Translated.

We received wonderful news from our agency yesterday!  Our dossier is finished being translated!

It has now transitioned from Translation to the Review department at the CCCWA (The China Center for Children's Welfare and Adoption).

Now we wait for the CCCWA to issue our Letter of Acceptance (LOA).  It will be approximately 3-6 weeks before we receive our LOA.  Once we receive our LOA, we'll then be able to file our form I800 to our government's USCIS office.

We are approaching the last leg of this journey! 

It's incredibly exciting to be so close to bringing Logan home and we are overjoyed with the anticipation that he will soon be in our arms!

While we wait....

we are praying for patience,

we are praying for wisdom,
we are praying for Logan's health,
we are praying for the paperwork,
we are praying for the caregivers who take care of Logan,
we are praying that God will prepare Logan's heart for the crazy road ahead,

we are praying that God will prepare all of our children for this transition,
we are praying that He will prepare us for the final part of our journey.

Will you join us on our knees?

Created for His Purpose.

When we first began the adoption process, we were sent Logan's file for review.  The orphanage report that was included with the file was only half a page long, but the small window it gave us into Logan's life and personality has been priceless.

 This is what the orphanage had to say about our sweet little guy:

"He is extraverted, active and ready to smile."

"He likes drawing everyday and shares the happiness with the caretaker."

(Could our son be an artist?)

"He is full of curiosity, likes colorful toys."

"Usually he likes music and waves his body along the rhythm."    

(He definitely fits in with this family!)

"He likes playing hide and seek with the caretaker."

"He likes building blocks most."   

(Ross is thrilled that his brother likes blocks.  

Another Lego engineer in the family.) 

"He's a favorite of his caregivers"
 

We were also given more information about Logan's chinese name, Yuan Ke.

Yuan was the common surname given to all male children that entered the orphanage in 2010.  
In China last names are placed before the first name, so Ke would be his first name.  The orphanage gave him the name Ke because it means he will be a very useful person.

As I type this I'm reminded of the statement made by the pastor in the documentary "The Dropbox".  In regards to the orphans he said, 
 "They're not the unnecessary ones in the world.  
God sent them to the Earth to use them."  

We are confident that God will use this precious child for His glory and purpose!  Logan is definitely a very useful person.

A dear friend sent the following verse to me in a card this week and I think it goes perfectly with this post:

 "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."

Romans 8:28

Yard Sale Fundraiser!

We're excited to announce our next adoption fundraiser!

We're having a yard sale!

 

If you are "Spring Cleaning" and happen to have any items you would like to donate to our yard sale, please let us know.  

We will be happy to come and pick them up!

We will be holding the yard sale on June 13, 14 & 15.

Fundraising is one of the most humbling aspects of adoption.

But we are trusting in the Lord's provision and thankful for the help of other's in bringing Logan home! 

 

Puzzle Results: Week Three!

Thank you family and friends,

we are forever grateful!

THANK YOU for you generous donations, thoughts, prayers and words of encouragement.  This journey would not be possible without all of you!

Here are this week's puzzle results:

120 puzzle pieces added this week! 

236 puzzle pieces sponsored to date!  

   

 Jehovah-Jireh

"The LORD will provide."

(Click on the link below for more information about our puzzle fundraiser.)

ten dollars. 2 pieces. one step closer.

The Drop Box.

September 1, 2010,

This is Logan's estimated date of birth.

His birth date is estimated because he was abandoned at the local children's hospital at approximately four days old.

From there he was taken to the local police station where they would care for him for the next fourteen days.  He was then transferred to the orphanage that would become his home for the next two years of his life.

Logan, in all likelihood, was abandoned because of his special needs.  

Some may feel that this was a heartless act on the part of his birth parents.  

However, I believe it was an act of the heart.

It's possible that Logan's birth parents may not have been able to provide for his medical needs.  They may have abandoned him as an act of love, knowing it would be the only way for him to receive the medical care he needs.

I can't imagine the ache that may still dwell in his birth mother's heart.

 

There are approximately 10,000 children abandoned in China every year.

But this isn't a plight exclusive to China, it's a global issue.

A dear friend sent me an article about a new documentary that will soon be released called "The Drop Box".

It's about a Korean pastor named Lee Jong-rak who built a wooden “drop box” on the outer wall of his home. The box wasn’t intended for clothing, food, or school supplies, it was meant to collect unwanted babies.

The love and compassion this pastor has for these abandoned children is amazing!  Take a peek at the trailer...

"The Drop Box" - Documentary PROMO from Brian Ivie on Vimeo.

The 20 children in his care all have special needs. 




My favorite part of this trailer is when the Pastor stated, "They're not the unnecessary ones in the world.  God sent them to the Earth to use them." 

 

Click on the link to read the article about "The Drop Box" at the Gospel Coalition. 

 

This is Home.

How can we prepare a precious two year old boy

to leave behind the only home he's ever known.

To travel to a country where he's never been.

To transition to a new culture with a new language.

How do we begin to prepare? 

We begin on our knees,

and then...

 

...this is home.

 

 A photo album made into a picture book.

A book about Logan's new home.

We are so excited that we're allowed to send our son one small photo album.  

  To help Logan learn more about his new family and home, 

we turned this album into a storybook.   

We included artwork from his sisters and brother,  

our recorded voices that he can hear with just the push of a button, 

and a cd of Scripture lullabies.

Our agency will translate the album for us and then send it to Logan's orphanage.  His caregiver's will then use the album to begin preparing him.

This is one of my favorite pictures from the album.

 What an excited big brother!

We are completely confident that God will continue to guide us as we help Logan with this major transition to his new family and home. 

"...With God all things are possible."  Matthew 19:26
 

Puzzle Results: Week Two!

I'm very excited to post a picture of this week's puzzle progress!

A huge THANK YOU to the families (and their children) who donated.

 

What a joy it is to watch our puzzle take shape!

 

80 puzzle pieces added this week!

 

 116 pieces sponsored to date!

We are so humbled by your love

and

overflowing with JOY! 

(Click on the link below for more information about our puzzle fundraiser.)

ten dollars. 2 pieces. one step closer.

Logged In!

Yesterday was an exciting day!

While grocery shopping, I received a call from the case coordinator at our adoption agency.  She wanted to let us know that our dossier was officially logged into the CCCWA system. (The China Center for Children’s Welfare and Adoption)

This is a huge step in our journey!

Now we wait for our dossier to be translated, it will then travel through the proper departments in China and finally a Letter of Acceptance (LOA) will be sent back to Holt.  Once we receive our LOA, we’ll be moving towards our final leg of this journey.  (Big smile as I type this.)

We’ll then be able to file our form I-800 (Petition to Classify Convention Adoptee as an Immediate Relative) with the USCIS (U.S Citizenship and Immigration Services).  This is a different form then our I-800a (Application for Determination of Suitability to Adopt a Child from a Convention Country)

which we had sent to the USCIS in January.

The paper chase is starting to come to an end.  Hurrah!

We’re often asked, “What are a home study and a dossier?”  This is a great question, so I’ve given details below about what’s included in both the home study and dossier.

Home Study:

• Home Study Application, Application Fee, Home Study Fee
• A Family Picture, a Data Sheet and Autobiography of both Tim and myself
• Certified Copies of our Birth Certificates and Marriage Certificate
• Copies of our Driver’s Licenses and Auto Insurance
• Our most recent IRS 1040
• Pet Vaccination Records
• Financial Statements and Employment Verification Letters
• FBI Fingerprinting for both Tim and myself, as well as background checks
• Medical Statements from our physicians
• A Fire Inspection, Safety Audit and Home Evacuation Plan 
• Ten hours of Training
• Four Home Study Visits with our Home Study Social Worker (These visits are turned into an 11 page biography of our family.)
• Letters of Reference

The completed Home Study is then sent to Holt to be included with the Dossier.

Dossier:

(Most of these items had to be notarized, county and state certified and authenticated)

• Application Letter
• Our Home Study
• Adoptive Parents Form
• Certified Copies of our Birth Certificates and Marriage Certificate
• Copies of both of our Passport Pages
• Photos of the inside and outside of our home
• Photos of our family together, Tim and myself, and passport size photos of Tim and myself
• Three Letters of Reference 
• Employment Letters prepared by our accountant
• Certificate of Financial Status
• Physical Exams and Medical Statements
• Police Clearances for Tim and myself done by our local police department
•  I-797