Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Our dossier made it to China and was logged in!

I had a very nice surprise this afternoon when I opened my email to find a message from our adoption agency.  It said that our log in date (LID) was on 3/25!  Our agency must have worked fast on translating the documents.  I didn't expect to get that LID until next week, so I wasn't even looking for it! 

What makes this date so important to us is that now we can get a referral from the next list of waiting children that is released - (if there is a child who meets our "parameters" and if there aren't families ahead of us with the same parameters - like the age of a child and requested special needs).  So when does the next list come out?  It could be released in about 2 weeks!

I'm off to read some history and science to the blessings we already have - out on the deck on a beautiful, warm sunny day!

Karen

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Our dossier was sent to China!

All of that paperwork we worked for months on is finally finding its way to China!  Last week we were able to get all of my medicals (blood work) updated and were able to get the information to our agency so they could send out our dossier.  They sent it on Thursday, March 18th!  In adoption talk, this is called "Dossier to China" or DTC for short.  It usually takes about 3 weeks for the paperwork to be "logged in", which means this is the date that China officially recognizes as the date they received our paperwork.  If we get "logged in" by the time the next special needs list comes out we may get our referral!  (Which means we could find out who our newest daughter will be next month!)

As a family, we have continued to thank God for all of the blessings He has given us.  Not only for the 3 wonderful kids we already have, but for having our eyes opened to adoption.  I have to be honest though - once you adopt one - it's hard to stop!  And we haven't even completed this one yet!  Our children are already thinking a little beyond their new sister and are aiming for another brother!  Hmmm.... we have heard that Guatemala was opening back up :)

In His precious name,

Karen

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

If all our paperwork is not correct then...

we scramble to get it all done correctly so it can still be sent out this Thursday!  With everything we have to remember with the adoption paperwork I neglected to pay attention to when I originally got my Lab work done.  It was done - oh, about a year ago...  and it's only good for a year, so - it's off to the doctors we go!  I need to get an HIV test, a urinalysis, and blood test that checks for Viral Hepatitis and Liver Function.  Kevin had to get this done as well, but he had his done later in the year so his is still good.

There is a blessing in all of this scramble to get the lab work done - we don't have to get it notarized, authenticated by our state and again authenticated by the Chinese consulate before we send it in.  Otherwise, it would have been at least another month before we could send in our dossier.  Our doctor just has to sign the lab work and we can get it to our agency - that is a big relief and a blessing!

The Burgess Family

Thursday, March 11, 2010

If all our paperwork is correct...

it should be sent out next Thursday evening (March 18) to China.    I am really hoping that we don't have to redo any of the paperwork, but I won't be surprised if we have to either - there was a lot of it! 

The Burgess Family

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Our dossier is on its way!

Kevin took our dossier (translation: pile of important paperwork) to Fed Ex today and sent it on its way to our adoption agency for review!  They will get it tomorrow (Wednesday), review it and let us know if we need to change or add anything.  Once it looks good they will send it on its way to China!  It feels so good to have the paperwork out of our hands (we had it locked in a safe!) and working its way to the other side of the world :)

We were originally waiting to send in our dossier until we received a referral, but China changed the process for how they make special needs children available for adoption - for the better, I believe.  It used to be that individual adoption agencies could have their own individual list of children, to kind-of get the word out and help find a family for the children.  Now, the only way an agency can have an individual list is if they host a child's camp in China - then the agency can post pictures and information about the camp kids. (Hopefully this will lead to even more camps for the children in China!)

So where do all the children go that aren't on the individual agency lists any more?  They go on the shared list - the one that all the agencies who work with China have access to.  The shared list was there before, but now you have to be "logged in" (have all your paperwork in China) if you would like the referral of a child who is new to the shared list.  Once a child has been on the shared list for a month, then you don't have to be logged in to pursue the adoption of that child.  The goal is to make it so that a child doesn't have to wait as long to get home to their new family - it should make the process a lot quicker for a family to go get their child because the paperwork is already done.  What great news for those precious boys and girls who need a family!

I'll let you know when that paperwork leaves our agency's hands and moves on into China!

In His name,

Karen