Interesting...

Recently, China's Center for Adoption Affairs (CCAA) removed their 'document processing' log from their puplic domain. The info previously provided the most recent info on families that had officially been reviewed, as well as the families that had received referrals. Our agency informed us that they still have access to this info, so not to be alarmed...but I still wonder what the CCAA is up to??

Food for thought--

"It is poverty to decide that a child must die so that you may live as you wish."
- Mother Theresa

Now We're Officially "OFFICIAL"

Last week, as we were frantically gathering items needed to update our home study to pursue Ethiopia, our agency informed us that we still needed to apply with them through the Ethiopia program. We thought the approvals from the concurrent adoption program and our social worker were sufficient -- but we still had one more to go...my goodness! So instead of mailing our home study, I applied for adoption with AWAA's Ethiopia program. (That wore me out just typing about it...)

This morning, by faith, I went ahead and dropped our home study paper work in the mail. And this afternoon, AWAA called us to relay our final 'approval'. Yeah!!

I'd also like to share an excerpt from my Bible-reading this morning...prospective adoptive families, take heart!!

"Do I bring to the moment of birth
and not give delivery?" says the LORD.
"Do I close up the womb
when I bring to delivery?" says your God.
Isaiah 66:9

God is promising His beloved Israel that He WILL 'finish what He starts' (this is regarding the work of the church)! Does He conceive, but not deliver???
I believe this promise represents His entire character! Does He invite us to join Him, only to slam the door in our face??? Absolutely not!! Just as He is the author & perfector of our faith...He is the author & perfector of all facets of our lives.

Off and Running

Holidays don't slow us down!
Our home study agency sent us a packet to update our home study several weeks ago, pending our approval for a concurrent adoption. I must admit the update will be much quicker than the original! The first time around our home study took about four months from start to finish. This time, hopefully one month will seal the deal.

Today, we returned to our family doc for a fun-filled morning of physicals and lab work. He was a little confused because he had already completed our exams - one year ago. We explained we're just jumping through the hoops because each adoption is time-sensitive and requires original documents.
After being poked, we headed downtown to be fingerprinted...again.
We'll return to the doc on Thursday to complete our medical paperwork -- then we'll buy our home study a one-way ticket to Kansas City and our social worker will take it from there.

We definitely feel like we have a good grasp on China's culture, people, history...so now it's time for an Ethiopia crash-course! I'll let you know what I discover!

'C' before 'E'...only in the alphabet

For the past month or so Vince and I have been more seriously contemplating the increasing waiting for our China referral. It's actually been quite a conflicting time for us...do we simply continue to wait out the 'wait' for our daughter from China?...or, is there a more purposeful reason for the wait (other than the sake of waiting)?

Well, after much prayer and research, we came to a conclusion.

We know we will have a daughter from China. But we also know time is a precious commodity; especially when growing a family through adoption. So we decided to further investigate China's concurrent adoption policy.

After discussing the possibility of a second adoption, our agency has been able to assure us that our situation is prime for applying to pursue a concurrent adoption.

And today we received official approval to pursue a concurrent adoption from Ethiopia...and we are thrilled!!!

You may be thinking, "Why Ethiopia?" -- and God has brought us to this conclusion: "Why in the world not."

We have 2-2.5 years before we travel to our Chinese daughter, but, we will be able to complete our Ethiopian adoption in approximately 12 months from today. This time frame will enable us to safely meet China's 12-month requirement between adoptions.

We will move forward swiftly after the New Year and will post the details as they unfold. For now, we would treasure your prayers for smooth paperwork and someone to plant a money tree in our backyard (ha ha - just kidding, although finances will be complicated).

Blessed Christmas to you all!

Come...let us adore Him

Who has believed our message
and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?
…He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,
nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.
He was despised and rejected by men,
a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering
…he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows,
yet we considered him stricken by God,
…he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was upon him,
and by his wounds we are healed.
We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to his own way;
and the LORD has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.
By oppression and judgment he was taken away.
...yet it was the LORD's will to crush him and cause him to suffer,
and though the LORD makes his life a guilt offering…
After the suffering of his soul,
he will see the light of life and be satisfied ;
by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many,
and he will bear their iniquities.
Therefore I will give him a portion among the great,
and he will divide the spoils with the strong,
because he poured out his life unto death,
and was numbered with the transgressors.
For he bore the sin of many,
and made intercession for the transgressors.

Isaiah 53

Merry Christmas

Blessed Are the Barren

Below is a complex, but sober, article in Christianity Today about the brokenness (and joy) of infertility. I highly recommend it to anyone facing this struggle, AND to those who feel inept in their ability to encourage a 'barren' couple.

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2007/december/21.22.html

Reality Check

Over the weekend Vince and I made a quick trip to MS. His younger brother coaches a HS football team, and they played in the State Champs on Friday. Not to mention, his dad had just returned home from spending a few days in the hospital with a severe UTI. While we were there, we got to visit with some friends who completed a China adoption in Aug of 2006. Their daughter, Jenna, is absolutely precious...personality plus!

Jenna's mom, Lisa, and I were discussing the increasing wait time, and she mentioned a detail I hadn't noted yet: they were LID in Aug 2005, and China is just now processing dossiers from Dec 2005. Do the math-- it has taken the CCAA almost a year and a half to process a little over five months worth of adoptions.

We had already been doing some research of our own to get a grasp on the reality of the wait time that we're facing, and it appeared that the CCAA was backlogged anywhere from 25,000 to 30,000 applications. We wanted to believe these numbers were exaggerated but considering all the data, I'm sorry to say that I believe they are not...