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!
Sunday, October 6, 2013
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.
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