China Adoption Update March 2010

Some of you who may be new to reading our blog may not realize that we have been in the process for three years now adopting a child from China. We started early in 2007. At that time, the wait was 18 months. But, due to a series of unforeseen events and some things that are still a mystery to me, the wait has jumped from 18 months in three years to 46 months. Even with three years behinds us, that means that it will still be another year before we would travel to China to get our child. In the past few months we have began to consider being open to a child with a minor or correctable special need from the waiting child list. In our last home study update, we had it amended to include being open to children of this type, so we've partially laid the groundwork. We have had contact over the past year or so with multiple individuals who have had successful experiences with adopting a child with a small need like this, and we've began looking at this list a little more seriously in the past weeks. We still believe that everything is in God's timing, and are really in no hurry, but we have began to lose faith in the process which at one time was one of the most predictable and stable of all of the international programs. Sharon and I are both getting way too close to 40, and with Nathan turning 7 this year, a sibling relationship in which they would be close in age is looking less likely.

To add "expense to injury" the long wait has caused us to have to update our immigration paperwork once again. The first renewal only costs us our home study fees, but the second update (what this would be) is not, meaning this will cost us twice as much. Overall, after all of the updates and cost increases that were unexpected, we look to be paying about $5000 more than what we originally budgeted. So, there's another faith step in this for us, that being trusting in the Lord to provide financially for us.

This Tuesday we'll be planning on attending an online webinar about the waiting child program to help us understand that process a bit better. Thanks to everyone who are praying for us, and we asked your continued prayers as we have some decisions to make and some financial hurdles in getting there.