A care package for our bundle of joy!

Today marks one month since we were matched with Elijah. Time is flying by yet dragging on. It's hard to believe that tomorrow is December! Today I mailed to Elijah the care package we put together. It contained an outfit, socks, hat, and mittens as well as stickers, crayons, and a snack. We created a photo album of family and labeled each picture in Chinese. We also sent candy for the hard working nannies. I hope the package makes it to Elijah by Christmas!

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving from the Hanks Family!
We are incredibly grateful for a loving God, one another, and our two adorable sons. We are so excited to come together as a family and live under one roof. We are also thankful for our family and friends supporting us on our adoption journey. Our post Introducing Elijah has been viewed over 350 times! We really appreciate your prayers as we move forward to the last part of this adventure. Please pray for the grant committee members to be moved toward Elijah and support our cause to bring him home. Thank you!

Mailed It.

The mail lady and I are on a first name basis. I see her A LOT.
Today I mailed our Visa Applications to a courier in Virginia. She will deliver our applications, passports, money orders, and supporting documents to the Chinese Consulate in D.C. Hopefully everything will be accepted, completed, and returned efficiently.
I mailed an envelope full of paperwork to our adoption agency, including checks, signed LOA, and notarized documents. We also sent a money order to pay the Orphanage Fee so we don't have to carry that cash to China. It blows my mind that less than a fifth of our total adoption expense goes to the orphanage. I am so grateful for the nannies' dedication, serving hands, and loving hearts. I wish this journey was less about the paperwork and more about the child.
Just another step closer...

Countdown begins!

Today, our agency mailed our completed Immigration Application to Texas. As soon as USCIS receives it, we will start the 9-12 week countdown to TRAVEL! While that seems like a long time, we still have a lot more paperwork and preparing to do, with two major holidays coming up. [Three if you count Ethan's birthday. ;)] We're getting so close!

Meant To Be

Several people have asked me what takes so long for an abandoned baby to be put up for adoption. For example, Elijah was abandoned in July 2014 but his file wasn't released until October 2015. Quite frankly, I have no idea. I assume it has a lot to do with bureaucracy and paperwork.
What I do know is that two days before Elijah was abandoned, I emailed my husband a letter explaining why I have always wanted to adopt and why this dream is so important to me. Most people's first thought after hearing the word adoption is expense, but that wasn't his angle. He just wanted to know where I was coming from so he could get on board. Having a beautiful, well cared for baby in our arms made it an easy case that there was another treasured soul out there who needed us. I also know that God has orchestrated this vision from the beginning and that I am incredibly grateful I followed my heart.
There have been frustrating, stressful, and disappointing times when we almost gave up on this dream. One such time was when we thought our homestudy was complete until CCAI reviewed it. It was missing so much information, even after our social worker had been working on it for months. But that nameless, faceless orphan kept us going. Our homestudy report was finally completed on May 6, our 9th wedding anniversary. That weekend we celebrated Mother's Day, and shortly after we emailed pictures of dossier documents to CCAI for review. Do you know what was happening across the world at that time? When I saved Elijah's pictures on my phone, they were sorted chronologically. Right between pictures of Mother's Day on a horse farm and four dossier documents, were pictures of Elijah's sweet, innocent face. An orphan waiting for a family, waiting to be loved.

We pray for peace and comfort over little  Elijah. He is not yet old enough to understand God's promises, but is old enough to know that we are strangers taking him to a foreign land. We pray for unexplainable love, understanding, and acceptance between us.
I wish I could sing to Elijah today and let him know just how good our God is. So many times I worried about errors and dealines, while still praying for the perfect match. After reading Elijah's description, I know he is just right for our family. While we still need quite a bit of funding to complete this adoption, I rest assured that God wanted us to take this path and He will give Elijah a family.
Thank you God for bringing the blessing of Elijah to us. We believe in miracles and your goodness. Continue your work to bring Elijah home.

Elijah's Puzzle Page

"Troubles surround me, chaos abounding
My soul will rest in You
I will not fear the war, I will not fear the storm
My help is on the way
Oh, my God, He will not delay
My refuge and strength always
I will not fear, His promise is true
My God will come through always"

Always, Kristian Stanfill

(: Introducing Elijah :)

Introducing Elijah Garrett Hanks!

(Circa May 2015)

His is the sweet face for which we've waited. He was abandoned near a gate in his village, likely before he reached one month old. He was taken to the police station and then to a local orphanage, where he has spent the rest of his precious life thus far. Elijah is 16 months old and has cleft palate. Orphans that are never adopted into a family become outcasts of society. This young child, full of potential, needs a new beginning.
Elijah is described as "a quiet boy who has a ready smile and is very obedient." His nannies wrote: "He is a cute boy. We all like him and hope he could find a family who loves him, makes him feel the love of parents, and have a happy childhood and bright future. We believe he could bring more happiness to his future family." Even his nannies know that an orphanage is no substitute for a family.
We are incredibly excited to bring Elijah home and make him part of our family! We've waited so long to meet the boy that stole our hearts long ago. He needs parents to take him in a warm embrace, read stories before bed, snuggle after waking, give him guidance, provide for him, and create a sense of belonging. He needs family to enjoy fun activities, cheer him on, take him on vacations, and encourage his dreams. He needs a community to help educate him, model citizenship, and demonstrate leadership.
But before all of this, Elijah needs to make it home. He needs to learn trust of parents he has never met. He needs surgery for cleft palate repair. He needs to learn to speak, and in a language he has never heard before.

(Circa October 2015)

We are so grateful that you've joined us on this adoption journey. We are asking you to be part of his new family, new community, and new identity. One day he will ask us why he was abandoned, why he was born with a problem, and why he spent well over a year in an orphanage. He will ask us why we persevered through the long paper chase and why we chose him. He will ask who helped us through this journey and who wanted him brought home to the Hanks family. To help him see the big picture, we will give him piece after piece, trying to show him just how much he is loved.

Please be a part of Elijah's puzzle. Phillip and I will write your name on the back of a piece to be treasured forever. One day Elijah may realize he doesn't have a birth story or even an accurate birth date. He may notice that he doesn't have a baby book or know his first given name. When Elijah starts to forget how much he is loved and where he belongs, we can pull out this puzzle and assemble it again and again, to show our collective affection for this cherished little boy.

Elijah's Puzzle Page
(Donations are tax deductible)

This puzzle fundraiser is to help pay for the $10,000 trip to China to bring Elijah home. Elijah appreciates your generosity! We are thankful for your prayers!

Restarting The Paper Chase

Today I mailed our Immigration Application (I-800 plus I-864W and G1145) along with our signed soft LOA, five other documents, and two checks to our agency in Colorado. Everything should arrive by Tuesday. CCAI will review it all and send our Immigration Application to USCIS in Texas. Moving right along!

MATCH DAY!!!

Sorry for the delay... Being matched is like winning the lottery. You have to make sure the numbers match before you can tell the world the amazing news!
On October 30 at 4:59pm, we received the call. My heart stopped when the unrecognizable number from Colorado showed up on my ringing phone. I had just pulled into the parking lot at Ethan's daycare. Adam from the Waiting Child Team at CCAI introduced himself and gave me the most incredible news. We have a match!!! He told me about our child and I told him about the huge smile on my face. I told Adam that people tell me all the time what an awesome job I have but his is even better! It was all I could do to keep it together while picking up Ethan. I wanted to shout from a mountain top! When we got home, Phillip was cooking dinner. After settling in and waiting a few minutes for Adam's email, I opened a picture of our newest addition on my phone. I asked Phillip if he was ready to see his youngest son. He turned around and we both started crying while admiring that sweet little face. We were already in love! We reviewed the file over dinner, including pictures, a video, descriptions, and a medical report. We noticed several similarities in this child to Ethan. I think Ethan will enjoy having a sibling. :)

Seeing the face and learning about our child has definitely made all the paper chase craziness worth it. Oh, child of mine, you are long awaited.
We love you little Lovebug. We'll pick you up as soon as we can!

11/3 - accepted referral from CCAI
11/4 - sent Letter of Intent to CCAI
11/5 - LOI sent to China
11/6 - Soft Letter of Acceptance from China
11/9 - Official LOA from China to CCAI (We completed 2-3 months of paperwork in under 2 weeks!)

Stay tuned for more on our littlest one!