We received notification today that we have been approved for a grant from the Gift of Adoption (http://www.giftofadoption.org). Added to the two other grants we have received (Show Hope and Hand in Hand fundraising efforts) we have EVERYTHING WE NEED to travel and pay the costs of adoption in China!
WHO wants to join us in saying "Hallelujah"?!?!?!?!
We knew that we could not do this on our own and are relying 100% on the goodness of the Lord to provide for this particular call on our lives. We did not know HOW God was going to be faithful in this endeavor but we knew He would be!
Today we also got word that a document that had been lost by the Immigration Office had been found. So we start off again with the final pages of paperwork submitted here and there, waiting for the final "Invitation to Travel" to be extended to us. That is when we know when we will travel ... until then we wait and hope for a late November or early December travel date.
HALLELUJAH!!!!!!!
Friday, September 6, 2013
Friday, August 16, 2013
YEAH! IT'S OFFICIAL!!!
We received word today that we have been officially approved to adopt our son in China! We were beginning to wonder what was holding it up and if something might happen to deter us fulfilling the burden placed upon our hearts over a year ago ... but, now, there isn't much that could stop this from going through.
So now we can post a picture ... if we can manage to do so. Today it took us a LONG time to even sign in to let you know the news. This "blogging" can be tricky for those of us who don't do it daily.
I may have to get help to do it but meet Guo Xin from the Guangxi Province of China. He is 11 now and will turn 12 in February and he speaks very little English. We have named him Jacob Timothy Xin (in case he wants to hang onto his Chinese name) and we will call him whatever he wants us to call him. He may like Jacob, he may like Jake, he may like JT, he may like Xin (pronounced "Shin"). We hope that all three of us will travel to meet him in late November or early December ... the same time period in which we travelled to that very same province to adopt Katie. It would be great to celebrate Thanksgiving in China again as we did in 2007.
We'll post more details as we know them. Meanwhile we are fund-raising to cover the high cost of both adoption and travel for the three of us. We are waiting to hear from a couple of foundations and have already received $10,000 toward the adoption. We are thrilled about how God is handling the provision of yet another adoption.
"He who has promised is faithful" Hebrews 10: 23
Blessings, Joan
So now we can post a picture ... if we can manage to do so. Today it took us a LONG time to even sign in to let you know the news. This "blogging" can be tricky for those of us who don't do it daily.
I may have to get help to do it but meet Guo Xin from the Guangxi Province of China. He is 11 now and will turn 12 in February and he speaks very little English. We have named him Jacob Timothy Xin (in case he wants to hang onto his Chinese name) and we will call him whatever he wants us to call him. He may like Jacob, he may like Jake, he may like JT, he may like Xin (pronounced "Shin"). We hope that all three of us will travel to meet him in late November or early December ... the same time period in which we travelled to that very same province to adopt Katie. It would be great to celebrate Thanksgiving in China again as we did in 2007.
We'll post more details as we know them. Meanwhile we are fund-raising to cover the high cost of both adoption and travel for the three of us. We are waiting to hear from a couple of foundations and have already received $10,000 toward the adoption. We are thrilled about how God is handling the provision of yet another adoption.
"He who has promised is faithful" Hebrews 10: 23
Blessings, Joan
Monday, July 29, 2013
Still waiting for LOA
Things have been busy but we did manage to get our dossier submitted to China late in May, close to the deadline they had set. We missed it by a couple of days and so were a little worried but told by our agency that we shouldn't be. And so we set about waiting the four to five weeks that most people wait to get their official confirmation of approval for a particular child ... the LOA (Letter of Approval, I guess). Anyway, the weeks went by and then more weeks and we are now over NINE weeks from having submitted the dossier! SO I contacted our agency and asked what the problem might be ... here is their answer:
"As you may have seen in our program updates, there is a new online system implemented by the CCCWA on June 1. This system has had a lot of bugs, and the CCCWA has spent a lot of time trying to get used to the new system, answering agencies' questions, and trying to fix the glitches. Unfortunately, this means that they haven't been able to focus as much on adoption processing, so lots of agencies and families are experiencing delays."
So ... there ... that's our update. We are still waiting. We have been told we can't post pictures until we get this valuable LOA so hopefully it won't be long before we can do that.
Meanwhile we are working hard and trying to save every penny we can. We received a $5000 grant from Show Hope and have been approved for a matching grant up to $5000 (we have to raise $2500 for that to happen and so we may be sending out letters soon!). After that we will still have about $8000 - $10,000 to raise -- and we are waiting to hear on some applications for grants that we have submitted already.
Thanks for following along ... we look forward to sharing some great news and pictures with you soon!
Blessings! Joan
"As you may have seen in our program updates, there is a new online system implemented by the CCCWA on June 1. This system has had a lot of bugs, and the CCCWA has spent a lot of time trying to get used to the new system, answering agencies' questions, and trying to fix the glitches. Unfortunately, this means that they haven't been able to focus as much on adoption processing, so lots of agencies and families are experiencing delays."
So ... there ... that's our update. We are still waiting. We have been told we can't post pictures until we get this valuable LOA so hopefully it won't be long before we can do that.
Meanwhile we are working hard and trying to save every penny we can. We received a $5000 grant from Show Hope and have been approved for a matching grant up to $5000 (we have to raise $2500 for that to happen and so we may be sending out letters soon!). After that we will still have about $8000 - $10,000 to raise -- and we are waiting to hear on some applications for grants that we have submitted already.
Thanks for following along ... we look forward to sharing some great news and pictures with you soon!
Blessings! Joan
Thursday, February 21, 2013
Dossier Nearing Completion
"Kate is getting a big brother!!!" That post is directly from Kate who is VERY excited about this whole adventure. I'm sure the reality of meeting and getting to know Jacob will have its own challenges but at least at this point, theoretically, she is thrilled with the idea.
We are getting closer and closer to completing our dossier. We are also still waiting for the completion of our home study! We have gone about this whole thing backwards but that is what we needed to do in order to "guarantee" that we would be approved for adoption, since we are older than the age limits set forward. We were given "preliminary" approval which, in effect, put our papers together with Jacob's paperwork and set us on course to becoming family.
Typically a family wanting to adopt does the home study, then complete the dossier which is sent in and a match made. Info on the child is sent back to the family and they can decide to accept the referral or seek another. For us, it is almost the opposite ... we got matched with a child and then began the home study. And now that the home study is close to completion, we begin the collection of paperwork for the dossier.
We have been told that we should try to have all the paperwork submitted by the end of April so that it can be cleared and submitted by May 22nd. We want to try to do it before then but we do have to wait for documents to be "validated" for the various states--proving that the notaries we chose had valid notary licenses. And so we have sent off paperwork to Missouri (for Joan's birth and our marriage certificates) hoping to get it back as speedily as possible. Other documents can be authenticated here in CA so it shouldn't take as long (ha, ha!). One of the other requirements is an immigration document and so no one know how log that might take. THen they all have to be "authenticated" by the international embassy involved (still can't mention the name of the country because it seems presumptive to them before getting the official word from them).
And so we work and wait ... hopeful that we will have sufficient time and energy to take care of everything efficiently. It looks like we probably won't travel until July or AUgust ... ugh. But whenever it is, we will be grateful.
Thanks for your support!
We are getting closer and closer to completing our dossier. We are also still waiting for the completion of our home study! We have gone about this whole thing backwards but that is what we needed to do in order to "guarantee" that we would be approved for adoption, since we are older than the age limits set forward. We were given "preliminary" approval which, in effect, put our papers together with Jacob's paperwork and set us on course to becoming family.
Typically a family wanting to adopt does the home study, then complete the dossier which is sent in and a match made. Info on the child is sent back to the family and they can decide to accept the referral or seek another. For us, it is almost the opposite ... we got matched with a child and then began the home study. And now that the home study is close to completion, we begin the collection of paperwork for the dossier.
We have been told that we should try to have all the paperwork submitted by the end of April so that it can be cleared and submitted by May 22nd. We want to try to do it before then but we do have to wait for documents to be "validated" for the various states--proving that the notaries we chose had valid notary licenses. And so we have sent off paperwork to Missouri (for Joan's birth and our marriage certificates) hoping to get it back as speedily as possible. Other documents can be authenticated here in CA so it shouldn't take as long (ha, ha!). One of the other requirements is an immigration document and so no one know how log that might take. THen they all have to be "authenticated" by the international embassy involved (still can't mention the name of the country because it seems presumptive to them before getting the official word from them).
And so we work and wait ... hopeful that we will have sufficient time and energy to take care of everything efficiently. It looks like we probably won't travel until July or AUgust ... ugh. But whenever it is, we will be grateful.
Thanks for your support!
Friday, December 14, 2012
How Can You Help?
Some of you checking this blog know us very well ... and others don't know us at all. But we recognize that what we are attempting to do is well beyond our capability and sometimes, in fact most often, that means that others have to come alongside us to get the job done. And that's what we aim to do!
We are Joan and Ken McKenzie, both former pastors now working with developmentally disabled adults, endeavoring to be obedient to God's call to us. We adopted a child five years ago when we were really at the top of the age bracket to do so and thought that was it ... until this past year. Something struck us (God hitting us over the head again!) in May that maybe we could ask for special approval to adopt an older child. We already had a much younger child that we expected to have the first go round and so why wouldn't they say "yes" to adopting a child older than she is?!?!?
Good question!
So we applied and they said yes ... at least we have preliminary approval. We still have to complete the formal submission of our dossier in order to get final approval but everyone assures us that they are willing to give it in order to provide for one of their older children.
You may be wondering why I keep saying "they" instead of telling you where our child will be coming from. Another good question! We were instructed to not indicate any information about the country or the child until formal final approval has been given. Those of you who know us know the country because you know our sweet precious daughter, Kate, sitting with Santa on our profile. So that's all we can tell you now but, if you're curious, you can leave a post with your email and we will write and let you know! Two hints: it's a VERY large country with lots of adoptions processed from it and it is far across the Pacific Ocean from where we live right now in California! Plus you can see our picture on all of the websites listed below!!!
All that being said, I will try to add more information on a regular basis. But, if you'd like to help us before the end of the year, here are three ways to do so:
www.hiskidstoo.org/2012/08/29/the-mckenzie-family
http://www.adoptionbug.com/4jtmckenzie/index.htm
https://justlovecoffee.com/4JTMcKenzie
All these organizations have allowed us to collect money toward this international adoption ... the first one (His Kids Too!) is a 501c3 organization that will send a tax-deductible receipt for any contribution made on our behalf. There are two ways to do it: one is to use PayPal from the website or make a check out to "His Kids Too!" and send it to them at 219 - B Delta Court, Tallahassee, FL, 32303. If you decide to write a check and send it PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE make certain that you do not put our name anywhere on the check you send [THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT!!!!!!!]. Simply make the check out to "His Kids Too!" and put a note in the envelope that it is to be designated as a grant for "Ken and Joan McKenzie". They will monitor all donations for our adoption purposes giving us reimbursements for valid adoption expenses.
The "Adoption Bug" and "Just Love Coffee" are two organizations that affirm adoption by setting up a "store" for us where you can buy either a T-Shirt or coffee (and coffee-related gifts if you're still thinking about Christmas) with a significant portion of the purchase price going toward our adoption!
These are amazing ways of assisting us in this adventure if you believe you want to help. We are also applying for matching grants and will keep you posted on that ... when we are approved (and we are praying that we will!) then any money given on our behalf is actually DOUBLED! Wish we could have gotten that pulled together before Christmas and the end of the year but time has not been on our side these past few months.
Anyway, thank you so much if you want to help us out ... we are grateful for the many ways that people helped us in our first adoption. We couldn't have completed it without support.
We are grateful to God for your help.
We are Joan and Ken McKenzie, both former pastors now working with developmentally disabled adults, endeavoring to be obedient to God's call to us. We adopted a child five years ago when we were really at the top of the age bracket to do so and thought that was it ... until this past year. Something struck us (God hitting us over the head again!) in May that maybe we could ask for special approval to adopt an older child. We already had a much younger child that we expected to have the first go round and so why wouldn't they say "yes" to adopting a child older than she is?!?!?
Good question!
So we applied and they said yes ... at least we have preliminary approval. We still have to complete the formal submission of our dossier in order to get final approval but everyone assures us that they are willing to give it in order to provide for one of their older children.
You may be wondering why I keep saying "they" instead of telling you where our child will be coming from. Another good question! We were instructed to not indicate any information about the country or the child until formal final approval has been given. Those of you who know us know the country because you know our sweet precious daughter, Kate, sitting with Santa on our profile. So that's all we can tell you now but, if you're curious, you can leave a post with your email and we will write and let you know! Two hints: it's a VERY large country with lots of adoptions processed from it and it is far across the Pacific Ocean from where we live right now in California! Plus you can see our picture on all of the websites listed below!!!
All that being said, I will try to add more information on a regular basis. But, if you'd like to help us before the end of the year, here are three ways to do so:
www.hiskidstoo.org/2012/08/29/the-mckenzie-family
http://www.adoptionbug.com/4jtmckenzie/index.htm
https://justlovecoffee.com/4JTMcKenzie
All these organizations have allowed us to collect money toward this international adoption ... the first one (His Kids Too!) is a 501c3 organization that will send a tax-deductible receipt for any contribution made on our behalf. There are two ways to do it: one is to use PayPal from the website or make a check out to "His Kids Too!" and send it to them at 219 - B Delta Court, Tallahassee, FL, 32303. If you decide to write a check and send it PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE make certain that you do not put our name anywhere on the check you send [THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT!!!!!!!]. Simply make the check out to "His Kids Too!" and put a note in the envelope that it is to be designated as a grant for "Ken and Joan McKenzie". They will monitor all donations for our adoption purposes giving us reimbursements for valid adoption expenses.
The "Adoption Bug" and "Just Love Coffee" are two organizations that affirm adoption by setting up a "store" for us where you can buy either a T-Shirt or coffee (and coffee-related gifts if you're still thinking about Christmas) with a significant portion of the purchase price going toward our adoption!
These are amazing ways of assisting us in this adventure if you believe you want to help. We are also applying for matching grants and will keep you posted on that ... when we are approved (and we are praying that we will!) then any money given on our behalf is actually DOUBLED! Wish we could have gotten that pulled together before Christmas and the end of the year but time has not been on our side these past few months.
Anyway, thank you so much if you want to help us out ... we are grateful for the many ways that people helped us in our first adoption. We couldn't have completed it without support.
We are grateful to God for your help.
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Getting Started
We're behind the schedule we had for getting things done: home study is still outstanding, grant applications still need completion, website is just now getting underway, and Christmas cards and letters need to be sent. Somehow our life, simple as we thought it would be, keeps getting more complicated. But we keep moving(albeit slowly) under the powerful impression that God has more work for us to do. And so we are trying our best not to delay being obedient to the word we heard spoken to us in May ... that God is leading us to adopt a brother for Katie.
We have named him Jacob Timothy and he will soon be 11 years old -- living in the same province in the same country from which Katie came and having had the same heart surgery that she had at about the very same time (she was 3 and having open heart surgery in Chicago, he was 6 and having open heart surgery in his country)! To us it seems like a perfect fit but we know there will be challenges bringing an older child into a family. We just trust the whole thing to God believing that "pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you." (James 1:27)
Thanks for joining us in this journey to bring home a little boy who doesn't even know about us right now ... and for helping to spreach the word to others who might be intriqued by his story and willing to help us to bring home a big brother for Katie.
We have named him Jacob Timothy and he will soon be 11 years old -- living in the same province in the same country from which Katie came and having had the same heart surgery that she had at about the very same time (she was 3 and having open heart surgery in Chicago, he was 6 and having open heart surgery in his country)! To us it seems like a perfect fit but we know there will be challenges bringing an older child into a family. We just trust the whole thing to God believing that "pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you." (James 1:27)
Thanks for joining us in this journey to bring home a little boy who doesn't even know about us right now ... and for helping to spreach the word to others who might be intriqued by his story and willing to help us to bring home a big brother for Katie.
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