Journey of Faith:Our Little Guy From China

Caleb,

Here is the second photo we saw of you.  Again our hearts melted...look at your outfit how adorable is that? (hopefully the photo is large enough to see the dimple on the upper left hand cheek...awwww!)

"Not bone of my bone, nor flesh of my flesh, but still miraculously my own. Never forget for a single minute: you didn't grow under my heart, but in it."   ---By Fleur Conkling Heyliger

Dear Sweet Caleb,

You are 3 tomorrow and we so wish we could be with you for your birthday.  We wonder what you will do tomorrow.  Does the orphanage celebrate birthdays?  Will you celebrate the Mid Autum Festival (Moon Festival)?  Will you celebrate with friends?  Will it be an ordinary day for you?  We wish you a happy 3rd birthday and we will be there to get you as soon as we can. 

The paperwork is taking so long we can barely stand it.  We think of you all the time.  We just want you to be home.  We are still praying you will be home for Christmas and we can't wait to celebrate Christmas with you!

We love you sweetie!

Jeremiah 29:11
For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future"

We received a response from our agency in regards to our concerns about the news we heard on Thursday.  Some items were explained more in detail and it is expected that we should receive LOA within three weeks.  Of course not a guarantee, but we will take it! 

We feel a little relief with this news but we are still praying that we get LOA soon and that the rest of the process will be smooth and quick.  I realize all of this is not in our time, but the good Lord's.  Being on this side of heaven sometimes life is so hard to understand. 

I am so consumed...late Thursday our agency finally told us what we needed to hear. It was not good news. Tim and I have been asking about why we have not received LID and LOA. We were told for 2 1/2 months that we just needed a little more patience. They expected that we should have received LID on 7/14 or 7/15 and that we were well into our LOA. So all along we really thought we were waiting on LOA. Well, we heard differently Thursday...Sigh... I am not sure if I understand it fully yet and I will keep you posted on that. We were told some things in our file caused the CC** to review our file a little longer and that the person who reviews the dossiers for special needs was out for some time. So we were told that we have an LID now and that it would come soon. So now I am wondering is that LID a recent date? Do we wait 2-3 months more for LOA from THAT LID date? I just cannot believe it!

This has been a very tough week for Tim and I since we have heard nothing about our LOA.  I did not want to post about our worries and no information, but then I thought of others that may follow down this China adoption path and may come across this same scenario.  Don't get me wrong, I hope noone has to wait this long for LOA.

We are deeply saddened by no news.  I keep up to date on a few forums, blogs and everything in between and everyone around us with like dates for things such as LOI, DTC and LID have already received their LOA. We have not. Why would some get them in as little as 26 days and we are on day 57 with no word that our file has moved!?!

Now granted we have not received our LID either and I really do not understand that, but our agency said it should be around 7/15.  I question why no LID either?  Is there something wrong with us, our files, our paperwork?  I know, I know, you all say no (or maybe some of you don't), but truly, why?  Is there a chance something is really wrong or do we just need to wait longer?

So since Tim and I have become a little more verbal with our agency we have tried some proactive things to move other parts of the process along.  I am hoping, so hoping these things will benefit us.  Our biggest thing is that we want to travel by Christmas.  Each year we have been waiting in this adoption process we thought we would have a child home by Christmas of each year.  Well, this will be the third Christmas waiting...sigh...okay enough moping...will you pray for patience for us?