God is so Good!

While we wait to hear news on our I-800a Immigration approval we are not twiddling our thumbs! We will be sending off our Dossier documents to get authenticated at the state level. This could take days in itself. The documents from out of state, like our birth certificates, marriage license and employment letter all have to be sent out ahead of time to cut down on the wait times. Then, when we get our Immigrations approval letter, we can send that with our other Delaware state documents to get authenticated. 
The whole adoption process and the steps to getting all the right notarization, authentication and approvals is enough to make anyone nutty! Don't get me started on telling you about staples!! (what ever you do, DO NOT REMOVE staples.) sigh. So, yes, timing and waiting can come down to a little piece of metal being removed. So we are very thankful to be part of the Adoption community on Facebook where we can learn from each other and get the needed support and encouragement. And, find out what not to do!
The reason this process can be so crazy, is because there is not just one set list that everyone can follow. Each state has their own requirements, each agency has their own requirements, and each country you adopt from has their own set of requirements! It is a wonder that children find families to call their own! I do believe that more families would adopt if it were not so expensive and time consuming to collect all the necessary documents. 
In some ways the whole process is feeling like being pregnant for the first time. We do what we need to at each appointment, yet we really don't know what to expect as each month goes on. We have some information to go on, but really, we are flying blindly at times! It is even worse in some ways, because we already know who we want to bring home and all this paperwork and red tape is taking way too long to get stamps of approval! Through it all, thankfully, we have a sense of peace. God is with us. All is in His timing. He will get us through this and be with us every step of the way. 

While we wait for our next step (US authentication and China Consulate Authentications, then Dossier to China), I have been working tirelessly (ok, maybe exhausted is more like it!) on filling out Grant applications. 
For those of you holding us up in prayer. Please pray that we would qualify and receive some Grant money to help us cover some of the costs. These Organizations work hard to raise money to help families who are adopting. If you want to give a Tax Deductible donation to these Foundations it would be a blessing! We are not guaranteed a grant approval even though it has taken at least 3 hours time to fill out each form and collect the information requested. We are just blessed to know that there are Foundations out there that are making it possible for families to adopt! 

Here is a little bit of an update for our family:
Jessica is playing soccer with the local Christian School. We are so blessed to be able to home school and still be involved in sports! Jessica is in 8th grade and playing on the Varsity team. I am so proud of her! Their first game was played yesterday. They played the whole game without either team scoring but lost in overtime. For a young team they did really well! It was only 34 degrees out and freezing to sit and watch. I am looking forward to normal warm weather soon! 

Jared has been doing really well playing bass guitar (self taught) with the weekly youth group band. He loves his music! He plans to play soccer in the Fall with the boys soccer team. We look forward to that. He is finishing up his 9th grade year and is a stellar student and computer techie. (He takes after his father!)

Joel has been working with his new employer for over a year now and has been doing really well. He is enjoying his work and making great advances for the company. After 5 months out of work last year, God has really been blessing us with steady work this past year! Joel still enjoys his computer games in his time off and will soon start up trail riding once the weather warms up. There are local trails he bikes and leads an outing group from our church. Anyone can join the rides. 

I am continuing to fill out paper work and keep everything on task for this adoption, but when I am not doing that I play volleyball with local adult leagues to stay active. I have actually read two books in the past month which is saying something.... lol! I rarely have time to read books, but occasionally splurge on a good sci fi or fantasy novel! :) I continue to have Origami Owl parties when they are scheduled, but am thankful for the flexibility the business gives me so it is not too overwhelming.

Praying you all are blessed and praising God in your Day.

The Waiting Game

After 7 weeks of collecting documents and waiting on the completion of our Home Study, we are finally ready to send our USCIS Immigration application!! This process has had so many stresses and blessings. When we are weak, God is strong.

Update on what steps are next:

USCIS Application - 35-45 days to wait for approval letter.

While waiting for the approval letter we can get all our documents for the dossier authenticated. 

Once we get USCIS approval we can send that letter off for authentication and then send our Dossier to China! Once the Dossier is in China we have a 4-6 months wait for all the approvals. 

During this time we are fund raising for the $6,000 required donation to the orphanage, and our travel funds which will range from 10,000 - 16,000. We are praying that all 4 of us will be able to travel. 

Please continue to pray for Joy. She will not know a family is rushing to her for many more months. Pray that she will not be discouraged as she sees so many of the little ones in the orphanage be adopted and taken away. As she is getting older she may be resigned to aging out. We pray for her to have hope, that she will have a forever family to call her own. We are gathering items to make a care package that we hope to send as soon as we are allowed. It is so hard to wait, and yet, all is in God's timing.

Fund Raiser:

Origami Owl Fund Raiser to help raise the needed funds for the orphanage donation and travel costs: Origami Owl Custom Jewelry is truly one of a kind and a fantastic way to tell your story with lockets and charms!! Go to jharrison.origamiowl.com to order directly from my site and put JoleneHarrison199395 in the jewelry bar code box so it counts toward our fund raiser! Mother's day is coming up! Shop now just for her!! FOR EVERY $120+ ORDER I WILL SEND YOU A FREE TAG "FAMILY"! Help us in our Adoption Journey!
NEW spring items are here!! Check out the website for brand new charms, lockets and earrings!!

 

 

Upcoming Fund Raiser:
Custom T-shirts! Bondfire funds is a web site set up to create custom T-shirts for all types of fund raisers. Portions of the cost are sent directly to our Agency to help with adoption costs. Wear your shirt to raise awareness for adoption and to be reminded of the life you helped bring home! We will need to sell 50 shirts minimum for the order to be made. So be ready when we design our t-shirt and let you know when they are available!! Possible design idea:

God has been so good to us! I am so thankful for all the support you have been in prayer and encouragement and funds! We are awed by this whole process. Money has been available to us just when we need it for various fees and costs. It is just amazing to experience! Almost like the manna that was provided for the Israelites in the Old Testament. God gave them what they needed for each day and anything that was left over would spoil. He is providing exactly what we need for each step of this journey! 

Exodus 16:13-21

"That evening quail came and covered the camp, and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. ¹⁴ When the dew was gone, thin flakes like frost on the ground appeared on the desert floor. ¹⁵ When the Israelites saw it, they said to each other, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was.
Moses said to them, “It is the bread the Lord has given you to eat. ¹⁶ This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Everyone is to gather as much as they need. Take an omer^[a] for each person you have in your tent.’”
¹⁷ The Israelites did as they were told; some gathered much, some little. ¹⁸ And when they measured it by the omer, the one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little. Everyone had gathered just as much as they needed.
¹⁹ Then Moses said to them, “No one is to keep any of it until morning.”
²⁰ However, some of them paid no attention to Moses; they kept part of it until morning, but it was full of maggots and began to smell. So Moses was angry with them.
²¹ Each morning everyone gathered as much as they needed, and when the sun grew hot, it melted away."