Introducing.............

 The other day a little boy at the playground asked Zach if he had a brother or sister, to which he replied, "Almost." That response may seem strange to you. In Zach's mind, however, it made perfect sense. You see, Mom and Dad had told him just a few days earlier that he's gonna be a big brother! His brother has already been born, but he's half a world away in China right now.

That's right. We have another son! His Chinese name is Hui He Chuan. We have decided to name him Mason He Chuan Kragel. He was born on 11/27/2009. He's living in an orphanage in Huizhou City, Guangdong province, China.  Mason, like Zach, has a cleft lip and palate, however, his lip has already been repaired.

The process this time around is a bit different than last. We received Mason's referral before finishing our dossier. Our papers are on a UPS truck (or plane) as we speak, on the way to Washington DC. After the papers receive a special certificate, we will then send them off to Oregon, where our agency will review. If all looks A OK, they will send the papers to China!

As we are scrambling to get our paperwork completed, we have been preparing Zach for the big day when he meets his new brother. When we first told him about his brother, he asked what his name might be. Mom & Dad weren't sure then. Zach had an idea, though.  "What about Kevin?" he asked! If you don't know, Kevin is the bird in the movie "Up." It was a great suggestion, but we decided to go with Mason!

Mason means "stoneworker" and "overcomer."

"To everyone who is victorious I will give some of the manna that has been hidden away in heaven. And I will give to each one a white stone, and on the stone will be engraved a new name that no one understands except the one who receives it." --Revelation 2:17

At the moment we are thinking it will still be 4 - 6 months before we travel. We are super excited to get this kiddo home! We'd appreciate any prayers for him--for God's love, peace, joy and protection to surround him until we meet.