Although time consuming, paper chasing was not as bad as I’ve heard it could be. We received our workbook for our dossier from Living Hope Adoption Agency in early January. We collected our marriage and birth certificates first. Then we sent off our I-600A form to the INS department. This form requests permission to adopt overseas. We were fingerprinted, had numerous blood tests and a medical exam. We filled out financial statements and employment letters. We had a home study done by Christian Family Services.  A home study looks closely at both adoptive parent’s childhood, medical history, criminal background, parenting style, marriage, finances and feelings toward adoption. Our children were also interviewed and asked how they felt about adoption. I’ve never been so proud of our kids. They answered her questions confidently, sure of the decision we had all made together. We could not have done this if the children were against it. C.J. was so sweet when he told our social worker he couldn’t imagine how it would feel if he didn’t have a Mom and Dad or a home. He said if it was him he hoped someone would come and adopt him. What empathy from an 11-year old boy!  Our home study was completed in mid March and sent off to the INS department where it met up with our I-600A. Now we waited for the INS to give us approval to travel overseas to adopt. While we waited we applied for passports. Throughout this process we continually prayed for Sam not knowing if she was in this world or even conceived. We also prayed for her birthmother.

In mid April we received our I-171H, the approval we were waiting for. All that was left was to have each document sealed by the state of South Carolina and the US Department of State. We submitted our documents (dossier) to Living Hope on May 12, 2005. Our paperwork was sealed by the Chinese embassy in New York and was logged in to the Chinese Center of Adoption Affairs on June 27, 2005. And thus began THE WAIT. We are still waiting for our referral which will include a picture of Sam, medical information, where she is residing and the conditions of how she was found. As we close in on the time when we will receive our referral and travel to China, we pray that she is comforted and well cared for.