7 months down

We now have 7 months of this wait behind us!!!! At this point the wait is still 14 - 18 months from the time our paperwork was offically logged in China. Our Log in date is referred to as a LID and that is march 7, 2006. I am still hoping that we will know something between March and May of 2007. God is a big God and this whole journey is in His hands!!!!! Darci, mommy and daddy are waiting patiently until the time we are put together as a forever family!!! We love you!!!

6 month anniversary

Today, we have waited 6 months for our sweet Darci. The wait right now is 14 - 18 months. Keep in mind this is all based on previous waits. The adoption journey has its ups and downs. I truly believe that Darci has either just been born or has another month in womb. This journey is all in God's hands and we will go when He puts everything into place.

For Sale by Owner

Finally got everything together, pictures taken and flyer made up so we put the “For Sale by Owner” sign in the yard today. We left to go to Owasso to look around at houses and neighborhoods. We want to get an idea of where we would like to move to. Went to one open house and talked with a realtor about churches. Found a couple of houses we were interested in. On house is on a 1 acre lot and Brian really wants this one. The other one is in an addition called “Honey Creek” I really like this house. We are not going to put a contract on anything as we are waiting until our house sells. Do not want 2 house payments. We believe that God is in control and He will sell this house at the right time.

Sell House Sell

I have had some friends inquire about our house for others they know who are looking for a house. Praying it sells soon.

Bittersweet sadness

Told the staff today at staff meeting that I would be resigning my position and that we were moving to Tulsa . It was met with a lot of sadness but also with joyful hearts as they know this is God’s plan and the fact that I get to stay at home with Darci is a wonderful blessing. I sent out a mass email informing everyone else of the move. I got back some wonderful comments. We are praying that our house sells quickly.

We're Moving!!

It’s confirmed. We are moving to the Tulsa area. Brian and G talked and the best move for the business is for Brian to move and work at the shop, so we will be moving. I told C and those that are my team. Will share with the rest of the staff next Tuesday. I called D today to inform her of our upcoming move and because our home study has not gone to immigration, we will put everything on hold until we know when our house sells. Our prayer is that it sells quickly as we do not want to wait forever to proceed with the adoption. I know that God has a plan, and I will try real hard to keep the faith and know that He is in control. There is a reason for this delay and right now He is the only one who knows!!

Approval or Denial??

What a long day this will be. Will we get a phone call of approval or denial? At this point only God knows. To be honest, I am walking on pins and needles. Knowing all the while that my God is here, but the faith has disappeared. Lord, I am sorry!!! After our book review this afternoon, there was a message on my voicemail. Yes it was Denise. Here come the emotions. I called her and she told us that after careful consideration by the team that they had decided to approve us. I fully understand the concerns that Dillon has. We are about to embark on a huge journey and life as we know it will soon change. They want to make sure that we are emotionally ready and that nothing will come between us and Darci as she makes the transition into our family. Dillon is in this with us for the long haul and that is what I appreciate about them!!! We’re gonna make it!! Darci we are just a few more steps closer to you!!! The one thing that I have begun to understand is that God allows us to journey and along the journey He teaches us things that we would have never learned had we not taken the journey. Psalms 94:19 “When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought joy to my soul.” He truly has brought joy to my soul today even when the anxiety was great.

2nd and Final Home Study

2nd home study visit was tonight. We met N at Chili’s in Norman . A lot of things were discussed and brought sadness to both Brian and I. The debt to income ratio was a concern and we were a little shocked that this was not discussed when we turned in our application 2 as this information was supplied at that time. Another concern was the relationship that we have right now with Kayla. We walked away with heavy hearts. On the way home I reminded Brian that this was probably just Satan’s way of rearing his ugly head to discourage us. He definitely got the job done. However, God was also sending us messages and he placed this song on my heart and I began to sing it in my head and it was a powerful reminder that God is in control.



Yes, God indeed is in control and all the glory goes to Him. When we got home, Brian and I prayed together crying out to God our father asking Him for His will to be done. We knew that this could be the time that God chose to close the door, but we also trusted the knowledge that He had bore Darci in our hearts for a reason and we didn’t feel that it was to close to door now. There were plenty of opportunities to do that previously and it had not been done. We continue to trust that His will be done.

Friends

Talked with S about airlines and what route they took to and back. She is going to look at her notes and get back with me. I also asked her about her hip hammock. She really liked it and has offered to let me use it. I am really excited but the wait is still going to be a long one. God is in control and his timing is the best.

The first home study visit

We are having our home study done tonight. I am excited. A little apprehensive, but all will go well. It is 9:25 and N just left. It never ceases to amaze me how God is in control of even the little things. Everything went fine. Her husband has a cochlear implant and their family has a dachshund. My parents are deaf, I worked with children who had cochlear implants and we also have a dachshund. Isn’t God good!! We will meet again Friday, June 17th for our final home study visit. N is such a sweet lady and very re-assuring. I asked her about how long this process will take. She said once we are done meeting, it will take her about 1 week to write the report, then she emails it to Dillon who proofs it for any mistakes or corrections. Then once all mistakes and corrections are done she sends the final copy to Dillon. This process is about 1 – 2 weeks long. Dillon will then send the home study to BCIS in OKC and then we wait for a fingerprinting appointment. At this point it looks like we will be DTC in August. We’re coming as fast as we can Darci!!!

PAINT

Went to Lowe’s and picked out paint for Darci’s room and Brian’s office. Don’t know when I’ll start painting, but it will be soon. Have to move all of the stuff that Amanda and I moved out of Darci’s old room into the spare room (now Darci’s room) back into the guest room. Have to do this before I can start painting.

A new bed for Mom and Dad

Brian decided that we would buy a soft side waterbed. I finally got my king size bed. He wants to keep the old bed and so the only room that it will fit in is Darci’s. CHANGE OF PLANS!!!! We went and picked out paint for the back bedroom (Darci’s old room), painted it, moved the old bed into that room. Poor Brian, I pushed while he pulled. We got er done!!! Moved furniture around in our room and set up the waterbed. Went shopping for bedding and got a beautiful bedding set for our new bed.

The "Dossier"

Many may ask what a dossier is. It is all the official documents that go to requesting our permission to adopt a child from their country. What's in the dossier? LOTS and LOTS of paperwork.

Marriage License, Birth Certificates, Divorce decree (if there has been a divorce), State background check on both parents, Local police clearance, Autobiography from both parents, Physical's and supporting letters from doctor regarding any illness currently being treated for, Official paperwork from the US government, Pictures from your passport, Home study, Pictures of the house, pictures of both parents, Letter from parents requesting to adopt from their country and any paperwork associated to any previous arrests.

All of this is compiled, sent for state authentication, the sent to the Chinese consulate for authentication and then our agency send the dossier to an agency in who then translates all of the documents into Chinese, and then the dossier is sent to CCAA ( China Center for Adoption Affairs). The clearing house for all international adoptions in . They are located in Beijing .

Let the home study begin!!!

Our agency registered our home study for us. We should hear soon who our social worker will be and when our home study will begin.

Immigration paperwork filed

Sent off the I600A to BCIS. This is the first part of immigration paperwork. Brian is the petitioner. This means that he will have to travel to get her. After our home study is sent to BCIS, we will receive a letter for fingerprinting appointment. The last paper that we will wait for is the I171. This is the paper that allows Darci to come into the United States as a US Citizen.

Approval!!

The phone call came!!! Application part II was approved!!! Sent out another email.

Subject: Adoption Approval YEAH GOD!!

Thank you so much for your prayers as we take this journey to Darci. I was called this afternoon to be informed that our final application has been approved and we move onto our home study process. Darci is somewhere in and God is watching over her and protecting her until He places her in our arms. Please continue to pray until she safely arrives here in Oklahoma .
Brian and Debbie

We went shopping tonight. We went to Pottery Barn Kids. Amanda got to go with us so that was a lot of fun. We got Darci a pink overstuffed chair. I am going to have her name embroidered on it. We also got a blow up beach ball to take with us to . So she will have something to play with that is big, but can pack conveniently.

Dillon receives our application

DIllon recieved our application II today. Now the ball is rolling and we should hear shortly when our home study will begin.

Application II is in the mail

Sent out our Application II, YEAH!!! It’s out of our hands. Waiting to hear from Dillon if this part is approved so that we move onto our home study process. I was so excited to get the application mailed off that when I got home I realized I had not included the application fee. Called N to let her know that I would mail the check tomorrow. I hope we can pass the test, since I am forgetting so much!!!

Surgery

SURGERY DAY!!!! I have to be at the surgery center around 11:00. Can not have anything to eat. Boy am I hungry!!! Everything went great with the surgery. Cleaned out the bone fragments, cleaned up a lot of old as well as a lot of new damage and did a lateral release on the right side. I have this cool contraption. It is an ice chest with a pump that continually pumps cold water through a wrap that is on my knee. Kinda neat!!! I keep it cold and running 24 – 7. Got to get that knee better, Darci will be here before we know it.

Running around (not literally)

Amanda and I spent all day running around taking care of all the errands that I needed to have done. Since I was not able to drive, I have accumulated a lot of things that needed to be done. Poor Amanda, I had to tell her every little turn to take. She was a little tired of being in a car all day. We got everything done!! YEAH!!

Amanda is here!!

Amanda flew in this evening. Her plane did not get here until almost 10:00 pm. The plane was late arriving in St. Louis . She had a great flight. She was hungry when we picked her up so we went to IHOP to eat. It feels good to have her here.

A man of few words!!

Well, we got it done!! Brian’s autobiography. It was painful!!! Almost like giving birth. Brian is definitely a man of FEW words. Well that’s okay, it’s done!!!!

Home Alone

Home alone again!!!

Was suppose to go to Illinois today!

Was suppose to go to Illinois today to get documents but that has all changed since I fell. We have used my portion of the ticket to fly Amanda here so that she can help out around the house. I am not able to get up and get around except to go to the bathroom. She will be a huge help.

Can't do ANYTHING

I stayed at home by myself and worked on parts of the application. There are many things that have to be obtained and many things that have to be filled out. We are working real hard at getting everything done.

Surgery is needed

B who I worked with at the church (she quit to stay home with her daughter) called because she heard that I was hurt. Her husband works at a clinic. I had called the doctor’s office where I went on Monday and they stated it would take 2 – 4 days to get approval for the MRI. B’s husband could get me in for an MRI and to see one of the best doctors’s at the clinic today. C called me to inform me that B was on her way. B came to get me and away we went. Had x-ray’s taken, saw Dr. H, he too confirms that it is not the ACL. In the process of popping out and back into place, I chipped a couple of bone fragments off the back of the knee cap. He felt it was not necessary to have an MRI done, since he has to go in there and take out the bone fragment, he can scope the knee and take care of any other problems at that time. Surgery is set for May 5th.

Not an ACL tear

Went to see a doctor about my knee. Praise God, it is not my ACL. I probably dislocated my knee cap as I fell and when EMSA straighten the leg to stabilize it, the knee cap popped back into location. I am waiting to get an MRI.

Help!, I've fallen and I can't get up!

We were working out in the yard today, and I lost my balance and fell. EMSA had to come and transport me to the hospital. Initial x-ray indicates possible ACL injury. I’m in a lot of pain and needless to say, not much has been done today with regards to Darci.

Will this mound of paperwork ever STOP

Working really hard today on getting all of the necessary paperwork that is needed to send along with our application. Brian will be nailed to a chair tomorrow to write his autobiography. S proofed mine today, and it is ready to go. Emailed N about some questions pertaining to our application. She quickly emailed me back with the answer. Working with Dillon has been so WONDERFUL!!! They are so helpful and are very quick to answer any question you have, and if they don’t know the answer, they quickly find the answer and get back with you. I am so glad that we are working through them.

We have passport's

I went to J's and looked at a crib. She is selling hers in a rummage sale. We have decided to purchase the crib. Our passports arrived in the mail. YEAH!!! We can go to .

Doctors, doctors and more doctors

J from Dr. Z's office called and told me that Dr. Z had the letters ready and she wanted to fax them to me for my approval before she sent them to Dillon. Dr. Z came through with flying colors. His letters were wonderful. He stated that we were both asymptomatic and that we were both emotionally and mentally stable and that our illness does not interfere with our ability to parent a child. That evening when I got into the car the song that was playing was “Who Am I” sung by Casting Crowns, lyrics by Mark Hall, music by Casting Crowns

Tax Day

Tax Day !!! Have to mail our taxes. Got a call from the Doctor’s office and all my lab work was normal. Yeah Darci, mommy is healthy!!! Brian will have to go next week to have his blood work done, since he did not get it done when he had his physical. 2 men put their heads together and thought they knew best, NOT!!! I emailed D about mentioning God in our autobiography and how to properly address . She answered our questions. She is great!!

Mom's healthy

Had my physical done today, everything looked good. Am going to T’s house to cook meals. She has a homemade gourmet business and we cook meals and pay her for the ingredients. It’s mass cooking and we get 7 meals. Great thing!! It more meals for us since it is just Brian and I. Soon Darci will be helping to eat these meals. The favorite part of the night was going to Steak ‘n’ Shake afterwards with T, T and K. YUM YUM!! Psalms 54:2 “Hear my prayers, O God; listen to the words of my mouth.” God does hear our prayers and the words from our mouths. I am so thankful for this.

Taking care of babies

Worked in the nursery for K’s "Mom’s , Mentor ’s and McDonald’s" program. Got to be in the room with K. She was adopted from . Sure was a good girl. She came to life when we brought out the teddy grahams box. When I look at her, I think about Darci and where she is and what she is doing. Waiting for that day when we travel to to pick her up.

More doctor's

Got my appointment scheduled for my physical. Found out from Dr. B that Brian does not need to have the Hep. B series of shots. He was relieved. Brian did not have any blood work done as they were unsure so I got that clarified today and he will have to go in and have this done. Brian will not be home tonight. He started his new job and had to go to Tulsa to get all of the paperwork done and he will stay the night in Tulsa , so I plan to start on my autobiography. It has to be 3 – 4 pages in length and I do not like to write, so I am praying that God will lay the words on my heart. Thought a lot about Darci this morning, wondering where she is and what she is doing, is she born?? All those questions that come streaming over one’s mind and the song that was playing on the radio was “Awesome God” and indeed He is an awesome God. He has this whole thing laid out and it will all come together when it is suppose to come together. Worked on my autobiography tonight. Has 3 pages single spaced and only ½ way finished. God is good!!

Another workshop

Went to Norman to the pre-adoption workshop. I went at lunch time so I could see the meet and greet families. I want to soak up as much information as I can on the traveling, bonding, formula, etc. It was really good. There was one family from with 2 beautiful daughters and 2 families from . I learned a lot. Talked with N who is a Dillon Social Worker for the OKC area. She may be our social worker. I did learn that we are able to send a care package to Darci; however, we need to do it immediately upon receiving our referral. When we get our home study letter, that is the next major step, I plan to get a lightweight blanket and a small soft stuffed animal to have Brian and I sleep with and then send it when we can. I will also include a camera for them to take pictures. The other thing that I learned was that by going to the workshop it will count as another home study visit. We are down to just 2. Hopefully that can be done within the same week. The song that hit home today was “I Am A Friend of God” I am a friend of God and He calls me friend. Oh how true!!

Physical

Am going to call the doctor to schedule my physical. Booked my flight to Illinois to get all of our documentations. Birth certificates, marriage license, divorce decree from my 1st marriage. I can get everything online, however I cannot get the divorce decree online, so I decided to just go back and get everything in person.

More documents

Received one of the documents from Texas . Went to T’s party tonight. Brian tried to call, too much static. I was excited to talk to him, but couldn’t hear him. Maybe he will try to go to town tomorrow tonight and call. Hope so!!!

Passport's

Went to the passport office this morning with the birth certificates. Brian has his physical today. He is leaving today to go turkey hunting in southeast Oklahoma with his friend P. The doctor gave him his physical back, but it’s a godsend that he did. There are 4 blanks on the physical that are not filled out. I am trying to call Brian; however, he does not have a good signal so I have to wait for him to call me so I can ask if he had blood work done. If not, he will be going back to the doctor.

Wow, they want to know everything

Filled in most of the application this evening. They want to know EVERYTHING!!! I understand, they want no stone unturned. Asked for prayer during staff meeting today. The paperwork seems so overwhelming, and the worker bee that I am, I am determined to have it all done right now!!! God is however teaching me that I must do things as I can, not push ahead when I do not need to. Everything will get done when it’s suppose to get done. Got on the internet tonight, checking the yahoo groups. The last thing I did was check the S’s web page. The S’s are from Mt. Zion, IL Small town right outside Decatur . She noticed from a post that I was from Decatur , so she emailed me and told me about herself and her family. They were leaving for in 4 days. Their story is utterly amazing. I have been following their web page as they post pictures. Today they had pictures of when they recived A. The tears were flowing. She is so precious. No tears when she was handed over to her new mom, all smiles. This is my prayer for Darci. She is in the Father’s hands. He cares for her until He transfer care to us. I pray for smiles and no tears.

Our Ultrasound

Darci is somewhere in China!!!

It's here - LOTS OF PAPERWORK

Cancelled Brian’s appointment and rescheudled for Wednesday the 6th. YEAH!!! The packet came. LOTS OF PAPERWORK!!!! Quite overwhelming. Will get started tomorrow.

Why China??

A lot of people wonder "Why China?" The reason is that instituted a one-child policy back in the 80's. This means that a family could have only one child. also does not have social security so it is the responsibility of son's to take care of his parents. When a female grows up and marries, there is no one left to take care of her parents. Because of this, many little girls have been left in an effort to try and conceive a boy. While leaving a child is illegal in , families will go to great lengths to ensure that their little baby girls are left in public places (market place, train stations, hospitals, police stations, etc.) and usually they will travel many miles to do so, so that Chinese authorities cannot trace the baby back to them. There are some exceptions to this rule. In rural areas, parents may have 2 to 3 children as long as one is a female and they can afford to pay the fine associated with going over the child limit. This fine can be upwards of a years pay for a farming family. The other thing that must be noted is that each child born to a family must be registered in order to receive medical care and the right to get an education. Many families cannot afford to pay the fee so they will leave their female child. Some children born with medical issues are also left as the family cannot afford to pay to obtain medical treatment. I am sure many mothers agonize over the decision to leave her precious little girl, but are many times forced into that decision by her husband and her in-law's. There are many orphanages in China, however, not all orphanages are approved to adopt internationally. China has established a central agency known as CCAA ( China Center for Adoption Affairs) in Beijing . All agencies who are approved to adopt through China will send a person's dossier (All the required documents, birth certificate, marriage licenses, letter requesting to adopt, physicals, police clearance, background checks, financial statement, & home study and official US government paperwork) to CCAA. Our agency will send dossier as soon as they have anywhere from 5-10 depending where people are in their paper chasing stage. Sometime they will wait and other times they will not. Our dossier was sent to on February 13, 2006 (what a wonderful Valentine to send to ) along with 9 other families. Once the dossier arrives at CCAA it is placed in stacks by the month and day they came in. Then the long process begins. When orphanages have paper ready babies, they send those records to CCAA, CCAA then reviews dossier and begin to match babies with prospective families. Once a match has been made, then the referral is sent to the agency. The agency then notifies the family. Our agency requires us to read or hear-- depending on if you come to their office or are called by your caseworker--the medical records of the child, once you agree that you will accept the referral then they allow you to see the picture of your baby. The reason behind this is to allow families to know the child's medical history (what little there is) before you see the picture, they do not want you to fall in love with a picture and then hear something in the medical report that maybe you were not prepared to deal with.

Still No Application

No application packet. I want so bad to call Dillon and ask, but I am not going to. I am trusting that it will come when it is suppose to come. I am testing my own patience and trusting God to give me the strength to do so.

The Family

Brian and I went to high school together and met in history class. We both sat in the very back of the room and this is where the love journey started. A year after we graduated we met up again and this time the relation took off and we were married 6 months later (that was 25 years ago). Our oldest daughter Amanda joined our family and things were GREAT!!! A couple of years later Kayla made our clan a foursome. We feel very blessed to have been given the privilege of raising them. We have made many mistakes along the way, and God has taught us much as we have raised these two precious girls. We love them very much and when the time came and the little girls we once knew had grown up to become young ladies and it was time for them to leave the nest. This mother was not too happy and I wrestled with God many times, but God in His infinite wisdom taught me that we must let go and allow them to group up and begin to make their own choices. At times the relationship has been rocky, but we have continued to forge though and there has been a new closeness in the relationships that I thank God for each time I think about them. With that empty nest, this mother was not done raising children. After awhile I must admit it was kind of nice just being Brian and I, however that urge was still there. God began to work in our hearts as we sought Him to fill that need.

No April Fool's Joke - NO APPLICATON II

Still no application packet from Dillon. If it doesn’t arrive tomorrow, then we will have to reschedule Brian’s appointment. Just waiting for more paperwork. Went to the passport office at the court house today. Brian met me at work at 3:30 and we left to go downtown. Had to be there by 4:00 pm. Drove like a manaic to get there, found a parking spot and walked all over creation trying to find what door to enter in. ( Oklahoma doesn’t know about signage) Found the building, walked in the door at 4:59:59. Started giving all the documents needed with the application, I realized I had NO birth certificates!!!! I could not believe that I had forgotten them. We are standing at the elevator and all Brian could say was “glad it’s not my mistake!!” Oh well!!! We’ll be back!!! (Our application was mailed to us on this day, I found this out afterfact, when discussing dates with our case worker)

Our Journey to Darci

Welcome to our Journey!! We are Brian and Debbie from OK. God planted the adoption seed in our hearts a few years ago and in March 2005 He gave us the go ahead. We are using Dillon International as our adoption agency. We attended a pre-adoption workshop in Arlington, TX in March, 2005. We brought along our adoption application and prayed that if God wanted us to continue this journey that He would make it very clear to us during that weekend. He did indeed. We turned in our application 1 and waited to hear from our agency. Three weeks later we got the phone call that said our initial application was approved and they would be sending part 2 of the application process. This application is the LONG one!!! There were so many papers that when I got the application I felt totally lost thinking "I will never get through this", well I did!!! We forged through and dived into the mountain of paperwork. Birth Certificates, marriage Licenses, Passport, Pictures, Autobiographies and the list goes on and on!!! Finally on Monday, May 9th I overnighted the big packet to Dillon and they received it the next day. May 25 the 2nd part of the application was approved and the home study was ordered. Here we GO!!!

SHOTS!!!

Called the County Health Department. We need to have shots to travel to . Not required, but highly recommended. Brian needs to have both Hep. A & B. I have already had Hep. B so I just need to have Hep. A. I do not like to have shots, but I will do this to get my baby Darci.

Making doctor's appointments

We scheduled Brian’s physical for Monday, April 4 at 9:30 am. Trying to figure out what shots we will have to have. I’m not real big on getting shots. So this is something I am dreading.

Approved

YEAH GOD!!!! D from Dillon sent this email "Hello, Debbie and Brian. Our social work committee reviewed your application and doctor’s letters today. After thoughtful consideration we are approving your Adoption Application Part I. You will be receiving the Adoption Application Part II in the mail shortly. Don’t hesitate to call or email me if you have any questions after reading through the instructions. Have a wonderful day!"

Brian and I went to Build A Bear to create a bear for Darci. It is a white bear with a pink nose. We plan to take the bear with us to when we pick her up. We also went and got our passport pictures taken. Will take our passport applications to the post office downtown on Friday. I looked back at our Part 1 application to see what age range we had requested and we have requested 6 – 12 months. It is very possible that Darci has not been born yet. I pray for her protection, good health, that she is a happy and content baby girl. I pray that God wraps his arms around her and that she feels security from His arms and that security will continue when she is placed in our arms. God is hard at work and I marvel at his wonderful direction. His timing is perfect in everyway. 2 Samuel 22:2b-3a The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; The God of my strength, in whom I will trust. We do indeed trust in the Lord who is the one we draw our strength from.

I sent out another email.

Subject: APPROVAL!!!
We rejoice in God that He has brought us through Part 1 of the adoption application. Part 2 will be mailed to us this week and then it’s more paperchasing. We covet your prayers as we walk this journey. We look forward to the day when we can let you see Darci face to face.

Easter

Easter Sunday, the Lord is risen, He is risen indeed. Brian and I talked today about the possibility that Darci will be here next Easter. We sure hope so, how much fun it will be to decorate eggs and go and find them. You Darci are our Easter egg and we cannot wait until the day we see you face to face.

The letter is ready

YEAH GOD!!!! D from Dr. B’s office called and the letter is ready. She faxed me a copy and I faxed that to D at Dillon. Wednesday’s are REJOICE IN THE LORD FOR HE IS GOOD!!!! As we prepare for Good Friday and Easter, I am reminded of what Christ did for us. His suffering, His death on the cross for our sins is a gift I will never be able to re-pay, and God will never ask me to re-pay that debt. It was paid in full by the blood of my precious Lord and Savior. As we look to Easter, knowing that the tomb is empty PRAISE GOD!!! He sits at the right hand of His father. Romans 8:34 Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died--more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.

No letter

The letter did not make it to Dillon for their meeting today. God is teaching me that things that I think are in my control are not. He is teaching me patience and to wait and trust Him for the right timing. I realize that there may be many reasons why we have to wait one more week. I emailed D at Dillon and she has all three letters and they will meet Tuesday the 29th. If approval is given to proceed to Part 2 she will notify me that day. “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” John 15:5

Gloom and Despair

It seems that Monday’s are the day of Gloom and despair. I called Dr. B’s office for the other letter and it is still out for dictation. I pray that it comes in today and is faxed over to Dillon today, as the social workers meet on Tuesday to discuss medical issues. Again, God is knocking at my heart’s door to reassure me that He is still in control.
I pray often for Darci’s safety and health. Since girls are often left in very public places to be found, I pray that she is kept safe and found quickly. The hard thing for me now is that I have no idea if she is in womb or born and left somewhere. I pray for her peace and as she grows that God will give her a peace about security and that she has a mom and dad who are praying for her and waiting for the day that we can come and get her and that on that day she is filled with a peace that passes all understanding and that she will sense that Brian and I are her mommy and daddy.

Still waiting

I talked with D at Dillon and it was determined that Brian and I would need physician’s statements for our illnesses. Brian and I have been diagnosed with minor illnesses. I was very disappointed today. A cloud of doom hung over my head. I thought everything was going to come to a screeching halt. C prayed with me and as I got into my car, songs on the radio were speaking directly to me. God was in control of this situation not me. He would take care of everything in His timing. I went to see S to get a book that is a required reading for Dillon and we talked about the frustrations. She told me that there would be many days where I would face frustration and then there are those days where we are beaming with joy. It will be a long wait, but the reward at the end is very well worth the wait.

Dallas here we come!!!

We left Oklahoma City for Dallas . Brian was looking forward to eating at the Butcher Shop that evening for supper. YUM YUM!!! We took the dog with us, we were not able to get him boarded because of an expired vaccination. It was a long night. We had an inside room and so every time he heard a door open or shut, there was a muffled bark which kept us up most of the night. D told me at small group that this was God’s way of preparing us for days to come. I thought that the workshop started at 9:00 and it actually started at 9:30 so we were 45 minutes ahead of the game. The workshop was very informative and we both learned a lot. I had some questions that were answered by the families that we met at lunch time. They had two families who had adopted from and one family that adopted a boy from . They are in the process of now adopting a girl from . Most of the attendee’s were either adopting from or . Brian and I turned in our part 1 application that day. It was very clear to us that this was what God wanted us to do. I have been involved with the Dillon Considering Adoption Forum. This has proved to be very beneficial and very informative.

God is in control

This is an email that I sent out today. As most of you are aware, and for those who are not, Brian and I are in the process of adopting a child from The People’s Republic of China. We are still in the very beginning stages. Part of the initial process is to attend a pre-adoption workshop which we will attend in Dallas on March 12. The application process is in 2 steps. Part I and Part II. We have completed part I and are waiting until our workshop to turn in our paperwork. On Monday late afternoon, we went to the credit union where we have moved all of our banking to. We applied for a loan and re-financed both of our vehicles. As a thank you from the credit union we received 3 $100.00 checks. This was a great surprise to us. The amazing thing is that when I got home I looked up the cost of sending part II and yes, you guessed it, it is $300.00. YEAH GOD!!!! God is opening the doors and we are stepping through by faith trusting that He will provide and protect the entire journey. Thank you for your prayers and we ask that you continue to pray for us as we go through this journey.

Happy Birthday Brian

Tonight was Bunko night for me. All the girls were there, no subs!! Again, God’s timing is perfect. After we were done playing and opening gifts, I announced to the group our intention to adopt. Everyone was happy for us. A year earlier, T’s husband had lost his job and the girls got together and gave her a prayer box with lots of prayers. She decided it was time to pass the box along. YEAH GOD!!! “Hear this you distant nations: Before I was born the Lord called me; from my birth He has made mention of my name.....in the shadow of His hand He hid me." Isaiah 49:1-2

The journey is about to begin

sent in our application to attend a pre-adoption workshop in Arlington, TX for Saturday March 12th. “For I know the plans that I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you, not to harm you. To give you a future and a hope." Jeremiah 29:11 Earlier in February Brian and I were throwing names around and everything I wanted such as: Zoe, Chloe, Lexi, Lacy Brian did not like. One Saturday morning we were both laying in bed discussing the whole process and I was very adamant about having a name picked out. I threw out the name Darci and he liked it. We had already decided that Danae would be her middle name. Darci Danae Roberts. We both liked it so we were sticking to that. Later that morning it dawned on me that her initials would be identical to mine. DDR. Isn’t God great!!

The decision becomes clear

January 14-16, 2005 - I went to a scrapbook retreat, S and S were there. We began to talk about their journey and it became very evident to me that weekend that God definitely wanted Brian and I to take the same journey. I came home and Brian and I began to look into the agency, the pro’s and con’s of adoption and God spoke very loudly to us that “Yes, this is the direction I want you to take. Trust me and I will lead the way”. And the journey began. A few months earlier, Brian came home and announced to me that his employer gave benefits for adoption, the first sign that God was in control and that He was going to help us every step of the way.