The only thing keeping us from flying to China and bringing home our daughter are two sets of fingerprints.

Everything else is done.

Application: Done.

Training: Done.

Paperwork: Done.

Home Study: Done.

Fingerprints: Done

Paperwork Again: Done.

Home Study Again: Done.

Fundraising: DONE!

Fingerprints Again: Not Done.

Travel Status: Waiting

Hopefully, by the end of this week we will have our travel dates. And hopefully, we will go to China late April or early May.

If we had it our way we'd be on a plane tomorrow, but this isn't Burger King. We don't get to have things our way. (Dad joke, sorry)

At this point, we've settled in to waiting. Or trusting. Or whatever you want to call it. We don't like it, waiting, but we've grown to love it. It's familiar, like an old friend.

We're learning this basic truth over and over again: It's all out of your control, so be faithful to what's in front you.

Amy is feeling the stress of being "metaphorically" 8 months pregnant. I'm feeling the motivation to get things done, which means clean, organize, and take 100 trips to Goodwill. Why do we have so many blankets?

Generally, we're doing good. Amy and I went on a date this weekend, and only kinda fought. Our house is getting decluttered. The baby room is 90% complete. I'm building this little bed so Lucy can sleep next to Amy-PTL for YouTube videos. We're still overwhelmed by the generosity shown during our fundraiser. We're writing lots of thank you letters. We're still praying for Lucy, knowing her whole world is about to change. And we're trying to bottle up every moment we have with Harper, knowing her whole world is about to change too.

The fingerprint fiasco had us bummed last week. We were thinking of all the things we could have done different to "maybe/possibly/potentially" have expedited the process. What if we would have gone to a different person at the post office? Maybe that guy at the end didn't know what he was doing, maybe he was adopted and had a horrible experience, maybe Trump is to blame.... and other conspiracy theories, etc.

Then we got an update from our agency. They gave us 8 pictures and 6 videos. Yet they gave us so much more. Somehow, just by seeing an updated photo, and seeing that Lucy's hair is getting long, made everything calm. She has 8 teeth, and she has friends, and she knows how to play peak-a-boo. I have a video to prove it.

It took an email to remind us, again: God has a plan. He has a timeline. He has a story. He has never been stressed out. And He knows us, and knows Lucy, and He's a Father who can be trusted. Really, truly, deeply, trusted.

So, here's our update: God is still good. We are still waiting.

Pray for us and pray for our girl. We will meet soon enough and the timing will be just right

The other day someone asked me, “Do you have kids?” and I said, “Yeah, I have two daughters.” Then it hit me: I HAVE TWO DAUGHTERS!

The easiest way to sum up the last 14 days would be this emoji: 😭

WE ARE ALMOST HALF WAY THERE IN JUST TWO WEEKS!!!

You guys have been so so so generous. Some of you even too generous. And some of you so surprisingly generous. And… so encouraging.

Every gift we receive makes us more and more overwhelmed by the community God has put around us, and overjoyed at the community Lucy is joining. She is one lucky girl. And we are lucky parents.

We got to send Lucy a care package last week which was so much fun. We sent a camera and some clothes and toys. Amy basically packed that shoebox to overflow status.

We are also working on getting a room set up for Lucy. We will share photos in upcoming weeks as we get it going.

Some of you have asked questions and I think it would be helpful to address them all here:

When do we go to China and get Lucy?

Our agency told us 9-12 weeks. That means we could travel sometime between late March and May. They will tell us a month out when we get approval and we can buy our plan tickets then.

What happens once you travel to China?

We meet Lucy and take her in the same trip. We are in country for two weeks, staying in a hotel, doing final paperwork and processing, but it’s a pretty fast turnaround.

Why is adoption so expensive?

I don’t know. I wish it was cheaper. Everyone I tell the cost to has the same reaction. And I get it. It’s costly for sure. There is a lot of paper work involved, multiple home studies, lawyers, agencies, visas, citizenship documents, orphanage fees, etc.

Here is the link to our websites cost page: http://www.ccaifamily.org/AdoptExpenses/WCP-AdoptionExpense

Truth is, the total cost will likely be somewhere in the $40,000 range, and Amy and I have already spent somewhere close to $13,000 so far out of pocket. It’s our joy to feel the financial burden for our girl, but we couldn’t cover the whole cost, therefore the fundraising was necessary.

Is the gift tax deductible?

No but possibly yes.

No, they are not tax deductible through youcaring.

But, if you’d like to “join our support team” and give a gift through Resonate Church that will be tax deductible. It’s really easy to give that way, just follow these directions:

Here is the link to join my support team: https://docs.google.com/a/resonate.net/forms/d/1LOQ6B3DMRWooATa9z4RCmlqi92FAqSInUwvgfJv3qDA/viewform

Page 1: Fill out your contact info

Page 2: Select my name from the dropdown menu, then select “both financial and prayer partner”

Page 3: Fill in your “Pledge Amount” and select Monthly or Annually depending on how you prefer.