For the Sake of the Dream

Almost to China

2012-02-25T07:49:00.000-06:00

This is it, the week we leave for China. Amazing! In the midst of the hectic work of international adoption, it seems like this day will never arrive. Each step along the way is a mountain of paperwork, frustration, waiting and stress but finally we are almost on our way. Unbelievable! God is so good and has stretched us and grown us along the way.

I've had several people ask me if we are excited. I'm never really sure how to answer that question. In some ways, it feels like we are planning for an awesome vacation. (I have always wanted to go to China.) But then when I look at the big picture it can be overwhelming. We will not come home the same family as we have been for the last eight years. Life as we know it, will never be the same. The thought of being parents to Brooke is exciting, overwhelming and downright horrifying at times. What if we are awful at it? What if she hates us? All of you who are parents can understand those feeling I am sure. Overall, my answer to this question is I am calm. I have a deep peace that God is in this.

One of my favorite Bible verses is a filter I try to use to keep my thoughts and actions focused in the right directions. It is Phil 4:8 - Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. So, as I think about all that is coming for us in the next weeks, months and years, I think about these things:

God has lead us down this journey to Brooke and made His plan for her to be part of our family very clear.
God has called His people to care for the orphans of the world.
God has always cared for us and Brooke and will continue to do so as we go through the adjustments of being a family.
We have been blessed with friends and family who have supported us and encouraged us along the way.
We have an incredible prayer team that is committed to praying for us as we make this journey and the adjustments to a new family.

So, we are using the weekend to wrap-up a few odds and ends and then we are on the way to China. We plan to blog as many days as we can along the way. Hope you will join us in prayer and in following along here as we see God's plan for our lives unwrap in the days ahead.

Don't Grumble

2012-02-23T11:55:00.000-06:00

This year our church has embraced a plan to study the whole Bible in a year. We are being encouraged to “Eat this Book” and read through the Bible this year – BTW, there’s an App for that. The messages each week focus on the chapters of the Bible that we read during the week. Well, we are in Numbers. I know what you are thinking, and frankly, so was I – What are we going to get out of Numbers? I’ll be honest and say I felt the same way about Leviticus but that is another story. The message last week was awesome! It is amazing how much the Israelites grumbled and they had God speaking directly to Moses; miracles happening in front of their eyes and lest we forget, they also saw the earth open up and swallow up those that were causing problems, and yet they grumbled, over and over again. Ah, wait a minute; let’s not be so quick to cast judgment. We have the Bible where God speaks to us, we see God work miracles in people’s lives and yes, sometimes we even see God lovingly discipline those who refuse to obey Him. And what is our response – be honest here – WE GRUMBLE! We were encouraged to be more aware of all the times we grumble and instead look for all the blessings and to name them out loud. Yikes, when I am consciously thinking about this, I have to admit I grumble more than I thought.

So, as we are about to head off to a country that is totally outside of what is normal and natural for us, I am going to try to monitor my grumble meter. I will survive and maybe even enjoy different foods that in some cases I have no clue what they are, crowds everywhere, waiting on people at appointments, traffic that makes most US cities at rush hour look uncongested, and even squatty potties (trust me, you don’t want to know). Instead I am choosing to focus on the blessings. Friends that are meeting us at the airport in Beijing, experiencing the rich history and culture of China and meeting our daughter and in so doing seeing the fulfillment of God’s leading in our lives. I’ll try to share our blessings along the way as we continue this journey. I’m sure I will find myself grumbling but hopefully, I will be conscious of that and stop, step back and instead be grateful for all that God has so richly provided.

Details are Coming Together

2012-02-14T13:29:00.000-06:00

Travel plans are underway. We are only responsible for booking our flights to and from China. All of the rest of the trip is handled through our agency. We have our flights booked and are waiting for the details regarding our time in China. We do know that we will fly out of our local airport and connect in Chicago with our flight to China. Our first stop is Beijing where we will spend a few days with some friends, see a few sites in the area, and most importantly, recover some from jet lag.

From there we head to Shanghai where we will finally meet our daughter. Once we meet her, she will be with us for the rest of the trip. Our time as a family of two is coming to an end very soon. We will be in Shanghai for about a week. While we are there we will complete the Chinese paperwork for the adoption and getting her passport.

From Shanghai we head to Guangzhou. This is where the US consulate is located. All adoptive families from the US must go through Guangzhou. During our week there Brooke will have a physical and TB screening, we will process the US paperwork so that when she arrives in Chicago she becomes a US citizen, participate in an interview at the consulate and receive her VISA. After this is done we will head to Hong Kong.

We have decided to spend an extra day in Hong Kong before flying home. We will spend that day at Disney. It is a small Disney park but will give us the chance to relax, have some fun with Brooke and get tired out before the long flight home.

At each city we will have days that are filled with official adoption proceedings and other days when we are waiting for something to get done. On those days we will get to see China and explore the area. I’m sure we will have a lot of stories to tell when we get home.

Please pray for:

Brooke as she goes through so many changes in her life over the next month.
Safety as we travel.
All the details of the trip to be done easily.
Dennis and Ellen as we get ready to travel and as we help Brooke through her transition into our family.

Almost to China

2012-02-10T17:10:00.004-06:00

We received our consulate appointment date today and will be overlapping in Guangzhou with our friends the Parsons. What an added blessing to share this last step of the adoption journey with our friends. When we first started feeling God's tugging on our heart about adoption, the Parsons' were one of the families we sought advice from. They have three girls from China and will be adding a son on this trip. They have been supporters for us along the way.

We also will get to see several of our Chinese friends. Over the last several years, God has blessed our lives with getting to know some students at the University of Wisconsin who are here studying. We know for sure we will get to see two of these students and maybe a few more along the way. We can hardly wait. In fact, they are going to be our guides and show us around Beijing for a couple of days.
In addition, we will be meeting up with some of the friends we have made online while in the process of adoption. It will be fun to meet in person with people we only know through cyber-space.

We are looking at various flight options and should get those settled in the next few days. Our agency does all of the in China arrangements so we don't have to worry about them.

Please continue to pray for Brooke as she goes through so many changes in the next weeks and months. I can't even begin to imagine what this must be like for her.

Also pray for our travel arrangements to go smoothly and for us to have a safe trip.

We're Going to China

2012-02-08T13:53:00.002-06:00

Two letters that mean the end of our adoption journey is finally in site. We received the call this morning that our Travel Approval arrived at our agency! We are overjoyed. We have requested a consulate appointment in March and should hear in the next few days if we get the date we requested. If we do, we will get to share this experience with our friends Beth and John who also will be in China to adopt their son. We would overlap the last few days of the trip when we are at the consulate. Please pray that we get the dates we requested.

As soon as we have a confirmed consulate appointment we can book our flights for China. It is hard to believe that we will soon end this journey and be with our daughter.

Please pray for:
1. Brooke as she goes through a lot of changes in the next several months.
2. Us as we prepare for the trip.
3. Safety as we travel.
4. Adjustments for all of us as we become a family.

Above Average

2012-02-03T08:26:00.000-06:00

We’re above average! Usually that is a good thing but not this time. We are over the average waiting time for Travel Approval (TA). Of course, this is largely due to Chinese New Year last week which closed down the office that issues TA but that only helps my head process this wait. My heart still knows we have waited longer than normal. We both want to hear that our TA is done and we can begin making travel plans. But, we also trust that God’s perfect timing will be just right.

With that said, I am on pins and needles waiting for the phone to ring. Every time it does I grab it, hoping the number on the caller ID is our adoption agency.

In the adoption community, there are several online forums for people to gather and share information. It has been so quiet this week as so many are in the same situation we are. We are all hoping and praying that our TAs get processed this week, sent out and arrive in the US early next week.

Once the TA arrives, our agency will make an appointment at the US consulate in China for us and then book all of our in China travel details. This includes hotels, flights between cities, guides and government appointments. We are responsible for booking our flights to and from China.

Please pray for:

The arrival of our Travel Approval.
The details of our travel arrangements to come together quickly and easily once the TA arrives.
Low cost flights to and from China.
Brooke, as she goes through the many transitions in the weeks ahead.
All of us as we adapt to one another and bond together as a family.

Pictures and News

2012-01-20T09:12:00.003-06:00

About a week ago we sent a note requesting new pictures of Brooke and also a list of questions about her. This morning we had these pictures in our email!

Needless to say, this brought tears to our eyes and made us even more eager to get our Travel Approval from China. When you are so close to bringing your child home, each day of the wait seems like an eternity.

We asked if she had any pets currently and she does have a white rabbit. But they also told us she likes puppies. This is a huge answer to our prayers regarding her adjustment as we have three dogs. They love kids so it is good to know she likes dogs.

Adopting an Older Child

2012-01-19T15:02:00.000-06:00

I have been following the journey of a number of families who are adopting from China. Most of them are adopting infants or toddlers. It is so much fun to share this journey with them. In many ways, there is not a lot of difference between their road and ours. We all stress out over paperwork, preparations, deadlines and WAITING! It does not matter if the child is 2 or 12, this does not change. We want to be with these children we already love and would do anything to remove the obstacles that keep us apart.

However, there are differences as well. While they plan for bottles and diapers, we are planning for school and language acquisition. If you would look for our registries at Walmart or Kohls, you would see the differences there too. One list contains the typical baby supplies of strollers and sippy cups while the other has bicycles and backpacks. One buys a crib while the other gets a bunk bed.

But when you break it all down, we all just want the same thing; to bring our children home, to love them, to help them to grow to be all that God has intended for them to be, to help them know the love of a Father and Mother, and to know for the first time in their life that they are home.

What are we doing - beside waiting?

2012-01-15T14:24:00.000-06:00

After the question, "How is it going?" the most frequent question we answer is, "What are you doing while you wait?" I think the easiest way to picture this is to think of what any other first time parent would be doing. One of my friends told me this week that she is "nesting" during this phase of her adoption. She said she is cleaning things out, throwing things away and just getting ready. I'm not sure I am actually nesting but we are definitely preparing.

Brooke's room is ready for her with very few exceptions. I do have to empty the toy box in her room. It has been my photo album storage for awhile. I'm looking for one more picture for on the wall yet too.

If you walked into Brooke's room today, you would see that it has become our packing zone. If we need to take it along and aren't using it right now, it is in there. It seems like we add to the contents for the trip daily. We are very limited on the weight of the things we can take. Our international flights will be fairly generous on how much we can take, but we will be flying between cities in China and can only have one 44 lb suitcase each on these flights. Even carry-ons are limited in weight but in most cases they are not weighed. We will pack as lightly as we can knowing that getting laundry done in China is quite easy and we want room to bring back some things from China. We do need to take a wide variety of extras along that aren't easily available in China. Western medications can be very hard to find so we taking medications for everything from pain to colds to stomach issues for both us and Brooke. We are even taking Fabreeze along as smoking is extremely common in China and non-smoking rooms do not exist. My allergies will not be happy with that!

I went to Goodwill on Saturday to drop off a box and came home with a whole bag of clothes for Brooke. I was so excited as they were really some nice items and at a great price. She is set for winter now and we will have fun shopping together for summer clothes once she is home.

In addition to the preparations you can see if you are at our house, there are countless details we are working on. Today we stopped and got additional passport photos taken that we will need in China. Dennis has been working on some of the electronics we will need like a VPN so we can post here while we are gone. We have also been organizing and gathering up the paperwork we will need to take with us. We've done some investigating of possible flights for the trip too and from China. And this past week we spent 3.5 hours in a phone conference with our agency going over many different details regarding our time in China.

We are hoping to be in China by the end of February. Please continue to prayer for:
1. Brooke's adjustments in the weeks ahead. She will leave her foster family and have a total change in language and culture as well.
2. Pray for us as we prepare for the trip and for our new roll as parents.
3. Pray for our health as we travel.
4. Pray for God's supply of the finances needed for this stage of the adoption.

Final Wait

2012-01-11T09:00:00.001-06:00

As of today, we are in the final wait for our daughter. We are now waiting on our travel approval (TA) from China. We expect this wait to be about 3-4 weeks. Once we receive the approval we will book flights and be on our way to China in about two weeks. We are still hoping to leave the US before the end of February. We will be in China for about three weeks. We are finally on the home stretch.

Please pray for Brooklyn as she will have some major changes coming in her life very soon. Often the children are moved from their foster homes to the orphanage before the families come to China. This helps them not to see the adoptive family as the person who took them from the only home they have known. Also pray for her family there as they have had Brooke in their lives for over five year.

Please pray for our last minute preparations as well. We will be booking our flights to China on fairly short notice so pray we can get them on the schedules we need and at a reasonable price. Also pray for us as we adapt to being a different family than we have been for the last eight years.

2012

2012-01-02T17:21:00.002-06:00

As we moved from 2011 to 2012, I realized that I am no longer thinking about the months until we go to China but rather the weeks. In all likelihood we should be in China by the end of February. Wow, that is really getting close. Our list of things to do grows longer as the days grow shorter! Next week we will have a long phone conference with our agency which will cover all the details of our trip. I’m sure we will get a lot of information and a lot of questions answered in this meeting. Also, our paperwork at the US consulate will be done and delivered to China so we can receive our travel approval.

Please pray for us this week. Some of you are aware that we lost a cousin and a friend over the holidays. On Tuesday we will be at the funeral for our friend Tim and on Saturday at the memorial for my cousin, Greg. Please pray for both families.

So Close

2011-12-27T11:34:00.005-06:00

As you can see from the column on the left, we have only one step left before we are heading to China. Our information is at the US consulate in China and will be picked up on January, 11. From there it is sent to Beijing and we wait for the last step, Travel Approval. There is a slim chance it could come before the Chinese New Year holiday, Jan. 23-28, but it is more likely to come after that. We will leave for China within weeks of getting that approval. It is really getting close.

I’ve started to pack for the trip. I’ve laid out the clothes we are taking for Brooklyn and will start to gather some of the items we will be taking as well. Then, when the time comes, we can simply add our clothes and be ready to go. This weekend we put locks on a couple of cabinets. Since Brooke will not know English, it is easier just to lock up medications and chemicals until she is older and can understand the dangers involved with these items. Dennis is working on some of the electronic details for being able to keep in contact with family and friends while we are in China. I’m learning how to blog from email since our blog may not be accessible from China. If you are reading this, I succeeded!

We are eagerly anticipating meeting Brooke in the near future. Please continue to pray for:

-Finances for the trip and the in-country adoption fees.
-Our adjustments as a family.
-Brooke’s adjustments to a new language, culture and family.
-Speedy processing of paperwork.
-Reasonable flights which will be booked on fairly short notice.

One more step down!

2011-12-23T10:20:00.000-06:00

We are one step closer to bringing Brooklyn home. We just received word that our visa information for Brooke has been cabled to the consulate in Guangzhou, China. Our agency will deliver some papers there next week and then in about 10 business days our Article 5 will be picked up, sent to Beijing and we will be waiting for our Travel Approval. With the Chinese New Year in Janaury, we would expect a bit of delay on getting our Travel Approval, but it should still arrive in February. Then we will receive our travel dates, book flights and head to China.

Have a great Christmas everyone!

Count Your Blessings – Name them One by One

2011-12-21T10:26:00.000-06:00

The old hymn “Count Your Blessings” goes like this:

When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed,
When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.

Count your blessings, name them one by one,
Count your blessings, see what God hath done!
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.

I’ll admit that the last several days I have been discouraged. Yes, the adoption process is moving along as expected but it does seem long sometimes. The end is around the corner. We will be in China soon.

So, why do I need to count my blessings? Just suffice it to say, I’ve been looking too much at the “have nots” rather than at the blessings God so richly provides.

Counting my blessings today –

· For God’s continued provision that exceeds my needs.

· For the gift of a Savior.

· For family and friends with whom to celebrate the birth of our Savior this Christmas.

· For a daughter He formed in her mother’s womb long before we even thought about the possibility of having a family.

· For my amazing husband and the wonderful leader he is.

· For three crazy dogs that make my life richer just by being present.

· For the many people, we have met in person and online, that have taken part in this journey to our daughter.

What are your blessings this Christmas? Leave a comment to share them with us.

Merry Christmas Everyone!

i800 Approved

2011-12-16T13:57:00.000-06:00

Just a quick note today. We just got the email from our immigration officer that our i800 was approved today. Next step is for the paperwork to be entered in the Department of State system and it be cabled to the US consulate in China for Brooklyn's Visa to be processed. We would expect that to happen in about ten days but with the holidays next weekend, it may take a few extra days.

We are one step closer to bringing Brooklyn home!

So What is Going On?

2011-12-14T18:49:00.001-06:00

At this point, we are waiting again. We do know that our paperwork should be with our immigration officer this week for approval. We hope to get the approval yet this week. In about 10 days after that the information will go to the US Consulate in China to process Brooklyn's Visa.

We did get some of our questions about Brooklyn answered and it was fun to get a glimpse into her life. Her foster family has two children but they are both grown and no longer living at home. Sounds to me like a family like us, older parents and she is an only child. She likes cookies, cake, chocolate and fruit. Sounds a lot like me. She likes dolls and enjoys drawing. We also learned that she has outgrown her allergy to chicken.

So, what better is there to do while we are waiting than to keep preparing so I finished some of the decorations I was making for her room. I painted the letters of her name and got them hung above her dresser.

We also visited a day care for a summer program for Brooklyn. We were very impressed with day care and have already submitted our application for the summer. The same day we visited a Christian school we are considering for fall. This year when she comes home we will home school until the end of the school year since I am on leave and it will give us a chance to focus on language skills.

We are expecting to be in China in late February or early March. We won't know the exact dates of our travel until a few weeks before we leave. The last part of the adoption process is needed before we can get travel dates.

Please continue to pray for:

Brooklyn as she is preparing for all the changes that will be coming in her life. Also pray that she will understand the Gospel as we start telling her about Jesus.
Our continued financial needs for the rest of the adoption.
Smooth processing of the remaining steps of the adoption.
For us as we prepare to be parents.

God Is Faithful

2011-12-08T14:23:00.001-06:00

Last night Dennis and I put together a Christmas care package for Brooklyn. There are several services that will assist you with this and we used Lady Bugs and Love for this package. We chose a toy, stuffed animal and a new outfit. We had an email back almost immediately asking us some specifics about what we would like them to purchase for her. We also wrote her a letter that will be translated and sent along with the package. How we wish she would be spending Christmas with us this year but obviously that was not in God’s plan for uniting our family. We hope that we will get some pictures back after she gets her package as well as a note from her. While you are in the process of adopting, any small glimpse of your child’s life is precious.

Currently we are waiting to hear from US immigration regarding Brooklyn’s paperwork. Maybe by the end of next week we will hear that her paperwork has cleared immigration. I thought once we were past the final approval (LOA) stage that I would be more relaxed with the other steps. Well, that lasted for about a week. Now I am using all the restraint that I have in me not to email US immigration to check on the status of her paperwork. I might email tomorrow or Monday.

I’ve been reminded on a number of occasions lately of how important it is to remember God’s provision and guidance in the past. It certainly helps increase my faith as I see how God has provided in the past to trust Him for the future. In the Old Testament, the children of Israel often put down physical markers to remind them of what God did at a specific place. My markers have been this blog and a journal I have been keeping. Here are some of those markers:

God moved us to a new church, established us there and placed us in ministry to international students from China. This ministry helped us to fall in love with people of China. Little did we know then that God would lead us to our daughter waiting in China for her family.
A note from our friend Nancy who early on in the process of adopting encouraged us as we stepped out in obedience in the direction God was leading us.
God leading us to Gladney Center for Adoption through a picture in a newsletter. God certainly knew our needs for an agency that would walk along with us through this process and be very open and communicate with us well.
For our trip to New York for adoption training, God provided very cheap flights and a church, Hudsonview Baptist Church, that opened their doors and let us stay there while we were in New York.
A monetary gift that we were not expecting. I’d been praying that God would confirm the steps we were taking with a monetary gift but He provided beyond what my meager prayers were asking.
Paperwork processing that has gone consistently faster than is normal. Our first immigration paperwork went through processing at the one time this year when approval times were under 50 days. Our LOA came in 34 days which is faster than this processing takes in most cases.
Staff from Gladney going to China who took a package to Brooklyn for us which included pictures so she could get to know her family.

As I look back on all of this, I cannot help but say – God is faithful. And this is the short list. I feel like the writer of Hebrews when he says at the ends the list of people who lived by faith by saying, “And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about…” There are so many other blessings along the way that I just don’t have time to write about now.

Looking forward, I know God will continue to provide more than we can even think to ask about. Here are a few things we do know about and are asking God for:

Brooklyn’s anticipation of and adjustment to a new life and family.
The financial provision to complete travel and China adoption fees.
Smooth approvals of paperwork. We still are hoping to travel before the end of March.
Forever families for the 147 million orphans who go to bed each night without a family to tuck them in and love them.

Please pray with us and for us as God brings us into your thoughts.

i800 Sent

2011-11-29T19:58:00.000-06:00

I was able to work from home today in order to be here when the FedEx delivery of our LOA came. We expected it to arrive this morning as our agency had express mailed it to us yesterday. Well, I waited, emailed our agency to find the tracking number, checked and found out it was "out for delivery", waited some more and finally at 3:00 pm the package arrived. Come to find out, FedEx was experiencing national delays due to planes being grounded because of weather. Our wonderful FedEx delivery woman let me take her picture with our package.

The main document in this package is the Letter Seeking Confirmation. This letter says you are officially approved to adopt a specific child and then you must check a box to say either you accept the child or do not accept the child and sign the form. This is the peak of the adoption process other than the day you actually meet your child.

Once the package was in hand, I sorted through the contents, made the necessary copies and scans, and got everything organized. When Dennis got home, we signed it all and rushed to the post office to overnight a package to US immigration and another one went back to the adoption agency. We made it to the post office just in time to get it out in tonight's mail.

We hope to receive our approval from US immigration before Christmas. At the same time our agency is preparing some other paperwork that will go to China.

We decided to go out to celebrate and decided a good burger at Red Robin in Madison would be perfect. We had a great meal. The manager came around and asked if everything was ok and we told him we were there celebrating this important step in our adoption. A little later our waiter brought us balloons and told us there was no charge for the meal tonight! We thanked his manager for making our night even more special.

LOA

2011-11-28T15:11:00.000-06:00

We just heard from our agency, they received our LOA (Letter of Acceptance) from China today! They are overnighting it to us and it will be in our hands tomorrow morning. We are overjoyed and so excited to have this step behind us. It has only been 34 days to receive this and that is much shorter than is normal. God is indeed working beyond our expectations once again.

Tomorrow when it arrives, we will sign the necessary forms and send them off to immigration. It usually takes about 20 days for their approval to arrive.

We hope to be in China in February or March to bring Brooklyn home.

Living Life Between

2011-11-18T12:05:00.001-06:00

Early in our adoption journey, one of my friends who has three daughters from China and is in the process of adopting a little boy from China, told me that when you are in the process of adopting you do the next step of the process and then live life between those steps. I am definitely doing that right now. I’m finding though that life "in between" looks different than life before we started this process.

This is what it looks like:

1. First priority is to check the adoption forums to see if anyone is hearing anything from either China or US immigration. Repeat at a 15 minute interval minimum. Or just set your computer to auto refresh the page.

2. After several refreshes, post about how quiet it is and get some sympathy from others who are waiting.

3. Pull out pictures and/or videos you have of your child, pray for them and wonder how their day went.

4. Email friends who are in the same boat.

5. Do a blog post.

6. Eat chocolate – it really does help.

7. Go shopping for the child. I’m a regular at Savers and Goodwill these days.

8. When someone does hear something from China or US immigration, congratulate them and try not to be too disappointed that it was not you hearing the news.

9. Make sure all your paperwork for the next step is ready to go.

10. Sit back and count your blessings that God has allowed you the privilege of bringing a child into your life through adoption and remind yourself that His timing is perfect. Repeat this step over and over again.

Seriously, the waiting is hard at times but I have learned so much as I have walked this road. I am at peace about it and don’t stress over it too often. I’m learning to do what God calls me to do one step at a time and not to look too far down the road. The next step always seems doable but the whole path can be overwhelming.

We do covet your prayer as we continue down this path. Here are some specific areas to keep in your prayers:

1. Pray for Brooklyn as she thinks about her new family and life that she will not be scared and that she will have real peace as she waits.

2. Pray for us as we wait and prepare for Brooke’s arrival.

3. Pray for God’s supply of the financial needs for the rest of the process.

4. Pray for the orphans around the world in need of families. Pray that God will place it on the hearts of people to adopt these children.

Great music - So Far to Find You

Brooklyn with Her Care Package

2011-11-16T07:57:00.001-06:00

I opened our email this morning and found new pictures of Brooke from when she received our care package. I love these two pictures. In the first one she is holding the picture of us from the photo album we sent her to introduce ourselves. In the second photo she is with the Asia director from Gladney.

A Message from Brooklyn

2011-11-10T20:02:00.002-06:00

Several weeks ago we were told our agency's Asia director was going to China and would be willing to take a care package to our daughter, Brooklyn. This would be our first chance to have contact with her so we were very excited. We put together a photo album and a letter to her that several of our friends translated for us into Chinese. We included a picture of us in our Wisconsin shirts and sent her a Wisconsin shirt as well. We tried to find some fun things to include in the package and in the end put it all together in a backpack.

Today we got the message that she had received our package. After she had gone through everything in it, she was asked if she wanted to tell her soon to be parents anything. They expected she would say, "Thank you." Instead she said, "Dad and Mom, I love you!" I got teary just reading that.

They also gave us some updated information about her. She is now in first grade. She enjoys playing with dolls and has grown a few inches since the last measurements we had for her. Tonight after work I did a little shopping at some of the resale shops to get her some clothes for when she first arrives. Since we will most likely travel toward the end of winter to bring her home, we need to get some basics that will keep her warm until summer. I found some good deals. It was so much fun looking for little girl stuff. Based on her measurements, we expect her to be in a 6 or 6X when she comes home. Good thing I have a friend with girls about her age. It gives us a good comparison when we get measurements from China.

When the director gets home from China, we may also get some new pictures. We'll post them as soon as we get some. He is due home at the end of the month.

Sitting on the Tarmac

2011-11-08T18:38:00.001-06:00

Adoption is a lot like flying to a destination. We’ve planned and prepared (got initial information about adopting), we’ve gotten in the car and heading to the airport (filled out paperwork), parked at the airport (approved by the agency), checking in at the ticket counter (been matched with our daughter), gone through security (completed a home study), boarded the plane (submitted our immigration paperwork), taxied out (sent our dossier to China) and are sitting on the tarmac waiting to take off (waiting for final approval from China). We still have more steps to go, taxi down the run way (get final immigration approval), take off (wait on final travel arrangements), and finally reach or destination (meet our daughter and bring her home).

Right now as we sit on the tarmac, I feel a lot like I did on a trip several years ago when we were sitting on the tarmac and a storm came through, rocking the plane and causing us to just sit and wait for it to pass before we could proceed. We are sitting and waiting right now. All of the work of preparing for the journey is behind us for now. There is really nothing we can do. It is totally up to the pilot and the control tower as to when we get to take off.

But I'm glad I know and trust the pilot of my life, Jesus Christ. He is in control of the journey and all of the details. I can sit back, relax and wait for Him to have take off and get us to our destination on schedule.

In Process

2011-11-01T10:37:00.000-05:00

We just got an email from our agency that our file’s status in China has changed to “in process.” This is the review stage for our file and came much quicker than we anticipated for this step. From this point it usually takes about 4-6 weeks before a final approval will be issued. One more step closer to bringing Brooke home!

Last week at Bible study, we watched a video of Priscilla Shirer. She spoke on Ephesians 3:20 - Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us. Her point was that “immeasurably more” means that God is working “beyond our beyond”. In other words, when we think we are asking God for something way beyond what is possible, He is able to do far beyond that. We pray and think far too small in regards to what God can do.

I was challenged by that message in regards to how I pray in general, but even more how I pray and plan about this adoption in particular. You see, I tend to look at the normal time frames and then look at the potential obstacles or personal deadlines and then pray that God will see fit to help us avoid those challenges. So, in light of that, I have been praying and asking others to pray, that we could have our travel completed by the end of March as it has an impact of my husband’s vacation year. That is not “beyond our beyond” praying.

So, I have switched to praying God would go “beyond my beyond” in regards to the details of this adoption. I am so thankful I have a husband who already gets this and has been saying, “All of the steps of this process have gone faster than was expected. I’m sure this step will as well.” His faith in God’s work in this is wonderful. I love that man!

So hang on with me and watch as God goes “beyond our beyond” as we move forward in this process.

Provisional Approval Has Arrived

2011-10-25T17:28:00.002-05:00

We are very excited to announce that we have received our provisional approval from China for the adoption of our daughter. This means that China has reviewed our file and said that it looks ok and they will be doing a thorough review of it in the next weeks and months. Our final approval will be coming in the coming months. The waiting time for the final approval varies greatly. Sometimes it will take about 45 days but the wait could be over 100 days. Please continue to pray that our file is processed quickly.

So, we can now tell you a little bit more about our daughter. Her Chinese name is Zhao Jia Ni. Chinese names have the last name first. We have chosen the name Brooklyn Jiani for her English name. We plan on calling her Brooke. She is six years old and is living in a foster care home.

Care Package to Our Daughter

2011-10-17T20:55:00.001-05:00

We received an unexpected message today from our caseworker telling us that the head of the Asia program for our agency will be going to China next month and is willing to take a care package for us to our daughter. This will be our first chance to send something to her and introduce ourselves. We have to have the package to New York by the end of next week. So this week we will have to decide what to send. We know for sure we will send a small photo album with pictures of us and our house to help her get acquainted with her new family. We will also include a note to her. We are so thankful to have friends that can help us translate the note and make labels for the pictures. In addition, we will include a few small gifts for her. Tomorrow night we will go shopping for the contents of the box. This will be so much fun! We may even get some new pictures of her if the staff get to meet her in person while they are there.

I wish we could pack ourselves up and get sent to China but they did say a small package. I don't think we would fit that requirement.

We are still waiting on our provisional approval from China but that should be coming either this week or next week. We can hardly wait to share more about our daughter with you at that point.

LID and LOI - Answered Prayers

2011-10-14T11:07:00.001-05:00

Today we heard from our social worker that our dossier is logged into China (LID) as of 10/10/11 and our letter of intent (LOI) was up uploaded on 10/14/11. This means that our daughter’s file is locked to our family. In the next two weeks we should have a provisional approval (PA). Then we will wait for the final approval (LOA) which can take a while.

Once we have the provisional approval we will be able to share some more information about our daughter with all of you. We can’t wait to tell you more about her and to share more pictures and videos. Also, at that point, we are allowed to send her a care package. We can include pictures of us and our home in that package so she becomes familiar with her new family. Often, after receiving the package, the family will receive pictures of the child with their package. We would love to see some new pictures as we are sure she has changed since the pictures we have from June.

This is a huge step in the process. Thanks for your prayers about beating the Nov. 7 deadline. Please continue to pray for a speedy approval process.

28 Days and Counting

2011-10-11T10:02:00.001-05:00

Currently we are watching the calendar closely. When an agency has a file on a child for which they are seeking a match to a family, they have 90 days to make the match. In most cases, as soon as they have identified a family, they can upload some preliminary information and lock the file until the families complete information arrives. However, in some cases, the rules require that the complete file be submitted first and then the family can submit the preliminary information but there is still a 90 day deadline.

We are in that last category. Our 90 day deadline is November 7. Our documents are in China now being translated and will be submitted as soon as they are done and then our agency can upload our preliminary approval information. As of today, there are 28 days to complete this process. By all accounts, that should be adequate to finish the steps needed to lock our daughter’s file but the closer it gets to November 7, the more concerned I get. I am sure the reason this is concerning for me is that we were previously matched with another little girl and her file got moved and assigned to another agency and family. However, our agency has been communicating with the Chinese adoption people about a possible extension if needed. Our agency is keeping a very close eye on this situation. Ultimately, it is in the hands of our heavenly Father.

Please pray for:

Speedy processing of our paperwork so we beat the November 7 deadline.
Our daughter and the many changes that will be coming in her life.
Us as we prepare for her arrival.
Continued supply of the resources we need to fund the adoption.

DTC

2011-10-04T12:10:00.000-05:00

DTC - Three small letters but they cause great rejoicing. (DTC=Dossier To China) Our documents are on their way to China as of October 3, 2011! When they arrive in China they will be translated and then sent to the government agency that oversees adoption. Once there, we are very close to getting our provisional approval which locks our daughters files for us. Then we will be waiting for the final approval which can take a long time. Pray this goes quickly and smoothly.

I'm Exhausted but Happy

2011-09-30T18:22:00.010-05:00

Today I pulled out of the driveway at 5:30 am and headed to the Chinese Consulate in Chicago to have our last document authenticated. Did I mention that I hate driving in city traffic? But, you do what you have to and actually it was not too bad today. Dennis had to work today so he could not go along.

I arrived at the consulate around 8:45, took a number, like you do at the bakery, and waited my turn. I get up to the window when my number was called. Anyone who knows me well, knows I had the forms all filled out, checked them several times and was ready to go. I get to the window and the lady tells me I have the wrong form. I tell her I got it off of their website and she replies they have not used that form for four years. I wanted to pull out my cellphone and go to their website and show her but decided it was probably not worth it! I fill out the new form and get a receipt to pick up my document at 2:00 pm.

So, I head out to explore Chicago. The consulate is in downtown Chicago near the Magnificent Mile. I was in this area of Chicago last year for work and found it interesting but knew I would not be doing anything more than window shopping as it is a very expensive place to shop. I did end up buying a scarf because it was windy and my neck was cold. I stopped for a snack, did some more window shopping, grabbed a bite to eat and realized I still have several hours to kill but I was tired so I found a seat and read for a bit. Finally it was time to pick up my paper, find the nearest post office and head home. Exactly 12 hours from when I left I arrive safely home. I'm exhausted!

BUT - next week our last piece of our dossier will arrive at our agency and be sent to China. Lots of work but finally we're so close to receiving our provisional approval from China. Can't wait to hear we have our paperwork in the Chinese government's hands and then to get the notification that we are in their system. The final approval will take awhile but just knowing our daughter's file is locked for us will be a huge step.

So the question now is, what do we do while we wait? We've been so busy gathering documents, getting approvals and following up on things, that just waiting will seem very strange. If God has been teaching me anything in this it is about being patient and waiting. I guess I still have some homework in that area.

i797 Arrived

2011-09-28T16:41:00.001-05:00

We are so excited. The official approval from immigration, i797, arrived today. Dennis came home at lunch to check the mail but it was not here yet so I left work a little early and it had arrived. I quickly made a copy, jumped in the car and headed to our Sec. of State office. Thankfully we live close to it. We will get it back tomorrow so on Friday we'll take it to the Chinese Consulate in Chicago. They will put their seals on it and get it back to us later in the day and then it will go to our agency who will send it off to China. Hopefully by the end of next week, all of our documents will be on their way to China.

Please keep praying for our paperwork as it moves through the process of approval. The documents will be translated when they arrive in China and then submitted to the government agency that handles adoptions. We will receive a Log-In-Date (LID) at that point. Then our agency will upload our Letter of Intent (LOI) so we can get a Provisional Approval (PA) from China. We hope to have our LOI done by Nov. 7 to meet a 90 day deadline on our daughters file. We should make that easily. After the PA arrives we will be waiting for awhile for our Letter of Acceptance (LOA) from China. My prayer is to have that by Christmas.

WE ARE APPROVED!!!

2011-09-24T00:10:00.002-05:00

We have had a very long, busy week and so tonight we just stayed home and relaxed. In no time we were both sound asleep in the living room. When I woke up, I checked my email and had a note from our officer at immigration that late today we were approved!!!! It will go in the mail on Monday and we should get it later in the week. Only 44 days for this step, which is well above the average processing time for this step.

One more step closer to bringing her home.

Progress on Our Immigration Approval!

2011-09-23T09:55:00.000-05:00

We are very excited today. Our inquiry as to the status of our application from US Immigration brought the following reply:

Hello,

Your case was just assigned to me this week. I hope to have it reviewed before Monday. Please check back if you like. Thanks and have a great weekend.

If all goes well, sometime next week we will get our approval letter. Then we can get it authenticated with the Sec. of State in Wisconsin and the Chinese Consulate in Chicago. At that point, we will send it off to our agency in New York and they will send it to China for translation. Once translated, it will go to CCCWA (the Chinese government adoption division) and they will “log in” our file. As soon as it is “logged in” we will be able to submit the information to get a provisional approval. Then we will be waiting for the final approval from China. From being logged in to final approval has been taking people 35-100+ days. We hope to be on the shorter end of that range.

Please continue to pray for the approval process to move smoothly.

What Really Matters

2011-09-19T13:46:00.001-05:00

Today I was finding it frustrating to be just waiting. So I decided to catch up on some of the adoption blogs I follow. So I read http://lori-immeasurablymore.blogspot.com/. This family just recently adopted Rachel. In fact, they are still in China with her. Rachel is seven years old and has a very serious heart condition. In fact, she is considered terminal. Reading their blog was such an encouragement to me. Their faith and love for this little girl helped me to put into perspective what is really important. It isn’t all about the wait. The most important thing is God’s timing and plan in the lives of these wonderful children. Please read Rachel’s story and remember to pray for her. Pray for her healing physically but also for her understanding of who Jesus is and what he has done to provide salvation.

I Just Want to Be Her Mom

2011-09-06T19:58:00.000-05:00

Today, I just want to be her Mom. I want to hold her, talk to her, teach her about life and in every way be her Mom. It seems like we have been filling out paperwork forever. Long ago we became parents in our hearts but an ocean, mounds of paperwork and two government bureaucracies keeps us apart. I wonder what she did today? What did she learn in school? Does she like her teacher? Who is her best friend? I want to share these things with her but for now I have to wait. I can pray for her and trust our heavenly Father to bring her to us at the perfect time He has ordained.

Yes, there are days when I wonder - what are we doing - but then I am reminded of all the ways God has directed our path. Each step brings us a little closer to being her parents.

As you think of us and pray for us, please remember to pray for our daughter too. She will have so many changes in her life in the next year.

Fingerprints Done

2011-09-03T08:44:00.001-05:00

Yesterday we went to Homeland Security and got fingerprinted. These are not the paper and ink prints but scans of your fingerprints. They are immediately sent to the FBI and then will be forwarded to immigration. So, we are once again waiting. We expect to hear from immigration in early October.

Doesn't Seem Like Much - But It Is

2011-08-30T15:38:00.003-05:00

Today we packed up our dossier documents that we have been gathering, certifying and authenticating since April and put them in the mail to our agency in New York. It doesn't look like much but it represents a lot of time and work. Pray they arrive there safely tomorrow. The only document missing from this group is our immigration approval. We get our fingerprints done on Friday as part of that process and then we will wait. It has been taking about 57 days for this process to be completed.

UPDATE: Our dossier arrived safely at 11:50 am.

One Small Step

2011-08-24T09:56:00.002-05:00

We are definitely in a waiting stage of this process, so, at this point, any news is something to rejoice about. This morning I checked the tracking number for the return envelope of documents from the Chinese consulate and they are on their way back to us! As of 2:59 am they were in Madison. When I checked the status later this morning, it says the package is out for delivery. Since we are not there to sign for it, it will go back to the post office. I'll stop there on my way home and pick it up tonight. We will add a few additional items to these documents and send them to our agency for a final review. They will hold onto them until our immigration approval arrives and then they will be sent to China for translation and approval from China.

We are waiting on immigration to send us the fingerprint notification. Hopefully that will come in the next week or so. Immigrations approval takes about 50-60 days on average and we are only at day 14 so we will be waiting for awhile.

UPDATE: I got home tonight and our fingerprint notification was in the mail. We have an appointment on September 2. I spent the evening scanning and copying our dossier documents.

Please keep praying for us as we prepare and wait.

A Weekend Away

2011-08-21T17:55:00.000-05:00

With all that has been going on, we decided a long weekend away would be a good idea. On Thursday night we determined our destination would be the Amana Colonies.

It was such a great weekend in so many ways. We enjoyed visiting the historical sites associated with this area. If you don't know about the Amana Colonies, they are a group of people who came to America in search of religious freedom. Until 1932, they lived as a communal society.

This is one of my favorite pictures from the trip.

We stayed at a lovely Bed and Breakfast. The best part of the stay was getting to know some of the other guests. There was and immediate connection with the people who were staying there. We felt like old friends immediately. Even the owners commented on how unusual it was for a group of guests to hit it off so well. Just another one of the blessings along the way.

In one of the shops in Amana we were talking with the owner and she shared with us, through tears, how her husband is facing cancer with a prognosis that does not sound good. We were able to pray with her. Please pray for Craig as he fights the cancer and for his wife and family.

We ended our time in Amana on Sunday morning by attending church with the local people who still worship in the style of the founders of the Amana Colonies. We enjoyed the very simple worship, a capella music and friendly people.

Preparations

2011-08-16T20:31:00.000-05:00

Her Room

While we wait on paperwork to get processed, we are preparing for our daughter's arrival. This room used to be Ellen's office but a fresh coat of paint, new furniture, curtains Ellen made and a few decorations and it is starting to look like a little girl's room. Now it just needs a little girl to call it home.

Documents in the Mail

2011-08-15T13:31:00.000-05:00

This morning I placed 12 of the most important documents of this adoption journey into the mail. They are heading to the Chinese Consulate in Chicago for authentication. The post office staff was so helpful in putting together the package and the return mailer but I must admit to being a bit nervous about leaving those documents we have spent the last five months gathering in the hands of the US Postal Service! Yet another time to learn a lesson on trust. They have to get there and I have to trust that God will watch over them as they head down to Chicago. They should arrive there tomorrow and then in about 2-3 weeks will come back to us. One more step along the road to bringing Nini home.

Preparation

2011-08-13T09:29:00.000-05:00

We continue to make progress with our paperwork. Yesterday, we got our paperwork back from the State of Wisconsin so now it can go off to the Chinese consulate on Monday.

I had off on Friday so I worked on making curtains for our daughter's bedroom. The furniture was also delivered. Now I need to find some things for on the walls. The mattresses for the beds will come next week. I'll post some pictures when I have a little more of the decorating done.

Immigration Progress

2011-08-10T20:06:00.000-05:00

We received notification today that our immigration paperwork is officially in process of being reviewed. Our next big step will be notification to go have our fingerprints taken at Homeland Security. I never thought I'd be excited about having to get fingerprinted!

We asked if it is ok to post a picture of NiNi and it is. Please continue to pray that all of our paperwork processes quickly so we can receive our official match with her. Now you will have face to attach to your prayers.

Mixed News to Share

2011-08-08T18:52:00.001-05:00

The good news is our daughter's profile finally showed up on the boards in China as available for adoption. The news is a bit mixed though. Her special need was repaired as a child and she is doing really well. That is the good part of the news. This however, placed her in a category of children that does not allow us to get a provisional approval until all of our paperwork is in China.

So, here is what happens at this point:
1. Our agency has exclusive rights to her file for 90 days but they have talked to the officials in China and can get an extension on this time frame. (That makes us very nervous though since we lost the last little girl's profile.)
2. Our documents arrived at immigration today. Usually it has been taking around 55 days to get through this process. We also sent off most of our documents for authentication which should be done in the next month or so.
3. We will need to authenticate our immigration approval once we have it back. This will take about a week with expedited service. That takes us to about 62 days.
4. Our dossier will then go to our agency who will send it to China to be translated. This takes about two weeks. This takes us to about 76 days.
5. Then the dossier goes to the Chinese government to be logged in which also takes a couple of weeks. This takes us to 90 days. This is the critical date to reach and which we hope to meet before the 90 days are up to avoid any possibility of losing our daughter's profile.
6. As soon as we have the log in date, we can get our provisional approval.
(The dates are projections based on averages.)

URGENT PRAYER REQUEST

Pray for our processing with immigration to go very quickly and faster than the "normal" 55 days. This is the one place we can make up some time on this timeline and it not be such a tight schedule. We would love to have this happen before the 90 days so we don't have to depend on an extension.

After having lost the first child's profile, we know the heartache of being matched to a child and then it falling through.

We know God's plan and timing is perfect and in this we are learning more about faith and trust as we walk down this path.

Busy Couple of Days

2011-08-07T07:24:00.000-05:00

The last few days have been full of activity. First, our immigration papers are in the mail and on their way! Monday we will send off the papers for authentication. Two major steps will be in the process of getting done.

The next major activity was painting our daughter's room. I started the task early on Saturday morning and before I went to bed, the room was painted and the carpet was cleaned. We received a call that the furniture for the room came in earlier than expected so it made completing this task critical. We can't wait to see it all set-up after the furniture is delivered. I still need to make the curtains. That will most likely be my project this week.

While I was painting, Dennis was building storage shelves in our store room in the basement. We really needed these as we have things from my former office that now need a home. He got a great start on those on Saturday.

We are still waiting to have our daughter's profile posted in China so continue to pray that happens soon. We would love to know she is "paper ready" in China and then to be provisionally matched with her. At that point we will share pictures with you of our beautiful girl.

Home Study and Immigration

2011-08-04T21:39:00.001-05:00

Our home study arrived in the mail today! After a couple of tense moments because we did not receive enough copies and then realizing there was an error in it, I am glad to say, after a talk with our caseworker, that all problems are in the process of being resolved and our immigration paperwork can go into the mail tomorrow! We are very excited about that!

We can start the process to get our dossier documents authenticated early next week. Finally it seems like we are moving forward.

Prayer Requests:
1. Still waiting on the our daughter's official listing in China.
2. Pray all paperwork arrives at its destination safely and goes through the various processes quickly.

Blessings and Next Steps

2011-08-01T10:05:00.000-05:00

This weekend we purchased furniture for our daughter’s bedroom. We had picked it out several weeks ago and it was now on sale so we decided it was the right time to place the order. It should be here in a couple of weeks. We got the bunk beds and dresser in this picture. This way, she will be able to have a friend stay overnight and have a place for her to sleep and the beds come apart and can be used as two twin beds if she would prefer that as she gets older. So, before that time we need to finish moving Ellen’s office to the room downstairs and paint the room. That will be our project next weekend. Ellen also is making the curtains for the room so she wants to get those done too. We need to include pictures of the room for our dossier that will go to China in the next few months.

We also received a very unexpected blessing this weekend that will help with some of the expenses of the adoption. It was a great encouragement and blessing to us.

Home Study Done!!

2011-07-29T11:30:00.000-05:00

We just received news that the last clearance for our home study came through this morning! We will have our home study in our hands next week at which point we can send off our paperwork to immigration. We will also start the process of getting our paperwork authenticated so it is ready to go as soon as immigration approval comes through.

Still waiting for the posting in China - please keep praying!

Still Waiting

2011-07-27T20:04:00.001-05:00

Emailed with our social worker today and our criminal clearances from Dane county have still not arrived. She has requested them twice. This is the only thing we are waiting for to complete our home study so we can send off our paperwork to immigration.

We are still waiting for the little girl we want to adopt to be officially listed to our agencies children. Earlier in the week the available children lists were updated and none of the children our agency is waiting for were in that group but they could arrive any day. We will be so much more at ease once we can post or information for her and get a provisional approval.

Please pray for both of these items to come through soon.

We did learn from some of our friends that the Homeland Security office that handles fingerprints in our area will allow you to walk-in and have them done rather than wait for your appointment. This can cut weeks off of the wait so as soon as our immigration papers are sent in and we get the word to go have our fingerprints done, we will go down at the walk-in times and get this done.

Progress!

2011-07-23T17:28:00.000-05:00

Friday marked some progress in several areas.

First, we met with our pediatrician to review the file of the little girl we are considering. He confirmed what we had learned online about the hole she had in her heart. This is a very common condition and many people are born with them. In many cases they heal on their own. This little girl had surgery to close the hole when she was less than a year old. He told us she appears to be a healthy, normal child at this point. So, we let our adoption agency know we definitely want to be matched with her. Now we just have to wait for her profile to be posted to our agencies list from the Chinese government. This could very well happen next week.

Also the draft of our home study is done. They are waiting on one more criminal clearance and it will be complete. As soon as we have that we will send off our forms to immigration to begin the process for approval to bring a child into the country. This is currently taking about two months. In the course of that time, we will get a letter to go to the FBI for fingerprints. You don't get a choice on the time or date for this appointment, they just send you a letter as to when you are to show up.

We also received our medical forms back from the doctor. We are deep into the paperwork and glad much of it has been gathered. As soon as we have the home study, we will send these papers off to the state of Wisconsin for authentication and then to the Chinese embassy for their approval as well.

As soon as we have an official match with the little girl we are considering, we will post that news here as well as some pictures. We are blessed to have many pictures of her as well as some video of her. You'll have to take our word for it at this point, but she is absolutely adorable.

Thanks for your continued prayers as we walk down this path to adding this lovely little girl to our family. We continue to pray for God's direction and guidance in this journey.

Waiting!

2011-07-19T18:41:00.002-05:00

A note from Ellen:

Adoption is definitely about waiting and we are in a waiting phase right now. We are waiting for our completed home study so we can submit our paperwork to US immigration; we are waiting for the little girl we are considering to be posted to the adoption board in China; we are waiting for medical forms to be completed; we are waiting for a consult with a pediatrician; and those are just the main areas.

Those of you who know me well, know that waiting is not my best attribute. I much prefer to be doing something to move things forward. I guess maybe God has some lessons for me to learn in this process and I know in the end, all the waiting will be worth it.

So here are the timetables for some of the things listed above.

Medicals should be done this week.
Home study is waiting for some background checks that also should come in this week.
Posting in China may come as early as Monday but there is no way of knowing that for sure.
Pediatrician consult is on Friday.

So, here we are, waiting!

How We Arrived Here

2011-07-17T20:34:00.007-05:00

We thought it was time we started to share some of the incredible journey we have been on. For some of you, you have heard this story or parts of it. We hope to keep you updated as we continue down this road through this blog.

Many of you know, we are in the process of adopting from China. This has not been a short journey or a quick decision. Let us share with you the short version of the story of how we arrived where we are today.

For about the last five years, we would, from time to time, talk about adoption but that is all the further it got.

When God called us to a new church about three or four years ago, we didn't know what avenue of service God had for us there. Some friends of ours, George and Nancy, were in our small group and when they were moving to Tennessee, they asked our group to pray about someone to take over their ministry of providing a ride to church for several international students from China. We knew it was suppose to be us. We fell in love with Han Ning, Sophie and Angela - all from China. Since that time, we have met Ping and her family, Mona, Tracy and her family, Lucy and her husband, Bei and her mom, Jasmine, Cecelia, and Katharine. About half of our friends have finished their studies here and are home in China. We love the fact that with Skype and email we can easily keep in touch with them. Through our friendships with these students, we have come to learn much about and appreciate the culture of China.

At the same time, God was burdening our hearts about the needs of orphans around the world. So early in 2011, we decided to fill out a preliminary application and attend an informational meeting about international adoptions. Following the meeting, we also had some time to talk with one of the case workers and get some answers to our questions about adopting.

We felt strongly that this was a path we were to take but also felt it would be wise to seek the advice of a number of friends regarding this decision. We kept hearing, "You guys will be great parents!" We kept praying, "If this is not your direction for us, please show us clearly that we should not continue down this path." At the same time, we felt we should do the "next step" in the adoption process.

In April we saw a picture of a little girl from Shanghai who was available for adoption. We requesting information about her and applied to the agency to be considered for her parents. A week later we were told we had been selected as her parents! We were so excited. And at that point, the long road of paperwork for adoption began.

Our first hurtle was finding a local adoption agency to do our home study. The agency through which we are adopting is not licensed in our state so we actually needed two agencies for the process. We had some trouble finding an agency who would do this for us without making us repeat the required training we already were doing through our primary out of state agency. But we found one and immediately felt comfortable with our social worker. We began the home study process. This process consists of a narrative of our life story and four separate visits with our case worker. We completed this at the end of June.

We also needed to go to New York City for some adoption training. We found flights that were direct and out of of our small local airport to NY for only $180 each. When we started looking for hotels, we realized how very expensive they are in NY. After calling an acquaintance who called a pastor friend in Yonkers, we were graciously offered the use of the "Prophet's Chamber" at the church. What a blessing! Thank you Pastor Dierking and Hudsonview Baptist Church for your gracious hospitality!

While in the home study process, we were also gathering many documents that we will need to complete the adoption in China. Not only are there documents, there are also physicals and references. Thanks to everyone who has done references for us. Nothing in your life is private when you are adopting!

Last week we received some news that broke our hearts. The little girl we had planned to adopt, was no longer available through our agency. It was a very difficult time for us as we were very much in love with her. We received this news on Friday. After searching our hearts and with much prayer, we are convinced God is still calling us down this path but had a fork in the road for us that we had not seen. So we reviewed a couple of profiles of several other children in need of families and told our agency we were interesting in one of the girls.

On Sunday morning we went to church as usually, but still with very heavy hearts. Tom Nebel was the guest speaker and his message was from Acts 1. He talked about how as Christ was about to ascend and leave the disciples He told them - "Let go of the memory for the sake of the dream." In other words, the disciples had walked and talked with Christ but He was about to leave but He had another plan for them, the Holy Spirit was coming. We were so encouraged by this and God used it to confirm in our hearts that we had to let go of the child we already loved as our daughter but that He had another dream for us.

So, today we are in the process of reviewing a file on another little girl. We will see a pediatrician this week to review her files. We are also waiting for her file to be officially posted as available for adoption. The paperwork is submitted to the government in China for this to happen. Our prayer request is that this goes quickly and smoothly. Once she is posted to the list in China, we will be able to submit paperwork to get a provisional approval to be matched with her for adoption. We hope to have that happen in the the next two to four weeks.

So that is the short version of the story. Aren't you glad we didn't share the long version?

Several friends have asked - Why Adopt? Why China? This video really expresses our heart on this matter.