DTC!!!

Wednesdasy we received the exciting news that we are DTC (Dossier to China)!  This simply means that our official paperwork for the adoption (our dossier) has made it through all the official signing, stamping, approving, authenticating, notarizing, etc. on "this end" and has been sent to China for approval on "that end".

The kids put this together while we were camping last weekend in
 hopes that we would receive the good news this week!

I can remember when we first started on this journey back in November and I began learning the "language" of international adoption.  I felt like it would be ages before we would get to celebrate this milestone of DTC.  It has been a long time getting to this point, but we have learned so much along the way and have had opportunity to learn more about Emsley and how best to prepare for her homecoming.  This waiting is really difficult, especially since we have known Emsley's face since early on.  Things were very manageable before we saw that sweet face but ever since laying eyes on her, things just can't move fast enough.

We have been told by our agency to plan for travel in November.  This is not set in stone as the timeline from this point forward can vary significantly for no real understandable reason.  Some couples wait longer than others for approval and some couples seem to be approved very quickly.  There isn't any real explanation for the difference but we are continuing to pray for God's timing.  

The next milestone we will reach is our LID (Log-In Date).  This is the date that the central authority in China puts our information into their system and begins processing our request to adopt Emsley.  LID usually comes within about 2 weeks of DTC so we hope to share the good news soon!

Also, when we receive our LID we will be able to request another update on our girl.  We should be able to ask 8 questions of the orphanage staff and request pictures and video too.  When we requested our first update it took over a month to receive it.  We are praying that the orphanage staff will look favorably upon our request and send it back quickly!  We love seeing new pictures of our girl and learning more about her personality and likes/dislikes.  

We have been working hard on grant applications and now have about 4 of them almost ready to mail.  Please pray with us that we will receive some grant funding.  As you can see from the fundraising thermometer on the right-hand side of this page, we are just a little less than half way to our goal.  God has been faithful to provide what we have needed at each step along the way and we know he will provide the rest of what we need to travel to China.