Several different times along the way, particularly when the wait was getting longer and seemed unending, Brad mentioned adoption from China. China is known for their stable and fairly predictable adoption program. If we had started with China initially, it would have been possible to bring a child home within a year. But I was never "called" to China. I didn't have any negative feelings about adopting from China, but it simply didn't feel "right" at the time.
When Brad and I started considering adopting again earlier this year, we were fairly open-minded. We considered varying ages and the pros and cons of domestic (including foster) or international adoption. I joined several Facebook groups that advocated for waiting children. We called and inquired about a couple of waiting children, but things didn't pan out in those situations. Brad told me that his preference was to adopt a little girl older than Simon but younger than Micah--around 3 or 4 years old. In early July, I saw a little girl on one of the Facebook groups. After showing her to Brad, we agreed to inquire about her. Turns out that she was likely conceived some time in the Fall of 2011 when we were starting the process to adopt. And all those times prior that I wasn't feeling a China adoption? Well, as far as we know her file wasn't completed to make her eligible for adoption until this year, likely within a couple months of us finding her.
SO..... we are excited to announce that we have a 4 year old daughter waiting for us in China! We received pre-approval for her in August, so now we are frantically trying to complete our dossier and get it to China so we can move through the necessary steps to bring her home.
This adoption will look different than Simon's. First, hopefully it will be MUCH quicker and we think we might travel in late spring/early summer 2017 to bring her home. Secondly, the transition period will be significantly longer as she will be close to 5 years old when she comes home. She will need time to adjust to her entire life changing in a matter of days--new family, new country, new foods, new smells, new language. . . everything. I hate how hard that will be for her, and I am already praying to have as smooth a transition as possible.
Our oldest 3 children are all excited at the news they will be getting a baby sister. Obviously Simon does not understand what is happening, but he will maintain his role as the baby of the family.
As for her name, it was a little more difficult choosing a name for a child we had already seen in pictures and videos. A name we liked previously did not seem to "fit" once we had seen her face. The meaning behind her name was important to us, but we also wanted something short and spunky (like her!).
John 1:16 says, "For from his fullness we have all received grace upon grace."
Our new daughter will be named Annie Charis (pronounced Karis). Her name means "grace grace." Annie will also likely have a second middle name that will incorporate her given Chinese name. We will reveal that name once her adoption is completed.
Yes, we realize we look a little crazy to most people. We did not "plan" to have a large family, but we love our children and we have felt a burden for the fatherless in a way that we cannot simply ignore. We are not trying to become the Brady Bunch (despite Micah's requests). We understand that this will be difficult and costly in every way possible, but we also know better than most the sacrifices involved. Just because we did not choose a "simple" or "easy" life does not mean we chose this blindly. We would appreciate your prayers moving forward:
Prayer requests:
1. That our little girl feels loved and remains safe and healthy until we can travel to get her.
2. That God prepares her heart for all the changes that will be occurring once she is in our care.
3. That our paperwork and clearances move quickly with no significant delays. There are so many steps to this process, it seems overwhelming at times. I am trying to document many of the steps to help educate people a little more about what all is involved in the adoption process.
4. That we have adequate funds to cover the adoption, travel, and medical expenses once home.
5. That our other children are also prepared for all the changes that come with the addition of a sibling.
This Sunday, November 13 is Orphan Sunday. It is a day where churches around the world share "a single goal: that God's great love for the orphan will find echo in our lives as well."
For more information, check out www.orphansunday.org
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