TRAVEL APPROVAL!!!

We received an email late this evening that we have been granted Travel Approval!  Yay!  It took 13 long days but this is the last approval we needed for Noah's adoption.

The US Consulate is closed tomorrow in observance of New Year's Day so it will take another 2-3 days for our agency to nail down our appointments and for us to book flights.  As of right now we expect to meet Noah no later than the second week of February.

We are so thankful that God has continued to honor our prayers and led the way throughout this process.  We hope you all have a happy and extraordinary year in 2014!

Pictures I Found

I found two new pictures of Noah on the web this week! My husband thinks I'm crazy when I stay up late and read other adoption blogs but I have learned so much and continue to find these gems.  :)

No TA yet

No, we haven't received our Travel Approval yet.  I had really hoped it would come today; tomorrow will be two weeks since our Article 5 was picked up and the average length of time for a TA to be granted by the CCWA.

I did contact a new pediatrician today that specializes in international adoption and verified she does accept our new insurance (of course switching plans in January) and will accept him as a new patient once we are home.  I haven't had great responses from our children's current pediatrician and my gut has been telling me Noah needs to at least start with a specialist.

We are also working on setting up a new Skype account, choosing a VPN, verifying international calling/data plans and lots of little things to get ready for the trip to China and meeting Noah.  I know God has a plan-even if it isn't happening as soon as I'd like.

Please continue to pray for Noah-his health & safety while he waits and for God to prepare him to accept us as his forever family.

(Belated) Merry Christmas

I'd like to wish a belated Merry Christmas to all of our blog readers.  We had a great day celebrating with a lot of our family but someone special was missing.  Christmas was truly bittersweet this year.  It was the last time we will celebrate without Noah.

We are still waiting for our travel approval; our agency predicted it will come around 12/30.  Please join us in prayer that it comes soon and that God continues to watch over Noah.  We have received a lot of donations in the past week and are especially thankful for that support on top of all the other things people are spending money on that they have chosen to continue to support us and Noah's adoption.

Isaiah 9: 6-7 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.  Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this.

Wish Granted!

Twenty-one days ago the church we attend, Browns Bridge Community Church, started a Christmas wish contest on Twitter.  They asked the congregation to "tweet" their wishes, with the offer to grant a few of those they received in time for Christmas.  I tweeted: My wish is for a one-way ticket (airfare) for our 3 yr old son we are adopting from China. @GrantUrwishBBCC @hopefornoah

This morning we were overjoyed to have my wish granted!  They will be paying for his flight home.  We are so shocked and grateful!  Thank you-Browns Bridge Community Church, Grant Urwish, our family that traveled to attend the service and all of our friends that retweeted and came to show their support.

A Big Party

Noah had a very special weekend and got to attend the 10th anniversary party for Bethel in Beijing.  It looks like he loved the candles, cake and balloons.  Good news-that's how we like to celebrate too!

Genesis 12: 7-9 From there he moved on to the hill country east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ali on the east; and there he built an altar to the Lord and invoked the name of the Lord.

Our Visas Are Ready! Article 5 Pick Up

Our Visas to enter China were approved and we received them via FedEx.  Our Article 5 was picked up in Guangzhou this morning and has been submitted to CCWA...we are officially waiting on Travel Approval!

Thank you for the faithful prayers and support; multiple donations have come thru in the past 3 days and we are so grateful to know such kind, giving people.  Please join us in prayer for a quick TA and for God to watch over and care for Noah.

Finding Ad

Here is the finding ad that was placed for Noah in the Henan Farmer's Daily newspaper on April 12, 2011.

Zheng Jian Ang

A boy

Born October 6, 2010

On January 2, 2011, he was found abandoned at the gate of the Zhongyuan Chemical Science Technology Center.  On the same day, he was sent to the Zhengzhou City orphanage by a policeman from the Zhongyue Police Station, Dongfeng City Police Bureau.  

Characteristics: A round face, small eyes, white hair and white eyebrows.  He has congenital albinism.  He wore a red coat.

We are so thankful that Brian from http://www.research-china.org/ was able to locate Noah's finding ad for us.  We are eternally grateful that Noah's birth parents left him somewhere that he could be discovered and for the person that stopped and "found" him-truly a Good Samaritan.

Nothing Fun about Fundraising Letter

I wanted to share the letter we have composed and sent to some of our friends and family, if you would like a hard copy we will be glad to mail one to you.  

Dear friends and family,

As most of you know, for the past eight months, we have been working tirelessly through the process of adopting a child with special needs from China. We are currently in the final step(s) of adopting our son Noah through a wonderful agency called Heartsent Adoptions Inc. The entire adoption process will take 11 months total and is a journey of faith each stop of the way.  As we researched and prayed, we began to feel God lead us towards international adoption specifically Noah and the chance to rescue an orphan and make him our own.

At this point Noah is 3 years old and living in an orphanage with 1,200 other children in Zhengzhou, China.  It is estimated he was abandoned at 3 months old (January 2, 2011) outside of a chemical plant.  We do not know why Noah was abandoned by his birth parents.  We do know that he has albinism and low vision.  As you can see his skin is very pale, his hair is white and his eyes are blue.  Because of the albinism he is considered special needs which makes a child less likely to be adopted; that all changed when we saw his picture, read his story and knew it was him that God wanted us to adopt. 

There are still many unknowns with this adoption.  What we do know is this:  Noah has never known the warm and loving embrace of a mother, or the joy of a piggy-back ride from a father. He doesn’t know what it feels like to be tucked in and kissed goodnight, warm and safe in a caring home. He has yet to receive full medical attention, proper, nutritious food, a childhood that allows him to be a child and an environment where he can thrive and flourish and reach his full potential.  He needs a loving family the most. 

We cannot wait to bring him home, to hold him in our arms, and always provide a hand for him to hold as he grows. No words can capture the true joy and excitement we feel as we anticipate the blessing of his presence in our home.  Our children, Ella and Beckett are just as equally excited to welcome Noah into our family and we feel blessed for them to gain a brother through adoption.

At this point our greatest need is financial, as the adoption will cost around $30,000 total. We have already paid more than $15,000 of which we were able to raise approximately $3,000 thru t-shirt fundraisers and a yard sale.  We recently received a grant but we still have additional in-country expenses of roughly $13,500; that includes miscellaneous travel expenses (air fare and hotel), government fees, a medical exam for Noah, and finally his Visa and one-way ticket home.

We are greatly depending on family and friends to help with the remaining adoption expenses. Therefore, we would like to extend an invitation to you and your family to joyfully partner with us financially to help bring home our son. While not everyone is called to adopt a child, we believe (and hope!) many will join us on the journey to rescue an orphan and make an eternal impact on Noah’s life.

You can make a donation on the blog via PayPal, mail a check or we would gladly pick up any spare change you have.  J Please contact us if you have any questions, need alternative methods of contribution, or would like to hear more about Noah. We would absolutely love to hear from you!

Thank you for taking the time to let us share our journey with you.

Sincerely,

Luke and Stacy Hopkins

“I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for Me.” – Matthew 25:40

Double Trouble?

I found a great deal ($25) on a double umbrella stroller on our local yard sale page this week and Beckett has been trying it out.  We can't wait for Noah to sit right beside him!  Ella has really enjoyed pushing him around the neighborhood, too.

Travel Visas

I submitted our visa applications for travel today which included a copy of the LOA (letter of acceptance), new passport photos and our original passports.  We're using a courier service near Chicago, Illinois called There's Always Hope.  We each applied for the 12 month multiple entry visa for China.  They cost $140 each plus $70 total in courier fees.  The new passport photos were $11 a piece.

The courier will drop the visa applications off at the Chinese Consulate next Monday and pick up the following Monday 12/16 so we will have our passports returned before Christmas.  If anyone else is in need of a travel visa, check out http://www.theres-always-hope.com/

Article 5 drop off

Our Article 5 documents were dropped off in China today (well yesterday really because of the time difference).  They take 10 business days to process and then we will officially be waiting for the last step-travel approval.

It feels great to check off another major milestone even if its a week later than expected.

All Dressed Up

Check out this adorable picture of Noah trying on his suit for Bethel's 10 year anniversary party-isn't he the cutest?!  We are so thankful for the care that he receives and love seeing new pictures.

More Grants & Our Own Visa Applications

We have applied for two more grants in the past week through the Gift of Adoption and the National Adoption Foundation.  Luke and I have also been working on a fundraising letter and plan to mail those after Thanksgiving.  I'll post it on here as well in case there is anyone that would like to see what we've paid, raised and been awarded at this point-it also outlines the remaining costs and travel expenses.

We have decided to go ahead and apply for our own Visas to enter to China at this time and expect to have those in a matter of weeks-we want to be ready and waiting.  We're looking forward to celebrating Thanksgiving tomorrow, celebrating all that we have to be thankful for and telling even more friends and family members about Noah.

Here's the picture Bethel shared last week on Facebook in case anyone missed it-Noah and his buddy out in a boat.

DS 260, Noah's Visa

Yesterday morning we received our PDF of the letter from the NVC and a link with instructions from our agency to fill out the DS 260.  We completed it and the agency reviewed it before signing and submitting late last night.

This was the last piece needed for Article 5 so one day next week Heartsent's in-country representative will walk in and "drop off" our Article 5.  It takes 10 business days to process plus add one extra day for Thanksgiving so in approximately 2 weeks it will be ready for "pick up".

We're so grateful to be at this point in the adoption process.  We wouldn't be at this point if it weren't for a great support system that God provided for us.  We are also hoping to hear more good news from a grant we applied for in October and maybe even an update on Noah in the next week.

Exodus 14:14 The Lord will fight for you.  You need only to be still.

Got our GUZ#!!!

Received an email this morning from the National Visa Center-the birthdate has been corrected and we have our GUZ#.  Yay!  Just waiting on the letter in PDF form and then the adoption agency will (hopefully) drop off the Article 5 next week.

We also got an update on predicted travel-at this point our agency feels confident we will be in China in  1 1/2-2 months from today.  Of course everything could change if we have any issues so I am cautiously saying there's still a good chance we'll meet Noah in January.

I also spoke with the BEGIN coordinator at the Center for the Visually Impaired in Atlanta today.  I've scheduled a visit for the week after Thanksgiving so that I can become familiar with the facility and their services for Noah.  He will be evaluated once we return home and get our heads above water.  They offer many different services for children that have visual impairments including a preschool.

Prayers While We Wait

Found this the other night on www.seeingjoy.com and wanted to share.  I need to read it everyday.

Roadblock...Still No GUZ#

Today has been a roller coaster.  I knew something was wrong from the moment I woke up.  Long story short (I'll spare you the lengthy details because it doesn't make sense unless you're also adopting from China) there has been another mistake-this time it's a roadblock.

Somewhere between the USCIS's approval of our I-800 (11/8) and the NVC receiving the said approval someone made a typo and inputted the wrong date of birth for my husband, Luke.  So we cannot get a GUZ#.  The records do not match.  I have submitted scanned copies of his passport and birth certificate and just for good measure the actual I-800 approval which has the correct DOB on it.

I've emailed and called anyone I know of that might be able to help (adoption agency included) and am praying to get this resolved ASAP.  We need the GUZ# and NVC letter as explained in a previous post for the Article 5 which is the step before Travel Approval i.e. finding out when we can go to China and bring Noah home with us.

As a side note the kids and I spent time this evening with a long lost friend from high school and her precious daughter, who just happens to be from Zhengzhou and we believe at one point stayed in the same room at the orphanage that Noah did at the same time.  What an amazing connection and blessing to have them in our lives and better yet plan to be in China this winter together as they bring home two additions!

I-800 Paper Receipt, Article 5 Intro

Good news our I-800 finally came in the mail today, 8 days after we were approved by the officer at USCIS.  I've emailed the National Visa Center (again) and am feeling hopefully that this week we will get our GUZ#.

Once we have that it means we have been cabled and it will be time for the Article 5 letter to be issued by the US Embassy.  The adoption agency's in-China representative will take our NVC letter to the Embassy in Guangzhou (hence the GUZ#) along with our DS-230 application and LOA.  This paperwork can only be dropped off Tuesdays-Fridays. I'll try to explain the final step(s) once we have our Article 5 drop off date but I know you feel the same as I do after reading that-this part is clear as mud! ;)

Thank you again for being a part of this amazing journey!  Many of you have cheered us on with encouragement, thru your prayers and contributed financially.  The waiting is very hard but we know it is and will be absolutely worth it once we become Noah's family.  I've had to come to terms this week that some people just don't understand why we are adopting and it is ok-we aren't doing it for anyone other than God.

Crawling Along

We're still waiting on the paper receipt of the I-800 approval but in the meantime I have emailed the National Visa Center two times (already) this week to request our GUZ#.  Its confusing but basically we are trying to obtain the number that is generated when our file has been cabled from the NVC to the US Embassy in Guangzhou, China.  (That is the approval of our visa petition)  So far it hasn't arrived yet.  Veteran's Day has slowed us down.

I'll be honest I am feeling frustrated.  I am trying to be patient.  But this step can mean the difference between traveling in January or having to wait until after Chinese New Year (not leaving until February).  And although I LOVE checking in with other adoptive parents in this same stage of the process, I don't love the feeling that we are "racing".  The only race Luke and I are in is the race to get to Noah and bring him home with us.

Please pray that we meet Noah for the first time when God sees fit and not in our own selfish timing.

Peekabo

Look at this precious face!  What a great surprise to get a new picture of Noah tonight.

I-800 Approval!

I called to check on the status of our I-800 application and was able to speak with the immigration officer assigned to our case.  She approved our application this morning and the misspelling was corrected!
Unfortunately, the paper receipt will probably not go out in the mail today she told me.  Regardless-this is great news.  Everything else between now and getting on an airplane headed to China is in country clearances.

JSC Foundation Grant

We were notified this afternoon that we have been chosen to receive a grant from the JSC Foundation.  What a huge blessing!  They are a private organization that provides for Christian families that are stepping out in faith and adopting.  We will not be disclosing the amount out of respect for the organization.

After two small bumps in the road this is truly so encouraging.  If you are interested in learning more about the JSC Foundation and the amazing things their adoption ministry does check out http://www.jscfoundation.org/

Another Bump?

On Monday we received the paper receipt for our I-800 application and there was another mistake-this time a typo.  I panicked (of course), called the adoption agency and wanted to cry out "not again!".  

You see, we haven't even caught up from the last mistake.  This time it was USCIS.  Someone misspelled Noah's Chinese name but not on the actual application just on the receipt.  Hopefully this is not a big deal.  In an adoption everything must match up-names, dates and files.  It seems this won't affect the actual I-800 and the immigration officer that will eventually approve our application will correct the misspelling.  Please pray with us that there are no more mistakes that could make Noah wait for us any longer!

A Picture and Two Blessings

We are so grateful for the new picture of Noah (and especially that he is being held and making eye contact).  We have also been blessed in the past few days with two generous donations towards his adoption expenses.  Thank you really isn't even close to enough.  It feels very encouraging to have friends and family that are living out the gospel.

1 Timothy 6:18 Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.

I-800 text

On Thursday night (Halloween) we got a text from USCIS that our case was received and that we have a new receipt number.  This means our I-800 application was received at the Texas lockbox.  I emailed our immigration officer late Sunday night and was surprised she replied first thing Monday morning; our application has not made its way from the lockbox to the building-yet.  I really think once the I-800 gets to her she will approve it quickly and hopefully we will get right back on track to our original adoption timeline for Noah and can say with confidence that we will travel to China in January.

An I-800 is the first step towards finalizing the immigration process if you are adopting a child that lives within a Hague country and you have already been approved for adoption with a valid form I-800A.  The next (and final) two steps occur in China.  If you're confused, don't worry I am too.  I try to read ahead and research what comes next but it's a little fuzzy...

Another Bump In The Road

We received a letter on Monday from USCIS that our i800 had been rejected.  I felt my heart start to break-called the adoption agency and was reassured it was a mistake.  

Well actually there was a mistake, the agency mailed our paperwork to the wrong address and that is why the i800 was rejected.  Luckily, this can all be corrected but we don't know how much time it will cost us.  I was really feeling confident that we would travel the first week of January until now.  

At this point our i800 has been resubmitted (this time to the correct address, we hope).  I filled out a form to receive a text message when it "hits the lockbox".  I'll let you know when we know more.  In the meantime, please continue to pray for Noah.  We don't want him to wait any longer-no matter what.

A Work In Progress

In the past week we've been working to get things ready for when Noah comes home with us-as you can see it's a work in progress.

Luke painting Noah's room 

Madras comforter

Gray gingham sheets (coming this week)

Planet mobile donated by our sweet friends

Noah's car seat which matches his brother Beckett's

Rash guards-tons! All gifts from Grandma (Luke's mom)

Added a 3rd chair to the playroom and painted it orange (the kids choice for Noah)

We're still waiting on the USCIS i800 approval and then the remaining clearances for travel come from China.  12 weeks or less...

Update:  Mimi (my mom) bought Noah's duvet insert with all her hard-earned Kohl's cash.  And the sheets arrived and are already on his bed.

Packages On The Way

LSC! LSC! LSC!

Our adoption agency received our LSC (letter seeking confirmation) from China today!  This is a BIG day.  We only waited 31 days.  We're very grateful.  This means Noah won't have to wait too much longer for a forever family.  I am actually still in shock; some wait 100+ days to receive this approval.  Luke predicted it would come tomorrow days ago and he was correct.

I've heard it's all downhill from here...in approximately 8-12 weeks we should be in China getting ready to meet our son, Noah!

•God is good.
•Waiting is hard.
•I'm praying for all my adoption buddies that are still waiting on LOAs.

This was the first picture we saw of Noah

30 Days Down

Today we mark 30 days passed on the LSC (letter seeking confirmation) wait.  Each day we're closer to adopting Noah than we were the day before but I won't lie-the wait is harder than I expected.  I've met a lot of new friends in the adoption world and a few of them received their LOA/LSC's yesterday.  I'm so happy for them (overjoyed really for those waiting children) but I do feel some envy and am questioning why we haven't received a quick approval.

Here are a few highlights from the past week:

I mailed a sponsor package to Noah and his friend, courtesy of a generous donation.  And because of the gift of yet another donor this week I have already started filling a new shoe box with vitamins, snacks, clothes and toys.  

We've also completed the entire process for the JSC Foundation grant and submitted the online portion for a Show Hope grant.  Two friends were kind enough to be personal references and then some.  We had a sit down meeting with a pastor from the church we attend and were able to share our story and then hear about the immediate need for foster families in our own community.

I had the chance to attend a get together for families that have adopted children from The Swallow's Nest (a foster care home in Zhengzhou) in Acworth, Georgia and my mother-in-law came along for support.  We met 2 boys that were once at the same orphanage at the same time as Noah-how cool is that!  I also brought photos of his friend and continue to try to find a forever family for him.

Luke and I are trying to work out a plan for our children while we are in China-who will take care of them for how long and how much school will be missed.  I know these are minor details but they seem overwhelming at times.  I'm feeling a little discouraged that Noah's adoption isn't top priority to everyone else around us; what I can say is that God reminds me (and Luke) every day that we are to follow his calling-yes it's financially and emotionally stressful but we are doing this together and letting God lead the way.  He is always faithful.

Matthew 17:20 I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you

A Birthday Party!

Noah celebrated his birthday with all the other children at Bethel last week.  We know he is loved and well-taken care of by his ayis.  What a blessing!

The cake

The celebration

Noah's buddy

Our sweet 3 year old

Happy Birthday!

Today is Noah's 3rd birthday.  It is very bittersweet because I feel so sad not to be a part of his day but it also means we are getting closer to our LSC and traveling to bring him home with us.

Happy Birthday, sweet boy!  We promise this is the last birthday you'll celebrate without your family.

While We Wait-I800

We filled out the I800 today! It's the petition to the US government to consider Noah (formally Zheng Jian Ang) as an immediate relative of ours.  This was the first time we wrote his full name-Noah Matthew Hopkins.  I will mail the I800 to our agency tomorrow so that it is ready and waiting when the LSC (letter seeking confirmation) arrives...whenever that is.

We think its important for him to have a name chosen by us and not the orphanage.  Noah is a name Luke and I both liked and Matthew is Luke's middle name; so both our sons will each have a part of their father's name (Beckett's middle name is Lucas).

We plan to actually call him whatever name/nickname he is currently called for as long as he wants especially while he is learning English and adjusting to all the changes.  

Until then I am reading The Connected Child by Karyn Purvis and practicing Mandarin.  Luke will paint Noah's room in the next few weeks and we plan to take some additional online courses on preparing our (biological) children for the adoption of their brother, Noah Matthew Hopkins.

Grants

We have applied/are in the lengthy process of applying for two grants with the JSC Foundation and Show Hope.  Thank you to those that have agreed to be provide personal references or additional information for the agencies!

If we were to receive one or both of these grants it would make a very significant dent in the $5,000 we will be paying in the next few months.  We would certainly appreciate your prayers not specifically for us to receive the grants but for Noah as he continues to wait without a family in the orphanage.

Matthew 18:5 Anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf is welcoming me.

Presents!

Noah and Jian Shan's presents finally arrived at the orphanage.  Look how happy it made them both!

Some of our friends and family have asked about sending other packages-that is something only we can do because we are sponsor them thru Bethel China.  We would be glad to include your items in the shoe boxes we mail or take any donations toward the presents and/or shipping costs (roughly $23-29 each).  Thank you for the continued support and prayers!  

Please join us in praying for a family for Noah's friend, Jian Shan.  His paperwork is being completed so that he is available for adoption and we know he would be even happier with a family of his own.  Until then we are committed to sponsoring him monthly and we will continue to send him packages.

If you are interested in sponsoring a child, follow this link: http://www.wordpress.bethelchina.org/sponsor-a-child/ 

A Little Bit of History

For a few weeks I've been debating on whether to try to locate Noah's finding ad now or just wait and hope that the orphanage gives us a copy when we visit (we definitely plan to visit his orphanage).  

In my attempt to not count the days we are waiting for our LSC (letter seeking confirmation), I contacted www.Research-China.org.  Within 48 hours they were able to locate a copy of the finding ad (described as OK in quality), 28 photos of Noah, as well as a copy of his police report, and an online story from a Chinese newspaper that includes him.  

I also made an amazing connection this week with a woman who advocated online for Noah when he was an infant.  She, herself, adopted twin boys with albinism from the same town, same orphanage Noah is at. That's not even the best part-she lives a mere 20 minutes from us and I truly believe God is connecting us so that she can mentor to me (and hopefully we can become friends).  Stay tuned! :)

Happy Mid-Autumn Festival! 中秋快乐

The Mid-Autumn Festival started yesterday in China.  Its name comes from the fact that it is always celebrated in the middle of the season of autumn. The festival is held on the 15th day of the eighth month in the Chinese calendar, during a full moon.  The Mid-Autumn Festival is the second largest festival in China. 

We wanted to celebrate this holiday ourselves because we think it is important for our family to embrace Noah's heritage and culture just as we are learning to speak (or at least attempting) Mandarin Chinese.  So we enjoyed authentic Chinese food from a local restaurant and moon cakes brought over by a neighbor. 

The Moon Cake is the special food of Mid-Autumn Festival. Moon cakes come in various flavors according to the region. They are round, symbolizing the reunion of a family.  Nowadays, people present moon cakes to relatives and friends to demonstrate that they wish them a long and happy life.
This day is also known as the Moon Festival, as at that time of the year the moon is at its roundest and brightest.  On that day each year, people sacrifice moon cakes to the moon as an offering and eat them for celebration. 

Ella and Beckett really enjoyed trying the Chinese food and moon cakes.  I tried to explain the festival and significance.  They really got a kick out of the fact that Noah sees the same moon in the sky that we see each night.  We talk so much about how different his life is, what he doesn't have or can't do and I think we all appreciated the fact that it's the same moon whether he is in China or we are at home in the USA.  :)

Update: I forgot the most exciting part-check out the fortune...

LID! LID! LID!

The adoption agency just called to share more good news-our official LID (log in date) was yesterday!  We will now wait on the LSC (letter seeking confirmation) from CCAA.  Our agency predicted it will take 6-8 weeks to receive this next critical piece.  It will be mailed directly to us from China; we will sign two copies and return to our agency with a very large payment (read-more fundraising coming up). 


Thank you so much for the continued prayers for Noah.  We are now making an educated guess that the soonest we could travel to China to bring Noah home is mid January.  

Here's a new picture of our sweet boy being silly and trying on his friend's head band.

DTC! DTC! DTC!

We are officially DTC (dossier to China) as of today!  The completed dossier was scanned and uploaded to CCAA's database as well as the official hard copy mailed.  We will now wait on the LID (log in date).

We feel so blessed to have completed this portion of the adoption journey some refer to as the paperwork chase.  Please continue to pray with us for Noah-his safety, health and for his heart to be open to the idea of a forever family in us.  We think we will travel to China in roughly 4-5 months as long as our dossier is accepted/approved in a timely manner (in other words we still don't know).

Change One

One late night Pinterest session I stumbled across this awesome t-shirt.  I'm a big cheerleader for those that make their own things (because I can't correctly execute anything cute myself) and I believe in supporting others...especially when it comes to fundraisers.  All proceeds from the sale of these shirts will go towards the Bramlett's adoption expenses.  The shirts come in adult ($20) and children's ($15) sizes. 

I really have been meaning to share the link to the ChangeOneDesigns Etsy shop for a few weeks now.  I wear my shirt ALL the time (some of you can attest to that).

http://www.etsy.com/listing/159791110/womens-adoption-t-shirt?ref=sr_gallery_36&ga_search_query=adoption+shirt+&ga_order=most_relevant&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_ship_to=US&ga_page=4&ga_search_type=all

Allie and her husband will be adopting a child from China next year; they also have a blog you can follow their journey at http://thebramletthome.blogspot.com/ 

Matthew 25:40 The King will reply, I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brother of mine, you did for me.