November 2010 Update

November 16, 2010

 

   Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!  A lot has happened since our last post on 9/28 and events are picking up speed for our return to China.

          Such a small world.  Our original intensive drive to adopt Hai Yan back in January, contacting so many people and agencies in an attempt to claim her before she reached the "shared list", has come full circle unexpectedly.  

A couple with a large adoptive family is now in China adopting Hai Yan's foster brother, Nathan.  Their blog ( http://www.nineisenough.blogspot.com ) reveals that Hai Yan's foster family did not succeed in adopting her and she has been moved to another foster family.  She was with this family for six of her seven years.  She must be devestated right now.  Please pray for her angel to be with her and look out for her.   Her file has been sent to the CCAA.  She will be available for international adoption after all.   We would like to advocate for her to finally be rewarded with a family of her own.  She advocates for herself to anyone who comes to Zhuzhou SWI and she deserves for this journey to end.

One more amazing fact.  Nathan, the boy the family above is now adopting, we also considered, after we were told Hai Yan's foster family would adopt her.  This mission field is so rewarding when you form bonds across the country trying to do what you are called to do. 

We were sad to miss Hai Feng's birthday on Nov. 11th, but we'll have her for the big 11/11/11 birthday next year!  These pictures are from the birthday party a few days ago, which we ordered through a gifts to China service.  

We passed two more paperwork milestones recently!  Our LOA (Letter of Acceptance) arrived dated October 22,2010. This is the letter in which the CCAA (China Center of Adoption Affairs) gave us final approval to adopt Hai Feng.  Then just yesterday, November 15th, we received our approved I-800 from U.S.C.I.S., (US Immigration) which approves Hai Feng specifically to come to America.  

We are now waiting on two more interim steps prior to Travel Approval from the CCAA in Beijing; the US National Visa Center will "cable" the approved I-800 to the US Consulate in Guangzhou (in about 1 week) and the Article 5 (US govt certifies Hai Feng meets the Hague convention criteria (in about 2 weeks).  These two steps will give us our US Consulate appointment around which we plan our time in China.  

Please pray for the family adopting Nathan, Hai Feng's adjustments that are ahead of her, and all the older kids in Chinese orphanages who need adopting before they "age out" at 14.  In addition to the profound need for a family, an orphan who ages out and "graduates" from the orphanage has a very difficult time finding a job, because of a prejudice against orphans in the Chinese culture.  They are considered "bad luck" to a company's profit potential.