Almost There

       Once again I apologize for not blogging. For a long time I was so frustrated that I didn't want to write and then life got busy. It seems my wait for LOA (letter of approval) took forever. It was 73 days but felt like an eternity. I was following a chart of other adopting parents on Facebook and others got theirs in 38 days. Then people logged in almost a month after me started getting theirs. I began to let fear sink in that something was wrong, perhaps I wasn't going to get approved. I knew this was strange as I met every requirement. My agency kept telling me that everything was fine and sometimes things just take a little longer. However, I let Satan steal my joy rather than running to the Lord with prayer and asking Him to encourage me.  God continued to work during the midst of my wait. During the wait I received a grant from Show Hope (Steven Curtis Chapman's Foundation) - For those in St. Louis he is coming November 9th I encourage you to support his tour! This was a rather large grant which would pay the rest of agency fees and help with a few travel expenses. I was also blessed by several individual gifts from folks to help with plane tickets. As I reflect back this has been my story for this entire adoption. Every time I have had a payment due, God has provided 100% of my need.  As I look back during the discouraging time, God was giving me HOPE and showing me HE is the provider. Sometimes I was just too stubborn to see it!
      My family and church family also gave me an amazing adoption shower. I really thought I would have LOA long before this date, but did not. (It came the Friday after the shower). I was given a lot of amazing things including clothes, car seat, wagon, stroller, bath stuff, toys, book, and kitchen necessities, gift cards and much more. It was overwhelming the amount of love and support that was shown! Just another nudge for me to see that God is working. It is amazing that so many people already love a little girl that they have only seen pictures and heard stories about her life. I can't wait for her to finally be home and meet everyone!!
       Evy Ly also had her 6th birthday during the LOA wait. I connected my agency asking if I could send a cake to her for her birthday. The coordinator in China allowed me to email him pictures, which he printed and put in an alubum for her. He also sent her a panda bear. I got pictures of her looking a the two of us (I pictures I sent from the November trip) and her with the panda on her birthday! Which was the morning I was leaving for Children's Camp. I was feeling good and so excited to see these. He said that the orphanage would get her a cake later in the week and he would send more pictures. So on Friday evening I did get 3 more pictures of her. I also got new measurements and she is little. (31 pounds and 40.5 inches).

                                  Evy Lu, seeing her with her mom. Finding out her family on her birthday!

                                                        Birthday panda agency sent.

       The last month since I received LOA (July 21st) it has been hurry fill out a form then wait some more to fill out a form and wait. The steps for me to complete were completely accomplished yesterday! I got my i800 approval on August 11th (this was United State Immigration saying yes I could bring Evy Lu to the United States and adopt her). They then forward everything to NVC (National Visa Center) and more wait for approval for them. Got it yesterday 8/21/17 and then filled out another form to apply for her VISA which was forwarded to the consulate in Guangzhou, China. I waited for an email with attachment (which I thought would be much more official then it was!). I then forwarded everything to my agency who sent to China rep. He will drop everything off at Consulate on Thursday. It takes them two weeks to review. He will pick it up on September 7th. I then wait for final Travel Approval from China along with my Consulate Date. Everything is on schedule for me to leave in early to mid October. I am hoping for an October 16th Gotcha (which should not be a problem).

         I am so close to being finalized yet it seems so far away! :) Thank you for the continued prayers. For those who have helped with the puzzle I need to get an updated picture. It is almost complete just waiting for a few pieces to be given back to me or signed. I have one more grant that I am going to the board on September 5th. If I get this grant I will be 100% funded! Thank you to everyone who has helped fund the adoption!

I will leave you with her birthday cake pictures. My guess is this was her first time receiving a cake just for her and her being celebrated!

                                          What a fun party. The little drink are probably yogurt drinks.

They have such neat candles in China! 

    Love this smile of her cutting her cake! 

I promise to do better updating during travel and once home. :)