Two big steps forward :-)

Our I797C (permission to immigrate Yan to the US) came in today's mail! It's amazing how innocuous that one piece of paper looks, and yet how critical it is to the whole process. Since it's Saturday afternoon, we'll have to wait until Monday before we can notarize, certify, authenticate, etc.

Meanwhile, all of our other key Dossier documents made it through the authentication process and made it back here on 4/15. It took us aback a bit to see Hillary Rodham Clinton's signature on each document (she's the Secretary of State). It took 96 zeroxes and over an hour to collate everything, but the originals and a complete set of zeroxes are now at our adoption agency for a checkover. When the authenticated I797C catches up with them, and all are approved, the Dossier gets to go to China for review!

Slowww but great progress :-).

New Info and Pictures from China!!

Yesterday we received some new information and 5 new photos of Yan. :-) How precious! The information (brief but wonderful to receive) says that Yan is now 39" tall, weighs 33#, can now run and jump, is curious about everything, loves playing with blocks and action figures, likes games, and likes to go outside to play. They mentioned liking to play outside twice, which is great since we live on a small farm in hiking/skiing/biking country in Montana :-).



There was no new medical information. Yan has a high risk of glaucoma in his Port Wine Stain covered eye, and a few other complications, but judging by his smiles in the photos, he's doing okay right now, which is just wonderful to see. Please keep his physical and emotional health in prayer? Thanks!

Starts and Stops in Paperwork

The incredible levels of paperwork and hoops needed for an international adoption continue to astound me. It’s amazing so many international adoptions are ever completed! ;-D We have completed three domestic adoptions. No comparison!!

Now that the Immigration paperwork (called an I800A) is off (just received acknowledgement on day 15), we are hard at work compiling the Dossier. When 3 of 11 documents sent to our state’s capital were rejected, we got a crash course in how notaries are supposed to notarize documents. :-} The corrected documents were sent again, and arrived a few days later. I then zeroxed, compiled, and sent 12 documents to the US Dept of State in Washington, DC for authentication on 3/25/09. Then they’ll (hopefully) be forwarded over to the Chinese Embassy in Washington, DC for authentication by them. Then back to us, so we can send them to our adoption agency and be certain they’re ready and in compliance for travel to China. They can’t actually travel to China UNTIL we get the proper piece of paper from Immigration (and then notarize it, certify it and doubly authenticate it also!). And we can’t get that proper piece of paper until we get fingerprinted in our state’s capital. And we can’t go get fingerprinted until Immigration makes an appointment for us. More hoops!

I estimate we have now filled out some 165 pages, and zeroxed another 263 pages! The postman at our local post office now knows me by sight :-}, and is rooting for the adoption too ;-D (he commented I was in there an awful lots these days!). We have lots more pages to go yet.

And so we persist as rapidly and accurately as we can… PTL we have an adoption agency that helps us so much!

Fundraising Time

It is fundraising time now, since most of the costs of the adoption will be due before the Dossier is logged (sent to China). Travel costs will come later. Since we’re trying to speed the whole process along, we won’t be doing much (if any) of some of the fundraising ideas of hosting events, garage sales, auctions, crafts, etc.

There are some wonderful organizations that give grants and interest-free loans to some applicants. Surprise… each of those has extensive paperwork involved also ;-D. We have applied for 2 grants (received one so far!), and one adoption loan. Shepherd’s Crook has also generously agreed to give of their time and effort in setting up a donation account for “Guan Yan” so anyone who feels led to may make a tax-deductible donation (see side bar). And we’re exploring equity loans. The IRS has a wonderful adoption tax credit for expenses of up to $12,150 (if the adoption is completed this year). That is only a credit against the taxes you owe… so it’ll be over 5 years before we get that back, but what a blessing to be able to pay a loan with!

Fundraising is another whole area that we never had to deal with in our domestic adoptions. When a couple are foster parents and adopt from their, or another state’s, foster care system, there are virtually no adoption costs involved. Or you can probably get them back as a tax credit within one year. International adoptions seem to run from $19,000 to $30,000 from all I hear. Yan’s adoption will probably reach $27,000 as nearly as I can figure right now, in part due to higher legal expenses, and a higher, mandated orphanage donation. Who gets all that money??!! Here’s a quick breakdown for those who are interested:

Homestudy........................$2000
Agency Application...............$ 200
Dossier Filing fee...............$2795
Agency Fee.......................$5360 (we got a $3000 agency grant towards this one!)
Translator in China..............$ 0 (included in agency fee)
Bkgrd checks, certificates.......$ 110
Immigration fees.................$ 830
Orphanage Donation...............$5000 (this is non-optional in China)
Notarizing, Authenticating.......$ 700
Travel (estimated)...............$5000
visas/passports..................$ 110
10hrs Hague required training....$ 170
Legal fees.......................$3000
caregiver while in China.........$1000
Post Placement visits............$ 750
.................................=====
Estimated Total.................$27025

Our Homestudy agency is local (did the homestudy and will do the required three post placement visits), while our International Adoption Agency is out of state.

THANK YOU to Shepherd’s Crook, our agency, and all of our dear friends who filled out and mailed in references!! :-) This adoption ends up needing a lot of people involved! But again, prayers are our number one need. Thanks!

New Picture!

Thank you, thank you, Julie, for taking the time while in China adopting your own new daughter to take photos for other families-in-waiting :-). To see such a big smile on Yan's face is such a relief. He seems to be doing well right now! It makes the longggg wait til we can go get him a little easier.

He's showing us all that he is four years old now.

Some Measurable Progress!

After seemingly endless delays waiting for various pieces of paperwork to converge at our mailbox, the I800A Immigration paperwork is not only mailed off, but was received by the Chicago office yesterday only 18 hours after mailing it! :-) We're praying for a quick acknowledgement, and will then be able to request expedition so we can get the precious permission piece of paper that needs to be part of the Dossier ASAP. And the Dossier needs to go to China and be translated and accepted before we can get permission to travel.

We will be starting the Dossier paperwork on its tedious pre-China path tomorrow. Most of the papers that make up the Dossier need to be notarized, then shipped to our State office for certification (that the notaries are valid), then we get them back, then they go to Washington, DC for certification by the US Dept of State, then we get them back. Then they go to the Chinese Embassey in Washington, DC for some other stamp of approval. Whew! Then when the vital piece of paper from Immigration arrives here... we'll try to express that through the entire certification process. THEN we can send all to our adoption agency for checking over and sending off to China. What a process!

Progress will now be measurable by mail deliveries at this stage. ;-D THANKS to all who are keeping this whole process in prayer!!

Hang in there, Yan!

My heart is just aching tonight for the little ones that are true orphans in this world, who see their peers go to new forever families, and who are left behind over and over again.

Does Yan yet comprehend that one particular family is trying to give him his turn? Will he fully understand it before we meet? When we meet? Does he WANT to be adopted by us? How hard to talk to someone from a whole different language and culture!

And what of the other older children left behind? It'll be so hard for me to leave them there. It already is. If we can touch the heart of even ONE family to make room in the hearts and home for "one more", what a blessing :-).

And so we pray that God continues to open doors, all in His timing, for Yan to be adopted into a loving home... whether ours or someone elses. And that he use us to help other children as well.