we can see the finish line...but

on August 14th we received the document we've been waiting for. The LOA [Letter of Acceptance]! This simply means that China said yes!! Simeon is a VanKoevering. God had a special plan for the timing of our LOA's arrival. It just so happens that back in 2014 on August 14th, in a courtroom in Ghana, Christabel became a VanKoevering! This will now be a special day for both our adopted kiddos. I just LOVE how God is preparing Christabels heart for the addition of a new sibling. Getting to share special moments/days with Simeon before he comes home is such a blessing & opens the door to conversations about Simeon. She has LOTS of questions about him. Most of them revolve around HIS stuff vs HER stuff...and what stuff she might have to share with him. [underwear was on this list...we have assured her that her underwear is safe and will not be a shared item!] She also has questions about his Spina Bifida & the physical things that he may have that are similar/not similar to her [wearing braces on legs, walking with arm crutches, bowel & bladder program stuff]. We don't have clear answers for most of these questions. We have had lots of talks about how every person with Spina Bifida is different and will have different things that they can and can not do. We have seen Simeon walk in videos. It is a very disorganized gait, but at this point he is very capable of walking without assistance. This is something that Christabel may never achieve because her SB affected her more significantly, due to type of SB, location & age at which her SB lesion was properly closed. We are so excited that Christabel and Simeon will have each other. We pray that Gods journey for their lives involves a very special bond and friendship and we pray that He is already starting to work in both their hearts so that the transition will go smooth.

and...onto another item of great excitement...the status of the financial provision for this adoption. I have spoken before about our shock when we found out that the adoption process for Simeon would be 10-12 months! To be standing here and looking back at the months since we said yes, it has certainly been an amazing journey to have witnessed. We have been loved so big and so beautifully by a community of Christ both near to us and far!! In the last 9 months God has graciously provided $32150 in grants and $6035 in donations from our family and friends!! That is $38185!!! We estimate that we are about $2000 from having Simeon's adoption fully funded. [$2120 to be exact].

We are waiting to hear back from one final grant application and anticipate getting the decision on that one in mid September. Our MyStory page will remain open through November and offers a way to make a tax deductible donation toward Simeon's adoption. We can see the finish line...but we still need a little bit of help to actually cross it.

With the arrival of our LOA we have been able to move forward and request I-800 approval [this is the beginning stage of the visa application for Simeon]. We anticipate that this approval will come this week [Lord willing], as approvals have been taking 12/14 days in the recent months. I called this morning [day 12] to check on the status of our I-800 only to find out that our application [which they received on 8/14] has not yet been processed/logged into their system. This was extremely disappointing news...although that status could change in the next couple of days [or even today], it was hard news to hear. We still believe that God is in control and if it is His will the approval will happen this week!

Tomorrow we will send out a care package for Simeon. If he has not yet been told about us...this will ensure that that happens :] We have made a book of picture of our family and our home. My mom [who made a quilt for his bed] used material from that quilt to make a small blanket for him *this will hopefully help with his transition home because it will be a familiar item. And we are including a bunch of stickers that he can share with all of his friends. We struggled greatly with the idea of sending a care package. We know that there are lots of children in the orphanage who may never receive a care package...and have seen lots of other children get them over the years. We felt really conflicted about putting our child in a position where other children might be jealous or angry about the gifts he was given. Our agency suggested adding something for Simeon to share with his friends because they said that the care packages are really vital for the older kids and can really help to introduce us to them so that we are not totally unfamiliar to him when we arrive. So...we will send that package off with so much love & so many prayers that God will prepare his precious little heart for all the changes that are coming!!

So...as we continue to do life at the VanKoevering house. As school starts & our kids buy a house & we prepare celebrate a birthday & to welcome a precious grandson...we ask that God helps us to enjoy these precious moments...that while a part of our hearts are longing to head to China...that He helps us [and time] to slow down!! We want to soak in all the goodness that God is pouring into our family in the next 10 weeks.