Fundraising Bonanza!

     The speed at which God has opened the doors to bring Little One home has been...phenomenal to say the least. Laughable seems disrespectful, but I can't help at laugh at every record breaking event that has happened thus far. Old Testament Sarah laughed at the possibility of God performing a miracle; I'm laughing at how He is doing it! 

    Many people have asked about the cost of bringing Little One home and how they can help.  I won't lie, adoption costs are significant. With travel to China included, it will cost approximately $30,000 (paid up front) to bring Little One home.  This isn't much more than the cost of a natural pregnancy...but wouldn't you know it, health insurance doesn't cover adoption costs (I'll have to call my Congressman about that).  I'm working extra shifts & I've applied for eight different adoption grants and I hope to hear from those foundations by spring. With savings, extra work & potential grants it looks like the first $20,000 has been provided for. (Isn't that just incredible?!).

     Now that the word is out about Little One's arrival, there has been an AMAZING outpouring of support from friends two & three times removed. I'm chatting with people I didn't know I didn't know!  There are SO many wonderful people with a heart for adoption but aren't physically in a place where they can adopt into their own families...nearly all have asked how they can help.  Here are the ways that you can help bring our Little One home:

• Cassandra Hamilton Photography has generously offered a day of mini sessions with all the proceeds (plus any extra donations) to go toward to Little One's fund.  Saturday March 17th from 10am to 2pm, outside Northwest Church, will be the scene of individual portraits and small group portraits. I cannot say enough WONDERFUL things about Cassandra & her photography. Please consider this an amazing opportunity to be photographed by her.
• ($20 donation) The individual portraits are perfect for children, for you for your website or as a social media image or just because. You can choose black and white or color. The full resolution image will be emailed to you.
• ($40 donation)The small group pictures can have 2-4 people. Think you and your sweetie, siblings, you and your bestie, you and your child, you and your mom (then you can make it into a great print for Mother’s Day). You can choose black and white or color. The full resolution image will be emailed to you.
• More information can be found here at Cassandra's blog.

• Community garage sale.  If you have goodies worthy of another home or project, please consider donating to the Spring Adoption Garage Sale (date to be determined, pending Seattle weather). THEN, come peruse other people's goodies to see what would look good in your home! With what has already been donated I think $1,000 net is an easy goal.

• Online auction.  Doesn't this sound like fun?  BEAUTIFUL handmade goods & quality services have been donated just for Little One's welcome home.  More information to come in the next 10days!

• Direct donation. If you are not able to participate directly in any of the above events but would still like to donate, direct donations can be made either to myself or to Bethany Christian Services with my name notation. There is no tax deduction, but there is an awfully cute toddler who can give you a hug or a high five someday! Please feel free to email me for more information.

• Prayer.  Yes, prayer. There are many who have a passion for adoption but aren't able to invest in this type of ministry financially. That's okay!  God's movement does not depend on our paper currency; nor does our ability to obey.  I would ask everyone to continue to pray for open doors & favor, but to those who have the gift of prayer covering to offer...especially pray on the day of mini-sessions, the community garage sale, the online auction and over the pending grants.  

     I am resting in the promise that God is going to provide every nickle, dime & hundred dollar bill needed to bring Little One home. He owns the cattle on a thousands hills (Psalm 50:10), so $30,000 is chump change in His economy. (I just did the math: approx $1500 per cow x 42 cows per herd x 1000 hills = $63million.  We should be good.)

     THANK YOU for being a part of this incredible process.  I'll keep you updated on dates & totals as we go.

My Mother Knows I Was Born

     I had a bit of a panic attack this morning. Seven months of meticulous record keeping, document seeking, filing, requesting & sorting information for my Dossier, and the precious package arrived in Michigan this morning. Whew & Hallelujah!  BUT...my Oregon state sealed birth certificate apparently is due to pass the 6month validity deadline tomorrow. Per my international helper in Michigan, this means...I have to get a new one. WHAT?!!! All that work!  I texted my mother to complain...I thought she was going to come out of her skin: "Who wants official documentation of your birth?! I'll give them something official to document! I was there! You were there. You're still here. It's official-you were born. What's the problem?!"     Whoa, nelly.  (She has a point...and I think she wants to get her hands on her grandson.)

     This is part of the game that is Adoption Paperwork. I need the exact same piece of paper, signed by the same people, in the same envelope, going to the same place with the left corner documenting this month's date...not last month's date in the right corner.    Arrggg.  The notary is my new best friend.

     After two big breaths, I hopped on the phone to the State of Oregon's Department of Vital Statistics and got someone real to talk to. (A miracle in & of itself). I calmly asked for another $35 birth certificate and oh, did she know the address to the Oregon Secretary of State to reseal the document. "Well, I can just send this right over for you if you'd like." If I'd like?! Nice-lady-person, I'd take that over just about anything right now! (The alternative, was receiving the birth certificate by mail & resending it back to Oregon to be resealed, having it sent back to me, then sent to Michigan = TIME CONSUMING). She also offered a phone number to confirm the transaction with the Secretary of State's office...turns out she gave me the direct number to THE Secretary of State of Oregon. "um...hello, Ms. Brown...your honor...ship, ma'am". (What do you say?!).  Thankfully, they are pretty good people in Salem, Oregon and they'll seal my birth certificate and get it back to me...before Monday. Whoohooo! We are right back on track.

     The doors just keep opening...it's TRULY amazing.  I'm so looking forward to telling Little One his story...our story...and of the Greatness who brought us together.  "He is our praise; He is our God, who performed for us those great & awesome wonders we saw with our own eyes!"  (Deuteronomy 10:21).  And of a Gramma that will thrown down a vital statistics office if needed...
     (Just joking secret government blog watchers. Just joking.)

20 Minutes--Two Reams of Paper--$13.04

Today was the culmination of nearly 7months of paperwork:

Twenty minutes in Olympia, Washington's capital, to get my final documents signed & sealed by Sam Reed, the Secretary of State.  Twenty minutes from the time we walked in the office to the time we walked out...on a Friday afternoon...before a holiday...TWENTY MINUTES.  I should no longer be shocked by the time warp God seems to have Little One & I on, but come on...it's a government office!

Welcome to Olympia

Secretary of State's office

It took two reams of paper (and a couple of ink jet replacements) to print out four copies of the completed dossier.  One copy for me to hand carry to China, one copy for my social worker, and two copies to the adoption agency's international office.

This is what my international caseworker calls "organized & motivated"!

To express mail my precious dossier to Michigan...$13.04.  (I'll admit it, I was short 3 pennies and my mom had to help me out).  The dossier will arrive Tuesday afternoon for final review then it will be sent for authentication at the Chinese consulate in Washington DC. Officially, authentication can take two to four weeks...but I've stopped paying attention to the official time estimates.  God hasn't ever seemed to pay them any mind.  :)

This is one precious pile of paperwork.

I'll be posting lots of information in the coming weeks, so look here for updates. Things have moved so unbelievably fast, that we are now in a bit of a mad rush to get everything ready for Little One's arrival; it could happen in the next 3-4months.  My friend Julie has started a pool as to when Little One is coming home...anyone else in for April 5th?!

The World's BEST Sentence

"United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has reviewed...all evidence submitted...On the basis of this evidence, USCIS has determined that you...have been hereby approved to adopt one child from the...People's Republic of China"

WHOOOHOOOOOO!!!

The sentence that makes it official!  The sentence that I wasn't "scheduled" to receive for another 6-8 weeks arrived today, just THIRTY days after I was fingerprinted. The sentence that will allow me to have all my paperwork sealed by the State of Washington and submitted to the People's Republic of China.  The sentence that will bring our boy home...