Look out China...Here we come!!!

Oh my! Wayne says he feels like we are at the very tip top of a roller coaster right before it plunges down into a free fall.

You know that feeling . . . when your heart’s in your throat . . . butterflies have made your stomach their permanent home . . . and you have to remind yourself to breath. Finally . . . this journey is nearing its end, and we are about to take the plunge!

On Friday, we received an email that said our Travel Approval was on its way. They also asked us to submit some possible dates for travel. Wayne suggested that we would like to leave by April 4th. (Leaving the 4^th means we can travel with our mission team, who will be traveling to Thailand and that the first week we’re gone will be Spring Break!!) While that date looked possible, there was no guarantee until our TA actually arrived and our agency could set an appointment with the US Consulate. 

Well . . . on Monday, we got our OFFICIAL invitation to travel!!! And Tuesday at lunch . . . we got word that we had an appointment with the Consulate and could book our flights!!! We are leaving on the 4^th!!  (God’s timing IS perfect!) For those who are counting . . . that’s only 15 days until we travel and 19 days until we kiss these sweet cheeks . . .

                                          

Man . . . my heart is pounding at the thought. Now that it’s a reality, I can’t believe it’s really here! Thank you for praying for our family and for supporting us throughout this journey. We can never thank you enough for participating in our fundraisers by buying books, t-shirts, and jewelry. (Church family, you’ve completely made our travel possible by providing our plane tickets!!! Unbelievable!! BBC, we love you and are so blessed to be part of the Beulah family!)

In reality, we know that our journey is only about to begin. Our hope and prayer is that you will continue to follow along with us. Please continue to pray for our sweet Alexis Ling. Our heart breaks at the thought of how scary this transition will be for her at first – not only will she be leaving all she’s ever known but the people she’s leaving with can’t even speak Chinese!!! Please pray for us as we travel and for our four kiddos that we will be leaving behind. We know they will be in good hands, but it's hard to leave them all the same.

 

A Few Updates

Today we are celebrating! We are one step closer to bringing our sweet girl home! I mentioned in the last post that after receiving the LOA a new paper chase began. Well. . . we  are almost to the end (of the paperwork, that is)!

Last Thursday, we received our Immigration Approval, which basically states that Lexi will be a US citizen once she arrives in the US! Woohoo! So, so exciting!

Once that approval arrived, we learned there was actually one more piece of paper we needed to add to the mix. This letter, from the National Visa Center, would have to be completed before our paperwork could be sent to the appropriate agency in China. The only thing to do was wait – again.

Well, because I am obsessed with adoption blogs, I found a posting that said you could actually email the NVC and ask them to send the approval via email (instead of waiting for it in the mail). I thought it wouldn’t hurt to try . . . 

So, this morning we got an email from the NVC that says we’ve been entered into the system but our paperwork hasn’t been forwarded to the appropriate agency yet BUT that they would let us know as soon as it had AND that they would email us a copy of the approval!  We were pumped!

And then . . . this afternoon . . . we got another email from the NVC. Surprise! This email informed us that  the paperwork had been sent and that a copy of the approval was attached! YES!!! We quickly emailed our agency and then called as well to be sure they had received the needed info.  They informed us that they would email the approval right away and that the staff member in China would deliver it first thing tomorrow (which is really tonight)!

This next step, obtaining our Article 5, takes a standard two weeks, meaning if it’s dropped off on Wednesday, it can be picked up two Wednesdays later. Wow! Wow! Wow!

After that we will wait for Travel Approval and then a Consulate Appointment. We are still hopeful that we will travel around the end of April – which doesn’t really seem that far away!!!

As we’ve waited on these last two approvals, we’ve been waiting on our visas to be approved as well. Initially, the courier did not want to submit our applications because we did not have an official invitation to China. However, after we sent in our Letter Seeking Confirmation, they agreed to continue with the process. Then . . . we had another setback when they realized Wayne was a pastor. He had to sign a letter that said he would not perform his duties as a pastor while we were there??? We’ve nervously waited this approval, but this morning we got an email (with a tracking number) that said our visas are on their way. Another huge PRAISE! 

I cannot even begin to describe the emotional roller coaster this journey has been. Through the highs and lows, God has always proved Himself faithful.  In Psalm 103, David urges the people to bless the Lord and to forget none of His benefits. He goes on to list several of those benefits, but there are a couple that have stuck out to me as we’ve been in this process. First of all, vs. 5 says that He satisfies us with goodness. In other words, it’s like being so full you can’t eat another bite. He is so good there’s no room for anything else.  His goodness is enough. He is ENOUGH! Verses 8 and 9 stick out as well. They say that God is merciful and slow to anger (I am so thankful) and that He does not stay mad long. I must admit that there have been some days during this journey when the Lord had right to be angry with me. I have childishly wondered why things haven’t gone my way or according to my plan. I have been frustrated at the wait, wondering why our girl continues to live in an orphanage when she has a family here. 

But . . . I understand that this adoption is about more than our family . . . about more than our desires . . .  even about more than getting our girl home . . .

It is all about HIM . . . His glory . . . His fame . . . His story! May we make Him known as we have the privilege of adding this sweet girl to our family – to our home. May we never forget, through good days and bad, that He is good, and He is ENOUGH!

Our LOA has Arrived!

It seems that when you’re waiting, the days drag on and on . . .

And this wait, in particular, has been a hard one.

We were logged in with the Chinese government on October 8, and on that day the wait for our LOA (Letter of Acceptance) began.

During that time several important things occurred.

We received a referral on November 4. Yay!!  

Just look at those sweet cheeks!

We sent in our Letter of Intent on November 6. This is the document that informed the Chinese government that we were interested in adopting this particular child.

We received Pre-Approval on November 13, the first document that linked our names and hers.

Around Thanksgiving we sent Baby Girl a package.  .  .

And we received these updated pics in return . . . 

 

Can you believe that smile?

 

We amended our Home study and our Immigration paperwork and then . . .

All was quiet . . . utterly, miserably QUIET . . .

Somewhere I read that the average wait for the LOA was 52 days, with times ranging anywhere from 30-70 days. I read numerous blogs to keep up with others’ progress and saw people getting their paperwork in 48 days, 35 days and some even in 22 days . . .

Needless to say, our QUIET became deafening.

When we reached the 70 day mark, I began to get concerned and every day after became more and more difficult.

Some days, I handled the wait well, knowing that God’s timing is perfect. But more often than not I was consumed, sad, worried that something was WRONG. . . and sometimes I was downright hysterical.

After one particularly tough morning, Wayne contacted our agency to express my our concerns.  The next day, we learned that where we were in the process was perfectly on track. My stress was based on my own misinformation, and all my worry was completely unfounded.  He explained that based on the timeline of those just ahead of us, our wait would most likely last another two weeks. Disappointing . . .  but armed with TRUTH, I was able to wait without worry.

Then out of the blue . . . Just 10 days after that email . . . on Jan. 23 . . . we got THE call . . .

The wait for our LOA is OVER!! The paperwork was actually issued on January 17, meaning that we had waited for a total of 99 days since being logged in. Truly – an average wait.

Once the LOA arrived, we began another paperwork marathon . . . filing for immigration in her name and applying for our visas. While it doesn’t seem like much, completing these forms and getting them ready to be mailed took several evenings - -not to mention the time we had to take Saturday to get new passport photos (I think this is our third set!!!).

We are overjoyed that this wait is over but now a new one begins. Please pray that I will focus on what is TRUE . . .

We hope to travel sometime in April, but there are several steps to be completed before we will get an actual date. Every day we get more and more excited, and the kids can hardly wait.

Please continue to pray for our sweet girl, that God will prepare her heart for this unbelievable change. Pray that God will prepare us for this transition as well, and please pray that while we wait, we will remember to give God glory for the great things He has done.