Question Of The Day...

So many have asked: "WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON WITH YOUR CHINA ADOPTION?"

So, here it is... Nothing bad is going on at all... We are going through Bethany Christian Services to adopt Jonas. So, naturally when we needed to find a Hague Accredited home study agency in our area (We are going with WACAP for Chun Yan's adoption because they have a lot of financial backing for SN adoptions--but they are in Washington and do not have an agency in Indiana), we automatically contacted Bethany. We had just had our home study addendum done by them, so this should have been a piece of cake. What was I thinking??? NOTHING WITH ADOPTION IS A PIECE OF CAKE!!!

We filled out our preliminary application for Bethany and I think it was even accepted. But, then we were called and told that the National office just made a new policy that they would not be doing any more independent home studies if they offer the same program. Even though we are adopting through them currently, they would not do our home study because they have a China program too and we did not go with them. I am not upset at them at all, it just would have saved us SO MUCH TIME TO USE THEM FOR OUR CHINA HOME STUDY!!!!!!

So, I was on the hunt for another agency. I wanted one that was fast because I already had our dossier finished: China's dossier is a breeze compared to Haiti's!!!
Finally, we decided to go with a cooperating agency, Adoption and Home Study Services, out of Southern Indiana, Louisville, KY. They 'needed everything but our bone marrow' for this home study. More info than what we had to have for our China dossier... So, that took a while to get everything in line and all of this was happening around Micah's Make a Wish and then his upcoming--not planned at all--surgery to de-tether his spinal cord. So, I dropped the ball so to say this summer and got behind on paperwork. Finally in July we got our home study done, and we LOVE OUR SOCIAL WORKER!!! I found out though that none our references, 6 personal and 2 employers, had their letters in. I thought our home study agency sent out the letters after I gave them all of the info, but I was wrong: I was supposed to get everyone the info... oops... So, as of today, we are just waiting on one letter and our home study will be complete!!!!! Yeahhhhhhhhhhhh... because I HATE PAPERWORK!!!!!!!! :-)

So, what is after this??? Once our home study is approved by WACAP, we then submit it with our I-800, get our fingerprints done (we are going to get our 'free' fingerprints re-done for Haiti, so please pray with us that we can use these same fingerprints for our I-800!!! Have any of you ever done that before?) Then, we wait for our I-800 to be approved and then we send everything over to China... One of the last families to adopt from Bethel, got their paperwork over to China in February and traveled in May to get their daughter. I am praying that this is how God moves our paperwork in China to make up for 'my' lost time. I am hoping that we get to travel January/February. Please pray with us for that too!!!! Sooner would be great, but I bet that she would love to spend one more Christmas with her Bethel Family!!!

Once our paperwork gets over to China and starts the process their, we will get to Skype with Chun Yan every week!!!! We can't wait!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have such a peace about this adoption that I NEVER HAD waiting on Jonas!!!!!!!!! She is in an amazing place, with people that she has been with since she was 2 (she is now 8.5) and she is loving life. Does that replace a mommy and a daddy...no, but she will be more sad about leaving then she will be happy about coming to our family. I know that sounds weird, and maybe I am wrong, but the kids love it there and if you go and visit their sight, you will see why. The founders had a God vision and they have thought out everything...

So, that is our China adoption in a nutshell. God knew when we started our China adoption, that a crazy judge in Haiti would require all families to come down to Haiti and sign a piece of paper stating, "yes, we do want to adopt our prospective child!" So, if we also had to travel to China this fall, it would have been crazy!!!!!!! We would have done it obviously, but wow!!!!! So, sometime in October Ryan and I will go to Haiti for a few days. We might take a detour and visit Ile a Vache (Island of the Cow) for a couple days and re-group!!!) What the heck, we are probably going to be shelling out over 1k to go to Haiti and sign our name to a blank piece of paper in front of the judge on the side of the rode, what is a couple more hundred to chill out on an amazing Island, just the 2 of us???!!!) I think it is a plan!!!

So, that is that... Oh, I forgot you might be wondering, "Will our adoption in Haiti be complete then???" You funny people, this is Haiti (TIH)!!!! No, all this does is let us get out of courts... :-) We will then go to MOI, MAE, Passport printed some time in here, orphan investigation, Pre-visa, and then the visa gets signed and we all return from Haiti PERMANENT US CITIZENS!!!!!!!! I don't know... maybe spring or summer of 2010??? Can you imagine... Jonas will be 4 1/2............. WOW!!!!!!!!

Thank you God of our blessing of his medical visa and the intervention and treatments and multiple therapies that he is receiving here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Today when I got him off the bus, I got on and said, "Jonas... how was your day??? He smiled his huge famous smile with dimples and said, "Mama!" Melt my heart!!!!!!!!! He is also walking with his walker... I will post some videos soon...

AHHHHHHH, adoption... :-)