prayer requests

So far everything with Max's adoption process has gone quite quickly (which is an answered prayer). We applied to our agency the end of January. We got Max's referral the beginning of March, and we had all of the paperwork that  China needed done by May. My desire since getting Max's referral is that we would be able to have him home before his 2nd birthday. If we do not get our LOA (letter of acceptance from China) in the next couple weeks....we will probably not be able to get him home before his birthday on November 6. We are on day 43 for our LOA wait, and lately the average wait is somewhere between 60-80 days. It is looking more and more like we are going to miss our wish for early to mid October travel. :-( However, we serve a big God and he is able to make the impossible happen. Would you all please pray that we get this LOA document very soon. I just want our Max home so much that some days my arms actually ache with the desire to hold him! Please also pray for us (me specifically because TJ doesn't get as worked up about this as I do) that no matter what happens to trust in God's timing.

Max just looks sad in all the photos we have gotten of him. I know that orphanages do the best with what they have, but our little guy NEEDS to be home with his family. An orphanage no matter how good it is....is NO place for a child to grow up...it just isn't. Please pray for Max and all the other children that are growing up in an orphanage. Please pray that these children will all someday know the love of a family.

I don't want to harp on this as TJ and I will do whatever it takes to get Max home, and I don't want to scare anyone away from adoption because of the cost. (It's amazing how God provides when he calls you to do something. And trust me when I tell you that there are many ways to afford adoption...so please anyone considering adoption...don't let the cost scare you away.) With that said....if you would continue to pray for the financial aspect of our adoption. TJ has started his own construction business recently. Please pray that God provides him with just the right amount of construction jobs to be able to fund what we need for adoption and travel expenses. (If you or someone you know is needing a remodeling or new construction project done....call Authentic Construction....the owner is the most honest, hard working man I know.) ;-)

Our prayer requests:
1- LOA to arrive very soon (like in the next couple weeks)
2- For Max and that he is receiving the love and care he needs until we can bring him home.
3- For all the other children currently in orphanages around the world, please pray that someone is loving them and that they may all find families.
4- For God to meet our financial needs for adoption expenses.
5- Please pray that Max will get to come home before his 2nd birthday.
6- For God to prepare Max's little heart for all the changes coming his way.

Thank you friend for listening and praying. Our family continues to covet your prayers.

Happy Wednesday!
-katie

Max update

Our Mr. Max is now 20 months old. We received an update on Max last week. According to the update he is 31.5 inches tall which puts him in about 10th percentile for height. They also told us that he weighs 21 pounds which falls below the 5th percentile. We are hoping that (like with Cora)....with some good food and the love of a family that he will grow to be a bit higher percentage on that growth chart.

The update we received seemed a bit generic. They answered all but one of our questions, but they answered the questions with very little details...oh well. It is an update none the less and gives us something to hold onto while we wait. We did not get the video that we requested, but they did send a couple new pictures. So without further ado....here he is. Gosh I can't wait to get this little guy in my arms!

Day 41 of LOA wait today. The average wait is between 70-80 days right now. I am praying that we blow that average wait right out of the water, and I pray that we get our LOA very soon. We ask that everyone continue to pray for Max. Please pray that he is receiving good care and that his nannies at the orphanage are loving on him lots. Please continue to pray that God prepare his heart to join our family. Please pray for our family to be prepared for another child to join our family. We are praying that we get to bring this little man home soon....this Mama's arms are aching to hold her little boy. We covet your prayers friends.

happy Monday everyone!

-katie

adoption update

Just a quick update on where we are at in the adoption process for Mr. Max. Our agency sent for an update on Max last week so we are (not so patiently) waiting for them to get back to us with some updated info and pictures. We haven't had an update since March. I can't wait to see how he has grown! This waiting is so hard knowing that he is growing and learning without us there with him. I want him in my arms so bad it hurts....

We sent our dossier (all of the paperwork that China requires of us) to China at the end of May. We are now waiting on the China officials to review all of our paperwork and issue us a LOA (letter of acceptance). We can't proceed until we receive this form that is basically China saying...."yes, you can in fact make Max your son." So for now we are in a holding pattern. This is the step that will determine when we will travel. It could take anywhere from 30-100+ days. We are hoping for a short wait. We had to wait 96 days for this step with Cora...we are hoping for much shorter this time around. This whole adoption process has gone so much faster than it did with Cora....so we hope that continues for every step of the process for Max. When we received our LOA, the typical time frame to travel is about 8-12 weeks....so we need to get this form sooner than later if we are going to make it to China in October like we are hoping.

We covet your prayers for our Max and our family during this process. Please pray that Max is receiving good care, that he is being loved, that he is safe, and receiving enough to eat. Pray that God begins to prepare his heart to join our family. This little guy has lots of changes coming his way. While joining a family is a good thing...it also means that he will be forced to give up everything that he knows and will lose everything familiar to him for that to happen. Please pray for our kiddos at home also....pray that their little hearts are prepared to have a new little sibling and all that a new sibling entails. Please pray that each step of this adoption process goes quickly and that we can have Max in our arms sooner than later.  Please pray for us financially and that we are able to pay for the fees and travel and that the financial part of this won't hold us up when it is time to go get him. We are pinching pennies, working extra, and giving up lots of activities that we would normally enjoy this time of year....we are saving every little bit that we can to reach the amount needed for our expenses. God called us to adopt again....we have faith that he will provide for us financially to get our Max home, and we know that will mean hard work on our part. We do not expect to just be given the funds, however we would also not turn you down if you felt led to donate to help cover our adoption expenses. ;-) We are more that willing to work hard to get our little Max home. Hopefully, the next time I update the blog I will have some new pictures of our little man!

Happy Tuesday friends!
-katie

p.s.- For those wondering....the ipad mini winner was Terri Brostrom, and the fitbit winner was Tiffany Mann. Thank you so much to everyone that helped support our adoption and entered the drawing.