Progress and A Flow Chart

I meant to post a picture of the flow chart that we've been using as we complete the last steps of paperwork for our adotion, BUT we keep progressing before I get the chance to post!!!  That's a really great thing, though, don't you agree?

Our agency provided a handy dandy flow chart, shown below.  When we were in the process of completing Flora Lin's paperwork and waiting on Charlotte's, we used this to calculate the time and keep us straight on what was next.

Yes, it confused us at first!  Don't be concerned if it doesn't make too much sense to you - Sam has got this paperwork thing down pat (can I just say how awesome he has been at organizing and completing this stuff?!), but it has taken me a while.  The closer we get to the end, the more I understand.

At first, we highlighted anything we completed for Flora Lin in yellow and planned to highlight anything we completed for Charlotte in pink.  When both children had an item completed, the overlap would be orange.  At first our chart had nothing but yellow, which was great, but we knew we couldn't start the last step ( the second to last box) until Charlotte's paperwork caught up to that same step.  

Well, since August 11th (arrival of C's RA) Charlotte has been doing her best to catch up!

Now, that's what I call progress!  Thanks be to God!

Once that last yellow rectangle turns orange, we will be waiting on travel approval SO WE CAN BUY PLANE TICKETS!!!!!  Can you believe it?

Come on, paperwork!  Fly, fly, fly!!!

So far, everything has been coming in ahead of schedule - so exciting!  I have a feeling that we'd better start getting our ducks in a row!

Thanks for your prayers and interest - keep the prayers coming!  We're almost there!

Charlotte's RA!

On August 11th, after many, many hours, days, weeks and months of prayer...

Charlotte's RA (referral acceptance) finally came!!!  It arrived at our adoption agency all the way from China.  We were so excited!   We could move forward to adopt Charlotte, according to China, and continue on our paper trail!

A few days later, it arrived in Alabama for us to sign and send back to China.  It is kind of a formal way of China asking us if we would like to adopt this child, and us checking a box to say YES!

You have to be very careful when signing - no mess ups on names and dates allowed!

It is a happy day!  

Hopefully, this paperwork will fly just as fast (or faster!) than Flora Lin's did!

Thanks be to God!  We are soooooo happy to finally be at this step!  

It FINALLY came!!!!

I can hardly believe it!

Charlotte's RA came!

We've been praying and praying over the past few months waiting anxiously for it to arrive.
Some days we felt a peace about waiting and we were able to keep ourselves busy.  Other days were not good days and the wait felt like forever as the months passed and our girls grew older and grew up a little bit more each day...  without their forever family.  It wasn't easy.  Both Sam and I have had to admit that God used this time to make us grow up a little bit, too.  The wait drove us to our knees and caused us to depend on Him and trust in Him in a way we hadn't before.

RA means Referral Acceptance.  It means that China acknowledges that you would like to adopt a particular child and agrees to let you be that child's parents.  Though it is uncommon, China can say no.  Our social worker wasn't optimistic for us.  Doubts crept in.  The wait fed those doubts.
I had to remember what God has always placed on my heart, though, since the very beginning of this process.  There was not one child waiting for us, but TWO!  And now there is!  And now it's on paper!  It's official!!!!  China will let us have them both!

So today, there are shouts of joy and happy tears! 

I am a mama to TWO beautiful girls!

Come and listen, all you who fear God, and I will tell you what He did for me.
For I cried out to Him for help, praising Him as I spoke.  If I had not confessed the sin in my heart, the LORD would not have listened.
But God did listen!
He paid attention to my prayer.
Praise God, who did not ignore my prayer or withdraw His unfailing love from me.

Psalm 66:16-20

I can't tell you exactly what I prayed this afternoon, one hour before Sam called me to tell me it had come, but I can tell you it was one of the most sincere and heartfelt cries of "Please help me - I know you can!" and "I thank you for this experience - all of it and I surrender to you joyfully."

The scripture above is pretty accurate of how I am feeling now! :)

Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us..

- Ephesians 3:20

Praise God!  We are so thankful!