Fingerprint Appointment!

On Wednesday, November  25 we mailed our 1-800A form to USCIS. 

On Monday, December 7 we got a letter of notice in the mail saying that had received our application.

On Thursday, December 17 we got a letter with our fingerprint appointment for Monday, December 28th!

I get giddy when I get to take another step in the adoption process.  Another step closer to our daughter.  

After the fingerprint appointment we will wait again to see if we have been approved or not.  If we are (which I am praying we are) then all our paperwork for the dossier has been gathered and we then have to get everything notorized (no big deal), certified (bigger deal because we drive to Harrisburg to get that done) and then authenticated (biggest deal because we have to get all of the documents to New York, wait three days, and get them). 

But the dossier is getting closer and closer to being done!  I might be looking forward to Christmas but what I am really looking forward to is getting our fingerprints on the 28th.  That is an answer to prayer because it is during Matthew's school break so he doesn't have to take any time off and we can go together while Edmund get's watched by my mom. I am so thankful for how God has worked out that timing.

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I also wanted to share how God is showing Himself to us through this adoption process.

My husband, Matthew turned on a Christmas CD and one of the songs is "All I Really Want for Christmas" by Steven Curtis Chapman.

Matthew said that this song had always touched his heart.

Which reminded me of another song by Steven Curtis Chapman called, "When Love Takes You In."

As we watched the music video for "When Love Takes You In" my heart filled with a longing. 

 A longing I have so often, that aches to draw our daughter into our arms and say we love her.

 

Something that is really difficult to deal with is knowing that I am not taking care of her since conception.  I have no idea if she cries alone, or if she has a loving arms to hold her.  I have no idea if she is afraid or hurting.  The "what ifs" can paralyze my heart.  I want her to know.  To tell her, "We're coming! Keep holding on!  We love you so, so much!"  I wonder if she is feeling alone, abandoned, forgotten.... If she only knew that we were doing all we could to come to her soon.

Then a thought came to me.  My longing for my daughter is like Jesus' longing for us.  Jesus is watching us, saying, "Hold on!  I am coming soon! If you just hold on a little longer I'll be there!  Don't give up living and trying.  I'm coming!"

I can feel the longing for our daughter.  The ache and tears for her.  I cannot imagine Jesus' ache and longing for us.  I don't want her to give up or lose hope, we are coming for her! Each day we are coming for her!

And don't you give up.  Jesus is coming for you.  If it was only you He would come.  Hold on.  He is coming soon and His heart has more love for you that you could ever imagine.

This is part what adoption is teaching me.

How God Provides in Grace and Works

I posted this on blogging community I am a writer for Established In Grace.  But I wanted to share it here too. 
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Grace and Works = Grants and Jobs

You probably already know this.  Adoption is expensive.  I am not going to get into all the debate and drama that comes from that.  But let’s suffice to say that most people who adopt cannot financially do it on their own.  Many people say that they would adopt if it weren’t for the cost.

My husband, Matthew, and I are both educators.  I began staying at home with our son when he was born, so we live off of one income.  During the time I worked, we set aside some of what I was making toward adoption. So we had a “nest egg” to begin our adoption process with. Even so, we knew we would be fundraising and applying for grants.

To apply for most grants you have to have completed your home study. A home study is where your physical home is inspected and there are multiple interviews conducted with the prospective parents–as well as lots of background checks.  All of that is done to ensure that the child will be in a safe, loving home that is able to provide for their needs.  We had gone through the home study process but were waiting to hear back, so I filled out as many of the multiple grant applications as I could without having our home study.  Then I had to wait.  I prayed for the home study process to hurry, I prayed that we would get the grants when we filed them.  But one day I prayed that whatever way God wanted to provide the money for our girl to come home to us, that He would do that.

Then a temporary part-time job opportunity came up.  That I could do mostly from home.  When this happened I knew that it was from God.  He was providing adoption money.  Not through a grant this time, but through work.  And it was work that I could do while staying at home with my son.  When I estimate what I will make during my time working, it will be able to size of a medium grant. And I am humbled.  God is so good to offer me a job that would be at just the perfect time to aid in our financial needs as we work toward bringing our daughter home.


It made me think about grace and works.  Both are so essential in our walk with Christ.  The Bible speak of God adopting us.  So it is too, with our adoption that grace and works are integrated into this journey.

As I study the Bible I find that “works” is the seal of the overflowing of Jesus working in me.  So it is all Him, no matter what.  This job is like works.  It is still from God but I must do my best–working to bring glory to His Name in thanksgiving for what He has given me.  Working is a joy to do when love is the motivator.  And in our adoption as sons and daughters of God it is our joy to do the things of God.

Grace is receiving something we didn’t work for.  It is a gift.  Just like a grant is a gift.  I do not earn that money, but it is a gift toward bringing our girl home.  Grace in our Christian walk is a gift of forgiveness and new life.  Grace the foundation of our adoption as sons and daughters of God.
We received our approved home study right before Thanksgiving and I’ve applied for many grants.  I am praying that God will bless those grant applications–praying for grace.  But at the same time I am filled with such joy as I work each day in this job that God has given me.  Each day is another step closer to our girl.  One day we will bring her home because of all the glory of God in grace and works. She is deeply loved and longed for.

Home Study Approval!

I have been waiting and checking the mail expectantly and anxiously.

I was told that last week on Thursday our approved home study was going to be notarized.  And I hoped mailed that day too.

So I have been watching our mailbox.  You see, the next step is to send immigration forms and documents off to USCIS so we can get approval to bring our daughter home from China, into America to become a United States Citizen.  From what we have read and been told, this process can take up to two months, so I have been wanting to get the home study back so we can send it in, along with the other documents needed for this.



Yesterday I saw the mail truck coming as I was leaving the house and turned around so I could check the mail.  There was nothing in the mailbox.  Literally nothing.

So today I checked it once and then saw that other neighbors still had flags up so I was going to check it when Edmund, our son, woke up from his second nap.

For Thanksgiving my dad and brother are visiting, and my dad offered to go check the mail and see if it was there.  I doubted it was there but said that would be nice.

He came back with a big manila envelope and said, "Pinebrook Family Answers?"  I jumped up and said yes and grabbed the packet!  I was so excited.  I have been waiting for this for about six weeks, and at the longest I thought it would take four weeks.  It may not seem that much longer to anyone else, but I wanted to hurry and get this so I could mail off everything to USCIS.  The USCIS documents are the last documents I have to receive before we get them all certified (by the secretary of state) and authenticated (by the Chinese embassy of our region).

So this is the last huge piece we need to gather.

After checking and re-checking and re-checking that I had all of it correctly done and together we went to a mailing center and mailed the documents.

I feel so, so happy.  I feel light.  It seems like so much emotion for pieces of paper and mailing things out. But it is so much more.  It is another step closer to our girl.  Another step that brings us closer to having her in our arms.

It is amazing, how much we love her.  It is joyous to know that she is growing in our hearts and that God is holding her in His arms for us.

Home Study and Dossier and Grants

Dossier.



I am not totally sure I pronounce that the same or correctly.  But now it is and forever will be a part of our vocabulary.

A major part of the dossier is the home study.  This is where we go through a series of interviews (separately and together as a couple) as well as have the home study agency come to our home and look it over.



Normally this is a reason to tidy up and make sure it looks nice, but we had to really work this past month because the house we bought when moving was a huge fixer-uper.  We had so much help getting our house ready for the home study and finally last Monday the day had come!

It went very well.  We won't officially hear back for approximately four weeks (2 weeks for the home study to write it, and then two weeks for our adoption agency to approve it).  But we are relaxed and glad that it is over.

As soon as we get our home study we can officially apply for grants (as well as continue working on the last pieces of the dossier).  Today I began filling out a few applications so that they would be ready as soon as we get our home study back.  I plan to try and fill out as many applications as possible so that we can have them all ready.



We have set money aside, but it won't be enough to cover all the adoption costs.  We are praying for grants to be approved.  We will also do fundraising, but are waiting to begin that until later.  We are hoping to get a matching grant that will match our fundraising--that is why we are waiting for the fundraising portion.

Part of the grant application is filling out all your financial information.  Some would say it is intrusive, but I don't mind.  I see the reason behind the questions and information needed.

We are not the only ones trying to raise money.  A Facebook group I am a part of has "Fundraising Friday" where all the families post links to their fundraisers.  It breaks my heart.  I want them all to have the money needed to bring their children home.  I have a heart for these families.  So I wanted to share a few of there links here.  Would you consider giving to one or more of them?  Every little bit helps! Or, you can share it on social media to maybe influence someone else to donate!

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/lenig-family-china-adoption#/

https://www.youcaring.com/christina-white-obrien-robert-obrien-finley-white-obrien-448902#.Vh__kP-vCdJ.facebook

https://www.youcaring.com/the-w-family-welcoming-a-girl-from-china-447385

https://www.youcaring.com/adoption-fundraiser/bringing-corinthia-home/335279

As always,

we are praying and aching for our girl.  Thank you for all your prayers and support.

What We Know About Our Daughter

Some people have asked us if we know who our daughter is.

The answer is no.

Adoption takes on many forms but this is how our process is going.

We chose an adoption agency.  We filled out an application and got accepted.  Now we are working on our dossier (all the paperwork to be sent to China to prove we can provide and are good candidates to adopt). Part of the dossier is also the home-study.  The dossier is a lot of paperwork.  There are forms upon forms and background checks.  Then it has to be notarized, certified, and authenticated.  It makes our heads spin sometimes, but we are getting the hang of the lingo.

Once we submit our dossier to China (this will approximately take until near the end of February), then we are on the list to be matched with a child.  After we are matched then approximately 11-15 weeks later we will go to China for about two weeks and then bring our daughter home!  It is the waiting time to be matched that makes the whole time-line "unknown" to a certain degree.  Our agency says the whole process usually takes about 18-24 months.



Here is what we do know about our daughter.

• At the time of referral she will be 0-18 months.  
• She will have some special needs.  This could be cleft palate/lip, clubbed feet, missing digits, etc. 
• She will have come from an orphanage or foster home in the Henan province.  
• She is deeply loved and longed for by us -- and prayed for more than daily.

This journey is long and not a whim.  It is a commitment and a prayer that we have long prayed about and sought God's will on.  Will you join along side of us and pray for our daughter?

Growing Our Family By Faith

We're excited to share our happy news that God has led us to adopt a little girl from China!  Click the "Our Journey to Yes" tab to read how God has led us.

We ask for prayers.  This is a faith journey.  We ask for prayers for us and for her.  We pray for her protection and for God to fill her with His Holy Spirit.  For her to know His love and to bring her home to us soon.  We pray for God to prepare us for each other.

We are the very, very beginning of this journey.  Thank you for joining us in prayer for our little girl.  We love her even though we don't know who she is or if she is even born. We can't wait to hold her in our arms. But for now we hold her in our hearts and prayers.