Happy Referral Day!

Well, it has been exactly one year 4/14/2014 since Brent and I said yes to our adoption agency to the referral of our sweet brown eyed baby boy! In many ways it seems like the time has flown by yet it also seems so very long ago.  The first time we saw Charlie's face was sometime in early March of 2014 as we began to start a second adoption and pursued his file through a waiting child's list.  I will never forget the day when Brent and I saw his sweet face!  It is crazy how much you become attached to a child that you have never even laid hands on but have only seen through pictures. If you think about it, it's almost a little strange but it is what it is, and we are so in love with our little guy!  This is our referral picture and we estimate Charlie was around 6 months old in this picture :)

Seriously, those cheeks!

Once we reviewed his file, had our home study reviewed by the agency to ensure we are suitable parents, and had a physician familiar with international adoption cases review his medical information (this is actually required) we said yes, yes, and yes!  Again with the agencies all communication is primarily through email, so our adoption agency emails us back and says, "ok congratulations, he is your child."  Yep that was it, pretty crazy huh?  Our adoption agency has a tradition that when a child from the waiting child's list is matched they ring a cow bell in celebration of a waiting child finding their forever family.  So we received an email with a picture of a worker from the agency with a big smile on her face ringing a cow bell in our families honor!  Brent and I just sat together and were honestly in a little shock thinking, is that it? So we have a son? I remember Brent saying "Are they sure, I mean did they write that down that he is ours? There are cow bells ringing and all, but I want to know he is ours." So in the next few hours and days to come yes there was legal paper work given to us and it was a done deal! So apparently they did write it down :)

Charlie seems to be doing very well.  We continue to get updates every month from the agency.  Here are a few fun facts about Charlie.  

• Some of his favorite foods are (basically he eats everything) including fish, fruits, rice.  You name it our kid is eating it :) 
• His favorite toys are blocks, cars, and trucks. 
• He can say about 20 words (all in Korean of course). 
• He weighs about 28 lbs and is a 35 inches tall! 

We are incredibly thankful for these updates as it helps tremendously during the wait.  

So we continue to wait to be submitted to the government for the purpose of Charlie's emigration permission.  It has been a very slow past two months for Brent and I.  We really try hard to stay positive but it's getting more difficult as the time continues to pass. We remain hopeful he will be home with us before the end of this year. We know and trust the time is coming that we will meet and hold Charlie.  We pray it comes soon.  

Happy Referral Day Charlie!  We are so thankful for this day. 

Love, 

Brent and Beth

Next Step

I am really not good at keeping up with this blogging thing, but the waiting phase of adoption is overall not that exciting.  We did receive an email from our agency February 2, 2015 that the Korean agency (ESWS) has requested our file so preparations can be made to be moved to the ministry (Korean Ministry of Health and Welfare) for the purpose of Charlie's emigration permission (EP). The ministry is a branch of the South Korean government that oversees when and how many EP's are given. Sounds complicated but basically we are waiting on that day for Charlie's EP to be given so we can appear in court (1st trip) and then 4-6 weeks later take custody (2nd trip) of our son and bring him home!

So we continue to wait to be submitted to receive an EP, but having our file being "prepared" is a good step forward.  Timelines are not consistent when compared to other families but we have been able to narrow the time frame down somewhat that it's *possible*to travel and meet Charlie before the end of 2015 which is sooner than we originally thought.  Of course we are excited but you find your self being guarded and even nervous to even narrow timelines down because adoption regardless of domestic or international is so out of your control.  So we keep trucking along with life staying busy with work, church, and with our family and friends.

During our wait we did participate and formed "Team Hardin" in the Charlotte Chosen 10-Mile race in October of 2014 as a fundraiser.  We had an awesome turn out from friends and family who helped us in raising $5,076.25 toward our adoption expenses.  We are so very grateful for everyone who signed up to support us.  We cannot thank you enough, this was a tremendous blessing!

Missing a few but for the most part "Team Hardin".  You guys are the best, thank you so much!

Jen my co-worker and good friend who held me accountable with training for the race! So much fun hanging out and "trying to talk" while running after work.  Proud of us!

So fun to do this race together.  So proud of my man!

Megan and Melanie two awesome ladies who run competitively.  You girls did awesome! Thanks for being a part. 

Joy my best friend since second grade! There is not a large enough caption for what a loyal friend this girl is.   Truly thankful!

Kids fun run!

My sweet college friend Wendy who also likes to sign up for races and torture herself :) We did a 1/2 marathon a few years back together and I could barely walk afterwards! Wendy we should just get coffee next time!

Our awesome friends, the Robinson's who have supported us from the beginning and have written multiple reference letters for us!  

The "We Love Charlie" shirts were a surprise as we crossed the finish line from our awesome family! We love you all!

Our good friends Sarah and Taylor after the race (who I failed to get a picture with) :) Had to include you guys!

Also during the wait we get to send Charlie a care package every other month.  It's really fun to be able to pick things out to send him.  We get to include pictures of us and also write letters to his foster family. We also receive monthly pictures of him and occasionally we get to see him opening items from his care package which has been really special and fun!  It really does help with getting through this crazy wait.  

Care Package 2

Care Package 3

Care Package 4

 Our house continues to remain on the market but over the holidays we decided to prepare Charlie a room.  It started out with us deciding just to paint and well now it's fully finished! What can I say, it was therapeutic, and fun! :)

Until we have custody of Charlie we cannot post any pictures online of his sweet little face.  But trust me he is one little cutie, with sweet chubby cheeks and he is getting so big!  Thank you again for those of you have joined Brent and I in this journey whether it is through your prayers and words of encouragement, writing reference letters, or participating in fundraisers. We are truly thankful for you in our lives and your support.

Charlie at 18 months opening his care package :)

Happy Birthday

It has been about a year since our last post!  So much has happened this past year regarding the adoption process and also just life in general.  We will try to highlight the major events!  We continue to be waiting for a referral for a child from Ethiopia.  The wait times for Ethiopia continue to increase and with knowing where we stand on the waiting list it continues to be "estimated" that we will be waiting an additional 3 years from now.  We haven't given up hope and still remain very committed to adopt from Ethiopia but we began to wonder about the future of building a family.

A few post ago we explained that adoption was not a plan B for our family, but plan A.  As we came to a point in our lives and marriage of desiring to start a family our hearts continued to be led to adoption along with trying to have children simultaneously.  As the months continued to go by (now almost two years) we decided to undergo infertility testing.  We were told in February of this year we had a very small to no chance of having children biologically.  There may be a chance of trying with In Vetro Fertilization (IVF) but even then we would need to see a specialist to determine if this would be a possibility.  We knew in our hearts the Lord had clearly called us to adopt and it was again a very clear decision for us to choose adoption over IVF at this time.  This led us to begin to look into the possibility of starting a second adoption.  It is neat to look back even with reading these post of what we have written thus far and see how God continues to move, provide, and open and close doors.  We have learned that whatever plan we think we are following A, B, C  etc. as followers of Christ it is His plan and it is ultimately for His glory.  We will have to be honest in saying that at times it has not been easy or painless but being able to look back at even this journey makes me love and trust the Lord more and more, and there is so much joy and peace in that alone! 

In March of this year we began to search different adoption options.  We prayed and researched about domestic adoption and other programs of international adoption. So much happened in this time I will have to spare all the details but in the end the doors opened up very wide and very quickly to pursue a waiting child from South Korea.  On April 14, 2014 we were matched with a beautiful baby boy from South Korea!! 

Since this time our home study has been updated (re-written) to meet the requirements of South Korea, and to work with two separate agencies to pursue two adoptions at the same time. For some of you, it may seem like we are crazy, others it may seem simple, and to those other adoptive parents out there understand just how much paperwork and mind-boggling it really is.  It is a pretty overwhelming process and ridiculous but we are grateful we have been able to persevere and we are finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel (for now) regarding paperwork. 

We are currently waiting on our agency to contact us to begin the immigration paper work which is the last step in the paper chase process.  We have been given an "estimated" time of 18 months from now before we can meet, travel, and bring our son home.  We hope to have a more clear estimation regarding a timeline and more details of our son within the next few weeks.  

Today is a very special day. A year ago today, our son was born!  His mother chose life for him and also chose unselfishly it was best for him to place her baby boy for adoption.  We are so grateful for this woman.  We are grateful for his foster parents who are currently taking care of him.  We are grateful for God's sovereign plan! 

Oh little buddy, you are so loved!  We celebrate you and your life today.  Happy First Birthday Charlie! We love you son, and cannot wait to meet you!

June 29, 2014

A few gifts from your Aunt Emily, Alyson, and  Dad and Mom.
Happy 1st Birthday Charlie!

One Step Closer

Brent and I are excited to announce that on July 20, 2013, we mailed off all of our adoption paper work (dossier) to our agency to be forwarded on to Ethiopia!!  We feel like this is such a relief and accomplishment as this first process took about 6 months to complete all the paperwork and to gather all the necessary documents.  Our dossier has now been reviewed by our family coordinator and staff of our agency.  We have been told our official dossier to Ethiopia date (DTE) will be August 9, 2013.  This date is significant as this is the date we are officially placed on the waiting list!! The current trend in wait times from DTE to being matched with a child is 24 to 30 months.

July 20, 2013 mailing off dossier

Over the past three months we completed a last few documents that required extra time for processing including home study completion and federal finger prints in order to be approved by the US government to be able to bring our baby back in to the US.

The last three months while waiting we have been busy with preparing to sell our house.  We feel the Lord is leading us to sell our home to prepare financially for the growth of our family.  Brent and I originally bought our house as an investment and have spent the last five years making many home improvements, along with many fun memories with our family and friends and have truly found comfort and enjoyment in our home.  We will be honest in saying this decision has not been easy.  However, we will say it is incredible how over time as we have grown in our faith the Lord continues to show us joy and comfort in Him and has truly changed the desires of our hearts.  We are excited and hopeful we will be able to sell our house and are trusting His timing will be perfect!  

When we mailed off our dossier there was also a very large fee that was required for all the processing, translation, etc.  We are very humbled and grateful to say that with the help of all our families and friends donations and support we had enough money to cover this entire first process!!  We cannot express how much this is appreciated to have this covered prior to mailing off our dossier.  This has encouraged Brent and I both so much and has helped us to ensure our dossier to arrive to Ethiopia as soon as possible!  We want to thank you all again for your continued love and support.  We continue to have people to send us donations by mail, online, and through our family members.  We are so grateful!

We have had several questions about the best way to send donations.  To get a tax deduction on your donation checks can be made payable to AWAA using the form under the tab to the right of our blog "Support Our Journey Mailing Check". Print the form and send along with check to the address located at the bottom of the form. 

Or

Click on the "Support our Journey Online" by using credit card choose the link provided and at the drop down box for "Select Fee" scroll down and choose "Eternal Family Program".  In the notes section identify our family "Brent and Beth Hardin". 

We ask that you continue to pray for our child, this process, and for Brent and I.  We realize this process is going to be very long and we have actually learned in the past recent few weeks the process may even continue to be longer due to government issues and additional requirements.  We are hopeful as we know and believe our God is sovereign over all things.  One step closer.

Love, 

Brent and Beth

Pictures from the BBQ Benefit April 2013

Our Dad's

Brandon, Catie, and McKinley friends from our growth group

Beth's co-workers

Brent with his sister Alyson

Our Nieces McClure and Cora

Our Nieces Ada and Millie

Beautiful view of the Melton's barn

Thankful Hearts

Last Saturday our families hosted a BBQ benefit dinner to help Brent and I financially in our adoption process.  We want to give a very special thanks to our parents and sisters who worked so hard to make this event such a success!  We are so very grateful for all of your hard work.   We love you very much!

We would also like to give a special thanks to the Melton's for donating their beautiful farm for us to host the BBQ dinner.  We really appreciate their generosity.  The Lord blessed us with an absolute beautiful setting on a warm spring Saturday evening!

We also want to give thanks to all of our family and friends for coming to the BBQ last Saturday.  Your presence and support were greatly appreciated!  Even though it was tough to spend time with everyone it meant so much to Brent and I to see so many people in our lives support and love on us.  We cannot thank you enough! 

Thank you to all of our family and friends that have called, emailed, mailed, and sent messages that were not able to attend but have encouraged us with your words and donations!  We have been overwhelmed with everyones support. 

We have put this entire adoption in the Lord's hands but we will confess that we have worried about the financial portion.  We have full trust that the Lord will provide but it is was difficult to not pull out the calculator and estimate how much may be donated through the BBQ benefit!  During our second home study visit, our social worker informed us our invoice of $2,165.00 was due immediately.  I calmly resorted to the idea of using our credit card to cover this fee, however it took Brent a few deep breaths and prayers to come around and trust that this amount would be reimbursed through this benefit. 

A frequent question we are asked is how much does adoption cost? For Ethiopia the total cost is estimated to be $30,000.00.  The fees are due at various times and dispersed through the two year process.  The home study fee and dossier submission fee (paperwork to Ethiopia to officially be placed on waiting list) are the two largest fees that are due early in the process.  Brent and I were praying our home study would be reimbursed by our BBQ benefit.  In the back of our minds we were worrying and strategizing how in the world WE were going to be able to submit our dossier to begin the waiting process most likely due in July for a fee of $8,450.00!

After such a fun evening at the BBQ, Brent and I sat down on the couch opening cards full of words of encouragement, cash, and checks.  We were absolutely overwhelmed with joy and gratitude!  Words cannot express how we felt, we actually were speechless for a while and just cried!  The Lord provided through our family and friends who sacrificially gave to His purpose at total of $10,091.00!!  This will cover our home study and our dossier submission.  Praise the Lord!

This demonstrated how little faith we had in the financial portion of our adoption, worrying and taking it into our own hands. Once again the Lord continues to provide us with affirmation of His plan that he has already gone before us and has prepared a precious baby in Ethiopia to become part of our family! Our hearts are full of praise, joy, and thanks.  

Katie, Cora, and I preparing BBQ invitations

Patti, Alyson, and Katie making decorations for tables

Alyson, Patti, Mom decorating for BBQ

Dad, Patti, Alyson, Mom setting up tables

Tables inside

Tables outside

Donation table

Blessing table

Brent preparing for welcome

Our 5 year old niece Cora thought she was going to a party because we were getting the baby.  Ryan and Katie explained this party was to help bring the baby home.  A few minutes later she brought to her dad all of her money from her piggy bank to bring to the BBQ.  What a precious giving heart.  Thank you Cora Lee!

More pictures of the BBQ to come!  Thank you all again for your love and support. 

Love, 

Beth