The Announcement Has Been Made!

Well, Todd and I finally announced our news to our families and our church family. Everyone seems to be supportive and Tracey, Todd's sister, told me that she is excited for us. It really means a lot to us that everyone is okay with the idea of us going to China for our daughter. I already love her and I doubt she has even been born yet! We also had it announced in church Sunday (the same day Brandon got baptized by full immersion!) and everyone there also seems very supportive. The pastor jokingly announced that the "Harrell family is going to adopt TWO children from China"! Todd and I immediately said, "Just one!" Hee-Hee! Anyway, we are very excited and it seems that talking about the adoption seems to be rolling off of our tongues easier now. We are going to an informational meeting tomorrow night, November 29th, at Coordinators 2 in Richmond, after which we will make our final decision about which agency to use.

It's Just the Beginning

It's only the beginning and Todd and I are already feeling a mixed bag of emotions. We are really excited but at the same time, scared to death. We want a daughter for our family and, after a lot of prayer and a lot of discussion, we have decided that God wants us to add a daughter to our family through adoption. I'm especially feeling pulled toward China and I am convinced that is where God wants us to go. (Although, I don't know how confident Todd is! LOL) We are starting to investigate agencies and I have emailed about a dozen so far with questions about my cancer history. To our surprise, we have actually received a wide variety of answers...from no waiting period to adopt after cancer to a waiting period of five years. Five years!!! I can't wait that long! We have found an agency in Richmond who will work with us and we are going to attend their informational meeting on November 29th. I am so excited!!

We do have other concerns, however. The total cost of the adoption process is going to be about $20,000. We have already come up with a few different ideas for fundraisers. Todd's company is also giving us $3,000 to assist in the adoption costs. It is an awful lot of money but we are faithful that God will provide and that in the end we will reap the rewards by holding our precious daughter in our arms.