Another Step Closer

I was so excited to get our USCIS I-800A approval today. We went in early to get our fingerprints which cut about 3-4 weeks off our wait. Now our agency will get all our documents authenticated and then we will be DTC (Dossier to China) in a couple weeks. There is a possibility that we could travel to China as early as March. Then again there could be unexpected delays which often pop up along the way when you are adopting.

I have been picking up clothes for Jacob here and there. I scored at one yard sale and got 12 pairs of shorts, three tank tops, a pair of jeans, and button up sweatshirt all for only $5. I am guessing that Jacob is just starting to fit in to size 4T based on his weight of 33 lbs and his height of 39 inches. Does this seem accurate to any moms out there with kids of a similar size?

Tomorrow night there is going to be a special on the PBS Point of View show about adoption from China. The show will be following the journey of an American family adopting an eight year old girl from China. The show will be airing at 10:00 or 10:30 in most areas and you can see a clip at the link here.

Here is what is written about the show.

Synopsis

What is it like to be torn from your Chinese foster family, put on a plane with strangers and wake up in a new country, family and culture? Stephanie Wang-Breal’s Wo Ai Ni (I Love You) Mommy is the story of Fang Sui Yong, an 8-year-old orphan, and the Sadowskys, the Long Island Jewish family that travels to China to adopt her. Sui Yong is one of 70,000 Chinese children now being raised in the United States. Through her eyes, we witness her struggle with a new identity as she transforms from a timid child into someone that no one — neither her new family nor she — could have imagined. A co-production of American Documentary/POV and the Diverse Voices Project, presented in association with the Center for Asian American Media, with funding provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. (90 minutes)c

My Hero: George Mueller

I recently read an incredibly inspiring biography about George Mueller. He was a man who lived during the 1800's in Bristol, England. At that time, there were many orphans who wandered the streets with no place to live and no one to care for them. The few orphanages available to children required payment from family members to cover the care of the orphan. If an orphan child had no money, then there was no place for him or her to go.

George was moved by the plight of the orphans in his city and he set out to do something about the situation. Though he barely had enough food or money for his own family, George started a "Breakfast Club" for orphaned children. The club started out with 30 orphans and eventually evolved into five large houses that ultimately cared for over ten thousand children.

George Mueller trusted in God to provide everything the orphans needed and God never let him down. George believed that he did not need to ask others for money to provide for the many children in his care and that God alone should move people's hearts to donate the funds needed. George Mueller possessed a faith and trust in God that has rarely been seen.

George Mueller's autobiography has inspired me so much and that is why I now call him one of my heroes. I have included a short story below about one of the many times God provided for the orphans of Bristol. I highly recommend the book above or any book about George Mueller. The book above is a great book to read to children. Isaiah especially enjoyed having this read to him.

"Things weren't looking good for the children of George Mueller's orphanage. It was time for breakfast, and there was no food in the whole house. A young girl whose father was a close friend of George was visiting the home. George took her hand and said, "Come and see what our Father will do." Long tables were set with empty plates and empty mugs in the dining room. Not only was there no food in the kitchen, but there was no money in the home's account.
Mueller prayed, "Dear Father, we thank Thee for what Thou art going to give us to eat." Immediately, they heard a knock at the door. When they opened it, there stood the local baker. "Mr. Mueller," he said, "I couldn't sleep last night. Somehow I felt you had no bread for breakfast, so I got up at 2 o'clock and baked fresh bread. Here it is." Mueller thanked him and gave praise to God. Soon, a second knock was heard at the door. This time it was the milkman. His cart had broken down in front of the orphanage and he needed to unload all the milk before he would be able to take his cart to be fixed. He said that before the milk spoiled, he would like to give it to the children." He wondered if they would be able to use it. Where there had been no food in the home only a few minutes before, now the children had fresh bread and milk to fill their stomachs. This was just one of many instances where God provided for the children at the orphanage just in the nick of time. At no time during George Mueller's life did the children at his orphanage go cold or hungry thanks to God always providing what they needed.

Special Needs Adoption

We are big proponents of adopting children with special needs since Isaiah, Susu, and Jacob were all listed as having special needs. Jacob's special need is club feet, missing toes, and a missing bone in one of his feet. His treatment will require some specialized care.

You may be wondering how we can afford to adopt a child with special needs who will most certainly need expensive medical treatment. We have done our research and found that Shriner's Hospital will provide the specialized orthopedic surgery and treatment that Jacob will need free of charge. He will also be covered under my husband's insurance as soon as he is adopted. There are a couple of organizations in our state that can help with medical expenses for children with special medical needs as well. Sometimes all it takes is a little bit of searching on the internet to find people or organizations that are willing to help.

My husband and I actually met volunteering at a Shriners Orthopedic Hospital in Kentucky so it is rather ironic that we will be going back to a Shriners Hospital to get treatment for our son. We are definitely blessed to live in the United States where there are many organizations that help out families who have children with special needs.

Our New Son

A new adoption journey and a new blog to go along with it. Last month we sent in our Letter of Intent requesting permission to adopt a three year old little boy from China. We had read about him on the Love Without Boundaries blog here. Our daughter Susu was sponsored by Love Without Boundaries so we have a special place in our hearts for all the children sponsored by this wonderful organization. Ten days later we got the very exciting news that China had granted us pre-approval to adopt and we shared the news with family and friends that we have a new son waiting for us in China. This will be our third adoption and second adoption from China. Our first son Isaiah was adopted from our home state.

The last five weeks have involved lots of paperwork, updating our homestudy from three years ago, gathering documents, and going to get fingerprints. We are now just waiting on our USCIS approval and then we will have everything our agency requires before we send our dossier to China. We hope to travel some time between February and May of 2011. We will be naming our new son Jacob and keeping his Chinese name for his middle name. Our whole family will be going to China which will be quite an adventure!