I just got the call from my agency and our dossier has left the building!! IT'S ON ITS WAY TO CHINA!!! From the time of our pre-approval Sept 19th, we had 6 months to get LID (logged in dossier in China). Today is day 130 so we should be logged in within a week or so YEAH!!! We may not be notified for 2-3 weeks. Right now for the next week, I get a break from paperwork from the agency, but not from myself!! My adoption binder is overflowing and disorganized AGAIN (how does this happen??) so I need to tend to it and re-vamp the system.
Next step after LID is LOA (letter of acceptance) then more things that I don't know that will lead to my eventual travel to China! I'm saying 4-6 months to travel, others will say longer 5-9 months. I am choosing to be optimistic knowing that God is in this!! If it is longer then I will deal with it then, but I'll live in "MY" world right now, it is a much nicer place than dragging this out into the next school year!! We would love to have the summer or part of the summer to begin transitioning...Time will tell and it will be what it will be. Just can't wait to meet our son and bring him home!!
Our family will celebrate tomorrow night since Matt has our North Florida Diocese conference beginning tonight and concluding tomorrow afternoon!! I am so excited!! We are another step closer to bringing him home!!!YIPPEE SKIPPEE!! Praise God from whom all blessings flow!! God is good all the time! All the time God is good!
Friday, January 27, 2012
Fishers of People - our lesson last week
Mark 1:14-20 (NIV)
Following Jesus is not without risk, but NOT following Jesus is not without risk either...Which do you choose?
Jesus Announces the Good News
14 After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. 15 “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”Jesus Calls His First Disciples
16 As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 17 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” 18 At once they left their nets and followed him. 19 When he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets. 20 Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him.Following Jesus is not without risk, but NOT following Jesus is not without risk either...Which do you choose?
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Lunch with our new friend from China
God is so amazing!! Let me say that again! GOD IS SO AMAZING!!! When this adoption got underway, back in September last year, I told a few people...One person I told at church was our friend, Candy. Candy was telling someone at her office about our son, and where he lives and then they said, "Xin is from there." WHAT??? Candy sent an email to Xin, and he expressed that he would love to help in any way that he can. He still has friends and family that live in the city where our son is residing. They are happy to assist me when it comes time to travel! WHAT?? This is another God-wink!! What are those odds really??? He even went to elementary school 5 miles away from the orphanage! WHAT???? BEYOND WORDS!!! All these months later, Matt and I had lunch with Xin today! It was great! He was so gracious, and thanked US for what WE are doing! We said this is God's doing, we are working on His behalf! He was baptized this past summer! HE IS A CHRISTIAN! HE IS WONDERFUL!! HE IS GOING TO HELP US TELL MSX ABOUT JESUS!!! I do not mean to yell, but this is over the top!!!We are so thankful that God has lined up all these people in our life and in MSX's life to insure that he hears the Gospel!!! He is the ONLY ONE that could do all that has been done in all of this!!!
Thanks be to God for His grace and mercy! Please continue to pray for MSX while he waits...
Thanks be to God for His grace and mercy! Please continue to pray for MSX while he waits...
I-800A approval!!
I received word from a close friend yesterday that I have been a slacker (you know who you are!)...this is true in the sense that I haven't posted in almost a month, BUT I have been BUSY (and she knows it!) wink wink!! So I really should be keeping a journal of writings also so when I'm not posting on the computer I am posting somewhere, sigh, I've been busy...We received our I-800A approval last Friday with the actual approval date of the 14th!!! I went to Matt's office to get the "true and exact copy" notarized along with 2 POAs (power of attorney) stating that either one of us is allowed to bring MSX home from China.
I drove to Tallahassee on Monday morning through the fog for a while, then went to the Florida Dept. of State to get their verifications of my documents. I was there all of about 13 minutes and then gassed up the van and hit the road again. Meanwhile I received a text that my mother in law was out of medicine, I am 3 hours away and can't really do anything at the moment, but will take care of it when I get home...got home a few minutes before the boys got off the bus. They got their homework done and it was time to run to Walmart, to get the meds, go by FedEx to ship my documents to the courier service in Washington DC, and then Home Depot (nesting projects!!), and then my MIL's
house. Walmart didn't have her meds ready so we had to wait about 30 minutes, then we went to Fedex...by this time I decided there was no way to accomplish the trip to Home Depot, I really just couldn't think anymore...we went to my MIL's house to drop off her meds. She has Alzheimer's and her husband had a stroke 1 1/2 years ago. They have 24/7 care in their home, so that is wonderful! We got there and knocked on the back door and they really couldn't hear us since the TV must have been ALL THE WAY UP! I knocked on the kitchen window, she sat up, looked, smiled and then sat back in her chair...this happened one more time...Mason and I were in stitches, because if you don't laugh you will cry...I got my cell phone and called...Bill (her husband) could not find the phone. Mason and I were waving our hands in the window and he FINALLY saw us. The caregiver was already in her room, and there was no way she could hear through the sound of the tv anyway. We visited a few minutes and then journeyed back home...Everyone got showered and fed and then off to bed. Now was the time I realized I didn't have ANY cake mix in the house (for Maddox's birthday celebration at school) and I could not muster up the energy for "made from scratch" cupcakes IT WAS 9PM!! I was so tired!!! I did manage to make the yummy chocolate icing though! It would have been nice to know that I needed the mix while I had been sitting at Walmart 3 hours earlier!! Also, I didn't even think about making his cake for our family celebration!! So after his cupcakes at school on Tuesday, I came home and made a cake for that night, and the icing ended up being gritty like sand, but the boys didn't care!! neither did I!!) Did I really need to write all that??? The things we do for our children!!
Some do not know, but this I-800A approval is a HUGE milstone!! This approval is the US government telling us that we can adopt "A" child from another country, specially China, specifically a "special needs" child, one with dwarfism, but not limited to dwarfism. We have not gotten to the I-800 that names our son specifically (which I did not even know there was another step in this part, but this is all a learning process. The process for the I800A began back in November. I had received the receipt notice right before Thanksgiving for our fingerprint appt., which was on December 22. Since that date, we have been waiting for the approval. Thanks be to God that process is complete!!
I drove to Tallahassee on Monday morning through the fog for a while, then went to the Florida Dept. of State to get their verifications of my documents. I was there all of about 13 minutes and then gassed up the van and hit the road again. Meanwhile I received a text that my mother in law was out of medicine, I am 3 hours away and can't really do anything at the moment, but will take care of it when I get home...got home a few minutes before the boys got off the bus. They got their homework done and it was time to run to Walmart, to get the meds, go by FedEx to ship my documents to the courier service in Washington DC, and then Home Depot (nesting projects!!), and then my MIL's
house. Walmart didn't have her meds ready so we had to wait about 30 minutes, then we went to Fedex...by this time I decided there was no way to accomplish the trip to Home Depot, I really just couldn't think anymore...we went to my MIL's house to drop off her meds. She has Alzheimer's and her husband had a stroke 1 1/2 years ago. They have 24/7 care in their home, so that is wonderful! We got there and knocked on the back door and they really couldn't hear us since the TV must have been ALL THE WAY UP! I knocked on the kitchen window, she sat up, looked, smiled and then sat back in her chair...this happened one more time...Mason and I were in stitches, because if you don't laugh you will cry...I got my cell phone and called...Bill (her husband) could not find the phone. Mason and I were waving our hands in the window and he FINALLY saw us. The caregiver was already in her room, and there was no way she could hear through the sound of the tv anyway. We visited a few minutes and then journeyed back home...Everyone got showered and fed and then off to bed. Now was the time I realized I didn't have ANY cake mix in the house (for Maddox's birthday celebration at school) and I could not muster up the energy for "made from scratch" cupcakes IT WAS 9PM!! I was so tired!!! I did manage to make the yummy chocolate icing though! It would have been nice to know that I needed the mix while I had been sitting at Walmart 3 hours earlier!! Also, I didn't even think about making his cake for our family celebration!! So after his cupcakes at school on Tuesday, I came home and made a cake for that night, and the icing ended up being gritty like sand, but the boys didn't care!! neither did I!!) Did I really need to write all that??? The things we do for our children!!
Some do not know, but this I-800A approval is a HUGE milstone!! This approval is the US government telling us that we can adopt "A" child from another country, specially China, specifically a "special needs" child, one with dwarfism, but not limited to dwarfism. We have not gotten to the I-800 that names our son specifically (which I did not even know there was another step in this part, but this is all a learning process. The process for the I800A began back in November. I had received the receipt notice right before Thanksgiving for our fingerprint appt., which was on December 22. Since that date, we have been waiting for the approval. Thanks be to God that process is complete!!
Faith
Hebrews 11:6 - And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
Need I say more than what the Bible tells us...not to say that I have "perfect" faith all of the time, BUT I do have complete faith that He will take care of ALL of us during our transition process, which could be days, weeks, months, years or forever! He has trusted us with ALL of our children, we shall trust Him with our children.
Monday, January 2, 2012
Ladybugs
I do not believe in luck, although I do believe in "Godwinks" and signs from Him...Saturday, as Matt was getting the grill fired up and cleaning off the table off outside for our "quiet" New Year's Eve celebration this was what he found on our table...The infamous "ladybug." I have always liked ladybugs, but never knew that some people related them to adoption, or Chinese adoptions...so maybe it is a sign that our I-800 approval will be in our mailbox this week...PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE...I do know that it will be on its way at some point...There are so many steps in the adoption process and it is a little confusing. I was looking at other blogs and time lines...THEY REALLY VARY!!! So, it will come back down to, we will do what we are suppose to do, and this will be in His time...I have to go with that since I can make myself (and my husband!) nuts....All the while, praying some of these grants come through, as we are needing LOTS OF FUNDS TO APPEAR !!! We have faith that He will provide!
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Happy Birthday Michael Stephen XueFa!!
It is already tomorrow in Wuhan, but today it is still Michael Stephen XueFa's birthday here in the United States. He is 10! This will be the last birthday (with God's help!) that he will celebrate without his forever family! We made a cake and took pictures. When we have permission, we will send him a package with pictures of us and his birthday celebration, among other things. It was not a huge celebration but we want him to know that we did not just have another New Year's Day. This one was more meaningful to us than any other New Year's Day. It was the day we celebrated the birth of another one of our children. A child whom was born in our hearts, many months ago, and born of a woman approximately 10 years ago. Oh how I hurt for her, I pray for her, and his father. I am thankful that OUR FATHER, whom adopted ALL OF US, placed him in our hearts. We will forever be grateful for His love and trust. As it can be very challenging adopting an older child, we have been praying for his heart to be open to all of us and for the transition for him and for us. We know all things are possible through God, and know He will see us through...Thank you Father for everything! Looking forward to an awesome 2012!
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