China has made it to November 30th

The CCAA has finished the placement of children for the families whose adoption application documents were registered with our office before November 30, 2005.

To keep up with the timetable in China you can go to http://www.china-ccaa.org/frames/index_unlogin_en.jsp.

The first section is the date through which documents have been reviewed and the second paragraph is the date through which children have been placed. Again, placement is when you receive the photo and information on your child. When that date is March 29, 2006, I will have a photo to share with you all.

Thanks again for your continued thoughts and prayers. The waiting is definitely a faith thing which strangely enough was the topic of this week's sermon yesterday. Coincidence? I think not. :)

Have a blessed week and keep praying. God is alive and active and at work.

October Update

Today was another conference call with Gladney.

For those of you who only have a minute the short version is: there is really no new news on the wait time.

For those of you wanting the full story: The government has apparently informed several of the officials that they need to enforce the one child law. The doctors/nurses/hospitals have been informed that they must notify the police if a baby is abandoned. Many have taken it upon themselves to find good homes for the babies which is illegal in China. It is also illegal for someone who finds a baby to raise it as there own. This has made an impact on the number of babies available for adoption. The real problem comes when the children are of school age and are not registered with the government and therefore cannot attend school. In the long run this will perhaps make more babies available down the road but I am not sure if it will impact my group or not.

Next, we were informed that China was on a holiday from October 1st through October 7th which means no paperwork will be processed this week. I took the liberty of searching the web to find out about the holiday and here is the scoop:

Oct. 1st is China's National Day. It is a festival of great importance to the people nationwide and they celebrate it with great felicitation. In the early morning, numerous people arrive at Tiananmen Square in Beijing to see the ceremonial raising of the national flag. This is followed by a great ceremonial review of troops on the Tiananmen Square and various festive activities are held in different regions. When evening comes, fireworks are set off to illuminate the sky brightly and gallantly.

In 1999, the Chinese government decided that the three days designated for the National Day celebration be combined with the two weekends on either side, thus giving people a seven-day vacation. Also because of the great indulgences during the week, it is regarded as another Golden Week for the Chinese people when they can go out to visit some long-cherished tourist attractions or doing other things people like to do.

So, we will continue to wait for our paperwork to be matched and more news on Abby. Until then, keep praying.

Referrals Have Arrived

Hello everyone! Here is the official word from the CCAA (China Center of Adoption Affairs)website:

"The CCAA has finished the placement of children for the families whose adoption application documents were registered with our office before November 25, 2005."

Gladney received nine referrals this week for the nine families in the 11/22/2005 group. I know 11/22/05 seems a long way off from my 03/29/2006 group but with each set of referrals I move a little closer. There are approximately 22 more people in the December, January, and February groups at Gladney and then 13 people in the 2 groups in March -- but, one of those 13 is me. Our next group is December 20th and it took a couple of months to get through November so keep the prayers coming that things can move a little faster and we can get to my group soon. I am ready to bring Abby home.

As always thanks for keeping us both in your prayers,

September Update

Well, as tomorrow is a holiday, there will be no Gladney conference call this month. The next call will be in October. As of Friday when I checked the CCAA website, China is still placing babies from November 2005. Hopefully we will get some referrals soon for our November group, but it is still a long way to the March 2006 group. I will definitely update the site when we receive the next group of referrals. With every group of referrals, I move a little bit closer to bringing Abby home.

Thank you to everyone who participated in the 100 Wishes Quilt. It has turned out to be 100+ Wishes. If you still wish to participate, please send your wish and fabric. I will add squares to the back of the quilt for anyone who still wants to be part of this wonderful project. It has been so neat to sit back a read all the good wishes and blessing that are wished for Abby. I cannot wait for her to get here and meet all of you.

Please continue to pray for Abby and for me as we wait to become a family.

With love,

Becky

Nothing New

Hello everyone! I have not had any updates this month. China has currently placed children with Log In Dates (LID) through November 21, 2005. The next group with Gladney is November 22, 2005 so hopefully the next group will be getting there referrals in the next week or two. Again, my LID is 03/29/2006. It looks more like I will be receiving my referral in the first quarter of 2008, unless things speed up soon. I am continually amazed at all God has shown me during this time of waiting and I look forward to the day I get the call. Keep praying !!!

By the way, I have 80 Wishes so far in the 100 Wishes Quilt. Thanks to everyone for your participation.

Love,
Becky

100 Wishes Quilt Update

Thanks to everyone who has participated and who is going to participate in the 100 Wishes Quilt -- only 40 more to go. Thanks to Steph I have now received 60 wishes. Please get you wish in soon. Abby's quilt won't be the same without YOU!

Here are some more samples:

July Update

Hello everyone! Sorry for the delayed post. There was nothing new to report on the July conference call from Gladney. The next group from Gladney is around the 22nd of November 2005 and they have yet to see their referrals. I did check the adoption website in China and see that they have now placed babies through November 14, 2005 so hopefully we will get to our next group in the coming weeks. Then we only have the groups for December, January, February and one group from March ahead of my 03/29/06 group. I know the process is taking long but the time has really been flying. I appreciate all the prayers going up on Abby's behalf and mine. Please keep praying for Christmas. My love to all of you.

Another Update for June

Today Gladney received 6 referrals which will cover the 11/07/05 LID group. That moves me to approximately #34 on the list. KEEP PRAYING.

Here is the email:
Today, June 5th, we received 6 wonderful referrals for our 10/19/05 DTC group (log-in date 11/7/05). The 6 children are currently residing in the Yong Jiang Social Welfare Institute and the Shuang Pei Social Welfare Institute in the Hunan Province. The girls range in age from 6-12 months old and are all adorable!

Read "June Update" Below

Mary Arango' Wish

Mary your scarpbooking abilities are amazing! Thanks for being a part of the quilt. I really appreciate it!

More Wishes

A wish from Bobbie Shiro. A family friend from before I was born. Thank you for sharing you wish with me.

Aunt Mashell's Wishes for Abby

Mashell your friendship is such a gift from God and I cannot thank you enough for all you have done for me. Your wish is perfectly you.