LOI to China!

Well, this is it!  I am very excited because today we officially sent our LOI (letter of intent) to adopt a specific child from China.

Yes, that's right!  We have found our little boy and we have officially asked China for permission to adopt him.  

If you are not familiar with adoption and how the process works you might be quite confused.  Typically, when people adopt internationally, they fill out all the paperwork, do a home study, pass immigration requirements, and then wait and wait for the referral of a child.  Our situation is unique because China allows you to specifically request to adopt a waiting child if you meet the requirements and send in the necessary information.

Our agency pre-screened us and then asked us to start the process of gathering documents to send in with our LOI.  Today we sent in: our actual letter requesting to adopt him, a care plan for his medical needs, financial information, medical forms proving our health, criminal background checks, passport photos, photos of our family, a referral acceptance form, liability release, and a family history information sheet.

A little over a month ago we saw the photo of a little boy on the special focus waiting child list at our agency.  Through a series of providential events (which I will try to explain later) we were brought to his picture.  He had already been waiting for 2 years...his file was about to be released from the agency and sent back to China.  He had three things working against him: 1. He is a boy, 2. He is not an infant, 3. He has multiple special needs.  All of these things make it harder for him to be adopted, and so he sat on our agency's list but was never chosen by a family.

After much prayer and waffling back and worth, we decided to request his file to review. We were overwhelmed with his medical needs.  To be honest, we really just wanted to adopt a little girl with minor needs...that is how our adoption had always played out in our heads.

But God had already begun to work in our hearts, from the time he whispered the desire to adopt into our lives years ago.  We wanted to adopt a child who desperately needed a family.  A child who no one else was waiting in line for.  And as we prayed and weighed our options and prayed some more it became clear..we wanted to adopt HIM.  I can't describe what it feels like...but suddenly the fear and worries were replaced with peace and a clear assurance that this was the center of God's will.

The next two weeks or so will be nerve wracking as we wait for China to review our information and either accept or deny our request.  If they accept we will receive PA (pre approval) and can begin the paper chase of documents and home study visits needed to finalize the adoption- which will take anywhere from 9 to 12 months.

So, pray and wait with us!  Pray that our LOI is submitted smoothly, that we will receive PA, and that this little boy will become a part of our family.  Once he does we can share his photo and information :)