Timeline Chart & new pic

For interested readers: a bit longer. 

Some have asked, so here's the chart of events from beginning to now.  Adoption is surely a journey of faith.

After years of waiting, the timing was such and we announced that we are adopting from CHINA.

• Feb 2015:  we put in our formal application to adopt from China

• March 2015:  We filled out our first set of paperwork and sent it off.

We were approved to begin our intention adoption journey to China.  

• April 2015:  We started 1 of 4 home study visits

• May 2015:  Started on fundraising (had garage sales, bake sales, craft sales, on line fundraisers, t-shirt sales...)
• May 29, 2015:  Home study was approved!  

• June 16, 2015:  1800-A sent off (asking our government permission to adopt little boy from China)
• June/July 2015:  Started our dossier (enormous amount of paperwork, took 3 months to compile...enough said)

• July 2015:  more fundraisers, still working on dossier.  The paperwork for our dossier was more papers than I've ever dealt with. 

• August 2015:  1800-A was APPROVED.  We had permission to pursue adopting from China.  
• August 2015:  still working on dossier (feels like forever)

• Sept 2015:  Our DTC (dossier was sent to China!), awaiting review, translation, and approval which takes awhile.

• October 2015:  Had our first Shoe drive fundraiser, gathered about 12 boxes of tennis shoes to send all over the world. Raised $924.00
• October 13, 2015:  We had our LID (log in date), meaning our dossier was reviewed and approved and we are ready to be matched to our child.

• November......waiting to be matched.  This waiting time was one of the most difficult times.  

We trusted God's hand throughout and new that He was preparing us all in HIS beautiful, perfect timing.  

He is faithful to work out even the tiniest of details and He surely has.  

• December......waiting to be matched

2016

• January..........waiting to be matched.  

2016

• Feburary 19, 2016:  passed on our first referral of a 10 month old baby boy and trusted God had another plan.

2016

• March 2016:  OUR PHONE RANG and we had been matched with a 19 month old boy!

Here is our "referral" picture.  First time we saw him and we just KNEW he was "ours"

• April 1, 2016:  We sent in our LOI (letter of intent) to adopt that little boy.
• April 5, 2016:  We received our LOA (letter of acceptance) 
• April 11, 2016:  We sent in our 1800 (permission to adopt specifically our child)
• April 18 2016:  We introduced our little boy publicly.

• April:  applied for our Visa stamps, more paperwork required
• April 2016:  our home study expired , so we had to do a renewal of THAT.....more paperwork.  I'll again, spare you the details of our frustration. 
• We had an agency bill due of almost $5000.

We officially accepted our referral to adopt little Gus.

We received a $4000  grant from an amazing ministry from a near by town.  It was an answered prayer.  With their grant and our shoe drive fundraiser funds, we were able to pay in full our agency bill!

All praise to GOD.  

The endless paperwork will force anyone to be organized....even ME.  Every i dotted and every t crossed, or it will cost you a lot of time and delays and a few too many headaches, and much coffee.  lol

• May 26, 2016:  Our Article 5 is scheduled for Pick up (which means that we will have met ALL requirements to make our adoption official and travel can now be initiated).  

Here is our precious son as of May 2016.

August Jingfan Rowland

aka:  Gus

June 22, 2016:  "anticipated" travel day!   Will be in China for 2 weeks.