Still Waiting for Confirmation from US Consulate

For those of you still waiting for an itinerary to show up.....please be patient. We're still waiting for the confirmation from the US Consulate that the swearing in will take place on Sept 21. As soon as we have that date confirmed we will know travel dates. I'll then post our entire itinerary so you'll know what is going on.

Thank you for tuning in and following our journey. It's going to be a blessed one...that's for sure.

We Have TA!!!

We are doing the happy dance at the Biggs house. Bethanne from Sunny Ridge called us at 4:10 today to let us know we officially received our travel approval (TA) from CCAA to travel to pick up Raegan. We don't have specific dates at this time. Bethanne will be nailing down a US Consulate appointment tomorrow. Our trip and itinerary will back up from that date.

Our travel approval was mailed from CCAA on Friday, August 25 which was Lexis' 8th birthday. So - Lexis got a birthday present and didn't even know it. This is GREAT news!! Even Mackenzie has been talking about it all night. THANK YOU GOD!!!

Tune back into this blog for travel dates and itinerary.

Thank You!!!!

CC and I recently sent out letters talking about the Putian Social Welfare Institute and our work with Sunny Ridge Family Center to help fund the work that is going on there. We sent out about 100 letters the first part of August. We have already heard from several of you and to date we have raised:

$500

Thank you for helping the children of Putian who deserve it soooo much!!! You are awesome!!
For those of you still considering, please send any size donation you can in the self-addressed stamp envelope we provided. We are gathering checks to send to Sunny Ridge. I believe Bob McNeil is planning to visit Putian in October. To date they have raised around $24,000. We need more!!

Please consider donating. These are special needs children who need your help. See the link to Sunny Ridge for more information.

God Bless You!!!!

http://sunnyridge.org/index.htm

Another TA for Shantou

Last night another Shantou family posted they received their TA and will probably be traveling this weekend. They are going for a Consulate Appointment in the third week of September. They are staying in Guangzhou at the Victory and are also taking their children who are 3 and 5. It would be so neat if we were all there at the same time.

They were on day 94 waiting for TA. We are currently on day 80. The last family on Shantou was on day 78 when they received TA. So, I can't help but think that we are SOOOOOO close.

Even though I am envious of everyone getting their TA I'm also so excited for them. That means that children are coming home and families are being united....and that's what it's all about.

Keep praying for TA and pray for Raegan's safety and health as we wait to bring her home.

Our Timeline

Just to give you an idea of what our process has looked like to date:

February 2005 - First opportunity to look in the Sunny Ridge Family Center special needs database of waiting children. We would look in the database twice through 2005 but our daughter was not there.

February 10, 2006 - Bethanne called and told us to expect the pictures of our daughter through Fed Ex. They arrived and we saw her for the first time - Shan Le Huan.

A few days later I joined a Yahoo group for parents with children from Shantou. There Amy Eldridge of Love Without Boundaries was able to determine which child at Shantou I was adopting. She then began to send me pictures of Raegan she had taken from the moment she went to Hangzhou for surgery. She has kept me updated photos and information ever since. She was also able to tell me "Raegan's story".

March 17, 2006 - we scrambled to get our care plan and information together and translated in Chinese. On March 17, 2006 Sunny Ridge submitted our "Letter of Intent" to adopt Shan Le Huan.

May 9, 2006 - Letter of intent to adopt was reviewed by Chinese Center of Adoption Affairs and we were given "Pre-Approval" (PA) to adopt Shan Le Huan.

June 2, 2006 - Sunny Ridge Family Center submitted our completed dossier to Chinese Center of Adoption Affairs.

June 11, 2006 - official log-in date (LID) for dossier

August 22, 2006 - Day 73 waiting for travel approval (TA)

Celebrate Me Home

Look at that cute little girl on the far left. Love Without Boundaries donated a keyboard to Shantou SWI so the children could enjoy music time at school. I think Raegan is singing a rendition of Kenny Loggins, "Celebrate Me Home."

She looks like she's ready to come home to me. Come on CCAA ....send that TA. We're going crazy over here!!!!

Still Believing

Yesterday I emailed Bethanne at Sunny Ridge just to make sure they hadn't tried to call me and I missed it. :o) Bethanne sent back a note that said they still hadn't heard anything and that she was sorry because she knew that we were really counting on the 15th being the day. Then she wrote - maybe it was SIGNED on the 15th and it's on it's way to us.

I LIKE the way she thinks. So....That's what I'm believing. It was signed on the 15th and is on it's way to Sunny Ridge right now.

Believe with me!!!!

I'm Still Believing

Just because we didn't hear about it today doesn't mean it didn't happen today. I'm still believing. They'll call us tomorrow and tell us.

Believe with me!!!!

Tina

Today Is The Day

It is officially August 15 (it's actually 12:22 am on Tuesday). This is the day I am believing that we will receive TA. I've been reading the blog of Suzanne Damstedt who is in Shantou at this moment to pick up her 8 year old daughter Li Wan. Saturday morning she sent me pictures of she and Raegan together. The woman in me was jealous that she actually got to hold our precious Raegan before I did. But then the mother in me realized how calm and contented Raegan seemed to be while she sat on Suzanne's lap eating Kix cereal from a snack bag. That picture gave me peace as I considered how our transition may not be as troublesome as I had thought due to her extended time and obvious closeness to the "aunties" at Shantou.

I will turn out the light now, and say one more prayer telling God that I am believing His word that if I trust in Him and be specific in my request and make my desires known they will be given unto me. But most of all - may His will be done.

Good night.

Latest Info on Raegan

This morning I was awakened by Mackenzie at 3am. There was a storm outside and she called me down to her room. Once I was down there she asked me, "Mommy, is it thundering?" When I answered that it was, she turned back over and went back to sleep. Guess who was up the rest of the morning????

I decided to go down and look at the Yahoo groups I participate in. There was a note posted on the Yahoo group from Amy Eldridge of Love Without Boundaries - "Could the parents of Huan please email me? I have up to date info on her from the Aunties." HUAN!!!! That's Raegan!!!!

So I zipped off a note to Amy at 4:10am. I'm sure she's wondering what I was doing on the internet that early. I couldn't hardly work all day wondering what information would be waiting for me once I got home.

We ran in really fast and turned on the computer while we were changing clothes and shoving food in our face to hurry up and run out the door again to Vacation Bible School. There was a note from Amy that made me stop quick in my tracks. It read:

Huan is very lovely.she can says "mama"and our names:).she is doing well.she likes go to class and like smile.her height is 78cm and weight is 10kg.


yangqi

WOW!! Let me convert those metrics for you. She weighs 22 pounds and is 30.7 inches long. Her sister at that age was 32 1/2 inches long and weighed 22 pounds and 8 ounces. So...looks like we have another little petite one. Mac's summer clothes size 18 months will work perfect!!

And....another email had three new pics attached. Take a look at the best of the bunch!!

Just Believe

Wow!! The power of believing. It's awesome.

I sat up this blog last night just believing in my heart we HAD to be making some kind of progress. Things were happening at CCAA for other people and I couldn't believe it wasn't happening for us.

This morning I returned to my office to 108 emails after being out of the office at an off site meeting all day long on Thursday. As soon as I opened Outlook I spotted the name of Bethanne Gennette in this list of "From". I immediately opened as that is who we are working with at Sunny Ridge Family Center. Here is the notes from Bethanne:

Hi Tina,

Just heard from Bill that your dossier has been translated and in review, so hopefully we should be getting the travel approval which is the next step. So two weeks for TA is a very good possibility.

Take care,

Bethanne


The power of believing. I'm believing in an August 15 TA. This confirms it is a possibility!!!! Believe it with me!!! We'll be there soon, Raegan!!!

Bringing Raegan Home

We feel it. It's very near. It won't be long and all the wait will so be worth it. In the past week we have watched three families receive TA, so we know something is happening at Chinese Center of Adoption Affairs. While we still have time to think we have decided to start this blog of our story of Bringing Raegan Home.

This blog will be our form of communication while in China. We have changed to this blog because we found it easier to post pictures and do all the things we wanted to be able to do quickly in China. Please save this blog in order to get updates while we're in China.

We are truly believing that TA is only a couple weeks away. I really think August 15 could be the magical day. Keep praying that it will happen soon.