I AM LOVING chatting with people about this new adventure we're on!
For so long I couldn't. Talking about it now, somehow makes it feel more tangible and real. The best analogy I can think of is (if you've ever been pregnant) that first moment you find out you're expecting. You see the positive test, but its to early for symptoms so you find yourself freaking out from time to time thinking maybe you really didn't see two lines... Maybe you are that weirdo who fabricated the whole scenario and its all just confirmation that you certainly HAVE lost the last few marbles you were holding on to for dear life. BUT THEN.... after what seems like an eternity. You head to the doctor and hear that perfect heartbeat and see that tiny flicker on the screen in front of you and you can finally accept that it is REAL! YOUR HAVING A BABY and your not completely insane after all. Now that people know and conversations are happening - It feels like we've heard the HEARTBEAT! As I've talked to people, I've noticed there are several questions that come up.... pretty much every time. So I decided to compile the most common questions I've heard in case inquiring minds would also like to know ;) Why did you choose to adopt internationally vs. domestically? One thing I know about adoption is there is no right or wrong way to adopt. I love how every adoption story is unique just like every pregnancy is unique. For us, we felt led to adopt internationally from the beginning. We didn't know exactly what that looked like at first, but when we envisioned our complete family, we pictured a multi-racial family. We believe the Lord planted this image in our hearts, so we decided not to over analyze and just run with it. Not to mention... from a practical stand point (more like icing on the cake) if you can believe this... International adoption typically is less expensive than domestic infant adoption. Why China? I wrote a blog post titled "Vann Kid Where Art Thou" that explains in detail how we landed in China. You can read it HERE. But in a nutshell, when it comes to adoption, China has a very long-standing, reliable relationship with the US. It's a well oiled machine. A more predictable process with less risk. It's also important to note each country has unique requirements. Some require longer time in country, multiple visits, age restrictions, income restrictions etc. With the help of our social worker, we were able to educate ourselves on these requirements and narrow our search. I've also always been fascinated with the Chinese culture and their means of population control. Although the One Child Policy has now been reformed to allow two children per household as long as at least one parent comes from a single child home, it's still a restriction which leads to an astronomical orphan crisis. In addition, China does not allow families to place children for adoption, so if a family cannot care for a child they may have no choice but to abandon the child in a place where the baby will hopefully be found quickly and placed in an orphanage. It's a broken system that needs further reform but its reality for the Chinese people and an issue dear to our hearts. How long does the adoption process take? This is a tough question as everyone's journey is different with different obstacles that could potentially cause set-backs, but a good estimate we've been given is 12-18 months from application acceptance to placement. So in roughly a year (give or take) we will be traveling to China to get our girl! When and how will you be matched with your child? There are a couple different ways we can be matched to our child. One option is we can match with a waiting child at any point in the adoption process or we can wait until our dossier is sent to China (End of August roughly). After our dossier is received by China, they will log our family into their system and match us with a child based on specifications we provide. Either way, whether we match with a child now or 6 months from now, we can not travel until after our dossier is sent to China. If China matches you with a child do you have to accept? No. If we receive a referral from China, it will include the child's medical file etc. We will then have a specified amount of time to have those documents reviewed by our pediatrician at which point we can either accept or deny. Denying a file does not put a red mark on our heads in any way, there is no penalty. How old will your child be? Our main stipulation is Ava (4) remain the oldest. Because of Eden Grace's age (1), it is highly probable Eden Grace could remain the youngest. Time will tell. How much does adopting from China cost? I'm sure you are aware that adoption is expensive any way you swing it. Although we do not know an exact cost, we've been given an estimate of $30,000 - $35,000. Thankfully this amount is divided into installments. We are taking it one installment at a time. If I look at the big picture, I have heart palpitations. ;) How long will you be in China? We will travel to China one time for two weeks at which point we will come home with our girl. How can I help? So many people have asked how they can help which absolutely BLOWS MY MIND! We are so humbled and thankful that ANYONE would feel led to help. We are no doubt surrounded by such an amazing community of people. The immediate need is prayer. Here are a few specific areas we are asking for prayer: 1. That this process be about glorifying the Lord, not ourselves in any way. That we be less and He be made more! 2. For Hosanna's well-being. We are specifically praying for her nanny that she would have a loving, healthy relationship with her. That she is safe, warm, well fed and loved. 3. For our ability to discern the Lord's direction in this process 4. Pray for the orphan crisis as a whole. That more people would follow through with their call to adopt. 5. That somehow our story will lead someone to a personal relationship with Jesus. 6. Financial provision/favor Although I know the Lord will provide on this journey, I also know He expects us to do our part too. We can't sit back and expect a big fat $35,000 to land in our lap. It's going to take some hard work. But work, we can do! I've got several fundraising ideas floating around in my head that we plan to set into motion in the coming weeks. Participating in those efforts, helping facilitate, encouraging us, sharing with friends, volunteering time or even your old stuff (we plan on doing a BIG multi-family garage sell soon to help with our next installment fee - more to come later on this!) will be a HUGE HUGE blessing!!! Simply coming along-side us on this journey is everything. Each person plays a unique role no matter how insignificant it may feel, to us, it means the world. Bringing Hosanna home goes way beyond anything we can do on our own. The Lord made that fact VERY clear to me from the very beginning. On paper our ends don't touch. I'm still working through the fact that this is OK and that asking for help does not make us foolish or ill-prepared. If we could do this on our own, where would God fit into the equation? It's going to take a tribe... a big one.... one I've officially dubbed #Hosannastribe :) so if that's you.... THANK YOU thank you thank you!!!! <3
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Can I just be honest for a second?
Telling the world your adopting is SCARY BUSINESS! As hard as its been to keep this secret.... At the end of the day, it's safe here. Just us. Chris and I and our sweet social worker. And I kind of like it that way. Until recently, this blog has served as a safe place for me to pour out my heart. It's been a locked journal. Sharing that.... Errrrm Vulnerable doesnt even begin to describe it. I keep catching myself playing the "what if" game. What if this really isn't possible? What if family or close friends aren't supportive? What if something completely out of our control brings this process to a screeching hault? What if my heart breaks in a million pieces for anyone reading to see? What if our intentions are misunderstood? What if the words on these pages come off all wrong and I offend someone? What if. What if. What if. Easy to tell myself "don't worry what others think" but let's just be real.... We all care what others think to some extent. And inviting so many in on such an intimate, real, raw, uncertain, scary, out of our control journey... Walking that out in real life.... That's scary. At at least for me it is. So please. If you are reading this. Please read the words on these pages with grace. Know I mean well but am far from perfect. I'm by no means a blogger or a writer. I will most certainly spell things wrong, say things wrong, and maybe even come across wrong. But hear my heart. We are just a family staring down a crazy, 'larger than us' adventure in need of a tribe of folks to love us despite it all. And that's where you come in. As scary as it feels to be vulnerable, I know this journey is impossible without each of you. Your love. Your prayers. Your encouragement. I know that. So on that note.... I'm gonna go locate my big girl panties, share our secret with the world and trust the Lords got this thing! We've been anxiously awaiting February to get here... February 20th to be exact.
On February 20th I'll be exactly 29 1/2 which means we can officially put a little bit of action behind all of this talk! As that date approaches its getting crazy real just how much this is all going to cost.... And because I'm a slight control freak I had a minor... ok somewhat major freak out sesh a couple weeks ago. So I hopped on the phone with lifeline to ask 1000 more questions and got the initial fee breakdown. And guess what!!!???? That sweet lady told me I was close enough to 29 1/2 that we could go ahead and apply THEN!!! Eeek!! Months and months of waiting....just to start the adoption process.... We weren't wasting another second! So naturally we applied that day ;) The application was very thorough and included several essays. Quite the spontaneous undertaking... A week or so later we got a phone call OFFICIALLY ACCEPTING us into the China program!!!! After giving them all but a blood sample we felt pretty darn proud! Ya'll.... This is really happening!!!! It's not a dream anymore. It's not a conversation anymore. It's REAL!!!! Its a teeny tiny step in the grand scheme of things, but it's still a step! So we celebrate :) Hosanna we are officially on our way! China's adoption laws require both adoptive parents be 30 years old. Chris is 31. I am 29. And by 29 I mean...... barely 29. So as you can imagine, I've never been more excited to turn 30.... haha! Lifeline says we can submit our application 6 months before my 30th birthday which puts us submitting our application sometime in February.
So right now we are in a season of waiting. Our hearts are eager and ready but requirements and laws have us bound. We haven't told anyone about this journey yet, we want to submit our application and get the process officially started before we share so as you can imagine holding all of this in IS. KILLING. ME! It's one of the main reason's I decided to start this blog so soon.... I need a place to pour out my heart and share how the Lord is working NOW. I don't want to forget. In this season its been my prayer that the Lord would continue to reveal Himself to us. Continue to confirm his plans for this process and soften our hearts to the directions we should take. I am guilty of getting super duper annoyingly excited about something and then 2 months later fizzling. I am praying the Lord ignites our hearts more than ever during this time so we can hit the ground running in confidence when the time comes. And let me tell you... HE is SHOWING UP in this wait!!! Its been so so cool to experience the subtle and sometimes {not so subtle} confirmations He is showing us. I want to share a couple of the confirmations the Lord has given us in the past week or so. The first is through Chris's new job he recently learned that they graciously give 2 weeks paid leave for adoptions and GET THIS.... the lady he was speaking to about it shared she adopted her, now 14 year old daughter, from CHINA!! This may seem silly or simple but any financial break we can get in this process is a HUGE PRAISE!! Secondly.... while at church on Sunday pastor briefly mentioned names in the bible and how God often gave people in the bible new names which where intended to give them a new identity that God wanted them to embody. Abram – Abraham: high father – father of many. At the time, Abram wasn't a father of anyone directly, although he was the patriarch and acting father of his clan. God changed his name as a sign of His promise that Abraham would be the father of many nations. (Genesis 17:5) Sarai – Sarah: my princess – mother of nations. Despite Sarah's doubts, God intended her to be the mother of many nations as well. (Genesis 17:15) Jacob – Israel: Supplanter – he who has the power of God. Jacob rose to position by manipulating his brother into giving him his firstborn birthright and then tricking his father, Isaac, into giving him the firstborn blessing. God wanted to make it clear that it was He who gave Israel power and position, not his own conniving ways. (Genesis 32:28) Simon – Peter: God has heard – rock. On his own Peter was not a rock. He ran hot and cold depending on the circumstances. With the Holy Spirit, however, Peter became the stabilizing influence for the new church. (John 1:42) My heart couldn't help but think of the parallels between this and our adopted child. Our child would be born with one name and then experience a name change. One that I believe holds so much significance and promise for the future. I couldn't help but think of all of the unknowns... Would our child be a he or a she. What would his or her birth name be? What new name would they receive? As I was contemplating all of this a name was laid heavy on my heart. Hosanna. Random.... Super random. This isn't a name we've ever considered for our children or a name I secretly pondered.... I tried to brush it off throughout the remainder of the service, but I couldn't stop thinking about it. It took everything I had not to pull out my phone in the middle of service and dig deeper into why this name was heavy on my heart. When we got in the car I immediately grabbed my phone and looked up the meaning. There it was! The name Hosanna is used in the Old Testament and again in the New Testament. In the Old Testament it carries the Hebrew meaning "to save, rescue or savior." So when you read "Hosanna" in the Old Testament it's fitting to parallel it with an example of someone calling for help.... It has a bit of urgency and desperation in its meaning. In the New Testament the word "Hosanna" takes on a new meaning with a Greek origin. It turns from a cry for help to an act of praise. It means "Praise the Lord! Hurray for Salvation, salvation has come!" WOW. It's quite simply the gospel in one single word. We are a world desperate for help. Desperate for hope. Completely and utterly lost longing for a savior. Then hope is found when God sends his only son, Jesus, in the flesh to die on the cross bearing the sins of the world. This is where our hope is found. Knowing we don't have to carry the burden anymore. It was finished on the cross that day. For you and for me. Friends, there is no greater hope than that! Its like in that 5 mins of research the Lord was solidifying everything He's woven in my heart... For those the Lord calls, Adoption is walking out the gospel. I ran across a quote that I adore and explains exactly how I feel. "We care for orphans NOT because we are rescuers, but because we are rescued." -David Platt Not only will our adoption "rescue" a child from the living conditions in the orphanage.... my prayer is it gives the opportunity for ULTIMATE salvation that only Jesus can bring! WOW! I turned to Chris and asked him what he thought of the name, I wish I could tell you he shared in my excitement but instead, he said... "I don't like it. I don't know why, I just don't like it. You know everyone would call her Anna...." I explained that the Lord laid it on my heart in service and told him the meaning.... Without hesitation he looked at me and said "WOW, thats amazing... that's it! That's {HER} name! <-- which is odd to me because its not like we were having long pillow talks over what to name our adopted child... we weren't even CLOSE to that conversation.... We barely knew WHERE we were adopting from, let alone SEX or NAME! It's like he was reading my mind. In that moment we both just knew. It was confirmation and direction we were praying for right in front of us. We learned two things that Sunday morning. We have a 3rd DAUGHTER And her name is Hosanna! PRAISE THE LORD! Adoption has always been something on my heart to explore. When Chris and I got married I was thrilled to know Chris shared the same desire. It's something we talked about since the beginning but harbored so many fears and the entire process just seemed so incredibly daunting and overwhelming and quite frankly costly. So... we pushed it to the back of our minds knowing we would revisit when the time was right.
Over the past several months the Lord has set in motion our desire to adopt. I cant explain it but it just feels like the time to take action. We've prayed and prayed the Lord would reveal the steps to take in this journey. The thought of "choosing" a child to adopt blows my mind and goes against everything in me. How does one choose where to adopt from... or the sex... or the age... or ANYTHING!!! My biggest fear in this process is that we would follow our own desires and not the Lords desires for our family. This thought paralyzes me. The beautiful thing about adoption is it mirrors Gods love for each of us. God's love for us knows no boundaries. It doesn't harp on past mistakes or failures. It is colorblind. It takes no account of disability or what earthly standards say is "normal." Its the purest love i've ever known and although adoption pales in comparison to the sacrifice God made by sending his only son to die on the cross and pay the ultimate price for our sins, the idea of extending even an ounce of the love that has been so graciously given to filthy, unworthy, undeserving me puts wind in my paralyzed, anxious sails. Only through His strength have we been able to move our love for adoption into action... A few months ago I made a call to Lifeline. I shared with the nice lady on the phone that my husband and I felt led to adopt internationally but were super anxious about choosing a country. She started asking a ton of questions.... After we finished she explained that each county has different requirements to adopt and based on the answers I gave her, we were an ideal match for Haiti or China. All of the world... narrowed down to TWO countries... We'd take it!! She explained that Haiti takes three years at a minimum from application to placement and the adoption journey was a little more uncertain. Then she told us about China. She shared we could adopt a special needs child from China and it would take approximately 12-18 months from application to placement and that the United States has a very long-standing, trusting relationship with China making it a very reliable place to adopt from. 12-18 months sounded much better.... but special needs? I immediately clammed up and thought worst case scenario. Could we handle that? Could we afford a child who may need surgery or a lifetime of special medical attention? She assured me the term 'special needs' could be so many things.... most of which are simple cosmetic deformities or issues that are correctable over time. Of course there are more severe special need children in need of a forever family, it was up to us the level we could successfully care for. After hanging up, I halfway felt relieved and halfway felt burdened by the decision we needed to make. As helpful as this information was, it was a lot to take in. After taking some time to digest the information, doing a TON of research on the orphan crisis in both of these countries and a WHOLE LOT of prayer, Chris and I both, wholeheartedly believe the child intended for our family is in CHINA!! Although I know the Lord cares deeply about the details, it's so easy to get entangled in them to the point of paralysis. It's taking some time and a whole lot of courage, but with each decision we have to make, I'm learning He is faithful to meet us in those moments of decision. Sometimes we just have to take that first step. So CHINA..... VANN KID #3!!!! GET READY, WE ARE COMING FOR YOU! |
Hi There!My name is Elizabeth! I'm married to Chris Vann. We have two beautiful little girls, Ava - 4 and Eden Grace - 10 months. We are on the journey of a lifetime to bring our 3rd VANNKID home! Our prayer through this experience is that the Lord would be greater and we would be less and that He would use our story to encourage others to develop an intimate relationship with Him. ArchivesCategories |