And off it goes!

(Our Dossier, that is.)  With our Immigration Approval in hand, I marched down to the Secretary of State's Office this morning for The Great Seal.  It was a beautiful day, very warm for November and I kept thinking, "I will remember this day for a very long time."

The actual SOS office is the one in the middle, but I couldn't resist taking a couple of pics of the beautiful Capitol, right across the street.

This is what The Great Seal looks like, if anyone is interested.  We have to have each and every document for our dossier (17 total, I think) notarized, county authenticated and then state certified.

Then they all get stuffed in an expensive envelope and shipped off to our adoption agency.

We're all pretty excited about this step.  For one, we are glad for this paperwork process to be over.  Two, it means we are one step closer to Charlie.  And three, Mommy is pretty proud of herself for getting all of this done in just over 3 months-- half the time she was told it would take!

 

"DOSSIER IS DONE AND SHIPPED!"

Presenting Charlie to the family (late post) - by stephen

When we told Sam & Kate in August that we’re adopting again, one of their first questions was “can we see pictures?!”  We’re fortunate to have lots of photos, video, & info about Charlie from his foster home.  I recorded the kids when they “met” Charlie virtually through pictures, and also captured them sharing the news with many of our family members. (Yes, I’m late in getting this edited & posted.)  I love Kate’s opening comment, though I’m not sure if it was a warning to us or just a realization for her. 

You can see the video here: After we told the kids the big news, we asked them to keep it secret for about 2 weeks until we could get our family together.  That’s a lot to ask of a kid who is super excited.  But Kate quickly found her inspiration:  “oh, I’ll be just like Elsa, having to keep the ice in!” 

Sam doesn’t share Kate’s fondness of Frozen, but the family reveal prominently featured one of his obsessions:  Powerpoint.  He literally spends hours, often starting at 6am on the weekends, building his own presentations about everything from animals to Einstein.  So we casually told the family that the kids wanted to share their latest presentation, a report on China, and then Kate delivered the surprise. 

Dawn & I would definitely be excited about Charlie even if the kids were less than thrilled, but it’s a lot more fun when everybody’s pumped!

And... We are approved!

As many of you know, we have been anxiously awaiting the US Department of Homeland Security to give us immigration approval to adopt a foreign orphan and bring them into the US to become a citizen.  This is our LAST STEP before we send our dossier to China.  I had expected it to come the first week of December.  A couple of weeks ago, my BSF leader asked me how she could be praying for our adoption.  I asked her to pray about our immigration approval. Just that things would go smoothly and quickly. She asked for something more specific.  I said, "Ok, let's be bold and pray for something slightly miraculous.  Let's pray we get it by Thanksgiving!"  So that's what we did.  And when did it come?  On Saturday!  With 5 days to spare!  Miraculous, and faith-building!  I tell you what-- I love it when God teaches us these lessons, and I love these sweet ladies in my BSF group, that aren't afraid to pray big!  Thanks be to God.

Exciting News!

We have decided to take the kids with us when we go to China to get our new son.  They're just a little bit excited!  We have talked for years about taking them on a Heritage Trip when Kate was about 10.  Well, next summer she'll be 9, and we won't be going back that soon, so... 
Also, they are just so excited about this adoption, that it would make us so sad to leave them at home while we embark on this amazing adventure.  They are great travelers, very easy kids, and most importantly, they love Chinese food.  Which we will be eating every day for 12 days, so that is pretty important!

Special Video

Hey guys!  I can't figure out how to make this a cool link, like Stephen did in the previous post, but please go to a computer and watch this video https://vimeo.com/111547854.  It is so wonderful, and well worth your 4 minutes.  Charlie is in it twice.  Once toward the beginning, sitting in Chloe's lap on the floor, and once in the middle pushing a truck down the hall.  He is wearing a green shirt.

a humble request - by stephen

Through the years, I’ve had many friends tell me “man, I’m excited by what you & Dawn are doing with adoption!  I don’t know that adoption is right for me, but I’d love to support you guys.” Well, it’s with those friends in mind that we humbly enter the sensitive discussion on financial support.  First things first:  we have been blessed financially as a family, and we know there are many other families in the adoption process with a much bigger need.  We would love for you to support them, and there are some cool sites where you can learn a bit about each family’s story.  Adopt Together is one site that we’re using, along with lots of other families, to provide a secure, tax-deductible platform for adoption fundraising.  

The simple reality is that international adoption is pretty expensive.  Our adoption will cost around $40,000, which is not uncommon (and that doesn't include taking the kids).  We’re trying to raise 25% of that, and we’re fortunate to have already received a grant for $4k of our $10k goal.  If you’d like to contribute through the link below, it would be a big blessing!

Some of you are saying “wait - $40k? Why so much?  Where does it go?”  There are good, thorough articles that answer this well, like this one here.  For adoptions from China, the cost includes legal fees, adoption agency fees, home study reports, documentation, an “orphanage donation,” travel, and the list goes on.  I can send you our spreadsheet if you’d like, but you probably have better things to do. 

As you’ve probably read, we are also big fans of the foster home where Charlie has been for the past 5-ish years called Bethel.  And since we’re talking about support, they’re another great avenue for folks who want to invest in these children and their caregivers.  You can sponsor a specific child to help provide for their everyday needs in an environment that’s equipped to work with visually impaired kids.  You can learn more about Bethel here.

We are super grateful for any support, and we’d be excited and humbled if our story encourages you to support adoption! 

My Wife: Mama Bear & Adoption Warrior -By Stephen

 

This weekend we watched a charming film following the journey of a female bear with her young cubs.  It was shot in Alaska with breath-taking scenery, and was given the fairly straightforward title of “Bears.”  Great for the whole family, narrated by John C Reilly with some nice comedic touches…but it seemed like a metaphor to me.  Obviously the Mama Bear metaphor is nothing new, but I typically think about it when some mean kid picks on Mama Bear’s kid.  Through the adoption process, I’ve seen a new side of Mama Bear.  It’s not just about her role to protect the cub from the other predators, but also the seemingly endless hike to find salmon, so she can provide food for her cubs.  And then the long march back up the mountain where they will retreat for the winter, to hibernate and bond.

 

Dawn has said that it’s amazing how motivating it can be to know which child you’re working to bring home.  That smiling face halfway around the world can create an incredible sense of urgency, that may not exist when you’re not sure who your child is.  When we adopted Kate, it was our first time through the rodeo, and we didn’t know that she would be our daughter until very late in the process. This time around, Dawn has attacked the process with a warrior-like ferocity, and a Mama Bear’s desire to provide for her cub. 

 

If you’ve never been through the adoption process, it’s natural to wonder “why does it take so long, and why are there so many steps?”  At the risk of over-simplifying, the governments who run the process basically want to ensure that our motives are pure, that we’re not criminals, we won't change our minds, and that this adoption is best for the child.  So that leads to fingerprints (lots of ‘em), background checks, and certificates to verify birth, marriage, income, health, sanity (no joke), and oh so much more.  And that turns Sweet Dawn into the Adoption Warrior, who blazes through doctors offices, police departments, notaries, county courthouses, and even the Secretary of State's Office like a woman on a mission.  Do not try to stand in between her and her cubs! 

 

We firmly believe God is in control of our adoption.  We are grateful that so far he has blessed Mama Bear's efforts to move things along as quickly as possible.

One of those days...

There are some days in the Adoption Waiting Game when it is hard to focus on anything other than the fact that I have a son on the other side of the world.  Yesterday was one of the those days.  This great picture was posted of him on Bethel's FB page.

He is participating in a Scavenger Hunt.  He is having a great time.  He doesn't even know he has a family yet.  And yet I look at this picture and ache for him.  I want to feel the weight of him in my lap.  I want those to be my arms around him and be able smell him and kiss his cheek.  I want him to KNOW that he has a family that wants him, that loves him and will be there for him forever.  I want him to know that God is moving mountains for us to come and get him.  They won't tell him that he is being adopted until just a couple of months before we come.  How I pray that day will come soon!

Fingerprints Done!

Thankfully, we were able to walk in for our fingerprinting appointment and have them done two weeks earlier than scheduled.  Our goal is to have our dossier to China before Christmas, so we are doing anything we can to cut out wait times.  Thankful that this worked!

I have never been so obsessed with dates.  Well, maybe when we got Kate, but I do not remember feeling quite so "focused" on timelines with her.  I think since this one is moving so fast, I almost feel like it's a race.  Not only do I want to get him as soon as possible, I want to have as much time with him as we can over the summer before school starts.  We have so much to learn about each other!

I enjoyed reading back over Kate's Blog yesterday.  It is sweet, and oh so entertaining.  It brought back wonderful memories.  http://khsadoption.blogspot.com/2009/07/big-day.html

Orphan Sunday

This past Sunday, November 2, was Orphan Sunday.  It is a designated day for churches to highlight the need for Orphan Care around the world and pray for the fatherless.  Obviously, not everyone is called to adopt, but there are so many ways to be involved.

 

Anyone can pray, most can sponsor, some can advocate, and few can adopt.  If you want to get more involved and don't know how, or if you want to adopt but don't know if you can, please contact me.  To sponsor a child at Bethel for $35 a month, click here: http://www.bethelchina.org/sponsor-a-child/

 

 

Making Connections

There is a 14 year old boy who was adopted from Bethel early this year.  He is truly an inspiration.  He did the Marine Corp Marathon last week!  This article is great.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/othersports/at-marine-corps-marathon-runners-find-their-own-reasons/2014/10/24/4b107e74-5b02-11e4-8264-deed989ae9a2_story.html

I have connected with Michael's mom on Facebook and he knows Charlie.  It looks like he also has a similar vision diagnosis.  I know many people aren't fans of Facebook, but I am so thankful for the connections that I have found there.  It's where I first saw Charlie's picture and how we realized that other Bethel Boys are being adopted right here in Marietta.

Thank you, Zuckerberg.