18 months until 2 become 3

This past Monday (12/16/13) was our first conference call with our social worker, Karisa.  If I am being honest about it, it went well, but it was very overwhelming.  She gave us a rough timeline for this journey, and we should expect this journey to last about 18 months from the start date of Wednesday, November 27th (when our application was officially accepted by Lifeline).  On the surface, 18 months feels like a long time, but with as much paperwork, reading, writing, and video training we will be doing, it will be here before we know it.

A Rough Outline of What's to Come

Our 4 official home studies will begin in January and will take about 3-4 months to compete.  Once our dossier (doss-ee-ay) is compiled and approved on the local, state, and federal levels, it will be sent to China for their approval.  During this time, we will complete a few immigrant documents concerning adopting a non-US citizen.  Once all documentation is approved, the matching process will begin, which lasts roughly 0-6 months, depending on if we request a boy or girl.  This is the part that I am the most excited about during this entire "paperwork" journey.  I cannot wait to see who God has made for our growing family.  (Please begin to pray now for our precious little one and for a smooth transition for him/her.)

Once we are matched with our son or daughter, then we will send a Letter of Intent (LOI) stating we would like to adopt this particular child.  Once approved, we will send another document called a Letter of Acceptance (LOA) (which takes roughly 3 months to approve) asking for approval to bring the child to America to forever live with us.  Once the LOA is approved, then we will are expected to travel within 2 weeks.  EEK!

Once we make the long trek across the Pacific, we will fly directly the the child's providence, where the orphanage is located.  This is where "Gotcha Day" will happen.  After spending a week in this particular providence, we will then fly to Guangzhou for a week getting the necessary visa and medical paperwork ready for the child to become an American citizen.  The child will officially become an US citizen when he/she steps on American soil.

I know I have left out a lot of steps during this 18 month span, but you get the general idea.

Prayer Request

Like I mentioned above, please begin praying for our littlest Todd, not just for our perfect child, but for the transition for the child.  He/she will have his/her life changed in an instant without any explanation, really.  I can't imagine what this will feel like for a child to leave everything he/she has every known to live with complete strangers halfway across the world.  It makes me want to protect, love, and care for this child that much more.

As always, we can't express to you how much we appreciate the prayers and support.  We crave for any and all prayers that are sent our way.  Thank you, family and friends!