LID

LID- Is defined as something that confines, limits, or suppresses. The LID that we are waiting for is the total opposite. 

Our paperwork went off to China the Thursday before Christmas. We have been eagerly waiting for the Chinese government to say YES and log us into their system. Once we are logged in, we are eligible to be matched with our daughterJ Although there will be a few months of waiting as we anticipate not having a match until sometime in April or May.

People have been asking how I have been handling the anticipation. We are definitely excited for what this year holds. I am very well aware that our lives could drastically change by the end of this year. It is a bit daunting to think about and yet incredibly exciting. This time next year the Bowden’s could be 3 in number.

In the meantime we are just praying like mad and saving like mad. Our next payment is due when we get our referral and so we want to make sure we are there in order to accept the referral and not have to wait another 6 months. I am astonished, at how many scholarships there are for families who are adopting. I almost feel like I am working on college apps all over again.

We are also working with a T-Shirt company to get shirts printed. Soon as I have the information, I will get it out there. Ni Hao, Y’all is coming near you on a t-shirt. Kinds of the south meets ChinaJ

We recently got back from a week in FL for the holidays. With the anticipation of who could be here Christmas time next year, we decided that this was a great year to go as we would be at home next year. We even picked up our very first roll of Santa Claus paperJ

So I guess there is nothing all that profound to say. Lots of processing of the heart going on. I am sure there will be some sharing as the weeks go on.

Love

Jennifer

One of our precious friends threw a candle party with Party Lite today. Half of the proceeds of particular items bought will go directly to our adoption. If you order Partly Lite products and would like to see what is available, please contact me and let me know. I can give you the informaiton. Just another fun way to bring her home.  

A Couple of milestones......

The past couple of weeks have marked a couple of huge milestones for us. We sent off our packet of papers to the adoption agency. This packet has been in process since last June. Many hands have touched it, many dollars were spent to create it, many miles were driven in the process and even a plane trip. We find it amusing that the Fed Ex folks now know Michael and why he is in there office.  Our Dossier is what gets sent to China for us to get our little girl.

Then yesterday, we got an email from the adoption agency that our dossier was on its way to China. And so the waiting begins. We are waiting to hear that we got a Log In Date or LID. Once we have a LID we are eligible for a match. They search will begin for our baby.

It is an odd thought to think about the fact that people, humans are seeking out our child. They are seeking the one that God has chosen to be in our family. Seeking the next Bowden. We expect and have been told that more than likely we will not have a match until April or May. Partly due to the time it takes to get the LID and the look for the match. It is also financial reasons.

The ox of papers in her room. 

We praise our Father for the fact that we had our first big payment in the bank. That came from people who donated to our adoption, things that we have been selling, and the mere fact that we are saving every single penny we can. We do not go out very much any more, the more we look the more we are finding ways to cut our budget at home and by HIS grace we had it in the bank. Our next payment is huge, double of what we just paid and within four months of that we need to be able to travel. Please be in prayer in regards to this. We are applying for scholarships like crazy, saving everything we can and in the spring we will be having a fun event to help raise money for the adoption.

Our hearts long to get her home. The Christmas season has been a bit hard for this Mama. I put up our stockings this year with the thought that  (Hopefully) next year we will have one more to add. It is hard when you know your child is out there and not here.

As you prepare to spend Christmas, we hope and pray that it is one that is filled with Love, Joy and Peace from the King. We are excited to be spending Jesus’ birthday in sunny South Florida this year. It will probably be the last year that we travel for Christmas for a couple of years.

Merry Merry,

Jennifer

The 3rd Trimester

Being paper pregnant there are certain milestones that take longer than others. Unlike a normal pregnancy, The “trimesters” do not move along in specific  increments. . But next week we will take another step in the journey and hit our third trimester. Our Dossier packet is done. (I talked to the courier in New York today and they were picking up my birth certificate) this is the last piece to the puzzle of 20 documents that took us over 5 months to put together. Our Dossier packet is what we need to get a LID date. (LID is Log in Date) We need a LID date to get matched.

We will send it out on Tuesday and then wait. We should have a LID date sometime in February and then we wait some more.

The thought occurred to me…… WOW this time next year I could be a mom. This time next year, we could be putting up a Christmas tree with our daughter. And that is where the emotions of this “pregnancy” comes into play.

At this point, I would need all my fingers and toes to count how many people I know who are having a baby in the coming year. I love to hear of new life, we pray for these unborn little ones daily. But there are times where it is hard as well. When you are pregnant there is a due date. By all accounts you know when you are going to be able to hold that little one. But when you are “paper pregnant” there is no due date. There is only an estimated time line. We have been at this process 1.5 years now, and I honestly struggle with hearing that people are pregnant knowing that they will more than likely see their child before I see mine, is a sobering thought. And yet, I feel lucky in a sense that I get to adopt. Having a baby is a gift, and I do not have the opportunity to feel entitled to or take for granted.

So I guess you could say I am grieving right now. I grieve the fact that she is spending another Christmas in an orphanage. I grieve the fact that she is not here to decorate or participate in Christmas. I grieve the fact that we will go to FL without her this year. It is an odd feeling to know that your child is out there, you are charged to care for them, and yet they are not within reach. I relish the day when that comes.

In the meantime we celebrate the little victories that we have. We celebrate that the paper work process for now will be at a lull. We celebrate that we are working on our house to bring her home.  We celebrate that we will make our first HUGE adoption payment on Monday (And the money is in the bank for that) We celebrate that we bought her first set of books. We celebrate that we have family and friends who are itching to love on her. We celebrate that we have a contingency of people praying for our little girl across the world. We celebrate that we have a Savior that we can put all our hope and trust in. And because of all of this, through the tears I  am able to celebrate.

I have a totally cool God story to share at a later time…..

Jennifer

The Great Paper Chase

Papers a key to adoption. 

There are so many papers that need to be filled out and sought after. Our home study required well over 20 forms filled out, a biography written, septic tank inspection, cat papers and so on.

Our Dossier Packet- This packet is key to an adoption. It is something that you work, work and work for. It is the packet that gets sent to China, allows us to be approved to adopt and allows us to ultimately get our little girl home. This packet is nuts to put together (And I am being nice about my words). It is about 25 pieces of papers including, birth certificates, financial documents, police records, 911 call records, declaration statement, immigration papers, home study, passport copies and so on. All of the documents have to be notarized, certified and then apostle by the Chinese Consulate. Then and only then can they be sent off to China. (Feel free to ask Michael about the hardest document that we had to get which was his birth certificate. What an adventure that was, Honey Boo Boo and all)

We have been working since August to put this packet together. All but one of the 25 items are coming from Georgia. And because of that, they had to go through the county probate court in which they were issued, the state office and then the Chinese consulate in Houston. The other item, my birth certificate came from New York, which means it needs to go through the New York Chinese consulate.

Documents going to the consulate have to be walked in. They will not accept a fed ex package. Because of some gracious friends in Houston, I flew to Houston last night and they took me to the Chinese consulate this morning.

I have always heard stories of the Chinese Consulate. How interesting it could be. So I walked in, with my heavy stack of papers, copied, passports in hand and walked up to the window with bated breath. I knew for sure that it would not be my only trip to the window and man I was right. 6 trips later, 18 unneeded applications for authentication, 6 copies of pages with just a page number my packet was in their hands and a receipt was given. With a date for next Monday pick up. And that was it. Graciously, our friends have offered to go back and pick up the documents for us after thanksgiving and send them to us. I can’t explain how huge this step is. These are the documents that will allow us to meet our little girl. These are the last steps before we spend months waiting to find out who she is. This is it! (Until the next round of paperwork is due).

I need to give a shout out to our friends Justin and Jill. They are friends from my college days that graciously put up with me last night, took me this morning, shared their home, car and family all in the name of our adoption. And even returning to the Chinese consulate to pick up the documents when they are ready.  I joked with Justin today and told him he is now part of the village that is bringing home our daughter. He laughed but it is true. Without their generosity we would be a little bit farther behind in the process. And to boot, they have two cute kids.

Can't figure out how to turn Michael !!! But this is after his birth certificate:)

So there you have it, Michael and I will head to NY in the next two weeks or so to have my birth certificate done (There has been some delays up there due to the Hurricane) and our packet will be off. Which means we get to enter the third trimester of our paper pregnancy.  I think nesting has begun. I have the desire to clean and organize all the time. How productive I will be once the paper chase is completed.

Please be praying for paper to have a snafu free time at the consulate.

Love,

Jennifer

29+4 thoughts......

This post, is not necessarily about adoption, but I am sure somehow It will relate. It is one that has been brewing for a couple of weeks as I approach my birthday.

Tomorrow will be my 4^th anniversary of my 29^th birthdayJ. There is a list of things that I could think of that I thought for sure would have happened by now in my life. When I have looked at that list, I see that those are things that this world has said I should have done by now. What is missing from that list are the things that I have done, experiences that I have had that were not on my original list, places I have been, things I have seen and life that I have experienced.

In my 34 short years of life, much has happened. Yes, I did all the normal kid things like finish high school, I also had the blessing of finishing college. What I most reflect on in my years on this earth are the past 10 (give or take 1) that have changed the original list of where I thought I would be.

In the past 10 years, I have accepted Jesus into my heart and made him my Lord and Savior. This meaning  I was no longer was floundering with my purpose or what is to come when I no longer in habit the earth, but I knew for a fact that everything I did here had eternal significance and I was written in the book.  To add to that gift, I was given and extended family that are my brothers and sisters.

 I have had grand adventures on 4 continents. I have had the opportunity to live abroad. I have hugged the necks of what we would call, very “different” people. Sharing with them basic needs and necessities. 

I got married. That in itself is an amazing story of how God brought us together. It has only been three years, but I feel like we have already lived a lifetime together.  God has used our marriage to teach us so much. And although at 30 I thought that I would never get married, I am thankful that I had to wait that long. I do not think I would have been ready for the lessons that I have learned in my marriage.

I have walked two people home. In looking back at both, was an honor in each case. There is nothing like holding the hand of someone you love and saying goodbye, or in these cases I will see you soon.

I am working in a job that I love. This being the second time that I have been in that situation. To boot, I get to watch lives be changed and transformed in amazing ways.

I have become an Aunt 4 times. The love that I have for them is unbelievable. They bring such joy to my heart.

I am adopting. WOW, this is a huge one. Who would have known 10 years ago when I visited my first orphanage, that I to, would be bringing a little one home.  And just maybe by this time next year, she will be in our house. Oh, the thought of that.

The other list….. There is so much in our society that says we need to dress a certain way, be in a certain place in life at a certain age. Spend our money on certain things. And when you look, many of these things are very temporal. They really have no eternal holding.

So, as I look to the next age, I am incredibly thankful for the fact that I have an eternal perspective. I am thankful for the fact that I am not caught up in the world and their standards, but I am focused on the prize at the end.

Ahhhh, but there is longing there. When we started this process, I so badly wanted to celebrate this birthday with my daughter. I wanted so badly to have her home.  But of course that was my timing, and mine is never perfect. I hope that pray that she knows, some way somehow, that  family is anxious waiting for her. That they cannot wait to celebrate her birthday. And most of all, they just cannot wait to love her.

I am thankful for 34. Not too many people get the privilege of saying that. Each day in this life, no matter how hard, disappointing, exciting, deserve to be celebrated. Each day deserves a thank you, for each day is not promised. And I want to make sure that I go to bed, without the regret of saying, I wish I was in a different place. 

Love,

Jennifer

The Waiting Room

Perspective…… the Latin root of it is perspicere, to look through.

And although I have been busy, there has been much time to look through things and allow my perspective to change.

We had an appointment this week for our 3^rd set of finger prints. This was with the Department of Homeland Security. It was part of our quest to get our 797. The 797 is basically the last piece that we need to complete our dossier packet. And now we wait for it.

Someone asked this week how I am doing with the waiting. I guess they must know that waiting has not always been on strong suitJ I have been trying to voice how exactly I am doing. Yes, the waiting stinks, totally stinks. It is always hard to imagine there is a little girl waiting for her family to come get her. And sometimes you just want to scream let’s move a little bit quicker people.  But at the same time, this waiting process has been one that I have complete peace with. It might be because we are so busy with getting things done and working on the house, work has been keeping us busy or, because it is just because God has given me the peace that I need in this time.

I get a devotional every morning, it is the first thing that I read before I put my feet on the floor this morning. And I think it describes exactly what the Lord has been doing in my heart.

From the TGIS Devotional by Os Hillman.

"Be still and know that I am God...." Psalm 46:10

There is a time and place in our walk with God in which He sets us in a place of waiting. It is a place in which all past experiences are of no value. It is a time of such stillness that it can disturb the most faithful if we do not understand that He is the one who has brought us to this place for only a season. It is as if God has placed a wall around us. No new opportunities--simply inactivity.

During these times, God is calling us aside to fashion something new in us. It is an isolation chamber designed to call us to deeper roots of prayer and faith. It is not a comfortable place, especially for a task-driven workplace believer. Our nature cries out, "You must do something," while God is saying, "Be still and know that I am God." You know the signs that you have been brought into this chamber when He has removed many things from your life and you can't seem to change anything. Perhaps you are unemployed. Perhaps you are laid up with an illness.

Most religious people live a very planned and orchestrated life where they know almost everything that will happen. But for people in whom God is performing a deeper work, He brings them into a time of quietness that seems almost eerie. They cannot say what God is doing. They just know that He is doing a work that cannot be explained to themselves or to others.

Has God brought you to a place of being still? Be still and know that He really is God. When this happens, the chamber will open soon after. 

Soon after our dossier packet gets to China, we will be in another season of waiting. I hope that this peaks to you as well.

Love,

Jennifer

Quickly moving along.......

As I stated back in July, there were a few words that have come to mind during the adoption process. So I thought I would continue along those lines as I sit on the very same continent that my daughter is sitting on as we speak.

Preparation is defined as the action or process of making something ready for use or service or of getting ready for some occasion, test, or duty.

Busy is defined as engaged in action.

These both seemed to fit well together as I make my way through China.

Our house is in preparation mode. I guess you could say as we begin to hit the “third trimester” of this paper pregnancy, we are nesting.  We are beginning to work on our daughters room. Making the necessary repairs for her arrival, taking down shelves, repairing a damaged ceiling everything short of painting and turning the room into a haven for a very special little girl.

We are also preparing our hearts. We are constantly anticipating the day that we get to find out who she is. We are already praying for her transition into this family, to America and to all those that are anxiously awaiting her arrival. We are preparing for the moments that will be filled with love, preparing for the moments that will require tender love as she learns to trust us, and the exhaustion we will go through as she is in our lives.

So as you can see, Busy and Preparation go hand in hand. Life for us is also very busy. At the same time we are doing all of our preparation, we are also working through a ton of paperwork. We are currently anxiously awaiting our appointment with the Department of Homeland Security (On the 24^th) to do our biometrics (aka finger prints). We were told this appointment could take up to 3 months to get and we were able to get ours in 3 weeks. During this time we are also preparing our Dossier packet. This is encompasses many, many hours of paperwork, our lives essentially written out for the Chinese government.

Currently we are working on getting our stamps from the state of Georgia and the state of New York and then all will go off to the Chinese consulate. Once that is all done we can begin to have things translated for the Chinese government. Once our biometrics are off, we can send everything off to China.

Simultaneously, our agency had begun to pour over all of the children that are waiting for a match to look for our daughter. They are trying to get a feel for what we are exactly looking for. But, we cannot be matched until we have a LID (Log In Date) from the Chinese government.

By all that is listed above, you can see that we are extremely busy getting ready. I am currently in China for work. Visiting our schools has always been a highlight of my job. It is also bitter sweet as I know that it will probably be a long time before I potentially come back to China for work. The next time I step foot on this soil, it will be to bring home a Bowden.

Much Love,

Jennifer