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.