Here We Are

We flew into Beijing at about 3pm on Thursday the 22nd. After being up for almost 30 hours and a 13 hour flight, we were exhausted. Met a few of the other couples and then disappeared to our rooms. Up at 3 am on Friday morning and ready to go. Had a good breakfast then at 9am we were off. Stopped a few smaller shops then we went to the Forbidden City. What a place. Had no idea of how big it really was. We only saw a small portion of it and we were there about 2 hours. There were droves of people. Too many for us. We enjoyed it and were amazed at the building and designs. Then, it was across the street to Tiananmen's Square. Spent a brief amount of time there. Interesting to see it. By then most of us were tired so we went for a bite to eat and then back to the hotel. Slept better the 2nd night but, we were up at 4am this time. Waited for breakfast and then it was off to a jade factory. Beautiful work, skilled people. Then, we all went to the great wall. That was neat. More people there than I could count. We climbed hundreds of steps and are feeling the effects yet today. The smog was terrible in Beijing and made it difficult. You can see that in the pictures. It isn't a haze but smog. Later on in the day, we went to Olympic Village. We the water cube and the birds nest. That was fun. Jennifer and a few of the other ladies stayed in the bus and talked. Again, we were exhausted but wanted to see it. What a place. Then, it was off for supper and then back to the rooms. Slept better, but up at 5 am this time. Each night is getting better. Today, we flew here to Zhengzhou. Staying at a beautiful hotel. 5 stars plus. Marble, columns, everywhere you look. Free internet so that is great. We are getting prepared for tomorrow. We are all meeting at 9:30 am and then it is off to the Civil Affairs office. We, along with most of the other families, will then pick up Lily-an. It will be a busy 2 days with a lot of paperwork to finish. Friday we head out. At least Thursday and Friday are two days we will be able to rest from the busyness of paperwork. We will get that much needed quality time with Lily-an. Tomorrow will be a big day. Will post an update soon with photo's of Lily-an. It maybe a bit overwhelming but bare with us, the updates may be delayed over the next few days. Check out the photo's from Beijing. Until next time everyone.

Update from Beijing

The smog is terrible here. The traffic/people and everything going on seems a little overwhelming right now. Yesterday, we left at 9am and did not get back until 7pm. I think we were in bed by 8. A lot of walking. The vendors are persistant. Today it is off to the Great Wall. I think I will send an email with attachments tomorrow morning before we leave for Henan for an update. All is good. Sleep schedule is screwed up but we are getting "some" good sleep. Just don't like waking up at 3am. Makes for a long day.

Made It!

Well, as you can see we made it. Everything is Great!!! We are getting ready to leave in a few minutes for all day touring. The blog is blocked so we are unable to post it our selves. So we are sending Roy an email with attachments to post. Better go. Talk to you all later.

Mike and Jennifer

P.S. updates may be delayed so check the blog every few days.

Home Stretch

Well, it's finally here. We leave for Chicago tomorrow morning to catch our plane to China tomorrow afternoon! It feels like we should have a lot more to do to actually get ready to make such a big trip, but everything is pretty much done. We managed to get the majority of our packing done last night. All we have left is to throw in the last minute essential stuff. Of course I didn't get to clean the house from top to bottom exactly like I wanted to, but oh well, it will still be here waiting to be cleaned when I get home. The dishes and laundry are done at least, and the fridge is empty so we don't have to worry about growing anything weird while we are gone:-)
So today the big thing on our list is going to the bank. The big thing on my list is getting a massage! I know I really need to relax.
The crazy thing is, that in spite of the place we are actually standing today - I am still facing the monster of fear and doubt. Until going through this whole process I never really understood how deep my fear and mistrust of God ran and still runs. Even after all of the love and good things God has shown us along this journey I am still afraid that He is going to leave me hanging at the last minute - that He won't keep His promises - that He doesn't love me. My brain knows that none of those things are true - I know that God is faithful and true and He keeps every promise. I know that He loves me so much that He sent His only son to die on the cross for me. Mostly, I can't get my head around that kind of love, and all I know is I certainly haven't earned it and don't deserve it.
So the truth be told, I am a little shaky and fragile today, but pointing out the monster is half the battle in overcoming it. I am determined to let go of the reins because God is not going to steer us wrong now. God called us to this very day over four years ago and His word says it best:

1 Thessalonians 5:24
"The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it."

Stay tuned! Hopefully the next update we make is from the other side of the world!!!:-)

Jennifer

One Week From Today

This time next week we will be in the air and on our way to China! I can hardly believe it's here already. How can that be after waiting so long and so impatiently that now things are moving too fast?! Don't get me wrong, I can't wait to meet our daughter and hold her in my arms. I am just wondering what exactly we spent the last 3 1/2 years doing because we still have a million things to get done before we leave. The problem is that people keep asking me what we need or need help with and I have no idea!!! My mind is full and empty at the same time if that's possible. I think my hard drive is locked up:-) You know - the little hour glass symbol is spinning and spinning and nothing is happening. I am hoping that I can get a grip by this weekend, that once I'm done with work on Friday the cobwebs will clear.
Going shopping for travel supplies tonight I think. Off to find my husband right now and get a move on!

We're going to China!!

Can't believe I haven't updated this since Sept.! Found out yesterday that we do indeed have other families in our travel group. Yay! Looking forward to meeting them and their children and hearing their stories. So much to do - so little time now! Back to work for the moment - trying to get a million things finished before we leave, but having a hard time concetrating:-)

Jennifer

Moving Forward

One step closer! We got our fingerprints done and approved last Wednesday and while we were there we were able to put in a request for them to expedite the paperwork. Because the final piece of paper we need before we can get our travel dates is the all important I-171H which is issued at a later date - basically whenever immigration gets around to it. The way things were trending with our local office, it was taking 3+ months for them to process the I-171H after fingerprints.
After almost a week of not hearing anything back about the expediting process we decided enough was enough and called our congressman. That was on Wednesday and they said we would have a call back yesterday, which we did not get, so Mike called again today, but the lady was out of the office. With in 15 minutes of him leaving a message for her we received a call directly from the head "Orphan Officer" in our local immigration office. He just needed to verify that we had indeed paid for our processing fee and he said he would be processing our paperwork this afternoon or Monday! That should put the I-171H in our hands sometime early next week. Yeah! As long as we get that by next Friday our agency said we will most likely be traveling Oct. 14th. We will be traveling with a group of 8 other families as it stands right now.
A few more days of wait and see, but we are so much closer now! What a difference a day makes. I was pretty down yesterday about the lack of answers and just frustrated with the whole system. But I guess if we didn't have all of these delays and discouragements along the way there wouldn't be any reason for God to show up. And show up He has all along the way. So many times I didn't think I could go another day, and He would show up with exactly what I needed to keep moving forward.
When I chose the name of this blog I did not have any idea how accurate it would be. We have had to walk by faith every step of the way, never knowing timelines, resources, who, how, where, or why. All I can say is every single step has been worth it. Painful, uncomfortable, scary, crazy, exciting, wonderful and horrible all at once. I wouldn't change a single minute of the last 3 1/2 years.
Thanks so much for all of the prayers they have helped to get us this far. Don't quit now - we still need all of the prayers we can get. Tune in next week!:-)

From a Fathers Perspective

It has been a long time since I last posted. Probably too long. It's kind of hard to post on a blog when there is really nothing new to report. As you can see (read), a lot has changed. It has changed fast, it has changed scary, it has just changed and I don't think I want it to go back. Really, take a hard look at everything that has happened in the last 4-6 weeks of our lives. The emotional toll, the physical, the uneasiness, the highs and lows and everything else. All for a child that so wants a family, she just doesn't realize it yet. And, for a couple in the middle of Wisconsin that so desperately wants children. Hell, one would be enough. Just to experience the joys, the downs, the excitement of a child. A dream that is coming true. Oh, to be a dad. To hear "Daddy". What more is there in life than that. Really, when it comes down to it, does anything else really matter? No, but don't get me wrong. There are a lot of things that do matter and I probably can't put my finger on everyone, but are they really that important as raising a child? I am kind of the salty and crusty kind of guy. I have this hard outer shell that is really tough to get through. Well, that is what I am told. I look at my past and things that have happened to me and the things I have done and it all makes sense. I think this little girl is cracking the shell and we don't even have her in our arms yet. God works in such mysterious ways and I don't have a clue as to what they are. Jennifer and I were given a rare gift last week from our agency. They sent us a link of 5 videos of Lily that were taken on Sept 1. This is just something that doesn't happen that often from what we understand. Talk about heart wrenching. First, let me say this out of love to all, but don't ask to see them. Jennifer and I decided that they will remain with us to view with Lily when the time is appropriate. It is something we feel is best. Don't worry, there will be plenty of video and pictures when we get her. Some we will share, some we won't until Lily has viewed them first when the time is right. God gave us a confirmation that day. It is all coming together now. It has taken almost 4 years but it finally coming together. You look into her eyes and you see the soul, her spirit. There is so much life in those eyes. It will be my responsibility as a father for her to live her life and do what I can for her. To care, to nurture, to teach her, to raise her to love the Lord God. Most fathers don't realize the responsibility but it is one that we have. Of course there is the responsibility of the parents to raise a child together and that is all good and well, but, there is a responsibility of the father for raising a child. Some people may not agree with that, but it is true. I have no clue how to raise a daughter but I think I will be learning everyday. I don't even know how to change a diaper-that is the first day. There is so much life in those eyes. To bring you home. To be able to give you a good life. To be able to help you live your dreams. To give you the necessities of life: food, shelter and clothing. To share our Love with you. See you off on your first day of school, high school, college. Walking you down the aisle for your own wedding. To be able to experience that with you and everything in between. To be there for the down times in your life. We will always be there. We will not be perfect parents. That is impossible. But, we will try to do our best. That is our promise. You will hate us at times, you will love us most of the time, and then there will be those times when..... Just so you know, you have a place that will always be there. That will never change. We hope and pray that Lily will build her life on that same Rock as we have. The Rock of Christ. Having children is one of the greatest gifts God can ever give a couple. It isn't the top, but it is up there. We have experienced the greatest gift and that was the gift of life that was given through the death of Jesus on the cross, the gift of eternal life. That is the best. Now we get to experience some of the other gifts. Soon we will be bringing Lily home. Lord, we completely and fully trust you with everything that is going on. With the fingerprinting, with the travel arrangements, with the financial burdens, everything. You are in control. You have not let us down through this process. Yes, you have been there and everything has worked out for good. We may not have liked it, or not have expected it a certain way, but it has always worked out. Your way has been the best, I see it now more clearly than before when I look into Lily's eyes. I see so much more clearly now. You have put a face, a life, to everything that has been going on for the last 5 years. You have answered our prayers. We see it now, we see it now. Praise you Father, praise you. You are good. Yes, you are good. Thank you for everything your are doing and everything you have done. Protect Lily Father God, keep her in your arms until we can have her in ours. Let her know we are coming soon. We will not quit. We are coming. We will be there soon. Keep her safe Lord. Thank you Lord! All this, from my perspective which is blurred sometimes and then it is crystal clear. The love, the emotion, the sacrifice, the late nights. Whatever it is, it will all be worth it. Oh, to be a dad. A dream, a promise, a journey that is ending and another that is just beginning. To hear, Daddy...........

Pray Hard!

We need everyones prayers this week! Wednesday is our fingerprinting appointment with immigration. First of all pray that our prints will be accepted - their machines can be very fussy if you have the tiniest cut or nick on your finger pad your prints can be rejected. Second of all pray that we can get through to someone who can get us the piece of paper we need (the I-171H) immediately or as close to immediately as possible. The way this works normally is that the prints are sent electronically to the FBI and the FBI responds back electronically approving or denying our prints. The actual approval or denial happens very quickly. Then the approval notice sits on someone's desk at our Milwaukee immigration office until they get around to generating the the piece of paper that is the I-171H, that states that yes we are cleared and approved. THAT IS ALL WE NEED!!!! That single piece of paper and we are on our way to China! So pray hard for the people in the immigration office, that the right person at the right time would be available to us and have a heart soft to our situation. Jennifer

And the Wait Goes On

Just waiting now for our fingerprint appointment scheduled for September 9th. Found out today that we may be able to get in earlier than that, but will have to wait and see. It also sounds like we will be able to secure our I-171H quicker than we first thought so that is good news too. There is even a remote possibility that we could still travel sometime in September! What a roller coaster!
Other than that we are busy finishing all of our remodeling projects. Alisha and Josh came down this weekend and helped us gut the bathroom and replace the tub and sink. Alisha painted Lily's room for me - it looks much more like a bedroom now that the new sink and tub are out of there and where they belong:-) Thanks guys, you are awesome!! Mike spent the day working on the ceramic tile surround. Looks like it will probably take him another couple of days, but it is looking good.

It's Officially Official!!!

We were supposed to be packing to leave for a weekend of camping this morning, but nothing was going right. Our week had been crazy busy and we hadn't had a chance to look at any of our camping supplies or get any groceries and on top of that a huge wall of rain was beginning its march across the state. Mike in particular had been looking forward to this weekend since early this spring. It was not just camping, but a car show and camping! Plus, Oscar is still recovering from his surgery. And I have tons, and tons of work in the shop. And Mike has a car he has to get finished for a customer. And Mike got paged out for an EMS call at 8:00 a.m. Get the idea?

So after grumbling to each other about how much both of us wanted to get away but nothing was going according to plan, we decided to call it off. Sleeping in a soggy tent didn't sound like fun to either one of us. I tried to cheer Mike up by saying "Maybe God has a really good reason He wants us to stay home."

About an hour later I check our email and we had an email from our agency saying they had received our LOA or "Letter of Acceptance" from China. They wanted to know if they could Fed Ex us the paperwork so we could get it and sign it tomorrow. They also said they expect us to travel in the next 4-6 weeks!!!!!

The countdown is on! I think once China gets our signed LOA, then they issue our travel dates. Please keep us in your prayers! We still have to get our fingerprints done, and you know how government agencies can be. So much to do and suddenly we have so little time, but we couldn't be happier:-)

Lily-an's Name

I just realized that Mike didn't update the whole story on how we came to the name Lily-an. As he stated, her name came to me in a dream early last July. I had a dream that I was holding our daughter and calling her by name. Then I actually had to write her name down in the dream, which was rather odd and memorable, how often do you write something in a dream? The name I was saying and wrote down was Lillian. I didn't share the dream with Mike right away. I just kind of tucked it away. At that particular time I was struggling to keep my hope and faith alive. I didn't want to share it right away because I was afraid Mike might not like the name and that it would dash the little piece of hope I was hanging onto, that the dream was God's little burst of encouragement to me. But the next Sunday after the dream I just felt God urging me to share the name with Mike. So during the middle of the service I whispered to him "I think I know our baby's name" and passed him a slip of paper with Lily-an written on in. We had both discussed that we would like to give our child an authentic Chinese name. Lillian was not very Chinese:-) So I changed the spelling to Lily-an. At this point, however, I had no idea what the Chinese ending "an" meant. Flowers are very symbolic in Chinese culture, but I didn't know the particulars on the lily either.
Needless to say Mike liked the name. So after church I got out my Chinese name book and started looking up the meanings. I decided to choose a Chinese symbol to represent Lily. There were many types of lilies that had different meanings, but I settled on the Morning Star Lily which symbolizes strength and determination. "an" can mean either peace or white and I thought those were both appropriate as well. Then comes the kicker. I wanted to know what a Morningstar Lily looked like (the gardener in me) so I Googled Morningstar Lily. But instead of a bunch of horticultural websites, the first listing was a Chinese name. You can't imagine the goose bumps I felt when I opened the page.

http://www.guanweixing.com/ychildgal2/ymshandandan.htm

The second listing was also a Chinese name. All I could think of after I listened to the song called "Morningstar Lily" is that God just gave me a glimpse of our daughter's personality. Light and full of joy.

http://www.last.fm/music/Lei+Qiang/_/Morning+Star+Lily

After going through some of the darkest days of this wait, that dream and those two websites confirmed in my heart that God still had his hand in all of this. Now we had a name, and I remember telling Mike that maybe this means our daughter has been born. When I had that dream Xiao Hua would have been about two weeks old.
It is incredible to look back and see how perfectly God has directed every part of this journey.

At Long Last!

The update everyone has been waiting for! We have been matched with a darling 13 month old little girl. Her Chinese name is Xiao Hua. We have had her American name picked out for over a year now (see previous post). It is such a blessing to finally be able to put a face with her name - Lily-an. Her Chinese name actually means "little flower", God's signature on what has truly been a remarkable journey!
Now a little more waiting must take place before we can finally bring her home. It will be two to three months before we will travel to pick her up. Right now we are waiting to get our fingerprints taken for the 3rd and final time (thank goodness). After that is completed we will just be waiting for our travel date assignment.
It is truly difficult to express the jumble of feelings that we are both going through right now. Of course joy and excitement, but also a surreal disbelief that this is finally, really going to happen! Suddenly so many things to do and so little time! We were not expecting to be matched with Lily, we thought she had already been matched with another family, so we were surprised when our agency contacted us to see if we wanted to look at her file. We were prepared to continue waiting into sometime next year according to all of the wait time lines.
But God had a different plan, and when God puts a plan in motion nothing can stand in His way. Many of you have witnessed and shared our struggles through this time. Now we have a testimony to give. This is the what we have been waiting for, more importantly, WHO we have been waiting for. We are so glad God gave us the strength to persevere. All of the tears, anger, discouragement, and frustration were worth it. He has proven Himself faithful and true. We know the truth in our hearts of Philippians 4:6,7 which reads:

"Do not worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, that surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus."

We cannot claim to have carried out God's instructions perfectly. There were many, many days of worrying and thinking that God must not be hearing our prayers. But God fortified us with just enough faith along the way, that no matter how long the wait was dragging out, or how hopeless and endless it seemed, He had a good plan and a good purpose if we would just hang in there.
Now we know the peace of God. The peace that God has given us confirms in our hearts that Lily-an Xiao Hua is indeed the daughter He promised. We are also confident that whatever needs she may have, He will give us the wisdom, strength, and ability to provide for her.
We would just ask for your continue prayers. We will hopefully be making more frequent updates as we get closer to travel time.

It's Christmas, but still waiting

It is Christmas day now and still in the same spot as before. Really don't know anything except they are slowly moving along doing matches. We do know they have matched through the 3rd week of February 2006. At least they are in 2006. However, March 2006 was an extremely busy month with large numbers of dossiers coming into the Chinese gov't. Whatever it is, we are moving along. The only really bad thing to come out of this is that we will need to be fingerprinted again, and this time we will have to pay for it to the tune of $750.00.
On another note; it is Christmas 2008 and we are waiting still. Both Jennifer and I are at peace with it at least but still waiting is difficult. We know it is close but it is like you can not touch it, just out of your grasp. We just keep reminding ourselves that God is in control. We figure this child he has for us will be something very special for us. As I reflect through this Christmas season I keep coming back to a part of scripture in the book of Luke Chapter 2. This is what it says:

Simeon Sees God’s Salvation

25 And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. 27 So he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when the parents brought in the Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the law, 28 he took Him up in his arms and blessed God and said:
29 “ Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace,
According to Your word;
30 For my eyes have seen Your salvation
31 Which You have prepared before the face of all peoples,
32 A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles,
And the glory of Your people Israel.”

33 And Joseph and His mother[a] marveled at those things which were spoken of Him. 34 Then Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary His mother, “Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against 35 (yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”


When you read this, your first thought maybe, what does this have to do with waiting or Christmas or whatever. Well, first, it has to do with hope and a lot of it. Read it again. You see Simeon was told by the Lord that he would not see death until he saw the Christ child. Some scholars estimate that Simeon could have been 200 years old when he saw the Christ child. How many years do think he had to wait to see the Christ child so he could die and go to heaven to be with the Lord. Every time he went to the temple, he wondered if today would be the day. And if it wasn't, which was most of the time, he would have to wait for another day. Never knowing when it was supposed to happen. Same for us, we don't know what day. We know it coming, but we have to wait upon God and his timing. Simeon had to wait. You see Christ came into this world when he was needed most. Simeon faith had to be great and trust in the Lord that he would fulfill his promise to Simeon. Simeon knew that it would happen, but when. And when it did happen, can't you see how glorious it was. He could now die and go be with the Lord. Think of it this way, what if Simeon waiting 20 years, how about 40 years, maybe 75 years or longer to see the Christ child. All he knew is that it would happen because God made that promise to him and that was it. Didn't tell him when, how, who the parents were, anything, just that it will happen. Talk about faith, talk about hope. We need to have that same faith and hope in God that it will come, when, who knows, but God will come through. No matter what it is, he will come through. We know this is what he wants for us, so we must remain faithful in him for it.
Imagine what would happen if we started to try and take this into our own hands. It's like I heard on pastor say "we take the nails and boards and try to build it ourselves because we are too impatient to wait. Just doing it. Well, do you think that it would turn out pretty good or do think it would have turned out better if you waited, taken your time, waited for God. God can build anything better than even the best master craftsman here on earth. He is building it up in us. That is something we can not do. He is our Lord and he can be yours if you ask Him. As we go through this Christmas season, remember Simeon, remember God's promise and he never goes back on what he promises. We just need to keep moving forward, even when it is difficult to do. If it isn't today, maybe tomorrow. Hope, Faith, Love all are powerful and comforting. With out hope, what do we have. Just another day. With out Faith, what do we have, nothing. It all means nothing. Without Love, what do we have. Pride, self centered, egos, etc.... But with God.... Merry Christmas to all our family and friends this blessed Christmas!!

Lily-An

The name. After 2 1/2 years we have a name. We haven't really been thinking or talking about one yet, this name came to Jennifer in a dream. We both believe that it came from the God and it was his way of telling us he is in control of this process. He is still with us and walking with us. Even though the time is getting drawn out, we are still holding on to Him and giving it over to Him. He is still blessing us through this process. Now we can feel--somewhat--complete. It is a hard feeling to describe but now that we have a name, it just feels right. The only concern I had was, what do we do if it is a boy or we get twins or something like that. We will cross that bridge when we come to that. Neither one of us feel like we have to be concerned with that as God has already given us a name for our child. I will update this post soon with the meaning of the name, Jennifer is researching that now. Please continue to keep us in your prayers. We are starting to see some light at the end of the tunnel. It is still several months away, but we are trusting in God through this. Our faith is growing stronger through this and we are feeling at peace with the process. We thank God more than ever for this adoption. Check back soon for an update on the meaning.. until then, take care everyone.

Still Hanging In There

It has been a few months since last post, ok maybe many. We are still waiting and waiting. The time line for a match has increased by a few months. That was not expected but then again, it has been happening since the beginning. It is what it is. We keep holding onto our faith in God to see us through this. We know he has a plan and his plan is best for us. That is sometimes hard to understand at times. We are doing well. There have been some changes in our lives in the last 6 months. Jennifer and I made a very difficult decision last fall to leave 5th Ave UMC. With the current leadership it was not a place for us to be. God was calling us away from there. We knew it was time. The hardest part of it was leaving our church family. So many members came along side of us to help with the adoption. We held on as long as we could. That was difficult. We have a deep sadness for the body there. Unfortunately it has become a seeker friendly church. The leadership is not good and not biblical in the teaching. This is what we felt. We did not want to offend anyone or upset anyone by leaving so we only told a few of our close friends and left peacefully. Now that it has been 6 months since we left, we realize it was the best thing. We have been attending a few chuches locally and what a great thing it is to worship. We still have our membership with 5th Ave and are unsure if we will keep it. We are just taking it slow and listening to God and where he wants us. We feel we can never repay the people who have helped. I can tell you this and that is we won't forget. We still talk with our friends from time to time. At this time, we will not return unless leadership changes it direction or leaves. We can not support a church where worldy ways are accepted and biblical truth is not taught to its fullest. I have a feeling God will deal with that on his time. People are leaving and since one pastor is leaving and they are not going to fill that position. That is unfortunate. To all at 5th Ave, thank you, we will not forget.
We had to get new fingerprints in February because our other ones expired. Can you believe it has been 18 months since we were last fingerprinted. No problems this time. In and out in 15 minutes. It was flawless. Now they are good for another 18 months. Hope they don't expire again, then we will have to pay that time. This last time was for a one time extenstion and there was no cost to us.
There are some changes going on with fees while in China for adoption expenses. Some fees are going up. I have a feeling it will be more than we had originally planned with air fair increasing plus the orphanage fee increasing. This was the $3000 that went directly to the orphanage. It has been said the fee could increase to $5000. There in no confirmation of this but we have heard that $3500 is not unlikely by the time we go. Will have to wait and see. We are not worried about it. The CCAA has matched through beginning of January 2006. That is good. They are into 2006, only 11 months to go. We know we made it through the review room. That is the last "approval" we needed. That is like the final look at everything. All is good for now. God will see us through it. We just need to keep trusting him. All thanks and praise go to him.
That is what is going on in our world of adoption. We are hanging in there. Looking forward to Spring and Summer. It was a long cold winter here. We will keep you posted if something changes.

New Years Eve Dance

I have to say that the New Years Eve dance was a blast from the past. Check the pictures. It was a good time with a lot of great food supplied from New China restaraunt. Everyone had a good time and ate a lot of food. The Thoreson punch was a hit. This is normally reserved for Christmas with my side of the family. We went through many pitchers of it. That was a hit. About 30-35 people came. The music was good and the dancing was fun to watch with Kari Smalley giving lessons 2 times during the night. It was good to know that I am not the only one that did not how to swing dance. I learned a few basic dance moves. Thank you to everyone who came. It was fun and I think we have to do it again!

Whoops, where has the time gone.

It has been since August since last post. Nothing has changed. We understand that CCAA has finished reviewing all dossiers through October 31, 2006. Our dossier is logged November 24th. Almost there. This is another step to complete. It really does not mean much, just another step to go. The wait times are still 20-22 months. The way the time line looks, we will either be matched in August or September. We really do not know what will happen because of the Summer Olympics. Most likley, the CCAA will close along with all government agencies in China. That is what we have heard, but do not know for sure. That is ok, I would much rather go after the olympics are over and security, people, and everything else will be more relaxed. Will be "quieter".
We are having another fund raiser on New Years Eve. We are doing a Swing Dance with lessons. The times are from 7:30 to 10:30. We decided on this time because we did not want to keep people late because of all the other "parties" and impaired persons that might be out on the road. This will be fun. We can't wait. We are selling tickets for it as there is a capacity of 90 people. It is being held at Gateway Community Church here in Mayville. So, if you want to come, call us. Tickets are $10/person and $12/person at the door. Kari will be teaching dance lessons. Even if you don't know how, come anyway, lessons are part of the evening. Call us for tickets. Also, appetizers are being served and we asked New China to cater it... Get it... New China. Excellent food. Can't wait for that either. Well, had best close for now. Everyone have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Just think, next year at this time......... Take Care and God Bless.

Time is Moving

It has been along time since the last posting. We made it through the rummage sale with excellent results. We raised $2800.00 from the sale. This year, we did it different. While talking about how to price everything, Roy, Kari, Jennifer and I decided not price the items except for a few larger things. 90% we did not price. It was a success!!! PRAISE GOD! He truly blessed us in that time. People didn't know what to say when we would ask for a donation. There are no prices, just donate what you think is fair. It was a fun outreach for the community. If our numbers are right, we had less sales than the year before, but the amount per sale was more. We all agreed that this is the way to do a rummage. We were able to focus more on set up and preparing than pricing. That saved us a days work. We had a lot of help this year. Marlene kept the clothes organized and folded. That was a blessing. With out her, the clothes would have been a disaster. There were countless others that came and helped with set up and during the sale. Thank you to all for that. We had some of our family come down from Minnesota and help. It was great that they were able to come. I think they had a blast. Found a lot of items and filled the car full. We can not thank our families enough for their support. Next June is only 9 months away....
Nothing new to report on the process. We are waiting, waiting and waiting. It sounds like the CCAA is moving through the dossiers at a steady pace. We are still looking at next summer before we go. But if you think about it, that is is not that far away. We have a lot of work to do here at home to prepare. It is getting done but not as fast as I would like. It will get done though. We ask that you keep all of us in your thoughts and prayers. Roy, Kari, Jennifer and I are all so grateful for the support we are receiving from our friends and family. Without them, this process would be a whole lot harder to do. We thank God for what He is doing in our lives. Without him, none of this would be happening. This is His will for us. Thank you God! Until next time... What for an update regarding the Mystery Dinner......soon

Rummage, Rummage, Rummage

Not alot going on since the last posting. Just waiting. We did get some good news in regards to the USCIS fees. We are going to be getting an extension instead of having to go through the process for the 171H paperwork/fingerprinting. This just came out and we don't have a whole lot of details at this time. That is relief. We will not have to pay out another $800.00 for redoing that paperwork/fingerprinting at this time. Thank you God!!!! That affects every couple adopting and more.
We are gearing up for the rummage sale at church. It is next week--June 7-9th. The response we have been receiving is just unbelievable. I have this strange little feeling that it will be bigger and better than last year. Roy and Kari have been receiving a number of items from the members at Gateway Community Church. They are really pitching in to help. What a community of believers. We will start to set up next Monday by sorting than Tuesday and Wednesday will be all out. They will be long days as I am thinking I will be heading in to West Bend early both days to set up. We put an email out for help and we are excited at the response of people. What a great ministry and outreach this will be. We plan to set up coffee, cookies, brochures, etc. We put the ad for the rummage sale in 3 different newspapers and will most likely reach 50,000 people. We hope and pray for a great rummage sale. That people will come and have fun, fellowship and have a cup of coffee also. Will keep you posted on how we do. Until next time--- Take care and God bless all of you!!