Orphan Sunday

This Sunday is Orphan Sunday, and all of November is National Adoption Month!  There are many resources available, both printed and digital, for you to share with your friends, family, and church!  I know that not everyone can adopt a child, but we are all instructed to care for the orphan!  This website (and others) gives you ways that you can help.

Check it out at www.orphansunday.org or click the button on the right of the blog.

Don't procrastinate, folks!  There are 147,000,000 kiddos who need someone to stand up for them!  Will you??

Click to watch the Orphan Sunday 2012 video.

Need a tax write-off??

There have been some who have asked about a way to get tax credit for their donations to our adoption fund.  And I FINALLY have an answer!  You can click here to check out our AdoptTogether profile page.  I have left the Chip In at the bottom of the blog for my iTutoring students, and if you want to still use that, you are welcome to do so.  However, if you can get a tax write-off from AdoptTogether, then why not??  It appears very user friendly, and the button on the side will remain there until our goal is met.  Sometimes it is hard not to get anxious about the need, but I also know that this is something God has called us to do and He will provide.  Whether that is through tutoring students, donations, grants or mysterious large bundles of cash left on my doorstep (not advised given my neighborhood, so please ring the doorbell if this is your plan!), I know that HE ultimately has it all in control.  Our update request for cute pics and current info should go out tomorrow, so check back soon for that post!

URGENT prayer request:  Our dossier (code for "1 ton of paperwork") should arrive in China the next day or so.  Our letter requesting that they expedite our paperwork for medical reasons is in that package.  Please pray for FAVOR and quick processing so that we can get our son home ASAP!

Signing off before Sandy takes our power again!

D - T - C !

D   T   C  !

Yes, the teenager was nearly mortified to pose in front of people at the 

Smithsonian National Zoo that he will never see again.  

For anyone not familiar with all of the acronyms associated with China adoption, that means "Dossier to China!"  Today was the day that 5 months and 10 days worth of paperwork was completed and sent to China!  I am excited, but it is kinda like finishing the last exam of the semester and not being able to relax quite yet...the reality of being finished hasn't had a chance to really sink in.  So although there will be a form or two here and there, the bulk of our paperwork is now finished.  Thank you to everyone who has written references, chipped in, gone with me to drop off/pick up paperwork in DC, and/or put up with my occasional whining overwhelmed state in recent weeks.  

The reality of our growing family is starting to set in.  Last week I actually went clothes shopping for Mycah.  There are now several very small shirts, pants, footie pj's, and jackets hanging in my closet that make me smile every morning when I walk in there.  He even has a few of his own toys that are not hand-me-downs from his brothers and sister.  

Hang in there, handsome boy!  We will be there soon!

Prayer requests for this week:

• Mycah's health
• Quick LID (log-in date with China)
• Quick LSC (China's approval for us to come get him)
• God's financial provision for us to complete this adoption

And the iPad goes to......

The Matelings played a huge role in my life during my Middle School and High School years.  I don't know of too many crazy brave people that would have packed out a 15 passenger van with Middle Schoolers every spring for years and taken them to Walt Disney World as a reward for a year of hard work!  Those were truly EXCELLENT times ;-) and these are truly special people.  Thank you Mr. and Mrs. Mateling for always being so supportive no matter what stage of life I am in.  

We also drew a name for the Adoption Bug t-shirt.  The winner has been notified.

Thank you to EVERYONE who has prayed, posted, blogged, and chipped in!  We couldn't do this without you.  

Buckle up...here we go!

Due to Mycah's adrenal insufficiency, we requested from USCIS (immigrations) a medical expedite.  I was able to send a wonderful letter from a sweet doctor friend detailing to them the reason and urgency of our request.  There are SO many orphans who would benefit from coming home sooner than later!  Like ALL of them???  So although I was hopeful and knew I had to try, I was also being realistic and trying not to expect too much.  We received an email yesterday stating that our request had been APPROVED and Mycah's paperwork will be expedited!  Praise be to God!  I cannot explain why we have been blessed with this, but I am ever so thankful that we have.  

So one day next week I will be making another all day DC trip to authenticate one last piece of paper and hope to catch the State Dept and the Chinese Embassy all in one day.  This is important since I really HATE navigating the DC Metro system alone and would like to only do it once and not twice!  After that and a LARGE agency payment (yikes), we will finally be DTC (dossier to China).  

I am not really sure what the time line is after that.  There are so many variables involved!  But looks like January MIGHT become my new favorite month!  So, again, we covet your prayers!  Please pray for...

1. Mycah - that he stays healthy and continues to receive good care from the nannies while he waits
2. Paperwork - that our papers continue to move quickly through all necessary agencies:  WACAP, China, USCIS
3. Finances - Expedited means FASTER!  Ok, so you already knew that!  But that also means that we no longer have several months to save, but only a few!  I am sure it is no secret how big of a financial obligation adoption is.  But I know a God who is BIGGER!  Please pray that God would grant us an extra dose of patience and faith as we wait on Him to show us the next step.

We should be receiving an update from the orphanage soon.  Hopefully it will include valuable medical information as well as adorable new pictures!  Also, after our papers reach China, Mycah will be receiving his first pictures of his new family!!!  So now I am off to find some flattering pictures that accurately portray this family who can't wait to love on our little boy!

                                                

SO CLOSE!

Well, the majority of this paperwork is SO CLOSE to being done!  I have said several times of late that being pregnant was so much easier than going through this adoption!  I realize more and more every day how much of this process is truly out of my control. This is hard for some of us overly-controlling people people who like to have a small part in what is going on!  So verses like, "Cast all your cares on Him..." in 1 Peter 5:7 are sometimes difficult to live.  So I try to remember other verses like Jeremiah 29:11, "For I know the plans I have for you (Mycah included)...plans for good and not disaster...a future and a hope."  I know He cares for Mycah  and has a perfect plan for this whole process.  Praying my patience and faith catch up with my knowledge.

So far, we have had all of our documents (dossier) notarized, county authenticated, state authenticated, US Department of State authenticated, and they have now been dropped off at the Chinese Embassy in DC.  What's left??

• pick up papers at the Chinese Embassy
• mail to placement agency for review
• have fingerprints done
• wait for I800A (immigrations) approval
• have approval document notarized and authenticated
• mail to placement agency 
• agency conducts final review and then we are DTC! (dossier to China)

After all that has been done already, this doesn't seem like much at all.  However, relying on other people to do their jobs correctly and efficiently is the difficult part.  Let's face it...when you have someone as cute as this waiting for you...

                           

                                                                         ...patience can be a little hard to come by!

So I choose to rest in the fact that ultimately I am relying on God.

"Teach me your way, Lord, that I may rely on your faithfulness; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name."    

                                                                                     Psalm 86:11

Click here for info on the iPad giveaway

Lots of prayers, please!

When I first saw Mycah's file, I had NO idea what CAH was.  Since our journey to make him our son began, I have been trying to make myself more knowledgeable about his disease.  It isn't as easy as one might expect since this is not as prevalent as other conditions and diseases.  But I have found a few websites and made a couple of connections with parents of children who also have this or similar adrenal insufficiencies.  Those are proving to be invaluable resources.  However, with this expanding knowledge of CAH, I find fear trying to creep in.  Not a fear of IF we can parent him, but a fear that we may not make it to him in time to prevent more serious effects of the disease.  I know fear is not of the Lord, so perhaps I should term it "extra motivation"!  After chatting with a fellow CAH parent over the weekend, we have decided to ask for a medical expedite.  These are often not granted by China even for the seemingly sickest of kids, so I am aware that we may not be successful.  But, like my mom says, "The worst they can say is no, right?"  And what kind of parents would we be if we didn't try to provide him with the care that he needs?

So this is what we need prayer for:

1.  The Johns Hopkins doctors will review his file, even       
     though is is not a patient yet (no insurance for Mycah until he is    
    "ours").

2.  Either the Johns Hopkins doctors or another doctor will write a   
     strongly worded letter about his need for immediate medical 
     treatment.

3.  We will have favor with all parties involved (Drs, Senators, 
     immigrations, China, our agency).

4.  All processing and paperwork will be done quickly.

5.  God would continue to financially provide so that finances do 
     not slow our process!

6.  God would continue to keep Mycah safe and healthy while he 
     waits.


The fact that God has allowed Mycah to live for 4 years and 2 months without having treatment for this disease is incredible already.  I know that God has a special plan for this little guy, and I am humbled and excited to have the opportunity to parent this little miracle.  Thank you all for your prayers.


PS...Thank you to those who have entered our iPad giveaway!  We are inching closer and closer to our goal!  If you haven't entered and would like to, please see my last post.