Praise the Lord!!!

     We applied for a grant through Ephesians 3:20 Foundation and they awarded us a grant of $3,400 that will be distributed as soon as we get our travel authorization.  I am amazed at how God works and shows us that He is still with us and that He is the one that is orchestrating this new change in our family.  We still have a LONG ways to go with funding but I am feverishly working towards applying for more grants.  We have $3,000 due in the next few weeks and are trusting God to provide.  He has already shown His hand in even that goal with a generous donation of $1,250.  Our hearts are blessed. 

JONATHAN BENJAMIN MALIN

(hopefully by end of April)

Update:
     Well we are hopefully coming to the end of the process of adopting John.  We have been told that they are hoping to have everything ready to go by April 23rd.  I will believe it when I see it though :-) Trusting God with His timing.  He will need to be in our name before we can get our USCIS immigration paperwork updated (for another fee).  This will hold up our travel if it is not done quickly.  Again, another exercise in FAITH!  

     John is doing well adjusting to our home and family.  He still struggles with outside friends and family.  He does not trust easily and will take time.  We found out that his mom was on drugs through month 5 of pregnancy.  She was addicted to cocaine and meth.  When she went out to do drugs, she left John with her violent boyfriend for 7+ hours at a time then she would return home to violence which resulted in the both of them being jailed and John being removed from the home.  Praise God that He watches over the little ones. Please be patient with him if he seems to you, rude and unfriendly.  He is adjusting and adapting but it is going to take time and love and security for him to heal.  Most of all it will take God's hand in his life and his heart to heal.   
     
     Please pray that the Lord would prepare his heart for a new addition to the family.  Pray that we are able to meet the demands of two toddlers with their own special needs and hurts.  Piper will need surgery and since she can't walk will take a lot more care and time.  God knows all of this and knew all of this before asking us to take on their care.  So, we will trust Him and take it one day at a time!

THANK YOU!     

     Thank you for all of your prayers and your support.  We are entering a new phase (and an old phase) of life and it takes adjustment on our part and these children will need a different kind of care than what our biological children needed.  There will be times when you will not see me as much as I care for these gifts from God and some times when we might seem "crazy" but its adjustment and we just need your love and prayers.  Thank you for taking the time to read this blog and know that when something new comes up.... we will let you know :-)  

GUESS WHAT... GUESS WHAT... GUESS WHAT!!!!!!

Yes.... we have a match and we have been locked in with China for this special little princess!!

Piper Jade Malin

age:  16 months old

12 lbs

24 inches long 

Cleft Lip/Palate (surgery needed)

Delayed Motor Development

(she can not crawl or walk, she is still on only formula, she can not talk yet as well)

Please pray as we wait for the final approval that will lead to our travel authorization and date of departure.   There are many details to consider and we are trusting God's hand and His timing!!

Please pray for God to continue to provide... we still have over $14,000 to raise(IF she comes home before October.. if she turns 2 then we will have her plane ticket & will add $2,000).  We believe God will provide.. what  HE has called us to... HE will provide like he has done to this point!!

We thank all of you who have been following us and supporting us through this journey!

<3

WOW!!!

WOW, is all I can say!!!  We handed our Dossier (our family history/BOOK) to our adoption agency on December 16th... it was mailed to the Colorado office on December 17th... mailed to China on December 20th... Received Christmas Eve and Logged in to China on December 25th - Merry Christmas!  WOW.... that's fast.  We were told we would find out by the end of January what our log in date was.... Never expected a 24 hour turn around time.  So, what is a Log In Date --- 

LOG IN DATE and its importance!  When China receives all of our paperwork (Dossier) - ie:  Family photos, autobiographies, medical exams, police reports, petition for the Chinese government to adopt from their country, birth certificates, marriage certificates, health reports for kids, reference forms, job verifications and the list goes on.  In  a nutshell, its everything the government wants to know about us, in order to see if we make the cut to adopt one of their children.  When they review all the information, and approve us, they give us a Log In Date.  This date means that we are officially approved to bring a child from China home with us.  NOW.... the process begins for matching.  We have a list of medical needs that we are willing to consider and so now they will begin to search the children that are turned over to the American system to see if there are any matches.  When a child comes available that matches a health need, we approved then they will call us to see if we are willing to review that child's health file.  If we have this Log In Date ( LID ) then we are then able to accept this child and send a Letter of Intent (LOI) to China asking for permission to adopt this special child.  SO, here we go - Please continue to pray for the finances to come in - for God to help us to know which child that He has chosen for our family.  Pray that God will prepare little John for this process as well.  

John!!  January 6th is his mothers termination hearing.  The adoption process will begin with that date - we have all we need to complete everything for him, except a few pictures to take and our part is done and we wait for the state to set a trial date to finalize his adoption.  

I look back over the past year plus and never imagined where we would be today.  God set us up on this amazing journey in the summer of 2012.  We were willing to take in a few orphans if God so chose, but decided that with our lives that it probably wasn't wise to take on two medical needy babies so we settled in for the long haul with China.  God had other plans... I had always said that I did not want to do domestic adoption due to the chaos is seems on this side of things - but God said... Oh, just you wait.  John was placed in our lives in January of 2013 and became part of our family on February 26, 2013.  What was told us to be a short journey is still continuing today BUT we wait, knowing that He is a Malin and was born to be a Malin.  God has changed our lives and the lives of our children.  They have been fantastic through this transition and I can honestly say that it has NOT been an easy one but God's grace has sustained and given us strength to be patient and love this little child of God when days are hard and nights were VERY long and loud.  Now as we continue on with the process that God originally led us to.... we walk with peace but also knowing that some days might be hard.. and the nights might get very long again and the transition may not be as smoothe as we may have imagined.  We also pray for God to help us and prepare us to be able to care for this little girl that He will choose for us.  That He would be sovereign in the decision as well as in the illness she may have, knowing that He has already entrusted us with John.   Its a little intimidating but when God calls, He equips and His timing is ALWAYS perfect!! 

Thank you for your prayers and your love!   

Moving along..... waiting on the Lord!

Well..... much needed prayer!!!  November 5th is our next court date for John.  His mom says she will come to court to sign her rights away.  Grandma is scheduled to pick her up and take her.. Lord willing.  If she does not show the courts are still waiting for a Termination of Parental Rights hearing.  When that happens, adoption shouldn't take long.  We have been assigned to the 8 week classes and only have 4 left.  Then we are ready for yet ANOTHER home study.  UGH!  I think half the world knows our life history and maybe more about us than some of the people we've known for years.  So please pray that this little boy will have a permanent forever family before years end... EVEN by Christmas.. what a great Christmas present.  

On the China front.. we are waiting for our Immigration approval to bring in a little one from China.  When this arrives, we send it to the State for approval and on to the Consulate.. then shortly after all our paperwork will be headed to China.  I will be SO happy when this whole process is over -- get life to a new normal.. whatever normal looks like :-)  I think our hands will be MORE than full but blessed by God for moving forward with what He has asked us to do.  

Keep praying... waiting on Him for finances and for leading as to who our little one will be...  I had a dream a few weeks ago and was astonished at the clarity in the dream itself.  We had a tiny baby girl.  She was at home in a crib BUT her bedroom was in a patch of ground.. grassy and lots of dirt.  I was so concerned about her being attacked by bugs.. but Jeff assured me that she would be okay.  I went back to check on her later and she was rolling and lifted her head.. I was amazed that she had grown so fast.  Then I couldn't find her anywhere.. I searched and I searched.  I asked everyone I saw where did she go.. I was frantic.  I found Jeff and asked him where she was.. and he said who?  I said.......  I can't remember what we named her.. and I cried wondering where she was but more frantic because I couldn't remember her name.  Weird, you say?  Yes... I believe that though I don't know her name or who she is.. God does and in His timing.. we will meet!!!  Praying for that day and for each step of the process and HIS provision through it all.  

Love you all!

Robin

UPDATE!!!

Fingerprints have been completed!!!  On Tuesday, we visited the Department of Homeland Security to have our fingerprinting done in order to get an I-800 Approval. This will allow us to move on and have our Dossier translated into Chinese and sent to China.  A dossier is a LARGE packet of paperwork that gives every bit of information about our family in order for the government in China to see who we are determine whether we are "up to par" to adopt one of their children.  Our deadline is coming up and we need your prayers. There is a lot of money due and in a short amount of time. We know that God has called us to do this and know that He will provide.  :-)  We have exactly one year from this past Tuesday in order to be in China (fingerprints are only good for one year) SHEW!!

Now the story on John... We are still in waiting.  His mom still has her rights and we are waiting for the court to terminate them. She has told the caseworker that she wants what is best for him and they have given her another court date for review of the case.  This date is November 5th. If she would show up, she could take the time and sign papers to terminate her rights, but she has to show up.  So we wait and we pray!!

Thank you for all of you who support the calling God has for us - Thank you for your prayers!!  We love you all! 

June Update

Well here we are .....  we are sending in our final paperwork and awaiting the government.  I will be out of town for several weeks so we pray that doesn't put us past our deadlines.  Pray that we can get in and get our fingerprints done asap and then  that our approval will come in in plenty of time to get our papers to State and then to the Consulate in good time.

Update on John:  Our court date is July 16th.. if his mother does not show up for her court date then her parental rights will be terminated on the spot.  Then we would be able to begin the adoption process with him.  Shew.... between paper work and deadlines and keeping up with social workers on both ends.. then Johns Guardian ad litem and his grandmother.. I'm tired.  Praying for God's timing and perfect will.  Thank you for your prayers.. John is a blessing and we can't imagine life without him.  Its one of those things where you say you will NEVER do something..and God says... Oh no??? :-)

We trust the Lord to complete was He started and are thankful for each of you that keep up with us and are praying for us.  We have a lot of fees due very quickly and know that He will provide!!  He provided all the monies for the first set of fees so we know that He will continue to do so... !  

Well its been about 5 weeks now and John is adjusting well.  He loves Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and the song "I need you now" by Plumb.  Why he has chosen this particular song, we don't know.  I can say that we can feel that we are not as young as we used to be but we are overwhelmed by how God works.  John is such a blessing.  BUT as we adjust to John and the new blessing God has placed in our lives, we are reminded by our adoption agency that we have work to do to finish our Dossier very soon before our documents are outdated and our file is closed.  With finishing the Dossier also brings on more costs that will be due.  Anyone out there have some ideas?  I need to do a garage sale( I have lots of stuff in my garage)  I know that God's timing is always perfect and we just have to do our part and finish our papers and trust God for the perfect match.  

Thank you all for keeping up with us and thank all of you who were such blessings at the baby shower.  John is set and has what he needs.  I will get those thank you notes done ASAP -- its just been a little hectic.

Love to all!!!!