We have our Log In Date.(LID)  And now the official counting of the days begins.  The next thing we wait for is our Letter of Acceptance. (LOA) I've been watching other families' timelines and it appears that LOAs have come in anywhere from 50-90 days.  Today a family received their LOA in 74 days.   So we really don't have any idea when it may actually arrive.   After that, we've been told to expect travel approval in approx. two months - then we'll set our travel date.  So, it looks like we may be about 5 months away.  Join us in praying that it all happens sooner.....  because....

I just can't wait to see this little face.

DTC!!!

Dossier to CHINA!

Those of you in the adoption community know what a huge step this is....  For others, just know that our work to bring Mia home is DONE and has arrived in China.  Now we wait.  I've been following along with several other adoptions and recently families have waited as short as 51 days from the time their paperwork was logged in until they received their letter of acceptance.  I'd like to see that trend continue!!!   After acceptance we'd wait about another 2 months or so for travel approval....   The problem... I'm not really good at waiting!

Bringing Hope To Mia

I am amazed.  On September 26,  our dear friends and family hosted a spaghetti dinner to raise funds for our travel expenses.  We were blown away.  First, by the compassion of our dear friend, Michelle Grubbs, and my dear sister-in-law, Julie,  who worked with such passion to make this event be such a special night.   I am not quite self-absorbed enough to think that so many people participated because they love us, but rather I realize that so many people participated because they care about the things that God cares about.  It reminds of this verse:

"Anyone who sets himself up as "religious" by talking a good game is self-deceived. This kind of religion is hot air and only hot air. Real religion, the kind that passes muster before God the Father, is this: Reach out to the orphans and unloved in their plight, and guard against corruption from the godless world."  James 1:27 MSG

So, thank you to all of you who planned the event, bought raffle tickets, made gracious donations, and encouraged us Saturday night.   We are overwhelmed by your goodness.  We are overwhelmed by God's faithfulness to us and our hearts are overwhelmed with gratitude to you all.  May you be richly blessed.  And may we all never forget that while much hope was brought to Mia that night, there are still 147 million orphans in the world still waiting for someone to bring them hope.  Could YOU be that someone?

Some pictures from the night.....

Family pitched in to make and serve the spaghetti...

Many of our friends sold and purchased raffle tickets.

Some of our dear friends let us use their new event pavillion for the event.  It was beautiful!

We are so grateful to all who came and helped bring hope to our Mia.

We ended the night by lighting candles to represent the hope that all orphans need. Together we sang, "Jesus Loves the Little Children."   It was beautiful.

I love this picture because the two little girls holding the candles live on our street and will be Mia's friends when she comes home.  He does love all the little children.  Those near and those far.

p.s.  I know many of you come across the blog because you are considering adoption or because you are in the process.  If you want to know more about how our fundraiser came together and how we did the raffle, email me.  4barbees@bellsouth.net

The Stork

Our paperwork should be in the hands of the "assistant stork" by tomorrow.  Then, she will take it to the State Dept and the Chinese Consulate in DC for their authentication.  You can mail all of it in yourself, but this courier service can do it for us in a few days as opposed to weeks.  When your daughter is waiting on you on the other side of the world, every single day counts.  Ann, also known as the assistant stork, also handled Lainie's paperwork for us and she is great.   Pray for no snags, and no delays........

New Pictures of Mia!!

We'd been asking our agency to try to get some updated information on Mia.  They have been trying for quite a long while and finally got the right person. There are 4 pictures - this one is my favorite.  The rest are very similiar.  She has already grown up so much from the first picture.  We are sooo ready to see this girl in some girly pink! 
I talked to our I800A case manager on Monday and he thinks we will have our approval by the end of the week.  What does that mean?  Well, that approval is the final piece of paperwork for our dossier.   After we get each piece authenticated by the North Carolina Secretary of State, and the Chinese Consulate in Washington, DC- THEN - we can send our dossier to our agency for their approval - THEN - we can send it to China and wait for them to accept it all. Which, I am told will take about 3 months.  THEN - we can expect to travel in 2 months.  So, still many steps to go - but I'll be so glad when this paperwork is out of my hands.  You can join us in praying that this will all happen without a glitch and that we will be able to travel in record speed (a feat that only God has control over).... Actually, he's in control of it all - all the time. 

Chenzhou Girls Reunion

Sarah Mei, Lainie and Lilly

On Sunday, we were able to travel to visit two of Lainie's first friends and their famlies. She spent the first 14 months of her life alongside Lilly and Sarah Mei. As I've said before - they witnessed each other's first tears, first smiles and first steps when none of us were there. They do not remember those moments, but it gives each of our families comfort in knowing that these little girls share a connection that only heaven could have orchestrated. We are so thankful that God chose for these precious girls to live so close to each other here in the Carolinas.
We had such a great time catching up and watching all of the kids play together. The Hortons brought 3 of their four children, the Bryants were all in attendance with their 6 kids and we added in our four. That is a total of 13 kids. They had a blast.
Since we adopted our Chenzhou sweeties the Bryants have been back to China to adopt precious Ellie. The Hortons are in the process of paperchasing for another beautiful Chinese daughter named Isabelle and we, of course are paperchasing for Mia. Can you guess what we talk about when we are together???
It was a great day together. The Bryants were wonderful hosts and we enjoyed seeing the Hortons again as well. As I was watcing all of those children run around in the Bryants front yard I couldn't help but smile as I thought about how God brought all these children together. I'm sure he must have been smiling too.

Lainie riding the Bryant's donkey, BradleyWill and Fulton doing what boys do best.
Jillian and Ellie Bryant

So long summer - see ya next year!

The signs are everywhere. Bookbags have replaced the pool bags that hung in the mudroom. Football helmets and pads are scattered around where life vest and waterguns were once strewn. Homework has replaced random artwork and life is moving at a much faster pace. We've said goodbye to summer and I miss it already.

BUT, another school year has begun and I wouldn't be completely truthful if I didn't admit that by the end of summer I am longing for a little routine and structure after the laziness of summer. That of course, only lasts about two weeks into the year and then I'd do just about anything for a lazy summer day thrown in somewhere. Yet - there is a season for everything right? Time moves on.

Trey is in 8th grade. How did this happen? The school where I teach is K-8 so I have the rare priviledge of keeping an eye on him still (nobody tell him I'm watching okay?) Recently when I was giving him a "talking to" about something he needed to do, I noticed that I was REALLY having to look up at him. I quickly had him to sit down. I'll be doing that from now on. Jillian is in 5th grade and sometime over the summer what was left of the "little" girl in here disappeared. She's now a full blown "pre-teen". Will - ah Will still the baby in my eyes. I know that one day all too soon I will blink and he will no longer be the baby that I still see when I look at him. I so admire the way that he lives life. When I was worried about him and was a little concerned that none of his close friends were in his class, his former teacher reminded me that Will is his own party wherever he goes. And she's right. He's just fine wherever he goes. I should be more so myself. Lainie is happy to be back at the sitters. She's been asking about them all summer. We are so blessed to have a loving place for her to stay. In her mind and in her heart they are another set of grandparents. God is so good.

We still wait for Mia. This week we received notice that a vital piece of our paperwork had been received and was being processed. We expect our fingerprint appt within the week -then we should get our final approval papers. This is the final piece of our dossier (massive paperwork bundle) that goes to China. We are so ready to have the dossier in the mail. Our agency is trying to get an update on Mia's growth and development. So far they haven't had much success being able to contact the orphanage. We've given them some questions to ask about her daily life. I'm hoping we will hear something soon. The info that we have is from 11-08.

We are also blessed to have a dear, dear friend who has put together a raffle and a dinner to help raise funds for our travel costs. She and others who are helping her have just been amazing!!!! God has provided what we needed just as we needed it. We've learned not to look too far down the road, but to trust him for what we need this day. It has been quite a faith building experience. Our prayer has been that in the end we will be able to tell all who will listen of how this adoption was not possible for us financially had He not come through for us. So far we are just amazed by how He has provided.

When I was looking for a verse for Mia, I was drawn to Hebrews 10:23. I've quoted it in almost every post. Each day I am aware of how fitting the verse is to our circumstance. I am confident that it was His nudge that led me to this verse and it is His voice that I hear speaking to me when I read it each day. I hope that one day it will be part of Mia's testimony. May she one day "hold unservingly to the hope we possess, for He who promised is faithful." Heb 10:23