Waiting...

     As we have been with family and old friends this week, I have been asked several times about the status of our adoption. My response has been essentially the same. . .a big smile, a shrug and then these infamous words, "We are just waiting". Then I kind of feel bad because there is nothing else to offer. No new news (that looks weird). No exciting stories. No pictures. Nada. Nothing. Zip.
      Ahh. . . the ever difficult task of WAITING. Does it ever get easier? No matter the age, WAITING is HARD. Whether it is lovebirds waiting for their wedding day, or new parents waiting the birth of their baby, or even a child (or grown ups, for that matter) waiting for Christmas, time seems to drag. Thoughts are funneled into the expectancy of what tomorrow holds. Sometimes we yearn so much for the future that we fail to enjoy the present. Yep, it can be hard. But I think I have finally learned something the past few years about waiting. It is not a curse. It is not a bad thing. On the contrary, perhaps it is a blessing. It can be a time to prepare. A time to pray. A time to treasure the present before the future alters things. It is a time to be faithful with what you are entrusted with now. I know I still have a lot to learn about life, but I hope I wait well. Consider these lyrics to a song called While I'm Waiting:

While I'm waiting I will serve You
While I'm waiting I will worship
While I'm waiting I will not faint
I'll be running the race even while I wait.

I'm waiting, I'm waiting on You Lord
And I am peaceful, I'm waiting on You Lord
Though it's not easy no, but faithfully I will wait.
Yes, I will wait

And I will move ahead bold and confident
Taking every step in obedience...

Maybe you are WAITING for something too- a new job offer, a medical diagnosis, a new year for a new start.  Whatever it may be, let's wait well together, trusting that God's plans and timing are better than ours.

By the way, we got our fingerprints done this past Monday and are now awaiting our 1-797 form. Yes, we still wait. When that form arrives, we will step into overdrive to take our paperwork to get certified in Tallahassee and then send it to be authenticated to the Chinese Consulate in Chicago. Of course then, we will wait some more.

Thanks for reading. Thanks to those of you who have donated. We are so very grateful. Hope you had a great Thanksgiving and enjoy the wait until Christmas.

So... why is adoption so expensive?

We have had several people ask us lately about the cost involved in international adoption (not just inquiring about our adoption, but contemplating adoption themselves) so we just wanted to lay it out for everyone to see.  Back in 2000 when our oldest son, Noah was born, I think we paid a co-pay of $150 and that was all the expenses we had.  So when we first began looking into adoption we were initially floored by the cost.  So here is the list of our expenses for this adoption and they are very similar to when we adopted Meili three years ago...

Adoption Agency Application Fee- $300
Fingerprints for agency approval- $110 ($55each)
Passport Photos for Adoption- $40 ($20 each)
Required online adoption classes- $145
Homestudy- $500 (this is usually around $2500 but our home study agency used part of our last home study...praise the Lord!)
USCIAS Application/Fingerprints- $875
Certified Birth Cert./Marriage Cert.- $50
Getting Dossier Authenticated and Certified- $665
U.S. Processing Fee- $3,000 (To the adoption agency facilitating the Adoption)
Adoption Program Fee- $11,500 (The majority of this goes to the orphanage the child is coming from along with other in country fees/visa/passport for the child as well as supporting the childs cost during the wait for the adoption process to be completed)
Travel to China and home w/child- $10,000 (2 roundtrip airfare, 1 one way airfare, hotels for 2 weeks, in country travel, and food).
Post-Placement Home Study- $1,000 (required)
Estimated Total cost of Adoption- $27,720

In bold is what we have already paid (which totals $5,685).  Please be in prayer as our next big expense will be the US processing Fee which we will submit probably before Christmas.

Current Fundraising Numbers:
Garage Sale- $300
Homeschool Co-op Snackshack- $1,100
Given in Celebration Designated- $7,020
Random Gifts- $260
Given through adopt together online giving- $400
Total raised as of 01/18/13- $9,080

Thank you everyone for your support through prayers, encouragement, and financially.  Many of you have just taken time to ask how it is going and that means more than you know.

Some people may wonder...is it worth it?   Here is a video of our little Meili... around 8 months after we had arrived home from China...

It is so worth it.  If you feel led to adopt and would like to talk with us about it we are always available!

Working Together

A brief update:  1.)We just received notice that our biometric fingerprints are scheduled November 25 at the homeland security office. After that is completed, we will then receive our 797 approval within a few weeks. That is the last piece of paper we need before we can move onto the next step! 2.) We raised about $850 this semester doing the Snack Shack for our homeschool co-op. It was hard work and a lot of cooking, but it is something we did as a family. I want to thank every family who bought snacks and lunches from us.  Many of you gave extra, so thanks. We appreciate your support. 

Thoughts for the day:  I had an interesting conversation with a friend last week. As we were eating lunch, she said something like this, "I wish I felt called to adopt, but I just don't. . .at all! I feel bad about that!" I didn't quite know what to say to her because, truth be told, as Christians aren't we all "called" to different things? Certainly there are things every believer does because the Bible clearly expects it (i.e. tithing, giving to the poor, witnessing, praying, etc..) But aren't we all "called" to different things? I am not just talking about those things that we get excited about (that can be fleeting). But I am talking about that desire God places in us which cannot be quenched, regardless of how difficult things get.  It is the desire that spurs us to action. Daniel was a prophet, statesman and government official. David was a shepherd and a king. Paul was a missionary. Gideon was a judge. Joshua was the leader of the Israelites. Hosea was called to marry a harlot. I have friends who are missionaries. Some who are pastors. Some who foster.  I know those who adopt and those who work at soup kitchens. These things are hard. Yet they press on. What makes one person go to India and another to China? I know I still have so much to learn. Thus, I hesitated to respond to my friend. I wanted to encourage her and I wanted to speak truth. So in essence this is how I responded. God calls us to do different things, because there are different needs. We can't do it all. But we can help each other! (I hesitate to say this because I do not want it to come across the wrong way. I, by no means, intend this to be a plea for financial help. I am just telling you what I told her.) I don't foster, but I can give hand-me-downs to parents who need them. I don't live in a foreign country, but I can pray for my friends who do and provide items when needed. I am not a king (queen), but I can pray for our president. You get the picture.
       Let me give you an example.When we got back from China last time, I was completely overwhelmed with life. Adding a fourth child was exhausting! But I had a friend who offered to take loads of laundry to wash for me. She washed and delivered them neatly folded to me. What a blessings that was! No she did not adopt, but she certainly helped me! Then of course, there were those who gave financially and gave us clothes for Meili and prayed for us. So many pitched in and were a part of that adoption. So I told my friend, there was no need to feel guilty. There was only a need to help as she saw need,  just as hopefully someone will help her in her hour of need. That is what the body of Christ is, after all, isn't it? It is each person doing their part so the gospel is shared, people are loved, and needs are met. It is looking after the needs of others. Sometimes we have to say no for various reasons. (in fact we may need to say "no" more often in this fast- paced culture, but that is a whole different issue!)  But when we can offer help, we should. It takes prayer and discernment. Just this week I was asked to donate to five different causes. How do you choose???? I haven't quite got that one figured out! I am seeking God still. Anyway, I would love to hear your thoughts on this issue. What would you have told my friend? Stay tuned. . . next post will be so cute you won't want to miss it!

I just want to be honest...

I thought I'd start by being honest. It took three days. That's all. Three days for my bolstered faith to plummet. Three days for my "yes" to become a "Nope!". Three days to quit. I wish it weren't so. Let me explain. This summer on vacation I feel like God spoke to me. It wasn't a resounding voice. It wasn't weird. It wasn't even from the Bible. I happened to be at a beach house, which had a little library with a book I'd heard about. It was called "Choosing to See". The author was someone I admire (Mary Beth Chapman) and I was told it was a good read, so I dove in. Hours later, I knew. This book, on this shelf, was meant for ME. God was pulling my heart to adopt again, and confirming the tug I had felt since the beginning of the year. Honestly though, I had other plans in mind. I had better things to spend my money on. Things were just getting easier. WHY WOULD I WANT TO MAKE THINGS MORE DIFFICULT? But after prayer and much discussion with my Dan and our kids (Dan read the book in a couple of hours--that he even picked up the book was a miracle!), I knew. A little girl needed a family, specifically our family. So I said yes. I was pretty excited and I knew God was going to take care of it all!

Fast forward three days. We were home. I woke up on Monday morning in a complete panic! What were we thinking?? I thought," I am almost 40! We already have 4 kids! The cost is way beyond our means! How will I manage more laundry? What will our parents say? What will our friends say? What if I die? What if Dan dies? What if she doesn't like me? What if I don't like her? (just being honest)" I knew there was no way God wanted me to do this! It was impossible! I quit! I needed fresh air, so I grabbed the iPod and struck out. I breathed. I prayed. I panicked. I worried. I panicked some more. I prayed some more. Then I decided to listen to a sermon from the Church at Brooke Hills. I knew that would distract me. I chose a random one and almost turned it off because I could tell it wasn't Platt preaching. But I kept listening. Then this is what I heard (paraphrased), "Turn in your Bible to Psalm 46. This morning I want to talk to you about fear. But first I want to show you a picture. This is a picture of my wife and me last week in China picking up our baby girl. (crowd ooh's and ahh's). Last night I had the privilege of waking up with her in the middle of the night. Yes, you heard me, I said privilege. You see, I realized as I went into her room that this was the first time she ever had a father to comfort her when she was scared. This was the first time she had a father hold her when she cried. I am her father and she needed me." Tears streamed down my face. As he continued to preach on fear and how God is our refuge and strength, I knew this was God's whisper to my heart. Of all the random sermons, this was the one I chose to listen to?? Yes, and I could do this. A little girl needed a dad. And a mom. And family. Yes, He wanted me to do this. Even if it was hard, He was and is in control. There is no need to be afraid. I was reminded that morning that when I am faithless, He is faithful. When I am weak, He is strong. When I say "I can't", He says, "I can". When I say "too much", He says, "Not for me".

 So here I am, four months later, longing for my little girl. Praying that she is safe. Praying that God will do what seems, to me, impossible. I wish I could tell you differently. I wish I could claim a strength that I see in so many others. I wish my faith did not falter. I wish I didn't make so many mistakes. I wish I weren't so . . . . frail and fickle and faithless and fearful. But I am. My God, however, is not. He gave me this verse which I repeat often, Psalm 56:3-4, "When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid." I know there are so many other things to pray for. I know there are many great causes to support. But, please pray for us as we continue down this road. The paperwork is immense. The cost is daunting and the fear rears its ugly head at unexpected times. I just want to bring my little girl home.

Yes, the Walsh Family is Officially Crazy

Well...the Walshes are at it again... For those of you who haven't heard...we have jumped back into the adoption scene.  Are we crazy?  Yes, we are convinced that we are.  As a family we have been praying for close to a year about this and in August we finally surrendered to, what we are convinced, God wants us to do.  In October 11th, 2010, over three years ago, Meili was placed in our arms for the very first time, and our family has been blessed in so many ways we can't even begin to describe.

Once again we are adopting from China, a little girl, between the ages of 12-36 months.  She will be classified on the correctable medical conditions list. We have actually just had our homestudy approved 2 days ago and next week we will mail it to Holt (our adoption agency) and then the process of matching can begin.  We could actually know who she is possibly in the next month.   We are asking all of our friends and family to be in prayer. Specifically for Holt International as they are working to match us with a child who is a great match for our family.  Also for this little girl who we don't know yet (but God knows her...) that whoever is caring for her now will love her and protect her and that she will even now feel loved.  We expect that this process will take anywhere between 6-12 months.

We are in the process of fund raising in order to pull this thing off.  Our kids are helping run a weekly snack shack at our home school co-op, and Michelle had a garage sale from some donated items from friends a couple of weeks ago.  The total cost of this adoption will probably be close to $30,000 which includes all the hoops to jump through here in the states, the adoption agency, the orphanage fee, and 2 weeks travel to China.  Now that our homestudy is complete, we are able to apply for some adoption grants. We are hoping to raise $25,000 from adoption grants, snack sales, special Walsh designed T-shirt sales, and anything else we can think of in the next 6-12 months!  Our church has set up a designated account for those of you who are led to partner with us... any and every financial gift is greatly appreciated.  You can make a tax deductible donation through a secure website called www.adopttogether.org.  Click the link below to go to that page. 

Thank you for taking the time to read this and pray for us.  We ask for the sake of everyone tagged on here that you respond via message or on our wall rather than to this note so people don't get a lot of notifications.  We will share more information as it comes.  Thank you all for the support that we have had with Meili...that has meant the world to us.  By the way, she is convinced we need to name her new baby sister Mulan! 

Love from the Walshes!