LID

I started my morning off with an early flight to Charlotte. After I landed and was checking out my rental car, I received a call from my social worker, Sarah. Every time her number shows up on my caller ID, I have that moment of panic/excitement and my mind immediately races through all the possibilities of things she might have to tell me!

I am happy to announce that I am LID today! LID stands for "Log In Date". This is the date my dossier is officially logged in at the CCCWA (Chinese Center for Children's Welfare and Adoption). This is also the last step before I am able to be matched with a child! I am essentially just waiting on a phone call! For those of you who know me well, you know that I like to know what's next and when! This part of the wait is hard, y'all! Absolutely nothing is in my control! God is definitely using this journey to teach me a few things! 

I am choosing to be patient and content with HIS timing, but I'm obviously very anxious to "meet" this little one! I've been told that I could be waiting days or months - there is just no way to know! I am so ready to see the face of the little girl who I have been praying for for so long! Please continue to pray for her health and that God would prepare her little heart to become part of a family! 

Until next time...

DTC

What could make the last day of vacation exciting?! Learning you are DTC, of course! 

I've been waiting on this news for several days! This afternoon, I was sitting on the beach - soaking up the last little bit of sunshine - and I got an email from my social worker letting me know I was DTC! 

DTC stands for "Dossier to China". Included in my dossier are 13 documents all about me - birth certificate, financial information, physical exam, clearances from finger prints, pictures of my home, my home study, and lots of other very important papers! I've been collecting all this paper for the past several months, so this is the end of a HUGE paperchase! 

Over the past several weeks, these 13 documents have been traveling! Each piece of paper has to be authenticated - aka getting fancy stamps, stickers and seals! First stop was the Shelby County probate. Next, they went to Montgomery, AL to be authenticated by the Secretary of State. Last stop was the Chinese Consulate in Houston, Texas. Earlier this week, they were safely returned to Lifeline here in Birmingham! All I can say is thank God for couriers and FedEx! 

The next step will be LID - the date that my dossier gets "logged in" in China. I've been told to expect that in 3-4 weeks, but I'm hoping it's quicker than that! 

The Paperwork Begins

These past few weeks have been extremely busy. I got sort of used to doing things at a leisurely pace the last several months since I had time off work. Well…that is a thing of the past! To catch everyone up, here’s what’s been going on.

February 18^th – I received a call from the China Program Director at Lifeline letting me know that my application had been accepted. I spent about 30 minutes on the phone with her, and left feeling encouraged yet overwhelmed about what was to come.

February 20^th – I received a call from my social worker for the first time. Of course, I wanted to make a good first impression. Well that’s not what happened! Remember how I said I was working in the middle of no where? Well I had cell service that’s to be expected in the middle of no where! I know she thought I was a complete crazy - I could only hear half of what she was saying! (I called her back later in the day to apologize!)

March 3^rd – I had my Orientation Interview call with my social worker. During this call we talked all about me, China adoption, and what to expect going forward. I was sent 3 manuals by email, and talked through those and what I needed to accomplish over the next couple of weeks. My mind went into full paperwork mode!

March 4^th – I completed my fingerprinting for my Alabama DHR Child Abuse and Neglect clearance. It was pretty anti-climactic - no black ink on my fingers…it’s all biometric live scan these days!

While all of this was going on, I was also interviewing an accepting a new job! I came home from my California project on February 20^th, by that next week I had 4 job offers for long term projects! This is one of the ways I have seen God’s hand in this process. I accepted a Monday thru Thursday job in Charlotte, NC. We will be bringing up 40 OB clinics on EMR and I’ll be doing training for OB nurses and physicians! So, not did God provide me a job - He made sure it was only an hour flight, I would be home on Fridays and I still get to use my OB skills! I found out on Tuesday that they wanted me to start the next Monday. So in addition to all the adoption paperwork, I have spent the rest of my week doing new job paperwork, drug tests and lab work! Busy, busy, busy! But I wouldn’t have it any other way! 

Giving up on that whole marriage thing?

 At the beginning of this process, it was really important to me that my family was 100% supportive of my decision. I decided that the best way to do this was to just talk to everyone individually. So over a couple of weeks, I made my rounds through the family and shared my heart. Just like I expected, every single one of them were totally on board.

I do have to tell a little story about my dad though! I had planned on talking to him one day while we were in the car traveling back from Augusta to Birmingham. He was in the backseat, and the whole trip he kept telling my mom and I “I can’t hear what y’all are saying!”. Not a great environment for a pretty serious conversation! Well as we got close to home, I couldn’t put it off any longer. So I started by saying “What would you think about me pursing adoption, sooner rather than later?” His reaction to that question was my favorite of all the people I talked to. Why? Because it was real, honest, and blunt. (In case you don’t know me…I tend to tell it like it is! I must get it from him!) So what was his reaction? Well….he paused and said “So you are just giving up on the whole marriage thing?” I sat there a second, and then just laughed! I quickly explained that this had nothing to do with marriage, and to that he said the sweetest thing ever. He said “I will support you, even if no one else does!”

So, why did I laugh at his initial reaction? I could have easily let his reaction discourage me or upset me. But I didn’t. Why? Because I know without a doubt that this is what the Lord has called me to. It has nothing to do about being single or married. This decision is by no means a “back-up plan”. This decision doesn’t take away the desire to have a husband. This decision wasn’t made because I feel like my “biological clock” is ticking away. This decision wasn’t made because I couldn’t find a man to have a child of my own. (Side note: A funnier blog post could be written about an anonymous person who offered up her anonymous son-in-law because he makes pretty babies!) This decision was made because the Lord placed the need of the orphan on my heart and showed me that I could make a difference in the life of a little girl half way around the world!

So, for all those people who have thought the same thing as my dad….it’s ok, it’s a normal reaction! But please put aside those thoughts of “Bless her heart….she’s worried she won’t get married and be able to have kids.” Those thoughts are the farthest thing from the truth! 

Congratulations, Dad! You are getting a grandbaby and didn’t even have to pay for a wedding! 

Valentine's Day 2015

Usually Valentine’s Day is not really special for me. Let’s be honest. Valentine’s Day without a valentine is pretty lame. But this year, I wasn’t allowing the "day of love" to stop me from having a little fun. I’m out in Northern California working on a short term project in a city called Chico, California. Have you heard of it? Yeah…me neither. It’s tiny. Remote. Isolated. My cell phone doesn’t work. My first hotel had bed bugs. I itched. It rained. So after a pretty rough week, I was determined to make Valentine’s Day fun!

One thing pretty great about California is the weather. It’s February and it’s already warm and the trees are blooming!

I planned a little road trip, and after my co-workers decided they just wanted to rest at the hotel…I decided to go alone! I’m pretty sure God has this planned all along. The 3 hour drive to San Francisco gave me lots of time to think, thank Jesus for putting me on this journey, and to pray for my girl! There was also plenty of time to think about all the things that worry me about this process. But when I start down that road of worry…I do my best to redirect my mind!

I’ve never been to San Francisco, and because I just had a few hours...I did the typical tourist things! I parked and walked towards Pier 39. I watched the sea lions with about 4,000 of my newest friends. (Apparently everyone else had the same idea for today!) After that, I ordered some fried calm strips from a popular Pier 39 restaurant and took my food to a quieter part of the pier to eat. I ate lunch with an amazing view of Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge.

After lunch, I did a little shopping and grabbed a slice of cookie cake for the road. I drove around the downtown area, got to drive down Lombard Street (aka the crooked street), and wished I had had more time to explore the festival that was going on in China Town.

After the long drive home, I made one finally stop before I headed up the mountain to the hotel. In Starbucks, over a Chestnut Praline Latte, I spent a couple of hours finishing up my application for the Lifeline China Adoption program. One of the little details that I don’t want to forget is that when I was submitting the online application, I looked down and there was a lady bug crawling up the arm of my chair. Ladybugs are sometimes called Chinese beetles. Sign of good luck? Maybe? But I just saw it as one of those things God was using to make me smile!

So excited to be getting this process going!

Hearing the Call

I think that when God calls us to do something, the means by which we are called are different for each person. In biblical times, people heard the “audible” voice of God. While God has never spoken to me in that manner, I do believe He could if He felt it was necessary. Throughout the process of being called to adoption, the means by which He captured my attention have been plentiful, jaw-dropping, funny, and occasionally down right shocking. These are the things that I never want to forget about along the way. I know there may come a time when I am overwhelmed or sit back and think “What on earth have I gotten myself into?”, but being reminded of His hand in this process from the beginning will be a huge source of encouragement to just keep going!

Looking back, I can see how a lot of my life experiences have brought me to this point. Like I said before, what began as a thought about adopting “one day”, has brought me to where I am at today. The change in my heart did not happen overnight. Although I KNOW that God has been working on my heart for many years, it wasn't until the past year or so that the calling became hard to ignore. So let’s play catch up….

August 2014 – My good friend, Lauren, lives in St. Louis, MO. During mid-August, there was terrible rioting around the city because of the police shooting of Michael Brown. Because I didn’t know exactly where Lauren lived in relation to Ferguson, I checked in with her via text to make sure they were safe. Although we don’t get a chance to talk much, Lauren is just one of those friends that I can pick up with right where we left off. She let me know that they were safe and we text about my brand new niece, Emma Kate. Then out of the blue I receive a text that says “Are you still wanting to adopt from China? I remember you talking about wanting to.” Ummm….where did that come from? I don’t even remember ever mentioning that to her. Over the next 30 minutes, I text her back and forth through teary eyes explaining how I had begun praying about it.

November 24, 2014 – While we were in Augusta, GA visiting with Whitney, Kevin and Emma Kate, the news broke that there was no indictment of the officer involved in the Ferguson, MO shooting. Rioting and protesting ensued. Again, I decided to text Lauren to make sure they were safe. During our chat, Lauren sent me a picture of the cutest little Chinese girl, just saying “Isn’t she precious?” Well only God would allow that picture to be of a little girl who I “knew”! I had followed her mom’s blog long before they decided to bring her home, and I actually “watched” their progress to bring her home! To make things even crazier….I had just finished up a photography class with this little girl’s mom! Only God! (Lauren and I made plans to have coffee over Christmas when we would both be in Birmingham)

December 29, 2014 – I met Lauren inside Starbucks at Target, and we spent several hours catching up. Of course, our conversation turned to China adoption. (Sorry to all the people who encountered the 2 crazies who were crying in Starbucks!) I shared my fears about doing this alone, what this meant for my future, my job, my finances…..and she listened, then encouraged. We talked about adoption as a single person and how it stood up biblically, and then she shared about a young single mom at her church that has now adopted 4 girls. We left that meeting committed to praying for clarity in timing, and the strength to say “Yes” when it was time. I think this was the first day I thought “Wow, is God really asking me to do this now? On my own?”

January 4, 2015 – While going through my blog roll, I realized that Katie Davis got married. (Actually there was no blog update from her so I looked at twitter!) If you don’t know who Katie is, you should check out her blog and book. Katie Davis is a young girl who moved to Africa at the age of 21. When she initially went, she was teaching English, but God quickly had other plans for her….she has since adopted 14 girls. So what does it matter that she got married? Well it doesn’t really, but at this point in time “my future” was a big fear for me. If I say yes to adoption, what about marriage? Can I do this on my own? God used this opportunity to remind me that He can definitely call young single people to do BIG things. But that’s not it! Because I wanted more info, I sought out some friends of hers blogs (I’m crazy like that!) Gwen and Suzanne are the founders of 147 Million Orphans….I’ve also been following their journeys for many years. As only God would have it, their brand new book titled “One: Impossible Starts Here” had been published only 3 days before. Before I even read anything about it, it was in my Amazon Prime shopping cart!

January 16 – 24 – I had a last minute opportunity to take a cruise with my grandparents before starting a new job….last minute as in I added on to their reservation 6 days before we left. At this point, so much was going on in my head and in my heart. I had dug into this new book….quickly realizing that it was surely written just for me. (Quick synopsis: Saying yes to the one thing God is placing in front of you!) Taking this cruise seemed to be the perfect opportunity to get away, seek His plan for my life, and pray specifically about saying “Yes” to adopting. Before I left, I talked with my mom and let her know exactly where my head was and asked her to pray that I would have time to think. That trip, while crazy, was exactly what I needed. I had time to finish up “One: Impossible Starts Here” and spend lots of time talking to Jesus while watching the sunset. It was in the middle of the Caribbean Ocean that I surrendered to all my fears and committed to moving forward with adoption.

January 29 – I was busy getting ready to start a new project in California, and God was busy working on me to make a very important phone call. I started the day with a hair appointment, and shopping for last minute travel things. I could not shake that nervous, anxious feeling and that voice in my head reminding me “You need to call Lifeline”. In case you don’t know me, I’m a good procrastinator….especially with big decision or tough/scary things. Finally, I couldn’t take it a

anymore. I sat down and made the biggest phone call of my life (or at least it felt that way in the moment!) Marcy, at Lifeline Children’s Services, talked to me all about their China Program. At some point, she asked something and I choked up and said “Sorry, this is the most daunting phone call I’ve ever made”. Looking back at my notes, I know that my mind was going a million different directions – they are pretty much a jumbled list of words like….net worth, annual income, 12-18 months, special needs, waiting child, apply online, social worker, home study, dossier. (Thankfully she followed up with an email!) After that phone call, and a good little cry….there was relief!

So, if you’ve made it to this point….I’m impressed! I hope what you have gathered from this is that this decision has been well thought out, prayed over and made without influence. There is so much about this process that I don’t want to forget, so this is essentially my journal. Also, because I have gained so much by reading other people’s adoption journeys….I want to be that person to someone else. (And for the record, finding info on single parent adoption is hard – so I’m going to do my best to be open and honest about the process!)

Thank you for walking this journey with me!

Beginning a Journey

I couldn't tell you exactly when the desire to adopt began. I know that my interest in international adoption has peaked in the past several years, but it was simply that....an interest! I loved reading blogs and watching YouTube videos of families being created through the miracle of adoption. Some of those stories were the kind that only God can write....emotional, powerful, miraculous!

At some point, that interest changed over to a desire to adopt. Early on, my thoughts consisted of  "That would be so cool to adopt!" or "I would love to bring home a little girl from China!". At that point in my life, I was doing all of the things society tells us we are supposed to do. Graduate college. Get a job. Buy a car. Buy a house. I had this image in my head of how my life would play out. I would be married, my husband and I would take great vacations, have kids of our own, and live the American dream. And then after we were settled, we would grow our family through adoption...because that would be an awesome exclamation point to our perfect little family!

(Insert screeching wheels sound effect here)

Let's fast forward to 2014 and the part where God has a hilarious sense of humor. Over the past several years, most of those things society tells us are normal were accomplished. I survived nursing school, got my dream job, bought a car, and a brand new house. I haven't found that husband yet, but I didn't let that stop me from taking great vacations and even landing a new super flexible job where I get to travel the country! Even through all that success and fun, that desire to adopt never left.

So here begins the story of how God transformed my interests, desires and perfect plan for my life into HIS story for my life! God has used just about every means possible to make sure I knew exactly what He was asking me to do. Through situations that I have been placed in, people He has placed in my life, and Him changing my heart - It is clearer to me than anything has ever been, that God is asking me to step forward, say yes, and adopt!

So, with great joy I am excited to announce that I have started the process to adopt a little girl from China! As excited as I am, I'm also scared to death! If you know me well, I'm a planner and this process is full of unknowns! While I am anxious for what is to come, and just how much it is going to change my life - I have never been more at peace!

Would you commit to praying for me during this process? It would mean the world to me!

More to come!