The Low Down...

Monday night the list, yes the LIST, came out of available children. We did not receive a match off of the list due to the small number of children added to the list. So many emotions resulted from this. After sifting and listening, the emotion at the forefront is fight. If the list was small because the need was small, then AMEN, I say. But I know the need is huge, so I've learned that my prayers need to be huger (yes, huge-er). Not for myself and my desire to bring this child into our home, but for the children who wait even longer now. There are some changes being made in the system and my agency is assuming there won't be a list until after this system is implemented (maybe the end of June?). All of this is hard to digest, but I'm over my own pity-party and am 100% calling upon God to intervene and get these kids home. Please join me. And if you haven't signed the petition that goes along with the movie STUCK, please see the link below - read, watch the movie, sign the petition. More needs to be done.

http://www.change.org/petitions/make-a-child-s-right-to-a-family-our-priority

The News Is...

....there's no news! We did get an email from our agency that their best guess is that the list will come out next Monday night (5/6). But, like they said, it's just a guess.

The great, amazing, wonderful thing is that God has reminded me that this is His dream and plan for my life. While I want it too, He really is the one who has orchestrated my life to draw me to this point at this moment. If I keep fretting and trying to control things, I might miss out on something more exciting than I could have come up with on my own. I mean, what if he wants us to bring TWO kids home? (That's probably not happening, but you never know what He's up to!!)

So we're still waiting and there's lots more waiting even after we get a match, so I might as well learn to wait with a smile on my face and peace in my heart because I think it's just going to get more difficult from here.

Calling all junk!!!

We will be doing a garage sale Friday May 31 and Saturday June 1, as a fundraiser for our adoption. If you have anything destined for Goodwill or any other treasures you'd like to donate to our cause, we would be forever grateful! Contact us and we will come to you to pick up donations whenever it's convenient for you. After the garage sale, whatever doesn't sell, we will donate to Goodwill. Here are some things that sell well at garage sales: furniture, baby/children's clothes, tools, sports equipment, etc. But we'll take anything, so as you are doing your spring cleaning, think of us!

All money raised by the garage sale will go toward our matching grant, so your donation will be doubled! If you would like to simply donate funds to our matching grant, here is how you can do that:

Give by Check:

- Please make checks payable to Lifesong for Orphans.

- IMPORTANT: In the memo line please write "Potgeter 3556" .
- Please mail checks to:
           Lifesong for Orphans
           PO Box 40

          Gridley, IL 61744

Individual donations $250 or more and yearly donations totaling $250 or more will receive a tax-deductible receipt. Receipts for donations under $250 will gladly be sent upon request.

Give Online

*Please note that PayPal will charge an administrative fee (2.9% + $.30 USD per transaction). Your donation will be decreased by the amount of this fee.

- Go to www.lifesongfororphans.org/give/donate

- Select Give to an Adoptive Family
- Complete online form and fill in Family Account Number & Family Account Name Fields (Potgeter 3556)

Individual donations $250 or more and yearly donations totaling $250 or more will receive a tax-deductible receipt. Receipts for donations under $250 will gladly be sent upon request.

 

NO LIST FOR YOU!

Please read the title the way the Soup Nazi would say it, otherwise, it's a really dumb title. Thank you for your cooperation...

Just in case you're following along with us...word on the street (and by street I mean China adoption forums and my China Facebook group) is that there will be no list of kiddos coming out today. The list usually comes out on one of the last Mondays in the month. There is still one more Monday this month, but the other word on the cyber-street is that the people who put out this list will not be working next Monday, due to a holiday. So the rumor-conclusion is that.....well, nobody knows what will happen. I keep trying not to worry that there will be no list at all. Instead, I'm reminding myself 1,000 a day that God is bigger than all of this. And today I plan to thoroughly enjoy this sunny, 60 degree day with my little buddy. We're going to go to any park that we can find that isn't flooded and enjoy the >30 degrees and lack of snow/rain/other precipitation. Feel free to leave me an encouraging comment about how all this is in God's plan, our daughter will come to us at the right time, I'll survive the wait, etc., etc. I could use any and all of those comments right now!

Truckin' Along

WE. ARE. LOGGED. IN. *Insert gigantic, overly-dramatic sigh of relief * Our paperwork was actually logged in on 4/7/13, but our agency just found out today. So that means when the list (probably) comes out on the 22nd, our social worker can look for a match for us. That does not mean we will necessarily get a match, but she thinks there is a good chance we will. So here's how the process goes. China puts out the list on Tuesday morning their time, which means it comes out Monday evening our time. Our worker stays late and waits for the list, if she sees a child on there that we would be a good family for, she will put the child on hold. We will get a call that night (*insert mental image of me staying up until all hours of the night staring bugged-eyed at my phone*) and she will send us photos and medical information (since this is the special needs program, it's important to review medical info). We have 72 hours to look over the file, have the medical info reviewed by professionals, and then say yes or no. I plan on being very honest throughout this process, so I will probably tell you if we have to say no to a "file". I really don't want to, but I'm trusting that God will give us the wisdom to know if the first child presented to us is our daughter.

If we say no or don't get a match at all, there's a possibility of another match this month after the 72 hour mark, when many files go back to the list from families who have said no. If still no match after that time, we'll most likely wait until the next list, which comes out at the end of May.

If we DO get a match and she IS our daughter. We get to say YES! And write a Letter of Intent to Adopt, telling China that we would LOVE to adopt this child and tell them all the things we plan to do to love and take care of her. A week or two after that, we would get PA (yes, another acronym!) which means Pre-Approval. At THAT time, I can finally stand on top of my roof and shout for the whole world to hear that we have a daughter. Well, actually, it means I can show you her picture and share some information about her. Won't that be fun!?! It's what we're all waiting for, so stand by!

Grants and expired eggs

OH YES HE DID. Praise God! We got a call today to say that we were approved for a $3,000 matching grant! So basically the grant organization will match dollar for dollar what we can raise up to $3,000. So if we can raise $3,000, then that's $6,000 toward the adoption! I won't tell you how much the adoption costs, but let's just say its more than I made per year when I was working. So this is going to help tremendously. Still in shock and excited to see how we're going to raise the first $3,000 (have lots of ideas to sort out)!

 

So I was wondering yesterday if God speaks through expiration dates. In my world, expiration dates are to be regarded with the utmost religious piety. So, to me, yes maybe He does. So, see my eggs?

 

BEST BEFORE APRIL 22. That's the date of the next list of kiddos that comes out and we need to be logged in before April 22. So, yes, it would be best if we were logged in before my eggs expire. Back to waiting...but still praising!

 

Peace and Tomb Sweeping

So you all know about the bee I had in my bonnet. After the paperwork went to China, poof, it was gone. The bee, that is and well, the paperwork too. I was completely at peace...it was truly "peace that surpasses all understanding". We're waiting for our LID (log in date) so we can be matched, hopefully, in the next list of kiddos that comes out on April 22. I was hoping we'd be logged in this week, but alas, I forgot about Tomb Sweeping. I'm guessing you did too. Tomb Sweeping in China is a day to pay respect to one's ancestors by visiting cemeteries...it also falls at the time of year when Spring is coming, so people typically celebrate the coming of the new season by going to parks and flying kites. Its a time to remember the past and look forward with hope toward the future. I like that! Well, said Tomb Sweeping happens this week, so no LID for this girl until all the tombs are swept and kites are flown. Hoping for next week, but we'll gladly accept any day before the 22nd! If we don't get it before April 22, we'll have to wait until the end of May for the next list. REALLY hoping that doesn't happen.

We got a call today from the organization that we applied for a matching grant through. They said they were impressed with our application, that it's still moving through all the necessary reviews, and that we should find out in a few weeks if we were approved. It would be SO HELPFUL if we could get this grant!

We'd love prayers for approval for the grant, for the woman who does the matching (that she'll pick OUR girl!), and continued peace.