Join us on our China Adoption journey

Yes, Sam has been home for six weeks!!!

2007-09-08T13:38:00.000-07:00

Yes, it's true, we've been home with our Sammy for six weeks now!! And yes, I am just now getting around to updating our blog! Boy, I forgot how busy it was to have a toddler around, getting into stuff and keeping me on my toes (and in the kitchen)!

It's been wonderful though. Sam is such a cutie pie and his smile lights up the room. He is also speaking a lot of English already!! We are so impressed with his language acquisition. Just last week we were all sitting around the dinner table when the phone rang. Sam yelled out "I'll get it!!" We all cracked up laughing. It was too cute.

He speaks mostly in short phrases and says things like "Sam pool", "some milka (milk)" and his favorite is "That's por (for) Sam". Sam is not used to having anything that is his own so he is very interested in what belongs exclusively to him. He is having a hard time sharing, thinking that he will not get to keep his things, but he is making progress.

We are working out all the medical issues and we are seeing a neurosurgeon next to figure out the next step in Sam's care. He is pooping on the potty but still not keeping a dry pull-up. We have hope that he'll be able to control it in time.

Oh, and Sam started pre-school this week...on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings.!! Even though he is chronologically four years old, he is developmentally much younger so he is in the three-year-old class. The first day was rough at first, but he eventually came around. The second day Sam was very anxious about going to school but we talked a lot about Sam just staying at school for a little while and that Mommy would always come back. He was sad when I left the school but when I came back to get him he was grinning from ear to ear and said "Sam no crying!" I was so proud of him!!

I'm sorry it's taken so long for an update; I'll try to do better in the future!!

~KV

Leaving Guangzhou

2007-07-23T21:31:00.001-07:00

Hi Everyone!

Our new son is a joy!! Our trip has been wonderful. But it is winding down..hooray!! We check out of our hotel on Shamian Island in Guangzhou this afternoon. We head to the U.S. Consulate to take our oath and receive Sam's visa.

After receiving the visa, we had directly to the train station for a two-hour train ride to Hong Kong. We will spend the night in HK and fly out in the morning. We should arrive in GSO on Wednesday at 7:25pm (EST)

We are praising God for an amazing safe trip to adopt our son. We can't wait for you all to meet him! Please pray for safe travels and a calm boy on the airplane home. See you soon!! xoxo

We made it to China!!

2007-07-15T04:49:00.000-07:00

Yes, we are here!! We had two and a half whirlwind days of tourning in Beijing. We are now in Nanjing, Jiangsu province. Tomorrow is Gotcha Day!! Stay tuned......

Up, Up, and Away........

2007-07-12T00:56:00.000-07:00

We got our TA (Travel Approval) from China on June 26th!! Woo Hoo!!

We are leaving (today), June 12th for China! Our first stop is Beijing, then on Sunday we'll be on to Nanjing, Jiangsu. Then we head to Guangzhou to complete our adoption of Sammy!! While in Guangzhou, we will be staying at the Victory hotel. Guangzhou is the city where Americans converge at the U.S. Consulate to make their adoptions final. We're excited to get to go there and meet up with all our "friends" from around the country!

We'll try our best to keep this blog updated! If you want access to all of our photo albums, please send us a quick email and we'll add you to our list!

Love, K & J

OUR LOA IS HERE!!!!

2007-06-11T06:21:00.000-07:00

OH HAPPY DAY!!! We received an email from our agency on June 6th saying that our Letter of Approval for Sam had arrived at their office!!! I read the email at least three times making sure I understand what I was reading and that it was not a dream! My heart was pounding, then I was screaming 'hooray hooray'. This brought the kids running and when I told them they were jumping up and down and shouting hooray as well!!

I went to meet John so he could sign the papers and we went right to the UPS store to send it back out over night. So the LOA is on it's way back to China and should be there while we speak!!

Our agency says that we should recieve our travel approval in 3-4 weeks from the time our LOA makes it back to China! This means travel in July!! Woo hoo!!!! We are so excited to get our little boy and bring him home at last!!!

The catch is that we still need to come up with at least $3,000. I'm praying hard for the airfare to come down. When I looked two weeks ago, flights were about $1,300. When I looked yesterday, they were $1,900. uugghhh. This means we'll need closer to $4,000.

God has brought us this far and He will provide the rest of the way, we are sure of that. Please pray that we would be able to raise the rest of the money needed to bring our little boy home!! We'll keep you posted!!!

Still Waiting

2007-05-29T05:56:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,

I know that you all are as anxious as we are to hear news about Sam. Right now we are still waiting for our LOA (Letter of Acceptance). With any luck (and a lot of prayers) we will receive this letter sometime within the next few weeks (this week please!).

That should give us our ballpark for travel to China to bring Sam home. Right now our guess is that we'll travel by the end of July. But it's just a guess until we get this letter! Pray with us that it comes soon!

But while you're waiting, please take a look at this video to get a better understanding of why adopting our little boy from China means so much to us. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGEPjFfP5TQ

The Adoption Journey Continues.....

2007-04-30T17:03:00.001-07:00

I just wanted to give everyone an update on how our adoption journey is going....... Right now we are in the long and tiresome waiting period. Our dossier went off to China on March 12th. It is in the hands of the CCAA (China Center for Adoption Affairs) where it will be reviewed.

Once reviewed the CCAA will issue a LOA (Letter of Acceptance) stating that we want and accept Sam as our own. We will sign that letter and return it to China.

Within about two weeks, the CCAA will then issue our TA (travel approval) stating that we can come and get our little boy! We will travel very soon after that, as soon as we can finalize our travel arrangements (most likely anywhere from one to three weeks after TA is issued).

So right now, we wait and pray for our dossier to be reviewed quickly. The average time is a few months, so we've still got some time left to wait. But you never know!!

We did have some disappointing news this week, that we got turned down for a grant from Shaohannah's Hope, the adoption ministry started by Stephen Curtis Chapman and his family. I've been kind of bumming because the reality of travel expenses is starting to hit has I browse the internet for flight prices, etc.

But God is providing in other ways... For instance, we have the opportunity to operate a concession stand this coming weekend at a horse show. I'm pretty nervous because I've never done anything like that before, but our sweet friends have already started donating chips, drinks, cookies, etc. for us to sell. We're also going to cook hotdogs (on Kym's camp stove), I'll make chili, muffins, and whatever else I can think of. Please pray for a successful day!

We will keep you all posted when we hear any more news from China!!!

DOSSIER COMPLETE

2007-02-27T07:33:00.000-08:00

Hi Friends,

I am thrilled to report that our dossier is complete!!! We have finished the Paperchase!!! All of our documents should arrive at our agency today and we should be DTC in about a week!!! I'll keep you posted!!! Thank you for sharing in our JOY!!!!

Cool Video

2007-02-18T15:50:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone,

This is Stephen Curtis Chapman's Christmas Video... I know it's a little late, but it's still worth watching!! Click here to watch!!

I-171H is finally here!!

2007-02-15T18:28:00.000-08:00

I've been anxiously checking the mailbox everyday, while doing my best not to 'stalk' the mailman. Well Jake, my lookout buddy, reported that there was a new mailman today, and so that's why the mail was late. So, I went to the grocery store, came home, put everything away, only to find a pile of mail under everything on the counter. In the pile was our coveted I-171H form from immigration!! They approved our application!! Woo hoo!!! Only one more document until our dossier is complete! Oh Happy Day!!!

<>< Thank you Lord!

STILL PAPERCHASING......

2007-01-23T11:32:00.000-08:00

Well folks, we are STILL paperchasing for Sammy. We had a few hiccups with getting paperwork in order, for instance, we ordered a certified copy of John's birth certificate and got the short form instead of the long form that we needed...uugh. We're still also waiting for the coveted I-171H before we can send off our dossier. This has been the most frustrating document of all to get, as we had to send them more documents that they requested. Please pray that we'll get it soon!!

If all goes well, we are planning to send our dossier to our agency on Feb. 15th. Then prayers begin for Godspeed to get it to China and logged in A.S.A.P.

I want to give a big shout out to John's father, A.K.A. Zayde, for doing some paperchasing for us in New York City!! What a priceless gift!! Thank you Zayde!! We love you!!

I also want to give another shout out to my long-time dear friend Krista who has agreed to do some more paperchasing in CT for us. You rock Krista!! We won't have done it without you!!!

The days are long and we are so anxious to get our completed dossier off to China. Being paper-pregnant makes my head hurt and my feet ache. :-)

The Best Christmas Gift

2006-12-23T16:16:00.001-08:00

I sent an email to our adoption agency this week.... I said "All I want for Christmas is our P.A.". They said they hadn't heard if they'd be getting any this week.

When I hadn't heard anything by Friday evening, I was a little disappointed and was resigned to the fact that we'd still have to wait. But then.... at about 5:30 this afternoon, I checked my email from mom's house in SC.... and it was there!!! DHL had delivered the PA to the agency today!! HOORAY!

For those of you who don't know, P.A. stands for Pre-Approval. In other words, we got our pre-approval from China to adopt Chang Hua Hui (aka Samuel). China said YES!! Praise the LORD!

Now we can send Sam a care package and pictures of us. We can tell him that he has a family that loves him and can't wait to come get him and bring him home. We can tell him that we'll love him forever and that he is part of our forever family. Hold on Sammy!! Mommy and Daddy are coming!!!! Hopefully we'll all be patient enough to wait for the rest of our paperwork and red tape to be done so we'll be able to get him late this spring.

Thanks to the LORD for an awesome Christmas gift!!

Mery Christmas

2006-12-01T13:32:00.000-08:00

I was listening to the radio this morning and heard the song "Merry Christmas" by Third Day. I was all choked up by the end of the song. Hopefully I'll be able to figure out how to get the music to play here, but for now here are the lyrics.... They are worth the read!

There's a little girl trembling on a cold December morn
Crying for momma's arms
At an orphanage just outside a little China town
There the forgotten are

But half a world away I hang the stockings by the fire
And dream about the day when I can finally call you mine

It's Christmas time again but you're not home
Your family is here and yet you're somewhere else alone
And so tonight I pray that God will come and hold you in his arms
And tell you from my heart I wish you Merry Christmas

As I hang the tinsel on the tree and watch the twinkling lights
I'm warmed by the fire's glow
Outside the children tumble in a wonderland of white,
Make angels in the snow

But half a world away you try your best to fight the tears
And hope that heaven's angels come to carry you here

It's Christmas time again but you're not home
Your family is here and yet you're somewhere else alone
And so tonight I pray that God will come and hold you in his arms
And tell you from my heart I wish you Merry Christmas

Christmas is a time to celebrate the holy child
and we celebrate his perfect gift of love
He came to earth to give his life
and prepare a place for us
so we could have a home with him above

It's Christmas time again and now you're home
Your family is here so you will never be alone
So tonight before you go to sleep, I'll hold you in my arms
And I'll tell you from my heart, and I'll you from my heart
I wish you Merry Christmas

Born in Our Hearts

2006-11-08T06:09:00.000-08:00

LOI !!!!

2006-11-08T06:05:00.000-08:00

We're sending out our LOI (Letter of Intent) today to adopt this adorable little boy from China. Huahui will be four years old in March. He has severe scoliosis and will need surgery to correct it; but it is a very common surgery and will allow him to have a normal and happy life. We can't wait to get him home to hug and kiss him!!

"He (the Lord our God) insures that orphans and widows recieve justice" ~Deut. 10:18

Ladybugs on My Window

2006-11-01T06:12:00.000-08:00

According to Chinese custom, Ladybugs are good luck! Yesterday I awoke to find a dozen or more ladybugs on the windows in our school room. Would good news come today? Yes!!!!!

I got an approval call from our agency while I was grocery shopping AND then I came to sit at my desk and found the pile of mail there. "The mail already came?!" It was earlier than usual. And much to my suprise and delight there was the envelope I had been waiting for!! Woo Hoo!! Now we're off to the CIS at the end of this month for our fingerprinting!!

Thank you Lord!!! All the Glory to God!!!

Homestudy Done!

2006-10-30T06:27:00.000-08:00

Well we finished our homestudy!!!! But we're STILL waiting for our appt. with CIS in Charlotte.....uugh. I run to the mailbox every day. Meanwhile, we're waiting and praying for our child in China.

The Paperchase

2006-09-19T15:01:00.000-07:00

Well, we've officially joined the 'paperchase' in the adoption realm. On September 11th (2006) we filed our I-600A form with the Dept. of Homeland Security (INS); this form requests permission for us to bring an orphan into the country. So, now we wait for an appointment to go to Charlotte to get our electronic fancy fingerprints taken and so forth. Then we wait for the I-171H which actually grants us permission to bring the child in. From what I've been hearing, with immigration laws, etc. in an uproar, it's taking a few months just to receive that form that we need.

Meanwhile, we're working on our dossier.... the homestudy's almost done!! Baby steps......

HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND??

2006-08-17T12:28:00.000-07:00

I read this post on a message board and thought it so worthy to share that I got the author's permission to post:

Tonight my 12 year old daughter and I came up with a good response to the "have you lost your mind?" that some of us hear when we say that we are adopting again. Just smile and say ever so sweetly, "yes I lost my mind - thank God - because along the way I found my heart."

This came after we had the most awesome discussion about the difference between making big decisions with your mind or by following your heart. It is so clear to me that our current North American culture is incredibly un-child friendly AND incredibly self centered.This thread of discussion about people's inability to understand adoptive families has sparked some really great and fruitful conversations at our house. Our 12 year old is our oldest and our only bio - kid and we are constantly asked by others if she is somehow negatively affected/cheated because we have decided to adopt two (and now 3) other children. As if any child has the inalienable right to be an only child and get all the love, time, resources that a family has to give...

I tend to think that she has been incredibly enriched to have seen an orphanage at age 6, to have understood at a tender age that some people hurt and suffer and live without love and to know at an early age that God calls us to lives that matter - to lives of purpose where we find our joy in caring for the deep needs of others. But then again - what do I know? After all, it IS possible that I have lost my mind. My dh and I were talking tonight about all this and we have reasoned that in our culture the problem is that we feel we are entitled to a certain standard of living: that families should have 2500 sq ft homes, two suv's, go on nice vacations, have a closet full of expensive clothes and be able to buy most of the gadgets that most people have, as well as have cell phones, gym memberships, cable tv and eat out frequently. This seems to be what my parents now assume (which is funny because when I was a child we lived more simply.) Their expectations of standards of living have grown along with the rest of our culture! They seem to think we cannot afford another child - that it is wrong for kids to "have" to share a bedroom, or to "have" to work while in college to help pay their way. Thus they think in some way that we are cheating our 12 year old...

But in fact it is possible to live well and happily in a simpler way without anyone being seriously deprived. Even on one pastor's income. Even in Southern California. Even if you have 3, soon to be 4 kids... Adoptive parents = countercultural radicals ????? Why are we so surprised that people don't understand? The culture He lived in crucified Jesus. Maybe seeing that tight little look on my mom's face every time I mention adoption isn't so bad. So press on toward the goal my brothers and sisters - your Father in Heaven sees what you do and smiles - after all, He is the one who helped you find your HEART!

Now I know how an amoeba feels

2006-08-02T08:38:00.000-07:00

By John Vogel:

Yesterday our homestudy started; the paperwork started weeks ago, but it did not 'feel' real for me until yesterday.

Let me start by stating that our assigned social worker is very nice, and I could tell that she was working hard to put us at ease (I am not just saying that because she might be monitoring this blog). She spent a lot of time explaining the details, making sure we understood, and never rushed us.

But that did not stop me from scrutinizing myself to the Nth degree.

I know someone who has, what I call, a super-mirror. When she uses this mirror, every tiny speck shows up 20 times larger than life! Imagine every pimple, every freckle, every rogue hair amplified to make your face look like a grotesque side-show freak. I don't know how she does it (and no- I am not referring to my wife). I rather be oblivious to the minor imperfections and satisfied that my skin is generally clean and well kept.

But I digress.

Some of the questions were easy:
"Have you ever been convicted of a felony?" - No
"Have you ever been divorced?" - No
"When was your last traffic violation?" - 2001 (speeding) :^)

Then the questions got tougher:
"Have you ever perpetrated drug abuse?"
"Have you ever perpetrated molestation?"
"Have you ever perpetrated sexual abuse?"

Now, even though the answer were all "No", the idea of being asked is awkward to say the least. (I was wondering if anyone had answered "why, yes- I would get high and abuse my kids all the time. Is that wrong? Should I have not done that?") -ok, back to serious...

Then it got very personal:
"Have you ever gone to therapy?"
"What religion are you?"
"What denomination is that?"
"How much money do you make?"

I wonder if the Chinese government uses this data to develop a plan for world domination. (that's for another blog)

The next part is what made me feel like I was on the wrong end of a super-mirror.

Homework:
Write an autobigraphy. And not a 1 page, double spaced, large font paper describing summer vacation and what my favorite sandwich is.

I had in my hands 5 pages of the most in-depth question I have ever seen! (and I once filled out an application for secret clearance to work in Moscow- true story)
Here are some of the questions I need to elaborate on:
How did your parents issue discipline?
What made you happy/angry?
Describe your significant relationships growing up.
What was your family environment growing up?
Describe changes in your marraige after the honeymoon period ended.
What are some failures that you had?
How long did you date before you were married?
What are your spouses strengths and weaknesses? (does she get to read it afterward?)

So maybe I am over-reacting. But I get the feeling like Ward and June Cleaver are thrilled for the opportunity to share their perfect life experiences, and I would rather keep my history private.

So is my background that bad? I know people with more problems, and people with fewer problems.

I know my skin has blemishes, but I don't need people I have never met writing 10 page reports on each one.

I pray that this process is not as bad as I am making it out to be.

-john

Actively Fundraising

2006-07-03T06:05:00.000-07:00

This week we started 'beating the pavement' so to speak. We made a flier asking for donations of stuff for our yard sale/benefit that's later in July. We made an info. sheet about our family and what we were trying to do. We went to Staples and made LOTS of copies. We assembled fundraising packets to take around while we take orders for the Krispy Kreme Fundraiser Cards, and we walked the neighborhood putting fliers in peoples mailboxes while the kids tried to sell them doughnut cards.

Next week I'll begin taking orders for pretty photo bracelets and bookmarks that I'm making. And we'll be cleaning out and organzing the garage, getting ready for the fundraiser extravaganza, bake sale, doughnut sale, bracelet sale, etc. at the end of July. *whew* It's a lot, but we're so motivated while we wait and pray for Sam who's in a orphanage in China, waiting for his forever family to come get him.

Krispy Kreme!

2006-06-23T16:24:00.000-07:00

Here is a chance to get something hot and sweet; at the same time helping us with our adoption fees:

Consider purchasing a Krispy Creme 10 punch card: this card offers you 1 dozen free glazed doughnuts with the purchase of 1 dozen. Depending how much the doughnuts cost in your area the savings are between $35-50!!

Or perhaps you like coffee? Try a 12oz. bag of Krispy Kreme signature coffee (ground or whole bean). Choose from Smooth, Rich, Bold, or Robust Decaf.

Each is only $10

Just email me: john "dot" vee "at" gmail "dot" com or use the donate button to pay (be sure to make a note of your order)

I will email you to confirm and to let you know when to expect your items.

Thank you!!!

Woe with Finances

2006-06-05T14:13:00.000-07:00

It's easy to get depressed when adding up the costs associated with rescuing an orphan. We're rattling our brains trying to come up with feasible funding raising techniques. So for one, we've added a link to our paypal account so you can help bring our child home. We're also looking into ways that you can donate tax-free. These, unfortunately, are easier said than done and also have fees associated with start-up and maintenance... usually a few hundred dollars up front and the lowest fees we've seen are 3% of everything we raise...uugh.

We'd welcome any suggestions you have as to how we can raise money to fund the adoption... If you're an adoptive parent... what are some things you did to raise money?. John's company will give a $3,000 donation, AFTER the adoption is complete. We have a list of grants that we can apply for AFTER we've complete the dossier. But realistically, we need to come up with $10,000 UP FRONT before we can move forward to complete our dossier.

God has conceived this plan in our hearts and we have faith that He will bring it to fruition. He's still going to have us working, praying, and listening to follow His voice through this whole process.

Here is a breakdown of the costs we're looking at:

Total Fees due to the agency for application, agency fee, and international fee: $9,500
Citizen and Immigration Service Fee $545
CIS Fingerprint fee $140
Home Study $1,500 (approx.)
Document Certification and Notarization $150 (approx.)
Mailing Fees (certified and overnight) $100 (approx.)
Relief Fee (paid to child's orphanage) $3,000
Travel Visa $150
Roundtrip Airfare (including in-country flight) $2,400 (approx.)
Immigrant Visa (paid to U.S. consulate in Guangzhou) $380
In-country medical check-up- required by American Embassy $50
Official Fees (paid when you register in the Province) $150
Notorial Fees (paid at your Notorial Interview in child's birth city) $600
Lodging and food for two adults and new child for approx. 14 days $1,400 (approx.)

These look like insurmountable numbers to me, but God can do anything. Blessings to you if He's calling you to help; thanks for being obedient to His call.

Sprouting Seeds

2006-05-27T06:04:00.000-07:00

I'm thinking back to about 4 or so years ago when Jake (about 6yrs. old at the time) asked us for a brother. Since we knew that we could not physically have any more children, we told him that maybe we'd adopt one some day. He was very anxious and we told him that it would cost a lot of money and that it would have to be God's timing. Well Jake started saving his money in a glass jar so that he could adopt a brother. You can imagine our surprise when Debbi Butterbaugh came up to us in church one Sunday and offered her congratulations on our upcoming adoption. LOL Jake apparently told all of kids' church our news... that we were adopting a brother. Well folks, that was about four years ago.

We've never abandoned the idea of wanting to adopt some day. When pondering these things in my heart, I can see the seeds that God was planting there. Jake continued to save his money on and off for years, still holding us to our promise to adopt a brother one day. Well in recent months, more seeds have been sown. Unfortunately, Jake hasn't been able to save up quite enough money, but where God has a will, He will have a way. So we have given more serious consideration and prayer about adopting. We feel like God is leading us toward China, probably to a special needs child.

The kids are all very very excited. So am I! I feel so expectant, like when I was pregnant with my biological children. God has conceived this child in my heart! wow! John is more practical and is wondering and worrying about getting the money together to move forward. We haven't quite figured out where we're going to get the money yet; but have faith that God's seeds are beginning to sprout and we wait with expectant anticipation as to how He's going to put it all together and bring our precious child home.

Isn't it completely awesome, it fills me with awe, to know that God has a little Vogel, somewhere out there in the world, God has him in the palm of His hand, and that he is already part of our family, conceived in our hearts, and promised to be delivered?!?! Wow! It just blows me away. I know we can never fathom the depth of God's love for us: "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those (US!) who love him" ~Isaiah 64:4, 1 Corinthians 2:9. A promise in both the Hebrew and Greek scriptures. Wow.

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb (and heart). I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.
How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand.
~Psalms 139: 13-18
~Selah