Jack's Gift

Way back in October, when we first received our Pre-approval for Jack's adoption, we were given the needed information for sending care packages to Jack.  At that time he was still at Maria's Big House so it was fun to get pictures from Mikey (a friend from my mission trip as well as our official adoption liaison) letting us see Jack and his friends enjoying the first package we sent.

Shortly thereafter Jack was moved out of Maria's, however, so even though we have continued to send packages we have not received any other package feedback.  We can only trust that these other few gifts have arrived safely at the orphanage and that Jack has been reminded in a tangible way that we are still here and still working to bring him home.

Last month we had a bit of a different experience though.  Our friends, Bill and Kelli Jones, were traveling to China to bring home their beautiful daughter, Lilli, and had agreed to take a gift with them for Jack.  Lilli had been living at the same orphanage Jack is at so there was a very good chance they would be able to see him while there.  It seems that although touring groups (like those visiting during their mission trips to MBHOH) are not allowed to carry cameras into the orphanage facility adopting parents visiting for the purpose of meeting nannies and seeing where their child has been living are.  So... not only did Bill and Kelli have the potential to visit with Jack as many of my other Show Hope friends have done, they also had a pretty good chance of getting a photo or two for us - a real gift since the last picture we have received arrived on January 7.

Well, as it turned out, Bill and Kelli made the decision for their family to not visit the orphanage as it did not seem in the best interest of Lilli's emotional health at the time. Still wanting to help us though, Kelli arranged for another couple traveling in their group, Greg and Suzanne Kroeker, to carry our gift with them as they had chosen to visit the facility.  What a tremendous blessing!  Oh, and did I mention that Greg and Suzanne have never met us?  Well, I guess that's not entirely true as Suzanne and I are Facebook friends as a result of a few mutual interests - Lilli's adoption, Show Hope and JACK!  We actually "met" through commenting on Facebook posts from Kelli and Suzanne soon shared that her daughter met Jack when she traveled to Maria's on her own mission trip.  And then, of course, there is that whole Show Hope people are just like family thing.  But I digress... 

Back to the story...  The best part of this whole thing is that Greg and Suzanne were able to visit with Jack while at the orphanage and they were able to deliver our small gift to him.  This gift was really a photo album of Jack's family and what we have waiting for him - pictures of each of us, our street, our house, our dog, his room, his bed and more.  (All with Chinese subtitles, of course.)  

 

I don't know how much of that photo album he will really be able to digest before he actually begins to experience his new life, but hopefully it will spark at least a bit of an interest in his heart and allow him to begin the transition to the life waiting for him.  And hopefully it is serving as just one more reminder that we are here, we are working hard to bring him home, and we are coming!  Oh, and did I mention we got pictures?!

And they sent a video too!  Which was fantastic in SO many ways.  Probably the best way is that the Dan and the girls got a chance to see Jack in action.  We have many pictures of him around the house, but this gave them a chance to actually see him moving - like a real person - and smiling too.  It often makes me sad that Dan does not share any of the hands-on memories I have of Jack so I was very excited to tell him we got a video.  He had a mixed reaction.  He was thrilled to have a video of his son, but he was also saddened by the somewhat empty look in Jack's eyes.  Dan, like me, cannot wait to for Jack to be free from institutional life and living with his family so that the sparkle just waiting to shine in those eyes can get out.  When you watch it I think you will understand.

In all honesty, as excited as Dan and I were to have a video of Jack, I think Ellie got the biggest thrill from it.  She absolutely LOVED watching Jack and would get so excited when "he smiled at me!"  She must have watched it 20 times in a row and every time it came to an end she would say, "Come back, Jack!  Come back, Jack!" until we started it over for her.  Eventually she figured out how to simply start it again by herself.  And as I found out the next day, she also figured out how to start it even when it hadn't just been viewed.  Even today she got excited about it when she heard it playing while I put this together.  Now that has got to make you smile.  =)

So, now you've seen what we've seen and even seen one of us seeing it.  Next time though the video might just have me in it too, and THAT definitely makes me smile.

If I Were a Betting Woman…

Last August I took a trip to Maria’s Big House of Hope.  While on that trip each member of our team was encouraged to keep a journal.  The following excerpt is taken from my journal entry for August 19…

“I spent a while this morning with Jim.  He sat on my lap to look at a book and then he too wanted to play with my camera.  We would take a picture of someone in the room and when Jim saw it on the screen he would point to that person (in the room) and smile.  He is such a sweet, smart little boy.  I am really wanting to know how to get him adopted.  Is he on the list?  Under what “needs” condition?  Can his name be traced through the adoption agency?  Is his considered a minor need requiring pre-approval or a more severe need that he can be selected before processing?  I don’t know if we are meant to bring him home, but whether we are or not, I want to know what needs to happen.  If nothing else, I can pray for him and the process that needs to occur.  It would make me so happy to know he was going home.”

Little did I know then just how much praying for him I would be doing.  And little did I understand just how happy I would be to know he was going home.  The Lord has an amazing way of pulling us into His plan and then overwhelming us completely with His blessings, and I am so thankful that He does. 

As we wait for our final few paperwork steps to be completed the timing of all of this has not escaped me. Our current estimated window of travel is August 19-September 16 with a slight chance of leaving a few days earlier if we beat that ever looming August 1 deadline.  The last time I saw Jack in person and held him in my arms was August 20, 2010.  Is anyone else beginning to think that the next time I hold him will be August 20, 2011?

Catching Up On Paperwork

So I have realized several times over the last few weeks that I am getting further and further behind on my blogging of actual milestones and process progress.  So… I thought that I would finally sit down and get you all caught up on the paperwork side of things.  I just looked back at my list of blogs and it has been over a month since I updated from this perspective (or any other, for that matter) so let me see if I can remember all that has happened.

When I wrote you last, we had our Log In Date (LID) of April 18 and were waiting for our Letter of Approval (LOA).  Our prayers and hopes were that our LOA would arrive in just about a month, but as those of you who follow me on Facebook know, Day 30 came and went with no LOA.  As well as Day 31, 32, 33 and so on.  It was actually not until Day 43 that we finally got the call.  Well, the email, but you get the idea.

On Tuesday, May 31, CCAI notified us that our LOA had arrived at their Colorado offices.  After verifying where we wanted them to send the paperwork the entire packet was over-nighted to us for signatures.  The Fed Ex man, who by the way was much less personable than the UPS men who brought us Jolene and Becca’s paperwork packets, made his delivery just before noon on Wednesday.   I quickly called Dan and asked him to stop by during his lunch break so we could sign everything and get it back in the mail.  Becca, Sophie, Ellie and I then hijacked naptime and turned it into FedEx time as we headed out to make copies and mail the signed paperwork, along with our I-800 application, back to our agency – all before 3 o’clock, thank you.

CCAI received our packet early the next morning and had emailed me by early afternoon that our I-800 application had already been sent on to the NBC.  (That would be the National Benefits Center, NOT the television network. =)  Then, on that front, we went back to waiting.  We were told this wait should be between 2-4 weeks so I just marked the calendar and settled in for a couple weeks with my little plan to start bugging people come day 15.

All things were not halted to a wait at this time, however, as we had other paperwork CCAI was asking us to complete.  The first thing on the list was our DS-230 form, also known as Jack’s Application for Immigrant Visa and Alien Registration.  We were asked to complete and return this within 5 days so that once our I-800 approval arrived CCAI could immediately forward this form for us.  We were able to turn that around quickly and mailed it back on Monday, June 6.  Then, we went back to waiting. 

Okay, maybe not just waiting.  Waiting and working.  Our next item of business was a much larger packet of paperwork due within three weeks of receiving our LOA.  This included several notarized pages basically promising that Dan and I will not sue CCAI if we or anyone traveling in connection to our family is hurt, killed, lost, offended, scalded by hot coffee served hot, turned into aliens, or anything else that anyone could think of suing for.  We also needed to turn in contact information for our social worker – in case she needs to be contacted while we are in China.  (FYI – We did have this need when we picked up Jolene and the US Consulate said they did not have our homestudy on file.  Yikes!)  And we had a few other sheets for any travel companion traveling with me – the same “I won’t sue sheets”, medical permission to travel, etc.  So, as you can tell, I was far from bored.

Well, the travel companion thing is a big long story that will someday be a blog of its very own, but all of this paperwork was completed and mailed back to CCAI on Monday, June 20.  And then we went back to the whole waiting on the NBC thing.  As it turned out, that got a little exciting about a week ago.  Several weeks back CCAI had given me the unhappy news that they expected every family “from here on out” to fall under the new post-August 1 regulations and thus we were required to submit our owed payments based upon the new regulation fees (approximately $800 more than the old fees).  We obviously did not like this news, but we weren’t really surprised by it so we wrote the needed checks.  On June 20, however, the CCAI travel department contacted me regarding our I-800 approval stating that they believe we still have a slim chance of getting our travel approval before the August 1 deadline.  They encouraged me to call the NBC and see if I could speak with our assigned officer and determine where our paperwork was in the process.   

I called the next day and spoke with our assigned officer.   She informed me our paperwork was in the building and being processed and that she would sign off on it as quickly as possible once it hit her desk, hopefully that day or the next.  True to her word, when I called her back on Friday afternoon she told me she had just finished with our file and it would be on her supervisor’s desk on Monday morning.   Hurray!

And that brings up to last week.  Whew!   

We began the week waiting for our I-800 file to clear the supervisor’s office so our letter of approval could be sent to us.  That letter arrived on Thursday - a GIANT step forward.  I quickly had my neighbor scan the needed document so that I could email it to CCAI and mark that off my list of things to do.  Then, on Friday morning I called the National Visa Center (NVC) to verify that the same paperwork had been delivered to them for the next step of processing.  It had.  Yeah!  Their copy arrived the same time ours did so now it is a matter of waiting for them to input the information into the “shared computer” so it can be accessed by the U.S. Consulate in Guangzhou.  The woman I spoke to on Friday said that this should be done “today or Monday” so right now, at 2pm on Monday, I am waiting once again – hoping that the “DONE” email will show up in my inbox before I feel the need to call them back later this afternoon.  Whew!  Again.  =)

And there you have it, you are all caught up.  Oh, wait!  One more thing…. This morning I made one final early morning run to the State Department to have our adoption Power of Attorney authenticated so that I can sign all of the necessary paperwork in China on Dan’s behalf.  Before he deploys Dan always provides me with a general POA which allows me to do just about anything here in the States, but apparently to adopt in China I must travel with this very brief, very specific version.  Needless to say, I am asking no questions and will simply do as I am told.  And now you really are caught up.

I apologize for the dryness and length of boring details in this blog, but it is basically just a chronicle of the hoops we’ve jumped through over the past five weeks.  Not a whole lot of action perse, but many steps in the right direction.  I promise the next posting will be a bit more personal – and hopefully fun - so stay tuned.  Until then… 

Maybe THIS Is What It's All About...

In a government run orphanage in Luoyang, China, is a little boy named Jack.  He is already matched for adoption with an American family, but the formalities seem to be taking forever.  Join me in praying for Jack and his new forever family, and praying for a speedy approval process.  Most of all, pray that God bless and watch over Jack until he can join his new family here in the US!  Thanks!

Yesterday a man I have never met in person made the above quote his facebook status.  Soon after a woman I have never met in person either did the exact same thing.  And then a few people I have met joined in.  Then, in addition to the status posts there were numerous comments being posted as well - some from friends, but many from people who have never met me and probably wouldn't know who I was if they did.  Encouraging comments, like...

Absolutely will :)

Praying!

Praying like crazy!!!!

My prayers for Jack join yours.

Praying now!

We will pray for speedy process for Jack!   

And later in the day when I copied the post to my own status I got the following response almost immediately...

"God must have been working this morning. This VERY thing was on my heart and I spent a great deal of time in prayer for you and Jack. I just kept praying that God prepare all of you for the transition and that HE allows Jack to feel so at home and at peace when he comes to live with you. That Jack currently feels and knows you as his family in his heart. My thoughts and prayers are there with you. ((HUGS))"

So, maybe, above absolutely everything else, this is what it's all about.  Getting the people of God to come together and be involved in the process.  Getting ourselves out of ourselves and in contact with the support groups that surround us.  Reaching out to God in His infinite wisdom and using the gift of prayer to address Him directly with our thoughts, desires and needs.  Just maybe He has brought us to this place so that we can fall on our knees and come to Him from where He has led us.

I have mentioned often that Jack is a well-known entity in the Show Hope community.  His face has been in newsletters and featured in blog posts, he is a favorite of many who have traveled to both the Hope Foster Home and Maria's Big House on mission trips, and I even have a jewelry catalog with his picture on the donate to Show Hope page.  He is no stranger to the cause of orphan-care awareness even if he doesn't know it yet.  So, maybe this all makes more sense than we realize.

How many people have been made aware of the plight of the orphan through our story and our adoption?  How many people have been made aware of Show Hope and Maria's Big House through our story and our adoption?  How many people have a bit more insight into the adoption process, the hoops and trials, the joys and celebrations now that they have started following our story and our adoption?  I don't even know the answer to that and I've been at the center of all the email updates, blog posts, facebook comments, fundraisers, etc.

So, maybe all of this really is what it's really all about.  Coming together, loving one another and sharing the marvelous love of our God and Creator as we present a united front in prayer to BRING JACK HOME!  As frustrating as each slow down has been, and as anxious as I am for the next piece of paper to arrive in the mail, how much more has the word been spread because of our need for prayers and the connections we  have made with others throughout the journey?  If all had been smooth sailing with no need to ask for help very few would have been involved in this miracle and very many would have missed out on Jack's phenomenal story.  For if there is anything to learn from this journey it is that we are all in this together.

So I will say it one more time - We give never-ending thanks for each of you who are and have been praying.  We appreciate your love and support more than you can imagine.  I know it may seem silly to seem so completely impatient in the midst seeing the hand of God at work, but perseverance is not the same as worry and prayers for progress are not the same as faithlessness.  God is good.  God has a plan.  I have absolutely no doubt about either of those things.  But bringing us all together seems to be His plan for now so I shall embrace those who choose to stand with us and pray, pray, pray alongside you for that blasted LOA!  =)

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."  Philippians 4:6-7

“Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” Matthew 18:19-20

Good Old Aussie Love!

This week we were fortunate to have two Aussie friends, Felicity and Merryn, visit our boy in his orphanage.  Both friends, whom I met last summer on my own trip to Maria's, are currently on the first Australian Mission Trip to Maria's Big House of Hope and as part of their time at Maria's they were privileged to tour the state run orphanage where Jack resides.  They had specifically asked their guide from Maria's, Mikey, if it was possible to visit with Jack so we were really hoping that the orphanage would allow it.  After their visit I got these two sweet updates via email...

From Merryn:
Seeing Jack was one of my highest hopes for this trip and my heart is warmed that I had an opportunity not just to see him through an open door, but to wrap my arms arounds him, plant kisses on his cheek, draw with him and tell him his mummy is coming soon. He was sitting at the drawing table so I picked up his crayon and drew a love heart on his page. I don't know if he identifies shapes or if he would understand what a love heart would mean, but it is my prayer that it communicated something of the love that envelopes his life.

He looked GOOD, Deb. He was a little stunned as a group of foreigners filled his preschool room, but he looked healthy. It did not take long for him to respond to the hugs Fe and I gave him as he leaned into the cuddle. And as we left he waved goodbye. We walked past his room later and he waved again, this time with a slight smile and more animation.

Remembering the reality that what we saw may not be indicative of "everyday" I took the opportunity to look at the photos around the room. There was a photo of Jack hugging another child and very clearly having a fun time. He has a smile on his face and was well dressed. If the photo showed anything of a typical day then in that moment he was having a good one.

From Felicity:
Well, today was a bitter sweet day.  We visited the place today and amongst the heartache, helplessness and hopelessness, we saw hope - we saw Jack!

Not only did we see him, I knelt down next to him, put my arms around him and gave him a beautiful hug. He was sitting at a table drawing with a red crayon. As soon as I got close to him, and put my head near his, he rested his sweet precious head against mine. He is beautiful Deb. You could tell he just loved the touch and the attention and it has truly been the highlight of my trip so far. Knowing he is there is tough, but knowing he is there and going home to you so very soon, is a beautiful, precious thing to hold onto. 

He didn't smile when we saw him the first time, and he had a pretty blank face, but I could tell he loved the touch and the interaction. We went into other rooms and then walked back past his room... all the other kids were waving goodbye but he had his back to us because his nanny had just given him a drink, but then he turned around and waved and gave Merryn and I a lovely smile before we left. It was precious Deb! We also saw a photo of him on the wall of him hugging another little boy and he had a beautiful smile on his face. He is doing well Deb. He looks provided for and healthy.

I think you can understand why these messages are such a blessing, but also so hard to read.  Several people have mentioned that it seems I am feeling down these days, but in truth it is not lowness of spirit but anxiousness of heart.  As much as my heart leaps with joy that I have so many friends who are able to visit with Jack and give him hugs and kisses and words of encouragement while we are still trapped here in a paperwork holding pattern, it also makes my heart absolutely ache for the day when I can wrap my own arms around him and kiss his cheeks - not once, not for a moment, not for a short little visit, but as much as I want any day that I want until he gets big enough to finally say, "Mom, stop!  You're embarrassing me!"  And then, of course, I will simply do it again.  =)

So, please don't worry about me.  But please do keep praying for Jack and our process.  Our day will come, when the Lord sees fit, but with as long as each day seems to me I can only imagine how long it must seem to Jack.

And just as a parting thought - one of the most uplifting thoughts conveyed to me in the above mentioned emails was this:

There are beautiful black and white pictures on the walls in the halls [of Maria's Big House of Hope] now, and Jack features in a few of them. Even though he is not here, he is here, and he is being prayed for as the staff and us walk past and see him and the other beautiful kids.

Jack will always be one of Maria's Kids.  And it more than lifts my spirit to know that he has people praying for him on both sides of the world.  Thank you for being just one of those people lifting prayers.

"I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now..."  Philippians 1:3-5

"Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching."  Hebrews 10:23-25

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the Pioneer and Perfecter of faith."  Hebrews 12:1-2a

It’s Not Supposed To Be This Hard

**Let me preface this with a quick disclaimer.  Dan has been out of town almost all of the past week which has left me playing both mom and dad.  One of our daughters has reacted to this change in schedule by being even more hyper than usual and another has been pushing her limits and mom’s patience all week.  And I have been pushing myself physically to try to be ready to run (rather than walk) a 5K next Saturday.  So… yes, I am completely exhausted.  And yes I realize that a lot of what I am feeling tonight will compute much differently in the morning – more excitement coupled with much less jealousy – but that doesn’t change the way I feel right now and this is simply a document of right here and right now and that is a reaction to the events of the last few days.

This may or may not be a good thing to blog about, but if I am going to be honest and keep a true and accurate record of this journey, then I have to include this too.  You see tonight I am quite a bit excited, very much jealous, but above all sad.

Yesterday I had a Facebook friend share with me that while on a medical mission trip to Luoyang last week he had the chance to briefly visit Jack.  Due to restrictions at the orphanage he was unable to get us any new pictures, but he was able to give Jack a big hug for us and at least let us know that he is doing okay.  This news blessed and warmed my heart as it was good to get an updated report and know that at least someone has been able to love on our boy just a bit, but it also makes me miss him even more. 

Also, on Friday our wonderful friends who started their adoption process just two weeks before us received their travel approval from China and are at this moment gathering supplies and packing for their trip.  They will be leaving on Tuesday night to go pick up their daughter from the very orphanage Jack is living in right now – their Gotcha Day being at the end of this month.  Again, this blesses and warms my heart, but it also leaves me longing in the extreme for our days of travel.

In addition, just today two more adoption friends received their travel approval and will be traveling either with the above family or a couple weeks after to bring home two more precious children, one of which who is also at Jack’s orphanage.

To wrap things up even more, two of my wonderful Maria’s trip friends will leave their homes in Australia at the end of this week to head back to Maria’s on their second mission trip to China.   

So, as you can see… it seems like everyone is heading to China – Whoo Hoo!! EXCEPT ME. (and Dan)   =(     Understand the wide range of emotions now?

I can honestly say I am truly so very excited for all five of my friends who will be heading to Beijing over the next couple weeks and for those who just returned.  They are all traveling for such wonderful reasons and I know that God has placed them all in their journies just where He needs them.  But I can’t help but be just a wee bit jealous as we are still here waiting for our Letter of Approval.  28 days and counting... Half of me is jumping for joy for them, but the other half just wants to shout “It’s not fair!” 

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t begrudge anyone anything – every one of these people has worked hard and waited long to be where they are, but it’s not supposed to be this hard.  Yes, I am tired, but my heart is literally aching to reach out and be the one to give those hugs to Jack.  Why can’t he come home now?  Right now there is a little voice inside my head just screaming, “Hasn’t he done his time?  He is four years old!  He has lived in an orphanage long enough.  It is time for him to be HOME!!“  It is simply breaking my heart  to think that in the coming weeks so many beautiful children will be home with their families, tucked into their own cozy beds, while Jack spends yet another two months (at least) in a cold impersonal orphanage.  I have never been a fan of his being moved out of Maria Big House of Hope way back in December, but with all that is going on right now it makes it even worse.  And the thought has certainly not escaped me that my Aussie friends cannot even love on him for me because he isn’t at Maria’s anymore. Not to mention that until we get that LOA we can’t even expect an update from our agency.  It just doesn’t seem fair.

So, do I sound like an ungrateful brat?  Childish?  Immature?  Petty and jealous?  Are you wondering where all of that “God is Great!” unwavering faith has gone?  Well, have no fear, it is still here.  I have not lost my way, just my pep and enthusiasm.  I know deep down that everything happens for a reason and that God is ultimately in control.  As much as it sucks (sorry, but there is no better term for it) that our paperwork was delayed by so many stupid obstacles and we are now so far behind a family we started alongside, I do know that God has His reasons.  But I don’t believe having solid, unwavering faith means you can’t also be completely human and right now this is how I feel.  It is at times like this I truly wonder if it would be better to have not met him yet.  To have no memories of him sitting in my lap, of the sound of his laughter or the vision of his smile.  No pictures to pine after.  No friends sharing messages, memories and updates with me.  But then again the reality is I wouldn’t trade a single one of those things for all the tea in China. 

I love my adoption friends dearly and I am greatly blessed to have made so many new ones traveling parallel adoption paths.  Having gone down the adoption road twice before in almost complete isolation it is such a joy to share the journey with so many God-fearing families with such similar hearts this time.  I cannot be any more excited for them than I am and I would never wish a single unnecessary day in an orphanage on any child in this world, but that doesn't change the fact that I still want my son home.  And I still want him home NOW!  Fair enough?  I thought you might understand. 

So, yes, after a good night’s sleep tonight I’m sure I will be handling all of this better in the morning.  Things will not seem so overwhelming, my focus will be back on the prize not the struggle, but for right now I need to do what is right for me which is to let my heart grieve and my sorrow be real.  Tonight I will allow myself to dwell a bit in my self-pity, shed a few tears for our son and his current situation, and I will praise the Lord that even when things seem so dark and lonely He is still in control.  Although I can only see a small glimmer of His plan right now I know that “all things work together for good to those who love God” and I know that our family’s day is coming.

And I will leave you all with this...  Zài jiàn (good bye) my dear, dear traveling friends.  Màn zǒu (take care).  Yī lù shùn fēng (have a good trip) and may you be blessed beyond imagination.  I will pray for each of you each day of your journeys.  And for those of you who are returning a larger family than you begin, gōng xǐ (congratulations)！You have fought the good fight, and your race is all but run.  =)   Travel safe!  Wo ai ni!

再见！慢走。路顺风。恭喜！我爱你！

Chinese Proverb:    “Be not afraid of going slowly; be only afraid of standing still.”

“I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.”  John 14:18

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.”  Proverbs 3:5-6

“And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”  Romans 8:28

Doing the Snoopy Dance!

We did it!  We made it!  Our wonderful, magnificent, all-powerful, and simply amazing Lord has provided us every dollar we need to fund our entire adoption!!  Hallelujah!  And yes, I really have been doing the Snoopy Dance.  Just ask the girls...I do believe Jolene thinks I'm crazy!  But I cannot help it, I am just SO excited!  (And little does she know I did the same dance when we got her adoption referral - ask my sister, she will vouch for me.)

Well, if you missed the five hundred announcements I've made everywhere else, here is the scoop...  We just received word on Friday that we have been awarded a $2000 grant from Show Hope.  After our great grant news last week, the yea or nay from the Show Hope grant department was kind of the last piece to our puzzle. An "I'm sorry" message would have been okay as we were already really close to covering all the costs, but would also have meant a good deal of number crunching to be done to determine just exactly how shy of the goal we were.  A "Congratulations" message of as little as $1000, however, would mean a definite coverage of our expenses and the freedom to relax and just enjoy the rest of the ride.  Truth be told, between this grant, last week’s grant, and the money we have raised through our fund-raisers we should easily be able to cover every remaining expense associated with Jack’s adoption.   Hurray!  Hurray! 

I cannot begin to fully express the miracle of this moment.  We began this journey back in September as a complete leap of faith.  We had not planned to adopt now, we had no financial plan to adopt now, and we really had no savings or budget to draw from to pay for adopting now.  But as you all know we jumped in anyway and we are SO GLAD we did.  With all of its ups and downs, delays and crazy interruptions, this journey has played out with more miracles and more “God moments” than we could ever have imagined.  We are SO lucky that God chose us to be the participants in this story!  And we are so excited that all of you have come along on the journey with us!  I've said it before and I'll say it again - Our God is an AWESOME God, and there is NOTHING He cannot do!!!!

And here is the even better part...  As much as we needed this last gift of funds to cross into adoption financial freedom, there is a slim possibility that we will end up not needing all of these funds as our current fee estimates may turn out to be too high.  But let me see if I can explain that for you.

Right now, based upon our April 18 Log-in Date, we are looking a potential travel window of mid-August to mid-October.  Obviously we are praying for August over October and happily earlier is actually more likely than later given the current dates being assigned by the Chinese government.  But here is the catch, if just one of our remaining hurdles is completed ahead of schedule and we are able to travel in the first few days of August our final adoption expenses could be approximately $2400 lower than our current estimate.  Why you ask?  Because China just changed their post-adoption regulations and the new rules go into effect for all families getting their Travel Approval, which is typically received 10-14 days prior to travel, on or after August 1, 2011.  So... if we travel as expected we will fall under the new regulations.  If we travel just a week or two earlier than expected we will beat this deadline and thus not fall under the new regulations. 

How does this save us money?  Well, the new regulations require four more post-adoption reports than the two currently required as well as putting a few more minor changes into place.  At a cost of $400 per report that difference adds up quickly.  Not to mention our agency has doubled the post-adoption deposit they require from each family to assure compliance with the report requirements.  In addition, our agency has also raised the processing/translation fees associated with these reports as they will now be processing a total of six reports per family rather than the currently required two reports.  Understandable expenses all, but they still add up quickly.  So, all this to say, if we can somehow be blessed with just a slight uptick in the processing timeline somewhere we could potentially travel a couple weeks earlier, avoid the higher fees, lower our actual adoption costs by about $2400 and thus have money left over at the end.  How about that for an amazing possibility?  Start with nothing, finish with extra and get to give money back.  Now THAT is a miracle I would LOOOOOVE to see!

Now, you have to understand me here.  Getting our Travel Approval before August 1st is not something that should happen.  All timelines out there place us traveling mid-August at the very earliest.  We have absolutely no reason to expect our paperwork to be completed on the China side in order for us to beat the clock and avoid the new regulations.  To put it simply, it would take a complete act of God for this to happen.  But since our expected dates are so very close to where they need to be and our God has done so many crazy-amazing things thus far, I for one am not willing to take it off the table.  Wouldn't it be totally cool if the whole reason God put all of those crazy delays in place during our journey this winter was so He could work His miracle magic here at the end and show His awesomeness once more?  I mean, it could happen, right?  If I have learned anything over the last several months it is this - God can do ANYTHING - so I am certainly not going to say He can't.

So I guess that leaves me here...  Counting how many days its been since our Log-In Date.  Counting the days that pass as we wait for our Letter of Approval.  Hoping that mountains will move so our Travel Approval will arrive before August 1st.  Dreaming of the day we will actually board a plane to Luoyang, China, whether it be in August, September, October.  And thanking the Lord daily for all that He has done and for all that He has yet to do.  Yes, we have the funds we need to complete this journey, but the adventure isn't over yet.  There are a lot of steps left for us to complete, but I am just excited as can be to see how they play out.  On one hand I feel like nothing would surprise me at this point, but on another hand I can't wait to see how He does.  =)   God is good, and His love endures forever!

It is good to give thanks to the Lord,
     to sing praises to the Most High.
It is good to proclaim Your unfailing love in the morning,
    Your faithfulness in the evening,
accompanied by the ten-stringed harp
     and the melody of the lyre.
You thrill me, Lord, with all You have done for me!
     I sing for joy because of what You have done.
O Lord, what great works You do! 
                                             Psalm 92: 1-5a