three little letters

Today, we got our LID! We are officially Logged In with the CCCWA. This step makes it feel so incredibly real. We are going to China to get our boy, SOON!!! 

Just ten days ago, we were DTC, this is a big deal! Praising God for another miracle! 

Now, we wait for our LOA. Letter of Acceptance. 

Here is our timeline thus far: 

Saw our son                                                                    11/22/15

Filled out an application with Lifeline                           11/23/15

Accepted into the Lifeline Ch*na program                    11/30/15    

Filed our Letter of Intent                                                12/14/15  

Pre approval received                                                     12/22/15    

Homestudy finalized                                                       2/22/16   

i800a submitted                                                              2/22/16 

Fingerprint appointment notice                                      3/7/16     

Walked in for fingerprints                                              3/15/1

i800a approved / Medical Expedite granted                  3/15/16  

DTC (Dossier sent to China)                                         4/5/16  

LID  (Logged in Date)                                                  4/15/16  

LOA (Letter of Acceptance) 

i800 Submitted

i800 Approval 

GUZ #

Article 5 

TA (Travel Approval!) 

The average LOA wait is currently around 50 days. If we are granted medical expedite in Ch*na this will be about a week. God can completely pull this off. However, our agency has to approach this step differently than other agencies and must get a recommendation from the orphanage director himself on Paxton's behalf, which has never happened. Unfortunately, Thal kids don't "look sick"until it's too late. Please pray that we are able to remain patient and continue to trust he Lord and His timing. Pray that He will continue to sustain Paxton and that no organ damage will take place.

Once we receive LOA, our agency will hopefully be able to move mountains and get the remaining steps done at an incredibly fast rate. We are prayerful that we could travel in July or early August. 

July is fast. August is fast. That gives us 2-3 months for our remaining funds to be paid. About $18,000.00 It is crazy to type that number. But it's amazing to look back and see how He is allowed us to able to get to this point! He has provided in miraculous ways and we know that He is faithful!  

Two fundraisers for the month of May: 

May 6-7 Adoption Yard Sale! We would love your donations or your time if you'd like to volunteer. 

And 

We would be honored if you'd share both events with your friends and family. 

As always, we covet your prayers and are so incredibly thankful for your support!

Praise Party

Truly tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours." Matthew 11:23-24

From the start of our adoption Medical Expedite was something we have been praying for. With Paxton's blood disorder it is so important to get him home as soon as possible to get him healthy. This is something that US Immigration has really been cracking down on the past year. Unfortunately, some have taken advantage of the system and they are rare to come by these days....Especially with kids with Thal- who look healthy on the outside but are definitely not. I'm not going to lie, my heart was filled with so much doubt. I was even scared to pray for it because what if it didn't happen? 

I had to get peace in my heart knowing that if it wasn't granted, that God was still faithful and deserving of praise. That he would sustain Paxton and allow us travel at the perfect time He already has planned. If there is anything I know, it is that He is always in control and has purpose in everything. 

I started changing the way I prayed. The posture of my heart changed. 

I didn't ask God to grant the expedite, I thanked him for granting it. 

He reminded me that the Holy Spirit is alive in me and I can speak with authority over my obstacles. That he is more powerful than anything and that power is inside of me. 

On Saturday, March 12 we received our i800a (U.S. Immigration) fingerprint appointment notice. It had come about a week earlier than I expected it! This was what I had been waiting for in order to send the expedite request in. I sent the email Sunday, March 13. On March 14, I woke up to an email saying it had been denied. It stung. But I had hope knowing that this is a standard  email people receive before an officer is assigned to their case. I continued thanking and praising God for his power in moving the mountain in front of us. 

We headed down to Birmingham on Tuesday, March 15. Our appointment wasn't until the following week, but us adoption mommas go down ASAP because even a week saved is progress. =) This does however not always sit well with the Immigration office workers. Most of the time, people have to cry, beg, and plead and end up coming back hours later for their appointment. We walked in ten minutes after they opened and instantly noticed the vibe of the lady behind the desk. It was not a happy one. I was going over the game plan in head, clinching to Paxton's file in my hands. It was our turn and I started telling her why we had shown up early...before I knew it her whole demeanor changed and she started handing us our paperwork. I literally had no words. I expressed my gratitude to her and her response was, "I am here to serve you". We were in and out in about 45 minutes. Y'all, this was the holy spirit at work. We've prayed for favor over each step and the Lord has been so gracious to answer our prayers. 

Immediately after the appointment, I called to see if an officer had been assigned to our case letting them know our fingerprints were done and to plead my case. The answer was no and I was honestly too chicken to ask to speak with a supervisor. While my heart was so relived to have had such a great morning, my nerves were starting to kick in. I knew that today was would be the day we'd get our definite answer about the expedite. I decided to pray and let the Lord calm my heart. I called later that afternoon once we had gotten home. 

The lady on the other end, Officer K we will call her, informed me that we still didn't have an officer and that most people weren't assigned one until at least 30-45 days out at the moment. I asked her if I could speak with a supervisor and she said she'd be happy to take my call. I spilled it all. I told her how God had led us to our son, all about his medical condition, his labs, the Dr letters we had supporting our case, I shared my whole heart with her which if you know me, involved a few tears. ;) 

She was so gracious. She said that I could send my request again to her direct email and she would try to pass it up to the right chain of command. My heart immediately had a supernatural peace. We had prayed for this for months. For the Lord to let the right person be working and answer the phone when we called. For them to have a softened heart and be sensitive to our sons case. This is exactly what He had done. 

The next day, Wednesday March 16, Officer K called me back. She informed me that our request had been approved. I think I didn't say anything for a few seconds. My heart was in shock and I was overwhelmed with thankfulness and praise. I told her how much her kindness meant to us and that I would tell Paxton about her and the vital role she played in getting him home. I may have also told her I'd name my next child after her. =) 

In less than 24 hours, our request went from denied to approved. 

 God is magnificent; he can never be praised enough. There are no boundaries to his greatness.

Generation after generation stands in awe of your work; each one tells stories of your mighty acts. Your beauty and splendor have everyone talking; I compose songs on your wonders. Your marvelous doings are headline news; I could write a book full of the details of your greatness. The fame of your goodness spreads across the country; your righteousness is on everyone's lips. Psalm 145:3-7

He is so faithful. He moved our mountain, with ease. We are celebrating His goodness. If there is something you are praying for, speak His power over your situation. He is able!!!

So what does this means? It means that our U.S. Immigration (i800a) was approved instantly. We received our hardcopy letter in the mail today. The current wait for approval on non-expedites is over 60 days. It would be even longer since there are so many who have been waiting for so long. The Lord allowed us to bring Paxton home 60 days earlier! It also means we can apply for medical expedite with Ch*na Immigration. While I believe God is able, that is an entirely different situation, especially with our agency's rules. 

We should be sending our dossier to Ch*na this week or next!!! This is a huge milestone!!! 

Please continue to pray for Paxton, for his heath and his heart as he looks at our pictures. For the Lord to prepare our hearts and our children's hearts. 

For his foster family as they prepare to say goodbye. 

For favor in fundraising and grants. 

We have some fun fundraising events coming up that I will share soon! 

Love y'all! 

Trust

"Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken.....but as for me, I trust in you" Psalm 55:22-23

This verse has been in my heart all week and today showed up in the one year bible reading plan. 

A total God wink. 

The theme of my life right now is waiting. There are so many things about the future that I don't know how will play out. The Lord has revealed a lot in my heart that I needed to be aware and change. I've been in battle in my mind with so many things....

But I can feel my faith growing stronger and for that I am so grateful. Adoption has been the hardest thing I've walked through. It's so beautiful, but so hard. 

God's power is tangible and I am learning to walk in the holy spirit like never before.

 Lord, I trust in you. 

This week we had some unexpected generous donations days after sending Lifeline our biggest payment yet. We cannot tell you how grateful and encouraged we are by the people the Lord has put into our lives. We are so humbled by your love for our family. Thank you, thank you, thank you. 

Today, we received our immigration fingerprint appointment notice!

Our i800a was overnighted on February 22. So, so, so grateful! 

 It was such an unexpected gift. I had already accepted that it wouldn't arrive until next week. 

This means I can now send in our medical expedite request. PLEASE join with us in praying that it is granted. That the request reaches Brenda, I've been told she's the nicest officer, and that he heart is stirred. We are trusting that if it is not granted, that the Lord will continue to sustain Paxton and keep his organs free of iron overload. But this momma and daddy are doing everything in their power to bring our son home as soon as possible to get him healthy! 

You can also pray that our i800a (this includes the about fingerprints) is approved fast! There are several families who have been waiting over a month to get approval. Once we are approved, Lifeline can send our dossier (all of our paperwork thus far) to Ch*na. This is a huge step! We will be traveling to Birmingham sometime this week to complete our fingerprints. 

Thank you Lord for answered prayers and for always providing for your children. 

Thank you for following our journey. We love you and covet your prayers! 

waiting

                             

Psalm 127:13-14. 

This verse was in todays' one year bible reading plan. I DO remain confident. I KNOW I will see the goodness of the Lord. I have already seen His goodness. 

Wait for the Lord, I have that part down. I am waiting. Be strong and take heart...that's the part where I am currently struggling. 

I was telling a dear friend on Monday that I didn't realize how hard trust is until it's all in his hands and completely out of ours. Nothing about adoption is in my hands. Honestly, I just want something to control. I felt in control during home study. I filled out my forms like a boss. Seriously, it was type A awesome. I knocked out education requirements. I liked home study. 

Well, I did. We're still waiting for our home study to be finalized. I should be grateful, our social work has been amazing! We didn't even begin until right before Christmas and we've moved really fast. At the latest it should be finalized next week, but I am praying for this week! Either way, God has already moved mountains to get us to this point! 

Once our home study is finalized,  comes the expedite process. My heart has been so, so anxious. The what if's if we aren't granted expedite have been flooding my mind. 

I have not felt strong this week. I have felt weak, anxious, and weary. I don't like to admit those things, but I like to be an open book.

My heart knows that the Lord will sustain Paxton. That he has the very day and hour picked that we will have him in our arms. Every minute is planned and has a purpose. It's my head that's getting me into trouble.

I don't want these next few (or longer....) months spent waiting to be full of weakness, anxiousness, and weary. I know the Lord has specific things He still wants to teach me and show me during these times of waiting. I'm calling myself out- I have had trust issues this week. My weakness is showing. Weakness that I know the Lord can change.

The Lord reminded me today of all he did during a long season of waiting a few years ago.  We grew and learned so much during that time. He prepared us for this and for other things taking place. If we aren't prepared, he cannot accomplish his purpose through us.

Waiting is where the magic happens.

I don't like waiting, but I am glad that my eyes have been opened. My heart is changing and I am grateful. I don't want to miss the miracles the Lord is going to do in this season of waiting.

There is purpose in the waiting. I want to be prepared for what's to come. With Paxton and with the other unknowns of the future.

I cannot not avoid waiting, and I don't want to. I don't want to miss his purpose or what he is going to accomplish.

So I will be strong and take heart while I wait for the Lord.

Another one?

"Why do you want another?"

"Isn't three enough?"

"Do you want more kids?"

Do I want more kids?

The truth? Three is enough. Three is hard.  Three is exhausting. Last year, at one point of being in the throws of potty training, talking back, and disobedience...I didn't think I ever wanted more kids.

But God doesn't ask what I want.

I don't want more kids because I feel like our family isn't complete. I don't want more kids because I want an even amount of boys and girls....I don't want more kids because I think I can handle it, or because I think I'm supermom. I assure you, that is definitely not the case. (Although my sweet husband makes me think otherwise, God bless him. Seriously, God bless that man.)  I honestly don't know if I can handle it, not in my own weaknesses. I can't potty train another kid. I don't know if we can afford to send four to college. I don't know if we can afford to feed four teenagers. For those who feed my kids at church every Sunday, can I get an Amen?

It's not about what we can handle. It's about what HE can handle. God doesn't care about what I can handle. The saying, "He won't give you more than you can handle?" It makes me cringe. Because it's not biblical. (you will not be tempted without God providing a way of escape 1 Cor 10:13 is often misquoted. with temptation, we have a choice. with suffering, we don't)  It's a nice little saying, just not accurate. ;)

Adopting isn't about me. It's not about what I thought our family would look like like seven years ago. It's about saying yes to the path God has placed before us. It's about relying on His power in me to raise these children into brave, bold, followers of Christ.  I love Paxton as a mother. More importantly, I have the love of Christ for him.

I look around and wonder what will happen when we bring Paxton home. Will he grieve for weeks? Months? Years? Will he behave have trouble attaching to us? To our children? Will our older kids feel left out? Unloved? Will it take a toll on our marriage? I cannot let the fears of the what ifs stop me from bringing life and hope to the present.

I don't want to think about what I want anymore. I don't want to focus on what I can handle or what I can do on my own (which isn't much). The privilege of walking this path, it's overwhelming. It's terrifying. It's exhausting. It's humbling. It's exciting. It's thrilling. But the best part is seeing God work through it.

To see the Lord working and getting glorified through something you almost didn't say yes to because of fear? That feels me with immense joy. Seeing what he is able to do when I let go of myself- wow. The trust I have for my Father is grater than any fear I have.

That's why I want to add another child to our family.

Obedience is very simple; but it is not always easy.

Disclaimer- I am no English major. I tend to write like I talk, which isn't always so graceful.
So please give me grace for any errors. ;)

Kim

Happy Birthday Paxton!

Happy 2nd Birthday Paxton! 

Yesterday our sweet boy turned 2. 

We celebrated here in Alabama with chocolate cupcakes that these cuties helped make. 

They were so excited to celebrate their brother! 

Paxton celebrated in Ch*na with his own party! We were so blessed to be able to send him a birthday party complete with a cake, fruit, and juice boxes. Loved waking up to this handsome face in my email today! The Lord knows the exact times I need to receive them. 

All this for me?!?

Making a wish! 

 Let's eat! 

You can view a video of them singing happy birthday to him here: 

https://vimeo.com/152745477

password: keenan1

We were also able to send him a photo book with pictures of his family and a toy. Seriously, so blessed to be able to do this! We pray that as he looks at our pictures he is filled with joy and peace. That when we see him in what will hopefully be a few months (i say few to keep my sanity..) we will be familiar faces he is excited to see! 

Seeing my family for the first time! 

How many siblings am I going to have? ;)

You can view a video of him looking at his album here:

https://vimeo.com/152749624

password: keenan2

Paxton, 

You have no idea how much you are loved and longed for. We cannot wait to celebrate the rest of your birthdays with you! If you only knew what this year will hold for you. It's going to be a grand adventure.  God has an amazing plan for your life. We cannot wait!!! 

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

A smile

A huge answer to prayer!

We received our first update this week. My heart burst with joy as I opened the email and saw his handsome face! To have a piece of your heart on the other side of the world is hard. My trust in God has grown immensely. I find peace knowing that as much as we love Paxton, God loves him infinitely more. He has held him up until now and will continue to do so. 

That smile. 

That smile was an answer to prayer. To know that he feels joy. To see that he has a fun, safe place to play outside. To see that he has gained four pounds since his last file update, to know he isn't going hungry. To hear that he has been with his foster family for over a year- he knows what a family is and 

is having his emotional needs met also. Thank you, Lord. You are so incredibly good. 

Paxton has a blood disorder, Beta Thalaseemia Major. It is a genetic condition that prevents his body from producing enough hemoglobin and requires blood transfusions once every 3-4 weeks. The Major refers to the highest severity of the disorder. His numbers reported in the update were low, even lower than those shown when we first saw his file. This is life threatening. Ch*na doesn't have sufficient blood supply and he is not getting transfusions as often as he needs them. We need to get him home as soon as possible to get him the medical care he so desperately needs. 

This brings to me a huge prayer request. We will be appealing to US Immigration in the next few weeks to expedite his adoption. 

How you can begin to pray for the expedite process: 

1. We have obtained two expedite letters from doctors and would love to get one more- pray we are able to obtain that this week. 

2. For the workers and Dr.'s at the orphanage (he spends his days here away from his foster family) to agree that he needs to come home ASAP in order to improve his health. That they will not be insulted by our request. 

3. Our home study is almost complete and the next step is the I-800a process (approval from the US for us to go to Ch*na to adopt). Pray that we will be granted a same day appointment after we drive to Birmingham and beg, cry, and plead for one. ;) 

4. Once we receive our fingerprints, we can apply for expedite. This will be requested via email and then followed up with a phone call. PRAY that the person on the receiving end will be understanding and gracious of our request. PRAY that we will be granted the expedite. This can save us 1-3 months in the adoption process!

Additional prayer requests: 

1. Please pray that Paxton will receive a transfusion soon and for his hemoglobin levels to rise!

2. That our home study will be finalized by the end of the week. 

3. For our fundraising goals to be met. We will prayerfully be bringing him home even sooner and that means less time to save, receive grants, etc. We know that God has called us to this moment and that He will provide! 

Pray is powerful. 

 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.

Hebrews 10:23

Love y'all!