the end is near, figuratively speaking of course

Today we were told that our Article 5 letter was complete. That is the last piece of paper until we get our Travel Approval. So we are literally near the end of this very long road. The next thing we’ll hear is China saying, “Come get him.” Well, they may use different words. Probably Chinese words.

This week we also had a travel conference call with our Gladney rep (named Gongzhan, not to be confused with Guangzhou or Guangdong which are places we’ll go) and 4 other families who will be traveling soon. It was 2.5 hours of telling us to pay in cash, don’t drink the water, bring a gift for the notary (huh?), and you’ll be staying at the swankiest hotels you’ve ever been to. The itinerary is that we’ll fly into Beijing (we think), go to Judd’s hometown to do 3 appointments over 4-5 days, then fly south to Guangzhou for 2 more appointments over 4-5 days, then fly home. In our spare time we’ll hang with Judd the stud, sightsee, and eat Chinese food. I hear they have authentic Chinese food there.

It’s weird at this point. I’m sitting squarely on the fence between being humbled and overwhelmed with the whole process. We’ve raised a ton of money. We’ve seen God work. We’ve been blown away by the generosity and support of our church family. And yet I still so easily can be overwhelmed and anxious. I think that much of it is that I’m staring down something much bigger than me. All we can do is to trust God. There is really no other option.

Good thing God isn’t phased by world travel, thousands of dollars and communist countries. Good thing God already has answers for our list of unknowns a mile long. Good thing God is works all things for our good. Good thing God is God in Hohhot, in Knoxville, and all points in between. Those are very good things.

We’ll keep you posted on what else is happening. We hope to get our TA in a few weeks and head to China in May. Next month. Did I just say that? Crazy to think the end of this long process is very near.

moving again

After our paperwork took a long winter’s nap on some Chinese desk, it has seemed to wake up and move again. About dang time. We had heard nothing since November, then a few weeks ago we got our LSC. Last week we got our USCIS (US Citizenship & Immigration Services) approval called the i800. We’ve also received an email from the National Visa Center that we are logged in, meaning our Visa paperwork (no, we’re not talking annual percentage rates, the embassy variety of Visas) should be ready this coming week. Our adoption agency even said we’d be on the next conference call to discuss travel plans. We also have several people generously donate money and are close to our goal. Things are thankfully moving again.

Last week I think it hit us that we are very near the end of this adoption process. Things are moving quickly again. We’ll likely be travelling in May, meaning we are counting in weeks. Soon, we’ll be counting days, not weeks. Soon after that, Judd will be here.

Honestly, the whole adoption process seems imaginary, especially when we heard nothing for months. There is supposedly this little boy on literally the other side of the globe in a place we’d never heard of. We know little about him compared to our boys here. It still seems unbelievable that he’s becoming part of our family. Sure, we daily talk about Judd. He is part of our lives and prayers already, but in a distant sense. Soon this kid won’t be distant. He will sleep in the room across the hall, play with his new brothers downstairs, and be part of our daily lives. That hit home this week. He is closer than he’s ever been. And we are excited.

So thanks for your prayers, encouragement and support. Our only concern is that we get another update soon on Judd, since most information we have on Judd is right at a year old. Pray for that if you think about it. The next steps are getting our NVC Approval and Article 5 letter. Then comes the Travel Approval from China, and travel arrangements begin. Things are thankfully moving again.