Seattles China Town

July 16 - 18

Took a little trip to Seattle to visit Tommie and had a great time visiting China Town!

Getting ready to board water taxi from west seattle to the waterfront downtown

Enjoying the water taxi ride!

China Town Martial Arts  Demonstration - VERY crowded

Martial Arts performaces were set to the beat of traditional drum  and cymbal!

Community Prosperity Wall Mural

Amazing art from fruit - smelle and looked delish. It was hot out!

Caligrapher Don Lee painting Eva's n. A friend tells us it really reads - Little Flower - Sweet!

A gift from Tommie!

Refreshments at a Vital Tea - Chinese Tea House  -

This was so fabulous...my favorite! You can just sit and taste different teas, learn about the importance of

tea in the chinese culture, pick up Mandarin and shop thier tea and wares. A fabulous time!

Yak Booties for Eva -  hand made from sheeps wool by women in rural south western China.

I could not pass these up!

Having Fun!

We also visited Uwajimaya...a huge treasure trove Asian market. They had everything under the sun and we loaded up on the goods. Mmmm.... sushi, seaweed and fish ball feast!

 Was awesome!   http://www.uwajimaya.com/

Dossier Status Update

The most recent batch of referrals came through on June 7, 2010...GW received thirteen (13) referrals for families whose dossiers were logged in on April 25, 2006. The China Center of Adoption Affairs has completed the matching for families with dossiers logged in through April 26, 2006. All 13 referrals were girls from the Jiangxi province. Their ages range from 6 months to 17 months.
These families waited approximately 58 months - just over 4 years.

Here is the current status for all dossiers registered with the  through Great Wall China Adoptions:


Dossiers Pending Referral:
Log In Date: May 15, 2006 through Log In Date: April 2009

Dossiers in  Review:
Log In Date: May 2009 through Log In Date: July 2009

Dossiers Pending Review:
Log In Date: August 2009 through Log In Date: March 2010 (We are March, this is us!)

Dossiers In Translation:
Log In Date: April 2010

Dossiers Recently Registered:
Log In Date: May 2010

Yard Sale Success!

I wanted to let you all know our SPRING ADOPTION FUNDRAISER went GREAT! We are in awe at the number of donations we received from our friends, co-workers and family. We began collecting items in January and started dropping items off at the Brimhall's home last Monday. By Friday their garage was so full of boxes, furniture and bags that both cars had to be parked on the street! We even had friends donating tables and props for displays! And added blessing.... Aunt Jean and Uncle Gil drove up from Oregon bearing more yard sale donations and some were from their neighbors whom we've never even met and in the midst of the chaos, they were able to help us set up and price stuff Friday night…and it was a long night! SO AWESOME!

We had so many donations...light fixtures, linens, pet supplies, electronics, furniture, decor, toys, games, clothes, shoes, purses, sports equipment, house wares, you name it, we had it. We were the best yard sale in the entire tract! Eva's Sale launched 8am Saturday and went steady until 3 pm. On top of it being the most beautiful day of the year, we had a tremendous turn out! David and I were able to share about our adoption journey with so many people and it was great to get so much positive feedback and support from the community! Even the neighbors next door donated $50 to Eva's adoption fund!

It is difficult to express the gratitude we feel ....the love and support is overwhelming. This fundraiser exceeded our expectations and is a total answer to prayer! As we continue to seek guidance and provision from the Lord, He continues to confirm us and provide for this adoption!
Thank you Lord! Thanks to MDH David, my Mom, Paula, Neal, Jessie and John, Aunt Jean and Uncle Gil, Tommie, Lori, Heather, Steve and Jeannie, Lisa and Jake, Kim, Kathy, Brianne. Thanks to everyone who prayed for us, gave of their time and energy and space ;o), for everyone who donated, and for those who stopped by and bought stuff! Thank you so much!

David and Laura Wagner

Prayer for China!

There is nothing new to report on the adoption front but I wanted to post this and ask for your prayers for the people of Jiegu, in the Qinghai province of China. Thier world was rocked by a devastating 6.9 magnitue earthquake on Wednesday, April 14th.  (24 hours ago in China).
Over 500 dead and about 10 thousand inured. China has the resources needed to bring aid and conduct recovery and rescue efforts but getting the necessary supplies and equipment to the area is a challenge...power has been shut down, airport and roads in ruins....please lift them up in prayer!
Read more on CNN.

http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/04/14/china.earthquake.survivors/

Qinghai Province

Population: 5 million
People: 44 ethnic groups, including Tibetans and Mongols
Average elevation: More than 3,000 meters (9,842 feet) COLD!!!above sea level
Geography: Qilian Mountains, the Qingnan Plateau and the source of the Yangtze, Mekong and Yellow rivers
GDP: US $3.2 billion; average
GDP per capita US $639
Industries: Agriculture, hydropower, oil and natural gas.

Our Log In Date!

We got our China Center for Adoption Affairs log in date confirmaion today so...we we are IN!
The examination of our Dossier will follow, as will the long wait involving the processing, review and  matching with our child...so we will follow our "groups" progress in a monthly newsletter called Places Everyone which shows the current schedule for each log in date group at the CCAA. 
There is a link to  Places Everyone in the upper right had side of the blog near the top....feel free to check it out too!   Look for the March 12, 2010 LID....thats our group!

Yay Eva....we are one step closer to you!

Here is the letter from Great Wall...they sent us travel info too for review!

Great Wall China Adoption

Dear Great Wall Family,

We are happy to report that your dossier was registered in China on March 12, 2010. The registration date is also known as the Log in Date or LID.

If we receive any additional information we will contact you as quickly as possible. In the meantime, if you need assistance or support, please feel free to give us a call.


Congratulations,

The Referral Education Team

Great Wall China Adoption

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When a child is born, an invisible red thread reaches out from the child’s spirit and connects to all important people who will enter the child’s life. As the child grows, the threads shorten, bringing closer those people who are destined to be together. ~Chinese Proverb~

Grant Status

Hi,

I am writing to update you all on the status of our most recent grant request and to thank you for your prayers.

David and I recevied our response letter today from ShowHope. We were advised that our grant request was declined. Again, the overwhelming requests for financial assistance far outweighs thier ability to give to every family that has a legitimate need. We believe ShowHope's nt process is covered in prayer and that God has another way of providing the means to bring Eva home.

I wanted to share this excerp from their letter..

"Thank you for your heart for adoption and for your faith as you walk according to God's leading. We are greatful that there are times God provides ShowHope the means to assist in the adoption process, but we are equally thankful that He doesn't need ShowHope to accomplish His purposes in the lives of orphans. It is our hope that  you will not be discouraged but rest in the knowledge that " Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass." I Thessalonians 5:24".

So true. While we are at peace with our circumstances, it is very upsetting and emotionally straining to be declined again.  We we will continue to apply for grants and fundraise so please continue to pray wisdom and discernment as we continue to research options.

Laura

Grace Anonymous

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. ~ James 1:17

Thank you to whoever it was that so graciously and generously shared with us on Sunday. Thank you so much for blessing our hearts and our "soon~to~be" family so richly!

Laura

Dossier Received by China Center for Adoption Affairs

Now that our dossier has been received by the CCAA, it will soon be registered and we will be given our Log-in-Date (LID). The LID is the date our dossier was registered with the CCAA.


Great Wall we will notify us via email the day they receive confirmation of our LID from the CCAA. From that point on, we can chart the movement of our dossier by following our LID month in a special e-mail called "Places Everyone". I will keep you posted.

This can be the most challenging period that we will experience, because after all we have accomplished, we must now simply wait for our referral...and it will likely take a couple years. So we will stay positive and busy...as usual.  To help occupy our time, we are being encouraged to learn about the Chinese culture, language and history. So we got a Chinese language course so we can begin to learn some basic Chinese. We will also focus more on our fundraising efforts to prepare us for the travel expenses ahead.

****Also, someone out there keeps commenting on our blog posts  and I would love to be able to read your comments... but the e-mails and comments through in little boxes but there are also chinese characters??  ;o(    Is there another way to decipher?

Dossier to China!

Praise the Lord...We did it! Our dossier has been approved by Great Wall and was Fed-Ex'ed to China today!  So.... it should arrive at Great Wall  in Beijing on Monday where it will be walked across the street to the China Center for Adoption Affairs. There it will be reviewed, hopefully accepted and logged in!


CCAA may log-in our dossier after receipt, but it may take up to 6 weeks for us to receive the log-in date. As we move into the next phase of the adoption which consists of the waiting time between completions of dossier log in to the referral time, we will be working with our Referral Counselor. Our assigned Referral Counselor will be in touch with us in the near future to introduce herself and to guide us along during the wait.


Our next post will probably be with our Log In Date....

We have not heard back on our grant yet....that woudl be a huge chunk for travel. They said they would let us know either way at the beginning of March. We have some fundraising opportunities coming up.....a couple of craft shows for Eva's Bags and our Spring yard sale!

Update...

Okay...I got the bee out of my bonnet...at least for a while!   I've gotten through 6 orders in the last two weeks and needed a small break. I found this Stonehill fabric at 75% off an few weeks ago and its been a distraction sitting folded on my cuting table so,  I made the dress for Eva and there is enough left for a bag. We already had a cute pair of white sandals and they now have something to go with!

We have our last document at the Chinese Consulate for certification and funds are trickling in toward our goal. I want this part to be over already...

We sold a bag on Etsy! 

Eva's Forever Family Quilt - Sneak Peek

Thanks to our dear friend and professional quilt designer Lori Hein, we have completed Eva's quilt using fabric remants left over from the Eva Bag project.

Its is absolutely amazing .. I love the fringed trim in between the quilt blocks and the back is super soft fannel in amazing colors and prints! Lori, I am amazed how you were able to bring all the different fabrics together so beautifully but then again, that is why your the porfessional. You have blessed our socks right off!

Thank you all for your support and forever memories!

Eva's First homemade outfit with 2nd hand jeans - Welcome to the Wagner Family!

Been feeling kind poopy lately and just felt like it would do me some good to make something for Eva so I sorted through leftover Eva bag fabric and was able to make this little peasant top (size 12 mo)  with enough leftover for an oversized pocket and matching patches on the the jeans. I was short on the patchwork fabric for one side of the top so I modified it a bit with one black and white polka dot panel and coordinating pocket.

Having it hanging on the wall is such an inspiration.

So cute if I do say so myself! 

Not yet...

A friend shared this with me...what a blessing in what has been a challenging time for me in my walk...

"Hope is always about what isn't," I say. And then, weaving its way through my accusations, silently and gently squeezing in, just in time, YET falls from Heaven and slips into place.

This word finds its way through a small space between our tightly clasped hands. The word adds itself, completing and changing the meaning, filling our hearts with truth, and overflowing them with hope. In that instant I say and know the truth: Hope is not about what isn't.   Hope is always about what isn't yet.
We sink to our knees and whisper timid words because of what isn't yet.

In moments where we trudge through life between a weathered cross and a not-yet-empty tomb, it brings us to our knees.  It causes us to lay our quivering and undone hearts on makeshift altars in the night. When did life twist to need these hopeless prayers of crying out and pouring out and wringing out our hearts together in the dark? When did we first notice just how small we are?

When I stumble over disappointments in the dark, and feel swept away in hopelessness, even then it is hope that causes me to cry out to the One who is faithful, despite my chronic faithlessness.

Our situation hasn't changed, but on our altar, we've shifted our grip. No longer holding on for dear life, together we hold fast to the One who gives life. We have put our hope, again, in Him. We send forth heavy sighs of hope for unknowns that are yet to be.
And though we don’t yet see it, our hands and hearts are open to receive this hope that does not disappoint.

Approval Notice!

Look what was in the mailbox when I got home!  We received our I-800A Notice of Approval
from USCIS today. This means we've met the eligibility and suitability requirements as adoptive parents of a child that is being adopted under the Hague Convention and are approved to proceed with the adoption process with the Hague Convention country we have requested.
This letter is the last of the paper work necessary to complete our dossier file. We are now ready to send it off to China as soon as we raise $3,500... our deadline is April 1, 2010.

We will be fine...we have to be right? The Lord has brought us this far....He is faithful!

  "In all these things we are more than conquerers through him who loves us".

Romans 8:37

Accepting Community Donations for Adoption Yard Sale Fundriser!

Hi all!

David and I are planning a Yard Sale / Adoption Fundraiser this Spring and we are asking for help from our community by way of  donations of  your unwanted items! This is to help raise funds for Eva's adoption!

It is only January but in a effort to maximize the results we are   accepting donations now and we will continue to do so up to the day before the sale this spring ( date to be announced). Feel free to contact us for more information. We will also gladly come pick up your bagged or boxed donated yard sale items...we have a truck for larger items:

David 's cell 509-953-7557 or Laura's cell 509-953-7570 or at pinkertoncricket@msn.com

 Items needed:

Toys, clothing, shoes, kitchen items, books, home decor, wall art, sports gear, textiles, collectible items, camping / sportswear supplies, pet supplies, home office items, old tools ~ garage stuff,  movies, music, games, yard and garden items, furniture, small appliances....

you name it, if its is decent condition, we'll sell it!

Thank you so much for your prayers and your donations!

Eva's Christmas ~ 2009

Eva got a band new retro red radio flyer tricycle for Christmas. David picked out this gift and kept it a suprise from me till Christmas morning. David ( Dad- OMG!) put it together for her Christmas morning!  It has a cool retro bell and red and white tassels! It will wait in her room with all the rest of her things. We can't wait to teach her how to ride it!

Eva also got a handmade crib quilt from Aunt Tisha - LOVE the owl, bridies and trees made of courduroy! Her name is even sewn onto it...top left. Isn't this precious? We are taking this one with us to China!

Eva also got a cute little china girl ornament.....she has a little pony tail sticking straight up on the top of her head. So cute!

Happy New Year!

Well, we are just about ready to complete our Dossier. David and I just completed our CIS fingerprinting appointment on 12-31 and we now await our Notice of Favorable Determination ( 6-12 weeks).

We completed our 10 hours of required Hague Training this last week too. Now we need to compile the lifestyle photographs we need to have to accompany our dossier to China. Then, our Dossier is complete.

To get our dossier to China we need to raise $3,500 . $2,500 is for our 2nd Great Wall China Adoptions agency fee and $ 900  for the CCAA log in fee ( CCAA ~ Chinese Center for Adoption Affairs).

Then we wait the 36-42 month timeframe for processing. 
During the 36-42 month processing time, we need to raise approximately $18,630.00 to complete the process of bringing Eva home. The breakdown of the $ 18,630.00 is as follows: Required orphanage donation $5,100.00, Visas for David and I $230.00, our international flights $5,000.00, Intra China Fees $5,000.00 (ground transportation, inter~country flights, hotel, meals, cultural tourism) , Legal fees in China $700.00,  Eva's passport $200.00, Eva's visa $400.00, Incidentals $2,000.00. The stay in China is about two weeks.

We still have a ways to go but from where David and I stand, the past 11 months have been transforming in our lives and in the lives of our friends and family. During times of eceonomic townturn, we have been able earn / raise the money needed to get us to this point in Eva's adoption process and it has been a wonderful journey. We have tuly been blessed. We do wish we were further along financially which would help move the process along faster but we are moving as the Lord provides and we trust Him fully to complete what He has started.

We hope to hear back soon about another grant we have applied for.

We can also accept dontations in the form of 'frequent flyer miles' ....we can use those toward the cost of the international flights!  So...If anyone has any frequent flyer miles they would like to donate...please let us know!

Have a Blessed 2010!