Can I just take a minute and brag about my hubby?? He might say we are done EVERY time we adopt. He might make me think it through, pray, and seek God's Will each time I get that crazy notion in my head. He may make me question and wonder if we really should be starting another journey...

BUT... when he realizes that the obvious choice, God's plan, is for us to add another amazing kiddo to this crazy crew... He is ALL in!! I love how he tracks timelines and celebrates progress with me! I can never capture how he holds me up when I doubt and question, when times get rough with bonding, when the needs we signed up for seem too great.

Lifesong put together a video from the footage taken by Chosen and Dearly Loved. It gives a glimpse of Mark's faithful leading in these journeys. It was just released/shared today. 

Check it out (with article): http://www.lifesongfororphans.org/bl…/2016/…/best-thing-dad/

Just the video: 
https://vimeo.com/166510689/af08e4e2ed

US Initial Approval!!

I am still in disbelief! Our agency received our documents for authentication today. I expected MAYBE our i800a would be approved at the end of this week and we MIGHT receive it in the mail the middle of next week, IF we were LUCKY...

We aren't lucky... We are BLESSED!!!!!!! It was approved the same day of our original fingerprint appointment and arrived in the mail TODAY!!!! Celebrating over here tonight!! We might be DTC (paperwork to China) before the middle of June!

The Cost of Adoption and Opportunity for Provision

We have a loan to cover most of the cost of our current adoption.  However, there will still be expenses above and beyond this amount.  We have been blessed with matching grants and the amazing generosity of family and friends in the past.  We will apply for another matching grant soon.  I am also applying for multiple grants.  We are prepared to cover many of these costs ourselves and take out more loans if necessary.  However, I believe that sharing, having others join in prayer for these grants, and seeing how God fulfills this large need is one of the greatest joys of adoption.  The bar at the side of this blog is not to be a discouragement, with the large amount it appears to require, but an encouragement to believe and see how God provides!  

Our prayer is for:
$5000 in grants
$5000 in matching grants
$5000 in donations for matching grants

This would give us the amount we need at travel time.  I will keep an updated list of the grants I apply for here, adding as we go, and modify to indicate if we are approved or not.  Thank you for joining us in prayer specifically over these grants (many take months to get back with us, so we may not see results for awhile).

Applications sent to:
Help Us Adopt
Rollstone - $1000 GRANT!!!!  Praise God!
Show Hope - $0
Global Orphan Foundation - $0
Gift of Adoption- $3500 GRANT!!!!  Praise God!
Chosen and Dearly Loved/Lifesong -
       $4500  MATCHING GRANT!!!!  Praise God!
Families Outreach - $1000 GRANT!!! Praise God! 
Katelyn's Fund Orphan Ministry - $0
Sowing Roots
Stone Family Adoption Assistance Fund  

Fingerprints Done! Waiting for Our Initial Approval

Where are we at now with the adoption? We are getting closer to moving on to the next step!  We ended up getting our appointment on the 9^th. It was scheduled for this Thursday, the 19^th. It wasn’t the most convenient time for my mom to watch the kiddos. It would be up to her to get the kiddos on the bus in the morning. Other parents have attempted to walk in early, some offices allow this, while others give you a hard time, and some don’t seem to allow it at all. Mark and I decided to try it on Friday, the 13^th. We had to travel to Grand Rapids and pray that they would let us in.  My nerves grew as we got closer. By the time we finally arrived, I was almost nauseous. Then, we stepped in the door. This was our 5^th time and the busiest we had ever seen. I was so worried that they would turn us away. The clerk at the reception desk asked why we were early. We explained that it fit better into our schedule and took a deep breath. He told us that he couldn’t get us in ahead of those with actual appointments, but they should be able to work us in if we were willing to wait. We were! We ended up waiting 1.5 hours. It was finally our turn. The officer that took our biometrics (fingerprints) asked why we came in early. I explained that we would have had to bring all 8 kiddos if we came at the scheduled time. She said she understood, as she had 7 kids. She then gave me the customary “Next time, call this number to reschedule”. However, she took both of our biometrics and we were on our way!!

Now, we gather all of our dossier papers and send them to our agency for big fancy seals.  Then, as soon as our i800a (initial approval from US government to adopt internationally) comes we can send it to our agency and get our paperwork to China!!  Praying this happens quickly!

I recently had the opportunity to speak to a group of ladies and share my experiences and heart for adoption.  I loved going through our pictures and remembering those journeys.  Retelling the stories of each of our adoptions and reliving the joy of meeting our children for the first time.  The best part was explaining the blessings we experience: the sound of our kiddos echoing “I love you” back and forth throughout the rooms of our house, the increasing acceptance of hugs and cuddle time, and finally sitting in the Worship Center during practice on a Sunday morning while my sweet child belts out with all of her might “Jesus, He loves me, He loves me, He is for me; Jesus, how can it be, He loves me, He is for me”.  Yes, He is sweet girl!  Those amazing women took up a special offering and made the first donation towards our newest adoption journey!  Praise God!

Waiting on Our First US Approval

It has been awhile since I have blogged. I feel like there hasn’t been a lot of movement on the adoption front, but most of this process is “hurry up and wait”. We are currently waiting for the first US approval. They have received our application and will now send us a biometric appointment (electronic fingerprint scan) that can only be done at a USCIS office out of town. Most likely, it will be a few weeks before we have the appointment. The wait for approval after this step has been taking a very long time; however, there has recently been some shortening of time. I am hoping this trend continues.

In the meantime, our addition has been completed. We are still waiting on the grading to be done. We are fully moved in, however, and enjoying the extra space! Our kiddos seem quite happy with their new bedroom arrangements. We are all enjoying the family room. I love cooking in my new open kitchen. And having four full bathrooms is a dream. 

We were blessed to have a couple traveling to meet their first child from the same orphanage as our daughter take her an album and cuddle.  We were also blessed with some pics and a short video.  I love seeing pictures of her, but it makes the wait more difficult… I long to hold her.