to see our little Mia for the first time. She is beautiful. She looks like a happy baby. There is not the typical emptiness in her face that we have seen in so many orphans. She is joyful - smiling in every picture. Yep - she is her mother's daughter.

The emotions are on the surface. I weep when I look at her picture. She was never an unwanted child. She has always been loved, wanted and prayed for since the day she was born and before. Oh - has she been prayed for. God placed his hand on her as a 4lb premie abandoned somewhere in China. Found by workers and cared for and nursed to health at an orphanage. She is perfect. She is ours. Soon she will be home to stay. She will have that forever family. Set another place at the table. Mia is coming home. Thank you Jesus for another child to love.

New House!

Well - you never know what God is up to. Out of the blue a house we had been driving by and wishing was ours - is! We cannot begin to tell you all of the challenges and answers to prayer to arrive at where we are now.

We have a brand new house that is just the right size for the 2 of us. When everyone is home we will have plenty of room during the day but a little bit of a challenge at night. But we enjoy "camping out" on the floor. I am sure everyone will make the best of it.

Kristi, Tim and the boys moved into the home we moved out of - a 4 bedroom, very large home with room for a growing family, so this was a miracle for them as well.

John and Lynette and the little ones will be together again in about 2 hours and be together as a family once again. The long wait is over. They still need to sell their house in Grain Valley (please pray with us for this), but they will be on their way to Texas soon.

Changes are always happening. These are good ones. God is good!

Be blessed!

Prayer Needed

John and Lynette (our kids) are in the process of moving. John has accepted a position with the Master's Commission of Dallas and is there working and overseeing the completion of their new home. Lynette and the kids remain in Grain Valley, MO - overseeing the sale of their home there. This separation is now at 2 months. Would you help us pray that God would send a buyer NOW? We need a miracle and are believing God will provide it. He is a miracle working God!!! Thanks for standing with us in prayer.

These are the Days of Our Lives

The days are speeding by. I think they may even be breaking the sound barrier! Well, at least they are breaking the posted speed limit!

How does it happen that my small children now have small children of their own? It seems not so long ago when Lisa stayed home with John on a Sunday morning. John was sick. Lisa said she'd take care of him while Mom went to church with the rest of the family. She did a great job. Although, the house smelled a little like burnt chocolate when we returned. Could have been the chocolate chip cookies that got nuked a little too long. Ah, but what better medicine for a sick little boy than a couple of chocolate chip cookies?

Yesterday we returned 3 grandchildren to their rightful owner - Lisa. I found myself looking at her and asking, "what happened to my little girl?" She's not 7 anymore! She's 37! And, Kristi and John and their small children. Where has the time gone?

I'm so thankful for my children (not small anymore) who have given Grammi and Grampy some of life's greatest memories. Burnt chocolate, burnt-up water pumps, burnt carpet and the greatest grandkids anywhere!

These are the days of our lives. And I wouldn't trade one of them for all the money in the world!

These are the days "the Lord has made - let's be glad - and rejoice in" them!!

(Do a sleepover with your grandkids! Watch a movie - fix popcorn! They'll love it and you'll get over it...in a few days!)

PS: Thank you Grammi for the 'great' kids that produced these 'great' grandkids!

I love you all!

Grampy (Sometimes affectionately called 'grumpy'!)