It's A Girl!

We have big news!  We have reviewed files of a few waiting children, and made the decision to submit a letter of intent to adopt a beautiful, precious girl!  We have seen pictures of our daughter!!  I wish we could share them, but we can't until we get our pre-approval from China.  Right now it is hard to predict when that will happen.  China is currently updating its entire adoption database system, so they are not accepting any new paperwork right now.  It was supposed to be finished about a week ago, but our agency has been told to continue to expect delays.  But as soon as it is up and running, our dossier and letter of intent will be ready to go!  After we submit our letter of intent, it usually takes about 2-3 weeks for pre-approval to arrive.  Please pray that the new system is implemented soon.  Now that we know who our daughter is, we are SO anxious to get to her as soon as possible!

Since we're not sure how much information we can share yet, we will hold off on a bunch of details for a little while.  For now, we can say that she is three years old, and will almost certainly turn four before we can travel.  We don't have a name picked out yet.  We were hoping to keep her Chinese name, but unfortunately it is not easy to pronounce and slightly odd-sounding to those of us with English-trained ears.  We may try to choose something that sounds similar, or just pick something completely new and incorporate her Chinese name into her middle name. 

What we need now more than anything is prayer (isn't that always the case!).  Please join us in prayer for our new daughter, her orphanage, and her caretakers. We are months away from being able to take her home into our family and during that time, she will still be in an orphanage.  In her short life, she has already experienced abandonment and loss.  When we are able to take her home, she will be moving half way around the world with people she doesn't know at all to a place that is completely foreign.  We also need prayer for our children as they prepare to add a new sister into their lives. 

This process is really only beginning for all of us and there are many more challenges ahead.  However, on this day our hearts are filled with thankfulness that we now know who our daughter is!

"It is good to give thanks to the Lord,
     to sing praises to your name, O Most High;
to declare your steadfast love in the morning,
     and your faithfulness by night,
to the music of the lute and the harp,
     to the melody of the lyre.
For you, O Lord, have made me glad by your work;
     at the works of your hands I sing for joy."
                               -Psalm 92:1-4