Countdown to Gotcha!

Well less than twenty four hours after my last post, we got the call we have been waiting for...TA had arrived! We leave in two weeks and Gotcha Day will be 6/16! In this time, we are finishing up trainings, applying for our visas, arranging flights and gathering everything else necessary for China. I am in full nesting mode. Cleaning, sorting, purging and shopping. I don't understand why my mind thinks that cleaning the master bedroom helps but somehow in my nesting mind, it does.

Keep those prayers coming. Please add traveling mercies to our prayer requests as well as Daniel's health. I spoke with our agency worker this morning and she warned us that over half of the children coming home right now have an icky cold bug. I guess it has much to do with the weather and pollution this time of year. Both of the girls' Gotcha days were in June and July and I remember them both having runny noses. Please especially pray for Daniel as he will be leaving all he knows behind. We know it is all good but for him, this might be a scary and confusing time. We thank you for surrounding us in prayer. I know many of you have been faithful prayer warriors on our behalf and I just want you to know we have felt them.

If you would like to help with our adoption costs, tax deductible donations can be made at our family sponsorship page on Reece's Rainbow at this link: http://reecesrainbow.org/?s=Rakoczy . I can't thank you enough for the prayer, support and love y'all have shown our family throughout this adoption.

Not Long Now...

We are in the final stretch...our Article 5 is now at the CCCWA. In the next week or two we should receive our TA (travel approval). Last week I was having a pretty rough morning and honestly would have preferred to hop back in bed and avoid all the stress that plagued me, but I received an email that changed all of that. We received our final update of Daniel! He hasn't grown much but is 3cm taller. The best part of updates are getting new pictures.  Upon seeing his beautiful smile and bright eyes, I immediately went into nesting mode. I don't have time to crawl back into bed or dwell on my difficult day. There is still much to do. My boy is coming home next month and there is no time to waste.

Isn't he the cutest?

I love this gorgeous picture he drew.

Can't wait for him to run into our arms!

Would you like to help Daniel get home? First and foremost, we appreciate and covet your prayers. Over this last year, prayer has sustained our family. I know because we have felt nothing but peace with every step and hurdle in this adoption. Specifically, we pray for our paperwork to be processed without any issues; for Daniel's preparation to join our family; for our older children to prepare for a new sibling; for travel arrangements to fall into place; and for all the remaining funds to come in. If you feel led to help with funds you can donate to our tax-deductible Reece's Rainbow fund at http://reecesrainbow.org/?s=rakoczy. Also we have one last fundraiser selling the popular Usborne books for children. The Usborne consultant generously donates her profit to our adoption. 
 Click to Usborne Books For Daniel's Adoption
Please know that we are so grateful to those who have have supported us in prayer, finances, or emotional and physical aid. We feel so blessed you chose to come along side us on this journey. The Lord has been faithful to surround us with such a loving and caring community. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

What a Difference a Year Makes

As the children and I  wind down our school year, anticipating our long awaited summer break, I cannot help but reflect on where we were this time last year. Last May, we had not found Daniel yet. We did not even have China on the radar. This time last year I was still talking to multiple agencies, watching various waiting children lists, and praying for the Lord to reveal our child to us. We were cautious to commit, as our hearts were still hurting over the loss of our Archie with the Russian ban on adoptions, but we knew the rough road behind us was not happenstance and our God had a plan for our family. Archie is forever in my heart. He paved the way for us to open our home to another child. Please pray a Russian family sees him as theirs. I still think of him as our son, but he needs the love of a family that can adopt him.

 
What a difference a year makes! We are closing in on the final steps before we travel for Daniel. Right now we are awaiting the preliminary visa approval for Daniel. The paperwork bundle for that step is called the Article 5. Today our agency team walked our bundle into the US consulate in China. It takes exactly two weeks to process. So two weeks from today, the team will pick up our Article 5 and overnight it to Beijing to the CCCWA (China Center for Children's Welfare and Adoptions). We then wait for our TA (travel approval). Based on the timelines of others who recently traveled the time frame from Article 5 to TA is approximately 2-3 weeks. This puts us traveling in June! I cannot wait to wrap my arms around this sweet boy and call him ours!

Please continue to pray for Daniel's preparation to join our family. He has many huge changes in his future. His entire world is about to be rocked.  I love him already and pray he will love us soon too.