Matching Grant!

Where to start...

On Orphan Sunday back in November, our church started an adoption ministry through Lifesong for Orphans.

We were blessed to be the first family chosen to be a recipient of this ministry!  

We were asked to speak at all 3 services and share our story to and about Michael.  It was an incredible honor to share our God filled story.

Quite a few people came and spoke to us afterward and wanted to know more.  Not only about our story but about adoption in general and about adoptions from China!  God truly blessed not only us but I believe everyone who was there that day.

And here's how we were blessed!  Not only did we receive a $1000 "direct grant", but we also received a $1000 "matching grant"!

So what that means is, all funds donated to Lifesong on our behalf will be matched dollar for dollar up to $1000 giving us a possible total of $2000!  We also have already received $244 of that to be matched!

Amazing indeed!  And thanking God, our church and Lifesong for helping us bring Michael home!

If you would like to donate to our matching grant, there are a couple of different ways you can.

First by check:

Make checks payable to:

Lifesong for Orphans

Their mailing address is:

P.O. Box 40

Gridley, Il  61744

Be sure to note on the Memo line of your check:  For Cecil and Cathy W. #1704

The second way to donate is by clicking on the link below:

Lifesong for Orphans

Click on the "Donate" button and this will take you to the Paypal screen.

In the Purpose box (top left), please be sure to type in:   

For Cecil and Cathy W. #1704

This is how Lifesong will know the donation is for our family.

Once again our family would like to thank you for supporting and blessing us to bring Michael home!

God Bless!

And the winner is!...

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Don't forget to scroll to the bottom to pause the music player

DEBBY H.

Congratulations Debby!

We would like to say thank you everyone that joined our giveaway and for blessing us to help bring Michael home!

We raised $91!!  We are so grateful for that $91, really!   Every little bit adds up and honestly, God showed up (yet again) for us.  You see, this morning we were behind and we ended just a few hours later, $91 ahead!  See how great God is!

We are still in awe and very humbled that friends and even those we don't know would be willing to donate to help bring our son home!

Thank you just doesn't seem like enough, but we are so so appreciative!

Also, we finally have an update on our Hip Mom Jewelry fundraiser we had in January.

We raised $108.00!!

Unfortunately, other than 2 people we know that ordered, there are those we don't know who you are.  But our gratefulness isn't any less appreciated!  So thank you for your support and for blessing us with your orders!!

So in the next day or two we will be announcing a great blessing bestowed upon us.

Thank you again and God Bless!

It's here!

We got word on Monday that our agency received our LOA!!!

We couldn't believe it!  Our LID (Log In Date) was 2/18 and here on 3/21 we have our LOA!

It was actually issued on 3/17.  Just 28 days after our LID!!!

Now let me back up a little bit and explain how it all went.  I wouldn't usually go into detail, but honestly it had God written all over it and I just have to share!

On Monday morning, I checked my email and there was one from our agency to the group saying they received 3 LOA's and 2 TA's.

I just knew we weren't one of the three since it was only a month after our LID.  In other words, it wasn't long enough.

Then the phone rang about 15 minutes after getting their email and my heart skipped a beat and it turned out to be someone else calling for my hubby.

So I got the kids breakfast ready and said prayers and asked God to please let our LOA come soon.

After getting the kids fed, I decided to tackle the paperwork that needed to be done for the next step for the adoption.  After all, I thought to myself, I might as well get it done, just in case our LOA comes next week.

So while I was working on the paperwork, I heard that another email came in, so I went to check it and it was from our caseworker at our agency sayng she wasn't able to have Fed Ex deliver a package to us over night, but we would have it Wednesday.

I thought, Fed Ex package?  What would they be sending us?  I mean after all we didn't get LOA.  

So when I scrolled down, there it read, our last name - LOA.

I jumped out of the chair and ran down the hall (to wake my sleeping husband who was home) screaming, "we got LOA!!!!!  "We got LOA!!!!!"

So I worked like a crazy woman getting the paperwork finished while we waited for our LOA to arrive!  2 whole days from the email date saying we got our LOA.

Today once the Fed Ex guy pulled into our drive way I was out the door with camera in hand.  :)  Poor Fed Ex guy, he had no idea what was about to happen.  :)

I asked if I could take a picture of him delivering our package and he was like, "um yeah, sure."  You know what I mean, with the sound in voice like okay this is weird.

So once I explained why I wanted his picture, he got a big smile on his face and said, "congratulations!"  "Why yes, you can take my picture." 

So here is the nice Fed Ex man letting me take his picture with our LOA.

Look at his smile  :)

And here's the coveted LOA!!  That means so much to parents that are adopting.

So all the paperwork that I was working on the last couple of days is finished and copied and is now on its way to various places it needs to go.

Thanking God for delivering our LOA so quickly and confirming one more time that we are supposed to bring Michael home!!

A special date!

We got news today that our LID is 2/18!!

What does this mean?  It means that it took only 7 days from when our dossier was received in China to be logged into their system!

What does it mean to be LID?  It means we can officially start counting down the days we are into the wait for our LOA (Letter of Acceptance)!!  We are on day 20, as of today 3/9, for our LOA!!

Looking at the time frames for others receiving their LOA from our agency, it's on average about 1 1/2 months to 2 months.

So we could possibly get our LOA at the end of this month?  We can only speculate we may get it sooner rather than later, but we ultimately know that is all in God's timing and we know one thing for sure, it WILL happen!!

So something as little as knowing our LID date is something very dear to us, because we know it's one more step down to bringing our sweet boy home!

Another Letter!

We were siting down for dinner and I can see the computer from where I sit at the table and I had the email open and from across the room I could see there was something with an attachment.

So I got up during dinner, which I don't usually do, and saw it was a letter from Michael!

Everyone was excited to know what he said, so I actually printed it out and sat back down at the dinner table and read the letter to them.  :)

I have said it before, but I will say it again, Michael has such a sweet soul.

This is EXACTLY what this momma needed tonight!  

Thanking God for giving us such a blessing, in such a simple way as a letter from our son. 

This the the "snack pack" we sent Michael for Chinese New Year

Dear Baba & Mama,

How are you? I have got the gifts which you sent me in the New Year. I love it very much.

Dear brothers and sisters I am looking forward to seeing you! I miss you very much!

I wish that I can bring you happiness!

Mom, I have eaten all your chocolates and candies. They are all sweet from the mouth to my heart!

Thank you very much !

I wish Baba, Mama very healthy.  I wish my brothers and sisters very happy!

H J P

22FEB,2011

Giveaway Time!

Kodak Playsport HD Video Camera Zx5

We are having another giveaway and we are excited about this video camera! It is so new it isn't available until the end of March!

All donations will go towards helping to bring Michael home!

There is a "Donate" button at the top of the left hand side bar, under the photo of the camera.

So here's how the giveaway works:

For every $10 donation you will get one entry. 

You can also have a chance to receive additional entries by:

Posting an entry to your blog about our giveaway - Gives you 1 additional entry

OR

Change your wall status on Facebook with a link to our giveaway - Gives you 1 additional entry

OR

If you do both - Gives you 3 additional entries

You will need to leave a comment here or on our Facebook group Help Bring Michael Home (click here) with a link to your blog or Facebook entry.

Click HERE if you would like to see a video about this video camera.

The winner will be drawn on Sunday March 27th.

Product Specifications

Sensor type	1 / 3.2–type 5 MP CMOS
Lens	5.5 mm, 35 mm equivalent
Zoom	4X digital
Image stabilization	digital
Display size	2.0 in. 154K TFT color LCD, 4:3, auto brightness control, LCD Glare Shield
Storage	128 MB internal memory[1], SD/SDHC card expansion slot (up to 32 GB)
File formats	video: MPEG-4, AAC-LC still: JPEG/EXIF v2.21
Video length	~10 hours of HD video with the expandable SD/SDHC memory card slot up to 32 GB (~20 min. per 1 GB at 720p HD @ 30 fps)
Focus system	continuous TTL multizone auto focus (auto macro)
Focus range	auto: 10 cm–infinity macro: 7–17 cm auto underwater: 13 cm–infinity macro underwater: 10–22 cm
Face Detection	yes
Capture modes	1080p (16:9)—1920 x 1080, 30 fps 720p (16:9)—1280 x 720, 60 fps 720p (16:9)—1280 x 720, 30 fps WVGA (16:9)—848 x 480, 30 fps still (16:9)—5.3 MP
Capture effects	vivid color, normal color, sepia, B&W, high saturation, 1970's film look
Weather/Outdoor ratings	waterproof—IEC 60529 IPX8, up to 10 ft dustproof—IEC 60529 IP6X shockproof—MIL-STD-810F, 5 ft. onto plywood
Review mode	delete, playback, FF, rewind, pause, volume control, tagging, Share, e-mail, add e-mail
Editing options (video)	trim, extract pictures
Share destinations	FACEBOOK, FLICKR, KODAK Gallery[2], YouTube, TWITTER, ORKUT, YANDEX and KAIXIN001 sites[3], e-mail, and KODAK PULSE Digital Frame[4]
I/O interface	micro USB (2.0 high speed)/AV out/5V DC charging; micro HDMI (type D)
Tripod mount	1/4 in. standard
Microphone	yes—monaural
Speaker	yes—monaural
Power	internal Li-Ion battery (service replaceable), in-camera charging
Dedicated buttons	power, capture, review, menu, 5-way switch, delete, Share
Remote Control	optional
Dimensions	2.3 × 4.4 × 0.7 in.
Weight	125 g

Can you say...

We are DTC!!!!

Can you believe it!?  After 8 Loooonnnngggg months, our dossier is on its way to China!!

For those that have never had to gather paperwork, made sure not to forget one piece of paper, made sure to get each one notarized, then Sate Sealed, then Authenticated, it can be a daunting process.  

But with every piece of paper, filling out every form, making sure it is all done correctly, we would say it is WORTH all the effort we put into it!!!  Every single minute, worth it!!!

Taking each step to get our dossier gathered and sent on its way, means we are closer to bringing our sweet precious son home!

We are DTC baby!!!

Happy Lunar New Year!

It is the year of the Rabbit (tu zi) and we are starting our Lunar New Year off with a bang! 

Our dossier is back from the Chinese Consulate and all authenticated!

It is now on it's way to our agency, it will be there tomorrow (Friday) and they will do a few more things with it and then it will be on its way to China!

Can't wait to post that we are DTC!!

Xin Nian Kuai Le!! (Mandarin) 
pronounced Sin-Nien-Kway-Leh

Gong Xi Fa Cai!!  (Cantonese)
pronounced Gong Hay Fat Choy

But it all translates the same to...

Happy New Year!!

Because she is led

On this day, January 14, 2011, CYJ accepted Jesus as her Lord and Savior!

We have thought about not posting about this.  My thought was, this is a personal and private moment.  But after thinking about it some more and discussing it with Papa, we realized that God would want us to share!

We need to share how God is working not only in our lives but in our children's lives as well.

We want to give God all the glory for what has happened with our sweet daughter!

On Friday, January 14th, Miss C. accepted Jesus into her heart and into her life!  She is 5 years old and took it very seriously.

Talking about Jesus is what she does, all the time, all day long, every day (not exaggerating) and has been since she started talking.  When she was 3 she always would have us clip a little blanket around her neck to make a cape and she would say, "I am a Superhero for Jesus!"  

So on that Friday evening at home, she told us that she wanted to accept Jesus.  Imagine our excitement!  She said her prayer and then we prayed over her.  Yes, momma AND Papa were crying happy tears.

We are just so happy for her and we know that God and the angels are singing too.  :)

God Bless you, our sweet Miss C.!!

More good news!

Approval!!!

What a week we are having so far and it's only Tuesday!

New pictures and a letter yesterday and today we received our I800-A Approval!!!  

There was a hiccup with my fingerprints failing and having to have them redone at an office that is 3 hours from us, a whole long story for another post.

So what does this step (approval) mean exactly?  It means we have been approved by the US Government to adopt from China!

So now onto the next step.  Getting ALL our documents together to be state sealed.

Little steps that are getting us closer to Michael!