Adoption update

The waiting game... it's so fun, isn't it?! The end of May we received a letter from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) requesting evidence. The evidence that USCIS felt was missing was our home study approval to adopt special needs children. In order to satisfy the Immigration Services, we needed to complete the I-800A, Supplemental 3 Request Action, have an amended home study, and remit the documents with a check for $360. We went ahead and completed everything that the USCIS requested, mailed it to the USCIS lock-box in TX, and received conformation on June 27, 2011, that the USCIS had received our information and check.  So, now we wait to see if we have satisfied the USCIS requirements.

But, why should adoption take so long? I understand that foreign governments can become overwhelmed with adoption requests. I also recognize that several foreign countries shut down for weeks at a time to celebrate holidays, wars can break out, and political unrest may slow the adoption process.  As I wait for our sons’, I KNOW that God loves adoption but the Enemy opposes adoption. I have come to comprehend that the adoption process will have roadblocks and that the Enemy will attempt to upset any attempt to bring our sons’ into our home.  I’m aware that we need to be on guard, and we must be committed to praying for our sons’ and their country.

Though the wait is lengthy, I am convinced it will be worth it. From a Christian standpoint, God went to great lengths to call me His own. Regardless of the why, God certainly uses this time. Nothing is wasted.

As we wait, we pray. We pray for our sons’ in China that are waiting for us. May our future sons' be protected from all harm and that they are able to comprehend what adoption means.

Gal. 6:9 says, "Let us not become weary in doing good, for a the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

Sharing

As I was preparing this post, I received an email from our social worker informing us that we can send photos and small gifts to Ya Hui and Li Gua. This is great news!!

As we await the arrival of Ya Hui and Li Gua, it is reassuring for us to know that Tyler and Troy are also excited to have the boys arrive. Troy, who lives in Louisville, KY, and is studying at Boyce College, inquires about the adoption process often and is always eager to hear of any news. Troy is also thinking through when he will meet the boys and have a chance to spend time with them.  Our oldest son, Tyler, lives in Minneapolis, MN, and is a substitute teacher in Ellsworth, WI and frequents our home weekly. Tyler has had the pleasure of watching us fill out the paperwork for the adoptions and to hear our moans and groans over the stacks of paperwork. Tyler was kind enough to think of the boys when shopping the clearance aisles this spring.  He purchased a jacket, which he hopes will fit either Ya Hui or Li Gua.

It is important for our present sons’ to know they are not being replaced by Ya Hai or Li Gua, we are only adding to our family.  As they adjust to life with brothers, we will all be adjusting to more additions to our family.

As we adopt our sons’ from China and bring them into our lives, we will also be sharing our lives with another family. Last October, I had the privilege of going on a mission trip to Croatia and Bosnia/Herzegovinian through our church. During this trip, I became acquainted with a “peculiar” lady from MI, whose name is Sarah. Everyone thought of her as such a true lady, but I saw her as odd or “peculiar.” But over time, that changed.  I noticed her qualities of generosity and caring were her distinguishing characteristics. Sarah is a woman of faith and great strength.  Over the next several days on the trip, Sarah and I became friends and I now see her as a great treasure in my life. God separated His people to be a peculiar bunch, to make known His Name, and to be a glory to Him among all people. And this is Sarah! We look forward to getting to know Sarah and her family better in the months ahead.  Sarah has kindly offered to travel to China with us, and we are excited to have her journey with us in bringing our sons’ home.  Sarah lives out her life whose heart is filled with the love of God and willingly shares that love with others.

We pray for a miraculous bonding between us and our Chinese sons’. We pray that Ya Hui and Li Gua will bond close to each other, to our families, and to our friends.

We got seeking confirmation letters!

We are so excited! I got a call on Friday, April 29, 2011 from our adoption agency that they received our seeking confirmation letters today. This is wonderful news and means that we have been approved by China to adopt Zou, Ya Hui and Yun, Li Guo They send these letters seeking confirmation to us to make sure we still want to adopt this child, we will both sign the forms and it will be sent back to China. Then we are officially waiting for travel approval, which typically now comes 2 months later. We are coming boys!

While waiting for our Letter Seeking Confirmation on our sons’ we completed more forms in duplicate because we are adopting two! I-800 and I-864W with USCIS was done- this is our application for approval to adopt our specific children.  We couldn’t file these forms until we had our Letter Seeking Confirmation on the boys. We received our Letters Seeking Confirmation, checked the box, “We accept the adoptee mentioned above,” signed, and dated each form. We returned these forms, along with our I-800 and I-864W forms to our adoption agency.  Now we sit and wait to hear back from "China Center for Children’s Welfare and Adoption, or the CCCWA. No, it is not a typo. The CCAA has made a name change.

Please continue to pray for our sons' in China. May they be healthy, safe, and happy.

 

Like cold water to a weary soul, is good news from a distant land.
--- Proverbs 25:25

St. Patrick's Day

Today is a big day for the Irish. When you think of St. Patrick’s Day you might think parades, parties, corned beef & cabbage and people in celebration while wearing clothing that makes the public filled streets appear to resemble a sea of green.  And I better not forget the most important part of the day for many: the beer! But for myself, my mind is far away from celebrating. My mind goes to our sons’ in China and to an uncle that they will never meet in person.  Bill was a uncle, a son, a brother, a husband, and father. Bill was my brother, and an uncle to our current two sons.  Bill’s life came to an end on St. Patrick’s Day in 2009, due to a choice he made. I could get into the details of his life, but I’m choosing not to. I could tell you about the day Bill died, but it wouldn’t change the outcome. The death of Bill has been hard on my family. Some family members saw Bill’s act as selfish, as well as cowardly, for he did not consider the pain of those loved ones who would be left to live with this loss. We have gone through so many emotions and still are left with the question “why?” As I struggle with Bill’s death, I am reminded that life is not perfect for anyone. Each and every person on earth has struggles. But I know that I don't have to go through these struggles alone.  I have a Father in heaven that I can go to when the pressure mounts, along with friends and family to help me through the troublesome times.

As I struggled with Bill’s death, I drew strength from the words of Psalm 121.

 ¹ I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
   where does my help come from?
² My help comes from the LORD,
   the Maker of heaven and earth.

 ³ He will not let your foot slip—
   he who watches over you will not slumber;
⁴ indeed, he who watches over Israel
   will neither slumber nor sleep.

Dossier To China

The documents in our dossier have been notarized (certified by the appropriate state court or agency), and have had the "state seal" affixed to them by the appropriate state government offices.  Our paperwork is all “sealed” up! This is wonderful news! With all the state seals in place our adoption agency mailed our dossier to China on March 11, 2011.  Our dossier was sent to China via international express mail.  Our agencies Beijing representatives will hand-deliver it to the CCAA (China Center for Adoption Affairs).  Now, our next wait is for our log in date from the CCAA.

Here are some words from our adoption agency social worker. “Once your dossier is submitted to China, most families travel about 4 - 6 months later.  This timeline may be a little bit shorter if the CCAA decides to expedite the process for the boys - which I feel that they might because they are very keen on getting them adopted as soon as possible.”

As we prepare to adopt our sons’ from China, I have been doing some reading about their culture and customs. China just celebrated Chinese New Year and one of the customs for a child is to receive a new set of clothes and shoes to celebrate the new year... and I began to think about the children living in orphanages. Their lack of a family who would provide such an outfit does not exist.  

Our sons’ will soon have the gift of a family…our family. Once home, they will begin to learn that their needs will be provided for by us. It will take time as they learn they don’t have to be in control and watch out for themselves…something a child who lives in an orphanage has had to learn to do.

As I read and learn, I am reminded that I am NOT an orphan. I have a Heavenly Father who is taking care of me. He is taking care of the details of my life. It is a lifelong process of learning to trust and learning that I’m loved with such an intense, unconditional  love. My prayer for our sons’ is that they come to be a part of His family. May they come to fully understand the love of a Heavenly Father who can meet there needs…fully and completely.

Documents Located

We are so happy! The documents that the state of Wisconsin could not locate mysteriously showed up at our adoption agency. Everything was verified by the state of Wisconsin and was in order.  Our adoption agency hopes to be able to mail our dossier (barring any further hiccups) in about one and a half weeks! This was wonderful news. We can stop assembling documents and go back to waiting.

Thank you for the prayers. We look forward to picking our sons’ up from China, but until that happens, we will continue to pray for them and us! Yes, we do need prayer. 

Wisconsin Politics and Adoptions

The last couple of week’s Wisconsin politics have been front and foremost on many people’s minds. It is on my mind too, but for a different reason. Our Governor, Scott Walker, has set out to get a balanced budget, and in doing so, has offended many a Wisconsinite, including those that work in Madison. You may ask, what does this have to do with our adoption? As I found out, it has plenty to do with our adoption. Paperwork for our adoptions was sent to Madison, WI for verification (background checks, employment history, birth certificates, and marriage certificate).  This paperwork ended up getting caught in the hot political climate and has come up missing.  Our social worker called the Secretary of State on February 24, 2011 and they said that they haven’t received the paperwork that was mailed on February 15, 2011. They mentioned that it’s been pretty crazy there and they were closed for a little over two days. “A little crazy” may be a tad bit understated! We will need to gather the documents once again and send them on the Madison, WI.  

Please pray that we gather the documents quickly! Also, pray for our sons’ in China who are waiting to come to America. Pray that they have safety, good health, and that this process moves quickly.