PA!!!

Well today I got an exciting message from Amy our FC:

Dear Sean & Jennifer,
The CCAA has processed the Pre-Approval (PA) for your family’s request to adopt Liang Wan Jian. The PA is issued once the information from the electronic acceptance has been reviewed and approved. Once the CCAA has fully reviewed your Dossier and application to adopt a specific child, they will issue the Referral Acceptance (RA). As a reminder, this step is currently taking anywhere from 2-5 months from the date of your electronic acceptance. There is no guaranteed timeframe from the CCAA on when your RA will arrive.

I have printed the PA from the CCAA’s website and have attached it to this email. Be sure to print one off for your records. Please let me know if you have any trouble printing the PA.

Please contact me if you have any questions and congratulations on this step!

Blessings,
Amy Pearson

Asia Family Coordinator

Isn't that cool. Now the next thing we have to wait for is our RA. That is the final approval from China for us to adopt Liang Wan Jian aka Abbigail Grace Liang Mitchell. One more small step towards ringing our daughter home. Oh...The Teagues got there PA for Hudson as well, we are still hoping and praying to be able to travel together in Feb or March.

Check out my Slide Show!

October Update

Well it has been quite a month. We finally know who Abby Grace is and we know where she is. Praise God!! We started this journey last year after taking a huge step of Faith that the Lord would see us through and provide for our every need. So far he has done just that. He has chosen the perfect child for us. He has provided financially for us up to this point. We are so grateful to Him for all he has done.

We have been compiling squares for a quilt for Abby Grace Liang. So far we have 76. We need a total of 100. We have a few more coming from friends and family and hopefully we'll make it to 100 and have her quilt done before we get home. So if you want to contribute let me know and I'll send you the info.

I was reading on the CL/CP chat group today some very disturbing info. It brought tears to my eyes. Some of the members stated that when children have their surgery done in China they are not provided with enough pain medication and they actually suffer long term effects. I cannot imagine Abby suffering in pain. I cannot imagine that surgery being done with the children receiving pain medication for several days after. I am so glad that we requested her surgery not be done in China. I would much rather be there with her to make sure she is as comfortable as possible.

On a positive note...we have a LOI date of this week and now all we are waiting for is China to say ok, she's yours. Still hoping and praying for that to happen soon so we can travel in Feb or March. V and I are ready to get shopping for bunk beds and bedding for "the girls" room. Oh what fun!! White beds and some very colorful bedding.

LOI !!!!!

Well our paperwork requesting to adopt Liang Wan Jian is on the way to China. Amy e-mailed me today and said she had submitted our approval electronically and I guess the real stuff will be on it's way later this week. One step closer to bringing our sweet Abby Grace home.

We still have a long road ahead of us. It is anywhere from 2-5 months from out LOI to our RA. (For all of you non-adoptive readers that is referral acceptance, when China says sure you can adopt this child.) Praying we will be on the short end of that wait. Once we receive our RA it will move rather quickly. Our agency will secure consulate appointments, make travel arrangements and help us get our Visas ready for travel to China. Whew...I can't wait for that time to come. Still hoping and praying for February or March travel. Faith and God have guided us through this entire process thus far and I know he will pick the perfect time for us to travel. It is just so hard to be a planner and not be able to be in control of all of this.

I'll end with a quote I've had plastered on the refrigerator and on my computer screen at work,

"Every minute you're waiting, God is working." -Oswald Chambers

Meet Abby Grace

Abbigail Grace Liang Mitchell

20 months old

Ping Liang SWI, Gan Su Province, PRC

Here she is, Miss Abbigail Grace Liang Mitchell. This was a picture provided to us in her most recent update 10/12/07. This is what she looks like right now. I can't believe it! We finally have a beautiful face to put with our daughter we have been praying for for so long. We think she is absolutely beautiful.

Her update stated that the doctors did not perform her CL/CP surgery in August as had been planned. After talking with our Pediatrician she said that was for the best. Therefore we requested that they not perform it in China. We will take care of it when we get home. Speaking of getting home. We are praying that we will travel in February or March to China. February would be great since V already has a week off from school for winter break, so she would only miss one week. March would be ok too, but you know me, the sooner the better. Her update also stated that she has 17 teeth and weighs a whopping 22.9 pounds. I guess all of those egg noodles she has been eating are catching up with her. I can hardly wait to finally hold our sweet little girl, come on China get her paperwork done ASAP and give us travel dates soon. I sure don't want to join the 100 day club. That is the club of people who have been waiting for 100+ days to get there approval from China. Our family coordinator is guessing anywhere from 3-6 months depending on how many other dossiers are being reviewed at the time ours comes to that point.

I have become cyber friends with a family whose son is also in Abby's SWI. they are almost the same age and he too had a CL/CP. he recently had surgery and looks great. We joke that they are playing together and having a great time, unaware of the connections they have given us. we are praying to be able to travel together. They have daughters around V's age which would make the trip for her a little more fun. I cannot wait to see Abby and Hudson playing together!

Please continue to pray for Abby Grace and for her care givers. Pray for the CCAA, that they quickly process our paperwork. Pray for us as we continue to wait. Pray for all of the orphans in the world. Pray for others to come forward and start the wonderful process of adoption. It is such an amazing journey.