Adopting Marett-Brooke

Waiting. But on Who?

2010-06-07T15:44:00.001-04:00

Matches through April 26, 2006 were posted today, bringing the number of days worth of waiting families ahead of us into the double digits.

96 days of families ahead of us waiting to be matched. It looks strange, like it's somehow..... closer?...... except not.

At the rate of 5 days being matched monthly, we're still looking at another 20 months - and even that time frame is optimistic. After all, to everyone who asks, I have literally been answering 'Maybe another two years?' for the past four!!

Hypothetically though? Looking two years down the road, where will we be?

We will have a senior in high school and an 8th grader.

Do you really have another child when you're about to send your first one off to college? Do you really have another child with teenagers' busy school and extra-curricular schedules - when no one is ever at home? Do you really go alllllll the way back to the beginning?

If God says 'Yes', then so do we.

But we are preparing ourselves otherwise.

It's hard to describe where we are right now. Trying to make sense of the why, the call, the timing, the oh so very different circumstances from our expectations...... we just can't. I can totally see us with a four year old right now, as we had expected would be the case had the timing been what we were told. Totally. But a baby two years from now? I can't get my head around it.

Strangely, what I am starting to get my head around is the alternative.

I will never be able to understand our miscarriage in March 1998. That child was wanted, planned, prayed for, dreamed of. The loss was devastating.

But God, in His infinite mercy, immeasurably restored our joy by giving us Rob. He was worth every sacrifice, every heartache.

God worked it for good.

They call adoption a 'paper pregnancy'. Well, I'm beginning to process ours as a potential 'paper miscarriage', and it's equally heart wrenching. Marett-Brooke, too, was wanted, planned, prayed for, dreamed of. There was nothing 'paper' about her. She had - HAS - an identity in our family. There's a room with a crib and perfect bedding for her; a closet full of clothes and toys; a storage room with a highchair and playpen; a place in our hearts for her.

We don't understand.

If God has closed this door, we may never understand why this side of Heaven. But falling back on His faithfulness, any "need" to understand is absolutely overshadowed by the knowledge - the faith - that God will work this, too, for good.

As we wait on the Lord, rather than our daughter, please, please pray for us as we continue to process this decision. Some days it's heavier on our hearts than others - in truth, the reality of our adoption becomes more and more abstract every month. While I wouldn't say we are discouraged - we do covet your prayer for discernment.

Whatever happens, our greatest desire is obedience, so hearing clearly from the Lord - whether we understand the Call or not - is paramount.

Humbly,
Ked

No Progress

2010-02-16T15:59:00.003-05:00

I really hate going to the dentist, but now I hate it for a whole new reason. Our dentist happens to be a friend of ours and so he always asks about how the adoption is progressing. Do you know that since we saw him 6 months ago, the CCAA has only matched two weeks worth of waiting families?

Considering there are still 17 weeks worth of waiting families ahead of us, we are really beginning to question whether this adoption will ever be a reality.

It's a sad truth.

As I am reading through the Bible this year, time and time again I am seeing how often God's people were in circumstances that just didn't make sense to them. And yet God's greatest concern for them was that they trust Him and remain faithful to Him. He took care of the rest.

There's nothing lost in leaving our dossier logged in.... so that's what we'll do until such a time that God tells us otherwise or our referral gets closer. Either way, we continue to wait not on Marett-Brooke but on the Lord.

It doesn't make sense to us. But it doesn't have to. Our trust is in the Lord. The rest is up to Him.

Nothing

2009-10-19T14:05:00.002-04:00

At the rate the CCAA is matching, our wait could be up to another four years.

In four years, we will have a freshman in college and a freshman in highschool.

That's a whole. different. ballgame. than when we started this process four years ago.

At this point, we have chosen not to refile our immigration paperwork that will expire in December of this year. Unless something drastic changes with the CCAA, we are seriously praying about whether we are even still called to adopt.

Thank you for your continued prayer. I have decided to stop posting here, but will update the stats on the sidebar as information becomes available.

Three Years... (sigh)

2009-08-01T09:54:00.007-04:00

Had things turned out as expected we would have had a 3 year old at home right now. (Having gotten Marett-Brooke two years ago at the approximate age of 1.)

Hmph.

As I read about families who are getting their children, I don't want to be envious, but I am. To date, the longest wait has been 40 months. People go on and on about how long they have waited and while I don't disagree (40 months is an agonizing wait, particularly for childless couples) our wait will exceed that by several months..... and I find myself feeling a little bitter.

I would love to think we only have another 4 months.....

We marked the anniversary of our Log In Date by eating out at Chin Chin, the Chinese restaurant that we ate at when we celebrated our paperwork being accepted in China. It felt a little sad instead of celebratory, but we wanted to do something to mark our continued commitment to our daughter.

Marett-Brooke, some day we will dine with you at Chin Chin.

I know this post has a selfish tone. We continue to pray for Marett-Brooke and her parents and family.... but it's hard to do that when we know absolutely nothing about the time frame of her life. The longer the wait gets, the more intangible it seems. It's hard to remain optimistic and excited when the referral just keeps getting pushed out further and further.

But, despite some disheartening moments and periods of fleeting doubt, God has been faithful to confirm that He is still in this.

So too are we.

Amen. And amen.

35 Months

2009-07-01T19:36:00.004-04:00

Are the months adding up now or what?!

I have zero sympathy anymore for expectant women who complain about how done they are being pregnant.

The way I see it, I've got a minimum of 25 months on them. In fact, I could have had THREE birth children in the same amount of time.

Wouldn't it be nice if someone could medically induce this wait?

On the bright side, at least I didn't have to give up wine.

June 2009 Match Statistics

2009-06-22T21:49:00.002-04:00

Referrals were made on June 19th for families with Log In Dates through March 20, 2006.

34 Months. No End In Sight.

2009-06-01T14:52:00.003-04:00

Our agency's founders were in town last month to meet with waiting families. We weren't able to attend, but a synopsis of common questions was posted to the CCAI website.

It wasn't encouraging.

Their best estimate is the wait max will reach 4 years, perhaps a few months longer....

It's hard to not lose faith. I'll be honest. Our faith is beginning to wane....

Might The Call change?

And what would that look like?

We are continuing to ask the Lord to be unmistakable in His direction, but I think we are beginning to prepare ourselves for the end of this journey to look very different than what we expected when we began.

May 2009 Match Stats

2009-05-22T15:22:00.006-04:00

This post is 22 days late. May has been a little nuts. And other than the passing of yet another month, there's not been anything to report anyway.

The matches that generally occur near the beginning of each month were three weeks late this month. Not sure what that means for matches going forward.... I can't imagine there will be referrals again at the beginning of June.

I wish I could say I'm getting better at this waiting.

That said, we've reached the end of a monumental season for our family! We are done home schooling. The kids have finished their school year and are Mt. Paran bound in the fall! There's a lot of Alice Cooper's "School's out for summer!" and "Home school's out for EVER!" being sung around our house.

(The kids are singing it too! Heh.)

So the end of one season has me wondering about the beginning of the next. Not knowing where in time OR space our Marett-Brooke is, I find my best option to be to rest while I can.

There's a concept.

32 Months

2009-04-04T20:13:00.004-04:00

Still no official word from the CCAA, but the "unofficial word" is that only two days worth of waiting families were matched this month.

Unreal.

March 2009 Match Statistics

2009-03-04T22:30:00.003-05:00

31 months and counting......

The CCAA is officially three years behind in their matching. This month, they matched through March 6, 2006 - which only represents two business days of dossiers.

While rumors swirl about a "speed up" on the horizon, sanity is more important than holding our breath.

God IS in control.

He has to be.

He said He was.

Three - Oh

2009-02-03T20:29:00.003-05:00

Had we known then what we know now - would we have done anything different?

I'd like to think, 'No'.

But if I'm being honest? I think we would have needed God Himself to show up in person - or at least have heard his AUDIBLE voice to convince us.

Just because our expectations were so limited at the time, doesn't make God any less in it now than He was three years ago.

And so we are irrevocably still "in it."

Do I hear 31??

More January Matches

2009-01-24T14:30:00.003-05:00

(big sigh)

The CCAA doesn't have a "set" date each month for matches, just an approximate number of days that can fluctuate between 25 - 35 days.

The good news is that they were on the short end of that spread this month. The bad news is the number of days they matched is dismal. DISMAL.

Two.

The date hasn't been made official, but all indications point to matches through March 2, 2006.

China Adopt Talk posted this:

The bad news is that the March 2nd cut-off rumor is persisting. If that is the case then this will be the smallest batch (based on poll numbers) since I began keeping track.

And, if that is the case, then why all of the reports that the CCAA is in better spirits than they’ve been in a long time? Something is up, of that I’m sure. That rumor came from too many places for it to not be true. I’m just not sure what it means at this point. I wasn’t expecting a miraculous month that got most of the way into March, but based on those reports I was hoping for a larger month (based on poll numbers) than we’ve been seeing.

Of course, our stock is not in rumors, but in God's Sovereign timing.

And speaking of timing, we submitted applications this week for both Kayley and Rob to attend Mt. Paran Christian School next year. Wouldn't it be interesting if our homeschooling journey ended on the heels of Marett-Brooke coming home?

This semester in particular, I find myself often thankful I don't have a baby yet. My time is literally consumed between schoolwork and driving to and from schools all day. Ten trips to Cornerstone and eight trips to Orchard Academy each week is no life for a toddler.

If the kids are in school full time, I will enjoy having the days to focus on bonding with Marett-Brooke. I only pray God isn't freeing my schedule up for a handful. My first two kids were such a breeze, I'm not going to lie that I'm not preparing myself for the worst.

Sometimes I hate the way my mind works.

January 2009 Update

2009-01-01T22:27:00.002-05:00

Happy New Year.

I wonder if 2009 will bring our daughter home.

December 2008 Match Stats

2008-12-12T17:01:00.004-05:00

Matches have been made for families with LID's through February 23, 2006. Six days this month is better than last month's 2 days. But it still rots.

Rumor has it that the CCAA is out visiting orphanages in an attempt to encourage orphanage directors to have more children "paper-ready".

(The operative word being 'rumor'.)

And so, yet another Christmas will come and go with a huge gaping hole in our hearts and our home.

28 Months and counting. No end in sight.

2008-12-02T22:32:00.003-05:00

We are officially beyond double the wait time of the 10-14 months we were initially told to expect.

I can't believe we're celebrating another Christmas without Marett-Brooke.

November 2008 Match Stats

2008-11-11T13:45:00.005-05:00

We have now been waiting just over 27 months for our Marett-Brooke.

Each new month brings with it the hope of new match information.

Sadly, each new month seems also to bring new disappointment.

On November 5th, the CCAA only made matches for two days worth of waiting families.

I realize that it doesn't matter if there had been two months worth of matches made last week. Nothing will alter the date God has ordained for OUR match.

I know that.

How, though, do I stop my heart from hurting?

26 Months

2008-10-01T14:05:00.006-04:00

How much does life change in 26 months time?

We're still in the same house. That's a milestone for our family. We have now lived in this house longer than any other. I truly wonder if this is the house Marett-Brooke will come home to.

I look at the dossier photos of our family and wonder at the change in Kayley and Rob. Will the CCAA look at their photos and realize they aren't 7 and 11 anymore? (I am content to believe that Dana and I still look 36 and 35.)

There's a nursery in our home again. With pale pink walls, ladybug bedding, and the rocker that has logged hours of soothing Marett-Brooke's sister and brother, this child has a room of her own waiting for her. More, there are clothes and toys in the closet, each purchased in thought, preparation and love for this child.

What hasn't changed in 26 months is there's still an empty space in our hearts and our home waiting for our Marett-Brooke.

Come home, little one.

September 2008 Match Statistics

2008-09-02T19:46:00.001-04:00

Nine more days outta' the way.

February 9, 2006 was the cut-off this month.

Come on, China. Let's get this ball rolling.

25 Months Ago Today

2008-09-01T13:57:00.005-04:00

Can you believe we've passed the TWO YEAR MARK??

10-14 months - patooie!

I didn't post the August 2008 statistics, but they matched through January 31, 2006. I suppose I just didn't have the heart to do it. And I couldn't even enjoy the Beijing Olympics, for the sour taste in my mouth and heart for China's government right now.

I would love to think the CCAA would start processing international adoptions more quickly now that the Olympics are over, but I'm short on optimism these day.

Whatever. I want my baby, but not just any baby. I want my Marett-Brooke. And I know that God is in control.

I'll wait forever, but I don't have to like it, do I?

July 2008 Matches

2008-07-08T12:03:00.002-04:00

January 25, 2006 is the cut-off date this month.

I will remind you that at a rate of 3-8 days matched per month, January 25, 2006 isn't remotely close to August 1, 2006.

Despite the DEPRESSING situation China has created, they won't allow anyone to adopt who has been on anti-depressants within two years.

I'm fine. No need for meds - I'm just noting the irony.

Same song - going on the 24th verse. This sucks.

June 2008 Matches

2008-06-13T11:52:00.003-04:00

Who would ever have believed that eight days of matches would be an improvement?!

When we started this process, the normal match times were about 60 days worth of Log In Dates per month.

Eight more days down. 192 to go.

See how the little ladybug is only half-way there? Technically, if you count by the number of days worth of LIDs we had ahead of us when we started our wait on August 1, 2006, we're only half way there.

I really, sincerely hope that doesn't mean anything in terms of the remainder of our wait.

(sigh)

May 2008 Match Stats

2008-05-20T11:07:00.003-04:00

It's so disheartening, I haven't even been able to bring myself to post. CCAA has matched families with a Log-In Date through January 12, 2006.

3 lousy days of matches this month. 200 days worth of dossiers still ahead of us.

April 2008 Match Statistics

2008-04-10T15:08:00.002-04:00

CCAA got through January 9, 2006 this month.

"Thank you. Thank you so very much, Chinese government, for working to speed up this process. What are you? Communist, or something??"

That's all I have to say about THAT.

Shameless whining

2008-03-15T12:42:00.002-04:00

Tell me this doesn't KILL you. This picture took me aback. I literally gasped. Oh, how I want this photo to be of Kai, Mira, my mom and my Marett-Brooke! IT'S NOT FAIR!!!!

The photo was taken in a market in Shanghai. My brother is holding Mira, who is making friends with this darling China girl that my mom scooped up. My mom said the little darling was shy. Mira is NOT. They had an interpreter who told them the little girl was 1, but they didn't know her birthdate. She was a "friend's daughter". What is her story? What is Marett-Brooke's story? Why is it taking SOOOOO long to unfold?

Mom said she loved on her a bit and got a little bit of a "Marett-Brooke fix", but it made her pine even more for her own granddaughter somewhere in China. Me too, Mom. Me too.

March 2008 Match Stats

2008-03-10T20:37:00.003-04:00

Eight days this month. They matched through January 4, 2006. At least we made it into our LID year! There are still almost 7 months worth of waiting families ahead of us.... and at this rate, it's still probably 2 years out. I feel like I've been saying "two years" for the last two years. A source of major frustration, to say the least.

I had this surreal moment two weeks ago. We were on our way to our favorite Chinese restaurant.... and it occurred to me that had the wait been what we were told from the outset, Marett-Brooke would have already been home for 9 months. Can't even GO there!

On another delightful note - I have to go get fingerprinted AGAIN! The FBI couldn't read my prints from a few weeks ago..... they told me my hands were too soft and the ridges on my prints weren't distinct enough. Come on..... I personally think the dude doing the scan didn't know what he was doing.... it's the U.S. Gov't after all.... you be the judge. (On the bright side, the FBI can't place me at the scene of a crime .... not that it helps me at all.) So here I go again. FOR THE THIRD STINKING TIME!

Nonny & Bapaw in China

2008-02-19T12:55:00.005-05:00

Marett-Brooke's Nonny and Bapaw are headed to China today to visit my brother's family in Shanghai. I know they will be thinking of her and wondering just how close they are to their granddaughter or her birth family. It's a bittersweet thing.

There are days recently that I feel DONE. I am so OVER this wait! There are times I just WANT HER NOW!!!!!!!! But there are times too, that I think - how long is this really going to be? Realistically, the longer this road, the further it feels from the beginning (in terms of babyhood). Do we really want to go THAT far back?? And then we question: Would the Lord ever call us out of this? I hope not!! I don't even want to think of grieving that loss. Are we supposed to have an older child? Or a special needs child? If that is the ultimate path God has, He certainly hasn't put us on it yet and I know He would make it crystal clear. It's just so hard to sort out in my head sometimes. The wait, as it gets exponentially longer, is SO HARD to understand.

China has taken the last 9 months to match only 2 months worth of waiting families. It makes me ill to project that time frame out over the seven months worth of waiting families ahead of us. Will Marett-Brooke be home by the time Kayley goes to college? We were on track to be empty nesters by age 47. Will we now be in our 60's?

I hate that sometimes the way out is through. My heart is still in this, but I'm all over the board on it. I'm sad to say I can't wrap up this post with a tidy little "bow" and a good attitude. This sucks.

Fingerprints rescheduled

2008-02-07T19:25:00.000-05:00

Part of our 797 renewal requires us to be fingerprinted again on February 21st. Can someone tell me why?! Because they might have changed?? Because the government seriously can't find them from last time?? No and no. Most likely - they want to collect the fee again. But seeing as the fees have been waived for this first renewal, that doesn't make sense either.

Let's be honest though, whoever believed the government was majoring in efficiency? Not complaining.... wouldn't choose another country to live in - but hellooooo???

February 2008 Match Speculation

2008-02-04T13:13:00.000-05:00

I can't even say "statistics" anymore, because for whatever reason, the CCAA stopped publicly posting the official cut-off date for monthly matches. It's hard not to be discouraged by that. The wait has become so much longer than anyone expected, that those of us waiting are paying close attention to whatever information we can get..... and now that's being taken away too. "Word" has it that the cut off this month was December 27, 2005.

What is it about "needing to know"? Is it a control thing? There seems to be a link. The less we know - the less control we have. There are lots of "what if" factors in our personal circumstances that actually cause the delay to make sense, but we are done thinking that this adoption is going to turn out according to "what makes sense". That's a good place to be, because laying down our need for understanding frees us up to accept God's plan on His terms..... even if it falls totally and completely outside of our initial expectations. I really believe that He wants our willing responsiveness. And we can't respond unless we are vigilant to listen for His voice. So, here is where we find ourselves this month......

• not in control (clearly!!)
• content to wait for His timing
• willing to respond in obedience
• vigilantly calling on the Lord and listening for Him

Marett-Brooke could be home in a year. Or she could be home in three. It could "look" exactly the way we envisioned (albeit the extended wait) and it could "look" waaaaay different. We're simply waiting for God to reveal the next step in His plan.... the only plan that matters.

On an exciting note, a Fall 2008 missions trip to China is being planned for our First Fridays community. Details to come, but I signed up to indicate my definite interest..... I wonder if the Lord will send me......

January 2008 Match Information

2008-01-03T16:17:00.000-05:00

Only five days of matches this month. Families receiving referrals this month had Log In Dates before December 19th, 2005. Wait...... 2005?! Yes, 2005. Boy, that seems like a long time ago, especially now that we've turned the page from 2007 to 2008. I'll bet families who have just gotten their referrals would agree. Their expected six month wait was just over 24 months! I'm really hoping China will start to close the gap a bit after the Olympics this year so the wait won't continue to increase exponentially.

I hadn't posted it here yet because we're still kind of processing it, but last month, Amy Eldredge of Love Without Boundaries spoke to our First Fridays Chinese Adoption community. Her heart for special needs orphans really opened our eyes to the reality of waiting children in China - particularly those with medical needs. For as bleak as the future is for healthy orphaned children in China - it is almost hopeless for those with special needs due to lack of medical care and social disdain. Amy's key message was that the only way to really get our heads around the orphan situation in China is to think of it as a social condition..... but it is so far from that. Each child has a story - a grieving family lost to them forever - an unknown tomorrow, and for many - little to no hope for the future.

Not all orphans can be adopted. But with medical attention, many can at least be given a chance. For information on how you can help the plight of special needs orphans in China - please visit www.lovewithoutboundaries.com . You will not be the same.

Additionally, (and I WISH I knew about this a LONG time ago), if you ever order from Amazon.com, 4% of your total purchases can be donated to Love Without Boundaries by linking to Amazon from their website. I changed my Amazon bookmark to www.lovewithoutboundaries.com and click on the Amazon link in the bottom left hand corner to get there. 4% can add up fast (especially with my book addiction!).

It can be overwhelming - and even feel hopeless - but it is NOT! A little here goes a long way in China. And I have hope for my daughter. Despite the many unknowns - where she is, if she's born yet or even now waiting in an orphanage, how or when she'll come home to us - I know that God is in control. I know that He has summoned her by name. And I know that He cannot fail our family. From the biggest of dreams to the smallest details they consist of, He is faithful to reveal His heart - neither a moment too early nor a moment too late.

Daddy's Christmas "Postcard" to Marett-Brooke

2007-12-25T13:35:00.000-05:00

December 24, 2007

Dear Marett-Brooke:

There’s an unofficial tradition in the United States – your future home – that you will learn to embrace. It goes something like this: Mommy and I will take Kayley, Robby and you on a vacation to some resort-like destination – maybe Disney World, the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, or Cancun, Mexico. Those are a few of our favorite destinations. As the tradition goes, we will send a handful of postcards to family and friends and we’ll write something like, “We’re having a great time, we wish you were here.”

The postcards are mailed with the very best of intentions and great affection. You see, we have an amazing extended family and wonderful friends who are praying you home on a daily basis. Even though they have never met you, everyone has found a place for you in their hearts. We are very fortunate to be supported by so many loved ones. However, what we write on those postcards is not completely, entirely and 100 percent true.

It’s true that we’re having a great time. The four of us always have a great time together. In fact, I can’t wait to relive some of our warmest family memories with you. Someday, I will hold you tightly while you mount a gleaming white horse on Cinderella’s Merry-Go-Round…and I will place you on my shoulders as we watch brilliant fireworks burst above the Magic Kingdom – you’ll have a great view from up there…and I will teach you how to ski on the bunny hills of Colorado…and we will walk hand-in-hand on the warm beaches of Cancun, picking up beautiful shells and other treasures along the way.

That’s we do on vacations – I’m sure your big sister and big brother will tell you all about it someday.

Here’s the part of this unofficial tradition that is not completely, entirely and 100 percent true: It’s not necessarily true that we wish the postcard recipient was there with us. I know, I know…that’s awful of me to say, but let me explain.

One of the reasons we go on vacation is to escape the normalities and familiarities of our daily routines. Everybody needs a little time away. As a result, that particular phrase in the postcard – which by the way, is not unique to the Ripleys, I’m just willing to admit it – has become kind of hollow. It’s just something you write. But trust me, there’s really no harm intended.

This letter to you – let’s call it a postcard – kind of defies this tradition. Because, here in Kennesaw, Georgia, during Christmas of 2007, your future family is having a great time. Tonight, on Christmas Eve, we continued our many fun traditions, like enjoying our Christmas Eve tray complete with deli meat, cheeses, fruit and a Honey Baked Ham. We’ll open new pajamas that we immediately wear (and we’ll wear all Christmas Day, too) and follow it up with a Christmas movie. Later, we’re going to pile into the car with Pixie and Paisley, our family dogs, and drive around looking at Christmas lights in different neighborhoods. By the way, we haven’t told the dogs about you yet…we’ll cross that bridge when we get there!

All of this Christmas Eve activity is a pre-cursor to Christmas morning when we open presents, indulge in Mommy’s world famous Breakfast Ring, and simply lounge around the house and do absolutely nothing except enjoy each other’s company and our new presents.

But here’s the difference between traditional postcards and this special “postcard” to you. The truth is – we do wish you were here. We really, really wish you were here. We understand that God’s ways are higher than ours and it’s not time for you to be home, but we still wish you were here, Marett-Brooke.

Christmas, in particular, is a special time for families to be together. And although you are not physically here with us, the essence of you is woven into our hearts and minds. There are so many fun things we want to experience with you. We want to show you how to leave cookies and egg nog for Santa, plus carrots for his reindeer. We want to snuggle with you on Christmas morning when everyone – dogs included – are squeezed into Mommy and Daddy’s bed. We want to here the pitter patter of your feet racing down the stairs to see what surprises Santa has left for you.

Most importantly, we want to tell you about baby Jesus and how He was born to save you. And, how four average people – with Jesus in their hearts – were compelled by the miraculous truth of the Christmas story to begin a journey to save you. And, in return, you saved us – because you gave us a new depth of understanding what Christ’s love truly means.

For now Marett-Brooke, there are five stockings hanging from our fireplace (yes, the dogs get one, too), but we wish there were six. Nevertheless…we’re having a great time, and we wish…oh, how we wish…you were here.

Love,

Your adoring Daddy

December 2007 Referrals

2007-12-06T14:04:00.001-05:00

(Sigh.) 6 days this month.

I began the unfortunate process of refiling our paperwork with U.S. Customs and Immigration this month. Our approval expires on December 27, 2007. Everyone assumed 18 months was long enough to complete an international adoption - everyone except China, that is. Thankfully, we can renew our approval once without government fees - but we are being required to resubmit health forms, background checks, new fingerprints (huh?) and an updated home study. We're grateful that the $600 USCIS fee has been waived for this first renewal, however, if Marett-Brooke is not home within the next 18 months, we'll have to renew again - to the tune of about a thousand bucks. I guess that should be no surprise.... what daughter of mine would be cheap?

Marett-Brooke's "Chinese" cousin

2007-11-11T09:42:00.001-05:00

She doesn't know it, but Marett-Brooke has a cousin in China! My brother, his wife, Sarah, and their 9-month-old daughter, Mira, just moved to Shanghai two weeks ago and will be living there for two years. Kai is opening an Asian operations office for the design firm my father started 35 years ago.

This photo of my sister, Kasey, holding Mira, was taken at the Worrell Inc. Asia party just before they left for China.

It's fun to know that Marett-Brooke will meet family before she even leaves China.... assuming we get her within the next two years, that is. (Sigh.)

November 2007 Referrals

2007-11-06T13:59:00.001-05:00

Matches have been made for families with a Log In Date through December 8, 2005. We expected the CCAA to get through December 2005 more quickly than they matched October and November 2005, but we were hoping for more than eight days....

We are now officially outside of our expected wait. When we started this process in February 2005, there was a 10-14 month expected wait from Log In. At 15 months in - the reality is that we still have 18-24 months to go! Human nature tells us to be frustrated, but in the full scope of things, we know the timing must be the Lord's.

Consider the following statistics:

* UNICEF tells us there are 17,310,000 births per year in China. The 2000 census in China says there are about 117 boys to every 100 girls. This means there are 9,333,041 boys to every 7,976,959 girls. A difference of 1,356,082. (Approximately 300,000 children are abandoned each year.) The five or ten thousand girls being adopted out every year aren’t even a drop in the bucket here (.... approximately 2%.)

ANNUAL ADOPTIONS
1999 - 4,009
2000 - 4,943
2001 - 4.629
2002 - 6.062
2003 - 6,638
2004 - 7,033
2005 - 7,939
2006 - 6,520

Source: www.chinaadopttalk.com - parenthesis mine

God has some work to do here that ONLY HE CAN DO to get OUR Marett-Brooke home to us. The TRUTH is that Marett-Brooke will be one of approximately 6,000 children per year that are placed for adoption. Those 6,000 are only 2% of the orphaned children per year in China. God's promise to His people is no less true for Marett-Brooke. His words in Isaiah 43:1 say, "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine."

Any frustration we feel is for the thousands of children waiting for and needing families. No, our wait is not about us, it's not about the number of dossiers ahead of ours..... it's not even about China's adoptive regulations. God has redeemed Marett-Brooke, He has summoned her by name - she is His. And that means she is His to bring home to us in just the right way and time.

October 2007 Match Information

2007-10-08T21:25:00.000-04:00

The CCAA released October referral information official today. Families with Log In Dates through November 30, 2005 have been matched. Five more days down... 243 to go.

Today is our 14th wedding anniversary. Dana is traveling and so we are not together - but we went for a long walk last night and reminisced over the last 14 years. Things sure are different than I ever dreamed they would be - and while there are things I might wish I could change at times - I am grateful to say that who I am married to is NOT one of them. Dana is one of the most exceptional men I have ever known and I am proud to say that he is mine - all mine! He is an adoring husband, wise father, diligent leader, generous provider, compassionate counselor and Godly protector. He is integrity embodied. Today I am grateful and humbled by the awesome gift my Lord gave me 14 years ago. Dana is more than I ever hoped or dreamed for in a husband and father to our children.

Someday, like her mom, sister, and brother, Marett-Brooke, too, will come to know what a special daddy God has chosen to love, protect and provide for her.

September 2007 Referrals

2007-09-05T16:20:00.000-04:00

Matches have been made for families with a Log In Date through November 25, 2005. A whopping four days worth of dossiers were processed this month.

Is this getting boring for anyone? It could still be 18-24 months from now before the CCAA gets to August 1, 2006.

It's thought provoking to wonder about what life will look like in another 2 years. The kids will be 14 and 10.... Dana will be 39 and I will still be younger than he is. Who knows where we will be living... (sigh). The profound fact that life is a journey of becoming presents any number of possibilities. We are certainly not who we were when we started this process 18 months ago, and we could very well be not even half way through the wait.

I just read in Erwin McManus's book, Uprising, that interestingly, God's timetable is totally dependent us. The quicker we are to respond to what He requires of us, the more He is able to do in and through our lives. Now, that may not always look the way we think it should, but the idea that we spend any time waiting on God is laughable! He is ever purposing to accomplish something in what we have come to understand as periods of "waiting", but time is a realm unique to us as humans. We are limited in our understanding as to what God is establishing in and through us in the Heavenly realms. And, if we must consider time, what do we stand to miss now if our focus is on the future?

I hope it can be said when Marett-Brooke is finally home that we are more prepared, more Christ-like and more in love with Jesus than ever before. All the better for our little fortune cookie.

August 2007 Referrals

2007-08-03T22:16:00.000-04:00

Matches were official today for families with a Log In Date through November 21, 2005.

This slooooooow boat to China has taken an entire year now to match only 130 DAYS worth of dossiers. On the "normal" time frame, it should have only taken about 2 months to match that time frame. With 252 days worth of dossiers ahead of us, there are times that we question if we're really supposed to be doing this. Sometimes we're okay with it, sometimes it's frustrating, sometimes the only thing that makes sense is that China is a communist country. The truth is that the slow down is largely (but not entirely) due to the major influx of applying families. We are still choosing to believe that God knew the exact timing, despite what we were told 18 months ago, (the operative word being "choose"). Can I just say for the record..... "AAARGH!!!!!!".......????

It looks like my brother, Kai, and his wife and daughter will be moving to Shanghai in September. We are looking forward to seeing them in Minnesota at the end of August before they move. We will miss seeing them as often as we do now, but it's cool to think they will likely be living in China when we finally get to travel to get Marett-Brooke. It's exciting to know they will get to meet her before we even get her home. Who else gets to say that?!

But, if I'm being honest, I sure wish it didn't seem like forever and a world away!!

July 2007 Matches

2007-07-05T19:13:00.000-04:00

Only 7 days of waiting dossiers got their referrals this month.... the CCAA has matched through November 14, 2005. We're half-way through another reportedly "big" month, at least. 259 days worth of dossiers ahead of us to get through....

It's hard to even imagine going soon to get Marett-Brooke. When we started paper-chasing in March 2005, we anticipated a 10-14 month wait from our LID. We are currently at just over 11 months, so we are nearing our originally expected match time frame.... and the sad reality is that we're nowhere near to getting our referral.

We are gearing up for a new school year, and admittedly, in many ways, I don't feel ready for a baby... which makes the wait seem a little easier. However, the baby stage is so far behind us that I think it's realistic that I may never feel "ready". The hardest part of the extended wait is just not knowing. There is only speculation as to how long it really could be.... we're prepared for it to be another few years. But, only time will tell. In the meantime, we are working to manage our (very) human disappointment over the widening age difference between Kayley and Rob and Marett-Brooke. So, we keep asking, "Lord, show us what YOU think about that. This is not what we expected. What is YOUR plan?" The only answer we have so far is... "This is the way; walk in it". We have no intention of losing perspective by living for the future, so we are daily pressing in to the Lord and enjoying the fullness of "walking in the way". We don't want to miss a moment of the journey!

Isaiah 30:21 "Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, "This is the way; walk in it."

June 2007 Match Statistics

2007-06-15T22:09:00.000-04:00

Matches have been made for families with a Log In Date through November 7, 2005. A representative from our agency confirmed that the slow down is directly related to a huge influx of dossiers in late 2005. October and November 2005 were unusually large months, which explains why it has taken the CCAA several months to get through just October 2005. Not knowing what the statistics are for the number of dossiers per month between November 2005 and August 1, 2006, we are in a holding pattern. However, we are content in the knowledge that God is never early and never late. Others with log-in dates around us are angry and cynical (I've been on a Yahoo group of families with LID's in August 2006) and it's like poison! Sadly, many just don't have a spiritual filter from which to view the wait.

I wish there was more to report, but everything is out of our control. In the meantime, we are content to rejoice with those we know who are on their way to bring their daughters home. From all accounts, the wait is completely worth it!!!

Encouragement! God is GOOD!!!

2007-05-08T21:02:00.000-04:00

Our friends with a Log In Date of 10/31/05 got their match last week!!!!!! Their blog spot said this - which was so encouraging!!
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"According to our agency, the CCAA logged in 300-400 families for each day at the end of October 2005. Even though they only matched 2 days worth of LIDs (in April 2006 when they were originally expecting their referral) this represented at least 800 child matches world wide."
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We share the same agency, which is very conservative with the information they share because there are so many rumors that float around, they only want to share FACTS. Also, Jay and Angela's little Laney is VERY young. She was born October 18, 2006 and will likely be home by the time she turns 8 months old. That knowledge will ALWAYS be confirmation that God's timing is perfect. Their Laney could not have been available a moment earlier to them and God knew exactly what He was doing!!

We are encouraged to know (for a fact and not just hearsay) that referrals are not necessarily slowing down due to the number of available babies, but because of the influx of dossiers. Sure wish there was a way to know how MANY dossiers there are ahead of us, rather than just 9 months worth, but we are content to continue to wait on the Lord, knowing His timing will be perfect!

Half way there? Probably not.

2007-05-03T21:02:00.000-04:00

Matches were just made for families with Log-In-Dates through November 1, 2005. Our Log-In Date was nine months ago, and there are 9 months of waiting dossiers in front of us. I WISH that meant we were half way there, but I don't think it does. In the last nine months, the CCAA has only matched 4 months worth of dossiers. Rumor has it that October 2005 had an unusually high volume of dossiers to match. I've also read that November 2005 and March 2006 were big months, however, it is all hearsay. Only time will tell the truth.

Our plans to try to move to MN are in a holding pattern, unfortunately. But it appears there may still be plenty of time to get there before Marett-Brooke comes home. Sure glad God knows what He's doing. At least one of us does!!!!

April 2007 Match Statistics

2007-04-10T21:00:00.000-04:00

Stunning news this week. April matches were only made for TWO DAYS - those with Log-In dates of October 25th and 26th, 2005. We have friends with a Log-In date of 10/31/05 who were fully anticipating their match last week and are devastated at the continued wait. Honestly..... there's no telling what this means for US. We don't understand the delay, or God's timing necessarily.... but it only takes a moment of 20/20 hindsight to renew our faith in the Lord's perfect plan.

I'm not sure how many people are reading this monthly blog, but I haven't mentioned yet on this site that we are praying through a move home to Minnesota - this move, Lord Willing, being the LAST! We've been gone for almost 8 years and have been asking the Lord to show us His timing for the heart He's given us to go home. He seems to be opening doors that no man can open and so we are preparing to put our house on the market in a few weeks to see what He will do. In the sense that He may be making a way for us to go home before we get Marett-Brooke, the adoption delay makes perfect sense. But, if I'm being honest, that's just my human perspective. I don't pretend to know God's ways and am comforted by the knowledge that they are so much higher than my own.

Would appreciate your prayer covering for this next potential step in our journey. We would love to bring Marett-Brooke to what is truly "home" on the earth for us.

March 2007 Referral Statistics

2007-03-07T20:59:00.000-05:00

Ever heard the phrase "SLOW boat to China"?? Families whose dossiers were logged in between October 14th - October 24th, 2005 were matched yesterday. We know of three families with log-in dates of 10/31/05 who were really hoping for their matches this month. It's hard not to be frustrated for them. I don't think ANYONE dreamed the wait would ever be as long as it has been or will be. Is it really possible that we could be in for another 18 months of waiting? Not quite sure what to do with that right now...........

February 2007 Match Statistics

2007-02-02T20:58:00.000-05:00

Referrals have been made for families with a LID through 10/13/05.

It's hard to describe how this feels. A year ago when we started this process, we were hopeful we would have our daughter at home with us this spring. Now, as the projections play out, it could be another year and a half wait!!! This was NOT our expectation!!! We continue to find hope though in the knowledge that we are not in this for just any baby. We are content to wait for OUR Marett-Brooke. God is sovereign and knows the plans He has for us! We're resting in His perfect track record and are excited to see what He has planned for us in the meantime!

Stay tuned!

January 2007 Match Statistics

2007-01-10T20:57:00.000-05:00

Matches have been made for families with a Log In Date on or before 9/27/05. Please check back in early February for the next round of referral LIDs.

December 2006 Referrals

2006-12-12T20:56:00.000-05:00

Matches have been made for families with Log In Dates through 9/8/05. There are currently 30,000 dossiers waiting for referrals, thus the delay. There are twice as many dossiers waiting as normal which translates to twice the length of a normal wait. I'm so glad we serve a God who knows EXACTLY which ONE baby of 30,000 that belongs to us!!! We're confident in His sovereign ways and timing!!!

November 2, 2006 Referral Statistics

2006-11-02T20:55:00.000-05:00

Matches have been made for families with a LID before August 25, 2005.

The Official Word on the Extended Wait

2006-10-27T20:53:00.000-04:00

This is an excerpt of a letter from our agency's founders - who are Chinese and recently returned from a visit to the Chinese Center for Adoption Affairs in China. This is the agency that matches waiting babies to family dossiers.
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"Of course, in the midst of excitement, we did not forget to ask them over and over, “How much longer will the child match timeline become?” Each time we were told, “There is no way to predict it. It depends on how cooperative the local governments and orphanages are, how many children we receive every month, and how many dossiers we get on any given day.” As we traveled around China, we found a very disturbing situation. We saw quite a number of orphanages with large numbers of children, but a very passive adoption program. For example, the Beijing Orphanage, where our daughter Anna came from, has at least 1,500 children under their care, but fewer then three dozen children are reported to the CCAA for international adoption every year! Additionally, orphanages open to international adoption represent less than one third of the total orphanages in China! The CCAA is working hard to educate orphanages on the importance of placing their children in permanent homes, domestically or internationally. We hope next time we visit the Beijing Orphanage, we will see an emptier children’s cafeteria." -Josh and Lily
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We are hearing rumors of a three year wait, this because it is currently taking the CCAA three months to match just one months' worth of dossiers. While that sounds alarming, we will not fret. Our faith is in the Lord. Many factors can, and likely will, change before the CCAA gets to our dossier. In the meantime, pray that more orphanages in China will become open to international adoption and will refer their waiting children to the CCAA so they can be placed in loving permanent homes. Our wait is insignificant compared to the many thousands of abandoned little girls waiting for someone to love them. Please pray for their protection and God's providence in their lives.

In for the Long Haul!

2006-10-25T20:52:00.000-04:00

Well, our wait seems to continue to get longer. Initial hopes that we could have Marett-Brooke home by Spring or Summer 2007 are dashed. As of the last match on September 27, 2006, families with Log-In Dates through 8/9/05 have received referrals. Our LID is 8/1/06, so there are a year's worth of families ahead of us waiting.

The official word from the CCAA in China is that there are more waiting families than there are babies available. The reality is that there ARE many, many orphaned babies, but only 1/3 of the orphanages in China refer their children for adoption. We understand that the CCAA is working hard to educate these orphanages on the importance of placing children in permanent homes. For us, it's just one of those things that we have absolutely no control over and we need to rest in the fact that God is in control and will bring Marett-Brooke home not a moment too early, nor a moment too late.

We are finding joy in the anticipation of her arrival! And we are enjoying rejoicing with the families from our First Fridays community that receive their referrals and bring their daughters home. Each sweet little Asian face confirms our desire and love already for this baby. We are so blessed that God has called us to the privilege and responsibility of parenting another child. I know many of you are checking this site regularly. I wish there was more to report. I will likely begin posting the dates of matches so that you all continue to have as much information as we do.

We have our Log In Date!!!! (Already?!?!)

2006-08-02T20:43:00.000-04:00

GOD IS ALL OVER THIS THING!! That is the ONLY way to describe what is happening with our dossier!!

Here is the normal time frame (or what they tell you to expect) from the time you deliver your completed dossier to the agency.

Critical Review/ Translation: 10-15 business days (Ours was TWO days!!!!)
Delivery to China: 3-5 business days (Ours was three days.)
Time from CCAA's receipt of dossier to notice of your Log-In Date: 6 weeks (Ours was ONE week!!!!)

Add that all up and what could have taken up to 10 weeks, only took us TWO weeks!!!! Our official Log-In Date is 8/1/06!!!!!

The most recent matches took 13 months, and those families were expecting their matches over 6 months ago, from what they were told from the outset of their process. Lord willing, the CCAA will begin to operate as efficiently across the board as they are in logging in dossiers. Their move to a larger facility was exactly for this purpose. Please continue to pray for protection over our little Marett-Brooke and peace for her family as we make our way toward one another. There is no way to predict other factors (world events, the number of babies not just abandoned, but actually placed for adoption, etc.) but God is SOVEREIGN!

Dossier on its way to China!!! (Already?!)

2006-07-22T20:41:00.000-04:00

Wow - I don't know how it happened, but somehow, the Denver office got our dossier translated and sent to China the day after they received it! Our hope was that it would make it to Denver within the week, but we never dreamed it would be on its way to China so soon! Proof that God has the timetable under control!

Our dossier was sent to our adoption agency's representatives in China on Wednesday, July 19! I still can't believe it was on its way to China within 48 hours of delivering it to the agency on Monday!!! We were told it would arrive in China within 3-5 days and would then be hand delivered to the CCAA (Chinese government's office that handles orphan affairs). From what we understand, the dossier will be "logged in" within 4 weeks of the CCAA receiving it - and we would be notified of the official Log-In Date within 8 weeks. Our best guess is that our Log-In Date will be mid to late August. Our next official news will be that we have been assigned a Log In Date. Will post to the site again as soon as we know!

Dossier to Denver!!!

2006-07-17T20:40:00.000-04:00

God bless the sainted dossier manager, Jaime, here in Atlanta!! I dropped off the last of our dossier just moments after our final documents arrived at the agency from Houston today - and Jaime got it sent off to Denver this afternoon! I was just hoping it would go this week - but never dreamed it would go TODAY! Everything else had already gone through critical review and I guess she took pity on us for the headaches we've had with the Chinese consulate, because she bound the dossier and sent it off to be delivered to Denver tomorrow for translation. The next we hear from them will be when it is sent to China. Woo hoo!!

Our dossier is finally complete!

2006-07-16T20:31:00.000-04:00

When our agency told us it would take 3-5 months to gather all of our documents for the dossier, many of you who know me will not be surprised that I had every intention of having it done on the three month end of that range. FIVE MONTHS later..... oh the best laid plans

Diligent isn't a strong enough word to describe my approach to this paper chase...obsessed is better. Once obtained, each of our 13 documents have gone through this paper volley of coming in, being sent out, coming back in, being sent out again, for each certification or authentication required. This all in addition to government applications, fingerprints, home studies.... the list goes on and on. But it's DONE!!!

Things out of the norm so far:
1. A four week delay in obtaining our governmental approval to adopt an orphan (I-171H).
2. Chinese Consulate in Houston only sent 5 authentications for 8 documents - they ran out of paper! (?!?!?)
3. Chinese Consulate in Houston sent authentications for the Secretary of State in Florida instead of Georgia.

Aside from the obvious frustration of the Consulate mishandling these documents that have taken me FIVE months to obtain and the stress of sending it all back twice, the only real time delay was with the governmental approval. All that said, we aren't doing this to get just any baby. We want OUR Marett-Brooke - so the timing is all good. I like to joke that there's nothing a little cash and a good margarita can't fix!

The photos are a sampling of our family life photos that will accompany our dossier as a representation of who we are. I will hand deliver our photos, a few miscellaneous papers and two fat checks tomorrow. The final two documents from Houston will be arriving at the agency's office tomorrow as well. This all will be added to the first 11 documents I delivered to them on May 23 - and will hopefully be off to Denver within the week for translation. From Denver, it will be sent to China and we will await the all important Log-In Date - essentially the date our dossier is put in the queue for a match. Current matches are at 12 months, so our best guesstimate is still next summer sometime. I will post again when we are notified of our Log-In Date and then will not have much to report until we get our referral sometime next year. (Although I intend to periodically post some of the fun fortunes and Chinese words we are learning, as well as baby preparation updates.)

Thanks for continuing to pray and journeying alongside our family in this adventure. Please pray specifically for Marett-Brooke's family and her mother in particular. Pray that she will have a peace that surpasses all understanding and that the final months of her pregnancy will not be stressful and thus harmful to Marett-Brooke in any way.

The desire of our hearts is summed up in the words of a song written by John Waller, our worship pastor in Denver. "I want to be a part of something great - greater than me. It's time to dream big dreams - to see Your vision become reality. 'Cause it's for You and by You and those who love You wanna' do something so big - it's destined to fail without You, Lord. Something so great, it takes a miracle to do. We your children, we want to do something big for You."

Great stuff... oh, we do serve a Great God.

Love to all!

Our last document is is.... and back out again!

2006-07-01T20:27:00.000-04:00

Many of you are likely wondering what is happening with us - several of you have asked. Sorry to not have journaled sooner - there was simply nothing to report. On May 4, our second filing with the Customs and Immigration Department was sent. We had been notified of a potential delay in the normal 4-5 week wait for our I-171H - the document that would complete our dossier for China - and sure enough, we had to wait 8 weeks to receive it. No worries though - the time fluctuations and delays mean nothing to God's time frame. They may impose on our own expectations, but we'll take God's sovereign timing every time!

So, anyway - it finally arrived in Thursday's (6/29) mail. My PLAN had been to take it Friday to be notarized and certified at the county so that I could mail it to the Secretary of State before the weekend. However, Friday morning, I awoke and felt strongly compelled to not mail it, but take it down to the Secretary of State's office in person - so that I could mail it on to the Chinese Consulate in Houston that day. With the holiday next week, I figured it could expedite the process by about a week. I had neither the desire to drive downtown, nor a need to rush God's timing, but there was no arguing with the sense that I was supposed to get it sent to Houston immediately, so we scrapped schoolwork for the day and loaded into the car for the afternoon to go to the Notary, the Cobb County Clerk's office and the Secretary of State's office. We dropped it all into the Fedex box at 3:00 and it will be in Houston on Monday morning. Driving home in downtown traffic at 4:00 was nothing less than BRUTAL - but it was worth it! I wonder if we'll ever know exactly how or if our timeframe was affected by that decision, but I don't doubt that it was the Lord. Exciting!

Lord willing, the authenticated documents will return to me in about two weeks, at which point, we will submit all the remaining pieces (photos, fees, etc.) to our agency for translation, dossier binding and delivery to China. It is still currently a 10-14 month wait to match from the Log-In Date (the date China receives our completed dossier.) We are reading posts from a family in China right now. They got their little girl on Tuesday (6/27). The pictures and God stories are so exciting and inspiring! We feel so blessed to have been called by the Lord to this adoption. I am personally still at times a little scared about having another child, but SO encouraged that He continues to reveal His plan so clearly. Will post again when the dossier has been submitted to our agency. Check back in a few weeks!

Our baby has a name!

2006-04-26T20:23:00.000-04:00

We are so thrilled to tell you about our daughter's name!!!! With all the paperwork (and errands!), referring to this child without a name just didn't feel right. We decided it was important to give her an identity within our family. We chose a name with special significance,

Marett-Brooke Kate Ripley.

Marett is my sister, Kasey's, middle name and means "deserving". We all love Brooke and decided to take full advantage of living in the south by using a double name as her first name. Her middle name, Kate, is for my youngest sister, who was adopted from Korea, and we think will have a special connection to our Asian daughter. We're undecided about using part of her Chinese name. It will largely depend on what information we are given about her. If she is named by her birth family, we will consider using a portion of her given name, but if she is named by the orphanage, we probably will not. I was able to be in Minneapolis last weekend to tell Kadie and Kasey in person, which is what we were waiting for before making it public. So now you know!!! We will be changing the password on this site to Marett-Brooke in the near future. This photo was taken on Easter Sunday and will be included in our dossier - which will HOPEFULLY be ready to send early June.

Everything but the home study and I-171H (Notice of Favorable Determination from the U.S. Gov't) has been sent to the Chinese Consulates in New York, Chicago and Houston. Those last two documents will complete the dossier and we are right now at the mercy of the social worker to complete the study, and then Customs and Immigration to match the study to our fingerprints and issue the I-171H!! Moving along. Lord willing, the delay will be resolved and the current 10-14 month wait from the Dossier submission will be shortened. But all is in God's hands - including His perfect timing!! Stay tuned.....

Documents Nearly Complete!

2006-04-14T20:19:00.000-04:00

We finished our home study and had our fingerprinting appointment this week. The fingerprinting is necessary to obtain our I-171H, the document from the government that gives us favorable intent to adopt. When that comes in 4-5 weeks, it will be the last document to add to our Dossier. Still working on obtaining notarization and certification on the documents we already have. Lots of errands. It really sends Rob to the moon. He DETESTS errands!!! It is looking like our dossier will be complete by the first part of June, at which time we will receive our Log-In Date (essentially the date when we get in line for a match). With regard to the recent slow down, China has claimed there are more dossiers than there are babies - which doesn't literally mean the number of waiting babies, but the number of babies they have paperwork ready for. We were told they recently merged two offices into one and got a new computer system. We all know what that can mean in the U.S. - I can only imagine what it means in China. It could be a LONG wait!!

On a neat note - our fingerprinting appt. was at the same time as two other couples that were in our Orientation Class on March 11. Knowing that our application for the I-600A and fingerprinting were in the mail the minute I was told to do it, I'm thinking these two other families are on the ball as well. We had about an hour wait to visit and we realized that if our dossiers go in about the same time, we could get our matches at the same time and even travel together!!! One couple was from Macon - they have a few birth children - and he is an Internal Medicine doctor. I told him it would be great to travel with him since Dana manages to get food poisoning nearly everywhere we go. (Mexico was the WORST case yet!-Poor guy.) But the good doctor will be bringing lots of rx meds - so that would be a HUGE benefit! For the other couple, this will be their first child and her parents are actually traveling to China with them! We talked about staying in touch and the thought occurred to me that if we get matched at the same time, only God knows which of the 3 little babies will end up with which families. I love knowing and trusting in God's sovereignty!!

So, we're definitely moving forward in this Hurry-Up-and-Wait process! Thank you for your continued prayer, particularly for our daughter's birth family. Due to the delay, we know she isn't born yet, but I wonder how we will feel when we know she's been born and abandoned and is waiting for us to come get her. It's going to be tough to know it and be helpless to get there any sooner than the Chinese government will allow. For now we know she is safely tucked underneath her mommy's heart, loved and wanted by her families on both sides of the world and bound for freedom and the knowledge of her Savior's love for her! We are so grateful for the freedom we have to add this little one to our family. THIS is life abundant!!!

Busy week!

2006-03-24T20:17:00.000-05:00

Well, I think I have gone as far as I can for now. I've ordered birth certificates, our marriage certificate and am now waiting to receive them so I can send them out for authentication from the Secretary of State's offices in MN, MA and IN. Physicals are scheduled, and I have our police clearance reports with the all important "NO RECORD FOUND" stamp in large red letters! The kids had a blast at Police Headquarters The policemen were so kind, showed them around and gave them a ton of freebies. Sure wish the clerical staff were half as friendly and accommodating! We do need to compose our Adoption Petition, Financial Statement and Employment Verification letters, but I have until March 23 to work on those.

We leave tomorrow for Florida for six days (two days of driving). Will be back on Rob's birthday and we have the first of three home studies scheduled for that night, Wednesday, March 22. Glad Dana will be taking his laptop to Florida! This will be a fun trip for the kids, but by no stretch a vacation for Dana. Thus, the trip to Mexico. I literally have to take him out of the country where his phone and Blackberry don't work!! My goal is to not have anything that is my responsibility sitting here waiting to be done. There's so much other waiting that I have no control over that I can't stand the idea of contributing myself to any kind of delay. They say it takes 3-5 months to complete the dossier. Will be interesting to see how long it takes us. Thanks for praying!

Project Fortune Cookie

2006-03-13T20:13:00.000-05:00

Dear family and friends, Welcome to our journey! We are so thrilled to welcome you to our site, where you can periodically log on and see where we are in the process of working our way to our baby! Thank you already for rejoicing with us and coming alongside us in prayer!

There's still a lot to discover in how this will work, but we'll get it figured out! Check back often. Once we get this launched, we will update it each time we have new information.

How to pray: There's a LOT to pull together before we can even go through the process of "sealing" our documents. Everything has to be notarized, then certified at both the county and state levels, then authenticated by the consulate before it can be bound into our dossier. Briefly we have four steps to go through on each document so that at the end of the day the U.S. Consulate vouches for the Secretary of State, who vouches for the County Clerk, who vouches for the Notary, who vouches for the authenticity of each document. Thank the LORD for the FABULOUS CCAI staff who have all certainly qualified for sainthood! They are such a great team backing us up, always available and passionate about what they are doing! Check back soon! Our goal is to post the God Story version of this decision - as well as the details of what we have already done in the process!