Paperwork Is On Its Way To China TODAY!!!

We are D-T-C as of today!! This is common adoption lingo that means "Dossier To China!!"

Your dossier [daw-see-ae] is basically all your paperwork compiled together that is given to the Chinese government (namely the CCCWA [Chinese Center for Children's Welfare and Adoption]). As you heard me say before, this is a laundry list of documents (e.g. police clearances, family application letter, data form, financial status document, passport copies, family and home pictures, your homestudy report, Homeland Security (USCIS) approval, birth and marriage certificates, medical exam doctor reports, etc. All of these documents go through intense scrutiny (just like we have) and had to be state-certified by the Iowa and Ohio Secretary of State, some have went through the San Francisco Chinese Consulate for authentication, and others went to the DC Chinese Embassy for authentication [any documents that are used in China must be legally authenticated through either the DC Embassy or at any one of the Chinese Consulates here in the States]).

This is a MAJOR step in the process!! Why? Because we are *finally* going to be "logged-in" by the Chinese government as prospective adoptive-parents. We will be eligible to receive log-in-date files. We will *hopefully* receive our "log-in-date" a week or so from the time we are DTC (today). We will then be seriously considered for future files and could receive our child's referral at literally any time. We'll try to remain as patient as we can, and trust that all will pan out in God's timing.

A few sweet friends have asked how they can pray. Here are the main ways you can pray (which we appreciate it so much!!)::

• Pray that we receive our child's referral the *first* file our agency presents us with. Pray we have peace and discernment when reviewing the file -- ultimately to know whether they are the right child for us, and more importantly -- if we are the right parents for them.
• Pray for our little one. Whoever they are, wherever they are. Pray for their protection and that their needs are met. That Jesus will hold them and meet their needs until we're able to.
• Pray over our adoption-related expenses and fees. It's no lie this process costs a ton (the children themselves do *not* cost anything, but unfortunately this multi-leveled-and-faceted-bureaucratic process does). So far, we've paid over $9,000 in cash for fees/adoption-related expenses thus far. $9k is a lot of money, but we still have a (big) ways to go. As you can imagine, these costs can seem insurmountable. And this is the craziest-leap-of-faith we've ever taken -- but we are trusting in God's provision in this process.

Thank you for praying!! I cannot tell you what it does to my heart to hear sweet friends tell me they've been praying for us and our Little Stump. There is no doubt in my mind that prayer, even if just one-two-or-three people are praying, has carried us through this process this far.

So here we are. Finally DTC. Finally!!! Little Stump, we are coming for you. I can't believe we're this much closer to you!!