I have been waiting for 90 days to post this....Our LOA is being overnighted tonight and we should have it tomorrow or Tuesday. Praise God!! I didn't think it would ever come...I thought they forgot about us :)
Thanks everyone for your prayers!!!
Friday, July 1, 2011
Monday, June 20, 2011
Where do I even begin?
Well it has been a while since we have posted anything on here about our adoption. Currently, we are currently still waiting for our LOA, which we hope to have soon.
First I will start with the tremendous blessing the Lord has given us. Some time back in May I was emailing back and forth with John Bentley, the Executive Director of Harmony Outreach (the orphanage where Josiah is currently located). John and I were discussing solo spouse travel, since we weren't receiving the donations or provisions we felt we needed, we prayed and began to at least start the process of solo spouse travel. We decided that it would be best for myself, Brian, to go as I am a male, as is Josiah, and I speak Mandarin. We sat down on a Monday night and calculated how much money we would need for at least myself to go to bring Josiah home, which is the most important part of this journey. We came up with an additional $5,500 is what we needed to cover Josiah's and my travel costs. The next day I cam home from work and checked the mail, there was a grant award letter in the amount of $5,000. Praise the Lord, He is awesome.
Everything was going great, the adoption was pretty much paid for, we were waiting on our LOA, we had received some new videos of Josiah, ...etc. However, on June 1, 2011 we were notified that the plant that I work at would be closing as of July 31, 2011, which meant that I wouldn't have a job after that date. The most awesome thing for Rachel and I as Christians is that when these types of situations present themselves, we don't freak out. We look at these times as a time to strengthen our faith and learn to trust fully on the Lord. We knew that the Lord called us to this adoption and that He would see it through to the end.
On Friday June 3rd, I called my previous boss and confirmed with her that it was OK to list her as a reference on my resume. She agreed and asked that I send her a copy of my resume. I sent her my resume on Sunday, was emailed and asked to apply for a position on Monday, called on Tuesday to schedule an interview, interviewed on Friday, and was offered the job on the following Thursday. I have known from the beginning of my walk with Christ that He is always with me, leading and guiding, even when I am trying to drive the bus. So many times as Christians, we loose an opportunity to witness to the world our faith and trust in the invisible God. I must admit, I thought it was strange that I wasn't freaking out or scared after the news of loosing my job, but I trust in the Lord that His will will be done, and it is not up to me to like it, I just need to trust that the Lord always has my best interest in mind when He is ordering my life. If there is anything you can learn from this experience, or if I may encourage you, no matter what your circumstance, trust and have faith that the Lord will never leave you nor forsake you and that He will deliver you from your troubles. Now I can't say when or how, but I know that He has a purpose and a plan for all of us.
In His service,
Brian
First I will start with the tremendous blessing the Lord has given us. Some time back in May I was emailing back and forth with John Bentley, the Executive Director of Harmony Outreach (the orphanage where Josiah is currently located). John and I were discussing solo spouse travel, since we weren't receiving the donations or provisions we felt we needed, we prayed and began to at least start the process of solo spouse travel. We decided that it would be best for myself, Brian, to go as I am a male, as is Josiah, and I speak Mandarin. We sat down on a Monday night and calculated how much money we would need for at least myself to go to bring Josiah home, which is the most important part of this journey. We came up with an additional $5,500 is what we needed to cover Josiah's and my travel costs. The next day I cam home from work and checked the mail, there was a grant award letter in the amount of $5,000. Praise the Lord, He is awesome.
Everything was going great, the adoption was pretty much paid for, we were waiting on our LOA, we had received some new videos of Josiah, ...etc. However, on June 1, 2011 we were notified that the plant that I work at would be closing as of July 31, 2011, which meant that I wouldn't have a job after that date. The most awesome thing for Rachel and I as Christians is that when these types of situations present themselves, we don't freak out. We look at these times as a time to strengthen our faith and learn to trust fully on the Lord. We knew that the Lord called us to this adoption and that He would see it through to the end.
On Friday June 3rd, I called my previous boss and confirmed with her that it was OK to list her as a reference on my resume. She agreed and asked that I send her a copy of my resume. I sent her my resume on Sunday, was emailed and asked to apply for a position on Monday, called on Tuesday to schedule an interview, interviewed on Friday, and was offered the job on the following Thursday. I have known from the beginning of my walk with Christ that He is always with me, leading and guiding, even when I am trying to drive the bus. So many times as Christians, we loose an opportunity to witness to the world our faith and trust in the invisible God. I must admit, I thought it was strange that I wasn't freaking out or scared after the news of loosing my job, but I trust in the Lord that His will will be done, and it is not up to me to like it, I just need to trust that the Lord always has my best interest in mind when He is ordering my life. If there is anything you can learn from this experience, or if I may encourage you, no matter what your circumstance, trust and have faith that the Lord will never leave you nor forsake you and that He will deliver you from your troubles. Now I can't say when or how, but I know that He has a purpose and a plan for all of us.
In His service,
Brian
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Does this kid ever not smile?!?!?
We have received some new pictures of Josiah that I would like to share. As I looked through the 100's of pictures we have, I think you will find less than 5 with him not smiling. To think of his situation and how he can be happy through anything is truly a testament of who he is and how God is working in his life.
Monday, May 16, 2011
LID
We were officially logged in on 4/21/11. I wonder what the hold up was??? At any rate...we're in now. Please pray the LOA comes quick.
Friday, May 6, 2011
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
We Are DTC!!!!
As of April 1st our dossier was on its way to China! It feels like we are entering the home stretch of this journey. We are waiting for our dossier to be logged in to China, which generally happens within a week or two after the dossier is sent off. Then we wait for China to review our dossier and send us the LOA (Letter of Acceptance). The LOA is China asking us if Josiah is still the child we want to adopt and once we say yes travel is not too far down the road. We will need to apply for citizenship for him and once that is approved we are issued an article 5 from the US consulate in Guangzhou, China and then we are issued TA, travel approval!!!
Pray for everything to go smoothly and quickly during the rest of this process and pray for the rest of our financial needs to be met. We are only saving for travel now so we can bring this joyful little guy home!!
Friday, March 18, 2011
I-797
I have been reluctant to post about our current status because I want to tell you that we are DTC or LID, but we're close. Our I-797 should be at the Chinese Consulate today for authentication. Please pray that it comes back soon. We are hoping to have it back early next week as our agency sends off Dossiers to China on Fridays. I know that the last time we sent 12 documents we had them back in a week, and this is only 1 document, so we are hopeful. If not, we know that everything will happen in God's timing. I am really starting to see some light at the end of the tunnel. We started this journey back in August of 2010, and to have all the initial paperwork complete will be a welcome feeling. Please continue to pray for God's provision as we are now saving for travel, which some of you know can be the most expensive part.
In His service,
Brian
In His service,
Brian
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