Our Journey for Jade

2010-04-29T09:34:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone, I apologize for not updating sooner. I have been scolded for not updating so here is a brief. We had a good trip and we made it home safe. We are all adjusting very well to our new life. Jade is very sweet and a joy to be with. The doctor gave her a clean bill of health. God is good!

I will not be updating the blog often as I am spending most of my time with Jade and our grandsons. Thank you all for following our journey and praying with and for us.

2010-03-24T07:07:00.001-07:00

We are leaving today for China! We have checked our list and checked, and checked. We will try to update our blog while we are in China. Thank you for all your prayers.

One More Day And A Wake Up!!!!!!

2010-03-22T12:48:00.000-07:00

We leave Wednesday!!!

John and I would like to thank everyone that has helped us get to this day. The wait was a long one to say the least. The prayers and shoulders were invaluable. The many gifts are greatly appreciated.

We will try to update our blog while in China but we have decided not to try to carry a lap top with us. We have been told we will have access to computers while in china but there are no promises.

Blessings,

Moving Forward

2010-03-09T16:22:00.000-08:00

We have our final itinerary! We have a minor change. We will be leaving March 24th with a "Gotcha Day" of March 29th. After almost 4 years we are finally almost there!

Great News!

2010-03-02T08:30:00.000-08:00

We have great news! Our Travel Approval has been issued and mailed to our agency. Our Travel Advisor is working on making all the needed appointments. After all appointments have been scheduled we will receive our travel itinerary.

Time is really flying!

2010-02-19T18:03:00.000-08:00

We have been busy making sure we have everything in order for our trip. We are getting regular contact from our agency with details that need to be completed. We sent our update for our home study to USCIS and confirmed they have received it. I realized today that our projected travel date is in three weeks! Wow!

Projected Travel Date

2010-02-11T10:16:00.001-08:00

We have received a projected travel date of March 12, 2010 from our travel advisor. It seems like I have been going non-stop since we received our referral. I have been checking and rechecking our paperwork. We had passport photos taken. We have requested our visas for our passports and requested a home study update. We have discussed luggage and changed our minds several times. Oh what to do!

Next week we will check and double check our packing lists so we can make a final decision on what we are going to take. "Travel Light" that is my motto.

I will post more updates as I get them.

Checking In

2010-02-09T08:05:00.000-08:00

It has been a week since we received our referral. We are trying to be sure we are keeping on schedule and getting everything we need for our trip. There are forms to print, things to buy, bags to pack, etc.

The next step for us is to be contacted by our travel advisor. They will make all flight arrangements and appointments for us. I will try to keep you all updated as things progress.

God has answered our prayers!

2010-02-01T14:05:00.000-08:00

We have received our referral information! She was born in April 2009. Her Chinese name is Hao Ying Gang. More information to follow!

Keep Praying!!

IT IS FINALLY HAPPENING!

2010-02-01T06:39:00.000-08:00

I woke up this morning to see that the Rumor Queen web site is reporting that matching has been completed through April 5th! That is us! I am so excited I can hardly type. We should be receiving information on our referral very soon. I promise to post pictures on this site if I can manage to do anything right. Right now I am very nervous.

Keep praying. This is not the end, it is only the beginning.

I Feel Like I Am In Labor!

2010-01-22T07:49:00.000-08:00

No news yet! We are so close! The closer we get the harder it is to wait. There is speculation that we should hear something before the Chinese New Year. The year 2010, is the year of the Tiger. Chinese New Year's Day this year is February 14. The Chinese government offices close for several days to celebrate the new year.

Come on referrals!

2010-01-19T10:21:00.000-08:00

Thank you all for your patience in following our journey. This journey has been much longer than we would have ever expected. When we began in October 2005 it was only supposed to take 8 months and it has turned in to 3 + years. I know I have said many times "we are almost there." Hopefully soon you will find photos posted on our blog.

We need your prayers now more than ever. Please pray for Jade's safety and health. Pray that she feels loved. Also please pray for our finances, health and travel mercies. Ask God to prepare our hearts for our first meeting with this precious baby he is entrusting us with.

I will post news as soon as I receive it!

2009-12-30T05:37:00.000-08:00

More referrals have been sent out but the cutoff date is April 3, 2006. Unless the CCAA only refers one day we should receive a referral January 2010!

Our house is still in a mess from the water damage in October. When we contracted with the restoration company they told us the repair time would take 2-3 weeks. Well that fell by the wayside. We finally got our furniture back in the house December 24. I spent Christmas unpacking boxes and putting things away. I won't bore you with the whole story but the last setback came Sunday morning with I walked down the hall and water came up between the boards of the laminate flooring. When the base boards were put in the hall closet one of the nails hit the hot water feed for the shower. So now the floor is tore up again in the dining room, entry, hall, nursery and master bedroom.

To see the blessing in the situation, at least it happened before we brought Jade home.

Thank you for your prayers.

2009-12-03T21:17:00.000-08:00

There has been a "Stork Landing" and an update from the CCAA. Our agency received referrals for 12 little girls and reported that the CCAA has completed matching of children to families through March 31, 2006. Could we be next?

Please continue to pray for our family and for all the children waiting to be matched with their forever families.

2009-11-07T06:40:00.000-08:00

Last month we enjoyed a trip to Tennessee. Our sons were house and pet sitting for us. On our way home one of our sons called and told us that when he woke up he stepped in water. Apparently the toilet overflowed all night! Water was in the dining room, living room, entry, hall, nursery, master bedroom & bath and of course hall bathroom. Long story short, we have a restoration company replacing laminate flooring, bathroom cabinets, and partial walls. All of our belongings have been removed from the house except for the office, kitchen, sons bedroom and utility room.

As for referral information we have not heard anything yet. I am hoping for a referral in December but this month would be OK even though our house is empty right now.

We thank you for your prayers during our journey. Peace be with you!

2009-10-22T07:01:00.000-07:00

On the 13th of October the CCAA completed the matching of children to families with a LID of March 28, 2006. With a LID of April 5, 2006 we are only six working days away from our referral! On average the CCAA has been referring about three days a month. There are several predictions, and they are just predictions, that we may receive our referral in December. Wow, what a great Christmas! As you know there is no way of knowing when we will receive our referral but we do know God has the perfect child for our family.

2009-10-14T18:33:00.000-07:00

We are getting closer to our referral. There is no way of knowing exactly when we will receive our referral. I have added a link to a website that has information on how the process works. Click on the link and take a look. Check out the "How things work" area. It will explain how the matching room works.

Thank you for following our journey. Please continue to pray.

2009-07-15T11:22:00.000-07:00

Our journey for Jade began in October 2005. Our LID is 04/05/06. What was supposed to take 8 months has taken over 3 years. We believe that God has the perfect child for our family and we must have patience.

We are closer than ever to receiving our referral. We believe we should receive a referral within the next couple of months!

We really appreciate all of your prayers. We have had many ups and downs over the years but our trust is still in God. Please continue to pray as we move closer each day through our journey. Hopefully we will be traveling to China soon to bring Jade home.