Another step closer!

Yesterday, the 21st, we received amazing news.  We have soft LOA!!  This means that the Chinese welfare system has approved us to adopt Asher, and we just need to wait a few days to receive the hard copy of this approval.  I can't tell you how excited I am!

So what's next?  Well, tomorrow we will be mailing all our completed immigration paperwork to our agency.  They will hang on to it until they receive the hard copy of our LOA, and then they will send everything off to the immigration office.  We then wait for their approval followed by TA, or travel approval, from China.  We will then request a court date, and once that is approved, we will have travel dates and prepare to get our boy!  We are still on course to travel in November, hopefully the beginning.

Tomorrow we will also be mailing out a care package for Asher.  Included in this package will be the little photo album I put together to introduce him to his family, our home, and our pets.  I am SO excited for him to know we are coming and see our faces!

Family and friends, we are getting so close!  We are still a couple thousand short, but I'm not worried.  We still are waiting to hear about the fundraiser I mentioned in my previous post and we still have our puzzle fundraiser.  We are now only TWENTY-FIVE pieces away from a complete puzzle!  How exciting is that?  For only $10, you can sponsor a piece of our puzzle, and I will write your name or family name on the back.  Will you help spread the word so we can finally complete this beautiful puzzle and get it hung up on Asher's wall?

Thank you all so much!  We love you!

~Carly Duvall

Waiting, waiting, waiting.

This waiting process is SO HARD!  While we've been on this adoption journey for a year now, all the waiting time before was also filled with doing.  There was always something for me to work on to feel like I was doing something to move us forward.  This LOA wait, however, is different.  This is just plain waiting.  Today is day 54 of waiting for LOA.  I could definitely use extra prayer during this time!

We are so, so close to being fully funded!  We still have 50 pieces of our puzzle left to complete.  To sponsor any of these pieces will just be $10 now.  You can do this by clicking the Paypal Donate button at the top left of this blog and then letting me know what name you'd like written on the back of your piece.

We also have one more possible fundraiser in the works, but because it isn't a for sure thing, I can't give any details yet.  If it does happen, it will be awesome!

Thank you all so much for your continued support!  We are so blessed by everything you've done and continue to do for us on Asher's behalf.  We are so very excited to bring him home and share him with you :)

~Carly

Where we stand.

Well, I've received emails back from our agency and I've been doing some calculating.  It appears we are still several thousand away from being fully funded.  Don't be discouraged though!  God has provided up to this point and He doesn't intend to leave us hanging now :)

I've got some jewelry left from our Compelled Designs fundraiser (ending soon!) and we've still got a puzzle to complete!  Jon and I will be doing our very best to raise any extra funds we can on our own, but we are continually praying for God's provision and God's leading others to keep coming along side us in the journey to bring this sweet boy home.

Here is a current picture of our puzzle.  If you'd like to sponsor a piece, you can donate $25 through our Paypal donate button at the top left.

We are resting in faith as God's plans unfold!

~Carly