Process updates and Thank You!

First we want to say “Thank you all from the bottom of our hearts!”  We have never felt so loved and cared for as we do by this body of believers! You are an amazing church family and we could not do this without you!

Clothing drive update:

We received a total of 10,890 pounds of clothing and shoes which is awesome!  You guys really helped us rock that fundraiser.  The recycling company pays .15 a pound, so the net proceeds from that fundraiser will be $1,633.50.  This may not seem like a lot, but it is still way better than we’ve done with fundraiser garage sales in the past and it was a much better return on our investment of time and man power. Thank you to everyone who hauled clothes from all over, let us borrow garage space and trailers and supported us in any way.

Fundraising update:   

We just hit the $5,000 raised mark.   Praise the Lord!  We still have a long way to go, but God is faithful.  He has shown this to us over and over again.  Here is a very simplified breakdown of where the fundraising dollars have come from so far:

Walrod jewelry sales for 4 months = $300

EBC Fundraiser soup and chili feed = $2,140

Donations = $990

Clothing Drive Fundraiser = $1,633

Grant Total of $5,063 towards our goal of $45,000

Where are we in the process now?

Our home study was finally officially approved on January 20, 2016 after about a month of delays.  We just submitted our application to the US Citizen and Immigration Services (USCIS) to get their approval for this adoption.  This application is called the I 800A and once it reviewed, they will send us an appointment time to appear in person at the Kansas City office to be fingerprinted.  These finger prints will be screen by the FBI and is part of the intense background checks which are required for the adoption.  This documentation is part of what needs to be completed for our dossier to be sent to China. 

What is a dossier?

In a nutshell, the dossier is our life story and more.  It contains our home study, letters of reference, medical info, income verification and all of the USCIS clearances.  So our next big step is to get all of the USCIS documentation and clearances, then submit our dossier to the Chinese Consulate in Chicago.  This probably will not take place until March 2016.

We still have at least 6-8 more months to go!  Thank you for your continued prayers.