Adoption Process Flowchart

Here is a really cute flowchart someone made that helps explain the China adoption process.  We are currently on step #9- waiting for I-800 approval from US Immigration.  Only 6 more steps to go!

We Have a Name!

Today we completed some paperwork to send to US Immigration regarding Yuan Yuan's visa so we also had to choose her American name.  Presenting:

Anna Marie

Lee chose the name Anna- meaning grace or favor- and Marie is also my middle name (Jan).  We feel very blessed that we received our referral file at the end of March.  There were very few files released in April and there were no files released in May.  Also we received all of our approvals from the CCAA in China before they shut down their computers in May for an system upgrade.  Thanks for answers to prayer!

Letter of Acceptance!

And now it is really real! Today 5/14/13 we received our letter of acceptance or LOA from China! This is like some kind of record as it only took about 35 days.  Usually it takes 2-3 months. Now we are officially approved by the CCCWA to adopt our little 5 yr old daughter-to-be.  I still have to be careful about what I share but she is from Guizhou province in China which is in the southwest part of the country.  It is one of the poorest areas of China. It is also home to one of the ethnic groups in China called the Miao people.  Here is a photo of Yuan Yuan our soon-to -be daughter. She looks very happy!

Next step is a lot of US immigration and visa paperwork!  Stay tuned for more info!  Reminder if you want to assist us with our adoption travel fund- you can make a donation through PayPal or if you make a purchase from Amazon and use our link we get 10% back. Thank you so much!

Pre-Approval!

Pre-approval or PA from China is a big deal.  It means they accepted our letter of intent (LOI) to adopt from China.  We received our PA on 4/9/13 for a 5 year old girl from China named Yuan Yuan.  We're told her name means "beautiful girl or woman".

I can't share too much information at this point.  First because we have to be careful not to cause any problem with China.  Second out of respect for privacy for our new daughter-to-be.

I will share a tiny photo of her- it is one of the first photos we saw.  We're not even sure how old she is in this picture or where it was taken.

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress... (James 1:27)

 

LWB articles about China adoptions

Here is an excellent series of articles from Love Without Boundaries (LWB) about China adoptions.

The Changing Face of China's Orphans

Changing Attitudes about adoption in China

The Adoption of Boys from China

Domestic Adoptions Increase in China

Birth Defects in China

New Challenges in China adoptions

Why International Adoption Still Matters

"A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling.  God sets the lonely in families."  Psalm 68:5-6a

Steps Along the Way, part 2

Previously on our adoption journey:
Our Dossier- or set of all our documents- was sent to China on 2/19/13 (DTC) and officially logged into the China CCCWA system on 3/18/13 (LID).

This means we are able to see files of children in China who are available for adoption.  These children (boys and girls) have mild to moderate special needs which vary from child to child.  Every month or so the CCCWA issues a shared list of children who are available for adoption.  The March shared list came out on 3/25/13 and our adoption agency contacted us.  There was a 5 year old little girl available for adoption.  They wanted to know if we are interested in adopting her!  Now we have to "lock" the file and we have 72 hours to decide how to proceed.  We had an international adoption specialist doctor review her file and we decided to go ahead and apply to adopt this little girl!  We send a letter to China called a letter of intent (LOI) on 3/28/13. We had found out she is 5 years old and lives with a foster family in Guizhou, China.  Some time in her short life her leg was burned and she has a scar on her leg.  We really don't have any other details at this time.

There is an ancient Chinese proverb that says:

"An invisible red thread connects those who are destined to meet, regardless of time, place, or circumstances. The thread may stretch or tangle, but never break."

Steps Along the Way

Here are the steps we have completed so far for our adoption from China:

• Completed our adoption agency's formal application packet.
• Completed our home study with a social worker.
• Received I-800A approval from U.S.C.I.S. (Immigration).
• Completed and authenticated our dossier (paper work) for China CCCWA.
• Sent our completed dossier to China CCCWA (this is known as Dossier to China or DTC) 2/19/13.
• Our dossier is received and logged into to the CCCWA system (this is known as Log In Date or LID) 3/18/13.

Here is a general summary of the steps for China adoption.