After lots of waiting, we are finally able to answer the question we have been asked so many times - "when are you going to China to bring your daughter home?" We received our travel approval on Friday and it has been such a blessing to be able to share our travel dates with our friends and family.
It was an extra special blessing that on the same day we got our travel approval, our family and church family threw a surprise shower for us. Friday was an awesome day!
We have a lot of preparations to take care of before we head to China - we would appreciate prayers that we would be able to get everything taken care of with minimal stress. We would also appreciate prayers for safe travels and that the Lord would lead us each step of the way as we become parents in another country and then bring our daughter home. It is amazing to be at this point in our journey and we are nervous and excited to become parents and start this next step in our journey!
Monday, May 26, 2014
Thursday, March 20, 2014
Visa's, Fingerprints, and many blessings!
Last week, Jen and I received our Chinese Visa's and just yesterday we had our fingerprint appointment to renew our I800a immigration form when we travel to China to bring our daughter home. We are now waiting for our travel approval or TA. Once we have that, leaving on a jet plane to China will not be too far off.
Jen and I are continued to be blessed and humbled by our church family, Riverside Community Church, with their love and support and many blessings of financial gifts. We cannot thank everyone enough for all the kindness and generosity that we have been shown.
We are planning on painting the bedroom that has been designated LC's nursery the first Saturday in April and prepare for the day we bring our sweet pea home. So much to do, so little time, but with God in control and Jesus the center of our lives, we're ready, but also know we need to focus on today and not tomorrow or the day after that, etc...
Jen and I are continued to be blessed and humbled by our church family, Riverside Community Church, with their love and support and many blessings of financial gifts. We cannot thank everyone enough for all the kindness and generosity that we have been shown.
We are planning on painting the bedroom that has been designated LC's nursery the first Saturday in April and prepare for the day we bring our sweet pea home. So much to do, so little time, but with God in control and Jesus the center of our lives, we're ready, but also know we need to focus on today and not tomorrow or the day after that, etc...
Sunday, March 2, 2014
We are so blessed!
We had a movie fundraiser on Friday night with another couple from our church who is adopting and we just want to thank all those who participated in the event and/or donated as part of this fundraiser - we have been repeatedly blessed on this journey by others' generosity and it is very humbling and honoring to be the recipients of that generosity.
We also feel very blessed by a couple we met through our adoption agency. They have adopted two girls from China and have been such an incredible resource to us as we have gone through and continue to go through this journey. While we know that each adoption experience is unique, it is so very helpful to talk to those who have experienced their own journey and we are so thankful to have this couple who has willingly answered all of our questions and shared their experiences with us in a way that gives us comfort, wisdom, and assurance as we face such a new adventure.
Thank you!!!
We also feel very blessed by a couple we met through our adoption agency. They have adopted two girls from China and have been such an incredible resource to us as we have gone through and continue to go through this journey. While we know that each adoption experience is unique, it is so very helpful to talk to those who have experienced their own journey and we are so thankful to have this couple who has willingly answered all of our questions and shared their experiences with us in a way that gives us comfort, wisdom, and assurance as we face such a new adventure.
Thank you!!!
When?
Last month Jen and I had the opportunity to share with our church family and other friends and loved ones that we were matched with 10-month-old girl and that after our consultation with a pediatrician from CHOP and a friend who is a doctor, we had decided to move forward and accept the referral of the baby girl The Lord has called us to adopt as our daughter.
We feel so blessed and grateful to our church, Riverside Community Church, in Horsham, PA and our friends and family with all the support and encouragement we have received as we continue our journey with God and the child He has called us to adopt.
Now that we have gone public, the next question we have been asked frequently is when are we going to China? Well, that is still unknown at this time. We have to submit our Visa applications and get re-fingerprinted and once those items have been submitted we should receive our travel approval or TA and then it will be 4-6 weeks at which point we'll have the travel plans finalized.
So in short, we will be heading to China at the end of April or beginning of May 2014. We ask for your continued prayers as we go through this journey that the Lord would continue to guide us each step of the way and that He would continue to be preparing to be parents and preparing our daughter for us!
We feel so blessed and grateful to our church, Riverside Community Church, in Horsham, PA and our friends and family with all the support and encouragement we have received as we continue our journey with God and the child He has called us to adopt.
Now that we have gone public, the next question we have been asked frequently is when are we going to China? Well, that is still unknown at this time. We have to submit our Visa applications and get re-fingerprinted and once those items have been submitted we should receive our travel approval or TA and then it will be 4-6 weeks at which point we'll have the travel plans finalized.
So in short, we will be heading to China at the end of April or beginning of May 2014. We ask for your continued prayers as we go through this journey that the Lord would continue to guide us each step of the way and that He would continue to be preparing to be parents and preparing our daughter for us!
Saturday, January 11, 2014
Good things come to those who wait:-)
We had truly thought and hoped that we would receive a referral from our adoption agency before the end of 2013, so we were a little disappointed as we were approaching the end of the year that we had not heard anything (although we continued to trust in God's perfect timing:-)). Drew had reached out to our adoption agency before the end of the year just to see if we could get any idea of where we stood in the process. The information we received gave us the impression it would still be a while before we received a referral. Obviously, that wasn't really what we wanted to hear, but we reminded ourselves that the Lord would bring along a referral when He saw fit and we needed to continue to be patient and make good use of this time.
On Wednesday 1/8, I was at work and got a message from our contact at America World and she asked me to call her back. I first called Drew because I thought maybe she tried to reach him, but when he didn't answer, I figured I would call our contact back. I was completely shocked to hear that we were receiving a referral!!!!! We definitely were not expecting it so soon in the year. Once I got off the phone with her, I started crying and called Drew. When I shared the news with him, he started crying too. We had 24 hours to decide if we wanted to take the next step in the referral process, and after prayer and discussion, decided that we wanted to and we informed America World on Thursday. The next step is to consult with a doctor regarding the medical reports, as well as consult others who may be able to give helpful feedback/input. We have two weeks to decide whether or not we will accept or decline this referral, so we are asking for your prayers as we go through this critical part in our journey. Both of us feel at this point that unless the Lord shows us a reason not to move forward, that we certainly hope to move forward on our journey. We will keep you posted! :-)
On Wednesday 1/8, I was at work and got a message from our contact at America World and she asked me to call her back. I first called Drew because I thought maybe she tried to reach him, but when he didn't answer, I figured I would call our contact back. I was completely shocked to hear that we were receiving a referral!!!!! We definitely were not expecting it so soon in the year. Once I got off the phone with her, I started crying and called Drew. When I shared the news with him, he started crying too. We had 24 hours to decide if we wanted to take the next step in the referral process, and after prayer and discussion, decided that we wanted to and we informed America World on Thursday. The next step is to consult with a doctor regarding the medical reports, as well as consult others who may be able to give helpful feedback/input. We have two weeks to decide whether or not we will accept or decline this referral, so we are asking for your prayers as we go through this critical part in our journey. Both of us feel at this point that unless the Lord shows us a reason not to move forward, that we certainly hope to move forward on our journey. We will keep you posted! :-)
Sunday, October 6, 2013
Waiting...
It has been quite a while since we have done a blog post! I know in our last post in May I had written that Drew lost his job. The Lord certainly protected us and provided for us because Drew had a full-time job just a couple weeks later. He is working in Horsham for a company he had previous experience with and we are thankful how things turned out with that.
We have wanted to use this time of waiting as best as possible - in some ways I feel like we have so far and in others I feel like we haven't. There is still plenty of reading for us to do and training that we could have - it is difficult a lot of the time to get motivated - I keep praying about it and hope to get moving on those things soon.
It was a blessing to get together with a family we met at last year's picnic for America World. They have adopted two girls from China. We met at Olive Garden in Lancaster for lunch and got to pick their brains and hear their adoption experiences. We are so grateful to have had that opportunity to spend time with them and very much appreciate their kindness and support.
In September, we attended our second America World picnic for our region. Just like last year, it was fun to observe all of the families and how beautiful and natural they all are. We got to talk to two couples who have adopted from China, one very recently, and that was very encouraging and helpful. It was beneficial to hear what their timeline was like as far as how long they were waiting and when they got their referral and when they traveled to China (not that we expect it to be the same for us, but just to have a general idea).
October is a big month for us because we started dating in October and got married in October, so we are secretly (not so secretly:-)) hoping maybe we will get a referral in October, but we know it is God's timing and His timing is perfect. We will continue to try to make good use of this season and trust in the Lord to continue to guide us on this journey!
We have wanted to use this time of waiting as best as possible - in some ways I feel like we have so far and in others I feel like we haven't. There is still plenty of reading for us to do and training that we could have - it is difficult a lot of the time to get motivated - I keep praying about it and hope to get moving on those things soon.
It was a blessing to get together with a family we met at last year's picnic for America World. They have adopted two girls from China. We met at Olive Garden in Lancaster for lunch and got to pick their brains and hear their adoption experiences. We are so grateful to have had that opportunity to spend time with them and very much appreciate their kindness and support.
In September, we attended our second America World picnic for our region. Just like last year, it was fun to observe all of the families and how beautiful and natural they all are. We got to talk to two couples who have adopted from China, one very recently, and that was very encouraging and helpful. It was beneficial to hear what their timeline was like as far as how long they were waiting and when they got their referral and when they traveled to China (not that we expect it to be the same for us, but just to have a general idea).
October is a big month for us because we started dating in October and got married in October, so we are secretly (not so secretly:-)) hoping maybe we will get a referral in October, but we know it is God's timing and His timing is perfect. We will continue to try to make good use of this season and trust in the Lord to continue to guide us on this journey!
Saturday, May 4, 2013
Leaning on Faith
We submitted our dossier in February and received our log-in date of February 6, 2013. Since then, life has been busy and we have been trying to keep reading and doing what we can to use the time wisely while we wait for a referral of a child.
Last week, we received an e-mail from America World indicating that the wait time for a referral could be between 6 and 18 months from our log-in date (due to the large number of people wanting to adopt a child from China who fits the same characteristics we have requested). That is longer than we had expected and was a little disappointing, but we trust in the Lord's perfect timing and know that it will happen at the right time and we need to be patient.
This week has brought a couple of personal events that are very challenging and serve as a reminder that we need to trust in the Lord, that He is the Great Healer and Provider. The verse that has resonated with us so much for for our adoption rings true in so many other ways and we are clinging to Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV) - "For I know the plans I have for you", declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." On Wednesday, my (Jen's) dad, who has Parkinson's disease as well as other health complications broke his left arm and 8 ribs. He is in the hospital and we got to visit yesterday and things are improving, but he will have a lot of healing to do. We pray for healing for him as well as comfort and strength for my mom. On Thursday, Drew lost his job. While deep down we believe this is an answered prayer and it is for the best, it is a very scary place to be right now, dealing with uncertainty and the unknown. At this point, we are unsure of how this will impact our adoption. We pray that Drew will find another job soon, one that will be a better opportunity for him and certainly where the Lord wants him to be. We also pray for the Lord's financial provision and that this will not drastically affect where we are in our adoption journey. Another of my favorite verses is John 16:33 (NIV) “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” Going through very difficult times is never fun or easy, but they are opportunities to grow in faith and truly trust in the Lord. He has carried us through difficult times before and we know He will do the same now. It is so true that in this world we have trouble, but it is so comforting and reassuring that we know the Lord has overcome this world and we have so much hope and joy in knowing Him and what He has in store.
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Moving forward!
It has been a couple months since we posted anything - the time has been flying! For a good part of December, our kitchen and dining room became a jar-assembling factory - it got quite hectic around Christmas, but at the same time, it was a huge blessing - selling Meaningful Mixes has been a great fundraiser for us, both through our church and at my (Jen's) work. We greatly appreciate everyone's support.
At the end of December, we drove to Harrisburg to get our remaining documents certified and then sent them to the Chinese Consulate in New York to get authenticated. We hit a little bump in the road at that point because of how I had copied the documents that were sent to New York (it's a long story), so we ended up having to take another trip to Harrisburg to get those documents re-certified. I was not expecting that and it was a very unpleasant surprise to have to do that again, but it didn't set us back much and we got our authenticated documents back a couple week ago. We then sent our dossier to America World, who then sent it to China. When that happened, we were told it could be two to six weeks until we would receive our "log-in date" (LID). It was quite a nice surprise when we received it last week! Our log-in date is February 6, 2013. The log-in date is used by the China Center of Adoption Affairs (CCCWA) to track a family's process during the waiting stage. Most referrals require a family to have a log-in date in order to be considered for that referral, so we are now in a position where we could start receiving referrals.
We don't really know what this part of the journey will look like. We don't know exactly when we could receive a referral. If we would decline a referral, we don't know when we would receive the next one. Our goal during this time of waiting is to continue reading the books we are supposed to read as required by America World, as well as continuing to fundraise and do whatever we can to make the time useful. We would really appreciate prayer for patience and for trusting in the Lord's perfect timing. We also would appreciate prayers for unity - we have said that when we receive a referral, we both need to truly feel that the Lord is calling us to adopt that child. If we both don't feel that way, we will decline the referral. It sounds simple now, but I know when we receive that referral, it could be emotional and we need to be strong and trusting that the Lord will show us who our daughter is.
At the end of December, we drove to Harrisburg to get our remaining documents certified and then sent them to the Chinese Consulate in New York to get authenticated. We hit a little bump in the road at that point because of how I had copied the documents that were sent to New York (it's a long story), so we ended up having to take another trip to Harrisburg to get those documents re-certified. I was not expecting that and it was a very unpleasant surprise to have to do that again, but it didn't set us back much and we got our authenticated documents back a couple week ago. We then sent our dossier to America World, who then sent it to China. When that happened, we were told it could be two to six weeks until we would receive our "log-in date" (LID). It was quite a nice surprise when we received it last week! Our log-in date is February 6, 2013. The log-in date is used by the China Center of Adoption Affairs (CCCWA) to track a family's process during the waiting stage. Most referrals require a family to have a log-in date in order to be considered for that referral, so we are now in a position where we could start receiving referrals.
We don't really know what this part of the journey will look like. We don't know exactly when we could receive a referral. If we would decline a referral, we don't know when we would receive the next one. Our goal during this time of waiting is to continue reading the books we are supposed to read as required by America World, as well as continuing to fundraise and do whatever we can to make the time useful. We would really appreciate prayer for patience and for trusting in the Lord's perfect timing. We also would appreciate prayers for unity - we have said that when we receive a referral, we both need to truly feel that the Lord is calling us to adopt that child. If we both don't feel that way, we will decline the referral. It sounds simple now, but I know when we receive that referral, it could be emotional and we need to be strong and trusting that the Lord will show us who our daughter is.
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Fingerprints and Fundraising
We have not posted anything in a while and I think a lot of that is because it feels like we are just king of waiting right now. We submitted the necessary form to USCIS in November and it can take a couple months to get back - once we get that back, we will be ready to complete the final steps (certification and authentication of the remaining documents) in order to submit our dossier. We did get our fingerprints done for USCIS last week, so it feels like there is a bit of progress in that area.
Our fundraiser of selling Meaningful Mixes (jars of soup and cookie mixes) is in full swing. We sold many in church this past Sunday and we are getting a lot of orders from people in my office. From an emotional perspective, it is challenging to fundraise because we know things can be difficult for others financially and we try not to really have any expectations and just be thankful for any and all support that we receive. Once again, as with our previous fundraiser, we feel so incredibly blessed by all those who care about us and support us. Through rolling out this fundraiser, we "announced" our adoption to my office (Jen's) and everyone has been so caring and supportive - I feel very honored to be working with such great people.
If anyone is interested in placing an order of mixes, feel free to respond with a comment to the blog and we will be happy to make some jars for you. We are selling chicken noodle soup mix, beef chili soup mix, love soup mix (a soup with beans and noodles), chocolate chip cookie mix, snickerdoodle mix, peanut butter cookie mix, oatmeal M&M cookie mix, and s'mores bar mix (our personal favorite:-)). Each jar is $7 and all of the proceeds go towards our adoption costs. It is truly a labor of love because it is a lot of work, but they are fun to make and we love how they turn out and the results help us on our adoption journey!
Our fundraiser of selling Meaningful Mixes (jars of soup and cookie mixes) is in full swing. We sold many in church this past Sunday and we are getting a lot of orders from people in my office. From an emotional perspective, it is challenging to fundraise because we know things can be difficult for others financially and we try not to really have any expectations and just be thankful for any and all support that we receive. Once again, as with our previous fundraiser, we feel so incredibly blessed by all those who care about us and support us. Through rolling out this fundraiser, we "announced" our adoption to my office (Jen's) and everyone has been so caring and supportive - I feel very honored to be working with such great people.
If anyone is interested in placing an order of mixes, feel free to respond with a comment to the blog and we will be happy to make some jars for you. We are selling chicken noodle soup mix, beef chili soup mix, love soup mix (a soup with beans and noodles), chocolate chip cookie mix, snickerdoodle mix, peanut butter cookie mix, oatmeal M&M cookie mix, and s'mores bar mix (our personal favorite:-)). Each jar is $7 and all of the proceeds go towards our adoption costs. It is truly a labor of love because it is a lot of work, but they are fun to make and we love how they turn out and the results help us on our adoption journey!
Sunday, November 4, 2012
Getting closer!
Our home study was finalized on October 15th! Once we received that, we submitted our I-800A form to USCIS (United States Citizenship and Immigration Services). Our understanding is that it can take 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 months to get approval. We have to do our photo pages for our dossier, but other than that, we will be ready to take the final steps to submit our dossier once we get approval from USCIS. There is plenty to do in the meantime, particularly work on fundraising and read the books required by America World for the adoption. We hope to roll-out our new fundraising venture in mid-November - we will be selling jars of cookie mixes and soup mixes.
I've been thinking lately about how the Lord has really been working in us, taking a couple who had never previously thought much about adoption and given us this desire to give a loving home to a child who might not otherwise have one. We keep getting blessed with opportunities to talk to people who have adopted or are in the process of adoption and it means so much to hear their stories and imagine what is in store for us!
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