Still Waiting

Another week and no match. Please pray with me. I trust God in the timing but He also tells us to ask Him for our wants/needs.

I've been learning lately to pray specifically and expectantly so here is how I have been praying. I am praying for a match so that when my agency goes to China in October they can take along a care package for us and I'm also praying that we could be in China for Christmas. This would allow Brooklyn to miss less school. In essence, that means I'd need a match in early September at the latest so that China could approve the match before they leave.

On a side note, you might wonder what is holding up a match. Gladney, my agency, is waiting on the files of some children they met on their trip to China in Spring. Hopefully they arrive very soon.

While I'm Waiting

I feel like I'm endlessly circling the airport, waiting to land.

At this point, all my paperwork is done and reviewed in China and just sitting there waiting. On this side of the ocean, I too am just sitting and waiting. Waiting for THE file to be identified that contains all the information on the little girl who will be my daughter so I can submit my formal request to adopt her.

Why the wait? Because my agency is also waiting, waiting for files to arrive from China about the children they met on their spring trip. Orphanages need to submit a file on each child that is available for adoption. Preparing those files and submitting them takes time.

So, I wait. Most days I wait fairly patiently but other days, I get really tired of waiting. I remind myself then that God has her in His hands and His timing will be right.

In the last year, I have learned a lot about praying specifically and expectantly. For instance, earlier this year I was praying to have my fingerprint appointment come on Tuesday as that was my day off last year. Not only was it on a Tuesday, it was for the exact day and time as some friends so we went to the appointment together. Anyway, there is another specific prayer request I have right now.

My agency staff will be back in China in early October. If I have a match by that point, I will be able to send a small care package with them to give to my daughter. It would include a photo album to introduce her to us and help prepare her for her new family. (Brooklyn still has the album we sent her.) Please pray with me for a match and approval before this trip.

So, I'm waiting.

I’m waiting
I’m waiting on You, Lord
And I am hopeful
I’m waiting on You, Lord
Though it is painful
But patiently, I will wait

I will move ahead, bold and confident
Taking every step in obedience

While I’m waiting
I will serve You
While I’m waiting
I will worship
While I’m waiting
I will not faint
I’ll be running the race
Even while I wait

I’m waiting
I’m waiting on You, Lord
And I am peaceful
I’m waiting on You, Lord
Though it’s not easy
But faithfully, I will wait
Yes, I will wait

I will serve You while I’m waiting
I will worship while I’m waiting
I will serve You while I’m waiting
I will worship while I’m waiting
I will serve You while I’m waiting
I will worship while I’m waiting on You, Lord

Photo Album

What does an adoptive parent do when all the documents are done and in China and all she is doing is waiting to be matched to her future daughter? Why, she does a photo album of course! This photo album will go to my future daughter to introduce her to our family and show her pictures of me, Brooklyn, the pets and our house. Now - one more verse of "Matchmaker, Matchmaker, make me a match..."

To Be Matched

Another big step is completed. My dossier documents have been reviewed by China and are now classified as "to be matched". This means that as soon as my agency identifies a specific child and I approve the match, it will most likely go very quickly through China's formal approval of the specific match. From that point, it will take about 3 months before I will be in China to complete the adoption.

So for now, I am trying to patiently wait for the match. Frankly, I am doing pretty well in that category. From the beginning of this adoption, I have felt strongly that the child God has for me was going to come through a match provided by Gladney, my agency. God has got the child in His hands and the timing for all of this is in His control.

Please continue to pray for the matching process and the remainder of the funds I need to have for the in-country fees and travel expenses.

What God Orders he Pays For

When God called me to adopt again, I started saying, "What God orders, He pays for." I did not have the funds just sitting around to do another adoption but God's call was clear, and to do anything less than obey would have been wrong.

I keep seeing God provide along this journey. I had a yard sale that exceeded my expectations. I saw things sell that I thought I'd have to pay a salvage company to haul away. It was amazing.

Earlier this week a friend had called and asked if there was a good time to stop by. We had a great visit but his request to stop by was so he could give me a check.

Thank you Lord for your provision along the way and miracles you are performing to make one less child an orphan.

Out of Translation

OOT or Out Of Translation. This means my dossier documents have been translated and are being reviewed in China. When this is done their status will change to "to be matched" and will wait until I submit a request to be matched with a specific child.

I'm waiting for a match to that child from my agency. They should be getting some files soon so hopefully in the next few months I will know who will be joining our family.

Please keep praying for the matching process and for the finances to cover the fees while in China and the travel expenses.

Yard Sale

The last few days have been crazy.

Over the last few months my brother-in-law, Don McEvoy, has been helping me go through Dennis' tools and electronics. Dennis had a lot of stuff. This week was the yard sale to sell these things. It was a guys dream sale and it has gone so well. I advertised it as an adoption fundraiser and it has done really well.

It has been fun to meet some nice people and to share what God has done and is doing in my life. We opened the sale on Wednesday evening for friends and family and will close it tomorrow. I had people ask me today if there was another sale in the area because there was suppose to be a huge one around here. I chuckled to myself about this. It had been huge but so much has sold it isn't anymore.

My friend Laura Stevens Helwig and her daughter Kayley helped so much with the sale. They were here super early on Thursday to help with set-up and Laura was back again today. She also posted items on a for sale group she uses and many items sold because of her posts. Thank you Laura and Kayley. My friend Nancy Petak kept us well fed-she is an awesome cook. George Petak and Steven J. Schmitt made sure we had shade by lending us their canopies too. Bret Clardy just happened to be at our pre-sale on Wednesday at the end and stayed to help haul all of it back into the garage for the night. Thank you to each of these friends for your efforts to bring home my little girl.